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= Number Two =+= =+= T W A N G I N' ! =+= =+= July, 1994 =
On-Line
"It don't mean a thang ~ ~ If it ain't got that twang!"
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= Editor: Cheryl Cline =+= cline@well.sf.ca.us =
= Sidekick: Lynn Kuehl
TWANGIN'! On-Line is a monthly e-zine about country western music, covering
what you might call the back forty rather than the top forty. Other people
look at the word "country" and see line dancing and achey breaky hearts, but
we see bluegrass, rockabilly, old-time music, cajun, folk, western swing,
zydeco and Tex-Mex. Then we throw in blues and roots rock just to round things
out.
And that's just to start.
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TWANGIN' is also a quarterly print fanzine, available from Cheryl Cline, 2230
Huron Drive, Concord, CA 94519. Subscriptions are $8.00/four issues -- a
bargain at 32-36 pages an issue! Ask for a copy; the first one is free. The
print version and the electronic version are not identical, though material
will be swapped between the two. Twangin' has gotten good reviews from
FACTSHEET FIVE, TOWER PULSE!, ROCK & RAP CONFIDENTIAL, SING OUT!, ALARM
CLOCK, THE FEEDLOT, and MUSIC CITY TEXAS.
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TWANING' is always looking for contributions in the way of reviews,essays,
interviews, and discographies. We are especially interested in reports on
local country, bluegrass, old-time and rockabilly scenes.
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==> CAVEAT: Monthly? Did I say monthly? Well, okay, things have gotten off to
kind of a rough start; but like a dope I put Twangin'! #1 out in the middle of
May instead of at the beginning of the month, so rather than catch up by
putting #2 out a mere two weeks later, I decided (and circumstances decided
for me) that I'd just wait and send it forth near the beginning of July. The
next issue will appear 'round about August 1.
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=+= C O N T E N T S =+=
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= Interview: Billy Joe Shaver. By Jim Catalano
= Reviews: CD's and cassettes by Ricky Barnes & the Hootowls, Joe Ely, Rosie
Flores, Michael Fracasso, Tish Hinojosa, Robert Earl Keen, Jr., Don
McCalister, Jr., OKra All-Stars, Pleasure Barons, Sweethearts of the
Rodeo, and Alan Whitney
= Books: Larry Brown
= If I Were Queen of the Silver Dollar. By Jill Van Vliet
= Internet Resources
---------------
All unsigned material is by Cheryl Cline
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B I L L Y J O E S H A V E R
= Interview by Jim Catalano =
=============================
IF THERE WAS A COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD for "Comeback of the Year," then 1993's
winner surely would have been Billy Joe Shaver. Last year, the Texas-born
songwriter released TRAMP ON YOUR STREET (Zoo/Praxis), which is only his
second album in ten years, and seventh overall. Many music critics have hailed
it as the best country album of the year.
On TRAMP ON YOUR STREET, Billy Joe shares equal billing with his son,
Eddy, a monster guitarist who's toured with Dwight Yoakam. Contributing
players include keyboardist Al Kooper, bassist Keith Christopher, drummer Greg
Morrow, and guest backup vocalists Waylon Jennings and Brother Phelps. While
Eddy is certainly a hot picker, he doesn't get in the way of the songs. And
what songs they are! From the rousing "Heart of Texas" to the Dixieland-
flavored "Good Ol' U.S.A.," Billy Joe paints a vivid picture of his Texas past
and present. The title cut recounts his youthful hike to see a Hank Williams
performance. There's some optimistic songs, especially the Tex-Mex flavored
"Take a Chance On Romance." He also recut two of his best-known songs: "Old
Chunk of Coal," which was a hit for Jon Anderson, and "Georgia On A Fast
Train," a proud testimonial about growing up poor in the South which rockets
along on Eddy's molten solos -- think Billy Gibbons meets Albert Lee! Eddy
also shows some tasty acoustic chops, particularly the melodic fingerpicking
on the uplifting "Live Forever." Not only would I say TRAMP ON YOUR STREET is
the best country album of the year, it's one of the best albums of any kind
that I've ever heard.
The 54-year old Shaver is probably best-known for writing almost all the
songs on Waylon Jennings' 1973 album HONKY TONK HEROES. Perhaps TRAMP ON YOUR
STREET will finally earn him the widespread acclaim he's so long deserved.
Whatever the outcome, Billy Joe certainly sounded optimistic when he called
from the Praxis Records office in Nashville.
CATALANO: You must be very happy with the critical praise for Tramp On Your
Street.
SHAVER: Oh man, yeah! Of course, we knew as far as we were concerned it was
great, but we didn't really know if people would like it; you never know.
Thank God that it did turn out that way, and when [positive reviews] started
coming in, it really was great because we had worked so hard. It just keeps on
going; we were really lucky. The timing's right, it seems like everything's
just right for this album.
CATALANO: I really like the title cut to TRAMP ON YOUR STREET. It must have
been quite an experience to have Hank Williams sing to you when you were only
a little kid.
SHAVER: It was pretty amazing. It stuck with me all that time and I finally
wrote that song. It took me almost a whole career to figure out how to write
that song. A lot of my stuff is done by recall, anyway, and it just rolled
around in me long enough and finally came out that way. It's great to be in
this (songwriting business) and just be part of it. You don't really think
about what you're going to get out of it because you'd do it for nothing and
most people have. Some of them will do it for nothing their whole lives and
I've been real lucky; it looks like we might be able to go on and do another
one. That's what I've always felt was being successful: being able to get to
the next gig and being able to do another album.
CATALANO: Are you happy with R.S. "Bobby" Field's production of "Tramp On Your
Street"? He always seems to get great guitar sounds on his albums [Field did
Webb Wilder and Sonny Landreth's Praxis albums].
SHAVER: If it weren't for Bobby, this record wouldn't have gotten made. He's
the one who went out and got it done. He's the reason we contacted these
people here at Praxis. He's good at all of it. He arranges things real well.
We were lucky all this came together at one time. And the people here in
Nashville at Praxis and BMG have been great, everybody's just been coming up
and helping. I've never had this reaction before and it's all been wonderful
to me.
CATALANO: That's quite a change from your past bad luck with record companies.
Shaver: They had bad luck with me, too! I guess the timing wasn't right or
something, but this time it was. I'm happy to take what's give to me. It's
really wonderful at this point in my life and career that it finally came
around. It just goes to show you if you just keep on fussin' you might win!
CATALANO: Do you find it harder to write the more personally revealing songs,
like "If I Give My Soul"?
SHAVER: Not really; I enjoy it. At the time I'm writing them they're so close
to me they don't seem like that much to me. They don't knock me out as much as
they do other people, but later on it finally hits me. It's just like
something that's common to you -- you don't think it would be that interesting
to something else, but it works out that it's the most interesting the deeper
you can dig. It's just a self-healing process, really; you kind of heal
yourself by getting into those things real heavy.
