Interview: Chip Taylor on “Block Out the Sirens of This Lonely World”

By Ken Paulson

Chip Taylor regularly attends the Americana music Festival and it’s always great to catch up with him. He wrote classic pop songs like “Angel of the Morning,” “I Can’t Let Go” and Wild Thing” and then carved out a country career in the early ’70s  that was truly a precursor to what we now call Americana. Here’s Chip on his most recent work:

 

Interview: Kim Richey on “Thorn in my Heart”

kim richeyBy Ken Paulson
Kim Richey has been all over the Americana Music Festival and it’s been great to see her showcase her fine new album Thorn in My Heart. Here’s a quick interview on the new album and her return to Nashville:

Interview: Randall Bramblett on “The Bright Spots”

bramblettSun209 – We caught up with Randall Bramblett at the Americana Music Festival. He played a great, but short set to open the evening at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville. Here’s Bramblett on his career and new album The Bright Spots:

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Americana Music News

Ben Miller Band @AmericanaFest @newwestrecords showcase in Nashville http://t.co/FjsBo3DKbB

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Duos dominate Americana Music Awards

Americana Music News — Duos dominated at tonight’s Americana Music Association Honors and Awards show at the Ryman.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell won for album of the year for Old Yellow Moon, and were also  named top duo/group.

A younger pair – Shovels and Rope – was named emerging artist of the year, and also won the song of the year category for “Birmingham.”

Dwight Yoakam was named artist of the year in an evening that honored other music veterans in these categories:

Dr. John with Don Was

Dr. John with Don Was

Instrumentalist of the year:  Larry Campbell

Spirit of Americana  Free Speech in Music Award   Stephen Stills

Trailblazer Award:  Old Crow Medicine Show

Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist: Duane Eddy

Lifetime Achievement Award for Executive: Chris Strachwitz

Lifetime Achievement for Performance:  Dr. John

Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter: Robert Hunter

President’s Award: Hank Williams

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Dr. John and Dan Auerbach #americanafest. wow. http://t.co/Z8WJksLENS

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Richard Thompson @AmericanaFest good things… http://t.co/eOWMfZO9kj

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Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis ignite the Blasters’ “Border Radio,” #americanafest http://t.co/i7Qihl7qpw

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Tim Easton and Megan Palmer delight fans in Houston

 By Paul T. Mueller

Tim Easton’s in-store performance at Cactus Music in Houston on Sept. 13 delighted fans who got considerably more than is typical of such gigs. Easton, accompanied by fiddler and musical partner Megan Palmer, didn’t stop at the four or five songs that are more or less standard for promotional appearances. Instead the duo stuck around for more than a dozen, throwing in some oldies, a cover and even a brand-new song, along with seven selections from Easton’s newest CD, Not Cool. From the look of it, they might have kept going had they not been scheduled to play a house concert later in the evening.

From Not Cool, Easton and Palmer played, not necessarily in this order, “Little Doggie (1962),” “Don’t Lie,” “Gallatin Pike Blues,” “Troubled Times,” “Four Queens,” “They Will Bury You” and one we’ll call, for the sake of delicacy, “Crazy MF from Shelby, Ohio.” Without full-band backup, the tunes got a folkier treatment than the rockabilly/Memphis versions on the CD, but Easton’s excellent guitar, harmonica and kick drum, plus Palmer’s lovely fiddle and vocals, proved more than adequate.

Megan Palmer and Tim Easton (Paul T. Mueller)

Megan Palmer and Tim Easton (Paul T. Mueller)

Easton also reached back into his extensive catalog for fine renditions of “Don’t Walk Alone” and “Carry Me” (the latter by audience request), as well as the more recent “California Bars,” “Dear Old Song and Dance” and “Burgundy Red” (Easton introduced the latter as an example of what he called “pre-hab music”). At one point he threw in a traveling song called “On My Way,” which he said he has not yet recorded. Palmer got a turn at lead vocal on John Hartford’s “In Tall Buildings,” also by request.

If fine songwriting and outstanding musicianship aren’t enough, give Easton and Palmer points for their work ethic as well. Earlier in the day, the two visited a local radio station for a fairly lengthy interview, including playing a few songs on the air, and all of it came less than 24 hours after opening for Billy Joe Shaver in Austin, a few hours’ drive from Houston. That kind of roadwork isn’t easy, but from the buzz Not Cool has been getting, it seems to be paying off.

