Video Premiere: "Swimmy Swim" - Little Miss Ann

One little conversation at an Elizabeth Mitchell concert, and before you know it Jeff Giles and Bill Childs are working on a Woody Guthrie tribute album.  It's called Keep Hoping Machine Running (the title is from list of New Year's resolutions from Woody in 1942), and it's being released July 31 on Childs' Spare the Rock Records.  Appropriately enough, given the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth, all net proceeds from sales will benefit the Woody Guthrie Foundation.

You can read more from Jeff about the album as well as see the complete tracklist, but I think listening to Chicago's Little Miss Ann perform her contribution ("Swimmy Swim") while a little video scrapbook explains how her track came to be might be even more worthwhile.  As with many of Guthrie's songs, "Swimmy Swim" is pretty simple in its construction, but Little Miss Ann and her band do right by the track.

 Little Miss Ann - "Swimmy Swim" [YouTube]

New Elizabeth Mitchell Woody Guthrie Tribute "Little Seed"

Just as news of They Might Be Giants' releases is worthy of celebration, so is more detailed news of Elizabeth Mitchell's latest album, a tribute to Woody Guthrie in time for the 100th anniversary of his birth.  The album's been in the works for quite some time now, and a couple weeks ago, the album got a title (Little Seed) and a release date.

Now we have a tracklisting and -- even better -- a couple of tracks to listen to.  As with previous albums, Mitchell's accompanied by her husband Daniel Littleton and their daughter Storey.  (She's also got a few guest stars onboard -- Amy Helm, daughter of Levon Helm, and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, among others.)

It's not an entirely new album -- it does feature 5 previously-released tracks along with the 8 new recordings.  But if you're familiar with the previously-released tracks, then you'll be eagerly awaiting the new stuff.  Go here to listen to "Bling Blang" and "This Land Is Your Land."  Those two tracks definitely whet your appetite for the rest of the album.

TRACK LIST (new tracks in italics):
1. Riding in My Car
2. Bling Blang
3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
4. Why, Oh Why
5. Sleep Eye
6. Who's My Pretty Baby?
7. Rattle My Rattle
8. This Land Is Your Land
9. Merry-Go-Round
10. One Day Old
11. Little Sugar
12. Grassy Grass Grass
13. Little Seed

So, the New Sarah Lee Guthrie / Johnny Irion Kids' CD Is Pretty Good...

GoWaggaloo_sm.jpgAside from a few scattered mentions, there's been relatively little news regarding Go Waggaloo!, the upcoming kids' album from Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion. Well, now that the album's got an official cover (there to the left in near thumbnail sizing), a press release, and a release date (October 27), you're probably going to hear quite a bit more about it. Still not impressed (many albums, after all, are released with, you know, an album cover, press release, and on an official date)? Well, it's being released on Smithsonian Folkways (perhaps you've heard her labelmates such as Ella Jenkins, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, or Elizabeth Mitchell?). Oh, did I mention Sarah Lee Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's granddaughter, and she records new music for three of her grandfather's lyrics, a la Mermaid Avenue. Did I mention that Pete Seeger plays on the album? Well, there's another reason I'm particularly excited...