CATALANO: In "If I Give My Soul" and a few other songs, there's some religious
references. Has that been a constant theme in your writing?
SHAVER: Yeah, it has. You can go back to my first album that I put out on
Monument [produced by Kris Kristofferson] and I've got two Jesus songs on it.
Just about all of my songs have a spiritual feeling to them. It's not anything
I try to do; it just occurs naturally with me. It's not so much preaching or
pointing your finger or anything; it's just there.
CATALANO: By the way, have you heard Marty Stuart's cover of "If I Give My
Soul" yet? It's on his new album LOVE AND LUCK.
SHAVER: I haven't heard it yet. He's good, a good musician, too. I was real
pleased that he did that. He's been a fan a long time. We know each other
pretty well.
CATALANO: One of my favorite songs on the new album is "Live Forever." Is that
a new song?
SHAVER: Fairly new. Eddy did all the guitar on that particular song. He gave
me that melody a few years back, and I thought it was so great that I put it
on a tape recorder. I drive around a lot -- I'll just get an old car or truck
and I'll just drive around and I'm liable to go five or six states away and
just drive. I do a lot of my writing when I drive. This particular melody
knocked me out so much; I thought my son gave it to me so I've got to do real
good on this one. I kept it with me for six or eight weeks and that's all I'd
mess with. I'd go back to it, sometimes I'd write another song, but it wound
up being really close to home. He helped me with a few of the words and it
came together really good.
CATALANO: The harmonies by Brother Phelps really add to that song.
SHAVER: Aren't they great? Those guys are so great! I'm just so lucky to have
those guys on there and Waylon too, but Brother Phelps just blows me away.
They're great guys, too; they're really nice people.
CATALANO: I heard "Hottest Thing In Town" was inspired by Madonna.
SHAVER: I was sitting around watching TV one day, and this documentary came on
about her early days; how she got her start dancing and stuff. They mentioned
on there that she was born on August 16, which is my birthday, too. I said
'I'll be darned' and I found myself just writing that song about her. I ain't
never met her, and don't intend to. That's the first time I think anything on
TV inspired me to write.
CATALANO: I've heard "Hottest Thing In Town" and "Live Forever" on the radio
occasionally, but I guess you haven't broken into heavy rotation yet.
SHAVER: No, that part's been slow in coming, but you can equate it with the
critics and writers -- it was kind of slow at first but it picked up steam,
and I think radio will probably happen the same way. It really hasn't gotten
to the ears of the public yet. It's a hard thing to break into, but we've got
the goods. We just have to be heard.
CATALANO: So what's it like to be in a band with your son?
SHAVER: It's great! For one thing, I've tried using other people before, but
it just don't work. We've been playing together for so song that he knows
where I'm going and I know where he's going and its just one of those blood
things. We get along pretty well, we're pretty much friends more than father
and son. We have [spats] every so often but neither of us likes that.
Everything seems to be going pretty good. He's stuck with me and now it's
starting to be rewarding. Eddy's real good, too. He's got a good future ahead
of him, he's really a good writer and a good singer and a great guitar player.
He's just waiting to happen! He's rock and roll, pedal to the metal stuff!
CATALANO: I just got a copy of C.J. Berkman's tape "A Texican Tradition"
[Available from Saddle Tramp Publications, 7615 Stone Crop Lane, San Antonio
TX 78249. Phone 210-558-8745]. He bills himself "the South Texas Redneck
Poet"; I see you read his poem "Mad Dogs & English Women."
SHAVER: He's a poet from down there in San Antonio, he's an old friend. I did
it as a favor to him; he's a good old boy. He comes to some of my shows
sometimes and I let him get up and do a few poems. I like that kind of stuff,
you don't seem to see or hear it very often.
CATALANO: Prior to TRAMP ON YOUR STREET, you had only released one album in
the past decade (1987's SALT OF THE EARTH on Columbia). Where have you been
writing and performing all this time?
SHAVER: Yeah, we just kept on playing in the honkytonks and I just kept on
writing. I just figured writing's the cheapest psychiatrist there is, and God
knows I need it, so I've just been writing up a storm and still do. It's still
a hobby with me; I really love to do it. If I get on a particular song I
really enjoy, I'll stick with it a long time just to keep from finishing it
because I enjoy working with things like that.
CATALANO: What inspires your songwriting?
SHAVER: I don't read at all, I don't listen to radio and TV's not a big deal
either. I kind of like things coming out of me as much as I can. I like to
live my life to its fullest and the way to do that is just have things that
come out of me. I'd hate to get anything other than my true conception. Not
that anything else is any better; it's just that I enjoy living my own life
and enjoy doing my own writing.
CATALANO: Would you say that there's a Texas attitude in your writing? Do you
think you'd be different if you came from Florida or California?
SHAVER: Probably not a whole lot different, but different. There is a Texas
thing there; I guess it's just a lot of pride. Of course, pride ain't worth
nothing! But there is a Texas thing in there. It comes from all that old
history down there. You push a little harder.
CATALANO: How long have you been in Nashville?
SHAVER: I came to Nashville in 1966 and I've been here off and on ever since.
CATALANO: Have you ever tried becoming a "house writer" with one of the
publishing companies?
SHAVER: No, I haven't. I like to write by myself. Every once in a while
something will happen -- I wrote one song on HONKY TONK HEROES with Waylon
called "You Asked Me To"; we wrote that in about five minutes -- but I haven't
written that many with other people; there's just something about it. I have
a hard enough time dancing with a girl without stepping on her toes, much less
writing with some old guy. I'd imagine we'd butt heads a lot. That co-writing
thing...something about it always bothered me.
CATALANO: Was the album Honky Tonk Heroes conceived as a whole for Waylon
Jennings, or were the songs written separately?
SHAVER: Waylon heard me playing one of them songs in a trailer down at the
first Dripping Springs reunion in Texas, and he heard me playing "Willie the
Wandering Gypsy and Me" and he came running out saying "I want that song." So
I told him "you can have it" and he asked if I had any more of those cowboy
songs. At the time [1972], I had a whole sackful of them, so he said "come on
up to Nashville and I'll do a whole album of your tunes." So he game me his
number and I came up there -- of course I had been up there before -- and I
tried to catch up to him for about six months, but it seemed like he was
ducking me. I caught him in the hall at RCA one night; he was recording there
and he came out of the studio and there was a long hallway and there was a
bunch of people there. He came my way -- I had just come out of the restroom
at the other end -- and something just came over me and I just hollered at
him. I said "Hey Waylon!" and he turned around and I said "I've got those
songs that you told me you was going to listen to, and if you don't listen to
them now, I'm going to kick your ass right here in front of everybody." And I
was ready to, too! He blew up at first but then he took me back there and
said, "I'm going to listen to one damned song and that's it!" We went there in
the back and I cranked out I think it was "Old Five and Dimers," and of
course, then he said, "Give me another," and "another," and he just went in
and cut the whole album.
