Category Archives: New Releases

George Jones Posthumous Album “Amazing Grace” To Be Released

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george jones gospel

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.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1pb11N4eo4

Tompkins Square to Release ‘Live At Caffè Lena: Music From America’s Legendary Coffeehouse, 1967-2013’

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Live at Caffe Lena

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. 

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.

From the press release: “‘Live At Caffè Lena’ documents an important folk universe that was and is still happening in upstate New York, a story heretofore largely untold. The release of this collection comes at an auspicious time in light of renewed interest in the New York folk scene of the 60s as depicted in the forthcoming Coen Brothers film, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis.’ The film is loosely based on Dave Van Ronk’s 2005 memoir ‘The Mayor of Macdougal Street.’ Van Ronk, a Caffè Lena regular, served as a mentor to many artists, some who would go on to eclipse his fame. His 1974 recording of “Gaslight Rag”featured on the box set references the Gaslight Café, a famed Greenwich Village venue that along with Caffè Lena was a catalyst for the folk music revival.

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 ONE 
01 Intro  – Lena Spencer / Guy Carawan Cripple Creek 1970 
02 Hedy – West Shady Grove 1968 
03 Intro by Lena Spencer / – Sleepy John Estes Holy Spirit 1974 
04 Frank Wakefield and Friends - Will The Circle Be Unbroken 1971 
05 Jean Ritchie - West Virginia Mine Disaster 1969 
06 Billy Faier - Hunt The Wren 1967 
07 Greenbriar Boys - Hit Parade of Love 1968 
08 Mike Seeger - O Death 1971 
09 Jacqui and Bridie - Hello Friend 1974 
10 Tom Paxton - Morning Again 1968 
11 David Amram - Little Mama 1974 
12 Patrick Sky - Reality Is Bad Enough 1971 
13 Rosalie Sorrels - Travelin’ Lady 1974 
14 Smoke Dawson - Devil’s Dream 1968 
15 Utah Phillips - The Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia 1974 
16 Michael Cooney - Thyme It Is A Precious Thing 1974 
17 Kate McGarrigle and Roma Baran - Caffè Lena 1972 
 
DISC TWO 
01 Intro by Lena Spencer / Dave Van Ronk - Gaslight Rag 1974 
02 Jerry Jeff Walker - Mr. Bojangles 1968 
03 Barbara Dane - Mama Yancey’s Advice / Love With a Feeling 1968 
04 Roy Book Binder  - Ain’t Nobody Home But Me 1974 
05 Intro by Lena Spencer / David Bromberg - The Holdup 1972 
06 Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - Pretty Boy Floyd 1992 
07 Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans 2010 
08 Aztec Two Step - The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty 1989 
09 Happy And Artie Traum - Trials Of Jonathan 1974 
10 Rick Danko-  It Makes No Difference 1988 
11 Paul Geremia –  Something’s Gotta Be Arranged 1989 
12 Robin and Linda Williams –  S-A-V-E-D 1987 
13 John Herald –  Ramblin’ Jack Elliott 1991 
14 Pete Seeger-  Somos El Barco (We Are the Boat) 1985
 
DISC THREE 
01 Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion - Folksong 2013 
02 Anais Mitchell - Wedding Song 2013 
03 Bill Morrissey - The Last Day Of The Furlough 1990 
04 Patty Larkin - Island Of Time 1992 
05 Greg Brown - Flat Stuff 1989
06 Mary Gauthier - I Drink 2013 
07 Sean Rowe - Old Black Dodge 2013 
08 Tom Chapin - Cats In The Cradle 1987 
09 Intro by Lena Spencer / Christine Lavin - It’s A Good Thing He Can’t Read My Mind 1987 
10 Bill Staines - Sweet Wyoming Home 1990 
11 Bucky and John Pizzarelli - I Like Jersey Best 1989 
12 Rory Block - That’s No Way To Get Along 1989 
13 Chris Smither - Killing The Blues 1989 
14 Tift Merritt - Traveling Alone 2013 
15 John Gorka - Down In The Milltown 1990 
16 Lena Spencer-  Dear Little Cafe 1972 

Watch Out! Trisha Ivy – “Talking in Your Sleep”

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Trisha Ivy

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.

