All Songs Considered, SXSW, free music, etc!

Attention music fans: Just a quick post... In case you haven't noticed or heard that there is some great stuff out there on NPR's music website:

• Free NPR music at South by Southwest (SXSW) Sampler
• "First Listen" of the entire She&Him album "Volume Two" (limited run - album comes out March 23)
• Live Concerts and interviews from SXSW

This is just scraping the surface of the musical goodness on this website, but I'm assuming you can find your way from there. Ciao.

Free Music, People!

How do you pass up such great stuff? Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Iron & Wine, to name a few -- and that's just from the Folk Sampler... Getting ready to download the Jazz Sampler, which includes Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, the Bad Plus and others. TGIF! and thank you NPR.

These are from the Newport Music Festivals on the 50th anniversary.

Go to NPR Music at Newport.

P.S. If you want more solid acoustic guitar work, also check out a new album by Bruce Cockburn called Slice o' Life. Down to earth Canadian folk singer who has always put out great music, even if it has been a bit under the radar at times.

Classic New Music

Yeah. "Classic" and "New" -- it's possible.

Just heard about this upcoming release, and it has a limited shelf life online, so check it NOW. There is a new Crosby, Stills & Nash album coming out on June 2.

You read that right.

It's called "Demos," and it's being streamed in its entirety on NPR's All Songs Considered for just a couple of weeks. These are some of their most classic songs in their simplest forms - a guitar and a voice, most of the time. But if you like Justin Vernon and Bon Iver, Guggenheim Grotto, Sam Beam and Iron & Wine, even a lot of M. Ward's stuff, you will LOVE this music. If you're young (um, 30 and under?) you might think CSN are just part of your parents' music. Give them a listen. They made their debut at Woodstock. Incredible, wonderful stuff to hear. I'm not just being sappy and sentimental.

Hard to pick a favorite on this album for me - listening right now as I write this, I would nominate "Love is a Gentle Thing." Post your own vote here.

While you're at it, save the Exclusive First Listen link as a bookmark. NPR posts new albums they like, right before they are released, and streams them for a week or two. I'm all about free, GREAT music....

I will also make a plea for my favorite music magazine, Paste. They are falling on hard times, like many printed publications in this economy. Go to the Campaign to Save Paste link and make a donation, big or small. You will then have access to some outstanding downloads donated by artists who love Paste and want to see the mag make it. Did I mention I also like CHEAP, great music? More importantly, I love Paste. They do a fantastic job getting behind the scenes, giving long & thoughtful interviews, and not giving in to the hype. They also slide in some cool Christian musicians under the radar. Shhh...

"Religion Found And Lost"

I listened to this on NPR yesterday and was fascinated.

"Religion Found and Lost" on On Point with Tom Ashbrook. It takes about 45 minutes to listen to, and I was very intrigued. I don't want to give away too much, but I think you too will be surprised by what caused this guy -- William Lobdell, former religion writer for the Los Angeles Times -- to walk away from religion.

Take a listen, and post comments here -- I was especially saddened by how disappointed he was in how the church dealt with his doubts. Do you agree with his assessment? How could we respond differently?

Podcasts Anyone?

I'm really curious as to how many of you listen to podcasts. I've become quite hooked on them, and listen to at least one every day. In fact, I barely watch TV anymore - I'd much rather listen to a podcast, especially when I am walking, riding my bike or traveling out of town.

Here's a list of the ones I listen to - I subscribe to all of them through iTunes. Please share on this blog as to what podcasts you listen to by posting a comment below. Thanks!

• A Prairie Home Companion's News from Lake Wobegone - he just makes me laugh.
  
• Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac - I mentioned this yesterday. I don't get something out of it every day. But I find myself learning a lot from it over time. I've also learned about or been reminded of some great authors here.
  
• KCRW's Left, Right & Center - this is a stimulating roundtable on politics. The various members' comments annoy me at times, but I take that as a good sign. The whole thing gives a decent flyover of the issues of the week .
  
• KCRW's Today's Top Tune - good exposure to different kinds of music.
  
• New Yorker: Out Loud - I am an addicted subscriber to the magazine. It's fun to hear interviews of the writers.
  
• NPR: All Songs Considered - I've mentioned this before in this space. This is intelligent commentary on all sorts of music. My favorite is when they invite an artist to guest DJ and play some of their greatest influences. Totally cool.
  
• NPR: Sports with Frank Deford - this guy is an old crank, but very articulate. He gives a great spin on sports and culture. And he's a classic fan.
  
• Paste Culture Club - only once a month, but it's a good supplement to All Songs Considered. It expands on that month's issue of Paste Magazine, which is an outstanding music & culture magazine that I really enjoy.
  
• This American Life - perhaps my favorite. It's an entire hour, but it is luxurious in its telling of stories. It's nearly impossible to describe, but it's always fascinating. It's so real and honest that sometimes I feel like I'm eavesdropping on someone's life. Funny, weird, intense, different.

Yes, this is sort of a long list, and it takes me a week (and exercising every day) to chip away at it. But it keeps the pot stirred mentally. I dig it all.