John Prine Will Release New album ‘For Better, Or Worse’ This Fall

John Prine - For Better, Or Worse

The other day John Prine teased some upcoming music by posting a picture on his Facebook page of he and long-time collaborator Iris DeMent laying down some tracks in his home studio.

Now the great news is out. On September 30, Oh Boy Records will release John Prine’s latest, ‘For Better, Or Worse,’ a thematic bookend to his classic, Grammy nominated ‘In Spite of Ourselves. Produced by Jim Rooney, John performs duets with country and roots luminaries like the aforementioned Iris DeMent, as well as Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Kathy Mattea, Kacey Musgraves, Fiona Prine, Amanda Shires, Morgane Stapleton, Susan Tedeschi, Holly Williams, and Lee Ann Womack.

Wow, indeed.

The classic songs on ‘For Better, Or Worse,’ originally recorded by artists such as Hank Williams, George Jones, Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens and others, are in John’s blood. “I cut my teeth on Hank Williams songs,” he says. “When I sing these songs there is a small pipeline straight from my heart to my lips.” The tracks take listeners through the universal cycle of love’s pull, love’s bend, love’s life, and love’s end.

The toe-tapping first single, “Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out,” originally done by Loretta Lynn with Ernest Tubb, features Iris Dement, is available now when you pre-order the new record. Hear it below.

This fall, John will celebrate both the new album and his approaching 70th birthday with two shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Sept. 30th & Oct. 1st, where he will be joined by some of the duet partners from ‘For Better, Or Worse.’

John Prine took time to talk to NPR’s Jewly Hight about the album.

Tracklist:
John Prine/Iris DeMent – Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out
John Prine/Lee Ann Womack – Storms Never Last
John Prine/Alison Krauss – Falling in Love Again
John Prine/Susan Tedeschi – Color of the Blues
John Prine/Holly Williams – I’m Telling You
John Prine/Kathy Mattea – Remember Me (When Candlelights Are Gleaming)
John Prine/Morgane Stapleton – Look At Us
John Prine/Amanda Shires – Dim Lights, Thich Smoke and Loud, Loud Music
John Prine/Lee Ann Womack – Fifteen Years Ago
John Prine/Miranda Lambert – Cold, Cold Heart
John Prine/Kathy Mattea – Dreaming My Dreams With You
John Prine/Kacey Musgraves – Mental Cruelty
John Prine/Iris DeMent – Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be
John Prine/Fiona Prine – My Happiness
John Prine – Just Waitin’

Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2016

Ghosts of Highway 20 - Lucinda Williams

2015 was another bumper crop year for Americana and roots music, and 2016 show vast signs that the great music will continue to come. As our Cream of the Crop favorites from 2015 makes plain we might be experiencing a new golden age of roots music as a growing influence on our contemporary culture and as a sustainable , and viable, business for young and old artists alike.

That last part is crucial as it provides seed corn for the future of this music we truly love.

The list below is a collection of 2016 notable Americana / roots releases. Some anticipated releases from artists like Sturgill Simpson, Elizabeth Cook, Robbie Fulks, Lydia Loveless, Al Scorch and Brandy Clark have no release dates yet, but when I’m aware of them and others I will be updating the list through the year and will send word through my twitter account

If you know of a release not listed leave it in the comments and I might add it.

Look for new things coming in the 2016 at Twang Nation. With your help it’s going to be a great year folks.

January 11th
Keegan McInroe – “Uncouth Pilgrims”

January 15th
Dylan LeBlanc – ‘Cautionary Tale’
Randy Rogers Band – “Nothing Shines Like Neon”
Hank Williams Jr. – “It’s About Time”
Dawn Landes And Piers Faccini – ‘Desert Songs’

January 22nd
The Cactus Blossoms – ‘You’re Dreaming’
Simon Linsteadt – Self-Titled
Aoife O’Donovan – “In the Magic Hour”

January 24th
Michael Chapman – ‘Fish”

January 26th
Brad Armstrong – “Empire”

January 29th
Buddy Miller and Friends – ‘Cayamo Sessions at Sea’
Sierra Hull – ‘Weighted Mind’
Aubrie Sellers – ‘City Blues’
Miranda Lee Richards – “First Light of Winter”

