Sun209 on Twitter Poco’s latest “All Fired Up” is fresh and familiar…

Poco’s latest “All Fired Up” is fresh and familiar. sun209.com/?p=5374

Album review: Jeremy Porter and the Tucos

By Ken Paulson

It’s hard not to listen to a new CD when it’s pitched as a melding of power pop and roots music. Is that like Eric Carmen covering Wilco? Or the Avett Brothers recording Badfinger tunes?

The curiosity factor aside, Partner in Crime, the new album from Detroit Band Jeremy Porter and the Tucos, proves to be a fun and  energetic collection of songs that bring NRBQ and even Brownsville Station (on “Make Out King”) to mind.

Favorite tracks: “Castways,” “Pizza Girl” and “Barely All the Time.”

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Patty Griffin tour dates announced

Americana Music News — Dates for Patty Griffin’s U.S. and UK tour have just been announced. The tour supports the release of her New West album American Kid.
The schedule:

May

30 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

June

1 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom

2 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere

3 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere

5 – Brooklyn, NY – Celebrate Brooklyn

6 – Philadelphia, PA – Verizon Hall

7 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

8 – Waterville, ME – Waterville Music Hall

11 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall

12 – Chicago, IL – Athenaeum Theatre

13 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages
15 – Bozeman, MT – Wilson Theater

18 – Vancouver, BC – Chan Center for the Performing Arts

19 – Seattle, WA – Neptune

20 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

23 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore

25 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern

July

19 – Gateshead – The Sage Gateshead

20 – Manchester – Royal Northern College of Music

21 – Perth – Perth Theatre

23 – Milton Keynes – The Stables

24 – Birmingham, UK – Glee Club

25 – London, UK – Union Chapel

26 – Cambridge, UK – Cambridge Folk Festival

August

17 – Lyons, Co – Rocky Mt. Folks Festival

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at Sun209com.

Courtney Jaye in-store at Grimey’s May 7

Americana Music News – Courtney Jaye, a Nashville-based artist whose new album Love and Forgiveness draws on classic pop,  will appear at an in-store at Grimey’s in Nashville on May 7, the album’s release date. She’ll also perform at the Stone Fox in Nashville on May 10.

We don’t understand the reference to Neil Young and the Band in the press materials, but we can certainly hear the influences of Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark and Linda Ronstadt. That’s plenty for us.

Follow Sun209.com on Twitter at @sun209com.

New releases: Willie Nile, Randall Bramblett, Go Jane Go

By Ken Paulson

We’ll have what Willie Nile is having.

35 years on, Nile is making some of the most ambitious and rewarding music of his career.

American Ride builds on the spirit of his fine 2011 album The Innocent Ones and its anthemic  “One Guitar.” This time around, the rousing  “This is Our Time” is the opening call-to-arms.

There’s a duality evident throughout the album. Tracks like “Sunrise in New York City” and “There’s No Place Like Home” couple reassuring sentiments to sing-along arrangements. But then there’s “God Laughs,” a striking and irreverent song that will provoke reflection, indignation and laughter, but not from the same people. And in the middle of all this is a sterling cover of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died.”

American Ride is all over the road, but in a very good way.

Rendezvous in Rhythm –Hot Club of Cowtown – Gold Strike Records

The Hot Club of Cowtown – Elana James, White Smith and Jake Erwin – has delivered a thoroughly charming collection of jazz standards, with a nod to Left Bank influences. It’s just fiddle, bass, guitar and vocals, intimate and energetic at the same time. Favorite tracks: “Avalon” and “The Continental.”

 Go Jane Go – Dead Reckoning Records

Fans of Kieran Kane, the Dead Recknoers and David Francey are in for a treat with the release of Go Jane Go. This collaboration teaming of Kane, Francey and Lucas Kane grew out a tour of Australia. It’s stripped down and as basic as Americana music comes, delivering strong songs in an intimate setting.

The Bright Spots – Randall Bramblett  - New West Records

 Here’s an impeccably soulful album by Randall Bramblett, a storied session musician and former member of Sea Level. He’s also a fine writer and vocalist, bringing to mind Bonnie Raitt and late-period Nick Lowe.  Favorite tracks: “Til the Party’s Gone” and “My Darling One.”

 A Date with the Everly Brothers – The Chapin Sisters – Lake Bottom Records

Cribbing the title of this collection from a classic Everly Brothers LP, the Chapin Sisters deliver faithful covers of some of Don and Phil’s best work.  It’s a fun listen that includes some surprising song selections.

