Tag Archives: Amanda Shires

Twang Nation Podcast Episode 12 – Amanda Shires, Shinyribs, Sturgill Simpson, Markus Rill

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podcastThe Easter Day podcast (aka episode 12) is now hot off the presses straight Casa Twang.

there are some great cuts here, from rootsy-waltz of Amanda Shires’ Bulletproof, the Lone-Star groove of Shinyribs (aka Gourd’s Kevin Russell) the hybrid Bluegrass of the David Mayfield Parade and the sweet Americana-meets-Japan sounds of Pirate’s Canoe, and much more for your listening pleasure.

We close out the selection with a great Hank Williams cut, perfect for Easter Day, from their classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken which is celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary Edition this year.

I hope you like this episode of the Twang Nation Podcast. if you do tell a friend and let me know here at my site, Google+, Twitter or my Facebook.

And thanks to all of you for supporting great music!

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

1.Sturgill Simpson – Song: “Railroad of Sin”- Album: “High Top Mountain” (Self released)
2. Amanda Shires – “Bulletproof” – Album: “?”
3. David Mayfield – Song: “Human Cannonball” – Album: “Good Man Down” ( Beautywood Records)
4. Amy Speace – Song: “The Fortunate Ones” – Album: “‘How To Sleep in a Stormy Boat” ( Wind Bone Records)
5. Sons of Fathers – Song: “Almost There” – Album: “Burning Days” (River Music)
6. Pirates Canoe – Song: “Ballerina Meena Jane” Album: “Sailing Home” (On the Corner Records)
7. Shinyribs Song: “Limpia Hotel (Chihuahua Desert)” Album: “‘Gulf Coast Museum” (Nine Mile Records)
8. Sara Petite – Song: “Movin’ On” Album: “‘Circus Comes to Town ” (Sweet P Reords – April 16th)
9. Markus Rill & The Troublemakers – Song: “One Fix Or Another” Album: “My Rocket Ship ” (Blue Rose Records)
10. Dale Watson & His Lone Stars Song: “Smokey Old Bar” Album: “El Rancho Azul ” (Red House Records)
11. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / Roy Acuff – Song: “I Saw the Light” Album: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (Capitol)

Jason Isbell to Release New Solo Album, “Southeastern” June 11

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jason isbell southeastern

Jason Isbell will release Southeastern on June 11 via Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers. This will be his second solo album since 2007’s debut Sirens of the Ditch released shortly after his split from the Drive-By Truckers. Southeastern contains 12 new Isbell compositions and reportedly has “some of the most personal songs of self-reflection and discovery he has written to date.”

Southeastern is a more personal release from Isbell as he deals with new beginnings, like the recent marriage to Amanda Shires and his now yearlong sobriety, without being mawkish pr getting on a soapbox.

The album will offer a duets with Amanda shires Traveling Alone and Stockholm with Kim Richey and will feature 400 Unit members Derry deBorja (keyboards) and Chad Gamble (drums.) The album was produced by Dave Cobb (Jamey Johnson, The Secret Sisters).

Southeastern Track Listing

Cover Me Up
Stockholm
Traveling Alone
Elephant
Flying Over Water
Different Days
Live Oak
Songs That She Sang In The Shower
New South Wales
Super 8”
Yvette
Relatively Easy

Listen up! Amanda Shires Single Premier – “Bulletproof”

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amanda shires

With her newly released single, Bulletproof, Amanda Shires continues to explore a variety of musical influences – folk, blues and jazz -she began in her last release “Carrying Lightening.”

The song sets Shires warm-honey vibrato and fine fiddling against a Tom Waits-like junkyard orchestral accompaniment. The song details potential supernatural impenetrability against a litany of physical and emotional armaments. Like a whimsical protective talisman set to a cha-cha beat

No word on an upcoming album title or release date came with the press release. but when I know , you’ll know

Bulletproof was released to coincide with Shires showcases at South-By-Southwest. Catch her at one of the performances below:

THURS MARCH 14 @ 11 PM
St. David’s Episcopal Church
Historic Sanctuary
hosted by Utne and Thirty Tigers
official SXSW showcase!

