I was finally induced to pick up the Oxford American, a magazine of "Southern writing," because it was the annual music issue. It comes with a CD of over 24 interesting artists who are each profiled in the magazine. It's a great eclectic mix, all the way from a Blind Willie Johnson waxing from 1926 to My Morning Jacket, who are headlining this week here in Chicago; as well as the requisite early Willie Nelson song (the accompanying article makes clear that Willie is America's Spliffmaster General. And one time in your life, you're going to need to hear Del McCoury's bluegrass rendition of Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."
Also finally subscribed to Cool and Strange Music, the fan magazine of any and all types of estoeric and odd records. My first issue cover featured Rudy Ray Moore, but more interesting was the profile of "Josie and the Pussycats," which turns out to have been quite a boundary-breaker for Saturday Morning cartoons. The web site linked above also has many links to some of the best wierd and bad music sites on the planet. Getcher dose of Shatner and Nimoy singing all at once!
