i may be a bird in a cage but at least it's your cage

First, a PSA: I have been seriously bad at answering comments lately. I promise to try and get better sooner rather than later; regardless, I am always reading and enjoying anything you say. I'm just crap at responding these days.

Anybody who's a fan of the Old 97s should listen to last Thursday's Fresh Air, because Rhett Miller is so fucking amazing, and Terry Gross is such a kind, smart interviewer -- Rhett talks about the new album, and his kids, and why he's glad he didn't marry anyone he dated in his 20s, and his teenaged suicide attempt, and the Kingston Trio, and just. *hearthands beyond belief*

True fact: I can never tire of listening to musicians and songwriters I respect hugely talking about the musicians and songwriters who inspired them. It's one of my favorite ways to discover new bands -- for example, if Jason had never raved about Slobberbone in print, I probably would have eventually discovered the Brent Best Extravaganza That Is Slobberbone, the Drams, And Whoever Brent Plays With The Next Time He Gets Bored And Changes His Band's Name, but I did it faster because someone I respect respects Brent's crazy face. Then after I was done thinking about that, I had to spend some time thinking about my favorite songwriters ever; I think, in no particular order, the top five of all time for me are Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Rhett Miller, Mason Jennings, and Jason Isbell. Mike Cooley would come in on the tail of those five in a very close sixth. You?

(Yes, I know that not everyone thinks of music in terms of songwriters. But if you do, share.)

Internets, what I need today are all your covers of either the Band or the Rolling Stones. Extra bonus points for covers specifically of songs from Sticky Fingers. In return:

[Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit -- "Sway"] 8MB, .mp3. Live soundboard recording.

[Jason Isbell, Rob Malone & Brian Ferris -- "Moonlight Mile"] 12MB, .mp3. Live (but clean) recording.

[Steve Earle -- "Dead Flowers"] 7MB, .mp3. My favorite cover of my current favorite Rolling Stones song.

[Guns N' Roses -- "Dead Flowers"] 4MB, .mp3. This is actually a surprisingly delightful cover.

[Cowboy Junkies -- "Dead Flowers"] 10MB, .mp3. Frustratingly poor cover -- I'd love to hear Margo do this in a studio setting, because her voice is just exactly the right sort of plaintive for this song.

[Townes van Zandt -- "Dead Flowers"] 7MB, .mp3. A lot of people have covered this song, but none so well as Earle and van Zandt. Now if Justin Townes Earle could get on following in his daddy's and his namesake's footsteps ...

Now you share!

... and speaking of my obsessive need to collect all music ever, why is it, internets, that I can desire William Beckett's high school acoustic album and have it within half an hour, but no amount of searching will cough up the power pop album made by Murry Hammond and Rhett Miller pre-97s? FAIL, INTERNETS. (In case any of you are hoarding it and don't know what it is: the band was called Sleepy Heroes, and the album was Under the Radio Sun. GIMME THAT ALBUM.)