Whenever the moon is just right, the Vague Panther picks his favorite MP3s from the web to bring you the “In the Know” series. If you’ve got a tip that might pique his interest email him at vaguepanther(at)strangerdance.com.

Patrick Watson – “Beijing”
We’ve been meaning to add Patrick Watson to the “In the Know” list ever since [...]

[Weekly roundup of the week's notable CD releases. Free and legal MP3 samples are provided where available so you can try 'em before you buy. Check out our upcoming CD releases calendar for a comprehensive list of 2009 releases.]

Artist: Yim Yames
Album: Tribute To
Sample: “My Sweet Lord” [George Harrison cover]
The solo debut from My Morning Jacket [...]

We asked you the other day whether Monsters of Folk were your cup of tea, and the reviews have mostly been positive. Now you’ll get to see them up close and in person to decide. Messrs. James, Ward, Oberst and Mogis are bringing their little indie-folk supergroup to Oakland’s Fox Theater on October 17th.
This is [...]

The first MP3 from Monsters of Folk has hit the blogosphere – “Say Please.” This band practically defines the term “supergroup,” as a band comprised of Bright Eyes‘ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and singer-songwriter M. Ward is quite impressive, given their already-established individual reputations. The band’s debut self-titled album [...]

Hold Time, M. Ward’s seventh full length album, was released today, although if Ward were to commandeer a time machine to 1958 and release it then, it’s likely no one would recognize him as an interloper.
The album is a sonic throwback on every level. It’s full of reverb-heavy Fender Stratocaster guitar work, and thematically, it [...]

Jim James (My Morning Jacket frontman) fell during a show last night (October 7) in Iowa City, injuring himself badly enough to require hospitilization. As a result, James’ was forced him to cancel his appearance at an Obama benefit in Chicago tonight.
According to local newspaper The Gazette:
“James slipped and fell about 30 minutes into the [...]

Last night I caught the cryptic Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There, for the first time. As you probably already know it features “six distinct stages of Dylan’s public life and persona portrayed by an ensemble cast: Marcus Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett.” (source). What exactly does that [...]