Margo Price Announces New Album ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’

Margo Price

Margo Price announced on her Instagram account that she will release her third studio album, ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started,’ on May 8 via Looma Vista Recordings. The album is produced by Sturgill Simpson and co-produced by Price and David Ferguson, and features the singles, “Stone Me” and the just-released “Twinkle Twinkle.”

The 10-track album also includes “I’d Die For You”, which Price debuted at on Monday night at the To Nashville, With Love tornado relief concert (see it below.)

Price’s last full-length release was 2017’s ‘All American Made.’

Price recorded ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’ at Los Angeles’ EastWest Studios with guitarist Matt Sweeney, bassist Pino Palladino, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and drummer James Gadson. Simpson provided backing vocals on a song and the Nashville Friends Gospel Choir appeared on two others. Price, who was pregnant with her daughter during the recording sessions, co-wrote the songs on the album with her husband, Jeremy Ivey.

“They’re both a creation process,” Price stated. “And I was being really good to my body and my mind during that time. I had a lot of clarity from sobriety.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mCFMcHBRq/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Watch Margo Price debut ‘I’d Die For You’ at the To ‘Nashville, With Love’ tornado relief concert

Watch the Matthew Daniel Siskin-directed video “Twinkle Twinkle” below:

Pre-order ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’

“That’s How Rumors Get Started’ track list:

01 That’s How Rumors Get Started
02 Letting Me Down
03 Twinkle Twinkle
04 Stone Me
05 Hey Child
06 Heartless Mind
07 What Happened to Our Love?
08 Gone to Stay
09 Prisoner of the Highway
10 I’d Die for You

Margo Price tour dates:

03-16 Dripping Springs, TX – Campfire Gathering
03-19 Willie Nelson’s Luck, TX – Luck Reunion
05-17 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre *
05-18 Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater *
05-20 Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater *
05-21 Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater *
05-23 Toronto, Ontario – RBC Echo Beach *
05-24 Shelburne, VT – Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on The Green at Shelburne Museum *
05-26 Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point *
05-27 Lewiston, NY – Artpark MainStage Theatre *
05-28 Vienna, VA – Filene Center at Wolf Trap *
05-30 Bethel, NY – Mountain Jam
05-31 Lafayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards *
06-02 Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia *
06-07 Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Music Festival
06-11 Bakersfield, CA – Mechanics Bank Arena ^
06-12 Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre ^
06-13 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
06-16 Bend, OR – Oregon Spirit Distillers
06-18 Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center ^
06-19 Ridgefield, WA – Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre ^
06-20 George, WA – Gorge Amphitheater ^
07-24-26 Vineyard Haven, MA – Beach Road Weekend
11-16-20 Punta Ca̱a, Dominican Republic РAll The Best Fest

* with The Head and the Heart
^ with Chris Stapleton

Record Store Day 2020: Our Top Americana/Roots Picks

UPDATE – Record Store Day’S annual collection of vinyl will be released on three separate days this year — Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24. While the event regularly takes place in April, organizers wanted vinyl collectors to be mindful of social-distancing regulations.

Spring is in the here, birds are out and trees and flowers begin to bloom, and the smell of limited edition vinyl is in the air!.

That’s right folks, Record Store Day 2020 is right around the corner (Saturday, April 18th June 20th, to be exact) and his year is a special one. Record Store Day has selected Americana powerhouse, Brandi Carlile, as their 2020 Ambassador. Speaking about indy record stores support of her career Carlile says:

“The Twins (Tim and Phil Hanseroth) and I have never made an album that we didn’t intend to be in an independent record store. Thank you so much for recognizing this love in me and the Twins and giving us this opportunity. We won’t let you down.”

And she couldn’t have picked a better time to be the event’s representative. Carlile pays tribute to her hometown of Seattle and one of her musical influences by covering Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed.” Other scarce, unique, and regional releases of interest from Jesse Dayton, The Dead South, Drive-By Truckers, Steve Earle, John Prine and many more.

Check out the Americana and roots selections below and take a look at the full list to see what’s coming out outside of the twangasphere.

Get to your favorite indy record early on Saturday, April 18th June 20th. I’ll be at Good Records in Dallas, but you can check on indy record stores near you.And be sure to share those great finds with me on Instagram and Twitter.

Solomon Burke – Back To My Roots
Format: LP
Label: Anagram
Quantity: 1500

Solomon Burke was an American preacher and singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. Originally released in 1976, Back To My Roots was his debut album on the legendary Chess Records label, a well-known imprint devoted to the best Blues, R&B, Funk and Soul music. After a long stint on Atlantic and MGM Records, Solomon Burke signed for Chess to work with the wonderful producer Herman Rush who wrote and produced this sensational album.
This release for Record Store Day is its first repress since the original 1976 release.

