Author Archives: Baron Lane

Old 97’s New Album ‘Graveyard Whistling’ Out In February – Hear “Good With God” feat. Brandi Carlile

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OLD 97’s NEW ALBUM ‘GRAVEYARD WHISTLING’

North Texas alt.country stalwarts the Old 97’s have announced their 11th album, ‘Graveyard Whistling’ will be released February 24th with a tour to follow.

“Good With God” is the first cut from ‘Graveyard Whistling,’ a spaghetti western spiked slab of menace that has front man Rhett Miller pleading a sinner’s case of repentance (or at least resignation.)

But God is more Old Testament minded (‘You should be scared, I’m not so nice”) . With Brandi Carlile playing the divine role her distorted siren wail berates (You’re pretty thick so I’ll tell you twice.”) and threatens (‘I made you up, I’ll break you down.”) the prostrate protagonist. The story is moved forward at breakneck speed by the intact classic lineup of Philip Peeples, Murry Hammond and Ken Bethea.

‘Graveyard Whistling’ is produced by Vance Powell (Black Prairie, Buddy Guy) and features co-writers Nicole Atkins and Butch Walker.

Produced by Vance Powell, “Graveyard Whistling” also features help from co-writers like Nicole Atkins and Butch Walker, making it one of the most collaborative albums in the band’s catalog. Some habits never die, though, and the band will be supporting the album’s release as they’ve supported every record before it: with a lengthy spring tour that stretches from the Florida coastline to Southern California.

Pre-order “Graveyard Whisling” here.

Watch the animated lyric video for “Good With God” below.

Old 97’s’ tour dates:
February 25 – Ponte Vedra, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
February 26 – March 1 – Tampa, FL @ Outlaw Country Cruise
March 2 – St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
March 3 – Tallahassee, FL @ Fifth & Thomas
March 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
March 21 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
March 22 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
March 23 – Eugene, OR @ Wow Hall
March 24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
March 25 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ The Fremont Theater
March 29 – Hermosa Beach, CA @ Saint Rocke
March 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
March 31 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
April 1 – Big Bear Lake, CA @ The Cave Big Bear
April 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ Vinyl
April 5 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Livewire
April 6 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Brewing Company
April 7 – Lubbock, TX @ The Blue Light

2016 Grammy Awards Nominees : Sturgill Simpson , Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn – Margo Price Snubbed

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Nominations for the 2016 Grammy Awards have wee announced with the usual fanfare and one big surprise. let’s get the big one out of the way first, Reluctant outlaw country revisionist Sturgill Simpson might very well be on his way to achieving ‘the biggest country star on this planet‘ status by joining the glitterati ranks shared with Beyoncé, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Adele as nominees for the Album of the Year. there hasn’t been this much attention on the Grammy nominee announcements since Chorney-gate. This would seem improbable except that so many extraordinary things have happened since Simpson’s psychedelic-roots-soul epic ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ that it’s hard not to believe that it’s not all part of some master plan.

If Sturgill wins I dare Kanye to climb the stage to contest the decision.

Then there was the nomination of Simpson’s least country album for Best Country Album. But I’ve given on trying to read the recording academy mind a long time ago.

Other surprising nominations include Bob Dylan’s ‘Fallen Angels’ for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Robbie Fulks’s ‘Upland Stories’ and Sierra Hull’s ‘Weighted Mind’ for Best Folk Album, and Loretta Lynn’s ‘Full Circle’ for Best County Album.

Lori McKenna is up for 4 Grammys including Tim McGraw’s ‘Humble And Kind’ for Best Country Song and Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Album and for her latest solo Dave Cobb – produced effort ‘The Bird & The Rifle.’

The biggest snub was against the only other person to garner almost as much ink as Sturgill Simpson. Margo Price was criminally overlooked by the recording academy for her splendid debut ‘ Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.’
And no love was shown for multiple Grammy-winning ex-Civil War John Paul White for his excellent solo offering ‘Beulah.’

And no Wheeler Walker Jr for best comedy Album? C’mon now!

What are your thoughts on the Grammy noms this year? What did they miss? Let me in know the comments.

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, on CBS.

