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Book 36 of 2011 – The Wrecking Crew – Thomas Frank

Mother Jones: Kevin Drum: Republicans Don’t Care About the Deficit As Drum and Krugman point out the Republicans don’t care squat about the deficit and why should they they created most of it and since it makes government look bad  and they hate government why is it a bad thing! Book 36 for the year was Thomas Frank’s The Wrecking Crew: How Conservative Ruined Government, Enriched Themselves and Beggered the Nation kinda sum it all up doesn’t it!!The book does sum it all up and tells the tale of how the Republicans have destroyed our functioning government. It’s quotes like…

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Blues for the AM, Blues for the Am

So I said the other day that yeaterday I would listen to the new Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa album Don’t Explain, which I did on the way home from Target last night, but the main album I listened to yesterday was the new Nick Moss album Here I Am. Ah, and so far Nick is well maybe number 2 out of now four new albums! So here’s a taste of Nick Moss with Jason Ricci providi some great harp!

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New Blues: Big Pete – Choice Cuts

So over the last few days I’ve been listening to several new blues albums including: Don’t Explain the new release from Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, Peace Meal from Carolyn Wonderland and Choice Cuts from Big Pete. I have been enjoying all of them, but after the first listen of each album, the favorite is Big Pete’s Choice Cuts ! And after a second listen Carolyn Wonderland’s Peace Meal is a closing in. I wonder, if after a second listen tomorrow to Don’t Explain, it will be a three way tie. But let’s start with the album that broke first out…

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Book 34 of 2011 – Iron House – John Hart

From the first John Hart book I read Down River I was a fan and so are lots of others.  Hart is the only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels. (Down River and The Last Child) He has also won the Barry Award and England’s Steel Dagger Award for best thriller of the year. So I was excited when I found his new book Iron House in the library last week and Book 34 for 2011 Iron House did not disappoint! Here’s a quote from Bill Ott’s Booklist Review:     It isn’t as…

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Life’s Soundtrack – from Art Blakey to Jimmy and Wes!

Ok so the soundtrack for today continued this afternoon with some more jazz this time from drummer Art Blakey and his album Live at Slug’s N.Y.C. The album was recorded at Slug’s in New Your (duh) in August of 1968 and features along with Blakey; Billy Harper on tenor saxophone; Bill Hardman on trumpet; Julian Priester on trombone and Ronnie Mathews adds the piano. CDUniverse says this about the album “While longtime Blakey fans will likely opt for performances released on bigger labels, jazz neophytes may enjoy this disc”. Well I guess I’m a jazz neophyte because I enjoy this…

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Life’s Soundtrack – I’ll Be Alright – Jumpin’ Jack Benny

So I hate November and December and parts of January! I hate the cold weather, but most of all I hate the darkness at 5 o’clock! I don’t like to run at night in the dark, and as a result there has been a decline in my running in the last two weeks! But today after eating a late lunch it was either run in the dark or let another day go by without running! So I donned my reflective vest and used the flashlight on my cell phone and took off on a run. Yes, I run with the…

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Lassiter – Paul Levine

So a couple of years ago after reading Paul Levine‘s book Illegal I sent him a message on Facebook and told him that I liked the book but sill missed Jake Lassiter! He emailed me back and told me that his next book was going to be a Lassiter novel. Well, that book, appropriately named Lassiter is Book 33 for 2011.Jake Lassiter is a “low-rent”  Miami attorney, whose clients are usually not from the upper echelon of the Miami social scene. Lassiter also previously played for the Miami Dolphins and was featured in a series of seven books that started with…

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J.J. Grey & Mofro – Brighter Days

So the other day I was listening to Bluesville on XmRadio and “Country Ghetto” by J.J. Grey & Mofro was playing. Now I had sampled the band’s previous album Georgia Warhouse and I wasn’t too impressed. But always one to change my opinion, I tried his new release Brighter Days and sure enough my opinion his changed! I  am really enjoying the album. From his website: Brighter Days is Grey’s first-ever live DVD/CD. The two-disc set includes a full-length movie and a long-awaited live album. Directed by filmmaker/musician Spookie Daly (whose work has been aired on MTV Networks, Much Music and…

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New Blues: J.J. Grey & Mofro – Brighter Days

So the other day I was listening to Bluesville on XmRadio and “Country Ghetto” by J.J. Grey & Mofro was playing. Now I had sampled the band’s previous album Georgia Warhouse and I wasn’t too impressed. But always one to change my opinion, I tried his new release Brighter Days and sure enough my opinion his changed! I  am really enjoying the album. From his website: Brighter Days is Grey’s first-ever live DVD/CD. The two-disc set includes a full-length movie and a long-awaited live album. Directed by filmmaker/musician Spookie Daly (whose work has been aired on MTV Networks, Much Music and…

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