New Springsteen Album / New Manics Album / New Rodney Crowell

 On the way he revealed last night! Im over the  - moon with these releases. Steph and I huge manics fans and I went to see them in Hydye Park. The Crowell wrote one of my favourite songs - check out vans version of Til I Gain Control Again.

The boss - what can I say. He seems to have burst the bubble. &5 songs for born in the usa -  no do 12 and release it!

Here is my version of Americana New Classics (Vol 1!)

You can check this out on the following:

Spotify ( I think just look me up)

The Highly recommended Lockdown Country Radio Lockdown Country Radio - playing great country music 24-7!

The Jayhawks Everbody Knows

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Justin Townes Earle Whats She Crying For

Margo Price Stone Me

Lindi Ortega Run Down Neighbourhood

JP Harris When I Quit Drinking

Dawes A Little Bit of Everything

Phosphorescent Song For Zula

Yola Love All Night (Work all Day}

Ryan Adams I'm Sorry And I Love You

Ashley McBryde American Scandal

Courtney Maries Andrews May Your Kindness Remain

John Prine Summers End

Rodney Crowell It Aint Over Yet 0:05:14

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https://youtu.be/FLbyNNWzMzI

Lockdown Country Radio North Country Post #1 - Americana UK Critics Choice

 Hello dear reader! It has been a while since I posted anything - bit inexcusable as we have all had time on our hands over that last year or so! 

Anyway I have been taking part in an online radio station Lockdown Country Radio - I am playing Americana (I now I know what exactly is Americana?). Whilst I wont reach any heady heights it is good fun compiling and ordering the tracks and of course it is not as easy as I would have thought. Hats off to Willie Evans who adds a bit of gloss on the transitions.

This Friday at 9pm (about an hour from now) you can hear a playlist based on the great Americana UK webistes critics choice of the greatest Americana albums.

Easist thing is to ask Alexa and if I can work it out I will post a mixcloud link.

Here is the playlist, I am sure you will have your own view on what is missing.

Next week it is "New Classics" which I am freally excited to hearing how it sounds! I will update here.

This weeks playlist:

Emmylou Harris                                     Darkness Hour Is Just Before Dawn

The Civil Wars                                     Barton Hollow

Flying Burrito Brothers                             Dark End Of The Street

Laura Cantrell                                             Not The Tremblingn' Kind

Uncle Tupelo                                             No Depression

Wilco                                                     War On War

Paul Kelly and the Messengers             Leaps and Bounds

Cowboy Junkies                                    Sun Comes Up Its Tuesday Morning

Townes Van Zandt                                     Pancho and Lefty

Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rosanne Cash     You Aint Going Nowhere

Dwight Yoakam                                     Bury Me

Gene Clark                                             Life's Greatest Fool

Johnny Cash                                             The Beast In Me

Joni Mitchell                                             A Case Of You

Neil Young                                             I Believe In You  

Obviously some very well known Artists and Tracks, but enough different things to keep the interest up I hope you will agree!

Enjoy.

Hopefully this link to a spotify playlist will work!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6cshM8MToDB0vWyEjIBcWJ?si=553487e9e01741b7

Whitney Rose - We Still Go to Rodeos

I do not know an awful lot about Whitney Rose despite this being her fifth release, the others I will need to check out as this is one of the best records I have heard in a very long time.

To me it is a great mix of country / Americana and rock. Brilliant writing and playing, great production and a wonderful voice. Absolutely love this album. She has worked with a great array of artists including Raul Malo and I am fairly sure Sam Outlaw. Her album is self released I think due to the circumstances at the moment.

Here is the Amazon bio:

Austin, Texas based recording artist Whitney Rose is set to release her fifth studio recording, We Still Go to Rodeos, on April 24, 2020. Rose is an award winning internationally lauded and critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter whose music bends genres and transcends international boundaries. Rose has been covered in major outlets like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Fader, UPROXX and international outlets like Fashion Magazine, Glamour, and Esquire. Announced festival highlights for 2020 include Stagecoach, Under The Big Sky, and SXSW which will coincide with her relentless touring schedule. Since 2016 Rose performed over 400 shows and gained international recognition for her music and live performances. In 2016 Rose won the ECMA Award for Country Album of the Year. In 2019 she won Honky Tonk Female of the Year at The Ameripolitan Awards. She has performed on stages or recorded with artists such as The Mavericks, Raul Malo, Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, Jason Isbell, Redd Volkaert, Earle Poole Ball, The Proclaimers, Reverend Horton Heat, Midland, and many more. Her new album features twelve original Whitney Rose recordings and was produced by Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Hole, The Pixies, Uncle Tupelo, Lou Reed).

The stand out tack for me is I'd Rather Be Alone.

Band of Heathens - Green Grass of California

I have to confess I know nothing about the Band of Heathens, Mike Ritchie played this last Sunday on his Celtic Radio show (Mike Ritchie On Sunday, , along with many other great tracks and I have been enjoying listening to both this band and the others Mike played that I do not really know.

I think this is a bit Jayhawks, Gram and certainly for me Cowboy Junkies.

Great sound.



I loved this live version:



Another good track:

SCM Artist of The Week # 4 - Billy Ray Cyrus Hey Elvis

I am afraid this is an absolute struggle for me. Billy Ray Cyrus I know little about, not a fan and not really likely ever to be. However in the spirit of it all I tracked down this fun version of a Bryan Adams / Gretchen Peters track, good video too! I am fairly sure Bryan Adams is on backing vocals

And I wont tell if you don't...

