When I first heard Johnny Cash had died, it hit me. Not as hard as some of his other fans, because at the time, I wasn’t a huge fan. I liked a few of his songs, but it had never really made a huge impact on me. It was just another country singer my Dad listened to.

About a year after he died I started really listening to him. And of course Walk the Line made him interesting to a lot of semi-fans. His music, and especially his voice, started getting to me a lot more than it had before.

While I was shopping for March’s CD purchase, I found Cash: American IV, The Man Comes Around. This was the last album released before he died, the fourth in the series of six. The age in his voice is very prominent, but in no way takes away from anything. This album is hard to put away, I listen to it roughly five times a week ever since I bought it. It’s truly incredible.

Among the songs on American IV, is a cover of Nine Inch Nails Hurt. You’ve probably heard this if you listen to Johnny Cash at all. I think it was the last music video released before his death. It’s very powerful, and very mournful. He also covers Bridge over Troubled Water, Desperado, The Beatle’s In My Life, and a few others.

I’d like to pick up the rest of the American series. I’ve heard some of the songs from the other albums, and they sound fantastic.

“I see a lone rider crossing the plain, had he come to fetch me, and see what I’d done. And we’ll ride together to kingdom come. I pray for God’s mercy, for soon I’ll be dead, I hung my head…”

Rancid has always been one of the biggest band sin punk for me and my friends. After I bought Indestructible in 2003 I wanted to see what they would do next. Their next full length album, Let the Dominoes Fall showed just what they had in store.

Of course, when I found it in the store I had two options, the album, or the Deluxe Album with collectors edition guitar picks, posters, and the acoustic version of Let the Dominoes Fall. Obviously I got this one.

Rancid wanted to show their fans what it’s like when their first making their songs on acoustic guitars, before transferring them to the raw, album version. This album has acoustic versions of eleven songs from the finished album, as well as one b-side song, Outgunned, which I wish had made the final cut for the album.

It’s fun to listen to this album because the different sound almost makes it a new song. One line sung in a punk song can mean something completely different if it’s sung in a folk style song. I’m really glad the boys from Rancid decided to do this, it shows that they’re not afraid to do anything with their music. Rancid was good, but they can only get better from here.

Later.

So the Christmas season is upon us, the malls are decked, Christmas tunes are playing in the grocery stores, and Swiss Chalet is serving their Festive Special. If you’re like me, you steer away from what everyone else says, and might even like a few of the Christmas songs that play 24 hours a day in every store you visit. And also if you’re like me, you’d like to hear these songs played by punk bands.

A Santa Cause, punk rock Christmas songs volumes one and two delivers! The originals are a bit off, since, well, lets face it, original Christmas songs, just aren’t always that great. But there are a couple of gems among them, like Blink-182‘s I Wont Be Home for Christmas. And the traditional songs are awesome. A good hard cover of White Christmas, or Jingle Bells is just what the season needs to get the hard core kids into the spirit of Christmas.

Volume one had a percentage of sales going towards the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, while Volume two gave to Cure Autism Now. Hence the Cause. The last record was released in ‘06 so I’m losing hope that more will be released, but I’ll keep looking for another cover of John Lennon’s Happy Christmas, or Paul’s Wonderful Christmas Time, and adding a cover of White Christmas, and Meli Kelikimaka to my wish list.

Either way, Feliz Navidad!