Tag: “Texas music”

Review: Billy Joe Shaver’s “Long in the Tooth”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

shaverAt 75, Billy Joe Shaver is no longer the young country outlaw he once was. But he’s still around and kicking, and on his latest album, Long in the Tooth, he bares his (figurative) teeth on songs about several things he’s not too happy about, including his old nemesis, alcohol; today’s country music, and humanity’s warlike ways. His mellower side shows up on a few nice love songs, and there’s even a tune about growing up that features a train. Shaver is in good voice here and is backed by a fine studio band and guest appearances by some illustrious players. It all adds up to a strong effort.

Standout tracks include:

  • “Last Call for Alcohol,” a country two-step in which Shaver sings about a lost love and the booze in which he’s trying to drown her memories. “Last call for alcohol, I’m finally through with you,” he sings, but it’s not clear whether it’s the lover or the liquor he’s saying goodbye to.
  • “I’ll Love You As Much As I Can,” a gentle but honest warning to a potential romantic partner. “Remember the chance that you’re taking,” Shaver sings. “I’ll love you as much as I can.”
  • “Checkers and Chess” is fueled by the populist, anti-authority outlook that’s long been a Shaver trademark. “Nothin’s fair in this world of lying shame,” he sings. “The rich man steals the money/The poor man takes the blame.” The poor also get to die in rich men’s wars, he later adds.
  • “Hard to Be an Outlaw,” a duet with Willie Nelson that laments the passing of time, while taking a swipe at musical newcomers and what the old guard sees as their unearned success: “They go and call it country/But that ain’t the way it sounds/Makes a renegade like me/Want to terrorize the town.”

The title track is a kind of rap about growing old, but not gracefully. Points for trying, but let’s face it – rap is not what Billy Joe Shaver is best at. “Music City USA” covers similar ground but a lot more effectively. It’s not clear that the story of a young man who left Texas “to capture Music City USA” is autobiographical – that story line could apply to a lot of people – but it might as well be. “That crazy fool with shaggy hair has spread his songs out everywhere,” Shaver sings. “I reckon he done captured Music city USA.”

Four of the album’s 10 tracks were co-written with Gary Nicholson and two with Ray Kennedy; the two Nashville veterans also co-produced the album. They had some good material to work with – the “Can’t Hardly Playboys” studio band consists of guitarists Dan Dugmore and Jedd Hughes, bassist Michael Rhodes and drummer Lynn Williams. Also contributing is a long list of excellent guest artists, including Leon Russell, Tony Joe White, Larry Franklin, Mickey Raphael and Joel Guzman, among others.

 

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Review: Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison in concert

 in Americana Music, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller–Titles are easy to throw around, and sometimes they’re just so much music-biz hype. Not so in the case of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis. Partners both on and off the stage, they have been called “The First Couple of Texas Country Music” and “Americana royalty,” among other things. At McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston on June 30, Bruce and Kelly showed a capacity crowd how they got those titles and why they deserve them.

Bruce and Kelly packed 22 songs into their hour-and-a-half set, the first of two shows scheduled for the evening, and the third of four in a two-night stand. (They’ve pretty much transcended the need for last names at this point – according to one report, the named artist on their upcoming joint CD will be “The Bruce and Kelly Show.”) Despite the time constraints of a two-show night (and their willingness to talk to fans and pose for pictures between sets), the performance never seemed rushed. One hit followed another with an easy grace that belied the high-level artistry behind the music. Strumming and occasionally picking acoustic guitars, the two singers got excellent support from Geoff Queen on electric guitar and steel guitar, John “Lunchmeat” Ludwick (Bruce’s brother-in-law) on standup bass, and Joey Shuffield (of Fastball) on drums.

The show featured a mix of songs written by Bruce and Kelly, together or separately, along with some interesting covers – but no Christmas songs, Bruce noted, in a reference to the couple’s now-famous Christmas shows. There were plenty of country tearjerkers, such as Bruce’s “The New Me,” Kelly’s “If I Left You,” and “Cheater’s Game,” said to be the title track of the new CD. And there was lighter fare as well, including a nice version of Don Williams’ “We’re All the Way,” a tribute to a long-run relationship, and “Wrapped” and “Desperately,” both written by Bruce and both hits for George Strait some years back. Kelly turned Kirsty MacColl’s “Don’t Come the Cowboy with Me, Sonny Jim!” – sung at a fan’s request – into a happy romp, and the fact that she hummed her way through a few unfamiliar lyrics only added to the fun.

Bruce called for requests at one point and seemed pleased to hear calls for some of the duo’s less well-known songs. Upon learning that one group of fans had traveled from Louisiana for the show, he conferred briefly with the band and launched into his rueful road ballad “Rayne, Louisiana,” featuring some nice slide guitar by Queen. But the hits got their due as well, among others the divorce lament “Angry All the Time” and the sad and beautiful doomed-love ballad “Traveling Soldier.”

Kelly, who appears to have discovered a cure for aging, showed off her fine voice all night. There’s always been sweetness and sadness there, but she’s not afraid to throw in a little snarl too, as on her you-done-me-wrong song “What World Are You Living In?” and especially on a fine rendition of Tom T. Hall’s “Harper Valley PTA.” This is someone who knows exactly what she’s doing, and loves doing it.

“Don’t believe the hype,” the hip-hop philosophers Public Enemy once advised. In the case of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, feel free to ignore that advice.

