Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXXV--Kane, Welch, & Kaplin: I Can't Wait

This week's tune, like last week's tune, is another I discovered by listening to the folk channel on Pandora while slaving my ass off for pennies.  The joys of the digital age...

Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, and Fats Kaplin could really use a primer on choosing interesting band names, but interesting name or no, they've released three more albums than I have.  Kane had some success with John O'Hara in a country band called the O'Kanes, which had six top twenty country singles on the Billboard charts including one #1 (with a bullet!) before disbanding in 1990.  Kane then went on to a solo career with seven studio albums and eight singles reaching the Billboard Hot Country chart, sandwiched around albums released with various artists such as Welch and Kaplin.  Welch joined with Kane to found Dead Reckoning Records, which seems to feature a variety of bluegrass/country/folk artists.  He has released six albums on his own and has had five singles reach the Country charts.  In addition to having a memorable nickname (one hopes his parents didn't name him "Fats"), Fats Kaplin plays the accordion (among many other instruments including banjo and fiddle), which is really kind of cool (more on that later).  He has released five solo LPs and two more with his wife, musician Kristi Rose.  All in all, the three of them have managed to make a living making music and there ain't nothin' wrong with that at all.

"I Can't Wait" was released in 2006 on their album Lost John Dean, whose title I thought, silly me, might make reference to the John Dean of Watergate fame, but which, rather, makes mention of a character named John Dean who hails (and most perfectly for a rhyming scheme) from Bowling Green,  "I Can't Wait" was not released as a single, though it would have made a fine entry on the Christian charts if I might ever be so bold.

It'd been a while since I listened to "I Can't Wait" and when I did again a few days ago, the first thing that hit me was the opening instrumental, and as I listened the instrument became obvious and I broke into a big smile, and said to myself, "That's a fucking accordion!"  Ah, it's the little things in life.  Kaplin gets the song off to a rousing start before Kane and Welch jump in with their acoustic guitars (that's it--no other instruments need apply), before breaking into what is essentially a plaintive prayer about a more compassionate world.  The song is most definitely gospel influenced but even for a non-believer like me it is one of the more beautiful songs I've heard in my life, the acoustic guitars juxtaposing every so prettily with the soft and hopeful vocals of Kane and Welch.  As with the Chatham County Line song last week, "I Can't Wait" might not be for everybody, but for an old fart folkie like me, it's a slice of heaven.

Lyric Sheet:  "Someday we'll roll away the stone/That we have carried for so long/All our burdens will be gone/And I can't wait..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

A panoply of wrong

So we were shopping at Meijer (midwestern big box chain) last weekend and we walked past their summer Americana display (Memorial Day, July 4th) which featured a selection of Budweiser hats.  Now I don't mind Americana displays--if a company can make a little money selling red, white, and blue table cloths or American flag t-shirts, bully for them.  Hell, I wouldn't even mind a tie in of Budweiser beer--many an American has sipped a cold one (or two, or three, or four, or....) over the course of a holiday weekend.  But a Budweiser hat?  It was a real what the fuck moment--as in, what the fuck does a Budweiser hat have to do with Americana or being patriotic?  (Yes, I know the can is red, white, and blue, but so is a loaf of
Aunt Millie's bread--and I didn't see any fucking Aunt Millie's hats.)

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised--I was watching a Tigers game last week, and it featured the "Depends Adult Diapers' Pitching Change."  As if a ten second announcement just couldn't be made without a sponsor.

Shouldn't be too long before we have the "Rolaids Crotch Grab...."

[Note for the Sarcasm Challenged:  it was actually the "Belle Tire Pitching Change," but I'm sure Depends could own it with enough cash.]

Peace,
emaycee