Feb. `09 - Texas Music Magazine

EXTRA
Feb. ‘09
Ball gives back with b-day bash
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Delbert, Alejandro salute Sahm
Lone Stars Delbert
McClinton, Alejandro
Escovedo, Terry Allen,
Jimmie Vaughan and
the Gourds are among
the artists featured on
Keep Your Soul: A
Tribute to Doug Sahm,
slated for release on
Vanguard Records
March 24. Other conPhoto: Cindy Royal
tributors include Flaco
Jimenez with the West Side Horns, Los Lobos,
Dave Alvin, Freda & the Firedogs (aka Marcia
Ball and friends), Joe “King” Carrasco, Charlie
Sexton, Little Willie G., Greg Dulli (of Afghan
Whigs fame) and Sahm’s son, Shawn Sahm.
Doug Sahm, a native of San Antonio whose
music covered the full Texas spectrum (most
notably, rock, blues, country and Tex-Mex), died
Nov. 18, 1999 at age 58 in Taos, N.M.
The Backyard is coming back
Back in October, Austin music fans bid farewell
to one of the city’s most popular venues, the
Backyard. Soon, they’ll be welcoming it back,
albeit at a new location. On Jan. 13, the venue’s
parent company, Direct Events, was given the
go-ahead by the City of Bee Cave to begin construction of a new Backyard just off Highway
21, west of the 620 intersection (adjacent to
statement. “I did not want our musical differences to change that friendship. Right now is
a good time for both ofus to explore our own
ideas that don’t necessarily work within the
Dedringers.” Both Burke and Faires will unveil
their new bands at a double bill Feb. 4 at
Austin’s Continental Club.
Bee Cave City Park). Groundbreaking on the
35-acre site will begin this spring. The new
location will expand capacity from 5,000 to
7,500.
Black to receive Medal of Arts
Country star Clint Black will be honored at the
Texas Medal of Arts Awards on April 7 at the
Long Center in Austin. The bi-annual Texas
Medal of Arts Awards are presented by the
Texas Cultural Trust in honor of the state’s
leading artists, entertainer and art patrons.
Other honorees this year include pianist
James Dick (in the field of arts education) and
Austin City Limits.
Shiner signs Somebody’s Darling
The Dallas band Somebody’s Darling is the latest signing to Palo Duro imprint Shiner
Records, after winning the Shiner Rising Star
Competition late last year. The band is recording their first album for the label, due later this
year, with producer Dan Baird, of Georgia
Satellites fame.
Austin-based piano queen Marcia Ball will celebrate her 60th birthday with three days of
charity shows at Antone’s Feb. 13-15. The festivities kick off Friday the 13th with the
Rocking Voodoo Party, featuring Lousiana’s
Sonny Landreth, Geno Delafose and French
Rockin’ Boogie and the Mamou Playboys. The
following night, Ball will be joined by Angela
Strehli, Maria Muldaur, Tracy Nelson, Lavelle
White, Lou Ann Barton and Sarah Brown for
the Valentine’s Sweetheart Ball. And Sunday,
EXTRA
PUBLISHER/
Fall in love with a new band, and this is what
you get: Jonny Burke and Sean Faires, cofounders of the Dedringers, announced in
January that they’ve put the band on hiatus in
order to focus on separate projects. “Sean is
my oldest and best friend,” Burke said in a
CODEY ALLEN
ELIZABETH FULLER
CONTRIBUTORS
ETHAN MESSICK
A M A N D A PA L M
SARAH WHITE
ART DIRECTOR
T O R Q U I L S C O T T- D E WA R
www.txmusic.com
WEB SITE DESIGNER
MAILING ADDRESS
Dedringers split in New Year
C I N D Y R O YA L
RICHARD SKANSE
A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R S
Paula Nelson dances with Costner
Paula Nelson kicks off February with three
shows opening for actor, director and apparent musician Kevin Costner. Nelson, still touring behind her album Lucky 13, will set the
stage for Costner and his band, Modern West,
Feb. 3 at the Wormy Dog Saloon in Oklahoma
City, followed by gigs at Antone’s in Austin
Feb. 5 and the Granada Theater in Dallas Feb.
6. On Feb. 8, Nelson returns to the Metroplex
for Fort Worth’s Clubhouse Concert Series,
swapping songs with George Devore and
Waylon Payne (son of Nelson’s dad’s guitar
player, Jody Payne).
