Charlie Daniels has invited Shooter Jennings to open a series of Daniels’ Volunteer Jam concerts this year. April 11-12 in Harris, Mich. the bill also features .38 Special (which includes Donnie Van Zant, of the country duo Van Zant.)

The origial Volunteer Jam took place in 1972 was suppose to a one-off showcase of Daniel’s friend’s which just happed to be the best Southern Rock bands of the time which including the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band.

The mighty Drive By Truckers will make their 3rd appearance next week, Tuesday, March 11th, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Oh how I hope Triumph the Insult Dog sings back up.

The Village Voice and Rob Trucks feature Bloodshot Records recording artist and 70’s sleaze revivalist, the Deadstring Brothers in their feature “Possibly 4th Street” expositions. This is a piece where musicians are invited to perform live and impromptu somewhere in New York City and to experience the immeadiacy and electricity of being ignored by snooty pedistrians.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Chicowater’s newest release “Country Pajamas” echoes the early gossamer days of pop, country and folk. The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and first 4 album Beatles is spot welded onto a Uncle Tupelo alt.country sound that twangs up power-pop and provokes an even impulse to weep and dance.

“Hold on” kick things off with a sound reminiscent of the fledgling Beatles rockabilly era. The energy just flies off the song. The hooks are infectious and the plunder of Ryan William Bender drums are crisp and unrelenting. Sweet mercy what a beginning.

The next cut “Jagged Hearts” a love-gone-wrong pop song riddled with Jason Lee Ashby’s banjo in the vein of a better Fleetwood Mac tune struggling with a serious Southern jones. “Stuck In The Mud” sound like a trudging, lumbering big rock song that it’s name suggests. This is the song you scream the chorus ’til you’re horse and fist pump to at the Chicowater live show.

“December” and “My darling Girl” are minor-chord weepers that channels Ryan Adams at his most heart wrenching with a sweet honey chorus provided by Jeb Stuart Johnston (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Samantha Lee Johnston (upright doghouse and electric basses, vocals), but does Adams one better by not sounding like they deserve being screwed over for being a pretentious prick. “Learn to Let Go is another heart-broken take done as a blistering rave-up sounds like BR5-49 freebasing the Replacements.

“Ballad of a Fighting Man” serves up a great CCR style guitar lick Civil War lament, the trials of lose, war and the cost of memories with blood on your hands. The harmonica laden “Hard Times” sounds strikingly like Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers without the jarring fear-shifts.

This is a great release that shows an honor for tradition as well as the courage to take chances. I hope the band has a long life ahead of them and doesn’t let internal drama and strife tear them assunder as has been reported. We would all be the poorer if that happens.

After assulting the pop-culture by having a song on Tony Hawk’s latest video game and penning a theme song for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s new feature “12 Oz Mouse!”

Lexington, Kentucky’s cow-punk powerhouse “Nine Pound Hammer” is coming out with their long awaited follow up to Kentucky Breakdown.

“Sex, Drugs & Bill Monroe” drops on Feb.12, 2008 from Acetate Records. Just in time to get the album along with a six-pack of PBR and pork rinds for your sweety.

Los Angeles, CA –  New West Records will release the Drive-By Truckers’ eighth record, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark,
on January 22, 2008, featuring 19 new songs, many of which were previewed during the band’s The Dirt Underneath tour last
spring. Heralded by many critics as America’s best rock band, DBT will kick off the first leg of a new 29-city tour in
support of the album on February 11th in Anaheim, CA.  A four-song Brighter Than Creation’s Dark EP will be available on
December 18th at iTunes and all other DSPs (Rhapsody, Yahoo Music, MSN/Zune). The EP consists of “Two Daughters And A Beautiful
Wife,” “3 Dimes Down,” “The Righteous Path,” and “The Purgatory Line.” Back catalog reissues of Gangstabilly; Pizza Deliverance;
Decoration Day; The Dirty South; and A Blessing and a Curse will appear February 5, 2008as Limited Edition, 180 gram vinyl records.
This is the first time most of these titles will be available on vinyl.

Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley continue to be DBT’s primary songwriters, a relationship that started over twenty-two years ago
when the two began playing together. The band’s longtime bassist, Shonna Tucker, makes her debut on Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
as the band’s third writer, contributing three of the record’s nineteen tracks.  Founding member John Neff, who has frequently
guested on albums and onstage over the years, is an official member now, playing pedal steel and guitar.  He and drummer Brad Morgan
round out the band’s recording and touring line up.

Legendary Muscle Shoals keyboardist Spooner Oldham, to whom the album is dedicated, lends his unmistakable classic soul sound
to the record, as he did for the band’s last tour. The album also marks the sixth time the band has worked with producer David
Barbe, whose Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens, GA was the site of last summer’s recording.

DBT recently backed R&B vocalist Bettye Lavette on her critically acclaimed, Grammy®-nominated album The Scene of The Crime.
The album is nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album and was co-produced by Patterson Hood and long time DBT producer David Barbe.

