Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music
Americana & Roots Music & Culture
(from Gallywinter) The Austin Children’s Shelter will be holding a concert to raise some much needed funds. The shelter is an emergency safe haven for children who are removed from their homes due to life-threatening abuse or neglect.
The line up is Josh Abbott Band, Brian Burke Band, Curtis Grimes Band.
Ace’s Lounge on 6th Street in Austin, TX
Monday,May 11th 9:00pm
$10 at the door
Just when you thought it was safe to listen to country music podcasts It Burns When I Pee comes back around to put the fear in ya! Episode #26 has Norma Jean and Blake discussing online dating, coming up with new terms for oral sex, and making a few phone calls including one to Blake’s mom. For Pete’s sake leave that poor woman alone!
The crew also interview with the talented singer/songwriter Kara Clark and be playing a couple of her songs along with songs from Highlonesome, Robbie Fulks, David Allan Coe, Misery Jackel, and a song from Wayne “The Train†Hancock’s new album Viper of Melody.
Norma Jean will even read some fan feedback…SOBER!
Happy birthday to Willie Nelson! I found this excellent classic video of the 2nd Annual Willie Nelson 4th Of July Picnic at Bryan/College Station, TX. featuring Leon Russell.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabbKi58n5E[/youtube]
Playboy.com’s Uncovered is a new video feature showcasing musicians performing covers of songs in some of the world’s most legendary music bars. Uncovered launches with Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Jamey Johnson sitting in Loser’s, just off Nashville’s Music Row, and singing Waylon Jennings’ “Dreaming My Dreams With You” which is featured on Johnson’s latest album, That Lonesome Song, which was just certified gold this week.
You might not want to watch this at work.
MSNBC’s 5 Top has a list of the top 5 lies about American Idol. And although most are obvious (AI is a popularity contest not a singing competition…uh YEAH!) lie #4, “Country music is about telling stories,†is very interesting to me. The point made in the article is that all songs – except nonsensical or instructive – are stories. But Idol, like Nashville, perpetuates the popular myth that country msuic is simple stories that are about common experiences, family and traditional values.Of course this ignores the songs of boozing, adultary, murder, drug use, fighting, sloth and war that are just as much a part of the country music landscape. I’m sure Johnny Paycheck, Waylon Jennings, Porter Wagoner and David Allen Coe would have something to say about that.
I saw Billy Bob Thorton and his group the Boxmasters perform in Nashville last year as part of the Americana Music Association conference last year. The band played the big room downstairs at the cannery. My expectations were low. I figured a Hollywood star’s vanity project would just end up as Dogstar 2.0. But hell it’s Billy Bob Thorton and except for her uncle, Chip Taylor – who also performed at the AMA, her ex-husband was as close as I would get to Angelina Jolie.
I hadn’t heard the Boxmasters before they played and I was surprised how good they were. The band was tight and Billy Bob knew how to work the crowd (though his vocals were serviceable at best.) The identical outfits, Buddy Holly horn rims (except for Billy Bob) and black suits (were are the aliens or the dry toast?) were a bit silly but hell, if the early incarnation of the Beatles and many Grand ‘Ol Opry performers dressed in what comes doen to uniforms it’s okay with me.
The near the end of the Cannery show Billy Bob shocked me. He invited the legendsry country tenor Charlie Louvin onstage with him and, lyrics in hand and nerve in his voice sang the great Appalachian murder ballad Knoxville Girl made famous by Charlie and his brother Ira in 1956. That took guts.
Then the recent dust up in Canada. The Boxmasters (now featuring the awesome Unknown Hinson performing in the band under the name Danny Baker) were in the Great White North opening for Willie Nelson for a string of dates and were schedules
Apparently there was a some agreement with the Canadian radio station program the Q not to bring up Thorton’s acting career in an introduction before a band interview. Besides the diva-like behavior this represents the station did agree. Then the interviewer Jian Ghomeshi proceeded to bring up Thorton’s acting career. Thorton then proceeded to act like a pissy, spoiled 5 year old and give glib and non-sequiter answers, to the confusion of Ghomeshi (who probably thought that revealing Thorton’s apparently secret acting career couldn’t be the cause of such ridiculous behavior) and the embarrassment of his band who had to intervene and pick up his slack.
The next night Mr. Thornton drew a round of boos at a concert in Toronto’s Massey Hall after Thorton called Ghomeshi an “asshole” on stage and compared Canadian fans to mashed potatoes with no gravy. The band went on to cancel the last two shows on the Canadian leg of their tour with Willie Nelson which the Boxmaster’s web site is contributed to a band member and several crew members having the flu.
You can watch the whole tragic incident below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWS6qyy7bw[/youtube]
Now the nad’s publicist
It’s been quite a while since we held a contest here at Ranch Twang and today we have a doozy. I have one copy of the newly released Naked Willie (Sony Legacy) to give away to one lucky commenter. Naked Willie was produced by Willie’s long time harmonica player extraordinaire Mickey Raphael and features stripped down collection of 17 vintage RCA cuts that span 1966-1970.
Naked Willie Track List:
1. “Bring Me Sunshine”
2. “Following Me Around”
3. “The Ghost”
4. “Happiness Lives Next Door”
5. “I Just Dropped By”
6. “Jimmy’s Road”
7. “I Let My Mind Wander”
8. “If You Could See What’s Going Through My Mind”
9. “Johnny One Time”
10. “The Local Memory”
11. “The Party’s Over”
12. “Where Do You Stand”
13. “When We Live Again”
14. “What Can You Do To Me Now”
15. “I’m A Memory”
16. “Sunday Morning Coming Down”
17. “Laying My Burdens Down”
Just leave a comment recollecting your favorite Willie Nelson memory below. The winner will be chose at random on April 15th (tax day, Willie…get it?) from all the posts and I will email the winner for a physical address to ship the CD.
Good luck!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIXkfl-ZjVw[/youtube]
I read the ridiculous article in the New York Times about John Rich and believe Rich, and the Republicans he stumped for in the last election, are about as concerned about the plight of the common man as a vegetarian is about the finer points of aged beef.
I believe Rich’s populism is nothing more then window dressing and crass opportunism. My Grandparent’s generation used to call the Republicans the cocktail party because they were the party of the wealthy, for the wealthy. They still are, they just have better PR. Which brings me to Shuttin’ Detroit Down, the new song by the shorter, darker half of the country music comedy duo Big and Rich.
It’s hard for me to buy a song about the common man coming from a guy that wears $1000. fur coats on his realty television show. Shuttin’ Detroit Down oversimplifies the bad guys that led to the economic crisis as cardboard villain Wall Street Fat Cats with nary a lyric spent on the politicians (from both sides) that wrote the legislation that allowed them to do get away with it. For all his righteous bluster Rich forgets thise key words from wayetgatre. Follow the money. Who did Madoff make contributions to? What about the main guys as AIG? I’m thinking thier right in line with Rich’s own financial support.
I think if I want quality songs about crony capitalism I’ll go to musicians that have been doing it longer, better and with more credibility – Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson (who is broadening his market by appearing in the video for Shuttin’ Detroit Down), hell even the Okie from Muskogee has eased up and taken a wider view of the world. Or maybe I’d go with one of the new artists like William Elliot Whitmore or the Drive By Truckers.
Rich is like Ann Coultier in drag, a different mouthpiece to appeal to a different demographic spouting the same old fake populist bullshit while stumping for the very same fat cats he names in his song.