Iris DeMent Discusses Songwriting; Los Lobos Celebrates 40th Anniversary; Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside Announce 2013 Tour Dates
- The HillBenders got you a present: it’s a grassed-up version of “Feliz Navidad.”
- Jim Caligiuri chats with Mike Cooley in this Austin Chronicle feature.
- Blurt posted video of singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle playing his song, “Tobacco Town.”
- Rolling Stone is streaming a couple tracks from the deluxe version of the Nashville soundtrack.
- Rolling Stone also has video of Lady Antebellum playing “Blue Christmas.” (warning: autoplay)
- Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside announced a string of 2013 tour dates.
- Iris DeMent on songwriting: “I have always been very shut-off in that [songwriting] department…I remember trying to write a song with John Prine — someone I love and I’m very comfortable with — and I had to go to the bathroom and shut the door. Then, I’d come out and say, ‘I have a line!’ I think it’s because I came from such a big family that I was always searching for someplace that would be my own and writing just turned out to be that place.”
- American Songwriter counts down their Top 50 Songs of 2012.
- Kim Ruehl and Linda Fahey list their Top 10 Folk and Americana Albums of 2012 for NPR.
- Peter Cooper’s new Tennessean column is about photographer Hilda Stuart, who also happens to be Marty Stuart’s mother.
- David Clarke reviewed the musical Sanders Family Christmas, a “gospel bluegrass celebration” set on Christmas Eve, 1941. The musical is running through the end of the month in Houston.
- There’s a new CD of Zac Brown Band songs done lullaby-style.
- Mumford and Sons’ “I Will Wait” crossed over to the country charts, debuting at #58 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
- Seminal Chicano rock band Los Lobos celebrates its 40th anniversary.
- Check out “Depression Blues” from Sam Doores and Riley Downing.
- Tina Hart of MusicWeek.com takes a look at the upcoming C2C: Country to Country music festival that will hit London in March.
- “Mexo-Americana” band David Wax Museum is featured in the Ashland Daily Tidings.
- When it comes to making music, is technology an “adversary or compatriot”? From an article in The Atlantic on documentary Sound City, about the famous L.A. recording studio that was used by artists including Johnny Cash and Tom Petty: John Fogerty, of Creedence Clearwater Revival, recounts with some revulsion a young musician explaining that perfection is just a digital procedure away. The irony is that Fogerty is himself a studio aficionado who famously recorded his hit album Centerfield alone, playing every instrument from vocals to drums to guitar. Gains in multi-tracking technology provided him with what he desired: artistic control over every recorded element…There’s no doubt that the rise in laptop and related technology, both software and hardware, has contributed to the decline in numbers of large-scale recording studios. The question that lingers is whether Sound City will be rockist nostalgia, technological contemplation, or both at the same time. How much is this recent shift a story of new technology replacing old technology, and how much is it the story of new technology limiting human interaction?
- Bonnie Raitt performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Watch here.
- On December 11, Blackberry Smoke will play a StageIt show (as of this morning, there were still more than 200 tickets available; the price is “pay what you can”). Proceeds will go to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
- Natalie Maines covers Pink Floyd on the soundtrack for an upcoming documentary about the West Memphis Three.
Tagged In This Article
Blackberry Smoke // Bonnie Raitt // Caleb Caudle // Creedence Clearwater Revival // David Wax Museum // Hilda Stuart // HillBenders // Iris Dement // John Fogerty // Johnny Cash // Lady Antebellum // Los Lobos // Marty Stuart // Mike Cooley // Mumford and Sons // Natalie Maines // Peter Cooper // Riley Downing // Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside // Sam Doores // Tom Petty // Zac Brown Band
Current Discussion
- Jack Williams: The first name that came to my mind was electic bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart. He hasn't released a proper ...
- bob: There was a survey by cmt.com dated 3/31/10 which showed more than 175 country act signed to major labels. I ...
- Jonathan Pappalardo: I would sign: 1) Trisha Yearwood - I don't believe she's affiliated with Big Machine Records anymore and a new CD ...
- Juli Thanki: Oh, good thinking with Hellbound Glory, Mike. Their music matured so much between Old Highs & New Lows and Damaged ...
- Mike Wimmer: 1. Jamey Johnson-I know he is technically with a label already, but they are in dispute over how he feels ...
- Juli Thanki: The first name that came to my mind was Lee Ann Womack. I'm dying to hear new music from her.
- BRUCE: Who the hell is "Pay Price"? Good grief.
- Luckyoldsun: Can't say I personally want to hear anything he's done since before the Watergate break-in--save for that duet album with ...
- Bruce: I can't access it for some reason. But I will tell you this. At 79 years of age, his voice ...
- Janice Brooks: I have the Jim Ed Brown single in rotation.
2 Comments
RSS for comments on this post
December 7, 2012 at 3:46 pm
I really enjoyed those tracks from the Nashville TV series soundtrack album and especially Clare Bowen’s vocal stylings. Connie Britton is not much of a singer (something she readily admits) and her vocals are a bit lifeless, but its still better than most of the stuff on AirHead Country Radio. I don’t expect the TV series to have any lasting impact on the greater realm of mainstream country music, but with songs like that it sure can’t hurt anything! (lol)
“Depression Blues” eh? I can definitely relate to that for at least the next four years. Any chance Sam Doores and Riley Downing are political conservatives? I didn’t think so…
So “Sanders Family Christmas” is set right after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor eh? This year’s “Rick Family Christmas” has me feeling about the same way after the results of the November elections. Is there a special Christmas 2012 version of the “Depression Blues” song mentioned above? Hmm…
Opry Alert! Tonight’s Opry will feature Mandy Barnett (who thankfully stopped mangling her songs), Charley Pride, the seductive Kristen Kelly, Diamond Rio, and Scotty McCreery. Grade: B
The Saturday Night Opry will feature Old Crow Medicine Show (Yay!), Del McCoury, Charley Pride, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, and Brandy Clark(?). Grade: A!
Schedule Link: http://www.opry.com/shows/ThisWeek.html
That “Sound City” documentary sounds really interesting! I’ll have to figure out a way to view it (for free that is!).
December 9, 2012 at 2:17 am
Dang it. I forgot about Marty Stuart (and Connie Smith!) being on the grand ole opry Saturday night! Otherwise I would’ve sat in my car listening to Sirius radio. I wish these shows were archived online.
Leave a Comment