Listen Up! Music Review – Guy Clark – “My Favorite Picture of You”

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My Favorite Picture of You.

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.

Official site | Buy

five_rate

The Band’s Dec. 28-31 1971 Performances at New York’s Academy of Music Gets the Box Set Treatment

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The Band Box Set

Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Capitol/UME will release a The four-CD, one-DVD set of The Band live at their peak.

The concerts are from the last week of 1971 and is entitled ‘Live at the Academy of Music 1971′ (Sept. 17)

From Ultimate Classic Rock “The four-CD, one-DVD set gathers 56 performances from the group’s Dec. 28-31 shows at New York City’s Academy of Music. A two-LP version of the concerts was released in 1972 as ‘Rock of Ages.’

The expanded box set will include a mix of all four nights’ shows on two discs (which make up all the songs they played during the four-night stand) and the complete New Year’s Eve concert on the remaining two CDs. Songs include Band classics like ‘The Weight’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.’ The complete track list is below.

In addition to cover songs and reworked versions of their own tracks, ‘Live at the Academy of Music 1971′ spotlights new horn arrangements by Allen Toussaint as well as a surprise guest appearance by Bob Dylan, who joined his old backing band on four songs during the New Year’s Eve show encore.

The DVD includes the remastered first two discs of the box in surround sound, plus two video clips — ‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)’ and ’The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show’ – from the Dec. 31 concert. The set also includes a 48-page hardbound book with photos and essays.”

The Band’s ‘Live at the Academy of Music 1971′ Track List:


Disc 1
‘The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show’
‘The Shape I’m In’
‘Caledonia Mission’
‘Don’t Do It’
‘Stage Fright’
‘I Shall Be Released’
‘Up on Cripple Creek’
‘This Wheel’s on Fire’
‘Strawberry Wine’
‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)’
‘Time to Kill’
‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’
‘Across the Great Divide’

Disc 2
‘Life Is a Carnival’
‘Get Up Jake’
‘Rag Mama Rag’
‘Unfaithful Servant’
‘The Weight’
‘Rockin’ Chair’
‘Smoke Signal’
‘The Rumor’
‘The Genetic Method’
‘Chest Fever’
‘(I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes’
‘Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever’
‘Down in the Flood’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘Don’t Ya Tell Henry’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘Like a Rolling Stone’ (With Bob Dylan)

Disc 3
 ‘Up on Cripple Creek’
‘The Shape I’m In’
‘The Rumor’
‘Time To Kill’
‘Rockin’ Chair’
‘This Wheel’s on Fire’
‘Get Up Jake’
‘Smoke Signal’
‘I Shall Be Released’
‘The Weight’
‘Stage Fright’

Disc 4
‘Life Is a Carnival’
‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)’
‘Caledonia Mission’
‘The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show’
‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’
‘Across the Great Divide’
‘Unfaithful Servant’
‘Don’t Do It’
‘The Genetic Method’
‘Chest Fever’
‘Rag Mama Rag’
‘(I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes’
‘Down in the Flood’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘Don’t Ya Tell Henry’ (With Bob Dylan)
‘Like a Rolling Stone’ (With Bob Dylan)

Watch Out! – Jason Isbell – “Stockholm” – David Letterman 7-23-13

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Jason Isbell - Letterman

David Letterman, and his music booker at the Late Show Sheryl Zilikson, continued their ongoing support of Americana and roots music by featuring a lively performance by Jason Isbell, supported by his lovely and talented wife Amanda Shires.

