07/07:  Song of the Day.  The New Pornographers–My Slow Descent into Alcoholism

Well the smoke from the weekend (both of fireworks and otherwise) is finally beginning to clear.  The coals in the grill have finally died down and I have to say, that if I see another slice of watermelon anytime soon I swear I will run away in horror.   The July 4th weekend, with its mix of debauchery and patriotism, is finally behind us and now it’s time to head back to the grind. 

To be honest I actually feel like I need another weekend to recover from my weekend.  It’s been a busy couple of days and there’s quite a bit to get caught up on.  I managed to navigate the high seas of Charlottesville on Saturday evening during the torrential rains that dumped as much as two inches of rain an hour and saw a truly killer show at the Pavilion with the Black Crowes and Grace Potter.  Then last night, I saw another stellar performance at the Gravity as the legendary Bill Kirchen twanged and banged his way through two hours of Telecaster fueled rock, swing, blues, and country.  And to top it off, there’s still a couple of great shows to talk about that are coming up this week.  Busy, busy, busy.

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While there are a lot of great music performances coming up this weekend (Black Crowes, Jesse Winchester, and Bill Kirchen to name just three), all eyes will be on the skies come Friday evening as fireworks will light up July 4th in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.  There are a number of 4th of July events on tap and Haidee over at cvilleStyle has the details a-plenty.  Check ‘em out here:  Guide to July 4 festivities in Cville.  As for your music calendar for the holiday weekend…. 

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07/03:  Song of the Day.  Jimi Hendrix–The Star-Spangled Banner

In keeping with our continuing 4th of July theme this week, there really is no way I could avoid posting this one.  Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, playing the Star-Spangled Banner is a must-hear for me every 4th of July, in much the same that I have to hear Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacre” on Thanksgiving and Cheech & Chong’s “Santa Claus and His Old Lady” at Christmas.

This was essentially the last big performance of Woodstock and actually took place on Monday morning after almost two-thirds of the estimated 500,000 people had already left.  Hendrix, playing here with the band he called Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, performed one of the longest concerts of his brief career at the festival (nearly two hours long) and closed his set with this version of the Star-Spangled Banner that we’ve all come to know and love.

Take it away Jimi!  [video after the break]

And Happy 4th of July everyone!

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Here’s a little something for those of you out there that wouldn’t mind adding a little wine to your Independence Day celebration before heading out to catch the fireworks.  Afton Mountain Vineyards is having an Independence Day Celebration on Friday, July 4th with live music, simple picnic fare, and of course…Wine!  The vineyard opens to visitors at 10am and the event runs until 7pm, leaving you plenty of time to get back and check all things sparkling, booming, and exploding.

Live music begins around noon and ends at 6pm with performances by Beleza Brasil and a flamenco guitar duo.  Admission price is $4 ($3 is you’re a wine club member), children under 12 get in free.  While you’re there, grab a cup of Shinko’s Gazpacho and feel free to bring your own picnic lunch.  If you’ve never been, it’s a beautiful setting!  In addition, Afton Mountain Vineyards will be releasing their 2007 vintage Pinot Noir and Sangiovese.  For more info, give them a call.  540.456.8667.  For directions, click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

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Time for another mix tape.  This will be the sixth edition in our continuing series of reader submitted song selections.  I tossed around the idea of pulling out a previously submitted theme, but with the 4th of July coming up at the end of the week, I thought we’d use this particular mix tape to celebrate Independence Day.

There’s a lot of different ways we could go about this, but here’s where I think I’m going to take it.  We’re going to do a Side A and a Side B, with each side having a different theme.  I’m going to give you the Side A theme first.  Once we fill up Side A (10 songs), then I’ll give you the theme for Side B (10 songs).  Got it?  Hopefully by now everyone knows how this works.  As always, we add our gentle reminder:  Please add a video URL link with your song submission.  First come, first serve and in order to allow more folks to play:  1 submission per person per side.

SIDE A THEME:  Red, White, and Blue (songs with one or more of those words in the title)
SIDE B THEME:  Aint’ That America

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