RIP Hazel Dickens

This past weekend, we lost one of country and folk music's major musical personalities, Hazel Dickens, who died at age 75. The Appalachian singer-songwriter was a strong, unique artist who not only sang beautifully in the tradition of rural country and Appalachian folk music; her music also championed coal miners (her songs were featured in the 1976 documentary Harlan County USA), hard-working women ("Don't Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There," "Mama's Hands"), and the rights of everyday people in general.

Hazel was an incredible writer and possessed a beautiful voice that was full of character. Every line, every note, took us back to the hills of West Virginia, where she was born in 1935. (You can read my Rough Guide to Country Music bio on her via Google book search.) She was a regular performer at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and was as down to earth in person as the souls in her songs. We'll miss Hazel and her music terribly; honest music like hers is always rare, and seems even harder to find these days.

Midlake

IMG_2795, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Performing at SXSW 2010. Best album of 2010, and best live show of 2010...and it's only March.

Enslaved

Enslaved-2, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

From SXSW two years ago -- great Norwegian metal band

Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Patterson Hood of DBT during a show at BamaJam in Enterprise, Alabama, June 5, 2009.

Jamey Johnson

Jamey Johnson, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

One of my favorite contemporary country singers--channeling Waylon heavy, which is fine by me. Got songwriting chops, too. Caught him at BamaJam 2009 in Enterprise, Alabama--which also happens to be Jamey's hometown.

Dylan

Dylan, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Bob Dylan. Smiling. (Rothbury, 2009)

Bob Weir

Bob Weir, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Channeling Jerry. Rothbury, 2009.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe Shaver, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Billy playing in a parking lot on South Congress during SXSW 2008.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Bonnie and Clyde

Love the song, just came across the video. I know, so overbaked with hipness that even ScarJo is all over this. But still, it's the real-deal grooviness. Can't get enough.

Happiness

Funny how so many of us fight against it. What's the point of that?

Read this Slate article, pretty interesting and inspiring:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/09/22/you-don-t-have-to-live-your-life-the-way-other-people-expect-you-to.aspx

It Might Get Loud playlist