Lucinda Live in Harrisburg
After hearing this terrific recording of Lucinda Williams‘ March 28th show in Harrisburg, PA, it’s pretty apparent I better buy tickets to see her live on May 4th at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. She’s on the road in support of her latest album, West, out on Lost Highway Records.
Lucinda’s dynamic, raw, and very genuine presence is alive and well in this show. On the last four tracks, she’s joined by Alejandro Escovedo. The masses can have their Faith Hills, their Carrie
UnderwearsUnderwoods and Martina McBrides. Beneath the surface, we have Lucinda. And God, does she kick ass.Pretty great quality here, methinks you’ll like.
Lucinda Williams
The Forum, Harrisburg, PA
March 28th, 2007
w/ special guest Alejandro EscovedoPineola
Drunken Angel (false start)
Drunken Angel
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (false start)
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Lake Charles
Fancy Funeral
Crescent City
I Lost It
Out of Touch
Too Cool to be Forgotten
Righteously
Come On
Essence
Unsuffer Me
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Joy *
Get Right With God **
Everything Has Changed **
West *** with Alejandro Escovedo
** with Alejandro Escovedo and his orchestraSteve Earle on Bob Harris Country
I have to get a hold of one of those shirts.
From the 2000 Transcendental Blues Tour, here’s a nice set from Coventry, England. It’s part of a BBC radio broadcast called Bob Harris Country. A nice snapshot of the opening set list at the time. Take it Dukes…
Steve Earle and the Dukes
“Bob Harris Country”
Warwick University
Coventry, UK
May 25th, 2000Download the ZIP of the show.
Here’s a taste:
“Galway Girl” 01. Transcendental Blues
02. Everyone’s In Love With You
03. Another Town
04. I Can Wait
05. Steve’s Last Ramble
06. I Feel Alright
07. Lonelier Than This
08. I Don’t Want To Lose You Yet
09. The Galway Girl
10. Copperhead Road
11. South Nashville Blues
12. All Of My Life
13. The UnrepentantBuy Transcendental Blues.
Photo credit: Unknown / TBD.
New Son Volt: The Search
So a lot of us know the story… Uncle Tupelo was one of the bands that ushered in the alt-country / “no depression” era – music that fused country roots with rock and punk sensibilities. The latter term, “No Depression”, actually came from the name of Uncle Tupelo’s 1990 debut album. Two alt-country icons emerged from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo. Jeff Tweedy went on to form Wilco, and Jay Farrar started Son Volt.
Uncle TupeloWhile Wilco – which started much in the same vein as Uncle Tupelo with albums like A.M. and Being There – have gone on to morph into a whole ‘nother beast… psychedelic, indie, experimental, even Beatles-esque at times. It’s a great ride being a Wilco fan.
Son Volt, on the other hand, has managed to stay more true to the country-based stylings of Uncle Tupelo. Not to put that in a negative light. Jay Farrar’s voice belongs in that realm.
With their most recent album, The Search, the band stays in that same framework, but does manage to stretch beyond it at times. One of the tunes streaming below, “The Picture”, reminds me a little of a Van Morrison tune, complete with the horns. “Action” has an Eastern vibe that would make George Harrison proud. My favorite right now is “Adrenaline and Heresy”, a slower piano tune that has Farrar lamenting “She said I still love you / I don’t know if I want to spend the rest of my time with you.” At that point the drums kick in and he ends the song singing repeatedly: “High on adrenaline / It’s a new day.” Nice tune. I’d play it for you, but I’ll stick to these three streaming tracks that were sent my way.
Go check out the album on iTunes though, or buy it here…
- BUY The Search.
- Check out Son Volt on their Official Site and their MySpace page.
The lads in Son VoltLove & War
It’s easy for me to measure how long I’ve been married, or how long the war in Iraq has been going on. They both started in the same week. My wife and I just celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary last week (the 14th). And today, of course, marks the fourth anniversary of the wonderful decision to invade Iraq (we were in Jamaica at the time, makin’ love, not war – t.m.i.? sorry).
3,220 American soldiers dead. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead. “There’s been good progress”, our president said today… the same tired rhetoric we always hear from him.
But I’ll jump off the soap box, and let the music do the talking….
Bill Evans – Peace Piece – A sparse, beautiful piece by legendary jazz pianist Evans. Appears on several albums, like Everybody Digs Bill Evans.
