Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music
Americana & Roots Music & Culture
MTV has new unveiled a show called $5 Cover, which takes a look at the different artists in the underground music scene in Nashville Memphis. One standout is Amy LaVere, a doghouse bass plucking chanteuse that reminiscent of a rootsy Amie Winehouse, without the substance abuse or unfortunate dating scenarios.
Check out Amy doing Never Been Sadder and Killing Him.
If you want to buy these two great tracks head over to the $5 Cover iTunes store.
And because eveyone needs a little something to smile about on Monday, here ya go folks:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6WD1yzQscE[/youtube]
For the second Lost Highway release Texas’ singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham, and his crack band the Dead Horses, again hiredMarc Ford (ex-Black Crowes guitarist) to produce. Ford and the band carry through many of the elements that made his last album, Mescalito, an excellent release but they also added elements that make you wonder what the hell they were smoking (literally.)
Day Is Done is the song out of the gate and it’s a winner. Melodic twang mixes it up with swaggering rock and results in a cut reminiscent of the handful of really great cuts that Shooter Jennings released before he became bored and checked out.
Bingham uses his gravely howl to show a hint of a more political stripe more fully shown later on the album. Tell My Mother I Miss Her So is an excellent mandolin-driven porch-stomp wanderlust tale that extends on a wonderful first impression.
Bluebird and Wishing Well are a pair nice electrified blyes-rock cuts that could fit easily in an album Marc Ford performed on, The Black Crowes second album The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Snake Eyes and Rollin’ Highway Blues are both beautiful acoustic songs that also use rambling as a theme.
Endless Ways is where Bingham channels his inner Steve Earle. It’s an rocking anthemic anti-war song that sites “blood from a foreign land” that seems to have been partly based on Copperhead Road (one of Earle’s less political songs.) Hey Hey Hurray is a Crazy Horse meets Dylan (or perhaps more precisely Todd Sinder) mix of political and social commentary with unfortunate hippy platitudes that occasionally clunk an otherwise great song. But whatever, in these days where anyone with a cowboy hat must be a Republican I’m sure these songs are going to confuse John Rich fans.
Speaking of unfortunate, Dylan’s Hard Rain and Change Is are two cuts that suffer from 60s stoner ridiculousness.The former channels the Byrds jangly-guitar style that Gram Parsons new well enough to restrain when he led the band into the cosmic-America music direction.
The album Roadhouse Blues is a greasy Sticky Fingers-style honky-tonk rave-up that tops the album off in fine fashion.
Hats off to Bingham and his great band for coming out with a mostly perfect sophomore big label release and credit even for the stinkers for branching out and trying new directions.
Official Site | MySpace | Buy
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQMS3mxBebE[/youtube]
The Canadian late night talk show the Hour has a great interview with Steve Earle. Earle talks abut making his career and his newest release Townes, a tribute to his mentor Townes Van Zandt and recounts some great stories with his time with Townes. The snake wrangler story is worth the watch!
Jim Fusilli at the Wall Street Journal (wsj.com) reviews the Steve Martin Concert at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Martin, Supported by the Steep Canyon Rangers, performed work from his latest bluegrass release “The Crow—New Songs for the Five-String Banjo†(Rounder)
John Jurgensen, also of the Wall Street Journal, covers the upcoming Elvis Costello twang-tinged release Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, Costello’s varied career and his thoughts on the current state of the record industry. The album was cut in three day in Nashville and is produced by Americana-roots journeyman T-Bone Burnett (who Costello collaberted with on 1986’s King of America) and featured Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale.
Whitney Self at the CMT.com blog reviews the recent Jamey Johnson show at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium and and states is the rowdiest (and drunkest) he’s ever seen at the venue.
AamericanaRoots.com give sa listeds to the new Scott H. Biram Bloodshot release Something’s Wrong/Lost Forever.
Kevin Ransom at Ann Arbor’s Mlive.com interviews Austin’s guit-steel master Junior Brown.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRMNeoaosQw[/youtube]
Jay Bennett, the former Wilco multi-instrumentalist, passed away in his sleep on early Sunday morning (May 24) due to unknown causes. He was 45.