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Revisited: Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Buddy Emmons

bakersfieldBy Ken Paulson

Two new and notable albums celebrate country music’s heritage, successfully revisiting classic songs in a contemporary setting.

Vince Gill and premier steel guitar player Paul Franklin team up on Bakersfield to celebrate California country, specifically the recordings of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.

It’s no surprise that the playing of these Time Jumpers bandmates is impeccable. What is surprising is just how fresh these half-century old songs sound.

The tracks alternate between those made famous by Owens and Haggard and include “Together Again,” “Foolin’ Around,” “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “I Can’t Be Myself.”

Gill and Franklin grew up on these songs  and their comfort level shows, though it’s a bit disquieting to hear perennial nice guy Gill snarl about “some squirrelly guy who claims he don’t believe in fightin’” on Haggard’s “The Fightin’ Side of Me.”

Gill and Franklin show up again on The Big E – A Salute to Steel Guitarist Buddy Emmons, performing album opener “Country Boy.”

Album producer and former Hot Band steel guitarist Steve Fishell put this project together, pairing great players and singers on songs that played a significant role in Emmons’ storied career.

Duane Eddy, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, Greg Leisz and Raul Malo are among the big names here, performing songs from multiple decades.

The biggest treats include a couple of pop-oriented tunes. Albert Lee and JayDee Manness team on “Rainbows All Over Your Blues,” a song from John Sebastian’s first solo album that was transformed by Emmons’ solo. Similarly, Joanie Keller Johnson and Mike Johnson offer a fine cover of “Someday Soon,” a Judy Collins hit graced by Emmons’ licks.

The album includes reverential, detailed and sometimes technical liner notes from Fishell that make clear just how influential Emmons was.  Highly recommended.

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Review: Butchers Blind’s “Destination Blues”

butchersBy Ken Paulson

Press releases promoting Butchers Blinds’ Destination Blues (Paradiddle Records) emphasize influences like Uncle Tupelo, the Hold Steady and even the Replacements,  but those comparisons largely escape me.

This  band from Bellerose, New York, plays a highly accessible brand of rock and country, melding strong melodies with intriguing themes.

“Nobody Hears What I Say Anymore”  is about dashed dreams, and surprisingly, sounds like David Crosby and Graham Nash. “OPP”  is an energetic rocker that would have been at home on a Gin Blossoms record. Other tracks bring Tom Petty to mind.

The common denominator, though, is disciplined and focused songwriting, and that bodes well for this promising band.

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Eric Brace song inspires a NASA video

We’re fans of Eric Brace and were glad to hear the news that one of his songs inspired a NASA video and tribute to Neil Armstrong.

In Eric’s words: I’m extraordinarily honored and proud that the folks at NASA heard my song “Tranquility Base” and are using it to help commemorate the first anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s death (Sunday). The video they created to accompany the song, using footage from the historic Apollo 11 mission, is spectacularly beautiful and moving and can be seen here on NASA’s website.

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Sun209: The Week in Tweets

The week in Tweets from Sun209:      Tuned In’ review: Diversified Greencards still trump sounds with ‘Americana’           knoxville.com/news/2013/aug/… 24 hours ago

 

Review: Tim Easton’s “Not Cool”

tim eastonby Paul T. Mueller

Someone once said, “Geography is destiny,” and that certainly seems true of Not Cool, the new CD from much-traveled singer-songwriter Tim Easton. Easton recently moved to the Nashville area after several years in the Mojave Desert town of Joshua Tree, California. Fittingly, many of the songs on Not Cool have an early rock ‘n’ roll/rockabilly sound that’s well suited to the home of country music, and Easton’s lyrics (he wrote 10 of the 11 tracks) have taken a more straightforward direction, in contrast to the sometimes oblique nature of much of his recent work.

