• The Hangover & Daily Show star (and amateur banjo player) Ed Helms is launching the LA Bluegrass Situation festival  (March 18th – 22nd) featuring Steve Martin, Emmylou Harris, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Nickel Creek. See the somewhat silly video introduction of the festival from Helms.

• Canadian roots/surf rockers The Sadies will release their new album, Darker Circles, on May 18, 2010 on Yep Roc Records. The album will be produced by the Jayhawk’s Gary Louris.

• Honky-tonk angel Elizabeth Cook will release her new album, Welder, on May 11th on 31 Tigers. Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Kris Kristofferson), Welder will feature guest appearances by Dwight Yoakam, Rodney Crowell and Buddy Miller.

• See the new video by Peter Wolf working on his new Americana-tinged album, Midnight Souvenirs, (UMe/Verve / April 6). Tragedy features duets with country music legend Merle Haggard, Neko Case and Shelby Lynne.

• Mr. Americana, Jim Lauderdale, will release his new album Patchwork River, on Thirty Tigers May 11. He co-wrote the album–filled with such highlights as “Alligator Alley,” “Louisville Roll” and “Patchwork River”–with longtime Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter whom Lauderdale has praised as “one of the greatest writers that has ever lived in my book.

• The mighty Drive By Truckers’ new release, The Big To-Do, will be released on March 16th. Partnering with Ghost Town Media, the band will release a series of webisodes that tell the behind the scenes story of each song from the record.  You will see footage of the band working on The Big To-Do  in the studio in Athens, Georgia, clips of the band performing the new songs at sound check and in concert, and in depth interviews with the band members telling the stories behind the songs.  The first of these websiodes will feature Mike Cooley’s Birthday Boy, the final song recorded for the album.

Anybody that’s read this blog for more than five minutes knows that the style of country music that I champion is typically not represented on the flavor of the week  “country” charts. I’m not in the business of puffing up entertainers that have more in common with REO Speedwagon than Hank Williams and my M.O., my brand if you will, has always been cream doesn’t necessarily rise to the top, sometimes it’s found around the edges.

George Strait is the type of rare bird that can sit on last week’s  #1 Billboard 200 and Country Chart spot and yet finds it’s place in my heart. It’s not that I hate popular country music per se, it’s just that most popular country music is made for, and consumed by, people that wouldn’t be caught dead with a Merle Haggard or Loretta Lynne CD in their collection and their idea of classic country is Alabama or Kenny Rogers.  George Strait is an neo-traditional alchemist that can please both the arena-filling masses and the discerning and grumpy critics like myself.

Maybe it’s his residence in Texas and his perceptible love of his (and my) home state’s regional flavor and away from the syrup factory of Music City, maybe it’s his sharp instincts for picking just the right songs to cover, whatever it is it’s been like a sound as a classic truck for over three multi-platinum decades.

Twang is Strait’s 25th studio album and his follow up to 2008’s excellent Troubadour and as subdued that earlier release was Twang is more like a celebration. The boisterous Bakersfield vibe of the Kendall Marvel, Jimmy Ritchey and Mr. Americana Jim Lauderdale penned title song comes right from the Buck Owens school of songwriting and lets it be known that Strait is not about to shy away from some hillbilly hell raising.  Where Have I Been All My Life and  Living For The Night are pure coming of age and heartache schmaltz (complete with string section), but Strait’s authentic delivery drives it right to the heart.

On Twang Strait steps up to the songwriting plate again for three songs co-written with his son, George “Bubba” Strait, Jr. The aforementioned  beer-soaked bawler Living for the Night,” the Ray Price-style crooner Out of Sight, Out of Mind and the frothy-lament He’s Got That Something Special. On his own Bubba penned the excellent Marty Robbins-style tale of the outlaw and gunfighter Dave Rudabaugh, Arkansas Dave.

Strait pays tribute to Texas’ neighbors with both the rollicking Gordon Bradberry and Tony Ramey penned Hot Grease and Zydeco and the José Alfredo Jiménez classic ranchera song El Ray that he does completely in Spanish.

Once again Strait proves that he’s the most consistent talent going and the current King of Country Music.

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CMT.com reports that country music legend, Country Music Hall of Fame member and  Medal of Arts and  Kennedy Center Honoree has a museum in the works to display memorabilia- stage clothes, instruments, photos, fan created objects – he’s collected over his 50-plus year career. In addition to the items he keeps in his basement, his wife checks eBay for other memorabilia. He told CMT:

“We have a bit of a museum down in our basement right now, with all kinds of things from throughout my career — early records, guitars, clothes, various things that fans have made for me. We have a lot of framed photographs from throughout my career with other singers. I have a player piano from Gene Autry and a bunch of other stuff from him. One day, we’ll put all this stuff in a museum.”

I wonder if there will be a bar?

The 77-year-old member Possum is still going strong and will spend much of 2009 on tour, beginning Jan. 16 in Reno, Nev., and continuing through the spring and summer. For a full list of tour dates, visit GeorgeJones.com.

It’s been 56 years that Hiram (Hank) King Williams, the man commonly referred to as the King of Country Music and the hillbilly Shakespeare,  lost his life on an unseasonably cold road somewhere between Knoxville, TN and Oak Hill, West Virginia in the back of a ‘52 Cadillac being driven by a hired college freshman to a scheduled show in Canton, Ohio. The official cause of death was attributed to acute right ventricular dilation.

