Youtube Mondays : Country Blues
Feb 27, 2012 Youtube Clip
Ever have days when you just have to hear some blues ? Today is one of them for me, I am not particularly in a bad mood, but some good down home country blues is just needed sometimes. I have come up with some great footage of some acoustic blues legends from all eras for you to enjoy:
First off is the great Son House, with “Death Letter Blues” from 1967. I love the percussive way Son played the guitar.
Next is Reverend Gary Davis with “If I Had My Way”.
Mississippi John Hurt : “Spike Driver”
David Honeyboy Edwards, “Sweet Home Chicago” :
Paul Geremia playing Jesse Fuller’s “Crazy About a Woman That Lives in My Neighborhood” :
John Hammond Jr. , “Jitterbug Swing” :
Keb’ Mo’ , “Better Man” :
Roy Book Binder, “Police Dog Blues” :
Tags: Gary Davis, Honeyboy Edwards, John Hammond, Keb Mo, Mississippi John Hurt, Paul Geremia, Roy Book Binder, Son House
Album Review : Eastbound Jesus : Holy Smokes!
Feb 27, 2012 Album Reviews
A quick Google search for this upstart New York band brings up a few bluegrass sites and forums talking about them. Let’s be clear calling these guys bluegrass would make my banjo picking grandfather roll over in his grave. Just because there is a banjo included in this six piece band and they have been obviously influenced by the Bill Monroes of the musical world does not in any way make them bluegrass (there is a drummer for goodness sakes).
Having said all of that, Eastbound Jesus is a phenomenal new band. Holy Smokes! displays some fantastic talent both in the instrumentation and the lyrics. They have drawn from all corners of the musical landscape, at times that aforementioned bluegrass influence shines through right alongside some garage rock, jamband and straightforward country sounds.
Present on the album are a guitar, bass, banjo, drums and a lap steel guitar. These guys have a great handle on the traditional forms of writing songs and do not forget to let you know that they are young and what generation they come from. The arrangements are tight and the songs all have their share of harmonies.
These vocal harmonies are far from perfect, which in my opinion makes them infinitely better. Instead of the choral feel you get from some harmonies, you get the feeling of a bunch of guys in a kick ass bar band singing their hearts out together.
Holy Smokes! is their second go at releasing an album in the short time they have been together. Armed with the 13 tracks heard here, they entered a true studio for the first time and they have nailed it.
The first song that really got me was “Corn Whiskey”. With a chorus that says he’s “tired of writing songs about heartache” and a down home feel, this song about heartache is great. Following that is the singer / songwriter sounding “Without You”, a man’s testimony of being lost without the one that makes everything seem evenly balanced.
Perhaps the most bluegrassy song on the record is the title track, “Holy Smokes!”. It puts me in the mind of the energy on the Leftover Salmon albums from the 90′s. A hyper banjo and drum track drive this song along as the narrator meets the girl of his dreams and then is subsequently dumped by a dear john letter.
Backed by a rock n roll bass line and guitar part, “Hold on Me Now” sounds like something you would hear on the classic rock stations. The vocal part is way different from the rest of the record and the banjo seems way out of place on this one, but for some reason it sounds so damn cool. I’m normally a lyric first guy, but occasionally the sonic quality of a song supersedes the lyrics for me and this is one of those cases. This song definitely passes the “turn it way up and drive” test.
The song that will (for the liberal use of the word, fuck) get the most attention on the record is “Gonna Go Down”. It has everything that a song with youthful angst needs. They rail against the local cops for taking their weed, suburban sprawl for ruining a childhood fishing spot, Nashville’s music establishment, and of course Uncle Sam. This song is what rock n roll is supposed to be about.
I am really glad that this record showed up in my mailbox. I have listened to it at least a dozen times already and hopefully, Eastbound Jesus is not a band that will go away when the members have to start paying for a mortgage. They are supposed to launch a tour this summer to support the album, go out and see them and buy a copy of the album so they are forced to continue making records.