S T E WA R T R A M S E R
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EDITORS
Ball takes the stage again for a Pianorama
Brunch featuring Floyd Domino, Johnny
Nicholas, Nick Connolly, Riley Osbourne and a
“special unannounced guest appearance by a
singer from Fort Worth.” Proceeds from all
shows during Ball’s Great Big Birthday Bash
will benefit the Health Alliance for Austin
Musicians and Sweet Home New Orleans. For
more info, visit www.marciaball.com/mbmall.
W I L LT H I N G
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
R E P R O D U C T I O N I N W H O L E O R PA R T I S P R O H I B I T E D .
Brooks & Dunn trump Alabama
Half-Texan duo Brooks & Dunn scored its 41st
Top 10 single in January with “Cowgirls Don’t
Cry.” Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have now
surpassed Alabama as the duo or group with
the most Top 10 country singles as reported
by Nielsen BDS-monitored airplay. The
“Cowgirls Don’t Cry” single is different from
the version on Brooks & Dunn’s 2008 album
Cowboy Town, as it features a guest appearance by Reba McEntire. The Reba version will
be released as a digital single on Feb. 10.
McLagan hits the road sans Faces
Austin-based British-rock legend Ian McLagan
kicks off an East Coast tour in support of his
Never Say Never album on Feb. 21 in Memphis,
Tenn., and returns home for a St. Patrick’s Day
show at Austin’s Dog & Duck Pub March 17.
West Coast dates commence April 28 in
Phoenix, Ariz. Late last year, McLagan was
rehearsing with his old band, the Faces, for a
rumored reunion tour, but plans for that seem
to be on ice. “The rehearsals were a lot of fun,
everybody was in fine form, but nothing’s happened since November,” McLagan wrote on his
Web site, www.macspages.com, in January.
“Don’t believe anything you read about an
album in the works or a tour being planned
until you read it here, because this page is
bullshit free … I’ll be happy to announce good
news, or any news, if and when there is some.”
LoneStarMusic plans awards show
Brandon Jenkins, Randy Rogers Band members Randy Rogers
and Brady Black,
Rodney Parker, the
Tejas Brothers and
Wade Bowen are
all scheduled to
perform at the
inaugural
LoneStarMusic
Randy Rogers to perform at the
LoneStarMusic Awards show March 29.
Awards show on
March 29 at Gruene Hall. Nominees in eight
categories (Best Album, Best Song, Best Live
Act, Best Vocal Performance, Best Emerging
Artist, Best Songwriter, Best Musician and Best
Album Artwork) were selected by 35 industry
panelists, and fans can vote online at
LoneStarMusic.com and LSMAwards.com. This
year marks the 10-year anniversary of
LoneStarMusic.com and the five-year anniversary of the retail site’s brick and mortar store
in downtown Gruene.
The globe-trotting Ruthie Foster
Ruthie Foster will celebrate the Feb. 3 release
of her new album, The Truth According to
Ruthie Foster, at Antone’s in Austin, but that’s
the last she’ll see of home for a very long time.
Having already played Glasgow and London in
January, and New York City the night before
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her CD release, Foster will hit the road with a
vengeance through the rest of the spring and
early summer. In addition to dates across the
country (including several with Jorma
Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane fame), Foster
will travel to Japan (three dates in late March),
Australia all through April and Canada (with
the Blind Boys of Alabama) in June.
Old Settler’s lineup announced
The BoDeans, Hayes Carll, Dave Alvin & the
Guilty Women and the Greencards top the
lineup for the 22nd annual Old Settler’s Music
Festival, scheduled for April 16-19 at the Salt
Lick Pavilion and Camp Ben McCulloch just
outside of Austin. Other artists announced so
far include Ray Wylie Hubbard, the Travelin’
McCourys, Fred Eaglesmith, the Gourds,
Belleville Outfit, Flounders Without Eyes and
Sarah Jarosz. Early bird tickets are available
through Feb. 28 at
www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org and
www.frontgatetickets.com.
Ingram hits road with Keith
Jack Ingram’s star continues to rise with
another high-profile tour in his near future. It
might be counterintuitive for a Texan to head
north in February, but Ingram has a good reason: superstar Toby Keith is taking Ingram —
the Academy of Country Music’s 2008 Best
New Male Vocalist — along as an opening act
for a string of shows through the Midwest.
Keith and Ingram will hit Louisville, Green Bay,
and Des Moines, and five other cities on Keith’s
“Biggest And Baddest” tour.
