Embodying the Southern sass of Lorett spiked with a little of the garage grit of the White Stripes, Sally Jaye and Sarah Roberts make up the North Carolina duo Ladies Gun Club’s new single,Big Bass Drum,is a great mix of southern slide and foot stomping.
The cut is produced by Josh Day, written and performed by LGC with musicians, Brian Wright, Dylan Cooper, Philip Krohnengold, and Josh Day.

Regarding the name, soon after meeting, the pair borrowed the name from an actual ladies’ gun club in North Carolina.
I say they have taken deadly aim and hit the mark here.
Get your Southern gritty groove on (by way of Oregon) with this new video for Root Jack’s “Dead Man’s Hand” from their upcoming “Oasis Motel.”
The band says that the video is a “…DIY affair. Using a single light bulb, an old sheet, and some public domain video.” The “video-ographer” was 16 year-old Max Vegas.
T Bone Burnett is launching a new label, but if recent views still stand he won’t be promoting it.
Variety reports that roots-music auteur T Bone Burnett will launch a new music label , Electromagnetic Recordings, with Capitol Music Group. The label’s roster includes Gregg Allman and Jerry Lee Lewis.
It’s not surprising, given Burnett’s adversity aversion to technology, that the label appears to have no web presence and that the promotion appears to be handled by other rather than Burnett himself, except for being available for interviews. Is that promotion? (I say yes!)
“T Bone is quite simply one of culture’s most creative forces,†says Steve Barnett, CEO of Capitol Music Group. “He is an influential curator and tastemaker, and his projects are consistently of stellar quality and integrity.â€
Burnett shares the admiration “Steve Barnett is a very interesting, energized, smart executive,†Burnett says. “(He) actually listens to, and believes in music as a force for good in the world. He has given me a base for which I can invest in some very good young artists. We’ll be doing films, television, records and tours. It is about music. The marketing focus is simple: it is music for people who like music. It’s all going to be good and it’s all going to be done analog. This is one of our things.â€
Burnett has been in constant demand (in spite of a profession of no self-promotion) He recently lent his executive music producer and composer duties for his fourth film collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis,†and last year, did the same for “The Hunger Games†and ABC’s “Nashville.â€
Burnett has also taken on another music exec producer role for HBO’s forthcoming “True Detective†series starring Matthew McConaughey, and has begun working on “The Basement Tapes … Continued,†an album and film documentary that will revisit 16 previously lost Bob Dylan lyric sheets from 1967. Dylan will be involved and as well as some of today’s most acclaimed artists.
Jason Isbell will make his Austin City Limits debut this Saturday, January 11th on PBS. Here’s a taste of the performance, Isbell plays “Cover Me Up” from his latest excellent release “Southeastern.”
Check your local PBS listings for dates and times in your area.
David Letterman, and his music booker at the Late Show Sheryl Zilikson, continued their ongoing support of Americana and roots music by featuring the creator of my #1 pick of last year, Brandy Clark
Clark performed the song “Stripes†from that latest debut “12 Stories.â€
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgQ7Y1U2M2A
ON EDIT: Want more Brandy? Here’s ‘Hold My Hand’ from ‘Hold My Hand’ in the Morning
The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards draws nigh. That famous night that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences put on the most glitzy industry trade show. Though Americana and roots music comes to mind when you think of the GRAMMYs but there have been some great moments if you were paying attention.
Here are a few of my favorite GRAMMY moments over the years. Leave your in the comments, I’d love to hear about them.
Boston-based folk-pop performer Linda Chorney does the seemingly impossible and snags a 2011 nomination for the GRAMMY for Americana Album of the Year by employing elbow grease, sleepless nights and the Internet. This sets social media tongues wagging and puts PR pros and other music industry gatekeepers on their heels.
Extraordinary newcomer John Fullbright was nominated for a 2012 Americana Album of the Year GRAMMY for his debut studio full-length “From The Ground Up.†After his passionate performance of “Gawd Above” he lost out to the legendary Bonnie Raitt. Afterwords he said with a smile “If I’m going to lose Bonnie Raitt is the one I want to lose to.”
It appeared to be just a jam between two great roots acts, Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers. The ands joined together and the true intension was revealed as they backed Bob Dylan on “Maggie’s Farm” at the 2011 GRAMMYS.
https://vimeo.com/20567315
In a heartfelt 2012 GRAMMY tribute in honor of Levon Helm and the victims of Sandy Hook shooting Elton John, Mumford & Sons, Mavis Staples, Zac Brown , Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard and T Bone Burnett came together for a passionate rendition of The Band’s ” classic ” The Weight.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yunfRRZXRuc
After years of lingering in a career slump Johnny Cash scores the GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1995 giving the latter part of Cash’s career much deserved attention and a spirit of vitality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuRYmUBUwCo
This bonus moment goes out to Arlene – “O Brother Where Art Thou” Grammy Performance (2002)
Great music appears to transcend genre. Talking Heads might have been rooted in the 70’s New York Punk Rock movement but it was quickly apparent Byrne and Co. where a different animal altogether.
Art rock, pop, Afrobeat influences elevated their music far above many of their peers leading to many influential classics in spite of a lack of few actual “hits.”
