As the 2004 2004 Presidential Election was drawing near James McMurtry gave away a free download of his state of the union anthem, “We Can’t Make It Here.” The song seemed to strike a chord with the public and went on to win Song of the Year at the Americana Music Honors and Awards. Author Stephen King described it as the “best American protest song since ‘Masters of War’” in his Entertainment Weekly column. On the brink of the 2008 election, McMurtry is now giving away a previously unreleased live version of “We Can’t Make It Here” from his 2008 concert at Southpaw in Brooklyn, NY.

Following the release of her new album Little Honey, Lucinda Williams has just released a politically-charged, digital only, four-song Live EP titled Lu in 08. The EP features three covers and one Williams original. The tracks will be Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” Bob Dylan’s “Masters Of War,” Thievery Corporation/Flaming Lips collaboration “Marching The Hate Machines” and the unreleased “Bone Of Contention.” The three covers were recorded live in Greensboro, NC in September 2007 and “Bone Of Contention” in Milwaukee, WI of July 2008.  Here the EP streaming here.

The New York Times has a great piece on the second annual Johnny CashFlower Pickin’ Festival in Starkville, MS. Cash fans may know Starkville for the song made famous on  the live prison release “At San Quentin.” The song tells the tale of Cash’s after show journey through the town that night in May 1965, one of the darkest years of the musician’s life, leading to his arrest for public intoxication, or as Cash himself later put it “picking flowers.

While serving what would become a six hour stint Cash kicked his jail cell so hard he broke a toe, might or might not have given his $40. black shoes to a fellow cell mate named Smokey Evans while saying “Here’s a souvenir. I’m Johnny Cash.” Of the seven places Johnny Cash was arrested  Starkville was the only wrote one he wrote a song about.

Johnny Cash - Starkville City Jail

Why does a Chicago based, blues/bluegrass/punk, Bloodshot Records band Devil in a Woodpile cover classic Zeppelin? Because they’re damn good at it!

If you’re in the New York City area for the CMJ be sure to head out to Union Pool in Brooklyn next week for the Bloodshot Records showcase. No invites or badges needed, but you will need a ticket. $8 advance / $10 door, free w/CMJ badge - come early for FREE beer & tacos - Sponsored by Blurt Online & Oskar Blues Brewery.

Saturday Afternoon, October 25
Union Pool - 484 Union Ave. at Lorimer in Brooklyn
12:30 doors
1:00 - 1:40: Dexter Romweber Duo
1:50 - 2:30: I’m Not Jim
2:40 - 3:20: Ben Weaver
3:30 - 4:10: Ha Ha Tonka
4:20 - 5:00: Cordero
5:10 - 5:50: Charlie Pickett
6:00 - 6:40: Justin Townes Earle

• Hot on the heels of her new release “Little Honey” Lucinda Williams will release “Lu in 08,” a digital-only EP of protest songs just before the presidential elections (Oct. 28.) The EP will feature four live tracks, three of which are covers: Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and the Thievery Corporation/Wayne Coyne collaboration “Marching the Hate Machines Into the Sun.” The fourth cut is the Williams original “Bone of Contention,” which was originally intended for inclusion on “Little Honey.” Williams is currently on the road in support of “Little Honey.”
• Sure Ryan Adams can be a pretentious dick (I hate, HATE, country music), but he’s an undeniable talent especially live. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals will play a hometown Halloween show Oct. 31 at New York’s Apollo Theatre. The groups next Lost Highway album, “Cardinology,” will arrive Oct. 28. Fans who pre-order through iTunes will receive an immediate download of first single “Fix It.”

It’s Friday night and I’m still sober so I’m gonna get a couple of show announcements out here before things take a bad turn…

My good friend Hang Jones (AKA Stephen Grillos) will be playing Hotel Utah here in beautiful San Francisco Tuesday next 10/21st at 9pm. Hang will be sharing the stage with Utah’s Band of Annuals. This is a show not to be missed so grab the Missus, crank over the Fury and head on into town to catch this.
This next show seems so brazen that I was sure it was going to be a car wreck, but the YouTube video convinced me otherwise. Earl Pickens and Family will perform “The Country-Fried Joshua Tree” Saturday, November 1st at Cherry Alley Cafe (c’mon Cherry Alley! Get a damn web site I can link to!)  in Lewisburg, PA at 7 PM. Jessie Yamas, Bruce W. Derr, Bob Albin, Jake Kline and Earl will perform an acoustic, countrified rendition of the classic U2 album The Joshua Tree, in its entirety. Yeah, I know that’s what I thought…

Cherry Alley Cafe
21 N. 3rd Street / Lewisburg, PA
Tickets $8, $5 for students
tickets available at Cherry Alley Cafe
You out-of-towners can buy tickets for the Country Fried Joshua Tree show by mail if you so desire. Send a check, made out to Earl Pickens, to PO Box 82, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Shoot Earl an email at earl@earlpickens.com letting him know that you’re ordering by mail.