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In the studio with Rhett Miller
It seems that Rhett Miller has the best of both worlds. He fronts
one of Texas’ most beloved bands, the Old 97’s, but also manages
to maintain an active solo career. Miller took to the studio in
January with friend and producer Salim Nourallah (who also produced the last 97’s disc, Blame It on Gravity) for his latest solo
effort. “Every time I go out to make a record, I start out thinking
it is going to be one thing, and it’s never that thing,” said Miller
speaking from Nourallah’s Pleasantry Studios in Dallas. “I thought
this was going to be a super-quiet, acoustic album, like total
campfire sounding. But, so far there are maybe three or four
songs that approach that and another six or seven that rock to
varying degrees.”
Photo: Jason Janik
Miller and Nourallah enlisted the help of other veteran producers to play on the project, with Austin’s Billy
Harvey adding keyboards and guitar, John Dufilho (Deathray Davies) playing drums and mixing to be
done by Jon Brion (Spoon, Aimee Mann) in Los Angeles. While the solo process can be lonely without the
support and input of his longtime bandmates, Miller feels it’s an important avenue of expression. “I feel
like this is a very personal record. I think people are going to listen to this and think that it’s obvious that
these songs would make way more sense on a solo record than they would with the Old 97’s.”
Expect the record to be released this summer on Shout Factory (Richard Thompson, Earlimart). A corresponding tour is also anticipated, with tentative plans for Miller to play solo sets opening for the 97’s.
Even though he knows it’ll be more work, there are obvious benefits to the tie-in. “I’ll get to reach the Old
97’s crowd and let them know that I’ve got a solo record out.” No doubt fans will be delighted by the
chance to get a double dose of Rhett. - CINDY ROYAL
ACL 35th anniversary taping
R.I.P.: Blaine Martin
The Feb. 23 taping of Austin City Limits’ 35th
anniversary show will feature Willie Nelson
and Asleep at the Wheel. The artists join
together to both celebrate the landmark television series and their new release, Willie
and the Wheel. First aired in 1975 with
Nelson as the first guest, the show is
America’s longest running concert music
program. For more information, visit
www.austincitylimits.com.
Blaine Martin, former owner of San Angelo’s
Blaine’s Pub, died at his home on the morning of Jan. 25. He was 53. Martin was a hardcore fan and supporter of Texas music, and
the respect was mutual. Pat Green, who once
fondly called Blaine “Yoda for beer drinkers,”
was still playing Blaine’s tiny beer joint long
after he started selling out much bigger venues; other acts booked by Martin during their
salad days included Cross Canadian
Ragweed, Cory Morrow and Cooder Graw.
For most of the last decade, Martin also
organized an annual outdoor concert, the
San Angelo Picnic (renamed the Hill Country
Picnic after he moved it to Boerne in 2007).
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Grammy Time: And the Texas nominees are …
There were no Cowboys or Texans in the
Super Bowl this year, but at least the 51st
annual Grammy Awards (Feb. 8) will feature a
host of Texas nominees worth rooting for.
Although there won’t be any Texas act sweeping the festivities like the Dixie Chicks, Norah
Jones or Beyoncé in years past, we fully
expect a handful of the Lone Star nominees
to leave the Staples Center in Los Angeles
with new trophies for the mantle. For those
following the action at home (the Grammys
will be broadcast live on CBS), here’s a rundown of some of the Texas talent in the
running.
T Bone Burnett
Out of all the Lone Star nominees this year,
we like Fort Worth-raised T Bone Burnett’s
odds the best. Granted, he’s not nominated as
an artist or for his own record or song, but if
any album of the last year has “Grammy”
written all over it, it’s the Burnett-produced
Raising Sand, by Robert Plant and Alison
Krauss. The critically acclaimed collaboration
between the legendary Led Zeppelin frontman and the honey-voiced darling of
Americana is up for the night’s two biggest
honors: Album of the Year and Record of the
Year (for the song “Please Read the Letter”).
As producer, Burnett would receive his own
Grammy for a win in either category.
George Strait
Rodney Crowell
Try this head-spinning trivia fact on for size:
George Strait has never, ever won a Grammy
award. He’s got trailers full of CMA and AMA
awards, but not a single Grammy. But with
four nominations, maybe this is his year. Strait
is up for Best Country Album (Troubadour),
Best Male Country Vocal Performance (for
Troubadour’s title track) and twice for Best
Country Collaboration with Vocals (for “House
of Cash” with Patty Loveless and “Shiftwork”
with Kenny Chesney).
