Livingston Taylor "Grandma's Hands"

I'd kinda forgotten that I even knew this song, but as soon as I heard the new Willie Nelson single, "Grandma's Hands" I was immediately whisked back to seeing Livingston Taylor.

Barbara Dacey had put together a concert at Nectars (formerly The Hot Tin Roof) to celebrate her 25 years at MVY, and Livingston was on the bill.

Jess Phaneuf and I were standing near the entrance helping greet late-comers as Livingston's set was underway, when the power went out.  For a moment, I thought it might just be a brown-out, but no, the power went out and stayed out.

This might be the kind of thing that would fluster or flummox another artist and derail a whole night of music.

But I turned to Jess and said, "If there's anyone you would want stage when the power goes out, it's Livingston."

The consummate and unflappable performer, he took just a moment to assess the situation.  Then he put down his guitar, stepped in front of the microphones to the edge of the stage, and began singing and clapping.

In a moment where you could have lost the audience, lost the flow, lost the night, Livingston grabbed the room with his own two palms and led the crowd through "Grandma's Hands."

Within a few minutes, the power blipped back on, but the night, thanks to Livingston, felt nary a flicker.


Hear Livingston Taylor's version on Youtube.


Hear Willie Nelson's version on Youtube.

Bahamas "Caught Me Thinking"

When we get to the end of the year and the flow of incoming music slows to a crawl, that's when I look at songs we've passed over during the course of the year, and we add something that was maybe a personal favorite, or a bit of a stretch, or just a simple mistakenly forgotten cut, and put it in rotation.

This year, I have to say, I didn't really have a pet song at the end of 2012.  There was nothing floating around that made me say, "Oh man, we missed out on that one."

But two reliable sources convinced me that we should look at Bahamas again.

One is Jess Phaneuf, who has been talking about the Bahamas album for months, and wrote about it a few times on her blog.

The other is my wife, who looooves it when she finds a great band that I'm not already onto.  We've been listening to this record at the house, and it has won me over.

So hats off to you, my favorite opinionators, you get the end-of-the-year pick!


Hear the song on Youtube.

Tallest Man On Earth "These Days"

"Who are you most excited to see today?" I just asked Barbara and Jess.

Both of them said (perhaps a little dreamily):  Tallest Man On Earth.

After yesterday, where I saw Jackson Browne standing side stage to watch Patty Griffin, Dawes, My Morning Jacket and others, perhaps Mr. Browne (who is today's main stage headliner) is also looking forward to seeing Kristian Matsson.

At least, he should be flattered by the lovely cover of  Jackson Browne classic.


For live audio and video from Newport Folk, go to www.mvyradio.com.  We are expecting to bring you The Punch Brothers, Conor Oberst, The Head And The Heart and Trampled By Turtles.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Robbie Robertson "When The Night Was Young"

It's an office holiday Monday, so I'm staying at home with family today, but on Tuesday it's Nose To The Grindstone time, with only 4 days to go in the year.

I'm filling in for Barbara on The Lunch Hour this week, which means I've been thinking of some themes for "Essential mvy." And since we start our Top 25 Of 2011 countdown, I've got Year End thoughts on the mind.

So tomorrow during The Lunch Hour, I think I'm going to do a set of Welcome Comebacks.

There were a number of artists who returned, after long absences, with really strong efforts. I'll remind you of some of those on the show, Tuesday.

But perhaps topping the list of Welcome Returns is Robbie Robertson, who hadn't put out a solo record in over a decade.

I had an interesting conversation with Jess about this album, in relation to the Top 25 list.

I had said that originally, I loved the record, but my passion for it had cooled after multiple listens. I expected it to make the Top 25, but be on the lower end.

Jess said that she did not love the record on first inspection. But after subsequent listens, she was quite won over by it, and she expected it to be high on the list.

The difference between Jess and me? I'm a HUGE fan of Robbie Robertson and The Band. Jess is only a casual fan.

So our expectations, going into the record, are very different.

Which makes me wonder how the voters handled this record.

Were they more like Jess, or more like me?

We'll find out on Wednesday, when the countdown starts on mvyradio.


Hear the song on Youtube.

John Prine "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

Instead of the usual Weekend Post, on weekends in December, I think I'll post some fun, weird holiday tunes.

I was previewing this song in the studio the other day, and Jess, from across the hall, yelled, "Are you listening to creepy Christmas music over there?"

Is this one more or less creepy that Prine's "Christmas In Prison"?