This week’s installment of our Friday AfterNoonToon – a Grammy Twin Bill! – comes to you a bit early, because I’ll be away from my PC for a couple days.

Maybe you heard about the big Grammy Awards ceremony last Sunday night. Big winners were Arcade Fire, Lady Antebellum (which, I learned, is not a lady at all, but a trio), Lady Gaga (who is a lady) and Bruno Mars. See all of the Nominees and Winners at Grammy.com.

What you didn’t see (unless you went digging on Monday like I did) were the winners of the Blues categories – Best Traditional Blues Album and Best Contemporary Blues Album. I’d love to have seen these guys on the big broadcast. That brings us to our Wednesday edition of the Friday AfterNoonToon.

The envelope please …

Read on …

We’re starting a new weekly feature here at the ol’ blog: Ring in the Weekend. Every Friday afternoon we’ll share a song or artist we’ve recently “discovered” so you can partake in the ooh-ing and ah-ing and launch your weekend in style.

Today it’s Australian one-man band and DIY-guy Claude Hay. He throws down a big, funky beat beneath some pretty killer slide guitar. His latest album, “Deep Fried Satisfied,” currently ranks No. 5 on Amazon’s top blues albums of 2010. NPR interviewed him in November last year. Did we mention he’s a one man band?

But enough of our yackin’ … check him out!

Read on …

I got a little busy this week and didn’t get a new post put together (you could argue there was a bit of lazy involved, but I’d just deny it). I’m mulling a post framing up my disdain for using “so and so gets it” as a way of bolstering -- maybe so much as proving -- one’s belief in a particular position or approach. We see it a lot these days in social media circles. It bugs me. But I won’t spell it all out here, now.

Instead, I give you another awesome tune - this one an oldy but damn goody from Minneapolis’ own Jonny Lang. He’d have been about 18 when he performed this particular Breaking Me in 1999. I’m going to see him on July 10. But I can’t tell you where yet. More on that later.

I share this with you for one reason, and one reason only: It totally rocks.

Take a listen to Keb’ Mo’s latest song, “A Brand New America.” He’s working on an album due out in 2009.

I can’t wait.