Always good news - a new Drive-by Truckers album, set for release March 16th the band have confirmed the title and track list for the debut release on ATO Records, full article here . Americana Spotlight Slaid Cleaves at Americana Roots [...]
I know in today's day in age, another blogger revisiting an under appreciated and over talented artist from years past stacks up nicely beside another Justice remix when it comes to "required reading", but when it comes to Townes Van Zandt, I feel like anyone trying to bring some attention to the man's cannon of work deserves some recognition. For the Sake of Song - a UK label - put together a collection of Townes covers from some terrific indie artists, and the resulting record - Introducing Townes Van Zandt Via the Great Unknown - is [...]
When Woody Guthrie died in 1967, he left behind dozens of unpublished lyrics and poetry, which were later recorded as songs by Wilco, Billy Bragg, Jonatha Brooke, The Klezmatics, Wenzel, and for an upcoming Jay Farrar album featuring Jim James. Thirty years after Guthrie died we lost another songwriting legend, Townes Van Zandt, but he left some unfinished work behind as well. "It was very mysterious and very sweet and very challenging," says David Boza, an Israeli singer-songwriter who was left a shoe box of poems and lyrics by Van Zandt after his death (they met [...]
Sometimes when I listen to Townes, it makes me feel like nothing else could ever reach his level. But does the production on this debut truly take the steam out of the songs? And if this isn't his best record, which one is? mp3: Waitin' Around to Die Vinyl Search | ebay ] CD Reissue | 2007 | Fat Possum | amazon ]
The ideas simple, get a eclectic bunch of unknown (mostly) indie artists together and record an album of Townes van Zandt songs, we've already had one van Zandt tribute recording this year from the great Earle senior, which I featured in a blog post here back in March . Do we need another one ? Absolutely and this one is coming at it from a different angle, does it work – in a word yes. Why? Well the power [...]
De erfenis van Townes Van Zandt lijkt in goede handen te zijn van mannen als Steve Earle en Guy Clark . Dat zagen we onlangs nog, toen Steve Earle tijdens zijn optreden op Crossing Border vooral putte uit de songs van zijn laatste album Townes. Maar ik vraag me wel eens af of jongere generaties de muziek van Townes Van Zandt oppikken, zoals steeds weer een jongere generatie de albums van de Doors en Joy Division herontdekt. Het album met de wat onhandige titel Introducing Townes Van Zandt Via The Great [...]
My very good friend Randy Fuller has a really cool blog that is not about rock and roll. It's about wine, but he wrote an excellent piece recently on rock and roll wines. Actually, it's about good wine in bottles with rock and roll labels - Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is there, so are the Rolling Stones, and even a Woodstock poster bottle. As I said, very cool, and you can read it here . I've known Randy for many years now, we went [...]
Wrinkle Neck Mules album Let the Lead Fly is one my favourite of 2009, check out the reviews, competition and wallpapers @ Twangville and Twangnation Laura Viers - July Flame The first two songs from the upcoming album free for your listening pleasure ( mp3 sampler ) [...]
Caitlin Rose's birthday tribute to GP - Still Feelin Blue [...]
Filed under: Video , New Music , Exclusive At quick glance, the title of the Avett Brothers new record and major label debut appears as simply just 'I Love You.' But really, it's 'I and Love and You,' which hints that the record isn't so much of a direct statement but instead has more of a philosophical meaning behind the new tunes. Included in the liner notes is a lengthy mission statement explaining the thought behind the title, but at the band's recent Interface taping in New York, they [...]
Earlier this week we roamed over to Luckenbach to soak up a little of that Texas mystique, and I thought while we're in the neighborhood we oughta just keep goin' about the good old days. Well, as I said, back in the 1970s Texas became the epicenter of something called the outlaw country music movement. It kinda started around 1972, right about the time Willie Nelson's Nashville home burned down and he moved back to Austin. Later that year Nelson held his first Fourth of July festival at Dripping Springs - featuring Waylon Jennings, Tompall Glaser, Kris Kristofferson and Leon [...]
