Category Archives: Bands

the Silo’s Drew Glack Passes

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From Bloodshot Records – Drew Glackin, a core member of the renowned Silos, passed away on Saturday in New York after succumbing to a thyroid condition. This statement from the band will be followed soon by more information regarding services, memorial benefits and efforts, stories and pictures. All at Bloodshot are very saddened by the loss of our good friend, and extended our sincerest sympathies to his family and close friends.

This from some of those who knew him best:

He was unaware of an overactive thyroid condition that led to severe heart damage. He was surrounded by family and friends during his final days and hours and we are all still in a state of shock and disbelief.

Drew was adored around the world and his larger than life spirit and contagious jovial energy touched everyone he met, everywhere he went. He was a musician of the highest talent and made his mark in countless bands, record albums, and many thousands of live performances. He will be sorely missed and the memories of his music, his
great humor, and his magnanimous generosity of spirit and love will be with us forever.

A fund will be set up to help his family with expenses and we will keep you informed of memorial concerts and events as they develop.

PopMatters Best of Americana 2007

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Adding to their earlier list of country, pop-country  and singer-songwriter albums of 2007, PopMatters.com adds their list of 2007’s best Americana music. Or as I like to call it, the stuff that doesn’t fit the narrow country mold cast by Nashville and usually kicks that woeful genres ass. Where else could the likes of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers (who once opened for Plant on tour) and Bettye LaVette be found on the same list? Like America herself, this is a big tent. Look for Twang Nation’s list of the best of 2997 next week.

Nine Pound Hammer to Release Sex, Drugs & Bill Monroe 2/12/08

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After assulting the pop-culture by having a song on Tony Hawk’s latest video game and penning a theme song for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s new feature “12 Oz Mouse!”

Lexington, Kentucky’s cow-punk powerhouse “Nine Pound Hammer” is coming out with their long awaited follow up to Kentucky Breakdown.

“Sex, Drugs & Bill Monroe” drops on Feb.12, 2008 from Acetate Records. Just in time to get the album along with a six-pack of PBR and pork rinds for your sweety.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3vz0LNPbgw[/youtube]

AMA Conference Highlights

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This is just brief rundown on events here in Nashville at the Americana Music Association conference. I will add more detail next week.

Meeting Barbara Lamb, Sunny Sweeney, Chip Taylor, Kendal Carson, Gurf Morlix , Stacy Earle and Janet Reno!

The Halloween tribute to the memory of Porter Wagoner with Mark Ferris, Rodney Crowell, Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou Harris.

Seeing Darrell Scott at the Station Inn.

The AMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium (the Mother Church of Country Music) featuring Joe Ely, Guy Clark (in a tribute to Townes Van Zandt) , Lyle Lovett, The Avett Brothers, Patty Griffin, Old Crow Medicine Show, Darrell Scott, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou Harris.

Eating Jacks BBQ and drinking Big River Brewery beer.

Visiting the Hatch Show Print studio.

Big State Festival – October 13 & 14 – Bryan-College Station, Texas

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The good folks at the country music blog 9513.com are giving away tickets to the Big State Festival. Now I lived in Texas most of my life and never heard of the Big State Festival. Well turns out this is the first year it’s being put on.

The Festival is held on October 13 & 14 at the Texas World Speedway; Bryan-College Station, Texas (Gig ’em!) and will have more than 50 country music stars on 5 stages over 2 days as well as stock car racing as (this is my favorite part) a Barbecue Showdown. The performers will include Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, Drive-By Truckers, Leon Russell, Billy Joe Shaver, Charlie Louvin , Gary Allan, Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Luke Bryan, Kelly Willis, Sunny Sweeney and more. Head over to the official Big State Festival website to see a full lineup.

The festival will benefit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.

Lyle Lovett to Release “It’s Not Big It’s Large,” 8/28

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Lyle LovettLyle Lovett is set to release “It’s Not Big It’s Large,” on Aug. 28. The album, produced by Lovett and longtime collaborator Billy Williams, features the singer’s Large Band on 12 new tracks. The four-time Grammy winner will cover everything from country to blues, to folk, jazz and gospel.

A deluxe version of the CD will be released simultaneously and include a DVD with studio footage, according to a press release.

Lovett, who likes to take his time between albums, released his latest, “My Baby Don’t Tolerate,” in 2003. That set, his first collection of original material since 1996’s “Road to Ensenada,” reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart..

Lovett and his Large Band have been touring with K.D. Lang for the last couple of few weeks. Lovett and band will break off for a headlining stint in California, Montana and Idaho. Then in October, Lovett will return home to Texas for a half-dozen shows, including the Big State Music Festival in College Station, which is home to Lovett’s alma mater, Texas A&M University.

