I tweeted this great clip a few days back and it’s gone quite viral, so I decided to park it here for your amazement. This clip of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene” is slowed down 25% to 33 rpm and brings out new layers of beauty that rivals the original.
Was this planed? as it a mistake? Who cares? The result is excellent as Dolly’s lovely trill moves into dusky Nina Simone territory.
Hey Twangers! Here it is, number 15 podcast. In this special episode we feature the latest from The Civil Wars, currently residing on the top of the Billboard charts. Also excellent new music from Robbie Fulks, Valerie June, Aoife O’Donovan and Trisha Ivy. Also er feature a great cut from the master songwriter himself Guy Clark.
We finish up by featuring an older cut by Jim White that is currently enjoying popularity due to placement on a recent placement on FX’s “Breaking Bad.”
As always. I hope you like this episode of the Twang Nation Podcast and thank you all for listening. If you do tell a friend and let me know here at this site, Google+ , Twitter or my Facebook page.
1. The Civil Wars – song: I Had Me a Girl – album: The Civil Wars (Sensibility Recordings/Columbia Records)
2. Robbie Fulks – song: I’ll Trade You Money For Wine album: Gone Away Backward ( Bloodshot records)
3. Valerie June – song: Twined And Twisted – album: Pushin’ Against a Stone (Sunday Best Recordings)
4. Jason Isbell and John Paul White – song: Old Flame – album:High Cotton ( Lightning Rod Records)
5. Aoife O’Donovan – song: Briar Rose – album: Fossils (Yep Rock Records)
6. Court Yard Hounds – song: Phoebe – album: Amelita (Columbia Records)
7. Guy Clark – song: The Death Of Sis Draper – album: My Favourite Picture of You (Dualtone Records)
8. Porkchop Express – song: On My Way Down album: Skin Your Smoke Wagon (self-released)
9. Trisha Ivy – song: Talking in Your Sleep – album: Cotton Country (self-released)
10. Jim White song: Wordmule album: “Wrong-Eyed Jesus” (Luaka Bop)
This is why the Internet is awesome. Someone on YouTube took the time to compile every TV appearance that Cash made between 1955 and 1959. It says that it;s an “incomplete” collection but who cares. These 16 gems of musical history will satisfy.
1955 – Johnny Cash (Backstage in Oklahoma City)
1956 – So Doggone Lonesome (Grand Ole Opry)
1957 – Get Rhythm (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – Give My Love To Rose (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – Home of the Blues (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – I Walk the Line (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – So Doggone Lonesome (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – Next in Line (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1957 – Train of Love (Tex Riter’s Ranch Party)
1958 – Stay All Night & Next In Line (Country Style USA)
1958 – Give My Love to Rose (Country Style USA)
1958 – Home of the Blues & Stay All Night (Country Style USA)
1958 – Ballad of a Teenage Queen (American Bandstand)
1959 – All Over Again (March of Dimes)
1959 – Camptown Races (Bell Telephone Hour)
1959 – Don’t Take Your Guns to Town (Ed Sullivan Show)
Following the ongoing trend of Music City tapping Americana music for source material and injecting some vibrant blood to an all but stagnant (but lucrative) genre, the old-time string band, Old Crow Medicine Show was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry by Opry member Marty Stuart during their concert at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland, OH.
They will formally be inducted into the Opry at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Tues., Sept. 17.
In recent years Music Row has been looking to Americana music for new ideas, market trends and extending demographic appeal.
Sure the Opry has lost cred for ignoring great performers and casting out key members of the country music community (Hank Sr. anyone?) but it is an institution that provides a stage for broad exposure and, rightly or not, credibility.
There’s is no magic formula the Opry uses to choose who is asked to join. It’s a mix of sound, commitment, (gasp) popularity and what the Opry calls “relationships.” Relationships like backing Darius Rucker on the Orey stage for Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel.”
Here are 5 Americana artists that, like Old Crow Medicine Show, would fit comfortably on the Opry stage.
The Dixie Chicks – Yeah I know, but the Chicks were always an Americana band to me. I know they and the country music industry had disagreements, but there’s no denying their positive (and lucrative) impact on the genre.
in 1986 Dwight Yoakam rescued country music from the Urban Cowboy blight and reminded people why it was fun, heartfelt and brave in the first place. Rarely has there been a better meeting of traditional and mainstream success then Yoakam? And he’s still going strong, though his new album, 3 Pears, isn’t up for CMA awards it’s up for Americana Music Awards.