Check them out on their website www.eastboundjesus.com
Tags: album review, Eastbound Jesus
Friday’s List of Five : 2/24/12 Edition
Feb 24, 2012 Lists
This week’s Friday’s List of Five will focus on live stage banter. If you spend a lot of time going to see shows whether it be at a local bar or large venue, you have certainly experienced all kinds of banter from the stage. Some artists excel at this aspect of the show, while others seem awkward when addressing the crowd and still others choose not to do so at all or very little (Bob Dylan). For this list I have included five great examples of banter enhancing the lie experience normally in a humorous way. I did not go into the bootleg collection to pull these out, instead I used officially released live recordings. Here’s the list:
1.) Todd Snider : “The Mushroom Story” from the album, Todd Snider Live, The Storyteller:
The undisputed heavy weight champion of in between song rambling, as he says, “sometimes I may ramble on for as many as eighteen minutes in between the songs”. He has honed the ability to engage the crowd to the point where that is one of the big reasons to go see Todd live. On this particular release, he has a couple of tracks dedicated to such speeches. “The Mushroom Story” is an account of him quitting his high school football team because of an experience with magic mushrooms.
2.) B.B. King : “Worry, Worry, Worry” from the album, Live in Cook County Jail :
B.B. was just born to be an entertainer, and when he talks to the crowd they listen and participate. Towards the middle of this track, B.B. launches into a rant on how women and men should interact in the inevitable events where they are not getting along. My favorite quote from this one, “When goofed last week, I was high … when you’re high it don’t count”.
3.) Greg Brown : “Canned Goods” from the album, The Live One :
Folk singers are contractually required to interact with the crowd and Brown was really good at it when he still gave a shit about his contracts. This recording from I believe 1987 showcases this talent. In the middle of “Canned Goods” Brown recounts his childhood trips to his grandma’s house in rural Iowa, and explains why chickens aren’t really animals.
4.) Roy Book Binder : “Candyman” from the album, Live Book…Don’t Start Me Talkin :
Acoustic blues legend Book Binder tells the story of learning the Candyman Blues from Reverend Gary Davis as a young college student. The Candyman Blues went on to “ruin” Roy’s life. After recounting learning the song from Rev. Davis, Roy goes on to tell the story of asking Pink Anderson about the same song and funny enough, Anderson told him the same story that Davis had.
5.) Greg Klyma : “A Song For Me” from the album, Klymalive in Buffalo :
Buffalo native Klyma breaks out the mandolin for this particular tune and while building into it, he explains the story of unrequited love that inspired the song. Klyma is another performer that truly understands enhancing the live experience by connecting personally with his audience.
These are just five quick examples of the banter that sometimes shows up on live records. Feel free to leave some comments on your favorites.
Tags: b.b. king, greg brown, greg klyma, roy bookbinder, todd snider
Album Review : Will Hoge : #7
Feb 22, 2012 Album Reviews
I’m still trying to get through some of my favorite releases from late last year. Today I will tackle Will Hoge’s latest, #7. Appropriately titled, as it is his seventh studio release, The album came out last September.
I always look forward to Hoge’s albums with a great deal of anticipation. I jumped on the bandwagon when The Man Who Killed Love came out. #7 continues to showcase Will’s amazing vocal talent and stays firmly in the rock/country/soul format that he is known for. His voice has elements of Otis Redding, Chris Robinson and Tom Petty all rolled into one. He is my favorite vocalist in the Americana scene, there seems to be no song style or subject matter that he cannot handle with grace and feeling.
This record is put together well, it has a little bit of everything that Hoge can offer and his backing band is top notch. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have the balls out rocker that some of his other records have had. I think that Hoge’s ability as a songwriter has grown leaps and bounds starting with 2007′s Draw the Curtains and this album continues on in that matter. Hoge doesn’t hold back and hide behind metaphors, he just allows the story of the songs stand out front and center in an elegant but not pretentious way.
“American Dream”, a folk ballad of sorts, tells the story of a homeless man that is looking back at his life and noting the points that his American Dream went off the rails. The man does not think that the world owes him anything, as he is resigned to his current state.
Another fine song on this one is “No Man’s Land”. This song showcases Will’s talent for writing a poppy rock song that sticks in your head without annoying the shit of you. The tale of mismatched couple where the man is always finding the perfect way to shove is foot firmly in his mouth, bounces around my head constantly for days after hearing it.
“Illegal Line” follows a Mexican construction worker as he sneaks across the border in search of a better life for himself and his family back home. It chronicles his struggles making a go at it until eventually he ends up arrested and incarcerated for simply trying to provide for his family. It’s a story we’ve all seen in the news, or if you live close to the border in your hometown.
The standout on the record for me is “When I Get My Wings”. Hoge said during his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, that he got the inspiration for the song after reading a story of husband burying his wife after 57 years of marriage. The soul side of Hoge shines in this one as he sings from the man’s point of view about his longing to join his beloved on the other side. The emotion the he conveys in this song makes you believe he is that man, and the feelings of loss are his.
Overall, I am very satisfied with #7 and think it stands up quite well to the rest of records in his catalog. As long as Will Hoge continues to put out albums that are this good, I will continue to anxiously await the next one down the line. I have yet to experience him live (a show I had tickets for with Jason Isbell was cancelled due to weather) but I’m sure these songs will fall in line with the great show that he is known for putting on.
Head over to WillHoge.com to check out this and more from Mr. Hoge.
Tags: Will Hoge
Youtube Mondays : Tom Waits
Feb 20, 2012 Youtube Clip
So maybe, 5-6 posts a week was a little optimistic, as illness took over the last week or so, but it is still my goal. This is a new week and with that comes Youtube Mondays.
This week are videos from Tom Waits’ performance on Austin City Limits. I believe this was recording on December 5, 1978 but did not air until sometime in 1979. It is one of my favorite live Waits shows and is my most favorite episode of Austin City Limits. It’s a shame they haven’t released this on DVD so we wouldn’t have to watch clips that are this poor quality.
Enjoy:
“Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis” :
“Burma Shave” (pt 1) :
“Burma Shave” (pt 2) :
“Sweet Little Bullet From a Pretty Blue Gun” :
Tags: Austin City Limits, Tom Waits, video
Album Review : Otis Gibbs : Harder Than Hammered Hell
Feb 7, 2012 Album Reviews
I bought this record earlier this week after seeing that it was available for early download. I have not stopped listening to it since I got it.
Otis handled the production of the album by himself, which sometimes ends in disaster, and he nailed the perfect touches on this one. Often times musicians who are labeled as a “folkie” get too caught up in that same acoustic guitar send a message sound and forget that some songs need more and that sometimes some electric guitar and drums are a great thing. Not Gibbs, he enlisted a top notch band consisting of everyone’s favorite session drummer Paul Griffith, Mark Fain on bass, Thomm Jutz playing guitar/ vocals and Amy Lashley adding depth to the songs on backing vocals. The songs have a very live feel to them, whether they were recorded in that fashion or not, I have no idea and they lend themselves to Gibbs’ tendency to draw out certain words or phrases that you were not really expecting.
As always Otis’ voice is a little gruff and a little sweet when it needs to be, he seems to always find the correct balance when singing to match the emotion of the song. Most people know Gibbs for his political or socially conscience songs and I think that unfairly gets him pigeonholed sometimes, as he can write a personal song with the best of them. This album really showcases that ability, while his thoughts on the world are definitely sprinkled throughout the songs, most of them feel like they were written from his personal experiences or written to or about someone who he knows. A feeling of hope resonates during the entire album, even though some of the characters have fallen on hard times they have persevered or Gibbs is telling that there is in fact a light at the end of the old tunnel.
This feeling starts off right away with “Never Enough” and continues with “Made To Break” which is probably my favorite song on the album. Both songs champion the ability to struggle on through all the things that life may throw at you. The word play on the latter is just phenomenal, as is the case with many Gibbs tunes.
Later in the record comes the only co-write on the album and who should show up but, Jukebox favorite, Adam Carroll. I am now convinced that Carroll just sits around and waits for people to come through Texas and then convinces them to write a song with him, it’s some sort of rite of passage for all songwriters passing through the area. While you can maybe feel a little Carroll influence in “Big Whiskers” it is absolutely an Otis Gibbs song. I work part time at a cat fishing lake, but am not a fisherman by any means. This song cracked me up, because I have met this guy at the lake a million times and heard 100 different versions of the story that the grandpa in the song tells about the monster catfish lurking at the bottom of the river.
The final song I will discuss is “The Land of Maybe”, a song about Otis’ life in Tennessee and this is the song that his thoughts on the nation sneaks in the most. Lines like “It’s hard to care about the fashion, with the dirt up and under your nails” really hit home with those of us that have lives where the dirt is constantly under our nails. That is what really sets Gibbs apart from most of the holier than thou, make a change folkies, he writes and sings like he is one of us and that the change is what he cares about, not being the one that inspired the change.
I encourage everyone to buy this one immediately, the songs feel as though they were written on your back porch or the back of a pickup truck at a rest area and performed in your local bar (you know if your local bar was a really fucking cool place). Accessible is a word that comes to mind but, it really doesn’t do how good this album any justice at all. I guarantee when all is said and done this year, Harder Than Hammered Hell will appear on my and a lot of other people’s top ten lists. Learn more at www.OtisGibbs.com .