SIDE A –
1. Burning For Your Love 2. Night And Day 3. Everybody’s Got To Cry Sometime 4. I’m Going Back To My Roots
SIDE B –
1. Precious Flower 2. The Do Right Song 3. Life Has It’s Ups And Downs 4. Over And Over (Hugging And Loving) 5. I’ll Never Stop Loving You

Johnny Cash – Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series – Early Mixes (1987)
Format: 2 x LP
Label: UME (Mercury)
Quantity: 5000

In 1988, two years after signing to Mercury Records, Johnny Cash released Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series, which featured new recordings of classic material. Including renowned tracks like “Ring Of Fire”, and “I Walk The Line”, the series captured one of country music’s greats singing songs that made him a legend. For the first time ever on vinyl, exclusively for Record Store Day 2020, UMe/Mercury is proud to present Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series – Early Mixes. Cash’s early mix of the 1988 album, mastered from newly discovered tapes in the Mercury vault. Limited Edition Double LP, pressed on 180g vinyl, it is a must-have for fans and collectors.

LP 1 / SIDE A – 1. Sunday Morning Coming Down, 2. Get Rhythm, 3. I Walk The Line, 4. Long Black Veil, 5. I Still Miss Someone

LP 1 / SIDE B – 1. Blue Train, 2. I Got Stripes, 3. Peace In The Valley, 4. Five Feet High And Rising, 5. Folsom Prison Blues

LP 2 / SIDE A – 1. Cry, Cry, Cry, 2. Don’t Take Your Guns To Town, 3. Tennessee Flat Top Box, 4. A Thing Called Love, 5. The Ways Of A Woman In Love

LP 2 / SIDE B – 1. Ballad Of Ira Hayes, 2. Guess Things Happen That Way, 3. Home Of The Blues, 4. Supper Time, 5. Ring Of Fire

Brandi Carlile – A Rooster Says
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Elektra
Quantity: 10000

RSD 2020 Ambassador Brandi Carlile has strong ties to her hometown Seattle. Her RSD 2020 release pays tribute to one of the region’s most legendary bands, and one of her strong influences: Soundgarden.

“Black Hole Sun” / “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”

Gary Clark Jr – Pearl Cadillac (Feat. Andra Day)
Format: 45 RPM clear and white (pearl)
Label: Warner Records
Quantity: 3000

Jesse Dayton – Texas 45 RPM Showdown – Doug Saham, Townes Van Zandt
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Blue Elan Records
Quantity: 1000
Jesse Dayton recorded covers of two of his biggest Texas-based influences for this RSD 2020 single.

The Dead South
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Six Shooter Records
Quantity: 500

Canadian bluegrass folk band The Dead South come to the record stores with a 7” of cover songs, “House Of The Rising Sun” originally by The Animals and the classic “This Little Light of Mine”

Side A: House Of The Rising Sun Side B: This Little Light of Mine

Drive-By Truckers – “The Unraveling” b/w “Sarah’s Flame”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: ATO Records
Quantity: 2000

Two brand new tracks from The Unraveling sessions, one from Patterson Hood and one from Mike Cooley – including, in Led Zeppelin-esque fashion, the albums orphaned title track “The Unraveling”.

Steve Earle – “Times Like These / It’s About Blood”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Modern Harmonic
Quantity: 1350

This is a limited edition 7″ recorded during the Ghost Of West Virginia recording sessions (that new album comes to record stores May 22). “Times Like These “is exclusive to this 7” and “Devil Put The Coal In The Ground” will be on the new album.

“Times Like These / It’s About Blood”

Alejandro Escovedo – La Cruzada
Format: 2 x LP
Label: Yep Roc Records
Quantity: 1000

Alejandro Escovedo’s critically acclaimed album The Crossing with the vocals recorded in Spanish, pressed on red, white and green striped double vinyl.

1. Andare 2. Footsteps In the Shadows 3. Texas Is My Mother 4. Teenage Luggage 5. Something Blue 6. Outlaw For You 7. Amor 8. Puro 9. Waiting For Me 10. How Many Times 11. Cherry Blossom Rain 12. Sonica USA 13. Rio Navidad 14. Silver City 15. Fury and Fire 16. Flying 17. MC Overload 18. The Crossing

Blaze Foley – Live at the Austin Outhouse
Format: LP
Label: Art Yard / End Of An Ear
Quantity: 1000

* Rare Blaze Foley recordings from the Austin Outhouse circa 1989
* Includes bonus 45 a version of “If I Could Only Fly” and “Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac.”

“Live at the Austin Outhouse” captures Blaze Foley, Austin’s legendary singer-songwriter, at his final appearance at the iconic Austin Outhouse venue. Recorded over two nights in 1989 just days before his tragic murder these twelve tracks are available on vinyl for the first time. Recorded by his friend John Casner these now-classic Blaze tracks were for years only shared on hand-made cassettes among a small network of friends and fans. This vinyl LP marks the twenty-year anniversary of their initial release on CD by Lost Art Records.

While Blaze’s reputation as a singer-songwriter has exploded in recent years, access to his catalog on vinyl has not kept pace. The tracks here include many of his classics; Clay Pigeons (covered by John Prine), If I Could Only Fly (covered by Merle Haggard), Election Day (covered by Lyle Lovett) and nine others. Blaze is joined in this set by several of Austin’s most beloved musicians including Champ Hood and Sarah Elizabeth Campbell. “Live at the Austin Outhouse” reveals Blaze to be as talented and soulful as his friends and running buddies Townes Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams.

Foley is also the subject of a documentary film, Blaze Foley – Duct Tape Messiah, directed by Kevin Triplett, and the 2018 feature-film, Blaze, directed by Ethan Hawke.

