Tag: Nickel Creek

The Songs of Nickel Creek’s ‘Reasons Why (The Very Best),’ Ranked

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

 

Ah, Nickel Creek. The originally-a-bluegrass band, almost-bluegrass band that defined and fostered an entire generation of young roots music fans. Their five album catalog is chock-full of incredible songs, but for our purposes we’re going to rank their greatest hits as released on their 2006 compilation album, Reasons Why (The Very Best). Let’s start at the bottom, just to stir the pot right off the bat.

14. “The Fox”

When your audiences eventually universally devolve into nothing better than a non-Newtonian fluid that aggressively shouts “THE FOOOOOOOOOX” incessantly, it’s time to maybe consider that a “hit” isn’t necessarily a good thing. And if you ever attended a Nickel Creek concert during their heyday and you weren’t one of the ones yelling, you probably came to that conclusion, too. The band certainly has. And that poor goose…

13. “The Lighthouse’s Tale”

Look, you knew it was next. If Chris Thile himself openly mocks the song onstage, perhaps it doesn’t deserve a higher slot. Personification of a lighthouse though. Groundbreaking. Or should we say, sand-breaking. (Too soon?)

12. “Somebody More Like You”

Just because Sean’s early 2000s, punk-esque vocal choices are somewhat… jarring.

11. “Helena”

This song doesn’t seem to have aged well… A man uses not one, but two women and he’s so goddamn flippant about it. Is that love?? Dang if it’s not a catchy song though. Number eleven feels right.

10. “Can’t Complain”

Another in the “As a teen I shouted along with the words from the bottom of my heart and now I take pause” category. “…Made her wanna die / But she can’t complain she can’t complain.” Can’t she!?

9. “Should’ve Known Better”

See numbers eleven and ten. They should’ve known better. HaHA!

8. “You Don’t Have to Move that Mountain”

A cover that was previously unreleased by the band, this one is neither lackluster nor exactly awe-inspiring. Solid, for sure, but eight feels like the right spot. Especially given its “hit” status being ascribed only by its inclusion on the album alone. Are we all good with this praxis? Great. (Check that Mark Schatz bass solo though, okay?)

7. “Out of the Woods”

So vibey and lush. Spooky and ethereal. Like the woods from a Bronté novel. It’s a good one, perfect for the middle of the pack.

6. “Reasons Why”

Why number six, you may ask? I have my reasons why: mainly the space-age neo-folk vocal arrangements, with those tight tight tight harmonies. Makes me want to shake fists at the sky!

5. “This Side”

“You dream of colors that have never been made” was perhaps the deepest, most profound line on the Grammy-winning album, This Side, by the opinion of this writer, who wore out the CD oh, almost two decades ago.

4. “Smoothie Song”

Not as good as “Scotch & Chocolate” or “Stumptown,” but still. A bop.

3. “When in Rome”

Asking the tough questions, one by one. A manifesto for teenage bluegrass fans exploring music on the fringes of the familiar. Also, stomping in puddles. When in Rome, after all…

2. “Jealous of the Moon”

Devastatingly melancholy, but with a hopeful message. Pure poetry. Just remember, you don’t need to call anyone to save you. The problem is simple: “There’s nothing you can do / If you’re too scared to try.”

1. “When You Come Back Down”

One reason we could count this as the number one song in and among Nickel Creek’s greatest hits is that IT ISN’T AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY. Travesty. The true reason, though, is that this is unimpeachably the best of the trio’s greatest hits. Sure, it can read like a song ripe for overuse at high school graduations, but it’s beautiful, it’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it’s almost literally uplifting. Take every chance you dare.

15 Bluegrass Covers of Bob Dylan

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Bluegrassers have been covering Bob Dylan for decades. First generation stalwarts Flatt & Scruggs covered more than a handful of songs penned by the future Nobel Laureate, Ralph Stanley sang with him, and at this very moment there are almost certainly jam circles out there around the globe laying down “Girl From/Of the North Country” with mash’s reckless, head-bobbing abandon without even realizing Dylan wrote the dang thing. Bluegrass covers of Dylan are so prolific, we had to cap our list at 15 — with an additional three not-quite covers tacked on for good measure.