It’s been 20 years since Rodney Crowell’s first
and only Grammy win, 1989’s Best Country
Song-winning “After All This Time” from his
mega-hit album, Diamonds and Dirt. This year
Crowell’s nominated in the less mainstream
category of Best Contemporary
Folk/Americana Album, for Sex & Gasoline,
and the competition is stiff: two of the other
nominees are All I Intended to Be, by his former employer, Emmylou Harris, and Plant &
Krauss’ Raising Sand (Ry Cooder and Joan
Baez round out the category).
LeAnn Rimes &
LeeAnn Womack
There may be room enough
in Texas and on the country
charts for both of these gals
with the same-ish first
name, but when it comes to
Best Female Country Vocal
Performance, there can be
only one. So will it be Rimes’ “What I Cannot
Change,” or Womack’s “Last Call” … or one of
the other nominated tunes by Carrie
Underwood, Trisha Yearwood and Martina
McBride? (We’re pulling for Womack, and not
just because “Last Call” is a deserving song;
she presently only has one Grammy win (for a
duet with Willie Nelson) to Rimes’ two.
Brooks & Dunn
Beyoncé
Between her solo career and Destiny’s Child,
Houston’s Beyoncé already has seven
Grammys under her belt. This year she’s up
for one more: Best Female R&B Vocal
Performance, for “Me, Myself and I” from The
Beyoncé Experience Live. Win or lose this
year, odds are she’ll make a stronger showing
in 2010 with nominations from her more
recent I Am … Sasha Fierce studio album.
Like George Strait, Brooks & Dunn are proof
that dominating the CMAs and AMAs does
not always translate to Grammy success; to
date, the smash duo only has two Grammy
wins — and those from way back in ‘96 and
‘93. This year, they’re up for Best Country
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
with the Cowboy Town track “God Must Be
Busy.” Maybe that’s what they’ll tell themselves should they lose to Rascal Flatts.
The Mars Volta
Los Angeles-based, El Paso-rooted prog-rockers the Mars Volta are tossed into a mosh-pit
of head-banging competition with their Best
Hard Rock Performance nomination. In order
for the Mars Volta’s “Wax Simulacra” to win,
it’ll have to muscle its way through songs by
Judas Priest, Rob Zombie, Disturbed and even
Mötley Crüe. One thing we’re pretty sure of:
you probably won’t be seeing the winner
announced live during the broadcast.
Grupo Fantasma
These Austin mainstays may not be
household names
(yet), but we like the
odds for their
Sonidos Gold in the
Best Latin Rock or
Photo: Crawford Morgan
Alternative Album
category. Granted, we haven’t heard the other
nominated albums — by Jaguares, Locos por
Juana, Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich &
Fussible and Ximena Sariñana — but Sonidos
Gold rocks, and Grupo Fantasma already having Prince’s stamp of approval has to count
for something.
Marcia Ball &
Pinetop
Perkins
Two of Austin’s
most beloved blues
piano players are
Photo: Joe Corriea
up for Grammy love;
thankfully, they’re in separate categories, so in
the event either one of them wins, there won’t
be any awkward moments between them the
next time they run into each other at
Antone’s. Ball’s Peace, Love & BBQ is up for
Best Contemporary Blues Album, and Perkins’
Pinetop Perkins & Friends is up for Best
Traditional Blues Album.
Ruben Ramos & the Mexican
Revolution, Chente Barrera y
Taconazo, Joe Posada, Albert
Zamora and Tortilla Factory
We’re surprised Ruben “El Gato Negro”
Ramos has only won one Grammy in his long
career, and that one for his role in Los Super
Seven for the supergroup’s 1998 Best
Mexican-American Music Performance. This
year, Ramos and the Mexican Revolution are
nominated for Best Tejano Album, for Viva La
Revolucion. But Texas can’t lose in this category, as all of the nominees are Texan: Chente
Barrera y Taconazo (Music Lessons) and Joe
Posada (Friends & Legends) are both from
San Antonio; Albert Zamora (Heir to the
Throne) is from Corpus Christi; and Tortilla
Factory (All That Jazz…) are from Austin.
Kirk Franklin
With five wins to date, Kirk Franklin is no
stranger to the Grammy Awards’ gospel category. This year finds the Fort Worth native up
for both Best Contemporary R&B Gospel
Album, for The Fight of My Life, and Best
Gospel Song, for “Help Me Believe.”