If you're unfamiliar with Hurray For The Riff Raff the prefect introduction is their recently released Daytrotter session . I feel like you can get a pretty good feel for a band by looking at their record collection, analyzing their favorites and the albums that mean a lot to them. Take one look at the albums chosen by Alynda Lee Segarra for our 5 Albums feature and regular MoB readers will find a group they can get behind. Take our recommendation and pick up Hurray for the Riff Raff's album It [...]
Recently while set on shuffle, my iPod keeps playing tracks from the Steve Earle album Townes , which in turn keeps reminding me of how much I love the songwriting of Townes Van Zandt. Earle, who famously proclaimed "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table, in my cowboy boots, and say that", recorded Townes as a tribute to his mentor and friend, and the album features fifteen Van Zandt originals and contains some really interesting arrangements of some of the great songwriters best [...]
Texas singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett isn't a flashy performer, and these days he apparently isn't a prolific songwriter. Yet on Natural Forces , Lovett puts his singular stamp on 11 songs that fit comfortably on the shelf alongside his other work. But the album isn't a step forward: Lovett only wrote or co-wrote five songs here, and the rest are from Lone Star state writers that Lovett admires. Here Lovett takes a rather haphazard approach to the songs, which could be considered a change of pace from this usually careful artist. It all adds to up a throwaway album that [...]
Winter´s coming... and me no like. After more than five months of sunshine, wearing shorts and flipflops at all times, it´s kinda hard to adjust. Today was the first day I had to put on my trusted leather jacket, while inside the heater had to be turned on again. Last Saturday, it proved still possible to enjoy lunch outside, in shirtsleeves while sporting sunglasses, but now the weather has definitely turned. Living in a mediterranean climate, it would be hard to maintain that it´s colder than a witch´s tit, or even a well digger´s ass out there, but it sure [...]
MUSIC NEWS - Lyle Lovett's new album Natural Forces, is out this week (via Universal Music) and is being featured as an Amazon Daily Deal starting today! You can purchase the MP3 of the album a day before its release for only $3.99. An amazing deal, as if you need a another reason to listen to Lovett covering seven of his favorite Texan songwriters, Townes Van Zandt and Vince Bell among them.
The Kinks - Strangers The Kinks - Muswell Hillbilly The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow Elton John - Madman Across The Water Aimee Mann - Thirty One Today Rotary Connection - I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun Paul Simon - Train In The Distance John Martyn - Head & Heart Townes Van Zandt - [...]
The first time I ever heard anything referred to as Texas Country it was a song from Robert Earl Keen. That song, unlike many people's first REK exposure ( The Road Goes on Forever ), was Corpus Christi Bay . My younger brother played it for me one evening and I was hooked. I speedily acquired REK's catalog and branched out into other Texas Country artists like Cory Morrow , Pat Green , Jason Boland & The Stragglers just to name a few. I love the Texas Country scene and especially The Firehouse Saloon [...]
Roger Miller being a badass surrounded by A shit ton of Grammys! As the weather turns cold the need to be near someone begins to grow. Especially if you are wo/manless. People find cures for this in different ways. Drinking, drugging, and artistic outlets. Maybe all of the above. Nothing speaks to a lonely heart more than country music. Country often deals with, drinking, drugging and writing a song for your exlover. Simplicity is key in conveying loneliness. Directness in lyric, in tone, and voice. A lot of the songs sound the same. That's [...]
Sam Baker è un sopravissuto, sofferenza e dolore, fiducia e riscatto sono gli ingredienti del romanzo della vita del cinquantacinquenne texano. Nel 1986 durante uno dei suoi viaggi in America Latina è coinvolto in un attentato del gruppo terroristico "Sendero Luminoso" che causò su un treno in Perù decine di vittime, Sam ne uscì vivo ma [...]
Beat Surrender
Herohill
TwentyFourBit
The Rising Storm
Ketelmuziek
30 Days Out
Spinner.com
Muzzle of Bees
Sweetheart of the Radio
For The Sake Of The Song
Music News Net
The Mud Hut
Nine Bullets
Rock Sellout
Happy Days Are Here Again
Sleigh Bells - Demons (Official Music Video)
The Rains of Castamere by The National
A-Trak & Dillon Francis - "Money Makin'" (Official Video)
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Nas - Daughters
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Bison - Quill
Ondatrópica – Punkero Sonidero