The package includes a bonus reproduction copy of the Blaze’s rare 1979 Zephyr Records 45 RPM record. Recorded in Houston, Texas on a label that quickly disappeared, the Zephyr 45 never received commercial distribution. The 45 includes
a version of “If I Could Only Fly” and “Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac.”
THIS RELEASE IS BEING CHAMPIONED BY THE RSD PARTICIPATING STORE END OF AN EAR IN AUSTIN TX. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ALL STORES BUT WILL MOST LIKELY BE FOUND IN THAT REGION

Hiss Golden Messenger – Let the Light of the World Open Your Eyes (Alive at Spacebomb)
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Merge Records
Quantity: 1200

NC folk-rockers Hiss Golden Messenger re-record two of their original songs, “Cat’s Eye Blue” (from their critically acclaimed 2019 album Terms of Surrender) “Standing in the Doorway” (a 2017 digital-only single) at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond VA, with contributions from their in-house orchestra. The latest in the Alive at Spacebomb Studios series.

“Cat’s Eye Blue”/”Standing In The Doorway”

The Jones Sisters (Steven Conrad, Lillie Mae and Bobby Bare) – Perpetual Grace, LTD Soundtrack
Format: LP
Label: Fat Possum
Quantity: 500

The original songs written for the EPIX television show Perpetual Grace, LTD. The Jones Sisters is made up of the show’s creator, writer and director Steven Conrad, singer/songwriters Bobby Bare Jr, Lillie Mae and more. Released for Record Store Day 2020 on colored vinyl.

1. “Comet” 2. “Iris” 3. “You Are Hurting Me”4. “Kawasaki Kx80” 5. “Resonate” 6. “Brother Down” 7. “The Power Of Your Soft Young Heart” 8. “My Old Old Lady” 9. “I Want To Get Something Going On” 10. “In The Lowrider Capitol of The World” 11. “Drunk (Chicago)” 12. “Restless as the Former Horses (Of Jesse James and William Bonney)” 13. “Y’all Bless Me Down”

K.D. Lang & The Reclines – Angel With A Lariat
Format: Translucent red vinyl LP
Label: Sire
Quantity: 3000

Ennio Morricone – For A Few Dollars More (OST)
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: AMS
Quantity: 400

* Record Store Day 2020 Exclusive Release.
* 10” pressed on yellow vinyl & housed in a gatefold jacket
* Includes a poster

In 1965 the previous year’s film “A Fistful of Dollars” by Sergio Leone, thanks to its success, had already helped to codify and massively increase the popularity of the ‘spaghetti western’ genre, together with the one the two lead actors Clint Eastwood and Gian Maria Volonte. “For a Few Dollars More” is the natural prosecution of that movie, with the addition of a third protagonist – Lee Van Cleef – who joins the already mentioned two actors: a triad that made history, for another masterpiece Sergio Leone’s masterpiece.

Ennio Morricone’s music is equally important. The Maestro here chooses a ‘poor’ registry, consisting of folk instruments such as ocarina, Jew’s harp, and chimes, respectively used to accompany the entry stage of the three main actors. But there are, as usual, the contributions of Alessandro Alessandroni and his Cantori Moderni choir, for an incredibly exciting final result.

1. Per qualche dollaro in più 2. La resa dei conti 3. Osservatori osservati 4. Il colpo 5. Poker d’assi 6. Carillon 7. Addio colonnello 8. Il vizio di uccidere

Corb Lund – Cover Your Tracks EP
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
Quantity: 1000

With his latest EP, Cover Your Tracks, Lund expands on his Western heritage by wearing his more popular and prominent influences on his sleeve. Covering songs from diverse artists such as Lee Hazlewood, Billy Joel, Marty Robbins and AC/DC, Lund expands on not only his favorite songs but on the range, sound and style in which those songs are delivered. Featuring the likes of Ian Tyson and Hayes Carll, Cover Your Tracks is a focused and deliberate collection of classic and unexpected songs, curated by Corb. Released and pressed on 45 RPM 12” opaque blue vinyl.

1. These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ 2. The Cover of the Rolling Stone (feat. Hayes Carll) 3. They’re Hanging Me Tonight 4. Outlaw Man 5. Ride On (feat. Ian Tyson) 6. Seven Spanish Angels 7. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me 8. I Shall Be Released

John Prine – The Atlantic Albums
Format: 4 x LP
Label: Rhino Atlantic
Quantity: 2000

A special four LP 180g boxed set containing the legendary first four John Prine albums, presented in their original packaging: John Prine, Sweet Revenge, Diamonds in the Rough, Common Sense.

The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (Limited Collectors Edition)
Format: LP
Label: ABKCO Music & Records
Quantity: 900

The Rolling Stones’ groundbreaking multi-platinum selling 1969 album Let It Bleed perfectly captured the ominous spirit of the times with opening track “Gimme Shelter”. Each copy of this exclusive collector’s edition is handcrafted on the press, using layers of color on top of one another to create a truly unique edition. Due to the nature of the manual process to pour each color onto the press by hand, each piece is unique in design. Hand-numbered Certificate of Authenticity included.

