Rench writes, "Relix magazine just premiered this live video of Gangstagrass (previoulsy), the pioneers of authentically mixed bluegrass and hip-hop. The energy crackles on this captivating stage performance. Can't decide which is hotter, the emcees dynamic flow or the banjo and dobro players going into overdrive on the solos. Read the rest

You might could also try Gangstagrass. Read the rest

Click here to play this episode. Gweek is a podcast where the editors and friends of Boing Boing talk about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, TV shows, music, movies, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff.

My co-hosts for episode 55 are:

Ruben Bolling, the author of the weekly comic strip Tom the Dancing Bug, which premieres each week on Boing Boing,

Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at Cruftbox,

and Rainn Wilson, the actor and comedian best known for his role as Dwight Schrute in the hit series The Office. He’s also the founder of a very cool website and YouTube channel called Soul Pancake, which is devoted to discussing life’s big questions in art, philosophy, creativity, and spirituality.

Here are a few of the things we talked about in this episode:

An interview with Rainn about Soul Pancake, the Bahá’í Faith, and the Malibu Triathlon.

Ruben: Uncle Scrooge “Only a Poor Man,” by Carl Barks

Ruben: Wherever I Wind Up, by R.A. Dickey

Ruben: You’re Not Doing It Right, by Michael Ian Black.

Rainn: Bossypants, by Tina Fey

Rainn: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, by Mindy Kaling

Rainn: A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

Rainn: The Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie

Mark: I Should Have Stayed Home, by Horace McCoy

Michael: Gangstagrass: Rappalachia

Ruben: Fountains of Wayne: Sky Full of Holes

Rainn: Kathleen Edwards , Rhett Miller , The Head & the Heart , Caspar Babypants

Mark: Songs for Unusual Creatures

Ruben: The Inner Hive

Rainn: Chess.com Read the rest

Rench sez, "The previously BoingBoinged bluegrass hip-hop band Gangstagrass shares an exclusive premiere of their live video for 'Gunslinging Rambler featuring R-SON' - showing that this has gone way beyond a mash-up. Witness rapper, dj, and bluegrass band rocking the stage together at one of their face-melting shows in Brooklyn. We are offering the first peek at this to BoingBoing as a world premiere!"

I'm a great fan of this stuff. Gangstagrass performs exactly the kind of bluegrass music I favor and exactly the kind of hip-hop I favor, and seems to have discovered the alchemical secret of mixing the two perfectly.

Gangstagrass: Gunslinging Rambler featuring R-SON live at Southpaw

(Thanks, Rench!) Read the rest

Boyhowdy sez, "The folk covers of Straight to Hell I compiled last year were so well-received by your readers, I thought you might also be interested in this week's entry, which compiles folk and acoustic covers of more songs from Punk's first and second waves. From banjo-tinged Stooges covers to countrified Blondie, singer-songwriter Bad Brains covers to smooth and ghostly Clash transformations, there's likely something here for everyone. Especially fun for uke-fans: a cover of Ramones classic I Wanna Be Sedated from Allo, Darlin'."

Don't miss the bluegrass "Lust for Life" and the king-hell sweet Japanese acoustic "Lost in the Supermarket."

All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1 (folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk music)

Mashup artist Rench has released a free album of "gangstagrass" music -- hiphop mashed with bluegrass. The mixes are really good, in that, "Hey, who knew those two really different flavors worked so well together?" way that makes mashups so much fun to listen to.

Introducing block rockin' honky-tonk, New American music for the 21st century, built with love in a little studio, hand crafted, running on inspiration and imagination and duct tape, calling on the spirit of Gram Parsons and Otis Redding and KRS-ONE and Dolly Parton and Nina Simone and Willie Nelson and Missy Elliott and Johnny Cash, to write about what we feel and play what our hearts tell us, because to make it happen is reason enough, and to share it with the world is all the reason you need, because we tell the truth with music and the truth is beautiful.

Link to Gangstagrass album download, Link to information about Rench

(Thanks, Brooklyn Twang!) Read the rest