See the full list of nominees at Grammy.com

Best Country Solo Performance:
Brandy Clark — “Love Can Go to Hell”
Miranda Lambert — “Vice”
Maren Morris — “My Church”
Carrie Underwood — “Church Bells”
Keith Urban — “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
Andrea Bocelli — ‘Cinema’
Bob Dylan — ‘Fallen Angels’
Josh Groban — ‘Stages Live’
Willie Nelson — ‘Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin’
Barbra Streisand — ‘Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway’

Best Roots Gospel Album:
Gaither Vocal Band — ‘Better Together’
The Isaacs — ‘Nature’s Symphony In 432’
Joey+Rory — ‘Hymns’
Gordon Mote — ‘Hymns and Songs of Inspiration’
Various Artists — ‘God Don’t Never Change: The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson’

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King — “Different for Girls”
Brothers Osborne — “21 Summer”
Kenny Chesney & P!nk – “Setting The World On Fire”
Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton — “Jolene”
Chris Young With Cassadee Pope — “Think Of You”

Best Country Song: (awarded to songwriters)
Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban) — “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett) — “Die A Happy Man”
Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw) — “Humble and Kind”
busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris) — “My Church”
Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) — “Vice”

Best Country Album:
Brandy Clark — ‘Big Day In A Small Town’
Loretta Lynn — ‘Full Circle’
Maren Morris — ‘Hero’
Sturgill Simpson — ‘A Sailor’s Guide To Earth’
Keith Urban — ‘Ripcord’

Best American Roots Performance:
The Avett Brothers — “Ain’t No Man”
Blind Boys Of Alabama — “Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time”
Rhiannon Giddens — “Factory Girl”
Sarah Jarosz — “House Of Mercy”
Lori McKenna — “Wreck You”

Best American Roots Song: (awarded to songwriters)
Robbie Fulks, songwriter (Robbie Fulks) — “Alabama At Night”
Jack White, songwriter (Jack White) — “City Lights”
Eric Adcock & Roddie Romero, songwriters (Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars) — “Gulfstream”
Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers) — “Kid Sister”
Lori McKenna & Felix McTeigue, songwriters (Lori McKenna) — “Wreck You”

Best Americana Album:
The Avett Brothers — ‘True Sadness’
William Bell — ‘This Is Where I Live’
Kris Kristofferson — ‘The Cedar Creek Sessions’
Lori McKenna — ‘The Bird & The Rifle’
The Time Jumpers — ‘Kid Sister’

Best Bluegrass Album:
Blue Highway — ‘Original Traditional’
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver — Burden Bearer
Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands — ‘The Hazel Sessions’
Claire Lynch — ‘North And South’
O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor — ‘Coming Home’

Best Folk Album:
Judy Collins & Ari Hest — ‘Silver Skies Blue’
Robbie Fulks — ‘Upland Stories’
Rhiannon Giddens — ‘Factory Girl’
Sierra Hull — ‘Weighted Mind’
Sarah Jarosz — ‘Undercurrent’

Best Regional Roots Music Album:
Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard — ‘Broken Promised Land’
Northern Cree — ‘It’s A Cree Thing’
Kalani Pe’a — ‘E ‘Walea
’
Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars — ‘Gulfstream’
Various Artists — ‘I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax In The Evangeline Country’

Best Album Notes
The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection – Mikal Gilmore, album notes writer (Kris Kristofferson)
Label: Legacy Recordings
The Knoxville Sessions, 1929-1930: Knox County Stomp – Ted Olson & Tony Russell, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Label: Bear Family Productions Ltd.
Ork Records: New York, New York
Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Label: The Numero Group
Sissle And Blake Sing Shuffle Along- Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin, album notes writers (Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle)
Label: Harbinger Records/The Musical Theater Project
Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1900- Richard Martin, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Best Historical Album:
The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol.12 (Collector’s Edition)
Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)
Label: Columbia/Legacy
Music Of Morocco From The Library Of Congress: Recorded By Paul Bowles, 1959
April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter, Bill Nowlin & Philip D. Schuyler, compilation producers; Rick Fisher & Michael Graves, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: Dust-To-Digital
Ork Records: New York, New York
Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: The Numero Group
Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983
Bernard Horowitz, Andreas K. Meyer & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Andreas K. Meyer & Jeanne Montalvo, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)
Label: Sony Classical
Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1900
Michael Devecka, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Michael Devecka, David Giovannoni, Michael Khanchalian & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Label: Archeophone Records

