3 Hard-to-Find Albums You'll Wish You Had Someday

The Lonelies - The Lonelies EP

This album is one of the early releases from songwriter extraordinaire Doug Burr. Doug has a couple of solo albums under his belt currently that are absolute pure gold in terms of quality, musicianship and substance. (I hope to provide a write-up of his upcoming release, The Shawl, in the next few months after I've had the chance to listen to it.
But back to the Lonelies, this EP exhibits some of Burr's older work, demonstrating that he has trouble touching/writing a song that doesn't turn to gold. "Carolina" may be the standout from this EP that I always come back to, although "Curse the Weatherman" runs a close second, and is sure to get stuck in your head. This EP was not widely distributed and is so rare it is not even available online. In fact, I even had some difficulty finding a picture of the cover. Probably a DFW area used record store is about your only hope for finding it these days. And while you're at it, keep an eye out for Doug's even more obscure pre-Lonelies solo release, Pokerface and for the Lonelies sophomore EP Democracy, Whiskey, & Sexy!

Obscurity Level: High
Obscurity Level for Pokerface: I'd like to shake your hand if you can find a copy of this album.

Eleven Hundred Springs - A Straighter Line

This acoustic album from another DFW area artist stands in mind as maybe the most fulfilling listen in the entire EHS discography. I don't know how many of these songs remain a part of the playlist on their live shows, but the album itself never really has a misstep. The lineup for the band has changed a good bit since this album, and thus, this may be the reason it is not still in print or available for digital download. Nonetheless, this album has a number of amazing songs including "Sad and Lonesome Song," "See You in the Next Life," and my personal favorite "Good Times, Hard Livin." Only "See You in the Next Life" has appeared on any subsequent EHS release, and thus, A Straighter Line remains the only way to hear the other two. This album sticks strongly to the band's country sound, but it is not strictly a honky-tonk record by any measure. This album also stands as the band's best lyrical quality in their catalogue.

Obscurity Level: Moderate

The V-Roys - All About Town

Looking back on the glory days of 90s alt country, the V-Roys have largely been forgotten. The band's frontman Scott Miller has continued with his solo career since the demise of the V-Roys, and in that time, his former band has largely fallen off the map. The mid to late 90s were a golden period of sorts for alt country, as it was gaining momentum, and was still composed of a relatively small scene. All About Town contains possibly some of the best songs from that era, including "Fade Away," "Testify," and "Hold on to Me." Luckily, the popularity of this band in the 90s led to a fairly wide distribution of the album, although I the CD is out of print and I don't believe it has been made available for digital download. Used copies are not too difficult to obtain at this point, although 5 years from now this may no longer be the case.

Obscurity Level: Low to Moderate

Four poets, two revivals, and a request for less beer and more whiskey

I've been meaning to write up a few shows for a while, but time hasn't really allowed for it. That's where it really benefits everyone that no one reads this blog anyway.

First off, almost 2 months ago now, was the Junkyard Ghost Revival. This is the fantastic spoken word tour that made the rounds for about 6 weeks across this nation. Although many guests joined the tour at various stops, the Boulder incarnation of this show featured Derrick Brown, hometown favorite Andrea Gibson, Anis Mojgani, and Buddy Wakefield. I was primarily there for Buddy Wakefield, followed by Andrea Gibson, and otherwise knew little about the other two. What we got was an awesome night of spoken word performance. (Called Slam Poetry by some, but it seems that word is out of vogue these days, which is just fine by me.) The great thing about this night was the great diversity of performances - something most wouldn't expect from a show with four spoken word artists. Nonetheless, no one disappointed. Anis showcased his strong suit, which is a quieter and maybe more introspective tone, while Derrick Brown often jumped back and forth over the line between poetry and some...sort...of...performance art or something. It's quite a unusual style, at least from my other experiences, and I was impressed by his near effortless transitions between humor and deeper emotions. Buddy Wakefield and Andrea Gibson, who possess what I consider slightly similar styles really brought out some incredible pieces and reinforced my whole reason for being there. One particular piece by Andrea Gibson, that I think she indirectly dedicated to Buddy, might have been the highlight of the night. It's one of those great experiences that I can't even recall that much about, and since I don't think there is even a youtube link of it, you'll just have to trust me that it was sensational.

