GoodTimeTonight

 

 BubsandFriends: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A Christmas Spectacular…

The Pickin’ Bubs and a bunch of special guests played at the Grafton Pub in Chicago just before Christmas. They recorded it and it came out pretty great. Check it out.

Tags: Don Weber, Marge Weber, Maria McCullough, Mark "Louie" Mitchell, Mark Dvorak, Maura Lally, Peggy Browning, Pickin' Bubs

So other sites may have their 2008 best of lists but I’m certainly not hip enough to rank anything and truth be told I spent more time this year listening to things that were released before my parents were born than anything that came out this year. But still I’d like to make a list of some stuff I listened to this year that may or may not have come out in 2008 that you should all check out in no particular order. In many cases you will be supporting some great Chicago artists.

• The Butcher’s Boy - Skin and Bones, These guys have been around Chicago for a bit and have gone through a name change, but they finally got their debut album together this year. I think it has a great sound and is a great mix of Byrds country and rock and folk and blues and lots of stuff. Buy it here from GrapeJuiceRecords
• The Floorbirds - Field Recordings, the Floorbirds are a folk duo from Minneapolis, they sound great and sing lovely songs. I am jealous of their talent. You can buy this from their myspace page.
• Rachel Ries - Without a Bird, I am totally a sucker for 180 gram vinyl and hand written thank you notes. Both of which I got when I bought Rachel’s album Without a Bird. She has a new EP out too, but I spent a good part of this year listening to this one. She has a great voice and I love the song Chicago. I talked about her here earlier when she played at the Hideout. If you get a chance, go see her live and definatly listen to this one.
• Joe Pug - Nation of Heat, Joe is a good guy, I’ve been going to see him for a while now so it’s great that he’s starting to get national attention, and rightly so as his album is quite good. Joe’s music is hard to pin down, I say I think he likes to write about pairs and colors. Anyway check out this album you’ll like it. I like the track “I do my father’s drugs”. And if you get a chance to see him live do it quick before you’ll have to pay more when he’s huge and playing at the Riv.
• Laura Gibson - If You Come to Greet Me, Laura Gibson is a singer songwriter from Oregon. I saw her when she was here in Chicago opening for Colin Meloy and I snatched up her album at the show. It’s great, she plays these lovely fingerpicked melodies on her sweet sounding nylon string guitar. Technically this album came out in 2006, but it was new to me..
• Bonnie Prince Billy - Lie Down in The Light, Wil Oldham has been making great music for years. This years Prince Billy release is another great relase of minimal folk tinged songs. He gets a little more ambitious with each release and it shows here. I can remember the first time I heard his band Palace Brothers album Days in the Wake and how it just blew me away. Check this one out.
• Fred Holstein - Live at the Earl of Old Town, I spent a lot of time listening to Fred this year. He’s a big part of Chicago music tho I never got to meet him his shadow looms large at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. This is a great recording put out this year of a show Fred did at the Earl of Old Town in 1969, a bar in Chicago where he played often.
• Mavis Staples - Live Hope at the Hideout, Mavis Staples is a staple (ha!) blues and gospel singer. I wanted to go see her record this album at the Hideout but I missed out, too bad for me. But the album that came out from that night is a great set of Freedom songs.
• King Kahn and BBQ Show - Self Titled. These guys. They’re kind of punk, kind of soul, kind of blues. They are loud, and wailing blues guitar and crazy surf. I dunno what to call them but they are all kinds of awesome. I think this album came out in 2005 and 2007 in the US (!, ha, yeah I know), but somebody gave me this album this year and I listened to it a ton. Check it out.

And the more obvious must haves.

• Pete Seeger - at 89, at 89 years old Pete Seeger is still going strong with this new album. I liked it, but I loved the film The Power of Song, don’t miss either of these.
• Neil Young - Live at Cantebury House 1968, this is the newest release from the Neil Young archives. It’s great for Neil’s banter between songs and his fiddling on melodies like ‘Winterlong’ when we know how great these songs will sound.
• Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series 8, Outtakes from the Last three albums including 3 takes of Mississippi? Yes thank you. These bootleg releases are usually pretty good, this one is great too.

Other stuff

• Good Time Tonight podcasts! Seriously the music I’ve heard live this year has far outshined anything I’ve heard in albums, I’ve spent a lot of time recording and posting the best of the grafton and Mike Alberts One Mic Stand series here on the goodtimetonight podcasts, these guys are all great and you should listen to them over and over.
• Mississippi Records, I’ve picked up a couple archival releases from this Portland Record label, they put out some great anthologies of old blues, folk and gospel. I spent a lot of time listening to their excellent Life Is a Problem anthology of rock gospel, and their other folk and pre-blues anthologies.

Friends

The movers and shakers of Good Time Tonight have weighed in, here are their recommendations. thanks guys:

• Mike Alberts, “Well,  I was just thinking that I listen a lot to James McMurtry’s Live in Aught Three and Just Us Kids too.  Good stuff.”
• Mark Dvorak,  “I listened a lot to Neil young’s LIVE AT MASSEY HALL while traveling. and Coleman Barks’ reading the poetry of RUMI. Can you dig it?”
• Peggy Browning, “I listened to the Goldmine Pickers new cd Lonesome Gone.  Mark is on that cd too.  I also have been listening to Mark Dvorak’s What a Wonderful World“
• Lizabeth MacDonald, “I was listening to the year end round up on Sound Opinions the other night, and other than Brittney Spears, I had no idea who the other people were. “
• Dennis Harpole, “I am no help, cause I never listen to current music anymore. In the car, I’ve been listening to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will the Circle be Unbroken album from 2002, a CD from an old Gram Parsons tribute that somebody made for me, and Diana Krall’s Live in Paris CD from 3 or 4 years back.”

Tags: 2008, BBQ Show, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Fred Holstein, Goldmine Pickers, Grape Juice Records, James McMurty, Joe Pug, King Kahn, Laura Gibson, Mavis Staples, Mississippi Records, Neil Young, One Mic Stand, Pete Seeger, rachel ries, RUMI, The Buthcher's Boy, The Floorbirds

 

 Alberts Folk Revival 922: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ah sorry for the delay guys, but I haven’t had a moment to get this up. The Pickin’ Bubs and Alberts Folk Revival played a great set at the Grafton Pub in September. Alberts Folk Revival is Mike Alberts of the One Mic Stand series and his son Chris. They recently recorded an episode for the Chicago Acoustic Underground podcast so check that out when it’s up. Enjoy!

See also:

• Interview with the Pickin’ Bubs
• Alberts Folk Revival website

Tags: Alberts Folk Revival, Maura Lally, Mike Alberts, Peggy Browning, Pickin' Bubs

 

 August Part 1 [40:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 August Part 2 [1:22:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week on the podcast we have another episode of the One Mike Stand series, Mike Alberts monthly residency at the Grafton Pub (Lincoln Ave) in Chicago. The theme this month is Duets. The first part contains Mike singing with several friends and the second part contains a set by GoodTimeTonight friends The Pickin Bubs and one by Mark Dvorak with Sue Strom. Music in small bars is some of the best stuff going on on right now. Come out to the One Mike Stand next month or see something in your area!

Performers on Part 1 include Danny Gasperut, Mike Alberts, Tony Polecastro, Simon Flory, Lizabeth MacDonald, Peggy Browning, and Maura Lally. Part 2 includes Amy Jarrett, Sue Strom, Mark Dvorak, Mary Lally, Maua Lally, Peggy Browing, Simon Flory, and Tony Polecastro.

Tags: Amy Jarrett, Danny Gasperut, Lizabeth MacDonald, Mark Dvorak, Mary Lally, Maura Lally, Mike Alberts, Peggy Browing, Simon Flory, Sue Strom, Tony Polecastro

 

 One Mike Stand July 2008 [65:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This month’s One Mike Stand is Mike-less. No, not the rig, its alright, but host Mike Alberts is on vacation. While he’s off traveling Mark Dvork has taken over hosting duties for this show. It’s another good one singer-songwriter Randy Burgess shows off his finger picking chops and one-ups us all in technical prowess with his fancy pickup enabled guitar. In the second half of the show old time string band Kettle Moraine play some great folk, bluegrass, and honky-tonk songs, all this out of one microphone, what a deal! Kettle Moraine is Jim Sanabria, Kris Huysken, Dennis Harpole, and Ted Johnson. Ted is an original Old Town School of Folk Music student, he was present at the opening in 1957 and was one of the first hired teachers at the school.

Tags: Kettle Moraine, Mark Dvorak, Randy Burgess

 

 the pickin bubs at the Grafton Pub June 2008 [1:11:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

We’ll have an interview with the Bubs on the next episode of the podcast but to tide you over until then this week we have a recording made at the Grafton pub in Chicago (Lincoln Ave) in June, as part of their monthly residency series. The Pickin’ Bubs are Maura Lally and Peggy Browning and anyone who happens to be around them they can grab when they get the whim. The Bubs are great at playing with a wide array of instruments and accompanists. They have a knack for interpreting traditional tunes and are even better at writing new ones that sound like they came from long lost 78s from Applachian cellers discovered and brought to new life. But I’ll leave them to next week to explain themselves, for now, it’s them and Guest Lauren Shera (an excellent California singer-songwriter who we talked about earlier, she played at Chicago’s Hideout this week). Lauren’s songs start at the 24:00 mark.

Appearing on this recording: Peggy Browning, Maura Lally, Mark “Louie” Mitchell, Mark Dvorak, Lauren Shera

Tags: Lauren Shera, Mark "Louie" Mitchell, Mark Dvorak, Maura Lally, Peggy Browning, The Pickin' Bubs

 

 Part 1 [30:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Part 2 [1:51:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hi Everyone, so this is the first episode of the podcast! For this first episode, I have the great pleasure to syndicate Mike Alberts’ monthly series ‘One Mike Stand’.

The live show runs at the Grafton Pub (Lincoln Avenue) every second Tuesday of the month, (Check out the live page for upcoming show dates) but we will be rebroadcasting the series after the fact. This episode was recoded in May and features three segments, Mike Alberts and Mark Mitchell in the first, Maura Lally and Peggy Browing as The Pickin’ Bubs in the second and songwriter Mark Dvorak in the third.

These guys are all doing great stuff, they are great at interpreting traditional folk and roots tunes and at creating new music, this some of the best songwriting going on in Chicago right now.

The Entire show runs 1h:51, the Pickin’ Bubs and Mark Dvorak’s sets are in part 2.

Enjoy!

If you use iTunes, click here to subscribe to this podcast and future episodes will be delivered directly to you when they are released.

Tags: Mark “Louie” Mitchell, Mark Dvorak, Maura Lally, Mike Alberts, One Mike Stand, Peggy Browning, The Pickin' Bubs