Album Review: The Coal Men - Escalator

Like Americana music like me? Then you need to get a hold of the The Coal Men - Escalator. Along with longtime drummer Dave Ray, Nashville based Dave Coleman knows how to write songs with meaning, not the gobblygook that passes for pop-county today. This CD has some blues tendencies, outlaw country, and pure rock - what's not to like. Just have a listen to Broken Heartland or Tennessee. The CD was recorded live at the studio so it also as that raw - live music feeling. Need more validation? The CD is released from Todd Snider's Aimless Records and The Coal Men will be opening for Snider during an October tour.

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen performing "Together We'll Fly" at the 2013 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

We want to congratulation Mike Munford for being named 2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year.  You can catch Mike and the rest of Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen from this performance at the 2013 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.

Catching up with Holy Ghost Tent Revival and a Gumbo of Cabinet

Hard to believe that it's been three years since our MyJoogTV video with Holy Ghost Tent Revival and Flying Dog Brewery. Since I hadn't seen the band live in quite a while, jumped at the chance to catch up with the guys when they came to Jammin' Java during a mini-tour with Cabinet.  During this time, there has been a slight personnel change, Patrick settled down with marriage, but Stephen, Matt, Kevin, Hank, Charlie, and Ross have continued to crank out tight and sophisticated music. The sound has changed slightly, still some 20's dixieland (love the horns) and more classic rock. This evening Matt and Kevin fronted a few songs which augmented the diversity in their portfolio. Since our video, HGTR has continued to mature and grow stronger; make sure you check out their remaining dates on this tour and keep alert to a CD release in early Spring 2014.

As for Cabinet, what more can you say about this act? They had the entire club dancing and singing from the first song. And why not, acoustically they are a gumbo of that old time string sound, mixing bluegrass and old time country, with music bellowing from throughout the stage. And then when they went electric - watch out - they can play.  I really need to get down to The Festy to see these guys again. Cheers.



MyJoogTV Episode 2: Holy Ghost Tent Revival at Flying Dog Brewery from MyJoogTV on Vimeo.

Mobile Apps for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion

In preparation for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, there are two mobile applications that will increase your already high enjoyment level even further.They are theCompass winery and brewery locator and the Rhythm and Roots Reunion mobile app. theCompass will help you find wineries, breweries, and distilleries on your travels to Bristol and a demo is available here.  We always take a side trip on our trip down and theCompass makes planning much easier.

The Bristol Mobile Application will guide you through the festival schedule and allow your to share your plans, comments, photos, through various social media sites. The most impressive features are the ability to create alerts to remind you when a favorite artist is performing and even use geo-location to guide you to the stage or venue. Pretty cool.They also provide biographic information about all the performers as well as videos so that you can research acts that are unfamiliar.  Highly receommended.

The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion - Celebrating the Birthplace of Country Music

This weekend I'll be in front of some stage; whether standing, sitting, or dancing; whether outside, inside a tent, or in a pool hall. All the time enjoying the incredible array of musicians that the organizers of the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion assemble each year.  For the past four years, this has been a family tradition, navigating the six hours of Route 81 visiting local wineries, viewing the schedule and complaining about conflicts, and then disembarking at the Birthplace of Country Music:

Nashville may be country music’s capitol, but Bristol is the birthplace. It was on State Street in 1927 that talent scout Ralph Peer made the very first country music recordings with The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, and others, for the Victor Talking Machine Company. The recordings known as The Bristol Sessions are recognized internationally as the “Big Bang” of country music.

As much as I anticipate the our annual ritual and agonized over schedules, I wondered (1) how some of this year's performers view the festival and (2) whether they might provide some insight on whom we should watch perform.

Frank Solivan
(1) The musical heritage of Bristol is pretty amazing. It was a melting pot of musical influences. "The first family of country music" was from that area. The Carter family that is. I feel pretty honored to be able to perform in the area where country music and it's off-shoots started.

(2) I definitely want to hear Lucinda Williams! Also want to check out Deer Tick. It'd be great to see The Masters of Bluegrass... [J.D. Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Del McCoury, Jerry McCoury, and Bobby Osborne] what a heavy combo of legends!

