The one with the injured bird seems to me most true
This weekend finds me back in California, this time for a wedding of a dear friend. She was so kind as to schedule her wedding on the same weekend as the totally free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park (where I just was for this madness). Not only does this “really cool” festival bring together an amazingly high-quality range of artists (most with rootsy Americana underpinnings), they encourage you to bring your own beer. Really. I checked the website.
Athens, Georgia alt-country/folk artist Vic Chesnutt isn’t playing this year, but I am brushing up on the dusty twang in my iTunes library to get prepared for a sunny day today of picking and strumming.
Injured Bird – Vic Chesnutt & Michael Stipe
This gem was on the End of Violence soundtrack (1997), and it just resurfaced on my speakers after a long absence. Knowing that Chesnutt is paraplegic following a car accident gives this song an extra layer of poignancy, and Michael Stipe remains my favorite male vocalist, absolutely, ever. His voice adds such a rich, sad bittersweetness to this song.
Name: Heather Browne
It was a fantastic festival, huge and packed, but just some of the best music I’ve ever heard.
I did a preview of the fest for the EB Express:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/music/bigger__bluesier_bluegrass_fest/Content?oid=1203408
Catfish Vegas — October 5, 2009 @ 10:55 am