Bennett was best known for his work with Wilco, the group for which he wrote and recorded on 1996’s “Being There,” 1999’s “Summerteeth” and 2002’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” as well as the band’s Woody Guthrie themed albums with Billy Bragg, “Mermaid Avenue” and “Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2.” He was currently living in Urbana, Illinois and working on his fifth album, “Kicking at the Perfumed Air.”
Bennett’s turbulant departure from Wilco was well-documented andplayed out in the public eye. Earlier this month, Bennett filed suit against Wilco leader (and founder of Uncle Tupelo) Jeff Tweedy for “breach of contract” for alleged non-compensation for his appearance in the 2002 Wilco documentary, “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” as well as “unpaid royalties” for work throughout his tenure with the band. The suit was said to be for at least $50,000.
There is speculation that a working musician like Bennett is always at risk, like a majority of Americans, because they lack adequite health insurance.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0ZKHljySfI[/youtube]
This follow up to T. Nile’s (the T is for Tamara )Â ’06 debut At My Table showcases this young BC, Canadian’s maturity as a songwriter and her ability to work outside genre but still come away with something uniquely her own. It also continues my well documented infatuation with Canadian roots music.
T. Nile’s handles her blend of country, folk, world and electronica music adroitly on this 7 song EP and it’s not an easy task for anyone little alone someone of her years.
The opening title song is a lone-prairie shuffle gathering of familial recollections and French lullabies all with Burke Carrol’s pedal steel yawning underneath. Genres change stylistically with Reverie, a soulful dub number reminiscent of New York’s Si-Se, but thanks to T. Nile’s tastefully plucked banjo and warm vocals it’s a smooth transition.
Canadian geese honk the opening of Lake Irene an expansive instrumental that you could imagine being recorded on the bank of said lake and the other instrumental Boats Against a Dock sounds more like a mountain stomp than anything coastal. Pass the ‘shine cousin.
Rock Whatcha Got is a a smooth slice of roots-funk confection that could be a dream collaboration of the Be Good Tanyas and Luscious Jackson.
Sunrises uses spare electronica textures to frame T. Nile’s soulful croon, and at it’s best it reminds me of French composer DJ and producer Solal’s Nashville-based Moonshine Sessions. But where Solal uses beats sparingly in lieu of traditional instruments, here you are very aware of the tech and unfortunately results in a garden variety trip hop cut a la Delerium or latter day Everything But The Girl.
Leather Shoes continues the icy tech theme from Sunrises but is saved from being completely without a pulse by T. Nile warm vocals and the beautiful string arrangements of Jessie Zubot.
I hope T. Nile sticks with more traditional instruments ands uses the tech sparingly in her next daring adventure, but you can’t accuse her of being boring.
Official Site | MySpace | Facebook
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U05PM38k7yA[/youtube]
The Americana Music Association announced the nominees for the trade organization’s 2009 Honors and Awards ceremony today at its annual celebration at BMI Nashville. The show, in its eighth year, will be held Thursday, September 17 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
I’ve attended the conference and showcase for the last three years and it’s always an amazing time. I don’t agree with all the nominees, and as a member of the organization I voted accordingly. But one thing is for certain, every nominee kicks the shit out of 99% of the CMA Awards.
The 2009 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Nominees are:
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Real Animal, by Alejandro Escovedo
Written in Chalk, by Buddy & Julie Miller
Jason Isbell & The 40 Unit, by Jason Isbell & The 40 Unit
Midnight At The Movies, by Justin Townes Earle
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Alejandro Escovedo
Buddy Miller
Justin Townes Earle
Raul Malo
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Buddy Miller
Gurf Morlix
Jerry Douglas
Sam Bush
NEW & EMERGING ARTIST
Band of Heathens
Belleville Outfit
Justin Townes Earle
Sarah Borges
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Chalk,†written by Julie Miller, performed by Buddy Miller & Patty Griffin
“Country Love†by the Gourds
“Homeland Refugee,†by Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock, performed by the Flatlanders
“Rattlin’ Bones†by Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, performed by Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
“Sex And Gasoline,†by Rodney Crowell, performed by Rodney Crowell
DUO GROUP OF THE YEAR
Buddy & Julie Miller
Flatlanders
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
Reckless Kelly
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDCGCtloQ4[/youtube]