The Black Lillies

(1) Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion is exactly what it claims to be. A reunion, a homecoming, a celebration, and a world class music festival. It's an opportunity for fans and musicians to meet once a year on the grounds of the Birthplace of Country music and celebrate what we all cherish and hold in common, a love and respect for the roots of country music. As a country music artist, playing in Bristol ranks right up there with playing The Opry, The Ryman, Tootsies, and all the other sacred country music sites.

(2) The Bristol lineup is always stellar. I have a long list of artists to see this year. In no particular order This Mountain,Folk Soul Revival, Erick Baker, If Birds Could Fly, Uncle Lucius, Chatham County Line, Pokey LaFarge, Paul Thorn, Defibulators, Shovels and Rope, Della Mae, JD McPherson, Dave Eggar, Hayes Carll....aaannnnd....that's about all!

Jenni Lyn Gardner of Della Mae
(1) We are honored to be asked back to play and be part of history in the making that takes place every year at the RRR. The rich musical heritage that was born and still do this day takes place in Bristol in unmatched and we go there hoping to be inspired and inspire others with our music.

(2) Oh there are so many other bands I'm going to try and see perform this year. Shovels and Rope, The Masters of Bluegrass, Chatham County Line, The Black Lillies, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen... There are seriously too many to name.

Paul Thorn
(1) The list of talented artists that came from Bristol is astonishing. The Carter Family, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Jimmy Rogers are all household names. They all left behind great bodies of work that would make any town proud. I am so happy that I will get to perform at this great festival that honors them.

(2) When you are a performer you rarely get to see the other acts. It's always ''set up tear down, set up tear down, set up tear down............"

Daniel Rodriguez of Elephant Revival
(1) This festival is certainly an important festival given the musical heritage, and given that its a blast to be at.  To be walking the border of Tennessee and Virginia with great music and vendors on both sides is a great scenario amidst life.  Important enough for us to return consecutive years!!

(2) Last year I walked around without any expectations of who to listen too.  It was kind of nice to not know many of the bands there, and to just stop where the music pulls you in.  That's the beauty of Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion

Enter the Haggis

1) Editor's note: This will be the band's first foray into the Bristol area, so they will be learning about it's rich musical heritage along with us.

2) There are a few acts we're excited about. Hey Rosetta is at the top of the list - they're a Canadian band and they're incredible. Getting to see them up close on a festival stage is going to be a real thrill for us!
Elephant Revival is another act we've heard great things about but never seen. We'll be sharing a stage with them, so that should be fun. Some friends of ours will be joining us at the festival as well: The Steel Wheels, Burning Bridget Cleary and Scythian are all great bands we've played with numerous times, and they'll all put on great shows.

Album Review: Katie McNally - Flourish

Like listening to the fiddle? Gaelic styled music? Then Katie McNally's Flourish is the CD for you.This is all instrumental, all the time - Katie's fiddle backed by the flat guitar, upright bass, piano, and cello. It's soothing music, but also I can't seem to get the final sequence of Napoleon Dynamite out of my mind while listening. Not sure why. I guess its cheerful and soothing. Pair with a pint of Harp or Aberlour Scotch. Cheers.

As a new generation breathes new life into the old tunes, and as young musicians are joyously pulled between multiple traditions, Boston fiddler Katie McNally has arrived as a driving force behind Celtic fiddling in New England. Pushing ever deeper into the Scottish fiddle tradition, Katie’s new album, Flourish, brings both Scottish and Cape Breton music together around the central core of her new compositions in the Celtic tradition. Katie’s a formidable fiddler, capable of drawing forth the unspoken emotions from the old melodies, but also capable of dazzling runs on her instrument. As a tune composer, there’s a real sense of playfulness to her compositions. She writes angular rhythms into her tunes in the subtlest ways, and delights in racing through these rhythms, her fiddle bow bobbing and weaving along the tracetrack she’s created. There’s a lift in her bow, a kind of weightlessness that only the best players have. It’s remarkable to hear this kind of maturity in a so young a fiddler.

CD Review: Patricia Vonne - Rattle My Cage

Let's skip all the small talk. Rattle My Cage, the latest CD from Patricia Vonne rocks. Scheduled to be released this September 10th, the title track sets the pace in a Pat Benatar sounding jam. But let's not forget this is a Texas CD, with collaborations from Alejandro Escovedo, Rosie Flores and the Doyle Bramhall.  And this shows through the next four tracks - particularly in Que Maravilla - my favorite track. She has that sexy, mesmerizing voice when singing in Spanish. Then there's the simple, but powerful Bitter Need, just Vonne and the piano.The last three tracks are pure fun, starting with the jazzed up Paris Trance and then transitioning to some Tex-Mex in Tequileros and the instrumental Mexicali De Chispa. Pretty cool stuff. Cheers.

Album Review: The Tillers - Hand on the Plow

I generally associate old time string music with the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, but sometime fail to realize the significance of music culture on the western side. Particularly the music emanating from the northwestern edge of Appalachian coal country. But after receiving a copy of The Tillers Hand on the Plow, no longer. These former punk rockers become historians, cover the coal mining history of the area, the loss of farmland, the unionization caused by abuses from the coal companies, even going back into the Indian wars and the conflicts with Tecumseh and the Shawnee in Ohio.

Brothers Sean and Aaron Geil, along with Michael Oberst deliver a moving compilation of songs, from Old Westside to Weary Soul - a powerful finale for the CD.  In between you will be captivated by the musicianship and the lyrics - all raw and recorded straight to tape. This trio nails it.

Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion -> One Month Out and Counting

Here is your one month reminder that the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion is coming up quickly - September 20th-22nd in Bristol VA\TN to be precise. This is always our favorite music festival, well organized, great musicians, great venues, and quality beer. Want to see Lucinda Williams on the main street stage, check. Want to see Scotty Melton in a small bar, check. Want to see American Aquarium in a rockn' beer bar, check. Like to camp out at one stage for the entire day? Then checkout Scythian, Chatham County Line, Paul Thorn, Shovels and Rope, Hayes Carll, and Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis all on the State Street Stage. Like a historic venue? Then nothing beats Jim Lauderdale or Chris Smither  at The Paramount Center for the Arts. Got the idea? Plus, tickets are a complete bargain - a weekend pass is only $50; that's correct - $50 until September 1st. Then it rises to $70. Here is the total lineup but to help organize your schedule I would suggest the Bristol Mobile App - it makes festival life so much easier. And to make your road trip more enjoyable - theCompass mobile app will find wineries and breweries along your trip route. Cheers.

• Lucinda Williams
• Masters of Bluegrass, The (J.D. Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Del McCoury, Jerry McCoury, and Bobby Osborne)
• Blitzen Trapper
• Deer Tick
• Keller Williams
• Colin Hay
• Iris Dement
• Hayes Carll
• J.D. McPherson
• Shovels & Rope
• James McMurtry
• Travelin' McCourys, The
• Jim Lauderdale
• Scythian
• Apache Relay
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
• Paul Thorn
• Willie Watson
• Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis
• David Mayfield Parade, The
• Black Lillies, The
• Della Mae
• Hey Rosetta!
• Pokey LaFarge
• Claire Lynch Band
• Dale Ann Bradley & Steve Gulley
• Chatham County Line
• Quebe Sisters, The
• Red Molly
• Spirit Family Reunion
• Marty Raybon
• Balsam Range
• Elephant Revival
• Enter the Haggis
• Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
• Chris Smither
• Whitey Morgan & the 78's
• Uncle Lucius
• American Aquarium
• Bronze Radio Return
• Rayland Baxter
• Breaking Grass
• Carolina Road
• Amber Rubarth Trio
• Dave Eggar & Deoro with Hammerstep
• Folk Soul Revival
• If Birds Could Fly
• Levon Helm Tribute Show
• M.S.G. The Acoustic Blues Trio
• Sol Driven Train
• Field Report
• Detour
• Kenny & Amanda Smith
• Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line
• Hurray For The Riff Raff
• Revelers, The
• Dale Jett
• Ed Snodderly
• Two Man Gentlemen Band, The
• Whiskey Gentry, The
• Burning Bridget Cleary
• Donna Ulisse
• Frank Fairfield
• Delta Reign
• Bawn In The Mash
• Erick Baker
• Brothers Comatose, The
• Caitlin Rose
• Cactus Blossoms, The
• Chicago Farmer
• New Familiars, The
• James Justin & Company
• Old Man Luedecke
• River Whyless
• St. Paul and the Broken Bones
• Cumberland River
• Defibulators, The
• Nightflyer
• Wayne Henderson & The Virginia Luthiers
• • Cumberland Gap Connection
• Blair Crimmins & The Hookers
• Dirty Bourbon River Show
• This Mountain
• Woody Pines
• Miss Tess & the Talkbacks
• Lizzy Ross Band
• L Shape Lot
• Cutthroat Shamrock
• Old Line Skiffle Combo
• Paul Burch
• Tillers, The
• Successful Failures, The
• Annabelle's Curse
• Hermit Kings, The
• Leah Gardner
• Duty Free
• Harlow Experience, The
• Barlow Gin & The Hatchetmen
• Breaking Tradition
• Bryan Elijah Smith & The Wild Hearts
• Jon Stickley Trio
• A Great Disaster
• Wise Old River
• Black Iron Gathering, The
• ETSU Old Time Pride Band
• ETSU Bluegrass Band
• Sheets Family Band
• Black Twig Pickers, The
• Dave Adkins & Republik Steele
• Dori Freeman
• Honey Badgers, The
• These Undowners
• Scotty Melton
• Earth by Train
• Jack and the Bear
• Ron Short & the Possum Playboys
• JP Parsons
• Mis'ry Creek
• Stillhouse
• Al Scorch
• Lore
• Mountain Park Old Time Band
• Nikki Talley
• Roger Rasnake
• Scratch River Telegraph Company
• Kim Lyons
• Amythyst Kiah
• Annie Robinette
• Beth Snapp
• Craig Street Ramblers
• Empty Bottle String Band
• Jess Nunley
• Rickshaw Roadshow
• Wayne Graham
• Whiskey Incident, The
• Alli Epperson
• Dave Haney & Lisa Baldwin
• Mischief in the Meadow
• Rex Montgomery
• Rose Sisters, The
• Amazed by Grace
• Deslondes, The (formerly The Tumbleweeds)
• Honaker FFA Bluegrass Band
• Indian Run Stringband
• Corklickers, The
• Bus Driver Tour, The
• Virginia Whirlwind
• Farmhouse Ghost, The
• Kazoobie Kazoo Show with Rick Hubbard
• Steve Gryb: The Pied Piper of Percussion

Big O and Dukes present A Night For Americans II: Sunny Ledfurd + Whitey Morgan and the 78's

 It's been a while since I've been able to sneak out and see a show, but I found one worth the effort. Last week, Big O and Dukes presented "A Night For Americans II: Sunny Ledfurd + Whitey Morgan and the 78's @ Jammin Java. And like A Night For Americans I with The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band + Whitey Morgan - this was an awesome night of music. With recent talk that steel guitar, and for that matter, anti-pop country music, are on the endangered species list, Whitey Morgan and the 78's are an example of a band doing it right. Although this band has a truckload of originals, this was a night of covers - because that was just what Morgan wanted to do. There was Waylon's Waltz Me to Heaven with the relate-able: It's been a long time. Since I've had a good time. And I think it's high time I did. They played Haggard's Working Man's Blues, Johhny Paycheck, 80's Bruce Springsteen, and even Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song.And the finale, Dale Watson's South of Waco. What a playlist.

Ledfurd and his band arrived a little late from some transportation issues, but eventually the horns and percussion and guitars where set for their blend of funk, New Orleans Jazz, rock, and songs about " drinking, girls, and drinking." And unlike Morgan, Ledford stuck to mostly originals  like
I Don't Remember Last Night,  Pontoon Boat, Adderral, Myrtle Beach, and many more. Ledford and his band have it - the stage presence, the persona, the brass and percussion, and entertaining songs. This is one live act that Big O and Dukes rightly chose. Cheers.

Music and Beer Through Leftover Salmon & Breckenridge Brewery

Here's a pairing that WineCompass and I can enjoy - Leftover Salmon Releases 2nd Single Through Breckenridge Brewery: “Thornpipe” Featuring Casey Dreissen.Now I just need to find a 12-pack Sampler Pack.

ASHEVILLE, NC--  Bringing new meaning to the practice of catch and release, Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado and bluegrass band Leftover Salmon have caught up with each other to launch the second release in a series of four original songs. The new music is being pre-released exclusively within Breckenridge Brewery’s 12-pack Sampler Packs through October. Each of four song download codes is provided on Artist Series coasters, specially created by four well-known artists from the “Rock Art” community and packaged inside the Sampler Packs.

The second song available is “Thornpipe,” which Andy Thorn wrote years ago, but he believed it was missing something. While attending the Old Settler’s Music Festival in Austin in April, the group hooked up with Casey Driessen who added the missing component – sounds from his fiddle. Sound engineer Mario Casillio was able to set up a makeshift studio in the back of the band’s bus, and as Thorn remembers, “Casey was kind enough to spend a bit of his afternoon laying down some hot fiddlin’.”

“In music you've got your hornpipes and your jigs, but this tune is a ‘Thornpipe,’” continued Thorn. “It’s a pretty simple banjo tune with a few twists and turns to have fun with.”

Renowned poster artist Jeff Wood of Zen Mystic Studio created the artwork for “Thornpipe.”

 

“My art is heavily steeped in psychedelia, so when approached about the LoS Breckenridge coaster project, swirling images started dancing through my head,” said Wood. “‘Thornpipe’ is a great bluegrass tune and I envisioned a group of salmon forming a mandala spinning inside a ring of thorns. Mandalas have been used through the ages as a meditation and contemplation tool for the artist and the viewer. My hopes were that when one looks at the coaster image they will become lost in the image and, with beer in hand, it will take them to a more peaceful Colorado state of mind.”

The second Artist Series song download coasters will begin shipping in specially marked Breckenridge Brewery 12-pack Sampler Packs in mid-August. Every download that is retrieved enters that person in a drawing. The grand prize is a trip for two to Colorado for a VIP experience at Leftover Salmon’s Thanksgiving shows, with a behind-the-scenes Breckenridge Brewery tour and a band meet-and-greet. Other prizes include a band-autographed acoustic guitar made by Andrew White Guitars, which builds Vince Herman his guitars; a set of four Artist Series coaster posters, framed and signed by the band; and weekly online poster giveaways.

 

Gary Houston, Jeff Wood, Nate Duval and Tyler Stout each crafted their artwork with inspiration from Leftover Salmon’s new music and Breckenridge Brewery’s beers. In addition to the coasters, each artist is printing a limited run of 100 screen print posters that are numbered and signed. The posters are available through weekly giveaways on both Breckenridge Brewery’s and Leftover Salmon’s Facebook and Instagram pages. They also will be given away at special events in select bars in cities where the band is touring.

About Breckenridge Brewery

Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades Breckenridge Brewery has grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer and restaurant companies in the nation. It now handcrafts more than 52,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates five brewpubs and ale houses in the state of Colorado. For more information visit www.breckbrew.com.

   

For complete information visit http://www.breckbrew.com/LeftoverSalmon or follow on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/BreckenridgeBrewery.

   

###

   

Leftover Salmon & Breckenridge Brewery are available for interviews. Digital downloads of the new music and high resolution versions of the Coaster Art Series are available upon request.

   

LoS Media Contact:

Erin Scholze, Dreamspider Publicity

828-776-6248

dreamspider@gmail.com

Breckenridge Brewery Media Contact:

Matt Eldridge, Marketing

meldridge@breckenridgebrewery.com

Dreamspider Publicity... These things just don't happen by themselves...

Representing diverse & unique roots music from the mountains to the swamps

 

www.dreamspider.net

www.twitter.com/dreamspiderweb

www.facebook.com/DreamspiderPublicity

The Drive-By Truckers Reissue ALABAMA ASS WHUPPIN’ on September 10th

I hope The Drive-By Truckers focus on this album during their upcoming tour - 18 Wheels of Love and Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus) are always a concert favorite.

Athens, GA – ATO Records will reissue the Drive-By Truckers’ Alabama Ass Whuppin’ on September 10, 2013. Alabama Ass Whuppin’ is the band’s third album. Originally released in 2000, the record has been out of print for years. The album has been re-mastered and includes updated artwork by Wes Freed. This will also be the first time the album has been available on vinyl.

Alabama Ass Whuppin’ documents a specific time for the band. Recorded from March 1999 through August of 2000 in clubs across the southeast including Tasty Word, The High Hat, The Star Bar, The Caledonia Lounge and the 40 Watt.

“This was our third album and the connecting thread between our earlier work and the band that we went on to become later. It’s a documentation of a period in time that I wouldn’t go back to for all the money in the world, but I’m proud of the shows that we played and the songs that we wrote, “ says Patterson Hood.

The band is currently in the studio in Athens, GA recording their 12th record. ATO Records will release the record early 2014.

Pre-orders for the record will be available later this week at: http://www.drivebytruckers.com and itunes.

