A twofer in the countdown today because I started listening to the New Lost City Ramblers and in their ocean deep catalogue of nearly lost American folk it’s hard to pick a favourite. Plus this afternoon I received the proof copy of Crashed America after obsessively tracking it through Cincinnati, Charleston, Birmingham, Heathrow and finally into my own two hands – a cause for celebration if ever there was one. That it took me about two seconds to notice a superfluous apostrophe is just an added bonus of course. And beyond that it’s looking mighty fine, mighty fine indeed.
In recognition of yesterday’s Brad Paisley fuelled pessimism I’ve mixed it up today by having one slightly grim tune followed by some random fiddlin’ and gleeful nonsense. Both worth hearing in their own way. I’d also recommend delving further into the New Lost City Rambler’s archives for more oddities salvaged from the olden days. Including the always questionable ‘It’s a Shame to Beat Your Wife (on a Sunday)’, the no money lament ‘How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?’ and ‘Bill Morgan and his Girl’, a lesson to us all in the virtues of being tight.