Yeah, I know.  Long overdue.  What can I say … life’s been crazy and it’s all I can do to keep up with breathing, let alone music.  But, I do have a couple of tracks that have been burning up the old music machines around chez Krissie.  And here they are, for your listening enjoyment.

1.  Ruby Soho (Rancid Cover) – Jimmy Cliff

If there is any one person that I should thank for my love of music, it’s my Dad.  He was my earliest influencer, and Santa gave me tapes as gifts when I was as young as 7 (point in case, Springsteen’s Born to Run). When I was about 10 years old, Dad, who I think was probably meant to live in the Caribbean, came back from a trip with Jimmy Cliff.  He dubbed me a tape copy of Hanging Fire, and I must have listened to “Brown Eyes” a million times on my boom box.  Since then, I’ve had a fascination with Jimmy, and was stoked to see him release a little EP of covers a few weeks ago.  This fun, upbeat reggae twist on one of my favorite cult 90s classics is my favorite.

2. ‘Til My Heart Gives Out (Mountain Song) – The Lusitania

My friends over at Alternative Addiction gave me a heads up about this San Antonio, Texas band a couple of weeks ago and their 2010 album, Rain and Rivers, has been in rotation ever since.  If you’re a fan of The Avett Brothers, OAR, or The Grand Magnolias, you’re going to like this band.  Got a little country-bluegrass-pop-punk thing happening.  As the temperatures drop, this is the kinda music that keeps me rolling down the river in mid-summer in my mind.

3.  Bumps in the Night – The Ruse

Also putting out an EP within the last few weeks is my favorite little LA rock outfit, The Ruse.  These fellas know how to put together a rock song, and the Rebellion EP is no exception.  Two tracks, in particular, have reinvigorated my craving for guitar-driven rock n’ roll, and this is one of them (for the other, In Defense of the Rebellion, visit here).  And I’ve said it already, but I’ll say it again…Jason Young, their drummer, is my hero.

4. The Heyday – Somebody to Someone

There is no denying my love for infectious little pop songs, and no band writes more ear wormy, hand clapping ditties than The Heyday out of Colorado.  The fellas put out a new single this week, and it is full of hooky goodness … Bonus:  the god of production and songwriting that is Christopher Jak had a hand in it.  If this song doesn’t make you wish for being 17 and taking a roadtrip with your best friends, I don’t know what will.

5.  Holy Ghost – Flagship
This is actually an older song that’s been redone.  I wrote awhile ago about two of Charlotte’s young, promising acts – Flagship and Campbell the Band – merging.  They decided to ditch a new name and stick with Flagship.  This weekend, they put up a video of them performing an older Flagship song, “Holy Ghost” … wow.  Forget that every video they put up is outstanding in its production… I am so in love with Drake Margolnick’s voice.  It’s just intoxicating. Mesh an already tremendous song with the players’ from Campbell the Band’s ability to write some melancholic little melodies, you have a hit just waiting to happen.  Telling you now, watch these kids.  They’re going to do big things.