“Do The Gator” by Root Boy Slim & the Sex Change Band, w/the Rootettes from their 2nd album, “Zoom.” Thanks to Richard Violin!

I’m on the road this weekend, heading to Ohio to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday. This song reminds me of the first (and last) time she ever smoked pot. We lived in New Jersey at the time, and my dad was out of town on business. Our next-door neighbor named Phyllis had scored a joint from a co-worker, and Phyllis invited my mom over to smoke it. But they were so scared to try it they had to get roaring drunk first, just to work up the nerve. By the time mom got home, she was absolutely wasted — I had never seen her that way before, nor have I since. It was a little scary then, but it seems funny now. (H/T to the regular poster “scott,” who suggested this tune from John Prine).

Joe Campbell, a pal of mine in Glenvar who moved here in 2006, owned an audio shop called Resistance Repair in Berkeley many years ago. One day a musician from the next town over walked in, desperate. “My amp has blown and we have our biggest gig ever coming up this weekend,” the guy said. “Can you fix it?” Joe said, “I don’t know. I’ll take a look.” The guy said, “I can’t pay you now — I’ve got no money.” And Joe shrugged and said “If I can fix it, you can pay me later.” Joe was able to repair it in time for the big gig. The musician was John Fogerty, and the band was Creedence Clearwater Revival. Who knows what would have happened if Joe hadn’t performed that emergency repair? They’ve been friends ever since. Now here’s what I want to know: When is John Fogerty going to play Floydfest? Because I would pay to see that.

“The Harder they Come,” by Jimmy Cliff

By Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

By now you may be getting tired of listening to the Tea Party ramble on about weird United Nations conspiracies and other threats to the American dream.

Recently they’ve come up with a new bogeyman, which over generations has subversively insinuated itself deep into the fabric of southern Appalachia: Bluegrass music.

On the surface, fiddlers and banjoers don’t look like the one-world government gang. But certain extremists view them as witting and unwitting tools in the latest devious land grab: efforts to have the Crooked Road heritage music trail designated as a National Heritage Area.

The Southwest Virginia Tea Party, which covers Abingdon, Bristol and Washington County, is leading the charge against this.

Bizarrely, they’re gaining traction. Last week, Russell County supervisors passed a resolution of nonsupport 4-3. This week, the Washington County supervisors agreed 5-3 to draft such a resolution.

As you might expect, opponents of the heritage-area designation link the Crooked Road to Agenda 21, the reputedly nefarious U.N. scheme to take over land-use planning all over the world. The facts are somewhat less alarming. Read more »

Solomon Burke — Fast Train

Root Boy Slim, and “Eviction Blues.”

I chose this tune because it indirectly relates to my upcoming Sunday column, a story of how a house guest became a “tenant,” and ultimate got her host and “landlord” temporarily kicked out of her own home.

H/T to “Richard Violin,” who’s been bombarding YouTube with Slim tunes, including some rare unreleased outtakes.

Sam Cooke and “Chain Gang”

When we’re not cranking up the Root Boy Slim, or the Persuasions, here’s the music that gets played the most in the Casey household. Ladies and gentlemen — Sarah Vaughn,and “Misty.”

Always intelligent, always acerbic: Root Boy Slim & Sex Change Band w/the Rootettes, on “Motel of Love.”