Ramblings on Music, Texas, Etc.

Phil Lee coming to Houston

The Mighty King Of Love (aka Phil Lee) will be performing at Anderson Fair on Friday, June 26.  The following day he'll be performing an instore at Cactus Music at 1pm.

Info and tickets here.

Townes Van Zandt - 'Be Here To Love Me'

Since Ryan was kind enough to provide the link, I thought I'd post what is most definitely the best film about TVZ and probably one of the best music documentaries I've ever seen.  I've had this on DVD for quite a while, but you can watch it below...

Steve Earle in Vintage Guitar magazine

The latest issue of Vintage Guitar (or as Mrs. K calls it, my guitar porn) is on newsstands now, and Steve Earle is on the cover.  He and his guitar guru, Matt Umanov, talk vintage guitars as well as Steve's new Martin M-21 (which was co-designed by Umanov).

Early look at Joe Henry's 'Blood from Stars'

Josh Hurst has an initial, detailed breakdown of Joe Henry's new album Blood from Stars (due Aug. 18 on Anti-).

Steve Earle’s ‘Townes’ (further thoughts)

Quite a few years ago, I read an interview with Steve Earle in a British music magazine where he was asked what songs he would pick for a covers record. After rattling off some interesting choices (The Godfathers' "Birth, School, Work, Death"!), he concluded that he would probably just record an entire album of Townes Van Zandt songs.

It's taken a while for him to fulfill that promise, but I imagine there was little doubt among Earle's fans that he would eventually get around to it. Steve Earle has carried the torch of Van Zandt more faithfully than just about anyone else, even though the list of passionate Van Zandt boosters includes just about every singer-songwriter to emerge from the Lone Star State in the past three decades. But Earle actually studied at the feet of Van Zandt, going so far as to adopt many of the same self-destructive habits. Earle abandoned that path just before Van Zandt passed away. Since then, his music has been more widely heard and celebrated, but he still remains a cult figure among American songwriters.

Earle's 15-song tribute, simply titled Townes, seeks to further expand the audience for Van Zandt's music. But more than that, the record connects the dots from Van Zandt to Earle and back again. In a strange way, the album may not qualify as essential listening. Unless, of course, you are a Steve Earle fan. In that case, it is utterly required listening, a wonderful, heartfelt missing link in Earle's catalog. Earle claims even to have re-learned many of these tunes to recreate the ways that he remembers them being played by Van Zandt in the clubs of Houston back in the '70's. Perhaps the better document of that effort is the companion CD Townes: The Basics, available in a deluxe edition and featuring Earle's acoustic demos that became the basic tracks for the album. Though mostly faithful to the original arrangements, Earle's vocals are an interesting contrast to Van Zandt's originals, which featured his high, lonesome singing.  Musically, Townes is as close to Train A' Comin' as anything he's done since, with a few nods to Earle's bluegrass album The Mountain.  Earle toured acoustically to support Washington Square Serenade, and it's gratifying to hear him record an album in that spirit.  

Cynics might view this album as an attempt to divert attention Earle's more recent output (though I thought 2007's Washington Square qualified as a modest return to form). As an album, there are probably a few too many tracks here with not enough variation between them. But no particular track stands out as a clunker, and the fan could argue that he should've just gone whole hog for a double album of TVZ songs. In a recent NPR interview, Earle rightfully asserted that he has probably done more to perpetuate the myth of Van Zandt than probably anyone else. And he noted that a myth must contain some essence of truth to persist.  Earle has approached the songs of Townes Van Zandt with the same combination of open-eyed honesty and hero worship, and the result does them both proud.

Jay Bennett RIP

Rather shocking news this morning that former Wilco member Jay Bennett has died at the age of 45.  Whatever you thought of Bennett and whatever you think of Wilco's current lineup, it's hard to argue Bennett's contributions to Wilco's most significant records (Being There, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot).  I've got a few of his solo albums as well as his collaborations with Edward Burch (which are quite excellent, btw).

Very sad.

John Doe & The Sadies on Fresh Air

Just a quick note that one of my favorite new albums - Country Club by John Doe & The Sadies - gets a really nice spotlight from Terry Gross on Fresh Air.  The 45-minute interview and performance (featuring some blistering flatpicking from Travis Good) can be heard on NPR here, downloaded in iTunes here.

Steve Earle - 'Townes' (out now)

One of the more unfortunate scheduling conflicts in recent memory was my being on vacation this past Saturday when Steve Earle rolled through Houston on his weeklong record store tour, stopping again at Cactus Music to promote the release of his new Townes Van Zant tribute record, Townes.

The Houston Press has a full recap, along with a YouTube of Steve playing his own "Taneytown".

