Tag Archives: Johnny Bush

Steve Earle and The Dukes To Release ‘So You Wannabe an Outlaw’ This Summer

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Steve Earle & The Dukes - So You Wannabe an Outlaw

Legendary ‘Hardcore Troubadour’ Steve Earle and the current version of his backing country rock band The Dukes – – guitarist Chris Masterson, fiddle player Eleanor Whitmore, bassist Kelly Looney, and new members drummer Brad Pemberton and pedal steel player Ricky Ray Jackson – will release ‘So You Wannabe an Outlaw’ on June 16 on Warner Bros. Records.

Musician, songwriter, actor and author Steve Earle’s first album for Warner Bros. Records since 1997’s ‘El Corazón’, explores his Texas country songwriting roots and features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Billy Joe Shaver and Miranda Lambert.

This is not the first time Earle and Miranda Lambert have collaborated. Sort of. Lambert gave co-writer’s credit to Steve Earle after the similarities to his song “I Feel Alright” and her song ‘Kerosene’ from her debut album was raised. It’s reported that Lambert admitted to unconsciously copying the melody and structure, saying “I didn’t purposefully plagiarize his song — but unconsciously I copied it almost exactly. I guess I’d listened to it so much that I just kind of had it in there.”

“There’s nothing ‘retro’ about this record,” Earle says. “I’m just acknowledging where I’m coming from.” So You Wannabe an Outlaw is the first recording he has made in Austin, TX. Earle has lived in New York City for the past decade. “Look, I’m always gonna be a Texan, no matter what I do,” he says. “And I’m always going to be somebody who learned their craft in Nashville. It’s who I am.”

‘So You Wannabe an Outlaw’ is an homage to outlaw music and is dedicated to the late Waylon Jennings. “I was out to unapologetically ‘channel’ Waylon as best as I could.” Earle says. “This record was all about me playing’ on the back pick-up of a ’66 Fender Telecaster on an entire record for the first time in my life. The vocal part of it is a little different. I certainly don’t sound like Waylon Jennings. I moved to Nashville in November of 1974, and right after that Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger came out. I was around when Waylon was recording Dreaming My Dreams. Guitar Town (Earle’s 1986 chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning debut album) wound up being kind of my version of those types of songs,” Earle recalls.

The album was produced by Richard Bennett and recorded at Arlyn Studios in Austin.

Earle hasn’t always embraced his alt.country past preferring to guide his career into more of a folk direction. “….Outlaw” appears to be a return to form. Is this a crass attempt to cash in on the resurgence of classic country spearheaded by the success of Chris Stapleton and early Sturgill Simpson? Who cares? Easrlevwas a pivotal figure in laying the groundwork that allowed those artists to build a career. I, for one, say welcome home!

This summer, Earle will lead his fourth annual songwriting intensive, Camp Copperhead, in upstate New York from June 26-30, 2017. The all-inclusive, four-day music vacation and fully immersive learning experience will take place at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY, about half an hour west of Woodstock. Primary instructor Earle will be joined this year by special guest instructors Jackie Greene and Dar Williams. Details can be found at http://camp-copperhead.com/.

The album is available for pre-order today via Amazon. Those who pre-order will receive an instant download of the album track “Lookin’ For A Woman.”

The track listing for ‘So You Wannabe An Outlaw’:

So You Wanna Be An Outlaw (feat. Willie Nelson)
Lookin’ For A Woman
The Firebreak Line
News From Colorado
If Mama Coulda Seen Me
Fixin’ To Die
This Is How It Ends (feat. Miranda Lambert)
The Girl On The Mountain
You Broke My Heart
Walkin’ In LA (feat. Johnny Bush)
Sunset Highway
Goodbye Michelangelo

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks (covers):
Ain’t No God In Mexico (Billy Joe Shaver)
Sister’s Coming Home/Down At The Corner Beer Joint (Willie Nelson)
The Local Memory (Willie Nelson)
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way (Waylon Jennings)

Camp Copperhead:

06/26    Big Indian, NY              Camp Copperhead
06/27    Big Indian, NY              Camp Copperhead
06/28    Big Indian, NY              Camp Copperhead
06/29    Big Indian, NY              Camp Copperhead
06/30    Big Indian, NY              Camp Copperhead

Steve Earle and The Dukes’ upcoming tour dates are as follows:

07/01    New Braunfels, TX        Whitewater Amphitheater w/Ryan Bingham
07/02    New Braunfels, TX        Whitewater Amphitheater w/Ryan Bingham
07/03    Houston, TX              House of Blues
07/04    Austin, TX               Willie Nelson’s Picnic
07/06    Dallas, TX               House of Blues
07/07    Jackson, MS              Duling Hall
07/08    Memphis, TN              Minglewood Hall
07/09    Knoxville, TN            Bijou Theatre
07/11    Asheville, NC            Orange Peel
07/13    Charleston, SC           Charleston Music Hall
07/14    Durham, NC               The Carolina Theatre
07/15    Mount Solon, VA          Natural Chimeny’s Park / Red Wing Roots Music Festival
07/16    Charleston, WV           Culture Center / Mountain Stage w/ Larry Groce – Radio Show
07/18    Alexandria, VA           The Birchmere
07/20    Cincinnati, OH           Taft Theatre
07/21    Nashville, TN            Ryman Auditorium  (w/ Lucero)
07/22    Marietta, GA             Peoples Bank Theatre
07/23    Kent, OH                 Kent Stage
07/25    Chicago, IL              Old Town School of Folk
07/26    Chicago, IL              Old Town School of Folk
07/28    Mahnomen, MN             Shooting Star Casino-Mustang Lounge
07/29    Clear Lake, IA               Surf Ballroom
07/30    Apple Valley, MN          Minnesota Zoo-Weesner Family
08/01    Omaha, NE                   Slowdown
08/03    Aspen, CO                    Belly Up Aspen
08/04    Boulder, CO                  Boulder Theater
08/05    Salt Lake City, UT        The State Room
08/07    Alb, NM                   Kimo Theatre
08/08    Tucson, AZ                Rialto Theatre
08/10    Solana Beach, CA         Belly Up
08/11    W. Hollywood, CA         The Troubadour
08/12    W. Hollywood, CA         The Troubadour
08/14    Portland, OR                 Revolution Hall
08/15    Seattle, WA                  Neptune Theatre
08/16    Boise, ID                      Egyptian theatre
08/18    Billings, MT                  Zoo Montana
08/19    Deadwood, SD              Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel
09/07    Orlando, FL                  The Plaza Live
09/08    Ft. Lauderdale, FL         Parker Playhouse (w/ Los Lobos)
09/09    Clearwater, FL              Capitol Theatre
09/10    St. Augustine, FL          St. Augustine Amphitheatre (w/ Los Lobos)
09/16    Fredericton, NB             Harvest Jazz + Blues Festival
09/26    Winnipeg, MB, CAN      Burton Cummings Theatre
09/27    Regina, SK, CAN          Casino Regina
09/28    Calgary, AB, CAN         Grey Eagle Resort & Casino
09/29    Enoch, AB, CAN           River Cree Resort & Casino

The album is available for pre-order today via all digital retailers. Those who pre-order will receive an instant download of the album track “Lookin’ For A Woman.”

Post 4th of July Post

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I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. I spent America’s 234th birthday seeing some great music by Hang Jones, at the park with  family and friends eating, watching spectacular stuff bow up and watching Brock Lesnar stop being pummeled long enough to submit Shane Carwin with a arm-triangle choke. Ah, American values….I wanted to take some time to post some cool things I found around the web celebrating this great day.

S.P. Gass at NoDepression.com asked for recommendations for a Americana/roots Independence Day playlist. And the members (incl. yours truly) came up with a doozy.

Willie Nelson took his legendary picnic to Bee Cave, Texas’ Backyard  and featured Johnny Bush, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Leon Russell, Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys Billy Joe Shaver canceled his showing at the picnic due to health reasons. We hope he ‘s doing well.

FrontLoader.com has posted some a mother load of independence goodness. MP3 outtakes from the quintessential American musician, Johnny Cash. These cuts are from his American recording sessions (of course) with Rick Rubin he did at the end of his life.

and s[peaking of the Man in Black…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifeeqnrd6gA[/youtube]

Independence Day

Willie Nelson – The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA. – 1/17/09

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If you’ve attended a solo Willie Nelson show you know what’s coming. Just as sure as a Texas Summer is hot and that your enchiladas at El Fenix will begin with chips and salsa, the Redheaded Stranger will deliver a canon of some of the best and most loved American songs spanning his 40 year career. The Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud penned Whiskey River, Good Hearted Woman – written by Willie and his partner in outlaw brotherhood Waylon Jennings, Crazy – the Willie penned 1962 #2 country hit for Patsy Cline that was originally written for, and turned down by,  Billy Walker, Funny How Time Slips Away – a song Walker did record and had a hit, the Kris Kristofferson penned Help Me Make It Through The Night and Me And Bobby McGee (made famous by fellow Texan Janis Joplin), Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain – the Fred Rose penned song that was originally performed in 1945 by Roy Acuff , later by Hank Williams but made into a hit by Willie on his thematic masterpiece Red Headed Stranger. The list goes on but you get the idea.

Even after a reprieve in 2004 due to a bout with carpal tunnel syndrome (well not much of a reprieve, Willie wrote two current song list staples, Superman and You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore – during the 4 months he was supposed to take it easy) Willie still plays the weathered Martin N-20 with now defunct Baldwin pickups (aka Trigger) in his signature syncopated style that made him too jazzy for 60’s era Nashville but endeared him to an audience that weren’t typical country music fans back in Austin. Trigger bares a ragged hole in it’s body right where decades of downstrokes have landed blows – surrounded by signatures of Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Kris Kristofferson and others this singular instrument has transcended it’s original intent. It now stands as a talisman as well as, as it’s name suggests, a trusted and loyal friend.

Very few artists have achieved the status of American icon. It’s a short and select group that have one thing in common, they transcend the level of working musician and become a representation of the music itself. 40’s pop, Frank Sinatra, Jazz, Louie Armstrong – Country Music in the minds of many Americans born in the last 40 years is Willie Nelson.

After all this time the humility is still there, thanking the audience after songs or an especially dexterous turn on Trigger. The 1000 watt smile, the twinkle in his eye, the humor, the worn bandanas tossed into an adoring crowd. Except for his well-known predilection for ganja (of which some of the Bay Area’s finest found its way on stage tossed up by a fan that abides) the man could have easily had a place in politics.

Seeing Willie is like visiting the Grand Canyon or the giant Sequoias – he’s less a musician and more like a force of nature, you’re awed to be in the presence of a national treasure and, after repeated visits, subtleties arise that are only discernible after a level of familiarity is achieved. The classics begin to expose nuances, phrasing, odd time signatures – once past the initial awe there’s a lasting beauty that emerges. The audience is enthralled and vocal – “yeehaws” and “ahh-haaas” ring out between each song. Not surprising, this is as far west we you can get without getting your boots wet.

Willie’s son Lukas and his band, the Promise of the Real, opened the show with their brand of jamband psychedelic fusion. Playing in this venue where the Grateful Dead performed so many times must have been a dream come true for these guys. I’m not particularly a fan of this style of music but one thing did stand out for me; whether fronting his own band or supporting his dad Lukas Nelson is becoming a master guitar player in his own right.

The night was topped off for me meeting Linda, a fellow blogger with #1 Willie Nelson fan site Still is Still Moving. Linda’s site is the go-to place for all thngs Willie.

And then there was the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels in VIP seating within the security barrier right in front of us. The outlaw mojo was in full force on this cool, San Francisco night.

Willie Nelson : Stardust – The Fillmore – 1/17/09

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EOqKMlq05I[/youtube]