Rolling Country 2006 Thread

http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=nickel+creek

I dunno, charley patton always struck me as the real essential delta blues guy, pre-war. he had the rhythmic thing down, he is really funky and rocking, and robert johnson sounds affected by comparison. steve calt's bio of patton could scarcely be improved upon. the thing is, what world was uncle dave macon living in? he was farming and so forth, owned his own land or what? patton, though, what did he own? he lived a tough life--that would seem the big difference, that and patton's music seemed to reach forward and uncle dave macon was a relic of the past--not that there's anything wrong with that, but seems to me the diff between "rock and roll" and, you know, that opry shit. which is of course is slightly unfair to the opry, but it makes me feel good to put it that way. I like all that old weird country stuff fine, but I honestly never felt the emotional connection to it that I've always felt to those old blues guys.

g. himes wrote about the mammals, well, for No Depression, a while back. having heard donna the buffalo, duhks, mammals, nickel creek, and as I like to call 'im Surfin' Stevens, I kinda find the whole thing tiresome. I actually dug the weird sound and *muffled yet angry* thing the mammals did on "departure," and admire ruth ungar's songs. the duhks doing fraser & deBolt was very cool, a stroke, but for my part, Cuban/Brazilian instrumentation does not make a Cuban/Brazilian rhythmic aesthetic, far from it. their last record was really accomplished and while I respect them--I had a great conversation with Scott Senior, and they all seem to be fine people--their music isn't for me, it's for people in Boulder or something. having lived in Boulder, I know about what that whole thing is about. nickel creek is just plain boring, and I never could work up enough enthusiasm to even comment on them. donna the buffalo have some verve, some skank, even. the next step for these bands--brad mehldau is a very fine pianist who covers some, er, interesting pop songs, just like cassandra wilson fell asleep during her attempt to do "pleasant valley sunday" a decade ago--is to make a Big Record here in N-ville with Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas and Emmy lou and all them. avant-bluegrass or whatever. all I can say is, there must be some weird folk scenes in canada, and that it's a long way from where I live.

and yeah, roy, I'm a gene clark fan and you're right about "white." it's good. I also quite like "no other" and those great demos he did, like "los angeles." but I love "with the gosdin bros."

He did? I thought that was me. :)

I pretty much agree with xhuxk on NC, save the part about the Sufjan comparison. I mean there's a long tradition of boring, non-rocking newgrass/bluegrass/mathgrass (© Edd Hurt), so who needs indie rock to explain why Nickel Creek is crippled?

But they can be decent live--not that that redeems much....

and I mean that's just my take on those bands. there's some part of me that kind of digs it but in the end I don't. it's sort of a good idea, what they do, and perhaps it comes down to the material, which is why I probably like the mammals the best, because their songs seem better.

and, I just checked out that memphis commercial appeal link that don forwarded, on george soule. fascinating. that's one I need to hear, since I've been steeped in muscle shoals/memphis white soul this last week, seeing donnie fritts and cropper and all them here.

xps

Memphis Jug Band are one of the great bands of the century, though I would assume anybody familiar with my second book should already know I think that. And anybody who can't find Double Album (is it in print anymore? I'm guessing not) should track down the '01 Yazoo CD The Best Of The Memphis Jug Band. Better yet: own both, like I do. There's some overlap, of course, but less than you'd think, as I recall (someday I'll compare them track by track.)

And right, the Memphis Jug Band's stuff is among my very favorite music, and damned if I don't have my double-LP, the one with the Crumb drawing, any more. Steve Calt gave that to me years ago. I made a tape of that with some Cannon's Jug Stompers and the prime Rev. Robert Wilkins stuff. So that's one I need to get on CD, and thanks for reminding me.

I've known Calt since around '93, when he got me to go down to Bentonia, Miss. and interview a blues singer named Jack Owens. He's always been a good friend and I believe his heart is in the right place; I don't agree with him about a lot of stuff, and his whole take on the blues always seemed like a strenuous effort to place blues into a...framework of the Larger Culture, to analyze it like any other artform. Which should work, but somehow doesn't. Because it's just too strenuous, and you don't get anywhere kicking yourself over and over about your youthful idealism that has now flown.
xps

Dude. Did you interview the Jack Owens? The one album I own, It Must Have Been the Devil, is astonishing. All I know about him is David Evans' liner notes.

however, even better is the comp cd that comes with the book, just a little sampler, but a really well curated collection of semi obscurities.

