Last night I got to see Todd Snider play at the Santa Fe Brewing Company. I arrived at 7:00, thirty minutes before the show was supposed to start and it was already packed. Somebody mentioned to me that Todd’s new album The Devil You Know was ranked 33 on Rolling Stone’s top 50 albums of 2006 list. Todd Snider is finally getting the kind of audience that he deserves. Every one of his albums is a masterpiece of songwriting inspired by such greats as John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Kris Kristofferson.

Todd’s buddy from East Nashville, Pete Cooper opened the show. Pete is a clever singer songwriter with a very poignant song about Hank Aaron. Todd took the stage a little after 8:30 with his jumbo Epiphone and harmonica. With Todd solo acoustic in such a small place it made for a very intimate vibe. He played most songs of The Devil You Know and also reached into his older repertoire with songs like Missing You and This Land Is Our Land.

Some of the stories that Todd told between the songs had me rolling on the floor, especially the story about the inspiration for If Tomorow Never Comes. Apparently he stole the name of the song from Garth Brooks after the guy that wrote Garth’s version explained to him how he legally stole Beer Run from Todd.

Paintings by Todd’s wife Moleta Osheowitz-Snider were displayed all over the stage and presumably they were for sale. Below are some photos and a video clip that I took.

Update: I just found this excellent interview/performance with Todd in KUT’s Studio 1A.

Well only David Lee Roth on Bluegrass, but it is a Van Halen tune (Jump). I love how the banjo player transposed the guitar solo to the banjo. David Lee Roth looks like a Senator or something in this video, he’s lost his edge. The band in this video is really good.

I love this video…

I recently came across an amazing bluegrass, rocknroll, western, rockabilly, punk band from L.A. called Rose’s Pawn Shop. Their sound is very familiar yet completely different from anything I’ve heard before. Rose’s Pawn Shop does a wonderful job of taking aspects of all sorts of styles and making something that is new and all their own.

I was so impressed after streaming the songs of their Myspace I immediately bought their album The Arsonist from iTunes. The banjo, fiddle, upright bass, drums, guitar, accordian, mandolin and bouzouki all complement the vocals and make for a huge, energetic sound. But above all else, the inspired songwriting is what really makes me like these guys.

Rose’s pawn shop will be playing SXSW next month and Floyd Fest in July. If you want to listen to some music that will get your feet moving and your blood flowing, check out Rose’s Pawn Shop.

This video will give you a good idea of what Rose’s Pawn Shop is all about:

I’ve been wanting to share this bootleg for a long time. The copy that my sister gave to me as a gift years ago is entitled Lonesome Prison Blues. This is Jerry Garcia playing acoustic with John Kahn on the bass in front of a small audience of inmates at the Oregon state penitentiary on 5-5-82.

The recording is decent with only a couple of flaws. Jerry was in great spirits this day and his playing reflects it. Jerry sounds much like he does on Run For The Roses, the last of his solo albums which was recorded around the same time. The Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie still brings a tear to my eye when I hear it.

Most deadheads will already have this in their collection and if anybody is willing to trade for the lossless soundboard version in circulation I’d love to get a copy. Here is the info from the etree db. As far as I know, this show has never been officially released and is under no copyright restrictions. So sit back, listen and enjoy!

Oregon State Prison, Salem, Or. (5-5-82)

1. Deep Elem Blues 2:30

2. Friend Of The Devil 5:45

3. Jack-A-Roe 4:39

4. Babe, It Ain’t No Lie 6:12

5. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 5:33

6. Run For The Roses 3:45

7. Ripple 4:20

8. I’ve Been All Around This World 4:06

9. Valerie 6:32

10. Dire Wolf 3:43

11. Rubin And Cherise 5:50

Kings Of Leon are streaming their first single off their new album Because Of The Times (set to be released sometime this spring) on their MySpace page. The song is called “On Call” and while its a little more down beat than most of the previous KOL stuff it remains true to their sound. Kings of Leon are one of those bands that gets unfairly written off as a Strokes clone. While they do have the retro vibe to them, Kings of Leon have a sound thats all their own and I wouldn’t be suprised to see these guys making great records for many years to come even after the Strokes thing is no longer cool. (via stereogum)