The Mysteries of the Universe

Some time ago, I picked up a mandolin and made my way to the weekly bluegrass jam session run by a fellow named Sherriff Bob over at The Baggot Inn in the West Village. It was my first time there with an instrument, and I knew less than little about what I was supposed to be doing. At some point, an older Irish fellow grabbed the mando and started showing me a thing or two about basic chords.

After some time, a younger guy told him to "let the man play the thing," so I returned to my fumblings. After a while, we struck up a conversation and I found out that he'd previously been in a band called Watercress that'd had some success in Ireland. Now, he was in New York and starting a new project, Sonovagun. That was my introduction to Dan Donnelly.

Since then, I've heard him play only a handful of times, and I was fortunate enough to have grabbed some audio from his most recent set at Rockwood. I've included a Bob Dylan-esque tune called "Diamonds In The Road."

One of the fun things about Dan's playing is that his (mostly) solo shows feature him and about half a dozen guitar loops. He's a master pedaler -- sometimes you can't tell that there's only one person on stage. And then there's his, er, Irish disposition. At one point during the set, he noticed a bottle of beer magically had appeared at his feet and he said that he was glad he'd gotten a refill, because he was quickly running out of personality.

Sonovagun is playing at Ulysses this Saturday, Feb. 23rd at 10pm.

Marc Von Em is a blues/folk guitarist who I first came across one night I randomly stopped by Rockwood Music Hall in the LES. As it happens, that was one of two nights of live performances he later pulled for his CD, Live At Rockwood. If you listen closely, you may be able to hear me whooping in the background.

I'm pleased to say that Marc was one of the musicians we pulled for We Had Voices, and you can hear some of his licks in that podcast. What I have here is one of his newer songs, with lyrics characteristic of blues: minimalistic, repetitive, call/answer, and a wry, soulful wit. The ditty is "Many Lies" and has one of my favorite lines. You took away my ham and eggs, you took away my ham and eggs... what am I supposed to have with my coffee? Sing it, brother.

I  first heard about these guys from a friend of mine who was so kind as to give me a CD. They're a Brooklyn based (obviously) ragtime jazz band that mixes both classics and their own material. On Monday nights, they play a weekly show at Chez Oskar's in Fort Greene, Brooklyn (conveniently just a few blocks from my abode), so I got the chance to check them out live a few weeks back. I've also seen them on occasion busk the Union Square subway station -- they sound good wherever they are!

That night at Oskar's, the owner of the place was especially peppy, and he ended up clearing out some tables for an impromptu swing session with the head waitress. You can hear him shouting "Special request! Special request!" in the recording of "St. James Infirmary" (I'd asked for them to specifically play that song). The second clip is the head waitresses rendition of "Summertime". I love how the audience quiets down after the first verse or two; her voice commands that kind of presence.

New Year's is the time of the year that you're socially pressured into reflecting on what it is you accomplished the past year, and what it is you want to accomplish the next year. Last March, We Had Voices (main page, Vox group) Session #1 went up -- most of the progress happened about this time last year.

When I realized this, I thought "holy shit!" -- WHV was supposed to be a quarterly podcast. It clearly isn't. The intent was to assemble an audio variety show with an emphasis on narrative, and that's where I think some of the problem lies. You see, I haven't been in contact with as much narrative content as I would have liked, but I have been fortunate to have heard some great music in the last year.

So, my WHV resolution is this: get off my ass and start making more content available, regardless of whether or not it's narrative.

In the next couple of weeks, the WHV Vox group will become the new home to a variety of selections from live concerts I've attended, and going forward, I'll be sure to introduce as much new material (music or not) as I possibly can.

Thanks for your patronage, gentle listener, and I wish you a spectacular 2008.

Graffiti found on a walkway at Lake Alice at the University of Florida.

Merriam-Webster's word of the year is w00t: expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word "yay".

Things Are Going To Change at the Tank.