SIDE A – 1. Gimme Shelter 2. Love In Vain 3. Country Honk 4. Live With Me 5. Let It Bleed
SIDE B – 1. Midnight Rambler 2. You’ve Got The Silver 3. Monkey Man 4. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Royal Horses – A Modern Man’s Way To Improve
Format: LP
Label: Okemah Roads Records
Quantity: 100

The much-anticipated, full-length debut album from Royal Horses, a South Mississippi-based Americana trio, featuring ten original songs recorded in New Orleans. Music critic Mik Davis has called the album a “stunning first chapter for the powerful trio.” Released exclusively on 180g audiophile vinyl, each purchase comes with a free digital download that is not otherwise available on traditional music streaming sites. THIS TITLE IS CHAMPIONED BY T-BONES RECORDS & CAFÉ IN HATTIESBURG MS. IT’S AVAILABLE TO ALL STORES BUT WILL MOST LIKELY BE FOUND IN THAT REGION.

1). Bottom of the Chart, 2). A Modern Man’s Way to Improve, 3). Valley of the New, 4). Who Do You Know?, 5). There She Walks, 6). Leave a Light, 7). Call it War, 8). Rattlesnake Smoking a Cigarette, 9). Ruby Do, 10). BLD

Son Volt – Live At The Orange Peel
Format: 2 x LP
Label: Transmit Sounds/Thirty Tigers
Quantity: 1500

Recorded live at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC on September 23, 2005, these songs were part of the 6 String Belief DVD, but have never before been released on vinyl.

SIDE A 1 “Damn Shame” 2 “Feel Free” 3 “Who” 4 “Live Free” 5 “Back into Your World” 6 “Medicine Hat”
SIDE B 7 “Joe Citizen Blues” 8 “Atmosphere” 9 “Picking up the Signal” 10 “Straighface” 11 “Ipecac”
SIDE C 12 “Caryatid Easy” 13 “Jet Pilot” 14 “Endless War” 15 “6 String Belief” 16 “Medication”
SIDE D 17 “Barstow” 18 “Driving the View” 19 “Chaos Streams” 20 “Tear Stained Eye” 21 “Windfall“

Tony Joe White – The Beginning
Format: LP
Label: New West Records
Quantity: 900

The Beginning was released digitally and on CD in 2001 by Swamp Records in the US and Audium Records in Europe. Long out of print, this record was Tony Joe’s 29th,and the first one where he controlled all elements of the studio. Stripped down and without any bells and whistles, this is Tony Joe recording, himself playing his classic swamp blues sound, and now for the first time on vinyl. Remastered and re-sequenced for RSD 2020 with new art and pressed on clear with black splatter vinyl.

1. Who You Gonna Hoo – Doo Now 2. Ice Cream Man 3. Wonder Why I Feel So Bad 4. Going Back To Bed 5. Down By The Border 6. More To This Than That 7. Drifter 8. Rebellion 9. Rich Woman Blues 10. Raining On My Life

Hank Williams – March of Dimes
Format: 10″ Red Vinyl
Label: BMG
Quantity: 2000

Hank Williams’ complete 1951 March Of Dimes performance on 10” red vinyl. Its first release on vinyl, with a new restoration and mastering of the 16” radio transcription disc. Features five songs, including “Lovesick Blues” and his then-current hit, “Moanin’ The Blues.” The disc also includes a solo track by Audrey Williams and a dual narrative on a Luke The Drifter track, plus a rare PSA read by Hank about Infantile Paralysis.

Produced by Cheryl Pawelski with restoration and mastering by Michael Graves. Together, they earned a 2015 Best Historical Album Grammy award for their work on Hank Williams The Garden Spot Programs, 1950.
Side A
1) Lovesick Blues 1:37, 2) Moanin’ The Blues 3:21, 3) There’s A Bluebird On Your Windowsill
Side B
1) Hank Talks About Infantile Paralysis, 2) Help Me Understand 3:06

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton Live Recordings To Be Released This Spring

Doc Watson

Yes, the shiny new stuff is fun to look forward to. But we do well to remember the elders that paved the sonic highways leading to the music we still love today.

Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton are just such pioneering elders. Watson went on to become a legend in the late 50’s early 60s folk scene and his guitar style influenced luminaries as Bob Dylan to Ry Cooder and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They were part of a wave that brought the austere aesthetic of the hills and plains to the coffee house youch hungry for something “real.”

On May 29 Smithsonian Folkways will give us a chance to hear what those caffeinated kids were experiencing. “Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton” is the title of the upcoming new album of old-time music produced from archival recordings consisting of largely unheard tapes that were recorded at Doc Watson’s two earliest concerts, presented in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1962. Those shows were among the rare appearances Doc’s father-in-law, Appalachian fiddler Gaither Carlton, made outside of North Carolina. The instrumental pieces, including Gaither’s signature tune “Double File,” include intricate musical interactions developed through years of family music-making. On the songs and ballads, Doc’s instantly recognizable baritone voice is accompanied by his own guitar and Gaither’s fiddle, or by the traditional combination of fiddle and banjo. Shortly after these recordings were made, Doc Watson embarked on a career as one of America’s premier acoustic guitarists, earning the National Medal of Arts and eight Grammy Awards.

And we’re proud to announce this on Doc Watson’s birthday!

