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Posts Tagged ‘John-Prine’

Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Dan Auerbach, Kris Kristofferson To Pay Tribute to Cowboy Jack Clement

10 Jan

Cowboy-Jack-Clement_5Ggx_full“Cowboy” Jack Clement has carved out a storied career as a sinsinger/songwriter having his songs have been recorded by folks such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Bobby Bare, Elvis Presley and more. A producer for Townes Van Zandt and Waylon Jennings and DJ with a weekly program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Outlaw country)

The Memphis-born, 81-year-old, Clement recently lost his house to a fire in 2011. Now some of his friends are coming together at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville January 30 to help out.

According to American Songwriter “one of those musicians was Artist Growth founder Matt Urmy, who Clement recently produced, Artist Growth joined up with Dub Cornett, a long time protege of Clement’s, to put together Honoring A Legend: A Tribute To “Cowboy” Jack Clement, featuring an all-star list of artists influenced by and associated with Clement.”

Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys, Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride and more will gather to pay tribute to “The Pied Piper of Music City.”
All proceeds for the concert will go toward The Music Health Alliance and launching the “Cowboy” Jack Clement Fund to help the cost of medical bills for musicians not covered by insurance.

Get tickets

Check out the full list of artists below:

Dan Auerbach
Bobby Bare
Marshall Chapman
Rodney Crowell
Jakob Dylan
Emmylou Harris
Charley Pride
John Prine
T-Bone Burnett
Billy Burnette
Shawn Camp
Mary Gauthier
Kris Kristofferson
Nikki Lane
John C. Reilly

 
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Posted in Americana, Benefits, Concerts, Country Music, GRAMMYS, Legends, New Artists, News Round Up, Outlaw, Video

 

‘Love for Levon,’ Tribute to Levon Helm at Izod Center [VIDEOS]

05 Oct

After attending hundreds of concerts there are very few shows occurring  these days that I wish I had attended. This is one of them.

Gregg Allman, Jakob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby, Mavis Staples, John Prine, Joan Osborne, John Hiatt, Jorma Kaukonen,  Roger Waters, Ray La Montagne and other Rock and Americana music greats all paid tribute to the great Levon Helm who passed away last April.  The performers were backed by the tremendous Levon Helm Band featuring Amy Helm and now led by the guitarist and fiddler Larry Campbell.  The concert will eventually be shown on AXS TV and released as a DVD.

Here are some of the best videos I could find from this once in a lifetime event.

 
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Posted in Americana, Bands, In memoriam, Legends, Video

 

Doc Watson – (1923 – 2012) – The Music Never Dies

31 May

I’m not a religious man but I would like to have a word with god. I’d look up at his cloudy beard and steel-blue eyes and say “Stop.” I’m tired of writing posts sending off out legends. Scruggs, Helm and now Watson.

Men who’s storied careers shines a glaring light of authenticity and richness on the current music industry of glib irony and planned obsolesce.  Where AutoTune and beats take precedence over song-craft and instrumental dexterity.

A vascular disease Arthel Lane (Doc) Watson as an infant left him blind for life. He drank in the musical styles and lore from his family and became prolific on the harmonica. then at 10 he took up the banjo his father had crafted for him. By the time he was in his teens he settled on the guitar, the instrument he helped to revolutionize touring the folk circuit with his flat-picking virtuosity.

I’ve never attended MerlFest, the annual music festival held the last weekend in April in Wilkesboro, North Carolina named in honor of Watson’s only son, Eddy Merle Watson, who died in a farm tractor accident in 1985.

Over it;s 24-year history on the four-day festival’s 14 stages you could have see some of bluegrass, folk and country music’s greats -  Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Earl Scruggs, The Kruger Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas, John Prine, Alison Krauss and Union Station. You would have also caught some of roots and Americana music’s shining stars -Gillian Welch , the Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, coming up in the ranks. You would have also seen genre-crossers like Robert Plant, Elvis Costello and Linda Ronstadt making the pilgrimage to stretch their boundaries and pay their respects.

The festival always concluded with Doc holding court performing music of the ages with humility, spirituality and grace.

