This week's playlist:

• Pawnbroker (3:27) by Tinsley Ellis, from Fanning The Flames (1989); available from Alligator Records and the iTunes Music Store. Thanks also to AirplayDirect for helping make this track available. Visit TinsleyEllis.com for more information.

• I Don't Know Why (4:10) by Sean Chambers, from Ten Til Midnight (2009); available from Amazon.com and the iTMS. Visit SeanChambers.com for more information.

• I'll Break Your Promise (3:28), Cryin' Blind (4:14) and John Ross Said (2:48), all by Samuel James and all from For Rose, Maeve and Noreen (2009), available from NorthernBlues Music and the iTMS. Visit Samuel James in MySpace and this page at PiedmontTalent.com for more information.

• Wondering (2:41) by Sandy Mack, from Still Going Strong (2009), available from CD Universe and the iTMS. Visit Sandy Mack in MySpace for more information.

• Down Home Country Blues (3:02), Pots and Pans (4:02) and Tornado Ripe (5:35), all by Ray Wylie Hubbard and all from A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C) (2010); available from the store at RayWylie.com and the iTMS. Visit RayWylie.com for more information.

• Bamboozled (4:28) by Omar & the Howlers, from Boogie Man (2003); available from Amazon.com and the iTMS. Visit OmarAndTheHowlers.com and their MySpace page for more information.

To contact me: send email to murphyssaloon (at) gmail (dot) com - you can also contact me through: Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. My Flickr photo collection is here. My Google profile is here. You can read items I share in Google Reader here. You are invited to write reviews of Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast in the iTunes Music Store.

Primary sources of information about the blues: The Blues Foundation and the Delta Blues Museum; be sure to download and listen to the DBM's top-notch (and free) podcast, the Uncensored History of the Blues; BluesRevue.com, the online home of Blues Revue magazine; BigCityBluesMag.com, the online home of Big City Blues magazine; and BluesCritic.com.

Recommended reading: Today's Chicago Blues (Amazon link) by Karen Hanson, an excellent guide to all things blues in present-day Chicago. Karen also blogs about the blues at Today's Chicago Blues.

For things to do in Chicago: The Local Tourist and The Chicago Reader.

Two wonderful non-traditional online sources of Chicago news: Gapers Block and the Chicagoist.

(Something noteworthy being done by a hard working and very talented friend of mine: Flamenco Chicago)

(The music you hear on Murphy's Saloon comes to you courtesy of the artists and their labels. One of the following may have provided assistance: IODA PROMONET, AirplayDirect, RadioSubmit.com, the Podsafe Music Network, Download.com or Garageband.com, )

After nearly 40 years in the music business, legendary Austin-based singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard said the decision to form his own record label had everything to do with the freedom to chart his own course as an artist and retain control of all facets of his career.

Hubbard's new album, entitled "A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C)" (release date: Jan. 12th), is on Bordello Records, run by Hubbard's wife Judy.

"It's not the financial part of it at all," Hubbard said. "I could have gotten a deal with an independent label and had a bigger budget, but it comes back to that as I've gotten older, I really want to own my music, to own the masters.

"Having the ownership of what you create gives me a great freedom. These songs mean a great deal to me and I want to own them, and that's important to me. The whole record industry is up in the air and nobody knows what's next, and I think we can do better selling 10,000 copies ourselves than if we sold 100,000 for a label."

Hubbard said the freedom afforded by navigating his own way in the turbulent waters of the contemporary music business led directly to the new album's admittedly odd title and cover art, which are derived from the writings of Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and Sufi mystic.

... snip ...

It was while reading about the European Age of Enlightenment that Hubbard said he found the word "endarkenment."

"I thought, 'nobody uses that – what an archaic, weird word.' And then I got into it, and thought, 'what a great word that nobody uses,'" he said. "But the idea is there: if you're enlightened, and everybody else is not. It's either one or the other: either you is, or you ain't. And it just kinda tore around my head, and I thought, 'what a great thing.'

... snip ...

Among those who appear on "Enlightenment" are The Trishas, a new female vocal quartet from Austin; guitarist Gurf Morlix, a frequent Hubbard collaborator and producer in the past; and guitarists Derek O'Brian (a longtime member of the Antone's house band), David Abeta (from the band Reckless Kelly) and Billy Cassis (from the legendary Austin band Soulhat). The album was co-produced by Hubbard and highly regarded Austin session musician George Reiss.

... snip ...

"Songs like "Black Wings" and "Opium" and "Enlightenment" were all pretty much recorded live straight through with no overdubs whatsoever. We just went in there and did 'em. I think we overdubbed a guitar part on a couple of songs. It was all done to capture the moment — we wanted performance."

Read the full story here.

This week's playlist:

• Same Dog (4:47) by Coco Montoya, from The Essential Coco Montoya (2009); available from Blind Pig Records and the iTunes Music Store. Visit CocoMontoya.com for more information..

• I Gottta Feelin' (3:52) by Andre Bisson, from Rhythm and Blues Experience (2008); available from CDBaby.com and the iTMS. Visit AndreBisson.ca for more information.

• You Let Me Down (6:46) by Ramblin Dawgs, from Shoot 'Em Up (2009); available from the store at their site and the iTMS. Visit RamblinDawgs.com for more information.

• Natural Born Lover (5:30 by Mike Zito, from Pearl River (2009); available from EclectoGroove.com and the iTMS. Visit MikeZito.com for more information.