February 5th
Lucinda Williams – “The Ghosts of Highway 20”
Dori Freeman – ‘Dori Freeman’
Luther Dickinson – ‘Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook: Volumes I & II)’
The Infamous Stringdusters – ‘Ladies & Gentleman’
Freakwater – ‘Scheherazade’
The O’s – ‘Honeycomb’

February 12th
Vince Gill – “Down to My Last Bad Habit”
Wynonna Judd – “Wynonna & the Big Noise”
Lorrie Morgan – ‘Letting Go … Slow’
Joey + Rory – “Hymns That Are Important To Us”
Malcolm Holcombe – ‘Another Black Hole’
Wheeler Walker Jr. ‘Redneck Shit’
Alex Dezen – ‘Alex Dezen’
Matt Patershuk – ‘I Was So Fond of You”
Applewood Road (Emily Barker, Amber Rebirth and Amy Speace) – ‘Applewood Road’

February 19th
Lake Street Dive – ‘Side Pony’
Austin Lucas – ‘Between The Moon and the Midwest”
Mike June – ‘Poor Man’s Bible’

February 26th
Shooter Jennings – ‘Countach (For Giorgio)’
Waco Brothers – ‘Going Down in History’
Kathryn Legendre – ‘Don’t Give A Damn’
Michael Daves – ‘Orchids and Violence’
Jane Kramer – ‘Carnival of Hopes’
Paul Burch – ‘Meredian Rising’
Bonnie Raitt – ‎’Dig In Deep’‬
Caleb Caudle – ‘Carolina Ghost”
Jen Lane – ‘This Life of Mine’
Ashley Monroe – ‘Live At Third Man Records”

March 4th
Loretta Lynne – ‘Full Circle’
Chris King – ‘Animal’
Anielle Reid – ‘Love Song’
Dead Tongues – ‘Montana’

March 11th
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – ‘Something Real’
Waylon Jennings – ‘Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas, Broadcast 1973’

March 18th
Various – Dave Cobb’s ‘Southern Family
Grant Lee Phillips – ‘The Narrows’
Sean Watkins – “What To Fear”
The Roosevelts – ”The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn’

March 25th
Parker Millsap – ‘The Very Last Day’
Margo Price – ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’

April 1st
Elephant Revival – ‘Petals’
Robbie Fulks – ‘Upland Stories’
Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones – ‘Little Windows’
Left Arm Tan – ‘Lorene’

April 8th
Hayes Carll – “Lovers and Leavers”
Tim McNary – ‘Above the Trees’ EP

April 15th
Hackensaw Boys – “Charismo”
Pauline Andres – “The Heart Breaks”
The Lowest Pair – ‘Fern Girl and Ice Man’ / ‘Uncertain As It Is Uneven’

April 19th
Crow Moses – “Nightshades”

April 22nd
Nate Leavitt – “Someone Send a Signal”
Derek Hoke – ‘Southern Moon’

April 29th
Larry Hooper – ‘No Turning Back’

May 3rd
Robert Ellis – ‘Robert Ellis’
Jeremy Nail – ‘My Mountain’

May 6th
Mary Chapin Carpenter – ‘The Things That We Are Made Of”
Jimbo Mathus – ‘Band of Storms’ EP
Vaudeville Etiquette – ‘Aura Vista Motel’

May 20th
Crystal Yates – ‘The Other Side’

May 27th
The Lowest Pair – ‘Fern Girl and Ice Man’ and ‘Uncertain As It Is Uneven’
Bonnie Bishop – ‘Ain’t Who I Was’

June 17
Sarah Jarosz – ‘Undercurrent’
Kris Kristofferson – ‘Cedar Creek Sessions’

June 24
The Felice Brothers – “Life in the Dark,”

July 1
Sara Watkins – ‘Young In All The Wrong Ways’

July 4
James Scott Bullard – “Box of Letters”

July 8
Mark Chesnutt – ‘Tradition Lives On’
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley – ‘The Country Blues’

July 15
The Earls Of Leicester – ‘Rattle & Roar,’

July 22
High Bar Gang – ‘Someday the Heart Will Trouble the Mind’

August 5
Chelle Rose – ‘Blue Ridge Blood’
Summer Dean – ‘Unladylike’

August 12
Kelsey Waldon – ‘I’ve Got a Way on’
Boo Ray – ‘Sea of Lights’

