Category Archives: New Releases

Deadwood Complete Series – December 9, 2008

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I read the other day that HBO was releasing the “Deadwood Complete Series” on December 9, 2008. The set contains the three seasons of this great. gritty and profanes masterpiece that HBO and creator/writer David Mitch collaborated on before it’s untimely and abrupt ending at the conclusion of it’s third season just when it was hitting it’s stride.  Part of the new package’s scant new bonus features is something called “The Meaning of Endings”narrated by David Mitch. I personally have not heard this portion of the DVD set, but my money is that this is gong to be Mitch trying to  justify abandoning a great series in order to do an unproven and short-lived one (John from Cincinnati.) The set is priced at $179.97 ($125.99  on Amazon.)

As a big fan of Deadwood, and someone that was bewildered by the short-sightedness of it’s cancellation, I have to look at this set and it’s lack of any new material (as well as the omission of Blu-Ray technology) and believe that HBO and Milch are just trying to cash in on the fans that they left hanging in 2006.

What a bunch of cocksuckers!

Lucinda Williams to Release Protest EP

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  • Hot on the heels of her new release “Little Honey” Lucinda Williams will release “Lu in 08,” a digital-only EP of protest songs just before the presidential elections (Oct. 28.) The EP will feature four live tracks, three of which are covers: Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and the Thievery Corporation/Wayne Coyne collaboration “Marching the Hate Machines Into the Sun.” The fourth cut is the Williams original “Bone of Contention,” which was originally intended for inclusion on “Little Honey.” Williams is currently on the road in support of “Little Honey.”
  • Sure Ryan Adams can be a pretentious dick (I hate, HATE, country music), but he’s an undeniable talent especially live. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals will play a hometown Halloween show Oct. 31 at New York’s Apollo Theatre. The groups next Lost Highway album, “Cardinology,” will arrive Oct. 28. Fans who pre-order through iTunes will receive an immediate download of first single “Fix It.”

RollingStone.com on Hank Williams Unreleased Recordings

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David Fricke  over at RollingStone.com has some noce things to say about the upcoming Hank Williams Unreleased Recordings box set – “…the 54 performances in this three-CD set pack a magical, concentrated immediacy that is, in its time and way, as electrifying as Johnny Cash’s Sixties prison shows or Bob Dylan’s early acoustic concerts. Williams’ nasally drawl is crisp and strong, like the young Dylan without the sandpaper; he holds the long, desolate notes in “Cool Water” with stunning force.”

Country Music legend Marty Stuart’s “Sparkle & Twang: An American Musical Odyssey“, an exhibit of four decades of rock, country, rockabilly, bluegrass, rhythm & blues and gospel music memorabilia from Stuart’s personal collection
will make its way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland from Oct. 30 through March 1. The 300 items, including musical instruments, stage clothing, handwritten lyrics and photographs. Among them are Hank Williams’ handwritten lyrics “Cold, Cold Heart” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart, Elvis Presley’s sweater worn in a photograph with Junior Parker, Johnny Cash’s first black suit from 1955 and handwritten lyrics for “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Man in Black,” Performance outfit worn by Bob Dylan, Clarence White of the Byrds’ blue leather suit, Pop Staples’ 1962 Fender Jazzmaster guitar and Marty Stuart’s first guitar and performance outfit, sewn by his mother.

Tim McGraw is Apologizing to Fans for Latest Release

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  • PopMatters.com has a nice posting on Lucinda Williams’ new Lost Highway release “Little Honey” and on Columbus, Ohio’s Two Cow Garage.
  • If you’re in Nashville this Friday October the 17th totally blow off mall-country teeny-bopper Taylor Swift’s show and head down to see Justin Townes Earle with Caitlin Rose and Chris Scruggs at the Exit/In. Rose’s mom, Liz, has penned a few of Taylor Swift’s biggest hits so it’ll kind of be like being there but without the crappy music (Rose’s mom’s cuts excluded, of course.)
  • As if that weren’t enough Junior Brown will bring his guit-fiddle wizardry to Nashville on the same night (9/17) at the Station In.
  • Tim McGraw is apologizing to his fans for the labels decision to put out his third greatest hits collection. “I am saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music. I’ve only had one studio album since my last hits package. It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me. I had no involvement in the creation or presentation of this record.” Hey Time, now how about apologizing for the rest of the crap you’ve put out in your career (excluding the cuts penned by my uncle, of course.)
  • The Times Colonist of Canada has a nice write up of Kris Kristofferson’s show at the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria, British Columbia “…last night, before an adoring sold-out crowd at the McPherson Playhouse, a huge dose humility is what worked best for veteran singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. The native of Brownsville, Texas, opened his Victoria debut with Shipwrecked in the 80’s, which he delivered in a plainspoken manner befitting of a folk singer. Dressed in black jeans with a black shirt, an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder and harmonica rack around his neck, Kristofferson, 72, cut quite a figure. The giveaway to his country past? Dusty cowboy boots. Pure Kristofferson.”

Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Show Legacy Edition – 10/14

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  • Christmas is not too far away, and the perfect gift for your Country Music aficionado (ah hem) is the Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Show Deluxe Box Set. This Legacy Edition will feature a 2CD/1 DVD will feature the entire two Cash 1968 concerts from the California prison, totaling in 31 previously-unreleased tracks, including songs like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I’m Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail,” “This Ole House” and even more duets with his wife June Carter Cash. The DVD contains footage from the shows, plus interviews with Merle Haggard, Roseanne Cash and inmates who witnessed Cash’s Folsom concerts. Also featured are liner notes penned by both Cash biographer Michael Streissguth, Steve Earle and Cash himself, which he wrote in 1999. Out October 14th via Columbia/Legacy.
  • The Prophets of Country Doom Those Poor Bastards new release “Satan Is Watching” will be available (fittingly) on October 31st. on CD and Vinyl.
  • Get over to ebay and buy up all the It Burns When I Pee goodies! Norma Jean’s panties aren’t going to be up there forever people!
  • And lastly a little video from the Americana Music Conference:

Glen Campbell – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6myTC0XdUQ[/youtube]

Willie Nelson in Saratoga , CA.

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It was quite a treat for me to see Willie Nelson perform under the Saratoga stars the other night. The Texas Yoda and “the family” played the beautiful Mountain Winery to an a rousingly adoring crowd.  At one point he traded his signature red bandanna for heavy worn and button adorned straw cowboy hat that an elderly gentleman on crutches offered at the foot of the stage.  I can now claim to have seen Willie on all three coasts (Texas, New York and California)!

The fine folks at the 9513 brought my attention to a great piece by Chris Willman, author of the excellent book Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music, on the use of the formally exclusive use of Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America” by the Democrats to cap Obama’s speech at the Democratic convention. Whatever your political stripe, it’s interesting to watch all parties vie for the cultural pulse and show love for the Twang.

Rosie Flores “The Rockabilly Filly” turns 58 years young and will be celebrating this Wednesday, Sept 10th at Antone’s in Austin. Playing the celebration will be the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash (8:00) James Intveld (9:00) the lady Rosie Flores herself (10:00) and Two Hoots and a Holler (11:00). Doors open at 7:00

Justin Townes Earle’s excellent release “The Good Life” is available today a vinyl limited edition of 1000 from Bloodshot Records.

Steve Martin Readies Bluegrass Release

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The Blugrass Blog reports that comedian, actor, author and banjo player Steve Martin was preparing to record an album of serious banjo music.

TBB reports: The recording has been completed, produced by fellow banjo man John McCuen, with assistance from Tony Trischka and Pete Wernick. Helping out in the studio were Russ Barenberg on guitar, Matt Flinner on mandolin and Brittany Haas on fiddle, among others. New Martin compositions are the focus, performed in both 3 finger and clawhammer styles.

Earl Scruggs & Steve Martin – Foggy Mountain Breakdown

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMTVV5Lwaw[/youtube]

Hank III Video Premier – “Long Hauls and Close Calls”

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Presenting the Hank III Exclusive World Premier Video of “Long Hauls and Close Calls” from the forthcoming new release “DAMN RIGHT, REBEL PROUD” in stores on 10/21 in CD and Double Vinyl format.
I’m posting this as a mirror to the Record Store Day web site which broke the video first.

Hank III – “Long Hauls and Close Calls”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKCD5ivFFzQ[/youtube]

Marty Stuart To Debut “The Marty Stuart Show” on RFD-TV in November

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  • Ellensburg, Washington based alt.country artist Star Anna is already a Twang Nation favorite and has tickled our fancy even further by offering an excellent ‘Crooked Path Live EP‘ available for download at Amazon. The digital four track EP release includes live versions of Crooked Path, Bed That I’ve Made, Five Minutes To Midnight and a never before released track, Push It Through. Star Anna will be appearing at Seattle’s Bumbershoot music festival.
  • Texas Yoda and Country Music legend Willie Nelson’s debut novel “A Tale Out Of Luck” (Center Street Books) should not to be confused with Willie’s album “A Tale Out of Luck” which features the excellent song “Home Motel.” The book is the story of Retired Texas Ranger Captain Hank Tomlinson who must attempt to keep his sons safe from vengeful Comanche warriors while trying to catch a murderer who he knows will soon strike again. The name of the book and the album are a play off the name of Luck Texas which is an old western town built in 1986 on Willie Nelson’s ranch for the filming of “Red Headed Stranger.
  • Four-time GRAMMY winner and Country Music Icon Marty Stuart will premiere his new television series The Marty Stuart Show this November starting with the first 26 episodes airing Sunday nights on RFD-TV.  The Marty Stuart Show will begin production in September at Nashville’s NorthStar Studios, home of RFD-TV. The 30-minute episodes, hosted and produced by Stuart, will be a part of RFD-TV’s new Sunday night prime time lineup with HEE HAW, Postcards From Nebraska, and Music & Motors.  Each show will feature music by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, as well as his wife Country Queen Connie Smith and performance segments from the best that country music and American music has to offer.  Radio personality Eddie Stubbs will serve as the show’s announcer and Stuart’s sidekick on every episode.
  • Stuart  will also release his second photography book Country Music: The Masters on Nov. 11.   Chicago’s Source Books will publish the 342 page collection that includes Stuart’s personal photos of friends including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ray Charles and more.   The book’s forward is written by long-time pal and country music fan Billy Bob Thornton.