Tags: adam carroll, Otis Gibbs
Youtube Mondays : William Elliott Whitmore
Feb 6, 2012 Youtube Clip
This week on YouTube Monday we are looking at some videos of William Elliott Whitmore. I have written about him before after going to see him awhile back. I love the soul in his voice and the raw sound that he puts into every album. I am trying to figure out a way to make it to see him in a couple months as he tours the country opening for Lucero.
The first video is a mini documentary about him and his farm. This video really shows what a humble guy he is and you get to see where the inspiration for some of his songs come from:
Next is the promo video that came out before his last record, Field Songs, was released :
Here is the official video for “Field Song”
And finally, here is a live clip of him performing “Who Stole the Soul” from Animals in the Dark :
If you like what you hear visit www.WilliamElliottWhitmore.com for tour dates and album sales.
Tags: lucero, william elliott whitmore
Album Review : Rod Picott : Welding Burns
Feb 4, 2012 Album Reviews
This review is late as this album was released in the fall of last year, however I feel I need to write something about it. I did not keep a running list of my favorite records of last year but, if I had Welding Burns would have been easily in the top three and maybe the top spot.
For the longest time I only knew Rod Picott as the guy who co-writes a bunch of songs with Slaid Cleaves. This thought kept going even after I had purchased a few of his earlier records, whether it was just not having enough time to listen to them intently or my own laziness. When Welding Burns came out last year I made it my mission to give this guy the proper time and effort to see what I actually thought of him. Man am I glad I did.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about the blue collar subject matter and feel of this album, and no doubt it’s very much here. More importantly this record is American and not in the cheezy over the top patriotic way, but in that all of the characters of the songs live in our neighborhoods. The tired, down and out, blue collar workers that build what is left being built stateside and occupy the bar stools at the corner pub and fill the auditoriums for high school basketball games are all here in this album. Picott doesn’t write and sing about them like an anthropologist observing from the sidelines, instead he immerses himself in their lives. When you listen to this album you come away with the feeling that Picott has hung sheet rock, toiled away in a dying factory and in fact does have the welding burns that lend their name to the title of the record.
As far as the sound and feel of the songs, they are perfectly matched with the subject matter. The slow tired sound of “Rust Belt Fields” is perfect as is the up tempo beat and guitar work on the more frantic “410″ . Picott’s vocals are something I have definitely overlooked in the past and here they are often front and center on the songs.
The highlights of the disc start right at the beginning with “Rust Belt Fields” ,a co-write with Cleaves, where a factory has closed and the narrator offers one of the greatest group of lyrics I have ever heard,
“They’ve figured it out, shipped the elbow grease
down to Mexico off to the Chinese
I’ve learned a little something about the way things are,
no one gets a bonus for bloody knuckles and scars,
no one remembers your name, just for working hard”
From one closed factory to another, in “410″ the laid off worker chooses a 410 shotgun as his new tool for his newly created job robbing liquor stores. The desperation of a broken man really shines through in this one. After tackling some people that have lost their jobs, Picott moves on to the story of a guy who can’t seem to get rid of his job. In “SheetRock Hanger” the protagonist feels that he never is going to get away from his employment even after death as he’s “pretty sure the devil runs a sheetrock hanging crew” . The comments in this one make you believe there is no way that Picott has not spent some time on a construction site.
In the end, I am so glad I gave this record my complete attention, as it has found it’s way into the permanent rotation at my house. Picott has managed to capture the feelings and lives of an entire nation on this album. People say that Springsteen writes for the common man and that is his appeal, those people need to hear Welding Burns and see what it’s like when someone really does so. Check out Picott on his website: www.rodpicott.com .
Tags: Rod Picott, slaid cleaves
Friday’s List of 5 : 2/3/12 edition
Feb 3, 2012 Lists, Youtube Clip
So this is the fourth post this week (80% of my goal) and I missed the last two days sick. I am starting a new series on the Jukebox, Friday’s List of 5. This list could really consist of anything I want, but I will attempt to keep musically oriented (unless you are really interested in 5 ways my coworkers make me want to commit homicide).
For today’s list I am going with 5 upcoming albums that I am really excited about. It seems like every year I think that there is just so much great stuff being released at once or throughout the year. I am always thinking of how it so much better than the previous year, but when you say that every year it really isn’t true. I think that when you like so much music and it’s such a big part of your life, you can always get pumped up for a new release.
