The 2008 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Nominees have been announced with Alison Krauss & Robert Plant getting the most nods for their moody roots release “Raising Sand.”  Some are dead on and some, like the The Avett Brothers who have come out with no new release for 2008, you just wonder if the AMA is going to have it’s own equivalent shoo-in like the Country Music Awards giving Kenny Chesney Entertainer of the Year for something like 13 years in a row (5 years in a row, actually.)

Here’s the list

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
Raising Sand
Hayes Carll
Trouble in Mind
James McMurtry
Just Us Kids
Levon Helm
Dirt Farmer

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Steve Earle
Levon Helm
Jim Lauderdale
James McMurtry

INSTUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Buddy Miller
Chris Thile
Gurf Morlix
Sam Bush

NEW EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Townes Earle
Mike Farris
Ryan Bingham
The Steeldrivers

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Broken” Tift Merritt
“Cheney’s Toy” James McMurtry
“Gone Gone Gone” Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
“Poor Old Dirt Farmer” Levon Helm
“She Left Me for Jesus” Hayes Carll

DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
Drive By Truckers
Kane Welch Kaplin
The Avett Brothers

In more Americana Music Association news, the AMA is going to give their Lifetime Achievement in Performance Award to alt.country pioneers Jason and the Scorchers. The Awards show will be held Thursday, September 18 at the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Original Jason and the Scorchers members Jason Ringenberg, Warner Hodges, Jeff Johnson and Perry Baggs will be on hand not only to accept the honor, but to perform together for the first time in more than a decade.

Want to know the best part of last night’s CMT awards show? when Robert Plant and Alison Krauss accepted the Wide Open Country video of the year honor for “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On),” a song previously recorded by the Everly Brothers. That was it, period.

The spectacle was embarrassing. It’s like when Elvis came back from the from his stint in Friedberg, Germany with the 3rd Armored Division. Elvis began his career as a rugged hillbilly channeling country, blues and gospel of his upbringing in Tupelo, Mississippi and after his time in the Army and losing his mother he slowly devolved into a drug-riddled, spangled-jumpsuit-wearing freak. Today’s mainstream pop-country music is the Vegas Elvis. A bejeweled, bloated shell of past greatness.

You can point the finger at lots of places, Nashville elite’s initial embarrassment of the Opry and country music industry and the dirty hillbillies crowding their streets. Blame Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson for the syrupy sounds of Countrypolitan to increase market share and entice middle America. Blame the smooth 70’s sounds of Alabama and Kenny Rogers…whatever.

Bottom line, you see talentless hacks like Rascal Flatts, John Rich and Taylor Swift and artists that should know better, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, and real talent like Ashton Shepherd pushed off to a side stage and trying to get a song in before the breakand you see the shadow of something great just off in the wings. Something beautiful, passionate, timeless and real…not some idiotic (and not funny) song about maintenance men and snotty women. And there is the insidious incursion of the American Idol pod people which works into the music industry’s business plan of offsetting risk and increasing predictable financial success. Like McDonalds you know what you’re going to get. But what’s good for burgers sucks for music.

So hats off the Plant and Snoop Dogg, who donned all all black in honor of “my main homeboy” Johnny Cash. These men and breaking stereotypes in new and courageous ways and doing something that’s actually worth paying for.

As someone who grew up with and still loves country music, and has family in the business, what I saw last night was an insult to tradition and a depressing look at the genre’s future.

If you ever pondered who might hold the title for best pedal steel player wonder no more. According to the users of the industry networking site, Musician’s Referral List (MRL) that would be Tommy Butler. Using scoring is 1 through 10 Butler received almost exclusively 10 (highest) ratings from his peers and fans. Butler said this about his success, “This career has taken me places and afforded me opportunities to see and do things that I would have not gotten to do without music. It is an experience unlike any other.”

Some of the more artists Butler has performed with are Joe Nichols, Tim McGraw, John Michael Montgomery, Doug Stone, Vern Gosdon, Hank Williams III, Daryle Singletary, Dierks Bentley, Jessica Andrews and The Wilkinsons. Butler is currently working with the much heralded brother and sister country duo, “The Roys” who are touring with Legendary George Jones on select dates throughout 2008.

From CMT.com - Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, the Statler Brothers and country-bluegrass music pioneer Ernest “Pop” Stoneman are the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The inductions were announced Tuesday (Feb. 12) at a press conference held at the Ford Theater in Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Except for Stoneman, who died in 1968, all the new members were on hand to comment on the honor. With the addition of these four figures, the Hall of Fame will have 105 members.