FRI MARCH 15 @ 7 PM
Wyndam Garden Hotel
on the patio @ the bar area!
3401 IH 35 Austin, TX 78741
free! open to the public!!

SAT MARCH 16th 6 PM
Omni Austin Hotel Downtown
700 San Jacinto & 8th Street
lobby lounge located @ the atrium!
free! open to the public!!

Taylor Who? – 5 Female Americana Music Artists

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Since the release of her new album Red it’s been all Taylor Swift al the time (like that’s different.) I like what I know about Taylor Swift as a person and her diligence to her work and devotion to her fans. It’s her music that leaves me cold. Slap whatever Music City label you want on it she’s in with Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus for the tween pop market.

I prefer my music for adults, even when being performed by a 20-something. I have no problem with style and spangles  but I want it served with substance.  Here are 5 female artists that fit the bill  that I would counter in any “Taylor is awesome!” discussion.

Your choice not here? Leave yours in the comments.

Lindi Ortega – That voice, those songs, that style. Triple threat!

Amanda Shires – All the above with the added awesomeness of being a Texan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv6Oj3zDo6Q&feature=relmfu

Lera Lynn – Caught her show in Nashville last September. Amazing!

Lydia Loveless – If you like your music served neat I would recommend Ms. Loveless

Nikki Lane – Also saw Ms. Lane in Nashville. Great show. I hope to hear something new from her soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXplet4afOU&feature=relmfu

 

 

 

 

 

Nikki Lane

Americana Music Conference & Festival Picks

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Below you’ll find my picks for the 2012 Americana Music Conference showcases. This was one of the the toughest  years to winnow down the performances I’m going to attend. And I still did a poor job! There is too many great acts playing at the same time. Such an embarrassment of riches!

But there is hope! Unlike the misery of traversing the stages at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass where you’re lucky to catch parts of shows at more than one stage, and or even to make it alive in some cases, the Americana Festival has buses to get us to the venues.

Of course I can’t make all the shows unless am able top perfect that time bending and beer making contraption I’ve been working on (SOON!) but you van catch any of these performances and not go wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 11

The 5 Spot
$2 TUESDAYS /Twang Nation Social Club -  Hosted by Derek Hoke : feat.Melody WalkerAlanna ,
Royale Joshua Black Wilkins, Marsha & The Martians (Angel Snow & Robby Hecht) Late Night with Los Colones9pm
$2 cover/$2 Yazoo pints #UnofficialAMA

Mercy Lounge
Somebody’s Darling w/ Buffalo Clover – The High Watt #UnofficialAMA
The Billy Block Show featuring Yo Ma Ma, Erica Nicole, Chelle Rose, Allie Farris, Caroline Rose and The Cumberland Collective  #UnofficialAMA

Two Old Hippies 401 12th Ave. South
The Alternate Root Presents a Pre-AMA Triple-Play of Music with Amelia White, Julie Christensen and Tommy  Womack & The Rush To Judgment #UnofficialAMA
Showtime: 6:00-8:00 pm
No Cover ~ Special Treats
615-254-7999

Wednesday, September 12

Puckett’sGrocery, 5th & Church

5pm & 7pm Allen Thompson Band CD Release Party,
Dinner & show before the AMA Awards at 5 . Later show 7 #UnofficialAMA

The Basement
11:00 Blue Mountain
12:00 Shovels and Rope

The Station Inn
11:30 Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

The Rutledge
10:00 Gretchen Peters
12:00 Delta Rae

Mercy Lounge
10:00 Corb Lund
11:00 This Wheel’s On Fire: A Tribute to Levon Helm

The High Watt
10:30 Whitehorse

Cannery Ballroom
10:00 Star Anna
Thursday, September 13

The Basement
8:00 Lydia Loveless
9:00 Angel Snow
10:00 Sons of Fathers
11:00 The Deep Dark Woods
12:00 Black Lillies

The Station Inn
10:00 Mary Gauthier
11:00 Richard Thompson

Mercy Lounge
8:00 Turnpike Troubadours
9:00 Billy Joe Shaver
10:00 Steve Forbert
11:00 John Fullbright
12:00 Jason Boland & The Stragglers

The High Watt
10:30 Eilen Jewell
11:30 Julie Lee
Cannery Ballroom
8:00 Blue Highway
9:00 Sara Watkins
10:00 Paul Thorn
11:00 Punch Brothers (with a Sara Watkins cameo?)

