Is There Any News in Your News?

Even back to the days of Ed Murrow, television news had a rep for being lame, uninformative, and tainted by advertisers. Local news at worst can be harmful (does that half hour of crime and punishment really convey what your town is like?), and national news irrelevant (more Michael Jackson, anyone?). But recently I've come to love the NBC Nightly News w/ Brian Williams, especially their Making a Difference segment, which highlights do-gooders in this current hard economic climate.

Closing Night

Jimmy LaFave opened this morning's festivities with "Oklahoma Hills" at Mary Jo's Pancake Breakfast. His voice and that song are one of my favorite combinations. LaFave and the ensemble cast closed the night singing "This Land is Your Land." Both songs can easily make me misty eyed, but it was the sight beyond backstage - the crowd standing and singing along -that moved me most today.

The official end of the festival is tomorrow at noon, the Hoot for Huntington's hootenanny, at the Crystal Theatre. But outside my hotel room door and down in the parking lot, I can hear music wafting up already. It's the unofficial end, when the musicians stay up all night playing and saying good bye to their festival family. 'Til next year.

Woodyfest!

A couple of years ago, Ronny Elliott, one of my favorite Tampa do-gooders, told me about the annual Woody Guthrie festival in Okemah, Oklahoma. A music festival with a message that hasn't gone corporate, and remains free? I've always wanted to go. (Che Guevara may have been on a Gap t-shirt, but as far as I know, those capitalists haven't touched Woody...at least one good thing about having a festival in the desert in the middle of the summer.)

I got a slight taste of the festival in March, when the Ribbon of Highway played Tampa Theatre. On Tuesday morning, Ronny and I left Tampa for Oklahoma. But first I asked him to write a few words about what the festival & the man mean to him.

I never cared all that much about Woody Guthrie. He was mostly just the guy that gave us Bob Dylan. I remember Martin Mull's quote, " Folk music. Remember when that crap almost caught on!" I suppose that in my own snooty fashion folk music was some kind of social phenomena for white guys who just didn't have all that much soul.

Of course I came to appreciate Woody's music and philosophies more over the years but it was never gonna bump Chuck Berry or Elvis or Big Joe Turner from their thrones in my heart.

Then I was invited to play the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma some five or six years back. The power of the music just overwhelmed me. By my second visit I was a true convert. I believe that was the year that I looked around and found myself standing onstage with Pete Seeger, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Arlo Guthrie and lots of other folks, singing as loud as we could, with the entire audience singing along. " This land was made for you and me." I looked out at the first few rows and I could see tears streaming down cheeks. Mine, too. I never thought I liked that damned song. I thought it was corny. Guess it was just over my head. I get it now. I never get tired of that song.

I bide my time for eleven months a year waiting for July and Woodyfest.

I saw On the Waterfront for the first time last week, a day or two before Karl Malden died. Father Barry's monologue about the waterfront being his church reminded me of the whole good vs. evil thing, and despite changing times, we're no more far ahead or behind than we were back when those words were written.

In the character of Edie I found more hope, with her quote: "Shouldn't everybody care about everybody else?"

I was sitting in the Starbucks at TGH the other day when I spied what I thought was among the quintessential American scenes. A middle aged lady with an armload of McDonald's came in for her morning joe, and when she attempted to exit with both hands full, she was unable to pull down the handle to open the door.

Meanwhile, a young doctor brisked by the windows and doors of the cafe, paying more attention to his hand held device than to where he was walking. After he was out of view, he came back a second later to get the door for her. She thanked him, calling him sir, and he smiled. Then they scurried off their separate ways.

I Wish I Had a Che Guevara Gap T-Shirt

Ronny put together an awesome do-gooder playlist. (I just took the GRE & was studying for the last coupla weeks. I did terrible, but at least I developed a love for math in the process. Thank you, Danica McKellar!)

