The Not-Pop Jukebox

Due to a misremembered lyric this evening, I found myself following a trail of songs that included the phrase "red hands" in the title. Since I've all but abandoned you all I thought I'd bring you the whole, sloppy mess, dripping with indie goodness via Walk off the Earth and Harlem Shakes, angry post-grunge from Calling All Cars, and even some classic Melvins death grind.

Now, I'll grant you some of these aren't fantastic songs. The point of these lists, however, is to point out the wide variations artists can come up with on a theme, in this case being red-handed (as in guilty). Some of them take the red a wee bit more literally than others. I did actually nuke one song from the list that was painfully bad but I left things like The Bravery, which sounds like a bad Cure cover band, because it's not my thing but Red Hands and White Knuckles takes the concept in a different direction and so still rates a listen.

The Builders and the Butchers come at things from yet another side, doing an Americana song that's almost bluegrass. Their Red Hands brings some classic storytelling and instrumentation to the table but manages to stay far enough on the not-painful side of the twang line that it remains enjoyable. So there you have it, my dears: seven songs about people guilty of something to one degree of violence or another. Have a listen and tell me which is your favorite or if you have a Red Hand Song I've missed!

If anyone can give Sean Kingston some flavor, can prove that the man would sound the same in front of a frenetic set of fiddles as he does a drum machine, it’s Fissunix. That’s precisely what the DJ has done with this Mashup of the Month: taken the R&B idol and backed him with the country-fried electro madness of Rednex and their take on Cotton-Eyed Joe.

If anyone happens to have a picture of Mr. Kingston sporting a beat-up cowboy hat and a pair of boots, I’d love to have it. This song practically demands one, particularly if it somehow gives the impression of his being at a hoedown.

As always, you can download the Mashup of the Month for free, this time from the official Fissunix web site. Here you can see a mockup of the picture I'm picturing, if that isn't too redundant. I think all of this Rednex is shrinking my vocat...uh, vocan...er, vocaz...my words. I'm off to read a dictionary. Let me know what you think!

Some people might be ready for drinks and a night out, but I'm offering you instead a steaming heap of Jambalaya, chock full of bayou sass and made by everyone from Hank Williams to The Carpenters. Should that not be enough to tempt you I also threw in a crazy helping of Brenda Lee, the essential seasoning of Clifton Chenier with spoons in hand, and the unexpected flavor of Los Felinos.

"But," you say, "what about that well-known Cajun swingster, Harry Connick, Jr.?" He's in there, too, with a side of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival to whet your appetite. Jeff Healey brings the bite of serious boogie and then The Residents balance the recipe with a creepy take on the whole concept.

All together I've assembled fourteen ingredients to make one enormous pot of Jambalaya (On the Bayou). Dip in and have a taste. I won't blame you a bit if you eat the whole thing, though this is one meal that will likely leave you starving when you've finished dancing your way through it. If I've missed your favorite cover, I'd love to know who performed it.

Many moons ago, when the Del McCoury Band and the Perservation Hall Jazz Band released their album "American Legacies", I posted the only song I could find on-line at the time, Jambalaya. Mullensburg Joys, however, was the song that I desperately wanted to share with you.

Even if you're a fan of neither bluegrass nor Dixieland jazz, you have to be amazed at how the two styles merge into one fantastic, enormous band of awesome. Now, it just so happens that part of the reason I wanted to share this song was the whole reason that they recorded it in the first place: it's known by nearly identical names in either genre and is a standard in both. That's your daily dose of music education and horns, all in one post. Happy Tuesday!

Genre-bending bands rule! Now that I've gotten that sweeping generalization out of the way, I'll provide you with proof in the pudding rather than an exception to the rule: Punch Brothers and Who's Feeling Young Now?. While they could be categorized as a bluegrass band, they tend as much toward the indie sound as they do toward the twang. And the voices? More Pale Young Gentlemen than Soggy Bottom Boys.

Have a listen to the joy that is Who's Feeling Young Now? and, if you like it, try Soon or Never which couldn't be more gorgeously harmonized. There's a whole great whack of their stuff on Grooveshark so settle in for a good listen. Now don't say I never brought you anything nice.

Ha Ha Tonka not only has a fun name to say but they play some fun, country-fried, pseudo-bluegrass music. Usual Suspects details the story of a small-town Jezebel, a pretty tried-and-true subject but, by perhaps accidentally invoking the movie, it makes me picture Kevin Spacey trying to avoid the attentions of some overly made-up high school girl in a skimpy sundress.

Okay, I didn't until I made up that last part. I'm easily distracted today. At any rate, Ha Ha Tonka pulls of such lyrics as "100% I'm made of cotton, I shrink when I sink in hot water. That little girl, so hot she's scalding, ain't gonna be nothin' left of me."

As a metaphor that's pretty original. The driving beat behind it keeps you starting over, even though the song ends pretty much just like any other small-town girl story. If you like Usual Suspects have a jam to their cover of Red Meat's 12-Inch Three Speed Oscillating Fan or St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor.

A creepy, freaky stalker song that may actually go on my Top Ten list of ominous love songs, Prince's When You Were Mine goes well beyond nostalgia into the territory of somewhat threatening. One person performing it would be creepy enough but I found a few versions of this stalker anthem, including the delightfully mournful ukulele version from Dent May.

I've included versions of When You Were Mine from Tegan and Sara, Cindi Lauper, Ani DeFranco, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone to round out the list. That makes five full covers and the original Prince tune for your creeped-out stalker enjoyment. The idea that so many people thought this was a love song worth repeating strikes me as a little bizarre, but what are you going to do?

I admit, some band names beg me to like them so that I can share them with you. This time, it worked beautifully and I can bring you to Fruition. Y'know, that sounded a lot less dirty in my head. Whatever, just listen.

Fruition or Fruition String Band bills itself as a bluegrass band. All I can say is that all bluegrass should be this fun and not-nasal. Therein lies the key, for me. I actually quite enjoy bluegrass instrumentals but those vocals usually kill the pleasure.

Never Again takes a pretty straightforward sound, mandolin-heavy though with nary a banjo to be seen, and injects a dose of Portland jam-band sensibility. As an added bonus, the band harmonizes beautifully and are clearly talented musicians as the solos at about two minutes show. This is a hippie bluegrass band, not a country crew.

Apparently there are two bands called Fruition featured on Grooveshark, both of them good but with very different sounds. If you click over to find more definitely give both a listen. Never Again and Till You Come (by Here) are by the Fruition String Band. The other guys are more straightforward rock. Maybe I'll post them some other time.

To be fair, my kids like the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version of Country Roads and they tolerate the John Denver original because they already know all the words. Seeing them sing along if it pops onto the muzac somewhere is truly a treat, particularly if there are some older folks around who still remember John Denver as that sweet boy and never realized he was high most of the time.

But I couldn't post Me First without John Denver, and then when I went to get them I bumped into Toots & the Maytals doing a great reggae version. Well, you know I couldn't stop at three so I started finding more.

I apologize in advance for the David Hasselhoff cover. I just couldn't resist (okay, you're right: I didn't try very hard). The Foggy Mountain Rockers have a pretty good groove going but the lead singer sounds like English is his second language, so bizarre is his accent. Heck, for all I know it is.

The jazzy version from Chick Corea et al sounds pretty much nothing like Country Roads, which makes it just about par for the course. The Olivia Newton-John cover makes you want to stab yourself in the eye with a pixie stick, so very sweet it is, while Ray Charles does a pretty weird country version that just leaves you shaking your head and wondering what meds he was on that day.

