Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music
Americana & Roots Music & Culture
The Village Voice has a Q&A with Jon Langford of the Waco Brothers and the Mekons (playing the Highline Ballroom this evening.) Langford talks about the Waco Brother’s beginnings, his time on Bloodshot Records and their recent release Waco Express: Live & Kickin’ at Schuba’s Tavern.
Waco Brothers, “Death of Country Music”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw-jNu4mHxE[/youtube]
The Washington Post sits down for some Mexican food and beer with Texas’ own James McMurtry appropriately titled “His Songs? Bleak. His Future? Bright.” McMurtry talks about his new release “Just Us Kids,” his growing popularity and the sorry state of America. A sample:
His lyrics focus on broken dreams and hard realities. “I tend to look at the dark cloud behind the silver lining,” he says. (The songwriter Robert Earl Keen says that when McMurtry sits down to write, it’s as if “another tragedy is about to unfold.”)
Whatever he is — bard in a bar band; songwriter’s songwriter; hell, writer’s writer (Stephen King will talk your ear off about him and called McMurtry “the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation†ed) — McMurtry, at 46, has crafted one of the year’s best albums in “Just Us Kids,” which artfully mixes provocative portraits with political screeds, including the Bush-bashing “Cheney’s Toy.”
James McMurtry – Ruby & Carlos -Â the Granada Theater Dallas, TX
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKcsARfDmCk[/youtube]
Dave Hunter over at the Gibson Guitar’s blog (love their acoustic guitars, but for electric I gotta side with Fender) has taken on the daunting task of choosing the “Top 5 Essential Alt-Country Albums.” No real surprises on the list, and I might have a quibble with one or two of the choices (No Lucinda Williams? No Bottle Rockets?) but it’s a nice introduction for anyone getting into the genre.
The Village Voice has a fine write up (Country Music Grows in Brooklyn) on the burgeoning Country Music scene in Brooklyn and mentions a Twang Nation favorite Hank’s Saloon, a 100 year old hell raising hillbilly bar smack dab between Carroll Gardens and Park Slope which features a trapdoor above the stage leads to an upstairs area once used as a flophouse by Native-American steelworkers. The article al
so mentions the New York Metropolitan Country Music Association which has hosted hoedowns for the last 25 years and now holds weekly line dances at the Glendale Memorial Building in Queens.
Surveying a wide swath of American music in just 6 songs, Waycross, Georgia’s Hayshaker features the wedded C.C. and Laurie Rider on rhythm guitar and vocals, and vocals respectively and T.W. Lott on guitar and Frank Sikes on drums. The band belies their leanness in members by producing a massive sound sure to shake the tin roof off any roadhouse.
Their recent EP, Black Holiday in Mexico City gets things rolling with the Bakersfield-sound fueled “Laurie’s Song” with C.C. and Laurie’s harmonies reminiscent of Exene Cervenka and John Doe in X’s twangier moments. The middle part of the song breaks off into the chug-chug-chug that starts off Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, but then kicks back into that sweet West Coast honkey-tonk beat.
In the Snow is a dark moody rocker that makes you want to bang your head to the story mental anguish. Scrap Work stretches out a country-rock landscape with yearning pedal steel and searing guitar work.
El Camino brings Dick Dale spastic surf-guitar spiked with Pixies fury complete with Black Francis yelps and exquisite Black and Kim Deal-style harmonies “Oh my pain, is like a candy cane, you lick and you lick, and it goes away.†Classic!
Black Holiday is a swampy murder ballad punctuated with a cool jumpy guitar lick that turns fierce in the middle then suddenly shimmers like asphalt heat just to jump up and blast out at the end.
Mexico City is a hoedown stomp reflection on South of the Border wantonness. “I lost my heart, I lost my soul, to a bottle and a whore in Mexico.†The EP ends with Dirtkick, a Black-Betty-eque hot rod surge to the cliff on a whiskey fueled race to hell. The drunken phone message hidden at the end is hilarious and a little freaky.
Pack up your ’56 Plymouth Fury and hit the long lonely dusty road and let Hayshaker’s “Black Holiday in Mexico City†be your soundtrack.
Patsy Cline brought country music from the hayride into the smoky piano bars of what was adult American pop in the late 50’s and may have set their course on that trail blazed by the torch she seemed to carry in every song. Add the that list Atlanta’s Missy Gossip and the Secret Keepers. This time the sorrowful siren is Lauren Staley who not only belts out some great tunes but plays guitar to boot. Luke Long lends the reverb vibe, Carla Kootsillas is on Mandolin and Mike Schmidt’s Bass and Jimmy Martin’s Drums all laying down a heavy bottom to pile high the tears. They even lend a feeling of remorse and loneliness to Micheal Jackson’s “Beat It.”
They group is out shopping their first EP and I think it’s going to be a jewel once released. Keep you eye on these folks, they’re doing it right!
Missy Gossip and the Secret Keepers – Beat It
Add to the list of festivals I have yet to attend but want to Saint Louis, MO’s 4-day Twangfest (June 4-7, presented by KDHX 88.1 FM .) Twangfest is on it’s 12th year of providing fine alt.country to the lucky folks that live in the area or can make the trek. This years line up is a doozy.
Wednesday, June 4
The Schlafly Tap Room
2100 Locust Street at 21st
St. Louis, MO 63103
314.241.BEER
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Chuck Prophet
Centro-matic
The Builders & The Butchers
Thursday, June 5
The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
6504 Delmar
St. Louis, MO 63103
314.727.0880
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Friday, June 6
The Gourds
Charles Walker & The Dynamites
Deadstring Brothers
The Pageant
6161 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63112
314.726.6161
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
Saturday, June 7
Old 97’s
Hayes Carll
Miles Of Wire
Off Broadway
3511 Lemp Ave
St Louis, MO 63118
314.773.3363
General admission; doors open at 7:00 PM.
The Waco Brothers
Ha Ha Tonka
the everybodyfields
Caleb Travers
Billboard.com has a glowing write up on the May 15th Charleston, S.C. Drive By Truckers show. A sample:
That they continue to pull it off in such hammering, consistent fashion is not only a credit to their staying power (and ability to weather waves like the departure of Jason Isbell last year), but, as they showed on a sweaty and Jack Daniels-fueled 25-song set in Charleston, proof that it still might make sense to buy completely into the notion that rock n’ roll is the literal answer to many, many things.
Showing at the Yard Dog Gallery in Marfa, TX – Jon Lanford creates art that is at once old timey and edgy. Using old country music publicity photos and sheet music as source material is builds layers of visual and musical history.
Langford describes his painting technique as s “Long process of layering, scraping, minute attention to detail. Basically, I create a very unstable surface with acrylics and pastel on top of each other and work on top of that with Sharpies, felt pens, white out, gunk, snot and whatever comes to hand.” A native of South Wales, Langford now lives in Chicago.
In addition to his art, Jon is an internationally known musician. He is a founding member of legendary British rock band the Mekons, who just celebrated their 30th anniversary; he has released 3 solo albums; and he plays with Chicago band the Waco Brothers.
Yard Dog Gallery
106 East San Antonio St
Marfa, TX 79843
432-729-3303
and
Yard Dog
1510 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
512.912.1613