NYC Girl - The Orion Experience

I make no attempt to hide the fact that I love The Orion Experience. I mean, I adore this band. They have somehow captured everything I have ever loved about pop music and wrapped it into tunes that just get better each time I listen to them.

"NYC Girl" is probably one of their most popular songs to date, and continues my blogging journey across a songscape that features all 50 states.

Just try to get this one out of your head.

I dare you.

Happy listening!

The Orion Experience – NYC Girl

The Rake's Song - The Decemberists

Today we are taking a little break from the cross country theme with this dark tune.  This is a ballad about a serial killer who murders his own children - told from the perspective of the serial murder. The song is part of a larger collection of love-themed songs in the album The Hazards of Love.

Seriously creepy.

The Decemberists – The Rake's Song

Somewhere in New Mexico - Jill Sobule

On to New Mexico!

I had not heard of Jill Sobule before - but after finding a few of her tracks, I think I have discovered an artist that I will be intentional about seeking out in the future.

Probably known best for her '95 single "I Kissed a Girl," Sobule is still a bit of an underground singer/songwriter.  With stylistic elements that seamlessly intertwine the emotion of power ballads with the rich storytelling of folk, she captivates the listener in several of these musical gems.

This particular song is from her album 2005 Pink Pearl.

Happy listening!

Jill Sobule – Somewhere In New Mexico

New Jersey Song - Hunter Hayes

Continuing the trek across the US, we stop off in New Jersey with this song by Hunter Hayes.  I wasn't able to find much information about this Hunter Hayes, but there was another Hunter Hayes out there.  However, this Hunter Hayes has actually won 7 Emmy's for his musical scores.

Anyway, a great tune.

Happy listening!

Hunter Hayes – New Jersey Song

Leaving New Hampshire - Andy Leftwich

Andy Leftwich is a fiddle phenom.  He started playing the fiddle at the age of six, entered his first fiddle contest at the age of seven, and by the age of twelve had won the National Championship for Beginners as well as multiple state championships.  By the time he was a teenager, Andy had also become proficient on both the mandolin and the guitar in addition to the fiddle, and was entering competitions across the country on all three instruments.

In February 2001,shortly after graduating high school and without much advance warning, Ricky Skaggs made a surprise call to the Leftwich home and invited Andy to join him and the band for a show that weekend. On-stage, in the middle of the show, Skaggs turned to Andy and asked, “What are you doin’ for the next couple of years?” He went on to tour and record with Skaggs for the next few years.

He is an amazing young musician, definitely worth a listen.

Happy listening!

Andy Leftwich – Leaving New Hampshire

Welcome to Nevada - Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed was one of those musician/actors that had an incredible, yet often overlooked influence and career.  The first encounter I had with Jerry Reed was seeing him in Smokey and the Bandit (for which he also wrote the hit theme song). Songs like "East Bound and Down" and "Guitar Man" cemented his place in country/folk history.

This instrumental tune is from the 1971 film, Vanishing Point.

Happy listening!

Jerry Reed – Welcome To Nevada

Nebraska - moe.

moe. (yes, lowercase, with a period) bills itself as "a self-contained nation-state in which the band and their audience live as equals, thriving on a reciprocal appreciation rare in today’s increasingly fragmented musical landscape." Making music together for two decades, this is a band that declares that is somehow at it's best live on the road.

"Nebraska" is a track off their 1996 release, tin cans & car tires.

Happy listening!

moe. – Nebraska

Montana - The Gipsy Kings

The Gipsy Kings have been around since 1987, and they are made up of two bands of brothers: the Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchai, Andre) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego).  The two families are actually children of Spanish gypsy families that fled into France to escape Spain’s Civil War.

Great music and wonderful artistry - although to me it sounds more like Spain than Montana.  :)

Happy listening!

Gipsy Kings – Montana

Missouri Waltz - Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was once dubbed "the philosopher-prince of American country music." There is no doubt he was something very special and unique.

'Nuff said.

Happy listening.

Johnny Cash – Missouri Waltz

Mississippi Isabel - King Charles

King Charles is, of course, British, and is a singer-songwriter from West London. In addition to having  the coolest hair around, he is also a classically trained singer, cellist, guitarist, and pianist. I had never heard of him before, and it appears he is relatively new to the popular music scene (well, he is only 24 years old, so he is obviously relatively new...)  He definitely also has a following based on the large number of positive reviews of his music.

This song is from his album "LoveBlood" - some very interesting and enjoyable stuff on this album!  (The orchestrations alone are amazing.)

Happy listening!

King Charles – Mississippi Isabel

Miles from Minnesota - The Lower 48

And we progress across this nationwide journey of songs and stop today in my current home state - Minnesota.

There weren't a lot of songs to pick from that had "Minnesota" in the title.  Maybe it's because Minnesotans are just too passive-aggressive to write songs abut their home state.  (If you don't have something nice to say...)

