Celtic Connections – Connections

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It’s February and Celtic Connections is over for another year. By all accounts it was a success and it certainly gets great press locally. I only managed one gig (shame indeed) but as with almost everything these days the good old interweb allows armchair assholes like me to dip into the goings on for as long as the links last. So here is some video of one of the bands I did see, the Wiyos and a gig I did want to see, Robby Hecht.

Robby Hecht and Jordan Hamlin

The Wiyos

Finally, one I caught on the telly, Kenny (King Creosote) Anderson singing Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice.
Kenny Anderson

An alternative Christmas

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Well its that time of year again and the cash registers are ringing and the shops are full of the usual Xmas musical suspects. It seems that Christmas and music have been entwined for years with the race to have the number one chart topper and everyone and his uncle putting sleigh bells on their songs.

If, like most sensible folk, you’re fed up with chestnuts roasting and reindeer prancing then there is some respite. The good old internet has a way of finding odd, alternative, rude and occasionally brilliant Christmas songs with various blogs leading the way. In addition various  artists and labels  toss off a few seasonal titbits for one’s delectation.

So here’s a few. Why not  google” Christmas blog” or somesuch  for more and make your own “Now That’s What I Call Christmas” compilation to accompany the turkey.

Some of the downloads require an email address as a sign up to newsletters etc , for example Jason Lytle , ex of Grandaddy has a mini Xmas album for download, but the blogs wrap it up. Big Rock Candy Mountain are posting several mp3s of excellent old country, jazz and rock Xmas songs. For two bespoke compilations head over to A Truer Sound , much better than you can buy in the shops.

In the meantime here’s one of my favourites.

Culturcide – Depressed Christmas

Richmond Fontaine

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We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River

With their latest album “We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River” Willie Vlautin and chums seem sure to be in the top album of the year lists so beloved by us bloggers. On their tour to promote the album they pulled into the local BBC studios to record a session. You can catch it on the Radio Scotland website at Another Country but here’s one of the songs they played,  “The Boyfriends.”

The Boyfriends