More new releases:

Rule the World – Max Gomez – New West Records

Todd May – Rickenbacker Girls – Peloton Records

Jerry Miller – New Road Under My Wheels – Signature Sounds

Bovine Social Club – Eclipso Records

Steven Casper and Cowboy Angst – Trouble – Silent City Records

Sweeter Songs – Craig Jackson Band – Green Records

No Regrets – Juliet and the Lonesome Romeos – Tree O Records

Gold Boots Glitter – Wheeler Brothers – Bismeaux Records

Blanket of Stars – Glen Eric – Dodu Records

Re-issues: Wilderness Road and the Hello People

By Ken Paulson

There was a time when pop and politics were often intertwined and two new releases from Real Gone Music nicely illustrate that.

The Hello People were known for their “mime rock,” essentially a mime performance punctuated with songs. Yes, that was a weird concept even for the late sixties. Fusion, released in 1968, is genteel and jazzy pop, with a number of politically-minded compositions. Most notable is “Anthem,” a modest FM hit that told the story of a draft resister being sent to prison: “I’m going to prison for what I believe.”

The Hello People would go on to play with and be produced by Todd Rundgren ,but Fusion was their most ambitious and rewarding album.

Wilderness Road used humor to make its political points. Its second album Sold for the Prevention of Disease Only is laden with country, rock and parody. Band members had ties to Chicago’s Second City Comedy troupe and a good part of this entertaining album from 1973 sounds like comedy skits set to music. That’s most notable in the band’s extended send-up of evangelical preachers.

It’s adventurous and surprisingly fresh 40 years on.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Classic songs revisited: “The Beautiful Old”

By Ken Paulson

– Coming June 6 is The Beautiful Old, a project by Paul Marsteller and Gabriel Rhodes that revisits  music that was popular at the close of the 19^th Century.

It’s a revelation. At a time when pop songs can go viral and fade just as quickly, it’s remarkable how sturdy these songs are.

Consider “The Band Played On,” performed here by Richard Thompson and Christine Collister, with Garth Hudson sitting in on accordion. Written by Charles B. Ward and John F. Palmer in 1895, and still familiar to many today, the song tells the story of a fluid dancer and the strawberry blond that would become his wife. The rendition here is fresh and buoyant.

Similarly, “The Flying Trapeze” has shown up in endless cartoons over the years, but as performed here by Graham Parker, it’s the hot new song of 1867, written by Gaston Lyle and George Leybourne. It’s great fun.

The album features an impressive array of artists, including Dave Davies (yes, that one), Kim Richey, Kimmy Rhodes, Heidi Talbot, Eric Bibb and Jimmy LaFave. All of the songs were recorded using instrumentationof  the era.

The Beautiful Old successfully marries contemporary artists to classic compositions. Highly recommended.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Review: “Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense”

By Paul T. Mueller

– Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is “the feel-good album of the year.” That’s how the Austin-based singer-songwriter described his latest CD during a recent in-store performance in Houston. He was kidding, of course. A better description of his outlook can be found in “Lookin’ for You,” the second track: “You know I like it/Dark and hot/Torn and twisted/Tied in a knot.” Such are the conditions many of Morlix’s characters seem to find themselves in.

“My Life’s Been Taken” is the lament of a man paying a high price for a bad decision, while “Series of Closin’ Doors” could well describe the process that leads to such a decision. The foreboding organ that dominates another track, “Present Tense,” is echoed by the lyrics – “I’m feeling heavy vibrations/Find the present tense.”

Morlix deals mostly with personal matters, but political commentary makes an appearance in “Bang Bang Bang,” an indictment of America’s gun culture that includes a reference to his old friend Blaze Foley, an underrated singer-songwriter who was shot to death during an argument in 1989. The song’s bouncy tone can’t disguise Morlix’s pain over Foley’s death – “Shot down, gone away/Gone forever, miss him every day” – or his outrage at the violence that led to it. “Guns in backpacks, guns in schools/We’re a bunch of gun-carryin’ fools,” he concludes.

It’s back to the darkly personal in the CD’s final three songs. Morlix’s raspy voice and a twangy country arrangement are perfectly suited to the raw pain of “You Walk Away,” in which he asks, “All these years, don’t they count for nothin’?/Don’t you remember our last kiss?” “These Are My Blues” finds the narrator a little farther down the road, still hurting and not in any big hurry to feel better. The CD wraps up with “Empty Cup,” a plea for the love that proves so elusive. “I’m a simple man, I can’t decipher your clues,” Morlix sings. “All I know is, I can’t live without you.”

Morlix’s songs are well served by his understated production, and by the strong contributions of backing musicians including drummer Rick Richards, keyboardist Ian McLagan, violinist Gene Elders, and singer Eliza Gilkyson, among others.

Having worked with Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen and many others over the years, Morlix is probably better known as a sideman and producer than as a solo artist. But he’s got his own story to tell, and he does a pretty good job of it on this collection. It’s not a very uplifting message, but it’s worth a listen.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas to preview “Cross County Lines”

Americana Music News – The Americana Music Association has announced plans for ”Cross County Lines,” a daylong concert promoting roots and Americana music, set for the summer of 2014.

