Folk Music - Bluegrass Music - Alt Country - Americana Music - Roots Rock

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It's A Cracker!

IT'S A CRACKER ! THE BEST OF THE BANDS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD! The "It's A Cracker" concept is designed to encourage you to take musical chances. We think all music should be returnable if you don't like it but most of our suppliers don't agree with our opinion. So, we make available what we can hoping you will consider trying music you are unsure of. The digital purchases, are not guaranteed.

IT'S A CRACKER!
CRAZY JOE AND HIS MAD RIVER OUTLAWS
The King of Nerd-A-Billy
"Blessed with zingy, self mocking humor, suburban country heartache, and guitar chops galore, the latest by Crazy Joe and the Mad River Outlaws skillfully traverses country, blues, garage rock and Les Paul-via-Deke Dickerson style rockabilly. The result is the Enon, Ohio-based group's most entertaining work to date. ... Crazy Joe Tritschler is the real show here. Whether he emotes country heartache with "Cryin' My Eyes Out Over You," reinvents Sam Cooke's "Nothing Can Change This Love" or pleads the bluesy "Kansas City Baby," his mid-range voice resonates with sincerity." -- Ken Burke, Country Standard Time. (Atom Records)
MORE INFO + SOUND CLIPS
CD $13.49

IT'S A CRACKER!
DEMOLITION STRING BAND
Different Kind Of Love
The fourth album by this veteran New Jersey band, a mix of bluegrass-informed roots-country, is a heart tugger of failed relationships, wandering love, and dead-end lives. Elena Sky's raw, earthy vocals and Boo Reiners' slinging telecaster dance and hop above the driving rhythm section. Different Kinds of Love, produced by Skye and Reiners, shows a band that has grown as musicians and creators, but have stayed true to their unrefined, emotional sound. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Breaking Records)
MORE INFO + SOUND CLIPS
CD $10.99

IT'S A CRACKER!
NATHAN MOORE
In His Own Words
Like a finish carpenter, Nathan Moore is a craftsman. His dark, evocative songs and warm, rich instrumentation hark to that same intimacy Joe Henry (or early Tom Waits or early Bowie) has mastered. Moore (ex- ThaMuseMent) is a writer comfortable with the art of language, turning small clever phrases. His 2007 release In His Own Worlds showcases a mature musician masterfully crafting and deftly mixing folk, rock, country and jazz. A masterful recording by a seasoned expert. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Frogville)
MORE INFO + SOUND CLIPS
CD $11.99

New Releases

*Check Out The Sound Clips*
JESSE DAYTON & BRENNEN LEIGH
Holdin' Our Own (And Other Country Gold Duets)
After 10+ years of rockin' the international honky tonk circuit with his bands, as a solo artist and playing guitar for the likes of Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, and The Supersuckers, Austin's Jesse Dayton made the decision to pay homage to the classic country duet recordings that he grew up on in the 70's. He found the Tammy to his George in the up and coming Austin singer/songwriter Brennen Leigh. (Stag)
MORE INFO + SOUND CLIPS
CD $14.49

RIVERS CUOMO
Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo
"This is a CD of my favorite home demos from '92 to '07 featuring a lot of never heard before songs, a few covers, a few songs from my unfinished rock musical " Songs From The Black Hole" and my original demo for "Buddy Holly" - Rivers Cuomo (Geffen)
MORE INFO
CD $15.49

KELLER WILLIAMS
12
Kelller Williams has been called guitar's mad-scientist, a one-man band for the new millennium, and dozens of other clever sobriquets dreamed up by fans and music journalists trying to get a handle on his uplifting and ever-shifting style of music. Though Keller's music has evolved since he first started playing music over twenty years ago, some things have remained constant: Keller is a prolific artist, an exceptional guitarist, and an accomplished songwriter. Now, Keller's twelfth album release looks back at a ground-breaking career. Aptly titled 12, the album features one standout song from each of his previous eleven releases. Keller himself dubs this his album of "hitless greatest hits." Added to the mix is one new, previously un-recorded song. (SCI Fidelity Records)
MORE INFO
CD $14.98

