IrishAyes
IrishAyes's JournalPer a friend's suggestion, cross-posted from 'Musicians' group:
Celebrating Labor Day with good old-fashioned pro-labor music
Most Sunday afternoons I have NPR's 'Folk Tree' program turned on, but it was especially fine today.
Understand first that I usually despise most covers if I liked the original. It even bothers me when my adored Garrison Keillor does it unless he's making a joke. They never sing it the way I learned it and that's a damned high hurdle for me to overcome!
So this afternoon I got a double treat. First of all, a cover of Woody Guthrie's 'I Ain't Got No Home'. Maybe Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan can sing Guthrie's songs to my satisfaction, but precious few others had better even dare try. I literally wish I could throw a hammer at the radio when (gasp!) country performers try to rework political songs into something you know damn well they don't even mean the same way because it's liberal and they ain't. 'Maggie's Farm' is the prime example.
But just this once I have to make an exception for a modern trio covering Woody Guthrie in a smooth harmony fashion. Has anyone else had the extreme privilege of hearing Brother Sun? I haven't even yet looked up their website, but I'm totally over the moon.
Just as I was (and always will be) over the moon about St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Regardless of how amazing Belushi and Akroyd were, I still don't hold them in quite the same esteem as Otis Redding, for instance. Maybe part of it's my age, since I was a teen when the best music first surfaced. Anyway, one Saturday I happened to catch St. P&BB for the first time and gasped for joy. Nobody could ever beat Otis Redding at anything, but I do think they measured up. Paul Janeway can literally rip your heart out in the most delightful way.
Well, they might not - maybe should not - ever delve into overtly political realms as Woody did, but to me any form of the blues is political anyway, and thereby pro-labor.
Blame it on my parents. I grew up thinking no one wrote lullabyes except Guthrie, since they were the only ones sung in our house except for Irish tunes. So I continued the tradition with my own son, though branching out into the blues as well. I sang BB King's 'Hummingbird' to the little one in utero.
And people wonder how kids turn out the way they do!?!
Regardless, do pause to remember Woody tomorrow. Maybe even hum a bit of 'Solidarity Forever' while you're at it.
Unless you can do better than that,
feel free to just keep lurking. That was a jerky thing to say at best, despite your back-scratching later on. You owe Mary an UNdiluted full-bore apology.
Celebrating Labor Day with good old-fashioned pro-labor music
Most Sunday afternoons I have NPR's 'Folk Tree' program turned on, but it was especially fine today.
Understand first that I usually despise most covers if I liked the original. It even bothers me when my adored Garrison Keillor does it unless he's making a joke. They never sing it the way I learned it and that's a damned high hurdle for me to overcome!
So this afternoon I got a double treat. First of all, a cover of Woody Guthrie's 'I Ain't Got No Home'. Maybe Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan can sing Guthrie's songs to my satisfaction, but precious few others had better even dare try. I literally wish I could throw a hammer at the radio when (gasp!) country performers try to rework political songs into something you know damn well they don't even mean the same way because it's liberal and they ain't. 'Maggie's Farm' is the prime example.
But just this once I have to make an exception for a modern trio covering Woody Guthrie in a smooth harmony fashion. Has anyone else had the extreme privilege of hearing Brother Sun? I haven't even yet looked up their website, but I'm totally over the moon.
Just as I was (and always will be) over the moon about St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Regardless of how amazing Belushi and Akroyd were, I still don't hold them in quite the same esteem as Otis Redding, for instance. Maybe part of it's my age, since I was a teen when the best music first surfaced. Anyway, one Saturday I happened to catch St. P&BB for the first time and gasped for joy. Nobody could ever beat Otis Redding at anything, but I do think they measured up. Paul Janeway can literally rip your heart out in the most delightful way.
Well, they might not - maybe should not - ever delve into overtly political realms as Woody did, but to me any form of the blues is political anyway, and thereby pro-labor.
Blame it on my parents. I grew up thinking no one wrote lullabyes except Guthrie, since they were the only ones sung in our house except for Irish tunes. So I continued the tradition with my own son, though branching out into the blues as well. I sang BB King's 'Hummingbird' to the little one in utero.
