<p>I need some new music! At the top of my recent most-played list are Carrie Newcomer, Greg Greenway and John Gorka. So who should I listen to next?</p>
<p>Patty Griffin. She has been around for a while. Try the Flaming Red CD. <a href=“http://www.pattygriffin.com%5B/url%5D”>www.pattygriffin.com</a></p>
<p>I lean towards singer-songwriters that are a bit “edgier” than the three you listed. I listen to a lot of what is called “alt-country” or “americana” because it’s about the only musical genre where’s there’s any grown up creativity these days.</p>
<p>If you don’t have it, you should get a copy of Ryan Adam’s Heartbreaker. The best singer-songwriter album in decades. Clear Dylan, Van Morrison, Elton John, Gram Parsons, and Neil Young influences. His follow-up Gold is also spectacular. Incredible songwriting. He has a huge catalog that spans a wide range of genres.</p>
<p>Almost all of his live concerts are available at the Internet Archive, free streaming audio, usually recorded from the band’s soundboard. You can listen at these sites. He also has hundreds and hundreds of songs on YouTube.</p>
<p>Here is the most downloaded show (196,000 downloads), a mellow 2006 electric show from Germany:</p>
<p>[Internet</a> Archive: Details: Ryan Adams Live at Das Haus on 2006-10-17](<a href=“http://www.archive.org/details/ryanadams2006-10-17.sbd.flac16]Internet”>Ryan Adams Live at Das Haus on 2006-10-17 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive)</p>
<p>And, the third most downloaded show (108,000 downloads), an acoustic 2007 show from Boston:</p>
<p>[Internet</a> Archive: Details: Ryan Adams Live at Somerville Theatre on 2007-06-29](<a href=“http://www.archive.org/details/ra2007-06-29.remastered_flac_16]Internet”>Ryan Adams Live at Somerville Theatre on 2007-06-29 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive)</p>
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<p>If you aren’t familiar with them, you might like the Cowboy Junkies. Very mellow band with a wonderful female singer, Margo Timmins. Their classic album is Trinity Sessions, recorded in an old church in Toronto. For the 20th anniversary of the album they went back to the same church and re-rerecorded the same album for a combination DVD/CD release. Spectacular stuff ranging from Patsy Cline to Hank Williams to Lou Reed. These guys are mesmerizing live. I saw them in a 230 seat venue in New Hampshire last summer. </p>
<p>[Cowboy</a> Junkies - TRINITY REVISITED](<a href=“http://www.trinityrevisited.com/]Cowboy”>http://www.trinityrevisited.com/)</p>
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<p>I’ve been listening to some Beth Orton recently. She’s a British techno/folk fusion singer. Nice voice. Really creative stuff. She reminds me a bit of Joni Mitchell on occasion. You can find a bit of her stuff on You Tube. </p>
<p>While you are hunting, do a You Tube search for “Ryan Adams Beth Orton Brown Sugar” for the haunting duet cover of the Rolling Stones song the two of them did. Completely reworked the song to highlight the brutal lyrics hidden by the Stones pop arrangement. Ryan Adams has said that Mick Jagger should be arrested for the lyrics, they are SO ugly. An amazing and disturbing recording.</p>
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<p>If you can handle a little more of a hardcore bluegrass folk sound, check out Gillian Welch and her partner David Rawlings. Welch is the daughter of Carol Burnett’s musical directors and went to the Crossroads prep school in Santa Monica. She turned down Princeton to go the UC Santa Cruz and play punk rock and party. Ended up tranferring to Berklee in Boston, where she fell in love with old-time bluegrass harmonies. Terrific singeer. Wonderful albums. Wonderful songwriter.</p>
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<p>Finally, in the same vein, Emmylou Harris’ new album All I Intended to Be is terrific.</p>
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<p>I’m assuming you are already familiar with Allison Krauss, right?</p>
<p>If it were me and I needed some new ideas I’d try plugging some of your favorites into Pandora.com or you could listen to WFUV online at WFUV.org.</p>
<p>Some of the singers I like:
Richard Thompson (with and without Linda Thompson)
John Prine
Greg Brown
David Wilcox
Richard Schindell
Lucinda Williams
Guy Clark
James McMurtrey
Sarah McLachlan
Patty Larkin
Dar Williams
Billy Bragg
The Pogues
Old Crow Medicine Show
The New Heathens
Guy Clark
Lyle Lovett</p>
<p>Greg Greenway? I went to college with him. I used to live in Richmond and always enjoyed the local music there. Are you familiar with Susan Greenbaum? Another Richmond area singer. </p>
<p>I also like Beth Orton a lot. </p>
<p>How about The Fleet Foxes? I guess they are consider indie folk.</p>
<p>Kind of country/alt. but have you ever tried The Avett Brothers?</p>
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<p>A friend recommended Cry,Cry,Cry to me years ago (1998 release date, but I think I listened to it much later). It’s a kind of one time only folk “super-group” with Richard Shindell, Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky. Fabulous, fabulous CD! I’ve bought CD of each of the 3 artists since then, but haven’t found them as good as the group effort.</p>
<p>I saw Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky front row a couple years ago. Fantastic concert!</p>
<p>Idad–well, look at that, we like the same music. We (especially H but me too) love alt.country and Americana.</p>
<p>Mathmom–WFUV is a treasure; i’ve discovered a lot of my favorite music there.</p>
<p>Ellis Paul is my favorite.
