Welcome, Honored Guests...

Welcome to one and all, especially for those making their way here from the Mountains (Barstool and Big Rock Candy, not Busch) to see what might give one the courage to volunteer in judging the 100 greatest drinking songs. 

The Malt and Barley Chronicles represent my occasional attempts to sample and review beers that cross my path, with occasional tangents into (more or less) beer-related ephemera.  This site, however, focuses on music, law, and technology -- assuming I get around to writing down my thoughts or analysis before everything changes again.  It's been nearly two years since this site started, and since I have more things to write than time to record them, I'm not going away any time soon.

For tonight, I have two musical gems to share. 

• The Ass Ponys -- Thank You For The Roses (from "Mr. Superlove," OKra, 1990)

"Thank You For The Roses" is a good barroom song, though not exactly a drinking song ... much like many other tunes from the band's debut album .  The Ass Ponys, much like fellow Ohio natives Scrawl, had atrocious luck getting their albums released (thanks, Rough Trade US, for liquidating your distribution catalog in bankruptcy court).  At the same time, you've got to wonder if Chuck Cleaver's country-fried rock excursions would have had more musical success if his bands didn't have such poor names -- his current outfit is called "Wussy."

• Ted Leo and Laura Cantrell -- Love Vigilantes (Live on WFMU, 2007)

Yes, it's New Order, stripped down to acoustic guitar and then built back up with lilting harmonic vocals.  (Hint: stay tuned to the "100 Greatest" countdown for an appearance by one of these two performers.) This performance was my favorite of many Ted Leo numbers offered on The Best Show On WFMU during the recent fundraising marathon.  And while the marathon may be over, the window for pledges and donations is always open for one of the premier independent music outlets on the planet.