I just picked up my press pass for the Virginia Film Festival, which means two things: Popcorn for dinner for the next four days, and I need to plot an escape route from the office so I can catch the 4pm screening of Duck Soup. Every escape needs a soundtrack though, doesn’t it? Which brings me to Pokey LaFarge:
Click on the photo to hear Pokey LaFarge’s Daytrotter Session with the South City Three.
I last caught Pokey LaFarge at a wedding in Esmont, and the former local had come a long way from sleeping in the Hackensaw Boys’ tour bus and playing with the Tater Pugs. LaFarge’s voice has grown a bit more tobacco-tough since his 2006 album, Marmalade—much closer to Blind Blake, further from those Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday comparisons. And on 2008’s Beat, Move, and Shake, LaFarge made the jump from lyrical references to country blues to using ’em as storytelling devices.
His recently recorded Daytrotter Session suggests he’s as sharp as ever. Listen for the handclaps and kazoo solo on the Virginia bootlegger tale "Claude Jones."
Speaking of musicians who know how to make the old country dogs sing new songs, Andy Friedman is coming back to town for a December 13 gig at The Southern. I’ve played his second album, Weary Things, a lot during the last year, and reviewed it in January.
But enough about me. What are you listening to? Any requests for a Feedback Session? How about a local gig that you think deserves a bit of attention? Educate your fellow listeners below!
