News Round Up: New Releases by Elizabeth Cook, Jim Lauderdale and The Sadies

The Hangover & Daily Show star (and amateur banjo player) Ed Helms is launching the LA Bluegrass Situation festival  (March 18th – 22nd) featuring Steve Martin, Emmylou Harris, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Nickel Creek. See the somewhat silly video introduction of the festival from Helms.

Canadian roots/surf rockers The Sadies will release their new album, Darker [...]

Elton John to Work with Leon Russell, Neil Young & T Bone Burnett on New Release

Elton John might return to his Tumbleweed Connection era as he records with Leon Russell. With T. Bone Burnnett heading production John and Russell have been laying down “more than a dozen songs” according to a post on John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin’s website. “It’s varied in scope and drenched in a rich tapestry of [...]

News Round Up: A Brit Explains Country (Americana?) Music

The Independent’s Simmy Richman writes an excellent article (Another Country: Why everything you thought you knew about cowboy music is wrong) on Britain’s relationship with Country Music and his own conversion to the genre by a common gateway, Gram Parsons.

After the loss of Doug Sahm and  Freddy Fender, the future of the Texas Tornados was [...]

Music Review: Joe Pug – The Messenger (Lightning Rod Records)

Pity the young singer/songwriter. His career is always facing the relentless headwind of rarefied troubadour history and the bronze images of Those Who Came Before are evoked as an unreachable benchmark whenever his work is evaluated. His songs are picked apart at a detail that would make Trekkies and Jazz aficionados’ eyes glaze.  Yeah, screw [...]

News Round Up: Happy Birthday J.R. Cash

On this day in 1932 Johnny Cash was born J. R. Cash in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Ray (1897–1985) and Carrie Cash (1904–1991)

Johnny Cash scholars are lobbying Sony records to release Cash’s 1964 album Bitter Tears, a protest album with songs written by Cash, Peter La Farge and Johnny Horton,. The album takes up the cause [...]

News Round Up: Pickathon Line-Up Announced

Pickathon has announced an impressive lineup for for 12th year. Bonnie Prince Billy, Heartless Bastards, Billy Joe Shaver. Langhorne Slim, Frazey Ford, The Cave Singers, T-Model Ford, Roadside Graves, Chatham County Line and many many more. Pickathon will take place on August 6-8 at Pendarvis Farm near Portland, Oregan.

The New York Times follows the long [...]

News Round Up: Levon Helm Documentary Coming to SXSW

The will of the late singer/songwriter Stephen Bruton, is being contested by his possibly estranged widow. Bruton provided the inspiration for the Crazy Heart character Bad Blake played by Jeff Bridges and worked with T. Bone Burnett on the movie’s soundtrack in his days of fighting cancer.

And for more in Crazy Heart news, the good [...]

Merle Haggard Signs With Vanguard Records, Drive By Truckers Announce Dates

Merle Haggard has penned a deal with independent label Vanguard Records- home pf Levon Helm – ans will release hos label debut I Am What I Am, his first album on April 20. The project, featuring 12 new songs he has written, was co-produced by Haggard and Lou Bradley.

Six members of Willie Nelson’s band and [...]