Rod Picott has been friends with Slaid Cleaves since they first met in the 2nd grade in the Maine town of South Berwick where they both grew up.
Slaid left South Berwick went to Tufts University and eventually ended up moving to Austin, Texas with wife Karen in 1991, where he has lived and recorded since then
. Picott left Maine and spent a few years in Colorado, before moving to Nashville in 1994. Where spent several years playing at local clubs and sharpening his skills as a songwriter, he wrote songs for the likes of Fred Eaglesmith and worked and occasionally opened for Alison Krauss.I
Rod Picot -At Quick Look at His Musical History
Hn 2001 Rod released his first solo album Tiger Tom Dixon’s Blues which was named after his great-uncle, a boxer during the Great Depression.
Slaid included the song on his album Wishbones.Rod’s album also included his version of “Broke Down”, which he co-wrote with Slaid. The song had been the title track on Slaid’s break-through second release on the Rounder-Philo label.
Since his first release Rod has released eight more albums and his Americana star has risen with each release. I am most familiar with the last two releases 2011’s Welding Burns which is a terrific album and his current release Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail.
About Hang Your Coat on a Crooked Nail
The songs onHang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nailare varied just like life. They cover lost love “You Ain’t Missing Anything”, the resilience of people reflected in the little “Bluebonnet”, the simple joy of owning a “65 Falcon”, life in a small town “Where No One Knows your Name”, to the end on life in “?Milkweed” and the closing song “Nobody Kno
So if you are familiar with rod’s music this album is a must for your collection and if you’re not it’s a great place to start!
So right now Christina Skjolberg may be one of Norway’s best kept secrets, but after this years Blues Caravan Tour rolls across Europe and around the world she may not be. Skjolberg is a dynamite blues woman who Ruf Records has signed and released her début album Come and Get It!
About Christina Skjolberg
The left-handed young female guitar wiz was born and raised on the island of Smøla outside Kristiansund on the northwest coast of Norway.She has been playing guitar since she was twelve and was inspired by fellow lefty Jimi Hendrix.
Night after night Christina would wow them at clubs across Norway, where she caught the eye of Thomas Ruf of Ruf Records who saw her talent signed her and paved the way to her début release and a spot on his Blues Caravan 2014.
Accompanying her on the Caravan are fellow blues artists Albert Castiglia and Laurence Jones,
Christina’s Band
Her band composed of Brynjulf Blix on Hammond B3 organ. Blix has been playing Blues, Jazz and Rock across Norway with various bands for the last 40 years!, and Tore Slåttsveen who plays rhythm guitar and provides background vocals. Like Blix, Tore has played across Norway with various bands like Little Andrew & the Blue Masters, Triple T and The Mojo Workers.
Thoughts About – Come and Get It
Come and Get It is a great album, Christina’s guitar is smoking when it needs to be and her vocals are hard-rocking or sultry when the song calls for it. Blix on organ really is an added bonus on several tracks!! All in All the album is a winner and I’m confident that you’ll be hearing a lot more from Ms. Skjolberg in the future!!
2026 Post Update
I guess I assumed Christina would follow the same path as many other Blues Caravan artists and eventually release a whole bunch of albums. That’s why I was honestly surprised to discover that since this post first appeared in 2014 she has released only one additional solo release, 2022’s I’m on Fire.
Listen to the tracks below and see if you agree she deserved more.
The Playlist
Here is a six pack pkaylist. It includes three tracks from each of her solo albums. Check Her Music Out!
So tonight I was thinking, I would post a song from one of my favorite folksinger songwriters.
The first one that popped into my head was John Gorka, thoughts of John were quickly replaced by thoughts of Mark Erelli. I listened to Mark’ most recent release Little Vigils the other night and was reminded of what a great songwriter he is.
So I thought that I’d post a video, maybe of one of my early favorites songs “They do it every day” but there was no Youtube video,for the song. Then I thought “Compass and Companion” Then I spotted this video for his song “Volunteers” on Don Was’ My Damn Channel and I listened once again to this powerful song and again was blown away!
Don Was On Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli is a great singer/songwriter/guitarist from Massachusetts with a masters degree in Molecular Biology. He regularly tours with Iris DeMent, Catie Curtis and Lori McKenna. Music critics have lauded his latest album, Hope and Other Casualties. Regardless of where you fall in the political spectrum, his brand new song, Volunteer, will provoke some consideration.
The Video
The video was posted in 2007 at Don’s channel and while we are still not fighting the war, there are many volunteers,who are still out there fighting their own private wars and fighting the effects of being that volunteer!! So let’s go “into the morning” with Mark and “Volunteers”
Originally posted in Jn 2014 Updated and Revised July 2026
Discovering Charlie Musselwhite
It’s amazing to me that I’ve never been a big Charlie Musselwhite fan. I love blues harp and he is certainly one of the best players of the harp around, so why?? It’s in explicable isn’t it, is it his voice or is it that there’s too much, music and too little time and somehow poor Charlie gets lost in the shuffle\!
Well that may have to change because last night and today I listened to one of the best blues albums of 2013 Juke Joint Chapel from Charlie and I must say at 69 years young he appears to be at the top of his game!!
Juke Joint Chapel is an amazing album, Here are some of the key tracks each are great. The descriptions are from Charlie’s Website:
The live and kicking Juke Joint Chapel showcases five originals and seven choice covers with a stone groove band of Matt Stubbs (guitar), Mike Phillips (bass) and June Core (drum
The classic Eddie Taylor shuffle “Bad Boy” chugs with grace and attitude as Musselwhite slyly quotes
“C.C. Rider” in his opening harp solo, his tone as thick as sweet molasses. His is one of the most recognizable voices in the blues, a true “instrument” he employs effortlessly to great expressiveness.
“Roll Your Moneymaker” cruises smoothly as a ’55 Lincoln Continental, the luxury ride only interrupted by dynamic stop-time. Written by crap-shooting Shaky Jake Harris, whom Musselwhite says played harmonica as “another hustle” and modestly admits to “showing him a couple of licks.”
Stubbs stands out and is a monster guitarist graciously allotted extensive solo space throughout from a leader who has enjoyed the services of many greats, but will never feel threatened by another instrumentalist.
The toe tapping two-beat of Tony Joe White’s “As the Crow Flies” is driven hard by the propulsive and endlessly inventive Stubbs along with Musselwhite, who has observed, “In country music, the singer might say ‘my baby left me and I’m gonna jump off a bridge.’ But in blues, they say ‘my baby left me, and I’m gonna get a new baby’.
” “Gone Too Long,” from fellow harmonicist Billy Boy Arnold contains one of his patented syncopated figures and an unstoppable rhythm from the Musselwhite band demanding you can’t sit down….. Read More
And of Course I asked Who is that on Guitar!
As I listened to the album aside from the great harp from Charlie, I kept thinking over and over, who is that on guitar? Because the playing was great as was the chemistry between the guitarist and Charlie.. and now I know the answer Matt Stubbs! It’s also good to read that I’m not the only one who was impressed by Mr Stubbs!!
Charlie’s Awards and Honors
Here’s some of the recent awards that Charlie has garnered…… impressive is an understatement!!
2011 GRAMMY Nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album
The Well – Alligator Records
2012 Blues Music Award Winner for Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year and for Best Instrumentalist Harmonica
2011 Blues Music Award Winner for Best Instrumentalist – Harmonica AND Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year! Also nominated for Album of the Year for The Well, Traditional Blues Album of the Year for The Well and Song of the Year for “Sad and Beautiful World”
Featured on Cyndi Lauper’s, Memphis Blues, also a 2011 GRAMMY nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album
2010 Blues Hall of Fame Inductee
2011 Living Blues Award. Readers’ Poll winner for Most Outstanding Musician award (Harmonica), for the fifth year in a row, his 9th overall Living Blues Award for Outstanding Musician.
2011 saw Charlie recognized in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll in both the Blues Artist category and Blues Album
2011 DownBeat Magazine Readers Poll – ranked among the Best Blues Artists and Best Blues Albums for The Well
Featured on Tom Waits latest album, Bad As Me, which entered the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #6 in November 2011. Charlie appears on five tracks, including the title track.
So after listening this afternoon, I went back to the beginning of Charlie’s career and listened briefly to his first album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Bandand again I ask how come I didn’t listen?? Boy once again I have a lot of catching up to do!!
