(ware)HOUSE Radio

I saw James Taylor and Jackson Browne last night in St. Louis. They’re both 73… …and they both blew me away. Beautiful voices. Beautiful songs. Still bringing it. Say what you will about James Taylor. Some say he’s a bit too sugary for their taste. But I say a little sugar tastes good from time to time. He closed the set with the song I share today… …joined on stage only by his son, Henry. Very sweet! I’ll add his original, album version to the playlists. The video is from a May 2020 episode of the Tonight Show — James performing the the song with his wife Kim and his son Henry. Today’s Song  Title: You Can Close Your Eyes  Artist: James Taylor  Album: Mud Slide Slim (1971)YouTube Link: youtu.be/TNjHk9Y36u0 Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

I love Paul Luc’s story. Born and raised near Pittsburgh. Played in a garage band in high school. Went to college and studied economics. Returned to Pittsburgh and got a desk job. Played occasional weekend gigs and even released an album. But that wasn’t enough. So, he woke up one day, went into work, and quit. He didn’t have a plan — other than to make more music. I first saw him when he opened for Peter Case a few years ago. I was in touch with him about booking a (ware)HOUSE Concert before COVID hit. We’ll get that conversation going again, I hope. Today’s Song  Title: Restless Mind  Artist: Paul Luc  Album: Bad Seed (2018) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/WniCB-7Oh58 Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

Sorry… My kids flew in the weekend before Thanksgiving. Then the holiday. Then the catch-up after the holiday. And before I knew it, I haven’t sent a Song of the Day in 9 days. Let’s get back to it. While relaxing over the holiday, I watched the new Beatles documentary (“The Beatles: Get Back”) — Peter Jackson’s take on the Let It Be sessions. If you have Disney+, check it out. I  watched all 7+ hours and thought it was great. So to get us back in the swing of things, here’s one of my favorites from “Let It Be.” Today’s Song  Title: I’ve Got a Feeling  Artist: The Beatles  Album: Let It Be (1970) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/DbKPZd5oihc Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj

Yesterday’s email was all about John Prine. Todd Snider’s stories and song about him. One of those stories was about Prine dancing off the stage as he closed concerts… …with this… Today’s Song  Title: Lake Marie  Artist: John Prine  Album: Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings (1995) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/vzCjQwt2rgI Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

For many, many years John Prine would end most of his concerts with “Paradise.” Daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County  Down by the Green River where Paradise lay  Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking  Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away   But on his last tour, Prine would end concerts with “Lake Marie.” After an extended jam, he’d put down his guitar and do a little dance. As his backing band brought home the song, Prine would shimmy and spin and shuffle his way to the front of the stage and then to the side until he’d exit stage right. At his concert at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Friday, Todd Snider told a story about witnessing this for the first time. Snider was standing backstage. As Prine exited and shimmied past, he turned to Snider with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye and said, “Betcha didn’t see that comin’!” Another Prine story that Snider told the other night: One time Prine was with some pals and someone asked, “If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be?” Prine smiled and said, “Call me ‘Handsome John.’” This man who wrote the song, “They Oughta Name a Drink After You,” later named his favorite cocktail, “The Handsome Johnny.” Google it. You’ll find various references to the drink — including stories of artists who poured themselves a Handsome Johnny (vodka and ginger ale) to toast John Prine after he passed away last year. So…if you’re the drinkin’ kind, pour yourself a Handsome Johnny, raise your glass to the heavens, and listen to today’s song. It comes from Snider’s latest album. It’s his tribute to the singing mailman from Maywood, Illinois. Enjoy… Today’s Song  Title: Handsome John  Artist: Todd Snider  Album: First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder (2021) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/F5cibFut-cs Lyrics I didn’t know him as well as I tell everyone I did  Hell he was nearly fifty and I was only a kid  But even way back in those missing years when he was still just catching on  There was nobody better than Handsome John  Oh boy  Look no further for your real McCoy  Here comes the singing mailman from Maywood, Illinois  Oh boy  The…

