Music
Frank Turner "Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons" http://youtu.be/PcxRMLUN_aE Scott Ludwig sent me some stuff by this guy, and I've really been enjoying this song in particular.
Johnny Two Bags "Clay Wheels" http://youtu.be/JopSsVuSQBM. Sanguine and Shiny opened for him at SBC once and he played this song that night, like this. I'm embarrassed to say that, despite being a 40 year old white guy who grew up in the South Bay, I've never been a Social Distortion fan. I'm now a pretty big Johnny Two Bags fan though, and he was damned nice and incredibly complimentary to Tony and I. We lived on that for days.
Lyle Lovett "screening" Lungs: http://youtu.be/n1Tm9fMUWe8 Lyle Lovett is an American treasure. To quote Steve Earle, his partner in this clip, I'd stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots to say it. Earle was talking about Townes Van Zandt when he said it and this is one of Townes' strangest songs, with imagery that barely fits inside it's 2 minutes. It's a punch in the ear and maybe the real miracle is in his use of the word butter in a way that doesn't make me laugh. If I was wealthy, I'd buy the piece of paper this song was first written on and keep it in a top-lit glass box in an empty black room.
And finally, Curtis Eller posted this clip the other day. It's not music, per se, but it's reason #1 that NO ONE should ever mess with the banjo player: http://youtu.be/vQ-NhyctOho Also, Lee Van Cleef makes everything amazing.