Whatever your plans for St. Patrick's Day -- green beer, perhaps? -- I can guarantee they'll be improved with Irish music. (Disclaimer: my guarantee is completely invalid in all 50 States and Canada and also the rest of the world, but I still think it's a pretty good idea.) I'm partial to the traditional stuff myself, and I've compiled a list of a stack of Irish starter CDs that should get you started on that front... they're the sort of albums that a beginner can get into without too much trouble, and an aficionado can love just as well. If you're feeling a bit more edgy, perhaps some Celtic punk will do the trick? Or some Irish-born classic rockers? Or perhaps you'll play it old-school, get plastered and sing Danny Boy at the top of your lungs (if so, you'll want the lyrics, to at least save yourself from some embarrassment).

As for me? I'm thinking Solas on the speakers and colcannon on the back burner. I might be getting old.

I was listening to Johnny Cash tonight, which I find myself doing fairly often... just because I write about world music doesn't mean it's the only thing I listen to, after all.  Anyhow, one of my favorite boxed sets of all time is Cash's Unearthed (Compare Prices) -- five CDs of pure awesomeness.  What's not to love?

Anyhow, among these five discs are a number of really incredible tracks, but one that always stands out to me is Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer's cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."  Recorded right near the ends of their lives (Cash died in 2003 at age 71, Strummer died in 2002 at age 42), it's certainly not the slickest of cover songs, but something about it really gets to me. There's a certain intimacy in the rendition; something humanizing.  I know lots of musicians, and every one of them enjoys occasionally sitting around and just playing a tune with their friends... not necessarily something they usually play, just a song that everyone knows and loves.  This particular version of "Redemption Song" leads me to picture Strummer in some punky outfit and Cash in his signature cowboy black lounging around on a couple of couches somewhere with their acoustic guitars, just playing for the love of playing and for the love of the song, and it's really cool.  Also, let's face it, it's sort of hilarious (and seriously endearing) to hear Johnny Cash growl, "Oh pirates, yes, they rob I..." with full Rastafarian conviction.

It was no mistake, then, that I included this song on my list of the best-ever covers of Bob Marley's songs.  Bob Marley wrote some of the best songs in history... dozens upon dozens of them, in fact, which is part of why he's one of the most-covered artists of all time.  Lots of these covers are meh, but some of them are outstanding.  My favorites generally fall well outside of the reggae genre -- in my opinion, the best reggae versions of them were finished as soon as Mr. Marley set his guitar down.  In order to do a great cover, you need to do something different and special from the original... but that's just my opinion.  Now it's your turn to answer: what is your absolute favorite cover of a Bob Marley song ever recorded? Go to that page, and tell us what cover blows you away, and what you think makes it so special.

Fun news today from one of my favorite blogs, DubMC, which is reporting that the Musical Instrument Museum is set to open next month in Phoenix, AZ, and it is quite likely going to be, as we'd say in my native Northeast, wicked cool.

More than just mbiras and bagpipes on shelves, the MIM is, according to artistic director Sunni Fass, going to be a highly interactive and hugely inclusive space... and an enormous space at that, with over 200,000 square feet of display area, as well as a 300-seat theatre where artists from around the world will perform throughout the year. Their collection currently numbers over 10,000 instruments (which, I must, say, is only a few more than I have in my living room, where I am no longer able to offer seating to guests due to a recent influx of bass ukuleles... don't ask). It is the only museum of instruments in the world that is dedicated to global instruments... there are other musical instrument museums, but they tend to focus on classical instruments.

Phoenix is one of the only great American cities that I've never visited. Anyone up for a road trip?

Some people say that radio is dead. I'd argue that, though Top 40 radio might be a dying breed (possibly due to the fact that the music is heinous and the DJs are robots), there is lots of radio that is very much still alive, mostly in the public, college, and community radio arenas. Small radio stations around the country (and world, for that matter) remain daily staples for millions upon millions of people, myself included. Smaller stations provide a platform where true enthusiasts can share the music they love with their community which, as most radio stations stream online, often includes the whole world nowadays.

Now, internet radio can be cool too, but often isn't as carefully curated as a radio show... many internet radio stations are the equivalent of an iPod on shuffle mode. Don't get me wrong -- I love to listen to other people's iPods -- but the personal touch of a human (and, in the case of the best DJs, good banter between songs) is worth a lot. World music DJs are responsible for introducing more people to world music than anyone else, I'd venture to guess, and the best ones keep listeners coming back for more and more.

So in honor of one of my favorite perfectly healthy art form (the world music radio show, that is), I invite you, if you're a world music DJ, to add your show to the new World Music Radio show list that I've started. Take a minute and put your show on there, and help listeners (as well as artists, music businesspeople, and other enthusiasts) find you! And, hey listeners, it might behoove you to click that link as well... you'll get to the growing list of radio shows, ready for you to sample at your leisure. While you're at it, feel free to leave a blog comment and chime in on the future of radio... do you think it's here to stay?