"Raspberry Beret", Warren Zevon

Yes, technically, Hindu Love Gods perform this version.  But the Love Gods were, in essence, R.E.M - but with Warren on vocals in place of Michael Stipe.  Anyway, it's no secret around these parts how much the IBL staff adore and still, to this day, desperately miss Mr. Zevon.  And so I thought we'd say goodbye to August 2012 with his (okay - their) cover of what is also our favorite Prince song.  And I'm going to assume you are familiar with the original...

Raspberry Beret...


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And What, Pray Tell, Is at the Foot of Your Bed?

"Sunrise", Ryan Bingham

Just couldn't help myself after posting the last one; I wanted to get one of his originals out there, too.  Although Mr. Bingham has several brilliant songs, I believe this is my favorite (though perhaps not the most brilliant) - I'd go see him live on the off chance he'd play this one...

You could lead a blind man out of Vietnam...

Sunrise by Ryan Bingham...


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"To Live Is To Fly", Ryan Bingham

Ryan Bingham is all of 30 years old and has four albums under his belt, as well as an Academy Award (along with T-Bone Burnett, I believe) for The Weary Kind from the film Crazy Heart (Ryan also appears in the movie early on as the guitarist playing with Bad Blake in, as I recall, a bowling alley).  At any rate, he is currently touring America, and then headed to Europe, and he does a very nice live show I have to say, but I would add this caveat - I have only seen him once, and the show I saw was a little more on the rock and blues side as opposed to, let's say, the "roots" side, or the gentle quiet found here.  I would see him again, but would hope for a little more balance.  (Also: in an album review a couple of years ago, Rolling Stone referred to him as "sounding like Steve Earle's grandfather".  Not sure if I agree with that, but I do think it's a funny line.)

Lately Ryan has been recording acoustic covers and posting them via Twitter; last week he recorded To Live Is To Fly, and since I'd done Townes' original yesterday, I thought I'd add this one today...


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"To Live Is To Fly", Townes Van Zandt

Honestly, at first I wasn't quite sure I liked Townes Van Zandt.  To be fair to him, I hadn't heard a ton of songs, and the one that was most famous to me, Pancho and Lefty, I'd heard done by a variety of artists before I ever heard his version - artists, I might add, who, at a sonic glance, would appear to have better voices than TVZ (Emmylou and Delbert McClinton spring to mind).  But then, one day in Tacoma, summer of 2011, I heard To Live Is To Fly for the first time and, when it was over, I backed it up and played it again.  And that was it.  For me, it was the key that unlocked everything else - it occurred to me that here was a song that wasn't so much about the singing per se, but about the way his voice inhabited the song.  Or, to put that another way, for me there is no distinction between the song itself, the actual words and music on paper, and Townes giving voice to those words - they are one and the same, simultaneously beautiful and haunting.  And that allowed me to look at his other work in a new light.  And, so -

To Live Is To Fly by Townes Van Zandt...

Also, in these very pages (8/14/12), you can find a link to Townes performing Pancho and Lefty if you are so inclined...


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A Reminder From Iotaprime With Regard to All Images Appearing in This, the IBL Universe

"For all posts, click on image to see a larger view."

This was left as a comment - I wanted to get it front and center should it be useful information to YOU...



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"Ecce Homo" by Bryan Daniel

Original artwork by Bryan Daniel (known as iotaprime around these parts), based on an original photograph from the IBL studios (snapped by Danielle McArthur) which appeared in its initial form in this space on 8/19/12.


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