As part of its promotion of the event, the Americana Music Association is staging a concert June 1 in Franklin, Tennessee, hosted by Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas. Joining them at Liberty Hall at the Factory will be Amos Lee, Sarah Jarosz, Shawn Colvin, Angel Snow and Teddy Thompson.

Tickets will be available on Friday April 26 at the Americana Music Association site.

Follow Sun 209: Americana Music News on Twitter @Sun209com.

The Blue Sky Riders: Debut album and a California tour

By Ken Paulson

– The Blue Sky Riders – Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr – are in the middle of a West Coast tour that brings them to the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz tomorrow night, April 21.

We happened upon the band in its first public appearance in 2011, a Tin Pan South show partially captured in EP form as Live from the Rutledge.

Their new album Finally Home fulfills the promise of that first show, with 15 strong songs and extraordinary harmonies.  Loggins, Middleman and Burr are all seasoned songwriters and performers, but the surprise here is how well their styles mesh.

Most impressive are the full-throttle “I’m A Rider” and the anthemic “Dream.”  Much of their material evokes classic Poco – and that’s high praise.

The rest of their California dates:

April 24 – Grammy Museum ∙ Los Angeles
April 26 – Canyon Club ∙ Agoura Hills
April 27 – Pappy & Harriet’s ∙ Pioneertown
April 28 – Stagecoach Festival ∙ Indio

Review: New American Farmers’ “Brand New Day”

By Ken Paulson

–The folks who promote albums have tough jobs. They somehow need to convey the sound of an album by describing it.

That means we see lots of allusions to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and lately, the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. And of course, one of the most enduring references for any album with a soaring guitar sound is to Roger McGuinn and the Byrds.

That’s why it was no surprise that the promotional material for New American Farmers’ Brand New Day touted the participation of former Byrd Gene Parsons. Here we go again.

And then I listened to the album. The opening track “Everywhere” absolutely channels the early ‘70s Byrds and sets the stage for an entertaining collection of songs that tap an earlier era of country and rock. In LP terms, the first side is the strongest, concluding with a surprising  cover of ELO’s “Can’t Get It Out of My Head.”

Formerly known as Mars Arizona, New American Farmers have a fun and fresh start on Brand New Day.

Album review: Hey Marseilles’ “Lines We Trace”

By Ken Paulson

–I was sorry to miss Hey Marseilles at its show at the High Watt in Nashville. Lines We Trace, the Seattle band’s new album is ornate and layered, fueled in part by viola, cello and keyboards. That can’t be easy to reproduce in a club.

The immediate comparisons to Hey Marseilles are the Decemberists and Lumineers, but the ambitious and often soaring arrangements of fun. also come to mind.  

Loss and yearning run throughout the album, and Matt Bishop’s vocals underscore the melancholy. Yet the album is not somber or sad. There’s a compelling flow to it, rewarding repeated listening.

Highlights include “Heart Beats,” “Hold Your Head” and “Bright Stars Burning,” which is currently available as a free download on Amazon.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter @Sun209.com.

Re-issue: Don Nix’s “Living by the Days”

By Ken Paulson

–The reissue of Living By the Days, Don Nix’s second album, is something of a revelation. It barely charted in 1971 and the single “Olena” just cracked the Hot 100. But 42 years later, the album sounds fresh and soulful.

Nix was signed to Leon Russell’s Shelter Records and they had similar musical sensibilities. Nix is backed on the album by Mussel Shoals’ best, including David Hood, Barry Beckett, Wayne Perkins, Roger Hawkins and Jimmy Johnson.

Highlights include “Three Angels,” written with Lonnie Mack, “She Don’t Want a Lover (She Just Needs a Friend)” and a heartfelt cover of Hank Williams’ “I saw the Light.”  It’s very good to have Living by the Days back in print (Real Gone Music.)

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

The voices and venues of Tin Pan South

Sara Buxton at Douglas Corner

Americana Music News – We saw the diversity of Tin Pan South tonight at two 6 p.m. shows  in distinctly different venues.

J.D. Souther hosted an evening at Douglas Corner, where the room was dark and the audience was hushed and almost reverential. The club was packed and the sign outside said the room was at capacity (which happened with some disappointing regularity this week.)

Across town, the irreverent foursome of Don Henry, Karen Staley, Jerry Vandiver and Jack Sundrud held court at the much brighter Commodore Grille at the West End Holiday  Inn. Henry sang about a guitar tossed into a tree after a spat, Staley described her “Thyroid Condition” with a nod to Hank Williams Jr. and Vandiver delivered  the pun-plentiful “Athens Grease.”

It was all good.

