Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music
Americana & Roots Music & Culture
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PURNz-8U_Ko
“Blackland Farmer” is a wonderful reverb drenched stomp-blues rock number by Hard Working Americans featuring Todd Snider, Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi) and Duane Trucks. The roots-music supergroup’s self-titled debut has done well on Americana Radio and received high praise from no less than Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, USA Today, Relix, Magnet, American Songwriter, NPR’s Fresh Air. The band has been also been nominated for the Americana Music Association’s 2014 Duo / Group of the Year award.
Not too shabby at all.
The new video for “Blackland Farmer” is a contemporary twist on Frankie Miller’s 1959 hit’s narrative about working-class perseverance. The debut video from award-winning rock photographer, journalist Andy Tennille vividly depicts a small farmer facing another grueling day providing for his family. Necessity begets ingenuity as the farmer takes a risk, reacts to changing attitudes and market directions, and pursues a fail-safe cash crop.
Hard Working Americans and Melvin Records will release a special limited edition 12 inch single for “Blackland Farmer.†Side A will feature the original album version of Frankie Miller’s 1959 hit, while Side B will feature a live concert recording of the song. The single package will contain a pack of custom Hard Working Americans rolling papers and a 25% off coupon towards a purchase at the LoDo Wellness Center in Denver, CO, a marijuana dispensary that is open to the public. The final item in the package will be a download card for the new video for “Blackland Farmerâ€.
The limited edition singles will only be available at the band’s shows this summer and here.
Sturgill Simpson’s latest video, is for his dour yet heartfelt of version of Manchester synth-pop band When In Rome’s 1988 hit “The Promise.” (also included below for reference)
Simpson sits singing looking directly at you. Aashed-out colors fill in the grey-tone frame. Colors swirl and wash until replaced by inky clouds claustrophobically closing in.
And then.. he’s gone.
“The Promise” is a cover but Simpson makes it his own and shapes one of the best songs on his excellent release “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music.â€
Ladies and Gents great country music is alive and well and, yes, sometimes it still comes from Music Row.
GRAMMY-award winning singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves has a response to self-rightous neighbors and it’s “The Trailer Song,†and it’s a honky-tonk delight (with an “awww haaawww’ for bonus points)
The song was written by Musgraves, and her usual partners in crime Brandy Clark and Shane McAnnally
Last week Musgraves performed “The Trailer Song†on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (see below.)
Purchase “The Trailer Song.†at Musgraves’ website.
Musgraves is currently on tour this summer with Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss as well as Katy Perry on her Prismatic World Tour.
“The Devil Is All Around” is the first cut from Shovels & Rope upcoming sophomore release “Swimmin’ Time” (Dualtone Music – August 26)
Courage and perseverance in the wake of hardships and the lures of earthly temptations are a staple in folk, country and gospel music. The video show the natural interplay between Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent as they blend their roughhewn harmonies and give that classic form a kick in the pants.
It’s a righteous spiritual for these unsure times.
The band will tour will start in August in their hometown in Raleigh, NC with stops scheduled in Atlanta, Nashville, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New York with The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and John Fullbright. Catch ’em if you can!
Shovels & Rope Tour
7/4 & 7/6 – Ottawa, ON – RBC Blues Ottawa Festival
7/5 – Toronto, ON – Toronto Urban Roots Fest
7/10-12 – Oakbank, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival
7/13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
7/26 – Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival
8/20 – Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Amphitheater **
8/21 – Charlotte, NC – Uptown Amphitheater **
8/22 – Alpharetta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater **
8/23 – Nashville, TN – The Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel **
8/27 – Louisville, KY – WFPK Waterfront Wednesday
9/18 – Wilmington, NC – Ziggy’s %
9/20 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater %
9/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
9/26 – Boston, MA – Royale %
9/27 – Boston, MA – Royale %
9/28 – Montreal, QB – Corona Theatre %
10/1 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall %
10/2 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre %
10/3 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave %
10/5 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre
10/7 – Bloomington, IN – Bluebird %
10/8 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre %
10/10 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre %
# – with The Avett Brothers
** – with Old Crow Medicine Show
% – with John Fullbright
When Bryan Simspon walked away from the new-grass quintet Cadillac Sky in 2010, writing that “The vision for my life post C-Sky is still coming together†few could imagine that he meant this.
The fruit of his vision is the newly released The Whistles & The Bells. ‘Skeletons’ is a twitchy dark gem that menaces with ripping guitars and slithers with scattered banjo to build into a sound that owes much to the garage and southern varieties of rock. It’s quite the dark boot-stomper.
The stop-motion video, directed by Joe Baughman, is an excellent accompaniment to running down things that get out and just won’t stay hidden no matter your puny efforts.
Pick up the The Whistles & The Bells self-titled release here)
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from roots chanteuse Lera Lynn, but it’s been worth the wait.
