New music, new book, new knitting

Tonight many people will be watching the Grammys. Me, only getting fuzzy PBS, will not. I hear Neil is up for an award tonight (yea!) but I will miss it. Even though any new Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, or Neil Young will end up in my musical library, I still get pissed when people comment on their voices. They are not pretty pop, but (especially Shakey - that vibrato seems very natural) their lyrics and music are the real thing. If they had the pretty pipes, too? Wouldn't be the same.

My new shipment of music has arrived.



At the top we have Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. This album makes my skin crawl - in a most delightful way. Garth Hudson (The Band) is on piano and organ for a few tunes, and Dexter Romweber (local NC boy) does a guitar part on one song. The lyrics and her voice are amazing, but add to that some supurb musicians and I am lost.

Next up, in a clockwise kind of fashion, there is the awesome guitartist Richard Thompson. I "found" him on a Paste DVD (waayy late into his game, I might add) but this acoustic CD is very nice. Quirky lyrics, beautiful guitar. Very satisfying.

I felt the need to update my Emmy so I got Red Dirt Girl (was aiming for Spyboy, but couldn't find it anywhere). She was in the nineties over-produced phase (it was released in 2000), but it is a fine album. I love the Patti Griffin tune and her back-up vocals. Also, the song I Don't Want to Talk About it Now could be my fucking theme song.

Last, but certainly not least, Emmy's bandleader Buddy Miller. He has a newer album out, but I chose this one instead. I grew up in a very religous family and I love gospel, but I wanted to hear him on his own. Most of the songs were written by his wife Julie (amazing in her own right), some by Buddy himself, and some are covers. I am diggin' the hell out of it.

So, when life gives you lemons you can make lemonade or buy music. I tend to buy music...and knit. Which leads nicely into my other weekend activity, knitting Pam Allen's Nordic Lights capelet. I, being an IGG (Immediate Gratification Girl) to the first degree, could not wait to find the brown I wanted. A darker brown. No, I bought a light brown and started my project. With the white beside it, it looks fine. Good, maybe. When I headed into the green, well you can barely see it. This project will be finished, I will not frog it (with all the different colors in the Fair Isle) but I will probably end up giving it away so I don't have to look at it. Take heed knitters: if you can't find the yarn you want/need in your LYS - order it on-line; do not buy the next-best-thing. Because it isn't.