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Grace Potter picks her top protest songs
Live Music Beth
March 20, 2008
And she was
an American girl

I think Tom Petty said that.

Check this out: Grace Potter in an American flag, and nothing else. Well... and a pair of kick-ass boots. But nothing else! Unless she's wearing underwear. But nothing else!

For the latest (and‚ unfortunately‚ the last) issue of Harp -- rest in peace -- Grace shared her picks for the five best protest songs. In honor of both protest and our current cover story‚ I will defiantly add to her list.

I hereby add Nathan Moore's "Fat King of Gods" to the list. You may know this song from Surprise Me Mr. Davis' EP‚ Only In Montreal‚ where it appears as a live cut recorded by someone I just mentioned in another blog post‚ Cleantone. You can listen to another version by going to PercyBoyd.com and clicking on the jukebox‚ chock-full of Nathan home recordings‚ albums cuts and songs from live shows. "Fat King" is the first song in the alphabetical list (it has a "14" at the beginning of the title).

And I also add Nathan's aptly titled "Protest Song." You can listen to it at the MySpace page of another project of Nathan's‚ ThaMuseMeant.

Protest Song
It's hard to write a protest song‚
to love your enemy‚ to know right from wrong.
It's hard to know what to say
in such strange company. Who to Jesus pray
while sending children to their graves.
He was not a soldier. No‚ Jesus saves.
Show me‚ show me- where Jesus said
the righteous should be soldiers‚ the wicked should be dead.
Oo hypocrite! You boil my blood!
Worshiping warplanes and posing for good.
Kneeling on sunday in a three piece suit.
Commanding on monday your guns to shoot.
Worse by far than any I know‚
So how do I love thee‚ how do i go?
I sing for my living. I sing for my lord.
I know a song can be a prayer. I know a song can be a sword.
So I know how hard it is to choose-
O Mr. President‚ just looking at you.
It's hard not to write a protest song.
To love your enemy. To know right from wrong.
It's hard to know what to say
in such strange company who to Jesus pray.

Ahhhh‚ protest. Sweet‚ sweet protest. Thanks‚ Grace‚ for starting this off. It was nice to collaborate with you.

And Grace will be her own resolve
and she will dance at every chance aloft

Nathan Moore said that. New video for Beck's "Timebomb"
Live Music Beth
March 17, 2008
A video for "Timebomb‚" the single Beck released last November‚ is up on The YouTube. It uses images from artist Chris Jordan's exhibition Running the Numbers‚ which uses images to depict statistics on American consumerism - 410‚000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes‚ for example.

Here's the video. And after you watch that‚ check out this page on Chris Jordan's site‚ which shows the images in detail. Very‚ very cool.

The only show that ever made me cry...
Live Music Beth
March 13, 2008
And that's a good thing.

The audio preservationist we all know as "Cleantone" has made available a very special Slip show -- New Year's Eve 2004 at the Narrows Center in Fall River‚ Mass.

In the interest of finding a "lost New Year‚" The Slip took us through their career‚ starting with the old and ending with the new. They climaxed with "If One of Us Should Fall‚" the point where the intensity and beauty of it all led me to tears. And not wet-in-the-corners-of-my-eyes tears. Full-on sobbing. Ahem.

The music‚ the people surrounding me‚ the specialness - it was all incredible. It's a point in my life that I look forward to seeing again as it rushes past me when that time comes. Am I being overdramatic? Yes. But‚ fuck‚ it was a moment. And they felt it too; they chose to not do an encore‚ saying that there was "nowhere to go from there" and that they wanted to leave it at that. Indeed.

This all can be yours: BitTorrent‚ baby.

Many thanks to The Slip for creating these sounds, and many thanks to Cleantone for capturing them. Mary Ann caught with Mary Jane
Garret K. Woodward
March 13, 2008
[Editor's Note: Our former intern got all growed-up and landed himself a newspaper job‚ right where the action is...]

On Feb. 29‚ Dawn E. Wells‚ 69‚ of Driggs was sentenced to five days in jail‚ fined $410.50 as well as placed on six months unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving stemming from a Oct. 2007 incident.

Seventh District Magistrate Judge Colin Luke ultimately removed the jail sentence.

During the Oct. 18 traffic stop on Hwy 33‚ Teton County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez‚ who is currently on a paid suspension from the force in an unrelated matter‚ pulled over the "Gilligan's Island" actress after noticing her weaving erratically towards the center line.

According to the police report‚ Gutierrez smelled a strong odor of marijuana as he approached the vehicle. When asked about the smell‚ Wells claimed she had given three hitchhikers a ride and when she dropped them off at the corner of Bates Rd. and Main St. in Driggs‚ they started to smoke something as they got out.

A subsequent search of vehicle yielded four half-smoked joints‚ which were found in the ashtray‚ the center console and the backseat ashtray.

Wells was then arrested after a failed sobriety test and booked on charges‚ which included driving under the influence‚ possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Pleading not guilty to all charges‚ Wells posted the $4‚000 bond and was released.

A local celebrity‚ Wells is the founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of Spud Fest‚ Teton Valley's annual family movie festival. I will always love Madonna
Live Music Beth
March 11, 2008
I spent a good portion of my youth listening to Madonna records. Like a Virgin was my very first album purchase. And when I wasn't just listening‚ I was lip-synching to Madonna songs. I dressed up in miniskirts‚ jelly bracelets‚ red lipstick and a painted-on mole‚ complete with Aqua Net. My big brother Jim took my best friend and me to the theater to see Who's That Girl. I loved it. Loved it! I remember being enthralled watching Truth or Dare on HBO. I even did a terrible rendition of "Vogue" at Darien Lake at one of those You Can Sing booths. They lied: I can't. And just a few weeks ago I pulled up True Blue on Rhapsody and belted it out (even though I still can't sing). I didn't have on the jellies and the hair spray... but it was still so good.

Madonna was inspiration to this little '80s girl. I will always, always, always love Madonna. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. Check out her acceptance speech:

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