Explore Dylan’s broad-reaching impact on bluegrass:

“Blowin’ in the Wind” — The Country Gentlemen

It just makes sense. The Country Gentlemen epitomized the impact of the folk revival on bluegrass and string bands of that era.

“Girl Of the North Country” — Sam Bush

Perhaps the most common and least jambuster-y of Dylan’s bluegrass incarnations, this one has been covered by everyone from Flatt & Scruggs and the Country Gentlemen to Tony Rice and his newgrass compatriot, Sam Bush.

“Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” — Tim O’Brien

It takes a special kind of songwriter (I mean, Dylan. Duh.) to craft a song that can allow another artist to inhabit it, wholly. It takes a special kind of artist to be able to do that song and songwriter justice. Tim O’Brien singing “Señor” is the perfect example of both.

“Tomorrow Is A Long Time” — Nickel Creek

An entire generation’s most mainstream exposure to bluegrass — Nickel Creek — might have simultaneously tipped off their young audience to the voice of a generation.

“It Ain’t Me Babe” — Flatt & Scruggs

Did you ever stop to think about the similarities between Lester Flatt and Bob Dylan’s singing styles? Now you have.

“When I Paint My Masterpiece” — Greensky Bluegrass

Truegrass, newgrass, jamgrass — any kind of [fill-in-the-blank]grass works for a Dylan cover.

“Boots of Spanish Leather” — Seldom Scene

Hearing a bluegrass band relax into a slower, loping groove is always a breath of fresh air. Seldom Scene know how to own a decidedly non-bluegrass beat. And yet, it’s quintessentially bluegrass.

“Long Ago, Far Away” — Front Country

The current bluegrass generation isn’t immune to Dylan’s influence either. Front Country burns this one down with a more straight ahead, hammer down arrangement.

“One More Night” — Tony Rice

Tony is arguably at his absolute best, his most extraordinarily superlative when he renders the songs of singer/songwriters and troubadours like Gordon Lightfoot and of course, The Bard.

“Rambling, Gambling Willie” — The Lonely Heartstring Band

There’s ramblin’, there’s gamblin’, philanderin’, and lots more gamblin’. It’s a dyed in the wool bluegrass banger — showcased in that decadently clean Boston style by the Lonely Heartstring Band — straight from a Dylan bootleg.

“Subterranean Homesick Blues” — Tim O’Brien

Spit. Out. Those. Lyrics. Tim. Oh and that hambone!! Lawd. Just listen to this and try not to feel visceral joy.

“Just Like a Woman” — Old Crow Medicine Show

This is here because we didn’t want to add that one Dylan song Old Crow is pretty famous for. They did an entire-album cover of Dylan! Let’s hear those songs for a change! It’s got more of a country and Western flavor, but we know Old Crow’s bluegrass roots run deep.

“Simple Twist of Fate” — Sarah Jarosz

Another take outside of the bluegrass box, but inherently informed by bluegrass. You can feel Jarosz emulate the lilt of Dylan’s voice in her phrasing. Unencumbered, yet supported in full by the strings.

“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” — Flatt & Scruggs

Everybody join in and sing! There’s something especially pleasing about hearing Scruggs comp over these iconic chord changes.

“Walkin’ Down the Line” — the Dillards

At their height, the Dillards’ sound was blended so purely with that iconic folk revival sound, but without giving up one shred of their traditional bluegrass sensibilities. This is a perfect example.

“East Virginia Blues” — Bob Dylan & Earl Scruggs

Now here’s your bonus. Bob Dylan and Earl Scruggs, with the Scruggs boys gathered around pick through “East Virginia Blues” for a TV documentary.

“Lonesome River” — Bob Dylan & Ralph Stanley

And of course, how could we have a list about Bob Dylan and bluegrass without a nod to the special relationship Dylan had with Ralph Stanley? Dylan consistently cites Stanley as an influence and they even collaborated on this recording of an iconic Stanley Brothers classic.

