More Lost Austin Band MP3s!

You want raw, original string band music? You’ve come to the right place.

The importance of these early 70s recordings can’t be underestimated. The uninitiated will have to tolerate the deleterious effects of exhaustion, alcohol, and, um, other substances on the musicality and technical proficiency of the period in question, but the spirit of the man comes through loud and clear. It’s a good thing, too, because the ancient tapes I found these one aren’t in the best of shape to begin with.

West Texas isn’t kind to poets or savants, and it used to be much worse. John Clay lived through growing up in Stamford and was an integral part of the exploding countercultural scene in Austin from the early 60s on. He witnessed (and felt) first-hand the destruction of much of what was truly grand and soulful in the Austin that I knew, and I feel his pain, as the saying goes. HE’S STILL THERE, too!

You can visit Farrsound for more background and additional free MP3s. For now, these are the latest ones posted:

• NEW! “Road to Mingus,” written & sung by John Clay, accompanied by the Lost Austin Band. MP3, 3.44 MB. Another signature song, this one about the perils of cold beer, fast cars, and “a reckless, speeding train.” •DOWNLOAD•

• NEW! “Don’t Look Now,” written & sung by John Clay, accompanied by the Lost Austin Band. MP3, 6 MB. “Every place you ever knew or loved, it will all be gone someday …” Written when Austin was 1/4 the size it is today. Dig it! •DOWNLOAD•

• NEW! “All Our Weed is Gone,” written & sung by John Clay, accompanied by the Lost Austin Band. MP3, 4.28 MB. An ironic lament that rises to the level of an authentic cultural document. San Franciscans and Austinites, take note. •DOWNLOAD•

• NEW! “Do We Still Belong in this Land,” written & sung by John Clay, accompanied by the Lost Austin Band. MP3, 4.28 MB. Beneath the irony, a spiritual warrior’s struggle for the soul of the earth(whether he knows it or not). •DOWNLOAD•

• NEW! “It Helps to Pass the Time,” written & sung by John Clay, accompanied by the Lost Austin Band. MP3, 3.08 MB. INCOMPLETE (so far). Missing the rousing opening line, “Another needle in his last good vein … ” but still a great downer. •DOWNLOAD•