June 9, 2011
comment 1

#28

…is Folsom Prison Blues. You might say, hey buddy, that’s a prison song, not a train song, but I’m gonna answer by just simply sayin’ I hear that train a comin….rollin ’round the bend…and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when.

Here’s Mingo Saldivar doing a fine Conjunto version. All you accordion freaks out there, pay attention to this one. Squeeze it, Mingo…

Now I know you’re thinking, OK, what’s that cat going to do now, Ring of Freakin’ Fire? (Elliot, this one’s for you, if you’re out there)

Back to the subject at hand…time to stop this foolin’ around. Here’s the Man in Black

I remember hearing this when I was a kid and when Johnny sang I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, it gave me the shivers.

OK, let’s go out with a Psychobilly cover of this tune. Here’s the Tombstone Brawlers for your entertainment pleasure.

 

June 8, 2011
comment 0

All I can say about tonight’s hockey game….

…is that it’s time for a train song of the day! It’s time for train song #29 to be exact.

Here’s Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith playing Lost Train Blues from the 1946 film, Moon over Montana.

And here’s Price Goodson and some fancy harmonica…

Wow, that’s something else, isn’t it? And finally, here are The Barnstormers…

I guess without trains, we wouldn’t have bluegrass. Would we? Now I know some of you are thinking I’ll never make it all the way down to #1 but I wouldn’t take that bet if I were you. The rest of you are of course thinking, why is that oddball folky-dolky music freak posting all these train songs anyway? Why indeed.

June 7, 2011
comment 1

Sick

Yesterday morning, I was walloped by the full selection of nasty flu-like symptoms. It was so weird because I went to work feeling fine and the whole business hit me all of a sudden. I came home and slept all day yesterday. Ate nothing. Lots of fluids. This morning I still feel very week, low energy, achy all over. Making this post as I have a cup of tea, then back to bed. Hopefully this will pass quickly.

June 5, 2011
comments 5

Oyster Mushrooms

I packed up the dogs this morning and went hunting the oyster mushroom. I believe the mushroom I pick on dead or dying poplar trees this time of year to be Pleurotus populinus, although today I met up with a fellow who told me no that couldn’t be true because Pleurotus populinus isn’t listed in Baron’s guide. He believes the mushrooms are Pleurotus dryinus, but I think they have a suede-like texture and these mushrooms do not. In any case, we can agree to call them oyster mushrooms and we can agree that they grow on dead or dying poplar trees for a brief period this time of year.

Today I had guests, my old friend A and two new friends my brother asked me to take along. Fortunately, we found plenty of tasty mushrooms for everybody.

The first ones of the day…nice and fresh.

Sometimes they’re easy to reach but other times a long stick is required.

Where did this morel come from?

Another old morel, this one under a maple tree.

A pretty good morning of mushroom hunting.

June 4, 2011
comments 2

The Golden Rocket

Here’s Johnny Horton performing train song #32, The Golden Rocket…nice rockabilly feel to this one.’

And here’s Hank Snow’s version. Ok, let me say it, I love Hank Snow’s performances.

That said, listen to David Peterson and 1946 do a superfantabulous live version…


These guys are dangerous and should be locked up immediately. These cats know how to attack a train song.

June 4, 2011
comments 5

Johnny Law

This afternoon I was pulled over by a policeman while on my way to the No Frills up the street. He told me he pulled me over because he could not read my license plate because it was all rusted over (see photo). He walked around to the front of the vehicle and then told me that now that he has looked at my front plate, he can tell what it says but he couldn’t make out the back. I chewed back the urge for a smart alec comment and swallowed it.

The officer wrote me out a ticket for $110 but told me that if I got the plates replaced within 15 days and then called the number on the back of the ticket and made an appointment with the prosecutor, the prosecutor should do something about the ticket. Swell.

I will confess to being just a little grumpy about this.