There is a great article on Deadwood’s place in American media and it’s brilliance as revisionist Western at PopMatters.com. It still pisses me off that HBO has decided to pull the plug on this great show and is behaving more like the tradional network TV it has grown to surpass.
Month: June 2006
Merle Haggard in Newsweek
Newsweek features a pretty sweet interview with Merle Haggard. Hag talks about touring with Dylan and the Stones, the Dixie Chicks fracas and going back in the studio with George Jones for only the second time in 25 years.
an Excert: You had a duet out this year with Gretchen Wilson called “Politically Uncorrect.” The lyrics go, “Nothing wrong with the Bible, nothing wrong with the flag, nothing wrong with the working man.” That doesn’t seem to be particularly controversial or politically incorrect.
Yeah, but what is nowadays? Everybody’s twisted around. Freedom ain’t free no more. What America was and what America is is a totally absolutely different country.
It’s a different country now compared to when and what?
Fifty years ago there was as much freedom in San Quentin as there is in the streets of New York today, with obvious exceptions. You’re just as likely to have a police officer throw down on you with a .30-30 [rifle] in New York as you are in San Quentin.
Gram Parsons – The Complete Reprise Sessions
From Rhino Records – Gram Parsons The Complete Reprise Sessions produced by Emmylou Harris and Rhino’s James Austin, the three-CD set is a comprehensive collection of Parsons’ legendary recordings for Reprise. Disc one presents his 1973 solo debut, GP, plus seven bonus tracks, including a rare 1973 promo interview. Disc two presents 1974’s posthumously released Grievous Angel, along with three bonus tracks, including another revealing interview. Disc three contains seven previously unissued alternate takes from the GP sessions and eight from the Grievous Angel sessions, plus three more solo outtakes released only on A&M’s 1976 compilation Sleepless Nights.Florida-born, Georgia-bred singer, songwriter, musician and raconteur Gram Parsons was among the first, if not the first, to bridge the gap between country and rock in the late 1960s and early ’70s, as a member of The International Submarine Band, The Byrds, and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Then the California-based “Grievous Angel” flew solo, capturing the soul of real country music on two landmark albums, and connecting West Coast redneck rock and the Nashville establishment. Musical protégé and collaborator Emmylou Harris carried his torch by touring and recording with his band, The Fallen Angels. Later generations of artists, from Elvis Costello to R.E.M.’s Peter Buck to the Black Crowes, discovered his legend and recorded his music.
Golden Smog Announce 2 Shows
To support their July 18th Lost Highway release, “Another Fine Day”, Minneapolis alt-country ubbergroup Golden Smog will take to the stage for two shows this summer.
July 23 – First Avanue – Minneapolis
July 26 – Bowery Ballroom – New York
While “Another Fine Day” features contributions from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Soul Asylum’s Dan Murphy, Big Star’s Jody Stephens and the Jayhawks Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Kraig Johnson it’s undetermined which artists will show up for the two shows.
The band has been virtually silent since wrapping up a 1998 tou in support of “Wierd Tales”, but last year Louris,Murphy, Perlman and Johnson played a handful of Golden Smog dates (sans Tweedy). Lost Highway states more shows are possible but not confirmed.
Of course the Bowery show sold out before I was able to score tickets! DRATS!
Waylon Jennings – Me & Bobby Mcgee
Johnny Cash – Get Rhythm
Bobby Bare Jr. 6-15-06 -Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
The man was napping on the tiny, cluttered Maxwell’s stage while various battered and bruised instruments were carted out and placed on the stage around him.
Well he seemed to be napping…and then he suddenly rolls over and does a couple of labored push-ups and then be was up and at the mic sporting an aged Gibson SG with a butterfly sticker. The large man with the mop of curly hair, a “Nashville U.S.A” trucker cap and legacy bonifides (his daddy is the legendary Country outlaw musician, Bobby Bare) from that very same Tennessee city engaged in quirky yet familiar song arrangements, and with a voice that could lull a preacher’s daughter into a life of sin, commenced to tear up the house on this Thursday night.
Songs of love found, lost, found again…drug abuse, beauty all done with humor and whit. Bare featured many songs from his forthcoming September ‘06 Bloodshot records release “The Longest Meow”. “Just pretend you know this song and clap..” he instructed the audience while introducing the new material. Older material from 2004s “From the End of your Leash” was represented with “Valentine” and “Terrible Sunrise.”
In a world of Corporate pre-fabricated music it’s nice to see there are Bobby Bare Jr.s out there making music for the sheer deranged pleasure of it.
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McMurtry, Cash, Crowell Top Americana Nominees
from Billboard – June 16, 2006, 10:45 AM ET
Phyllis Stark, Nashville
tops the nominees for the fifth annual Americana Honors & Awards, announced yesterday (June 15) in Nashville. McMurtry earned three nominations for album, artist and song of the year.
Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and Marty Stuart each earned two nominations. Cash and Crowell were separately nominated for both artist and song of the year and Stuart got nods for artist and album of the year, the latter for his “Soul’s Chapel” set (Superlatone/Universal South).
The nominees were announced by recording artists Steve Earle and Allison Moorer at a reception hosted by BMI. Other nominees include the Dixie Chicks, Delbert McClinton and Neil Young.
The Americana Honors and Awards show is set for Sept. 22 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It will be hosted once again by artist Jim Lauderdale and will feature an all-star house band led by Buddy Miller.
The show will air on both Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, as well as on BBC Radio 2 and Voice of America around the world.
Here is a complete list of nominees:
Artist of the Year:
Rosanne Cash
James McMurtry
Marty Stuart
Neil Young
Album of the Year:
“Childish Things,” James McMurtry (Compadre)
“Cost of Living,” Delbert McClinton (New West)
“Souls’ Chapel,” Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives (Superlatone/Universal South)
“The Outsider,” Rodney Crowell (Columbia)
Duo/Group of the Year:
Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell
The Drive-By Truckers
Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin
Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez
Instrumentalist of the Year:
Jerry Douglas
Tim O’Brien
Bryan Sutton
Kenny Vaughan
New/Emerging Artist of the Year:
The Greencards
James Hunter
Robinella
Uncle Earl
Song of the Year (presented to songwriter):
“Black Cadillac,” Rosanne Cash; appears on “Black Cadillac” by Rosanne Cash (Capitol)
“Don’t Get Me Started,” Rodney Crowell; appears on “The Outsider” by Rodney Crowell (Columbia)
“Not Ready To Make Nice,” Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson; appears on “Taking The Long Way” by the Dixie Chicks (Open Wide/Columbia)
“We Can’t Make It Here,” James McMurtry; appears on “Childish Things” by James McMurtry (Compadre)