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calendar
Texas Grammy nominees, continued
Los Palominos, Grupo Siggno and
Grupo Solido
Like the Tejano category, Best Norteño
Album is also stacked with Texas talent. In
the running are Me Enamore de Un Angel by
Uvalde’s Los Palominos, Six Pack by
Harlingen’s Grupo Siggno, and Cuidado by
Rio Grande City’s Grupo Solido. Mexico’s Los
Tigres del Norte and Pesado round out the
Norteño nominees.
Paulino Bernal
There’s no Brave Combo album nominated
this year, which means it’s up to McAllen’s
Paulino Bernal to do Texas proud in the polka
category. Bernal’s El Maestro del Acordeón y
Sus Polkas is up for Best Polka Album.
Honestly, we can’t offer an educated polka
opinion here on his odds, but who wants to
bet against El Maestro?
But wait! There’s more! Kinda, sorta Texan
Grammy nominees include …
FEBRUARY
Lonesome Sound, and it deserves its Best
Country Album nomination. Johnson’s “In
Color” is up for Best Country Song and Best
Male Country Vocal Performance. It’s just a
shame that he’s up against Strait in two of
those categories.
3
Not Fade Away: Remember “The Day
the Music Died”
Buddy Holly Center
Lubbock
www.buddyhollycenter.org
Patty Griffin is just one of many artists
to appear on the high seas for the
Cayamo Cruise.
7
Jonas Brothers
Journey Through Song
Sara Evans & Clint Black
OK, a win by
these guys in
the Best New
Artist category probably wouldn’t
be cheered
by anyone
over the age
of 15, but given that the Disney-spawned trio
bought a pad last year in Dallas, we’ll jump
on the Jonas bandwagon long enough to
bask in their glory should they beat out
Adele, Duffy, Lady Antebellum and Jazmine
Sullivan.
Cayamo Cruise, The Caribbean
Feb. 28-March 7
Palmer Events Center
Jamey Johnson
The Eagles
That’s right, he’s not
from Texas. But
Alabama’s Jamey
Johnson did write
George Strait’s best
song in years (“Give It
Away”), and nestled
among the ragged
and lonesome originals on Johnson’s second album, That Lonesome Sound, is “The
Door is Always Open,” by Walden, Texas, hit
machine Bob McDill. With a deft lyrical sensibility, a rebellious streak and a big hickory
voice, Johnson made one of the best contemporary country albums in years with That
Despite co-leader Don Henley’s Texas origins,
the Eagles will always be first and foremost a
California band. That said, Henley is a Texas
boy, so any win for his band counts as a Lone
Star win on our scorecard. And we’re thinking the Eagles are a shoo-in for at least one
Grammy this year, what with four nominations stemming from their long-awaited
comeback album, Long Road Out of Eden:
Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals,
Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocals. RICHARD SKANSE AND ANDREW DANSBY
Get away from it all on the
Cayamo Cruise Journey
Through Song, which will
explore folk, blues and
Americana, with some of the
best singer-songwriters
around. Lyle Lovett, John
Hiatt, Patty Griffin, Shawn
Colvin, Joe Ely, Buddy Miller
and more will entertain passengers throughout the
Caribbean. Setting sail from
Miami, the Norwegian Dawn
cruise ship will travel for
seven days to ports-of-call
including Samana, St.
Thomas, Tortola, and Great
Stirrup Cay. Events include
the Man in Black Formal
where cruisers will dress up
in their best Johnny Cash
attire and the Open Jam
Room for impromptu collaborations on the high seas.
Feb. 28-March 7; the
Caribbean. For more information and to reserve your
cabin, visit
www.cayamo.com.
Rodeo Austin Gala
Austin
www.rodeoaustin.com
19–3/1
San Angelo Stock Show
& Rodeo
San Angelo Coliseum
San Angelo
www.sanangelorodeo.com
20–22
Mardi Gras Upriver
Band of Heathens and more
Jefferson
www.mardigrasupriver.com
Old Gruene Market Days
Gruene Historic District
New Braunfels
www.gruenemarketdays.com
22–3/1
Charro Days Fiesta
Downtown Brownsville
www.charrodaysfiesta.com
Clint Black performs at the Rodeo Austin Gala
on Feb. 7.