The only items found in the backseat of his car were a few cans of beer and the hand-written lyrics to an unrecorded song.

Williams’ final single was ominously titled “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive”.

Since his death many have imitated, none have surpassed.

Hank Williams and June Carter – Hey Good looking

Episode #22 of It Burns When I Pee, the only podcast for covering genuine 100 proof country music,  is a naughty little release ready to stuff in your stocking.

Featuring the pin-up beautiful and talented Little Lisa Dixie Blake, Norma Jean and Creepy Guy burns the yule by playing tasty cuts from Eric Kinsey & His Tip Top Daddies, Nine Pound Hammer, Zane Campbell, and Mr. Chill & The Witnesses.

IBWIP  are also bringing back my favorite segment,  Norma Jean Watches Porn. They are replacing Earlene’s Sexy Time Advice segment with the new Creepy Advice segment.  What kind of show would it be without a IBWIP skit? In this episode the skit is titled, “IBWIP Meets Santa At The Mall”. Finally, the crew break out the presents and have the first ever IBWIP Gift Exchange.  IBWIP is better than that nasty sweater from your Aunt Edna!

Peter Cooper at the Tennessean.com posts a great piece on RFD TV network’s The Marty Stuart Show. Cooper reports that the country music legend Stuart modeled after The Porter Wagoner Show, The Wilburn Brothers Show, The Flatt & Scruggs Show. Pretty good company to keep and miles away from the pop fluff being crammed down our necks on GAC and CMT. I really hope more cable companies start to carry the  RFD TV network or that CMT has the good sense to pick up this jewel.

Riders in the Sky on The Marty Stuart Show

Earl Scruggs on The Marty Stuart Show

PopMatters.com’s Jill LaBrack posted a thoughtful review of the recently released  Hank William Box Set The Unreleased Recordings. Also at PopMatters Michael Metivier posts an equally thoughtful and culturally insightful review of country muisc legend Charlie Louvin new release Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs.

The Drive By Truckers never use a set list in their shows but they are giving some lucky fan an opportunity to bid to create a dream set list that the band will play on their January 15th show Athens Georgia’s legendary 40 Watt. The winner will also get handwritten set list of the show signed by the entire band and get to attend a private meet and greet with the band and be given access to the VIP section (with a guest) for the show. All proceeds to the show will go to benefit Nuci’s Space.

The Sounds of Texas Music Series tickets are on sale. The show will take place at the  historic (and completely restored) Crighton Theater on the square in downtown ConroeTexas.  the 2009 series line-up includes: Los Lonely Boys with Del Castillo (Jan. 24); Chris Knight with Mark Germino (Mar. 28); Guy Clark with Jubal Lee Young (May 9); and the Flatlanders (June 6). Tickets are $168, individual tickets $47. They can be purchased from the Crighton Theater box office, 936-441-7469, ext. 201. For more information, see www.SoundsOfTexas.com.

That bastion of righteous irony, Stephen Colbert, will celebrate the impending consumer slump this Sunday with A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All.

Colbert fights the “war on Christmas” with this surreal bit of spiked nog that sxews Christmas specials of the past. Think Andy Williams in a cabin in rural Michigan and the town nearby has a gas leak that’s making eveyone act strangley. The strangeness is offered by the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, John Legend, Toby Keith, and Feist.

I have to say, I’m not a big fan of Toby Keith, but after seeing him do a send up of, well, himself singing a song about Santa dropping nukes from his sleigh on heretics who don’t believe in Jesus or Santa, who Keith explains are actually the same person, Keith might have a new fan.

PopMatters’com writer Jason Gross has a nice write up on the Legacy Edition release of the Johnny Cash classic country music milestone At Folsom Prison. Gross does a fine job of not only setting the stage for that day at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California on January 13, 1968 – which this release highlights the full Cash and the Tennessee Three work as well as that of the other players  June Carter, Carl Perkins, and The Statler Brothers – but also the recordings place in the cannon of concept records. There is also details of Cash’s attention to prison reform that led to his decision to do not only this best selling release (featured as number 88 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time) but also led to his follow up prison recording  At San Quentin in 1969.

For Western and Jimmy Stewart fans PopMatter.com’s Matthew Sorrento features a piece on the new collection of James Stewart: The Western Collection. I really liked Sorrent’s detail of Stewart’s work with Anthony Mann (Winchester ‘73, The Far Country and The Naked Spur)

David Browne writes an interesting article on the New Republic site about country music’s seeming total allegiance to the GOP, and how the lost election may cause the industry to do some back-room hashing out of the future of country music. I like how the article ends up, but doesn’t Brown know that Ralph Stanley, in many ways the living embodiment of traditional country music, endorsed Obama?

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A few dates are upcoming for country music legend Dwight Yoakam, since he’s not officially “on tour” they are scarce as hen’s teeth:

• Terrible’s Casino – Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, NV on November, 22nd 2008
• The Crystal Palace (Buck Owens Joint) New Year’s Eve December 31, 2008
• Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel – Morton, MN January, 23rd, 2009

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If you’re in my old neck of the woods, New York City, get your holidays started right and head to The Rockwood Music Hall on November 25th to catch Mr. Joe Whyte live, in concert. Whyte will be debuting so new tunes and the show is free so get on out, you’ll be glade you did.

Joe Whyte
Tuesday, November 25
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen St., NYC
8pm
FREE
*take the F or V to the LES/2nd Ave stop and its right across the street