August 19
Lydia Loveless – ‘Real’
John Paul White – ‘Belah’

August 26
The Devil Makes Three – ‘Redemption & Ruin”
Dietrich Strause – “How Cruel That Hunger Binds”
Waiting for Henry – ‘Town Called Patience’

September 9
Blue Highway – ‘Original Traditional’

September 16
Amanda Shires – “My Piece Of Land”
Jesse Dayton – ‘The Revealer’
The Buffalo Ruckus – ‘Peace & Cornbread’

September 30
Drive-By Truckers – ‘American Band’
Jim Lauderdale – ‘This Changes Everything’

October 7
Shovels and Rope – ‘Little Seeds’
Hiss Golden Messenger – ‘Heart Like a Levee’
The Dexateens – ‘Teenage Hallelujah’

October 28
Aaron Lee Tasjan – “Silver Tears”
Various Artists – ‘Highway Prayer – Tribute to Adam Carroll”
Jasmine Rodgers – ‘Blood Red Sun’

November 4
Kent Eugene Goolsby – ‘Temper Of The Times’

November 18
Miranda Lambert – “The Weight of These Wings”

David Cobb – The Man Behind The Roots Music Tide

Dave Cobb

Being a great record producer means striking a delicate balance between passion for music and staking out an objective distance. One tip toward the former and a heavy hand can interfere in an artist’s true voice. Tip to the latter and there’s a technical hollowing resulting in a bloodless product.

David Cobb is a man that walks that line with his attention to detail and courage to take risks to capture sonic lightning in a bottle.

With a rock and roll heart he moved to L.A. to pursue a musician’s life. But through happenstance, his love for classic records, as well as the call of his Southern roots and love of family and friends, he has found himself one of the most in-demand producers in Nashville.

His journey to find the beating heart in the body of the process has led him to helping create in his home studio – or sometimes his kitchen in the case of Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” – some of the most acclaimed records by contemporary roots artists. Folks like Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Corb Lund, Lindi Ortega as well as upcoming releases by Holly Williams, Lake Street Dive and Amanda Shires – have found in him a kindred spirit. Incredibly talented people that he sees as more than clients, but as collaborators, friends and makers of sonic magic.

That’s what sets Cobb apart from other producers. Sure his first-hand knowledge comes from sitting where the musician sits and it buys him a good deal of credibility in the studio. But it’s his wide-eyed wonder, his true sincerity, his love of the art and faith in the artist that connects him in a way that few have done.

That also makes him a very busy man. Cobb took time from that busy schedule to talk to me from his home in Nashville.

TN: How long have you been in Nashville and what led you to move from L.A?

DC: I’ve been out here just over four years. Whenever I would travel out here the city was alive. This was the best music scene I’ve ever seen. There’s just an incredible amount of talent. The songwriting out here is insane.

TN: The city certainly has changed in the last few decades. It’s no longer just all about Music Row.

DC: Not at all. There’s such a great rock and outsider country scene. It’s alive, man. Everywhere you go.

TN: Your timing certainly seems right for where you wanted to take your career.

DC: It’s funny. What prompted me to move to Nashville was I was working with a band in L.A. and one of the guys in the band put on the song ‘Outfit” by the Drive-By Truckers. When I heard that song it really made me homesick. It reminded me of exactly how I grew up and the way it is in the Southeast. I suddenly felt a desire to come this way. I was in L.A. working with rock bands but now have a daughter and a move made sense. But hearing that song was a real pivotal thing. It’s funny how a lyric can rock you to the core like that. Then I chased that dude (Jason Isbell) down ever since to make a record.

TN: The Drive-By Truckers were one of the band that brought those same homesick feelings in me while riding the subway to work each day while living in New York City. Their sound was key in me starting this blog and begin discovering other bands in that vein.

DC: Absolutely, that’s the real sound of the South that I grew up with. Growing up in Georgia there was always a country music scene but this is beyond that. There’s this big lyrical , real songwriter thing. People playing in bars and writing great songs. This affects me much more than the typical country stuff. A little country and a little rock with a little folk. It hit me more than most of the stuff I’d been into.

TN: It’s refreshing and exciting to hear Southern songwriters grapple with our history while forging a new culture and new sounds toward the future.

DC: With the line “Don’t Tell ’em your Bigger Than Jesus, Don’t Give It Away” is pure Southern frankness and the swipe at John Lennon’s famous quote is excellent. The Southern idea that you’re suppose to keep yourself in check. You’re to know your place and never get cocky and not stray too far from home.

TN: Part of it is cultural and steeped in tradition but then there’s the economic part that if the next generation leaves where is the workforce for the mine or plant. A lot of great music deals with these themes of hardship and trying to get out.

DC: Absolutely. I remember after moving to California I would come back to visit my grandparents in Savannah and everyone would call you hollywood. You’d get teased pretty bad. It’s part of the Southeastern culture is there’s a culture of sticking it out. I actually enjoyed being a Southerner in L.A. I thought it was fun. Nobody ever moves there from Georgia. There’s lots of Texans and folks from the Mid-West but not from Georgia, it’s too far away.

TN; I’ve enjoyed L.A. the few times I’ve been there. I usually end up in some bar with Shooter (Jennings) As a matter of fact he’s the first person I remember bringing your name up.

DC: I just worked with Shooter again a few weeks ago in New York for the first time in years and we had a blast. I love that guy. I owe Shooter a lot and I would not be in Nashville today if it wasn’t for him. The first time I ever came to Nashville was to work on his ‘Electric Rodeo.’ He introduced me to great country music. Growing up my parents listed to Kenny Rogers and Barbara Mandrell, that sort of stuff. All I wanted to listen to was AC/DC (laughs.) My parents didn’t have Waylon or Don Williams records. Shooter turned me on to the good stuff. There was one record in particular called ‘White Mansions,’ ( by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, John Dillon and Steve Cash) that’s the record that really got me. There’s something about the way it felt. It came at country in a very cinematic way, it’s very powerful.

TN: Tell me about the first time you met Shooter.

DC: I had this stupid idea when I moved to L.A. that I was going to buy a ’69 Dodge Charger and paint it like the General Lee and drive it around town. So I had these business cards made up with ’01’ printed on it. My manager set up a meeting with Shooter and I and I’m trying to hide my business card. Then we end up working together and doing stuff for the Dukes Of Hazard. L.A. is crazy like that. Shooter is one of the most humble and kind people I know. He’s the real deal.

TN: Few producers have had as much influence in contemporary roots music as you have. Part of the master plan?

DC: (Laughs) It’s definitely not part of a master plan. I moved to L.A. to do rock records. After my work with Shooter I did some songs with Jamey Johnson on ‘That Lonesome Song’ I started to get the country calls and that’s when I started coming to Nashville pretty regularly. One of the acts that called was the Oak Ridge Boys, one of my dad’s favorite bands. While working with them I had in the back of my head, my grandmother was a Pentecostal minister, and she used to tell my “Honey, you have to make music for the Lord,” she had the Oak Ridge Quartet records, she didn’t have a T.V. but she had those records. It was the first time my work connected with my past. That was exactly where I came from and the people I was surrounded with. You get this feeling that just feels like home.

I did a lot of research on that Oak Ridge Boys project. I started digging way back in old Gospel albums, stuff from the turn if the century. The music kept coming in and it started to mean more to me than the Led Zeppelin and The Beatles and Stones I grew up on. Then you realize that’s where they got it from.

TN: Why do you think Americana and roots music has become so commercially successful?

DC: My take, and it’s probably totally off, but with all the streaming and stealing music has no monetary value any more. But I think true artistry does. When Jason Isbell or Sturgill or Stapleton write records to…not be on the charts, not trying to make top 10 singles…it’s just making something personal. I think people are willing to put up money when they feel people are putting in the effort, making art. You want to buy the album, you want to go to the show and buy a t-shirt. It becomes more of a lifestyle instead of a commodity. There’s a loyalty instilled that you don’t get with pop. Theses fans will stick with them. Maybe real art is the only thing that defeats music piracy.

TN: When I saw Sturgill and Isbell early in their careers they were playing to small venues and giving it as much as if they were playing a large hall. They were giving people their moneys worth.

DC: I just think that’s who they are. I remember in rock bands growing up and there was “put on your stage costume.” These guys wear what they always wear , it’s who they are. They play these small clubs and they give it 110% it’s who they are no matter where they are because they love it. Money is not the motivation for these guys, I know them. I’m just happy that people are supporting them, it’s a very special time when people are craving something real.