CATALANO: What are your feelings about that album today?
SHAVER: It's good! It turned things around down here. The people at RCA, they
swore it wasn't going to make it. They said, "This ain't gonna work: you're
not supposed to say 'hell' in a song," and this and that. It was real
different than what was going on, but it worked, real good!
CATALANO: You must like it when other people do your songs.
SHAVER: I love it! Just everybody that's done my songs has knocked me out.
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen did "Georgia on a Fast Train":
that's one of the first songs that I ever wrote that I liked, a long, long
time ago! Just about everybody...Willie and Johnny Cash, John Anderson did
"Old Chunk of Coal," Johnny Rodriguez did "I Couldn't Be Me Without You,"
Bobby Bare did "Ride Me Down Easy," even Elvis Presley did one, Bob Dylan,
Kris Kristofferson did one, Tom T. Hall did three. There's been a lot and I'm
really proud of them.
CATALANO: Have you started planning the next album yet?
SHAVER: It's going to have to be better than this one, and I don't know how in
the world we'll do that [laughs]. It will be something to shoot for, anyway.
Getting better...that's what it's all about.
CATALANO: When you look back over your career, do you have any regrets with
the way things have gone?
SHAVER: Not now since this happened, because if anything had been moved in the
past it probably would have caused a different result. This right here, I'm
just real happy with this. I'm sure everything happened for the best. Yeah, at
the time I was going though some of it, and I was wondering if things would
work out, but now I don't. The reward has been great. This album has been more
than enough to please me for all the years of trials and tribulations that
we've been through.
CATALANO: Well, I hope the momentum keeps building for TRAMP ON YOUR STREET.
SHAVER: I think it will. The way it's running now, I think you'd have more
trouble trying to keep it from happening than you would from it happening.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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=+= REVIEWS =+=
===================
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Ricky Barnes & the Hootowls =+= BONE COUNTRY =+= OKra Records (cassette)
YA' FINALLY SAID SOMETHIN' GOOD! =+= OKra Records (CD)
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QUOTE: "From the sound of Barnes' classic booze-fightin' lyrics, the smoothly
sad croop of his voice and the bitchenly pure pedal-steel oink of the
Hootowls, it's evident that these men pander to no yuppie boss. The works this
time around may be less overtly state-smashing than on the band's debut, Lost
Track of Time, but they are shot through with prole-grounded truth arrows that
would destroy the stereo system in any Mercedes." It's not that punk critic
Byron Coley writing up a band like Ricky Barnes & the Hootowls surprises me so
much as that the band printed Coley's little gem of a rant as the liner notes.
Of course, punk has influenced modern country music more than most critics --
particularly those who point to the Byrds as an example of rock & roll
influence -- seem to realize. If nothing else, it pointed the way back to
basics and spurred the movement toward its "roots." Still, Byron Coley...
Sheesh! For those who don't know him, start with Nick Tosches and then take a
hard left. "Prole-grounded truth arrows" indeed.
Most of the classic booze-fightin' lyrics on both BONE COUNTRY and YA
FINALLY SAID SOMETHIN' GOOD! are exactly that: classic. From "Waitin' In Your
Welfare Line" (Buck Owens) to "Once A Day," (Bill Anderson), the Hootowls
cover all the greats. Playing songs by the Louvin Brothers, George Jones,
Merle Haggard, and John Laudermilk, they perform a sort of musical time
travel. The songs are true to the originals -- not exact remakes, but more
like covers a group from the same era might have done, whether that era is
early George Jones or late Merle Haggard, and stylistically ranging from
Bluegrass to Honky Tonk. It's all tied together by Ricky Barnes' sweet, high,
hillbilly voice. The Hootowl's know what they're about. Their choices and
their treatments are dead-on.--Cheryl Cline
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Joe Ely =+= LIVE SHOTS =+= MCA (CD)
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First released in 1980, this smoking live set recorded in London during Ely's
tour with the Clash has finally been reissued on CD. At that point in his
career, Lubbock native Ely was still straddling the fence between country and
rock, throwing in a dash of Tex-Mex and rockabilly for good measure.
Kicking off with the Jerry Lee Lewis-inspired "Fingernails," Ely and his
powerhouse band storm through the set with the fervor that won over the
Clash's audience. Other highlights include "Honky Tonk Masquerade," one of
Ely's best songs, and Butch Hancock's ominous "Boxcars." The band is top-notch
throughout, especially accordionist Ponty Bone, guitarist Jesse Taylor and
steel guitarist Lloyd Maines. Bone and Maines engage in a fiery duel of molten
solos on "Johnny's Blues," driving the song to cathartic climax.
This is probably my favorite Ely album, because it captures the fire of
his onstage performances that was often missing from his early studio
recordings. As a bonus, four tracks produced by Al Kooper have been added to
this reissue, which is a must-have set for any fan of Texas music. --Jim
Catalano
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Rosie Flores =+= ONCE MORE WITH FEELING =+= Hightone Records (CD)
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Rosie Flores has played a prominent role in both the Los Angeles and Austin
country scenes. Born in San Antonio, moving to San Diego with her family when
she was twelve, her childhood in Texas and youth in southern California gave
her a wide range of musical influences, including everything from early rock &
roll to Tex-Mex, country,and blues. She played in the rockabilly band Rosie
and the Screamers, and the all-girl cowpunk quintet, the Screaming Sirens
before fronting her own band.
ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is Rosie Flores' third solo release, produced by
Greg Leisz (k.d. lang, Matthew Sweet) and Dusty Wakeman (engineer for Dwight
Yoakam). They both play on the album; Leisz on electric and acoustic guitars,
pedal steel, lap steel and mandolin, and Wakeman on bass. The album is a
showcase for her diverse background and influences. "Someday" is a
contemporary ballad with Flores' plaintive vocals demonstrating the influence
of Brenda Lee. "My Blue Angel" is another ballad, about a blue angel who kept
the shadowy fears of her childhood at bay; today Flores calls on the angel to
watch over her and keep her safe from the dangers of modern society.
"Love and Danger" is a male/female country duet. Joe Ely provides the male
vocals; Leisz's pedal steel and Tammy Rogers' fiddle make it a classic of the
type. "Try Me" is a rocker in the Creedence Clearwater vein, while Leisz's
twangin' guitar puts the country in the rocking "Ruin This Romance." With
"Bandera Highway," Flores proves she can do the singer-songwriter thing too,
backing herself on solo acoustic guitar.