Next up was the Revival Tour, featuring Ben Nichols, Chuck Ragan, Tim Barry, Jon Snodgrass, and Austin Lucas. For this collection of songwriters, my primary interests were in Ben Nichols and Jon Snodgrass, lead/co-lead singers of Lucero and Drag the River, respectively. Safe to say that this night did not disappoint. The highlights were probably as much Ben Nichols' in between song banter as anything. At one point, someone brought him a PBR, to which he thanked them but noted that beer just fills him up and thus, whiskey would be preferable. As usual, Jon from DTR played some great songs, although I wasn't close enough to request "Crocodile," which was a shame.

Don't know how long it will stay up, but a set list and recording of the show has been posted on the Lucero message board here and here. The first posting is an expired download link I think and the second is a FLAC download, which I think should be of better quality for those of you who still fight the futile fight to get good sound quality out of digital recordings. If you can get it, there's a great cover of Townes' "Colorado Girl" that Ben sings.

While I wasn't there to experience the event, sounds like the Lubbock Revival tour was quite the spectacle. A brief description of it can be found here. However, I don't think this does it justice, so hopefully you can find someone who went to describe the madness of the night.

And then I cried myself to sleep

Sorry if this kills my street cred (I'm not sure I had any though)

I must say though, that this Nike commercial just hits the spot though. Yes, it's the most corporate of corporate (Nike) with a song from a big label band (the Killers), but it's just darn good. Not sure how long the video will stay up on youtube, but watch it if you've got a minute.



I know this is the quintessential postmodern advertising scheme - images of victory, defeat, and despair set to a background of inspirational music that conjures emotion and makes you want to buy $170 shoes - but for what it's worth it's a good one. I have to say that I didn't even pay much attention to it until I saw the end with the final shot of Oscar Pistorius. While he didn't make the Olympics, he won the 100, 200, & 400 meters in the Paralympic games. This guy runs under an 11 second 100 meters.


Almost completely unrelated, but for those of you who saw the movie Murderball, the U.S. Quad Rugby team finally got the redemption they were looking for in Beijing, as they defeated Australia in the gold medal match.

Minilith - DeVotchKa "secret" show at the Fox Theatre

The first thing I heard this morning was from a friend who said that she just overheard that DeVotchKa was playing a secret show at the Fox in Boulder. My first reaction was skepticism. Followed by, well, I should look into it. Of course the internet says nothing, because even if they are playing, they can't advertise it because they're under contract with the Monolith festival.

The only band listed is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a band out of New Orleans who are great in their own right, but very different from DeVotchKa. I head up to the box office to try and find something out, and sure enough, the "Back in 5 minutes" is up at the desk. So I mill around for 20 minutes and nothing...

BUT, there is hope, the record store guy says that yes, they are playing tonight as a warm-up for their show at Monolith tomorrow. I'm going to keep mentioning Monolith, so if you don't know what it is you should just look it up. I'm not going, but it's lots of great music.

I digress...So anyway, while I'm waiting at the box office, I see Tom, Nick, and Shawn from DeVotchKa unloading their stuff and heading into the theater. We have confirmation.

Long story even longer, I bought tickets and wait for the night. Turns out we actually ate in a restaurant by the Fox and sat right across from Tom and Shawn. While I am clearly revealing my uncoolness now by talking about it, I restrained myself from bothering them and just let it go.

So the Fox probably holds 3-400 people, tops, FAR less than any DeVotchKa show would ever bring in these days. They are big nationwide, but they are huge in Colorado, such that they play 2 nights typically when they do shows here now, and mostly at bigger venues like Boulder Theater and the Fillmore. So essentially they're just too big to ever see them in an intimate venue again. Unless...

Yes, back to my story. Sure enough DeVotchKa goes on at 9 p.m., plays an amazing hour long set, mostly new stuff, but also including Queen of the Surface Streets, How it Ends, You Love Me, and Enemy Guns. Probably missed one or two there. But nonetheless, there were at most 150 people there, I would say. It was like seeing them in Denver 6 years ago, which was the last time I saw them with such a small crowd. It is such a rare thing to luck into seeing something like this. You have an arena level band and you're seeing them in a small theater. It was just amazing. I had honestly tired of seeing them recently, because I just don't like the big crowds. Not their fault, but still, this was just what I needed. Tomorrow they'll be playing to thousands of weary festival goers, but tonight we got to see them with their friends and family and whomever else found out through word of mouth.

I won't say it changed my life. I won't say it was once in a lifetime. But I will say it was worth every penny of the $20 tickets and every minute of the 60 minute show they put on. As a music fan, these are the times that really stand out, and I have to say that this one will be up there with the others that I'll want to tell people about.

As a side note, great feature on the band in this week's Westword. They were on the cover of Westword and Colorado Daily this week. I won't just regurgitate the story here, but pretty great seeing what they have achieved after basically just doing their thing for so long.

Everyone wants to say they were in on the ground floor

So we've all got our friends who are the ultimate in "one-upsmanship" when it comes to discovering new bands.

(I'm thinking especially of people who date their Old 97s fan status by what album they started listening to the band on. Mine was Too Far To Care. Not super early, but in my defense, I was only 13 when their first album came out.)

That said, the funny thing is that so rarely are bands really good when they first begin. Sure they have a few good songs that maybe sound a little too much like someone else, but it typically takes a few years of writing/touring/recording to develop anything of note. So where am I going with all of this? Nowhere fast?

Hopefully not, because the main reason for writing this is to note my recent discovery of a great band from El Paso called The Lusitania. I really just came to know about them from the line-up at Tuggfest, and have been getting increasingly impressed with the music on their myspace. They've got one album out and a 7" split out some time soon.

While they do have elements of a number of the bands that they list as influences, the important thing is that they are just a good listen. They've got a good mix of twang, vocal harmonies and rock all at the right times. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more about this band, and I hope you'll take the time to check them out. Their CD is super cheap, and it's all a DIY operation right now, which is the best time to start supporting a band.

So if nothing else, check out their myspace, go see a live show on their upcoming tour if you can, and get in on the ground floor.

Tuggfest

I hope all you folks in Lubbock made it out to Tuggfest last Thursday night. For an entirely independently organized and promoted festival, it was a resounding success. While a festival like this may not make any of the bands rich, they should all be commended for making it such a great day of music.

Thanks again Lubbock for supporting local music.

Old 97s live at the Gothic Theatre in Denver (Englewood), CO

It always feels good to see a good solid Old 97s show. Caught them last night in Denver, and as always, they delivered. For a band that never really gets that much radio play, they have really built a following off of their great albums and solid live shows over the years.

Kind of funny how, even though they are done with major labels, likely for good, they have this solid fan base of people in the range of ages from about 30-45, who incidentally are a demographic that has money. Hence, I would speculate that touring and merch sale income may be as good for them as it has ever been.

Hayes Carll, who I've seen a number of times, but many years back when he was still playing solo, did a great opening set. His music is really growing on me. The songwriting is top notch, and I think he's found a good sound for his voice. (although take a little bit of the roadhouse sound out and it would be absolutely perfect, in my opinion.) Before him, I Love Math, featuring Philip from Old 97s and members of the Deathray Davies, played a short opening set...which I missed. and am really bummed about. Saw them about 4 years ago and loved the show, so I'm really sorry I didn't get to see it.

The 97s were obviously pushing their new record, so lots of material off of that. Sorry not to hear the best song off of that album "This Beautiful Thing," one of Murry's songs, but the new album has got some great material. As with any Old 97s show, they push the new stuff, always mixing in the older stuff. Through that process they figure out what's great live and what's less great, and next time you see them, they'll have the new stuff more fine-tuned and cut out those that don't get the crowd's attention.