Having said all of that, the next 5 releases really do get me excited and it’s going to be a fantastic stretch for new tunes coming up, as these are only 5 new ones coming out among many.
Without further ado here is today’s list:
1. Todd Snider : Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables – Release Date March 6th
I thought I would get the obvious out of the way. Any time Todd puts out a new record it’s an event at my house. The release of the excitement plan seemed to be postponed for 25 years as he put out eps and such to throw us off the scent. Perhaps, I’m not quite as plugged in with the Snider fan community as I was before, but this new release kind of blindsided me. I knew he had some new songs and that he was in the studio working (Jason Isbell tweeted that he was a special guest and went and recorded with Todd a couple months ago) but, I assumed that would mean two more years with Todd. Anyways in March we get to see what direction he has headed in. Yesterday Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi informed the Snider email list that he, Paul Griffith, Eric McConnell along with guests Amanda Shires (vocals/ fiddle) and Isbell (guitar / backing vocals), back Snider on this one. Todd is also gearing up for a tour with the McConnell and Griffith as the rhythm section.
2. Otis Gibbs : Harder Than Hammered Hell – Release Date February 28th (digital download available now)
I was turned on to Otis Gibbs right before his last album, Joe Hill’s Ashes, was released. I got a copy of the album to review and the site became something I had no time to run. What I did have time for was getting every Gibbs record and absolutely loving them all. Gibbs’ writing style is amazingly honest and heartfelt and his vocals are perfect for the songs of the everyday man that he writes. I knew this was in the works and earlier this week he put the entire album up on his site to stream or buy digitally. I will be reviewing this one hopefully next week as I purchased it today and have to really listen to it a few times all the way through. Here is the stream of the album:
3. Justin Townes Earle : Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me – Release Date March 27th
I have liked everyone of the younger Earle’s records so I’m sure this one will be no exception. The way he continues to evolve while still keeping that “Old Timey” feel that made all of us fall in love with his songs in the first place is great. This record was cut live with the band in the studio which should enhance that same vintage feel. Here is a little trailer for the record that appears on the front page of his website:
4. The Band of Heathens : The Double Down: Live in Denver Vols. 1 and 2 – Release Date March 20th
The Band of Heathens are back with yet another live record or two as the case may be. Recorded in Denver last fall these two volumes cover material spanning all of their records and both come with an audio disc and a DVD of the shows. You can pre-order both of them now or only $30 and you receive an immediate download code to two more EPs ! The EPs are cover songs from the weekend one is 5 Grateful Dead Songs and the other is standard Heathens’ cover tunes. Now that is what I call a great deal 4 cds of Heathens and 2 DVDs for only 30 bucks. I also have to mention that all of their live releases have been phenomenal thus far and most of the time I find myself listening to them in lieu of their studio counterparts, and I’m excited to get live versions of the songs from Top Hat Crown and the Clapmaster’s Son. Here is their promo video for this release:
5. Tommy Womack : Now What ! – Release Date February 21st
I have been waiting for this record for nearly 5 years or as soon as I got There, I Said It ! , Tommy’s last record which by the way is easily on my top 25 albums of all time list. Womack says that Now What ! is literally a sequel to that record. I have heard quite of few of the songs that will be on this one at one live show or another and I can honestly say they are as good if not better than anything he has ever written. Every artist puts themselves in their songs in some way and I have written this before, no one puts so much of themselves on display on a record or on a stage as Tommy Womack. And the amazing thing? He doesn’t come off as the least bit arrogant or pitiful (which many people do when talking or singing about themselves), Tommy just comes off as real. He is probably tired of me emailing him and asking for updates on this album (it has been 5 years) and now he will not have to field those emails for at least a month or two while I soak this one in and then begin wondering about the next masterpiece. As soon as I get my grubby little hands on a copy of this the review will be up on the site. Here is a humorous ten minute trailer for the record that Tommy put up on YouTube:
Well there you have it, the first Friday List of 5. Hopefully I have peaked your interest in these albums, if not, oh well I’m still bursting with excitement. Tomorrow I plan on posting a late review of one of my favorite records released last year, Rod Picott’s Welding Burns.
Tags: Amanda Shires, band of heathens, Jason Isbell, Justin Townes Earle, Otis Gibbs, Rod Picott, todd snider, Tommy Womack