Saw a Dar Williams show a couple of weeks ago, fantastic.
Antje Duvekot
Patty Griffin
Vance Gilbert
Lucy Kaplansky
Lori McKenna
Susan Werner
Lowen & Navarro
Martin Sexton</p>
<p>Chris Smither
Railroad Earth
Yonder Mountain String Band
Iris Dement</p>
<p>I used to listen to WFUV all the time, but after 911 I started listening to NPR more, but lately I’ve gone back to the music. :)</p>
<p>Pat Humphries–she’s a real throw-back to the 60’s but I LOVE her song called “Swimming to the Other Side.”</p>
<p>On the topic of radio stations, I HIGHLY recommend [WDVX</a> - Welcome](<a href=“http://www.wdvx.com%5DWDVX”>http://www.wdvx.com). It’s an independent, listener supported radio station in Knoxville. They play an AMAZING amount of bluegrass, contemporary and not so contemporary folk music with occasional tunes from people like Bruce, Van Morrison, Ray Charles, Drive By Truckers thrown into the mix.</p>
<p>Cry,Cry,Cry was a great album and have seen Kaplansky and Shindell a number of times at very small venues. Saw Gilliam Welch open for Bright Eyes. She was amazing. Also, love Kings of Convenience. These guys are from Norway but have a Simon and Garfunkel sound to them. Lately my daughter has turned us on to some new music.</p>
<p>Joshua James
Mountain Goats
Cat Power
Fleet Foxes</p>
<p>But when you get down to it, nothing beats putting on Sit Down Young Stranger by Gordon or Blue by Joni.</p>
<p>Maybe not in the same vein as the above but definitely edgy, different, and still acoustic–Dresden Dolls. I would call them “cabaret punk.” Very interesting.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions. I also appreciate the mention of the radio stations. I mostly listen to music at work–I write and edit manuscripts so aside from occasional meetings I am in my office alone all day. I think I will start listening to the radio through the internet some. I also do want to aquire some new music from itunes. Anyone want to make some specific song suggestions?!</p>
<p>Songs to download
A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress Richard Shindell
Ballad Of Mary Magdalen Cry, Cry, Cry
Chicago Sufjan Stevens
Sister Sufjan Stevens
Chocolate Snow Patrol
Fortress Pinback
The Weight of Words Kings of Convenience
Crystal Ball Keane
Inside & Out Feist
16 Military Wives The Decemberists
Sons & Daughters The Decemberists
Title & Registration Death Cab for Cutie
Willie Cat Power
Land Locked Blues Bright Eyes
Hot Knives Bright Eyes</p>
<p>More Songs to Download</p>
<p>Seven Story Mountain Railroad Earth
Bird in a House Railroad Earth
Raindance Railroad Earth
Everything Seems To Want To Hurt This Time Donna the Buffalo
Mother’s Only Son Yonder Mountain String Band
Boatman’s Song YMSB
No Expectations YMSB
Sweet Jane Cowboy Junkies</p>
<p>On WFUV I recently heard an interview with Caroline Doctorow and some other singers who are reviving some of the works of Mimi and Richard Ferina. They played some pieces on the show. Sounded very nice.</p>
<p>Review on this site says it’s “Contemporary folk with an edge” [CD</a> Baby: CAROLINE DOCTOROW: Another Country](<a href=“http://cdbaby.com/cd/doctorow7]CD”>http://cdbaby.com/cd/doctorow7)</p>
<p>Pittsburgh also has a very nice independent, listener-supported radio station I’ll put in a plug for - WYEP.org. They are very big on the latest release by Andrew Bird, Noble Beast.</p>