Category: Music

Slaid Cleaves Reminds Us We Are “Still Fighting the War”

Slaid Cleaves Song About PTSD Iraq War

Texas singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves is one of those artists I really like but have not always kept up with all of their albums. I first discovered Cleaves with his 2000 release Broke Down, which is an outstanding album with a great title track. I have since kept up with some of his music, but not all of it. Listening today to to a stream of his upcoming Still Fighting the War (2013) reminds me that I need to catch up on the parts of his catalog I have missed.

As Iraq and Afghanistan have drifted off of our front pages, the title track to the new album is a sharp reminder that people will be dealing with the aftershocks of these wars for years and decades to come. The song “Still Fighting the War” was inspired by a powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning series of photos about Iraq War veteran Scott Ostrom who came back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The song “Still Fighting the War” was co-written by Ron Coy and the album track has Jimmy LaFave on harmony. Check out a live performance of “Still Fighting the War” below.

On the rest of the album, Cleaves continues to reflect on the ups and downs of real life existence. “Welder’s Hands” was inspired by his father, who was a welder. In “Rust Belt Fields,” Cleaves sings about those hard-hit by the economy, and “Hometown USA” touches on broken dreams. Other songs highlight the singer’s aching voice singing about love and love-lost, like “Gone” and “I Bet She Does.”

There are some lighter moments too, and “God’s Own Yodeler” is a touching tribute to Texas singer Don Walser. One of my favorites on the new album is the upbeat “Texas Love Song,” where Cleaves sings about loving his sweetheart even more then he loves Texas.

Still Fighting the War was released June 18, and Cleaves made the album available through Pandora. For a limited time, you may order a signed copy of the CD through the Slaid Cleaves website. Cleaves donated some proceeds to Operation Homefront. Good music for a good cause.

What is your favorite Slaid Cleaves song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Marty Brown on WKCT Radio & “Whatever Makes You Smile”

    Marty Brown Whatever Makes You Smile

    Country singer Marty Brown’s wife Shellie reported to us today that the rising America’s Got Talent star appeared today on the Laura Ingraham Show to talk music. Ingraham’s website describes the show: “Up-and-coming country star Marty Brown talks about his experience on America’s Got Talent.” Unfortunately you cannot hear her show on her website unless you subscribe to join the “Laura 365 Revolution,” but you can catch the show for free through WKCT radio, 930 AM (Bowling Green, Kentucky), playing online. If you want to avoid all the politics, Brown is the second guest. The show is supposed to repeat throughout the day, although I have not been able to catch it yet. Check out WKCT’s website. (August 8, 2013 Update: A podcast of the interview is now available on PodcastOne.)

    In the meantime, I have noticed Marty Brown has posted some additional short videos of informal acoustic performances. For those who were touched to see how Shellie got Marty on America’s Got Talent, here is Marty Brown performing a song he wrote for his wife, “Whatever Makes You Smile.” On YouTube, he writes that he wrote the song as a Valentine’s Day present, citing the lines “Like the tin man, the lion, and the scarecrow,/ I’ll follow you down life’s Golden Road./ Whatever makes you smile!!” There is no fancy production, just a man and his guitar giving a nice performance of another excellent Marty Brown unreleased original.

    If you would like to hear Marty Brown doing a cover song, in this video he sings the Neil Diamond classic, “Forever in Blue Jeans.”



    Are you watching “America’s Got Talent”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Listen to What Paul McCartney Said (and Sang) on “The Colbert Report”

    Last night, Stephen Colbert was absolutely giddy about having Paul McCartney on his show The Colbert Report. During the interview segment, Colbert led McCartney into an interesting discussion about McCartney’s band Wings and his pre-Wings band, The Beatles.

    One of the reasons for the McCartney appearance was to promote a new remastered version of Wings Over America (1976). But some of the most interesting parts of the interview were where McCartney discussed the great Wings album, Band on the Run (1973).

    McCartney also performed five songs during the show: “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “Listen to What the Man Said,” and “Lady Madonna.” He also performed a web-exclusive version of “Birthday.” Below is his performance of “Listen to What the Man Said.” [2016 Update: Unfortunately, the videos from the show are no longer available.]

    How did it all fit into the half-hour show? Well, they had to expand The Colbert Report to a half hour to fit it all in, and of course it was worth every minute. You may catch the full episode on The Colbert Report website.

    What is your favorite part of the interview? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Mumford & Sons Join Elvis Costello on “Ghost of Tom Joad”

    Mumford & Sons Elvis Costello Ghost of Tom Joad Mumford & Sons recently collaborated with Elvis Costello to record Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” They made the recording for Bono’s One campaign to get world leaders to focus on poverty issues as the leader meet in Northern Ireland at the G8 summit.

    In this video, Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons talk about the song before playing it. Check it out.

    We have discussed on Chimesfreedom the connection between “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and the work of Woody Guthrie. In the video at the end, you see Costello bring the song back to Woody Guthrie with an impromptu singing of “So Long It’s Been Good to Know You,” whose history we also have discussed.

    The new recording of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” is part of a collection of protest songs that you can listen to for free and learn more about on the One website, including songs by Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, The Cranberries, and may others. The collection is listed as “songs that changed the world.”

    What do you think of the new version of “The Ghost of Tom Joad”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Patty Griffin Sings “Don’t Let Me Die In Florida” Live

    Patty Griffin recently stopped by WFUV in New York City and performed “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida.” The song about her father is off her new album American Kid (2013).

    We previously discussed another track off of Griffin’s new album called “Ohio.” The CD, which Rolling Stone gave 3 1/2 stars, features songs inspired by her father, a World War II veteran and high school science teacher who passed away in 2011.

    What do you think of “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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