"It's Over" shows her conjunto influence. Skip Edwards provides accordion
and Flores reprises the vocals in Spanish. "Honky Tonk Moon" is an old-
fashioned Texas two-step, with Leisz, Rogers and Edwards providing the swing
with honky tonk piano, lap steel and fiddle. The lyrics to another male/female
duet, "Girl Haggard" is made up of the titles of Merle Haggard songs, with
James Intveld singing Haggard's part while Flores does Bonnie Owens. "Real
Man" has Katy Moffat dueting with Flores to funk guitar backing; like Meri
Wilson's "Telephone Man," a shoe man, a phone man, a roofer, a plumber, and a
lumberjack are objects of Flores' and Moffat's lusts.
Flores can do blues, too, as she demonstrates on "Rosebud Blues." Flores
steps out in front of her band for a blistering guitar solo. She closes with
another ballad, "Tumblin' Down," an elegant lullaby about a man who breaks
through the walls past love affairs built around her heart. This one begs for
pressing the repeat button.
ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is Flores' best one yet. Hopefully it'll bring her
out of obscurity and into the wider recognition and commercial success she
deserves. --William Athey
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Robert Earl Keen =+= A BIGGER PIECE OF SKY =+= Sugar Hill (CD)
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If you want to make a statement about the dark hollow void at the heart of
modern life, you can wear black, dye your hair to match, pierce yourself in
five places, get tattooed from the neck down, grab a microphone, hunch over
and shriek into it like the guy behind you has just stuck a knife in your
backbone, and you will get attention. Or, you could stand there with an
acoustic guitar slung over your shoulder, looking like the clean-scrubbed
innocent boy-next-door, flash a cherubic grin, and then hit folks with a song
like "Blow You Away."
That'll get you some attention, too.
Robert Earl Keen looks like Ricky Nelson and sounds like the dark side of
Lyle Lovett. Oh sure, he throws in a couple of lighthearted songs, like the
understated western swing-styled "Daddy Had a Buick" or something
traditionally pretty like "Night Right For Love," (a duet with Maura
O'Connell). But these are just camouflage, as if to say, "No really, I'm
normal." Yeah, right, like I'm going to be getting that gothic western song
"Here In Arkansas" out of my head any time soon. (Lines like "they buried me
here this afternoon/and left me here to die" kinda stick in your mind.) And
the little tune about gunning people down "whenever kindness fails" (by Joe
Ely; the song appears on his LOVE & DANGER) -- that's supposed to get my toes
tappin'?
I love this album. Fell in love with it on first listen, first song, first
few bars -- that'd be the opening song, "So I Can Take My Rest," a haunting
song about longing and loneliness. This gives way to the aforementioned
"Whenever Kindness Fails," then on to the honky-tonkin' "Amarillo Highway,"
and then -- hell, I can't list every song -- did I mention "Corpus Christi
Bay," the blue collar slice of life that Steve Earle could have done? No? How
about Crazy Cowboy Dream?" "Paint the Town Beige?" Have I mentioned every song
on the album yet?
No! I've left you with one thing to find out when you find out for yourself
how good this album is.
...You still here? --Cheryl Cline
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Michael Fracasso =+= LOVE & TRUST =+= DEJADISC (CD)
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A new shining light in the singer/songwriter firmament is Austin's Michael
Fracasso. His songs on LOVE & TRUST are intelligent, witty, and immediately
familiar as good songs usually are. The musicianship and instrumentation is
spare but appropriate to the intimate nature of the songs and Fracasso's
voice.
About his voice: it's high and nasal, but considering the rising
popularity of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, probably not a handicap to great
popularity. The publicity sheet compared his voice to Roy Orbison and Gene
Pitney... maybe so, at least superficially. But Michael Fracasso has a
distinctive voice and a fine one. On some songs, he strives for a traditional
country sound ("Door #1," "Brazos River Blues"), on others he sounds a bit
like classic Byrds-era Roger McGuinn ("The Streets of October," "Outside The
Rain"), and at other times he sounds strongly influenced by Bob Dylan ("Play
The Drum, Slowly"). Sometimes his singing reminds me of humorous beat-era
folk music ("Wake Up! George"). Let's just leave it that Michael Fracasso is
damn good at what he does and that simple comparisons are for saps.
A recent Austin music poll voted Michael Fracasso Best New Artist. I can't
add much more to that except that I've played love & trust every day since it
came in the mail and will continue to play it for a long time to come. If you
like folk-inspired country music, achingly pretty songs, and finely crafted
lyrics, then Michael Fracasso might be your cup of tea. --Lynn Kuehl
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Tish Hinojosa =+= TAOS TO TENNESSEE =+= Watermelon (CD) [Reissue]
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Originally released on cassette in 1987, this album was recorded almost as it
was being written. According to Hinojosa's own brief liner notes to this CD
reissue, James McMurty's "Crazy Wind and Flashing Yellows" was recorded while
"the ink...was still wet," and the title song was written on the last night of
the last recording session. Hinojosa writes: "An 8-track studio located in a
row of storage units fronted by a gravel lot was the workshop for me and other
Taos musicians with guitars and pens. To apologize for the quality would kill
the spirit of the time."
There's nothing to apologize for; while the production isn't as fancy as
on her later albums, the spirit of the time shines through, and Hinojosa
shines brightest. Her voice, one of the most beautiful in country music, is no
less so for being captured on 8-track in a storage shed.
The two songs written for -- and during -- the session are the standouts,
but I'm also fond of her sweet but stately rendition of Bill Staines' "River."
(This one *does* sound like it was recorded in a shed, but this only gives it
a pleasant "live" quality.) Peter Rowan's "Midnight Moonlight" is also pretty,
and Hinojosa's adding Spanish lyrics to Irving Berlin's "Always" is a nice
touch. All in all a fine reissue. --Cheryl Cline
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Don McCalister, Jr. & His Cowboy Jazz Review =+= BRAND NEW WAYS =+= DEJADISC
(CD)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This one's a curious mixture of classic country style and contemporary country
lounge music. It starts off nicely with three McCalister country swing
originals ("Brand New Ways," "Silver Moon," and "If I Never Love Another"),
then veers off into moody country pop ("Fool's Gold" and "Walk On By"), then a
cover of a Louvin Brothers classic ("Cash On The Barrelhead"), then a Henry
Gross cover ("Laura"), and so on. The overall effect for me is slightly less
than satisfying, a little like mixing Commander Cody with Skip Ewing or Asleep
At The Wheel with Glen Campbell. I love McCalister's interpretation of
country swing but I could do with less of the moody modern country sentiment.