Michael Franti & Spearhead – Light Up Ya Lighter (mp3) – Franti speaks (sings) his mind on this anti-war track from Yell Fire!.
If you love this land of the free, bring ’em home, bring ’em home. – Pete Seeger
THE SANDBOX: Garry Trudeau, creator of the cartoon Doonesbury, has a great site set up called the Sandbox. He created it as a place for military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to share their experiences. It’s a military blog, aka a Milblog.
It’s easy to get sucked in and just read and read. It will make you appreciate these brave souls all the more. Check it out: http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox
Now can we please figure out a way to get these men and women HOME??
New Greencards: Viridian
Lost in the shuffle (to me) this week was the release of the Greencards‘ new album. Rank Carol Young’s voice right up there with my favorite female singers (e.g. Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin). Her singing is effortless and sweet to the ears.
The new album, Viridian, is a great mix of pure American music as performed by the trio – two Aussies and a Brit – who live in Austin, Texas. The trio lay it down with a mandolin, a fiddle, and an electric bass. Yeah, bluegrass instruments, but the Greencards can’t be nailed down as a bluegrass band. They veer into a rootsy territory too. Probably a lot to do with their hometown of Austin.
The album opener shows what the Greencards are all about. A laid back feel, great vocals / harmonies, and talented musicianship. Dig it!
The Greencards: Waiting on the Night
Buy: Viridian
Check out the Greencards’ Official Site
Related: A previous Greencards post with links to a full live show in Telluride.
A Referral for Matt the Electrician
I’ve been spending a good amount of time with Matt the Electrician. No, my marriage is not in jeopardy. Matt the Electrician is Matt Sever, a singer / guitarist / songwriter from one of America’s music hubs, Austin, Texas. Matt has been playing his gigs and building his fan base since the late 90’s. His latest CD, One Thing Right, is a clever, melodic ride through the neo-folk alt-country landscape. His bio likens his voice to “a young Paul Simon wrapped around a Tom Waits heart.” I dig his voice. It has a nice light sandpapery feel, sort of Jakob Dylan-ish in my opinion. Quite pleasing to these old ears.
It’s a good sign that it was difficult for me to select one song off the album. There are several I really enjoy: “Held Together”, “On the Radar”, “My Dog”… but this one takes top billing at this space in time.
Matt is launching a west coast tour soon (including an April 5 stop at the Rhythm Room here in Phoenix). He’ll also be popping up around town at SXSW, which starts in a few days.
Matt the Electrician:
In the Waves(mp3)Buy One Thing Right (also available on iTunes).
Matt the Electrician’s Tour Dates | Official Site | MySpace
Steve Earle at Tradewinds, Part Deux
“They’ll let anybody in here!” – Steve Earle, as The Boss joins him on stage
Well who do you think was lurking in the crowd that fateful New Jersey night? The Boss joined Steve and the Dukes for the last six songs of the evening. That’s gotta be one of the greatest things about being a Springsteen fan in New Jersey. You never know when he’ll materialize.
Well materialize he did this night in 1998. It’s another spirited set by Steve and the Dukes, and when the Boss joins, they rip into a Carl Perkins classic, a couple of Stones tunes, and a few Steve tunes. Bruce pretty much sticks to his rule of not stealing the spotlight, but he does take a verse of “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”, and how cool is it to hear him sing background on “I Ain’t Ever Satisfied” and the Stones tunes? Right. Very cool.
Steve Earle & the Dukes
February 6, 1998
Sea Bright, NJPart Two [ZIP]
The Other Side Of Town
Somewhere Out There
Billy Austin
The Devil’s Right Hand
Nothin’ But You
All My Tears (w/ Julie Miller)
Goodbye
Johnny Too Bad (Slickers cover)
N.Y.C.
The Unrepentant
Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (Carl Perkins cover w/ Bruce Springsteen)
Sweet Virginia (Rolling Stones cover w/ Bruce Springsteen)
Guitar Town (w/ Bruce Springsteen)
I Ain’t Never Satisfied (w/ Bruce Springsteen)
Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones w/ Bruce Springsteen)
Johnny Come Lately (w/ Bruce Springsteen)One interesting omission from the night was Bruce’s “State Trooper”, which Steve plays quite a bit in his shows. “New Jersey turnpike, riding on a wet night…” would’ve fit right in.
