California Stars by Billy Bragg & Wilco
I believe we're getting into territory where some of the songs may be unfamiliar tunes, as I'm certainly straying away from the radio/MTV friendly artists in the next several years. My affection for Wilco started shortly after graduating from college, when I scraped together enough money for a subscription to Rolling Stone magazine and would pore through the album reviews in the back section to guide me in expanding my musical palette. I know I bought several CDs from those reviews, but none of the bands had the lasting power of Wilco, who I "discovered" with the release of their debut album and have stayed steady in absorbing their music through the years, finding myself fortunate enough to catch them in concert on a couple of my trips back home to Minnesota (shout out to fellow Wilco aficionados Brenda & Bill!)
They are a great band with a deep and interesting collection of songs that taps into just about any musical taste. This song has been a consistent top five favorite of the band ever since I first listened to it, on a great album of songs written by troubadour Woody Guthrie but never recorded by him. There's an endless supply of "summer songs" available for your listening pleasure, but no others make me feel the season quite like this song, even if that wasn't Guthrie's intentions when he wrote it.
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