Don Henry. Karen Staley and Jack Sundrud

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Thursday schedule at Tin Pan South in Nashville

Sherrie Austin

Americana Music News -- We’re seeing good crowds throughout the Tin Pan South Festival in Nashville. Tonight, we dropped by Tapas for the 6 p.m. show featuring Steve Bogard, Sherrie Austin, Rob Hatch and David Fanning, and it was wall to wall, with people being turned away at the door.

There’s another strong line-up Thursday. Among the highlights:

• The CMA Songwriters Series, with Matraca Berg, Gary Burr, Dean Dillon and Bob DiPiero at 6 p.m. at the Rutledge
• Kathy Mattea, Pat Alger, Jon Vezner and Natalie Royal at the Bluebird Cafe at 6 p.m.
• Greg Barnhill, Gary Nicholson, Lee Roy Parnell and Mike Reid at 9 p.m. at the Rutledge.
• Jessi Alexander, Andrew Dorff, Tommy Lee James and Eric Paslay at the Bluebird Cafe at 9 p.m.

The full schedule can be found here.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Tin Pan South: From Texas to Tennessee

Bruce Robison and Radney Foster

By Ken Paulson

– The Texas songwriter sessions are always a highlight of the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville and tonight was no exception.

Radney Foster, Wade Bowen, Jon Randall and Bruce Robison showcased their best work and biggest hits at 3rd and Lindsley. Songwriters aren’t always adept vocalists, but all four were first-rate and often disarming performers.

Foster asked the audience if it wanted a new or old song, and the crowd predictably called for a classic. Foster delivered with “Just Call Me Lonesome.”

Foster noted that the first song written with a new collaborator is typically a throwaway, but “I’m In” was the first song he wrote with Georgia Middleman. He said that both knew they had something special.

Randall’s “Whiskey Lullaby” was a stunner. He joked afterward that there’s “nothing like a double-suicide sing-along.”

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Opening night for Tin Pan South

Americana Music News – The Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival kicks off tonight with a full and varied schedule, combining songwriting prowess with a little star power.

Among the highlights:

•  It would be easy to just spend the evening at 3rd and Lindsley, with strong shows at both 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. First up is “From Texas to Tennessee,” featuring Wade Bowen, Radney Foster, Jon Randall and Bruce Robison.  The 9 p.m. show cereblates the ABC TV show “Nashville,” and is anchored by Colin Linden and Buddy Miller, both with ties to the show. Special guests are promised.
• Also at 9 p.m. Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum is joined by Dave Barnes and Kevin Griffin at the Listening Room Cafe.
• A 9 p.m. show at the Rutledge features some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters, including Luke Laird, Natalie Hemby and Brett Eldredge.

The full schedule can be found here.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Re-issue: Kenny O’Dell’s “Beautiful People”

By Ken Paulson

–I met Kenny O’Dell at a press conference announcing the new Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this year, and mentioned how much I had enjoyed his Beautiful People album, released in 1967.

O’Dell, who is a member of the Hall of Fame, was gracious and seemed surprised that anyone remembered the pop album he recorded before going on to fame in country music.

Now with the re-issue of that album on Real Gone Music,  many more can appreciate this modest pop gem. Largely a collection of  quick recordings pulled together to capitalize on O’Dell’s Top 40 hit “Beautiful People,” the album features the hits of the era – “Kentucky Woman” and “Different Drum” among them – and also his “Next Train to London,” which became a hit for the Rose Garden.

O’Dell’s vocals were similar to Bobby Vee’s, so it probably wasn’t a surprise that Vee’s cover of “Beautiful People” also broke into the Top 40, undercutting O’Dell’s own chart success.

O’Dell went on to write “Behind Closed Doors” for Charlie Rich and even had his own career as a country artist, but this bonus track-laden re-issue of Beautiful People shows him to be a strong pop writer and performer as well.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @Sun209com.

This week in Nashville: Tin Pan South

Americana Music News — Tin Pan South, an amazing annual celebration of songwriting, returns to  Nashville this week. The concept is simple: Songwriters perform their best and best-known compositions , typically in the round. The festival features both recording artists and those who perform only occasionally, and the mixture makes for great entertainment.

You’ll find a full schedule here. 

You’ll find past Sun209 coverage of the festival on our site.

Follow the Nashville Songwriters Association festival on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Review: Guy Clark in concert

Verlon Thompson and Guy Clark

By Paul T. Mueller

–There’s no denying that Guy Clark’s March 23 concert at the historic Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas, had the air of a memorial service about it. The legendary singer-songwriter, a Texas native who’s lived in Nashville for many years, has been in ill health for several years; it seems likely that his ailments and possibly age (Clark turned 71 in November) are behind recent declines in his singing, playing and memory.

