Learning my A, B, C's

Hey there, music fans. This is Sean, your newest contributor to HickoryWind.org. It's a sincere pleasure to be asked to participate, and I look forward to writing a little for you every Thursday. I met the head honcho, Larry, two Merlefests ago and was thoroughly impressed by his passion for the music. As for Stacy, we go back a few years. We've seen many a show together and helped each other justify the purchase of a few too many CDs more than once. I'm not going bore you with a long, drawn-out introduction. We've got a lot of Thursdays to get to know each other. Instead, I'd like to tell you who I am with a long, drawn-out sampling of music I like; sort of an A-to-Z of my taste. It's by no means a complete picture; I'd like to maintain a little mystery for now. Here's a smidgen of who I am, in alphabetical order:
A -- "Atlantic City," Bruce Springsteen: One of my favorites from The Boss, who also is one of my all-time favorites. From 1982's "Nebraska," when he was first dipping into the rootsy music that he's revisited to great effect since.
B -- "Blackberry Blossom," Tony Rice: One of the great traditional bluegrass jams, played by one of the great bluegrass guitarists. One thing you're gonna learn about me right away is that I love guitar players. Rice keeps good company on this cut: Sam Bush on violin, David Grisman on mandolin, Jerry Douglas on Dobro and Todd Phillips on bass. I can't play this one loud enough.
C -- "Cry Cry Cry," Johnny Cash: I'm also a big fan of rockabilly, and Cash was there on the ground floor at Sun Studio. He went on to become so much more -- gospel singer, country artist, TV host, humanitarian, icon -- but it's always fun to go back to Sun.
D -- "Drown," Son Volt: Who knew that out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo would rise an arguably better vehicle for Jay Farrar's songwriting. More than just alt-country, this cut crossed into alternative rock. And, as Christopher Walken would say, "You're gonna want that cowbell."
E -- "Eyes of Sarahjane," The Jayhawks: Opinion seems to be somewhat divided on this, but I'll go on record -- The Jayhawks were every bit as good without Mark Olson as they were with him. Gary Louris has never been content to make the same record twice, but this cut proves that he stayed true to the band's core values of melody and harmony. If they really are broken up for good, I'll miss the hell out of them.
F -- "Fishnet Stockings," The Stray Cats: Back to the rockabilly bag for a favorite cut from the last band to really bring it to the mainstream. Brian Setzer is a guitar player who is too often dismissed as a haircut and a horn section. I'm here to tell you, people, it's not true. If the Brian Setzer Orchestra is coming to your town, get out and see them. The guy can play. I'll also share this with you in case it ever happens so you can say you heard it here first: Setzer definitely has the chops to make a killer bluegrass album.
G -- "Give Back The Key To My Heart," Uncle Tupelo w/Doug Sahm: If you pressed me, I'd tell you Uncle Tupelo is my favorite band. There are a lot of songs I could have chosen. To me, this Sahm cover from "Anodyne" is what Americana is all about -- great songs and sounds passed from generation to generation.
H -- "Half A Day," Tim Easton: A lot of people aren't familiar with Easton, but I've never recommended him to anybody who didn't end up becoming a fan. His CDs are surprisingly easy to find in the used bins. Do yourself a favor and go find all three ("Special 20," "The Truth About Us," and "Break Your Mother's Heart"). It will be some of the best money you spend this year.
I -- "If I Had A Boat," Lyle Lovett: The poster boy for making your own music your own way. Again, I could have chosen a lot of Lovett songs to tell you what I like, but I've always had a soft spot for this one.
J -- "Jolene," Ray LaMontagne: Another emerging talent in the singer-songwriter category. He once worked in a shoe factory in my hometown, but the popular legend is that it was so dispiriting that he awoke one morning to the sound of Stephen Stills' "Treetop Flyer" coming out if his clock radio and had an epiphany. He quit his job that day and decided to pursue a career in music. Thank you, Lewiston, Maine, for being so bleak.
K -- "Kit Kat Clock," The Bottle Rockets: Here's a band that too often gets unfairly overlooked in discussions of alt-country (whatever that is). They (rightly) took a back seat to Uncle Tupelo, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. This tune is just plain fun. That's what it's all about, people.
L -- "Let It Ride," Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: I chose this one because it is head and shoulders above the rest of the songs on his new album, "Cold Roses," and I am therefore playing the hell out of it right now.