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Are You Serious
Tchad Blake & David Boucher, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Andrew Bird)
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Blackstar
David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony Visconti, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (David Bowie)
Label: ISO/Columbia Records
Dig In Deep
Ryan Freeland, engineer; Kim Rosen, mastering engineer (Bonnie Raitt)
Label: Redwing Records
Hit N Run Phase Two
Booker T., Dylan Dresdow, Chris James, Prince & Justin Stanley, engineers; Dylan Dresdow, mastering engineer (Prince)
Label: NPG Records
Undercurrent
Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Sarah Jarosz)
Label: Sugar Hill Records

Watch Out! Kacey Musgraves Performs “Present Without A Bow” On Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” (VIDEO)

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Kacey Musgraves On Jimmy Fallon's “Tonight Show”

Kacey Musgraves brought the yuletide mood early taking the “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” stage to perform her original holiday soul-tinged tune “Present Without A Bow.”

“Present Without A Bow” featuring Leon Bridges can be found on Kacey Musgraves’ holiday album “A Very Kacey Christmas.” (Amazon | iTunes)

Aoife O’Donovan Set For 2017 ‘Release The Hounds’ Tour; Spotify ‘Singles’ Released

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Aoife O'Donovan

If it seems that Aoife O’Donovan has constantly been on tour of late that perception is understandable. She spent a good portion oaf 2016 touring in support of her sophomore album, ‘In The Magic Hour.’ Instead of taking 2015 off O’Donovan will embark on a 21-city tour, entitled the Release ‘The Hounds tour’, that will offer a night of acoustic music with backing musicians Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge. The tour begins March 17, 2017, in Cambridge, MA.

You can hear a taste of her solo performance in the new recording of “Stanley Park” released today as part of Spotify “Singles” feature. Also included is the cover of “Lakes of Pontchartrain” with violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The newly launched two-song weekly playlist features exclusives of an original track (a-side) and a cover (b-side) recorded in Spotify’s NYC studio by 20-plus top artists.

In May 2017, O’Donovan, in partnership with Cuba Rhythm & Views , will help lead a remarkable cultural exchange in Havana, Cuba between American and Cuban musicians. She will accompany select fans on this cultural trip of a lifetime and meet some of Cuba’s most celebrated performers and artists. She will perform in two Cuba Rhythm & Views-produced concerts with world-renowned Cuban pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, at Fabrica de Arte Cubano, and again with Havana’s premier chamber group, Orquesta de Camara de La Habana.

During a recent musical guest appearance on A Prairie Home Companion, O’Donovan performed “Magpie” with new host Chris Thile, who appears on the album track. She will perform on the show again December 10, at Town Hall in New York as part of the house band, followed by a series of house band guest appearances in early 2017.

AOIFE O’DONOVAN TOUR DATES
December 10 – Town Hall – New York, NY*
January 21 – Pasadena Convention Center – Pasadena, CA*
February 4 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN*
February 18 – Fitzgerald Theatre – St. Paul, MN*
February 19-26 – Cayamo Cruise – Tampa, FL
March 1 – The Plaza Live – Orlando, FL
March 17 – Sanders Theatre – Cambridge, MA^
March 18 – Stone Mountain Arts Center – Brownfield, ME^
March 19 – The First Unitarian Church – Burlington, VT^
March 22 – Stage One – Fairfield, CT^
March 23 – The Shea Theater – Turners Falls, MA^
March 24 – Massry Center for the Arts at The College of Saint Rose – Albany, NY^
March 25 – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA^
March 26 – Big Ears Festival – Knoxville, TN^
March 28 – The Taft Theatre Ballroom – Cincinnati, OH^
April 6 – Savannah Music Festival – Savannah, GA^
April 13 – Kahilu Theatre – Waimea, HI^
April 14 – Maui Arts & Cultural Center – Maui, HI^
April 15 – Hawaii Theatre — Honolulu, HI^
April 18 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA^
April 19 – Aladdin Theatre – Portland, OR^
April 21 – Kuumbwa Jazz Center – Santa Cruz, CA^
April 22 – Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA^
April 23 – Jackson Hall / Mondavi Center – Davis, CA^
April 25 – Campbell Hall / UCSB – Santa Barbara, CA^
April 26 – Smothers Theatre / Pepperdine University – Malibu, CA^
April 27 – Price Center East Ballroom – La Jolla, CA^
May 20 – folkBALTICA: Robbe & Berking Shipyard – Flensburg, DE
May 26 – Fabrica de Arte – Havana, Cuba
May 27 – Fabrica de Arte – Havana, Cuba