Rodney Crowell - It Ain't Over Yet

Did I mention that Michael and I saw Rodney Crowell in Nashville....thought so.

He is a long time favourite of mine, an absolutely superb songwriter and excellent live performer, and seems to be a thoroughly decent caring guy. Going by some of his blogs recently he seems to be having challenges with the lockdown. We all are to some extent.

I heard this again recently on Ricky Ross Another Country show. It is just a brilliant song and very "Rodney" in my opinion. Love it and Roseanne Cash gets better with every year and release. I do not know much about John Paul White but will be looking him up.

I love these lyrics and I totally relate:

t's like I'm sitting at a bus stop waiting for a train
Exactly how I got here is hard to explain
My heart's in the right place, what's left of it I guess
My heart ain't the problem, it's my mind that's a total mess

I post a live version from Nashville at the great City Winery and the superb official video along with a wee bonus track.




The official video




Bonus track with his long time collaborator Emmylou:

A-Z of names in Rock #1

The book by Mark Beech A-Z of names in rock has given me some inspiration for a "thread" of occasional clips of the origins of Rock Names.

Where to start but with The Boss himself,
Bruce Springsteen. Or more specifically the E Street Band. I knew E Street was in Asbury Park but didn't realise the full derivation.

David Sancious who was the original keyboard player (up to 1974) lived in E Street and the band rehearsed there in the garage. David has a superb CV working solo and with many great artists, especially Peter Gabriel and Springsteen at various points in his career.

So it all adds to the legend of a legendary band!

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band with David Sancious:



The E Street Band with Darlene Love:



The E Street Band with Ronnie Spector, the more observant will notice this is a Billy Joel cover:

Brian Eno

Belated birthday wishes to Brian Eno, one of rock music true innovators and an absolute genius writer, performer and musician, His work with Bowie, obviously, I am a huge fan of not to mention Roxy Music, Talking Heads, U2, Paul Simon, Carmel.... I am sure I am scratching the surface!

A great photo at Hansa Studios, Berlin - Heroes sessions.

Most of us will have a record which Eno has either played on, produced or had a writing credit for. As well as Bowie, Talking Heads  and U2 I am particularly keen on one of the albums he issued with David Byrne Everything that Happens Will Happen Today. The accompanying tour was innovative and superb.

A selection:

Lockdown Gig - Brady Paisley w Lady Antebellum

Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum put on a full band show live stream last night - great effort and although odd with no audience, excellent performances from both. I assume social distancing and safety complied with and full credit to all involved. Donate if you can!

Mark Beech, A-Z of Names In Rock

I was sad to hear of the passing of the influential rock critic , editor and author Mark Beech. I didn't know Mark of course but I am aware of his work and unlike a lot of critics he was knowledgeable and well researched. Mark had been living in Scotland recently and I have no doubt enjoyed the vibrant music scene here.



Mark wrote the excellent book A-Z of Names in Rock, amongst other works, and the book is brilliantly researched and as Mark absolutely intended a book that you dip into and use as a springboard. 

I plan to use the book as inspiration for some posts which hopefully will be fun and informative.

Jason Isbell - Lockdown Stream, Reunions

Eagerly awaited the new album Reunions has arrived from Jason Isbell and on a couple of playes sounds brilliant. He has really grown as a solo artist and as you will know a superb live performer. He alos gives a lot of his creative energy to the projects of others (Josh Ritter but one example).

Reunions

Overseas

I will give the album a full post but in the meantime hopefully you will be able to catch his live stream with the wonderful Amanda Shires who is of course his wife and collaborator. A brilliant live performer. AS ever check out local times and how to sign up, I am sure you will enjoy:

https://fans.com/livestream/20200515-jason-isbell-and-amanda-shires/

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Lockdown Songs Quittin' Time

I did say I was not going to post too much of these things however.....this is possibly my favourite ever MCC songs. She does it both slow and fast, certainly live I have heard her do it both ways. A great song of lost love and regret...a companion in some ways to the Waterboys The Thrill Is Gone, again I song I think is superb.



Here is how it used to sound, Shawn Colvin on backing vocals!

Jerry Joseph - new lp and lead track Days of Heaven

Jerry Joseph is not that well known in the UK but is a great singer / songwriter and has worked with a host of well known artists including Drive By Truckers.

Here is the lead single, Days of Heaven,  from the forthcoming album The Beautiful Madness, produced by Patterson Hood and due out late August. I believe this is his first mainstream release in the UK. Let me know what you think!

Lockdown Streams - Tom Petty Live!

More music from streams etc. I am finding it hard to keep up and so will only post the most interesting of things, if you have arrived here you obviously know how to navigate these things so I would encourage you to keep an eye out for live videos, house concerts etc. through your usual social media feeds and links. And obviously please donate where you can, most seem to be charitable but that is not always the case.

So anyway... Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are streaming a live gig on Saturday night i think, but please check this, at 2am UK time - so Sunday morning. Tom is sadly missed, I was lucky enough to catch one of his last ever gigs at Hyde Park with Stevie Nicks also on the bill. There seems to be several viewing options, just stream or join in on a zoom meeting with the gig streaming and the opportunity to interact with other fans. Cannot think of anything worse!

And this is just a great song: