This is so cool!

Biggest Viking hoard discovery in England in 150 years found in Yorkshire--by a father and son fooling around with a metal detector!

Medieval artifacts, lost for over 1000 years, uncovered by accident...you never know what you'll find if you're in an area like that. Personally, I'm wondering if anyone will ever try to dive in/dredge the Wash to find out if there really is a royal treasury down there somewhere....

Just....cool!

"As the sun sets...and our boat sinks slowly into the west..."

Well, I couldn't find the Spike Jones version, but I thought this would do....

RT in WA

It occurs to me that, though I've mentioned this privately to a few of you, more folks might be interested in knowing that The Richard Thompson Band will be playing the Moore Theatre in Seattle on Sept. 11, 2007. Tickets go on sale Friday (today!) at noon. Amythyst plans on "camping out" on the Ticketmaster website around 11:30-11:45 and continually hitting refresh. :-) (I, unfortunately, have errands to run.)

For those not in the Seattle area, here's a list of all of Richard's currently set dates, including a new "1000 Years" tour next year! (I really hope he comes here with that as well; I've not seen a 1000 Years show.)

If you've never seen Richard live, I can't recommend it enough, especially with a band backing him if you're a rock'n'roll type. (Of course, his solo shows are amazing too.) He's one of the finest guitarists out there and certainly one of the handful of truly great songwriters the English language currently has. I dragged Amythyst to a concert in 2004 when she'd barely heard of the man--and then only from me--and she emerged at the end of the evening an Richard Thompson fan for life.

Here's a 15 minute clip of part of a performance in a CA record store from earlier this year, interspersed with someone interviewing Richard about his musical history. Ish. A link just went up on his official website, so I've no idea how long this has been out there. It contains excerpts from 3 songs off his latest (and fantastic) album, "Sweet Warrior," though I'd rather there been more music and less interview. Thanks to the magic of youtube, though, I can share a bit more of the new album (and live RTB!): here's "I'll Never Give It Up" in rainy Brooklyn and the exquisite "Sunset Song" in one of Our Favorite Cities, Northampton, MA. And that barely scratches the surface of the album, from the soldier's song (based on online diaries), "'Dad's Gonna Kill Me" to the rocksteady beat of "Francesca" to the chilling "Guns Are the Tongues," an examination of terrorism. (IRA style, I should add.) And, of course, the ubiquitous "many more." (Well, six more that I haven't mentioned. That's many, isn't it?) Anyway, the album is awesome. You should buy it. :-)

And go see him live! It's an experience one never forgets....