TN: As someone helping to define the genre how would you define Americana?

DC: Man, I just see Americana is another word for honest. Call it what you want I’m just happy people are out supporting it. I thought it was great when Jason’s record went #1 on the folk, country and rock chart. That means they couldn’t figure out what it was so they had to spread it across categories. That’s great and really funny.

When I worked with Chris Stapleton at the big label Mercury they let him make the album he wanted with no pressure for singles. They got it. They let him make an honest record and they supported him down the line. I even see Nashville embracing real art, they are feeling the influences. For example I recently cut a song with Brandy Clark, she’s got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. She’s amazing. I think things are changing for the best. I think a lot of mainstream artist might prefer to make a more honest album.

TN: How was it to work with Jason Isbell on his most acclaimed albums?

DC: He just writes these devastating songs. My job was to clear things out of the way of the lyrics. When he and I first met , and couple of weeks before we did ‘Southeastern,’ I played him one of my favorite records Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Trouble Water.’ There’s a song on that record called ‘The Only Living Boy in New York,’ to me it’s a masterpiece if an album and I think the production is brilliant. It’s an acoustic feeling record that’s not acoustic at all. That’s the approach we wanted to take with Southeastern.’ It’s like he’s on an acoustic guitar singing directly to you but there’s a lot more going on. The way I work is I think vocals are the most important element for emotional communication. Especially when you have artists like Jason that write such great lyrics, my job is to hear that and clear the space and let that emotion through.

When we did the Isbell records we never listened to the songs before we go into the studio, He walks in and says “Here’s a song” and it’s like “Great let’s do it.” When he did “Elephant” from “Southeastern” it was one of those moments “I can’t believe this is coming through the speakers.” Like hearing a record you’ve always owned but are hearing for the first time. You know?

If I have a technique in the studio it’s to fly by the seat of my pants. I love when an artists vision is fresh and they nail it. To me that’s the best it’s ever going to be. You just have to believe in talented people.

TN: Is there a specific sound your chasing in these sessions?

DC: I don’t think I have a sound. Jason’s album doesn’t sound like Sturgill’s. They don’t sound like Stapleton. I never wanted to be that guy. I’m a huge fan of Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Atoms of Peace) and you know when he’s made an album. I’d rather be a chameleon on that front. I guess if there’s a common theme it’s making sure the voice is primary. Make sure the singer is carrying the band. I cut everything live, all together, often in one room, but when the vocals great that’s the track. In modern records people go in and put everybody in booths and then once the instruments are done the singer cuts 50 passes of vocals then they mix it together and tune it. I prefer they way the Beatles or Stones did it, live and vocal leads the track.

TN: How did you end up working with George Jones for the Suidbillies theme?

DC: I met some folks at xx tigers doing by working with Nikki Lane in L.A., I was just then moving to Nashville, and I got a call from Cartoon Network to work with George. The writers of Squidbillies really know their country music. I was referred by the good people at 38 Tigers because they knew I loved classic country music. Next thing you know I’m in the studio working with George Jones! For me George Jones is the greatest country singer of all time. His runs and his whole feel, there’s something about him..when my daughter was young I put on a George Jones and Merle Haggard record where they were singing each other’s songs. I would play it for here so, even though she was born in L.A., she had a feeling of the South. That session was a blast. He’s one of the funniest human beings I’ve ever met. He did Donald Duck impressions the whole time. We brought in Hargus “Pig” Robbins to play piano, Pig had played on Jone’s ‘White Lightening,” it was awesome. I tried to make that session, that one song, emblematic of his career. I tried to make it sound like a late 50s George Jones record. He made this great video for my daughter talking like Donald Duck. He was just a wonderful human being.

TN: What other producers influenced you?

DC: I really love Glyn Johns work, especially with his 70’s work with The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. I love the way ‘Sticky Fingers’ and ‘Let It Bleed’ feel. Other influence would be Stax and Muscle Shoals, I love the way those records feel too. The rawness comes from not seeing perfection as the outcome..the goal. I don’t like to let people think about stuff too much. I think it ruins records when you get neurotic. The rough edges are the absence of neurosis. I let people hear Otis Redding’s ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ If you listen to his vocal it’s sharp and flat and the guitar is rushing, but it’s perfect, It’s so perfect. With technology it’s so easy to tune and tweak you’d lose the whole feel of that song.