However, some of our more fanatical readership may wish to acquire this for
McCalister's pleasant rendition of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "Tonight I Think I'm
Gonna Go Downtown." Like the rest of the album, it's a slickly professional
production. Hey, this is not a bad album, just not a really great one (and I
realize that as faint-praise-damnation, this line's a doozy). Sorry, no
whole-hearted recommendation here. But then, Don McCalister can still run
rings around a lot of that "big hat" music you hear on country music radio
these days. If you're into Lyle Lovett, you might want to give Don McCalister
a try.--Lynn Kuehl
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OKra ALL-STARS =+= OKra Records [CD]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OKra is a small label in Columbus, Ohio that puts out some real cool country
music. A bunch of people from different bands on the label joined up together
to form the All-Stars and headed for Europe. They were well-received there,
and listening to this CD, released on their return, it's easy to see why,
though it's harder to explain or describe. There's a definite OKra Sound
here. It's bedrock country, full of strum and twang with a modern sensibility
and an old-time feel. Laconic is a word that comes to mind, but it's not
laid-back, exactly; it's too sharp. A lot of the songs here sound like Buck
Owens slowed down a notch or two--in fact, the cover of "I Wouldn't Live In
New York City" is exactly that. And what with a mournful steel guitar making
an appearance here, blue harmonica there, a dissolute air of lonesomeness
hovers over most of the songs. I can't get it off my CD player.
The All-Stars are Hank McCoy (Dead Ringers), Ricky Barnes (Hootowls), Jeb
Loy Nichols (Fellow Travelers) and Dave Schramms (The Schramms, Dead Ringers).
Other musicians include Jeff Passiifume (bass, Dead Ringers), James Casto
(drums, Hootowls), plus Pete Remenyi on dobro, Jeff Vogelgesang on mandolin,
and Randy Jones on fiddle.
Of the bands represented here, I'm only familiar with the Dead Ringers
and the Hootowls, and both make good showings in their spotlight selections.
The Hootowls' "Big Mistake" (written by Jeb) which starts off the CD, drags
you right in there, and sets the tone for what follows. If you can't take that
nasal twang of his, get outta the kitchen. Hank McCoy singing lead on the
uptempo "Don't Laugh," sets me to laughing every time I hear it--hey, I play
it on purpose just for the pleasure of laughing (and it's a sadistic pleasure,
too, the song's a plea from a hapless lover to an indifferent lady not to
laugh at his declarations of love. The fair sex can be cruel). Jeb Loy
Nichols wrote some of the best original songs here, including "Let's Build a
Bridge," and "Blue Sides (To Every Story)," given a gorgeous wistful rendition
by Hank. Hank's own "New Orleans" is a nice bluesy jukebox tune with
Passifiume contribuiting electric tremolo guitar, and Dave Schramm's "She's
Taken All My Toys Away" is also a favorite of mine, a moody song that rolls
along under Schramm's bass voice. The All-Stars also do really fine versions
of "One of These Days," and "Wild and Blue," taking turns singing lead
(lending a nice collaborative feel--a hint of what the live show must be
like). And Ricky singing lead to an twangy version of Prince's "Purple Rain"
is not to be missed. --Cheryl Cline
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pleasure Barons =+= LIVE IN LAS VEGAS =+= Hightone (CD)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIVE IN LAS VEGAS is a veritable roots-rock summit, as former Blaster Dave
Alvin plays straight man to two of the genre's zaniest personalities: Mojo
Nixon and the Beat Farmers' Country Dick Montana.
Nixon rants with the fervor of a Televangelist on "Elvis Is Everywhere"
and "Amos Moses," while Montana's basso profundo rumbles through Bo Diddley's
"Who Do You Love" and "The Definitive Tom Jones Medley." Alvin takes lead
vocals on Joe South's "Games People Play" and Johnny Guitar Watson's ominous
"Gangster of Love."
The Pleasure Barons, who total 13 members, generate a raucous frat-party
atmosphere that will rattle your loudspeakers and shake the china in your
cupboard. This is one show that should be captured on videotape.--Jim Catalano
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweethearts Of The Rodeo =+= RODEO WALTZ =+= Sugar Hill (CD)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kristine Arnold and Janis Gill, The Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, have had enough.
Enough of major labeldom's withering efforts to turn them into a piquant pair
of Judds. Enough of the overproduction on their last few records competing
with their genetically compatible harmonies. Enough of the insular Nashville
back-patting that excludes them, but lauds Gill's husband's pop/country
schlock.
Enough!
Nashville is all over RODEO WALTZ, but it is not the neon, made-in-Taiwan,
wax museum, ticky-tacky Nashville of Music Row. This record is the lovingly
preserved and renovated brick homes of 16th Avenue. It is the legacy of the
Ryman. It is biscuits and gravy at the Loveless Cafe. About the only thing
that's not Nashville is its label, Sugar Hill, the North Carolina indie.
Produced by Janis Gill, it is full of understated virtuosity from
Nashville's most illustrious session players, including Sam Bush and Roy
Huskey, Jr. of Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers. It was recorded, mixed and
mastered in Music City, and has an organic feel that permeates a telling
selection of twelve songs.
The Sweethearts have chosen to cover an eclectic swath of country and
bluegrass tunes, the thread of continuity being the blending of their lush
voices supported by a confident, restrained acoustic band. There's the
rockabilly of "Get Rhythm" (an early Johnny Cash hit) and the jukebox classic
"Please Help Me I'm Falling"; there's the traditional, bluesily rockin' "Deep
River Blues" (which showcases Terry McMillan's freight train whistle
harmonica). Contemporary Nashville hit-maker Don Schlitz's homey songwriting
is done justice by the joyous simplicity with which the sisters sing his
"Things Will Grow." Folkies Jesse Winchester and Gordon Lightfoot are
represented, as is Gill herself, whose "There One Morning" has the patina of a
musical family heirloom. The record ends with Robbie Robertson's "Broken
Arrow," sounding as it might had the newly-revived Band covered it with their
characteristic dirt-under-the-fingernails approach.
Gill shows an intuitive sense in utilizing the talents of her family
members. She allows her sister to continue the lead, vocally, and the
generally toned-down atmosphere of the record has inspired Arnold to dig in
and find a soulfulness that was sometimes disguised as ragged overreaching on
their previous work. Gill's husband, Vince Gill, plays a low-key role as
guitarist and as co-writer with Guy Clark on "Jenny Dreamed of Trains," a song
written for the Gill's daughter.
The bravest, most poignant declaration comes from Gill, writing with Don
Schlitz. She addresses her post-superstardom husband, pining for her
"Bluegrass Boy," the one with brown hair and blue eyes, the one that "looked a
lot like you." She urges, "Serenade me bluegrass boy/Play a round of
'Soldier's Joy'/Can't you see I miss him so/My bluegrass boy with his fiddle
and bow." It's an assertive moment and the thematic center of a record that
rejoices in its return to Nashville's simpler pleasures.
