Pigeon Publicity

Our pals at MusicFog have put up some supertasty porterdavis vids from their sessions at SXSW. check ‘em out here.

One of my faaavorite sources of information, the 9513, has some really good news items today. Bluegrass fans, Dylan fans, 9513 fans… there’s something there for errone! Including some podcast action with Mistah Darryl Lee Rush! Go here to getcha some of that.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the great privilege of attending Old Settlers’ Music Festival on about twenty minutes’ notice and was glad I did! I got to see a REALLY BEAUTIFUL performance by my friend Betty Soo. Betty Soo. She sang in the round with Jenny Reynolds and Ben Mallott and ooh, wow, was it great.

Betty Soo has startling range in her voice — not just on a scale but in her expression. She can be soft and sweet, melodic and pretty, and hardcore and dramatic. And she’s brilliant and nice. (No, I don’t work for her!) Gurf Morlix has produced her new record and duets with her on a beautiful song I adore these days, “Forever.” It’s a wonderful piece of work. Both before and after she sang, I got to catch the stone cold foxes of Stonehoney playing the main stage with Dan Navarro and then as their own selves in the indoor mud-free zone. Lovely. Then caught the always-stellar Fred Eaglesmith’s main stage set. Pretty spectacular. Lovely versions of “Pontiac,” “Carter,” and “Wilder Than Her.” He closed with a song by the late, great Willie P. Bennett. It makes one’s throat close to contemplate that. Send a good thought to Willie, if you will… Let me regain my poise for a sec… ok, better now! All of the following took place on a lovely Saturday. The next day, Sunday, Driftwood TX was blessed with some of the same peeps closing out the festival. The Lovell Sisters played — they’re all farrrrr too pretty and crazy talented thus I’m hatin’ on them. Then Spring Creek, then Stonehoney again — ok, I’m mangling the order but it matters not. While I was watching Stonehoney, someone asked me about them, as I was clearly digging them. Like the consummate, collected professional I am, I gushed, “they all have blue eyes!!!!” The guy snorted and said, “how do you know THAT?” Uh, because I’m a girl. Guilty.

Then came the best blue eyes — I’m a GIRL! — in the business as Mr. Eaglesmith played again.

What a superlovely, great set he did, playing probably my favorite of his songs, “Indiana Road,” and a million other great songs. He finished, oddly, with “Rough Edges,” which isn’t odd, of course, except that the Friday, the day it had teemed crashing, raging, torrenting buckets “Rough Edges” had forcefully commandeered my consciousness, making itself known in the insistent way a song will when you haven’t listened to it in ages and now you hear it as though it were playing at that moment… “an East wind, you know, always brings rain” said an insistent, recalling voice in my head that morning as the skies dumped grey gallon after gallon after gallon into the thirsty, rocky Edwards aquifer. He sang it solo with his guitar… then the festival ended, and, as the song says, the trailer went swaying on through the night away from the peaceful valleys of Hill Country.

I’m glad so many people got to see pretty Driftwood. It was hilarious driving that road (is that 1826? or 150?) 1826 I think) the next few days, though, as the mud that had collected on thousands of happy festival-goer tires in and out of the festival then got churned into two miles of red, red dust.

My pal Jeff Talmadage called this morning, which is supergreat as he is one of the best minds in the business and also one of the nicest people. AND one of the most talented dudes–his rekkid is on the Roots Music Report.. Among other items of wisdom he bestowed upon me, he let me know he’s in the studio as we speak recording in Nashville. Yay! The world needs a new Jeff Talmadge CD. Greatly looking forward to it.

And finally, stereogum linked to a Wilco album review in Billboard today and described it by saying “Wilco spoilers here.” Whoa! Don’t you think that’s weird? Shouldn’t a review, I dunno, give you an idea what to expect? Spoilers? Rilly? I am not linking to it because I don’t want to incur their wrath. But… spoilers? Of course, if it turns out Wilco shot J.R., I will rescind this. Spoiler alert: I am going to drink a margarita with my darling, wonderful, adored long-lost pal Eel tonight who happens to be in Tejas for a conference! Happy Cinco de Mayo, errone! And more importantly, Happy Isis Day!!!!!

Oh, WAIT! I forgot! Errone keeps asking me why I say “errone” and “errbody.” I’m from tha Lou and I’m proud… I mean, I’m from St. Louis, and durrty South slang makes “errone” out of “everyone.” Like dis,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmBCp1GxnHM

It’s just the way it’s said, where I come from. We say it slightly differently than they do — they said “Air-body” but STL says it “Urr-body!” Everybody. It’s all good. Just remember — errthing is errthing. I love you, babies.