Isbell performed the song “Stockholm” of his latest excellent release “Southeastern.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YARfJk-WmeY

Listen Up! Exclusive Album Stream – Westbound Rangers – “Gone for Way Too Long “

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westboundrangers

The Westbound Rangers are a group of young performers that honor the proud tradition of bluegrass and country instrumentation and themes. But a close listening to their songs will revel a uniqueness that gives the songs energy and makes it a stylistic companion to the Avett Brothers and Trampled By Turtles.

The band draws from what mandolin player Mike Walker describes as a “spectrum of sounds and styles,” ranging from oldtime to country to rock and roll.

The band met as students at Belmont University, where they would meet in dorm rooms for jam sessions. In the five years since, the acoustic quartet— Graham Sherrill (Banjo, vocals) Mike Walker (Mandolin, Vocals) Read Davis (Guitar, Vocals) and Wes Burkhart (Bass) has evolved from those occasional jams to becoming a serious contender in the roots music scene. They are currently making a big noise with the release of their third album, “Gone for Way Too Long” (below), a gig at the Stagecoach and the Telluride Band Competition and upcoming appearances at Floydfest, Bluegrass in the Park, & Americana Music Association Festival this September in Nashville, where I plan to catch them.

Recorded at John Prine’s Butcher Shoppe studio in Nashville, “Gone for Way Too Long” is a solid collection original songs and several traditional tunes that demonstrate the vibrancy of the bands live shows.

“Playing traditional songs live allows us to help preserve a piece of music history by bringing it to a contemporary audience,” explains Read Davis “But it’s also important to us that we put out own spin on those songs.”

Standouts for me are an excellent version of the old traditional “Handsome Molly,” a claw hammer style banjo tune which has been covered by Doc Watson, the Stanley Brothers and Mick Jagger. “Rocks Cry Out” is also fantastic rouser that builds to a sizzling fervor steeped in religious imagery.

Buy

Americana Music Support at the Late Show with David Letterman [VIDEO]

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David Letterman

David Letterman, and his Late Show booking crew, have been long-time enthusiastic supporters of country and Americana music. Recently it seems like Dave has invited a roots artist to play every night of the week, and this is great new for the artists needing exposure and fans looking for great music.

And as Saving Country Music tells it, the Late Show was the one that reached out to many of these artists to perform on the program. Many of them, like dale Watson and Shove;s and Rope, getting national exposure for the first time.

Here’s to you, Dave and crew, for championing great roots and Americana music like the clips below.

Ryan Adams – Lucky Now – December 5, 2011

Shovels & Rope – Birmingham – David Letterman January 30, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfPnGEgtDXI

Elizabeth Cook – If I Had My Way, I’d Tear This Building Down – March, 14 2013

Dale Watson & His Lonestars – “I Lie When I Drink” – June 24, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcRTTy0Epg

Ray Wylie Hubbard – Mother Blues – David Letterman – January 9, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r92RkIKm6Wc

Marty Stuart “Country Boy Rock & Roll” June 29, 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcJ80pKqsA0

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit “Codeine” – November 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUzc7cUaPWs

Pokey LaFarge – “Central Time” – 16 July, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=82hWDlADJDg

Tom Russell with Andrew Hardin – “Tonight We Ride” – 2009

Justin Townes Earle – “Harlem River Blues” – January 5, 2011

Andrew Bird with Tift Merritt and Alan Hampton – “If I Needed You” (Townes Van Zandt) – 10/30/2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8TdDJe6-xY

Jamey Johnson with Alison Krauss – “Make the World Go Away” 10/12/2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu-hSTup6CQ

Steve Earle – “Copperhead Road” – 1988

Emmylou Harris , Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch – 2001
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D8YEgANLow

Willie Nelson – “Always On My Mind” – date?

Earl Scruggs and Friends – Foggy Mountain Breakdown – May, 12/07

Liten Up! Valerie June – “Twined and Twisted”

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valerie-june

When I first heard about Memphis singer/songwriter Valerie June she was a member of the roots collective The Wandering. She was part of a roster including Luther Dickinson, Shannon McNally, Amy LaVere, and Sharde Thomas. June singing and banjo allowed her to stand out deliriously talented bunch.