Of the dozens of artist I’ve seen perform at the roots festival Hardly Strictly Bluegrass over the last three years, three artists rose above the rest by emodying the ages and representing a deep musical legacy the other musicians on the bill drew from – Hazel Dickens, Ralph Stanley and Doc Watson.

Thank you Doc for sharing your gift with the world.

 
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Posted in Americana, Bluegrass, Country Music, Festivals, In memoriam, Legends, Video

 

Twang Nation – Holidays at the Ranch Mix -2011

24 Nov

Here’s a little something to stuff your sock,  warm your chestnuts and spike your nog. There’s some traditional (Gene Autry – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer) and the less-so (Drive-By Truckers – Mrs. Claus’ Kimono.) But, I’m sure there’s something here for everyone, except your Uncle Jack, that ass hates everything. Enjoy and Happy Holidays, y’all!

Twang Nation – Holidays at the Ranch Mix -2011

Gene Autry – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Willie Nelson – Pretty Paper
John Prine – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Emmylou Harris – O Little Town of Bethlehem
Drive-By Truckers – Mrs. Claus’ Kimono
Steve Earle – Nothing But A Child
Johnny Cash – Silent Night
Commander Cody – Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas
George Jones – Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus
Dolly Parton – Hard Candy Christmas
Michael Martin Murphey – Two-Step ‘Round The Christmas Tree/Two-Step Medley
Waylon Jennings – Away In A Manger
Dwight Yoakam – Run Run Rudolph
Merle Haggard – If We Make It Through December
The Mavericks – Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Alan Jackson with Alison Krauss – The Angels Cried
Clay Walker – Blue Christmas
Chris LeDoux – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Suzy Bogguss – Two-Step ‘Round The Christmas Tree
Deana Carter – Carol Of The Bells
George Strait – White Christmas
Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys – Christmas Time’s A-Coming
Dwight Yoakam – Here Comes Santa Claus
Neko Case – Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis
Asylum Street Spankers – Zat You, Santa Claus?
Jim Lauderdale – Holly & Her Mistletoe
Otis Gibbs – Jesus On The Couch
Robert Earl Keen – Merry Christmas From The Family
Lyle Lovett – Christmas Morning
James McMurtry – Holiday

 

 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Bands, Bluegrass, Country Music

 

Veterans Day Americana Mix – For Those That Serve

11 Nov

Aesthetics aren’t the only think that separates mainstream Music City country from it’s rustic yet urbane cousin Americana , there are political themes that differentiate as well. Music City doesn’t have a lock on patriotism any more than it does mom and apple pie. Here’s some Americana/classic country greats on this day for remembrance for those that serve.
Jason Isbell – Dress Blues
Johnny Cash – The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
Bruce Robison – Travelin’ Soldier
John Prine – Sam Stone
Tom Russell – Veteran’s Day
Drive-By Truckers – Mama Bake A Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken)
Jamey Johnson – In Color
Hank Williams – Searching For A Soldier’s Grave
Radney Foster – Angel Flight
Steve Earle – Johnny Come Lately

Listen here on Spotify

 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Country Music, In memoriam

 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival – Friday 9/30 Recommendations

27 Sep

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is trying something new for #11.  Friday is a full-day and not half-day event, and the additional acts are not just filler.

Bill Kirchen & The Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods – Bill Kirchen – Ann Arbor native and “The Titan of The Telecaster” Kirchen was a guitarist with the original Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid 1970s. Come see Kirchen bring the twang and show why he’s toured or recorded with Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Doug Sahm and Emmylou Harris. (Banjo Stage – 11:00am)

Blame Sally – Bay Area Americana is represented on Friday is the all female quartet Blame Sally. Known for their rollicking show and instrumental expertise the genre is great hands. (12:55 – Arrow Stage)

South Memphis String Band -  ON EDIT-  After I posted my Friday picks I was contacted about the South Memphis String Band and asked to reconsider. I did and I have. Go see ‘em, they’re great! (Star Stage – 1:20)

The Mekons – This veteran punk band is headed by sometime Chicago-based Brit-expat cowpunk Jon Langford (The Waco Brothers.) They are currently supporting their new release Ancient and Modern. (2:10 pm – Arrow Stage)