Does any contemporary performer embody the sound, style and spirit of all that is great in country music more than Elizabeth Cook? The answer is no way. She’s a fan favorite and has been asked by the Opry to perform on their stage over 100 (!) times. It’s time to make it official.
For 11 albums over a 20-year career Robbie Fulks has been playing smart trad-leaning country music. Sure he hd some choice words for music row (made plain in his song “Fuck This Town.”) But Fulks disdain for the industry and love for the musical heritage is exactly what the Opry needs to gain cred.
As a member of The Byrds Gram Parsons played the Opry stage on March 1968. The band was asked to play play two Merle Haggard songs (“Sing Me Back Home” and “Life In Prison.”) The first song song won over the skeptical crowd (LONGHAIRS!) And Parsons (who was a big Merle Haggard fan) substituted “Life In Prison” for his own “Hickory Wind,” from The Byrds then current album “Sweethearts of the Rodeo,” in honor of his Grandmother, a huge Opry fan. As expected the management were pissed but the crowd and some of that night’s performers, loved it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWjGtEmQ5Co
If this cut of Johnny Cash spirited (heh) rendition of Stan Jones’s classic “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” before a rowdy crowd at Nashville’s storied Exit Inn club in indicative of the recently released “LIFE Unheard: Johnny Cash” then this to be a must-have.
‘LIFE Unheard: Johnny Cash,’ is a joint collaboration between LIFE and Sony Music Entertainment. The CD offers solo acoustic songs recorded at his House of Cash’s home studio studio in Hendersonville, Tenn., as well as live songs from the White House and Newport Folk Festival. The 12-song album also features a previously unreleased studio version of Ben Dewberry’s ‘Final Run,’ and ‘Movin’ Up,’ both recorded for Cash’s 1981 made-for-TV movie, ‘The Pride of Jesse Hallam.’
A separately sold book offers illustrated 192-page biography features many rare and never-before seen photos.
Few people have held such a pivotal place in music history as “Cowboy†Jack Clement had. He worked with some of the greatest rock and country performers of the twentieth century and helped shape the genres at key points in music history.
Clement died August 8th after a long bout with liver cancer, just a few months before being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
He was 82.
Born and reared in Memphis, Clement was performing with guitar and Dobro at an early age. After a stint in the Marines he cut his first record for the Sheraton label in Boston, Massachusetts in 1953,
The nicknamed ‘Cowboy’ Clement earned in his student days while playing pedal steel guitar with a local band. His real step toward fame came in 1956 when he joined Sam Phillips at Sun Records as a producer and engineer.
While there Clement helped shape American music history by working with Carl Perkins Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. He also fielded and recorded a curly haired kid from eastern Louisiana by the name of Jerry Lee Lewis while Sam Phillips was away on a trip to Florida. The initial session included Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms” and his own composition “End of The Road”. Later the pair would record the smash hit “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and the demise of the 50’s America was sealed.
in 1959, Clement began work as a producer at RCA in Nashville. After some time in Beaumont, Texas as producer and publisher Bill Hall in opening Gulf Coast Recording Studio . By 1965 he had become a significant figure in the country music business by starting a publishing business and a recording studio, where he recorded Charley Pride and Ray Stevens. In 1971, he co-founded the J-M-I Record Company.
Clement wrote many well-known and successful songs recorded stars such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Bobby Bare, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Jerry Lee Lewis, , Charley Pride, Tom Jones, Dickey Lee and Hank Snow. He also produced albums by Townes Van Zandt and Waylon Jennings.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973.
Before he could complete his final “The Grand Farewell Tour†tour, country music legend George Jones died last April. Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Vince gill and others paid tribute to Jones during his funeral at the Ryman auditorium and and Randy Travis and Joe Nichols have released tribute tracks in tribute. Now we can look forward to a new release from The Possum himself.
On September 10, two days before what would have been his 82nd birthday, “George Jones – Amazing Grace.” will be released. Jones recorded all the gospel songs on the album in 2002 with producer Billy Sherrill with the exception of “Great Judgment Morning,†which was produced by Brian Ahern in 1994. “Great Judgment Morning†includes vocals by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith.
