April 23, 2012

Review: “Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” by Waco Brothers and Paul Burch


TRACK 11

“Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”

From Waco Brothers and Paul Burch’s Great Chicago Fire

BLOODSHOT

Liner notes: Worlds collide with a bang on this wonderfully scruffy version of the Dylan chestnut, which nicks the bluesy arrangement of the David Bowie classic “The Jean Genie.”

Behind the music: This alt-country dream team pairs Chicago’s raucous Waco Brothers, helmed by UK punk pioneer Jon Langford (of the Mekons), with the gentler singer-songwriter Paul Burch, who’s worked with everyone from Ralph Stanley to Vic Chesnutt to Exene Cervenka.

Check it out if you like: Those Darlins, Bobby Bare Jr., and other mischievous traditionalists.

 

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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