http://sites.google.com/site/sxswtorrent/

The first download is 646 singles from musical groups playing at this years SXSW festival. That's not all the bands, mind you. Just the ones included in the first download/release. Last year there were 1302 songs.

Every year since 2005 there's been a music download, and every year I spend the subsequent 365 days trying to trim and cull the list into a "Rob's Best-Of." In 2005, 2006, and 2007 I was able to do this, getting down to about 150 songs for each year. I failed to accomplish this in 2008 and 2009. Of course, in 2009 there were nearly 600 more songs than in previous years, but still.

Part of the problem stems from the results of the 2005-2007 best-of play lists. There are a number of songs on these lists that I simply do not like any more. I can't understand why I put a few of them there in there in the first place. So, that poses an interesting question: if those songs are there, what did I delete and why?

With 2008 and 2009 I found myself deleting fewer and fewer songs. "Well, I don't really want to listen to that /now/ but what about later?" It's an interesting question, I think...but one that freezes decision making.

There's also the possibility that my inner pack-rat is being a little more assertive. Just a little.

Anyway, I'm 200 songs in, or so, and I'm finding the quality and caliber of music to be as varied as all the previous years offerings. There's some really great music and some really awful "music." For the record, I don't even bother with the death-metal. Sorry death-metal fans, but I'm so very done with having someone scream (gutturally) at me for four-and-a-half minutes straight. And most of the rap is predictably narcissistic.

After the first track, "Big River" finished, Nate, who had been quiet, (as he often is when listening to music new to him) suddenly said "He's real real happy."

That boy amazes me almost every day.

http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/music.html

I was driving out on County N
With my high-beam headlights on
In the late night FM no man’s land
Looking for a Tom Petty song
The Perseids were falling
In that hothouse August night
I saw two come down together
And I thought it looked about right

One for sorrow two for joy they say
I’ve had my fill of sorrow anyway
(One for sorrow two for joy I know
I’ve been one for sorrow for too long)

The MP3 is here: http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/AcousticCafe_OneForSorrow.mp3

Last year, with Nathan newly born, we did not feel like we could attend. This year the festival is Saturday, August 12th and sadly we're already committed to other things.

http://www.wluw.org/ has a listing of bands. It's really inexpensive and it's all outdoors with tables and chairs. A very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. If you can make it over to 2933 W Montrose Ave any time from 12-7, you will not be disappointed.

But the songs I did hear were really quite wonderful. Here's a few minutes of a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come."

click to open - 40MB MotionJPG AVI file

I shot the video only because I wanted to look up the song later and I didn't have any other way of recording the lyrics. I did not know the name Sam Cooke and prior to today didn't know the history behind this particular song. But really, that's all secondary. It was simply really nice to spend 45 minutes listening to a really talented musician singing the blues.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is what happened after.

Within 10 minutes of me completing the lawn and putting everything away:

• Dinner came out of the oven
• helloheather wrapped up her gardening and moved the car into the garage
• Nathan went to sleep for an evening nap
• It started to rain

It was like some sort of dinner nexus came together and we were able to relax and eat. With the temps dropping by the minute as the rain came through, and the strong winds blowing the trees to and fro, it was really quite wonderful. I love a good spring rain and a cool spring breeze.

Later, Nathan woke up from his nap and all three of us danced in the living room to Eli Paperboy Reed's "Take My Love With You."

It was a really nice evening.

I've been a moonshiner
For seventeen long years
And I spent all my money
On whiskey and beer
And I go to some hollow
And set up my still
If whiskey don't kill me
Then I don't know what will

Let me eat when I'm hungry
Let me drink when I'm dry
Give me dollars when I'm hard up
Religion when I die
The whole world is a bottle
And life is but a dram
When the bottle gets empty
it sure ain't worth a damn

http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/Redbird_Moonshiner.mp3

Chorus:
Mustang horses, champagne glasses
Anything frail anything wild
It’s the price of living motion
What's beautiful is broken
And grace is just the measure of a fall

http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com

"Northbound 35" is included in the SXSW 2006 music download, which is full of amazing artists. Jeffrey Foucault stands above most of them lyrically and musically. He provides full mp3s of some of the songs from his albums on his website. I highly recommend checking them out.

You can get "Northbound 35" by clicking here