Ron Hynes passed away this past Thursday. I have been watching snippets of the funeral service in St John's - lots of Ron's songs being sung by Amelia Curran, Allan Doyle and Ron's family. The Internet is full of beautiful tributes to Ron. I will just say that I was a big fan from the moment I heard Ron being interviewed by Shelagh Rogers on CBC. On that show he introduced two new songs (The Mother Who Bore Me in Pain and Dry), both songs about his ongoing battles with drug addiction. The songs and interview were so candid that I went looking for more Ron Hynes. I have remained a big fan. There is no video posted here. There are several videos posted on YouTube that you could browse around.

I am a big fan of what KCRW (Seattle) is doing. They are streaming some of the best music over the internet. I am also a big fan of Ben Howard and India Bourne. India is the cellist and percussionist for Ben's band. I have picked Ben as one of the stars of 2015. I have been wrong many times before. I do not care. He is one on my watch and listen list.

Here is Ben Howard w India - turn up your speakers!

Music for 2015:

1. Tom Odell - the modern version of Jeff Buckley.
2. Polica - from Ohio, vocals, two drum kits and a bass guitar.
3. Ben Howard - a good follow-on to Ed Sheeran - IMHO England is turning out more good music than anywhere else at this time.
4. The Tallest Man on Earth - gotta love his moniker.
5. Jake Bugg - brilliant, but we'll see.
6. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings - not only a tribute to Willie P Bennet but also Canadians and a good band.

Here is Jake Bugg - turn up your speakers

I am pretty much incapable of feeling music other than in my head. With some people, music occupies the entire body. They cannot help but sway and start to dance. I love music but I only listen to it. Wonderful things happen inside my head, but my feet remain locked, immobile, encased in cement. There is no body response.

I like all kinds of music. I force Carol to listen to folk, roots, blues, funk, classical, new wave, progressive rock, country, the Eagles, Ed Sheeran, Agnes Obel, Bob Dylan, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, and Typhoon; but not the Beatles, Jack Johnson or Elvis. I love prowling on YouTube. YouTube has an amazing library of performances that you will never see other than on that site. There is a lot if stuff recorded on cell phones that is difficult to watch because of the video and audio quality. I start playing these videos and if the quality sucks, I move on immediately. There are gems to be found, and you cannot waste your time on poor quality. The YouTube interface is not the best, so switch to Toobify immediately. You are in control and can jump quickly to the next song.

Back to the notion of the Perfect Song. My vote is for Midnight in Harlem by the Tedeschi Trucks Band. It has just the right amount of all of the important influences - blues, funk, jazz, gospel and it is played by exceptional musicians. The lineup is: Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and some terrific backup singers (the Hammond and the vocals make my skin crawl). It is pretty obvious who Susan is in the photo, she is leaning on Derek Trucks. Derek is the son of one of the Allman brothers though it has never been stated which of the brothers. Derek was actually raised by a third brother who toured with the band as crew. He is married to Susan and they have two children who tour with them. If you stalk them a little further in YouTube you will find a few videos of them performing at the White House. Very nice.

Glenn is the drummer in a band - passionate and intense.

Carol and I attended Bronwen's concert on Sunday. She still plays clarinet in the Festival of Wind Orchestra. Katie and Billie attended too, and they were both very well behaved. Billie squeaked a couple of times, but for the most part seemed to really enjoy and get into the spirit of the music.

Head phones if you have them

Lissie was born Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. Her father is a physician and her mother is an interior designer. She has some Scandinavian ancestry.

Monday night Open Mike at Pappy & Harriets gets 1 thumb down. The ribs are good and the beer is cold, but the music is not that good. Pete Seeger died last night, and the collected musicians could not really remember the words and music of a single Pete Seeger song when they wanted to perform one as a tribute. The venue is terrific though, and for 1st time P&H visitors, the nooks and crannies of the bar are worth the visit.

Tonight, Katie, Jason and I are heading up into the high desert to Pappy & Harriets. It is in a little "no street light" town named Pioneertown. It is just a bar, with an outdoor barbecue, and men's and women's bathrooms that are just about outdoor too. Pappy & Harriets just happens to bring in pretty good live music. Big names play here frequently, but I suppose mainly small names. Tonight is just open mike. We might see someone famous that is out slumming, but we are more likely to see someone just trying. Jay is convinced that Katie will sing. Katie is convinced that she will not. Everybody is napping this afternoon so that we have some options this evening. Carol drew the short straw, and loved it.

I have become a big fan of Beth Hart in the past few days. Not certain how I stumbled into her, but there she was doing a tribute to Buddy Guy at the Kennedy Centre. I love the little puff of relief that she gives at the end of the song - "I made it". There are several other videos of her on YouTube, many before she became quite so refined. Great voice. Put your earphones on for this one.

Here is another when she is a little less glammed up.

I first heard of Micky Newbury in the lyrics of a song by Jennifer Warnes. I have become quite a Micky fan. He was a pretty unique talent that I wish I had been able to see. Here is a 1 hour show that I recommend: