Author Archives: Baron Lane

Bluebird Cafe Celebrates 25th Anniversary

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The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, long a mainstay for singer/songwriters in Music City, will kick off a year-long celebration commemorating its 25th anniversary in May through a nationwide “Bluebird on the Road” tour to 12 cities later this year, a private birthday bash for Bluebird family and friends and a “Superstars of the Bluebird” series in June.

“I set out to open a restaurant 25 years ago, but the music quickly took over,” says owner Amy Kurland. “Nothing could be more special than celebrating this milestone year with some of the same songwriters who were regulars back when we first opened the doors.”

Those original songwriters and many more will be invited to attend a private birthday bash hosted by performing rights organization BMI on May 24. Later, the festivities will be open to the public when a 10-day series titled “Superstars of the Bluebird” takes residence starting June 1. Dierks Bentley is among those slated to appear.

The show will hit the road on a 12 city songwriter tour, kicking off in New York City at Joe’s Pub on May 31 with a few of the founders of the “In The Round” format that originated at the Bluebird; Fred Knobloch, Thom Schuyler, Tony Arata and Jelly Roll Johnson. Additional songwriters, cities and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Garth Brooks’ record-shattering career began at the Bluebird, where a Capitol Records exec saw him substituting at the last minute for a performer who didn’t show up and promptly signed him. “In my opinion, the songwriter is the foundation of music,” Brooks once said, “and the Bluebird is the rock on which that foundation sits.”

Others who have played the Bluebird over the years include Melissa Etheridge, Steve Earle, the Cowboy Junkies, the Indigo Girls and the late Townes Van Zandt and Mickey Newbury. Vince Gill, Janis Ian, John Prine, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Raul Malo, Radney Foster and Pam Tillis also have played the room.

Chris Knight – The Knitting Factory -New York City – 4/6/07

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Chris Knight tells stories about the down and out, the desperate, the unlucky and folks generally off societies grid and influenced by his childhood growing up in the tiny mining town of Slaughters, KY – and here in the tiny downstairs Tap Room at the Knitting Factory a near capacity crowd came to bear witness to their lives in song.

Dismissed by critics as the poor-man’s (so to speak) Steve Earle, Knight has his own stories and they tend to be more direct, more sparse and grittier then Earle would pen. Knight is also not afraid to show his redneck roots in song and onstage which Earle, with his newfound Liberalism, seems uncomfortable with is not outright embarrasses with his Texas heritage.

This cold New York eve Knight covered songs from his entire catalog, “Enough Rope” from his last release from last year by the same name, is followed by the question “Are there any PETA people here tonight? I love animals, I just don’t take any shit off of them.” Knight joked and then breaks into “Bridle on a Bull” which features the lyrics “If your mule don’t want to plow/Talk to him with a two-by-four/And if he still don’t want to plow/Talk to him just a little bit more/And if he just don’t want to listen/Haul him off to the dog food store.”

In fine Southern and country music tradition Knight told many stories about how his songs came about. He tells a story of how his song Devil Behind The When (from the CD “The Jealous Kind”) involving the hiring of a religious drummer demonic birthday card.

Next is asong of the recently release “The Trailer Tapes” (Thirty Tigers) was about “I big city boy coming to the country and stirring up trouble. Yeah, I know this is going to go over big here in New York City. Laughs and gawfaws all around. The song kiils in it’s menace and heat. “Rita’s Only Fault” from the same release follows, about a former beauty queen’s revenge after a husband’s abuse was somber and heartfelt.

The crowd was almost dead silent during the solo guitar accompanied songs (despite the loud rock band playing on the upstairs stage), but once the songs were over the crowd is clapping and whooping as much as any Mason Dixon dive (with better beer.) I met some boys a few sheets to the wind who had driven all the way from Connecticut to see the show. “We had to come seee our boy.” the tall, lanky guy with a trucker cap beamed.

Knight the tells the story about a shoe in Switzerland when a local fan came up to him after the show and asked if he was okay after what happened to his brother. Knight had performed “Down The River” (from the CD “A Pretty Good Guy”). The song tells the story of two brothers that go fishing and the older one is murdered as revenge for a pool hall brawl.

The fan said “I hope your alright since that happed to your brother.” Knight then deadpans in his Kentucky drawl “If I can make people think these things are happening to me, I’ve done my job.”

He’s got me believing.

Country Music Is Not Dead

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CMT, the channel that doesn’t entirely suck, gives me another reason to think so by featuring Chet Flippo and his always thoughtful and enlightening commentary on The Nashville Skyline section on their web site.
Chet has a nice recent commentary about rescuing a frightened turtle of a feeder road off Highway 100 west of Nashville and sees this terrified reptile as a symbol of the recording industry in the twenty-first century, the myopic economics of radio programming the strong-arm tactics of Wal-Mart and, alas, the inevitable death of the CD.

“But what does country music really have to offer these days? I think it offers more than the exploiters see on the surface. I think the many layers of talent in country have never been fully presented commercially, and, of course, if I knew how to do that, I would be a rich man today. And country has a steady stream of fresh new talent, most of whom will likely not ever get a chance to gain wide exposure because of the changing nature of the marketplace. Already, a number of new artists are having their debut releases postponed because of the market.”

Though I take exception to Chet’s argument that Nashville needs another mega-star like Garth or Shania (I think the mindless pursuit of cash cows is part of the recipe for crap), I do agree with his fundamental point that county music needs to take chances and risk alienation of some fans in order to survive. And I hope indy labels, local bars, the internet and blogs like this one and my other twangy-blog buddies can help usher in a new dawning of country music.

If not, we’ll have a damn fine time trying.

By way of The 9513.

The Dixie Chicks – Shut Up and Sing

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“Freedom of speech is fine as long as you don’t do it in public.” From Shut Up and Sing.

Come with us back to a 2003 when the US was ramping up to a war that turned out to be unecessary wasted many young peoples lives, billions of dollars and trashed the reputation of this great nation for years to come.

Most celebrities played it safe and said nothing, just did goofy celebrity shit, you know..wearing silly clothes, getting divorced and starving themselves. But not Natalie Maines.

From a London stage lead Chicks singer Maines offhandedly said “Just so ya’ll know, we’re ashamed that President George W. Bush was from Texas. Funny, when I read that on a news web site I thought to myself, “Yeah, me too.”

After the statement the News show and web sites fanned the flames like they do everything else to get eyeballs to sell to their corporate masters, the rabid Right-Wing blogs picked it up because, we’ll they’re thin skinned and hate our freedoms
(especially that whole freedom of speech nonsense.)

This documentary follows the Chicks in performance around the U.S. and London between the years 2003 and 2006. And show the events leading up to the war and the personally, political and, yeas, professional ramifications of that statement heard round the world.

Filmmaker Barbara Kopple brings a real behind the scenes view of Maines and sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire in
dressing rooms, on stage, and in recording studios, and hanging with Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Pepper drummer who played on the Chicks latest “Taking The Long Way”, and a very guru looking Rick Rubin (complete with prayer beads), who produced the album.

Recently the Chicks played at the Grammy’s and walked away with 5 Grammys for their efforts. Was it worth it? The worry, the heartache, The death threats? Only the girls can know. But it must feel nice to know your not alone and that not all country fans are Right-Wing zombies programmed to wave a flag at the strain of the Star Spangled Banner. Some of us actually remember what that flag preresents and can think past simple-minded slogans.

In the end Natalie turned put to be right and 70% of the  American public are finally comfortable enough to agree with her publically. Excpet when Natalie did it when it was not comfortable to do so, it was unpopular, it was unwise for their career and it was dangerous.

The Dixie Chicks embodied the American spirit at that moment, and that’s what being an outlaw is all about.

Billy Joe Shaver Released on Bond in Connection with Bar Shooting

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From the Associated Press – Country singer Billy Joe Shaver was released on bond Tuesday after surrendering to authorities in connection with a weekend bar shooting that wounded a man, police said.

Shaver turned himself in at the McLennan County Jail in Waco and was released after posting $50,000 bail, said Lorena Police Chief John Moran.

Shaver, 67, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a handgun on the premises of a business with a license to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption.

The singer’s attorney, Joseph A. Turner of Austin, has said his client shot the man in self defense after he left the Lorena bar and followed Shaver into the parking lot Saturday night. Turner said Shaver did not know the man and that the stranger was drunk, aggressive and had a knife.

The shooting occurred at 8:30 p.m. Saturday outside Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon off Interstate 35, according to Lorena police. The victim was reportedly shot in the cheek.

Shaver, who lives in Waco, about 15 miles from Lorena, rose to country music stardom in the 1970s. Shaver, an acclaimed songwriter whose hits include “Georgia on a Fast Train” and “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” has recorded more than 20 albums.

Mathew Knowles, president and CEO of Music World Entertainment — which last month acquired Shaver’s label, Houston-based Compadre Records — said he talked to Shaver on Tuesday after he was released on bond.

Knowles, who is Beyonce’s father, said he and Shaver did not discuss the shooting but that he wanted the country singer to know that the company supports him.

Knowles said Shaver was appearing at Waterloo Records in Austin to promote his greatest hits CD.

“Billy Joe Shaver is an icon in the country music industry. We’re not going to turn our back on him at all,” Knowles said. “I personally wanted to tell him that, which is what we talked about today.”

Porter Wagner/Marty Stuart – Joe’s Pub – New York City – 3/30/07

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At one time Porter Wagner was something of a visionary. A TV star before most of country music had anything to do with the new-fangeled contraption. Wagner’s TV show was syndicated out of Nashville and was the most popular country show of the ’60s, growing from 18 stations in 1961 to over a hundred stations in the early ’70s ( In 1981, after nearly 30 years, and his television show went off the air). Crooning and strumming guitar bejeweled in his Nudie suits and flanked by a young, buxom newcomer named Dolly Parton – who’s career was launched on his show. Dolly and Porter won the Vocal Duo of the Year by the Country Music Association for the years 1968, 1970 and 1971.

The Thin Man from West Plains, Missouri, was coming to Manhattan for the first time in nearly 20 years to play some of his many hits and showcase some work off his forthcoming CD from Anti records, the Marty Stuart produced “The Wagonmaster.”. I find myself at a 7:30pm sold-out show at Joe’s Pub on the East Side (claustrophobic even by Manhattan standards) among the devotees.

After a warm and heartfelt introduction by Mart Stuart, which included a story of when Stuart was shopping the CD around Nashville nobody was biting. “So we went to Los Angeles and approached Anti / Epitaph, that’s right we had to go to a punk label to make real Country Music.”

Then the man hisself entered the stage looking younger than his almost 80 years, still tall and thin and donning a spangled white Nudie suit and jeweled boots. Maty and Porter then took seats donning acoustics and began a trip through a simpler time, starting the show with “Satisfied Mind.”

Stuart played backup guitar like the master he is while Porter strummed occasionally on his acoustic and read the lyrics from his music stand.

Porter was in a jovial mood and joked with the audience like that did back in the day. He missed some of the lyrics and explained it away as “That used to be Dolly’s part. I called Dolly and told her I was coming to New York said “They are some of the nicest people you’ll meet.” First time she ever told me thee truth.” He cracked.

Porter sang the song that sat in Stuart’s studio for about 30 years after Johnny Cash gave his then band guitarist (and son-in-law) a song about being institutionalized (Porter and Cash were both) “Committed to Parkview.” Marty told the story “John said ‘I’ve got a song for Porter; it’s about a stay in Parkview, which is an asylum at the edge of Nashville. Porter and I both have been guests there.’ Cash gave me a cassette of the song in 1981 and asked me to get it to Porter. I never got around to it until we started collecting songs for this project. I searched my warehouse and found the envelope with ‘Committed to Parkview’ on it, with a note from John to Porter. now you got it!” Porter laughed.

Then came the “Big Sandy River,” “The Rubber Room” and the classic “Green, Green Grass of Home.”

Porter told a tale (after prompted by Stuart by a ‘fan question”) about seeing Hank Williams play in Arkansas when he was Young and then honored Hank by preforming Luke the Drifter morality tale “Men with Broken Hearts” and “Lonesome Whistle.”

Then the pair played the solemn “Cold Hard Facts of Life” and the ironically funny “I’ve Enjoyed As Much of This As I Can Stand.”

Marty played a blistering mandolin solo and then it was on to “Dooley”, “..about a man who created a wood picture beautiful woman.” Porter said as he introduced the song.

The fact that Porter Wagner was sitting here in this room was even more miraculous after Porter tells the story of how before recording the new CD last summer he almost died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. “I’m truly blessed to be here.” He said, tearing up a moment. “I’m truly blessed.”

As were we.

Willie Nelson to Work with Michael Jackson

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Today there are reports that Willie Nelson will collaborate with Michael Jackson to release a CD tentatively titled “Jacko and Lefty.”

The session will be recorded in Jackson’s new home in Bahrain, a borderless island country in the Persian Gulf and the smallest Arab nation, and is known for it’s beautiful golf courses and lax marijuana laws as well as an abundance of grade schools with easy access.

The embattled ‘king of pop” has said he”s “Ready for a comeback, outlaw style.” and that he will be selling his 2,800 acre Neverland Ranch, located in Los Olivos, CA, to buy a ranch near San Saba, TX. Jackson’s new neighbor the actor Tommy Lee Jones says “I’ll have him over for some brisket and Lone Star beer. I bet he has some stories to tell.”

Other artists slated to make appearances on the album are Beyoncé, Ludicris, Ryan Adams, Bryan Adams (no relation), guitar whiz Buckethead and Elizabeth Taylor sitting in on backing harmony and pedal steel.

Willie has said of the session “I like Michael’s work, I think Superfreak is a great song and I hope we are redoing in on this album.”