When I initially set up the Orient Lodge Music Review to accept Sonicbids submissions, I had no idea how many people would submit their music for review, or for that matter, how many I would manage to get a chance to adequately review. For the first three month period, I agreed to review at least five performers. The three month period is over, and I've received 71 submissions for review. As a general rule, I've reviewed one a week. Some weeks, I've skipped because of writing about other music. Other weeks, I've reviewed more than one performer at a time. Today, I am reviewing an eclectic mix of four different musicians, bringing my total to thirteen. I'll try to schedule a few more for review over the next few weeks, and then probably start another cycle again soon.

As I listened to several of the submissions a logical, at least to me, grouping of musicians occurred and I thought I would highlight a few of these musicians together. No, The Codgers isn't a new folk group. Instead, it is what I'm calling the four musicians that I am reviewing this week. Each musician is, generally speaking, and older man singing songs about their lives and the regions of the country they love.

At the top of the list is Doug Spears. Doug is from Florida. Doug wrote,

It seems to me that Florida gets overlooked as a source of Americana / Folk / Roots music and artists. Overshadowed by the neon of Disney and Margaritaville, Florida's position in the southern music tradition gets largely ignored.

Doug writes about moonshine, hurricanes and houses that have been in the family for generations. His music reflects the complexities of a simple life and is well worth listening to.

While Doug writes about the way things used to be in Florida, Chris Morrisette is perhaps best know for his Ballad of Greg Oden, a song about a basketball player in Portland Oregon. He writes of the stuff of daily life, including concern about becoming "Someone's Creepy Ex-Boyfriend". Now, he drives a school bus which inspires his writing of kids songs.

Our next stop on the list of musical codgers is Lloyd Mac Hardy. Lloyd is from Nova Scotia. He doesn't have a website that I can find, however, you can find him on YouTube. He writes songs about union dues, bureaucrats, and psychiatrists and seems to follow nicely the works of Doug and Chris.

Rounding out the list is John Tango Iversen. He describes himself as "the only Northamerican singing tango in Buenos Aires". He has a new CD, "El Norte Americano que Canta Tango" coming out on September 5th, which he hopes to have on hand for the Oakland Pride Celebration. He is also in the process of making it available online. The few songs that I listened to from the upcoming album are a truly enjoyable addition to my normal diet of more folky singer/songwriters. Johnny Tango joins a long list of musicians singing the classic, "Blue Moon" and adds several other tunes that I don't know.

Doug, Chris, Lloyd and John provide a wonderful exploration of music from several different settings and when mixed together make a great virtual music journey.