It Burns When I Pee Live Stream (heh!) Tonight

  • It Burns When I Pee, the only podcast covering the cutting edge and proud tradition of country music, will be streaming their show live tonight (7:30pm CST) and showing us how the sausage is made. And yes, that is a lewd comment directed towards Norma Jean. The final gussied up and edited edition will be available  on Jan 23rd which will feature an interview and music by Bob Wayne.
  • George Clinton, leader of the psychedelic funk music collective Parliament Funkadelic, is one of the celebrities participating in this season ofCMT’s  Gone Country 3.  Says Clinton: “I wanted to do Gone Country because I wanted to learn how to write country songs. I’ve written a lot of songs before, but I’ve never been validated as country, not even to myself. I’m country. I am a country boy. Johnny Cash, I like his songwriting. I used to watch Roy Clark and all them all the time — Chet Atkins and all those guys are really good songwriters. The lyrics for country songs are miles and miles ahead of almost anybody else’s lyrics. I guess everybody would agree there’s no comparison to it. I’m pretty sure I’ve got to do something that’s pretty challenging. I try not to imagine what it is, so when it happens I’ll just say I don’t have no time to do nothing but get off my ass and do it. I’m funky about doing whatever it takes.” I might have to actually watch it this season in spite of the homophobic midget host John Rich.
  • Mercury Nashville is set to release an LP version of Jamey Johnson‘s Grammy nominated album That Lonesome Song on January 27.  Since That Lonesome Song was released, it has spent 8 weeks in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart and has appeared on numerous 2008 Top-10 lists (including mine.)
  • Ryan Adams has announced a musical hiatus citing health issues and “narcissistic over-indulgent behaviour” as the reason. Really!? Who knew? In all seriousness, I hope Adams finds peace of mind in his reprieve.  (guardian.co.uk)
  • Shooter Jennings talks about to NPR World Cafe host David Dye about Waylon Forever, a collection of songs Shooter recorded with his dad Waylon Jennings in 1995. Shooter then revisited the material with his backing band, The .357s.
  • Joe Whyte is back with his band at the Rockwood on inauguration Tuesday. Aang great show will be had by all: Rockwood Music Hall
    196 Allen St., NYC – 8pm – FREE
  • New York blues guitarist Popa Chubby is readying his foray into country music entitled Vicious Country. The release features his wife Galea on bass. Below is a video shot at New York’s Rodeo Bar of Popa Chubby covering Hank Williams III‘s song Straight to Hell.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbaYETD15yY[/youtube]

Tom Russell and Gretchen Peters to Release One to the Heart, One to the Head

The new release by Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell, “One to the Heart, One to the Head,” should be available on or before Feb 1 2009. It features Russell’s song, “Guadalupe,” plus songs by Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Rosalie Sorrells, Jennifer Warnes, Ian Tyson, Stephanie Davis and others. Russell calls it his favorite western-flavored record since “Blood on the Saddle,” by Tex Ritter.  (via the 9513)

The making of “One To The Heart, One To The Head.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6QixC1FlTc[/youtube]

Steve Earle Working on Townes Van Zandt Covers Release

  • The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced that rockabilly angel Wanda Jackson will be  inducted as the only 2009 recipient in the Early Influence Category. On April 4, 2009, the Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997. The 2009 Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live on Fuse TV.
  • Speaking of Steve Earle, the country-rock legend has also been featured in the latest Rolling Stone magazine. Earle discuses his upcoming album covering his musical mentor and Texas music lend Townes Van Zandt that he’s currently recording in New York City and Nashville (where he says the selection of musicaians is much better.)  The album will feature Rage Aagainst The Machine guitar-master Tom Morello on the Van Zandt song Lungs.
  • The first single from Neko Case’s new album, Middle Cyclone, is “People Got A Lotta Nerve.” To promote the single, Neko and her record label, Anti-, will donate five dollars to Best Friends Animal Society for every blog that reposts the song and one dollar for every iLike user that adds the song to his/her profile. So here it is: People Got A Lotta Nerve(mp3)
  • And another death knell for the recording industry as it once was has been tolled as the Times Square Virgin Megastore announces that it will close. I bought No Depression magazine there when I was working a gig near the Square. Times, they are a’changing…

Americana Music Association Hold Auction

The Americana Music Association are auctioning significant memorabilia items and ticket offers. All proceeds will support the not for profit association’s annual Americana Music Festival & Conference, which takes place in Nashville from September 16th – 19th, 2009. Some of the things up for sales are a Jason & The Scorchers 20 Year Birthday Celebration Autographed Hatch show print and tickets to Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt in the city of your choice.

