This is part 1 of 8. I had not seen or heard of The Point! before, but how can you go wrong with Harry Nilsson and Ringo Star. It is definitely worth watching the whole thing. 

This weeks band is an easy choice, because they are in town. State Radio carries a politically weighted message to most of their music. (ex. Guantanamo, Democracy in Kind or Camilo) My favorites are often when they mix in reggae influence, such as Bohemian Groove or People to People, but the song that gets stuck in my head most frequently is Diner Song. You can listen to most of their new album on MySpace.

All of their albums have been brilliant and Let It Go, their 2009 endeavor, was no exception. I have enjoyed Chad Urmston’s work since his Dispatch days and if you have never heard of these groups check them out, because I the more I listen to, the more I want to hear.

So, we Floridians are in for a treat this week. Wednesday they will be at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale and I am heading up to Orlando for the show at the Social on Thursday.

Looking back through past posts, I was astonished I had not written about Malcolm Palmer. In 2005, he released Between the Womb and the Tomb, which was a beautiful combination of spoken word over an rhythmic acoustic folk. Lyrically, he is brash, honest and not something everyone will like or appreciate. Some of my favorite songs from the first album where Useless Blues, The Sermon and Awkward Situation. The way he structures songs, by telling a story and causing what repetition exists in the chorus to develop with more meaning as the song continues, is something I wish was more common in music.

In June he released a new single and you can check out videos for them on YouTube or hear them on MySpace. Favorites is great fun, but not in his normal storytelling format, so I suggest Polly Prayer or Gasoline. The latter song is actually on a compilation album called Acoustic Chicago, which is also a great selection of artists. I hope that he has some more projects underway and it isn’t another 4 years before he resurfaces.

With groups like ALO and Forest Sun, Santa Barbara is becoming one of my favorite homes for music. Recently, I came across one of Forest Sun’s sessions on onenightmusic.com and realized I had found my online mecca. Whether it is Omnivore with her telephone or Ricky Rodriguez with his ukulele and kazoo, each new session brings out something different and intriguing. Everything is available on the site for download, which makes Ryan Andersen my new hero.

As many musical conversations begin, my brother found Eric Hutchinson’s …Before I Sold Out, which I still listen to more than his first album. Not that Sounds Like This is worse, he is just really good in the instrumental simplicity of a keyboard and guitar in …Before. He keeps a pretty upbeat tempo matched with some catchy lyrics and what feel like uncomplicated melodies. Some of my favorite songs are … just check all of them out!