Monday, August 31, 2015

Spirit Moves (TOTR 231)



Rising Appalachia – Bright Morning Stars/Botawak
MaMuse – Glorious
Elbow – One Day Like This
Ray Stinnett – Naturally High
Woods – With Light & With Love
Langhorne Slim & The Law – Spirit Moves
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Howling At Nothing
Judah & The Lion – Somewhere In-Between
Jason Isbell – 24 Frames
Langhorne Slim & The Law – Meet Again
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Thank You
Rev. Yolanda – God Is
MC Yogi – Namaste
Matisyahu – Searchin
MC Yogi – Heaven Is Here
Rev. Yolanda – Sweet Sweet Spirit
Khrysso – Come Creator Spirit
The Waterboys – Spirit
Ray Stinnett – Loves In The Answer
Woods – Shepherd
Alice Coltrane – Hare Krishna
MaMuse – Hallelujah
Gungor – Land of the Living


Monday, August 24, 2015

We're Not A Small Town! Ten Things I Wish Every Incoming Student, Tourist, and Retiree Knew About Cookeville!



1. Cookeville is not a small town. Byrdstown, Woodbury, Red Boiling Springs -- these are small towns. Cookeville is a “micropolitan” college town, which means we have a lot in common with bigger places like Knoxville and the Boro. Just hang out in the traffic on Willow Avenue to be cured of the notion that there is nobody here doing nothing.

2. There is something to do on the weekend. Things may be slower around the Tech campus on Saturday and Sunday, but there is theater, art, and live music in the clubs, bars, churches, streets, and parks. This weekend you can hear live music from a huge variety of folks at Art in the Alley, an outdoor festival near Cookeville’s square from Noon until 7pm on Saturday! 

3. We have great local coffeehouses! As a serious coffee drinker who travels a lot, I rely on Starbucks to get me through, but if the only coffeehouse you check out is the campus Starbucks, you are missing out. Cookeville has some great local coffeehouses, with Poets on the Square being the real icon and hangout space for conversation and the occasional live music. But for a real gem and the best frozen coffee drinks I have ever had, try Perk Up on Jefferson (near Hobby Lobby). The people who run Perk Up are so genuine and nice, too!

4. WalMart is not the only store. You don’t ever need to go there. I go once or twice a year for some masochistic proletarian check-in with mass culture. I have heard that if you must Wal-Mart, the Algood Walmart is better than the Cookeville Wal-Mart. 

5. Local food sustains us. Green markets are everywhere. We have two excellent Farmers’ Markets! Check out the original farmers’ market on Mahler street, north of First and near the railroad tracks. Or the Downtown Green Market in the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church, on Broad at Dixie, adjacent to Dogwood Park. 

6. We love our waterfalls but be careful. The people at Cummins Falls State Park aren’t kidding! Please be safe! Wear hiking sandals or sturdy water shoes, not flip flops or high heels. When they say bring a backpack and not a plastic shopping bag, they mean it. When they say the hike to the falls is strenuous, they aren’t bluffing. When they say people have fallen from the rocks or drowned to meet their maker there, they are telling the truth. This is one of the best parks in the world, and I go as often as I can. But be safe not stupid. Be prepared!

7. Walking is for everyone. Don’t drive your car everywhere. Walk to Sherlock Park or the Quad on campus or walk downtown to Dogwood Park and then the West Side. A short drive can take you to Cane Creek Park for more walking. Jaywalking on Dixie at the busiest times of day is dangerous. Look both ways and use the crosswalks!

8. Being a vinyl-collecting hipster isn’t just for people from Nashville. Check out Compact Discovery at the old Cookeville mall for great used records and new records on Record Store Day. I have gotten great scores there that I never would have found in Nashville ‘s finest record stores and for a fraction of the price. 

9. Health fiends find some good news here. Fast food isn’t just your traditional fast food. Check out the drive thru juice bar on Jackson near Staples. The Turn Around is your place for great juices as well as salads and sandwiches. 

10. This is the Bible belt but not all the churches are conservative. If conservative is your thing, there are lots of churches to choose from, but Cookeville also has a growing group of religious progressives and liberals. For an open-minded and social justice-oriented faith community, check out the United Church of Cookeville, First Presbyterian Church, Unity Church of the Cumberlands, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cookeville

Wonderful (TOTR 230)


My Morning Jacket – At Dawn
Fifth On The Floor – One Big Holiday
Lucius – Wonderful
Yim Yames – My Sweet Lord
My Morning Jacket – True Love Ways (Buddy Holly cover)
My Morning Jacket – It Makes No Difference (Band cover) 
My Morning Jacket – Rocket Man (Elton John cover)
My Morning Jacket – Get The Point
My Morning Jacket – Nashville to Kentucky
My Morning Jacket – Phone Went West (Live – Nashville – 8.15.08)
My Morning Jacket – Smokin From Shootin (Live – Nashville – 8.15.08)
My Morning Jacket – Easy Morning Rebel (Live – Atlanta – 8.7.15)
My Morning Jacket – Mahgeetah (Live – Atlanta – 8.7.15)
My Morning Jacket – Steam Engine
My Morning Jacket – Tropics (Erase Traces)
My Morning Jacket – Gideon
My Morning Jacket – What A Wonderful Man
Jim James – All Is Forgiven
My Morning Jacket – Librarian (Live – Nashville – 8.15.08)

My Morning Jacket – Wonderful 

Monday, August 17, 2015

Rocky Mountain High (TOTR 229)








Allen Stone – Rocky Mountain High
My Morning Jacket – Leaving on a Jet Plane
John Denver – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
John Denver – I Wish I Could Have Been There (Woodstock)
John Denver – Blow Up Your TV
John Denver – Readjustment Blues
John Denver – City Of New Orleans
John Denver – Paradise

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – Colorado Song
The Flying Burrito Brothers – Colorado   
Stephen Stills – Colorado
Steve Earle – Colorado Girl
Matthews Southern Comfort – Colorado Springs Eternal
The String Cheese Incident – Colorado Bluebird Sky (feat Zac Brown Band
Amos Lee – Some Days Are Diamonds
John Denver – Thank God I’m a Country Boy
Jason & The Scorchers – Take Me Home, Country Roads
Blind Pilot – The Eagle and the Hawk
John Denver – Anthem - Revelation
John Denver – Follow Me
John Denver – Annie’s Song
John Denver – Sweet Surrender
John Denver – Poems, Prayers and Promises
Train – Sunshine On My Shoulders
John Denver – Rocky Mountain High


Monday, August 10, 2015

Walk Unafraid (TOTR 228)


Bobbie Gentry – Glory Hallelujah, How They’ll Sing
First Aid Kit – Walk Unafraid
Kory Wheeler – Wild & Free
Jason Isbell – Something More Than Free
Free – Be My Friend
Leonard Cohen – Suzanne
Roger McGuinn – Ballad Of Easy Rider
Simon & Garfunkel – If I Could
Anela Lauren – Box of Rain
Grateful Dead – Ripple
Shakey Graves – Only Son
The Dartmouth Decibelles – Southern Cross
The Grassmasters – Ezekiel Saw The Wheel
My Morning Jacket – Believe
Gungor – Us for Them
The Liturgists – Let the Waters
Donny Hathaway – Voice Inside (Everything Is Everything)
Nina Simone – New World Coming
Luther Allison – Sweet Home Chicago
Krishna Das – Jesus On The Main Line
Amy Barnes – Shiva Gospel
Stefan Waligur – For The Love Of The People
R.E.M. – Walk Unafraid (Live In Dublin)
Joe Cocker – Let It Be