This week Ronny and I watched Reds, an 80's movie written and directed by Warren Beatty. It's about a journalist who wants to be part of the Russian revolution beyond just writing about it. Of course the revolutionaries become as bad as, if not worse than, the powers they overthrow. It's disheartening: humans doing the same horrible things again and again.

But I found hope (again) in our leftist folk show playlist. You can stream it online for the next week. Happy listening!

Artist -- Track -- Album/CD

Grandpa Jones -- Turn Your Radio On -- Great Country Gospel
Josh Rouse -- It's The Nighttime -- Nashville
Jimmy Driftwood -- Soul Of A Man --
Tractors -- My Blue Heart -- Trade Union
Bazza -- Bullet Through The Heart -- I Dream Of Beavers
Elvis Perkins -- doomsday -- Dearland
Billy Bragg -- Power In A Union --
Ramblin' Jack Elliott -- Richland Women Blues -- A Stranger Here
Birmingham Jug Band -- Giving It Away -- Ruckus Juice
Dave Alvin -- Dynamite Woman -- Keep Your Soul
Blind Alfred Reed -- How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live -- Poor Man's Heaven
Delbert McClinton -- Texas Me -- Keep Your Soul
Blind Willie McTell -- I Keep On Drinkin' --
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby -- Here Comes My Ship -- Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry -- Down By The Riverside -- Sun's Gonna Shine
Carter Family -- Cuban Soldier -- A Proper Introduction
Folk Uke -- Knock Me Up -- Folk Uke
Arlo Guthrie -- Strangest Dream -- All over the world
Ukelele Ike -- That's My Weakness Now -- Singin' In The Rain
Marie Burns -- Droppin' Like Flies -- Free Little Bird
Bob Dylan -- I Feel A Change Comin' On -- Together
Jesse Winchester -- That's What Makes You Strong -- Gentleman of Leisure
Leonard Cohen -- Tower Of Song -- More Best Of
dan reeder -- No One Will Laugh -- Dan reeder
The Flatlanders -- Love's Own Chains -- Hills And Valleys
Donovan -- Universal Soldier --
Ronny Elliott -- War Scarred Horses -- Valentine Roadkill
Duckbutter -- Mountain Dream Song --
Dave Alvin -- Marie Marie -- And The Guilty Women

No (reason for) Depression

The hubby and I have been volunteering a lot lately at WMNF. I'm currently unemployed, so I've got plenty of time on my hands. I've always preferred to work for free rather than waste time at a boring/useless job for good money. Not that I can really afford to be unemployed for much longer, but I'll enjoy this "free" time while I've got it.

We sat in this morning for the ND Hour, the Americana/alt country show on 88.5 WMNF. (The playlist is below, and you can stream the show online for the next week.) We took noncommercial radio to new levels, I tell ya. We played lots of current folks who get very little recognition but deserve more face/ear time than the hacks that make millions. I've included some links if you want to check out these artists for yourself. There's nothing like the feeling of finding a new favorite.

ND Hour Playlist for May 25, 2009

Artist -- Track -- Album/CD
Ramsay Midwood -- When God Dips His Pen -- Popular Delusions
johnny cash -- Last night I had the strangest dream -- At Madison Square Garden
Mae West -- Little Bar Butterfly -- Come Up And See Me
Jesse Winchester -- I'm Lookin' For A Miracle -- Best Of
Rich Whitely -- A Good Talkin' To -- Ruby Fizz
Louvin Brothers -- Great Atomic Power -- Hillbilly Music, Thank God
Kasey Chambers -- We're All Gonna Die -- The Captain
Marshall Chapman -- Leaving Lochapoka --
Ben Vaughn -- Ava Gardner Blues -- Hit The Hay
Maura O'Connell -- Ireland -- Real Life Story
Dave Alvin -- Haley's Comet -- Blue Blvd
David Lindley -- Mercury Blues -- El Rayo X
Michael Nesmith -- More Of Shelly's Blue