In keeping with the vintage sound, the CD’s running time totals only 30 minutes, with eight of the 11 tracks clocking in at three minutes or less. Themes include life’s travails (“Troubled Times,” “Four Queens,” “Gallatin Pike Blues”) and bad romance (“Don’t Lie,” “Lickety Split” and the title track). But the grim subject matter is offset by bouncy arrangements, mostly featuring the excellent guitar playing of Easton, J.D. Simo and Sadler Vaden. Megan Palmer, Easton’s partner in a duo called Out of Our Tree, contributes sweet violin and vocals on several tracks.

Easton saves the best for last, closing the album with “Knock Out Roses (For Levon),” a beautiful tribute to the late Levon Helm. Written, according to Easton, the day Helm died, it’s an acoustic instrumental featuring an old-timey sound, set to a lively waltz tempo, but with a melancholy undertone. The song’s delicate interplay of guitar, banjo and violin fades out near the end, leaving only the violin to carry the tune to its end. Sweet.

 

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Americana Music Awards tickets on sale

AMAAmericana Music News — Tickets for the 2013 Americana Honors and Awards Show at the Ryman are now available.

Tickets to the Sept. 18 show , will be available online and at the Ryman box office, priced at $85 and $65.

The awards show,   a highlight of Nashville’s musical year, will be hosted once again by Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller will head up the always stellar house band.

You’ll find more information about the show and the Americana Music Festival and Conference  at www.americanamusic.org.

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Reissues: Soulful pop albums from Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis

MarilynBy Ken Paulson

The summer of 1967 saw the release of one of the best (and most underrated) pop albums of the decade. With Johnny Rivers producing and Jimmy Webb contributing songs, the Fifth Dimension literally soared into the charts with Up, Up and Away and the big single of the same name.

Over the next eight years, the Fifth Dimension dominated the singles charts, drawing on great songwriters like Laura Nyro (“Sweet Blindness, “Wedding Bell Blues”) and Webb to deliver a very hip brand of mainstream pop.

In 1975, Marilyn McCoo and husband Billy Davis left the group to pursue a career as a duo, scoring immediately with “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (to be in my Show.)” The sound was a little funkier than the Fifth Dimension, but the vocals were immediately recognizable.

Unfortunately, that album was the duo’s commercial peak. Two more albums followed, but sold modestly and have been largely unavailable.

That’s changed with Real Gone Music’s release of The Two of Us (circa 1977) and Marilyn and Billy (1978.)

Both offer their own rewards, but on very different terms. The Two of Us kicks off with “Look What You’ve Done to My Heart,” an up-tempo track that briefly put the duo back on the charts.   It sets the tone for the entire album, largely one song after another celebrating a really good relationship. “Wonderful,”  “My Reason to Be is You” and “My Very Special Darling” are representative.

Marilyn and Billy, recorded as the pair moved to Columbia Records, is more ambitious and ultimately more satisfying. Disco was dominant and McCoo and Davis had to make their sound more contemporary. They pulled that off in part by working with producer Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist from the MG’s.  Yes, it has a disco influences, so it’s a bit dated. But the cover of Sam and Dave’s hit “I Thank You” is timeless and the vocals are strong throughout.

The Two of Us and Marilyn and Billy will be welcome additions to the collections of ‘70s pop and soul fans.

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Reissues: Amazing Rhythm Aces’ first two albums

AcesBy Ken Paulson

The Amazing Rhythm Aces were a little ahead of their time.

1975, the year of the Aces’ debut album, was not the time for a country band that was soulful or a bluesy band with a twang.  And it sure wasn’t the time for a band that embraced all of that, plus rock and jazz.

36 years ago, it was called “eclectic.” Today, it would be called “Americana.”

Now the band’s first two albums are available again on a reissue from Real Gone Records. Stacked Desk, their debut, boasted a big hit single in “Third-Rate Romance,” a genre-defying song that proved irresistible to AM radio.

That first album was fun and funky, but follow-up Too Stuffed to Jump may have been even stronger. The band-written “Typical American Boy,” “The End is Not In Sight” and “Dancing the Night Away” showed songwriting depth, while their rendition of “If I Knew What to Say” added a reflective tone.

Highly recommended.

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Review: The Band of Heathens’ “Sunday Morning Record”

HeathensBy Ken Paulson

The new Band of Heathens album Sunday Morning Record is an eye-opener, packed with diverse sounds and reflective lyrics.

It comes during a period of significant change for the band,  and the departure of three band members, including Colin Brooks.  The album chronicles the churn and change surrounding the band.