But if the audience came to pay its respects, that wasn’t necessarily what the object of their admiration had in mind. After walking slowly onstage with the help of a cane (a souvenir, perhaps, of a broken leg suffered a few years ago), Clark opened the show with three songs from a forthcoming album: “I’ll Show Me,” a how-to guide to being one’s worst enemy; “My Favorite Picture of You,” a tribute to his beloved wife, Susanna, who died last year, and “El Coyote,” about the grim business of immigrant smuggling in South Texas. Accompanied throughout the show by his old friend Verlon Thompson, himself an accomplished songwriter and performer as well as a monster guitar player, Clark followed with a couple of older favorites: “The Cape,” an ode to the power of faith, and “Like a Coat from the Cold,” an earlier valentine to Susanna.

Then Clark made the first of two temporary exits from the stage – “There’s something in my throat,” he said, before relating how his pants fell down in the course of a similar exit during a show a few days earlier. Thompson was left to fill in, a task he handled with impressive style and grace. Suddenly solo, he played “Everywhere … Yet,” a lively name-check of many venues he’s played over the years, and a look forward at more to come (“We ain’t been everywhere … yet”) and “The Guitar,” co-written with Clark, which skated the line between eerie and hokey, but served as a fine vehicle for Thompson’s acoustic guitar wizardry.

One of the more moving aspects of the show was Thompson’s humorous attempts to ease the awkwardness caused by Clark’s frequent hesitations and memory lapses as he struggled to get through the songs he once played so fluidly. After Clark returned from his first hiatus, complaining of feeling queasy and sighing, “I don’t know how I do it,” Thompson got some laughs with the comeback, “Let’s hold off on your food songs for now.” What followed was a lovely sequence that included “L.A. Freeway” and “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (of which Clark said, “This is actually my favorite song”).

The reverent atmosphere was broken by a volley of shouted requests, but the sometimes irascible Clark wasn’t having it. “Just settle down,” he told the audience, in a tone that didn’t sound all that lighthearted, “and let me get this taken care of.” After a pause, he moved on to “The Randall Knife,” with the help of some lyrical prompting from Thompson; “Homegrown Tomatoes,” which fortunately didn’t provoke any unpleasant side effects, and “Boats to Build,” in which Clark and Thompson traded verses.

Clark also seemed to be trying to lighten the mood by making light of his own infirmities. “I’m playin’ hurt, man,” he told Thompson at one point, to which the reply was, “Yeah, and there ain’t a relief man in the bullpen.” Thompson, of course, was the relief man, giving Clark a breather by launching into a spirited rendition of “Joe Walker’s Mare.” After a second slow exit by his friend, Thompson continued with several originals about his parents in Oklahoma – “Sweet Dreams,” “Darwettia’s Mandolin” and “Caddo County.”

Upon his return (accompanied by the sweet tones of what Thompson called “traveling music”), Clark closed out the set with two final favorites, both tributes, at least in part, to his late wife – “Stuff That Works” and the beautiful and moving “Dublin Blues.”

There’s something to be said for leaving at the top of one’s game; for Guy Clark that may no longer be an option. But there’s also a lot to be said for giving one’s fans another chance, maybe a last chance, to show their love and appreciation, and it’s fair to say that the large majority of those in attendance were happy to get that chance.

Austin singer-songwriters Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay opened the show with a well-received set that showcased their songwriting abilities, fine harmonies and impressive guitar skills. Highlights included the very funny “Let’s Go to Lubbock on Vacation” and “That’s What I Meant to Say,” in addition to grittier fare such as “Sleeping with the Devil.”

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

The Zombies at Fitzgerald’s, Houston

By Paul T. Mueller

Colin Blunstone

–You could almost understand it if a band that scored its greatest hit almost 45 years ago – AFTER breaking up – decided to reform for a phone-it-in-and-cash-the-checks reunion tour. That’s been known to happen. No such worries with The Zombies, though. More than 50 years after the band started out in England, these guys are still playing for real, and their fans, old and new, are loving it.

The band, featuring original members Rod Argent (keyboards and vocals) and Colin Blunstone (lead vocals), followed up several well-received performances at South by Southwest in Austin with a March 17 show at Fitzgerald’s in Houston. The audience of several hundred, mostly standing on the open floor in front of the stage and frequently singing along, was treated to a 95-minute set that spanned the group’s history, from its ahead-of-its-time origins to its gratifyingly vital present.

Argent and Blunstone, backed by guitarist Tom Toomey and the father-and-son rhythm section of Jim Rodford on bass and Steve Rodford on drums, served up the hits that many in the crowd were no doubt expecting: “Tell Her No,” “She’s Not There” and of course the biggest of all, “Time of the Season.” They also played several other tracks from the landmark 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, including “Care of Cell 44,” “A Rose for Emily,” “I Want Her She Wants Me” and “This Will Be Our Year.”