For the second night in a row, I spent an evening in the greatest room in St. Louis — the Sheldon Concert Hall. Richard Thompson on Thursday. Todd Snider last night. So much better than staying home and watching Bachelorette reruns. We’ll get to Todd Snider in a day or two. But first, I want to introduce you to Snider’s warm-up act. His name is Cody Diekhoff. His stage name is “Chicago Farmer.” He grew up on a farm, halfway between St. Louis and Chicago. He listened to punk and grunge as a kid. Then a friend of his dad played a Hank Williams record, and that was that. “Chicago Farmer” was originally going to be the name for a band. But this guy is better-suited for the solo gig. Catch him when you can. His set was great. And when we reopen the (ware)HOUSE, I hope to have him grace our stage. Enjoy… Today’s Song  Title: $13 Beer  Artist: Chicago Farmer  Album: Flyover Country (2020) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/3CTXrzy2MwM Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

During his concert last night in St. Louis, Richard Thompson sang the praises of Sandy Dennis. She was a British folk singer who collaborated with Thompson’s band Fairport Convention. Thompson noted that many considered Dennis the greatest and most influential British folk singer of her day. Fairport Convention was the first (and one of many) to record today’s song which Dennis wrote. That’s Dennis singing the Fairport Convention version and Thompson playing lead guitar. AllMusic.com says of this song, “Not only one of the greatest moments in the Fairport Convention catalouge, it is also one of the great British folk-pop ballads of the later half of the 20th Century.”  Here it is… Today’s Song  Title: Who Knows Where the Time Goes  Artist: Fairport Convention  Album: Unhalfbricking (1969) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/OkOB57UcYk8 Lyrics Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving But how can they know it’s time for them to go? Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming I have no thought of time For who knows where the time goes? Who knows where the time goes? Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving Ah, but then you know it’s time for them to go But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving I do not count the time For who knows where the time goes? Who knows where the time goes? And I am not alone while my love is near me I know it will be so until it’s time to go So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again I have no fear of time For who knows how my love grows? And who knows where the time goes? Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

I just got home from seeing Richard Thompson at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. Brilliant. When touring paused, he made music in his home studio. He released the “Bloody Noses” EP in July 2020 and the album “Serpent Tears” in May 2021. Here’s one from Bloody Noses. It will remind you what a bloody good guitar player Richard Thompson is (and a bloody good songwriter, too). Today’s Song  Title: If I Could Live My Life Again  Artist: Richard Thompson  Album: Bloody Noses (2020) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/3dmiUILO5Ps Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

Neil Young writes almost every song on every one of his albums. But on his 1970 masterpiece “After the Gold Rush,” Young slipped in one cover. It’s by Don Gibson, who scored a top-10 hit in 1958 with a jauntier version of the same tune. Young’s reinvents the song. His cover version is a dirge. Back when I first fell in love with “After the Gold Rush,” I didn’t love this song. But it’s grown on my since. A lot. As for Gibson, he went on to score another hit with “Sea of Heartbreak” (1961). And his song “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was covered 600+ times — most notably by Ray Charles. Don Gibson died on this day (11/17) in 2003. He was 75. Here’s his jaunty version of his sad, sad song. Today’s Song  Title: Oh Lonesome Me  Artist: Don Gibson  Album: Oh Lonesome Me (1958) YouTube Link:  youtu.be/Xc-2eO8FJzk Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj 

I heard this one on the radio today and remembered how much I like it. From Jenny Lewis’ first solo album way back in 2006. Today’s Song  Title: The Big Guns  Artist: Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins  Album: Rabbit Fur Coat YouTube Link:  youtu.be/VV6BYh0V38E Here are the Playlists:   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xYKtYparrdJRYAjBj9kjx?si=eb6c3ebc30484204  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ware-house-concerts-song-of-the-day/pl.u-Ggz26cZlAVLj