Steve Earle at Tradewinds, Part 1
I haven’t posted about my favorite left-wing Tennessee via Mexico via East Texas outlaw in a while. Steve Earle hasn’t been quiet lately though. He’s a modern-day renaissance man: musician, poet, protester, playwright, you name it. He jokes that he has to keep himself that busy to keep him sober. He wasn’t doing so good there for a while (in the late 80’s and early 90’s). Well, since he got sober, and inspiration took over, Steve has been hitting us hard with some great albums: I Feel Alright, Train a Comin’, El Corazon, Jerusalem, among others. In ’98, Steve was on tour supporting one of my personal favorites, El Corazon (a tour that didn’t bring him to Phoenix, so I flew my butt to Montrose, Colorado to see him – well, actually my brother flew me).
This is a special show, folks. The locale is Tradewinds in Sea Bright, New Jersey. It’s February 6, 1998, and a certain someone is lurking in the audience watching this great show. I’ll give you part one here. In part two later this week, this certain someone hits the stage with Mr. Earle to fully complete roof tearage off the sucker.
Steve Earle & the Dukes
February 6, 1998
Sea Bright, NJPart One [ZIP] ♦ [Part two here]
Christmas In Washington
Here I Am
Taneytown
Hardcore Troubador
My Old Friend The Blues
Someday
If You Fall
Mystery Train Part II
You Know The Rest
Windfall (Son Volt cover)
Copperhead Road
Telephone Road
More Than I Can Do
Now She’s Gone
Ft. Worth Blues
I Feel Alright
Poison LoversIn recent Steve Earle news, he signed with New West Records recently. I’m looking forward to good things in ’07 from ol’ Steve.
Listen to Lanois
I finally picked up my first Daniel Lanois solo album. Every time I’ve heard his solo stuff I’ve been drawn to it: spare, atmospheric, and rich. Lanois, of course, is the producer extraordinaire behind U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, and scores of other artists. From 1988 to 2001, he set up shop in Kingsway Studios on Esplanade Avenue in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Here’s a taste from Shine, his 2003 release. Bono joins him on this one. It was written during the All You Can’t Leave Behind sessions.
Daniel Lanois:
Falling At Your Feet(mp3)Daniel Lanois’ Official Site.
Buy Shine…….
Giant Sand
Well I’ve been lax in my posting output lately and it’s not for lack of things to post about, because lordy knows I have all sorts of cool stuff on tap for you people. It’s just that this day job / family thing sometimes takes up a lot of my time and – well – leaves me pretty pooped by the end of a working day. Blah blah bluh-blobbly-blah. On with the music.
A friend at work – I’ll call him Jeff, because that’s what his name is – loaned me this CD a few months ago. Yes, a few months ago. It’s a 1993 benefit CD for Victoria Williams, called Sweet Relief – A Benefit for Victoria Williams. She’s one of those artists I’ve heard of, but never heard. Well I finally popped in the CD, and quite liked a lot of the tracks: Soul Asylum’s version of “Summer of Drugs”, Michael Penn’s “Weeds”, “Lights” by the Jayhawks, and especially the track I have for you tonight, courtesy of Giant Sand. The vibe seemed familiar as I was listening, and my questions were answered when I discovered that John Convertino and Joey Burns were with this band before they went off and formed Calexico.
Tucson, Arizona based Giant Sand’s frontman is Howe Gelb, who also has side projects like Arizona Amp And Alternator and The Band of Blacky Ranchette. Coming through Giant Sand at one time or another has been Juliana Hatfield, PJ Harvey, Neko Case, and yes, Victoria Williams too.
The benefit CD was put together due to Victoria’s battle with MS. She is still going strong today. She has two projects: Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers with her ex-husband Mark Olson (former Jayhawk), and the Thiftstore Allstars.
This tune instantly connected with me. Give me a good intro into a cool driving rhythm, with unique lyrics (“three frogs by the side of the road: smart, smarter and smartest…”), and you’ve fished me in.
Giant Sand: Big Fish (mp3) – from Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams
- Giant Sand web site
- Howe Gelb (MySpace)
- Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers
- The Thiftstore Allstars (MySpace)
THIS I GOTTA HEAR: Christina Aguilera joined the Rolling Stones to sing “Live with Me” at their Beacon Theater gigs a couple weeks back. If anyone can help me track it down, I would really like to hear it.
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