“Man of Constant Sorrow” — Bob Dylan

Remember that Ralph Stanley influence we mentioned? Here it is again. It’s a reverse Bob Dylan bluegrass cover to round out the set.

 

That Ain’t Bluegrass: Love Canon

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Love Canon
Song: “Islands In The Stream” (Originally recorded by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton)
Album: Cover Story

My first question is normally, “Where did you first hear the song?” But with a song as ubiquitous as this, how could anyone actually recall when they first heard it? So, maybe a better question is: How did you all decide that this was a song you wanted to record?

Jesse Harper: I’ve always loved the song, for as long as I can remember, but at a truck stop somewhere we got a Bee Gees greatest hits record and there was a live version of “Islands In The Stream” on it. I was like, “This is ridiculous! Why would the Bee Gees cover a Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers number?” When we looked it up, it was Barry Gibb and his brothers who wrote the tune and he produced Kenny Rogers’ record, brought Dolly in on it, and pitched the tune to Kenny. It was the Bee Gees that brought the song back to my memory.

I worked it up when I was teaching at a fiddle camp in the summer, on an island, and it just happened that my friend Lauren Balthrop, who sings it with me [on the record], was on this island. I wanted to sing the song as a camp sing-along, because I was teaching a vocals/choir class and she was helping me out. I brought it back to the [band], like, “Man, this is an ‘80s hit, let’s do it.” That’s how it all came about.

What makes this song a good bluegrass song — or a good fit for bluegrass instrumentation?

There’s not much of a departure, music-wise, from what they had. The things that usually work about a song are whether or not we can transcribe the parts and work them out on our instruments. When we get into a song, we put it under the microscope and find every little detail. We try it on every instrument to see which should play which part. This one, in particular, there weren’t that many parts to it; the vocal part is what stands out. It’s more of a bluegrass jam than a lot of things that we do, towards the end of the song and it was more about the chords and the melody than the parts. In certain songs where there’s an instrumental hook, or a synth part — or think about “Africa” [by Toto] and how many parts are immediately recognizable. This tune, the recognizable part is the chorus and its melody.

One of the differences to our approach is that bluegrass music is typically a [2/4 time] feel or a waltz feel, and there’s a scripted role for every instrument, but we approach it with the instruments we already have and the music that already exists and the roles just need someone to fill them. Rather than just taking the chord structure and make it bluegrass, we take all the music that’s there and figure out how to deal with it. It always feels cheesy to me to take a song and just turn it into a bluegrass feel. “Boom-chick” works for disco, maybe, but it wouldn’t work for any of the other feels that we do.

There’s been this tradition since the early days of bluegrass of taking songs that were pop hits or radio hits and bringing them to bluegrass audiences–

Like Bill Monroe covering a Jimmie Rodgers tune.

Exactly. So I wonder how what Love Canon does follows that tradition — and why do you think this tradition still exists today?

I think that it goes beyond bluegrass. I would say that all musicians who are involved or dedicated to the craft of learning their instrument will almost always have to learn a piece, like in classical music — classical music is almost exclusively covers. The London Philharmonic, for example, is really a cover band, if you think about it in those terms. Jazz groups that are playing standards, well, standards are just covers. They’re tunes that become vehicles for improvisation. Bluegrass music and acoustic music that uses bluegrass instrumentation deserve to be elevated to the place where jazz and classical are, because of the technical aspect that’s required.

If you watch Bryan Sutton or David Grier play the guitar it’s every bit as impressive as seeing Eliot Fisk, or some amazing classical guitar player. It takes a lifetime of dedication to the craft. Or you see Béla Fleck play the banjo, or Jim Mills, and you realize, “Man that takes a lifetime of learning that craft.” I feel that ‘80s music is worthy of being played on these instruments. The melodies are great, the compositions are great. When we dig into the actual tune, as students of music, there’s so much amazing information, harmonically, in the chords and the melodies, that are sort of lacking in radio music right now. The popular music of today is not what it was in the ‘80s. What I wanted to uncover through what Love Canon — canon of course, being a body of work —  is, “We are studying the canon of this particular era.” There were just some great songs!