And people wonder how kids turn out the way they do!?!
Regardless, do pause to remember Woody tomorrow. Maybe even hum a bit of 'Solidarity Forever' while you're at it.
Bravo for you.
Sad to say, the gentleman who was refused probably knew the truth. It must be hard to take the high road sometimes when you're somebody's favorite target.
Please tell your friends there is no such thing as an act of 'harmless racism'. Even if the snubbed customer didn't have a clue as to why he was refused, every bit of poison spewed into the universe hurts us all.
Incredibly beautiful.
My personal ambition is to take the 5'x5' double-pane beveled glass picture window I dragged home from curbside years ago and do a portrait of the Grand Canyon on it, then have it installed in a spot that really needs more light.
At this point I begin to wonder if it'll ever happen though. But I really do love good artwork of any kind.
BTW,
I know Feinstein's not been a sturdy bulwark by any means, but I didn't think she'd stoop this low.
Feinstein's the last person I'd expect to see exhibit such skullduggery.
But yer right... it might have more to do with '16 than now or even '14. More than a few of the observers I've found most accurate and trustworthy have lately begun to wonder if President Obama has already decided NOT to endorse HRC in '16 primaries. I expect him to be the kingmaker then, and HRC might already be trying to get ahead on that. If such turns out to be the case and someone else gets his endorsement, there's every chance her '08 and her '16 might turn out to be the same.
There's a LOT to appreciate about HRC but I'm by no means tied to her side at this point. If Warren (despite her present stated refusal) primaries her, wins, and picks Joaquin Castro as a running mate, I'll be giddy over them. Love Bernie Sanders and several others but they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting US the Oval Office in '16. Politics is only personal with me in a way and up to a point; sleep with the enemy or even develop a serious limp and I'll blow anyone a fond (or otherwise) farewell kiss.
All you sweet folks who want to holler at me to focus focus focus on midterms, save your breath. You think I forgot how to multitask or something? '14 IS about '16 and the future thereafter into eternity and pounding every sorry no-good worthless GOP POS possible into nothing but a grease spot until they are politically dead, dead, dead.
Good grief, RWNJ's have been driving me to literal nightmares the last few weeks. This afternoon when I took a late nap, I got jarred awake wondering whether the refugees I was trying to help smuggle across the border were going to make it to safety. Admittedly this last nightmare could've been at least exacerbated by the fried chicken at the potluck at church today, but this has been going on too long and I'm getting in a real foul mood about it.
Seeing our own stab President Obama in the back doesn't help matters. SO WHAT if he spoke unartfully about WH strategy regarding ISIS? SO BLOODY WHAT???? Everybody including the godforsaken GOP knows damn well he meant we need to keep our options open and be ready for any contingency.
Oh - and I almost forgot to thank you for the OP, my dear Drunken Irishman.
Superlative OP, thanks.
Keeping forever.
While it might cause me a little karmic discomfort some day, I'd gladly pay the freight to dance on Pig Boy's grave. Him and all like him.
K&R OP for support of President Obama
and his understanding that we're actually in worse danger by trying to conquer the whole damned world like the GOP wants.
At least the Kurds have shown they can and will fight to protect themselves. That's the sort of people we should help. While avoiding civilian casualties entirely is next to impossible given how ISIS operates, with that taken into account, I've never known a group in my time whose combat troops needed carpet bombing more. They're bad enough on the best day, but they've at least reportedly taken to crucifying Christian captives. Not much worse way to go.
Good grief, 'those people' don't know HOW to be honest about ANYTHING.
Of course they're worst of all regarding our President Barack Hussein Obama, who looks smashing no matter what he wears. We just need to love him more than they hate him, to bring balance back into the universe. (That's easy for me. If I had got to make up my own president, couldn't have done better myself.) Nobody's perfect, not even me, but he damn sure runs circles around the rest.
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Gender: FemaleHome country: US
Current location: retired to MidWest
Member since: Mon Feb 18, 2013, 10:15 PM
Number of posts: 6,151