Jolie Holland – Like Gillan Welch Texan Jolie Holland has a vocal quality, and reflects subject matter,  from another time. A distant, dusty and dark past. Her soulful roots and dreamy Ragtime sound is the reason she can count Tom Waits as a fan. (Star Stage –  2:50)

Del McCoury & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band –  Legendary New Orleans Jazz and Bluegrass together? Like jambalaya and moonshine baby. (2:35 – Banjo Stage)

Southern Culture on the Skids – Formed in 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina SCOTS shows what happens when you mix top-notch musical chops and white trash aesthetic. Namely a hootin’ hollerin’ time. ( Arrow Stage – 3:30)

The Felice Brothers – I have likened them to being the anti- Avett Brothers. From the Catskill Mountains to the New York City subways The Felice Brothers offer a brand of gritty junkyard Americana that is as engaging and sinister as a classic Scorsese movie. Their new release Celebration, Florida might be the first (or at least the best) example of techo-Americana.  (Rooster Stage – 3:30 pm)

John Prine – A veteran on the country/folk scene since the early 70s when he was burdened with the “the next Dylan.” Dylan once even appeared at one of Prine’s first New York City club appearances unannounced and backed him on harmonica. Kris Kristofferson once remarked that Prine wrote songs so good that “we’ll have to break his thumbs” (Banjo Stage – 4:05pm)

Robert Plant & The Band of Joy –  Years ago when I got wind that Plant was sniffing around Nashvile I expectedthe worse. Rock singers in Music City typically results in mediocrity. Then I heard he was in the studio with T. Bone Burnett and Alison Krauss and was intrigued that at least he was keeping good company. A zillion sales and awards with the resulting Raising Sand led Plant back to the promised land with band conductor and guitarist Buddy Miller and came back with more premium Americana performers Patty Griffin and Darrell Scott. (Banjo Stage – 5:45pm)

If you have kids or just want to set up a stationary spot your best best bang for your buck (for FREE!) would be the Banjo Stage. The recommendations for Saturday and Sunday are larger so there will be only a list and no description. You’ll just have to trust me, I’m a (semi) professional.

 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Bands, Bluegrass, Festivals, Legends

 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 11 – Confirmed Acts (so far)

27 Jul

The good folks over at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass have using some clever audio teases to reveal acts confirmed for the upcoming 11th Americana festival. the event takes place in San Francisco’s beautiful Golden Gate Park and is put on by friend of Americana music, banjo player and investment banker Warren Hellman (Fri Sep 30, Sat Oct, & Sun Oct 2, 2011)

Here are the confirmed acts from reveals so far:

Dr. John, Punch Brothers, Gomez, Dark Star Orchestra, Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussein & Edgar Meyer , The Civil Wars, Bob Mould, The Devil Makes Three, John Prine,  Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch + David Rawlings,  Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses, Robert Plant & the Band of Joy, Del McCoury & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Cass McCombs, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Jayhawks, Abigail Washburn, Robert Earl Keen, Buckethead (!),  The Flatlanders, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Chris Isaak, Frank Fairfield, Irma Thomas, Elbow, The Mekons, Earl Scruggs, Patty Griffin, Old Crow Medicine Show…

There is also word, though no confirmation, that Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson will also be there. Sta tuned for more from what is shaping up to be the best Hardly Strictly Bluegrass  yet.

Kris Kristofferson
 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Bluegrass, Concerts, Country Music, Festivals

 

News Round Up – Cowboy Jack Clement Home Studio Destroyed in Fire

28 Jun

Sad news received here at Casa Twang -  the Nashville home studio, of famed musician and producer Cowboy Jack Clement (80) was consumed in a fire on Saturday 6/26th. The source of the fire is currently unknown but many reel-to-reel master tapes of rare recordings by Johnny Cash, John Prine, Louis Armstrong and dozens of others, many of which were unreleased. Also lost were many priceless mementos such as photos taken by and autographed by Clement’s  friend Johnny Cash, files on music productions and movie scripts. (The Tennessean)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrHEmaxqDuo[/youtube]

 

 

The Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa
 
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Posted in Americana, Legends, News Round Up

 

