While my banjo gently fiddles

"The Banjo Lesson" by Henry Ossawa Tanner

An odd-one-out post. This is a compilation of public domain old-time American songs, gathered from archive.org. Yeah, of course, you can download these songs from there as well, but one by one. Basically I'm just offering a bundle, a sample.
The songs are by various string bands, banjo- and fiddle-players, singers, etc... a mixed bunch. But all great, all, old, all amazing. I really love this kind of music. And all things like pre-war blues had (and have) a great influence on my own creations.

<<< time machine >>>

Eat Rust - Eat Rust [promo]

The promo version (encoded at 128kbps, that is) for Eat Rust's new s/t album. 5 tracks of improvised guitar music, drone, blues, noise rock. As usual for other Eat Rust releases: more of the same, but different. For fans of Skullflower, minimalism, twisted blues, noise rock. Send any comments to kisbalim at gmail.com.
ESR might release a physical version, total DIY.
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Elizabeth Cotten

An amazin woman!! My favourite blues singer, hands down. Her voice and playing are unique and quite possibly one of the most expressive sound in blues. Elizabeth Cotten's story is worth some reading (google is your friend) and her music is, well, worth a few thousand listens. No words can describe it. There's this myspace page, you can give it a listen, but whatever, just download this, no matter what are your musical preferences. Trust me. Everybody has to hear her.

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PAROM - На краю

This record is a real hit, out of the blue. More precisely - out of Minsk, Belarus. These guys mix bluesy stoner rock with some hardcore, throw in some saxophone and other tasty things here or there. I seriously didn't expect "На краю"/"On the Edge" to be so fuckin cool. Energetic, raw, non-trivial music. Lyrics are mostly shouted in a hardcore manner, there are some gang vocals, more standard up-beat rock singing... Get this. You can also download it from their myspace's blog. Even if you don't like the previews, get the album, it works better when listened to as a whole. The songs just flow into each other. And the opening track, which is probably my personal favourite, is not featured on myspace. So. Go.
<<< link me up >>>

Kan Mikami - Barking Practice /// White Lines

Kan Mikami is a Japanese blues musician, known for his minimalistic guitar playing and expressive vocal style. And that's it, that's what this album is all about - Mikami's a blues-man, a bard, a singing poet. It's a pity I don't know Japanese, but for the rest like me the English lyrics can be found here. Highly recommended album.

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