Tag: “Nashville music”

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Review: Marc Cohn in concert at the Ryman

 in Americana Music

We’ve seen Marc Cohn in concert a few times, but he’s never been better than last night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Actually it was a bit of a surprise that he was there at all. The night before, he had cancelled a show in nearby Franklin, TN.

Cohn apologized to anyone who had tickets to that show, and said that nothing gets you back on your feet more quickly than opening for Bonnie Raitt at the Ryman.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” he said.

His set was brief, but compelling. He said he set out one day years ago to explore new places as a cure for writer’s block and found his way to Memphis. That in turn inspired his biggest hit, “Walking in Memphis.”

Cohn laughed and said if he had dropped by Music City first, it could just as easily been “Walking in Nashville,” with Music Row supplanting Beale Street.

The evening’s highlight was “Listening to Levon,” his tribute to the late Levon Helm, which he recorded in 2007 on Join the Parade.

The only disappointment was that Cohn didn’t play anything from his outstanding 2010 album Listening Booth: 1970, a collection of covers from that year. Still, it’s hard to complain when Cohn packed so much great material in a 30-minute set, and closed with “Silver Thunderbird,” a song that should have been every bit as big as “Memphis.”

Review: Bonnie Raitt in concert at Nashville’s Ryman

 in Reviews

By Ken Paulson

–Bonnie Raitt’s show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last night was as loose as they come and every bit as entertaining.

Whether explaining that she hadn’t found time to do a set list, calling former band member Rick Vito to the stage or saluting Nashville’s songwriters, Raitt was casual, comfortable and in command.

She drew heavily from Slipstream, her excellent new album. Songs like “Marriage Made in Hollywood, “Split Decision” and “Down to You” stood up alongside her classics.

A surprise cover on the album and in concert is “Right Down the Line,” the 1978 Gerry Rafferty hit. Stripped of its ‘70s production sheen and infused with reggae, it was a bluesy highlight.

Raitt saluted John Prine and his manager Al Bunetta, and recalled her mom and grandmother in a touching introduction to Prine’s heart-rending “Angel from Montgomery.”

This was a generous set running more than two hours with an extraordinary encore.

Praising songwriters Allen Shamblin and Mike Reid, Raitt delivered their “I Can’t Make You Love Me” in stark and powerful fashion, followed by “Have a Heart.” She closed out the evening sharing vocals with Vito on a raucous version of the 1959 Elvis Presley hit “A Big Hunk O’ Love.”

Raitt – and her music – have aged beautifully.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Kenny Rogers at the Country Music Hall of Fame

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Kenny Rogers concluded his two-night run as artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville tonight with an intimate set and guest appearances by Kim Carnes and songwriter Don Schlitz.
Fans accustomed to seeing Rogers in arena had to be thrilled to catch him in the 213-seat Ford’s Theater at the museum. He said he was going to play the show as though it were his living room, and did exactly that in story and song.

Among the highlights:
– Rogers’ duet with Carnes on Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer, a 1980 hit she wrote with her husband Dave Ellingson.
– A moving version of John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me”
– Schlitz’s cameo on “I’m the Greatest,” his second hit for Rogers. The first – “The Gambler” launched his career and ignited Rogers’.
-A closing story about meeting Jessi Colter on a plane and how her account of being married to Waylon Jennings inspired Rogers to write “Sweet Music Man.”

Rogers also told the audience about pushing to get the Mel Tillis-penned “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” recorded. He said the producer thought it might be too dark, an understandable concern given the theme of a disabled veteran mulling homicide. Yet the audience erupted with joyous handclaps throughout the song. So much for darkness.
As with all ten artists-in-residence sessions at the Country Music Hall of Fame, this was a rare and sometimes revelatory evening.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Long Players salute Neil Young’s Harvest

 in Nashville music

The Long Players, a loose aggregation of talented Nashville performers with a very tight band at its core, is a Music City institution – and for good reason.
The band, founded by Bill Lloyd, impeccably re-creates the greatest rock and soul albums of the past 60 years in a concert setting.
Tomorrow night, the Long Players tackle Neil Young’s Harvest at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville.
If you’re in the area, this is a must-see.
Here’s a terrific clip from the Long Players’ 50-album anniversary show:

Review: Bill Lloyd’s “Boy King of Tokyo”

 in Americana Music, Reviews

By Ken Paulson

–Bill Lloyd’s new album Boy King of Tokyo is a vibrant and hook-laden collection, rivaling the earlier and excellent Set to Pop and Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Lloyd took a cue from musical heroes Todd Rundgren and Paul McCartney by playing every instrument on the album.

The high-octane title track was inspired by Lloyd’s early childhood in Japan, and sets the tone for the album. Lloyd loves Badfinger, the Byrds, Big Star and the Raspberries, and it shows.

Some years ago, Lloyd wrote “Cool and Gone,” a haunting and spot-on song (written with David Surface) about fans falling out of love with an artist. It could only be written by a passionate record collector, which Lloyd is. While “Cool” was melancholy, the new album boasts The Best Record Ever Made,” an inspired sing-along that captures the euphoria of a new and perfect pop song: “The best record ever made made you want to turn up to 10 and then you’d play it over and over and over again.”

The new album is a bit more socially conscious than past efforts, including “Com-Trol,” a clever take on the corporatization of rock ‘n’ roll.

On the flip side, “Indubitably” and “Home Jeeves” are fun and buoyant slices of pop and rock and pop.

