Category Archives: Concerts

News Round Up: Willie Twitters & A New Langhorne Slim Download

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  • Check out the “twitterview”  – a cute way of describing an interview conducted on twitter -  between TheBoot.com and Willie Nelson as was gearing up for his MySpace free secret concert in Maui, Hawaii.
  • Speaking of the twitterverse (yeah, I’m gonna get mileage out of this), Charlie Robison won’t have to travel far to play a private living room concert for the winner of his twitter concert. The winner lives in Austin.
  • The Grand Ole Opry will bring back it’s special Opry Country Classics program this fall for an eight-week run beginning Thurs., Sept. 10. Already scheduled to perform are Moe Bandy, Terri Clark, Jimmy Dickens, Larry Gatlin, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, George Jones, Ray Price, Joe Stampley, Marty Stuart, Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, and Tanya Tucker.
  • Rosanne Cash will be the subject of the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference 2009 Keynote Interview. The interview will be conducted by author/journalist Michael Streissguth – who has written books on Rosanne as well as her father Johnny, Eddy Arnold and others – will take place Thursday, September 17 from 10:45 until noon at the Nashville Convention Center.
  • Jack Ingram established a new Guinness World Record – most radio interviews in a 24-hour period. Ingram was  promoting his new disc “Big Dreams & High Hopes.” Ingram recorded 215 radio interviews within 24 hours, hitting most of the 50 states, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The previous record was 96.

Dolly Parton To Release 4-CD Box Set

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  • “Dolly,” a deluxe, 40CD box set covering Dolly Parton’s 4 decade spanning career to feature 99 hits , deep cuts, unreleased tracks, rarities and B-sides as well as 11 Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton duets.  The set will incude a 60-page full-color booklet including rare photography and memorabilia, plus liner notes by Laura Cantrell and by Holly George-Warren. The music selections will represent Dolly’s work with the Goldband, Mercury, Monument, RCA Victor, and Columbia labels. Available at both physical and digital retail outlets
    starting October 27, 2009, through RCA Nashville/Legacy. Available for pre-order at www.shopdolly.com
  • John Boncore, who plays a character named Predator in the upcoming Ray Wylie Hubbard’s western (co-wrote the script with Tiller Russell and provided the film’s score)  The Last Rites of Ransom Pride, let us know that the film premiered in Los Angeles on july 27th and are waiting to see if it gets picked up as a premier in the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals. No official release date has been set.
  • Watch the Avett Brothers Perform Off-Stage at the Newport Folk Festival. (Paste Magazine)
  • Apparently you have to be really drunk to enjoy a Kenny Chesney concert.
  • If you’re a touring musician or band that’s looking for a place to crash while on the road or someone with a couch or floor to offer check out the Better Than The Van website. It’s a networking site with a specific  purpose of providing  DIY support for working musicians and allowing fans to offer that support. (Austin Business Journal)

James McMurtry to Release Live in Europe

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Lightning Rod Records will release James McMurtry – Live in Europe on October 13, 2009. The albim will document McMurtry’s first European tour, In early 2009 McMurtry and his band traveled overseas to play in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. Recordings from the Amsterdam, Netherlands and Geislingen, Germany concerts were combined to create the album.

The album includes a bonus DVD featuring performances from the Amsterdam show. This marks the first time fans will be able to purchase video footage of McMurtry live in concert. The deluxe vinyl version includes inserted copies of the CD and DVD. Fellow Austin-based songwriter Jon Dee Graham opened the shows and joins the band on a version of his tune “Laredo” on the bonus DVD.

Lucinda Williams Announces 30th Anniversary Tour

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The queen of Alt.country Lucinda Williams has announced her upcoming 30th Anniversary tour (krips where does the time go?!) The tour will begin on September 18 at at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. Later in the tour Williams will do two three night runs, one at New York’s The Fillmore at Irving Plaza ( October 3, 4 & 5) and the other at Chicago’s Park West a week later (October 13, 14 & 15) At these special engagements Williams will use the opening night to feature songs from 1979-1989 ( Ramblin’, Happy Woman Blues and Lucinda Williams) The second night will cover music from 1992-2001 (Sweet Old World, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road and Essence.) The final night Williams will perform music from 2004 -present (World Without Tears, West and Little Honey.) Following each opening set will be a full second set of songs from throughout Williams’ career.

Williams will also be performing a two night stand in Toronto on October 10th & 11th. The first night will feature selections from Ramblin’, Happy Woman Blues, Lucinda Williams, Essence and World Without Tears over two sets. The second night will feature two sets of music from Sweet Old World, Car Wheels…, West and Little Honey. Additional multi-night shows will be added in early 2010.

