Favorite lyric, from Tom Joad, ie, "Wherever little children are hungry-- wherever men ain't free, that's where I'm gonna be, ma. That's where I'm gonna be."

Visit woodyguthrie.com to check out this year's hometown annual Woody Guthrie music festival in Okemah, OK. And if that's where you're gonna be too, the Rodeo Arena late and early is a place to wander around and get in on some authentic red dirt music, new ballads about (e.g.) the dust bowl and Mickey Mantle.

I heard Ian & Sylvia's Katy and the Navajo Rug for the first time in at least 30 years there last year.

There is a songwriters' competition and 3 stages going at a time throughout this tiny lil town on I-40 near Henryetta, Oklahoma.

One thing I've enjoyed is picking up first-run self-produced recordings from musicians who get there on a shoestring from all over the country just to be in a karmic vortex like that.

If you can't make it this year, plan for the same time next year, because this is still a pristine and virtually undiscovered happening. k