Thursday Music Mix – Quintus McCormick, Blind Corn Liquor Pickers and Shake Russell

So some days are diamonds, some days are dirt. Well today was a musical diamond day! I put three albums on the iPod this morning and I really like them all! The first up was a blues album from the Quintus McCormick Blues Band whose latest album Put It On Me  is currently number 39 on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart. When I went to Napster they only had 30 second clips for the album but they did have his debut album Hey Jodie , so that’s what went on the player. and I tell you it’s a great album. According…

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Book 22 – Darkness at the Edge of Town – J. Carson Black

So several weeks ago I was browsing the list of  Mystery and Thriller Books in the Amazon Kindle store and came across Book 1 in the Laura Cardinal series Darkness on the Edge of Town by J Carson Black.  The author and series were  new to me but the price was right 99 cents. So having money left from the  gift card Peter  gave me for Father’s Day,  I quickly made the purchase. What I found was a terrific read (Book 22 for 2011) and another series to follow (like I need another!) The series features Laura Cardinal a top…

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Blues and Bluegrass Part 1 – Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign

So tonight my musical mix consisted of some old blues and some new bluegrass. On the way to Target and during my grocery shopping blues was the genre and the album was Albert King’s first album on Stax Born Under a Bad Sign. The album. Now I have never been a big fan of Albert or Freddy King, the other two thirds of the “Kings of Blues” the other third of course being B.B King. So while I don’t have any of Albert’s music in my collection I am well aware of his influence on the generation of blues musician…

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Piedmont Blues: Cephas & Wiggins

So since I don’t seem to have the time and/or the inclination to write long involved posts right now, what I may due is to start writing shorter little pieces in between the rarer longer posts! So here’s the first album quick hit! One of the blues albums that I’ve been listening to for the last several weeks is the last album from Cephas & Wiggins Baltimore Blues recorded and released in 2008 by Smithsonian Folkways prior to John Cephas death in 2009 at the age of 78. Cephas & Wiggins was composed of guitarist John Cephas  and harmonica player Phil Wiggins…

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Blues: Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots

So most of the blues I listen to is guitar driven ala Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and Michael Bloomfield and every so often there’s some harp but very few piano driven blues. Well, Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots changed that and put boogie piano  jump blues on my musical charts! Their second album Lit Up is great. From the boogie woogie  opening track ” Big Dog’s Running this Town” this Memphis based blues band had me! While the piano playing and vocals of  Victor lead the way the WildRoots are no slouches!  The album was produced by Victor’s co-writer…

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Book 21 – Chris Mooney – Remembering Sarah

Book 21 of the year Chris Mooney‘s Remembering Sarahhas been on my To Be Read pile for some time now. But the other day after moving some books around it was sitting out, so after finishing The Baxter Trust, I picked it up and for a couple of days I couldn’t put it down. The story begins when Mike Sullivan promises to take six year old daughter Sarah sledding on The Hill. When his overprotective wife Jess  hears about the outing, she tells Mike no way! So like a good husband Mike waits until Jess leaves and then sneaks out…

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Book 20 – 2011 The Baxter Trust – Parnell Hall

So one of my favorite mystery series is Parnell Hall‘s Stanley Hasting series. Well now Mr. Hall wishes to be the “King of Kindle” and as such he has placed his books at the Kindle store at bargain prices. In addition, he has put up a series he wrote under the name of J.P Hailey. These books feature a down on his luck lawyer, actor, and cab driver named Steve Winslow. Book 20 for 2011 is the first of these books The Baxter Trust” and while it may not be  great literature, it is great fun! The book revolves around…

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Life’s Soundtrack: Chris Bergson Band – Imitate the Sun

So I ran early last evening to avoid the mid-day  heat a fairly good four mile run in under 10 min per mile pace. (I’m just building base mileage, speed will come later, right?). When I got home I was all ready to write about the run and the run’s soundtrack along with some other albums that have been playing on the iPod. But once again after showering and sitting down reading a bit of The Baxter Trust, the lure of the couch was soon calling and napping ensued!  Anyway after waking up I continued reading but not writing.  So…

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Book 19 – Misery Bay – Steve Hamilton

So I was all set last night to write about my run. How another rock band Voodoo Circle and their new album Black Heart Syndrome was the soundtrack for the 4.2 mile run complete in just under a ten minute per mile pace (which was not bad because I went uphill for parts of the run), but alas that was not to be! I sat down started to read Book 19 Steve Hamilton‘s latest Alex McKnight novel Misery Bay and continued reading until I went to bed,(except for that 1/2 hour nap). I finished the book at lunchtime today.<u> Misery…

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Book 16 – Gideon’s Sword – Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Book 16 is the latest book from the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lee Child Gideon’s Sword.The book is the first book in a proposed series featuring Gideon Crew. I go back a long way with Preston and Child to the first book in the Pendergrast series Relic published in 1995! Unfortunately, I only read the first book and parts of the second Reliquary. That series is now up to book ten and I have several on my Mount to Be Read pile! Anyway rather than go back and catch up I thought I move forward with the new…

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