Why the Hell Aren't You Listening to...

The Wounded Astronaut by Anders Parker. Smart psych-folk-pop-singer songwriter stuff.

Blues for the Red Sun by Kyuss. You’ll like it as much as anything Black Sabbath ever put out.

Anything by Jason Falkner. Really. Anything isn’t the name of one of his CDs; I mean anything with his name on the spine will do.

Merle Haggard. One of the greatest C&W songwriters ever is still alive and kickin’ (somehow).

Particle. This is what Muzak should sound like. Funky, creative, driving, wordless and still inspiring while somehow sidestepping the jam band pitfalls. Mostly.

“Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff. This is the song that should be getting played to death instead of “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge. So gorgeous and heartfelt that you’ll consider having it played at your funeral before you snap out of your reverie and realize that it’s a tad overwrought and really doesn’t describe your life accurately anyway.

Solid State Warrior by Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. Over a decade later, one of the Jellyfish primaries finally puts out a CD, and it’s pretty freakin’ good.

Dock Boggs. If bluegrass has a Robert Johnson, it's Dock Boggs.

Anything by Galactic. “Kid Kenner” should have made these guys a household name.

Burnside on Burnside by RL Burnside. Electric blues in the purest sense of the word. More raucous than the Stones have been since… ever.

Size Matters by Helmet. You’ll find yourself wondering whether you like them having catchy choruses and harmony vocals. Then you’ll listen to it 100 more times while you try to decide and realize that you like it for the remaining elements of the Helmet sound anyway.

There Must Be a Better World Somewhere by BB King. Oh wait, I know… even though it won a Grammy, it’s out of print. And that’s why I’m not listening to it either. And you know, something is just awfully wrong with that.