*A Prairie Home Companion date
^Performing Solo as part of the Release The Hounds Tour

Son Volt To Release Eighth Studio New Album ‘Notes Of Blue’ February 17

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Son Volt - 'Notes Of Blue'

stalwart alt.country pioneers Son Volt will release a new album ‘Notes Of Blue’ on February 17 on the Thirty Tigers label. ‘Notes Of Blue’ will be thw follow-up o he 2013’s acclaimed ‘Honky Tonk.’

The 10 songs on Notes Of Blue are inspired by the spirit of the blues, but not the standard blues as most know it. The unique and haunting tunings of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Skip James and Nick Drake were all points of exploration for Farrar for the new collection. The album opens with the country soul of “Promise The World”, followed by “Back Against The Wall”, a song that could stand alongside the great Son Volt songs of their early albums. However, ‘Notes Of Blue’ reflects the blues as it resides in the folk tradition, but heavily amplified. The primal stomp of “Cherokee St.”, the frenetic guitar on “Static” and the raw slide in “Sinking Down” exude grit and attitude. Conversely, tracks such as “The Storm” and “Cairo and Southern” seamlessly meld blues with hypnotic melodies that add a unique balance to ‘Notes Of Blue.’

Founder Jay Farrar possesses one of the most distinctive voices in roots, rock, country or any genre. He exudes a soulful longing combined with a wise-beyond-his-years command that is as arresting and compelling as ever. As a songwriter, Farrar’s depth and poetic penchant has been the foundation of a thoughtful, deep and intelligent body of work. Both attributes are on full display on Notes Of Blue, as he touches on themes of redemption and the common struggle, both of which are at the core of the blues.

‘Notes of Blue’ will be available to pre-order via the Son Volt website November 29th. The group will announce upcoming live dates in support of the album That same day, while tickets are scheduled to go on sale December 2nd.

Whether you call it alt.country, Americana, roots rock, insurgent country or just good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll anytime Son Volt releases a new album it’s cause for celebration.

Valerie June Sophomore Release ‘The Order Of Time ‘ Out Early 2017

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Valerie June

Americana chanteuse Valerie June will release her follow-up to 2013’s breakout LP, ‘Pushin’ Against a Stone’ on January 27th, 2017 (Concord Records). The Tennessee-bred, Brooklyn-based songwriter ‘weaves electric blues, African rhythms, cosmic atmospherics and delicate soul into an inventive and wholly original rumination on love, family, struggle and the passing of time.’

June will also embark on a North American headline tour in support of ‘The Order Of Time.’ The announcement comes as June wraps up a series of performances this fall with Norah Jones and Sturgill Simpson. Tour dates below with more to be announced in the following weeks.

Produced by Matt Marinelli, ‘The Order of Time’ includes twelve original songs all written by June and features appearances from June’s family, her father, Emerson Hockett and brothers, Patrick and Jason Hockett .

Read June’s conversation with NPR’s Ann Powers here.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/287233258″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

Pre-Order The Order of Time

Tickets go on-sale Wednesday, October 26th at 10am ET via Music Glue. Those who purchase tickets through Music Glue will be able to pre-order ‘The Order of Time’ at a discounted price.

