Only Two Days, But This Couldn’t Wait

It’s unusual for us to post twice this quickly, but we came across a treasure trove of new material, and it didn’t seem wise to stall it just to put distance between posts. There’s some very sweet stuff in here, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

First up…

Roy Genauer is the songwriting force behind Assembly Of Dust, and as is the case with virtually all truly interesting music, it’s the songwriting that sets the band’s music apart. But they didn’t stop there, bringing in musical guests as diverse as Richie Havens, Mike Gordon (Phish), Martin Sexton, Bela Fleck and fretboard master Jerry Douglas. As you listen, you’re going to love the fact that we’re able to present three songs from this talented band, from their new album Some Assembly Required: Arc Of The Sun, Leadbelly and The Second Song. 

Roy Jay spins a hopeful tale of a man launching off in a new direction in his life with the sprawling 8-minute epic, California Grey…from his album, Lucky Guy.

Aman(da) Walther and Shei(la) Carabine met in high school music class and decided to combine their voices and songwriting talents (not to mention their names) to form Dala. They have an interesting gift for word pictures…for example: “She wears her body like a lifetime achievement…it fills the silence when she doesn’t know the words…”. Acoustic guitars, lush vocals and airy arrangements are the foundation upon which they build their brand of fresh folk/pop. We’re privileged to offer three songs from their album Everyone Is Someone: Anywhere Under The Moon, Levi Blues and Lonely Girl.

While Eastern Canada is not generally thought of as a hotbed of country music, hell hath no fury like a husband scorned…and The Divorcees are living proof. Yes, they’ve got fiery vocals and solid instrumental chops, but what sets this band apart is the truly interesting songwriting. And, you’ll be happy to hear that we’re able to present three songs from their album Last Of The Free Men: After The Storm Is Gone, Letter On The Window and Mining Man.

Brad Hammonds built his early musical reputation on his guitar prowess as part of the duo Brazz Tree. But while those chops are fully on display, he’s added some creative melodic approaches and jazz sensibilities, plus an almost hypnotic vocal style to create quite the musical stew on Through It All, from the album of the same name.

Jennings came to focus on music in an unusual way. After the death of her mother, her father (a former musician) gave her a choice: go thru therapy to deal with the grief…or record an album. Her choice might be somewhat obvious, as she brings her fresh vocal delivery and a pop/electronica groove to Falling Higher, from her album Femtastic.

It’s not often that you hear someone say, “That girl can flat play the guitar!”. But as blues legend Albert King told Kelly Richey when she found herself on stage with him some 20 years ago, “That guitar is like a gun: if you pick it up, you better mean to use it.” Kelly clearly took those words to heart, and has continued to develop her growling blues-rock stylings over the years and something approaching a dozen albums. She’s sharing two songs with us: Talks All Over Town from the Eyes Of A Woman album, and Now You Need Me from Sending Me Angels.

Doug Folkins brings his rootsy musical sensibilities to his story of longing, featuring Italy (the country) and Emily (the girl)…and you just know he’s planning to stay there for as long as it takes for her to show up…watching the flow of city life pass by him as he scans the crowds for her face. It’s a story well-told. The song is called Streets Of Rome, and it’s from his self-titled album.

All those songs are available now for free download at Great Songs Free. And now, on the instrumental front:

The National Guitar Workshop features instruction by some truly amazing players. And you’d better be prepared for a master-class in the Blues before downloading Mr. H’s Blues, performed by Harry Jacobson. It just gets sweeter as it goes on…so be sure not to just file it away for later reference. Don’t miss the section between about 3 and 4.5 minutes in.

Cincinnati’s Kelly Richey Band is fronted by a flaming-red-haired woman who plays a flaming blues guitar…and no, it’s not Bonnie Raitt. You’ll love her blues-rock guitar chops, honed over more than 20 years of live playing. From the album Speechless, check out Is There Any Reason and Only The Bird Knows.

And these tunes are all available at Great Instrumental Downloads.

Have fun!