1. Why Henry Drinks
2. Lookout Mountain
3. The Living Bubba
4. Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus)
5. Don't Be in Love Without Me
6. 18 Wheels of Love
7. The Avon Lady
8. Margo and Harold
9. (Alabama Ass Whuppin’) Banter
10. Buttholeville
11. People Who Died
12. Love Like This

For more information contact: Traci Thomas 615.664.1167 / traci@thirtytigers.com.

CD Review: New Country Rehab - Ghost of Your Charms

Everyday this week, I've had Ghost of Your Charms, the latest from New Country Rehab, on a continuous loop - just can't get enough of this CD.  It starts with the first track, Empty Room Blues, some rockn' music, and continues all the way through Too Many Parties And Too Many Pals. Rollin' is a classic - this is country music and The Bank And The Army is classic rock. How did this band not pass through my radar before. Thanks Hearth Music.

 

You might not expect the Canadian city of Toronto to produce a hard-driving alt-country sound, but that’s exactly what you’ll find in New Country Rehab’s new album, Ghost of Your Charms. New Country Rehab’s dynamic sound and powerful songs throw light on the grittier side of Toronto, from the city’s working class history as Hogtown, an early 20th century center of meatpacking and industry. And just as Southern American folk traditions needed the urban landscapes of Chicago to become electric blues and R&B, Toronto turns simple country songs into the driving, electrifying Americana of New Country Rehab.

New Country Rehab’s lead singer John Showman is a frontman on fire, singing and fiddling with the swagger and verve of a guitar god. With his fiddle jammed on his shoulder or slung low at his side, Showman swings from a croon to a growl, throwing a powerful punch of energy and virtuosity into the band’s sound. Drummer Roman Tome rocks a hybrid kit including a saw-blade cymbal and goat hooves for shakers, among other surprises. Freewheeling bassist Ben Whiteley holds it all together with his acoustic bass grooves, energizing the band and audiences alike with joyful abandon. The band teams up on this album with producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Ohbijou) and the results are both polished and powerful.

The song’s lyrics treat classic country themes with a modern take on mortality, love, and the open road. The album’s single, “Home to You,” follows the narrator on a wandering journey that circles back again and again to the devoted optimism of the chorus – “it brings me home to you.” “Rollin’,” a Morricone-inspired western soundscape, follows the lonely ramblings of a mysterious highwayman. “Lizzy Dying of a Broken Heart” is about a Vietnam vet and career mercenary slowly losing his mind in post-war retirement, and “The Bank and the Army” puts a spin on the murder ballad genre, with a fictionalized story set against an imagined, but frighteningly plausible, backdrop of political conspiracy.

New Country Rehab fuses the sounds of country roots traditions to the urban grit of contemporary Toronto. Ghost of Your Charms is the sound of a band with feet firmly rooted in the city they call home, and their eyes on the road ahead.

NEW COUNTRY REHAB - Home to You (official video) from kelprecords on Vimeo.

Guy Clark Releases New CD: My Favorite Picture of You

Can't wait to grab this one from Guy Clark. Garden and Gun Magazine has published Cornmeal Waltz - so check out that track. 

My Favorite Picture Of You, the first studio album in four years from legendary songwriter Guy Clark, is set for a July 23 release on Dualtone Records. As one of the most revered songwriters of his generation, Clark embodies the term “songwriter’s songwriter.” The simplicity of the recording shines brightly while capturing Clark’s beautifully understated and road worn vocals. Clark co-wrote 10 of the 11 tracks on My Favorite Picture Of You and dug very deep for each performance on this truly inspired collection.

The album’s heartfelt title track was written for Susanna Clark, Guy’s wife of 40 years, and a successful songwriter in her own right, who passed away in 2012. If a picture says a thousand words, then the cover photo of My Favorite Picture Of You declares an entire life. The cover depicts Clark, slightly blurred in the background, holding up an old photo of his beloved from the 1970s. According to Clark, Susanna walked in and found he and friend, the late Townes Van Zandt drunk, again. She stormed out of the house, which is when the Polaroid was taken.

The song is a loving tribute that melts your heart while making you smile. As a master songwriter, Guy Clark has always made us smile by infusing his wry wit into thoughtful storytelling.

Clark’s vocals on My Favorite Picture Of You exude truth, wisdom and warmth, only touching on the insight he has gained from an extraordinary life. From the delicate sweetness of “Cornmeal Waltz” to the poignant story of the veteran returned a changed man in “Heroes” to the determined “Hell Bent On A Heartache,” Clark delivers a standout album in a four-decade career overflowing with high points.

