the alphabet project…a poke in the I
Going through the library and sharing things I like, and things you might. If you missed the earlier posts, find them on my page by clicking on my name or avatar, and then find my featured blogs. (To answer the questions as to why I’m not providing links, clips, videos or pictures…it takes too long and I figure if you want to know more, you’ll find it.)
It might surprise you that one of the bestselling and versatile bluegrass bands of the past decade resides in relative obscurity beyond their Muscle Shoals base. With over a dozen albums to their credit…well that right there is the problem: they have received little credit or acclaim for their efforts. You see, Iron Horse is a band discovered and contracted by the folks at CMH Records who created the “Pickin’ On” series of bluegrass tributes to all sorts of bands. Iron Horse’s biggest seller was the Metallica release, but they’ve also reworked versions of Zeppelin, Ozzy, Guns & Roses, Hank Williams and Goo Goo Dolls’ songs. Love or hate the concept, it doesn’t take away from what a tight band this is. There are two outstanding titles I’d recommend in their series that seem silly at first, but totally work and stand on their own: the tributes to both the Shins and Modest Mouse. (Note: In a different lifetime I was the head of sales over at CMH before they unceremoniously tossed my butt into the street, leading me to live the dismal life of a music blogger.)
And speaking of the Goo Goo Dolls, they once recorded a song called “Iris” that was named after Iris Dement who is one of my most favorite under-recorded singers of all time. With only four albums to her credit in a twenty-three year career, I’ve been able to add to my collection by finding a great live performance, broadcasted on radio from Australia’s Blues and Roots Festival from back in 1998. And of course there’s her duets with John Prine that are out there, and tracks on the compilations Tulare Dust and Goin’ Driftless…the latter being a tribute to husband Greg Brown. Often compared to Emmylou, I don’t think that’s quite so. She is a singular unique singer and songwriter and an American(a) treasure.
While I don’t have that many artists or bands that start with the letter I, there sure are just hundreds and hundreds of songs that do. Let’s try a little twist on my concept, and here’s some I like and the artists that do them…maybe you’ll find someone new to check out:
I’ll Be Around/Split Lip Rayfield
I’ll Be Here In The Morning/Kate Maki
I’m A Target Too/Trampled By Turtles
I’m Gonna Break Some Promises Toinght/Dallas Wayne
I’m Right, You’re Right, She’s Gone/Teddy Thompson
I’m Like To Die/Harlen Parlour Music Club
I’m Not Going Away/The Coal Porters
I’m Only Sleeping/Neal Casal
I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Any More/Bob Mould
I’m Your Son/Anthony Da Costa
I’ve Been Wrong/Sera Cahoone
I Ain’t Drunk/Jimmy Liggins
I Ain’t Got No Home in this World Anymore/Musee Mecanique
I Am A Stone/Libbie Linton
I Believe/Bill Frisell & Petra Haden
I Can’t Lose from Medicine County/Holly Golightly and The Brokeoffs
I Cannot Settle Down/Peter Bradley Adams
I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby/The Lonesome Strangers
I Don’t Have You/Suzzy and Maggie Roche
I Don’t Know What I Want/Jubal Lee Young
I Don’t Know Babe/Graham Lindsey
I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted To This World/Rachel Harrington
I Feel So Low/Yarn
I Got My Mojo Working/Kitty, Daisy and Lewis
I Have Returned/Alela Diane and Alina Hrdin
I Hold The Bottle, You Hold The Wheel/Reckless Kelly
I Lied/Megson
I Lift that Boombox Parts A & B/Red Heart The Ticker
I Never Will Marry/The Peasall Sisters
I Used to Call My Heart a Home/Zoe Muth
I Walked Out In the River/Otis Gibbs
I Want To Tell You/Thea Gilmore
I Wasn’t Scared Of Flying/Stephen Duffy and The Lilac Time
I Will Wait/Kate York