The Happy, Swinging Hobos

What do you get when three “vagabond” musicians, with influences ranging from Louis Armstrong to Son House, Johnny Cash to Mississippi John Hurt and from hillbilly to folk to …, get together? Well, you get a band named Hobo Jazz.

The “fun music band” (as the Hobos describe themselves) is the baby of Hobo Matt "King" Coleman (vocals/guitar), who is also the primary songwriter; Hobo Joe Perez (drums/vocals) – a much sought after drummer in the scene; and the “wildest in this bunch of bananas” Marquis "M.W. Hobo" Howell, who plays the upright bass and also lends his voice.

The California-based band is a regular act in festivals, bars, coffee houses, theaters, street corners, burlesque shows and kids’ shows. Hobo Jazz’s debut album Old Lester's Speakeasy (released in 2006), which received much critical acclaim, is a testimony of the band’s interpretation of the free, raw and fun-filled music they believe in. The complex simplicity with deep roots and vibrant energy is the hallmark of the band’s music, which also tends to defy any genre branding.

And like the band says, “We play what we like, we don’t give much a damn about most things as long as we don’t have to compromise our jolliness,” their music is a refreshing feeling of happiness laced with vintage goodness.

Click here to preview or order a copy of Old Lester's Speakeasy. You can also checkout some cool Hobo Jazz videos on YouTube. Hobo Jazz is a must for anyone looking for clean, sweet, jolly and non-gadget driven music.

Godot syndrome in times of recession

Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting for Godot clearly resonates with the quandary faced by the ‘unfortunate lot’ hit by economic downturn. They are today’s Vladimirs and Estragons, waiting desperately for the elusive Godot (read re-employment break).

Like Beckett’s protagonists, they are entrapped in a quagmire of disablement but are trying ‘to hold insanity at bay’ even as their experienced time is attenuated and fractured.

Their sole plausible motive for existence is to meet Godot. They yearn to scream out, "We're saved!". But their wait continues. And in some, disorder and disintegration have started to seep in, perhaps disturbed by too much waiting.

Go Bijili: The Indian water dog

Caught this highly un-endangered long lost desi cousin of the Obamas' newly adopted member in the White House enjoying the sweltering Indian summer in a cesspool of calm.