From the presser:

It’s hard to imagine a time when the brilliant guitar playing and Appalachian roots of Doc Watson weren’t a part of the American musical fabric. A famed artist in his day and a continuing influence on American music, Watson happened into the music industry much by accident, “discovered” by noted folklorist Ralph Rinzler in the early 1960s when he was mainly playing rockabilly tunes on the electric guitar near his home in tiny Deep Gap, North Carolina. Rinzler convinced Watson that audiences around the country were interested in the older music of Appalachia, and the nation soon fell in love with his heartfelt, powerful singing and his inimitable acoustic guitar playing. He inspired countless people to pick up the guitar and learn to flatpick the old melodies, much of this encouragement coming in person after performances. It was at the first of these shows in New York, really Watson’s first time headlining a show in the city (the previous time he’d played there he was one of two guitarists in Clarence Ashley’s band), that we get to hear this old music played by Watson and his fiddling father-in-law, Gaither Carlton. These live recordings from 1962 are to be released May 29, 2020, by Smithsonian Folkways as Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton on CD, digital, and vinyl. Most of these tracks have never been released before, and the recordings capture two masters at the height of their power, reveling in an audience that was there to listen, not just to drink and dance. It’s a moment where the rural Appalachian world of North Carolina came face to face with the urban New York world of young people desperate to learn folk music and to learn more about the Southern traditions they’d been discovering. These recordings show two very different worlds coming together, buoyed by Watson’s charming personality and his willingness to teach all who would learn.

The recordings on Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton come from two concerts in New York City in October 1962; one concert at the NYU School of Education and the other at Blind Lemon’s (a folk club in the West Village that was gone the next week). Rinzler set up the concerts as Watson’s debut in New York, but it was a young Peter Siegel, barely 18 years old, who recorded both concerts. Siegel still lives in New York, and went on to many great projects in the years after this, founding the Nonesuch Explorer Series, producing more music with Watson, becoming head of A&R for Polydor, and later producing music with Paul Siebel, Tom Paxton, Roy Buchanan, and others. But during those wintery nights in New York in 1962 he was just a teenager with a recording device, and he captured something truly special. “Today there are all these great flatpicking guitarists we know about,” Siegel says. “Clarence White, Tony Rice, all kinds of people. Billy Strings too now. At that time, nobody had ever heard a folk guitar player play like that! In folk music, the guitar was an accompanying instrument, which was usually strummed in a specific way. So when Doc showed up, it blew my mind. It blew everyone’s mind!”

The music that Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton played on these recordings is not the powerhouse virtuosic guitar style Watson would later be known for; indeed he actually plays banjo on half the tracks. “This is family music with intricate interweaving of fiddle and guitar, or fiddle and banjo,” Siegel says. “This is the music that Doc and Gaither had been playing at home for the last twenty years. On this record you can hear the older stuff, you can hear flashes of brilliant guitar playing, but that’s not what the album is about.” Gaither Carlton was himself a fiddler of great power. His stately playing reflects the Scottish and Irish roots of the music, and he knew seminal old-time fiddlers from the 78rpm era, such as fiddler GB Grayson of Grayson & Whitter. Whereas Watson grew up in a household with a record player and access to the radio, later basing much of his music on songs he discovered over the airwaves, Carlton came from an older world and learned his music from his family and friends directly in his region of Appalachia. As Siegel says, “Gaither Carlton’s playing is a lot like his personality. He was very humble and soft-spoken. Now I listen to it again, I see he’s the soul of old-time music. He just brings out the essential quality of that music tradition.”
You can hear the love from the audiences at these concerts, and you can hear the love between Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton as they play, Watson encouraging Carlton with a “Fiddle it, son!” exclamation at one point. “These recordings were made,” as Siegel says, “at a particular time in Doc’s career when he’s just figuring out that people like to hear this old-time music. He couldn’t get arrested with this music in his hometown. If you listen to parts of this album, you can hear his surprise and happiness that the audience is responding in such a way. He’s clearly having a real good time.”

Pre-order Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton.

Listen Up! Elijah Ocean – ‘Honky Tonkin’ Again’

Elijah Ocean

Welcome folks. Kick your boots up, get a cup of refreshment and lend an ear to some great new music.

Today we have a twang-drenched tune by Maine-raised/L.A. based Elijah Ocean. The song has our subject turning in early on a Saturday night as he’s drifting he frets that his lady is out good-timing and polishing buckles on a sawdust dancefloor at the local saloon. Probably dancing to songs just like this one. The song reminds me of a more zen version of Hank Thompson’s ‘The Wild Side Of Life,’ without the judgy angst.

Honky Tonkin’ Again’ will also be included on Elijah Ocean’s next record ‘Blue Jeans & Barstools’ which He’ll independently-release on May 1st.

Ocean’s first new single from ‘Blue Jeans & Barstools,’ “Behind the Times,” was featured on a recent episode of the CW dark Archie universe series Riverdale

Of the album, Ocean says: “When I’m off the road I gig at these dance halls outside of LA where people have been two-stepping and line-dancing since the 80s. This record was inspired by my experiences in the bars and especially the dance feels of the music we play.”

Pre-order ‘Blue Jeans & Barstools’

Check-in for Elijah Ocean’s latest goings-on at his official web site.