Earl Pickens and Family - Where The Streets Have No Name

This goes out to my home state: Concert For The Coast is a Texas-wide event on Oct. 26, 2008, featuring 10 venues in 10 cities with over 100 artists ( like Band of Heathens, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gary P Nunn, Rodney Parker and many others), with both acoustic and full band performances, coming together for one cause, to help the recovery process of the millions hit hard by Hurricane Ike.

All events have a suggested donation of $10 per person to enter.  Each event will also feature raffles as well as auctions
of artist merchandise, autographed memorabilia and other items donated by local merchants.  There will also be an online auction concurrent with the events.

Many are struggling without the basic necessities of food, water and shelter. Radio Free Texas has proven that it is a community that cares.  In this spirit, the idea for Concert For The Coast was born.  Radio Free Texas has partnered with others in the Texas Music community to bring a multi city, multi venue benefit event that will help bring much needed relief to the coastal communities and those that call it home.

For more information about the Concert For The Coast benefit event, please contact Nate Smith by calling 512-912-6082 or emailing at nate@tx-live.com

David Fricke  over at RollingStone.com has some noce things to say about the upcoming Hank Williams Unreleased Recordings box set - “…the 54 performances in this three-CD set pack a magical, concentrated immediacy that is, in its time and way, as electrifying as Johnny Cash’s Sixties prison shows or Bob Dylan’s early acoustic concerts. Williams’ nasally drawl is crisp and strong, like the young Dylan without the sandpaper; he holds the long, desolate notes in “Cool Water” with stunning force.”

Country Music legend Marty Stuart’s “Sparkle & Twang: An American Musical Odyssey“, an exhibit of four decades of rock, country, rockabilly, bluegrass, rhythm & blues and gospel music memorabilia from Stuart’s personal collection
will make its way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland from Oct. 30 through March 1. The 300 items, including musical instruments, stage clothing, handwritten lyrics and photographs. Among them are Hank Williams’ handwritten lyrics “Cold, Cold Heart” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart, Elvis Presley’s sweater worn in a photograph with Junior Parker, Johnny Cash’s first black suit from 1955 and handwritten lyrics for “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Man in Black,” Performance outfit worn by Bob Dylan, Clarence White of the Byrds’ blue leather suit, Pop Staples’ 1962 Fender Jazzmaster guitar and Marty Stuart’s first guitar and performance outfit, sewn by his mother.

A new documentary on country music legend “Johnny Cash’s America,” will air on The Biography Channel  on 10/23.  It examines Cash’s life, music, and influence on 20th century American history. It’s already premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival.  Commentary from as diverse a collection as Al Gore, Bob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, and Merle Haggard are featured in the film.

The Biography Channel also offers a nice section of it’s web site outlining Cash’s life.

Johnny Cash’s America

• PopMatters.com has a nice posting on Lucinda Williams’ new Lost Highway release “Little Honey” and on Columbus, Ohio’s Two Cow Garage.

• If you’re in Nashville this Friday October the 17th totally blow off mall-country teeny-bopper Taylor Swift’s show and head down to see Justin Townes Earle with Caitlin Rose and Chris Scruggs at the Exit/In. Rose’s mom, Liz, has penned a few of Taylor Swift’s biggest hits so it’ll kind of be like being there but without the crappy music (Rose’s mom’s cuts excluded, of course.)

• As if that weren’t enough Junior Brown will bring his guit-fiddle wizardry to Nashville on the same night (9/17) at the Station In.

• Tim McGraw is apologizing to his fans for the labels decision to put out his third greatest hits collection. “I am saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music. I’ve only had one studio album since my last hits package. It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me. I had no involvement in the creation or presentation of this record.” Hey Time, now how about apologizing for the rest of the crap you’ve put out in your career (excluding the cuts penned by my uncle, of course.)

• The Times Colonist of Canada has a nice write up of Kris Kristofferson’s show at the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria, British Columbia “…last night, before an adoring sold-out crowd at the McPherson Playhouse, a huge dose humility is what worked best for veteran singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. The native of Brownsville, Texas, opened his Victoria debut with Shipwrecked in the 80’s, which he delivered in a plainspoken manner befitting of a folk singer. Dressed in black jeans with a black shirt, an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder and harmonica rack around his neck, Kristofferson, 72, cut quite a figure. The giveaway to his country past? Dusty cowboy boots. Pure Kristofferson.”