I'd Have 3 Flowers, Bob had 4.

A few years back, we went up to BB King's in Times Square and sat in a small dark room with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, an upside down Stetson, and a whole mess of coffee. Tim didn't know how to work a camera, I didn't know how to do an interview, but Ramblin' Jack sure did know how to talk. He gave us a little info about him and Bob Dylan touring together as the Rolling Thunder Revue and we just about lost it:"I was the first one to put the flower in my hat on Rolling Thunder Revue. We got into the Rolling Thunder Revue hat/flower contest, who could have more flowers in their hat. At each successive show, I'd have 3 flowers, Bob had 4. I'd have 4 and he'd have 5. We were just playing around with the makeup too. I had a heart painted on my face one time. Another time I had a tear coming out of my eye. We were like rodeo clowns. I remember when Arlo [Guthrie] asked Bob why he always had that clown white on his face. Arlo said, 'What's that shit on your face?' Bob said, 'What face?'"MP3: Bob Dylan - Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Live) MP3: Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Hard Travelin'Youtube: Bob Dylan - IsisYoutube: Ramblin Jack - Salt Pork, West Virginia

Wind, Sand, and Stars

Antoine De Saint-Exupéry might be forever remembered for the Little Prince from asteroid B612, but it's his 1939 memoir that spins heads in these parts. Wind, Sand, and Stars is Saint-Exupéry's memoir of being an Aeropostale pilot in the 1930s and his crash in the Sahara Desert. Exupéry was taught to use lonesome trees, farmers, and streams as landmarks, not maps and compasses. "Navigating by a compass in a sea of clouds over Spain is all very well, it is very dashing, but...you want to remember that below the sea of clouds lies eternity." We don't think we've ever used this word accurately before, but Saint-Exupéry was one brave feller, always optimistic and eager, even when death was a common way to end a routine flight. Wind, Sand, and Stars is one of the more beautiful things your brain will process in a real long while.MP3: Edith Piaf - C'était Une Histoire D'amour

Mickey Hart's Rolling Thunder

In 1972, while Mickey Hart had temporarily left the Grateful Dead, he put out his first solo record, Rolling Thunder, named after Shoshone medicine man, shaman, teacher, and activist of the same name. (He's the one talking on that first mp3 below.) The album was mostly recorded in a barn on Mickey's California ranch and features lots of aggressive percussion, fast guitar solos and, most importantly, two songs that would later become Dead staples. "Pump Song", which starts off with a beat from the pump outside Mickey's barn, would later become "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and "The Main Ten", whose rain stick intro lasts for two minutes, is now "Playing In The Band." Both songs are sung by Bobby Weir and are some of the sharpest "studio" versions of Dead songs you'll ever hear.MP3: Mickey Hart - Rolling Thunder (Shoshone Invocation)MP3: Mickey Hart - Pump Song (Featuring Bobby Weir On Vocals)

Okie Noodling II

In 2001, Bradley Beesley (Summercamp) made a movie about a subculture of men who go catfishing with their bare hands. He called that movie Okie Noodling. Beesley decided that he'd go back a few years later to visit some of these guys and make a film about the newfound legal issues and commercialization of their sport. Okie Noodling II, due out July 14th on DVD, is a beautifully shot documentary full of men you wish you knew. By the end, you'll feel as though you've spent countless summer afternoons in an Oklahoma river participating in one of the most under-appreciated forms of bizarre Americana. More info here.Oh, what a good day to go fishing.

Bonnie Raitt

You might not believe it, and you might not really care too much, but before Bonnie Raitt gave us something to talk about in the late 80s, she was making some of the sweetest folk and blues records you've ever ignored. Her 1971 self-titled debut sounds like some friends made a big dinner in upstate California, decided that they would play some music after their bellies were full and, in the process, found out that one of their quiet friends, Bonnie, could sing. And play. They pressed record and forty effortless hippie-honeydew-California-blues minutes later, Bonnie Raitt was born.MP3: Bonnie Raitt - Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield cover)MP3: Bonnie Raitt- Any Day Woman

Heron

One of our absolute favorite records we've ever had the pleasure of listening to is Heron's 1970 self-titled debut. The album was recorded outside in the middle of a field near the River Thames. You can actually hear birds chirping on several songs and at the end of "Car Crash" a band member laughs as he quietly whispers, "little black things are crawling all over me." Heron will make you want to move to the country, buy an assortment of farm animals, and live in a never ending time where spring straddles summer. It's strawberry pies and gooseberry pudding.MP3: Heron - Yellow RosesMP3: Heron - Sally GoodinMP3: Heron - Car Crash