TN: Technology is a double-edged sword. It allows the next George Jones or Elliot Smith to record a masterpiece on a laptop and that masterpiece can then be processed to death.

DC: I’m not anti technology, but you have to be carful with the problems you’re trying to solve. Sometimes they’re not problems at all.

TN: One more question, I was told I need to ask you about your fake Greenland rock band.

DC: (laughs) I’ll probably get into trouble talking about this. I love the P.T. Barnham aspect of the music industry. It’s fun. I was working with an artist that was late to a session so me and the session drummer started messing around on some sill prog-rock track. I had the English singer from my old band come in and sing on it. I wanted it to be from a country nobody knows about. So, Greenland! Nobody ever knows anybody from Greenland. So I call this industry person and say “Hey there’s this band from Greenland you need to check out.” So I took the track down and played it for them, and they were loving it. And they said “We have to sign this band.” That’s when I told them that it was me and some friends goofing off. They said “I don’t care.” They took it to the head of a major label and played it for them and they said “I love it! I love it! We need to fly the band in from Greenland to do a showcase!” About a week later it all settled down but I got embarrass because it went too high so fast. I wanted it to be fake bands in monk robes that you can’t see their face, one on tour in the U.K. And one in America at the same time so you never know if you’re seeing the real band. I loved that we made a record where nobody knows who you are, there were no rules. It was really freeing. You could have anyone join the band, a revolving membership. It’d be fun.

Listen Up! Jason Isbell – “24 Frames”

Jason Isbell – “24 Frames”

Jason isbell told Rolling Stone that his new song “24 Frames” “…kind of sounds like the way indie rock sounded when I was 15.”

Isbell was 15 in 1994, a year when grunge and post-punk reigned. Though the keen melodic sensibility that echoed through the airwaves then has always been part of Isbell’s toolkit “24 Frames” also owes much to his Southern heritage. The tight-but-loose pop jangle is reminiscent of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and the wail of the slide has melancholy shades of Duane Allman.

But the songwriting is pure Isbell. He has a way of making the common moments exquisite.

“This is how you make yourself vanish into nothing; And this is how you make yourself worthy of the love she gave to you back when you didn’t own a beautiful thing.”

But all is not rosy and Isbell shows in the refrain, accompanied by Amanda Shires’ understated harmony, that plans are for fools.

“You thought God was an architect; now you know, He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow.”

Harkening it’s cinematic reference “24 Frames” is a sonic diorama of the human condition packed into 3:13.

Beautiful in it’s brevity.

’24 Frames’ can be found on ‘Something More Than Free,’ out 7/17. Pre-order it and get ’24 Frames’ as an immeadiate download.

Watch Out! Ryan Adams w/ Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires – Jacksonville Skyline – Ryman Nashville Tn 04/27/15

Ryan Adams w/ Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires - Jacksonville Skyline - Ryman Nashville Tn 04/27/15

Ryan Adams’ ongoing tour for his current self-titled release took him to a packed house at the historic Ryman Auditorium last night. Past tour mates, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, were part of those in attendance and the crowd were treated when they joined Adams on a lovely rendition of his “Jacksonville Skyline.”

NASHVILLE 2.0: The Rise of Americana to Air on PBS This November

Nashville 2.0

NASHVILLE 2.0 kicks off the “PBS Americana Music Weekend,” which pairs this documentary with an Americana music concert from PBS’ iconic Austin City Limits (ACL) series. In a special episode, ACL travels to Nashville to capture performance highlights from the 2013 Americana Music Association Honors & Awards. ACL PRESENTS: AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013 airs November 23rd on PBS in select markets (check local listings for broadcast dates and times)

The hour-long film was co-directed by Carol Stein and Susan Wittenberg (the duo behind 2011‘s Women Who Rock) and will feature a lineup of some of the best rising and veteran country, folk, rock and multi-genre artists prominent in building the Americana movement.

