Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 CD

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 buy CD music SOUL JOURNEY, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2001 outing TIME (THE REVELATOR), finds Gillian Welch and creative partner David Rawlings getting creatively looser and enlisting the aid of a back-up band. The decision to flesh out the sound beyond the duo format (as had been the case on the past couple of albums), ends up being a successful one. The result is a blend of traditional songs such as "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" with self-penned cuts like the haunting "One Monkey" and the cantering "Lowlands." The languid aura infusing most of these 10 songs gets blown away with "Wrecking Ball," a meaty-sounding original tune that not only borrows its title from a Neil Young song, but offers a combination of gnarly guitar and sonic build-up that seems like a hat-tip to Crazy Horse. Soul Journey, Gillian Welch's fourth album, features solo, duo and band performances - a departure from the 2001 release Time (The Revelator). Contributors to the album include Greg Leisz (Beck, K.D. Lang ) and Jim Boquist (Son Volt). Produced by long-time collaborator David Rawlings. Acony. 2003. Recording information: Gillian Welch's Home; RCA Studio B; Woodland SOund Studios. Illustrator: Steve Peloquin. Photographer: Arianna Mercer. Arranger: Gillian Welch. Personnel: Gillian Welch (vocals, guitar); David Rawlings (various instruments, background vocals); Mark Ambrose (acoustic guitar); Greg Leisz (dobro); Ketcham Secor (fiddle); Matt Andrews, Jim Boquist (bass). Personnel: Gillian Welch (guitar); David Rawlings (guitar); Mark Ambrose (acoustic guitar); Greg Leisz (dobro); Ketcham Secor (fiddle); Jim Boquist (bass guitar).

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 songs On 2007's DON'T TELL COLUMBUS, his third album for the Bloodshot label, Graham Parker continues the remarkable streak of records that he began on '04's YOUR COUNTRY. Although COLUMBUS lacks the punch of the preceding SONGS OF NO CONSEQUENCE, it finds the beloved British pub-rock icon comfortably situated in Dylanesque singer-songwriter mode. (In fact, the buoyant, biting "Stick to the Plan" sounds like it could be an outtake from Dylan's MODERN TIMES). While many of the tunes on COLUMBUS have a catchy, upbeat feel, they are often lined with fierce or melancholy lyrics, proving that, three decades into his career, Parker proudly and assuredly maintains his signature caustic style. Recording information: LRS Recording Studio, Hurley, NY; Moon Landing, Boston, MA; Soundcheck Republic, Chatham, NY. Photographer: Julie Last. Personnel: Graham Parker (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, harmonica, kazoo, bass guitar, percussion, background vocals); Graham Parker; Molly Gardinia (vocals, background vocals); Kate Williams (vocals); Ryan Barnum, Ryan Barnum (keyboards); Kate Williams (background vocals); Mike Gent (guitar, drums, percussion, background vocals). Audio Mixer: Dave Cook.

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 album for sale Two indie-rock acts with remarkably devoted followings and a shared innate talent for creating dusty rural atmospheres, Iron & Wine and Calexico are naturally suited for collaboration, and IN THE REINS proves to be exactly what fans of both bands might imagine. Here Iron & Wine singer/songwriter Sam Beam offers up seven original tunes, with the full Calexico band--led by multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino--contributing an appropriately moody and intuitively dynamic backdrop. Like the WOMAN KING EP, this mini-album features Beam--best known for his hushed, minimal sound--working on a much larger scale, with horns, harmonica, organ, and prominent percussion adding to the disc's cinematic scope. The EP's only notable fault (if it can be called that) is its brevity; less than 28 minutes long, IN THE REINS is bound to leave listeners wanting more. Live Recording Iron & Wine/Calexico: Joey Burns, John Convertino, Paul Niehaus, Sam Beam, Martin Wenk, Jacob Valenzuela, Volker Zander. Additional personnel: Salvador Duran, Natalie Wyants (vocals); Craig Schumacher, Nick Luca.