South Florida’s Metromix recounts Alejandro Escovedo’s 30-plus years long career and his brush with death in 2003 as a result of contacting hepatitis C. Escovedo also discusses how living in Aaustin helps shape his eclectic musical style: “The bulk of my material is influenced by living in the Southwest,” he says. “There are spaces here I love very much. It’s a wonderful place to meditate on all sorts of subjects and things. And music from Texas always influenced me: Joe Ely, Ornette Coleman, Junior Walker, Arnett Cobb, Lightnin’ Hopkins. And then, you’ve got people like Roky Erickson and the Butthole Surfers. It’s an amazing place musically. It lends itself to imagination. You can get lost in the dreamlike quality of it.”Escovedo is currently on tour.

The Los Angeles Chronicle has a nice post on country music legend Kitty Wells‘ influence on women’s careers  in country music, her singles and career as a refection of women in domestic relationships of post-WWII America and how Roy Acuff believed how having a woman headline a live showcase was “financial suicide. ” Wells  is currently enjoying a retrospective at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum entitled “Kitty Wells: Queen of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network,” which remains open until June 14, 2009

Charlie Louvin Reviewed on Pitchfork.com

  • Pitchfork.com reviews legendary country singer Charlie Louvin‘s two recent Tompkins Square releases, the Grammy nominated Steps to Heaven and Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs. The 81-year-old Louvin will start a Spring tour starting at Los Angeles’ Spaceland on Feruary 7th.
  • PopMatters.com asks 20 questions of roots/jazz fiddler Casey Driessen where Driessen recounts taking his fist sip of beer, furnished by his then Berklee College of music roommate and fellow fiddler Carrie Rodriguez at the tender age of 21.
  • Roots singer/songwriter Patty Griffin was spotted at the Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church working on her Buddy Miller produced new release which is expected soemtime in 2009. (The Tennessean)

Album Review – Phosphorescent – To Willie (Dead Oceans)

Part of the appeal of the Texas Yoda is his ability to musically transform himself in ways that balance his musical curiosity with a foxes eye towards expanding his market. This allows him to be the steward of this own musical journey and makes him a beacon for artists that prefer to forge their own path.

Mathew Houck aka: Phosphorescent’s sound is similar to fellow alt.folk/slowcore solo-artists-using-revolving-bands-and-alias’-with-a-partiality-toward-heaps-of-facial-hair Will Oldham aka: Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Samual Beard aka: Iron and Wine, and actual bands like The Mountain Goats, Mark Kozelek’s Red House Painters and the man I consider the granddaddy of the genre Nick Drake. Sparse, somber and wistful these bedroom troubadour’s introspection borders on emotional honesty and precious self-indulgence.

With For Willie Houck leaves these other artists in the dust. The album is done, primarily, with a palpable love for Willie and his work. The album cover art obviously alludes to Willie’s own To Lefty from Willie but Houck displays self-aware humility by not including his name in the title.  The cuts dig deep into Willie’s back catalog to uncover gems rather than  well- known tunes. This is a smart move since it allows Houck some leverage for stylistic interpretation. But Houck is no deconstructionist and the soul of the songs remain intact. Too Sick To Pray features guitar reminiscent to will gut-string hillbilly jazz style and Walkin’ is a straight-up steel driven barroom weeper. Can I Sleep In Your Arms sounds shimmers like a rodeo-angel choir lament to lost love and The Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning) beautifully exposes the melancholy heart beating within the song

The album’s sparse production is reminiscent of Willie’s own criminally underrated Spirit and Daniel Lanois produced Teatro. Willie has always been too innovative to fit in the Nashville country music straight-jacket and these works might have been what bought the attention of Houck  in the first place. I would like to hear Houck  do some originals in this style and perhaps he could tuen out to be the artistic bridge between Willie Nelson and the alt.folk/slowcore territory instead of just an adroit interpreter.

