This month, both Al and Phoebe might have ended up liking each other’s songs maybe more than their own. Here’s November’s version of our playlist, with some obscure tunes and whatever else we’ve been listing to in the last month.
Show notes from our November 2023 Spotify Podcast:
We started with Phoebe’s ten submissions and Al’s ten submissions, but our finished, 11-song playlist is put in an order that we think makes sense musically. Which is not same same order that we pick the songs during the picking ceremony heard during our podcast.
Song notes (Quotes are from song lyrics):
- “But they don’t know that I’m loaded by the back door, gonna come home, scrub his brains off the floor”
Rett Madison’s “One for Jackie, One for Crystal” is a spooky and intense modern murder ballad. We love this one. - “Oh, it’s a hurting thing and it’s oh, oh so sad to sit and watch, watch a good love go bad”
Lady Blackbird brings her subtle soul for her first visit to out playlist. - “Blue flowers on the hill where’s my valentine, I’m leaning on the sill waiting for a sign”
Canadian Ron Sexsmith has been making music close to 40 years. He’s had a rich and varied career, and he’s a solid songwriter. - “Nights they pass, the star we’re under, you, my love and me your blunder, I didn’t mean ta come to love ya, body below and mine above ya”
Emily Fairlight is a beautiful demon, with a voice that comes from another place entirely. We’re pretty into this song. - “While you’re out there makin’ more wrinkles your family’s makin’ more memories every day”
Dale Watson continues our adventure into new and somewhat less well-known artists who’s had a long and varied career. “Carryin’ On This Way” is Dale looking at Dale, and his voice brings the genuine truth. - “Let me eat when I’m hungry, let me drink when I’m dry, two dollars when I’m hard up, religion when I die”
“Moonshiner” has been in our playlist once before (a version by Cat Power from our October 2020 playlist). This wonderful old Bob Dylan version of this folk classic is another great take on this great song. - “She strolled on up to me, said, ‘hey, big boy, what’s your name?'”
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we love finding old and somewhat obscure people that you might have never heard of. Doug Sahm’s not an unknown by any means, but we want more people to appreciate stuff like this. - “There’s a fawn in the fence that you can’t get free, so you’re asking everybody who they think they really are”
This is Haley Heynderickx’s second appearance in our playlist, Max Garcia Conover’s first. - “There’s a song, it’s just a melody, a refrain, keeps on haunting me, I’m alone, but I’m free, beat still my heart”
Long-time listeners are no doubt aware of our love for Andrew Bird (this is his fifth visit to our playlist), but let’s not discount the talent that Mississippi’s Jimbo Mathus brings to this collaboration. “Beat Still My Heart” is one of those songs we love deeply. - “And if you call me brother now, forgive me if I inquire, ‘just according to whose plan?'”
Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse has been in our playlist twice before, but here he appears with the acoustic/bluegrass supergroup Might Poplar, performing a wonderful Leonard Cohen song. - “You can’t be the one to hold him when you were the one who left”
The amazing Julia Jacklin (Phoebe’s crush) is back for her third appearance. The video for “Comfort” sums up why we love her so: she’s just a very direct, simple, powerful artist. In a lot of ways, this song sums up why we love music so much.
Both our Spotify playlist and our podcast are updated and released around the first of each month. We’re recorded monthly in the warm and cozy hug of the OML Studios in lovely downtown Manchester, Richmond, Virginia.
Thanks to Broken Barrel Small Batch bourbon for help in recording this month. Theme music is from “Red Eye” by E’s Jammy Jams, accordion music by Andrew Huang. Trod Along by Blue Dot Sessions. Dino De Deus by Blue Dot Sessions. Country Butter by Blue Dot Sessions.
Featured image: Our new friend, the Broken Barrel.
If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to let us know!
See you next month!
