The last few years has seen Ryan Adams dabbling in computer music and metal and producing for Jenny Lewis.
Now Adam’s is in a rock-and-roll phase with his new self-titled solo album, his 14th, which will hit stores on September 9 via Pax-Am Records.
The video for the fist single, “Gimme Something Good,†is a nice balance of brooding rocker and B-movie camp, represented onscreen by super-vamp mistress of the night Elvira. Adams stares menacing and Elvira preens and dances around a candelabra. It’s serves just the right amount of cheese and oomph to make for a cool vid.
Tomorrow night, 8/13, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has booked both Ryan Adams and Taylor Swift.
I think this has potential to be a fanatic opportunity for both performers.
Swift is appearing to promote her role in the upcoming movie ‘The Giver†and Adams booked as musical guest and is there to promote his upcoming self-titled release. I believe a few songs performed together would do a lot to gain Adams some mainstream exposure and allow Swift to gain a little indie creed.
Both performers are known for covering musicians that they respect. Ryan adams does a great interpretation of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years†and Swift really won be cover with her version of Mumford & Sons’ “Blank White Page.â€
Aside from the image potential, I believe that interpreting eachother’s songs as duets or trade-offs would bring new dimensions to the work not head in it’s current form.
“Love Story” – Sure it’s sappy and naive, but Adams counts melt any jaded heart.
“Teardrops on My Guitar” – See above re: sappy and naive
“Back to December” – No one handles regret and heartbreak like Adams. This would kill.
“White Horse” – See above re: regret and heartbreak
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Adams’ would deconstruct this pop ditty and lay it’s dark, fatalistic core out odor all to see.
“Safe & Sound” – This is an obvious one. This Swift/Civil Wars collaboration for the Hunger Games is half-way to being in Adams’ style wheelhouse. The other half is in Tori Amos’ .
Ryan Adams songs I’d like to see Taylor Swift cover
“When the Stars Go Blue” – Arguably the best song from “Gold.” Perfect for a duet. Obvious connection since Tim McGraw
covered this one.
“16 Days†– A gem from Strangers Almanac. A duet and a single of this radio-friendly cut would surely sell a ton. I wonder if Adam’s would torpedo this song’s climb up the charts twice?
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) – From Heartbreaker. It’s fun. Swift knows fun.
“Two†– His best off “Easy Tiger,” and one of his biggest hits. A duet with swift would bring out the song’s sweetness.
“So Alive†– Also off Gold. This song rocks U2-style. Swift has been known to rock out on occasion.
“Lucky Now†– From 2011’s “Ashes & Fire,” another of Adam’s most radio-friendly, and optimistic, love songs.
I can imagine the eye-rolls and sneers resulting from this post by Swifties and whatever Adams fans call themselves. But i believe that both sWIFT AND adams have an independent streak and a love of musical history that would suit them.
If nothing else I got fans in each camp to hear the other’s music, probably for the very first time.
Common sentiment has you believe that TV singing competitions are a cultural wasteland not worth our attention.
Grace Askew is proof that sometimes paying attention pays off.
“The Voice” Season 4 contestant Grace Askew delighted when she did a excellently brash cover of Lee Hazlewood’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin,'” made famous by Nancy Sinatra
Twangers, ya know I like it greasy. If you give me swampy and greasy at the same time you’ll have a hard time sending me home.
Recorded at the legendary Sun Studio, “Cinnamon” is a woozy slice of what Askew has coined “bluntry” (blues+country, or perhaps stoned country) Labels aside, it’s a greasy, swampy delight made more so by Askew’s marble-mouthed delivery in her native Memphis country grammar.
Shot in an abandoned house , with single-source light saturated clack-and-white, Askew dances as she sings this sexually-charged come-on.
Askew embodies a potent blend of charisma and authenticity that makes her a force to keep your eye on.
“Cinnamon” is from Askew’s debut newest release ‘Scaredy Cat
And in the no surprise to anyone category today The Civil Wars’ Joy Williams and John Paul White made their “indefinite hiatus‘ into a musical conscious uncoupling.
the folk-pop duo took to thecivilwars.com to announce the news. As a farewell and thank you to fans, the two are offering a download of their 2010 rendition of the classic “You Are My Sunshine.†The track was originally a b-side to the band’s limited edition Barton Hollow 7″ vinyl. This is the first time the song is available digitally in the U.S.
Joy Williams comments, “I am saddened and disappointed by the ending of this duo, to say the very least. JP is a tremendous musician, and I will always be grateful for the music we were able to create together.I sincerely hope that ‘You Are My Sunshine’ will be accepted as a token of my gratitude for every single person that has supported our duo throughout the years. I’m so thankful and my heart is full. Looking ahead, I’m excited to share the music that I am writing and recording in the midst of this difficult transition. I’ve loved being back in the studio, and have missed performing live. I look forward to seeing you soon.â€
John Paul adds, “I would like to express sincere thanks to all who were a part of the arc of The Civil Wars—from the beginning, to the end, and all points in between. My deep appreciation goes out to all who supported, disseminated, and enjoyed the music. Whatever shape or form the next chapter takes, thanks for being a large part of this one.â€
Williams and White were already music industry veterans in 2008 when a chance pairing at a Nashville group writing camp shows potential chemistry. In their brief career The Civil Wars helped bring Americana to the mainstream with their best-selling, Grammy-winning, releases and intimate but rousing live performances.
