Hannah Dringenburg: Resident Mixologist

This is a monthly segment brought to you by me, the lovely and talented Hannah Dringenburg, a girl from the Bluegrass now living in the birthplace of the Blues. Here I will be saying whatever I feel like, as long as it’s about good tunes. New bands? Yes. Old favorites? Definitely. Awesome shows? Uh-huh. Mix tapes? You betcha. Reviews, ramblings, rants and other music miscellany? Yep! Things you should know: I love music. I love listening to it, talking about it, mixing it up with other awesome music, and spreading that musical love all over the place. Welcome.

As an introduction to this monthly slice of goodness, I made a mix. Just for you! And your friends. And that guy over there. For the masses, if you will. On it you will find some magical recording artists who have greatly improved my life. Will they improve yours? PROBABLY. I can guarantee that you will see some of these wonderful people come up month after month. I can’t help it; I just get a little obsessed sometimes. Just go with it:

1. Robert Francis/“Junebug”: You’ve maybe not heard of him. Guess what? I just changed that! And THANK GOD because this dude knows what’s up. When I was listening to his album I kept thinking how Doors-esque some of his stuff sounded. Turns out he recorded at the same place and on the same equipment The Doors did back in the 60s. Thus you can hear the leftover drugs and musical excellence. Anyway, anyway: Robert Francis. Go listen to “Junebug” and realize that your life has been missing something really, really important and you just found it.

2. The Bengsons/“Leatherhand”: Their website says “Theater. Cabaret. Vaudeville Indie Folk.” VAUDEVILLE INDIE FOLK? I don’t fully understand their act, but I don’t care because their album, Six Hours, is probably one of the best things I’ve heard in, well, years. Seriously, it is unbelievable. Out of this world. Blowing my mind. And it’s available from their website and iTunes. GO BUY IT.

3. J Roddy Walston & The Business/“Rock & Roll The Second”: This band makes me want to have about six beers, throw two of them at a wall while dancing, and just get down in general. I tried to think of what genre they would be a part of, and all I could come up with was “Barroom Piano Rock & Roll”. It’s just good ol’ down and dirty music. I saw them once and by the end of the show I was covered in sweat, beer, and awesomeness. See: me wanting to throw bottles of beer at a wall. Broken glass and J Roddy just go together, you know? Like peanut butter and jelly. You will totally understand this statement when you listen to this song. Seriously.

4. Those Darlins/“Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy”: Ok, this song is pretty amazing. That’s why it’s on this mix. But, they also have a song called “DUI or DIE”. COME ON THAT’S AWESOME. The good news: the song is almost a PSA for not drinking and driving. Almost.

5. Ryan Adams/“A Kiss Before I Go (Demo Version)”: If I started to talk about RA, I wouldn’t stop. So just know that he is my favorite of favorites. And that possibly the only person whose Ryan Adams music collection tops mine is Ryan Adams himself. And that...never mind I’ll just stop now. *

6. Walk the Moon/“Blue Dress”: The level of obsession I’ve been going through with this band is pretty epic. A couple of friends from Cincinnati gave me this band’s 4 song EP and I couldn’t get enough of it. “Blue Dress” is probably my new favorite song (for the next few days, anyway) and it’s probably your favorite song now, too. I got their B-sides and Rarities album pretty much immediately after the EP, which sounds completely different but is equally as excellent. Every song on it has the flavor of some other band (I mean this in a good way, not in a “they just ripped off like ten people” way.) One song sounds like both ELO and Elton John (circa the early 70s). Another song has the orchestration and vocals of a Queen song. Foreigner here. Muse there. Vampire Weekend. Joni Mitchell (oddly enough). At the same time they keep this interesting Walk the Moon-y flavor and it is all just a recipe for success, really. (Side note: I realize that the bands listed being put together makes no sense and may deter you from further exploring said Walk the Moon. Dearest Reader, press on! This band is worth it!)

You will also notice some of those glorious blues on this delicious mix. Since arriving in Memphis, I have embraced my new hometown and all that comes with it: barbecue and music. This town eats, drinks and breathes music. And I totally dig that, man. So, enjoy my favorite blues selections thus far: 7. T-Model Ford’s “Where You Been” and 8. John Lee Hooker’s ridiculously sexy “Solid Sender”.

