So yesterday I listened to a blues band, whose name caught my eye on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart, the Ten Foot Polecats Their latest release Undertow debuted on the Chart at 49.I think it should have a bullet next to it!! I’ll write more later, but here’s what they say about their music on their website:
When I was thinking this morning about last Thursday night’s visit to the library, where the spring book sale was in progress, my thoughts went to the old Dorothy Parker quote. When asked by Franklin P Adams to use horticulture in a sentence, she responded “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think!”. Now my thought was slightly different, it went something like, you can lead a book junkie to a book sale but you can’t expect him to come home empty-handed! Alas, Edward did not, but I did limit myself to spending only $5.00! Here’s what I brought home! 
Amazing Grace – Jonathan Kozol – I really enjoyed Fire in the Ashes, which told the story of many of these children 25 years after the events in this book. I thought I’d like to visit with them back then! 
Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson and David Liver Relin likewise I thought I would like to go back and read the book that started Mortenson’s mission and all the controversy!! 
Kidnapped in Yemen One Woman’s Amazing Escape from Captivity – Mary Quin – this one just looked very interesting …From the back cover: Mary Quin has written a harrowing account of surviving one of the most serious kidnappings of the past years. Showing her native grit, Quin bested her kidnappers and lived to write this fine book’ Peter Bergen, CNN Terrorism analyst author of the Holy War, Inc: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden 
Altar of Eden – James Rollins – since this is not a Sigma Force novel I skipped over it but have always wanted to go back and read it, maybe now I will!! 
In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam Robert S. McNamara – one short paragraph told me that this is a book told by the ultimate insider that I want to read! Unlike a certain President who shall remain nameless, McNamara admits his mistakes as he writes:
So over the last few days I have been listening to the album Mosaic from the guitar duo of Dan Young and Lawson Rollins. The album is a fantastic collection of their own compositions, which come from different styles including: salsa music, Latin jazz, blues, samba, bossa nova, flamenco, and classical styles. Resulting in a music that is a blending of Nuevo Flamenco, World Music, and Latin Music genres.
Daniel Young and Lawson Rollins first met in Washington, D.C. in 1998. Rollins started out as a classically trained guitarist before moving into Latin American and flamenco guitar styles and Young holds a degree in jazz from The New School in New York City.Soon after they met they began collaborating and since then they have produced four highly acclaimed albums. Mosaic is their fourth and was released in 2006. They have also been included on various compilation albums. They write the following on their website about their music:
Yes, it does seem like just yesterday, that we were sitting in William and Mary Hall listening to College President Taylor Reveley welcome the Class of 2013 to campus, yet yesterday he conferred the the graduate’s degrees and gave the closing remarks! Time flies! Yesterday’s graduation ceremony was like everything on this campus wonderful, Boy I hate to leave it! My wife tells me there is a Parent’s Alumni Association, but that we’re too poor to join!
You know James Cotton’s career has spanned 69 years and his new release Cotton Mouth Man proves that there’s no quit in the man! Way back in the late 60s, the rock music scene was still in its infancy, young folks wanted to know where rock music came from Muddy Waters and Brownie McGhee told them in a song they co-wrote, “The Blues Had a Baby and They Called It Rock and Roll”. According to Cotton’s website:
You know James Cotton’s career has spanned 69 years and his new release Cotton Mouth Man proves that there’s no quit in the man! Way back in the late 60s, the rock music scene was still in its infancy, young folks wanted to know where rock music came from Muddy Waters and Brownie McGhee told them in a song they co-wrote, “The Blues Had a Baby and They Called It Rock and Roll”. According to Cotton’s website:
So last night as I worked burning, washing and sieving asphalt and its component parts, I listened to two fine folk albums. The first was the latest release from Cal Scott Carved Wood Box and the second was Walk Along John from Canadian mandolin virtuoso John Reischman. Currently, Cal Scott’s album is number 29 on the Folk DJ Chart and Reischman is number 4!
So how would you like to be a blues artist and share a birthday with the great Robert Johnson? Well if you’d like to know, just ask Joe Bonamassa. Robert Johnson was born on this date in 1911 and 66 years later along come Joe! Hum, Joe was a child prodigy. He caught the ear of the great B.B. King at the age of ten, King said at the time:
