NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA . . . . . Route 66 Theme (opening theme) . . . . . Route 66 and Other Great TV Themes/More Hit TV Themes
LUNA . . . . . 4th of July . . . . . Luna Live
SONIC YOUTH . . . . . Anti-Orgasm . . . . . The Eternal
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS . . . . . We Call Upon The Author . . . . . Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
TALKING HEADS . . . . . Warning Sign . . . . . More Songs About Buildings and Food
GRIZZLY BEAR . . . . . Ready, Able . . . . . Veckatimest
ST. VINCENT . . . . . The Strangers . . . . . Actor
THE WIZARD OF OZ . . . . . Optimistic Voices . . . . . The Wizard of Oz: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

WILCO . . . . . You Never Know . . . . . Wilco (The Album)
GEORGE HARRISON . . . . . My Sweet Lord . . . . . All Things Must Pass [BOXED EDITION]
M. WARD . . . . . To Save Me . . . . . Hold Time
THE MINUS 5 . . . . . I Would Rather Sacrifice You . . . . . O Brother, Where Art Thou?
THE SOGGY BOTTOM BOYS . . . . . I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow . . . . . O Brother, Where Art Thou?
THE BYRDS . . . . . You Don’t Miss Your Water . . . . . The Byrds
THE ROLLING STONES . . . . . Far Away Eyes . . . . . Some Girls
JOHN DOE & THE SADIES . . . . . Help Me Make It Through The Night . . . . . Country Club

BOB DYLAN . . . . . Spirit On The Water . . . . . Modern Times
A BAND OF BEES . . . . . This Town . . . . . Sunshine Hit Me
ALL SMILES . . . . . The Ones I Want To Live . . . . . The Ones I Want to Live
NEIL FINN . . . . . Rest Of The Day Off . . . . . One All
SQUEEZE . . . . . If I Didn’t Love You . . . . . Argybargy
EELS . . . . . In My Dreams . . . . . Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
ROY ORBISON . . . . . In Dreams . . . . . Black & White Night

THE WATSON TWINS . . . . . Only You . . . . . Fire Songs
ANDRE ETHIER . . . . . Easiest Game . . . . . Born of Blue Fog
BETTYE LAVETTE . . . . . ’Round Midnight . . . . . Change Is Gonna Come Sessions
JOE HENRY . . . . . Love Is Enough . . . . . Civilians
ELVIS PERKINS . . . . . How’s Forever Been Baby . . . . . Elvis Perkins in Dearland
VAN MORRISON . . . . . Almost Indepence Day . . . . . Saint Dominic's Preview

The opener from Luna seemed a reasonable way to kick off a program that was available on Independence Day. That tune always reminds me of fellow New Yorkers Sonic Youth, who then gave way to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds searching for answers to some big questions. The slightly ominous tone in the refrain of that one was echoed in the Talking Heads track that followed, which led to Grizzly Bear trying to stay positive and St. Vincent full of anger on a tune that opens and closes with etherial choral voices. From the very first listen they brought to mind the short piece from The Wizard of Oz that ended this set, which was played for Iz the Wiz (Michael Martin), a legend in the New York City graffiti world who passed away recently. He died a few days before Michael Jackson, who played the Scarecrow in the film version of The Wiz; it was a poster for the original Broadway production that provided Martin with inspiration for his at one time ubiquitous tag.

The next section opened with a track from the new Wilco disc that gives a big nod in the direction of George Harrison, who was followed by M. Ward wondering whether or not his Day of Reckoning will eventually come. From there we heard the Minus 5 unwilling to let anything prevent them from finding the way, and the country flavor of that one brought on the Soggy Bottom Boys flowing nicely into the Byrds with Gram Parsons on lead vocals during the peak of their immersion in that sound. The Rolling Stones offered a sardonic take on your typical country ballad, and we finished with John Doe & the Sadies providing an appealing version of an old Kris Kristofferson song.

Bob Dylan's softly swinging shuffle set the tone for much of what followed in this section, with A Band of Bees slowing the rhythm down followed by a new one from All Smiles that features some spare yet carny-like keyboards. Neil Finn offered one with a relaxed feel that reflects its title, and then it was Squeeze adding a bit of syncopation leading to Eels with a lovely ballad and Roy Orbison on the same subject to finish up.

The final set began with one from the Watson Twins that seems to be about obsessive love, and then it was Andre Ethier adding a bit of urban evening atmosphere to the sound followed by Bettye LaVette doing up Thelonious Monk's old tune. Joe Henry hoping for the best led to Elvis Perkins in a decidedly less upbeat mood and then Van Morrison took us to the end with one of his mystical specialties that happens to have a title that brought the whole shebang full circle.

Here's another one from George Harrison (and friends)