The Grammys are like a championship dog show. The awards go the the best behaved, the best bred to exacting standards and not to the the idiosyncratic mutt. Okay, sometimes there is the occasional gnarly crossbreed - The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day - but not until long after they’ve lost their edge or if an artists sales are so large there really is no risk in putting them on the carpet. Personally, I use it as a check list of music to avoid.

Country/Roots/Americana (hereafter referred to as C/R/A) is the unwashed cousin of the show. With a longer pedigree that metal or rap C/R/A always lurks on the perimeters of the ceremony even though much of the music being celebrated would exist without those roots.

Unless there is a anomaly like the million-plus selling “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack you can bet artist like Gillian Welch and Ralph Stanley will be sparse, And artists as brilliant and groundbreaking as the Drive By Truckers and the Avett Brothers, well there;s a saying about snowball in Hell…

With the music and showcases so tightly choreographed the only drama comes from the nominees extracurricular activities (I’m looking at you Winehouse!) The show is it pull in the lowest common denominator market with the least context for musical excellence in order to sell them things from thesponsors - Delta Airlines, Google, iTunes, Starbucks, eBay, XM and Hilton. Delta - not to showcase the best music available.
All said here are my predictions for the Grammys, or my own Grammys if I ran them. I’ve taken liberties to disagree if I thought the nominees are not the best representation of the work that’s out there. that’s what having your own blog allows you, complete disregard for the powers that be.

Best New Artist - Ryan Bingham (Taylor Swift and Winehouse can kiss my ass)

Song of the Year - Jason Isbell – Dress Blues

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album - Went with an actual nominee here. Billy Joe Shaver - Everybody’s Brother

Best Female Country Vocal Performance - Patty Griffin - Burgundy Shoes

Best Male Country Performance: I like George Strait but I’m giving this to Dale Watson for Justice For All

Best performance by a Duo or Group: Hands down, the Avett Brothers - Shame

Best country collaboration: I go with an actual nominee for this onetoo - I Need You by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. It’s a great song and it was co-written by my uncle, Tony Lane

Best country song: I Need You by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. See above.

Best country album: This is easy, Dale Watson for From the Cradle to the Grave.

Now bring on the dogs….

Originally released in 1961 as Five Minutes to Live, this low-budget crime drama was later re-released as Door-to-Door Maniac. It’s a bit cheesy but is worth watching for Johnny Cash’s performance as a sadistic hit-man. The entire movie is on YouTube and is cut into 8 segments.

Front man for the th’ Shack Shakers Col. J.D. Wilkes’ trailer for his new movie “Seven Signs”, about movie stated to be about the “Music, Myth and The American South.

Before Allison Krauss Robert Plant went to Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers for his Americana fix. I absolutely just love these maniacs!

A previously unreleased and unknown recording of Bob Wills has been discovered by a fan and former musician is available for purchase on bobwills.com.

From takecountryback.com:

An unknown recording of Western Swing legend Bob Wills has been discovered that has never been released to the public. Austin resident Dwight Adair, owner of www.bobwills.com learned of the recording’s existence through an email message sent to him by a Bob Wills fan and former musician Gary Frietag of Florida. Mr. Frietag revealed to Mr. Adair that the recording was made on a reel-to-reel tape deck by a musician friend, Ray Riggs, also of Florida. Mr. Riggs made the recording in a hotel in Fresno, California, in 1949/50 when Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys were appearing there. Mr. Riggs has kept the tape recording, for all these years, hoping to find the appropriate person(s) or organization to which he could entrust the recording for posterity.

Mr. Riggs states, “I tried to contact the Wills estate but never heard back from them. So I just kept it, hoping that someday it would see the light of day.”

It’s been over fifty years since the recording was made.

“I was dumbfounded when I learned of the recording,” Mr. Adair says. “To think this recording has existed all these years and has never been released is absolutely amazing.”

Fronted by Waco Brother Deano Bloodshot Record’s Dollar Store blasts into New York City to lay whiskey-soaked waster to the legendary Knitting Factory. I can’t wait to see the look on those emo weasels faces when a horde of hillbillies invade their hipster space. HYAAAAA!
From Bloodshot - Loaded with trans-fats, soaked in cheap hops, and good for you in that way you know ain’t no damn good for you; a slab of greasy roots rock, Money Music should be labeled “extra-greasy,” which is to say, extra good, so keep the sonic Wet-Naps handy, you’re gonna need them. Dollar Store prove that rock n’ roll imbued with genuine energy and dynamism trumps indecision and overdubs every time.

Dollar Store - White Lightnin’ 

I haven’t done a showcase in a while but this gal came across my radar and I had to get something out there on her. Jessie Lee Miller sounds like Patsy Cline raised by gypsies and sent out to play USO shows with Bob Hope for the boys. Trail dust mixed with cafe smoke. Nice stuff. Check this spunky Austin gal out!

Providence,RI alt.country darlings the Wrong Reasons will be playing the National Underground this Friday. Be there!

National Underground
159 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 475-0611

No Depression reports that the new Drive By Truckers release Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, debuted this week at #37 on the Billboard Top-200 album chart. The album also enters the Billboard indie chart at #6, its internet chart at #6, and the digital chart at #12. Not too shabby for a bunch of hillbillies with a funny name.

In other dbt news the Truckers will be playing the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival along with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Featuring T Bone Burnett, My Morning Jacket, The Allman Brothers Band, Iron and Wine and Willie Nelson.

more from this great band.