Amazon | MySpace | Dead Oceans Site

Phosphorescent- Reasons to Quit

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-XGhPrsODw[/youtube]

Happy Birthday Ray Price!

  • Cybergrass has a nice post on the Grammy nominated soul-bluegrass (soul-grass?)  band The Steeldrivers.
  • As part of a settlement of a legal battle Mother Maybelle Carter’s 1928 Gibson L-5 acoustic guitar, along with Bill Monroe’s F-5 mandolin and two of Johnny Cash’s guitars will continue to be displayed in the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Kingport Times News)
  • Happy Birthday to Country Music Hall of Fame Member, Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Member, and Grammy Award Winner Ray Price. Born Noble Ray Price in Perryville, Texas, on January 12, 1926, the country music will be honored at a reception from 11am until 1pm on his 83rd birthday, Monday, January 12. (via stillisstillmoving.com)

Ray Price Willie Nelson Merle Haggard – Night Life

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD9WuHtq7U8[/youtube]

Loretta Lynn Plays the Opry this Weekend

Country Music legend and Country Music Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn takes time off her busy touring schedule and -  recording new songs with Elvis Costello, Todd Snider and others, for a possible 2009 release – to spend this weekend performing on the Grand Ole Opry, where she has been a member since 1962.  (The Tennessean)

And speaking of Country Music legends, Dolly Parton has been slated to be inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall Of Fame. The ceremony will take place at Nashville’s Richland Country Club on Feb. 2.  Dolly has most recently been involved in a three-CD project titled This Is America that features her among 56 artists and songwriters who’ve recorded songs that tell the story of the United States. (GAC)

Alison Bonaguro over at the CMT bog asks “When Is It Too Soon to Cover a Country Song?”

No Depression’s Kurt B. Reighley reviews a book on classic country photos Pure Country: The Leon Kagarise Archives, 1961-1971 which conatins candid shots of June Carter, Kitty Wells, Skeeter Davis, Bill Monroe, the Louvin Brothers, Porter and Dolly, Jim Reeves, Jeannie C. Riley, Ray Price and many more as they stppoed by to play in Rising Sun, Maryland, and West Grove, Pennsylvania. Looks like a must have to me!

Those Darlins on Tour

Ever wonder what it would been like if Anita, June, and Helen Carter had been reared on pop-punk,  kept their respect for old-school country  and looked great in shorts? Well wonder no longer friends, Tennessee-based Those Darlins combine Pentecost earnestness with riot girrl spirit that delivers a sound both reverent and brazen. Fresh off  sharpening their chops  on a holiday run with O’Death and Boss Hog these Southern gals are raring to get back on the road. Go listen to their EP on their MySpace page (and then buy one!) then go see ’em live and show some love.

Those Darlins – Tour Dates

Jan 8 – Off Broadway + St. Louis, Missouri
Jan 9 – Radio Radio + Indianapolis, Indiana
Jan 10 – The Hideout (early show 7pm) + Chicago, Illinois
Jan 13 – The Toad (early show at 8PM)  +  Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jan 14 – Johnny Brenda’s +    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 15 – The Mercury Lounge  *  New York, New York
Jan 16 2009 – The Mercury Lounge ++     New York, New York
Jan 17 2009 – Union Pool ++ New York, New York

Feb 28 – 9:30 Club ** Washington, DC
Mar 1 – Paradise Club ** Boston, MA
Mar 2 – Music Hall of Williamsburg ** Brooklyn, NY
Mar 3 – Bowery Ballroom ** New York, NY
Mar 5 – Beachland Ballroom ** Cleveland, OH
Mar 6 – Metro ** Chicago, IL
Mar 7 – First Avenue ** Minneapolis, MN
Mar 10 – The Showbox ** Seattle, WA
Mar 11 – Wonder Ballroom ** Portland, OR
Mar 13 – Bimbo’s ** San Francisco, CA
Mar 14 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angelos, CA

+ headline
* w/Ida Marie
++ w/The Soft Pack & The Browns
** w/ Dan Auerbach

Those Darlins – Wild One

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0oZ38g_P7U[/youtube]