“Chet’s Right Hand, Man” is a surprise instrumental, echoing Chet Atkins’ style. Lloyd said he wrote it to entertain visitors at the Country Music Hall of Fame, where he once worked as stringed instrument curator.

Lloyd teamed up with Radney Foster for an excellent reunion album last year, but pure pop remains his passion. Turn it up to ten.

Bill Lloyd at his album release party

 

 

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music
  • Review: Keith Moody's contemporary brand of classic rock. http://t.co/czGVWLOx #
  • New to #Americanafest chart: @tbtduluth, @akaDrJohn, Mastersons http://t.co/7lOAho1C #
  • Dick Clark (and Lloyd Thaxton) gave me my early rock 'n' roll education. Rock on TV was once a special event. #
  • Record Store Day includes releases by Byrds, Gene Clark and Dillard and Clark. Cool. #
  • Bill Lloyd and friends salute Big Star on Friday night @familywash in Nashville. #

Review: Keith Moody’s “Dreaming Out Loud”

 in Reviews

Keith Moody’s Dreaming Out Loud is an album of another era, colection of soaring rock with terrific hooks and strong melodies.

If Moody were 65, you’d call it classic rock, but this is a young man who learned from the masters. The most obvious influence is Tom Petty, but that takes the form of inspiration, not mimicry. There’s a hint of Gin Blossoms and maybe even the Spin Doctors, but it has a fresh sound throughout.

Favorite tracks: “Long Way Up,” “Up” (he’s clearly fond of that direction) and “I Don’t Know Who the Bad Guys are Anymore.”

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Tin Pan South Festival: Jimmy Webb, Jack Tempchin and Felix Cavaliere

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Jimmy Webb

By Ken Paulson

–Tin Pan South is a weeklong festival in Nashville featuring fine songwriters and engaging songs, but there was no question that the event’s epicenter was at 3rd and Lindsley tonight, as pop and rock songwriting royalty performed.

Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals took the stage first, and he remains in astonishingly fine voice. He began with “It’s A Beautiful Morning” and closed with a rousing “People Got to Be Free,” filling his set with radio classics and a fine new song that inspired an audience sing-along.
Jack Tempchin’s hit list is not as deep, but he was very entertaining, reminiscing about the best year of the ‘60s (1972) and playing his Eagles cuts “Already Gone” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” plus the Johnny Rivers hit “Slow Dancin’”

The finale – and maybe the festival – belonged to Jimmy Webb. He began his set with “Highwayman” and closed with “McArthur Park,” told a very funny story about the inspiration for “The Worst That Could Happen,” saluted Vince Gill with “Oklahoma Nights,” and recalled praying as a 14-year-old that Glen Campbell would one day record one of his songs before launching into “Wichita Lineman.” Webb is certainly one of the top ten composers in pop music history, along with Goffin and King, Lennon and McCartney, Mann and Weil and Bacharach and David. Tonight’s performance was a reminder of Jimmy Webb’s singular talent.

Tin Pan South: Peter Yarrow, Roger Cook, Larry Weiss, Michael McDermott

 in Americana Music, Nashville music

Peter Yarrow and Roger Cook

One of the opening shows on opening night of Tin Pan South in Nashville featured three songwriters with some of the best copyrights in popular music.  Roger Cook, Peter Yarrow, Larry Weiss and Michael McDermott showcased their catalogs at the Listening Room Café.

McDermott acknowledged that he was the poorest of the four and the only one without a monster hit.  A little self-deprecation is helpful when you’re sandwiched between Peter Yarrow doing his “Puff the Magic Dragon” and  the always entertaining Roger Cook performing a ukulele version of his Hollies hit “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress.)” Still, McDermott proved to be the most dynamic performer.

Weiss kept the crowd waiting for something familiar until late in the set, finally performing a mini-medley of “Bend Me Shape Me” (a hit for the American Breed) and “Help Me Girl,” an underrated 1966 single from Eric Burdon and the Animals. Weiss saved “Rhinestone Cowboy” for a crowd-pleasing finale.

Tin Pan South Festival: Opening night preview

 in Americana Music

You’ll find great music in Nashville’s clubs all this week as they host the annual Tin Pan South Festival, a celebration of songwriters. Venues all over town feature singers and songwriters, typically in the round in groups of four. The performances are short on flash and high in talent.

The 2012 festival kicks off tonight. Among the evening’s highlights:

6 p.m.

Belcourt Taps and Tapas: Sally Barris, Don Henry and Tom Kimmel are all accomplished songwriters, but collectively they’re known as the Waymores, a vibrant new trio with an album due for release.  Plus guest Dana Cooper.

Listening Room Café – Roger Cook (“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and many more), Peter Yarrow of Peter,  Paul and Mary,  and Michael McDermott are joined by Larry Weiss, who wrote “Rhinestone Cowboy” for Glen Campbell and  “Bend Me Shape Me” for the American Breed.

9 p.m.

Commodore Grill – Walter Egan, Mary Gauthier, Ed Pettersen and Jim Photoglo span multiple decades and genres. Egan enjoyed rock stardom with “Magnet and Steel,” Photoglo has had huge success as a country writer and Gauthier writes compelling and often heartbreaking songs.

Eat at Loew’s Vanderbilt: Sherrie Austin, Steve Bogard, Lindsay Ell and Rob Hatch are a great line-up, but the special draw here is the appearance of Elliot Lurie, who wrote and sang the 1972 pop classic “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” for his band the Looking Glass.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music