Alt-512 Music Musings (Austin, Texas, USA)

[FairRetailRecordings] #0125 -- Ryan Bingham -- Tell My Mother I Miss Her So

2011-05-08T12:18:00.002-05:00

#0125

After a few months of hiatus for baby-havin' and what not, we're back to work here at FRR HQ.

This is for your mother, whether she's up the road, in another state or another country or watching from above.

Artist: Ryan Bingham

Date: 2010.07.09

Venue: Threadgill's World Headquarters

Track: Tell My Mother I Miss Her So

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Scott Nolan & Joanna Miller Live At Sam's Town Point 2011.03.19

2011-03-31T10:28:00.004-05:00

Scott Nolan (site) and Joanna Miller don't come to Texas from their Winnipeg homes nearly enough. They were here for a few weeks playing shows around with Adam Carroll culminating with a show at Sam's Town Point on Saturday March 19th as part of South By Sam's Town Point. That was the first time at Sam's Town since 2007, if memory serves. The time away didn't hurt them as they rolled in and didn't disappoint playing a large selection of new tunes from Scott's new record Montgomery Eldorado.

The do a particularly blistering version of "Bad Liver And Broken Heart" as well as my new favorite Nolan comp "Silvertone."

Here's the setlist:

01 You Rock We Roll
02 Famous In Texas
03 Banter
04 Poor Man's Holiday
05 My My Hey Hey
06 Banter
07 Bad Liver And A Broken Heart
08 Banter
09 Life Could Be A Dream
10 Chrome Black And Steel
11 Montgomery Eldorado
12 Banter
13 Clay Pigeons (Blaze Foley)
14 Banter: Adam Carroll's Birthday Card
15 Silvertone
16 Banter
17 No Bourbon And Bad Radio
18 Banter
19 Sometimes

If you missed it, never fear. Archive.org link to MP3s and FLACs and stream below. Enjoy.

http://www.archive.org/details/scottnolan2011-03-19.bluemikey.flac

Hayes Carll's KMAG YOYO (and other American Stories) Drops Tomorrow

2011-02-14T12:17:00.004-06:00

/Sorry for the hiatus...had a kid...busy...etc...will try to post more...to get us going, let's talk Hayes Carll...

The new record will be in stores tomorrow and let us be the 532nd blog to tell you that you won't be disappointed. We've been lucky enough to have the disc for the last month and it's excellent. While we could probably do without the title track itself, the rest of the record is rock solid and indicative of and comparable Hayes' best work on his three previous records. We are absolutely in love with "Stomp And Holler", "Bye Bye Baby", "The Lovin' Cup", "Bottle In My Hand: and "Hide Me". We're shoving this record to the top of the list of early favorites for record of the year.

Until you can get your greasy hands on a copy, here are two live recordings of songs from the record (from Hayes' Labor Day Festival in Luckenbach last year).

Chances Are (early set):

The Letter (aka Wild People) (late set):

[FairRetailRecordings] #0124 -- Mark Jungers & Adrian Schoolar -- Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

2010-12-24T10:09:00.002-06:00

#0124

Here's our final installment of FRR HQ Christmas 2010, featuring Mark Jungers covering John Lennon's Happy Christmas (War Is Over). If you're in central Texas tonight and need to get away from the family or skip church, Mark and the boys are playing the happy hour (6p-9p) set tonight at the Triple Crown in San Marcos. Please refer to Brock Zeman's song "The Triple Crown" for everything you need to know about the Triple Crown.

Merry Christmas, folks.

Artist: Mark Jungers

Date: 2007.12.07

Venue: Sam's Town Point

Track: Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0123 -- Mark Jungers & The Whistling Mules -- Merry Christmas Throughout The Year

2010-12-23T01:56:00.002-06:00

#0123

Part two of three of our FRR Christmas coverage from Mark Jungers. Enjoy.

Artist: Mark Jungers

Date: 2009.12.17

Venue: Gruene Hall

Track: Merry Christmas Throughout The Year

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0122 -- Mark Jungers & The Whistling Mules -- Run Run Rudolph

2010-12-18T16:45:00.001-06:00

#0122

Our Christmas coverage here at FRR HQ this year consists solely of three of our favorite holiday tunes courtesy of local staple Mark Jungers. First up, a rocked up version of Run Run Rudolph (the one Chuck Berry made popular).

Artist: Mark Jungers

Date: 2009.12.17

Venue: Gruene Hall

Track: Run Run Rudolph

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

The Best Of 2010...Artist Discoveries

2010-12-18T16:19:00.009-06:00

We'll kick off our Best of 2010 coverage with our favorite artist discoveries today and continue with the best studio records and best live shows later next week.

Thanks to our friends over at Review Shine, we discovered a little more in terms of new artists in 2010 than previous years.

Sara Petite (site)
Redeye Junction (bandcamp)
Otis Gibbs (site)
Tim Harwill (site)
The Tallest Man On Earth (site)
Mat D. (site)
Mike & The Moonpies (more of a rediscovery) (site)
American Aquarium (site)
Wrinkle Neck Mules (site)
james Keyes (site)
Jacob Jones (site)
Kasey Anderson (site)
Overmountain Men (site)
Tim Barry (site)
The Fox Hunt (site)

The Best Of 2010...Live Shows In and Around ATX

2010-12-18T15:41:00.010-06:00

We say it every year, but it bears repeating. Fuckin' A. What a great year for live music in Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. And We even missed most of SXSW.

We didn't hit up too many of the really huge shows (skipped ACL and the aforementioned SXSW miss due to vacation) but we packed in a boatload of high quality local and smaller touring acts.

Here are some of our favorite shows. Links to the audio of the shows are provided where possible.