The special will incluse includes performances by, and interviews with, Alabama Shakes, The Avett Brothers, Billy Bragg, Laura Cantrell, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rosanne Cash, The Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook, Rodney Crowell, Dawes, Jerry Douglas, John Fullbright, Shakey Graves, Emmylou Harris, The James Hunter Six, Jason Isbell , Amanda Shires, Jim Lauderdale, The Lone Bellow, The Mavericks, The Milk Carton Kids, Buddy Miller, Mumford & Sons, Shovels and Rope*, Richard Thompson, and Dwight Yoakam.

This is hardly an exhaustive list, and not all of these artists are from, or reside, in Nashville. Buy Music City has become the de-facto hub of the Americana Music industry.

For now.

Watch Out! – Jason Isbell – “Stockholm” – David Letterman 7-23-13

Jason Isbell - Letterman

David Letterman, and his music booker at the Late Show Sheryl Zilikson, continued their ongoing support of Americana and roots music by featuring a lively performance by Jason Isbell, supported by his lovely and talented wife Amanda Shires.

Isbell performed the song “Stockholm” of his latest excellent release “Southeastern.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YARfJk-WmeY

Americana Music Association Announces Showcase Line-up

ama final_480x476

Building on the already excellent initial lineup announcement the Nashville-based Americana Music Association has released has released the full roster of artists performing during the event.

Some of the additions that stand out to me are roots-rockers Shooter Jennings and Austin Lucas, alt.country stalwarts Bottle Rockets and Ashley Monroe who apparently has no problem working both the Americana and Music Row sides of the fence (good!) One performer I’m bummed to see missing from the roster is Jason Isbell (Though his talented better half, Amanda Shires, is on the list.) There might be scheduling conflicts with his current tour supporting the excellent “Southeastern.”

The vagueness of Americana’s boundaries allows a richness and diversity within a shared source and vision. it’s what legend, and scheduled performer, Darrell Scott describes positively as a “hard-to-define place.”

the selections show a broad range of diversity and excellence the of the genre. Great to see many Casa Twang favorites represented as well.

The AMA has created a Spotify playlist of the performers on the 2013 bill.

The 14th annual event will take place in Nashville, Sept. 18-22. I’ll be there. hope you are too!

Americana Music Festival & Conference Showcase Performing Artistt
Alanna Royale
Amanda Shires
American Aquarium
Amy Speace
Andrew Combs
Andrew Leahey & the Homestead
Aoife O’Donovan
Ashley Monroe
Austin Lucas
Band of Heathens
Bear’s Den
Ben Miller Band
Bhi Bhiman
Billy Bragg
Black Prairie
Bobby Rush
Bottle Rockets
Brian Wright
Chelsea Crowell
Claire Lynch
Daniel Romano
Darrell Scott & Tim O’Brien
Dash Rip Rock
David Bromberg
Delbert McClinton
Della Mae
Donna the Buffalo
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
DUGAS
Elephant Revival
Farewell Drifters
Field Report
Frank Fairfield
Hillbilly Killers
Holly Williams
Houndmouth
Howe Gelb
Howlin’ Brothers
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Infamous Stringdusters
JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound
JD McPherson
Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons
Joe Nolan
John Fullbright
Jonny Fritz
Josh Rouse
Joy Kills Sorrow
Judah & the Lion
Justin Townes Earle
Kim Richey
Kruger Brothers
Laura Cantrell
Lera Lynn
Levi Lowrey
Lindi Ortega
Lisa Marie Presley
Luella & the Sun
Mandolin Orange
Matt Mays
Max Gomez
McCrary Sisters
Melody Pool
Mustered Courage
My Darling Clementine
Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers
Nikki Lane
Noah Gunderson
Nora Jane Struthers
North Mississippi Allstars
NQ Arbuckle
Old Man Luedecke
Over The Rhine
Parker Millsap
Patrick Sweany
Paul Kelly
Peter Bruntnell
Phil Madeira
Pokey LaFarge
Randall Bramlett
Rayland Baxter
Richard Thompson
Rosanne Cash
Rose Cousins
Sam Doores, Riley Downing & the Tumbleweeds
Samantha Crain
Shakey Graves
Shannon McNally
Shel
Shooter Jennings
Sons of Fathers
Spirit Family Reunion
St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Steelism
Steep Canyon Rangers
Stewart Mann & the Statesboro Revue
Sturgill Simpson
Susan Cowsill
The Bushwackers
The Del-Lords
The Devil Makes Three
The Greencards
The Lone Bellow
The Lost Brothers
The Stray Birds
The Westbound Rangers
The White Buffalo
Tim Easton
Tommy Malone
Treetop Flyers
Two Man Gentleman Band
Uncle Lucius
Water Liars
Wheeler Brothers
Willie Sugarcaps
Willy Mason
Wood Brothers

