(09.23.06) Recommends:

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, the song "Anne Elephant" from the album "Broom" (Self-released, 2006).

I'm sure you've heard the old adage, "sometimes you have to travel 1,800 miles to appreciate what was right in front of your face the whole time." This happened to me this summer, when I received an email that a band, named after the former first president of Russia (look, I'm not a freaking scholar of Eastern Europe...I don't know what his title was, and frankly I don't care. All I know is that Ronald Reagan single-handedly tore down the Great Wall of China, and saved the world from Communism, and in the process helped spread White Castle hamburgers all over the Free World, so get off my back already.), was playing at one of my favorite venues in the City and County of San Francisco -- The Independent. The band, which I will refer to in shorthand as SSLYBY, is from Springfield, Mo. I wasn't sure what to think about the band until they broke out this song. Then I rejoiced. I might have even dried a stray tear as I recalled the land from which I came. In my defense, the band members look like they couldn't be older than 21, so it's not like I really ignored them while I was living so close to them. I'm pretty sure they were in middle school while I was still around. Regardless. Go to their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/someonestillmusic) and fire up the song "Anne Elephant". Rumor has it a real live record label is going to re-release this album. If this is true, do the Ozark Mountain Music Scene a favor, and support this band.