The album will be released on Bandit Records, which Jones established in 2000 with his widow, Nancy. The country music star had to convince longtime collaborator Sherill to come out of retirement to make the recordings. One song on the album, Great Judgement Morning, featuring guest vocals by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, was produced by Brian Ahern in 1994.
“I’ve always said that if I could have made a living some way in gospel music, I would have loved to had that break,” Jones said in early 2000, “but it never was offered to me, a job in that field, so naturally, I got lost on that other road.”
Since 1960 the tiny performance space of  Caffè Lena, located in Saratoga Springs, New York, has played host to some of  of the most influential artists across diverse genres of music; traditional folk, blues, singer-songwriters, jazz and bluegrass.Â
Many of these decades-spanning performances were fortunately caught on tape and will be made available as ‘Live At Caffè Lena.’ The collection is  a 3-CD box set, containing 47 never-before released tracks by Dave Van Ronk, Mary Gauthier, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Kate McGarrigle, Rick Danko, Anais Mitchell, Sleepy John Estes, Arlo Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie, and more. Included are unpublished photographs. Images include selections from the archive of esteemed photographer Joe Alper, who captured many iconic, intimate portraits from the folk era of the 1960s.
Caffè Lena embodied the spirit of the folk boom, the era and its artistry, building a reputation as a hotbed of creativity and connection. It was also a safe haven and nurturing space for artists, its atmosphere cultivated personally by Lena Spencer herself. She would graciously house wayward artists, sometimes for months at a time. But she was not merely a host. She championed artists, from Bob Dylan as early as 1961 all the way through the 80s until her passing. Her passion for identifying and promoting talent is evident throughout this 3-CD set. That Caffè Lena is still open for business tonight is a testament to her legacy.”
‘Live At Caffè Lena.’ will be available Worldwide on Tompkins Square, September 24, 2013 – Pre-order here.
‘Live At Caffè Lena: Music From America’s Legendary Coffeehouse, 1967-2013′
DISC ONEÂ
01 Intro  – Lena Spencer / Guy Carawan Cripple Creek 1970Â
02 Hedy – West Shady Grove 1968Â
03 Intro by Lena Spencer / – Sleepy John Estes Holy Spirit 1974Â
04 Frank Wakefield and Friends - Will The Circle Be Unbroken 1971Â
05 Jean Ritchie - West Virginia Mine Disaster 1969Â
06 Billy Faier - Hunt The Wren 1967Â
07 Greenbriar Boys - Hit Parade of Love 1968Â
08 Mike Seeger - O Death 1971Â
09 Jacqui and Bridie - Hello Friend 1974Â
10 Tom Paxton - Morning Again 1968Â
11 David Amram - Little Mama 1974Â
12 Patrick Sky - Reality Is Bad Enough 1971Â
13 Rosalie Sorrels - Travelin’ Lady 1974Â
14 Smoke Dawson - Devil’s Dream 1968Â
15 Utah Phillips - The Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia 1974Â
16 Michael Cooney - Thyme It Is A Precious Thing 1974Â
17 Kate McGarrigle and Roma Baran - Caffè Lena 1972Â
Â
DISC TWOÂ
01 Intro by Lena Spencer / Dave Van Ronk - Gaslight Rag 1974Â
02 Jerry Jeff Walker - Mr. Bojangles 1968Â
03 Barbara Dane - Mama Yancey’s Advice / Love With a Feeling 1968Â
04 Roy Book Binder  - Ain’t Nobody Home But Me 1974Â
05 Intro by Lena Spencer / David Bromberg - The Holdup 1972Â
06 Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - Pretty Boy Floyd 1992Â
07 Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans 2010Â
08 Aztec Two Step - The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty 1989Â
09 Happy And Artie Traum - Trials Of Jonathan 1974Â
10 Rick Danko-  It Makes No Difference 1988Â
11 Paul Geremia –  Something’s Gotta Be Arranged 1989Â
12Â Robin and Linda Williams – Â S-A-V-E-DÂ 1987Â
13 John Herald –  Ramblin’ Jack Elliott 1991Â
14Â Pete Seeger- Â Somos El Barco (We Are the Boat)Â 1985
Â
DISC THREEÂ
01 Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion - Folksong 2013Â
02 Anais Mitchell - Wedding Song 2013Â
03 Bill Morrissey - The Last Day Of The Furlough 1990Â
04 Patty Larkin - Island Of Time 1992Â
05 Greg Brown - Flat Stuff 1989
06 Mary Gauthier - I Drink 2013Â
07 Sean Rowe - Old Black Dodge 2013Â
08 Tom Chapin - Cats In The Cradle 1987Â
09 Intro by Lena Spencer / Christine Lavin - It’s A Good Thing He Can’t Read My Mind 1987Â
10 Bill Staines - Sweet Wyoming Home 1990Â
11 Bucky and John Pizzarelli - I Like Jersey Best 1989Â
12 Rory Block - That’s No Way To Get Along 1989Â
13 Chris Smither - Killing The Blues 1989Â
14 Tift Merritt - Traveling Alone 2013Â
15 John Gorka - Down In The Milltown 1990Â
16 Lena Spencer-  Dear Little Cafe 1972Â
Okay, here’s how this went down. I was trolling Kickstarter to see if there were any Americana artists seeking funding that I could hep out. I came across Memphis-born/Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Trisha Ivy’s campaign to fund her upcoming EP “Cotton Country.”
The campaign was already funded to the tune of $12,721 (of a 12,000 goal) Turns out these are some smart investors.
Her video was charming and made me wish I had heard of her sooner so I could kick in a few bucks. She counts Patty Griffin and Hank Williams as influences. Damn fine company. intrigued, I then headed to YouTube to hear some of her tunes. I was fortunate to find the video below for “Talking in Your Sleep” uploaded just over a year ago. In a word, damn!
Aside from Trisha Ivy’s obvious good looks her voice…THAT VOICE. Warm and vulnerable. It draws you in and makes the world dissolve supported by the gentle yearn of a pedal steel. This is fine bourbon on a rainy night music, people.
A comment on the video says that this is a “Song about commitment. He was in a coma after motor cycle accident.” Not sure if this is true, but given the lyrics it very well could be.
If the below song is close to what she;ll deliver i can’t wait To hear the result of Trisha Ivy’S Kickstart campaign.
Describing his sculpting technique the Renaissance painter Michelangelo gave the beatific response “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” The same can be said for the legendary singer/songwriter Guy Clark. He approaches songwriting like Michelangelo approaches marble. He carves away life until the song remains.
A recognized Master of the craft of songwriting, “My Favorite Picture of You,” Clark’s first album in four years is a rugged and tender result of a life lived and a craft perfected. Now past 71 years. Clark has
worked that craft to a singular style. More direct and economic than the work of his old partner in crime Townes Van Zandt, Clark is more in line with fellow Texas legend Kris
Kristofferson. The common is made divine and the everyday made sublime in his work.
Though he’s called Nashville since 1971, his birthplace the Lone Star State runs throughout the album. Either in style, like the Bob Wills-tinged opener “Cornmeal Waltz,” in
direct referral as a subject like in the Mariachi influenced tale of illegal border crossing El Coyote and the jaunty song of love and self-discovery “Rain in Durango.” Then there’s the some
of the songs contributors , the cover of Lyle Lovett’s Waltzing Fool and I’ll Show Me, which was co-writetn with longtime friend Rodney Crowell.
Clark’s voice has naturally grown rougher and more wearied, but fits the songs like a pair of favorite old boots. His voice becomes noticeably more vulnerable and confessional
on the title cut about the love of his life, Susanna Clark, Clark’s wife of 40 years, who passed in 2012. The album’s cover has him holding up the song’s source, a picture of his wife, angrily glaring in defiance after she returned home one day to find Clark and Townes Van Zandt boozing it up and generally cutting up. Clark uses this touchstone of love and the past to grapple with both and the results are one of the most heartfelt and honest songs I’eve ever heard.
Clark’s voice is nicely complimented on may of the songs by Morgane Stapleton’s delicately hewn vocals. Every song here s a keeper. The folky weeper “Hell Bent on a Heartache,” the Bluegrass “Good Advice” and the the Celtic influenced femmale-on-femal twist on the classic murder ballad The Death of Sis Draper.”
There is wonder, love, loss, bitterness and the whole fabric of humanity worn into these stories of lives of love found, lost , regret and happiness. The heart is shown like a card in play in a poker game only to be hidden away and used as a conquering suit. “My Favorite Picture of You” is a fitting wonder of craft bleeding into art from a man that makes making songs and living life all seem easy. And that’s hard.