Listen Up: Amanda Shires – Devastate

Amanda Shires Devastate

Remember The Amanda Shires song Bulletproof I featured on Twang Nation podcast #12? The one that was released before her run at SXSW that I couldn’t find any more details on? Well now the cat is out of the proverbial bag.

The cut is from Shires upcoming fourth solo release “Down Fell The Doves,” produced by Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, REM) and recorded at his Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens, GA. An accompanying press release includes a publicity pic (left) that makes a good case for Shires being included as
Miss December in any Women of Americana calendar that might be in the works. The release also describes the album as “…11 original songs (that) feature Amanda’s sharpest writing to date, brought to life by a voice that melts, a fiddle that sears, and guitars – played for the most part by her husband, Jason Isbell – that scrape and howl.” I’m in!

Though there’s a spaghetti western sensibility running through it “Devastate” is, at heart, gritty mid-tempo rocker featuring Shires’ signature vibrato (in chorus!) as Isbell engages his guitar’s own vibrato bar as he dives in and out of the song. Shires matched him in parts with her own distorted fiddle mastery.

Shire’s says that ““Devastate” comes from a place of insecurity” and the lyrics reflect that. They a picture of ambiguous menace that can’t be pinpointed. “Devastate” shows a continuation of the lyrical and musical maturity Shires’ exhibited in her last release, 2011’s “Carrying Lightning.” I can’t wait to hear the rest!

“Down Fell the Doves” is out Aug. 6 on Lightning Rod Records.

‘Down Fell The Doves’ tracklist:
1. Look Like A Bird
2. Devastate
3. Bulletproof
4. Box Cutters
5. Deep Dark Below
6. Wasted And Rollin’
7. If I
8. Stay
9. Drop And Lift
10. A Song For Leonard Cohen
11. The Garden Song

www.amandashiresmusic.com

Twang Nation Podcast Episode 13 – Jason Isbell , Patty Griffin , Shonna Tucker , George Jones

podcast

No overt themes in this episode, just great music.

One of my favorite bands Durham, North Carolina’s Hiss Golden Messenger kicks things off with the raucous Red Rose Nantahala from their new album Hawwe also take a listen o new work from Jason Isbell being supported by members of his band, the 400 Unit, and his newly betrothed Amanda Shires. Patty Griffin gives us the beautiful Mom & Dad’s Waltz from her new American Kid and we get an early listen to Shonna Tucker, and her new band Eye Candy.

And lastly we say goodbye to a country music legend with Choices by George Jones.

As always. I hope you like this episode of the Twang Nation Podcast and thank you all for listening. If you do tell a friend and let me know here at this site, Google+ , Twitter or my Facebook page.

As always , BUY MUSIC, SEE SHOWS!

Opening Song – “Mr. D.J” – by Dale Watson

1. Hiss Golden Messenger – “Red Rose Nantahala”- Album: “Haw” (Paradise of Bachelors)
2. Shannon McNally – Song: “If It Were Mine To Keep”- Album: “Light Walker Demos EP” (Sacred Sumac Music)
3. The Builders and the Butchers– Song: “Dirt In The Ground”- Album: “Western Medicine” (Badman Recording Co. – July 2nd)
4. The Dustbowl Revival – Song: “Hard River Gal”- Debut Album: “Carry Me Back Home” (self-released)
5. Jason Isbell – Song: “Traveling Alone” – Album: Southeastern (Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers. – out June 11th)
6. Rita Hosking – Song: “Nothing Left Of Me” – Album: Little Boat (self-released)
7. Shonna Tucker and Eye Candy – Song: “Linda Please” – Album: ? ( ? )
8. Patty Griffin – Song: “Mom & Dad’s Waltz” – American Kid ( New West Records – out May 7 )
9. Eastbound Jesus – Song: “Katie Belle” Album: Northern Rock ( Self-released)
10. George Jones – Song: “Choices”