1. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard (Live)- Wilco

• "And I'll stop along the way, and it's then I'll think of you, and I'll wonder if you knew, how I got blue when things got weird, and I started growing....Bob Dylan's beard." In 2003 to supplement the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (recently named the 3rd best album of the decade by Rolling Stone) Wilco released the 6 song EP "More Like the Moon" on their website. The EP featured a number of unreleased songs including "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard". This particular version of the song comes from the Bridge School Collection, Volume 1 compilation. "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard" finds Wilco Front man Jeff Tweedy in folk rock mode. The song is built around acoustic guitars, lyrics and backing harmonies...his band mates take a backseat. If you enjoy this song I'd recommend Jeff Tweedy's "Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest" DVD, a collection of live recordings from several Jeff Tweedy solo shows. The songs from the DVD can be downloaded into mp3s- it's just a simple "137 step process" that involves uninstalling, downgrading/installing, uninstalling, upgrading/reinstalling Quicktime on your computer. Well worth the effort.

2. Dissident- Pearl Jam

• "She had to turn around, when she couldn't hold, oh...she folded...A dissident is here, escape is never, the safest path, oh, a dissident, a dissident is here." Do you remember where you were in 1993? If you were anywhere within earshot of a radio you were probably listening to songs like "Daughter', "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town" and "Dissident" from the Pearl Jam album "Vs." You may have enjoyed these songs so much that you took to wearing flannel shirts and showering less frequently. Personally speaking I was enjoying the hell known as "high school" in 1993 in what could best be described as a high school "built like a prison" (if I may paraphrase the BareNaked Ladies). "Dissident" like just about anything else from Pearl Jam stands the test of time; the song sounds fresh over 15 years later. If i listen to this song a few more times I may go looking for some flannel.

3. Festival of Flowers - Tish Hinojosa

• "Just the two of us hand in hand, gathering armfuls of flowers, the sun rose high above us, we left our cares behind us." "I'll remember this day forever -our festival of flowers, those short moments in our lifetime when we were one with nature." In 1998, Appleseed Records (based in West Chester, PA) released a star studded tribute album to the great folk singer songwriter Pete Seeger. "Festival of Flowers" is covered beautifully by Tish Hinojosa and features both English and Spanish lyrics. Stylistically the song is probably best described as "Tejano Conjunto" (feel free to look that up). "Festival of Flowers is built on Spanish style acoustic guitar, strings and accordion . I once tried to teach myself accordion after getting an old accordion from a girl i was friendly with (read between the lines) and buying a "teach yourself the accordion" book. The book was a total sham. My dreams of seducing women with an accordion remain unfulfilled.