ELIJAH OCEAN
BLUE JEANS & BARSTOOLS
May 1st, 2020
1. Honky Tonkin’ Again
2. Behind the Times
3. My Match
4. I Left My One Spot (Back at the 5 Spot)*
5. The Blues Are Cryin’ for Me
6. Cleaned up in Vegas
7. Good Clean Livin’
8. Bring Back That Bakersfield Sound
9. Holes
10. Big Vacation
11. Outlaw Through and Through
12. Blue Jeans & Barstools

Listen Up! Willie Nelson To Release New Album “First Rose Of Spring”

Willie Nelson's - First Rose Of Spring,

In the wake of the hard news of Willie Nelson’s long-time drummer, Paul English, passing there is some good news.

The 86 year-old country music legend will release his 70th (!!!) studio album “First Rose Of Spring” ON April 24. The album features 11 new Willie Nelson studio performances and featuring original artwork created by Willie’s son Micah, and finds Willie working again with longtime friend and producer Buddy Cannon and will feature two new songs co-written by the pair: “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed.”

Among the younger songwriters featured on ‘First Rose Of Spring’ are Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson (“First Rose Of Spring”) and Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson (“Stealing Home”).

Alongside his new compositions on the album, Willie pays musical tribute to a variety of pop and country songwriters and performers, interpreting songs penned by Toby Keith (“Don’t Let The Old Man In”), Billy Joe Shaver (“We Are The Cowboys”) and Pete Graves (“Just Bummin’ Around” – a song recorded by Jimmy Dean, Dean Martin, and others).

Closing ‘First Rose Of Spring’ is Charles Aznavour’s “Hier encore,” a 1964 chanson which became an American country classic (and Roy Clark’s biggest hit) as “Yesterday When I Was Young” (English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer) in 1969 and, over the years, became a beloved standard performed by a multitude of stars including Bing Crosby, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Mel Tormé, Jack Jones, Lena Horne, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Johnny Mathis, Elton John and many more. A bittersweet reflection on mortality and life’s transient (and transcendent) beauty, “Yesterday When I Was Young.”

Pre-order “First Rose Of Spring” here.

Hear the elegantly poignant title song below:

Lyrics:
The first time that he saw her
He knew everything had changed
Overnight love started blooming
Like the first rose of spring

Auburn hair like a sunrise
Sweetest smile he’d ever seen
Butterflies, they danced around her
Like the first rose of spring

Summertime would’ve never started
And wintertime would never end
She colored his life, opened his eyes
To things he’d never dream
Without the first rose of spring

Gave him children like a garden
They gave ‘em all the love they’d need
To grow up strong, she made a home
And every year he’d bring her
The first rose of spring

The last time he saw her
He knew everything had changed
He said goodbye and let the tears fall like rain
On the first rose of spring

First Rose Of Spring will be available on CD, vinyl and digital formats as well as part of exclusive merch bundles on Willie’s web store. The album’s title track and the “First Rose Of Spring” music video are being released today.

Pre-order album and hear “First Rose Of Spring” here: https://WillieNelson.lnk.to/1stRose

Watch the video for “First Rose Of Spring” here: https://WillieNelson.lnk.to/1stRoseVideo

An atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully-written songs and poignant performances, First Rose Of Spring is the artist’s first new release since winning the 2020 Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award–Willie’s 10th overall, not including his Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards–for “Ride Me Back Home,” the title track from his 2019 Legacy Recordings release. The previous year, My Way, Willie’s musical homage to Frank Sinatra took home the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Premiering 11 new Willie Nelson studio performances and featuring original artwork created by Willie’s son Micah, First Rose Of Spring finds Willie working again with longtime friend and producer Buddy Cannon and debuts two new songs co-written by the pair: “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed.”

An intimate journey through life and love as seen through Willie’s unique perspective,
First Rose Of Spring finds the artist deep in every moment, sharing profound insights and experiences through songs he’s written and songs he loves to sing.
One of the key tracks on First Rose Of Spring is Willie’s heartfelt interpretation of “Our Song,” a new composition by contemporary country music hitmaker Chris Stapleton. Willie Nelson & Family will appear as special guests on Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Roadshow” on two big dates this year: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on March 14 and “A Concert for Kentucky” at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on April 25.

Willie Nelson – First Rose Of Spring
1. First Rose Of Spring (Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson)
2. Blue Star (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
3. I’ll Break Out Again Tonight (Sanger “Whitey” Shafer & Doodle Owens)
4. Don’t Let The Old Man In (Toby Keith)
5. Just Bummin’ Around (Pete Graves)
6. Our Song (Chris Stapleton)
7. We Are The Cowboys (Billy Joe Shaver)
8. Stealing Home (Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson)
9. I’m The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised (Wayne Kemp, Bobby Borchers & Mack Vickery)
10. Love Just Laughed (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
11. Yesterday When I Was Young (Hier Encore) (Charles Aznavour & Herbert Kretzmer)

Listen Up! Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit New Song “Be Afraid”

On Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s new song “Be Afraid,” the group’s first from their forthcoming album (details below,) Byrds-like guitar chimes atop stuttering then steady driving beat then Isbell confesses “We’ve been testing you, and you failed / To see how long that you could sit with the truth, but you bailed.”

