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Shovels & Rope To Release Sophomore Album “Swimminâ€™ Time” August 26

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

Great news Twangers. The pride of Charleston, South Carolina, Shovels & Rope (Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent) release their sophomore album Swimminâ€™ Time (Dualtone Music) on August 26.

Swimminâ€™ Time is the highly-anticipated follow up to the bandâ€™s 2012 breakthrough debut Oâ€™ Be Joyful, which garnered unanimous praise from the press, followed on the heels by dozens of sold out shows, national television appearances, numerous year-end lists (including mine) booming album sales and major festival performances like Newport Folk, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch. Topping at all off the band also took home two of the top honors, Song of the Year (â€œBirminghamâ€) and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2013 Americana Music Awards.

They should have been nominated for a GRAMMY as well, but I digress….

Whereas a good deal of Oâ€™ Be Joyful was recorded on the road when time allowed, Swimminâ€™ Time was done at their home studio in Charleston, SC. Trent again producing. Swimminâ€™ Time features 13 new songs that “that maintain the elemental Shovels & Rope songwriting and sound while incorporating new ingredients to the mix. From the heady harmonies of â€œThe Devil Is All Aroundâ€ and the quirky â€œMary Ann & One-Eyed Danâ€ to the epic beauty of â€œAfter The Stormâ€ and the Waits-ian â€œOhioâ€ fans are sure to be pleased and pleasantly surprised by some of the chosen new paths and dark turns.”

Sounds cool. No?

Here’s a song that the band is doing on the road that will be on Swimminâ€™ Time

Watch Out! Hurray for the Riff Raff – Conan – April 29, 2014 [VIDEO]

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

Hurray for the Riff Raff made their late night TV debut on Conan. Alynda Lee Segarra , bedecked in a gilded Nudie-inspired suit is in fine form performing the Cajan-flavored “I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright.)” there is also a wbsite only performance of “End of the Line.” Bothe songs are from HFTRR’s newest “Small Town Heroes” (ATO Records)

And if that wasn’t enough, look for the band to play David Letterman on June 26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bfEOlsxdM

Watch Out! The Secret Sisters “Rattle My Bones” [VIDEO]

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

The Secret Sisters – Laura and Lydia Rogers – new release “Put Your Needle Down” (review here)
prove they can do more than winsome covers with their sizzling new single shows they can rock.

The cut was penned by Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth and swings a Bo Diddley-style swing.

The Tyler Jones-directed video sits somewhere between “At Folsom Prison’ and Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” behind-the-bars dance off.

Is it hot in here or is it just this video?

The Secret Sisters are on tour now:

5/03 9:30 Club Washington, DC
5/04 9:30 Club Washington, DC
5/06 Taft Theatre Cincinnati, OH
5/08 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
5/09 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL
5/10 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
5/11 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
5/13 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
5/14 Kingsbury Hall Salt Lake City, UT
5/16 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
5/17 Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
5/19 Fox Theater Oakland, CA
5/20 Balboa Theatre San Diego, CA
5/21 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA

Watch Out! Sturgill Simpson – ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ [VIDEO]

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

The new Sturgill Simpson song ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ is like an “I’ve Been Everywhere Man” but with destinations of the mind instead of the lower 48. It’s the kind of psychedelic honky-tonk. Gram Parsons would approve.

“Marijuana, LSD, psilocybin, DMT…They all change the way I see, but love’s the only thing that ever saved my life.”

That’s a long, strange trip that ends up with the greatest of mind alterations.

Simpson will release his second album, “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” on his own High Top Mountain Records. “Turtles All the Way Down” is the first release.

“I would urge anyone that gets hung up on the song being about drugs to give another listen, To me ‘Turtles’ is about giving your heart to love and treating everyone with compassion and respect no matter what you do or don’t believe.” The song â€” which Simpson tells NPR was inspired by “theology, cosmology and breakthroughs in modern physics and their relationship to a few personal experiences I’ve had”

A psychedelic country song deserves to be represented by a psychedelic-inspired video. That’s exactly what director by Graham Uhelski has created. The words and visuals works to to further establish the Outlaw reputation which Simpson eschews (much like Waylon did)

The video description: “Through Dr. Rick Strassman and Andrew Stone at www.cottonwoodresearch.org I was introduced to visionary software artist Scott Draves, creator and founder of Electric Sheep, a form of raw synthetic consciousness communicated between sleeping computers. After some correspondence, Scott was gracious and generous enough to contribute to the project. I am very grateful for their collective assistance in helping me fully realize this vision.”

Check out the video below and see some crazy imagery. More importantly hear how country music can be modernized and evolve without being packaged into radio-friendly drivel.

Watch Out! Kelly Willis – “Harper Valley PTA” [VIDEO]

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Baron Lane — 1 Comment ↓

Way back in 2012 Kelly Willis asked her Twitter followers for cover ideas for an upcoming Austin gig coming up playing alongside her husband Bruce Robison. There were some great suggestions in response. I Tweeted “Harper Valley PTA” because I thought Willis’ style would fit it perfectly. it appears she agreed with me because that was the cover that she chose.

Fast-forward to today and Ms. Willis has released a wonderful video of “Harper Valley PTA.”
Her rendition of Tom T. Hall’s tale of a swinging 60’s single mom confronting small town hypocrisy was a sensation and made Jeannie C. Riley a star and a symbol of female empowerment on country radio.

Her version is excellent as are all things Willis lends her pipes to. I do like the extras little kick and swing added to the arrangement. And that organ!

Now did my tweet two years ago lead to the inclusion of this song Kelly Wills & Bruce Robisonâ€™s upcoming “Our Year?” I don’t know.

But I like to think it did.

Kelly Wills & Bruce Robisonâ€™s “Our Year,” the follow-up to the fantastic “Cheaters Game,” is due out May 27 on Thirty Tigers.

Watch Out! Hurricane Roses – “Home To Haunt You” [VIDEO PREMIER]

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Baron Lane — 1 Comment ↓

Hurricane Roses is a six-piece female roots band from the San Francisco Bay Area. In their 5 years together the band has honed a loosely-taut sensibility that results in a deceptively effortless sound.

They count as influences Fleetwood Mac, Neko Case, Brandi Carlile, and Ryan Adams, and those sources are in there. But not aped slavishly but worked as nuanced influences that resulted in their own craft.

The band’s new video features the title cut from their upcoming second album (release May 6th) A superficial listening brings to mind a jaunty ditty made for a top down summer drive. The lovely video makes plain the darker thread contained within.

The video was directed by The Sundays and filmed by Jeremy Castillo. It was filmed in the foothills of San Jose, CA.

Our album release show will be on May 16th at Club Rodeo in San Jose, CA.

Official site

Watch Out! Lyle Lovett – “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas)” Conan – 4/3/14

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

While in Dallas to produce his show Conan Oâ€™Brien has had some fun indulging in some things that make the Great State, well, great. But more often than not Oâ€™Brien, and his sidekick Andy Richter, just seemed confused. And many of the jokes in a less-hardly clime might be borderline offensive.

Lucky for Oâ€™Brien Texas eats offensive for breakfast.

Besides a brisket-filled PiÃ±ata (yes, really) Team Coco had the good sense to invite Lyle Lovett and his Large Band performs his classic song of inclusion “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas).

Watch Out! Rodney Crowell – “Fever On The Bayou” [VIDEO]

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

One of the most memorable scenes from James Szalapski’s extraordinary “Heartworn Highways” is at the end of the country/folk documentary Christmas Day song-along. Fueled by cigarettes and wine Steve Young, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Jim McGuire and others are shown having a raucous guitar pull at Guy and Susanna Clark’s Nashville home. Near the end Rodney Crowell leads the gathered in beautifully delivered “Silent Night.” Crowell renders a tone of beauty that brings a hush to this seasoned (and buzzed) band of new outlaws.

Now a veteran of the country/Americana field he’s hardly coasting. Crowell along with his old Hot Band collaborator, Emmylou Harris won a Best Americana Album Grammy for last year’s “Old Yellow Moon.” He also performed at an Everly Brothers tribute will in LA to pick up the prize. He most recently held court a few well-received sets at South By Southwest.

One track on Crowell’s upcoming album, Tarpaper Sky (April 15) offers a gumbo-flavored track, â€œFever on the Bayou.â€

The song has been decades in the making. It began as a collaboration between Will Jennings. But, says Crowell â€œDue to our inability to come up with a suitable last verse, the song lay dormant for twenty-plus years. An off-chance conversation with a friend of mine in which the word Franglaisâ€”an improper synthesis of the French and English languages as I understood itâ€”gave me the idea that the last verse should echo the Cajun French Iâ€™d heard working on construction crews along the Texas-Lousiana border. Once I had that last verse the recording was a snap.â€

Check the lyric video for â€œFever on the Bayouâ€ below. Tarpaper Sky will be out April 15 via New West. Pre-order here.

T Bone Burnett Recording Unfinished Dylan Tunes with Elvis Costello, Jim James, Marcus Mumford [VIDEO]

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

If there was ever an Americana and roots music watershed recording the Basement Tapes 1967 sessions from Bob Dylan and The band was one.

Now there’s official word that that mainstay of Americana, T Bone Burnett, is working on a project “Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes.” The project has a solid (and marketable) roster – Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons.)

The event focuses on two-dozen recently discovered lyrics written by Dylan during the 1967 period that generated original legendary Basement Tapes release.

Recording is nearly complete on the project which will be released later this year by Electromagnetic Recordings/Harvest Records. The album will be accompanied by a Showtime documentary titled Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued, directed by Sam Jones (the Wilco documentary, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart)

I can imagine the germ of this endeavor occurred during the “Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis,” held at New York Cityâ€™s Town Hall last September. That one-night event featured Mumford and Giddens as well as Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Jack White, The Avett Brothers, Punch Brothers, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings Machine, Willie Watson, The Milk Carton Kids, Colin Meloy and Lake Street Dive. (see below)

Truth is I’m ambivalent about this. A sequel to The New Basement Tapes is like a sequel to Casablanca. Is it necessary and will it ever have a chance to even come close to the genius of the original. And as much as i respect the artists involved, they are hardly the contemporary versions of Dylan and The Band.

If this was Ryan Adams and the Felice Brothers I still think it would fall short, but damn it would be interesting.

Here’s to being proven wrong.

You can sign up for updates at on the project at the official site.

Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes” will be released Nov. 11. Pre-order here.

Happy Birthday Patterson Hood – Top 10 Songs [VIDEO]

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Baron Lane — No Comments ↓

As one of the founders and principle songwriters of the mighty Drive-By Truckers, Patterson Hood has created a wealth of searing narratives and complex and character studies that has put him on a short list of great contemporary songwriters.
On this occasion of his 50th birthday I take a daunting task at my top 10 , in no particular order, from that bounty.

Your’s not here? Add it to the comments.

Based loosely on Ray McKinnon film short “The Accountant”, the song is about family pride, greed and vengeance.

Hood’s great Uncle encapsulates the complexity of war by remarking “I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima” while watching said movie.

Act I of the DBTâ€™s â€œSouthern Rock Opera,â€ Hood delivers HISTORICAL soliloquy ON growing up Alabama and how George Wallace, Bear Bryant and Ronnie Van Zant shaped the environment.