Friday, September 14

Sheraton Hotel lobby – 623 Union St.
Wanda Jackson
12:30-1:10pm

Amy Black,  Susan Cattaneo, Rose Cousins and Rod Picott
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

The Basement
9:00 American Aquarium
11:00 Chuck Mead and His Grassy Knoll Boys

The Station Inn
8:00 Red June
9:00 Della Mae
10:00 McCrary Sisters
11:00 Steep Canyon Rangers
12:00 Humming House

The Rutledge
8:00 Mandolin Orange
9:00 Mindy Smith
11:00 Belle Starr

Mercy Lounge
8:00 Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition
9:00 Holy Ghost Tent Revival
10:00 Dylan LeBlanc
11:00 Darrell Scott
12:00 Reckless Kelly

The High Watt
9:30 Two Gallants

Cannery Ballroom
9:00  Amanda Shires
10:00 Robert Ellis
11:00 John Hiatt

Saturday, September 15

The Basement
9:00 Chastity Brown
11:00 The Pines
12:00 Chris Scruggs

The Station Inn
8:00 Brennen Leigh
9:00 Phoebe Hunt
10:00 Marvin Etzioni
11:00 Rodney Crowell

The Rutledge
8:00 Felicity Urquhart
9:00 The Wood Brothers
10:00 Kevin Gordon
12:00 The Trishas

Mercy Lounge
8:00 Lera Lynn
9:00 honeyhoney
10:00 Tift Merritt
11:00 Buddy Miller & Lee Ann Womack

The High Watt
8:00 Jill Andrews
9:00 Derek Hoke

In Praise of Trains (songs)

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The other day I was listening to one of the dozens of submissions I get a week and a song cued up assaulting me with a ham-fisted ode to the locomotive. I was in front of my computer and finding myself without an internal editor I threw this into the Twitter wind “I love train songs, but there should never be another one written ever again….EVER AGAIN…” I had no idea this rail (see what I did there?) against a once beautiful metaphor that has been debased into a threadbare cliche’ would stir up such a…er…discussion. It appears people still ride, wait at crossings and live within spitting distance of the proverbial iron horse.

After much constructive tweet and forth I was convinced that, when done with respect and creativity, there is still room for a good old train song. Here are some of the top picks suggested to me by some of my good-natured and learned twitter followers that taught me the error of my ways. If you have others please leave them in the comments, and enjoy the ride!

Fred Eaglesmith – “I Like Trains”

Todd Snider – “Play a Train Song”

Amanda Shires – “When You Need a Train it Never Comes”

Justin Townes Earle – “Workin’ for the MTA”

Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – Texas Eagle

Jason Isbell Engaged to Amanda Shires

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Anyone subscribed to Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires twitter accounts know they are both very adept at using twitter to draw in their fans.

They would also know that over the last several months there was a courtship going on, many times from separate states. As of yesterday Isbell promised to make her an honest woman by tweeting “Happiest day of my life. @amandashires said yes!” along with this sweet pic. Later on Shires tweeted “Loveliest day ever.” I should have known something was up when Isbell tweeted a few hours before the announcement “Damn right I’m listening to Supertramp.”

Here’s to the happy couple from Casa Twang. Here’s to many years of love, happiness and great, collaborative music!

Here’s the happy couple together onstage last month at Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Ala. covering Townes Van Zandt’s “”Pancho & Lefty.”