Here are a few clips of roots performers reinterpreting and paying tribute to The Talking Heads.
Shawn Colvin – “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)”
Bonnie Raitt – Burning Down The House
Greensky Bluegrass -“Road To Nowhere”
The Lumineers – ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – “Psycho Killer”
Josh Ritter – Harrisburg/Once in a Lifetime
Yonder Mountain String Band – “GirlFriend is Better”
David Byrne & Richard Thompson – “The Big Country”
Iris DeMent was born on this day near the town of Paragould, Arkansas. The youngest child of Pat DeMent and his second wife, Flora Mae.
A singular talent, Dement has had a significant impact on roots music. From her debut at 25 “Infamous Angel” to her latest “Sing The Delta” the soul and depth is undeniable.
Other musicians agree.
She has sung duets with John Prine, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris and is featured on the albums of many other performers.
Here are 5 of my favorite songs by DeMent.
There’s A Whole Lot of Heaven
Pretty Saro
Go On Ahead And Go Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYfNPLKhe7Q
Let The Mystery Be
Our Town
And by special request by an equally formidable talent, Kelly Willis.
Sweet Forgiveness
Growing up in North Texas you’re surrounded by two kinds of music, country and metal.
I’m still a fan of both and judging by the videos below I’m not the only one. These performers don’t have that ironic “I bought a Sabbath shirt at Hot Topic” crap, but appear to really be celebrating the unity of great music.
Drive-By Truckers – “Strutter” (Kiss)
Lucinda Williams – “It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll)” (AC/DC)
2013 will go in the books as the year that Americana and roots settled comfortably into the mainstream. Kids are wearing dust-bowl duds and there is a brisk trade in acoustic guitars and banjos. Bands are taking a page from the Mumford, Avetts and Lumineers book of hand-crafted songs with rousing melodies just begging to be sung at live shows. It’s no longer a rustic throwback fad.
The genre grows more diverse, from folk-pop, Laurel Canyon rock, psych folk, hard-sore honky-tonk and everything that doesn’t neatly fit in other buckets. As genre defying as the music can be it all comes down to the only tis that matters, Great songwriting, evocative, absorbing narratives and memorable melodies that endures the ages.
But first you must find an audience.
ABC music row drama Nashville has done a fine job in highlighting great roots music, under the guidance T Bone Burnett , and now Buddy Miller, as well as classic country references and Americana and roots performer cameos. The show’s cutest stars (and real-life sisters,) Lennon and Maisy Stella, performed the Lumineers omnipresent top-40 hit hit “Hey Ho.†This gave the song an already bigger audience then it originally had. Is that possible?
This July Americana stalwarts Old Crow Medicine Show backed ex-Hootie & the Blowfish front man, and current country music star, Darius Rucker on Old Crow’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel†at the Grand Ole Opry. The song was recorded with the band and included on his latest album resulting in one of his most popular singles as a solo artist and reaching number one on Billboard Hot Country Songs in its 12th week.
Old Crow Medicine Show then had the honor to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry this fall by Opry members Dierks Bentley and Marty Stuart.
That’s not the only example of music row looking to Americana for material and a shot of inspiration. GRAMMY-winning singer Leann Rimes reached into the Americana well, and beyond her music row comfort zone, on her latest “ Spitfire.†She lends her extraordinary pipes to a searing version of Buddy Miler’s “Gasoline and Matches†in a duet with Rob Thomas. Country music chanteuse and Pistol Annie Ashley Monroe tapped legendary Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark to collaborate on the title song on her latest “Like a Rose.â€
If your looking for evidence of Americana’s mainstream presence you need go no further than SPIN’s list of 20 Best Country Albums of 2013 had Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley mixed with The Civil Wars (12), Jason Isbell (11) and Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell (9) Holly Williams (8) Sturgill Simpson (6) Cailtlin Rose (2).
Entertainment Weekly, the beacon of popular taste, counted a majority of Americana artists on their list of top country releases of 2013 with Jason Isbell and Lindi Ortega taking the number 1 and 2 spot respectively.
T Bone Burnett again joins forces with the Coen Brothers to contribute soundtrack stewardship to thier new 60’s neo-folk focused film. The soundtrack features old folk songs performed by Marcus Mumford , The Punch Brothers along with the film’s actors Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan , Adam Driver and Justin Timberlake, who might use his his work here to jump dart his desired foray into country music.
As the music advances it’s important that a music that celebrate the past honors those that came before. George Jones, the greatest voice in country music and the innovator, Ray Price were both lost to use this year.
We also lost “Cowboy” Jack Clement, As a record and movie producer, songwriter, performing and recording performer and studio engineer, Clement was responsible for for shaping American music in the 20th century.
Premier rock and country journalist Flippo, who documented much of the major changes in country music including the Outlaw movement and one of the original Outlaws Tompall Glaser, both left us in 2013.
Though gone they will boot be forgotten for their contribution to the rich and progressive music we love.
Here’s to the music we love and the performers that endure much to offer their craft to make this world just a little bit better, kinder and more interesting. Here’s to a community that still buys albums, t-shirts and packs local shows and helps these talented folks make music a career.