Gretchen Peters Live webcast from The Rutledge

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With all the bubble-headed blonds dominating the country music airwaves with their brand of mall-pop “country” it’s nice to hear from a woman that reminds me what the music can sound like in the right hands. Gretchen Peters took to the Inter-tubes for a webcast from The Rutledge in Nashville last Saturday taking requests (including on from Tom Russell who was in Switzerland!) and, along with Barry Walsh,  perform songs from her  Circus Girl: The Best Of Gretchen Peters (Available now.)

You can see a recording of the performance here.

Read my review of Peter’s collaboration with Tom Rusell on this years excellent realease One To The Heart. One To The Head.

One Killed / about 60 Hurt at a Country Music Festival

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Terrible news folks. One person was killed and about 60 were hurt at a country music festival, the Big Valley Jamboree,  near the western Canadian city of Edmonton Saturday when the main stage collapsed during a heavy storm. It is reported that Billy Currington was wrapping up his set at the four-day event near Camrose, about one hour’s drive southeast of Edmonton, when the accident happened. (Reuters Canada)

Update – the number of injured has been increased to 75.

Big Valley Jamboree Disaster Press Conference

Big Valley Jamboree Fan Footage 1

Big Valley Jamboree Fan Footage 2

The New York Times on Those Darlins

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  • The New York Times posts a great review of the riot grrrl-trad country group Those Darlins show at the lower East-Side’s Mercury Lounge.
  • Willie Nelson’s Facebook page is posting hints where this year’s Farm Aid will be held. So far we have:  The city for this year’s concert has a professional sports team named after an animal,  the concert will be in a state that is in the top 12 for number of farms  and it will be in a city & state where Farm Aid where Farm Aid has never been held.
  • Speaking of the Texas Yoda – Head over to Texas Music Matter to listen to Amazing Grace: The Willie Nelson Story – a winner of two National Headliners Awards including this year’s Grand Prize for Radio. Nearly a year in the making, the program features rare music plus interviews with, among others, Kris Kristofferson, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp, Ray Price, biographer Joe Nick Patoski, Willie’s best friend and closest confidante (his sister, Bobbie), and the Yoda  himself.
  • Country music legend (and daughter of country music legend Mel Tillis) Pam Tillis talks to the Vancouver Sun about the state of country music.

Joe Pug to Release Free EP, In The Meantime

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  • On Thursday June 25th Americana/Folk singer/songwriter Joe Pug will release In The Meantime, five unreleased songs recorded during sessions for his inaugural EP Nation of Heat. The download will be available exclusively at www.joepugmusic.com.
  • Rates for registration for the Americana Music Association Conference – AMA members $300 and Non-member $400 – will increase on June 30th. Conference registration includes all daytime events at the Nashville Convention Center, admission to all Music Festival showcases and a ticket to the much anticipated Honors & Awards show.
  • Spunky riot grrrl/hillbilly gals Those Darlins will be bringing their Daisy Dukes across the East and North East to sread a good time and support thier upcoming  self-titled longplayer debut (release 7/7 on CD, vinyl and digital.) Here’s a taste :

Those Darlins – Red Light Love mp3

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Partial Lineup Announced

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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the incredible (and FREE) San Francisco roots/Americana festival has announced a partial line up roster for the three day event.

So far the lineup includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Mavis Staples, Earl Scruggs, Hazel Dickens, Aimee Mann, Little Feat, The Wronglers, Okkervil River, Marianne Faithfull, Richie Havens, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Neko Case, Dr. Dog, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Del McCoury Band, John Prine, Gillian Welch, Allen Toussaint, Billy Bragg, Doc Watson, Booker T. & the Drive By Truckers, The Chieftains, World Party, Old 97’s. Check the official site for more performer to be announced soon.

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on October 2,3,and 4 2009.

Elvis Costello Amoeba Records San Francisco

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In what must be the smallest tour in his musical history,  Elvis Costello launched a mini-tour with Amoeba Music today, June 22nd. At 12:00 p.m. Costello performed at the Amoeba San Francisco location then will perform at Amoeba Hollywood location at 8 p.m. Costello also signed limited amount of  copies of his new album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane after both performances.  The purchase of the CD or vinyl will include a silk screen poster commemorating the event.

Backing Costello is Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, Jim Lauderdale, who also appears on his new release.

The capacity crowd was wound around the side of the store at 10AM and once inside wated patiently for the show to start roughly two hours later. Elvis was in fine form inviting people to move in closer and to sing along with the chorus of several songs.

Amoeba will stream the Hollywood performance live on Amoeba.com at 8 p.m. pst.

Amoeba San Francisco location set list (to my recollection)

set duraton roughly 50 minutes.

Complicated Shadows
Down Among the Wines and Spirits
My All Time Doll
A new song about a convict cheating death and getting revenge.
Sulphur to Sugarcane