Ray Bierl

I'm back from my latest travels, so here's some traveling music for you all. Ray Bierl (a member of The Hillbillies from Mars) came out with a great new solo album last year, entitled Any Place I Hang My Hat. It's full of songs, as he puts it, "about hitting the highway, riding the rails, lighting out for the territory," and is overall an excellent piece of work. I have several favorites, but for dancing, I recommend the following:

• Down and Out (buy | listen) - Swing, 145 bpm.
  "Brother, can you spare a dime? Buck for a beer wouldn't be too bad...."
• Tramps and Hawkers (buy | listen) - Moderate waltz, 137 bpm.
  Five minutes long, but worth it.
  "Like ghosts we roam without friends or home, these tramps and hawkers and me."

If you're in the Bay Area, there are lots of opportunities to hear him perform live as well.