In the meantime, Townes was one of the albums I really played the hell out of during our trip to New Mexico.  Yesterday, my official copy arrived, the two-disc "deluxe" version featuring a full CD of acoustic versions of 11 of the 15 album tracks.  Just blowing through a few of the bonus tracks, I can tell you it's probably worth the extra six bucks or so.  For anyone wishing that Steve's version of "Lungs" had a lot less Tom Morello and turntables, you'll be richly rewarded.  But either way, Townes is great release and sure to be one of my favorites of the year.

And I'll be licking my wounds at The Crighton Theatre in Conroe come June 18, when Steve swings back to town - well, darn close to town - and plays an acoustic show at the historic, intimate venue.  Season subscriber seats were being held through May 15, and all remaining tickets should be on sale to the public.  Call the Crighton Theatre directly to get your tickets (they're really nice, and they'll be able to tell you exactly where your seats will be).

It's some small consolation that Allison Moorer was not with Steve this time around.  Here are some of my photos from their 2008 joint instore at Cactus, just for old time's sake.

Just in case you're wondering, here are a few of the other albums, old and new, that were in heavy rotation last week (much to the chagrin of Mrs. K, I like my listening to match my location pretty closely):

• Dave Alvin - Ashgrove (we very nearly hiked down to the banks of the Rio Grande, so this one was a no-brainer)
• John Doe & The Sadies - Country Club (rapidly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year)
• Hayes Carll - Little Rock and Trouble In Mind (I re-read McMurtry's All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers while on vacation, and the character of Danny Deck puts me very much in the mood for Hayes Carll)
• Ryan Bingham & Dead Horses - Mescalito (not an album I've listened to very much, but I like it more and more.  He has a new album due on June 2)

So there you have it - the Santa Fe Playlist.

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women: The Ramblings Review

Dave Alvin has always split the difference between blues journeyman and folk troubadour (with a dash of Bakersfield country), and the result has been a body of work that showcases his considerable songwriting talents while celebrating the rich tapestry of American music that has influenced Alvin.  Over the past decade, his output has been steady, but much of it has been in the form of live releases, cover collections and tributes.  As a producer and guitarist, he has lent his talents to several singer-songwriters (Amy Farris, Christy McWilson, Katy Moffat) and paid tribute to a number of key influences (Merle Haggard, Mississippi John Hurt).  This work continues with the Alvin-produced tribute to his late friend and bandmate Chris Gaffney, Man Of Somebody's Dreams, which will be released May 26 on Yep Roc.

That same day will mark the release of Alvin's first record since 2006's West Of The West.  In the wake of Gaffney's death, Alvin opted to record not with his usual Guilty Men but instead collected a jaw-dropping list of female talent to back him.  The result is Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women, possibly his most collaborative effort since he joined with John Doe and Exene Cervenka in The Knitters.  Not by any means a solo effort, DA&TGW is charged with a fresh energy that's been absent from most of his solo work.  Though it doesn't quite return Alvin to the songwriting heights of King Of California and Blackjack David, it's great to hear him sharing so much of the spotlight with his newfound bandmates.  Cindy Cashdollar, steel and dobro player-extraordinaire, particularly shines here, as does co-vocalist Christy McWilson.  Amy Farris lends her violin and viola skills, as well as occasional vocals.  Overall, this album leans much more heavily on Alvin's folkier side (unlike the more muscular blues workouts of Ashgrove), but it's still a lively and engergetic set, punctuated by a positively un-Doris-Day version of "Que Sera, Sera (What Will Be)".

If Dave Alvin hasn't quite delivered an album on par with his masterpieces (both King Of California and Blackjack David, imho), he's probably delivered his best record since they were released over a decade ago.  Though it lacks the heft of his best work, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women finds one of my favorite troubadours in great form, with a group of backing musicians who are each formidable in her own right, but as whole - and with Alvin - are something quite special.

(Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women will be released on Yep Roc next Tuesday, May 26.  If you pre-order the album with the Chris Gaffney tribute, you'll save a few bucks as well as be entered to win one of 20 signed prints of the Guilty Women album cover.)

(You can read all about each of the talented Guilty Women here.  You can listen to the entire album below...)

 

UPDATE:  You can read about Alvin's Chris Gaffney tribute at this year's SxSW here, courtesy of the Houston Press' Chris Gray.

'Wilco (the album)' streaming now

You, of course, already knew (because you're a big dork).  I was busy enjoying the fresh outdoors and getting my ass salt-glowed.  But now I've returned to the nerdiverse and am checking out the new Wilco album.

Snap verdict?  What's there to say really?  Unlike (apparently) most of the other Wilco fans on the planet, I really loved Sky Blue Sky so I don't buy all the hype about how Wilco (the album) is a grand improvement over its predecessor.  There's a ton to love on the new record, and I haven't heard much to dislike.  More concise than SBS perhaps.  I guess I can hear some of the Summerteeth comparisons, only in the way that this record embraces some big, lovely piano-driven melodies.

The winning streak continues.  Yeah, Wilco is the best band working today.