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 CD music Like many a fine singer/songwriter, Nina Nastasia spent years lurking underground in New York City before her talents came to wider attention. THE BLACKENED AIR is her second album, but the first to receive wide distribution. It presents a fully formed artist with as strong a sense of setting as of songwriting. Though the album is basically an acoustic affair, a string section and accordion (not to mention a solid rhythm section) keep things sounding full and intriguing. While the overall approach might be described as chamber-folk, with the elegant swaying of the strings over Nastasia's low-key singing style, there's a more striking modernity to the album. This comes mostly from Nastasia's distinctive, poetic lyrics, but perhaps also from a slight alt-rock influence that never becomes so overt as to detract from the artful originality of this promising artist's vision. Personnel: Nina Nastasia (vocals, guitar); Gerry Leonard (guitar, mandolin); Dylan Willemsa (violin); Stephen Day (cello); Joshua Carlebach (accordion); Peter Yanowitz, Jay Bellerose (drums); Gonzalo Munoz (musical saw). Recording information: Electrical Audio, Chicago, IL (10/1999-02/2001); Touch And Go Records, Inc., Chicago, IL (10/1999-02/2001).

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 buy CD music This selection of songs from Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music features a decidedly 21st-century talent roster, including Freakwater's Janet Bean, the Midwest singer-songwriter Alice Peacock, the Mekons' Jon Langford, and Devil In A Woodpile's Rick Sherry, performing a variety of classic folk music, some of which dates back to the 18th century. Liner Note Author: Paul Tyler. Recording information: Old Town School's Soccer Club Studios. Personnel: Mark Dvorak (vocals, guitar, banjo); Colby Maddox (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Chris Walz (vocals, guitar, piano); Bill Brickey, Elaine Moore, Barbara Barrow, Andrea Bunch, Jon Langord, Michael Kent Smith, John Stirratt, Marcia Johnson, Pete Special, Robbie Fulks (vocals, guitar); Steve Rosen (vocals, banjo, fiddle, background vocals); Danny Barnes (vocals, banjo); Dan Zanes (vocals, mandolin); Rick "Cookin'" Sherry (vocals, harmonica, percussion); Cynthia Hopkins (vocals, accordion, musical saw); Barbara Brousal (vocals, percussion); Rita Ruby (vocals, background vocals); Aerin Tedesco, Alice Peacock, Janet Beveridge Bean (vocals); John Spiegel (guitar, dobro); John E. Abbey (guitar, percussion); Jim DeWan (guitar, background vocals); Chris Winters (guitar); Rob Anderlik (dobro); Michael Miles (banjo); Al Erich (cello); Ari Frede, Buzz Kilman (harmonica); Kerry Sheehan (accordion); Colin Brooks , Yoshi Waki (percussion); Sue Strom, Scott Besaw (background vocals). Audio Mixer: John E. Abbey.

Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vols. 2 & 3 songs OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC SONG BOOK: VOL 2 & 3 continues the celebration of 50 years of the venerable Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The famed institution has had many lives: first as one of the first programs to codify and teach American folk music; second, as the proud alma mater of many '60s and '70s luminaries such as Roger McGuinn, Steve Goodman, and John Prine; and finally, in the '90s and '00s, as a refuge for like-minded folk aficionados who wanted to breathe life into their beloved music. The SONG BOOK series speaks to the last chapter of the school's existence and sounds less like an academic exercise and more like a group of musicians' collective love poem to the traditions that inspired them. Highlights include Michael Schenkelberg's plaintive version of the chestnut "Lonesome Road," James Hand's countrified "Corrina, Corrina," and Kelly Hogan and Scott Login's gentle version of Ian and Sylvia's "Last Thing on My Mind." The set also foregrounds a few famous offspring: Amy Nelson (Willie's daughter) and Cathy Guthrie (Arlo's daughter) harmonize exquisitely on "Wildwood Flower," and the criminally underrated Amy Allison (Mose's daughter) simply owns "Shenandoah." The package features extensive liner notes about the material and the Old Town School itself.