Thanks to the New Yorker for this fine piece on Ry Cooder. His new album, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, adds to his long tradition of singing about working people using incredibly inventive chops.

Ry Cooder is near the top of our all-time-faves list and we are so excited to share this new tune from his forthcoming Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down which hits the street on August 30.

If you’ve ever wondered where the MP3 form of audio encryption was born and how it came to dominate and change the industry, check out this interesting piece by Jacob Ganz and Joel Rose posted today at NPR Music.

Proceeds from the sale of Pearl Jam’s new video for “Amongst the Waves” on iTunes will benefit Conservation International’s Ocean Campaign. The video is beautiful and resonates deeply; please feel free to post it to your station’s web site to help spread the word about this worthy cause.

The noise from radical bloviators is sometimes so loud that we imagine them to be as influential as they’d have us think they are. New York Times conservative columnist, David Brooks, offers a very thoughtful examination of their actual effect in the ballot box.

But if we have to vote for our favorite bloviator, Stephen Colbert wins hands down. This is one if his best rants ever!

I grew up in Northeast Ohio and was delighted to find this creative plan to split our differences with the other half of the state. Love to know what you think.

The past few weeks have been seriously unkind to the lightning rod Governor of Alaska and it’s clear that Senator McCain needs to consider advice being offered him by conservatives such as George Will, David Brooks and William Kristol to dump her from the ticket. But who would be the right pick to save his faltering campaign? Rosanne Cash has bravely offered to join up and offers a humorously cogent argument for why she’s more qualified than Ms. Palin.

  

Don’t vote. Who cares? (Certainly not Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker, Jonah Hill and Sarah Silverman.)

This is one of the most extraordinary times in our nation’s history. Following the events of 9/11 and our (over)reaction, two never-ending wars, Katrina and its legacy, Gitmo, the evisceration of the Department of Justice and so many other departments entrusted to look out for the best interests of the American people, and now, with four months remaining on their clock, this amazing plea for another super-sized bailout following closely on the heels of aid to investment banks, brokerage houses and mortgage insurers the President gives yet another speech advising us to be very afraid. In it, he actually cites the historic legislation created by F.D.R. in response to another crisis brought on by unfettered, unregulated greed. Irony so thick you can cut it with a knife. Through it all I’ve been wondering if someone in Congress feels as I do. Well, here she is. Meet Marcy Kaptur:

Like everyone in our musical community, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Dee Henderson, the longtime voice of Cap’n Pete’s Blues Cruise on WEVL/Memphis. Though it goes without saying that Henderson is being mourned by loved ones and colleagues, as a 26-year member of the Memphis music world, the sudden loss of this distinctive cultural voice is felt far and wide.

 

As we know from our dialogue with radio stations across the country, DJs can truly change lives and shape communities as they accompany listeners through their daily lives. In public radio, this connection is epitomized in the very mission of shared ideas. As a volunteer, Henderson contributed to the oral tradition of American history through his extensive knowledge of the blues, and shared with his listeners something we all hold so dear; a pure and simple love of music.

We hope you’ll take a moment to read this eloquent New York Times tribute to a music lover.