Leo Rondeau & Mike & The Moonpies at the Mohawk on 2010.01.01 (Leo's set, Moonpies set)
Scott Miller at the Cactus Cafe on 2010.01.19
Chris Wall at Our House Concert on 2010.01.30
Justin Townes Earle at Stubb's BBQ on 2010.02.04
The Gourds & Otis Gibbs at the Cactus Cafe on 2010.02.19 (the Gourds set, Otis Gibbs' set)
Cory Branan & Tumbledown at the Mohawk on 2010.04.12 (Cory's set, Tumbledown's set)
Roger Alan Wade and Friends at the Mean Eyed Cat on 2010.04.14
The Railbenders at Herman's Hideaway on 2010.04.23
The Gourds at Threadgill's South on 2010.05.28
Mark Jungers and Houston Marchman at Gruene Hall 2010.06.18 (Mark's set, Houston's set)
James Hyland & The Joint Chiefs at the Mean Eyed Cat on 2010.07.10
Shinyribs at the Belmont on 2010.08.03
The Sons Of Bill at Emo's on 2010.08.29
Chris Knight at the Cactus Cafe on 2010.09.18
The Old 97s at the Ghost Room on 2010.10.13
Whitey Morgan and the 78s at Lovejoy's on 2010.10.21
Joe Pug at the Cactus Cafe on 2010.11.06
Various Artists performing the Last Waltz at Club Deville on 2010.11.21
Mike & The Moonpies happy hour run at the Mohawk during September (2010.09.02 & 2010.09.30)

[FairRetailRecordings] #0121 -- Shinyribs -- Buy U A Drank

2010-12-06T08:39:00.002-06:00

#0120

A hip-hop gem covered by Shinyribs (aka Kevin Russell from the Gourds).

Artist: Shinyribs
Date: 2010.08,03
Venue: The Belmont
Track: Buy U A Drank

Enjoy. And support your local music.

The Best Of 2010...Official Releases

2010-12-03T20:45:00.009-06:00

2010 was an interesting year for us here at the alt512. Lots of our favorite traditional OKOM powerhouses are in between records (some moreso than others - Slaid, Hayes, Corb, Charlie Robison) which really allowed us to focus on some more of the truly independent and self-produced music that came out this year.

Our favorite individual track was a toss up between Roger Alan Wade's "Deguello Motel", JTE's "Harlem River Blues" and Josh Ritter's "Folk Bloodbath". Great fucking songs.

It's hard for us to narrow the best of 2010 down to a single favorite because all of these records are so good but Hyland's Celestial Navigation really blew us away.

Alt512's Top Eight:
James Hyland & The Joint Chiefs Celestial Navigation
Shinyribs Well After A While
Red Eye Junction Better Days
James Keyes Ruminations
Sara Petite Doghouse Rose
The Fox Hunt Long Way To Go -- Late addition to the list, like 12/31 late
Tim Harwill The Wander Man Revisited
Mike & The Moonpies The Real Country

The Best Of The Rest:
Roger Alan Wade Deguello Motel
Buchanan Suit Of Lights
Josh Ritter So Runs The World Away
Various Artists Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine
Tim Hus Hockeytown
Justin Townes Earle Harlem River Blues
Overmountain Men Glorious Day
Adam Carroll & Michael O'Connor Hard Times
The Tallest Man On Earth The Wild Hunt

[FairRetailRecordings] #0120 -- Graham Weber -- The Way That I Feel

2010-11-17T11:00:00.002-06:00

#0120

Gotta start clearing out this backlog in anticipation of the 2nd Annual Christmas celebration here at FRR HQ.

Artist: Graham Weber
Date: 2010.06.24
Venue: Threadgill's
Track: The Way That I Feel

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0119 -- Mike & The Moonpies -- Barrio

2010-11-14T20:08:00.001-06:00

#0119

A belated part two here from the Moonpies. They're playing the Hole In The Wall with another favorite of ours, Leo Rondeau next Monday the 22nd. Don't miss it.

Artist: Mike & The Moonpies

Date: 2010.09.02

Venue: The Mohawk

Track: Barrio

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Joe Pug & The Hundred Mile Band Live @ The Cactus Cafe on 2010.11.06 [Live Audio]

2010-11-08T15:29:00.003-06:00

Joe Pug and the Hundred Mile Band closed out their $10 Tour in Austin at the Cactus Cafe to a young, packed room. Accompanied by Matt Schuessler on upright bass and Jordan Hamlin on electric guitar and accordian, Pug tore through a baker's dozen of his best compositions Saturday night before closing the show with a cover of the Low Anthem's "To Ohio". Of the Joe Pug shows I've seen, this was far and away the best.

If you missed it, never fear. LMA link to MP3s and FLACs and stream below. Enjoy.

http://www.archive.org/details/joepug2010-11-06.matrix.flac

Whitey Morgan & The 78s Live @ Lovejoy's On 2010.10.21 [Live Audio]

2010-10-27T14:08:00.003-05:00

We figure we'll pile on the Whitey Morgan and the 78s love.

We confess. We haven't heard the new record from Whitey Morgan and the 78s. Our bad. But we have seen them live since the record came out and got to hear a bunch of the new tunes. And they did not disappoint.

From the opening of John Prine's Paradise, to the closing of Dale Watson's "Where Do You Want It?", they band sounded fantastic and looked to be having a great time in front of the regulars at Lovejoy's in Austin. Have a listen for yourself.

http://www.archive.org/details/wm78s2010-10-21.matrix.flac

[FairRetailRecordings] #0118 -- Mike & The Moonpies -- El Camino

2010-10-26T13:26:00.001-05:00

#0118

Mike and The Moonpies is one of the best straight-up-country bands on the rise in Austin at this moment. We've got a couple of their tunes over the next few installments of the FRR. Check out their new record, The Real Country.

Artist: Mike & The Moonpies

Date: 2010.09.02

Venue: The Mohawk

Track: El Camino

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0117 -- Sons Of Bill -- Lost Loves And Indie Rockers

2010-10-14T11:54:00.002-05:00

#0117

At the Old 97s show last night, I mentioned that there's nothing worse than ugly hipsters. This song addresses many of my hipster-centric concerns.