Back In Stock

IT'S A CRACKER!
THE DIRTY 30S
The Dirty 30s
If the Replacements played Southern rock, they might have sounded something like Cape Girardeau`s Dirty 30`s. Teaming with legendary roots producer Eric Ambel, the band struts and grinds through heavy, twangy rock that`s too loud for Americana and too spontaneous for the typical indie template on its self-titled debut. To call them a bar band is no slur: They play fast and loose with free-wheeling blues-based guitar riffs, always a dependable soundtrack for drinking till last call and smoking up on the way home." - Roy Kasten, River Front Times (Self Release)
REVIEW + SOUND CLIPS
CD $11.99

IT'S A CRACKER!
THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS
Dixie Bee-Liners (2005)
"Frontwoman Brandi Hart's songwriting is something beyond urban country... it`s Bible Belt noir, bleak and gorgeous" - Trifectagram, May 2005 "New York`s Dixie Bee-Liners demonstrate some classy picking, which you`d figure with the practiced bluegrass and country rock vets in the band, but it`s their voices that really stick with you ...steeped in tradition, but with tones and rhythms that are very 21st century." - Barry Mazor, Senior Editor, No Depression "...fresh... all the guts and emotion that makes Bluegrass music so special and that makes the NYBGOT scene the place to be." - Lou Giampitruzzi, New York Blue Grass & Old Time Forum. "Sly, gorgeous vocals... sizzling chops... by all rights, the next Kasey Chambers or Laura Cantrell." - Trifectagram, November 2004 (self-released)
REVIEW + SOUND CLIPS
CD $8.99

IT'S A CRACKER!
DUMB ANGEL
Ghost Dance
Dumb Angel, the stage name for Shaun Mason, implies and angelic naivete. Happily, if that word really fits the overall mood of this release, this solo debut by the mid-twenties Mason is sensitive, intelligent and ethereal. Mason`s searches for his sense of place while picking out beautiful melodies on his acoustic guitar. Mason evokes Nick Drake, Mark Kozelek (Red House Painter), and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) as he quietly explores his inner emotions. Mason`s solo debut establishes him as an artist to watch. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
REVIEW + SOUND CLIPS
CD $11.99

New Lps

LED ZEPPELIN
Mothership (Rmst) LP
Track Listing: Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown /Dazed and Confused/Babe I`m Gonna Leave Yous/Whole Lotta Love/Ramble On/Heartbreaker/Immigrant Song/Since I`ve Been Loving /Rock and Roll/Black Dog/When The Levee Breaks/Stairway To Heaven /Windows Media/Song Remains The Same/Over The Hills And Far Away/D`Yer Maker/No Quarter/Trampled Under Foot/Houses Of The Holy /Kashmir/Nobody`s Fault But Mine/Achilles Last Stand /In The Evening /All My Love. (Wea)
MORE INFO
LP $59.98

New DVD's

ROY ORBISON
Black & White Night HD DVD
A special one-time event documenting one of rock and roll's greatest and most unique performances. Recorded live at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, Roy Orbison is joined by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars. Highlighting this all-star line-up are Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits. This concert DVD features studio-quality Dolby TrueHD audio. (Image Entertainment)
MORE INFO
HD DVD $24.99

MoM Tops For 2007

The Jester
01. Bettye Lavette - Scene Of The Crime

02. No River City - Wolves And Fishes

03. Psychedelic Cowboys - Jangle Waltz

04. Joe Henry - Civilians

05. Jason Eady - Wild Eyed Serenade

06. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

07. Hacienda Brothers - Music For Ranch and Town

08. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

09. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights

10. Spanic Boys - Sunshine

The Queen
01. Joe Henry - Civilians

02. Laura Veirs - Saltbreaker

03. Iron & Wine - Shepherd`s Dog

04. Shins - Wincing The Night Away

05. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

06. Green Pajamas - Box Of Secrets Northern Gothic Season 2

07. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

08. Okkervil River - The Strage Names

09. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

10. Tommy Womack - There, I Said It

Honorable Mentions:
Christian Kiefer - Dogs & Donkeys | David Serby - Another Sleepless Night | Dumb Angel - Ghost Dance | Rod Picott - Summerbirds | Bill Kelly - Bread On The Water | Hacienda Brothers - Music For Ranch and Town | Tim Carroll - Devil Is A Busy Man | Or The Whale-Light Poles And Pines | Jason Eady - Wild Eyed Serenade | No River City - Wolves And Fishes | Jaimi Shuey- Wrong Girl | Elliott Randall - Take The Fall | Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower |Rachel Harrington - Bootlegger's Daughter | Bettye Lavette - Scene Of The Crime |