13–24
Mardi Gras! Galveston
Downtown Entertainment District
Galveston
www.mardigrasgalveston.com
28
Kenneth Threadgill
Concert Series
Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis
Municipal Auditorium
Greenville
www.greenville-texas.com
14
International Guitar Festival
Festival Hill
Round Top
www.festivalhill.org
15–16
Hug-In & Valentine Ball
Tommy Alverson
Luckenbach Dance Hall
Luckenbach
www.luckenbachtexas.com
19–22
Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas
Kevin Fowler and more
Downtown Port Arthur
www.portarthur.com/mardigras
Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison play the
Municipal Auditorium in Greenville Feb. 28.
Ben Kweller
Changing Horses
(ATO Records)
With his fourth solo album,
Changing Horses, Ben Kweller
moves a notch over on the
dial to the country realm. But, we’re not talking Nashville country here; think Texas country — rock and pop influences drenched in
pedal-steel twang. Although Kweller’s from
Greenville and now makes his home in Austin,
he’s been more associated with the indie-rock
scene since his breakout as a teen in the
prodigious band Radish. Apparently, those
Texas roots have always been there, just bubbling below the surface. But the hooks are still
infectious, and Kweller’s charming vocals
offer the same sweetness with the occasional
well-placed rasp for which he’s known. Kweller
has a way of painting simple pictures of complex relationships as in “Wantin’ Her Again”
(“She don’t even want to be my friend; she
just wants me wantin’ her again”) and the
wistfully gorgeous “Old Hat” (“I never want to
be the old hat you put on your pretty head”).
These are perfect topics for country fare, but
sparkle with Kweller’s youth and enthusiasm.
“Fight” is a rollicking truckers’ anthem with a
slice-of-life video to complement it (look for it
on MySpace), and “Sawdust Man” sprinkles a
Beatles-esque chorus over ragtime piano with
a change in tempo that is unexpected, but
works delightfully. CINDY ROYAL
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And who knows if she’ll stick around Texas
long enough to ever warrant a Heartless
Bastard showdown. But this much is certain:
The Mountain rocks, and you won’t likely find
a more gnarly, tortured and riveting collection
of dirty modern blues coming out of Austin,
or anywhere else, this year. Backed by fellow
Ohioans Dave Colvin on drums and Jesse
Ebaugh on bass, and augmented by generous
helpings of pedal steel and scorching, John
Cale/Velvet Underground-style violin,
Wennerstrom snarls, wails, yelps and groans
through 11 songs of frightful, dangerous beauty. She ain’t from Texas, but if she’s got more
records in her this good still to come, here’s
hoping she never leaves. RICHARD SKANSE
Willie Nelson and
Asleep at the Wheel
Willie and the Wheel
(Bismeaux Records)
The name of the album rolls
off the tongue like it was
meant to be, and the music on the album
flows even better. Originally conceived 30
years ago by late producer Jerry Wexler,
Willie and the Wheel puts together Willie’s
version of country with the Wheel’s version of
western for a perfect harmony of western
swing. Willie does most of the singing
throughout the album and his voice belies his
almost 76 years — he sounds as young and
strong as ever. Asleep at the Wheel frontman
Ray Benson and bandmate Elizabeth
Heartless Bastards
McQueen add their vocals to the mix, among
The Mountain
others. (Check out “I’m Sittin’ On Top Of The
(Fat Possum)
World” for a taste of Elizabeth’s angelic
Was Erika Wennerstrom,
pipes). But western swing is as much about
frontwoman of Ohio’s
Heartless Bastards, aware that the instruments as it is about the vocals, and
this group of musicians knows how to pick,
Austin already had a band by that name —
James McMurtry’s — when she moved to town pluck, drum, fiddle and more, particularly on
the instrumental “South.” So hop on and let
to record The Mountain with Spoon/Patty
Griffin producer Mike McCarthy? Who knows. Willie and the Wheel take you for a ride — it’s
a trip you won’t regret. AMANDA PALM
new releases
Jan. 27 Johnny Cash
Feb. 3 Ben Kweller
Feb. 3 Willie Nelson and Asleep at
the Wheel
Feb. 3 Ruthie Foster
Feb. 3
Feb. 10
Feb. 10
Feb. 17
Feb. 17
Feb. 17
Mar. 3
Mar. 3
Mar. 3
Mar. 3