• Drunked (5:31), It's My Life Baby (2:56) and Boogie Now (6:04), all by Sandy Mack and all from Still Going Strong (2009), available from CD Universe and the iTMS. Visit Sandy's MySpace page for more information.

• Cubano Jump (2:58) by Dave Gross, from Crawling the Walls (2009); available from the store at Dave's site, from the VizzTone Label Group store and the iTMS. Visit DaveGross.net for more information.

• Running Out On Me (4:21) by Aynsley Lister, from Equilibrium (2009); available from Aynsley's online store and the iTMS. Visit AynsleyLister.co.uk for more information.

• Sugar Shack (4:36) by Damon Fowler, from Sugar Shack (2009); available from BlindPigRecords.com and the iTMS. Visit DamonFowler.com for more information.

Mentioned during this show: Ray Wylie Hubbard and A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C).

To contact me: send email to murphyssaloon (at) gmail (dot) com - you can also contact me through: Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. My Flickr photo collection is here. My Google profile is here. You can read items I share in Google Reader here. You are welcome to write reviews of Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast in the iTunes Music Store.

Primary sources of information about the blues: The Blues Foundation and the Delta Blues Museum; be sure to download and listen to the DBM's top-notch (and free) podcast, the Uncensored History of the Blues; BluesRevue.com, the online home of Blues Revue magazine; BigCityBluesMag.com, the online home of Big City Blues magazine; and BluesCritic.com.

Recommended reading: Today's Chicago Blues (Amazon link) by Karen Hanson, an excellent guide to all things blues in present-day Chicago. Karen also blogs about the blues at Today's Chicago Blues.

For things to do in Chicago: The Local Tourist and The Chicago Reader.

Two wonderful non-traditional online sources of Chicago news: Gapers Block and the Chicagoist.

(Something noteworthy being done by a hard working and very talented friend of mine: Flamenco Chicago)

(The music you hear on Murphy's Saloon comes to you courtesy of the artists and their labels. One of the following may have provided assistance: IODA PROMONET, AirplayDirect, RadioSubmit.com, the Podsafe Music Network, Download.com or Garageband.com, )

This week's playlist:

• It's Never Too Hard To Be Humble (4:44) by Watermelon Slim, from Escape From The Chicken Coop (2009), available from NorthernBlues Music and the iTunes Music Store. Visit WatermelonSlim.com for more information.

• You Can Count On Me (4:05) by Blueskillet, from Cure These Blues (2009); available from CDBaby and the iTMS. Visit Blueskillet.com for more information.

• Homegrown (Radio Mix) (3:42) by The Kelly Bell Band, from Phat Blues Music (1998), available at the band's page at Garageband, the Phat store at their site, or from the iTMS. Visit PhatBlues.com for more information.

• You Let Me Down (6:46), Common Man (4:01) and Shoot 'Em Up (4:12), all by Ramblin Dawgs, and all from Shoot 'Em Up (2009); available from the store at their site and the iTMS. Visit RamblinDawgs.com for more information.

• Like The Bad Girls Do (2:47) by Jacks O' Diamonds, from Here There & Everywhere (2009). To buy Here There & Everywhere, send email to jdofjacksodiamonds (at) yahoo (dot) com. Visit JacksODiamonds.net for more information.

• Stone Cold Blues (5:27), Mississippi Mud (4:36) and Bad in a Good Way (5:21), all by Omar & the Howlers, and all from Boogie Man (2003); available from Amazon.com and the iTMS. Visit OmarAndTheHowlers.com and their MySpace page for more information.

• Brand New Blues (5:11) by Cyril Neville, from Brand New Blues (2009); available from MC-Records.com and the iTMS. Visit Nevilles.com and Cyril's MySpace page for more information.

• Lost In The Sauce (4:48) by the JP Blues Band, from Die Happy (2007); available from the iTMS. Visit the band's Electronic Press Kit (EPK) for more information.

• Foul Weather Blues (3:30) by Harpdog Brown. To buy Harpdog's most recent CD, Once in a Howlin' Moon, visit HarpdogBrown.com. Visit Harpdog's Garageband page or his MySpace page for more information.

Mentioned during this show: AirplayDirect.

To contact me: email me at murphyssaloon (at) gmail (dot) com - you can also contact me through: Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. My Flickr photo collection is here. My Google profile is here. You can read items I share in Google Reader here. You are welcome to write reviews of Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast in the iTunes Music Store.

Primary sources of information about the blues: The Blues Foundation and the Delta Blues Museum; be sure to download and listen to the DBM's top-notch (and free) podcast, the Uncensored History of the Blues; BluesRevue.com, the online home of Blues Revue magazine; BigCityBluesMag.com, the online home of Big City Blues magazine; and BluesCritic.com.

Recommended reading: Today's Chicago Blues (Amazon link) by Karen Hanson, an excellent guide to all things blues in present-day Chicago. Karen also blogs about the blues at Today's Chicago Blues.

For things to do in Chicago: The Local Tourist.

Two wonderful non-traditional online sources of Chicago news: Gapers Block and the Chicagoist.

(Something noteworthy being done by a hard working and very talented friend of mine: Flamenco Chicago)

(The music you hear on Murphy's Saloon comes to you courtesy of the artists and their labels. One of the following may have provided assistance: IODA PROMONET, AirplayDirect, RadioSubmit.com, the Podsafe Music Network, Download.com or Garageband.com, )