The Mangler (DJ Jeff)
01. Mott The Hoople -Fairfield Halls Live 1970
Yes, this really is the holy grail of live Mott's early, pre-All The Young Dudes years.

02. Gram Pasrons - Gram Parsons Archives Vol 1
These long lost tapes live up to the hype. Gram is the spiritual father of this little genre and this two disc set is 120 minutes of audio bliss.

03. Clientele - God Save The Clientele
Perhaps their best record yet? I've always said these guys sound like Nick Drake fronting Arthur Lee & Love. This disc might be a little more Love than Nick Drake but it is still great.

04. Dead Rock West - Honey & Salt
When I put on this disc for the first time I thought it might be good. I was wrong, it is great.

05. Green Pajamas - Box Of Secrets Northern Gothic Season 2
Any disc by the Green Pajamas is a welcomed disc, but a great disc by the Green Pajamas is especially welcome.

06. Mic Harrison - Push Me On Home
This disc by the former member of the late great V-Roys sounds like the band never broke up, just changed and got better.

07. Ian Hunter - Shrunken Heads
Ian Hunter is my favorite artists ever (Explains so much, huh?) and any return is a welcomed one. Like a fine wine, Ian Hunter just gets better with time.

08. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures/Closer/Still
All three discs come with a full, previously unreleased live concert in a beautiful package.

09. Barbara Manning - Super Scissors Box Set
This classic record gets a loving reissue.

10. Mendoza Line - 30 Year Low
Their personal version of Shoot Out The Lights. I will miss these guys.

11. Peter Sagal & Carl Kasell - Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
I have been a big fan of this NPR radio show for several years. This compiles segments with Tom Hanks, The Car Talk guys, Barack Obama, Terry Gross and several others. Two discs of funny, witty and sometimes downright silliness that will have you laughing every time you listen to it. Okay, it is not a music disc but still it is great.

12. Sister Vanilla - Little Pop Rock
The Jesus & Mary Chain never broke up, they just recruited their sister to sing about hookahs and lsd. This is a great disc that fits right in with the best of the J&MC.

13. Spanic Boys - Sunshine
A year after I first heard this disc, it still gets me out of my seat and dancing.

14. Sugar Mountain - Sugar In The Raw
This disc brings out the best of the Faces/Stones 60's vibe.

15. Thrift Store Cowboys - Lay Low While Crawling Or Creeping
This disc is a wonderful listen. Like the Spanic Boys disc, this came out very, very late last year and if I could, I'd go back and add it to last years top ten as well.

16. Wyatts - Wyatts
The best record the Backsliders never made.

What's Happening Around the MOM Offices

This week you will read about the psychology of a top 10, and viral marketing

YOU'VE NOTICED WE POSTED OUR TOP 10s. WE'RE CALLING OUT FOR YOUR TOP 10s. We'll publish a few in the following weeks. DJ Jeff, The Queen and I agreed that this was a particularly varied year with lots of very good releases. You will see from our lists, the links to Paste, Mojo, and Harp and wherever else you look that the offerings were wide. Even with our best efforts this year, we looked at the magazine lists and wonder what some of the records were. Back in the old days the Pazz and Jop poll would come out. Your Jester would run down it like a baseball card collection, saying "got it" or "need it" with every entry because if it made that poll it was worth hearing. Now we've added, "What is it?" to the thinking.