"Smile when you speak. It's possible to hear a smile," I was instructed
once at a receptionists's seminar I was forced to attend. On RODEO WALTZ, the
Sweethearts have an obvious smile in their voices, happy to be dealing with
Nashville on their own terms, to exhilarating results. --Jill Van Vliet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Whitney =+= 4-Song Demo Tape =+= from Western Beat
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riding hard and fast out of the southlands (L.A. that is) comes one Alan
Whitney, a hard-rockin' country boy who's the best sure-fire argument against
Alan Jackson's anti-rock belly-ache since Dwight Yoakam. What Mr. Jackson and
other belligerent country folks don't seem to grasp is that the roots of
modern day country are just as firmly planted in musical soil fertilized by
sixties and seventies (and most especially fifties) rock & roll as they are by
old time country music. Modern country isn't any less authentic when it
includes elements of rock, not to mention jazz, blues, or other influences,
'cause, well shit... where would country be if people like Bob Wills hadn't
combined country & western with big band jazz? Or if Hank Williams hadn't
decided to sing the blues once in awhile? 'Nuff said!
Alan Whitney writes hook-filled rocking country pop songs with clever
lyrics and a beat that'll make you want to jump out of your seat. In "Cadillac
Kiss," Whitney makes an impassioned plea for love using the metaphor of big-
block V8 luxury transportation.
In "Love's A Rodeo," Whitney complains that he has rope burns on his
fingers from holding on too long and scars from falling flat on his face in
the rodeo ring of love. "Another Saturday Nite" and "The Hurricane" are only
slightly less powerful rockers than the first two songs and would be standouts
in almost any other set. Altogether it's one of the most exciting demo tapes
I've heard.
Although Whitney's based in L.A., he originally hails from upstate New
York. For the last couple of years he's been burnin' down the house in L.A. at
various open mic competitions and in the last year he's made two trips to
Nashville to be showcased at the legendary Bluebird Cafe. With Whitney's
talent and looks -- did I forget to mention how much he resembles a young
Steve Winwood? -- and just a little more exposure, it shouldn't be long before
some big label steps up and makes him an offer he can't refuse. If success
don't spoil him, this might be the fella to blow the lid off the entrenched
country music scene. (Ok, ok, I got my hyperbole gland workin' overtime.
Sorry, won't happen again.)
Anyway, all I've got to say is, keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for this
boy. Alan Whitney's one hell of a singer. --Lynn Kuehl
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Label Addresses:
OKra Records, 1992-B North High Street, Columbus, OH 43201 (in Germany,
contact NORMAL Records, Bonner Talweg 276, 5300 Bonn 1, Germany)
Hightone Records, 220 4th Street, #101, Oakland, CA 94607
Dejadisc, 537 Lindsey Street, San Marcos, TX 78666
Watermelon Records, P.O. Box 402088, Austin, TX 78704
Sugar Hill Records, P.O. Box 55300, Durham, NC 27717-5300
Western Beat Entertainment, 1738 Bay View Drive, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
______________________________________________________________________________
==============================
=+= BOOKS: LARRY BROWN =+=
==============================
FACING THE MUSIC (Algonquin Press, 1988)
DIRTY WORK (Algonquin Press, 1989)
BIG BAD LOVE (Algonquin Press, 1990)
JOE (Algonquin Press, 1991)
ON FIRE (Algonquin Press, 1994)
If you took a Steve Earle song -- "Good Old Boy (Gettin' Tough)," say, or
"The Week of Living Dangerously," and freed the characters from the confines
of a 3? minute song and let them roam in a novel or a short story, they'd be
right at home in one by Larry Brown. Brown writes about the same tough down-
and-outers, facing the same hard choices and bad luck. And he does it with the
same compassion and dry humor.
The characters are drawn from life, his own, mostly. Brown, who lives in
Oxford, Mississippi, was a fireman who "got to wondering how people sat down
and created a whole book out of nothing" (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE 11/25/90)
and decided to find out by trying his hand at it. After writing two novels and
two collections of short stories, he's come full circle; his latest book,
excerpted in the December, 1993 issue of the NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW, is an
autobiographical account of working as a fireman. He's fictionalized his
coming to writing in at least two stories, "The Apprentice," a humorous story,
told in the first person, about a man whose wife gets the writing bug; and the
more serious and much longer "92 Days," which follows a beginning writer's
odyssey through hell (drinking, divorce, and death) to find his soul and his
voice. Both of these stories are published in BIG BAD LOVE, the first Larry
Brown book I read and still my favorite one.
His stories are hard to describe because, at least in terms of
conventional plot, nothing much happens. A couple out driving get two flat
tires and have an argument; while they're busy making up in the front seat,
the police drive up. A man tries to cheat on his wife and is interrupted in
unexpected and ludicrous ways every time he tries to have sex with his new
girlfriend. An old couple lie in bed at night and one hears something
downstairs; the other goes to investigate what he knows is not there, has a
cigarette, and comes back to bed.
But of course more is going on. The old man reflects on mortality and
wonders how he and his wife "got to be so old." The cheating husband gradually
realizes, with a sense of fatality, that his hunger for his crazy love is
never going to be filled, even if the sex act is consummated. The man with the
flat tires knows that love is hard to find. "Love wasn't going to just walk up
and slap you in the face. It wasn't going to tackle you around the knees out
on the sidewalk. Love wasn't going to leap out of a second story window on top
of you." And when it does fall on you, it just keeps going wrong.
Brown is a master at making profound observations on big questions by
means of the most inconsequential, throwaway scenarios, many of them involving
a out-of-work no 'count who gets drunk and picks up a woman in a bar or has an
argument with his wife (generally about his getting drunk and picking up women
in bars). His characters are often crude, sometimes violent, a lot of times
confused. In his best stories they somehow claw their way or stagger gropingly
towards a sort of transcendence, but even so, their grasp on it is precarious.
Brown has a bottomless compassion for his no 'counts, even as he draws them in
such a way as to drive the reader to exasperation with them. While they
inspire a (sometimes grudging) sympathy, Brown doesn't glorify them in typical
wrong-side-of-the-tracks, bad-boy way. He just says, look closely at this here
lunkhead. He's human.
The everyday and the underdog is by now stock -- the pages of contemporary
writing have more flannel shirts and waitress aprons than any time since the
proletarian novels of the thirties -- but Brown goes some. When he's at his
best, his characters are so real and their pain so acute you flinch -- not
that Brown does. They're not yee-haw caricatures, they're not working class
people gussied up to play bit parts in literary sociology, they're not
qrotesques. If anything, they are too close for comfort.
His stories are powerful; I had forgotten how powerful until I started
leafing through his books to write this essay and got trapped. I spent the
rest of the evening reading, later remembering how each time I had sat down
with one of his novels I had finished it in one sitting. JOE is a compelling
but almost unremittingly grim story about a boy brought up in the most abject
and mind-numbing poverty imaginable, both physical and spiritual, and his
tenuous friendship with a man who poisons trees for a living. DIRTY WORK is
almost as grim. Its subject, Vietnam war veterans, and its theme, basically
the same as JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, hardly makes for lightweight reading, but it's
written as a first person narrative, and so captures some of the same hapless-
dude humor of his short stories. The perspective alternates between a white
man, horribly disfigured in the war, who arrives at a VA hospital in the wake
of some unremembered catastrophe, and a quadriplegic black man who's been in
the hospital for twenty years. Neither of these novels are what you'd call
buddy stories, though both are about dilemmas and duties men face together.
I like Brown's short stories better than his novels. It may be that he
allows for a little more humor there (maybe he thinks novels should be more
serious?). But I think it's because his stories are more open-ended than his
novels. The novels end. The stories more often leave you with the feeling the
characters, having come to an important realization about love or life, are
embarking on a new chapter, off the printed page. It may not always be towards
something better, but still, moving, like the character in "Gold Nuggets,"
who, through a typical Larry Brown chain of events, finds himself broke, hung
over, and somewhat lost, wandering the docks looking for a perhaps apocryphal
boat selling shrimp at $1.35 a pound. "I kept walking. I knew all this was
just a temporary setback. It didn't mean that I couldn't ever be saved from my
life, or that I'd never find the boat I was looking for. Somewhere, somewhere
there, was a connection I could make, and I knew that all I had to do was stay
out there until I found it." --Cheryl Cline
=============================================================================
=+= If I Were Queen of the Silver Dollar =+= Jill Van Vliet =+=
=============================================================================
SOMETIME IN 1990, standing in front of my bathroom mirror, I picked up my
hairbrush and sang into it, "I'm goin' to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis,
Tennessee, I'm goin' to Graceland..."
My then-significant other had put the Paul Simon disc in the player that
spring afternoon as we lazed away a weekend. I sang along with an exaggerated
twang, and it suddently occurred to me! I yelled out to the living room,
"Hey, this would make a great country song!"
My then-significant other agreed. Obviously, so did Willie Nelson and Paul
Simon himself. As I lazed away yet another weekend, this time in the spring of
1993, I put Willie's ACROSS THE BORDERLINE CD in the player and listened to
him singing "Graceland" the way I always knew it should be sung.
I'm a sucker for albums of covers. I love to hear unexpected
interpretations of songs that I have grown so used to that when they are
covered, I'm initially indignant about the results. Those covers often become
my favorites. Once the shock wears off, I'm delighted by the ballsy way some
songs become new. Of course, they remain familiar. They become new songs you
already know the words to. That's the beauty of covers, and I'll admit it, I
can't get enough.
If I were Queen, I would produce an album of covers, using songs that have
always been country songs, but have been masquerading all these years as
simple, and sometimes yucky, pop songs. The simple structures and direct
emotions of what is mostly known, unfortunately, as seventies
singer/songwriter folksy drivel, lend themselves particularly well to this
idea. In my imagination, as they become pumped up with wailing steels, banjos,
mandolins and dobros, they become dusty, down-home weepers.
Consider two tunes by Fleetwood Mac. In "Monday Morning," a Lindsey
Buckingham song, and "I Don't Want To Know," a Stevie Nicks composition from
RUMOURS, the singers ask a classic country question within jaunty, tight
rhythms: why does love keep "walking on down the line?" I recruit Kevin Welch
and Kelly Willis to cover them, respectively, and wha la! My dream album is
out of the shoot.
Speaking of Stevie Nicks, I hire Patty Loveless to sing strength into
Stevie's warbling version of "The Highwayman" from her BELLA DONNA album.
Imagine Patty's rural gutbucket of a voice wrapped around these lines: "Alas,
he was the highwayman/The one that comes and goes/And only a highwaywoman puts
up with the likes of those."
Joni Mitchell's BLUE provides "All I Want," as sung in my dreams by Marie
McKee, who is capable of rising to the high soprano litany of the singer's
needs, or sinking gleefully into the guttural passion of a line like "Alive,
alive, I want to get up and jive/I want to wreck my stockings in some juke box
dive."
Merle Haggard would transform Joni's "A Case Of You" (also from BLUE),
from her melancholy reading into an unapologetic, sturdy C&W crying-in-your-
beer song. Imagine Hag simply stating: "Oh, you're in my blood like holy
wine/You taste so bitter and so sweet/Oh I could drink a case of you,
darling/And I would still be on my feet/I would still be on my feet."
Brenda Lee sings Jackson Browne? I would ask her to sing his staple of
late-seventies AOR radio, "Here Comes Those Tears Again," adding, as she
would, a texture and touch of Vegas to a song that suffers from smoothness.
Carole King's "Way Over Yonder" from TAPESTRY would retain it's faint
gospel/R&B tinge while being given a country swing shuffle when performed by
Lyle Lovett and his band, with backing vocals by powerhouse Francine Reed.
REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi don't often come to mind as performers of
country songs, but certainly come to mine when the adjective "bombastic" is
mentioned. I would love to hear John Prine take Jon Bon Jovi's song from the
movie, "Blaze of Glory" and turn it into an acoustic, drowsy lament, full of
his characteristic irony. "...I'm goin' down, in a blaze of glory..." REO
Speedwagon could also benefit from some downshifting, as Jimmie Dale Gilmore
might perform their lovely, starkly declarative "Time For Me To Fly."
The restrained longing of 10,000 Maniacs' poetic "The Painted Desert" from
IN MY TRIBE, would be handled with sorrowful determination by Lucinda
Williams, whose own work is reminiscent of the beauty and vulgarity in the
line, "Is a cactus blooming there in every roadside stand/Where the big deal
is cowboy gear sewn in Japan?"
To insure this album's cult status, I'd have k.d. lang and Shelby Lynne
smokily dueting on "Sinful Life," a wacky ode to unwedded bliss that appeared
on Timbuk 3's album EDEN ALLEY.
Since Willie Nelson stole my bathroom mirror brainstorm, what would I have
him do? The Beatles "In My Life." Just in case he's already stolen that idea,
too, does anybody know how I can get a hold of Freddy Fender?
------------------------- + + + + + + + + + + + + + -------------------------
======================
= Internet Resources =
======================
=+= BGRASS-L =+=
Unmoderated mailing list run by Frank Godbey at the University of Kentucky.
Send e-mail to LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY (Bitnet) or LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU (Internet)
with a blank subject line and SUBSCRIBE BGRASS-L Your Full Name on the first
line of the message.
The list's charter states as it's purpose: The discussion of issues
related to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA); and of
Bluegrass and Old-Time music in general, including but not limited to
recordings, bands, individual performers, live performances, publications,
business aspects, venues, history,performances, publications, business
aspects, venues, history,legal & ethical issues, radio, TV, you-name-it.
Early commercial country music is also an acceptable topic."
BGRASS-L is a *very* active list; fifty or more messages a day isn't
unusual. (I recommend setting the list to DIGESTS to avoid being overwhelmed.)
The topics range from musicians' shop talk (care of instruments, recommended
equipment, tablature, lyrics) to hillbilly stereotypes to festival reports and
the usual band itineraries and new release announcements. The sense of
community is very strong on this list, and the flaming is minimal (tempers
occasionally flare, but there's no out-and-out meanness here). Most of the
mainstays of the list are active in bluegrass and old time music, either in
working bands (including members of Southern Rail, Union Springs, Dry Branch
Fire Squad, the Poodles, Cornerstone, and the Bluegrass Patriots), or as
musicians, disc jockeys, label execs, promoters, journalists and music
scholars -- sometimes two or three of these at once! -- so the List provides a
glimpse of one corner of the bluegrass/old time community at work (the corner
that has Internet access...) The level of knowledge is also very high; just
about any question you might want to ask, whether it's how to safely transport
a stand-up bass to the Stanley Brother's last recorded show to who's playing
next weekend in Cincinnati, is likely to be answered. And don't be afraid to
ask dumb questions; newcomers to bluegrass are made to feel welcome and their
most basic questions are answered with grace. If you haven't figured it out
yet, this is one of my favorite Lists.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=+= FOLK_MUSIC =+=
Moderated by Alan Roworth. To subscribe, e-mail to LISTSERV@NYSERNET.ORG with
the Subject line blank and SUBSCRIBE FOLK_Music Your Full Name on the first
line of the message.
While the focus of this list is folk, it often strays into country,
especially the singer-songwriter areas (there's not much bluegrass or old time
here, by the way). Performers like Nanci Griffith, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch
Hancock, Terry Allen, David Halley, and Kevin Welch are discussed fairly
regularly. It's not nearly as freewheeling as BGRASS-L, but the information is
solid (lots of tour itineraries) and discussion intelligent.
They also maintain files for FTP at nysernet.org, including the DIRTY
LINEN magazine monthly tour calendars. To access these files via anonymous FTP
logon as GUEST giving your user-id@your.local.host as a password. Files and
subdirectories are contained within the directory /FOLK_MUSIC. These are also
accessible via gopher on port 70.
The Nysernet gopher is also available via telnet by connecting to
nysernet.org and typing "nysernet" as a login name, no password is
necessary.
Contact Alan Roworth at ALANR@NYSERNET.ORG for more information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=+= rec.music.country.western =+=
An unmoderated USENET group, rec.music.country.western is a lot more sprawling
than either BGRASS-L or FOLK_MUSIC, and subject to the usual USENET problems
of flaming (including casual flaming from outside) and "spammed" messages
("MAKE MONEY FAST!!" "THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR"). It tends to be more top-
40 oriented, with lots of messages about Reba, Garth, and Clint, but fans of
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Shaver, and Nanci Griffith are also represented, and for
every greenhorn who asks, "So, who IS Maybelle Carter, anyway?" there are
three or four knowledgeable folks who patiently post answers. (I also notice
these are often the *same* people who answer dumb questions with grace on
BGRASS-L and FOLK_MUSIC...if we're naming names, I'd like to nominate John
Lupton as an Internet List Saint).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=+= FOLK/ACOUSTIC/BLUEGRASS RADIO STATIONS AND PROGRAMS =+=
Jeremy Butler, host of "All Things Considered" on WUAL/WQPR has compiled a
list of folk/acoustic radio stations and programs, many of which play country
music. To get the list, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UA1VM.UA.EDU. In
the first line of your message, put the following command:
GET FLKRD3A TXT
Repeat the procedure with:
GET FLKRD3B TXT
GET FLKRD3C TXT
GET FLKRD3C TXT
(Note: there are no periods in the filenames)
He updates the list periodically, so if you host a radio show along these
lines, or know of a good one that does, send it to Jeremy. He requests the
information in the following format:
REGION:
PROGRAM TITLE:
PROGRAM HOST:
RADIO STATION NAME (call letters):
RADIO STATION FREQUENCY AND LOCATION:
TIME/DAY BROADCAST:
TYPE OF MUSIC FEATURED:
ADDRESS (e-mail or standard post):
COMMENTS (how cool is it?):
For more information, contact: Jeremy Butler
Host, "All Things Acoustic" (WUAL/WQPR)
jbutler@ccmail.bamanet.ua.edu
P.O. Box 870152
Telecommunication and Film Dept.
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0152
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=+= FOLK E-MAIL DIRECTORY =+=
Send request to Hiram Jackson: JACKSON@GEOLOGY.UCDAVIS.EDU
Hiram Jackson has compiled a directory of e-mail addresses for folk
performers, journalists, promoters, agents, editors, and others. Again, while
the umbrella term is "folk", the list includes addresses for people connected
with bluegrass, country, tex-mex, cajun, etc., etc. It's a very useful list,
especially in tandem with Jeremy Butler's radio list. If you would like to be
listed, send information to Hiram at the above e-mail address.
==============================================================================
===> COMING SOON! =+= BOXCARS =+=
As if I didn't have enough to do, I'm working on a new e-zine project, a
collective zine, or "press association" or Reader's digest/Utne Reader style
electronic zine, tentatively titled BOXCARS. The plan is this: people who
publish newsletters, magazines, or fanzines about country, bluegrass, old-
time, blues, cajun, roots rock, or anything else that falls into the loose
category "American folk," send excerpts from their publications (preferably
via e-mail or on IBM-compatible disks), I edit it all together and send it out
on the Net. The excerpts will be set off from each other, much like columns,
with the name of the zine as the title, and will include subscription info &
etc. I'll do some minimal formatting to make it look good, but I won't edit
it. The length of the excerpts will depend on how many people participate. I
hope to do it monthly, but you don't have to contribute every time.
Along with the 'zine excerpts/columns, I plan to include a few resource
and news columns, covering things like Internet resources, new releases by
bands, radio show listings, and whatever else comes my way. If you're
interested, send an e-mail to me and I'll give you more details.
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TWANGIN'! On-Line is copyright (c) 1994 by Cheryl Cline. Individual writers
hold the copyright on their material. Forwarding or otherwise reproducing this
zine electronically is okay, but if you want to reprint any of the contents
in, say, your own zine, ask first.
That number again is cline@well.sf.ca.us
Contributors ----------------------------------------------------------------
Cheryl Cline: Editor, publisher, chief cook & bottle-washer
Lynn Kuehl: Sidekick
Jim Catalano: Based in Ithaca, NY, Jim writes a weekly freelance music
column for the ITHACA JOURNAL. He also writes a country
column for the Music Press, upstate New York's biggest all-
monthly; he makes a point to cover non-mainstream country as
much as possible. He invites submissions and correspondence
to 709 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850 or call 607-277-3695.
William Athey: Salt Lake City-based writer and regular contributor to the
Rockabilly magazine PUT YER CAT CLOTHES ON
Jill Van Vliet: Free-lance writer and member of The Cypress Group, a Chicago
Theater Group.
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