Melody Allegra Berger the Hallowing Harpies

(i apologize for the lateness in this post...things have been a little crazy, but now it is finally settling down...b/c i finished my thesis!!! whoo hooo!!!)

back to business...

i first encountered melody allegra berger at the michigan womyn's music festival...but i just didn't realize it yet. i saw her come out on erin mckeown's set and jam out on the violin.

berger has also performed at MichFest with the likes of bitch!!!

but the awesomeness does not stop there friends. berger is also the editor of an independent feminst zine for teens, called the f-word. she started this zine when she was a senior at Temple University in Philadelphia, majoring in Women's Studies.

and if being an editor and musician wasn't enough to make someone feel extremely busy, berger was approached by Sage (the publishing company) to compile a book about the 'third wave' of feminism. berger, feeling frustrated that this mentality and habit of trying to box the feminist movement into waves appropriately titled the anthology: We Don't Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists

i ran into her last week when she was leading a discussion with students at American University about feminism in today's current political climate and had the privilege to hang out with her over food and drink afterwards...which is when i found out her other identities as a rockin musician!

in short, berger freakin rocks my socks. she is a busy woman and she is gettin shit done. so, please, please, please check out her zine and her book after you check out her kickin tunes!

back to the music.

berger's style is definitely worthy of hootenannies, as it is full of sassy bluegrass licks and kicks. i wasn't really able to pick which of her songs that i enjoyed the most, because they are all freakin fantastic, so i will let y'all decide for yourselves. but if you like fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and upright basses, then you'll dig her tunes.

she gets together with some fabulous pickers from the Philadelphia area, also known as the howling harpies :)

they're so up and coming that there aren't even any youtube videos of them or links to songs on any other website. so you will have to check out berger's myspace page HERE.

i hope y'all will enjoy her music as much as i do, as well as the other work that berger is doing. check it all out and rock on!

the end.
<3, meggo

(me and berger...doin some glamor shots poses)

Marty's Kitchen :: The Greencards

Another Guest Blogger!!! Kelsey

I was talking to Meghan about this music blog during my 18 hour drive back up to Minneapolis, MN where I go to school, and I immediately thought of posting a song by The Greencards. I was first introduced to these guys at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, which a Texas sized, Texas themed, Christmas market, complete with local artisans selling their wares and local musicians entertaining the crowds with some good tunes.

The members of The Greencards came from far and wide, hence their name, to Austin, TX where they started their career and where their most loyal fans still reside. They are now signed to a label in Nashville, but they can sell out a show in Austin within hours!

The band members are as follows:
Carol Young (AUSTRALIA)- vocals/bass
Kym Warner (AUSTRALIA)- vocals/mandolin/bouzouki
Eamon McLoughlin (ENGLAND)- vocals/violin/viola/chello

So, as an homage to my homeland, I give you "Marty's Kitchen" by The
Greencards. This song doesn't have any lyrics, and the video quality isn't the greatest, but you can definitely hear some serious musical jamming going on! Enjoy!!!

Light Enough To Travel :: The Be Good Tanyas

My apologies for the late-posting this week. My grannies had my undivided attention on Thursday and Friday.

Since moving from D.C. to Ohio, I have made several visits back to the District, during which I have spent some time with my friend Joanie, a fellow folk-music junkie. Joanie and I like to things like pretend we are old men and sit on the porch drinking tea on late summer evenings, or hold large musical gatherings called "Hootenannies" during which we stomp our feet and play guitar. And maybe pretend to play the banjo. And make pancakes. All of this requires a soundtrack and recently, I have been playing nonstop an album by a group Joanie introduced me to: "Blue Horse," by the Be Good Tanyas. Although the album has several great songs, including "The Littlest Birds" and "Lakes of Pontchartrain," my current favorite is "Light Enough to Travel." You can listen to the song on Youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cwkFySJmEJY or here:



Enjoy :-)

More on the Be Good Tanyas:
http://myspace.com/thebegoodtanyas
http://www.begoodtanyas.com/

Light Enough To Travel::The Be Good Tanyas

Wound up drunk again on Robson St.
Strange cuz we always agreed
At the start of every evening
That's the last place I wanna be
Coffee drinkers dressed in black with no sugar
They don't give me no respect
They say look her comes another one
And I don't know what they mean yet

And I say
Keep it light enough to travel...
Don't let it all unravel
Keep it light enough to travel

Promise me we won't go into the nightclub
I feel so fucked up when I'm in there
Can't tell the bouncers from the customers
And I don't know which ones I prefer

Promise me we won't go into the nightclub
I really think that it's obscene
What kind of people go to meet people
Someplace they can't be heard or seen

Keep it light enough to travel...
Don't let it all unravel
Keep it light enough to travel

I broke the windows of the logging company
Just to get a little release
I had to throw down my accordion
To get away from the police

And I say...

Keep it light enough to travel...