Is it slow around here? Maybe it's just me. Regardless I have some tasty morsels for you today that may help you pass the time.

• I've now heard the rough mixes from the Will Kimbrough/Tommy Womack project entitled "Daddy." I can't divulge much but imagine the Rolling Stones had come from somewhere like Alabama or Kentucky--the music oozes southern soul.
• I've been hearing good things about the Nadas from folks around the country. Don't forget that the boys from Iowa have a new disc called Templeton Rye slated for a September release.
• Kris Atha kindly provided some "Will Kimbrough is an alien" shirts for the Sharkbitten staff. As far as bribes go, they don't get any better! Thanks Kris...
• Last weekend's "Good Morning Americana" show went really well. Thanks to everyone who called. Thanks to everyone that wanted to call to say I am a total moron that didn't waste the quarter. We had a good time on the air and hope you did at home.

As I've previously mentioned, the AMA Awards are coming up and my nominations are in. Likewise, my good buddy and DJ, JB of "Good Morning Americana" has his nods together. Our lists are remarkably different yet we agree that this year has a very solid list of candidates.

I'm sure you'll all agree with my picks but just to assure you that JB is a quack here is a funny picture of JB (in the duck hat), Will Kimbrough, Jim Lauderdale and myself a month or so ago. Will of course was last year's AMA Instrumentalist of the Year and Jim was the host of the show. Would you trust a guy in a duck hat?

On Saturday at 10 AM EST you can tune into the show to hear JB and I review the last year's work, discuss our picks, and play cuts from the artists we've selected. The stream is available here for those of you not fortunate enough to live in suuny Florida.

Over the years I've been given three key pieces of information:

1. Write what you know
2. Worry only about the things you can control
3. Don't chase a bus or a woman because they'll both leave you behind

These days I'm focused on the first two as I've happily been married for several years. I keep my eye out for busses however.

To that extent I've been pretty pent up recently over things I cannot control. I've turned toward Rule #1 in light of that and have a little ditty for you all today called "Rush Hour Blues."

You can listen here if you so wish to partake in my angst.

Tommy Womack sent me a shirt today. I smiled when I got my "Tommy Womack is a personal friend of mine" shirt like I was a teenage geek again smirking when I was the only one who knew how cool my underground references actually were. I've been working through the various discussions the shirt will prompt.

Hecklers aside, folks like Tommy, Todd Snider, and Will Kimbrough have been exceptionally good to me and I should take a moment to thank them. Those guys have offered advice, been supportive, let me see some of the secrets to their success, but most of all they've just been inspirational--sometimes they inspire me to drink but mostly they inspire me to keep living this dream. When I see Tommy rocking out at all costs simply to be who he is I know what bravery can be. When I see Will managing one of the most hectic lives possible find time to help the school his kids go to I know what it means to have priorities. When Todd Snider takes the time to give me a harp lesson or sharpen my skills with hecklers I know what it means to have mentors. They've all taught me something good.

Enough of this bullshit though--I have a t-shirt to wash.

I'm constantly bombarded with random thoughts that get scribbled on scraps of paper such as the backs of receipts. Today I'm going to write them here and hope they end up being useful because I've got no receipts.

• Allison Moorer sings with real balls. Of course I don't mean she has balls but she's got a real gutsy voice. Her live album Show didn't strike me when I first heard it because it sounded over-produced. After seeing her live a few months ago I can tell you it was over-produced because live she has an even stronger, smoother voice.
• Some of Todd Snider's old demo tracks sure sound better than most shit I hear on the radio. Someone should make it a point to rent that guy a cabin in the woods in Colorado every year, record everything he plays, and sell it. Or at least send it to me.
• Tommy Womack owes me a t-shirt. I owe Tommy more than that--he inspires me to see the funny side of tough times.
• Becoming a father doesn't scare me but it sures gives me something to write about. Nearly every song I try to write these days is a baby song. I'm thinking maybe I should record these so my kids have something to remind them I'm not just some old guy telling them to eat more vegetables.
• Last weekend's Gamble Rogers Festival sure made me appreciate Bernie Leadon. That guy can sing and play--made me want to steal his guitar but I settled for an autograph.
• Hunter S. Thompson's last article in Playboy made me appreciate the depths at which he thought. He wasn't a raving lunatic hooked on drugs--he was a raving lunatic hooked on drugs with a gun. I can't think of another writer I'm more amused or perplexed by nor one I'll miss quite as much.

One of my favorite events to participate in is the nomination process for the Americana Music Association's awards and honors. It's a privilege to nominate some folks I know and even better when they win like Will Kimbrough's surprise trophy-haul last year.

