The suspense is killing me!

It's election night and the suspense is killing me. And I assume it isn't doing any of you any favors either. So, to help pass the time until we find out if there's going to be a check on President Cartman or not, here are some highlights from last weekend's Chomp and Stomp - The world's biggest - and best - bluegrass festival and chili cookoff.


Let's start with a nice little combo called Control Burn [sic] with a song that I believe is called "Setlist Blues."



here are the Plate Scrapers from Maryland





My phone's battery died halfway through this Beatles cover, but the half song I got was pretty good.



Here is Slim Chance & the Convicts with and without Jeff Mosier sitting in on electric banjo:






And this is Jeff Mosier with the Jeff Mosier Band:



This is a young lady from Nashville who goes by the name Aubryn. Her songs weren't my cup of tea, but she's very talented, and hopefully at least some of you will like her.



And we finish off with Atlanta bluegrass stalwarts Smokey's Farmland Band

Please vote Tuesday 11/6

If you have not already done so,
     Please vote tomorrow.
          Please please please vote tomorrow.






Please. Please vote.



Pleeeeeeeease vote.





Please.

Anyone see this headline?

Why did I have to see this headline on Twitter? Posted from BoingBoing?
Why was this not on the front page of my morning paper?

Economists reverse claims that $15 Seattle minimum wage hurt workers, admit it was largely beneficial

Yes. I do. Of course.

Earlier this year, a group of business school researchers from the University of Washington and NYU, as well as Amazon, published an influential paper . . .

Wait. Why does Amazon get to publish academic papers?

Yeah, okay.

Earlier this year, a group of business school researchers from the University of Washington and NYU, as well as Amazon, published an influential paper claiming that the rising Seattle minimum wage had decreased take-home pay for workers by 6% due to cuts to work hours -- the paper was trumpeted by right-wing ideologues as examples of how "liberal policies" hurt the workers they are meant to help.

Yes, because "liberal policies" force employers to be cheap shitty bastards who will do anything to avoid paying their employees one dime more than the absolute minimum they can get away with. Oh, wait! That happens in every city, not just Seattle! It's almost as if those right wing pundits just make shit up and no one calls them on it!

But a new paper by the same authors (Sci-Hub mirror) shows that the rising minimum wage generated major increases for the workers who had the most hours, whose hours were only cut a little, but still came out ahead thanks to the wage increase;

Well, I expect that any minute now we will see the news networks flooded with right-wing commentators explaining how they got this so wrong.

Okay, Okay, but surely the news programs will now have to have left-leaning economists on since they were right all along, right?

Okay, but the numbers don't lie. The charts, the graphs. . .

Seattle remains the West Coast leader
for employment growth,
fueling multifamily market strength

September 25, 2018

I mean, they can't just ignore the undeniable facts, right?

Flashback Friday -- Jonathan Richman

It's getting too hard to make dumbass jokes about current events anyomre these days. But we can still appreciate good music.

So this Flashback Friday we present the great Jonathan Richman,

It's hard to explain the brilliance of Jonathon Richman. His lyrics don't feel like song lyrics, they have a sort of prosaic, conversational feel to them, but with a sneaky wittiness, if that makes sense. Sometimes they feel like they're meandering off the rails and then, out of nowhere comes a clever rhyme and things are back on track.

Some of his songs might make you laugh.




Some might bring a tear to your eye.




Sure, he writes regular love songs.




But he can also write a great song about everyday, ordinary things. Like missing his favorite corner store.




Or his admiration for Harpo Marx's musical ability



Or his love of hot nights.



Or his favorite painters







Or dancing






Or anything, really.















I don't have any stories about Jonathon Richman. I saw him once in an old union hall in Eugene, OR and I think in San Francisco at the Paradise Lounge. Great shows. I hear he's going to tour again. Catch him if you can!

2nd Annual Halloween Dance Party

I know, I know, posting has been very infrequent lately. I've been spending a lot of my free time trying to help get Stacey Abrams elected governor of Georgia, if that's all right with you.

But there's always time for a Halloween Dance Party. Yes, a lot of these are the same songs as last year's party, but what can you do? There just aren't enough spooooooky songs out there.


Ready? Let's dance!