This video for the title cut from her new ‘Lying In The Sun’ EP is set in a moody residence brandishing an acoustic guitar. monogrammed tooled leather strap and semi-retro dress and hair. she stands alone as the band is filmed playing part until the room fills. All the while Lynn delivers the song directly to us.
The song is a moody work flecked with shimmering harmony and guitar much like the light pouring through the window drapes. This song both yearns and burns.
The video was Directed by Bill Filipak with Stephen Shiveley as director of photography.
Has anyone reached the heights of entertainer as completely as Dolly Parton. Her beginnings as the platinum buxom female talent on the Porter Wagoner show to an international superstar, actress and entertainment entrepreneur Parton is still releasing music and doing loads of media and touring behind it.
Her latest, Blue Smoke
In celebration of this great performer here are some of her most memorable songs from her extraordinary career.
Nothing better than Dolly at The Ryman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laCiYFS14Ws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFBWP60I3pw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz_ejQbDoS0
No other technology has held a thematic sway over roots and county music like the the railway system (okay, maybe distilling) The train has been a symbol of freedom that has catured the iamginction of songwrietrs or generations.
In celebrate National Train day here are some my personal and fan picked favorites.
As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train out to Western Canada, and began writing songs and performing. It;s natural he’d write a great son about them.
Steve Earle’s post-addiction and post-prison is arguably his best. The GRAMMY-nominated “Train a Comin’ featured older material written when Earle was in his late teens but it;s maturity is evident in songs like “Sometimes She Forgets,” Mercenary Song,” and “Mystery Train part II” whose lyrics finished the day it was recorded.
“Orphan Train” tells the story of the orphan trains operated between 1853 and 1929, relocating about 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest. Julie Miller adds just the right atmosphere to this contemporary dirge,
500 Miles is a folk classic credited to Hedy West and made popular by acts like Peter, Paul and Mary (it was the second track on their US #1, May 1962 debut album).A slightly altered version was a hit by Bobby Bare in 1963. Roseanne Cash does a hulluva version from her release “The List.”
Billy Joe Shaver, with his late son Eddie picking in the strat, made an instant classic with this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpEElGVgv24
Guy Clark wrote “Texas – 1947†bout the first time a diesel sped through his hometown of Monahans in West Texas.
“Ben Dewberry’s Final Run” by Andrew Jenkins was covered by Johnny Cash, Jerry Douglas, Steve Forbert, Bill Monroe, Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Snow. Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings give it fine turn.
Orange Blossom Special” is a classic by Johnny Cash. Johnny burns up the mouth harp on this one at San Quentin.
City of New Orleans” is a folk song written by Steve Goodman describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans. Arlo Guthrie had a hit with i on his 1972 album Hobo’s Lullaby. The way I see it, when Willie Nelson does a song it stays done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnU2Tmqqv9g
Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra had a fruitful professional relationship together, most famously working on the smash hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.’†Though there’s no documented romantic involvement between the two, I believe I have proof of a stylistic offspring of their union. Nikki Lane’a newest release “All Or Nothin’ “ (drop, the “Gâ€, make it real) has the twang, groove and soul DNA that made famed collaboration so successful.
Theres a rose-tinted romantic hopefulness in songs like “Good Man” and “I Don’t Care (About Anything But You)” They have a Wynette-like devotion that wears it’s big heart on a simple gabardine sleeve. “You Can’t Talk To Me Like That” imbues a Laurel Canyon shimmer glinting off this psychedelic-folk ditty reminiscent of Beck’s latest efforts.
But pining has limits and on “Seein Double” Lane licks her heartbroken wounds and hits the road. Producer and Black Key Dan Auerbach lends he voice (as well as his guitar chops which are all over this album) on “Love’s On Fire.†the cut starts as a simmer and heats up to a passion-fueled Rocky-Top-like jamboree. “Sleep With A Stranger†swaggers with energy and is a country-funk delight of sexual self-determination and late night risky businesses.
“All or Nothing” and “Man Up” channels Bobbie Gentry’s Muscle Shoals sessions with all it’s swampy, sultry beauty that fits perfectly with her swervey and austere voice. The latter let’s the subject in her crosshairs know her time is short and if you don’t step up your ass will end up like the gently-worn cowboy boots on the shelf of her Nashville vintage store.
Lane is the spiritual big sister to current Nashville darling Kacey Musgraves. Whereas Musgraves sings about human condition in somewhat wide-eyes naivety, Lane is sophisticated and wry. You can imagine her with a leather jacket, astride a vintage Indian motorcycle, handing a Musgrames “Sticky Fingers” vinyl before tearing down the highway in a cloud of dust.
What starts as a broken-hearted lament of sonic nostalgia careens forward to modern swinging twang looking for a good time. All the while serenaded by Gram Parsons playing in a saloon in a Quentin Tarantino flick.