The Lower 48's bio: Ben Braden and Sarah Parson began writing and singing folk music together in the winter of 2009 in Minneapolis, MN. Within a few months they were playing shows in Minneapolis, Chicago and other Midwestern venues, and before summer they had finished recording their first release, the critically praised EP “Everywhere To Go.” Following the release of “Everywhere To Go,” Ben and Sarah headed west, relocating The Lower 48 to Portland, OR.  In the summer of 2010, Nicholas Sadler, another Minneapolis native relocated to Portland, and joined the band as percussionist.

They have some great music and are definitely worth exploring.

Happy listening!

The Lower 48 – Miles from Minnesota

2120 South Michigan Avenue - The Rolling Stones

OK, so I cheated a little.  The song isn't really about Michigan.  The title actually refers to the address of the offices and recording studios of Chess Records and Checker Records in Chicago where the five songs for the Rolling Stones' second EP were recorded in June 1964.


It's funky, fun, and fabulous - I hope you enjoy it.


Happy listening!


The Rolling Stones – 2120 South Michigan Avenue

The State Of Massachusetts - Dropkick Murphys

On to Massachusetts!

The Celtic/folk/punk band Dropkick Murphys have been making music together for about 15 years.  Hailing from Boston, they have produced 7 albums to date.  Their latest album, Going Out in Style, is an innovative storytelling journey through the life of Cornelius Larkin, an Irish immigrant.

Interestingly, much of their band's brand identity is based around the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. As a marketing geek I find this fascinating, but I might be the only one intrigued by this.

Happy listening!

Dropkick Murphys – The State Of Massachusetts

Shores of Maryland - Granville Automatic

We continue our musical journey across the country with a stop in Maryland.

Granville Automatic is a duo consisting of Vanessa Olivarez and Elizabeth Elkins. The duo write songs pulled from a shared love of history, horses and war. Granville Automatic is named after a 19th-century typewriter (Vanessa is a collector). With sonic references like Lyle Lovett, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson, Granville Automatic has created a quiet and lyrical sound devoted to telling stories from the past. After writing together first in the spring of 2009, the pair has more than 90 songs – almost all of which tell stories from history.

This song is a unaccompanied song that hearkens back to a child's hard lessons during civil war.  It is haunting, sparse, and absolutely beautiful vocal art.

Happy listening!

Granville Automatic – Shores of Maryland

Maine - John Linnell

If you think the voice sounds familiar, you are probably making the connection to one half of They Might Be Giants. John Linnell and his co-TMBG colleague John Flansburgh have been working together as TMBG for 35 years, but have each embarked on individual projects during that time.

One of these solo projects was Songs of the Fifty States. As part of this project, which released in 1999, "Montana" was released as a single, the format of which was a green vinyl record cut into the shape of the 48 contiguous states, and featuring the non-album track "Louisiana" as the B-side.

Crazy stuff, but GREAT fun.

Happy listening!

John Linnell – Maine

Louisiana Saturday Night - Mel McDaniel

Getting back of songs across America with a little something about Louisiana.

Since I grew up out in the boondocks of Wisconsin, I heard music in only one of two places: either on the bus to and from school or from the oversized boombox in our kitchen. And we had one kind of music on that boombox - country.

This particular song holds sepia-tinted images of me dancing around the kitchen and word games with my mom while we did the dishes.  I am sure there were a number of other songs that could fill that space (I am sure that the radio played more than just a loop of this song) but this is definitely one of them.  

Happy listening!  

Mel McDaniel – Louisiana Saturday Night

Barry Morgan

In honor of the last day of the American Guild of Organists Convention, I thought I would share one of the great finds (for me) from the convention. Barry Morgan is an Australian organist who shares his love of artful music with a whole new generation.

Thanks to John and Jeff for sharing this gem!

Organ Music (like you've never heard before)

This week I am at the American Guild of Organists convention, and I thought I would share something from the organ genre with you.

This is from an album Engleskyts, and this whole album is a collection of folk psalm settings reimagined. Everything on this album is organ and soprano, and it is really wonderful, mesmerizing work.  Anne-Lise Berntsen is the amazing vocalist,, and you have never heard the organ quite like this before.  

Even if you don't know Norwegian, you can certainly appreciate this unique work.

Happy listening!

America - Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond, two days in a row! How lucky are you?

For the Fourth of July, I tried to find a patriotic song to feature.  I dug through a number of them (and there are some great ones), but I rediscovered this one.

Happy listening, and Happy Fourth!

Neil Diamond – America

Kentucky Woman - Neil Diamond

Born Neil Leslie Diamond (yes - that is his real name), the artist known for his soft, dulcet tones hails from Brooklyn, New York.  With a career that spans half a century, few musicians can claim the professional staying power of Mr. Diamond.

With his own singing hits like "Song Sung Blue", Sweet Caroline" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", it is a little known fact that he wrote a number of other songs made famous by other groups, like "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees, and even had some of his early songs recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley.

Happy listening!

Neil Diamond – Kentucky Woman - 2011 Remastered Mono

Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison

I know, I know - this isn't really as song about the state, but that's OK.  My blog, my rules.

I couldn't find much info about the singer, Wilbert Harrison.  I did learn that this song was a #1 Billboard hit in 1959, although it was written in 1952 by the songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

A classic, and a golden one at that.

Happy listening!

Wilbert Harrison – Kansas City