Coat Of Many Colors

If I had some money to bet, I'd bet that God got real proud of what he had done when he put the needle down on Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors. He turned the volume up, sat back in his favorite green leather chair, opened the window in his living room, smiled, and quietly whispered to himself, "You did good. You did real good."Ms. Parton will go straight to heaven for giving the world this 28 minute wound-healer. Perfect in ever way, at every second, at every turn.MP3: Dolly Parton - My Blue TearsMP3: Dolly Parton - Here I Am

Roots

In 1968, Don and Phil Everly put out Roots, a collection of old country and blues tunes that sound just as sweet as cherry wine. It's a Sweetheart Of The Rodeo kind of affair and it'll put you in Kentucky after the first 30 seconds of their take on "Mama Tried." You can sort of tell how hard they're trying to sound "country" but the album's cover will put those fears to rest. Highlight is Randy Newman's "Illinois" with the Charlie Brown piano solo, but I'll let you find that one yourself. Best to listen from the safe distance of your rocking chair and fields of wildflowers.MP3: Everly Brothers - Mama TriedMP3: Everly Brothers - T For Texas

Indian Creek Chronicles

In 1990, while in college, Pete Fromm volunteered to spend seven months at Indian Creek in Idaho to protect two million salmon eggs. He had no real knowledge about living in the wilderness, had no idea how to shoot a gun or tie a knot, but had just read A.B. Guthrie's The Big Sky and wanted to be Boone Caudill. So he bought a dog, named it Boone, and spent the next few months cold, longing for fresh food, and teaching himself the skills he'd so badly wanted to learn. Someone should really put this on the silver screen, but until then, read his story as soon as you can. If you hate the winter and hate thinking about being cold, then just skip ahead to mountain lion scene.MP3: Willie Nelson - Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer)

The Long Way

Bernard Moitessier is a French sailor, who was on his way to win the 1968-1969 Around The World Single Handed Race. After being in the lead sailing from England to the Indian Ocean, he decided to unexpectedly drop out of the race. Wanna know why? The Long Way is his account of the race and, while it gets a little technical at times, this French guy has some serious things to say about being very alone in the middle of absolutely nowhere.MP3: Fleetwood Mac - Blue Letter

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

Joe Cocker, holy fuck can you sing like Ray Charles. And your epilepsy turned dancing is the sugar in our hully gully tea. You scream, you make us cry, you scream again, you make our hips shake, and when you cry, we scream.You might be a Last Waltz person. Hell, you might even be a Festival Express person. Us, we're all of those things, but mostly we're Mad Dogs and Englishmen people. In 1970, Cocker brought along an enormous band of idiots and Leon Russells and did a bunch of covers way better than you. Find me something better than this and I'll give you my allowance for a goddamn month. Delta Lady, you are mine. All fucking mine.MP3: Joe Cocker - Cry Me A River (From Mad Dogs & Englishmen)

Peter Parnall

Peter Parnall has illustrated a lot of children's book over the years, most notably for the stories of Byrd Baylor. His style is real easy to spot. Bright colors, lots of empty space, and usually some type of cactus, bird, or desert cliff. Although his work might be a little "Southwest Trading Post" at times, his illustrations have always stuck with us since reading Everybody Needs A Rock when we were younger. Parnall also illustrated the first edition of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire.Look: More books.MP3: Vetiver - ArbouretumMP3: Emitt Rhodes - She's Such A Beauty

If I Were A Carpenter...

I'm sure most of you have been up late at night and, while stumbling upon the PBS staple, Alone In The Wilderness, have felt a complacency that you very badly wanted to last until the sun came up. Dick Proenneke shot a bunch of 16mm footage while he lived in a cabin of his making up at Twin Lakes, Alaska in the late 60s. This fella isn't about what bugs to eat while you're lost in the woods trying to make your way back to civilization. He's sourdough bread, bacon fat, ram meat, and blueberry jam. The book is better, but we'll save that for another day.MP3: Bobby Darin - If I Were A Carpenter MP3: Tom Fogerty - Cast The First Stone

I'm The King Of The Hully Gully, You're The Queen Of Slop

Everyday last August I'd wake up, play Side A of Loudon Wainwright's A Live One, and quietly watch 30 Chinese men practice martial arts on the overgrown basketball court outside of our apartment . The whole scene put me in a total trance. A princess friend of mine once called Loudon Waiwnright "Raffi for adults," but I don't buy that back handed compliment."Cyclones and typhoons and tornadoes tooBaby, they should name a hurricane after you"MP3: Loudon Wainwright III - Natural DisasterMP3: Loudon Wainwright III - Kings and Queens