“O Brother Where Art Thou?,” the soundtrack to the 2000 George Clooney film that drove a surge in interest in roots and Americana music, has been re-issued in a deluxe 10th anniversary edition, with a disc of bonus songs, most of which were produced in the original T Bone Burnett sessions: “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” (Colin Linden), “You Are My…
Tag: “Americana music”
Uncut: The records that shaped John Hiatt
The October 2011 issue of Uncut features John Hiatt on its “My Life In Music” page, inviting Hiatt to list the records that helped shape his life and musical tastes. The first pick, “Elvis Presley’s take on Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” particularly intrigued us. (Yes, that’s the B-side of Sun 209.) “I love the way it straddles two…
New acts added to 2012 Cayamo line-up
The bookers for Cayamo have been busy. Newly-added acts for the floating Americana music festival set for February 2012 include Joe Purdy, Bobby Long and Deep River. They join an impressive line-up that includes Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Keb’ Mo’, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, the Civil Wars, Sara Watkins, James McMurtry,…
In the Media: The 1861 Project
We reported earlier this week on “The 1861 Project,” an Americana music take on the Civil War.Peter Cooper of the Tennessean profiled Thomm Jutz , a songwriter and performer on the f the project, in an article today: “If you want to know anything about the American Civil War, you should probably listen to the German guy. “War swaths over people…
Review: Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti”
Robert Earl Keen’s 16th album “Ready for Confetti” is a musically adventurous, almost joyous-sounding album that lives up to its playful title. Keen has said he approached this album differently, writing on the road for a change and encouraging lots of feedback. It worked. “Ready for Confetti” is a diverse, yet focused collection, packed with memorable songs. Fron the upbeat…
New this week: Brigitte DeMeyer’s “Rose of Jericho”
Out this week is Brigitte DeMeyer’s first album since moving to Nashville and “Rose of Jericho” shows that she’s fallen in with good company. Brady Blade is back to produce the new album, with Nashville neighbors Will Kimbrough, Mike Farris, Sam Bush, Mike Henderson, Al Perkins, John Deaderick and others lending their talents. The first two songs on DeMeyer’s fourth album illustrate…
Americana Music chart: Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” soars
Robert Earl Keen’s fine new album (reviewed here this week) “Ready for Confetti” moved into sixth on this week’s Americana Music Chart, while the top five places were unchanged, with John Hiatt, Gillian Welch, the Jayhawks, Kasey Chambers and Joe Ely in the top five spots. New to the chart: The Bottle Rockets’ “Not So Loud” at 40. (Pictured)
Review: The 1861 Project
You can’t put “The 1861 Project” on shuffle. This ambitious, engaging and yes, educational project chronicles the Civil War through the perspectives of those who fought it. The stirring John Anderson performance on “The Turning of a Field” foreshadows the events of the next four years, culiminating in the surrender at Appomattox and the soldiers’ return home. There are inherent…
Austin City Limits to showcase Americana Music Festival
The Americana Music Festival has finally found a home on television. In their efforts to build awareness of Americana music, Americana Music Association Executive Director Jed Hilly and his staff have long sought a way to showcase the genre and its stars to a national audience. The Tennesseean reports today that the festival awards show will be broadcast live on…
Jeff Bridges: High profile and low-key music
You don’t hire T Bone Burnett to produce a vanity project. Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for playing a ragged country singer in “Crazy Heart”, but his aspiration to do it for real is more than fantasy. His new album is credible, distinguished by talented players and songs from fine Americana music writers. It’s also uneven and not particularly interesting.…
Americana music by the book
I’ve never seen Americana Music Association Executive Director Jed Hilly so excited about a reference book. From the Americana Music Assocation website: “Merriam-Webster announced today, as reported by the Associated Press, the inclusion of the musical definition of the word Americana to its Collegiate Dictionary. Americana joins Tweet, m-commerce and around 100 other words whose use is now widely recognized…
Hiatt remains at number one; “Eleven Eleven” enters Americana Music top ten
John Hiatt stays on top of the Americana Music Association chart for another week, with Gillian Welch and “The Harrow and the Harvest” remaining at number two. The Jayhawks move up to number three with Mocking Bird Time. New to the Top 10: Dave Alvin’s “Eleven Eleven,” reviewed here. New to the chart: Slaid Cleaves’ “Sorrow & Smoke –…
Schuyler, Shamblin, Bettis, Brooks and Jackson to enter Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation announced today that Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, John Bettis, Tom Schuyler (pictured) and Allen Shamblin are its newest inductees. (Full disclosure: Sun209: Americana Music Journal editor Ken Paulson is on the hall’s board and cast a ballot for nominees.) The hall’s press release: The five new inductees will be welcomed into the elite…
Nick Lowe at Country Music Hall of Fame
Nick Lowe is no longer the “Jesus of Cool” his first album touted, but he still strives to be all things to all people. In an interview with Michael McCall at the Country Music Hall of Fame this morning, Lowe said his goal as a performer is to be cool enough to attract both young and old. “You get different…
Americana Music Festival announces artists
The Americana Music Festival, scheduled for Oct.12-15, 2011 in Nashville, is unveiling more details about the performances: From the AMA’s press release: “More than 100 of the genres’ trailblazers and rising stars will perform in the talent packed showcases that draw music lovers from all over the world. Among the first round of artists announced are: Gurf Morlix, Foster &…
Band Perry to headline the Ryman Auditorium
That was fast. The Band Perry, a very young band with a very popular album, has been booked to headline the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Feb. 20, 2012. Tcikets will go on sale on Aug.26. From the Ryman website: “While TBP has previously graced the Ryman stage during the Grand Ole Opry and other multi-artist events, this will be…
John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns”
John Hiatt’s 20th album “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” continues his remarkable streak of consistently solid recordings. It feels like an extension of last year’s “The Open Road,” with a few more songs about regrets and a couple of compelling compositions about transportation. The album opens with “Damn This Town,” a vow to leave everything and everyone behind. The arrangement echoes…
Dave Alvin: Eleven Eleven
What’s the deal with Johnny Ace? A modest figure in R&B history (“Pledging My Love”), Ace achieved some level of pop immortality due to his untimely death in a gun accident on Christmas Day 1954. Nonetheless, he’s inspired two outstanding songs about his demise: Paul Simon’s “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and now Dave Alvin’s “Johnny Ace is Dead.” Alvin’s…
Review: Nick 13
You don’t often see the words “psychobilly” and “Lloyd Green” in the same sentence, let alone on the same album. Yet that’s truly the charm of “Nick 13,” the solo debut by the artist of the same name. Nick 13 is best known as singer and songwriter for Tiger Army, a psychobilly band that draws on the genre’s punk and…
Cayamo road trip scheduled
Sixthman, the company that stages the annual Cayamo music cruise, has announced a landlocked tour featuring performances by Cayamo artists. Chuck Cannon, Tim Brantley, Bronze Radio Return and Trailer Park Ninjas will play in various combinations over the month of August The schedule: Wednesday, Aug 3 – Miami, FL – Transit Lounge Thursday, Aug 4 – Orlando, FL – The…