Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music
Americana & Roots Music & Culture
If you’re like me and you want to see the The Marty Stuart Show, but your cable provider doesn’t offer RFD-TV, you can head over to the MSS YouTube page for some highlights. It is great to see my old family firnd Charlie Pride doing his classic Kiss an Angel Good Morning (below.)
Charlie Pride – Kiss an Angel Good Morning
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRIRTQ_k-Sg[/youtube]
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are confirmed as performers at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony and telecast in Los Angeles (February 8th,2009) The backing band will include acclaimed performer and ‘Raising Sand’ producer T Bone Burnett, and a stellar cast of musicians from the Raising Sand album and tour.
The event will mark both the first trip to the awards and first performance for Robert Plant, who says: “I’m looking forward to being in Los Angeles, but musically — and spiritually — I expect we’ll be somewhere halfway between the Mississippi Delta and the Clinch Mountains.”
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Black Country Woman
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-EKgCctit8[/youtube]
Gene Beley was Ventura Star-Free Press reporter when he, and the newspaper’s chief photographer, Dan Poush, were invited to accompany Johnny Cash to Folsom Prison for his landmark 1968 concert. New pictures taken at that event recently surfaced when Beley returned to the prison a few months ago to participate in a BBC radio documentary marking the 40th anniversary of the concert. Beley brought along the photos to give to Jim Brown, a retired correctional officer and operations manager of the Retired Correctional Peace Officers Museum at Folsom Prison.
Beley was with Cash’s party in a room at West Sacramento’s El Rancho Hotel the night before the concert when Rev. Floyd Gressett, asked Cash to listen to a tape recording by Folsom Prison inmate Glen Sherley. Gressett was a friend of Cash’s who ministered to California inmates, had worked with the prison’s recreation director, Lloyd Kelley, to set up the concert.
Copies of these new photos are available only at the Museum at Folsom Prison and a shop in Billings, Mont. (The Sacramento Bee)
The only real country music podcast, It Burns When I Pee, brings in 2009 the only way they know how…great music, funny skits and questionable moral standards. Episode 23 “Carnies Are A Girls Best Friend,†features an interview with Bob Wayne of Bob Wayne and The Outlaw Carnies and includes music from all three of his albums. Blake and Norma Jean discuss Creepy Guy’s fantasy football Super Bowl Championship, how Norma Jean likes her Christmas present, and the IBWIP trip to Champaign IL to see Split Lip Rayfield.
During the live feed they try to get listeners to donate to the show so Norma Jean would take her top off but it was a no go (sorry Norma Jean!), so Blake dropped his pants. I think the money would have rolled in if they asked for donations to keep Blakes pants on!
Go listen to IBWIP and get yer 2009 Hank on!
I’ve read the hype. Country music’s latest flavor-of-the-week writes or helps write her own songs…she’s the biggest selling artist of 2008…she’s like 12 years old…I get it. Don’t care…
To me it’s the music and not the hype. The more hype I see the more I assume it’s smoke and mirrors compensating for something that might not be able to stand on it’s own, stripped of shiny gowns, pumps, make-up and pro-tools. I sat through Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” once and that was once too many. As the father of a daughter I’m always on the look out for female role models to introduce into my daughter’s world giving her a larger view of her potential and how she might impact the world. Giving my little girl a copy of Swift’s “Fearless” would be the cultural equivalent of giving her a box of Lucky Charms complete with a toy Barbie that spouts things like “Math is hard!”
In contrast, I would have no problem handing her The Mickeys’ “Walk Along.” These beautiful young twin’s second release is a country/roots act affair that strikes a fine balance of celtic/country/roots music deftly blended with just the right touch of pop.
And you can use the this Kalamazoo, MIÂ based group as a great example musical AND business excellence. In 2000 Amy and Julie (their maiden name Mickey) completed a minor in music business from Nashville’s Belmont University and then formed their own label, RiverBeat Music, to release their music through, secured nationwide distribution for the first record and co-produced their new release Walk Along.
The album opens with the dreamy Caroline. The song is a graceful stretch of country road beautifully displaying the magical close harmony that can, like theLouvin Brothers and the Everly Brothers, only be achieved by siblings. The title song is a Dobro-backed swagger of country gospel.
Like Swift, these women and sing about things many young women think about. Love, romance, magic, angels, unicorns (okay, not unicorns).
The floating I Believe is about the foundation of faith that can hold a relationship together and Greatest Thing is a song of the power of love and how it trumps all other earthly achievements. Sure these sound like these are worked out in a girls diary but their also universal themes that, in the right hands, don’t come off as maudlin but ‘ as declarative statements against of the worlds cynicism.
The calypso-laced soft rock of Take It Slow sounds like a adult-pop page out of Carole King’s Tapestry. They do one cover of a Tom Petty song “Alright For Now”, the rest are all original written by different configurations of Amy and Julie and friends and husbands.
Country music with a pop sensibility is a shiny but rustic thing, proud but not preening, lovely but simple – think Dolly Parton. Pop music that adds “country” elements – fiddles, steel guitar, references to trucks and horses – comes off as well, pop music. The Mickey’s know the difference.
Official Site |Â MySpace |Â CC Now
Jessica Cassyle Carr at Alibi.com holds a Q&A with Denver based former 16 Horsepower frontman and current Gothic Americana singer/songwriter David Eugene (aka Wovenhand.)
The Arizona Daily Star gives us a peak at the A-list alt.country artist packed tribute album for the Hacienda Brothers leader Chris Gaffney. Joe Ely, Los Lobos, Dave Alvin, Tom Russell, James McMurtry, Robbie Fulks, John Doe, Dave Gonzales and members Calexico and more appear. The Hacienda Brothers‘ final album, “Arizona Motel,” came out last June, two months after Gaffney’s death.
I’m a huge fan of the Psychobilly/Gothic sideshow that is Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers so I was pleased that LeighAbsinthia over at the Hank III cussin’ board brought to my attention JD Wilkes roots music side project, along with his wife Layne Hendrickson. Ladies and gentleman I bring you The Dirt Daubers.
The Dirt Daubers – “Sugar Baby”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFVy9R3UsCA[/youtube]
The always knowledgable Juli Thanki gives us a history lesson of the banjo (Happy-Go-Plucking) at ther new Torch & Twang column at PopMatters.com.
Andrew Gilstrap, also at PopMatters.com reviews the excellent 2008Â Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson release Rattlin’ Bones.
The Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel collaboration Wille and the Wheel has launched thier new website. The site allows pre-orders for the CD and lists tour dates. (via stillisstillmoving.com)