Similarly, “Islands In The Stream” is a great piece of music with great lyrics and a great chorus. That’s worthy of being studied by any serious musician, including bluegrass musicians.

What’s your favorite thing about performing it live?

Watching people unable to sing the verses, but as soon as the choruses come around, everybody knows it. It’s like, everyone remembers it, but they don’t know why they remember it. It happens with a lot of the songs we play. “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder is a perfect example. Nobody knows what the hell is going on. They’re like, “Why do I know this?” And if you look at their faces, they’re like, “Aaaah, I know what this is? I know what this is?” Then as soon as the chorus comes, they throw their hands in the air and they know all the words.

Now, you know that ain’t bluegrass, right?

I mean, I know that it’s not. Absolutely it’s not bluegrass. One response I have is that I love the old bluegrass. I love J.D. Crowe, I love Ricky Skaggs. I listen to that music incessantly, but I’m not Ricky Skaggs and I’m not J.D. Crowe. And I’m never going to be them. It’s never going to happen, no matter how much I want it to. The best I could do would be equivalent to me putting on a fake British accent right now. So the best thing for me to do is to use the voice that I have and play the music that I’m… you know, decently prepared to play.

I remember sitting at a festival not far from where I grew up — I could ride my bike there from my house as a kid. This festival is more traditional and I remember seeing Nickel Creek there years and years ago and there was a woman seated in front of me who turned to the person seated next to her and said, “They’re good, but I hate it.” [Laughs] I dunno if you’re going to win that conversation. Maybe the problem extends wider, into our entire culture, but it doesn’t do me any good to have that argument. I usually just say, “Yeah, it’s definitely not bluegrass.”

MIXTAPE: It’s a Cheating Situation

Posted on by Editor

About two weeks into February, you’ll find that darlings in love glow; strong, single types treat themselves; and the unlucky who’ve been wronged get a brutal reminder of that wronging. Who needs all those normative flowers, heart-shaped boxes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and bubbly? Who needs that ungrateful someone who-shall-not-be-named with the wandering eye? We’ll take depressing songs about heartbreak and infidelity instead, thanks. At least, that’s what we’ll keep telling ourselves.

Ricky Skaggs: “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown”

Ricky started performing this song with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys back when both he and a young Keith Whitley were in the band. (The best iteration of the Clinch Mountain Boys ever? Yes.) Now, it would seem like the subject of this song would go without saying. While we do not condone philandering, we do recommend sticking to this rule of thumb, if you find yourself thinking it’s smart to break his heart and run down his name. (As a bonus, check out the album artwork from Ricky’s eponymous country record. It is everything.)

Darrell Scott: “Too Close to Comfort”

There’s one line in this song that bugged me for a while: “Lying with strangers one more last time.” It felt clunky, the grammar felt off. Then one day, it just hit me. There have been plenty of “last times” before this one. It’s the singer’s last “last time.” Just once more. Anyone with first-hand experience of the foolin’ around kind knows that with this line — hell, the whole song — Darrell Scott delivers songwriting gold, once again.

J.D. Crowe & the New South: “Summer Wages”

It would seem that there’s a much higher rate of friends stealing friends’ girls in bluegrass music than other genres. Tony sings this with such conviction; it really is one of the best existentially sad songs of bluegrass. “Never leave your woman alone when your friends are out to steal her. She’ll be gambled and lost like summer wages.”

Dolly Parton: “I’m Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open”

Dolly has no shortage of cheating songs in her repertoire. (Let’s be honest: “Jolene” would’ve been too easy a choice.) It’s nice to hear a woman sing cheating songs because, despite the greater number of songs sung by jilted men, we know infidelity isn’t really a gender issue; it’s pretty much just a human one.

Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys: “I’ll Go Stepping Too”

Just a classic. Lester’s drawl, Earl’s banjo, the iconic fiddle turn-around kickoff … you gotta love it all. Equal footing in an unfaithful relationship might not be the best approach, though. Just make sure you put out the cat before you go stepping, too.