Some newer material also got a well-deserved showcase. Several tracks from 2010’s Breathe Out, Breathe In made an appearance, including the title track, “Any Other Way” and “A Moment in Time.” Blunstone sang a couple of non-Zombies tunes – “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?,” which he recorded with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and “Old and Wise,” from one of his stints with the Alan Parsons Project.

To no one’s surprise, there was also an excellent, rousing rendition of “Hold Your Head Up,” the biggest hit from Argent’s solo career, featuring an extended organ part with a snippet of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” tossed in just for fun.

As many times as the band must have done these songs over the decades, they still sounded fresh, and there was no mistaking the musicians’ fondness for the material or the enthusiasm of their playing and singing. Toomey and bassist Rodford frequently contributed ethereal harmonies (and big grins) to accompany Blunstone’s delicate vocals and the grittier singing of Argent, who delighted the crowd with his borderline hammy but always endearing rock-star posturing. Blunstone, by contrast, let his singing do the talking, as it were, performing most of the time without a spotlight and at other times hanging back with closed eyes and a smile.

The main set closed with the band’s first big hit, the much-covered “She’s Not There,” which predictably turned into a happy sing-along. After a brief break, the band returned with the rocking “Just Out of Reach” and a jazzy, understated version of what Blunstone said was the first song The Zombies ever recorded, the Gershwin standard “Summertime.” On a warm evening in Houston, it made for a sweet ending to a fine performance.

The Houston show, which also featured an opening set by Canadian indie rockers Elephant Stone, was the last on the current North American leg of The Zombies’ tour. After a few months of touring the United Kingdom, the band is scheduled to return in June for several shows on the East Coast.

Follow Sun209:Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209.com.

Sun209 on Twitter Nick Verzosa and the Noble Union at the Thirsty Ar…

Nick Verzosa and the Noble Union at the Thirsty Armadillo j.mp/10jQicj

Review: Old Man Markley’s “Down Side Up”

By Ken Paulson

–Down Side Up from Old Man Markley is a riveting, high velocity bluegrass album, with surprisingly potent political content. There’s been some marketing effort to label this as a cross between bluegrass and punk, but that’s trying too hard. The only Clash-like elements are the highly topical lyrics. “The corporate propaganda paralyzes us with fear, destroying our ability to trust,” the band warns in “America’s Dreaming.”

There’s  irreverence throughout, including “Beyond the Moon,” in which we learn the singer doesn’t “wanna lose my mind like Gary Busey did.”

This isn’t “newgrass,” but the topicality suggests “Newsgrass.” Old Man Markley features fine playing throughout, with bonus points for attitude.

Upcoming tour dates for Old Man Markley:

Mar 21 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
Mar 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Mar 23 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
Mar 24 – Fullerton, CA – The Slidebar
Mar 28 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Unsung Hero: A Tribute to the Music of Ron Davies

By Ken Paulson

– Unsung Hero: A Tribute to the Music of Ron Davies is a remarkable collection of songs, all written by Davies, and performed by an amazing line-up of artists.

I’m not sure I’ve seen a tribute album this deep in talent and most of it is straight out of Nashville. Dolly Parton, John Prine, Alison Krauss and Rodney Crowell join another 18 artists in this salute to a talented and under-recognized songwriter.

I knew Davies’ work primarily from the versions of his “It Ain’t Easy,” recorded by David Bowie on Ziggy Stardust and by Long John Baldry on the album of the same name. Impressive as those cuts were, Davies’ catalog runs deep and it’s showcased beautifully here.

His sister Gail Davies organized and produced the album to celebrate her late brother’s work. Unsung Hero benefits the W.O Smith Music School in Nashville.

In his lifetime, Ron Davies must have generated a tremendous amount of goodwill. That’s reflected in the roster of their performances and the clear admiration shown throughout.

The highlights include Jeff Hanna and Matraca Berg’s version of Dark Eyed Gal, first recorded by Jeff with the Nitty Gritty Dirt band, Guy Clark’s take on “Walk and Don’t Walk,” Krauss’ “Good Lover After Bad” and Prine’s “You Stayed Away Too Long.”

But that just scratches the surface. This album is 22 strong songs deep, including performances by John Anderson, Jim Lauderdale, Delbert McClinton, Mandy Barnett, Crystal Gayle, BR549, Jimmy Hall, Suzy Bogguss, Vince Gill, Kelly Hogan, Kevin Welch, Jonell Mosser, Robbie Fulks, Bonnie Bramlett and Gail Davies.

