The GFF August 2023 Playlist

 

It is time for a new music playlist on the Genuine Faux Farm blog.  Once again, my choice of when to do a new playlist is pretty arbitrary.  But I have been able to do one nearly every month for a while.  If you are curious about others, you can go here.

Classic Crime - Lost Magic

I first "discovered" Classic Crime when I stumbled on their Phoenix album some undisclosed (and probably forgotten) number of years ago.  If you wanted to introduce yourself to this group, that is probably their best work.  So, it was a good choice for me to start with and to encourage me to watch for new recordings.

Well, they just released a new one.  And, it has some of the feel of Phoenix, without being terribly redundant.  

Sinead O'Connor - Mandinka

Let me first admit that I never was a huge Sinead fan.  It has nothing to do with talent and more to do with what I preferred listening to at the time they were at their creative peak.  I certainly had no objection if Sinead's music was played by others or in restaurants or other public places.

Sadly, for me, it took her premature death to encourage me to take a moment and rediscover (or maybe discover) some of her work for myself.

 

Plini - Homemade Cities

Sometimes you discover music by happenstance.  In this case, I was looking for something else and here this was.  I've always appreciated electric guitar compositions.  Sometimes I just want to hear the music and not worry about vocals and lyrics.

Plini reminds me of a group named Fourth Estate - which is a group we stumbled upon at a Summer music festival years ago (before the farm).

Dave Beegle - Classical Gas

Since I brought up Fourth Estate, how about sharing some of his beautiful sound and composition with this rendition of Classical Gas.  Now imagine somebody playing top notch electric guitar in a side tent with a full band - unannounced.  As people walked by, they were drawn into the tent just to see what was going on.

And once they were in, they did not leave until the playing was over.

Emperor's New Groove

No, it's not a song.  And this is MY list, not yours.  So you can't complain.

Ok, you can complain.  But it won't matter because I'm not changing it.

Sometimes when Tammy and I need a laugh, we'll start quoting this passage at each other.  Not always in the correct order.  It doesn't matter.  We're having fun.

Black Violin - Showoff

It's true, I prefer cello to violin.  I am sure it has something to do with the fact that my sweetie has played cello.  Perhaps it had something to do with ME playing cello.  Or maybe it's just because cello is a superior instrument.

But, yeah.  I suppose I can do some violin.  I like the way these guys are mixing musical styles and still showing off some serious classical playing skills.  This is an accessible flashy example, but there are some other tunes I like better that I might share next time around.

2Cellos - I Will Wait

Two violins and now two cellos.  Sometimes when instrumentalists cover a popular tune, it seems like they are trying too hard.  This rendition of I Will Wait works pretty well and almost makes me feel as if they aren't covering an existing tune.

NRBQ - Rats in My Room

Sometimes you just have to have a little fun with the music.  This is fun.  I'm just going to leave it at that and you can listen.

77's - I'm Gonna Run to the City of Refuge

One of the problems that I have with using Youtube to share music is that you can't guarantee that you will find a tune there.  And, on top of that, when you find it, it is often NOT endorsed by the musicians - or, more to the point - they don't get much benefit by having the tune available there.

I was looking for other songs by the 77s and didn't find the ones I was looking for.  But, they have an extensive library with very good songs, so I don't feel like it's a problem to go with my fifth or sixth choice.

Mark Heard - I Always Do

Mark Heard was an amazing song writer who featured insightful lyrics.  I find myself having new insights every time I listen to his songs, even if they are ones I've known for many years.  Even better, the lyrical meanings allow me to expand my own understanding based on my lived experience.  

Good stuff lyrically, even if this is not a fully produced version of this song.

Hoi Polloi - Rest Tonight

Here's a group and a song both Tammy and I have enjoyed for a long time.  It's a treat to see a recent live version and it's nice to share it here.

And there you go.  This list goes to eleven!