First off, I just heard that legendary blues man Honeyboy Edwards passed away on Monday. I was lucky enough to see Honeyboy play a few years back and was immediately drawn to his play and singing. One of (if not the) last connections to the legendary blues names from the past, Edwards played and learned with the likes of Robert Johnson and Son House. He played the blues like I like the blues: Simple. He once said that you don’t need to play a lot of guitar to be a good blues player. So true. I’ve been listening to him all morning. If you love the blues and have never heard this man play, I strongly suggest you check him out immediately. He was 96 when he passed.
In other listening news, how good is the new Wood Brothers record? It’s really really good. These guys keep coming at me with great songwriting and music that goes from blues to rock to funk to pop. Love it. The new record is called Smoke Ring Halo. So far, my favorite track is When I Was Young. Check it out.
I also have been mellowing out to Bon Iver’s new self titled record. Not to sound like a lame hipster or anything, but their first record was better. This one is good, and I have been enjoying it. But it definitely lacks the strong emotional undertones that For Emma had. It holds true to the style (which I love), with the falsetto and very well composed music using a never ending stream of instruments used in interesting ways. I’ve only listened through it twice, so maybe it’ll grow on me after a few more turns.
Other things to listen to: William Elliot Whitmore’s Field Songs, David Wax Museum’s Everything Is Saved, Gillian Welch’s The Harrow And The Harvest