John Prine: “It’s a Cheating Situation”

John Prine and Irish folk singer Dolores Keane hit the nail so solidly on the head. They sing to the humanity we overlook in wandering spouses or significant others. “It’s a cheating situation. Just a cheap imitation. Doing what we have to do. When there’s no love at home.” This one was written by Moe Bandy, who happens to be so adept at penning cheating songs, we had to include him later on in this list, too.

Nickel Creek: “Can’t Complain”

This song feels like a sort of roots music trance experiment — with its title as mantra. To the offending party, cheating often feels like an inevitability, but does that absolve the sin? In retrospect, do the circumstances change the nature of the outcome? Or perhaps the crux is that, despite the way things end and the bridges burnt, maybe it’s all still worth it. There’s a redemptive message we can get behind.

The Kendalls: “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away”

Now this is a song with a hook. Yeah, it’s a little weird to hear a father and daughter sing in harmony about forbidden love, but let’s just gloss over that and enjoy it for what it is: a killer, old-fashioned, bittersweet, real country, cheatin’ duet with some sick twin electric guitar. Bonus: Check out their tune “Pittsburgh Stealers.” Once again, a cheating song, but with steel mills and, yes, football wordplay for a hook. Simply masterful.

Shania Twain: “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”

Two words: guilty pleasure. This is like the country version of “Mambo No. 5” … “List a bunch of women’s names!” But damn, it’s an earworm. End of caption.

Moe Bandy: “I Just Started Hatin’ Cheatin’ Songs Today”

Listening to heartbreak song after heartbreak song can be particularly painful when you empathize a little too strongly with them. Throw-a-bottle-at-the-jukebox painful. But those moments are when we find the therapeutic power of song at its strongest. It is comforting to know there are other sad bastards out there taking out their hurt on depressing records, too, right?

Doyle & Debbie: “When You’re Screwin’ Other Women (Think of Me)”

The reason we had to put this song last on this list is because it renders all of the other songs above null and void. This is the only one that matters. This is the magnum opus of cheating songs done up right by America’s number one country sweethearts. Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all.

Photo credit: KTDrasky via Foter.com / CC BY

Marisa Anderson, ‘House Carpenter/See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Posted on by Editor

With "House Carpenter/See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," Anderson weaves together two traditional songs into a new, enchanting composition. She arrived at the song after she was asked to participate in a concert that celebrated the Anthology of American Folk Music, the seminal six-LP compilation of American music put together by Harry Smith that was first released in 1952. Her task was to present an original arrangement from a song out of the Anthology, but she ended up picking two tunes instead of one.

"I knew I wanted to play 'House Carpenter' and, in researching the song, I realized I wanted to contextualize it in a way that was meaningful to me. I played my way through many of the songs on the Anthology and decided that 'See That My Grave Is Kept Clean' was the best match for my intention. Going from one song to the next also offers a  rhythmic challenge that keeps me interested," she explains.

You might recognize "House Carpenter," an old ballad with English roots that's been done many times over (including by Nickel Creek), while "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" was written by famed bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson. Anderson's rhythm twists and turns with her fleet picking, and you'll need a few listens to pick up on all the intricacies of her playing.

Anderson's unified take on these tunes appears on a new split record that she has with another guitar wizard, Asheville's own Tashi Dorji. You can pick it up via Footfalls Records now.

Root 66: Sawtooth Brothers’ Roadside Favorites

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Name: Sawtooth Brothers
Hometown: Twin Cities, MN
Latest Album: One More Flight 

Pizza: Dulono's Pizza in Minneapolis has always been our home. They've hosted bluegrass music since before we were born, and we've been playing there and enjoying their incredible thin crust since before we could drive.

Burger: Whenever we drive through Rochester, Minnesota, we make a point of stopping at Newt's. They claim to have the best burger in town, but we think that's an understatement. Great tap selection, too.

Health Food: Every band knows how hard it is to find wholesome food out on the open highway … because there's only so many times you can stop at Subway. We like to find a grocery store and stock up on Clif Bars and sweet potatoes (you can microwave them in your hotel room).