Although membership in the Hall of Fame is conferred by the Country Music Association, this is the first year the inductions will be entirely separate from the CMA Awards Show, where they used to be formally recognized. This year, the official induction will take place at the annual medallion ceremony tentatively set for April 27.

Okay, so the Grammys didn’t completely blow, just about 97% did. There were some greats - Aretha, Tina, John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, some damn good - Foo Fighters, The Time, some suprises (Amy Winehouse was good and seemed SOBER!) And then there was the crap, well that would make my hand cramp to write it. Some stand outs for me:

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade [New West Records]

Best Traditional Folk Album: Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer [Dirt Farmer Music/Vanguard Records]

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Ricky Skaggs & The Whites - Salt Of The Earth [Skaggs Family Records]

Best Bluegrass Album: Jim Lauderdale - The Bluegrass Diaries [Yep Roc Records]

Best Country Instrumental Performance: Brad Paisley - Throttleneck from: 5th Gear [Arista Nashville]

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: Willie Nelson & Ray Price - Lost Highway from: Last Of The Breed [Lost Highway Records]

Best Country Album (and best on camera slam of Kanye West!): Vince Gill - These Days [MCA Nashville]

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) [Rounder Records]

Best Historical Album: Woody Guthrie - The Live Wire [Woody Guthrie Publications]

And Uncle Tony, you were robbed! Next year, man….

The Grammys are like a championship dog show. The awards go the the best behaved, the best bred to exacting standards and not to the the idiosyncratic mutt. Okay, sometimes there is the occasional gnarly crossbreed - The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day - but not until long after they’ve lost their edge or if an artists sales are so large there really is no risk in putting them on the carpet. Personally, I use it as a check list of music to avoid.

Country/Roots/Americana (hereafter referred to as C/R/A) is the unwashed cousin of the show. With a longer pedigree that metal or rap C/R/A always lurks on the perimeters of the ceremony even though much of the music being celebrated would exist without those roots.

Unless there is a anomaly like the million-plus selling “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack you can bet artist like Gillian Welch and Ralph Stanley will be sparse, And artists as brilliant and groundbreaking as the Drive By Truckers and the Avett Brothers, well there;s a saying about snowball in Hell…

With the music and showcases so tightly choreographed the only drama comes from the nominees extracurricular activities (I’m looking at you Winehouse!) The show is it pull in the lowest common denominator market with the least context for musical excellence in order to sell them things from thesponsors - Delta Airlines, Google, iTunes, Starbucks, eBay, XM and Hilton. Delta - not to showcase the best music available.
All said here are my predictions for the Grammys, or my own Grammys if I ran them. I’ve taken liberties to disagree if I thought the nominees are not the best representation of the work that’s out there. that’s what having your own blog allows you, complete disregard for the powers that be.

Best New Artist - Ryan Bingham (Taylor Swift and Winehouse can kiss my ass)

Song of the Year - Jason Isbell – Dress Blues

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album - Went with an actual nominee here. Billy Joe Shaver - Everybody’s Brother

Best Female Country Vocal Performance - Patty Griffin - Burgundy Shoes

Best Male Country Performance: I like George Strait but I’m giving this to Dale Watson for Justice For All

Best performance by a Duo or Group: Hands down, the Avett Brothers - Shame

Best country collaboration: I go with an actual nominee for this onetoo - I Need You by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. It’s a great song and it was co-written by my uncle, Tony Lane

Best country song: I Need You by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. See above.

Best country album: This is easy, Dale Watson for From the Cradle to the Grave.

Now bring on the dogs….

The Texas / Red Dirt Texas blog is giving away 2 Tickets to the Texas Music Awards in Palestine, Texas on May 3rd. The package offers a 2 night Hotel stay at the Best Western in Palestine (for Friday and Saturday night.)

3 Prize Packs will be awarded randomly. when you submit your information you will be assigned a number corresponding to your entry number. On April 1st three numbers will be randomly selected and winners will be notified by April 3rd and posted on the blog by April 12th.

1. First Place:
* 2 Tickets to the Texas Music Awards in Palestine on May 3rd
* A room at Best Western Palestine for Friday and Saturday Night.
* 2 CD’s from the Prize Closet
* 1 t-Shirt from the Prize Closet
2. Second Place:
* 2 CD’s from the Prize Closet
* 1 t-Shirt from the Prize Closet
3. Third Place:
* Any one item from the Prize Closet

Just submit your Name, Gender, Age Address and email to: contest@texasreddirt.net