News Round Up: New Guy Clark and Hank Willams III Coming Soon

24 Jun
  • On August 16thlegendary singer/songwriter Guy Clark will release Songs And Stories, a live album recorded at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. Clark runs through his extensive collection of classics – L.A. Freeway, The Randall Knife, The Cape, Homegrown Tomatoes, and Stuff That Works – complete with stories and casual asides that should make this a must-have.
  • In other Clark news – In time to coincide with his 70th birthday This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark, is set to drop November 1 on Icehouse Music. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and Austin, Texas with a rotating cast of other musicians including multi-instrumentalist Lloyd Maines, bass players Glenn Fukunaga, Mike Bub and Glenn Worf, and drummers Kenny Malone and Larry Atamanuik. The release will feature Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett and many other singer-songwriters that have performed with and been influenced by Clark over his extensive career.
  • Bringing prolificacy to a new level Hank Williams III will celebrate his freedom from his well-documented contract disputes with Curb Records and his own new label , Hank3 Records, in a grand fashion – by releasing four records on September 6th. That’s right — four. Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown,’ a double-album set,will be a country collection fusing Hank’s trademark hellbilly sound with Cajun influences and will feature special guests including Tom Waits. The other two releases are ‘Attention Deficit Domination’ and ’3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin,’ are metal-driven records on which Hank 3 plays all instruments. ‘Cattle Callin’ will explore a proposed genre entitled “cattle core” sound, featuring Hank 3′s speed metal woven around actual cattle auctioneering. Hmm, something about that makes me very happy. All three projects were recorded at The Haunted Ranch, Hank 3′s home and studio on the outskirts of Nashville.
 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Legends, New Releases, News Round Up

 

Father’s Day – Songs for Daddy

18 Jun

For Father’s Day I rustled up some greats singing on their dads. I know it’s not an even 10 but I think you’ll like what I have. Share your favorites of they aren’t up here or just leave some memory or sentiment for your own dad. Thanks for all the great suggestion from my friends and followers in twitter.  This is dedicated to my own father Jerry Max Lane, and my daughter Isobel and my step-father Joe Herbert whose been more than a father to me in my life.

Jerry Max Lane – Swinging Doors

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QphvJhBKUho[/youtube]

A snippet os a leaving and drinking song by my dad.

Conway Twitty – That’s My Job

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-lh8GoGQs[/youtube]

For such  a macho genre Country Music has never been shy about it’s sentimentality. And nobody could deliver the heartstrings yanking goods like Mr. Conway Twitty.

 

George Strait – Love Without End, Amen

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrTidoW2Erc[/youtube]

Okay, King George gives Twitty a run for his money. Love Without End, Amen is Cat’s in the Cradle with a better ending.

 

Guy Clark – Randall Knife

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY5MOUO464Q[/youtube]

Storytelling get’s no better than Clark’s use of a battered knife as a metaphor for life and a conduit for letting go.

 

Loretta Lynn – They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuC-5hzBN2o[/youtube]

The ultimate daddy’s girl! The Coal Miners Daughters sings the praises and quiet grace of her daddy.

 

Charlie Louvin – See the Big Man Cry

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmGgd53NV_k&feature=related[/youtube]

The jaunty tone of Louvin’s  famous “See the Big Man Cry” belies the heartache of a man that sees his boy while walking on the sidewalk on day but can’t approach him and his ex-wide due to court orders.

 

Reba McEntire – The Greatest Man I Never Knew

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZaVmW12vM[/youtube]

The darker side of Loretta’s They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore, a man quiets grace leads to isolation and alienation from his daughter. Love the hair!

 

Shooter Jennings – It Ain’t Easy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhI1FQywuKA[/youtube]

Shooter relays some wisdom on career and manhood handed down from his daddy.

 

Brad Paisley – Anything Like Me fatherhood

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZazrQYirYLs[/youtube]

Brad Paisley is a cut above the typical Music City hat acts and his performance of this song on impending fatherhood shows as much.

 

Jamey Johnson – The Dollar

Even early in his career and with all the production sheen Johnson is a great songwriter. This is a tale of a boy that saves his change  to buy time with his overworked father. An anthem to family challenges in these tough economic times.

 

John Prine – My Old Man

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pze_BboNfxs[/youtube]

Tell ‘em you love ‘em while they’re on this side of the ground.

 
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Posted in alt.country, Americana, Video

 
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