Now this is not in order, but since I'm an official Old 97s junkie, here's the set list they played off of each album:

Hitchhike to Rhome:
Stoned (it's just not the same in Denver as a Dallas show, where everyone sings along)

Wreck Your Life:
Victoria
Big Brown Eyes

Too Far to Care:
Timebomb
Barrier Reef
Salome
Big Brown Eyes
Niteclub

Fight Songs:
Lonely Holiday
Indefinitely
Crash on the Barrelhead (this made my night)
Valentine

Satellite Rides:
Rollerskate Skinny
Question

Drag It Up:
Won't Be Home
Smokers
The New Kid

Also, to start the encore, Rhett played "Come Around," from his first solo album The Instigator, and "Wave of Mutilation" by the Pixies and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones.

Like I said, lots of stuff from the new album, which I won't list off, but overall a fantastic show. Hope they stay on the road a while with this one and maybe come back through town.

In Case You Were Wondering

Yes, that is DeVotchKa you hear playing in the background of this split-screen commercial with Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. It is from the song "A New World" on their new album A Mad and Faithful Telling.



Apparently the directors for this video are Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, the same folks who brought you Little Miss Sunshine. See for yourself here.

To all you kids out there, this is a good lesson regarding the fact that once you are "in" the biz, you are definitely "in" the biz, and the way things go these days, you are going to make more money licensing songs here and there than you will on album sales (see also Avett Brothers' music on Friday Night Lights TV series).

Nashville Star

So I guess my street cred is completely blown by talking about this, but yes, I did watch the NBC premiere of Nashville Star last night. Overall, it is a little bit addictive, but also frustrating when you remember that mainstream country music quit being country music a long time ago. Therefore I'm not even sure this show can be watched in the context of being about country music.

Of the judges, you have:

Jewel - the once-indie singer songwriter from Alaska, who is probably the best of the 3 judges, but... when was she ever country? Maybe she was selected because she's still in a relationship with Ty Murray?

John Rich - of Big and Rich infamy, who was never country and seems to be the newest reality show diva.

Jeffrey Steele - A Nashville factory songwriter that never had a good song as far as I can find, but is clearly a part of the Music Row machine and makes lots of money and gets "trendy" tattoos.

Highlights in my opinion were Gabe Garcia singing "All My Exes Live in Texas," which the judges actually liked even though they forgot about George Strait and real country music a long time ago. I'm surprised they didn't ask who sang the song originally.

And I have to say, "Elvira" by the trio Third Town, was pretty solid. While these guys are kind of suspect, I appreciated the Kenny Rogers/Oak Ridge Boys nod here, and thought it was a great choice, even though the judges have never heard classic country music and were kind of dumbfounded.

The "Stand by Your Man" performance was, I think, the only other classic country song, and it was hit and miss. The performers were two young women (Laura and Sophie), and I didn't think they nailed it the first go round, but the second was pretty spot on.

Billy Ray Cyrus needs some serious help from the producers because he comes out after every song and says something completely off about each singer. He'll say "Wow! So you two have been best friends all of your lives?" To which they answer, "We've known each other 7 years."

Pretty hilarious really. He's like someone's crazy uncle. Also reminiscent of Fred Willard, who plays the dog show commentator on Best in Show.

Since no one reads this blog, I'm also inclined to comment about the military representation in the show. They brought one enlisted person into the top 12, despite the fact that he tanked in his audition. He did a decent job in his first song on the show, but they very truly walk on eggshells around him because they know they can't criticize the military on a show with country music fans. They'll probably have to let him win for fear of seeming unpatriotic. I have no problem with the guy, but the way they treat him is a little ridiculous.

Nonetheless, if I continue to watch this show, I'm going to have to tell myself that it is not about country music. Overall, this show is about as ironic as Alan Jackson singing "Murder on Music Row" with blood on his hands (see "www.memory").

Very Short Interviews, Part I - Daniel Markham (One Wolf)

I am starting a new segment, that unlike other segments on this blog, will actually be a recurring item. The idea is that I will conduct a (very) short email interview with various musicians of my choosing or of your suggestion. There are no rules here, but they will generally be longer than a "sec" but shorter than a "like forever."