Lovett has  also recently announced that he will join Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, John Hiatt, Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller in headlining “Cayamo: A Journey Through Song,” a six-day Carribean cruise scheduled to launch from Miami next February. Lovett’s tour itinerary is listed below.

Lyle Lovett Tour Dates (dates may change, call ahead)

July 2007
29 – Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion *
30 – Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
31 – Redding, CA – Cascade Theatre

August 2007
2 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
3 – Missoula, MT – Wilma Theatre
4 – Sandpoint, ID – Festival At Sandpoint

October 2007
10-11 – Fort Worth, TX – Bass Performance Hall
12 – Tyler, TX – R. Don Cowan Fine Arts Center
13 – College Station, TX – Big State Music Festival
14 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
15 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-B-Que

February 2008
4-7 – Miami, FL – Carnival “Victory” Cruise

*co-headlining with K.D. Lang

Drive By Trucker News

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Because I’m a DBT fanboy I’ll just post Patterson Hoods recent release from planet Trucker:

HEY Y’ALL:
Just wanted to touch base.
First off, i would like to thank everyone who came out last week and supported our band.
It was a great tour for us with a minimum of bumps and some amazing highlights.
Thanks to everyone who extended hospitality and made us feel so welcome in their towns.

Coming up we are playing Chattanooga this weekend and in a couple of weeks are playing 3 nights opening for the Allman Brothers.
I have some solo dates in late august and a trip out to the west coast and to Texas in September.

Next week we will be in the studio completing our next studio album.
We’re already about 2/3 done and it has gone exceptionally great, as we’ve cut a ton of new songs and the bar is really high on this one.
Many folks have already heard some of the new songs (although we’ve kept a few under wraps too) and we’ve been really happy with the response we’ve been getting out there. I think Cooley has really outdone himself this time.

In September (25) Anti Records is releasing a new album by Bettye LaVette. She is a soul legend who scored her first hit in 1962.
In 1972 she recorded an album at my Dad’s old studio that featured The Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section.
The album was supposed to come out on Atlantic Records and everyone seemed to think that it was going to be her long-awaited breakthrough.
Instead the album was shelved for over 30 years, stalling her career and causing her much personal and professional anguish.
When the album was finally released a few years ago, it was received as a lost soul classic and led to her current great fortunes and record deal with Anti (who also have released great albums by Tom Waits, Merle Haggard, Nick Cave, Mavis Staples and Porter Wagoner).

Bettye LaVette’s new album is called “The Scene of the Crime” and it was co-produced by David Barbe, myself and Bettye.
For this record we took her back to Muscle Shoals (hence the title) where she was backed up by members of Drive-By Truckers along with my dad ( David Hood) and legendary keyboardist Spooner Oldham.
Work on this album led directly to Spooner’s current involvement with DBT.
We recorded it at the legendary FAME Studios there (where we had recorded much of The Dirty South).
I am extremely proud of this album and can’t wait for it to come out.

While we’re on the subject of album releases, I’d like to remind everyone who hasn’t already grabbed it, Jason Isbell’s long awaited solo album is out now and getting rave reviews from all over. I am listed as a co-producer and most of the band plays on it in various forms.

The album is called “Sirens of the Ditch” and is out now on New West Records.
He’s playing about a thousand dates so go check out his great band and show.

In October we will play the third and final leg of our “The Dirt Underneath Tour” which puts us in a mostly acoustic and somewhat stripped down mode for an evening of stories and songs.
Tour dates are up now and the tour will take us to some of our favorite towns and maybe a couple of new ones also.
After this tour it will probably be a really long time before we do this again, so I highly recommend you checking it out if you haven’t already.
It’s been a really special thing for us and has had an incalculable influence on our next album which will be coming out on New West Records in the very first part of 2008.

Guess that does it for now. Thanks again for everyone’s continued support and love.

See you at The Swamp Show.
Patterson Hood
Drive-By Truckers

———————————————————

Note from Jenn:
Hey guys, a couple of things:
First off, please go buy some art from the Sabina Art Auction! There are lots of DBT-related pieces of art there (even some pottery done by my mama!), plus a photo by Michael Stipe, a print by Clive Barker, and much more – and all proceeds go to an excellent cause.

Back to DBT –
I put up new DBT dates for October! All of these will be The Dirt Underneath shows except for the Texas date, which will be ROCK. Also posted a bunch of new Patterson Hood solo dates!