Artist: Sons Of Bill

Date: 2010.08.29

Venue: Emo's

Track: Lost Loves And Indie Rockers

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0116 -- The Gourds -- The New Way Of Grievin' And Smokin' > Promised Land > Grievin' And Smokin'

2010-09-30T09:56:00.002-05:00

#0116

Artist: The Gourds

Date: 2010.05.28

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Grievin' And Smokin' > Promised Land > Grievin' And Smokin' (too large to email, click on the track name to download/listen)

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

James Hyland -- Celestial Navigation [Buy This Now]

2010-09-17T16:39:00.004-05:00

I've had James Hyland's Celestial Navigation on my iPhone since before it was released earlier this week but finally found time to give it a listen. I will say that I am glad I didn't let it go any longer and that I love this fucking album. I just started my third listen all the way through.

Hyland, formerly of the South Austin Jug Band, spent a good, long time crafting this record, honing the songs and the sound at places like Momo's, the Saxon Pub and the Mean Eyed Cat over the last two years in front of dozens of people (literally). The resulting record is nothing short of incredible. Cohorts Warren Hood, Willie Pipkin, Kim Deschamps, Robb Kidd, Chris Maresh and Dennis Ludiker lend their tremendous talents to Hyland's vision-brought-to-life very skillfully by producer Steven Doster.

Having seen Hyland live year after year in the various forms of the South Austin Jug Band and solo, I've seen these songs evolve and evolve (Come To Me, 2008.04.01) and I can say with some modicum of authority that the result is nothing short of perfection. The ten tracks on this record flow seamlessly from one to another and yet each is able to stand firmly on its own. There is not a low point on the record. IMO, that speaks to the strength of Hyland's songwriting and collective vision and execution between him and Doster and the players, known here as the Joint Chiefs.

"American Son", "21 Days 21 Towns", "Paint A Girl" and "Girls From Lake Ponchartrain" are my early favorites after three listens.

Please, please, please, do yourself a favor and go download this record from bandcamp:
http://jameshyland.bandcamp.com/

Hyland is employing the name your-own-price pricing tier which includes FREE. Whatever you can afford, it will be worth your hard earned greenbacks or silver to pick up this record. What the hell are you waiting for? Go. Buy. Download. Listen.

If you're interested, you can find some recent Hyland live performances over at the LMA:
http://www.archive.org/details/jameshyland2010-08-27.fm.flac [solo, radio show]

http://www.archive.org/details/jameshyland2010-07-10.matrix.flac [Joint Chiefs (band) show]

[FairRetailRecordings] #0114 -- The Gourds -- Chinese Variety Hour

2010-09-17T13:02:00.001-05:00

#0114

Sorry, 114 and 115 got switched in the order they were mailed out. My bad. Enjoy The Chinese Variety Hour. Really give the lyrics a listen. Pure gold!

Artist: The Gourds

Date: 2010.05.28

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Chinese Variety Hour

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0115 -- The Gourds -- Shamrock Bound

2010-09-08T12:19:00.001-05:00

#0115

Nothing quite like a song about growing a beard for a beard-growing contest on St Patty's Day.

Artist: The Gourds

Date: 2010.05.28

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Shamrock Bound

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0113 -- Jack Ingram -- Barbie Doll

2010-09-01T09:27:00.001-05:00

#0113

To say the crowd is out of tune would be a disservice to how out of tune they really are. And you know it's got to be bad because (1) I wasn't singing along [bucket/tune/no carry] and (2) I am commenting on how out of tune things get on here.

At any rate, this is from a very fun Jack Ingram show we attended shortly after moving to Austin, back in the Second Age of Ingram. The First and Third Ages of Ingram pale in comparison to the Second, in my humble opinion. I'm hoping for good things from the Fourth Age of Ingram due out any decade now.

Artist: Jack Ingram

Date: 2005.03.02

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Barbie Doll

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Sons Of Bill Live @ Emo's On 2010.08.29 [Live Audio]

2010-09-01T08:52:00.002-05:00

We had the good fortune to have the Sons Of Bill drop by Austin and play Emo's this past Sunday made for an unpleasant Monday (thanks to Jack Daniels) but well worth it. The crowd was sort of sparse but definitely were into the band. And the band definitely came to rock and rock they did.

Given our familiarity with only the Sons Of Bill's latest One Town Away, we were thrilled with the new tunes ("This Losing Fight", "Lost Loves And Indie Rockers", "Valley Of The Dead") and the ones from their previous effort, A Far Cry From Freedom ("Far Cry", "Roll On Jordan", "Whispering"). The cover Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" was what put the show over the top for us.

Come back soon, Sons Of Bill. We'll bring more people next time.

You can can download the entire show from the LMA here (or stream it below):

http://www.archive.org/details/sonsofbill2010-08-29.matrix.flac

[FairRetailRecordings] #0112 -- Eleven Hundred Springs -- Northside Blues

2010-08-27T12:37:00.002-05:00

#0112

By chance, today's installment of FRR features Eleven Hundred Springs who will be at the Continental Club tonight at midnight after the Stone River Boys. Get out and support if you can.

Artist: Eleven Hundred Springs

Date: 2009.10.12

Venue: The Continental Club

Track: Northside Blues

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0111 -- I See Hawks In LA -- Slash From Guns N Roses

2010-08-17T09:33:00.001-05:00

#0111

These guys need to come back to Austin for some shows. Been four+ years which is far too long.

Artist: I See Hawks In LA

Date: 2006.06.07

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Slash From Guns N Roses

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0110 -- Leo Rondeau -- Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night

2010-08-10T12:22:00.001-05:00

#0110

Leo covers Tom Waits! Loved it on the Nighthawks At The Diner record. Loved it again on It's A Good Night For Singing.

Artist: Leo Rondeau

Date: 2010.05.29

Venue: Club DeVille

Track: Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0109 -- Jerry Mynatt -- Forgive Me

2010-08-03T16:55:00.001-05:00

#0109

Part two of the Jerry Mynatt hookup. Another excellent selection.

Artist: Jerry Mynatt

Date: 2009.09.03

Venue: The Mean Eyed Cat

Track: Forgive Me

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0108 -- Jerry Mynatt -- Bullet Zero Bottle One

2010-07-28T09:37:00.001-05:00

#0108

From a Roger Alan Wade show where he invited Jerry up to play a couple of songs. The two songs he played were absolute killers. Here's the first. The second will be coming next week.

Artist: Jerry Mynatt w/ Jason Daly

Date: 2009.07.08

Venue: The Mean Eyed Cat

Track: Bullet Zero Bottle One

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0107 -- Houston Marchman -- Wichita Falls

2010-07-20T08:53:00.001-05:00

#0107

Here's Houston Marchman on the big stage at Gruene Hall with a damn fine band doing one of my favorites of his. Ah, prison songs. Will they ever get old?

Artist: Houston Marchman

Date: 2010.06.18

Venue: Gruene Hall

Track: Wichita Falls

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0106 -- Ryan Bingham -- Hard Times

2010-07-13T14:42:00.001-05:00

#0106

From back before the fame or the Oscar. Don't know where this came from or who recorded it, but it's definitely worth sharing. FYI, Bingham's also got a new record coming out on September 6th called Junky Star.

Artist: Ryan Bingham

Date: 2005.11.04

Venue: The Blue Door

Track: Hard Times

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0105 -- Shooter Jennings -- Fourth Of July

2010-07-06T16:46:00.001-05:00

#0105

Day or two late but nevertheless, I loved this song in the summer of 2005 or whenever it came out.

Artist: Shooter Jennings

Date: 2006.03.24

Venue: Gruene Hall

Track: Fourth Of July

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

The Gourds Beeblefest

2010-06-25T09:51:00.003-05:00

We've been busy. Sorry. Mea culpa. Whatever. You've probably noticed that FRR posts are down to once a week and we've hardly posted shit of late. It's summer. We've been busy working in the yard and hanging out in someone else's pool getting a tan. And going to shows. Slaid Cleaves last night at Threadgill's was rock solid with Michael O'Connor on guitar and Oliver Steck on accordian and trumpet briefly at the end. But that's not the point of this post.

You might have noticed that we've been on a Gourds kick in 2010. Hard. Real hard. Reeeeaaal hard. You get the point. For any of you Austinites or Gourds fans, you would do well to spend your hard-earned fifteen bones buying yourself admittance to the Scoot Inn on Saturday night for the Gourds once-every-thirteen-years tradition that is Beeblefest.

See you there. We'll be taping the whole thing with our Gourds taper-buddy Ducktaper [good sentence, eh?].

Here's the lineup:

6:15 - 7:00 Olde World [Outside]

7:15 - 8:00 Mike Nicolai [Outside]

8:00 - 8:30 Mandible [Inside]

8:30 - 9:30 Papa Mali [Outside]

9:30 - 10:00 Archibalds [Inside]

10:00 - 12:00 Gourds [Outside]

[FairRetailRecordings] #0104 -- Otis Gibbs -- The People's Day

2010-06-23T08:45:00.001-05:00

#0104

Some fine, fine sing-along protest work here from Otis Gibbs.

Artist: Otis Gibbs

Date: 2010.02.19

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: The People's Day

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0103 -- Houston Marchman -- Gorilla Pit

2010-06-15T09:10:00.002-05:00

#0103

To get the full weight of this song, you really need to listen to Houston's intro to the song. Here's the link. This song comes from one of my favorite records in recent memory, 2006's Key To The Highway and is just a fantastic metaphor for, well, life.

Artist: Houston Marchman

Date: 2010.02.19

Venue: Patsy's Cowgirl Cafe

Track: Gorilla Pit

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0102 -- Terry Allen - Red Bird

2010-06-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

#0102

Before I forget to send this out (like I did Friday), I'll get this out nice and sort of early today. I'm still trying to figure out who has less of an internet presence. Terry Allen or Butch Hancock....

Artist: Terry Allen

Date: 2007.09.07

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Red Bird

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0101 -- Guy Clark -- LA Freeway

2010-06-02T19:27:00.000-05:00

#0101

Since we're late getting this one out this week, please indulge us a shout out to a good friend who's moving on to bigger and TBD things as of the end of this week. This song fits.

Artist: Guy Clark

Date: 2008.09.18

Venue: The Texas Union Ballroom

Track: LA Freeway

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0100 -- The Flatcar Rattlers -- Barn Roof

2010-05-28T13:17:00.001-05:00

#0100

FRR has made to #100 and today we're featuring the same band that got things going for us, The Flatcar Rattlers. Here's to another hundred. Thanks for listening.

Artist: The Flatcar Rattlers

Date: 2009.07.03

Venue: Jovita's

Track: Barn Roof

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0099 -- Cory Branan -- Wayward And Down

2010-05-26T08:27:00.001-05:00

#0099

Artist: Cory Branan

Date: 2010.04.12

Venue: The Mohawk

Track: Wayward And Down

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0098 -- Joe Purdy -- Cowboy Song

2010-05-21T08:41:00.001-05:00

#0098

This is not the Thin Lizzy song but it's still a damn good song.

Artist: Joe Purdy

Date: 2010.03.20

Venue: The Gibson Guitar Showroom

Track: Cowboy Song

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0097 -- Hayes Carll -- Spring Wind

2010-05-18T10:29:00.001-05:00

#0097

This is one of my favorite covers Hayes used to do (it's a Greg Brown song), back when he played places like Freiheit, in the middle of summer, solo, without a cover charge. Ah, how far he's come (or gone).

Artist: Hayes Carll

Date: 2006.08.30

Venue: Freiheit Country Store

Track: Spring Wind

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0096 -- Butch Hancock -- Dry Land Farm

2010-05-15T01:24:00.001-05:00

#0096

A little late but nevertheless.

