The Regular Friday Post
Rando lyrics: I wish I still had you around Oh, I want to know what can I do
Last week’s rando lyrics: The lyric, “Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in asking”, is from the John Prine song “Paradise”.
"Paradise" is a song written by John Prine for his father, and recorded for his 1971 debut album, John Prine. Prine also re-recorded the song for his 1986 album, German Afternoons... ...The song is about the devastating impact of strip mining for coal, whereby the top layers of soil are blasted off with dynamite or dug away with steam shovels to reach the coal seam below. The song is also about what happened to the area around the Green River in Kentucky because of strip mining."
Credit: Wikipedia Link: Paradise - John Prine
Welcome to The Regular Friday post!
For today, I’ve got a bunch of cool links with some commentary, and it’s been a busy week - I definitely want to welcome new users, especially at least one of the musicians in last week’s Acapella post of REM’s “Find The River” (Friday Post 24 Nov 2023)!
Welcome to all!!
So (at least for now) I’m done with my Spotify rants. I’m sure Spotify will continue on with their silliness (or not), and I and a whole bunch of other musicians will stop distributing our music on Spotify - or maybe not….your move “Stupify”…
Anyway, there’s a “Song To Play” below, and it’s going to be another grey dreary cold day with snow coming down here in the Upper Left Corner. I hate to say I’m already tired of winter, but I am. Good day to retreat to the studio and get some tunes down, or at least play until the seemingly impossibly brief days wander off towards the winter solstice (7:27 PM [PST], 21 December 2023, but who’s counting right? Wait - I know this one - it’s me!!)). Maybe by then the “final hours” of the “Black Friday sales extravaganzas” will actually be in their final hours!!!
Moving on then, something new, and inspired by the weather - a recipe (Ed. this will likely end up being an occasional feature as the mood strikes me…) for an Irish favorite - Colcannon Potatoes - see the “Something Completely Different” section below…. Usually reserved for St Patrick’s Day here in “the States”, as our Anglosphere friends often say, this is a warm and filling dish for these cold winter days when a tasty stew just isn’t the thing. Also, if you leave the bacon out, you can honestly and proudly wear that “Kiss Me!!! I’m An Irish Vegan” t-shirt that’s been buried on the top shelf of your closet for the past several months….
Enough frivolity for this snowy day - plenty of links to warm the cockles of your musical hearts below…
This Substack is free, I receive no compensation of any kind from companies or products I mention. Some linked or quoted material may be copyrighted by others, and I credit them. I rely on the “Fair Use” doctrine for educational purposes (Link: Fair Use). I do not use AI, things I link to might though. -Michael Acoustic
Other Voices
Our friend Nic Briscoe posted a lovely and thought provoking image - check it out and make sure to subscribe to his very cool Substack…
Link if this doesn’t open for you: One Quick Thing
A Song To Play:
“Borderline” - recorded by Alison Krauss and Union Station, is Track 9 on their 2004 album, “Lonely Runs Both Ways”. That album…“is the twelfth album by bluegrass music group Alison Krauss & Union Station, released November 23, 2004. The album won the band three Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song "Restless", Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Unionhouse Branch", and Best Country Album. The song "A Living Prayer" was honored with the award for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year from the Gospel Music Association.”
The song was written by Sidney Cox and Suzanne Cox of the group “The Cox Family”. Link: The Cox Family
All Credits: Wikipedia
(ED. - pretty sure I’ve posted this song on Michael Acoustic before, but I don’t remember if I posted it as a “Song To Play” - thoughtful lyrics, a bit of a challenge, but a joy to play as a warm up song, or a quiet something to take you out of rehearsal mode.)
So you're on your own lookin' down the road that goes only by one way And you don't need the signs to see lonely still runs both ways So who's the fool that would think the ties would be better off undone Did your heart even warn you when you veered from the path that was narrower and straight On a borderline Somewhere between the flight for freedom Feeling like you can't move on The chore will be the time Takes you off of my mind and out of my heart I know And when you cross over there's no turning back Once that burning bridge is gone I may lose but I'm in it for the long run Loving you for good reason could be the wrong one I don't wanna lose control but the heart won't learn To let it well enough for long On a borderline Somewhere between the flight for freedom Feeling like you can't move on The chore will be the time Takes you off of my mind and out of my heart I know And when you cross over there's no turning back Once that burning bridge is gone So you're on your own lookin' down the road that goes only by one way
Some Links for today:
From Blues Guitar Unleashed:
Moving Between Sounds - this is more complex than it sounds, but it’s a very cool lesson
Guitar Terms For Beginners - Actually very useful because a lot of the terms Mr. Hamlin more or less defines, or at least demonstrates and explains, are often used more or less interchangeably. The thing about musicians who are used to playing with each other over time as a group or just jamming is they sort of often develop their own shorthand language. So, your mileage may vary, but this is a good attempt to bring some commonality to folks who often wish to be defined by how different they are from others. Meh, it’s a good place to start anyway….
From the Disc Makers blog:
"Bedroom" Pop - Interesting - gotta admit, though, the title made me think of the Mark Wahlberg/Will Ferrell movie “The Other Guys” and the “desk pop” - that would be an exciting musical genre….
How To Write A Music Press Release - you could be closer than you think to needing this information…
Several from Songtown:
Most Important Line - I’m not a podcast fan, as I may have mentioned - this is interesting, though
Things Successful People DON'T Do Probably too often, anyway…
Urban Songwriting Myths... Yeah, don’t say any of these things in the mirror 3 times…
Do-overs - Pretty sure I’m not buying all of these, though I may be guilty of most
This is interesting - great story about an independent artist and getting around to it…
Independent Songwriter "Gets Around To It" - I can totally relate to this!
(Ed. Thanks, Mike!)
From Acoustic Guitar Magazine:
Make Common Chord Progressions Sound Unique - the title says it all
From American Songwriter:
Thank you, new Subscribers!!!!!! Mika, the Cat, welcomes you!!
This Week’s Conversation With Mika:
Me: “Say “Hi” to our Acapella friends in Liverpool, England!”
Mika: “Hello, blokes! Y’all got cats over there?”
Me: “Seriously? Why are you like this?”
< She wanders off…>
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! Link: “Long Road Back” (click on link for streaming option)
What I’m Listening2:
WIL2/Dec23 Amazon playlist - should play as a share, the “streaming service that shall not be named” is still in a time out
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Thank you, Michael, was good to see you today.
Ah, you've touched on two of my favs today, Michael. John Prine and Alison Krauss. Prine wrote with such intelligence and feel. And if angels had voices, then Alison Krauss is certainly one.