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS DATES
ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SHOWS ARE ROCK SHOWS unless otherwise noted:
Sat July 28 – Chattanooga, TN – K Fest @ Ross Landing
Fri Aug 10 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ The Allman Brothers Band
Sat Aug 11 – Raleigh, NC – Alltel Pavilion w/ The Allman Brothers Band
Sun Aug 12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ The Allman Brothers Band

The following dates are part of THE DIRT UNDERNEATH unless otherwise noted:
Oct 12 – Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Theatre
Oct 13 – New Orleans – Tipitina’s
Oct 14 – College Station, TX – Big State Festival at the Texas World Speedway (this will be a ROCK SHOW)
Oct 16 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Oct 17 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre
Oct 18 – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre
Oct 19 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Oct 20 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre
Oct 22 – Chicago, IL – Park West
Oct 24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Oct 25 – State College, PA – The State Theatre
Oct 26 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Oct 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct 28 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live
Patterson Hood Solo Dates:
Fri Aug 24 – Birmingham AL – Birmingham Museum of Art – Art On The Rocks
Sat Aug 25 – Athens GA – Melting Point with Bo Bedingfield
Thu Sep 6 – Seattle WA – Tractor Tavern
Fri Sep 7 – Bellingham WA – NightLight Lounge
Sat Sep 8 – Portland OR – Dante’s (Part of Big Fest)
Tue Sep 11 – San Francisco, CA – Swedish American Hall
Wed Sep 12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hotel Cafe
Sun Sep 16 – Austin TX – Austin City Limits Festival

Cool! See you at the shows!

Drive By Truckers – Daddy’s Cup (Live at Red Rocks)

I can any Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House

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I love discovering off the grid talent that sound like their doing it for the pure joy of making music. I hate it when I discover that talent after they’ve already imploded.

I can any Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House was a band Out of Portland, Oregon, that arrived the musical heritage that Of Willie and Waylon and the Country music outlaws of the 70’s that fused country, rock and high-concept themes to evolve the craft while honoring tradition.

A fan once described them as the “country version of Rage Against the Machine” for the left of the political spectrum subject matter addressed by front man Mike Damron.

Damron, an Olahoma native is a former army boxer and served in the 101st Airborne/Air Assault was raised in Las Vegas and, following his military service, bounced between Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas, playing bass in Mercury Records recording artists Tablet, a Dallas-based Brit-pop band that did a tour stint with Oasis.

After a kicking a nasty drug habit and jumping on a Greyhound bound for Portland, Oregon Damron got sick of doing other people’s indie-rock songs in cover bands and began writing his own songs.

A longtime fan of boxing legend John L. Sullivan, the last bare knuckles fighting champion, Damron took a band name from Sullivan’s autobiography (co-written by Gilbert Odd): I Can Lick Any Son of a Bitch in the House:  The Riotous Life of the First Heavyweight Champion. Dropping the latter part of the title, and turning Son of a Bitch into one word (Sonofabitch), Damron had a handful of songs, a demo, and a band name.

After paying dues for over a year, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In the House’s final line-up took permanent form and released the band’s debut full-length, 2002’s Creepy Little Noises, released on Portland-indie In Music We Trust Records.

Besides Damron the band consisted of Flapjack TX on muscle-car style drums. Mole Harris added an big rock sound to the band. Blues-bred David Lipkind was the band’s harmonica player and gave the songs their distinctive Southern punch. Guitar and engineer/producer was covered by Handsome Jon Burbank who cut his teeth on NOFX and was a big fan of El Paso, TXs At The Drive-In. Punk-styled aggression was his calling card in the band.

Damron didn’t just tackle political themes in his songs. Taking a cue from the country legends, Damron blended the topical with the personal. 2004’s release “Menace” contained the song “Westboro Baptist Church” which takes a stab at Westboro Baptist Church head Fred Phelps and their website, http://www.godhatesfags.com, and  “Dust and Sun” examines Iraq war from both sides.

“Pauline”, a song Damron wrote for his grandmother, is a prime example of sadness and sorrow mixing together with beauty. “I was with her and holding her at the exact moment she left this world,” says Damron  “It’s amazing to see someone’s spirit just up and fly. She was the one good constant in my life. They don’t make people much better than this.”

“Thousand To One” has a strong, personal message, standing tall as a reminder that sometimes your heart and soul is all you have, so don’t give it away too easily.

The date given on their site for the band’s demise is Friday, November 24th, 2006. Also from the site: After 5 plus years of  touring, recording, and throwing our middle fingers at the powers that be, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House is no more. (Mike Damron) has decided to focus on his family and his solo work, and we of course won´t continue without our brother. We can´t thank all of you who have supported us enough; for taking care of us on the road, letting us sleep on your floors and eat your food, sharing the stage with us, or just being the loyal fans that you have been. It is our great hope that we were able to bring to you even a fraction of the love and happiness that you brought to our lives.

Damron is now working on his solo career, and Jon and Flap continue on with their band The Runaway Boys, and Dave with the band Spigot and other projects. Jon will also is also continuing to record, and is taking messages from bands that are interested in recording on the I can any Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House’s Myspace page.