‘THE ORDER OF TIME’ TOUR DATES:
2/7 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
2/8 – Montreal, Quebec @ Club Soda
2/9 – Toronto, Canada @ The Great Hall
2/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2/11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Warhol at Carnegie Lecture
2/13 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Bar
2/14 – Newport, KY @ The Southgate House Revival
2/15 – Louisville, KY @ Bomhard Theater at the Kentucky
2/16 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
2/17 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
2/18 – St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
2/20 – Chicago, IL @ Park West
2/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
2/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
2/24 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
2/25 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads Saloon
2/27 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
2/28 – Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre
3/1 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
3/2 – New Orleans, LA @ The Republic
3/3 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
3/4 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
3/5 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
3/6 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
3/7 – Durham, NC @ Carolina Theatre
3/9 – Washington, DC @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
3/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
3/11 – New York, NY @ Town Hall

Watch Out! Jack White & Margo Price – I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) – 10/15/2016

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Jack White & Margo Price

The post-Garrison Keillor “A Prairie Home Companion” era commenced Saturday evening with the new host and uber-mandolinist Chris Thile filling those shoes nicely.

For the next two hours, Thile kept dancing guests Lake Street Dive’s folk-soul. He ripped through Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”

One undeniable highlight was when guest Jack White invited Margo Price on stage to play ‘I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) ‘ from the White Stripes’ album ‘Get Behind Me Satan.’ Along with backing band Lillie Mae Rische, Dominic Davis, and Karl (Fats) Kaplin the two turn the originally piano-driven ballad into a heartbreaking country duo weeper.

Enjoy the moment below.

Steve Earle’s Iconic Guitar Town To Be Celebrated With 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

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Steve Earle's Guitar Town

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Earle’s iconic Guitar Town, MCA Nashville/UMe will release a deluxe edition of the album on CD and digital on October 14. The two-disc set will feature the classic album remastered from the original tapes by Robert Vosgien along with a previously unreleased 19-song live show recorded on the Guitar Town tour at the Park West in Chicago in 1986 and expanded liner notes. Pre-order and stream Guitar Town: 

The concert will also be available on its own as a double LP on 180-gram vinyl exclusively at UDiscover. A remastered vinyl edition of Guitar Town, cut for vinyl by Ron McMaster at Capitol Mastering and also remastered by Vosgien, was released in May along with Earle’s other MCA studio releases: Exit 0, Copperhead Road and The Hard Way.

Steve Earle’s status as a pioneer of the second wave Outlaw country movement and a founding father of alt.country and the resulting Americana movement didn’t come easy.

Songwriter sessions with Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark provided a wet stone where Earle sharpened his craft. Later he ended up in Nashville, playing bass in Guy Clark’s band and working at a publishing house as a staff songwriter with some mid-level chart success. Few imagined the long haired gruff San Antonian would release a watershed debut that shook up the typically staid Music Row machine and introduced the “great 80’scredibility scare” that included, among others Lyle Lovett and k.d. Lang.

Released on March 5. 1986, and produced by Emory Gordy, Jr. and Tony Brown  Guitar Town fused country heart and twang with hard-edged rock n’ roll and created something startling fresh and crakeling with rebellion.

Eventually though, the album, which was inspired by seeing Bruce Springsteen on his “Born To Run” tour, was discovered by rednecks, punks and headbangers alike. Like Willie and Waylon a generation before Earle brought together disparate music factions typically not used to occupying the same space in the record store. Drawn by the universal subjects of small-town aspirations, the demise of the American dream, hard living and songs about life on the road away from one’s family spoke to them. 

Guitar Town went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations for Earle – Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song for the album’s title track, which reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Country Singles chart. Earle, who several months before had been slogging away trying to get his break, received comparisons to such celebrated songwriters as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty and Tom Petty as the album became one of the most acclaimed of the ‘80s. It topped Rolling Stone’s Critic’s Poll for Country Album Of The Year and later was included in both the magazine’s 100 Best Albums Of The Eighties and their esteemed 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time lists. In their rave review, the Los Angeles Times hailed it as “one of the most endearing and exciting American debuts” in recent years, adding, “an album of this quality in a more mainstream country style would be hailed as the discovery of the year in country music.” The record, which also spawned the No. 8 Country Single, “Goodbye’s All We Got Left” as well as “Hillbilly Highway” and “Someday” is certified platinum in Canada and gold in the U.S.

