So tonight I was listening to Greg Trooper’s new album Upside-Down Town and the more I listen the more I like it! I’ve been a Trooper fan since I found his album Straight Down Rain. I’ll write more tomorrow, but here’s a great song from the album, “They Call Me Hank” The song is a 2010 Finalist in the International Songwriting Competition! Go Greg!
So this morning was as jazzy kind of morning as I was out and about doing some errands I had Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly playing on the iPod! The album was recorded live in late June 1965 at the Half Note Club in New York City, and September 22, 1965 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and released by Verve.
So one of the albums that I’ve been listening to over the last several days is johnsmith’s sixth album Gravity of Grace. Now johnsmith is another of those great artist unknown to me! I’ve seen his name over the last year on several charts and the album is currently number 42 on the Roots Music Report Folk Chart and once again shame on me! I really have enjoyed this album more on every listen. Great voice and great lyrics and the folks at Kerrville, 
Telluride, Rocky Mountain Folks, and Falcon Ridge folk festivals already know that because John has won numerous songwriting awards at those Festivals. The album was co-produced with Tom Prasada-Rao,(another artist who I’ve recently heard in the Village on XM Radio’s rotation) and was recorded in Dallas, TX, A bunch of my artists that I enjoy and have written about helped out on the album folks like: Tim O’Brien,Darrell Scott, Jonathan Byrd, and Jimmy LaFave. In addition Tom Prasada-Rao, Jagoda, Radoslav Lorkorvic, and Ray Bonneville (whose song “Run Juliene,Run” I know from Slaid Cleaves cover of the song) From his website:
so the something blue(s) album was Blues De Ville! by the Viroh Blues Band. I found the album on Napster downloaded, listened and really enjoyed it! But trying to find out anything about the band now that was a challenge! The band is Croatian and they won the 2nd Annual Croatian Blues Challenge and will compete Memphis in 2012! I did find a few articles about the band and Google translated them from Croatian!
One of my early genealogical finds was the marriage of my maternal 4th great-grandparents Eleanor Johnson and Samuel Cliver in Burlington County in 1812. Subsequently, I found Eleanor’s death certificate. Her father’s name was listed as Daniel Johnson of Monmouth County. I have searched and searched unsuccessfully for information on said Daniel Johnson. Well, today after watching an episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” I logged on to Ancestry.com and typed in Samuel Cliver. One of the records that came up was from the Monmouth County Orphans Court. So I check that out and what I found as they say changed everything! It says that Ellenor Cliver is one of the heirs to the estate of her father “Samuel” Johnson! So I then went to public trees on Ancestry and found a tree that had Samuel and his wife Anney Anaca Brower and their seven children! The tree takes the line back several more generations to Kings New York in the 1600’s. The families were early Dutch settlers.
So, the other day I came across a name that I’ve seen on several music charts-Ellis. I have never been able to find her albums on Rhapsody, but I checked out Napster and they had all her albums. I turned on her latest album Right on Time. I listened to the guitar intro on the opening track and decided this album may be for me, so I downloaded it to the player and I was right! The guitar intro led into a very nice voice and some great lyrics on the opening title track “Right on Time”.
So I have been a Todd Snider Fan since I heard his debut album Songs For The Daily Planet. I love “Alright Guy” and all the rest and think that “You think You Know Somebody” is one of the best songs about child abuse EVER! Anyway, I think that the last CD I bought was East Nashville Skyline. Since then I’ve mostly listened to his albums on Rhapsody and The Excitement Plan stayed on the mp3 player for a long while. So when the new CD Todd Snider Live – The Storyteller I quickly went Napster and downloaded it onto my player and thought it would be a good way to catch up with his music. Here’s what Paste Magazine says in their review about the new album:
So during the first week in February the Blues clubs up and down Beale Street were alive with bands representing Blues Societies from around the world. As over 100 bands and 80 solo/duo acts participated in the 27th International Blues Challenge hosted by The Blues Foundation Now for the first 26 years of the Challenges existence I never heard of it (big surprise there), but I had heard of some of the IBC alumni like Tommy Castro and Susan Tedesci. This last year though I’ve listened and written about even more alumni like Eden Brent. the late Sean Costello, Albert Cummings, Delta Moon, Jason Ricci, Albert Castiglia, The Ty Curtis Band and most recently The Laurie Morvan Band! The Challenge was held over four days for the first time this year, with two days of quarter finals, one day of semi-finals and then the finals at the famous Orpheum Theater.
