LISTEN: “Waiting for a Melody” by Alan Griffith

Boone County troubadour Alan Griffith, along with Jay Hill and Andy Lewis, have a new CD out that  resurrects the music of the long-time group Blue Million. Gazz music reviewer Michael Lipton weighed in with a review of that disc at the NewSounds gazzblog right here. (which also includes links to some Gatecrasher blog video of Griffith performing live in local clubs. For today’s “Song of the Day” we take a listen to the Griffith song “Waiting for a Melody” off the eponymous Blue Million CD. The band’s next performance is 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at the 19thHole in Madison, W.Va., on the corner beside the Boone County Courthouse. For more on Griffith’s music, visit www.alansongs.com.

Mike Arcuri at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Cafe. He returns there this Sunday.

SONG OF THE DAY: LISTEN: “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix” by Mike Arcuri

Today’s “Song of the Day” features Charleston singer-songwriter Mike Arcuri. He’ll perform this weekend at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, a storied venue for singer-songwriters and a tough nut to crack — but he’s cracking it. Below, he explains the origins of his delightful story-song “The Ghosts of Hank & Hendrix” and the mathematics of playing at the Bluebird. P.S. — You can also catch Arcuri in his duo incarnation with Keith Lahti (that’s Lahti’s electric guitar on “Hank and Hendrix”) as Holy Cow in area clubs and open mics.

STORY OF THE SONG: Mike Arcuri: One night while driving south on I-65 just outside of Nashville, I pulled into a truck stop to pick up some oil for my automobile, which had a bad leak. I’d been on the road for about six hours, having left Charleston earlier that day. I was traveling to Nashville to perform at the Bluebird Café songwriter’s night the next evening. (more…)