For the very first installment, I had the brief distinguished honor of talking with Daniel Markham, brain extraordinaire behind One Wolf, a.k.a Un Lobo, not to be confused with Los Lobos, or any other lupine-related band. Quite recently, he put out an outstanding new CD you can check out here.

In the interest of not letting the intro be longer than the interview, let's get started.

wf: You just went on a tour to the west coast. Tell us something about how bad it smells when 26 guys ride in a van for 2 weeks. Or maybe something else about that trip that is more interesting than dude funk.

dm: it's funny. i packed clothes for every day of the tour just because i don't like smelling bad. but, i was the one being made fun of for being clean? that didn't make a lot of sense to me. i guess being dirty for two weeks is some kind of rite of passage for musicians. i don't get it.

there were so many things that happened that were interesting. but since this is a short interview, i'll keep it short. visiting the town where twin peaks was filmed was pretty surreal for me. i couldn't believe i was there, and then some people at the diner asked if i was related to peter fonda. i guess i did look pretty "easy rider" at the time.


wf: What are your current plans for One Wolf? and when I say current plans, I mean future plans, because obviously you are at your computer right now.

dm: i'm working on a small texas tour right now for july, then hopefully another in the fall with my favorite band of all time, sf59. then, i'll be moving to denton in august with charlie shafter and the gnomes. i'm writing a lot of songs lately, and i'm looking at next summer to record a new album. i'm just really looking forward to moving to a new community that seems so alive with music. i was super inspired by mount righteous. so hopefully it will be the right thing for us.


wf: Discuss 3 of your current musical influences in 2 words or less (feel free to cheat).

dm: queens of the stone age-BAD ASS!
sf59-so underrated
pj harvey-always exciting

wf: Am I forgetting to ask anything?

dm: what was your favorite series on 90's nickelodeon? PETE & PETE!


wf: Did you grow up hearing that using condiments could help prevent STDs?

dm: i grew up in rotan, so anything's possible. they do make some really strong mustard these days, though.


wf: Now you ask me a question (make it a good one).

dm: do you really hate it when people make grilled cheese sandwiches in your house without your permission?

wf: I live for that, and sadly it just doesn't happen enough.

DeVotchKa on Conan

In case you missed it:

Albums I still just can't help but like, Part I

• Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson.  You've all heard "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," no doubt, but if you haven't listened to this entire album all the way through, then you are most definitely missing out.  If at all possible, I would recommend listening to this album on vinyl.  After all, that's how it was intended.
  

• ¡Viva Terlingua! - Jerry Jeff Walker.  All of Jerry Jeff's more recent work aside, this one really is a classic.  No matter how much the Texas country scene has bastardized this whole style of music, Jerry Jeff doing "Desperados" and "London Homesick Blues" is simply spot-on.  No, he didn't write either of those songs, but the ambiance of the recording is just so incredible.  Sure, he may have influenced some horrible Texas country folks down the line, but don't blame him, he was just having a good time.
  

Songs that still get me (if you know what I mean), Part I

• Fort Worth Blues - Steve Earle - I still remember hearing this song for the first time when he played the Townes Van Zandt tribute show on Austin City Limits.
  

• Star in My Heart - Billy Joe Shaver - A song he wrote for his son, who passed away shortly after. Now he dedicates the song to Eddy when he sings it.
  

Funny

So I just found a guy blogging about my hometown.  Kind of funny to read someone else's interpretation of what goes on in such a place.  I can imagine it is so foreign to almost anyone that would go through.  

It is also interesting how people are so inclined to ask questions like "Why do people live here?"   I don't know that many people who live in Gail ever ask that question, other than maybe the angsty high school kids, but there are so many value judgments inherent in a statement that would ask why people would live in the middle of nowhere as opposed to a much more important "somewhere."  Maybe I'm reading too much into it.  

Here's the link.

Visioneers

Just watched the trailer for the new Zach Galifianakis movie Visioneers.

It is really hard to tell what the movie is like, that is, whether it will be super funny, or more quirky, but I'm going to go ahead and set my sights high and say it looks amazing.  Mainly just because Zach Galifianakis is pretty much on top of his game right now.

