Category Archives: alt.country

Angela Desveaux – Wandering Eyes – Thrill Jockey, Sept. 12

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On her first CD, Wondering Eyes,  Montreal alt-country singer Angela Desveaux songs conjure images of dusty roads, weary souls and tortured hearts. Veering from Emmilou Harris sweetness (Familiar Times) and Sheryl Crow folk-pop (The title cut) with Lucinda Williams twang without the whisky grit Ms. Desveaux paints pictures of hard-luck and gun-shy lovers.


The time spent performing as a back-up singer and guitar-for-hire for various Montreal bands and after initially turning her nose at country for a while (the music her parents preferred) she then discovered the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, Gram Parsons and Son Volt, led her to adopt her current style. She then sharpened her chops while playing at a Sunday night bluegrass open-mic at a little local bar in Montreal called Barfly. the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, Gram Parsons and Son Volt, led her to adopt her current style. She then sharpened her chops while playing at a Sunday night bluegrass open-mic at a little local bar in Montreal called Barfly.
Her excellent band includes members of Wooden Stars, Arcade Fire, Strange Attractors, GYBE, and Hangedup. Engineered by Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire) and produced by Brian Paulson (Slint, Superchunk, Wilco, Archers Of Loaf.)  

 

The Silos Sign To Bloodshot / On Tour

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80’s Alt.country stalwarts, and recent Bloodshot label mate, The Silos are currently on an East Coast jaunt delivering their brand of punk, roots-rock to the masses. Bloodshot will be unleashing the band’s latest, Come On Like the Fast Lane, in early 2007.

9/13
New York, NY
Banjo Jim’s
9/15
New York, NY
Rodeo Bar
10/5
New York, NY
Club Midway with Hal Ketchum
10/9
New York, NY
Living Room
10/10
New York, NY
Banjo Jim’s
10/21
Charlotte, NC
Bob and Missi’s 3rd Fall Fling
10/22
Raleigh, NC
Pour House
10/23
New York, NY
Living Room
11/4
Brooklyn, NY
CMJ Bloodshot BBQ at Union Pool
11/7
New York, NY
Banjo Jim’s

Heartworn Highways Review

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Heartworn Highways is a documentary by the late Parisian James Szalapski, A then private dealer in twentieth century art, Szalapski was looking for something interesting to do with his hand-held home movie camera during an industry lull. It is also a restored and forgotten treasure re-released as a CD and this stellar DVD.

Originally a 1975 theatrical release, Szalapski was introduced by a group of up and coming “new country” renegades then taking the outlaw reins from the likes of Willie and Waylon.

Texans Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and a young, skinny, and almost unrecognizable Steve Earle are all here. Guy Clark does a great version of his “L.A. “Freeway” and a mouth-watering version of “Texas Cookin.’ and Van Zandt brings a neighbor to tears with an impromptu rendition of “Waiting Around to Die.”

Other, mostly now forgotten performers like steel player Barefoot Jerry and comic performers like Gamble Rogers (who on October 10, 1991 trying to save a drowning stranger) sings the “Black Label Blues” while footage of a conveyer belt at Jack Danial’s distillery is shown, in case you didn’t get the reference. Larry Jon Wilson laying tracks for his own “Ohoopee River Bottomland” are all bona fide pleasure.

Davis Allen Coe is shown driving a tour bus and yakking it up on the CB Radio as well as playing a show at a prison adorned like a spangled Hillbilly Liberace. He may be crazy but he’s a great entertainer!

As I said before, the quality of the film is low quality bit actually adds to the DIY flavor of the conversations and music. The extensive extra’s include Guy Clark playing “Desperadoes Waiting For A Train,” “Country Morning Breeze” and “Old Flynn’s Boat.” Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty.” John Hiatt’s “One For The One.” Steve Earle’s “Darling Commit Me” and “Mercenary Song” Rodney Crowell’s “Young Girl’s Hungry Smile” and Steve Young covering “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

If you’re not a fan of this music and these guys the movie might be boring and plodding for you. There’s not much here aside from great music and a brief, intimate portrayal of the men that created it.

The Americana Music Conference

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The Americana Music Conference is happening on Sept 20-22 in Nashville with lots of workshops, parties and over 130 artists playing including atists such as Dave Alvin; Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint; Alejandro Escovedo; the Cherryholmes; the Derailers; Ruthie Foster; James Hunter; Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplin; Jim Lauderdale; Claire Lynch; Delbert McClinton; James McMurtry; Buddy Miller; Mindy Smith; Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives; Paul Thorn Band; Tony Joe White and more than 120 more!

I’m attempting to attend as the lone delegate from Twang Nation, I mean how can I turn down meeting the man who personally built Chet Atkins’s own guitars (Gibson Luthier) and tips on pimping your chaps, okay I made that one up. Be there!

Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt

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Townes Van Zandt was a Texas singer/songwriter who’s talent equaled the tragedy in his life. “Be Here To Love Me” is a wonderful id heart-breaking documentary of Townes by Director Margaret Brown.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas to an oil-wealthy, aristocratic family, he traveled during his youth around Texas and Colorado. He was the third-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt, a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas. Van Zandt County in east Texas was named after his family in 1848.

Townes was diagnosed early in his twenties with manic-depression and was treated with insulin shock therapy, which erased much of his long-term memory. Much of the isolation and passion that ran as themes in his songs seems to be somewhat attributed to these treatments.

The film features a stellar cast of alt.country legends that knew Townes or have recorded his songs – Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris – along with Townes’ three wives and four children, all tell tales of brilliance, loneliness and heartache of a man bent of destruction that died far too young.