Artist: Butch Hancock

Date: 2006.07.14

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Dry Land Farm

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0095 -- The Devil Makes Three -- For Good Again

2010-05-11T08:33:00.001-05:00

#0095

The studio version of this song came on in the car a couple of days ago and I was struck by how much difference a few word changes could make. The studio version is much more PG than what you'll find here and I have no idea why they didn't keep the more edgy wording for the record. Wooing the soccer mom demographic? Doubtful.

Artist: The Devil Makes Three

Date: 2008.08.27

Venue: Stubb's BBQ (Inside)

Track: For Good Again

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Alt-512's Monthly Album Reviews & Recommendations [Condensed Version]

2010-05-10T16:38:00.006-05:00

We said a while ago that Kevin Russell of the Gourds has long been one of our favorite ENTERTAINERS. That hasn't changed, of course and we'd like to take this opportunity to plug his latest record, under the moniker Shinyribs, called Well After Awhile [out May 18th on Nine Mile Records].

In addition to always keeping the arrangements interesting [remember the tubas on "Sam Morgan"???], Shinyribs manages to walk that fine line as only Kev Russell can between potent spirituality/soul that springs from the lyrics/phrasing and the wit/humor found on the likes of "Country Cool" and "Poor People's Store".

From "Country Cool":

I don't like giving my dollars to China for this plastic paradigm

But I'll give 'em all to Mexico and Milwaukee twelve aluminum cans at a time

Our favorites on this record include the aforementioned "Poor People's Store" and "Country Cool", "Fisherman's Friend", "Who Built The Moon", "(If You Need The) 442" and "East Tx Rust" which to us feels a little like Elvis' funky version of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" and even features a verse from perennial alt-512 favorite Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Some other notes:

-Anytime anyone can work the phrase "sexy funeral" into a song [as Kev Russell does on "(If You Need The) 442"], we are in. No questions asked.

-"Poor People's Store" gets a lot of Roger Miller-esque mileage out of a ukuele + (bongos?) + tambourine + bass + vox arrangement on a very cleverly crafted succinct, statement of a song.

-We have no idea who did the art on Well After Awhile nor do we have any idea who did the artwork on Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan's S/T but there are similarities. Thats all we're saying. 'Nuff said? Let's move on.

With nary a weak spot on this record, Well After Awhile is definitely going to find a spot in our favorite records of 2010.

East Tx Rust:

[FairRetailRecordings] #0094 -- Todd Snider -- Looking For A Job

2010-05-07T14:04:00.003-05:00

#0094

Seems like a lot of my friends are in transitional phases with their jobs (many looking to leave, some leaving already for better things and others leaving due to cuts). Well, whatever the reason, everyone here at FRR HQ wishes you the best in your endeavors and we wish you the happiness and satisfaction that can only come from telling the boss to take this job and shove it (or whatever the politically correct 2010 version of that is). We always take solace in these words from Snider's Looking For A Job:

......
boomtown work ain't hard to come by
boomtown workers are
you might be the one running the show but
that don't mean you're in charge
......
I was looking for a job when I found this one
don't need the work like you need the work done
you look like you're under pressure
I was already looking for a job two weeks ago when I met you, remember?
......

Artist: Todd Snider

Date: 2008.04.16

Venue: Cheatham Street Warehouse

Track: Lookin' For A Job

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0093 -- Tumbledown -- A Texas Trilogy

2010-05-04T14:51:00.001-05:00

#0093

A compilation of everyone's favorite old standards sped up and squished down into two and a half minutes by punks from Washington state.

Artist: Mike Herrera's Tumbledown

Date: 2010.04.12

Venue: The Mohawk

Track: Home On The Range>Deep In The Heart Of Texas>Amazing Grace>Home On The Range

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0092 -- Billy Joe Shaver -- Georgia On A Fast Train

2010-04-30T09:02:00.003-05:00

#0092

Last of FRR's First Annual Month Of Train Songs. This comes from one of my never-seend-the-light-of-day recordings from my Ohio days. This was back when BJS still had the old band with Bobby Brown and Cornbread and all the boys. I miss that band. [I swear I had this planned out and the email drafted before BJS was acquitted of shooting that fella in Waco. Viva la Shaver!]

Artist: Billy Joe Shaver

Date: 2004.05.13

Venue: The Beachland [Bar]

Track: Georgia On A Fast Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0091 -- The Gougers -- Runaway Train

2010-04-27T08:39:00.002-05:00

#0091

As we wind down FRR's First Annual Month Of Train Songs, we come sliding into the proverbial roundhouse with a now defunct band (The Gougers) that has given way so that other bands (The Trishas & St Cloud) might rise from the wreckage.

Artist: The Gougers

Date: 2008.10.23

Venue: Cheatham Street Warehouse

Track: Runaway Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0090 -- Justin Townes Earle -- The Ghost Of Virginia

2010-04-23T08:32:00.001-05:00

#0090

Of all the train songs I've ever heard for the first time in the last couple of years, this Justin Townes Earle song is far-and-away my favorite.

Artist: Justin Townes Earle

Date: 2008.12.14

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: The Ghost Of Virginia

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Alt-512's Monthly Album Reviews & Recommendations

2010-04-21T13:42:00.003-05:00

In sharp contrast to the speed that seemed to rush February and March, April has been been moving by a nice leisurely pace and we're just now getting around to writing up James Keyes' Ruminations which we've been listening to for a good chunk of the month.

The first thing that strikes us is Keyes' voice which immediately conjurs recollections of the rasp inherent to the likes of Otis Gibbs and Ryan Bingham coupled with the low wash of fellow New Englanders Slaid Cleaves and/or Rod Picott. The songs themselves fall somewhere in the Ray Wylie Hubbard and Gurf Morlix realm in terms of the sense of spiritualism and stripped down honesty. Sometimes, less is more. And that is definitely the case with Keyes' Ruminations.

Our notes:

-"Chapter Six" is interesting in its use of overdubbed clips from a reading of Genesis Chapter Six. Having spent a lot time in church and Sunday schools studying the bible in a former life, we dig this song. The coolness factor on "Chapter Six" is off the charts - but probably only for us.

-On "Where Have You Been", when Keyes says "the weeds", we swear we can almost definitely hear Tom Waits saying "Louise, Louise."

-None of the songs are really pretentious or full of themselves or, hell, even indulgent really. They all get to the point, make the point and clear the way for the next. Impressive, really. A lesser artist might have strung these songs into something beyond Keyes' easy succinctness but the 44 minutes of Ruminations' 15 songs speed by with effortless ease keeping the listener fully engaged and entertained.

-Our other favorites from this record are the intro "Hardliner", "Work Song", "Black Ceiling", "When Will I Be Free", "Little Lamb" and "SSG".

-All in all seven or eight tracks made it onto the iPod and that's quite a shot better that most.

We're hoping Keyes makes his way to Austin very soon. Until then, we'll be digging this record that's equal parts of a whole lot of the things we love.

Hardliner:

Black Ceiling:

SSG:

Slaid Cleaves Live 'Down At The Horseshoe Lounge'

2010-04-21T08:25:00.005-05:00

In a completely unpublicized and hush-hush way, Slaid Cleaves recorded a live record at the Horseshoe Lounge last night (April 20, 2010). Well, it might turn into a live record. All the elements were there.

-Slaid and Michael O'Connor played a whole slew of his greatest hits.

-There was a gent there recording the whole thing to an Alesis 8-track recorder.

-A bunch of people somehow got word of the show and brought their friends (I'd estimate the crowd at around a hundred folks).

-The crowd was very quiet, enthusiastic and appreciative (which if you've been to the 'Shoe, you know is not the case. Ever.)

-Slaid hedged his bets after the first warm-up song saying that they were recording and if the recording turned out well, it might make it onto a cd. He didn't say the words "Live CD" so I reckon it could end up as filler at the end of a studio record. Then again, he didn't not say "Live CD" so who the hell knows?

-Slaid also encouraged folks to play shuffleboard and pool (but not the jukebox). I can only presume this encouragement was geared towards capturing some of the ambiance that drives the character of the Horseshoe.

I have loved Slaid's music for a long long time and honestly wonder why it took so long to have a run at making Live 'Down At The Horseshoe Lounge' happen (or whatever the name ends up being if at all). I'm glad it happened when it did and glad I was able to be there. I hope Team Slaid are able to get something usable from last night. And if they didn't, maybe they'll try again sometime soon.

Slaid has a penchant for taking his time in between studio records with new original material [Broke Down in 2000, Wishbones in 2004 and Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away in 2009]. I mention that only because a live cd would help fill some of the gap between the last album and the next in the same way that Unsung did in 2006 [sidebar: damn, seems to me like it was more recent than 2006].

In digging through my own Slaid archives, I found two live recordings of "Horseshoe Lounge" five-and-a-half years apart that I've included below. The first of which is from Little Brother's in Columbus, OH amazingly / coincidentally six years to the day from yesterday's show. The other is from the Cactus Cafe this past December. [Download the mp3s from the links below]

2004.04.20 - Little Brothers - Columbus, OH

2009.12.10 - The Cactus Cafe - Austin, TX

[FairRetailRecordings] #0089 -- Scott Miller -- The Amtrak Crescent

2010-04-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

#0089

FRR's First Annual Month Of Train Songs keeps rolling along with Scott Miller's "Amtrak Crescent".

Artist: Scott Miller

Date: 2010.01.19

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: The Amtrak Crescent

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0088 -- The Devil Makes Three -- Play A Train Song

2010-04-16T23:18:00.001-05:00

#0088

Trying to get this out on Friday [what happened to my Friday?]. DM3 does a Snider song (thanks to my friends in Chi-Town for this one). Yes!

Artist: The Devil Makes Three

Date: 2009.06.04

Venue: The Beat Kitchen

Track: Play A Train Song

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Quotes From The Show, Part VIII

2010-04-14T11:17:00.005-05:00

Mike Herrera from Tumbledown pontificates on Monday nights. Make sure to listen to both clips, both the banter and the Texas Medley. The Texas Medley includes "Home On The Range", "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" and "Amazing Grace" before closing with more of "Home On The Range" and the crowd even fills in during the right moments of "Deep In The Heart of Texas."

"I like this crowd. It's cool. It's like Monday nights are all for the professional drinkers out there. You know, you don't see any weekend warriors out on a Monday night. No no no."

-Mike Herrera, The Mohawk, 2010.04.12

Banter:

The Texas Medley:

[FairRetailRecordings] #0087 -- Todd Snider -- Play A Train Song

2010-04-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

#0087

Is a song about a guy wanting to hear a train song actually a train song like "Wreck Of The Old 97"? I suppose the train song tent is large enough that there's no harm to including a few fringe train songs on the official podium of train songs. Why the hell not?

Incidentally, in this song, Todd Snider has one of my favorite lines ever in song: "girl, you're hotter than the hinges hanging off the gates of hell."

Artist: Todd Snider backed by members of the South Austin Jug Band

Date: 2006.06.11

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Play A Train Song

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0086 -- Danny Schmidt -- Blue Railroad Train

2010-04-09T15:20:00.001-05:00

#0086

Danny Schmidt is the best songwriter, dead or alive, not named Bob Dylan. There I said it. As far as I can tell this is Danny's only train song although it's really a train song in name only, which for the purposes of our First Annual Month of Train Songs, works just fine. I guess this hints at the question we'll investigate further on Tuesday: is a song about train songs a train song itself?

Artist: Danny Schmidt

Date: 2009.03.06

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Blue Railroad Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Some Upcoming Shows Around The Austin Area

2010-04-06T09:30:00.006-05:00

We've got a few good shows coming up over the next week or so here in Austin.

Thursday 4/8 - Saturday 4/10

Thursday, the 8th, we'll be checking out our favorite bluegrass (?) band in Austin, the Flatcar Rattlers, at Jovita's from 8p-10p.

If that isn't your thing, you could always check out Lucero and Shooter Jennings at Emo's Thursday.

