Need Your iTunes Help

So now that I have my computer back, and have to travel again for a few days this weekend, I'm realizing that I haven't heard much new music in a long time. So I need your help. Here's the plan:

I'm going to spend ten bucks at the iTunes store tonight. You will pick the songs. After I listen to them, I'll leave my thoughts on each one. Each person gets to offer one song. Leave it as a comment. I'll buy the first ten songs posted that I don't already own. So even if there's more than ten songs left, feel free to add another suggestion, I might get to it. I'm looking forward to the new tunes...

4 8 15 16 23 42

'Lost' was amazing tonight. Well-written and terribly infuriating!! I don't want to wait seven more days!!

the tale of the gift cards...

Here is an e-mail I got from Evan, who is in the opening band for my show down in Baton Rouge last week, and who helped put the whole thing on. For those of you that don't know, we raised over $500 for WalMart gift cards and gave them to the campus ministry there at LSU to help out with the influx of students they've had. Here was the e-mail...

"Hey man,

I just e-mailed to tell you thanks again for an
awesome show last week. And more importantly, thanks
for all those gift cards. This past week we had people
on campus with a table that said something to the
effect of "If you were displaced by Katrina, we want
to help" and now we have over 180 contacts of people
from UNO and other universities who are stuck here
with no $$ and no place to stay permanently. So I just
wanted you to know that your donation helped a lot. We
need those cards!

Thanks again for everything and God bless.
EVAN"

You can see exactly what they're doing with them here at this website...

http://www.refugelsu.com/katrina.aspx

Thought you would want to know where your help was going. Thanks again for everyone who helped out!

you know, I ran across an old box of letters...

um, I mean... a computer folder of newer photos... um...

Yeah, I've been getting some family photos ready to send out to, uh, the family, and I thought these would be fun to share. My dad took this one at my solo set at 12 South last month. That's the "early in the morning" guitar that Bobes' dad gave me.



This one is Ella smiling so big I can't even handle it, and below it is her sitting up for the first time by herself, which happened Tuesday morning. Great joy.





Seriously, how can I not be that little thing's biggest fan?

Strong Hand Of Love

I was mowing yesterday (I know, I know) and listened to a Mark Heard record I hadn't heard in a while, 'Dry Bones Dance' and was reminded again just how amazing of a songwriter he was. I hope they don't mind that I post his lyrics here, but this is just amazing.


Strong Hand Of Love

Down peppers the rain from a clear blue sky
Down trickles a tear on a youthful face
Feeling in haste and wondering why
Up struggles the sun from a wounded night
Out venture our hearts from their silent shrouds
Trying to ignite but wondering how

We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows

Young dreamers explode like popped balloons
Some kind of emotional rodeo
Learning too slow and acting too soon
Time marches away like a lost platoon
We gracefully age as we feel the weight
Of loving too late and leaving too soon

We can laugh and we can cry
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows
We can dance and we can sigh
And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows

Written by Mark Heard © 1990 Ideola Music