Here’s Charlie and the band performing: “As the Crow Flies” at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, for the 2nd annual Coahoma-to-Sonoma Blues Festival, 2013.
As I was rereading this post and updating it I realized I had never followed Jeff Strahan’s career beyond this post. When I went to Spotify to see his releases after this post I saw his discography stopped with Monkey Around. I did a search online and discovered that Jeff passed away in January of 2014.
Additionally,I realized the post was totally about Jeff with nothing written about Monkey Around. So as I was editing this post I gave Monkey Around a listen and have included my thoughts about the album in the post.
Discovering Jeff Strahan
I was running some errands on a typical Sunday before the Eagles game. I listened to a couple of new blues albums. The first was Jeff Strahan‘s latest Monkey Around followed by Five Finger Discount from Soulstack. I enjoyed both albums!
I started the post with Jeff Strahan…..
Who was Jeff Strahan?
“Strahan is a fiery Texas spirit, a killer guitar player & piano pounder and singer, as wild as the high plains from which he hails, and as cool as the hill country where he lives. He’s as real & strong as lightning, I swear, and I love being around him, to hear how he’s going to knock me out next.
Strahan is a native of Lamesa, Texas currently residing in New Braunfels, Texas,the epicenter of Texas’ Americana Music Scene. And while he may.reside in New Braunfels he lists his current location on Facebook as “always on the road”!.
Up until about five years ago, Strahan,was practicing law but Jeff saw the light and stopped lawyering and started performing the blues and the world is better for the switch!!! .
Jeff’s career began in 2005 with the release of Along for the Ride. Monkey Around released in October of 2013 was his seventh and final release.
Jeff was a 5-time Semi-Finalist, International Blues Challenge,in Memphis, TN, (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009)
The highlight of almost every Jeff Strahan album are his fiery guitars licks . Sometimes these licks are tinged with a Mexican influence. But most often.Strahan’s music is straight ahead southern rock, blues, folk and more all rolled into one or as he describes his music in his biography at his website…..
“If the Marshall Tucker Band had come from Lubbock, Texas instead of South Carolina, they might have sounded a lot like this”
Edward Revisits Monkey Around
Monkey Around is a solid blues album from the opening track of “Don’t Get Too Low” ( with some nice keyboard work that I didn’t realize was Jeff until I read the composition of his band) to the closing track “Two Shades”. It has everything I like in a blues album varied well written songs delivered by great vocals and of course great guitar!
My favorite tracks on the album include:”Dangerous Curves” “Monkey Around” “4:20” and “Baptist Bootleggers” and “Curtains when I truly listened to the song.
The band in the album is comprised of Jeff on guitar and keyboards,with a rhythm section composed of Jimmy Hartman on bass and Chris Compton on drums and they all do a great job
And while Jeff’s piano playing is great, the highlights of the album are Jeff’s “flaming hot Texas guitar licks”
The Video
Now when I went to look for a video for this post I found this one.” Southern Jeans”. The song can be found on his 2008 release Amen to the Blues. It’s actually his most played track on Spotify. So, check out Jeff’s music! As for me I am going to listen to music from his back catalog and wish I had found more of his music sooner!
Okay, so on Wednesday my wife moved a little closer to that magical life milestone—the big 60. I won’t say exactly how close because if I did, she’d quickly remind me, “I’ll still never be older than you!”
And she’s right. I crossed that milestone a couple of years before she did.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself thinking about many of the folk singers I’ve loved over the years. One morning I was remembering the passing of Steve Goodman. Then I realized it was the anniversary of Jim Croce’s tragic plane crash in 1973.
With all of that on my mind, I decided it was time to spend a little while with someone who almost always makes me smile—John Gorka.
Maybe it wasn’t exactly an upbeat song, but it certainly fit the week. John was born in 1958—just a youngster compared to me! 😄
The song was “People My Age,” and the video still makes me laugh.
Spambassadors? 😂
Sometimes all it takes is the right song from an old friend to brighten the day.
2026 Update
John Gorka has always has a wonderful gift for mixing humor with wisdom. That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept returning to his music for more than three decades. Whenever life starts taking itself a little too seriously, John usually has a song that reminds me to smile.
So if you’ve read this blog over the last few days you know one of the albums that I’ve been listening to lately is Incident on Willow Street. the new release from Greg Trooper.
Personally, I think that the album is one of this finest works. The opening song “All the Way to Amsterdam” with its images of a young girl dealing with an alcoholic, abusive father by dreaming about skating away on the canals of the Netherlands is as poignant and heartfelt song as I’ve ever heard!!
From there the album just keeps getting better and better, as he follows with “Goodbye Heart”, “Mary of the Scots in Queens” and “Steel Deck Heart”. (not in that order, that’s just the way they came to me) and I could go on and on about the other eight tracks on the album but check it out for yourself!!\
What Others Say About Greg Trooper
So how about I tell you what some of his contemporaries say about Greg:
“Greg Trooper writes great songs, including one of my very favorite songs in the world, Little Sister. On top of all that, there’s his voice – an instrument I have coveted for 15 years.” – Steve Earle
“Greg Trooper has got to be on our list of our finest contemporary songwriters.” – Billy Bragg
“Greg Trooper is a songwriter and performer who deserves about 12 times the attention he’s received. He knows how to play rock against country and folk and position the pressures of adulthood against the longing for adolescent freedom.” – Dave Marsh
Links for Future Explorations of the Music of Greg Trooper
From Manassas to The Electric Flag: Following the Musical Trail
Originally posted Aug 2013 Revised and Updated July 2026
One of the things I’ve always loved about collecting records and CDs is that one album almost always leads to another.
Last Sunday my listening trail started with Manassas. Chris Hillman and Al Perkins reminded me of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, and the whole country-rock movement. But somewhere along the way my musical compass turned toward the blues.
That led me back to one of my favorite albums from the late 1960s…
The Electric Flag — A Long Time Comin’
About a year before Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons were forming the Flying Burrito Brothers, guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Barry Goldberg headed west with a different vision. Their goal wasn’t country rock—it was to build what they called a great American blues band.
The result was The Electric Flag, and their debut album, A Long Time Comin’, remains one of my favorite discoveries from that era.
More importantly, it introduced me to the incredible guitar playing of Mike Bloomfield.
The Next Connection: Super Session
Once I started paying attention to Bloomfield, it didn’t take long before another classic appeared in my collection—Super Session.
The first side paired Mike Bloomfield with Al Kooper. When Bloomfield unexpectedly failed to show up for the second day of recording, Kooper called another guitarist who happened to be between bands…
Stephen Stills.
At the time Stills was leaving Buffalo Springfield, and his appearance transformed the second half of the album into something completely different. His versions of “Season of the Witch” and “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” became classics in their own right.
Why I Love Musical Rabbit Trails
This is exactly why I still enjoy listening the way I do.
I didn’t plan to spend the evening with The Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Stephen Stills.
I simply followed the trail.
One album reminded me of another, one musician led to another collaborator, and before long I had traveled from Manassas to The Electric Flag, then on to Super Session—all without ever leaving the music of the late 1960s.
That’s one of the joys of being a lifelong music fan. Every record has another story waiting just around the corner.
And to finish the evening, I went back to one of my favorite Electric Flag performances—”Killing Floor.”
The other night when I was reviewing the East Coast Music Association 2013 Awards, several of the nominees were familiar. One of the familiar artists was Dave Gunning. I don’t remember when I came across his name, but I remember listening to his 2009 release We’re All Leaving.
I remember I enjoyed it, but evidently it was one of those albums that I may have listened to all too briefly, and as I listen to it now, I can’t figure out why?? Because what I hear is great.
Award-Winning Songwriting
Anyway Dave was nominated in several categories and “These Hands” a song he co-wrote with George Canyon was awarded Song of the Year at the 2013 East Coast Music Awards!
Here’ some awards that he’s won…..
His previous release, “… a tribute to John Allan Cameron” was honored with a prestigious 2012 Juno Award nomination and was the winner of two 2011 Canadian Folk Music Awards and two ECMA Awards.
