In June of 2010, Hank III set out on his first Canadian tour in years, and ended the run playing a string of shows from Washington State back home to Nashville. Opening for Hank III on that stink was the self-proclaimed “steampunk crooner” (before Sugarland stole the “steampunk” bit) Izzy Cox, but unfortunately Izzy didn’t make it very far.
The Outlaw Carnie Bob Wayne can go toe to toe with just about anybody when it comes to dedication to the road and touring. When his recent album Outlaw Carnie came out through Century Media on January 25th, he was touring in Europe. Well now he’s back, and with little rest he will be hitting the road on an American tour in support of the new record, and in the latter half of April, in support of the legendary Wayne “The Train” Hancock as well.
Country has been the very last of the major genres to embrace the revitalization of vinyl, with one exception: Hank Williams III, who has been releasing his records on vinyl for years, and has his full catalog available in the format. In conjunction with Record Store Day this year, 700 limited-edition colored vinyl copies of his albums…
As if Nashville needed anything else to be more like the Hollywood of the South, celebrity news outfit TMZ set up shop in the Music City this week, specifically on lower Broadway. “I wanted to get a new batch of stars,” explained Harvey Levin on the show that originally aired Friday, 3-4-11. But instead of getting “tim, Faith, Dolly, and Carrie,” they got the barely-known but boysterous Bridgette Tatum, and “Slim Chance…
A couple big bits of news have just oozed out of the deep cracker swap of interior Florida like Jed Clampett’s bubblin’ crude. The first is that up and coming one man band “Lone Wolf”, who was heard first right here on Saving Country Music’s SCM LIVE on Reverend Nix’s “Mojo Medicine Show” has announced his debut album, and Lowebow Fest will be broadcast in its entirety on SCM LIVE!
Yes Spring is beginning to sprung, in some places at least, and as highways are reopened and paroles lifted, the great mass of musicians get ready once again to hit the open road. Of greatest importance to Saving Country Music, this includes the 2010 Album of the Year winner Hellbound Glory, and fast-rising neo-traditionalist Lucky Tubb & his Modern Day Troubadours. Full tours have just been announced from Road Bound Booking (see dates below), as well as additional dates for Wayne “The Train” Hancock & Bob Wayne. (See full Road Bound Booking calendar).
In a few recent interviews, Justin Townes Earle has let slide some tidbits about big plans for the upcoming year. It was just announced today that he would be playing The Nelsonville Music Festival in the middle of May, and Bonnaroo in June, but sometime afterward he will be heading to the old continent to make some new music inspired by Memphis.
I feel the need to iterate to you some observations for last night’s 2011 Grammy Awards, if only to get them off my chest. This is not entirely going to be a bitch fest. Every year they air the Grammy’s, and every year people are left scratching their heads and feeling hopelessness for music, and so it was to be expected that this year would be no different…
The Pickathon Festival, Aug 5-7 out in Portland, OR boasts of having “The best festival experience in the country.” And having been a participant of it in 2009, I can vouch personally for this bold statement. But Pickathon and others don’t throw this statement out to create a rabid desire for tickets with the idea of shattering previous attendance numbers in a yearly cash grab. . .
Now that the ink has dried on the acquittal of Billy Joe Shaver for shooting Billy Coker with a .22 pistol outside Papa Joe’s Saloon in Lorena, TX, (just outside of Waco) on March, 31st of 2007, he can now have a little fun with the story, and with a little help from old friend Willie Nelson.
Billy and Willie have just released a duet called, “Wacko From Waco” about the incident…
Jimmy Carter (no, not the peanut-farming ex-prez) on 96.9 “The Kat” from North Carolina in his “Wednesday Dirt Alert” segment called the recently-released Academy of Country Music awards nominations “super-political” and asserts that he was specifically told that Carrie Underwood got snubbed for nominations from her label so that fellow label-mate Miranda Lambert would get some much needed press.
Down here in Texas they call him Wylie Lama. Musicians flock from all around the country and world to see if some of Hubbard’s songwriting prowess or production ear can rub off on them. And musicians from all over the spectrum. People like Hayes Carll, whose new album KMAG YOYO is getting tons off buzz, to The Black Crowes front man Chris Robinson.