This year has a bumper crop to choose from but I've been pretty set on my list for a bit now. Without further adieu, here are my picks:

Album of the Year
Good Times - Charlie Robison
Charlie found a great home at Dualtone and amply rewarded both his new label and fans with his finest effort yet. Rich with Texan swagger, the album grants diehard fans their desires. Surprisingly, the party is tempered by some of the most insightful, sentimental work Charlie's released.

East Nashville Skyline - Todd Snider
Like Charlie Robison, Todd Snider released his most ambitious and telling album of his career this year. He too doesn't let down fans with plenty of his wry humor. Todd turns the corner however with songs that wring your heart and express such emotion that could only come from a man who faced his greatest demons and won. This is one of my favorite albums of any year.

The Revolution Starts Now- Steve Earle
Steve Earle sounds like the only reasonable man on the planet some days. This year his album struck a defiant chord with me and many others. Triumphantly willing, the record gives hope that the protest spirit is alive and well.

Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster - Various Artists/American Roots Publishing
I've said before that this album would change the way people looked at our shared musical past. It fulfilled that promise and more. I could go on forever about the performances on this album but the real honor belongs to the great people that managed to assemble this seminal project.

Song of the Year (presented to the songwriter)
"Photographs" - Charlie Robison
Great song on a great album. Bucks the notion that Charlie is, well, nothing but a good time Charlie. The song tells his family story from the viewpoint of a photo album.

"Sunshine" - Todd Snider
This would be my favorite song of just about any year recently. Todd's bout with drugs is well-documented but this tale of despair and hope is ripe with the outlook that only Todd can bring. This song is one that everyone who has ever faced a tough spot should hear. When the song ends on the hopeful note of "tapping holes into the soles of my shoes" I can almost see Todd's beaten Chucks and the smile on his face.

"Rich Man's War" - Steve Earle
Steve's a protester and this is a protest song that so effectively expresses what I feel. Like Will Hoge's "Hey Mr. President," Earle blames the rich for today's problems. Come to think of it, so do I.

"Stray Paper" - Tift Merritt
Tift deserves nominations in each category from me if I had the extra vote. This song leads off an album which puts Tift among the great artists today. Smooth and precise, the song sounds like what I believe country music should be today.

Artist of the Year
Steve Earle - Spoke like a man without fear this year
Tift Merritt - She even toured with Costello. Fantastic year for Tift.
Todd Snider - His resurgence fulfills his promise of being the next Kristofferson or Jerry Jeff Walker. Hell...he may be the next Dylan.
Charlie Robison - Such range from an artist typically viewed as a bar band sort. Charlie really proves his doubters wrong.

Instrumentalist of the Year
Will Kimbrough - there simply are none as prolific or accomplished today

New/Emerging Artist of the Year
the Duhks - No other new act today makes them shake their asses like these guys.
Amy Loftus - Soulful and charming, Amy really deserves more press than she gets. Amy's new album should be played across the land.
The Devil Makes Three - California's great secret is getting out. These guys are authentic, exciting and just need that one big break.

Nights in every musical career go awry. Hecklers, gin and lost lyrics are among the pitfalls that beset most artists. The more esoteric dangers include offending people with off-center political comments, insulting your neighbor who just happens to be in the audience, and of course dropping the f-bomb at inappropriate venues such as Kids' Day at the county fair.

My career, albeit brief and lacking a defining moment, has indeed fallen prey to bad nights. I've sought advice from other artists and have decided to "turn on my inner surfer" as instructed. Being a native midwestern cornpoke I've decided that due to my lack of surfing ability to substitute the word "drink" for "surf."

Seriously, the suggestion to simply take what life brings and hope for sunnier futures is actually great for just about any horrid situation I find myself in these days--especially when drinking is not an option. Tomorrow for instance is guaranteed to be a bad day. I know this because I know exactly what I'm expected to do--yes folks I have the fluorescent light blues as previously noted. Tomorrow will begin somewhere around Hell and progress right toward a cavity search followed by a root canal--or something along those lines of excitement. Sometime about 9:10 or so, after the coffee has taken hold, I will turn on the inner surfer and hope to cruise toward better waves. That may take the sting out of the events that will inevitably rival only an IRS audit in terms of inciting pure terror.

My point is that my daily job far outstrips my musical fears. I can surf through a day of business so I should be able to deal with hecklers and uninterested crowds. Maybe I can do this...just maybe.

Oh and Tommy's right--Bush is an idiot and Cheney is one cold, steely son of a bitch. Just food for thought.