His show at the Boulder Theater earlier this year was probably the funniest hour and half I've ever witnessed.  So funny in fact that I can't even remember any of the jokes. 

That's funny,

haha

We have found Providence

With all the gushing over the Old 97s I've really neglected my "Denver sound" folks, namely the new releases by DeVotchKa and Slim Cessna's Auto Club.  

Slim's new album Cipher was released last month, and while they played a few SXSW shows and one hometowner, they've been relatively quiet since.  I guess that is the reality of having a band where a number of folks live in different cities. 

Nonetheless, the new album has a great progression, although their slower songs seem to have grown darker on this album.  Overall, however, this album definitely delivers with some great new songs.  Given that this is the band that brought us "He, Roger Williams," they could get away with just about anything in my book, but they don't rely on any formulas on this record.

For any of you who have seen recent live shows, you'll already know "Children of the Lord," quite the quintessential tent revival rocker with a redux of a familiar Vacation Bible School song.  "Scac 101" brings some great contrast, with what one might deem a bit reminiscent of older Slim.  The thematic tune of "An Introduction to the Power of Braces" appears throughout the album, the significance of which must be interpreted by the listener I suppose.

On top of the well arranged songs, the album artwork, especially the photos by Gary Isaacs, really give the album a great visual presentation.  Isaacs has become somewhat of an icon in the photography of a number of Denver musicians, and the inside photo is a great example.

Next up we have the new album by DeVotchKa, A Mad and Faithful Telling, released on the Anti- label, their first LP released on a label.  Honestly I hate to try and describe the sound because I know I've been heavily biased by reading various reviews of DeVotchKa over the recent years, and thus, I don't know that I have much different to say.  Needless to say they still have a pretty good corner on the market of gypsy indie mariachi cabaret music.  However, speaking of Gary Isaacs, here's a great new press photo he did for DeVotchKa:

An important recommendation I would make is to purchase the ITUNES bonus track of "Undone," featuring the Tom Hagerman Quartet.  While the regular cut of "Undone" is a great listen, I prefer this extra track.  We had the opportunity to see Tom play an instrumental show in Boulder a few months back, and while a completely different experience from DeVotchKa, it was an amazing night of instrumentation with his extremely talented colleagues.  If that's your thing, don't forget to pick up a copy of Tom's The Breakfast Playground.   Other good listens off the new record are "Along the Way" and "A New World."  Still haven't really warmed up to "Transliterator," but maybe with time.

While I'm on the subject of Denver music, a couple of other items of note.  Around this time last year, Smooch Records announced that there was a documentary in the works about the Denver sound.  I've not heard any updates on this, but hope to see something out soon.  One can argue there is no specific "sound," but there is an interesting element to the fact that the city has produced such distinct and notable acts as 16 Horsepower, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Munly Munly, DeVotchKa, Woven Hand, and the Denver Gentlemen to name a few (in no particular order).  

Speaking of Munly, the only news I've been able to find on him is that he is working on a double album on the fictional town of Lupercalia, although the most that has been heard of him lately has been his appearance on New Years Eve with his new band Munly & the Lupercalians.  However, word is that the Lee Lewis Harlots are no longer playing, for reasons that I have only heard in rumor form.  And I don't want to be one to go spreading rumors...

And finally, one more Denver-related release on the horizon is the new Woven Hand record Ten Stones, slated for an August release.  Hopefully that means they'll play a hometown show by that time, although they seem to have a more adoring fan base in Europe than here in the U.S.  

i can't get a word in

He does the theme from Endless Summer

Anti- Records has a free sampler up for Download on their blog.  It includes DeVotchKa, the Weakerthans, Billy Bragg, Man Man, and many more.  

Minor notes of interest (to me):

Old 97s played on Leno Thursday night.  No clip on youtube yet surprisingly, but the performance was a good one, at least in the sense that it was really good to hear Old 97s back at it playing new music.  Here's Rhett and Murry playing a song from the new album:

In other news, the Avett Brothers have just (finally) announced the release of a new EP, entitled The Gleam II.  It has been rumored on the message board for some time now, but they have just made it officially official.  Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you Gentlemen.  I can't wait.

And finally, for those of you with a twinge of indie hip hop blood, the new Atmosphere album When Life Gives You Lemons... has been impressive thus far.  Current favorite track is "You."  

Say what you'd like about it, or just repeat what the critics say if you prefer, but we saw Baby Mama last night, and I was pretty impressed, given that people were talking about its bad reviews while we were in line to get tickets.  As I was noted saying after the movie, "I don't even laugh that much in movies, but this one was pretty funny."  

The ending was a little ridiculous, but overall a funny movie with a great job by Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Greg Kinnear, Steve Martin, some guy that looks like Zach Braff, and various SNL cast members.  Will Forte has a great 1 minute appearance, or I guess, "cameo" as they say in the biz.  But then again I'm not in the biz so I wouldn't know.

You know the people that love you.

No more No Depression

I received my last issue ever of No Depression in the mail yesterday.  Brought out a bit of nostalgia when I thought about how ND was once my only lifeline to actual alt country while growing up in the 2nd least populated county in Texas.

While the magazine has fallen out of my interest in recent years, I don't hold it against them that they tried to connect to a little more widespread audience.  After all, most of the super alt country roots rock weirdos black rim glasses wearing folks are too cool to consistently do anything, especially when it involves $20 a year.  

But there is a bright spot or two.  The final issue has an interview with Old 97s, which brings things to closure for me personally.  I remember poring over the Old 97s articles with a fine tooth comb in my mid to late teenage years and wishing so badly I could see them.  (I did finally get to see them in my first year of college, by the way, at what was once the Gypsy Tea Room.  I showed up to the venue at 7 p.m. because I didn't know how shows worked and I was deathly afraid that it would sell out, so I waited for about 2 hours with a couple of other die-hards.)

But back to reality, the article also talks about Murry's new solo album, which is apparently still flying under the radar, although it was officially released earlier this month.  I did find a couple of free downloads here.  The album is entitled I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way.  The tracks sound pretty good I would say.  Hoping to hear it soon.  Murry doesn't even mention it on his myspace, which you would barely know was him without the pictures section.

And if that wasn't enough, the Old 97s have a new album coming in May.  And they are touring again.  And I might turn back into an 18 year old boy when they come through town.  And, sorry this is increasingly disjointed, but also, did you know Rhett recorded a Spanish version of "Question"?

until you come around.

Need to get caught up on some things

Lots of free download links I want to pass along to get caught up on various things that might be of interest to some of you:

The New Frontiers - Daytrotter live performance (4 songs)

Cory Branan - 2 live shows 

This one has some great songs, one set with Thrift Store Cowboys as the backing band.

I recommend "Summertime" and "Prettiest Waitress in Memphis" from the Earl show, and "Tall Green Grass" from the Uncommon Ground show.

Thrift Store Cowboys - Nothing (new song live from Taos)

Doug Burr - In The Garden

Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities Mixtape

The Paper Hearts

Boxharp - old side project of The Court & Spark.  Click on "Store" to find the free album download.

That's a few pretty good ones.  Send along others if you've got them.

Now can we be friends?

Great new material from the New Frontiers

The New Frontiers just put out a great new album entitled Mending through the Militia Group, but now there is even more great music from them. AbsolutePunk.net has just posted a free download sampler featuring 2 songs by TNF and Alive in Wild Paint, who they are currently touring with. Awesome cover of "Look at Miss Ohio" by Gillian Welch.

Click Here to link to the download page for this nice little 4 song sampler. It's free silly, go download it now.

While you're at it, go Here to download "Mirrors" off the aforementioned album Mending.

How amazing is this?

First blog not really anything important

This is our first blog. We'll probably post here and on our myspace, but obviously this gives us so much more credibility.

Actually this blog may be more for rambling purposes, and also for letting you know about great videos and free downloads that we hear about. Feel free to pass on suggestions and we'll try and post them.

Thanks everyone,
It ain't easy being green.