Naturally, Willie Nelson does a lovely job, as does Dolly Parton, at least after the shrieking banshee opening that she either stole from or inspired in Olivia Newton-John. And then there's Rednex. Yup, there they are, like Mannheim Steamroller taken over by hillbillies. Enjoy, all!

Langhorne Slim lands somewhere between indie and bluegrass on the genre spectrum. Is there such a thing as alt-bluegrass? Whatever the label, I was introduced to him via The Way We Move and thus I expected him to stay much more on the banjo-and-horns, indie side of the coin. This is the sort of song that makes you get up and dance, barefoot in the grass, at a backyard barbecue.

Sadly, that scratchy voice doesn't translate well in a lot of songs. It tends toward a nasal, bluegrass-y sound that I don't particularly like. Langhorne Slim does, however, do a fair few songs that give you that "get up and move" vibe nearly as well as The Way We Move does.

If you like this one, try I Love to Dance and Rebel Side of Heaven, which offers the bonus of an interesting take on the afterlife. If I'm missing some other great songs, drop me a note and recommend them, would you dears?

It's high time you all boogied down with Clifton Chenier. I haven't posted a single thing from him this year and here it's almost half gone! So for this lovely summer evening go Ride 'Em Cowboy and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow I'll have something a little more timely.

Was (not Was) came out with the wonderfully defiant Dad I'm in Jail long ago and it's long been a family favorite. I never shared it with you because it's so darned short, clocking in at a mere minute twenty-six.

Then I had the brilliant idea of looking for other songs about being in jail. Voila! Despite my expectation of finding half a dozen punk songs about getting arrested, most of these are country, bluegrass, or blues.

So here you'll find a steaming pile of great "I'm in jail" songs, including a cautionary tale about drunk driving called Christmas in Jail and a mashup of Lil' Wayne with RJD2 titled Too Bad I'm in Jail from the ever-talented Mashup-Germany. Of course I've included George Thorogood's 99 Days in Jail which is an extension (and cover) of Magic Sam's 21 Days in Jail.

I did find a ska-punk song by Waste Basket called All of My Friends Are in Jail, which was a lot more what I expected. And, naturally, I've started with Was (not Was) and their Dad I'm in Jail.Be careful listening to this collection: some of the genre changes may give you whiplash. At least if you end up in jail tonight you'll have a song or two to sing while you're waiting to make bail.

For the life of me I will never understand the appeal of most bluegrass vocalists. The only times I understand it is when I find things like the bluegrass covers of Gin and Juice that have been slaying me all week. I'd intended, after posting Tanqueray a few days ago, to post this list of covers but my short attention span intervened. So to occupy your long weekend, I offer you all a tall, cool list of Gin and Juice, complete with bluegrass fiddles and twang so nasal it'll stop up your sinuses. I've included a mellower version from Richard Cheese and a punk cover from NoFX. Sadly, a huge pile of the covers listed on Grooveshark are simply the aforementioned bluegrass cover from The Gourds labeled as something else. There are a couple of other hip hop versions included, however, and an exceedingly creepy one from Jaymz Bee & the Deep Lounge Coalition. Have a listen to all nine versions of Gin and Juice and let me know: do the bluegrass covers from The Gourds and Bandjoe make them sound gangsta or do NoFX and The Stu Tails sound like they could make it in the hood?

For those of you unaware, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band has recorded an album with The Del McCoury Band called "American Legacies" which you can download in full from Amazon for a mere five bucks. And why would you? Because you probably don't realize how closely New Orleans Jazz and bluegrass are linked until you listen to the album. In fact, the reason I heard of the "American Legacies" in the first place was the fantastic interviews and liver performances on World Cafe the other day. I've been searching ever since for a great example to include here. This performance of Jambalaya had the best sound and video quality of the group I found plus it's an old Hank Williams tune they talk about in the interview. If you like this one, have a listen to Mullensberg Joys (or Milenberg Joys, depending which genre you ask). If I can find the studio recordings uploaded somewhere to share I'll certainly be posting more.