Here are a few of my favorite Civil Wars performances:
Barton Hollow (Later with Jools Holland)
Poison & Wine (on David Letterman)
“From This Valley” (Live at the Grand Ole Opry)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBygKZqc3ls
“Between the Bars” (Elliott Smith cover)
“Sour Times” (Portishead cover)
“Billie Jean” (Michael Jackson Cover)
“You Are My Sunshine” (Live)
And the time I won a bottle of bourbon and they won some Grammys.
http://www.grammy.com/news/and-the-grammy-went-to-the-civil-wars#ooid=05bXZoMzq2-pDksz0DznPVSCPspq72pZ
Clawhammer banjo fuses with guitar-fuzz bombast spectacularly in “Wheelbarrow” the first release from Aussie country music vet Kasey Chambers’ upcoming 7th solo release “Bittersweet (August 29)
Chambers lends her unmistable pipes, which has a wonderful feel to the upper register, to this tale of trade-offs and empathy.
The stark stark black-and-white video, directed by Renny Wijeyamohan and shot in Southern Highlands of New South Wales, has a Bonnie & Clyde motif of bank heist and love. But love runs shallow and the Clyde in this case is left holding a sizable kiss-off in the end.
Hot on the heels of Beck’s performance last night on The Colbert Report the video for his moody gem “Heart Is A Drum” has been released.
Directed by Sophie Muller and shot in stark black and white, “Heart Is A Drum” travels rural backwoods of memories and, perhaps, destiny.
“Heart Is A Drum” is the latest single from Beck’s excellent pop-folk release “Morning Phase” (Capitol).
The current Morning Phase tour:
08/14/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Pioneer Park
08/15/14 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks
08/19/14 – Vancouver, BC – Deer Lake Park
08/20/14 – Seattle, WA – Marymoor Park
08/21/14 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
08/23/14 – Monterey, CA – First City Festival
08/29-31/14 – Stradbally, Ireland – Electric Picnic
09/04/14 – Isle of Wight, UK – Bestival
09/06/14 – Portmeirion, UK – Festival No. 6
09/08/14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Heineken Music Hall
09/10/14 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
09/11/14 – Paris, France – Zenith
09/13/14 – Madrid, Spain – dcode Festival
10/03/14 – Austin, TX – ACL Music Festival
10/10/14 – Austin, TX – ACL Music Festival
indie folk/country duo anchor & the butterfly is a collaboration between songwriter and singer Bridget Robertson and guitarist Lance Hillier.
From a converted shed in the backyard Central Victoria, Australia home they spin their stark and delicate magic with a bracing dose of heartbreak and despair.
The duo released their debut album “Nothing to Win Nothing to Lose” in early 2014. The album was written and recorded over a three year period.
The video for “Lone Star” features darkly moody visuals by Kain White that express beautifully the ebb and flow of the instrumentation and Robertson’s yearningly lilting voice floating above.
Roots-music legend, and three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams is set to release her first-ever double album “Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone” on September 30 though her very own Highway 20 Records
“Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone” is said to be ” Williams’ most ambitious and adventurous projects to date.” It features 20 new songs, with 18 written by Williams. The album’s opening track, “Compassionâ€, was originally a poem by her father, the poet Miller Williams, in which she wrote the music and additional lyrics.
From the press release “This is a personal milestone for Williams as it marks the first time she has composed music for one of her father’s poems, and it is from that song that the album title was taken. ”
The album also features a cover os JJ Cale’s “Magnolia.â€
“Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone” features performances by guitarists Bill Frisell and Tony Joe White, Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, Elvis Costello’s rhythm section of Pete Thomas (drums) and Davey Faragaher (bass) and Wallflowers guitarist Stuart Mathis. Jakob Dylan adds harmony vocals on “It’s Gonna Rain.†Williams’ longtime rhythm section of Butch Norton (drums) and David Sutton (bass) make also contribute. D”Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone” was produced by Williams, Tom Overby and Greg Leisz.
Of the Album Williams says ” “I didn’t set out to do a whole album of country-soul, but once I started working, a stylistic thread kind of emerged,†she says. “It’s a sound I can relate to, one that’s really immediate and really timeless at the same time — kind of sad in an indefinable way. It’s like something my dad said to me many years ago, something I wrote down and included in my song “Temporary Nature (Of Any Precious Thing)†because it was so profound to me — ‘the saddest joys are the richest ones.’ I think that fits this album really well.â€
EDIT: Here is the front and back covers. (The back is for the vinyl version.) The photos are by Birney Imes from his book “Juke Joint”. It is the same book that provided the cover for “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road”, as well as the photo that inspired the song “2 Kool 2 Be Forgotten”
See Williams perform “Something Wicked This Way Comes” from “Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone”
Let’s go kids as we follow a day in the life of Rhett Miller, Murry Hammond, Ken Bethea and Philip Peeples – collectively known as NorTex alt.country stalwarts The Old 97s. The video follows each member in a spilt-screen quadrants as they travel through various routines and states of consciousness (or not.) tier paths collide onstage at a hometown show in Dallas.
I can only surmise from the video that the definition of “get it on’ is put on a damn fine rock show, right guys? Right?
The Old 97’s released their recent album “Most Messed Up†in April on ATO Records.
Wait for the hilarious surprise ending. It’s worth it, believe me.
Dave Letterman is showing no sign of slowing down great Americana and roots music as he heads towards the exit door next year.
There is no better example than Hurray For The Riff Raff debuting their song “The Body Electric” on Letterman last night.
Alynda Lee Segarra, draped in angelic white, strums an acoustic guitar as the band swells and swirls around this classic murder ballad turned inside out from the woman’s point of view.