‘Lowe Country: The Songs Of Nick Lowe’ Free MP3 Download

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Fiesta Red Records is starting business out right with an inaugural solid compilation,  ‘Lowe Country: The Songs Of Nick Lowe‘ (September 18.) Hayes Carll,  Caitlin Rose, Amanda Shires, Chatham County Line and some of Americana’s other finest interpret songs from Lowe’s 4½-decade career.
Robert Ellis does a great honky-tonk meets quirky version of All Men Are Liars that you can pick up below for free.
Nick Lowe is no stranger to the world of alt.country and Americana. He’s on the YepRoc label with label mates Dave Alvin , Jim White and Chuck Prophet. He’s recently opened some show for Wilco (okay, they used to be alt.country)
Proceeds from the album will benefit victims of the 2010 Nashville floods and Texas wild fires of last year via The Central Texas Wildfire Fund (administered by the Austin Community Foundation) and The Nashville Rising Fund (administered by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee).
‘Lowe Country’ Track Listing:Lately I’ve Let Things Slide – Caitlin Rose
Don’t Lose Your Grip On Love – The Parson Red Heads
All Men Are Liars – Robert Ellis (FREE MP3)
I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass – Amanda Shires
Marie Provost – JEFF the Brotherhood
Hayes Carll – I’m Gonna Start Living Again If It Kills Me
Lover Don’t Go – Erin Enderlin
When I Write The Book – The Unsinkable Boxer
You Make Me – Colin Gilmore
Heart Of The City – Chatham County Line
What’s Shakin’ On The Hill – Lori McKenna
Crackin’ Up – Griffin House
Where Is My Everything – Ron Sexsmith

Twang Nation Podcast Episode 1

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Yes friends, after all these years of talking (and posting the occasional clip) about great music I decided to just into the fray and get out a Twang Nation podcast. Why now? Two reasons. I came back from the Americana Music Association Conference with some great experiences and the technological opportunity fell into my lap. there you have it.

How does it stack up with excellent productions like Freight Train Boogie, 9 Bullets or Country Fried Rock ? I’ll leave that up to you dear listener.There’s a lot of great Americana and roots music out there and I hope I am able to cover just a bit more of it to bring you great music. The production is excellent thanks to my friend (and bartender) Franklyn, the “uh” and “um”marred patter between songs is less smooth (Sorry Brett Deter, at least I got you name in there after the song!)but I take the same license I do as a blogger, you get what you pay for. And it’s untimely not about my sterling delivery, it’s about the music. By chance this maiden episode happen to coincide with the 70th birthday of Guy Clark so I’ve included his classic Dublin Blues to end the program.

Best of all, this was fun and I look forward to doing it again soon. I hope you like it and find some great music , and if you like it please leave your comments below and forward it to friends. Most importantly go buy music and get out and see live shows. if you don’t our greatest fears might be realized,  great music will go away.

  1. Dale Watson – A Real Country Song
  2. Hymn For Her – Slips
  3. Hellbound Glory – Better Hope You Die Young
  4. Amanda Shires – Shake The Walls
  5. Austin Lucas – Sleep Well
  6. Wagons – I Blew It
  7. Sunday Valley  – Sometimes Wine
  8. Nikki Lane – Gone, Gone, Gone
  9. Brett Deter – The Devil’s Gotta’ Earn
  10. Lindi Ortega – Angels
  11. Scott H_ Biram –  Dontcha Lie To Me Baby
  12. Truckstop Dalrlin’ – Down
  13. Guy Clark – Dublin Blues

Twang Nation Podcast Episode 1

On iTunes

News Round-Up: Pre-order Charlie Louvin, Still Rattlin’ the Devil’s Cage

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  • Judd Films and Devil’s Cage Productions have launched promotional site for the biography – Charlie Louvin, Still Rattlin’ the Devi’s Cage. The site offers trailers and a chance to pre-order one of the 1000 copies being produced (release targeted for 7/15) All proceeds from this initial release  will go to Mrs. Charlie Louvin and her family. The film features appearances by  Charlie, Sonny Louvin, George Jones, Marty Stuart, John McCrea, and Emmylou  Harris and chronicles Charlie’s resurgence and influence over his 60 + year  career and 50th anniversary of the Louvin Brothers release Satan is Real.
  • The line-up for the Johnny Cash Music Festival will include close family members and friend – Rosanne Cash, John Carter Cash & Laura Cash, Tommy Cash, Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Rodney Crowell, Chelsea Crowell and more. The festival is presented annually by Arkansas State University, with participation by the Cash family, to benefit the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project in Dyess, Arkansas. The project involves establishing a museum to honor the Johnny Cash legacy as well as restoring or re-creating his boyhood home. ASU is lining up sponsors for the event.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWp7MGY3II4&feature=related[/youtube]