Sirius XM gave me some free satellite radio today but only some of the channels so I can’t listen to my favorite, Outlaw Country.  Had to listen to The Highway this morning  cause that is what the teenagers love and managed to figure out  the formula for a hit country song these days.   You gotta write about the country sluts – the hell raising girls that party and dance in their tight jeans and shake it all over the place but they’re basically good girls.  That way, every girl out there knows you are writing about her personally.  Get you a good bass line from a solid classic rock hit (anything from AC/DC or Lynyrd Skynyrd works). add some stuff about drivin’ trucks and wearin’ boots and dirt roads, drinkin’ beer (PBR) or whiskey – so the guys know you are writing about them as well, throw in some God and some stuff about how great the USA is, preferably combining the two (“God Bless the USA”") and there ya go.  And it works.  Even I love those songs  - see Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl”.

And if you don’t believe me, listen to Jason Aldean sing “She’s Country” and tell me which AC/DC song he used.

The Shed as seen through the Gourds' van

July 16, 2011

Maryville, Tennessee

If you’ve been paying attention, you’d already know that there is no such thing as a bad Gourds show. Given that, I wasn’t going to bore you all with yet another Gourds rave review but I saw them Saturday night (7/16.11) at The Shed and the whole experience was too much fun not to share.

The Shed is an outdoor venue connected to the Smokey Mountain Harley Davidson dealership there in Maryville (correctly pronounced “MURR-ville”), Tennessee. It’s under a big tin roof and you bring your own chairs. I thought it was gonna be godawful hot but,miraculously, the temps had cooled off and we even had a breeze so, you know, perfect night to be outside, drinking beers (Shiner Bock!), eating barbecue, and dancing to the Gourds.  Didn’t get a great picture of the venue (Shiner Bocks) but there are some here that are better than any I could have taken with my phone.  Along with some fine video.

Teeny Tiny Toilet at The Shed

Aside from the Harley dealership, The Shed is also connected to an outstanding barbecue shack where you can get pulled pork, brisket, and a full rack of baby back ribs. Also some pretty darn good onion rings.  They got some real nice porta-potties in back – stay away from the one on the middle left or you might have some trouble getting out. Kinda fun, if you’re not the one who’s stuck. And they got this itty bitty toilet over near the bbq stand. So cute.

The crowd at a Gourds show is always fun (I’ve maybe been to a few shows in several states) but you can’t beat The Shed for eccentricities. As my sister-in-law described it to me, you got your bikers, your music fans, your old folks (even older than we are!) that bring their lawn chairs to every show regardless of who’s playing. your young people all dressed up for their first dates, and even the hippie chick in the teeny tiny chair (ok, we brought her which is why she wouldn’t let me take a picture and post it here).   As every one knows, biker audiences are never boring. This was a particularly friendly and polite group of bikers but still fun.

Teeny Tiny Gourds Fan

And I almost stepped on this little guy – apparently, he really loves dem gourds.

Before the show, we wandered over to inspect the Gourds van and maybe sneak a couple pictures – very luxurious compared to some band vans I’ve seen (cough, cough – The Drams). Max Johnston (fiddle, mandolin player extraordinaire) generously offered to let us climb in and smell it. So we did. He said it had aired out some. Um, that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

And I was too tongue-tied when we spoke with Max to tell him that his song “Jesus Christ With Signs Following” is one of my all-time favorite songs. But he did play “Best of Me” later on and that was awful damn good too. You gotta love that guy, he plays pretty much ALL the instruments and only write a few of the songs but every one of his songs are masterpieces.

Blurry photo of Max and Dave

I’d say maybe a third of the audience was made up of pre-existing Gourds fans and the rest were virgins. The Gourds were in prime form, even ending with “Gin and Juice” and the deflowered all left well satisfied with the experience and eager to come back for more. . . .

Partial setlist:

• All The Labor
• Grievin’ and Smokin’
• Best of Me
• Omaha
• El Paso
• Waxy”s Dargle
• Lower 48
• Do 4 U
• Pine Island Bayou medley with Rocky Top (gratuitous crowd favorite in East Tennessee)
• A couple of new Jimmy songs
• Encore: The aforementioned Gin and Juice with . . . uh, well, I don’t remember what it was with but it was a medley with a really great cover. Trust me on this.

I sampled most of the tunes on their second disc, Dancing On The Gallows, and I can see I have some catching up to do.  I have to admit that I haven’t really sat down and heard all the tracks yet because I’m just streaming this – like I recommend YOU do but it’s grabbing me.  More every time I hear it.

Love “Pine Box”, for example.  See what you think.

But then I listened again and was really liking this one.

Rose’s Pawn Shop has the requisite banjo,  mandolin, fiddle, and upright bass, as well as guitars, acoustic and electric, and drums that make great Americana music. The members are: Paul Givant – Lead Vocals, Guitar & Banjo; John Kraus – Banjo, Electric Guitar & Vocals; Tim Weed – Fiddle, Mandolin & Vocals; Stephen Andrews – Upright Bass & Electric Bass; and Christian Hogan – Drums & Vocals. The music is catchy and intricate; the lyrics are full of stories.
I had to ask for a lyric sheet so I could really read them. And then I had to order the CD so I can really just analyze the whole damn thing.

You can hear more of  Rose’s Pawn Shop on their MySpace or catch them live as they like to play the festivals –

I’m fascinated, intrigued and ever-so entertained by a new young band that just sprung up outta nowhere – well- at the hardware store, really, I guess.  It started with a washtub, a broomstick and some weed-whacker line, the way I heard it, but check the bios on their site for the real story.

See, thing is, they write their own songs!  Yeah, words, music, all that!  You will be amazed at the weird mix of killer keys, banjo, guitars and that crazy washtub bass.  It’ll make you scratch your head.  Well worth the listen – funny, smart, serious, danceable,,,,,,

And they are so generous, sharing their booze-driven music with everyone everywhere around these parts.  They livened up the local sleepy bar with their CD release party and then turned around and did a benefit for a local emergency care center, then road tripped Texas and had a grand time playing with Lonesome Heroes and the like.

The CD is called Tub Life.  Relax, kick your shoes off and enjoy.  Something original, raw, unpredictable and not quite perfect, but with hints of some stellar influences of old.  The live show is even better, of course.  Okay, I’m a fan.  I drank the kool-aid….or, in this case, ate the cheese.  I got the CD, the T-shirt and stuck a Rat Trapper sticker on my guitar case.

www.rattrapper.org

www.wwjwd.com

I look forward to seeing where this brand new CD release will take them.  They’ve already got folks from Laramie, San Marcos, Dallas and parts unknown tapping their toes and singing along with John Whitley.

What would John Whitley do?  DRINK!

“No, where’d you hear it?”

“Oh, they’re playing a few tracks on Outlaw Country on Sirius.  There’s one song with a line that goes something like ‘I’m taking it home to go it alone again.’”  Then he said a lot of other shit while I scrambled to look up the phone number of the only available place to shop in this little town, the sub-par conglomerate that I won’t even name.  They had two copies, so I snagged them both.  One for him (to rub it in, see?) and one for me to keep in the wrapper and fondle, while I “tested” the gift copy.  Cover art by Browan Lollar.  Birds, this time.  Beautiful, as always.

Opening Track:  ”Alabama Pines” – perfect!  5 stars.

2nd Track:  ”Go It Alone” – Every bit as appropriate and touching as promised.  Love this song.

3rd Track:  ”We’ve Met” – Very convincing.  Very Jason.  So good.

4th Track:  ”Codeine” –  “One of her friends has taken her in and given her Codeine.” That’s the refrain, but let me give you a sample line from one of the later verses:

“If there’s one thing I can’t take,
it’s the sound a woman makes,
about five seconds after her heart begins to break.
That’s one thing I can’t take.”

Can this man write or what?  And his voice sounds as sweet and real as ever.  And the band sounds better than ever.

Don’t miss this album.  I almost did.  I was so pissed about not hearing of it first I went straight out and bought the whole SiriusXM car thingy and fancy home speaker unit, too.

So, thank you, Jason Isbell for HERE WE REST.  I’m resting here with a depleted checking account, thanks to you, but I love your songs, man.

And they are altruistic, claiming their debut album, Booze Fighter “is saving country music one shot of whiskey at a time.”

So, naturally, I was intrigued.

The first song “Honky Tonk Nights” got my attention.  It starts with  a mellow guitar chord, the sound of beer can popping open, and then busts into some Celtic punk-sounding hillbilly bluegrass with redneck/punk vocals and a manic fiddle.    That’s the best I can describe it.  Fun.

The other tracks continue in that musical vein.  A lot of polka, rockabilly, mandolin, washtub bass even..  And to make it better, they aren’t afraid to wield a harmonica on some tracks.  I love me some harmonica.

My favorite part of the Streakin’ Healys, though, is their lyrics.    So deep, they really make you think.   Well, kinda.  At least they make you laugh.  A lot.

You can get an idea of how their minds work by going to their website or Facebook page but following are a sampling of my favorite lyrics:

“My conscience screams fucking apathy.”

“Dirty pirate whores for life
I never got to say goodbye.”

“Gimme some Willie or Johnny or Waylon  or even Hanks I, II, or III.
Get out of my face, your life’s a disgrace, and start drinking heavily.”

“Christmastime in rehab has been so good for me.”

Look for Booze Fighter on Amazon and at CDBaby.com the end of May.  In the meantime, you can sample them at their Facebook site or download single mp3s from Amazon.

This is a band I’m going to have to see live.   Streakin’ Healys – won’t you please come to Denver?

JON DURHAM - Roots and Wings (2008), Half Fast Music

I was so pleased to find this in my mailbox one day. The cover art and the song titles are so pretty. Inside are words of wisdom – “Remember your roots and use your wings”, “Wings can unfold at a moment’s notice.”

In the first song, Jon revisits the small town he remembers. It’s true, man. I grew up that way, too.

“Courtesy” follows and brushes up against a question that’s been on my mind lately -  Are we growing more patient because so many things take so much longer due to the lack of courtesy, customer service, thoughtfulness and general efficiency in our day to day activities? Or, is it just driving us crazier?

The title cut is great and, of course, “Faded Cut Off Jeans” touched me, having been there for the original version of those lyrics. What it morphed into is perfect.

‘Three Points” is sad.  Lead guitar player/slide, Brandon Turner is really just perfect on “Port City”. I love me some slide guitar.  “Forty Ton Oak” could have been a Guy Clark song.

The album ends with “Has it all gone to hell for nickels and dimes?”  Sad songs, pretty songs, good songs that make you think…..and so easy to listen to.  Jon’s got a bunch of albums out. This one isn’t his latest, just my personal favorite.

Check him out when you’ve gotcha some time.

I wanna hang out with this band.  Check it out.  They look like they are having fun.  I love music when it’s fun.  

No Depression rocks.  Still.  They interviewed our boy Ronnie Fauss, then Shady from the New Zealand radio station, Radioactive-FM,  interviewed him.  Now they have introduced Donna Dean to the masses and about time, I’d say, because it’s clear that they have been practicing for a while….uh, duh…..where has she been?  where have I been?  Thanks for the alert on this, Shady, because I am richer for having heard it this morning.  

If you have ever listened to any guitar playin’ women and dug it, you will have to give Donna a listen and let me know what you think.  I’m liking her upbeat attitude about a subject we can all relate to from the first line, which is “I been walking on eggshells around you lately….”  Yes, yes, I can relate!  The song is What Am I Gonna Do?

Comparisons have been made . . . Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams . . .I think I’ll listen to Donna Dean some more and get back to you on this.

My year had a few smiles.  Ronnie Fauss put on quite a show at our place.  He’s a treasure both musically and personally.  He has great EPs, too.  Check out Naomi’s review of Mulligan and if you haven’t heard him before, you’re missing out.

My buddy, Jon Durham, sent me a couple of his new and improved CDs (by way of Puddin’haid from Little Rock!).  I can’t decide.  I love the new Good Dogs and Bad Weather, but the 2008 Roots and Wings really still sticks with me in a big, bad way.  Something about those wings unfolding in this new year resonates.

My friend, Shady, who hosts a best-kept-secret radio show in New Zealand, of all places, turned me on to Barry Saunders with “Far As The Eye Can See”.  This guy is amazing.  I had to do a quarter-turn auditory adjustment, my ears being tuned to twang ranging only from Texas to Tennessee, but his beautiful, effortless voice evaporated all my preconceived notions and transported me right into the smack-dab middle of each song.  Listen to some Barry Saunders, maybe Black-eyed Girl and let me know…..Thanks, Shady, for the radio shout-outs and this gorgeous CD, even though I was a little taken aback at first,,,I thought that was Keith Richards on the cover!

I had the extreme pleasure of doing a hootenanny with Kevin Montgomery and Sean Snook in the fall, as they traveled the country promoting the Orange Duffel Bag project.  They played 50 states in 50 days, raising some awareness of a problem nobody thinks much about, so congratulations to them on a difficult job well done.  I hope foster kids everywhere get a little more help than just an orange duffel bag when they’re turned loose in this cold, harsh world.  Most all of them have had rough times.  Go be nice to a kid with no home and listen to some Kevin and Sean.

I can’t start 2011 without my warmest thanks to Naomi, for all she does and for putting up with my shit for another damn year.

And, Jitter, man, what can I say?  Y’all are simply the best.

Love on ya!