Recorded at the Park West in Chicago in 1986 while on tour in support of Guitar Town, the live album is a new unearthed treasure that brims with the palpable energy and excitement that can only come from a band feeling on top of the world as its music connects with a fervent crowd. The high-quality sounding recording captures a watershed night as Earle realizes the dream he’s had since moving to Nashville at 19 has finally came true. Earle and his band – Bucky Baxter and Michael McAdam on guitars, Reno Kling on bass, Ken Moore on keyboards and Harry Stinson on drums – barrel through 19 songs including the entirety of Guitar Town, several tracks from the then-unreleased sophomore album, Exit 0, and a cover of Springsteen’s “State Trooper.” Nearly out of songs with an insatiable audience screaming for one more, Earle takes the stage for the third encore of the night with just an acoustic guitar for “No. 29.” As the crowd cheers wildly, Earle exclaims, “This has been the thrill of my life and that’s no shit.” It’s a poignant snapshot of an artist being genuinely overwhelmed that he had finally got what he was seeking, and just a sneak peek at what was to come.

https://youtu.be/_dyxvskkQwQ

STEVE EARLE – GUITAR TOWN 30TH ANNIVERSARY
DISC ONE – ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. Guitar Town
2. Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left
3. Hillbilly Highway
4. Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough)
5. My Old Friend The Blues
6. Someday
7. Think It Over
8. Fearless Heart
9. Little Rock ‘N’ Roller
10. Down The Road
 
DISC TWO – LIVE AT PARK WEST, CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 15, 1986
1. Guitar Town
2. Sweet Little ‘66
3. Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left To Say
4. Hillbilly Highway
5. My Old Friend The Blues
6. Good Ol’ Boy (Getting’ Tough)
7. Someday
8. Think It Over
9. Little Rock ‘N’ Roller
10. State Trooper
11. The Week Of Living Dangerously
12. Angry Young Man
13. Nowhere Road
14. Fearless Heart
15. I Love You Too Much
16. San Antonio Girl
17. The Devil’s Right Hand
18. Down The Road
19. No. 29
 
STEVE EARLE – LIVE AT PARK WEST, CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 15, 1986
VINYL EDITION
 
SIDE A
1. Guitar Town
2. Sweet Little ‘66
3. Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left To Say
4. Hillbilly Highway
5. My Old Friend The Blues
 
SIDE B
6. Good Ol’ Boy (Getting’ Tough)
7. Someday
8. Think It Over
9. Little Rock ‘N’ Roller
 
SIDE C
10. State Trooper
11. The Week Of Living Dangerously
12. Angry Young Man
13. Nowhere Road
14. Fearless Heart
 
SIDE D
15. I Love You Too Much
16. San Antonio Girl
17. The Devil’s Right Hand
18. Down The Road
19. No. 29
 
STEVE EARLE ON TOUR
October 4 – Telluride, CO @ Sheridan Opera House #
October 6 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater #
October 8 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts %
October 9 – Lincoln, NE @ Rococo Theater %
October 11 – St. Louis, MO @ Sheldon Concert Hall %
October 12 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater @
October 13 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater @
October 14 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall @
October 16 – Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center @
October 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Merriam Theater @
October 21 – Washington, DC @ Lisner Auditorium @
November 2 – Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Resort & Casino ^
November 3 – Regina, SK @ Casino Regina-Show Lounge ^
November 4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre ^
November 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ Pantages Theatre ^
November 7 – Cleveland, OH @ Music Box ^
November 8 – Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Center Theatre ^
November 10 – St. Johns, NL @ Holy Heart Theatre ^
November 11 – St. Johns, NL @ Holy Heart Theatre ^
November 13 – Halifax, NS @ Casino Nova Scotia ^
November 14 – Halifax, NS @ Casino Nova Scotia ^
November 16 – Kingston, ON @ The Ale House ^
November 17 – London, ON @ London Music Hall ^
November 18 – Niagara Falls, ON @ Scotia Bank Convention Center ^
December 2 – Annapolis, MD @ Maryland Hall For The Creative Arts ^
December 5 – New York, NY @ Town Hall – John Henry’s Friends Benefit w/ Graham Nash, Shawn Colvin, Matt Savage and Steve Earle & The Dukes performing Guitar Town

^ performing Guitar Town
# Steve Earle Solo Acoustic
% Lampedusa: Concerts For Refugees w/ Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Milk Carton Kids
@ Lampedusa: Concerts For Refugees w/ Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Milk Carton Kids and special guest Robert Plant

Sturgill Simpson Is Right, and Rightous

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sturgill-simpson

Sturgill Simpson is not known for pulling punches. Though he’s been absent or toned down on social media in recent times  when he was active there were plenty of criticisms on the music industry.

So the recent dust up should not be a surprise. Except it’s surprising that there’s anyone in the media spotlight that still gives a damn for country music.

Though he names Nashville, I don’t believe ire is not with the Athens of the South. Nashville is not the city Merle and Willie left behind. And, though it’s more than to market it, the city is not the mainstream music industry. These days you’re just as likely to catch your favorite Americana act at the 5 Stop than the hat acts whooping the tourists at Tootsie’s.

Music Row, the self-appointed monopoly of Country Musicâ„¢ has been exploiting, but not reflecting, the legacy of passing legends, many of which wouldn’t receive a return phone call from the executives when they were alive, for decades.
Not enough units in it, don’t you know.

From Buck to Waylon to Cash hollow post-mortem accolades has been a reality for years. the crass, commercial canonization will continue when the next wave of greying Outlaws head off to the great honky-tonk in the sky. This is be expected for an institution bereft of even the thinnest reverence for the legacy they’ve built their sprawling Central Tennessee ranches on. An industry so risk intolerant and money focused (i.e greedy) that they graft whatever popular trend onto what’s left of the country music corpse just to wring out a few more hard-earned dollars from their audience.

If anyone mainstream deserves an award named after Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert would be one of a select few. Tabloid drama aside her music has trended toward the gritty, sassy and independent side is the country music tracks her entire career.

But part of me thinks that of Lambert, or anyone else deserving of an award bearing The Hag’s name, would just tell the American Country Music Association thanks but no thanks.

I’d bet Merle would approve.

Whether you agree with him or not Simpson did something that Music Row has never done. Put the legacy of country music above personal commercial interest. He writes offhandedly in his post that he will be “blackballed” from that side of the industry. Unless he was willing to change everything about his songwriting and suddenly became enamored with celebrity, I’m not sure there was the risk of his name being included on that list. As I’ve said Music Row has a reluctance toward artist bent on self-determination.

Sturgill spoke out because he felt a mentor, a friend’s, legacy was being exploited in a cynical way. This bothered him personally and he took time from his current successful tour to express that sentiment at length. This doesn’t have the markings of a PR stunt (though the media has since run with it) and is very much in line with the Sturgill I’ve spent time with on a number of occasions. Warm, thoughtful, direct and fiercely loyal to his ideals.

The new rank of outlaws, and I use that term in the way established by Willie and Waylon – artists that take their own road to establishing their carriers – are here to bear witness to the Giants that came before and the profound debt owed. By them, by us, and by an industry that helped create.

Luckily Music Row isn’t the only game in town.

Americana and the thriving roots music movement where Simpson’s early career thrived has provided a creative vehicle for the new as well as the old guard that  couldn’t, nor would want to, get a meeting  on music row. 

Screw ’em. There’s a force of artists and fans hungry to create, and financially support those taking an independent road.
Read the original post here.

Merle-Haggard-and-Sturgill-Simpson

Dwight Yoakam To Release Bluegrass Focused ‘Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…’

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Dwight Yoakam

Never one to rest on his laurels country music pioneer Dwight Yoakam will pay homage to his home state of Kentucky with his upcoming ‘Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…’ (September 23 – Sugar Hill Records)

For the album, Yoakam assembled a band of bluegrass luminaries to reinterpret 11-tracks from his extensive catalog.

The new album reflects the love for bluegrass music that Yoakam developed at an early age in Kentucky, and that has inspired him for many years thereafter. Yoakam’s choice to partner with Sugar Hill for this release speaks volumes about the seriousness of this endeavor; Sugar Hill and its sister label Rounder have long been at the forefront of bluegrass, roots, and Americana music.