 

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Review: I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt

 in Songwriters

By Terry Roland

I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt  by Brian T. Atkinson    Published by Texas A&M University Press.

The question comes to mind when first picking up Brian Atkinson’s new book, I’ll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt: Do we need another book or really any more observations about the enigmatic Texas folk-country-blues poet? With two biographies already in print, two documentaries and recorded tributes, have we come close to exhausting observations of his legacy and the comedy and tragedies of a life that led to an iconic library of songs and stories that have been packaged and repackaged for commercial gain?

A few chapters in and the answer becomes clear. This is not a traditional biography or an attempt to simply cash in. The premise here is balance, perspective and a view of the universal nature of art. While the word-of-mouth and commercial use of Townes’ name and image in Americana circles today exceeds any fame he approached during his lifetime, he sometimes evokes a holiness that hardly matches the reality.

Atkinson’s book attempts to bring us to the core of Townes’ identity as an artist and person, complete with adoration, criticism, flaws, gifts and curses in all of his unwashed personal insanity and wild creativity. Because of the format of the book. he succeeds more often than not.

Each chapter comes from musicians and songwriters, some friends and some strangers, revealing their own experiences with Townes Van Zandt. While this narrative choice could run aground with a tendency to deify the legendary Texas songwriter or take the opposite route through the humorous and sometimes hilarious stories of his many drunken escapades, skillful editing and the careful selection of contributors allows Atkinson to present a portrait of Townes as complex and elusive as many of the songs he wrote.

This Townes-as-Citizen-Kane approach never leads to the ultimate Rosebud moment revealing what made Townes such a brilliant and tragic figure. This is not the point of the book. The subtext is clear; life and art can never be completely explained by any one person, but in the end it is to be enjoyed and appreciated without condition, even through its dangers, tragedies, risks, insanity and joy. In the end, all we have is the song and in many ways, that’s enough. As Townes’ song title suggests, we do it all ‘for the sake of the song.’

Contributors to the book offer insights that may reveal more about themsleves than they intend. For example Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz finds Townes’ songs so hard to inhabit that he hesitates to sing his songs. Guy Clark recalls how both he and his close friends were as influenced by Dylan Thomas as they were by Bob Dylan. Kristofferson remembers that Townes had no idea of the respect he had from other songwriters. Other contributors include veterans Billy Joe Shaver, Chip Taylor, David Olney and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot.

While the majority share a real love of Townes, Atkinson is careful not to edit out criticism, including The Gourds’ Kevin Russell who believes Townes’ entire songwriting legacy can be summed up in what many view as his best album, Live at the Old Quarter.

Atkinson has made a point of selecting contributing artists who are friends and peers and also younger artists who have been influenced by Townes, which enrich the book. For example, Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt and singer-songwriter Cory Chisel are two artists who demonstrate the influence the songwriter still has on younger artists, while the obvious choices of Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Butch Hancock attest to Townes’ legacy.

Still, the inclusion of an artist like Jewel and the omission of Eric Andersen, who wrote songs with Townes and Steve Earle and is regarded by many as Townes Jr., is hard to understand.

While we have every right to be skeptical about a new Townes Van Zandt biography,
Atkinson nicely captures his spirit and legacy in this valuable new book.

Review: Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators

 in Americana Music

By Joe Ross

Texas-based Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators’ 5-song EP Late for My Own Funeral shows that they can rock hard. The catchy opener “19 Doin’ 20” is a bit frenetic, while “Come On” and “Barfly” provide some nice contrasting grooves at a slower pace. The album’s short on credits, but I assume drummer Chris Evans is propelling the group. Jonathan Jeter’s vocals have some of the style and grit of Leon Russell.
“Voodoo Woman” is tightly wound, tough southern twang that simultaneously draws inspiration from Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. This band’s messages may be simple, but there’s definitely something intrguing about its straightforward roots rock.

Philip Gibbs: Petroleum Age

 in Reviews

Philip Gibbs is a topical singer-songwriter, although his topics come from past and present.
He clearly loves his Texas heritage, as evidenced by songs like “Stephen F. Austin’s Blues” and “Sam Houston’s Blues.”
But the highlight of his new album is the title song, “The Petroleum Age,” a jaunty protest song about the era of oil dependency. It’s written in the spirit of Phil Ochs, a fellow Texan. I think Phil would approve.

Philip Gibbs “Petroleum Age” from Possum Den Productions on Vimeo.

Keep Austin Weird

 in Reviews

Sun209 is based in Nashville, so we’re taking Austin’s claim of being the “”Live Music Capital of the World” with a grain of salt. That said, the line-up at the Keep Austin Weird Festival was truly impressive, particularly the bands that hit the stage in the late afternoon and early evening. There’s some of the Band in Deadman and Motown/Stax in Suite 709, but both build on those Old School roots in fresh and vibrant ways. The new Suite 709 CD “Keys” is due shortly.

Texans come out in force at Tin Pan South

 in Americana Music

Michael Martin Murphey and friends

Some of Texas’ best-known songwriters assembled at the Hard Rock Cafe last night as part of the Tin Pan South songwriters festival. Gary Nicholson, Leroy Parnell, Bruce “Hey Baby” Channel and Michael Martin Murphey shared the stage. They’re clearly old friends and build off each other’s performances. Murphy was the biggest name, underscoring that by playing his two biggest singles right out of the box: “Carolina in the Pines” and “Wildfire.” The four performers had as good a time as the audience.