Highly recommended.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

• RT @TNMusicNews: .@oprystar and first #CMA male vocalist of the year Jack Greene has died at age 83: tnne.ws/ZFfNAU #nashville19 hours ago
• RT @DougCox1: Comox Valley Record – Kristofferson coming to Music Festcomoxvalleyrecord.com/entertainment/… via @BlackPressMedia 19 hours ago
• RT @SteveEarle: US and Europe tour dates are up: April 27th W/The Dukes: Rutland, VT bit.ly/ZcXN2zMay 2nd W/The… http://t. … 5 days ago
• RT @wmarocks: The Zombies “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” LIVE at War ! http://t.co/E5DVNRCjdU 6 days ago
• RT @lamfersmir:@Sun209com Have you heard the new song by The Wheeler Sisters, “Whiskey Please”? It rocks! 6 days ago
• RT @TwangNation: Willie Nelson celebrates Austin music scene at SXSW premierewfaa.com/entertainment/… 6 days ago
• On my 11th birthday, I was given $5 to buy 45s, including “She’s Not There.” Tonight I saw the Zombies play Nashville. Great show. 11 again. 6 days ago
• RT @1NatalieMaines: Good thing I’m not a told ya so kind of person or I might point out that 10 years ago today I said GWB was full of b … 6 days ago
• RT @bensollee: The cello. Taking it’s rightful place at the historic Sun Studios #memphistwitpic.com/cac83q 6 days ago
• RT @BrigitteDeMeyer: Bluebird Cafe. March 27th. 9pm. Will Kimbrough, Tommy Womack, Lisa Oliver Gray, and yours truly. It’s my birthday.. … 6 days ago

Nick Verzosa and the Noble Union at the Thirsty Armadillo

 by Paul T. Mueller 

–This live set from Texan Nick Verzosa and his bandmates is pretty standard bar-band stuff. Drinkin’, dancin’, lookin’ for love, gettin’ over lost love and so on – you’ve heard it before. But some things here give cause to hope for bigger and better things.

Verzosa’s writing is a notch better than the usual for this genre and he’s got some talented people playing with him. Maybe more important, he’s forged connections with some better-known people in the music business: musician/producer Walt Wilkins produced a couple of earlier projects, one of which featured a guest appearance by guitarist and producer Rich Brotherton.

Verzosa, another in a line of singer-songwriters graduated from the improbable hotbed of Texas A&M University, wrote 11 of the album’s 14 tracks and co-wrote two others (the remaining track was written by his bassist, Shawn McGee).

Some standouts:

•  “I Wouldn’t Answer,” a ballad in which he advises an ex NOT to give him another chance, featuring some nice electric guitar by Matt Gracy and harmony vocals by Courtney Stefan
•  “7^th Year Senior,” a twangy tribute to a longer-than-usual college career (his introduction to the song concludes with “Take it from me, kids, stay in school!” )
•  “Stronger Than That,” a bad-love ballad in waltz time that again showcases guitarist Gracy and solid playing from bassist McGee and drummer Danny Poole
•  “She Only Loves Me (When I’m Leaving),” a bouncy love lament co-written with singer-songwriter Matt Harlan  “Back When Love Was Easy,” a bittersweet look at the reality of a relationship after the initial euphoria fades; the song wraps up with band introductions and a crowd-pleasing snippet of the Eagles’ “Already Gone.”

Nick Verzosa seems to have a lot going for him – writing chops, a good ear for melodies and catchy hooks, and a road warrior’s work ethic. This collection has some rough edges, but plenty of energy and potential as well. This is a band worth watching.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

New to chart: Steve Earle, Dawes, Bobby Rush

Americana Music News — For a fourth week, Cheater’s Game by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison and Carrie Rodriguez’s Give Me All You Got are in the top two slots on the Americana Music Association airplay chart swapping their positions from last week.  The Mavericks’ Suited Up and Ready/In Time remains in third place.

 New to the chart this week: Low Highway by  Steve Earle and the Dukes (and Duchesses), Dawes’ Stories Don’t End, Bobby Rush’s Down in Louisiana, Gulf Morlix’s Finds the Present Tense, the Howlin’ Brothers’ Howl and Chicago Farmer’s Backenforth, Illinois.

Earle’s album is the most-added album of the week, followed by Son Volt’s Honky Tonk and Caitlin Rose’s The Stand-In.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Billy Joe Shaver: Testifying in songs and stories

Billy Joe Shaver

By Paul T. Mueller–If you were looking for the perfect artist to anchor a concert series called “Songs of Lovin’ and Redemption,” you could hardly do better than Billy Joe Shaver. Legendary songwriter, road-dog performer, one-time connoisseur of chemical excess, committer of serial matrimony, notorious hell-raiser, born-again Christian – you’d have to figure the guy knows everything there is to know about lovin’ and redemption. Judging from his March 6 appearance at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Houston, you might be right.Shaver, who’s 73, moseyed up the center aisle shortly before showtime. He stood at the front of the pews and related a long story about being born again, and the dissolute life that led him to that turning point. Explaining that he’d emerged from his addictions and the withdrawal that followed only after finishing a song he’d been struggling with, he proceeded to sing that song – “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal,” which became one of his biggest hits – without benefit of band or instruments.

