A Plethora of New Music in the Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine's Trail Mix

Last month we stumbled upon Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine's Trail Mix series where they feature musicians tailored for the great outdoors. We have recently reviewed many of these songs or they are waiting in our cue for a later review. (Annie Ford Band, Chase Gassaway - Certain Circles, The Farewell Drifters - Tomorrow Forever, Levi Lowrey, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, Charlie Parr, The Steel Wheels, and Travis Book) Put them in your cue now - we guarantee you will enjoy it. Click the images to download the entire month's songs or each link for single mp3. Cheers.

1. Odessa – I Will Be There
2. Adrian Krygowski – Roam
3. Cahalen Morrison and Eli West – James is Out
4. Charlie Parr – Clearlake
5. Chase Gassaway – Feeling Good
6. Dirk Powell – Rollin’ Round This Town
7. Drive-By Truckers – Pauline Hawkins
8. Hurray For The Riff Raff – I Know It’s Wrong
9. Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition – White Angel
10. Lake Street Dive – Bad Self Portraits
11. Levi Lowrey – Picket Fences
12. Lydia Loveless – To Love Somebody
13. Naomi Wachira – Burn Me
14. Nate Jones – Another Night, Another Town
15. Nicole Atkins – Girl You Look Amazing
16. Peggy Sue – Idle
17. Robert Ellis – Only Lies
18. Scott Biram – When I Die.mp3
19. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Call Me
20. The Deer Run Drifters – Burn
21. The Far West – On The Road
22. Farewell Drifters – Modern Age

1. Railroad Earth – When the Sun Gets in Your Blood
2. Annie Ford Band – Buick 1966
3. Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – South
4. Elizabeth & The Catapult – Like It Never Happened
5. Iain Matthews – Ghost Changes
6. Leo Welch – Praise His Name
7. Lone Justice – Nothing Can Stop My Loving You
8. Los Lonely Boys – Blame It On Love
9. Mode Moderne – Baby Bunny
10. Sleepy Sun – Galaxy Punk
11. The Blushin’ Roulettes – Purple Clouds
12. The Pixies – Blue Eyed Hexe
13. The Railsplitters – Jackson Town
14. The Sacred Shakers – All Day, All Night
15. The Steel Wheels – Winters Coming
16. Travis Book – 50 Miles of Elbow Room

Album Review: Chase Gassaway - Certain Circles

If I ever found the courage to write songs, Chase Gassaway, would be the songwriter I would try to emulate; he is the antithesis of the mindless pop-country crap now in fashion. His upcoming release - Certain Circles - is a must listen as it contains songs with meaning, songs that lead to self-inspection, and songs that inspire.  Coming at the beginning of a new year when most of us review the previous year and seek to make changes in the new, this Austin based musician provides some lessons. There are self-inspecting words such as: "when the conversation in your heart makes you question everything you are" or "I think I'm overrated, I have no excuse, nothing seems to make me inspired.." or  "when the ship goes down, who will you save, ...will the lifeboat hold all of your silver or all of your gold?"

Then there are the clever lyrics - "I don't need fast machines or TV screens if I have you" or "I've got stories that you will never know, some of them are mine, some of the better ones I stole" or "its got its bruises, everyone was earned, sometimes getting hurt is the only way you learn".

But there is also hope - "we can turn this thing around" and my favorite "there is nothing wrong for feeling good - everybody cries and everybody should but there's nothing wrong for feeling good". I couldn't have said it better myself. And I can't get the opening track Turn This Thing Around - out of my mind - great advice throughout the entire song - show them what you are worth and we can turn this thing around.

All these observations are wrapped in a folksy-pop sound that make the lessons entertaining.  Look out for the January 21st release. I'll be revisiting this CD throughout the year to see how I'm fairing. Pair with Austin based Argus Cidery. Cheers.