Friday night, April 9th, the Alt-512 gang will be hitting up The Triple Crown in San Marcos for Mark Jungers' monthly happy show before heading to the Broken Spoke for the rarest-of-the-rare full band show by Chris Wall.

Saturday, the 10th, Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons (née the Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash) will be holed up at the Mean Eyed Cat.

I think we can all agree that's quite a three-day stretch. Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Next week, for the middle of April, has a bunch of great shows that aren't to be missed.

Sunday 4/11 - Saturday 4/17

Alt-512 perennial favorite Roger Alan Wade will be playing Poodie's on Sunday 4/11, the Saxon on 4/13 and the Mean Eyed Cat on 4/14.

Monday night will feature sort-of-odd-couple Cory Branan and Mike Herrera's Tumbledown at the Mohawk.

Gruene Hall will feature three of our favorite songwriters in the round on Tuesday: Mark Jungers, Adam Carroll and Owen Temple.

Ben Kweller and the Old 97s will drop by Stubb's on Wednesday night.

Stubb's will again be busy with Charlie Robison and sister-in-law Kelly Willis on Friday the 16th.

Finally, Saturday the 17th will find Chris Knight at Gruene Hall and Danny Schmidt at a house concert in Austin.

If you need info on any of these shows, we've got the calendar right above which has more info on set times and venue addresses than I'm inclined to include here.

Three other notes:

(1) Southern Culture On The Skids starts their five-night stand at the Continental tonight at midnight.

(2) Old Settler's Music Festival starts April 15th and has an amazing lineup, as always.

(3) Junior Brown is in the midst of a series of Sunday shows at the Continental Club that seems to run on-and-off until the end of May. Check the Continental's schedule for more details.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0085 -- Brock Zeman -- The Train In Me

2010-04-06T09:29:00.001-05:00

#0085

Continuing with FRR's First Annual Month Of Train Songs, I'm including Brock Zeman with Blair Hogan and Dan Walsh (one of my three favorite guitar players) doing one of my favorite BZ songs.

Artist: Brock Zeman

Date: 2009.06.10

Venue: Riley's Tavern

Track: The Train In Me

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0084 -- Will Kimbrough -- Another Train

2010-04-02T08:27:00.001-05:00

#0084

Ah, Will Kimbrough. I've made no secret about my Kimbrough-love through the years. And it runneth deep. Will is such a great talent and he's finally starting to get some major love in the form of getting a cut ("Wings") on the latest Jimmy Buffett record in addition to his own great records. But this isn't "Wings". This is FRR's First Annual Month of Train Songs, baby! As such, I've included another of Will's efforts called "Another Train" from Stingaree a few years ago.

Artist: Will Kimbrough

Date: 2008.04.20

Venue: Stingaree Music Festival

Track: Another Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0083 -- Fred Eaglesmith -- Freight Train

2010-03-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

#0083

In case anyone cares, Alan Jackson's new record Freight Train is coming out today (3/30/2010) and the title track was written by Canadiana songwriting luminary Fred Eaglesmith. We here at FRR HQ are thrilled at the prospect of Fred getting a few sawbucks from the Alan Jackson music machine. As tribute, we've included Fred's live version of Freight Train from a show at Threadgill's.

[Also of note, the Freight Train record cover (below) features (a photoshopped version of) AJax leaning against a Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive (#5901) that sits in the Railroad Museum of PA in Strasburg. Yep, we've been there and taken a picture of that same locomotive. /End boasting.]

And finally, this seems to be the right time to segue way into FRR's first annual Month Of Train Songs! You knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Embrace it.

Artist: Fred Eaglesmith

Date: 2008.10.08

Venue: Threadgill's South

Track: Freight Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Alt-512's Monthly Album Reviews & Recommendations [Condensed Version]

2010-03-29T09:58:00.006-05:00

March sped by and we even though missed the bulk of the SXSW craziness between traveling and (real, bill-paying) work, we have hardly had time to listen to the submissions from our friends at ReviewShine. When the month started, we had downloaded a bunch of records but only one caught our ear this month and that one ended up in continuous rotation on the alt512 iPhone. The record we're pumping this month is Sara Petite's Doghouse Rose.

Sara Petite's voice is classic country. The songs themselves, all written by Petite except for one co-write and a Harlan Howard cover, remind us of the best of the best stuff that Chip Taylor wrote for his collaborations with Carrie Rodriguez a few years back. But it's more than that. The songs themselves run the gamut from bluegrass ("Bootleggers") to singer/songwriter ("Souvenirs", not the Prine/Goodman song) to straight country/honky-tonk ("Doghouse Rose", "Baby Let Me In") and even a little pop.

"Crazy" embodies the element of Doghouse Rose that we identify with most: honesty. We find all too often that artists tend to veil emotion or action at the risk of offending god-knows-who or in the interest of art or poetry (not that there's anything wrong with that). We kinda like things frank sometimes and Sara Petite delivers on the bad-decison-making-romp of "Crazy":

We made love in the church, we made love on the bar

The hotel, the motel, the love in the car

And we were crazy, oh so crazy

He had me swinging from the tables to the chandeliers

And whiskey was a-grinnin' from ear to ear

After the first few listens something really struck us: that this sounded like a Nashville record. Of course, we're not the biggest Nashville fans but what we came to find after a few more listens was that these songs, the things that can make or break a record before it's even recorded, were SPECTACULAR, regardless of the arrangement and Nashville-y production. Like the Tim Harwill record we latched onto back in January, we're definitely going to be buying the rest of the Sara Petite catalog as soon as humanly or digitally possible.

Between this and Harwill's The Wander Man Revisited, we have our early front-runners for the album of the year. [Yeah, I know Doghouse Rose was released in 2009 but I didn't get a heads up about it until this year, so there you go.]

We cannot recommend this record strongly enough.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0082 -- Max Stalling -- Topaz City

2010-03-26T07:19:00.000-05:00

#0082

Max Stalling is one of the most glaring examples of "popular in Texas / not too popular anywhere else." His songwriting reinforces much of the small town, family, friends and occasionally guy-stuck-in-a-cistern ethos that embodies Americana (or maybe Texicana in this case). Couple those songs with a silky smooth voice and you've got one of the best hidden treasures of Texas music. This is a song about the old hometown.