He was the winner of the Indie International Song Contest (for his song, “Hard Workin’ Hands, co-written with Ron Hynes) and a finalist in the Great American Song Contest, the USA Songwriting Competition, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the International Songwriting Contest.
All of the hardware and certificates aside, however, it is the personal connection that Gunning’s music engenders that is the greatest testament to his craft.
All this has led Greg Quill, The Toronto Star to write:
“Dave Gunning is the next big thing in the True North of Song, an artist as compelling, as assured and attentive to every nuance of the writing process as Lightfoot, Cockburn and Stan Rogers before him.”
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Listening to No More Pennies
So over the last coupled of days I’ve been listening to Dave’s latest release No More Pennies and really loving his songs about people and life… at times as I’ve been listening I’ve been reminded of the music of Rod Picott (and that’s a good thing!) Here’s some more about No More Penniesfrom Dave’s website:
Dave’s 10th album No More Pennies is inarguably his finest collection of songs to date. The record celebrates the journey and pays tribute to the trials and tribulations, the highs and lows and the goodness at the heart of people
On No More Pennies, Dave has proven to be a deft arranger and a songwriting master craftsman with co-written gems with George Canyon, Jim Dorie, David Francey (duet), Lennie Gallant, Bruce Guthro, Karine Polwart (duet) and record producer, Jamie Robinson.
The lead signature track, These Hands co-written with George Canyon is a ‘call to action’ style song reminiscent of classic Pete Seeger to inspire us to make good in this world. Dave and his song, These Hands were awarded Song of the Year at the 2013 East Coast Music Awards and picked up nominations for Folk Recording and Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year.
Songs About People
In his review Bob Mersereau of CBC – East Coast Living writes”
Dave Gunning’s at it again. Defining our lives, baring our souls, telling what it’s like on the East Coast these days, or for people from the East Coast. From retired railway men to hard-core hockey fans to those who’ve had to pack up and go to Alberta, Gunning’s speaking for them, telling their tales Read more.
This is one young artist to check out….I know that his music is not going to be forgotten this time around!!
Here’s Dave performing the award-winning song “These Hands” and if you’d like you can watch Hard Workin’ Hands here
2026 Update
Looking back, I can see why Dave Gunning’s music appealed to me immediately. Like so many of my favorite songwriters, he writes about ordinary people and everyday life with honesty and compassion.
Reading this post also reminded me how interconnected the Canadian folk scene really is. Dave co-wrote with Ron Hynes, David Francey, Lennie Gallant, Bruce Guthro, George Canyon, and others—many of whom I’ve come to appreciate over the years.
At the time I compared Dave’s songwriting to Rod Picott’s, and I still hear that same ability to tell stories about working people and real life. Those are exactly the kinds of songs that continue to draw me back to folk music.
So if you’re like me and sometimes you need some good old-time mountain music, check out Trout Steak Revival! Their latest album Flight, is now number 15 on the Folk DJ Charts and it’s a good one!
The band calls Denver Colorado home and members hail mostly from Colorado and the mid-west. The band formed in 2009 after extensive close friend jam sessions during backpacking trips and backyard parties.
Band members include: Steve Foltz (Mandolin, Guitar), Will Koster (Dobro, Guitar), Casey Houlihan (Upright Bass), Travis McNamara (Banjo), Bevin Foley (Fiddle) follow in the bluegrass tradition, with each member of the band composing original tunes and adding harmonies and each one does a fine job! The band was among the Finalists at 2012 Rockygrass Band Competition and finished a respectable 3rd!
About Flight
Flight, released in October of 2012,is the band’s second studio album. The album is composed of six original songs that showcase the quintet’s songwriting competence, visiting themes of love, loss, settling into a new home, and other meditations. Other tracks include nice version of Swedish singer-songwriter “The Tallest Man on Earth” (aka Kristian Matsson) song “Where Do My Bluebird Fly”, two traditional songs; “Greasy Coat” and “Darling Corey” both reworked nicely by the band!. Harry Tuft of Denver’s Folklore Society remarked:
“I’m reminded of early Grateful Dead, with a smattering of Old Crow Medicine Show thrown in. The selections range from bluegrass, to a sort of jug band swing, to some more sensitive songs – a nice variety. Look for a fine future from the young group.”
Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of Trout Steak Revival
