Glenn Jones/Dust-to-Digital In-Store: Wednesday, 6:30pm

We've got a very special in-store coming up Wednesday at 6:30pm, but don't take our word for it. How about Chad Radford's, which was published in Creative Loafing last week? Here's what he had to say: "With his fourth solo album, The Wanting (Thrill Jockey), Cul de Sac guitarist Glenn Jones continues exploring the outer reaches of acoustic folk, 20th-century composition and Krautrock tendencies, all with distinct elegance. The sonic spaces between each resonating steel string (from banjo and guitar) carry as much weight as his droning notes that expand with a mysterious reverence for both the universe and the lineage of acoustic music innovators that came before him (John Fahey, Charley Patton, et al)."

Phew! Thanks, Chad. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Our friends at Dust-to-Digital, who will be joining us on this day, set up this little gem of an in-store. Glenn Jones has a new album out on Thrill Jockey and helped the D-t-D folks by editing the book on their new and gorgeous John Fahey box. We've got both of those for sale, of course, and he'll be here that evening to play some songs and talk Fahey. Read more about the legendary Glenn Jones here, and mark your calendar. Guitar fanatics: Do not miss out on this one.

Some Christmas CDs for Your Consideration

[Above: One of our favorite Christmas CDs with an awesome cover influence.]

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," they say. Certain seasonal releases make us inclined to agree. In fact, we thought, given the impending holiday, we might point you in the direction of some of our favorite and best-selling titles. Peruse the short list below and let us know what you need; we keep all of the below in stock at all times.

In the Christmas Groove: From the cover sticker, "Original stone cold soul, funk and rare grooves from Christmas paste, featuring rare festive 45s by Jimmy Reed, Wild Honey, The Harlem Children's Chorus, Zebra, Milly & Silly, Electric Jungle & more." It's so good, people.

Sting - If on a Winter's Night

Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart: Reviews have been pretty mixed on this one, from the raving to the, well, the not-at-all-raving. But hey, we all love a little Dylan right? Why not invite the jolly old man into your home like you do with Santa?

Trisha Yearwood - The Sweetest Gift

Where Will You Be Christmas Day?: It's a release from the ATL's own, Dust-to-Digital, which you know means we're psyched about it. From their description: "Just as Goodbye, Babylon showed the many sides of gospel music, Where Will You Be Christmas Day? shows many sides of Christmas – from Jesus born in the manger to Leroy Carr spending the holiday in jail. Some of the artists featured include Alabama Sacred Harp Singers, Butterbeans and Susie, Fiddlin' John Carson, Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers, Lightnin' Hopkins, Los Jibaros, Kansas City Kitty, Lead Belly, Lord Executor, Maddox Brothers and Rose, and Bessie Smith. Together they provide a compelling contrast to the commercialized Christmas we know today."

Andrea Bocelli - My Christmas

James Brown - Christmas: Ten Christmas tracks from the Godfather of Soul for $9? You better believe it.

Sugarland - Green and Gold: Seems like, when people buy this, they can't buy just one. Most folks walk out of the store with somewhere between two and four. It's cool; we don't mind reordering them often.

Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas: Face it, superfans. Dude ain't making another state album. Why not instead enjoy this festive and nifty-looking box set? Plus, $21 for five discs is a crazy deal.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas: Question: What's better than a song called "Santa Left a Booger in My Stocking"? Answer: Said song features Neko Case.

Bright Eyes - A Christmas Album: We've only got three copies of this hard-to-find release, so get 'em while you can! Critical reactions to it are across-the-board positive.

Yule Be Miserable: From the back-of-the-album blurb: "'Tis the season to be jolly? Hardly! The holiday season is really the time for dysfunctional families, useless knickknacks, and expanding waistlines. Why fool yourself with the run-of-the-mill music of the season and its sugar-coated themes of love and understanding? Add a dash of reality to your holiday proceedings while thumbing your nose at the putrid sentimentality with music that cries out 'back out and leave me alone!'" Featuring songs from Louis Armstrong, Spike Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Aaron Neville, Billie Holiday and more.

Songs to Make Dogs Happy: Wait, what's that? Well, if it's not a Christmas title, then why do we have it facing out in the Christmas section? Sheesh!

A belated Grammy congrats for Dust-to-Digital!

[Above: Photo taken by Chad Radford for Creative Loafing]

We're only, oh, a couple weeks after the fact on this, but better late than never, right? Our pals at Dust-to-Digital, Lance and April Ledbetter, deserve some major props for bringing home the Grammy for Best Historical Album for the amazing Art of Field Recording: Volume I box set. We've been hyping the Ledbetters and all their wonderful releases for some time now, and they deserve much more than a Grammy, but for now, let us pile on the acclaim. Way to go, guys!

Stop by and check out our vast selection of Dust-to-Digital goods, including but not limited to the above-mentioned Grammy winner, its Volume II sequel, the gorgeous Goodbye to Babylon gospel box, the Where Will You Be Christmas Day? compilation (it's packed away somewhere, being that it's a holiday release, but we will happily dig it up if you want it), the Joe Bussard/Fonotone Records box, the How Low Can You Go? string-bass box, the list goes on and on, and it's all great.

Below is a photo of Art Rosenbaum and Lance accepting the award at the Grammy ceremony. Click here for more straight from the D-t-D newsletter, including video of the acceptance. Very cool. Congratulations, again, to the one and only Dust-to-Digital.

Art Rosenbaum and David Stephens at Decatur CD tomorrow night!

We've got a pretty serious treat in store (get it! in store!) for y'all on Thursday (Dec. 20th). Read on...

Art Rosenbaum, documentarian of the mind-blowing Art of Field Recording: Volume I box set that we've been selling like mad, will perform around 6pm. Rosenbaum's legend truly precedes him. Just have a look at his biography. Not only is he Wheatley Professor in Fine Arts at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at UGA (if any of you folks have studied under him, please stop by and say hello), an illustrator of books and a self-taught folk musician, but the man has worked and studied in France and Germany, amongst myriad other accomplishments.


The Art of Field Recording box has been written up all over the place, including the New York Times and Pitchfork, and it's just a fantastic release any way you look at it. Lance and April Ledbetter, the folks behind Dust-to-Digital (they put out the box, and many other amazing releases), will actually be in the store Thursday night as well.


Following Rosenbaum, our old pal and banjo fiend, David Stephens, will play at 8pm. David lives in Brooklyn right now, but while in Atlanta, he spent a lot of time at the Center of Puppetry Arts and here at DCD chatting us up about country music. He even performed once here at the store, plucking his signature banjo and crafting stuffed rabbits. He is a true renaissance man, a self-described "tobacco stain on the face of bluegrass music." It'll be great to have him back.