Like the quote, most times attributed to John Wayne “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

Isbell urges to “Be afraid, be very afraid’ but also as words of encouragement to himself as well as the listener to “But do it anyway / Do it anyway.”

And in the bridge, he sings We don’t take requests / We won’t shut up and sing.”

I assume (yes I know) that there’s some political statement here about how some listers asking performers that state an opinion (usually on social media or live performances) to “shut up and sing.” Though I believe the ire of the audience has more to do with the tendency of those opinions to be in dogmatic lock-step with much entertainment industry.

Though it is undoubtedly an Isbell-style rocker, two things came to mind when listening to this song. How much it reminds me in theme and tone of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” and how neatly this song would fit into his old band, The Drive-By Trucker’s current release “The Unraveling.”

“Be Afraid” is from Isbell’s upcoming Dave Cobb produced 10-song album titled ‘Reunions.’ out May 15th.

Lucinda Williams Teases New Album “Good Souls Better Angels,” To Be Released This Spring

Lucinda Williams - Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

2020 releases just keep getting better and better.

While discussing her history and her upcoming Fort Mayers her show at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall (tickets here) the Queen of Americana Lucinda Williams dropped some sweet news that she had decided on a title for her upcoming release as well as a date.

“Good Souls Better Angels” is the album title, a title she just settled on the week before this interview. The release date was stated to be in April.

About the album Williams says: “Once I start writing, then the songs kind of dictate: OK, this is the kind of album it’s gonna be,” she says. “So this one ended up being very grungy and edgy and bluesy and rock. Very political, you know.

“I don’t like using the word political, because people interpret that in different ways. They used to call ‘em topical songs, you know, back when Bob Dylan was writing protest songs. They called ‘em topical songs. So that’s what I’d call them.”

Read the full interview here.

!!!UPDATE!!!

We now have official news on Lucinda Williams’ new album and a new song as well!

Williams’ upcoming album, ‘Good Souls Better Angels,’ will be released April 24th via Highway 20/Thirty Tigers.

The LP is the follow-up to 2016’s ‘The Ghosts of Highway 20’ and reportedly ” finds the Americana songwriter addressing an array of cultural and political issues, from social media persecution to a nonviable leader. Williams and her husband Tom Overby produced the album with Ray Kennedy, who engineered her 1998 breakout album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

Hear the new song ‘Man Without a Soul’ below.

Caleb Caudle To Release New Album ‘Better Hurry Up’ This Spring

It’s always welcome news around Casa Twang when our friend Caleb Caudle readies a new work.

This time around Caudle set up camp at the historic Johnny Cash’s log cabin (yes, the one of the famed ostrich attack ) on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN. with some friends like John Jackson of the Jayhawks (producer), and guest vocalists include Courtney Marie Andrews, Elizabeth Cook, Gary Louris, and John Paul White,
to create an “earthy, funky sound’ for his new album.

Of recording ‘Better Hurry Up’ at the log cabin Caudle says “It feels like you’re in the shadow of giants. None of us wore headphones,” Caudle says. “It was just like we were doing it for the love of music – it didn’t feel like we were making a record. It felt like I was playing with an incredible group of musicians and making art.”

A well as the stellar list of artists lending their vocals, musicians appearing on ‘Better Hurry Up’ includes Mickey Raphael on harmonica (Willie Nelson), Dennis Crouch on bass (Elton John, Leon Russell), Fred Eltringham on drums (Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow), Russ Pahl on pedal steel (Kacey Musgraves, Dan Auerbach), Laur Joamets on guitar (Sturgill Simpson, Drivin’ N Cryin’), and, on keyboards, Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Rhett Huffman (American Aquarium). Guest vocalists include Cook, White, Andrews and one of Jackson’s fellow Jayhawks, Gary Louris. Caudle wrote all 11 songs on the album, with the exception of “Regular Riot,” a co-write with Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen.

‘Better Hurry Up’ will be released on April 3rd. Pre-order here.

Check out the soul-drenched title track below.

Caleb Caudle – 2020 Tour Dates
2/7 Springfield, IL – Boondocks^
2/8 Indianapolis, IN – HiFi^
2/9 Huntington, WV – The V Club^
2/11 Pittsburg PA – Thunderbird Cafe^
2/21 Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley^
2/23 Pittsburg, KS – Lakewood
3/12 Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern*
3/13 Oklahoma City, OK – The Blue Door*
3/14 Tulsa, OK – Woody Guthrie Center*
3/16 Ft. Worth, TX – Magnolia Motor Lounge*
3/17-3/18 – Austin, TX – SXSW
3/20 Galveston, TX – Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe*
3/21 New Orleans, LA – Carnaval Lounge*
3/22 Ocean Springs, MS – Greenhouse on Porter*
3/24 Mobile, AL – Callaghan’s*
3/25 Tampa, FL – The Attic*
3/26 Macon, GA – Creek Stage at The Rookery*
3/27 Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse*
3/28 Columbia, SC – Curiosity Coffee*
3/29 Waverly, AL – Standard Deluxe*
4/2 Nashville, TN – The 5 Spot*
4/3 Danbury, NC – Arts Place of Stokes*
4/4 Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic*
4/5 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room*
4/8 Asheville, NC – ISIS Music Hall*
4/9 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall*
4/10 Washington D.C. – Hill Country Live*
4/11 Baltimore, MD – Club 603*
4/15 Cambridge, MA – Atwood’s Tavern*
4/16 Providence, RI – Askew*
4/17 Hiram, ME – Friendly River*
4/18 Basking Ridge, NJ – The Ross Farm*
4/19 New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall*
4/21 Woodstock, NY – Hangin’ & Sangin’*
4/22 Buffalo, NY – Sportsmens Tavern*
4/23 Oberlin, OH – Riverdogs*
^ Supporting Jason Boland & The Stragglers
* With Wild Ponies