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Coffeehouse: We used to record in NE Minneapolis, which has its fair share of coffee houses (although the number of breweries might be overtaking it). Our go-to stop on the way into the studio or out of town is Matchbox Coffee. Look closely, it's small. About as small as a matchbox, but the coffee is perfectly hot and fresh. We dare you not fall in love with this place.

House Concert: Last Winter, we found ourselves in Michigan's UP on a bitterly cold February afternoon. Thankfully, we were playing a house concert at the Rainbow's End Alpaca Farm in Norway, Michigan. It was more than enough keep us warm. Pack a bluegrass band, a bunch of shelves full of alpaca wool products, and about a hundred people into a tiny gift shop, and you'll forget it's only five degrees outside! The Full Moon House Concert series was incredibly welcoming and hospitable.

Day Off Activity: Fishing brings us together on our off days. We could be on a lake up north or down on the river, but we're always looking for fishin' holes while touring around. We usually fail to plan for the discovery of an enticing stream, though, so "We should have brought our fishing poles!" is one of the most common things we say.

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Car Game: You'll typically find everyone asleep except the driver (hopefully), but if we're feeling restless, we'll flip through the radio channels and compete to see who can name the band first. Our guitarist Clint usually wins.

Music Festival: A highlight of every year is the Laughing Waters Bluegrass Festival. It's in Minnehaha Park, the crown jewel public space of a city renowned for its parks — Minneapolis. There's an incredible waterfall, biking, fishing, miles of trails, and, every year on Labor Day, a free bluegrass festival with a huge turnout. Seriously … so many people come to this thing, it's almost like everyone has the day off of work. There's always a great lineup, awesome food vendors, and perfect weather (knock on wood).

Tour Hobby: Sometimes you find yourself with time to kill in a city you know nothing about. We take this as an opportunity to stroll the streets and explore. We usually end up in a local brewery or at a park. Recently, in Viroqua, Wisconsin, we stumbled on Eckhart Park which must be the quaintest thing we've ever seen. It's on a wooded hillside with a city time capsule cemented into a rocky outcropping which overlooks a baseball field we played some softball in for a while.

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Backstage Hang: The Rochester Civic Theater is home to the Americana Showcase series and also a fantastic backstage. It's one of those classic spaces underneath the stage with a bunch of squishy old couches and posters for former productions. It's got a great energy, and the bands hangout together before and during the show. The last time we played this series, we were finally old enough to join in the ceremonial tequila shot that starts off every show.

Listening Room: Our claim to hipster cred is that we thought the Punch Brothers were cool before anyone else. We saw them a couple times back on their first tour when they came to the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. When they come to town now, they play First Avenue or the State Theater, but it was extra special to see them at the Cedar. It's an intimate setting, and everyone sits down with rapt attention for the musicians. The sound is top notch, and you can usually meet the band.

Driving Album: If you want to ride along with us, you'd better like Nickel Creek, cause we'll be listening to A Dotted Line … a lot.

Sara Watkins, ‘Say So’

Posted on by Editor

Sara Watkins — at 35 years young — is basically an elder stateswoman in the Americana world, playing fiddle and singing in Nickel Creek since 1989, when she was doing it for tradition, not trend. In all that time, she's only released three solo records: a self-titled effort in 2009, Sun Midnight Sun in 2012, and now, Young in All the Wrong Ways, released this past Friday. When you can count your musical career in decades, and mostly as part of a band or the family business — i.e. the Watkins Family Hour, which went from live revue to recording last year — it's hard for people to figure out exactly who you are, if it's not packaged easily.

Which is perhaps why so much of the chatter surrounding Young in All the Wrong Ways has been about how, after all this time, we're finally getting to know the "real" Sara Watkins — that she's finally "reintroducing" herself to the world. And while it's true that the LP is a thrillingly prescient look at her life, driven by a spirit of experimentation and musical play barely reliant on her signature fiddle, it's also true that, if songs like "You and Me" from Sun Midnight Sun didn't make it clear what Watkins is capable of — or how clear her voice is (in both tone and identity) — then maybe you weren’t listening hard enough. Just because she was more joyous there didn't make the music any less real … fiddle or no fiddle.

