I may just be a little oblivious, but I never realized that corn beef and cabbage was an Irish-American tradition.

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.

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!