We first saw the Band of Heathens on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, We loved their energy then, but they’ve clearly grown as a band, despite the personnel shifts.

This is a musically adventurous album, highly melodic with impressive harmonies. It’s folk, rock, country and pop rolled into a full and rewarding sound.  “Shotgun” and “Records in Bed” are particularly compelling, intimate and ambitious at the same time.

“Miss My Life” is a free-spirited declaration that shares some musical turf with “Give Peace a Chance”,  and “Texas” tips a hat to Austin even as the band heads out the door.

If we have any reservations about the album, it’s in the number of songs that focus on unrealized dreams and unsettled relationships.

Founding member Gordy Quist is quoted in the press materials: “We chronicled our trip through a strange, weird and intense time. You can hear it all here: the joy, the heartache, the disappointment, the longing and ultimately the resolution that this band has found to continue to make albums and perform shows together.”

I’m sure that every band that has endured personnel changes and a relocation from Austin can relate. But for the rest of us, piecing the songs into a thematic whole is a bit of  challenge.

Still, the album resonates with fresh music and hooks. It’s the sound of a good band getting better.

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Still “Hangin’ Round:” The Monkees in Houston

monkeesBy Paul T. Mueller

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost half a century since the Monkees were one of the biggest bands around. Even harder, maybe, to believe the hold their music still has on the imagination of those who grew up with it. But despite the years and the loss of singer Davy Jones in 2012, the old magic was still there at Houston’s Arena Theatre on August 1, as the onetime pop sensations kicked off the second half of their “Midsummer’s Night with The Monkees” tour.

The remaining members – Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork – gave the audience of a couple of thousand or so what they came for – well-crafted mid-’60s pop songs, many of which were big hits. Beyond that, they gave proof, if any is still needed, that the Monkees long ago transcended their made-for-TV beginnings and turned into a real band.

Despite advancing years – around 70, give or take a year or two – the trio still had the energy, halfway through a 24-date tour, to blow through a two-hour, 29-song show, albeit one punctuated by several breaks during which recorded audio and projected video were left to carry the load. Dolenz and Tork did most of the bouncing around; Nesmith mostly stood in place, although he seemed a bit more animated when performing his own compositions.

The show’s first segment featured eight songs from the first two albums, The Monkees and More of The Monkees, starting with a lively rendition of “Last Train to Clarksville.” A little later came the sing-along favorite “I’m a Believer,” written by Neil Diamond and performed – as Dolenz pointed out for the benefit of the kids in attendance – by The Monkees long before Shrek came along. Dolenz also proved capable of bringing some proto-punk attitude to his vocal on “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.”

The second segment featured several songs from the fine third album, Headquarters, which Tork described as the first on which The Monkees really felt like a band. Highlights included two fine Nesmith compositions, “You Just May Be the One” (the only song on which Tork played bass) and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” with Nesmith on lead vocal. Tork did a nice job with the wistful “Early Morning Blues and Greens.”

After another break, the band returned with slightly newer fare, including “The Door into Summer” (the first-ever live performance of the song, according to the band’s Facebook page) and “Goin’ Down,” featuring some fine jazzy vocals from Dolenz.

Yet another break was followed by several songs from Head, the band’s trippy 1968 movie. They were followed by the evening’s only real acknowledgement of the missing Monkee – a projected clip of Jones dancing in a tuxedo while singing “Daddy’s Song,” also from Head. But the show’s real emotional high point followed, when Dolenz brought an audience member onstage to help sing “Daydream Believer.” What his guest – a shortish, middle-aged man with a noticeable accent – lacked in polish, he made up for in enthusiasm, belting out the familiar lyrics with the gusto of a true fan. The applause that followed was well deserved.

The Monkees, backed throughout the show by a fine seven-member band that included one of Dolenz’s sisters and one of Nesmith’s sons, finished the main set with an excellent rendition of “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round?” (co-written by Michael Martin Murphey). They returned after a short break for an encore consisting of “Listen to the Band” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” a bit of social commentary written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

No doubt there are plenty of people who are never going to believe that The Monkees were, are or ever will be more than “The Pre-Fab Four,” but the band provided its Houston audience ample evidence to the contrary.

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