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Don Ross
“Berkeley Springs”

“Berkeley Springs” is one of Don Ross’ more reflective pieces. He is a fingerstyle virtuoso and has won the prestigious National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship — twice. Like many great performers, he can make it look easy.
He’s been playing over 30 years and this piece sums up the masterful skill with which he composes. Don’t let this track fool you. A first-hand experience is needed to understand the love Don has for his music. He performs with passion and grace.

Many people are often curious what tunings Don uses. For this song it is FACFCF. Give it a try.

Damien Rice
“9 crimes (demo)”

I would have rather posted “The Blower’s daughter” but this song is more recent, and therefore, more relevant. I would like this song much more if the piano track wasn’t a digital fabrication of a piano. It’s a good fabrication, but still, I can tell the timbre of a real piano versus something digital most days.

That said, this is still a great song. The incredibly soft, deep bass drum notes were an excellent addition.

Amos Lee
“Colors”

Amos Lee. I first saw him at a Norah Jones concert in 2004. In some regards he stole the show. I loved his musical style, and his stage presence. The song you’re hearing isn’t the version on the CD attached to this post. I liked the acoustic version better so I posted it instead of the version featured on the CD. Fear not — the version on the CD is excellent as well, I just have a personal preference to the acoustic version. I told you today would be different. More guitar music tomorrow.

Ray LaMontagne
“Lesson Learned”

Today we are given a lesson on heart-felt singing, by Ray LaMontagne. Ray is (was?) apparently quite shy on stage, and is prone to have the lights turned down low.

You should also listen to “Three More Days”. It reminds me of good 70’s music– Like something Bill Withers would write (“Use Me”).
Ray is on track to becoming quite a prolific songwriter. Stay tuned for many more good days of great music from him.

Erin McKeown
“Float”

Erin McKeown is not just a singer. She plays multiple instruments on her albums, and she produced her latest album, “Sing you sinners”.
I’m not sure what it was that grabbed me about this song. It isn’t terribly emotional, and it doesn’t have a great deal of moving parts. It’s just a simple, clean, and pretty song.

Buena Vista Social Club
“El Cuarto de Tula”

Stop bickering, I know this isn’t new. However, I needed a happy song today so just go with it. If this song doesn’t make you want to shake, then your money maker is broke. The music by Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrar, Ruben Gonzalez, Compay Segundo,and Omara Portuondo are very important to this generation. Their music will haunt you. This CD is 10 years old and still an amazingly powerful work. Give it a listen.

Seven Mary Three
“Lucky”

So I’m in a slump lately. I’ve not had time to seek out new music. For this reason I dig deep into my bag of goodies for this one. 7M3 was pretty mainstream in the last half of the 1990’s, but they didn’t have a lot of huge hits. I’m not even sure Lucky was made a single. I used to play this song on guitar. I don’t anymore. There’s a story behind that but I won’t go into it here. It makes me think of New Orleans, among other things and it is a passionate song – Even after 10 years.

The Red West
“Twenty-One”

I saw The Red West perform a few years ago. They were the opening band, but didn’t sound like an opener. Their performance was amazing. This song, “Twenty-One” is a pretty good single. If you like this song, you should listen to “Starting Over”. Good luck finding it though. I’ve got a rare (I guess) recording of it. Let me know if you’re really interested in finding it.

These guys hail from Southern California. They’ve opened for Dave Matthews Band, among others. I like the vocals. What more can I say. Give them a shot.

Alternate Routes
“Hollywood”

There’s something youthful and pure about the music from this band. I hope they stay true to the inspiration that created this song. It’s where I hope they hover for years to come. My ears would be lucky to hear what this band can create. Let’s all hope the coming years are good to The Alternate Routes.

Justin King
“Your Black Hair”

I’m not sure what this song’s title really is. I can’t seem to find any mention of it in any form. If you know, please do tell me. I’m told from a very reliable source that the name of this song is “Your Black Hair”.

What I do know is that Justin King is an amazing guitarist. If you don’t believe me, check out this video. (tip: skip ahead to the 45 second mark)

His skills on the guitar are undeniable.

A friend of mine (Casey) asked me about a song I had once sent her — this song — just as I was looking for a song to post today. It was reason enough to stop looking for a song. Serendipity was working overtime.

Enjoy!