I’m sure during their 5 plus year career I had many occasions to catch I can any Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House live during their relentless touring at a city or town near me. I can say with sincerity I truly regret missing them.

I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House – Westboro Baptist Church

MySpace Showcase – Baskery

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I love discovering roots/country music from across the world. Baskery does their thing in Stockholm, Sweden with such passion and fire that you could be forgiven for mistaking them for Tennesseans or Texans reared on equal parts Carter Family and Tanya Tucker.

Think a Swedish version of the Dixie Chicks…wait…what was I saying? Oh yeah…great arrangements and sweet harmonies make Baskery shine. Check ’em out.

Last of the Breed – Radio City Music Hall – 3/22

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It’s not often I get to wear my Lucchese and Stetson on the D train headed downtown to the Rockafeller stop to Radio City Music Hall but on this wet, muggy Spring evening I had an occasion to do so. The brief “Last of the Breed” tour showcasing three legends of Country Music – Ray Price, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson – accompanied by nine-time Grammy winning Western-swing band, Austin’s Asleep at the Wheel was making a stop on their brief tour in New York City.

Southern emigres and enthusiastic wanna-bes from miles around have descened on this sold-out transformed house of honky-tonk in a kind of red state / blue state détente to pay tribute to great, timeless music.

Three men with careers spanning over 150 years and 300 releases between them could easily be defined (along with George Jones and Kris Kristofferson) the most influential living figures of country music. Their paths have cross-crossed the country music landscape over the years (Willie used to be Mr. Price’s bass player, Mele and Willie topped the charts with a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty). If there can be a unifying force between of all of them it would be the genre-bending Texas swing master Bob Wills and his fiddle-playing,improvisational style, and that style was on full display this evening.

You respect your elders, so Ray Price (81) kicked things off with a half-hour set backed by his Cherokee Cowboys. Dapper in a suit and red tie Price exudes the smooth baritone that has defined him all these years while highlighting some of his greatest work- Steel guitar and twin fiddles set down the foundation for San Antonio Rose, Crazy Arms, Heartaches by the Number, Please Release Me, Help Me Make it Through the Night. Songs of love and heartache from a man that makes you believe he’s been there.
A brief instrumental interlude and in Mele Haggard shuffles nonchalantly onto the stage as though he were just one of the band, taking center stage, takes up a fiddle and gets things moving with “Take Me Back to Tulsa.” The packed hall went nuts and I almost smell the holy hillbilly sacrament of whiskey and old leather right there on 6th Avenue. The sound of the ages rode on Merle’s voice that night, “I Wonder if You Feel the Way I Do This Morning, This Evening, So Soon”, “Silver Wings”, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink”, songs of the downtrodden- “This goes out to all the convicts here tonight.” he announced before breaking into Sing Me Back Home, and taking sly jabs at current events – “Honey, don’t worry about what George Bush does” was slipped into the lyrics of “That’s the Way Love Goes.” Haggard was full of passion, piss and vinegar.

Then just when you think it couldn’t get any better in strolls Willie, saddle up ‘ol Trigger and he and Merle take off with the classic Haggard 60’s retort “Okie From Muskogee” where I assume Willie sang the line “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee” with some sense of irony. Then “Pancho and Lefty” and “Reasons to Quit,” “Ramblin’ Fever” and a new song by Willie “Back to Earth.” Mickey Raphael, Willie’s faithful band harmonica wizard punctuated Willie’s off-kilter phrasing and Merle’s solid-as-stone baritone with sounds reminiscent of a whippoorwill call or a lonely train whistle.

Ray Price reappeared to cover a few songs from the release, honoring Wills with “Roly Poly” and “Please Don’t Leave Me Any More Darlin” and one of my favorites, “Night Life” this portion brought the two rambunctious youngsters to heal by the old-school elegance of a master and they followed suit willingly on support.

Willie then took the reins and did cuts he can now do in his sleep – “You Were Always on My Mind”, “Whiskey River” and “On the Road Again” introduced his song “Superman: as one he wrote while taking time off recuperate from carpal-tunnel and introduced a new song “You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore” that was genuinely hilarious.

The years of classic country music strata was unearthed before a rabid New York City crowd which was on their feet, wooping and hollering, after almost every song. For a moment the fervor was so genuine, the dotted Stetons in the crowd, the drunk in the lobby being “handled” by the cops- I felt the soul of a honky-tonk permeated the Hall that Rockefeller built leaving it altered forever. It took these legends – this music that Nashville seems hell-bent to squelch as a result of market-testing or sheer embarrassment of their hillbilly roots – to make myth live this warm city night.