Mar. 10
Mar. 10
Mar. 10
Mar. 24
Johnny Goudie and the
Little Champions
The O’s
Buddy Holly
...And You Will Know Us
by the Trail of Dead
Gurf Morlix
Ana Egge
Seth Walker
Raul Malo
Buddy and Julie Miller
Justin Townes Earle
Steve Earle
Danny Schmidt
Riverboat Gamblers
Various Artists
Mar. 31 The Flatlanders
Apr. 7 Nakia
Apr. 14 Fastball
Johnny Cash Remixed
Changing Horses
Willie and the Wheel
Compadre/MusicWorld
ATO
Bismeaux
The Truth According to
Ruthie Foster
El Payaso
Blue Corn
We Are the O’s
Memorial Collection
The Century of Self
Idol
Universal
Richter Scale/Justice
Last Exit to Happyland
Road to My Love
Leap of Faith
Lucky One
Written in Chalk
Midnight at the Movies
Live at the BBC
Instead the Forest Rose to Sing
Underneath the Owl
Keep Your Soul: A Tribute
to Doug Sahm
Hills and Valleys
Water to Wine
Little White Lies
Rootball
Grace/Parkingsongs
Hyena
Fantasy
New West
Bloodshot
Universal
Red House
Volcom Entertainment
Vanguard
Sea Change
New West
KiaChia
MRI Red
WINTER 2009 ISSUE
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Johnny Goudie and
the Little Champions
El Payaso
(Sea Change Records)
Veteran Austin musician
Johnny Goudie returns with
a CD that’s dreamy and symphonic, yet pop
to the core. Goudie always emits a Bowie
vibe, and that is certainly here, but on this
disc there’s also a bit of Buddy Holly circa
“True Love Ways” and nods to the grander
pop projects of the ‘70s and ‘80s. But don’t
mistake this for a nostalgic record. It’s
brought up-to-date by its experimentation.
The Tosca String Quartet arranged by local
producer John Pointer adds perfect accompaniment to several of the tracks. Goudie
wrestles with demons by delivering sensitive
lyrics like “you scream for mercy while you’re
begging for more” on the disc’s opener, the
lush “Charmed.” But he can also be ironic
(“you’re so beautiful, everybody tells you”)
and whimsical, as in “You Can’t Pretend
Forever” with the repeating refrain “It’s OK,
we love you Whitney Houston.” CINDY ROYAL
Ruthie Foster
The Truth According to
Ruthie Foster
(Blue Corn Music)
Like honky-tonker Dale
Watson, Ruthie Foster is
more of a style preservationist (be it gospel,
blues or, most recently, soul) than an innovator in her own right. But who needs to reinvent the wheel when you do what you do this
well? Recorded in Memphis with producer
Chris Goldsmith and an A-team cast including
keyboardist Jim Dickinson, guitarist Robben
Ford and the Memphis Horns, The Truth
According to Ruthie Foster is a deeply satisfying record on every level — a swaggeringly
confident showcase of an artist at peak per-
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formance. Even the cover of Patty Griffin’s
“When It Don’t Come Easy” sounds fresh —
no small feat, considering that Griffin covers
by her peers are becoming as played out as
“Angel from Montgomery.” Equally impressive is the exuberance Foster brings to the
reggae-infused “I Really Love You” and her
own “Joy on the Other Side,” balanced by the
thundering testimony of “Truth!” and the
wounded ache of “(You Keep Me) Hangin’
On.” There’s nothing new under the sun here;
but, by merit of conviction alone, Foster’s still
a one-of-a-kind force to be reckoned with.
RICHARD SKANSE
T-bird and the Breaks
Learn About It
(tbirdandthebreaks.com)
The funk rolls right out of the
lot on T Bird and the Breaks’
debut CD, Learn About It,
with “Two Tone Cadillac” — an immediate
declaration that this band is out to resurrect
the funky R&B of the ‘60s and ‘70s. And they
do an admirable job (undoubtedly even more
so live, as these get-up-on-the-good-foot
tunes are meant to be heard). But that land
yacht — and what trails its tail light — is from
a used car lot. If James Brown is your bag —
or Otis Clay or O.V. Wright — you’re gonna dig
the heck out of “All the Blame,” the slow
build of the dramatic “Sunday on My Own”
and the other seven originals here. But
what’s the point of reproduction without
adding new genes to the pool? Let’s hope
frontman Tim Crane grows that talent of his
and finds grooves of his own the next time
out. LYNNE MARGOLIS
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Q&APat Green
Back in the mid‘90s, Pat Green
embarked on a
remarkably unconventional journey
to music stardom.
