From our newest section, "The" Book of Gigs:  Here is a good yarn from autoharpist Lindsay Haisley, for our new "Book of Gigs" section- Thanks, Lindsay! 

A few years ago my wife, Cheryl, and I were visiting with our friend David Amram in upstate New York. David had a gig, with his jazz and world music quartet, playing at one of Toshi Seeger's Hudson River clean-up events and asked me if I'd like to go along and sit it with them, to which I eagerly agreed. The only instruments I had with me were my autoharps, on which I'm pretty good and can keep up with and contribute to most kinds of music - lead, rhythm, whatever. At the show, David occupied the podium on the stage and we launched into a Middle Eastern piece, Aya Zehn, and in his typical style, David started passing the lead down the line of musicians.

My wife, meanwhile, noticed that the stage mike in front of my autoharp appeared to be off, or so far down in the mix as to render the instrument inaudible to the audience. She also noted that I was next in line to take the lead. She went over to the fellow running the sound board and told him that the autoharp was way down in the mix and that David was about to give me the lead. The sound man turned to her and said, in all seriousness, "autoharps don't take leads". She said "this one does!", for which she was roundly ignored.

About this time, sure enough, David signaled me to take a break, and I jumped on it in earnest. The band was cooking right along, and of course no one could hear what I was doing at all. David immediately noticed that I was totally out of the mix, and quick as a wink he unfolded his boom mike on the podium to its maximum length and held it out clear across half the stage and in front of my 'harp so that I could be heard.

David was very quick-witted, and the audience appreciated it. But the sound man? ..... he still didn't get it. I guess some people are just born a few quarts short of a bushel. It's too bad some of them end up as sound guys.

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Ola Belle Reed (1916–2002) grew up in western North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains. Her story permeates the music and extensive liner notes of 'Rising Sun Melodies,' out August 3rd from Smithsonian Folkways. It is the story of a woman with a big heart and big voice and the wonderful music community she and her family helped create; it is also the story of her family still keeping it going today. The CD contains 19 tracks of Ola Belle's pure, forceful singing and nimble banjo-playing; eight of the tracks are previously unreleased live recordings from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (from ’72 and ’76), including her versions of Ralph Stanley's "I Am the Man, Thomas" and Hank Williams's "I Saw The Light."

Look Down That Lonesome Road / Listen: / Member Download  

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Like a good cartoon? Ty out of Squidbillies on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's a 15-minute show about a family of hill-folk in the backwoods of Georgia, and for some reason they're squids. It takes all of the redneck stereotypes and super-sizes them, but since it's a cartoon (and a ridiculous one at that), it's hilarious rather than insulting. Give it a shot with no kids around and an adult beverage. For the season finale they did a special 30-minute  musical episode called America: Why I Love Her with Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers, Todd Snider, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Rhett Miller, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Hayes Carll amongst the guests- it's not posted as of yet,but probably will be shortly. In the meantime, here is Lucinda Williams doing their theme song...Ha!

Peter Boles, a self-professed “blue collar iconoclast,” writes music which was molded by his life as an Alaska wilderness gold prospector, oil field roughneck, actor & more. The Ojai Valley, CA. based singer/songwriter is redefining the traditions of the bards of old. Peter chronicles his life of travel & adventure with a poet’s touch. He turns his sense of irony upon the plight of truly wonderful people living in this world of wars and Walmarts. Peter offers up a nice track, "Take Care of My Brother", get the free mp3 download from the media player on his artist page. Thanks, Peter!

Arizona-based George Cuthbertson has played guitar for over 38 years, playing in a band and performing in weddings in his younger days, but now settling into composing, recording, and sharing his music online. He's got a number of free MP3 tracks available on his artist page (click the red arrow in the media player), fine picking, very nice arrangements.  Keep pickin', George!