The lists we've put together change with every tick of the clock. Your Jester had about 25 releases cycling through. DJ Jeff's submission comes in at about 30 releases. The Queen had a similar number. We've spent the last couple of weeks going through releases from earlier in the year as they tend to be overlooked. While there were no runaway hits, it was a quality year for music. Newcomers, hangers-on, and established stars all made lists. Records that were exceptionally better than the artist's previous releases (Ryan Adams and Steve Earle) did not make the list where they would have easily slotted in years past.

We'll publish some regulars Top 10s over the next couple of weeks to give you a sense of who captured the imagination of your compatriots and fellow musical travellers.

BRIEFLY TOUCHING ON last week's mention of DJ Jeff disparaging The Band and, particularly, Richard Manual, the reaction was enjoyable. The wrath from Rick from DC, Ark, and Amsterdam, came swiftly. DJ Jeff wasn't here to catch the phone so Your Jester got to hear Rick fume for a few minutes, all good-naturedly, and then we spent the next 20 minutes talking about Dave Edmunds and Pub Rock.

Darrell from Oakland called on Friday to agree with DJ Jeff's sentiment that Richard Manual couldn't sing. Over the years Your Jester has learned, via phone and e-mail, that Darrell from Oakland is good for a venomous rant.

YOUR QUEEN AND YOUR JESTER are devout Amazing Race watchers. For those who have not seen the show, 11 teams start the competition, with, typically, one pair getting eliminated every week as they traverse the globe, completing challenges local to the current country. At the end, one team wins the $1 million prize. It is compelling television where favorites and favorite teams are quickly established.

This season there is a grandfather and grandson team. A likable, if not a little kooky pair. We watch every episode on Tivo. This week they are racing through Croatia when the team flashes by. Grandson Nick is wearing a familiar t-shirt. You all know that t-shirts, especially music t-shirts, are windows to the person. They say a lot.
They can be the basis for a friendship.

Your Jester yells for The Queen to back up the Tivo, we need to see the tshirt again. Nick is wearing a Robbie Fulks tshirt. In Croatia. How awesome is that? The Queen and I quickly agree that maybe five people in the world caught that on the show. An arbitrary but seemingly fair number. We could be Nick's friend because he's wearing a Fulks t-shirt. Simple as that.

At the end of the day Your Jester was clicking checking out the television section of the MSNBC website, a regular stop. Even though we had seen this week's Amazing Race, I wanted to read the recap. This week the brother and sister team were eliminated after making a poor choice in the Lithuanian airport. Towards the end of that recap was this:

"Although they came close while rowing boats during a Roadblock challenge, the Azenes weren't able to pass Donald Jerousek and Nicolas Fulks, the grandfather-grandson team ahead of them, once they arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia."

Fulks? Same name... could it be Robbie's brother? So, off to robbiefulks,com...

From Robbie's 11/4/07 posting:

"The twelfth season of CBS's reality show The Amazing Race starts Sunday November 4 and continues weekly. It's a globe-trotting endurance test with 11 two-person teams competing for a one-million dollar grand prize (hey, I could write this sh**!) -- and this season, one of the teams, Nick and Don, is my son and father-in-law. I can't claim that snobbery or simple good taste has kept me from watching these reality shows so far, only a well-founded fear that I might like the genre enough to get hooked. Anyway this will be my happy initiation as a viewer, and I encourage all you pop-culture aesthetes to look in as well. Nick and Don are extremely amusing eccentrics, in entirely different ways, and I am pretty sure, notwithstanding the miracles of modern editing, that this will come through loud and clear. And God, I hope they win -- I'll never gig again! xo, rf "

His son? Robbie's old enough to have a son that old? What?

From the Amazing Race site on CBS.com

Nicolas & Donald
Grandson/Grandfather
Nicolas: Chicago, IL, 23, Pilot
Donald: Elkhorn, WI, 68, Retired

Sometimes I love the Internet! Good for Nick for wearing his dad's tshirt and giving a little support!

We're on our regular publishing schedule the next few weeks even with the holidays. We're still hoping someone comes through with a purchase of the "Lifetime" gift certificate, just to say someone did.

Until next week,

The Queen, Your Jester, and The Mangler