This project was produced by nine-time Grammy winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton), Jon Randall (songwriter of “Whiskey Lullaby”) and Yoakam, recorded at both Southern Ground Studio (TN) and the legendary Capitol Records Studio B in Los Angeles and mixed by Chris Lord Alge. For the recording, the production team gathered together a world-class band of bluegrass’s current greats including Grammy winner and nine-time international Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year Bryan Sutton on guitar, Grammy winner Stuart Duncan on fiddle and banjo, 14-time Grammy winner Barry Bales on bass, Adam Steffey on mandolin (Alison Krauss), and Scott Vestal on banjo (Sam Bush). The LP also features harmony vocals by Jonathan Clark, Brian Whelan, Davey Faragher and newcomer Bryan Joyce.

Yoakam has recorded more than 22 albums and sold over 25 million copies worldwide with five reaching the #1 spot on Billboard. He is a 21-time nominated, multiple Grammy Award winner. In 2013 he was awarded The Americana Music Association Award for Artist of the Year. He has collaborated with everyone from Beck to Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Hunter S. Thompson and Jack White. He has toured with the likes of Buck Owens, Johnny Cash and Hüsker Dü. His most recent album, 2015’s critically acclaimed Second Hand Heart is included in NPR’s “Best of 2015” which calls the album “as fresh as anything Yoakam has ever done.” It reached #2 on the Billboard Country chart with Rolling Stone saying the album featured “his best songs in years.”

In 1977, Yoakam left Kentucky for Nashville to embark on a music career but found that the Music City was moving away from traditional country roots to more pop-country. He found himself better suited to the post-Bakersfield movement and became one of the founding fathers of the “LA Cowpunk Scene” influenced by second-wave rockabilly and punk alongside X, Los Lobos, The Knitters, Rank & File and The Blasters.

Yoakam is currently on tour across the U.S. and will play Americanafest NYC on August 7 at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. See full list of dates below.

DWIGHT YOAKAM TOUR DATES

August 5—IP Casino Resort & Spa—Biloxi, MS
August 7—AmericanaFest at Lincoln Center—New York, NY
August 11—KC Live!—Kansas City, MO
August 12—Jaycee’s Bootheel Rodeo Grounds—Sikeston, MO
August 13—Battery Park at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino—Sioux City, IA
August 19—Julie Rogers Theatre—Beaumont, TX
August 20—Whitewater Amphitheater—New Braunfels, TX
August 26—ASU Convocation Center—Jonesboro, AR
August 27—Back Porch at the Creek—Knoxville, TN
August 28—Maymont Park—Richmond, VA
September 1—McGrath Amphitheatre—Cedar Rapids, IA
September 2—South Dakota State Fair—Huron, SD
September 3—Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel & Casino—Deadwood, SD
September 4—Vetter Stone Amphitheater—Mankato, MN
September 9—Turning Stone Resort Casino Showroom—Verona, NY
September 10—Penn’s Peak—Jim Thorpe, PA
September 16—Peppermill Concert Hall—West Wendover, NV
September 17—New Mexico State Fairgrounds—Albuquerque, NM
September 24—Deep Water Amphitheater—Manson, WA
September 30—Norsk Hostfest – All Seasons Arena—Minot, ND
October 1—Seven Clans Casino—Thief River Falls, MN
October 14—La Hacienda Event Center—Midland, TX
October 20—EnCana Events Centre—Dawson Creek, BC
October 21 & 22—River Cree Resort & Casino, The Venue—Enoch, AB
October 24—Art Hauser Centre—Prince Albert, SK
October 25—Canalta Centre—Medicine Hat, AB
October 27—Prospera Place—Kelowna, BC
October 28—Hard Rock Casino Vancouver—Coquitlam, BC
October 29—Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre—Victoria, BC
November 3—The Majestic Ventura Theater—Ventura, CA
November 5—Silver Legacy Hotel Casino—Reno, NV
November 6—Pauma Casino Showroom—Pauma Valley, CA
November 10—Buffalo Run Casion—Miami, OK
November 11—Bluesville Showroom at Horseshoe Casino—Robinsonville, MS
December 8—The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan—Las Vegas, NV