M -- "Mr. Rabbit," Paul Westerberg: Westerberg made his name with The Replacements, but he's had a great second career as a solo act. This track, from 2002's "Stereo," is an adaptation of a traditional children's song that sounds like it was covered by the Rolling Stones. It's even tastier than that description.
N -- "Nine Pound Hammer," The Kentucky Colonels: Talk about your great guitar players. Clarence White was pretty much the father of bluegrass lead guitar as we know it. It was only a few years ago that I found out he was born in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Maybe it's not as bleak as I and Ray LaMontagne sometimes think it is. Of course, White's family left town when he was a boy. So maybe it is.
O -- "Outfit," Drive-By Truckers: Written by Jason Isbell as a gift to his father, it's a beautiful tribute to staying true to yourself.
P -- "Pretty Girls Don't Cry," Chris Isaak: What a voice. If you don't own any Chris Isaak albums, allow me to recommend "The Baja Sessions."
Q -- "Queen of the Underworld," Jesse Malin: Did you skip ahead to "Q" to see what I came up with? Shame on you, dear reader. That's no way to start out. I want our relationship to be based on trust. Truthfully, I had to give "Q" some thought. This seemed like a good choice. Malin's a definite talent, like his buddy Ryan Adams. Unlike Adams, he doesn't appear to release every song he ever wrote. Ryan Adams, if you are reading this do not call and leave me a nasty message. Even the songs that you write while you're sitting on the crapper are undoubtedly pretty damn good.
R -- "Return of the Grievous Angel," Gram Parsons: Could a debut post on HickoryWind.org not mention Gram Parsons? I don't think so. In the world of Americana (Cosmic American Music, as GP would call it), you'll run across few lines that conjure up a more pleasant image than "out with the truckers and the kickers and the cowboy angels."
S -- "Seven Nights to Rock," BR549: I know, purists, I should be giving Moon Mullican props on this tune. But this is such a shit-hot cover. Seeing BR549 all but blow the roof off the dance tent with this one at Merlefest seals the deal. Best $10 I'll ever spend tipping a band.
T -- "Timebomb," Old 97's: Another tune that pretty well rocks. A highlight of seeing Old 97's live is that you know they're going to close with it and Rhett Miller's voice will be ripped to shreds by the time they're done with it. Also contains one of my favorite Old 97's lines ... "she's gonna kill me/and I don't mean softly."
U -- "Uncle Pen," Bill Monroe: A classic by the master. 'Nuff said.
V -- "Valentine's Day," Steve Earle: Sure, we all count on Earle for the angry political stuff. But it's nice to visit the softer side of Steve. If you are making a mix tape or CD for a significant other, this song is solid gold.
W -- "Walk on Boy," Doc Watson: Talk about your giants of Americana and guitar playing. When this one kicks off Doc's album "Southbound," you just know it's going to be a great one. The rest of the album delivers in spades.
X -- "Rated X," Neko Case: OK, folks, we're getting to know each other a little by now. You might as well know that I'm not above cutting a corner now and again. It's "X" for chrissakes! What would you do? I could have chosen Olivia Newton-John's "Xanadu," but would we really have been able to respect each other in the morning? Didn't think so. Again, I could have chosen Loretta Lynn's original, but I wanted to take this opportunity to point out that the live cover on Case's "The Tigers Have Spoken" is out-friggin'-standing.
Y -- "Your Dad Did," John Hiatt: This song has pretty much everything I love about Hiatt -- voice that grows on you, great structure and melody and a bit of humor. He hits so close to home while singing about growing up and into responsibility that you can't help but laugh when he gets to "Yeah, you've seen the old man's ghost/Come back as creamed chipped beef on toast."
Z -- "Zephyr Cove," Duane Eddy: Hell yes I had to stretch to find a good "Z" tune to end on. I could have chosen Tom Petty's "Zombie Zoo," but I have to tell you I think it's a throwaway that he could write in his sleep. Instead, I offer this track, which allows me to sing the praises of Eddy's rich, tremolo-drenched guitar tone.
Well, gang, I think I've bent your ear enough for now. If you own some or all of these tunes, give them a spin and you'll have a pretty good idea where I'm coming from. We've got a lot of Thursdays left for me to tell you where the bodies are buried.
Don't forget to share some music with somebody you like today.