Brighter Than Creation’s Dark Track Listing

1. Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I’m Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa’s Birthday
12. That Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode’s Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley

DBT on tour:
Mon Feb 11  Anaheim     CA    HOUSE OF BLUES
Tue Feb 12  Los Angeles CA    AVALON
Wed Feb 13  San Francisco CA  MEZZANINE
Fri Feb 15  Portland    OR    ROSELAND
Sat Feb 16  Seattle     WA    SHOWBOX
Sun Feb 17  Seattle     WA    SHOWBOX
Tue Feb 19  Boise       ID    BIG EASY CONCERT HOUSE
Wed Feb 20 Salt Lake City UT  THE PALADIUM
Thu Feb 21  Aspen CO   BELLY UP
Fri Feb 22  Denver      CO    OGDEN THEATRE
Sat Feb 23  Boulder     CO    FOX THEATRE
Mon Feb 25  Omaha       NE    SLOWDOWN
Tue Feb 26  Columbia    MO    THE BLUE NOTE
Wed Feb 27  Urbana      IL    THE CANOPY CLUB
Thu Feb 28  Milwaukee   WI    PABST THEATRE
Fri Feb 29  St Louis    MO    THE PAGEANT
Sat Mar 01  Louisville  KY    HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL
Fri Mar 14  Memphis     TN    MINGLEWOOD HALL
Sat Mar 15  Nashville   TN    CANNERY BALLROOM
Sun Mar 16  Newport     KY    SOUTHGATE HOUSE
Tue Mar 18  Millvale    PA    MR. SMALL’S THEATER
Wed Mar 19  Toronto     ONT   OPERA HOUSE
Thu Mar 20  Montreal    QUE   CABARET MUSIC HALL
Fri Mar 21  Northampton MA    PEARL STREET
Sat Mar 22  Boston      MA    PARADISE ROCK CLUB
Tue Mar 25  New Haven   CT    TOAD’S PLACE
Wed Mar 26  New York    NY    TERMINAL 5
Thu Mar 27  Philadelphia PA   THE FILMORE AT THE TLA
Fri Mar 28  Richmond    VA    THE NATIONAL
Sat Mar 29  Asheville   NC    THE ORANGE PEEL

The Felice Brothers support on 2/11 - 3/1
North Mississippi Allstars on 2/11 & 2/12

Chicago-based alt.country stalwart Bloodshot Records has signed Justin Townes Earle to a multi-album, world-wide deal. His debut full-length album, The Good Life is slated to hit stores in Spring 2008. Justin will make appearances at SXSW and tour with The Felice Brothers in March and April. Justin’s previously self-released EP “Yuma” will become available to wide release through Bloodshot soon.

The Good Life is produced by RS Field, who has made his mark on critically acclaimed albums by Billy Joe Shaver, Sonny Landreth, Webb Wilder and Buddy Guy. Recording is underway at House of David studios, the legendary room that has hosted sessions with George Jones, Yo La Tengo, Elvis Presley, Neil Young and countless others. Joining Earle in the studio are a cast of all-star players including longtime cohort Cory Yountes (Bobby Bare, Jr) on banjo and mandolin, pedal steel player master Pete Finney (Dixie Chicks, Patty Lovelace), bassist Bryn Davies (Patty Griffin, Guy Clark), drummer Bryan Owings (Buddy Miller, Shelby Lynne), keyboardist Skylar Wilson and fiddle player Josh Hedley.

George Grantham, drummer, vocalist and founding member of the seminal 70’s West Coast country-rock band Poco  (”Crazy Love,”  “Heart of the Night”), recently suffered a severe stroke.  The stroke took him off the road permanently–making him incapable of enjoying or continuing his music career.

John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Timothy Schmit, Kentucky Headhunters, Scotty Moore, Steve Wariner, DJ Fontana, Don Henley, Richie Furay, Chris Hillman, Graham Nash, the band Orleans ands others have all joined Grantham’s daughter Gracie to begin a campaign Putting Heads Together to raise money for her father by contributing items for an eBay auction and to establish a fund to pay for George’s medical and living expenses.

For the latest news, to donate cash, something to sell or want to buy something from the auction visit the Putting Heads Together  site.

Hank Williams III took time from the road to talk to KNAC.COM about his new CD, “Damn Right and Rebel Proud” (Curb - early 2008 release) his early inspirations, his country royalty legacyand the sorry state of Nashville.

KNAC.COM: Don’t you think there are still plenty of people out there who don’t have the two-story house and the car payment and botoxed wife? I mean, there are still people who live on the edge, don’t you think? Day to day with a lot of obstacles who just do what they do to get by?

HANK III: Yep. Right. The lawyers outsmarted all the musicians in Nashville, and that’s when it totally changed. We just do what we do. I’m going through the same fuckin’ bullshit on the new record that I just turned in. “There’s no country song for radio on here.” Well, it’s not my fuckin’ fault that I’m too country for radio or that my topics aren’t pristine or picture perfect. I just stick to my guns. “This is my record. These are my songs. If it’s not good enough for radio, that’s your problem—not mine. Our fans will still be here and we’ll still be doin’ what we’re doin’ with or without you, man.

KNAC.COM: This will be your fourth record though. At this point why would they expect that you had changed at all? I mean, you aren’t Rascal Flatts.

HANK III: I guess it’s just like the same reason Creative Artist Agency let me go eight months ago. They were like, “Are you gonna take the next step and go to the next level?” I’m like, “I’m gonna keep playing the bars—they’ve been supporting me since day one. If you have a couple of big shows, I’ll open for a band if the situation is right, but I’m not gonna say “Fuck y’all, see ya later!” to the bars that have kept us alive.” They fired me. I guess it’s the same mentality at the record label that I have to deal with now. Maybe they figure, “Hank’s getting older now—maybe he’s got this rebellious bullshit out of his system and do it our way.” Thank God that I’ve got a good manager and a good lawyer who believes in what I do.

Hank Williams III - Dick In Dixie