9. Ray Wylie Hubbard/ “Snake Farm”: Listen to this song as many times as you can and bask in its glory.

10. Katie Herzig/“Hologram”: This chick is super cool and I saw her live with Brandi Carlile not too long ago. It was just three people, two on guitar and one playing upright bass. She. Rocked. The Live in the Studio: Acoustic Trio album is unbelievable. It’s like a stripped-down acoustic version of her albums Weightless and Apple Tree put together, and it just absolutely outshines those two. Holy crap it’s real good. Realllllllll good.

11. Hey Marseilles/“To Travels and Trunks”: This song makes me want to get lost in Europe. But not get kidnapped. I would only be OK with that if Liam Neeson was on my side and kicking ass, à la Taken.

12. Dan Managan/“Robots”: I’m convinced this song is about Wall-E.

13. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears/“Gunpowder”: It’s like the Blues Brothers plus J. Roddy. Got that blues and that rock & roll. Ohhhhh man do I dig it. Just listen and jam and eat some Chicago-style pizza.

14. Brandi Carlile/“Touching the Ground”: Another one of my all-time favorites. I’ve been with Brandi since her first album. Which is real good. Her second album is amazing. The album this song came from (Give Up the Ghost) is beyond outstanding. She’s just one of those artists, you know? The kind that continue to one-up themselves and you just don’t know how it could get any better. And let me tell you, she puts on one hell of a show. Her voice makes baby angels weep. She just opens her mouth and this SOUND comes out and it is unreal. THAT VOICE.

15. John Doe feat. Kathleen Edwards/“The Golden State”: I just like this song. A lot. Reasons why people should like True Blood even though they probably won’t: the soundtrack is awesome.

16. Rupa & The April Fishes/“C’est Moi”: This is one of those bands that I had to find out about because their name is so awesome. So, I found out. They do lots of Spanish stuff, sometimes French, sometimes with an Indian flavor, and occasionally you get snippets of reggae. It’s very strange and really intriguing. And, I’m not sure how, but based out of San Francisco. Anyway, I’m in love with it.

17. Griffin House/“The Way I Was Made”: One of my all-time favorite Cincinnatians. This guy just makes good clean music. You get lots of Johnny Cash influence with this guy, and I definitely dig that. I feel like this is one of his “staple” songs. It’s just so totally Griffin House-y. This and “Ah Me” and “The Guy That Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind” are so essentially him. You probably need to listen to them. Now. Go. Go on, google it.

18. Pearl & the Beard/“Voice in My Throat”: I have no idea where I found this album, but I love it. They’ve just got this good duet-y harmony-y thing and it’s just real nice to listen to. Plus, who doesn’t like beards?

19. Gregory Alan Isakov/“The Stable Song”: I have a thing for music that is heartbreaking. Sad music is just my jam, OK? And this song is all slow and sad and pretty. But still has that alt-country flair to it. This song is boss. Because people still say “boss”. Right?

20. Mama Rosin/“Bon Temps Roulet #3”: Now and then you just need some good nouveau zydeco.

21. The Ravenna Colt/“South of Ohio”: One of the guys from My Morning Jacket started this band. Need I say more? It’s one of those things where you’re just like, well I have to listen to it. The good news: it’s something you’ll want to listen to.

22. Over the Rhine/“Don’t Wait for Tom”: #1, this is Over the Rhine. We already know it’s going to be awesome. #2, this is one of the most awesome/creepy/hilarious songs ever. That is all.


Now, lovely readers, this concludes this month’s segment. Go forth and listen to these people. They will change your life. And if you have any life-changing musical suggestions, don’t hesitate to hit up Bare Bones via email.

I’ll be back next month with…something. About music.

Click this to download the mix! Otherwise, it's in the top right corner of this page, or available for streaming here.


Hannah Dringenburg is almost on food stamps.

*Ryan Adams fans: HAVE NO FEAR. I’m sure that Ryan Adams Month will come sooner or later. And that month will be wonderful.