At that point his band – guitarist Jeremy Woodall, bassist Matt Davis and drummer Jason McKenzie – joined him for a full-band (albeit acoustic) reprise of “Old Chunk of Coal.” A bit shaky at the beginning and seemingly somewhat ill at ease, Shaver worked his way through a few more of his hits – “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” “You Just Can’t Beat Jesus Christ” – punctuated with more life stories. “I’m a little short-handed,” he said by way of explaining his limited guitar-playing skills – holding up his right hand, minus parts of three fingers, and describing the long-ago sawmill accident that resulted in that injury.

Performing in a venue far removed from the bars that are his usual habitat, Shaver referred several times to the dissonance between the rowdy outlaw country he’s best known for and his more spiritual songs. “I hope there’s no one expecting ‘Honky Tonk Heroes,’ “ he said at one point. “I’m just not going to do that in here.” But after a few more of the softer songs, and a couple of audience calls of “Thunderbird!”, the church’s rector, the Rev. Patrick J. Miller, held a brief conference with Shaver and apparently gave his blessing, so to speak, to Shaver’s performing some of his more worldly fare. The band then launched into “When Thunderbird Was the Word,’ “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “That’s What She Said Last Night” and “The Devil Made Me Do It the First Time” – pretty much the same stuff you’d get at a plugged-in Shaver show, minus the amplification.

Shaver talked for a while about the dangers of drugs and about how his son, Eddy, died of an overdose in 2000. He followed that with the gentle tribute “Star in My Heart,” which he told the audience “was written for Eddy and you.”

More stories and more songs ensued – “When the Fallen Angels Fly,” “Hottest Thing in Town,” “You Asked Me To,” “Ride Me Down Easy,” “Try and Try Again,” among others. Woodall’s excellent picking and string-bending made for fine accompaniment, and an interesting contrast to the full-on electric sound that’s been the hallmark of Shaver’s bands for many years.  Bassist Davis improvised his lines on an acoustic guitar, while drummer McKenzie wowed the crowd with an impressive display of percussion skill using only bongos, brushes and a few small instruments.

After a standing ovation, Shaver promised “a couple more” and took off on a long tale involving youthful marriage, breakups, truck repair, panhandling, carousing and despair, all of which led into a rowdy rendition of “Ragged Old Truck” that left a knocked-over mic stand lying on the floor. He finished “The Road,” a slower, almost mournful ballad featuring Woodall’s beautiful Spanish-style playing. “Love me one more time before I go,” the song ends, and by that point there was plenty of love to go around – the audience’s for Billy Joe Shaver, and his for them.

“Songs of Lovin’ and Redemption,” put together by the Rev. Miller and the Rev. Eric P. Hungerford (the church’s rector and associate rector, respectively) continues with Sara Hickman on March 13 and Terri Hendrix on March 20.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Review: Beth Nielsen Chapman’s “The Mighty Sky”

By Ken Paulson – It’s the rare children’s album that delights adults as much as kids , but that’s certainly the case with The Mighty Sky,  a new album from  Beth Nielsen Chapman.

The album offers lessons in astronomy through a wide array of pop songs written by Chapman, Annie Roboff and Rocky Alvey, giving parents the chance to play spot-the-genre while their kids learn about the moon and stars.

There’s the joyous pop of “Big Bang Boom,” the doo-wop of “The Moon,” the straight ahead “Rockin Little Neutron Star” (with Bill Lloyd and Steve Allen) and of course, the “Zodiacal Zydeco.”  “You Can See the Blues” could have been written by Leiber and Stoller – if they had been astronomers.

Speaking of astronomers, the lyrics to The Mighty Sky were written by Alvey, the director of Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory in Nashville. They’re both informative and engaging, teaching in the most entertaining and low-key way.

Highly recommended.

Follow Sun 209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Reissue: Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys

By Ken Paulson

– Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys’ The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away (Real Gone Music) is a surprisingly fresh-sounding 1969 release with two claims to distinction: It was produced by Jimi Hendrix and spawned a Top 40 hit in “Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a medley of “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Chantilly Lace,” Long Tall Sally,” “Party Doll,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” These covers came just little more than a decade after the original recordings (like covering 3 Doors Down or the Dixie Chicks today), but seemed eons ago at the time.

The Hendrix influence isn’t particularly apparent, but you have to believe the band raised its game for these recordings. It’s an ambitious amalgam of rock, folk and jazz.

Most interesting is “How I Spent My Summer,” a pop protest song about police brutality and oppression, tied to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Melodic and harmony-laden, it’s the Association with attitude.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @sun209com.