The buzz going into 2011’s Muddy Roots Festival is that this is going to be “the one” event that marks a major shift in the interest, support, and unity in underground roots. It is only appropriate then that Judd Films will be there to document it…One of the performers Judd Films will be there to capture will be 90-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer Don Maddox.
A feature film named “The Last Ride” about the final days of Hank Williams has been completed and should be released later this year. The movie stars Henry Thomas, the main kid from ET that’s yells “Penis Breath!’ and was shot mostly in Benton, Arkansas with other parts shot at a gas station in Sherwood, AR. It is directed by Harry Thomason, an Arkansas native.
Rachel Brooke’s much-anticipated release Down In The Barnyard has been given an official release date of February 22nd. It can be pre-ordered now…A few songs from the new album will be debuted on Outlaw Radio tonight (1-26-11) on SCM LIVE at 8 PM Central, and later will be archived on episode 129 on the Outlaw Radio Page. There will also be a tribute to Charlie Louvin tonight at 6:30 Central…
Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry Legend Charlie Louvin died at 1 AM early Wednesday morning according to his son Charlie “Sonny” Louvin Jr. Charlie had been battling pancreatic cancer. Earlier this month Charlie had been in the hospital for a urinary tract infection and dehydration. He was 83.
Charles Elzer Loudermilk was born in Henagar, AL in July of 1927.
There are a few important events in the history of the music that led to the strong grassroots and sonic diversity that you can find linked together in the robust roots music underground. There was the revitalization of lower Broadway in Nashville in the 90’s, that meshed punk kids from all over the country in their appreciation for authentic country and blues. There was the formation of Fat Possum & Bloodshot Records. And there was the Deep Blues Festivals.
The Muddy Roots Festival happening this September 3rd & 4th in Cookeville, TN has just announced a new slew of names to their lineup, and they might be just as impressive as the initial list. Marquee names for me were the country music throwback and hillbilly royalty blood of Lucky Tubb and his Modern Day Troubadours, the Outlaw Carnie Bob Wayne, and the legendary Charlie Louvin.
Man. The new music news/albums/videos/whatever for January just won’t let up, and none might be bigger than Wanda Jackson’s collaboration with Jack White The Party Ain’t Over. Wanda AND Jack will be on David Letterman TONIGHT (1-20), and you can now hear the album streaming in its entirety on NPR’s First Listen.
The growl is still there folks, and Jack White may have never been better!
A month or so ago when I attended a JB Beverley show here in Austin, it occurred to me how much Wayne “The Train” Hancock has emerged as a leader and true elder of the music in the last year. That night he made his way on stage with The Wayward Drifters, and later collaborated with them on a song back at his house. And now on the upcoming Bob Wayne release from Century Media, “The Train” has lent his name once again to an emerging star.
The sometimes rocking, sometimes countrified front man of the legendary Pacific Northwest band The Supersuckers, one Eddie Spaghetti, is ready to go with a new album release through Bloodshot Records called Sundowner on Feb. 15th. As one of the first bands to mix 80’s-style punk rock with country, The Supersuckers and Eddie Spaghetti live in a unique world where they have skins on the wall and respect from both the country and punk world.
Shooter Jennings’ talk of forming a new genre of music called XXX has been all the talk of this website and others, and a few days ago he offered up an exclusive an extensive interview with Jashie P of Outlaw Radio Chicago about the XXX idea, about his latest and controversial album (to some) Black Ribbons, his feelings on country music and if he has “turned his back on it,” and about his long-standing, one-sided feud with Hank Williams III.
Sitting on a shelf somewhere inside the Curb Records complex was an album called This Ain’t Country that Hank III had turned into them for release. The ensuing legal battle over the release of the album is where the cold war between Curb and Hank III became hot. Curb sat on the album, never releasing it, and refusing to allow Hank III to release it independently or on another label. Now Curb has decided to release it many years later, as well as possibly other shelved recordings …
Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Louvin is in the hospital, and the prognosis is not good. According to his son Charlie Louvin Jr., who also goes by Sonny, Charlie was admitted to the hospital in Tullahoma, TN for a urinary tract infection and dehydration on Monday. He has been fighting pancreatic cancer.