A Mighty Fine Merry Xmas (or belated Hannukah ... or Kwanzaa)
I got the 2 + 3 volume from the Old Town School's four-part collection of folk music standards from Santa (masquerading as my wife, Nancy). It's phenomenal. A real treat. Get them all for a friend or loved one. Here are the best deals:

- Buy all four volumes on good old-fashioned compact discs (Disc 1, Discs 2+3 set and Disc 4) directly from Chicago's own Bloodshot Records for $30. (Trust me, you'll want the liner notes, which you won't get if you download from Amazon or iTunes; and if you buy the CDs from Amazon, you'll pay way more than $30 for all four.).
- Download the Disc 4 bonus tracks from Amazon.com for only .99¢ each - that's cuts 21 through 36. (The various advertisements and even the Bloodshot web site claim these bonus tracks are only on iTunes. But I found 'em on Amazon.com, where you can download the individual tracks in MP3 format versus iTunes' proprietary AAC format.)

God bless the Old Town School. So, buy their new CDs to express your support.

Mighty Fine Historical Recordings on CD

Dust-to-Digital : About Us

Dust-to-Digital was started in February 1999 by Lance Ledbetter, a radio disc jockey at WRAS — the student-run voice of Georgia State University. Having been recently introduced to vintage 78 rpm records by the reissue of the Anthology of American Folk Music in 1997, Ledbetter decided to set out on a search for rare gospel recordings.

Four and a half years later, Goodbye, Babylon was released. The six CD box set was accompanied by a 200 page book and hand-packed with raw cotton in a wooden box. The response from music fans around the world was astounding, and Dust-to-Digital followed up the gospel set with Where Will You Be Christmas Day? in 2004.

Mighty Funky World Beat

Adam Grosso's band Euforquestra will be performing at Martyrs this Friday, November 30. They will play from 9:00 to 10:00pm, and be followed by Bumpus and Garaj Mahal, featuring the jazz guitarist Fareed Haque in a "jam band" quartet.

Martyrs is at 3855 N. Lincoln in Chicago (between Addison and Irving Park). The kitchen opens at 6:00, so think about going early for dinner.

Mighty Fine Concerts at The Old Town School

2008 Concerts at the Old Town School
Click the link for details. There's the Trad Fest Open House in late January with Foghorn Stringband and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Also concerts with the singer-songwriter/producer Joe Henry, the New Orleans pianist/composer Allen Toussaint, the Celtic Fiddle Fest, the David Grisman Quintet, Cowboy Junkies with special guest Mary Gauthier and, among many more amazing shows, the ukelele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro with guests Sarah Lee Guthrie (Arlo's girl) & Johnny Irion (whose recently released solo CD is very, very good).

The Bluegrass Blog is Mighty Fine

Yet another good ... some would say great ... bluegrass music site.

Mighty Fine Americana Music Site

Since first launching the OPFMB blog site, I have noticed the number of "Americana Roots" music sites have blossomed across the Net. Check this one out.

Americana Roots : Merle Haggard - The Bluegrass Sessions
"Surrounding himself with some of the best musicians in the business (Marty Stuart on mandolin, Carl Jackson on guitar, Rob Ickes on resophonic guitar, Charlie Cushman on banjo, Aubrey Haynie fiddle and Ben Isaacs on bass) as he runs through 12 songs – three new songs, two covers and seven Haggard classics receiving the bluegrass treatment."

Curious? Read the rest by clicking the link. Americana Roots is a great site. Try it, you'll like it.

Upcoming Mighty Fine Jam Session

The Django Jam continues each second Friday of the month. Come check it out next Friday, November 9th, 7:00 pm, at the Zen Community of Oak Park - Empty Sound Temple, 163 N. Humphrey Ave. in Oak Park (1/2 block north of Lake St., 1 block west of Austin Blvd).

If you have any questions, call Bob Althouse at 708-445-1651.

Mighty Fine Upcoming Shows ...

Charlie Louvin
The surviving Louvin brother released his first studio recording in a long, long time last year. This is perhaps our last chance to see this living legend in performance.

Sunday, Dec 16. $20.
Schubas, 3159 N Southport Ave, 773-525-2508
www.schubas.com

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John Prine with Iris Dement
Favorite son. Esteemed songwriter. Cancer survivor. Maywood's own. Angel from Montgomery. Need I say more?

Friday, Feb 8, 2008. $49.50 - $59.50.
Chicago Theater

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Sones de Mexico
Like any large nation, Mexico boasts regional folk music forms that differ in style and substance. Unfortunately, here in the States we tend to generalize, which robs us of distinguishing between them. The Mexican Son (the word son means almost literally "song") is, generally, a southern folk form native to Guadalajara and vicinity.