Young in All the Wrong Ways is a breakup album of sorts — with her label, with a romance, with "herself," as she's said — so it's darker and more introspective than anything she's done before. But it's the same Watkins, just evolved. Take "Say So," one of the album's most moving tracks: There's none of that aggressive fiddling, but her crystalline vocals are deeply intact, wandering and quivering around pop-rock construction in only the way someone raised on bluegrass can do. It's no reintroduction, just the work of a woman who knows what comes from her lungs, and her mind, is just as powerful as a bow and a set of strings.

The Taxman Cometh: 9 Songs to Get You Through Tax Day

Posted on by Editor

April 15. Unless you're an accountant or you're owed a big ol' refund, this day probably strikes a unique fear in your heart, one fueled by nightmares of endless paperwork and a Kafka-esque string of TurboTax questions that have you — if you're like me — so flustered you forget your own address. Although this year's tax day is actually April 18, we decided to go ahead and share a handful of our favorite tax-related tunes with you. Whether you're already crying over your return or you're dreading Sunday night's cram session, these nine tracks should hopefully ease a little pain. 

Don't like videos? Listen to the whole thing (with the Beatles' take on "Taxman" instead) on Spotify.

Nickel Creek, "Taxman"

We're all for the Beatles' original version, but who doesn't love Nickel Creek's acoustic take — this live one in particular — on the Fab Four's classic? 

Johnny Cash, "After Taxes"

His last name may be Cash, but that doesn't mean Johnny has money to spare (even though, let's be real, his estate totally does). This song from Cash's 1978 album, I Would Like to See You Again, laments all one loses in the name of Uncle Sam, including a "brand new Pontiac" and "a bracelet for her arm."

Joni Mitchell, "Tax Free"

Off 1985's Dog Eat Dog, "Tax Free" is more political than it is about actual taxes, but that refrain ("tax free") is undoubtedly something we'd all like to be.

Johnny Paycheck, "Me and the IRS"

"Well the bite keeps a-getting bigger and the pay check’s a-getting small / You know the IRS ain’t gonna rest until they think they’ve got it all." We feel ya, Johnny. We feel ya.

Ry Cooder, "Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All" 

A 1972 Ry Cooder cut reminds us that, while the merchants may make all the cash, it's the farmers who get us good and fed at the end of the day.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes?"

But really … what if we did?!

Kaiser Clifton, "Cash Money Blues"

The title says it all: Who hasn't suffered from the "Cash Money Blues," especially this time of year?

The Gourds, "Gin and Juice"

Because, let's face it, right now your mind is on your money and your money is definitely on your mind.

Old Crow Medicine Show, "Poor Man"

Commiserate with Old Crow Medicine Show after you get up the nerve to mail off that big check.

Lede photo: 401(K) 2013 via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

LISTEN: David Berkeley, ‘Last Round’

Posted on by Editor

For his new album, Cardboard Boat, singer/songwriter David Berkeley aimed to do something a little bit different, so he put his degree in literature from Harvard to work and added “author” to his job title by writing 10 short stories to accompany the tracks. Collected as The Free Brontosaurus, Berkeley's novella will be released on the same day as his album.

Through both collections, each piece has a main character, and that's the perspective from which the songs are sung. Berkeley first tested the combo album/book concept in 2010 with Some Kind of Cure and 140 Goats and a Guitar. But the new project fine tunes the idea, weaving them together in a more proper way.

“'Last Round' is the fourth song on my new album, Cardboard Boat," Berkeley says. "Like all the songs that pair with female characters on the album, Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek sings back up. The character 'Last Round' is based on is a pacifist-outsider-artist who catches her husband in bed with another lady. She kicks him out and gets a divorce and tries to be very Zen about it all, but never really gets over him. Despite her hippie nature, she finds herself getting angrier and angrier and lashing out at everyone around her. This song is her empowerment song, in a sense. It's a song of rage and revenge and liberation. Fitting, it's in the cleanup spot in the track lineup.”

Cardboard Boat floats on September 25 via Straw Man Records, simultaneously withThe Free Brontosaurus via Rare Bird Books.

Photo by Kerry Sherck