Pokey LaFarge To Release New Album ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ This Spring


Rejoice neo-trqd fans, Pokey LaFarge will release eighth studio LP ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ on April 10th of this year. The 13-song set is his New West Records debut and was produced by Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums).

The album was recorded at Reliable Recorders on Chicago’s Northwest Side during the polar vortex of 2019 and features the guitarist Joel Paterson, keyboardist Scott Ligon, upright/electric bassist Jimmy Sutton, and drummer Alex Hall. ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ is LaFarge’s first album in over three years and follows 2017’s ‘Manic Revelations.’

The first cut released is the radio unfriendly “Fuck Me Up” which you can hear in the surreal video directed by Keene McRae and Brandon Bernath. (below)

The song’s rollicking saloon-house piano and Dixieland tempo contrast with the darkly amusing imagery of LaFarge participating in and around his own funeral procession.

“The writer and directors and I decided to take a surrealist, absurdist point of view to the video for ‘Fuck Me Up,’” LaFarge says. “We rented a ghost town in the Mojave desert of California — a timeless, placeless location — to present past and present forms of ‘Me,’ as well as outside forces, clashing for control.” LaFarge says.

“This song was a prophetic vision of the self-destruction yet to come, instead of what I now know that I need — peace!” LaFarge says. “I imagined the music to be what I thought it would be like to write with Willie Dixon, perhaps in the Sixties.”

Preorder ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’

Rock Bottom Rhapsody track list:
1. “Rock Bottom Rhapsody”
2. “End of My Rope”
3. “Fuck Me Up”
4. “Bluebird”
5. “Rock Bottom Reprise”
6. “Lucky Sometimes”
7. “Carry On”
8. “Just the Same”
9. “Fallen Angel”
10. “Storm-A-Comin’”
11. “Ain’t Comin’ Home”
12. “Lost In The Crowd”
13. “Rock Bottom Finale”

Pokey LaFarge tour dates:
April 24 — Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Maasilo
April 25 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
April 26 — Berlin, Germany @ Roadrunners Paradise
April 29 — Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
April 30 — Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma
May 1 — Lessines, Belgium @ Roots & Roses Festival
May 2 — London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
May 8 — Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
May 9 — Mt. Airy, NC @ The Earle
May 10 — Charleston, WV @ NPR’s Mountain Stage
May 13 — Lexington, KY @ The Burl
May 15 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
May 16 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
May 17 — Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
June 2 — Maquoqueta, IA @ Codfish Hollow
June 3 — Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
June 4 —Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
June 5 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
June 6 — Indianapolis, IN @ HiFi
June 9 — Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
June 10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird
June 11 — Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
June 12 — Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head Live
June 13 — Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
June 16 — Fairfield, CT @ The Warehouse
June 17 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
June 18 — Boston, MA @ Sinclair
June 19 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
June 20 — Albany, NY @ The Egg
June 23 — Rockport, MA @ Shalin Liu
June 24 — Portsmouth, NH @ Prescott Park
June 26 — Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
June 27 — Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

Listen Up : Margo Price – “Stone Me”


On her latest ‘Stone Me,’ Margo Price’s approach is less Dolly and more Dusty Springfield. With a gently ascending piano and snare builds a smooth blue-eyed soul groove that she’s winningly experimented with in earlier works and it works beautifully here.

This is not a celebration of the 4:20 club as the title might suggest and of which she openly partakes and entrepreneurially sells her own vanity strain. No, Based on the posted lyrics (below) Price appears to be taking a more theologically punitive theme as her forthright vocals levels deadeye shots at the uniquely difficult obstacles that she’s had to endure to build her now thriving career.

I could find no information that “Stone Me” was part of a larger forthcoming album but I certainly hope it is.

What is your take on Margo Price’s new song “Stone Me?” Tell me in the comments below.

Lyrics:
Everybody wants to live in a glass house
I’m rather stay home cause when I go out
I wish I never did
Take me back home, when I was a kid

Sobriety is a hell of a drug
They say you only fight with the people you love
I won’t forget what it’s like to be poor
I could be there again baby that’s for sure

Love me, hate me
Desecrate me
Call me a bitch
then call me baby
You don’t know me
You don’t own me
Yeah that’s no way
To stone me

You can pick a side but both are wrong
You can fight the good fight but you’re on your own
I used to feel loved but now I feel used
I almost went broke just from paying dues

Through the mud and rain you can drag my name
You can say I’ve spent my life in vain
But I won’t be ashamed of what I am
For your judgement day I don’t give a damn

Love me, hate me
Desecrate me
Call me a bitch
then call me baby
You don’t know me
You don’t own me
Yeah that’s no way
To stone me
Stone me, stone me