Justin Townes Earle & Joe Pug in Chapel Hill, NC

Tonight was JTE's and Joe Pug's last night of their early 2010 tour -- actually a make-up from an earlier date in January that was snowed out. The house was nearly full with a very, very attentive audience. "Attentive as shit!" as Pug said.

New releases: March 9, 2010

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- Beat the Devil's Tattoo (Vagrant)
The Chieftains and Ry Cooder -- San Patricio (Hear Music)
Gorillaz -- Plastic Beach (Virgin)
Ben Harper and the Relentless7 -- Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival [CD +DVD] (Virgin)
Patty Larkin -- 25 (Signature)
Anais Mitchell -- Hadestown (Righteous Babe)
A "folk opera" based on the story of Greek poet Orpheus with parts sung by Mitchell, Ani Difranco, Greg Brown (as the King of Hades, natch!), Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, and Ben Knox Miller.
Pavement -- Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement (Matador)
Josh Rouse -- Turista (Yep Roc)

New releases: March 2, 2010

A Weather -- Everyday Balloons (Team Love)
Black 47 -- Bankers & Gangsters (United)
Mike Coykendall -- The Unbearable Being of Likeness (Field Hymns)
Flogging Molly -- Live at the Greek Theater [2 CDs + DVD] (Side One Dummy)
Great American Taxi -- Reckless Habits (Thirty Tigers)
John Hiatt -- Open Road (New West)
Shooter Jennings and Hierophant -- Black Ribbons (Red)
A 70-minute concept album with Stephen King. Yeah, THAT Stephen King.
Marley's Ghost with Cowboy Jack Clement -- Ghost Town (Sage Arts)
various artists -- Rounder Records' 40th Anniversary Concert (Rounder)
Features tracks from the label's stars, including Alison Krauss and Union Station, Madeleine Peyroux, Steve Martin, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Mary Chapin Carpenter and, uh, Minnie Driver.

The Plimsouls / Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal (Alive Records)

The Plimsouls never received the acclaim accorded the big three of the early 1980's LA punk/rock scene (X, Blasters and Los Lobos). Not punk enough and maybe not rootsy enough, led by the talented Peter Case, they played bar band rock and roll with a debt to the British Invasion....

Wear black for Johnny Cash

If you haven't already made your wardrobe selection this morning, lemme help. Pick black.

Today would have been Johnny Cash's 78th birthday, which seems as good an occasion as any to wear black in solidarity with his concern for the downtrodden. Plus? Slimming.

Read more about the campaign here. While you're there, be sure to scroll down and (re)read the lyrics to "Man in Black." Better yet, give it a listen.