Turn It Up for Christmas...

Uncovered (Tony Joe White)
Small Change (Tom Waits)
Transformer (Lou Reed)
Magic Potion (Black Keys)
Exit O (Steve Earle & the Dukes)
Classics Vol 8 (Joan Baez)
White Lightning (George Jones)
All-Time Greatest Hits (Everly Brothers)
Annie Up (Pistol Annies)
Frenchman Street (Various New Orleans Artists)
Naughty, Bawdy & Blue (Maria Muldaur)

Who gets what???

A Christmas classic!...

Tom Waits' Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis was the last song on Johnny K's Got the Blues This Christmas (2001), the first of the Johnny K Christmas CD trilogy.  People either hated it (many just ignored it) or loved it.  I think it is one of the most poignant Christmas songs ever.  Here is a live version:

To the boys and girls of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (from NY Times)...

So So Glos (Saturday) These do-it-yourself kingpins from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, founded the grungy, stalwart show space Shea Stadium, which is the base of their identically titled independent record label. They also use that happily trashy space to play their own mesmerizing, expertly assembled garage-rock. Their second album, “Blowout,” has no shortage of quality. With California X, Palehound and others. At 7 p.m., Brooklyn Night Bazaar, 165 Banker Street, near Wythe Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, bkbazaar.com; free. (Anderson)

Louisiana Music Factory To Move To Frenchmen Street...

06 December 2013 — by Jan V. Ramsey (Offbeat Magazine)

I’ve kept it to myself for long enough: the Louisiana Music Factory, the city’s most comprehensive source for New Orleans and Louisiana music, will move from its current and original location at 210 Decatur Street to the first floor of 421 Frenchmen Street at the corner of Decatur in early 2014. The location was most recently the Junque Shop, an antique store that vacated the space on November 30.

The store will now complement the location of OffBeat; we’ve been located at 421 Frenchmen Street on the second floor since 1997.

Barry Smith, owner of the 22-year-old Music Factory, told me that he hopes to capitalize on Frenchmen Street’s burgeoning music scene and its attraction for the music-loving and music-buying public. “There’s so much activity now on Frenchmen,” Smith said. “I think the Factory will be a great addition to the neighborhood and will also be a generator for daytime traffic, an anchor, so to speak. The move will also give us the opportunity to work a lot more closely with some of the bands and musicians that play on Frenchmen now, and maybe work with some of the clubs.”

One of Louisiana Music Factory’s issues over the past 10 years seems to have been the reluctance of many locals to venture into the French Quarter to buy music at the Factory, mainly because of parking issues. “It’s a lot easier to get to the location on Frenchmen, and park around here, especially during the day. And at night there’s a big market of people here anyway,” said Smith. The Music Factory will likely extend its operating hours until later in the evening once it moves to the Frenchmen Street. According to Smith, the Louisiana Music Factory’s popular in-store Saturday afternoon concerts will also continue in the new location.

The move will occur in early February 2014, as the first-floor Frenchmen Street space is being gutted, renovated and built out especially for the Louisiana Music Factory’s retail location.

Sarah Borges is back...

Hi there-

I wanted to send you all a quick note before the holiday crazies take hold to let you know about some shows I'll be playing this month and in the New Year, lest you need a break from the carols and credit cards:)

This Sunday, December 8th I'll be joining Amy Black, Jesse Dee, and Susan Cattaneo among others for a Muscle Shoals music night at Atwood's Tavern in Cambridge, MA. I've got some Etta James, Solomon Burke and Paul Simon planned in tribute to the music made in that historic place. Click here for more info.

Also, the new record, Radio Sweetheart, will be released in February. It will be available soon online, and release shows are happening. Here's what's up (complete ticket info available at sarahborges.com):

12/8/13 - Atwood's Tavern, Cambridge, MA - Sock It To Me - A celebration of the music of Muscle Shoals
12/28/13 - Bridge St Live, Collinsville CT (with Girls, Guns and Glory)
12/31/13 - Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Girls, Guns and Glory's New Year's Bash featuring Sarah Borges
1/4/14 - Turning Point, Piermont, NY
1/10/14 - Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT, with Girls, Guns and Glory
1/24/14 - Rodeo Bar, NYC, with Girls, Guns and Glory
1/25/14 - Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem, PA, with Girls, Guns and Glory
1/26/14 - Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Sarah sings Sarah, a night of the songs of Sarah Vaughan
2/7/14 - The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA (record release!) with Girls, Guns and Glory (also their record release)
2/8/14 - The Hungry Tiger, Manchester, CT with Girls, Guns and Glory
4/3/14 - World Cafe Live at the Queen, Wilmington, DE with Girls, Guns and Glory
4/4/14 - Iota, Arlington, VA, with Girls, Guns and Glory
4/5/14 - Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA, with Girls, Guns and Glory

much more to come...

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth from our family to yours,

Sarah

Eilen Jewell's other band...