As an affable but
ambitious college
kid enamored of
the legendary
Texas singer-songwriters, Green found not
only the gumption to take the stage himself
but also the talent and charisma to make a
uniquely successful career out of it. Within a
few years — and a few CDs worth of good ol’
boy charm and catchy country sing-alongs —
your average Texas bar wasn’t big enough to
hold the thousands upon thousands of
intensely loyal young fans that the San
Antonio native was drawing night after night.
Sold-out appearances at king-sized dancehalls and rodeo arenas were soon to follow, to
the point that major record labels could no
longer ignore the young man who’d made a
career out of bucking Nashville tradition. The
transition from Lone Star hero to mainstream
contender wasn’t without a backlash (beware
the self-righteous Internet fan!), but the
rewards have been both financial (top 10 hits,
tours with heavyweights like Kenny Chesney
and the Dave Matthews Band) and artistic
(richly textured records and increasingly
ambitious songwriting). His newest, What I’m
For (BNA Nashville), is set to bring brand new
momentum to his ongoing musical journey.
It’s been a couple of years since the last
album. What was going on in your head
during the making of the new one?
Yeah, I definitely slowed down my life a lot,
ever since [the last album]. My second baby is
two years old, and those kiddos definitely
require a lot of time when I’m around. I spend
all my time with them, you know, just trying to
be their dad, trying to be responsible so they
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You’ve got a lot of friends among the current crop of rising Texas country acts; at
don’t get the wrong notion of how life is supleast
a few of them probably have
posed to be.
Nashville on their mind. What piece of
Has the family-man lifestyle changed your advice do you find yourself sharing with
them the most often?
approach to your music?
You know, I guess I don’t really differentiate
Yeah, I think it has to. Well, I think there are
between Texas show business and Nashville
artists out there who can kind of stay where
they once were for their whole lives, write the show business, and I think that’s one thing
that might separate me from other people.
good ol’ days songs their whole life … that’s
Some think that there’s a huge difference
really annoying to me [laughs]. I’ve never
between the two, but there’s not … there
been able to do that, never said “man I sure
can’t
be. If you’re trying to get your music
do miss getting drunk every night,” but things
played
on any radio station, anywhere, you’re
like the sensation of falling in love with my
playing
the show biz game. My advice to peowife, I’ll think, “Yes, let’s write something
ple,
across
the board, is if you think that this
about that.” I write for the present … I’ve
job’s
a
cakewalk,
that you get to be lazy, then
never held back on the notion that I’m trying
you’re
mistaken.
Yesterday
I started my day
to get national radio impact with my songs. I’m
at
4:30
in
the
morning
and
finished it 20
not looking for a regional success story; I’m
hours
later,
and
it
didn’t
even
slow down.
looking for the American dream. I want to go
out there and play in the Super Bowl. I think
What inspired you to re-record “Carry
there are some people that feel disjointed
from my music now that it’s not this acoustic On”?
I just like recording it and hearing it a differthing, and I understand that … it’s how I felt
ent
way. You look at the comments on a
when Robert Earl Keen came out with Picnic,
like “what are all these electric guitars doing
on this guy’s album? This is so weird …“ and
now I understand why he did it. He had to
keep moving.
Did touring the country as a rising mainstream artist feel like starting over? By the
time you hit the road nationwide, you were
already a celebrity here in Texas.
No … I always felt like I was just taking more
on. And that’s still kind of how I feel. I figured
once my second record came out I knew what
I was doing.
Who have you learned the most from since
you made the transition to being a majorlabel artist?
I think the guy in the music business that I’ve
learned the most from is Jerry Jeff Walker,
probably. We’re great friends, still are, from
back in all the years I lived in Austin. He was
just so kind to me, would tell me about how to
handle record labels, and how to keep the vibe
and not lose heart.
Texas music Web site and you’d think I’d
taken the first ten pages of the Bible out, but
it’s my song, you know [laughs]? I wanted to
have a new paint job, move the furniture
around a little bit.
In your experience, what spot away from
home reminds you the most of being back
in Texas?
Asheville, North Carolina is a lot like Austin,
Texas. I could put it that way. And New
Orleans and Houston have a lot in common …
Phoenix and Dallas have a lot in common,
too.
Nearly every one of your albums has contained a duet: Natalie Maines, Brad Paisley,
Sara Evans, Willie Nelson, a whole album
with Cory Morrow. Is there anyone you
really want to sing with that you haven’t
had the chance to yet?
I did it, man. That one with Willie … I did it.
ETHAN MESSICK