On the track “Twined and Twisted,” (hear it below) Valerie’s soaring vocals, serenaded by delicate acoustic guitar, reminds me a bit Nina Simone, a bit Buffy Sainte Marie. And yet she is wholly her own.

June’s debut album “Pushin’ Against A Stone” is co-produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach with Kevin Augunas. It’s due out 8/13 on Concord Records.

Valerie June – “Twined and Twisted”

Valerie June – 2013 Tour Dates
Jul 19 Gent Jazz Festival Gent, Belgium
Jul 21 Latitude Henham Park, United Kingdom
Jul 25 THEATRES ROMAINS DE FOURVIERE Lyon, France
Jul 27 New Music Supper Club London, United Kingdom
Jul 28 Cambridge Folk Festival Cambridge, United Kingdom
Aug 01 Zomerparkfeest Venlo, Netherlands
Aug 02 Esperanzah Festival Floreffe, Belgium
Aug 03 Camp Bestival Dorset, United Kingdom
Aug 10 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
Aug 14 City Winery New York, NY
Aug 15 Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA
Aug 17 Chenango Blues Festival Norwich, NY
Aug 18 IOTA Club & Cafe Arlington, VA RSVP
Aug 24 Rock En Seine Paris, France
Aug 25 Cabaret Verts Charleville-Mézières, France
Aug 30 Zurich Open Air Zurich, Switzerland
Aug 31 Electric Picnic County Laois, Ireland
Sep 01 End of the Road Festival Gardenstown, United Kingdom
Sep 06 Into the Great Wide Open Vlieland, Netherlands
Sep 08 Bestival Isle Of Wight, United Kingdom
Nov 09 La Cigale Paris, France
Nov 10 Stereolux Nantes, France
Nov 12 Bikini Toulouse, France
Nov 13 Le 106 Rouen, France
Nov 19 Moods Zurich, Switzerland
Nov 22 Tivoli Utrecht, Netherlands
Nov 25 Thekla Bristol, United Kingdom
Nov 26 Islington Assembly Hall London, United Kingdom

Alan Jackson to Release “The Bluegrass Album” September 24

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TBA

Country music legend Alan Jackson might have spent the 90’s in the shadow of Garth Corp. But he’s done far more in his career to preserve the legacy of great country music.

On September 24 Jackson will release the album he’s hinted at for years. Alan Jackson will release his first bluegrass album – appropriately titled The Bluegrass Album. Jackson wrote eight songs for the album, which also includes other originals and a couple of well-known standards of the genre – include The Dillards’ “There Is A Time,” John Anderson’s “Wild and Blue” and a ¾-time version of Bill Monroe’s seminal “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”

The Bluegrass Album will be released on ACR (Alan’s Country Records)/EMI Records Nashville and is produced by Keith Stegall and Jackson’s nephew, Adam Wright.

The album featured some of the best players and singers in bluegrass, Scott Coney (acoustic guitar), Sammy Shelor (banjo), Adam Steffey (mandolin), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes (dobro) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (vocals). The performers came together, emerging in a matter of days with the completed acoustic album.

The Bluegrass Album track listing:
1.) Long Hard Road – Alan Jackson
2.) Mary – Alan Jackson
3.) Appalachian Mountain Girl – Alan Jackson
4.) Tie Me Down – Alan Jackson
5.) Way Beyond The Blue – Mark D. Sanders/Randy Albright/Lisa Silver
6.) Ain’t Got Trouble Now – Adam Wright
7.) Blue Ridge Mountain Song – Alan Jackson
8.) Blacktop – Alan Jackson
9.) Blue Side of Heaven – Alan Jackson
10.) There Is A Time – Rodney Dillard/Mitch Jayne
11.) Wild and Blue – John Scott Sherrill
12.) Knew All Along – Adam Wright/Shannon Wright
13.) Let’s Get Back to Me and You – Alan Jackson
14.) Blue Moon of Kentucky – Bill Monroe