= big butts? (though only for the athletically inclined women, i'm guessing.) anyway, anthony, what's it called? (the cd and the book?)

Interesting reissue of Terry Manning's "Home Sweet Home," a real curio from 1970 on which the Memphis producer/musician (he runs Compass Point Studio in Nassau, a very great studio indeed, and the man has truly done it all, producing ZZ Top and Led Zep and Big Star and lots of others) does a 10-minute version of G. Harrisong's "Savoy Truffle," a maniacal Jerry Lee pastiche, and even a fine twisted version of Jack Clement's "Guess Things Happen." It's a parody of heavy 1969-era rock and a parody of the historical impulse as it is writ in Memphis. Remarkably solid and one of the funnest things I've heard in a while.

Also, Herrmuth Bronson does Musicians Spotlight, this month Charlie McCoy. "Of the musicians that you haven't played with, who would be the three you would most like to work with." "Allison Krauss, Alan Jackson, Diana Krall." The cover of this rag has a circular "violator" that says "#1 when you Google on 'Nashville Music'," but damned if I can figure out how a publication devoted to Music City can't get a little spell-checker going so they could spell Ms. Krauss's first name correctly.

the big butt classicism is from art and beauty, no i mean tehy are mostly from the chest up, faces in great detail, with out much background detail...

the man can draws i tell yah

here is the list:
On The Road Again Memphis Jug Band
Sobbin' Blues "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (W/ Louis Armstrong) Kater Street Rag Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra
Dark Night Blues Blind Willie McTell
All Night Long Blues Burnett And Rutherford
Minglewood Blues Cannon's Jug Stompers
High Water Everywhere Charley Patton R. Crumb's Heroes Of Blues, Jazz & Country Folk
Wild Cat Blues Clarence Williams' Blue Five w Sidney Bechet
Little Rabbit Crockett's Kentucky Mountaineers
Sugar Baby Dock Boggs
Mineola Rag East Texas Serenaders
I Got Mine Frank Stokes
Somebody Stole My Gal Frankie Franko & His Louisianians (W/ Ernes "Punch" Miller)
The Peddler And His Wife Hayes Shepherd
I'm Gonna Cross The River Of Jordan – Some O' These Days
Jaybird Coleman
Kansas City Stomps-Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers
King Joe Jimmy Noone
Mojo Strut Parham–Pickett Apollo Syncopaters (W/ "Tiny" Parham & Junie C. Cobb)
Big Bend Gal Shelor Family
Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues Skip James
Greenback Dollar Weems String Band

Nah, there's a photo of them on that one. They're standing on a porch, all wearing hats. No jugs, but some barrels in the background.

Caddle, Raise 'Em High: Had hopes for this well-meaning Southern rock thing. First track, "Mississippi Doublewide", is not bad. Most of the rest is Drive By Truckers with a worse singer and worse tunes. Songs don't sink in, and they don't especially kick.

For proof, here is my working list (so far) of the 40 best 2005 albums by artists from A to J in the alphabet (which is how far I've gotten so far, many many more to go, this project will take a while):

2005
Jefferson Airplane – The Essential (RCA/Legacy reissue)
The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday (French Kiss)
Deana Carter – The Story Of My Life (Vanguard)
Fannypack – See You Next Tuesday (Tommy Boy)
Foxy/OXO/Company B – Ishology (Re/Empire reissue)
Desmond Dekker – You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection (Trojan reissue)
Bang Sugar Bang – Thwak Thwak Go Crazy!! (SOS)
Hard Skin – Same Meat Different Gravy (TKO)
Gary Allan – Tough All Over (MCA Nashville)
Buck 65 – This Right Here Is (Warner Bros. reissue)
George Brigman And Split – Jungle Rot (Bona Fide reissue)
The Electric Boogie Dawgz – Sloppy, Fast & Loud (Hooch)
Roky Erickson – I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology (Shout! Factory reissue)
Shooter Jennings – Put The O Back In Country (Universal South)
Faith Hill – Fireflies (Warner Bros.)
Destiny’s Child - #1’s (Sony Urban Music/Columbia reissue)
The Duhks – The Duhks (Sugar Hill)
Derin Dow – Retroactive (Crapshoot Music)
Hank Davison Band – Hard Way (Elite Special)
Dierks Bentley – Modern Day Drifter (Capitol)
Hot Rollers – Got Your Number (Sweaty Betty)
The Ex – Singles, Period: The Vinyl Years 1980-1990 (Touch & Go reissue)
(Various) – Cameo-Parkway 1957-1967 (Abkco reissue)
Brooks & Dunn – Hillbilly Deluxe (Arista Nashville)
Black Lips – Let It Bloom (In The Red)
Shelly Fairchild – Ride (Columbia)
Doomfoxx – Doomfoxx (Armageddon Music)
Todd Tamanend Clark – Nova Psychedelia: 1975-1985 (Anopheles reissue)
George Brigman And Split – I Can Heart The Ants Dancin’ (Bona Fide reissue)
First Band From Outer Space – We’re Only In It For the Space Rock (Transubstans)
Detroit Disciples – Saving Grace (Route 44)
The Grand Trick – The Decadent Session (Transubstans)
Penny Dale – Undaunted (pennydale.com)
Annie – Anniemal (Big Beat)
Cowboy Troy – Locomotive (Warner Bros./Raybaw)
The Birthday Massacre – Violet (Metropolis)
Early Man – Closing In (Matador)
Human Eye – Human Eye (In The Red)
Crazy Frog – Presents Crazy Hits (Universal)
Blueprint – 1988 (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

country
singles
1) not ready to make nice--dixie chicks
2) running block--toby keith
3) will daddy sing danny boy tonight--hacendia brothers
4) like red on a rose--alan jackson
5) like we never loved at all--tim/faith
6) jesus take the wheel--carrie underwood
7) faith hill--stealing kisses
8) Trace Adkins "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
9) josh gracin--Big Brass Bed
10) Willie Nelson--Cowboys are Secretly, Frequently, Fond of Each Other
11) Bubba Sparxx Aint Life Grand
12) Scott Miller Citation
13) Tim McGraw STars Go Blue
14) Chris Cagle--Wal Mart Parking Lot
15) Brady Earnhart--Thank God Virgina is on our side
16) Jamie Johnson--The Dollar
17) George Strait--The Seashores of Old Mexico
18) Aaron Pritchett--Hold My Beer...

albums

1) kris kristofferson, this old world
2) jessi colter, this old fire
3) cyndi boste foothill dandy
4) Roseanne Cash black cadillac
5) josh turner--your man
6) Brokeback OST
7) Gary Bennett Human Condition
8) Bruce Springsteen--The Seeger Sessions

other music
singles
1) fergie--london bridge
2) gwen stefani--wind me up
3) theo blackman--chi chim chi ree
4) jessica simpson--public affair
5) Pharell/Ludacris--money maker
6) max tudnra--so long far well
7) beyonce--ring the alarm
9) alan jackson--like red on a rose
10) kd lang--love for sale

albums
1) alpendub-- jo delay
2) pharell--in my mind
3) gabriel kahune--craigslist leider
4) Marie Antoinette OST

There's another track that made me think of Rick Springfield crossed with Tom Petty, but I didn't take note yet of which one it was.

"Used to The Pain," maybe? Though maybe it's more Dwight Twilley? Phil Seymour? Somebody. Or even, uh, the Bodeans or one of those twerpy anal-compulsive bands that got overrated in Creem in the '80s? Or even later, like that shitty band who did the theme from Friends, or those dorks Del Amitri with the unbearable baby carriage video? With Chris Isaacs high notes, yikes. But suprisingly enough, I find myself liking it. And either way, yeah: Powerpop. ("Got It Right This Time" on now. Is that a drum machine?)

so, too, was "i can't stop loving you" a hit only in europe for leo sayer (and phil collins did it later on)? billy nicholls, whose 1975 "love songs" is an ancestor of the urban record, wrote it.

Melody of "Got It Right This Time" (the apparently drum-machined one) is "Only You" by Yazoo! Damn, this is really shameless...

Also love the guitar explorations at the end of the opening track, "Once In A Lifetime." Keith's finally found space to show off, I guess -- five over-five-minute cuts, one of which goes over six ("Stupid Boy," which hasn't kicked in yet and seems to wait too long to let the guitars kick in, but the title's intriguing so I have high hopes.) Aforementioned opener is also the second longest track on the album -- how often does that happen on a country record? Second track also goes over five minutes, with Elton John orchestrations then more guitars at the end. "Raise The Barn" with Ronnie Dunn, 5:12, start off Stones-like and goes into a cool disco-funk break at the 3-minute mark, plus lots of gospel hallelujahs and stuff tosssed into the mix in tribute (the liner notes say) to New Orleans overcoming Katrina. A really interesting record, even if the John Waite rip does claim that "everybody needs somebody sometimes".