Friday, Nov 23. $12.
Fitzgerald's

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Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys
See my notes below. Opening act, the Henhouse Prowlers (pictured above), are a group of Chicagoans who play with conviction and respect for the Appalachian tradition, yet they're never stale. Let's call them unconventional traditionalists. Listen to a track on their MySpace page.

Thursday, Nov 25 at 8pm. $25.
Fitzgerald's
www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com

Ralph Stanley & his Clinch Mountain Boys at Fitzgerald's
Thu., Nov. 15th, 8pm, $25 with The Henhouse Prowlers
"After 55 years in the business, Ralph Stanley is still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass music. As a recording artist, he has performed on more than 170 albums, tapes, and CDs. Ralph's played throughout the United States and in many foreign lands, too, including several tours of Japan. In addition to the many honors Ralph has received as a bluegrass musician, including membership on the Grand Ole Opry, he is also a Shriner, a member of the Primitive Baptist Universalist Church, and active in his local community, having served on the Dickenson County School Board."

O Brother Buy My Dobro!

Regal RD 75 Square Neck Resonator guitar (aka Dobro): Solid mahogany back and sides, solid spruce top, bone nut, spider bridge, spun cone, maple saddle, solid headstock with excellent tuners, includes a Stevens(R) steel and finger picks, plus a gig bag. It's only limitation (in my view) is that it's a 24.75" scale, making it a wee bit narrower at the nut and teeny bit shorter end to end.

I bought this guitar brand new at The Old Town School's Different Strummer for $350 plus $45 for the bag and this 'n' that for the picks 'n' steel. Plus tax.

You get it all for merely $150.

This guitar is no longer in production. If you want to try it, visit Musicopia on Roosevelt Road west of Oak Park Ave. Or drop me an email - miggonz@sbcglobal.net

Country star Porter Wagoner dies at 80 - Yahoo! News
Porter Wagoner was known for a string of country hits in the '60s, perennial appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in his trademark rhinestone suits, and for launching the career of Dolly Parton.

WASHBURN MANDOLIN PROTO - Solid Wood
Reply to: sale-462457661@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-10-28, 7:55PM CDT
This is a mint condition Washburn prototype mandolin. Is has Solid Flamed Maple back and sides and a Solid Spruce top along with maple binding. Great sounding Mando. Email with any questions, tunetime@earthlink.net.

SNOCAP
"Artists: Get a SNOCAP MyStore!

* Sell your music on MySpace and beyond
* Easily upload your music
* Set your own prices
* Monitor your sales on a daily basis
* It's your music - you keep all the rights
* Only $30 per year (the first year is FREE)"

Click to see some major artists who are using SNOCAP, a diy Net music store app you add to your MySpace or other personal music page online.

Jack Swain Showcase Performace - Don't Miss This!

Thursday 10/25, 8:00pm, at Fitzgerald's
6615 W. Roosevelt Road, Berwyn

Spade Kitty Records night at Fitzgerald's! Two bands - Trakan and The Red Plastic Buddha - will do a very special suburban label showcase as a pre-release show. Also on the bill are local sensations Jack Swain and Alex Mizicko and friends.

More info at FitzgeraldsNightclub.com

Amazon.com: Raising Sand: MP3 Downloads: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
To be released on Oct 23, "Raising Sand" is a complete album that blends two distinctive voices from totally different strains of popular music. Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant is a high-voiced screamer who's mellowed through the years. Yet he retains the edgy timbre befitting his "Hammer of the Gods" upbringing. Alison Krauss needs no introduction. She possesses the purest soprano in bluegrass, country and beyond. Absolute beauty, she has.

On the ballads their voices blend wonderfully in a strangely-new-yet-familiar way. But the rock-tinged tracks are just okay. When they invoke Mountain Soul, it's blessed harmony.

Check out the Amazon.com download system. It's a new online music store with MP3s formatted at twice the audio quality of iTunes. Buy only the tracks that suit your taste. Or take the whole album for $8.99, a considerable discount from the plastic disc.

Innovative UK guitarist Richard Thompson performs a solo acoustic number in this parlor video from his controversial new(ish) CD "Sweet Warrior" on Amazon.com.

Go see Loudon Wainwright before the current political situation makes you want to end it all!


Loudon Wainwright III with special guest Lucy Roche

Saturday, September 22, 2007
7:00 PM & 10:00 PM
Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall :: 4544 N Lincoln Ave.

Jorma Kaukonen and Friends perform "Operator" from American Beauty

Though this video is seven minutes long, there's a wonderful minute or two with Jorma in which he describes the quirky, creative and innovative approach to traditional American songcraft that makes the Dead's old-time songs both interesting and attractive to old-time pickers.

Mighty Fine Old Town School Gala

50 Years In Chicago | Concerts & Events – Old Town School

Join in celebrating the Old Town School's 50th Anniversary -- and help provide vital support for the School's education, scholarship, performance and outreach programs -- with this once-in-a-lifetime concert at the historic Auditorium Theatre.