Note from AIV: Otis approached me about this post and I thought it was a great idea and I hope to make it a reoccurring piece here on 9B. Hope you enjoy.

As a traveling musician, I’m given countless CDs from people I meet on the road. I have no interest in being a music critic, but I try my best to listen to as many as I can. In the spirit of turning people on to good music, this is a list of three records that stand out from the crowd.
Thanks for giving a damn,
–Otis Gibbs

I met Adam a few years ago at a festival in Colorado. I was booked to do a songwriters round with Adam and Tim Easton. At the time, Tim and I had never heard of Adam, but we were completely blown away. Later that night, Adam and I hung out and he gave me this record. Since then, Adam has become one of my favorite songwriters and has released quite a few wonderful albums. I think this album is a great starting point and it’s one that I keep coming back to time and again. If you search around on Youtube you can find people like Slaid Cleaves and Hayes Carll covering Adam’s songs. Recommended if you like Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Townes Van Zandt.

Jason and I met while we were playing a hobo gathering in La Crosse, Wisconsin. After the gig, he handed me a CD-R that he’d written his name and album title on with black marker. My best buddy Todd and I drove home to Indianapolis after the gig and listened to this album 3 times straight through. I found out a few years later that the record was produced by Gurf Morlix and had guest appearances by Rick Richards, Guy Forsyth, Carolyn Wonderland and Slaid Cleaves (just to name a few). I did a quick Google search and wasn’t able to find anywhere to buy this record online. I’m hoping that you’ll be able to hunt it down, because it’s well worth the effort. Recommended if you like John Prine, Woody Guthrie.
Jason Eklund – Farmer Ain’t The Man

A mutual friend took Amy and I to a dive bar in Nashville (Brown’s Diner) to see Chet. I was instantly a fan. I loved his voice, his guitar playing and his writing immediately. This record was recorded and produced by my buddy Thomm Jutz, and it showcases Chet at his finest. Chet recently toured Ireland with Nanci Griffith and was awarded “Song Of The Year” in 2010 by the International Bluegrass Music Association (beating out Guy Clark and Bill Monroe). Recommended if you like John Prine, Bob Dylan, Blaze Foley. (AIV Note: We have a full 9B piece on Chet’s album planned for the near future.)