For Fans of Peter Laughner

I received an email from Don Harvey this morning with some links that you may very much enjoy. Per Dr. Harvey's instructions, download and disseminate widely and be sure to throw shame on anyone trying to charge for these.

Peter Laughner’s high school band, Mr. Charlie, was a real fun bunch of guys, and ahead of their time in many ways. Here’s a link to some high quality stereo recordings of five songs Mr. Charlie performed at Bayway, in Bay Village, Ohio, in August, 1969. Includes “Waiting for the Man” and “Ferryboat Bill”, and more. Feel free to download these files and enjoy. But please, don’t resell these in any form. More on Mr. Charlie can be found by googling “Those were different times” by Charlotte Pressler.
Part 1: http://www25.zippyshare.com/v/JbGuhwm9/file.html 
Part 2: http://www25.zippyshare.com/v/IgifGPVA/file.html

The complete Ann Arbor Tapes are available for free download through the following link: http://www25.zippyshare.com/v/BI1A9TVM/file.html. It includes previously unreleased recording of "Fire Engine" and "Candy Say", in addition to Story of My Life, Blank Generation, Dead Letter Zone, Amphetamine, and Venus de Milo. Peter Laughner: guitar and vocals, Don Harvey: reed organ, bass and backup vocals on Candy Says. Enjoy, and spread the word to anyone you think would like them, just please don't sell them.

Oxford American 2010 Music Issue

Among the many items I have been remiss in posting is a plug for the 2010 Oxford American music issue.  I have an article in this issue on Vern Gosdin and the Gosdin Brothers that's halfway to decent.  But my contributions are lifted by the stellar quality of the writing throughout.  Buy it!

In the meantime, here's a link to an interview with OA editor (and all-around helluva guy) Marc Smirnoff.

A Word Of Endorsement For Austin-Area Home Remodelers and Repairers

In getting our house on the market we've hired a bunch of contractors over the last two months, and I want to say a word of endorsement for each of them and encourage any readers in the Austin area to hire these guys for any work they need to do on their house.

Bathroom/Tile work: Pedro Hernandez of P & J Tile.  We had a broken shower pan the entire 8 years we've lived in that house, and we never came up with the money to repair it. Pedro gave us an excellent estimate, had his crew at the house working late every night, and made our new bathroom my favorite in the house.  Why didn't we do this earlier?  (512) 947-1535.

Plumbing: John Boone of John Boone Plumbing.  Pedro found a leak that rotted out the wood holding up the shower stall and recommended Boone to come repair the plumbing side.  John came out that day and did the work necessary to keep the remodel on schedule, then came back to finish the install when P & J were done.  John's a good guy and does good work at a reasonable price.  (512) 577-6833.

Landscape: Jeff Maxwell at Garden Gnome Landscaping.  Jeff installed two amazing gardens at the house: a rain garden in the back yard and a lovely garden in the front.  Both use native plants exclusively and add some considerable appeal to our yard.  Jeff's a great guy, too, and he worked with our budget to come up with the best possible garden for our money.  (512) 940-4761, website here.

Contract Broker: Valerie Tait at Connecting Contractors 360.  Valerie was recommended by our cleaning company (endorsement to come).  She found the right painter for our house immediately and never anything other than upbeat and professional.  tait.paint@gmail.com or (512) 699-4008.

Exterior Painting/Floors: Erick Gerdeman at Urban Painting.  Erick was the right painter and floor guy for the house who Valerie found for us.  He made the exterior pop, found a better color for both front and back doors, and buffed our floors to a fine gleam.  Not too pricey, either!  Erick was a fantastic guy to work with, too.  erickgerdeman@sbcglobal.net or (512) 745-0706.

Cleaning: Holly Moore at Maids and Moore.  Holly had been our cleaner of choice for a while, but I figured I would give her a mention here.  Her cleaners put the necessary final touches on the house, and when they were our biweekly cleaners, kept our lives in some order.  holly@maidsandmoore.net or (512) 731-2145.

Handyman: Dan Bednar.  Dan's our neighborhood handyman.  When you're dealing with a handyman, you want a smart, creative guy who can solve a wide array of problems.  Dan's not just sharp and creative but his prices are better than most, too.  If you're in Austin, especially Windsor Park, you should have Dan's number on your speed dial.  danbednar@yahoo.com or (512) 799-3514.