Artist: Max Stalling

Date: 2008.04.30

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Topaz City

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0081 -- Cross Canadian Ragweed -- Wanna Rock 'N Roll

2010-03-23T12:23:00.003-05:00

#0081

A song by Ray Wylie Hubbard, covered by Cross Canadian Ragweed.

Artist: Cross Canadian Ragweed

Date: 2004.05.12

Venue: Ludlow's

Track: Wanna Rock 'N Roll [Too large to email, use the download link that's the track name.]

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0080 -- Cross Canadian Ragweed -- Leaving Tennessee

2010-03-20T11:41:00.001-05:00

#0080

With SXSW in full swing, there's always a strong pro-Indie feel in the air. Despite Ragweed's mainstream successes, I find this song really gives off an antiestablishment vibe. [Thanks to Chuck M for taping and sharing.]

Artist: Cross Canadian Ragweed

Date: 2008.05.14

Venue: The Black Sheep

Track: Leavin' Tennessee

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0079 -- Will Kimbrough -- The Powers That Be

2010-03-16T11:50:00.001-05:00

#0079

Another one that involves Will Kimbrough. I wish he'd tour solo more....

Artist: Will Kimbrough

Date: 2004.12.11

Venue: The Southgate House

Track: The Powers That Be

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0078 -- Daddy -- Wash And Fold

2010-03-12T08:18:00.002-06:00

#0078

One of the most enjoyable days from SXSW was last year, seeing Daddy (Will Kimbrough, Tommy Womack, et al) and Chris Wall and Mark Jungers back to back. And if you don't know who Will Kimbrough is, shame on you.

Artist: Daddy

Date: 2009.03.19

Venue: Jovita's

Track: Wash And Fold

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Our On-Going Love Of The Boss' Atlantic City

2010-03-11T09:27:00.002-06:00

We talked a while back about how much we love Springsteen's Atlantic City...a little too much, it turns out. This recording of Justin Townes Earle covering Atlantic City with Joe Pug turned up on the LMA (thanks NCHell & Atomic Pope) recently and we felt it would be remiss of us to not share it with you. Enjoy.

http://www.archive.org/download/jte2010-03-09/jte20100309d02t12.mp3

[FairRetailRecordings] #0077 -- Mike McClure -- Family Reserve

2010-03-09T08:20:00.001-06:00

#0077

Last of the Mike McClure (for now). Here's a cover of a Lyle Lovett song.

Artist: Mike McClure

Date: 2008.12.10

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: Family Reserve

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0076 -- Mike McClure -- North Platte Blues

2010-03-05T09:11:00.002-06:00

#0076

Another one from Mike McClure, a song about home I guess.

Artist: Mike McClure

Date: 2008.12.10

Venue: The Cactus Cafe

Track: North Platte Blues

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0075 -- Mike McClure -- Out In The Fields

2010-03-02T10:58:00.001-06:00

#0075

Mike McClure is an incredibly talented producer. However, had he never turned a nob on a Cross Canadian Ragweed record, he'd still be one of my favorite songwriters. Since his split from the Great Divide a few years back, he's been putting out great records left and right (Twelve Pieces And Camelot Falling are two absolute gems). That said, the next three FRR mailers are going to be from Mr. McClure. The first one is with the band a few years back at Threadgill's.

Artist: Mike McClure

Date: 2005.10.28

Venue: Threadgill's

Track: Out In The Fields

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0074 -- Josh Ritter -- Crystal Chandeliers And Burgundy

2010-02-26T12:41:00.001-06:00

#0074

It's Johnny Cash's birthday today which is why we're sending out Josh Ritter covering a JC song. I encourage you to celebrate this day like the Man In Black would have by wearing black, drinking heavily and popping pills. And if you're in Austin, we'll be staying mean at the Mean Eyed Cat tonight for some live music in honor of Dyess, Arkansas' favorite son.

Artist: Josh Ritter

Date: 2007.10.29

Venue: The Parish

Track: Crystal Chandeliers And Burgundy

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0073 -- Graham Weber -- Brisket

2010-02-25T09:11:00.001-06:00

#0073

Here's a special Thursday FRR mailing in advance of JRC's birthday tomorrow. One of my favorite topics from one of my favorite Austin transplants.

Artist: Graham Weber

Date: 2007.04.14

Venue: Stingaree Music Festival

Track: Brisket

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.

Our Gourd-Love Runneth Deep [Or How I Learned To Stir Up Controversy In Americana Music]

2010-02-24T12:18:00.003-06:00

Kevin Russell of the Gourds has never been one to shy away controversy (well, as much as exists in OKOM, anyway), even it's just him talking to an interviewer. And that's a small part of why he's one of our favorite entertainers. Ever. Period.

In a recent preview of a show in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with interviewer Aaron Davis of the JH Weekly, Russell fires shots across the respective bows of two alt-coutry/indie/OKOM/whatever favorites:

“Making the setlist is the hardest part of what I do,” Russell admits. “I’m envious of bands like Old Crow or Old 97s that play the same set every night. I like shows to have a flow and build energy, but we try to use the list as a map and not worry about it too much.”

And that's why people like, no, love the Gourds. They don't want to play the same set every night and the fans don't want the same set every night.

Thank you, Gourds. Thank you Kevin Russell.

[FairRetailRecordings] #0072 -- Peewee Moore & The Gunhands -- Georgia On A Fast Train

2010-02-23T08:29:00.001-06:00

#0072

Completely unrehearsed; a man and a band (that's not his own) coming together to knock out a great cover of a Billy Joe Shaver classic. I love it.

Artist: Peewee Moore & The Gunhands

Date: 2010.01.14

Venue: The Mean Eyed Cat

Track: Georgia On A Fast Train

Enjoy. And support your local music scene.