In 2004, Guy Clark was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and in 2013, he received the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award, along with Hank Williams. However, Clark’s multiple Grammy Award nominations and accolades merely hint at the immeasurable impact his songs and recordings have had. He has been a mentor to artists such as Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell and his songs have been covered by a multitude of artists, including Johnny Cash, Brad Paisley, David Allen Coe, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffet, Asleep At The Wheel and many others. After 40 years of songwriting, Guy Clark continues to be lauded and admired by his peers, critics and artists young and old from different genres...and he is not done yet.

Mike Beck to Release CD Tribute - Benefiting War Vets and Rescued Horses

Here's a good cause to follow - Mike Beck - old time Americana folk in the tradition of Ramblin' Jack Elliot - to release an upcoming CD Tribute that benefits veterans and rescued horses - via The Joyful Horse Project. Here's the full press release:

AUSTIN, Texas — Mike Beck calls himself a cowboy troubadour, but for him, that means far more than donning a tall hat and playing twangy guitar. He’s actually a bona-fide horseman, with years of range-riding and cattle-herding experience that gives his music an unmistakable authenticity. On his new album, TRIBUTE (Sept. 17, 2013), Beck imbues each song with the trail dust and vast vistas of his beloved American West, and celebrates the unique bond humans and horse share.

That bond holds even more significance for him since he helped develop a groundbreaking horsemanship program that pairs wounded veterans with abused or neglected horses so they can rehabilitate one another. Working with the Joyful Horse Project, an Austin-based a nonprofit dedicated to holistic equine rehabilitation and education, Beck teaches intuitive horsemanship methods he learned from legends Bill and Tom Dorrance and others. When human and animal understand how to communicate with one another, they can establish trust — the unifying, harmonious bond that empowers both. And helps them heal. Beck is donating all proceeds from album sales to this therapeutic program.

Recorded in Austin, TRIBUTE offers 11 tracks of Beck’s cowboy-themed Americana, ranging from folk balladry (“20 Bucks a Gallon”) to bluesier tunes and honky-tonkers. He employs his signature Fender B-bender on the tracks “Don’t Hurt My Heart” and “Amanda Come Home,” the latter one of two songs paying homage to military veterans. The other is a cover of Wilbert Harrison’s “Let’s Work Together,” made famous by Canned Heat and Bryan Ferry.

“I wanted the album to help both horses and people come together in true partnership,” Beck explains. TRIBUTE is the latest development in a partnership begun when Joyful Horse Project president Beth Rand approached Beck about starting the program.

“Veterans are amazingly well suited to the challenge of working with these horses,” says Rand. “By background and training, they are keenly aware of the bonds of trust required to perform any task with sureness and confidence. These unique talents help the horses overcome their fears and become more suitable for further training and adoption.”

Beck jumped on board immediately. “I knew we had the makings of a great story,” he says. “It’s a win-win for all involved.”

Horsemanship and music have long intertwined in Beck’s world; he’s worked at both in California, Nevada and Montana.

“Being a horseman and musician are similar in many ways. They’re both about feel,” he told Western Horseman magazine in a 2012 feature story. In 2009, that magazine placed two of his compositions on a list titled “The 13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Time,” ranking him among heroes such as Ian Tyson, Lucinda Williams, Tom Russell and Gene Autry, the original singing cowboy. On TRIBUTE, Beck covers Tyson’s ode to America’s wild mustangs.

Beck’s even earned praise from no less a legend than Woody Guthrie contemporary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who says of Beck’s picking skills, “Mike Beck plays the guitar like a Byrd. His strings do things that mine could never do. They obey the slightest finger-touch commands like a fine reining horse.”
Beck will perform a benefit concert for the Joyful Horse Project on Oct. 18, followed by a two-day horsemanship clinic Oct. 19 and 20, both at Travaasa Austin. 

For pre-release album purchases and donations: joyfulhorseproject.org

For information and bookings:
mikebeck.com
joyfulhorseproject.org

CONTACTS
The Joyful Horse Project: Beth Rand, 512.467.4893, bethrand@austin.rr.com
Media: Jill McGuckin, 512.217.9404, jill@mcguckinpr.com
Radio: Ed Spacek, 512.261.6160, spacekco@aol.com