Wrong Highway

RIP Hazel Dickens

2011-04-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we lost one of country and folk music's major musical personalities, Hazel Dickens, who died at age 75. The Appalachian singer-songwriter was a strong, unique artist who not only sang beautifully in the tradition of rural country and Appalachian folk music; her music also championed coal miners (her songs were featured in the 1976 documentary Harlan County USA), hard-working women ("Don't Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There," "Mama's Hands"), and the rights of everyday people in general.

Hazel was an incredible writer and possessed a beautiful voice that was full of character. Every line, every note, took us back to the hills of West Virginia, where she was born in 1935. (You can read my Rough Guide to Country Music bio on her via Google book search.) She was a regular performer at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and was as down to earth in person as the souls in her songs. We'll miss Hazel and her music terribly; honest music like hers is always rare, and seems even harder to find these days.

Midlake

2010-03-19T01:02:00.001-07:00

IMG_2795, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Performing at SXSW 2010. Best album of 2010, and best live show of 2010...and it's only March.

Enslaved

2010-03-15T16:14:00.001-07:00

Enslaved-2, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

From SXSW two years ago -- great Norwegian metal band

Drive-By Truckers

2010-03-11T15:15:00.001-08:00

Drive-By Truckers, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Patterson Hood of DBT during a show at BamaJam in Enterprise, Alabama, June 5, 2009.

Jamey Johnson

2010-03-11T15:14:00.001-08:00

Jamey Johnson, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

One of my favorite contemporary country singers--channeling Waylon heavy, which is fine by me. Got songwriting chops, too. Caught him at BamaJam 2009 in Enterprise, Alabama--which also happens to be Jamey's hometown.

Dylan

2010-03-11T14:52:00.001-08:00

Dylan, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Bob Dylan. Smiling. (Rothbury, 2009)

Bob Weir

2010-03-11T14:49:00.001-08:00

Bob Weir, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Channeling Jerry. Rothbury, 2009.

Billy Joe Shaver

2010-03-11T14:44:00.001-08:00

Billy Joe Shaver, originally uploaded by Tonopah.

Billy playing in a parking lot on South Congress during SXSW 2008.

Flickr

2010-03-11T14:43:00.001-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Bonnie and Clyde

2009-10-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Love the song, just came across the video. I know, so overbaked with hipness that even ScarJo is all over this. But still, it's the real-deal grooviness. Can't get enough.

Happiness

2009-09-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

Funny how so many of us fight against it. What's the point of that?

Read this Slate article, pretty interesting and inspiring:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/09/22/you-don-t-have-to-live-your-life-the-way-other-people-expect-you-to.aspx

It Might Get Loud playlist

2009-08-17T17:54:00.001-07:00

Lee Hazlewood discography

2009-08-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Came across this Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies today, have barely begun to dig around, but looks interesting. For starters, he's got a page on Lee Hazlewood that seems pretty substantial.

John Hughes radio

2009-08-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

C'était un rendez-vou

2009-08-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

C'était un Rendez-Vous from Thom Graves on Vimeo.

Tompall Glaser

2009-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened the the great Tompall Glaser? Waylon's onetime best friend during the outlaw heyday, he made some amazing albums, both alone and with his brothers Jim and Chuck. But since the '80s he seems to have disappeared. Would love to know if he still performs--or writes/records.

You can also watch a performance of the great song "Rings" and a medley of the Glasers performing three country classics.

Note that Jim Glaser keeps a website and still performs; and four of the Glaser Brothers' nephews (calling themselves The Brothers Glaser) have recorded a tribute album due to be released in the fall of 2009 (three songs are online for streaming).

Flea Market Montgomery: Interview with Sammy Stephens

2009-06-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

We caught up with Sammy Stephens on the way to BamaJam last week. He's the guy behind the popular viral video/rap about Flea Market Montgomery, the retail business he owns in Montgomery, Alabama that he claims is "just like a mini-mall." Check it out:

Alvino Rey and his talking steel-guitar puppet

2009-05-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Steel guitar wiz Alvino Rey and orchestra doing St. Louis Blues, complete with a talking guitar puppet (!). Definitely freaky.

Lynyrd Skynyrd--"Country Boy" (live at Winterland 1975)

2009-05-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

Metallica live in Moscow, 1991

2009-03-24T17:22:00.001-07:00

Metallica on the "Monsters of Rock" tour 1991--Metallica, Black Crowes, Pantera, AC/DC all came from Europe to Moscow in the wake of the coup that (eventually) led to the USSR's collapse. It was an intense experience--free concert, half a million people, Soviet helicopters buzzing overhead, tens of thousands of soldiers. (All that and my homemade SF Bay Guardian press pass still got me backstage.)

Cheeseburgers

2009-03-18T13:47:00.001-07:00

Richard Davies with Flaming Lips (1995)

2009-03-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

Already In Black (Richard Davies w/ Flaming Lips

Goodbye, Download Music

2009-03-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

CNET Download Music, a site I've been closely associated with for the last several years, is disappearing. On March 11, 2009, all pages will redirect to Last.fm. The good news, though, is that Last.fm is an even better site.

Johnny Paycheck, Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets

2009-01-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

This from 1980--a ragged, rowdy time after "Shove It" and before the shooting.

Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley, "Disney Time"

2009-01-20T16:19:00.001-08:00

That's a guitar sound that'll put hair on your chest.

Procal Harum, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" 1967

2009-01-15T12:33:00.001-08:00

Spencer Davis Group, "I'm A Man"

2009-01-15T12:28:00.001-08:00

Charlie Winston, "Like a Hobo"

2009-01-15T12:27:00.001-08:00

Discover Charlie Winston!

Last.fm playlist

2009-01-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Record Store Day

2008-04-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

April 19 has been declared Record Store Day, which means...well, it means all you record fans should drop by your favorite store and show some appreciation that they still keep hanging on. I know I'll be at either/both of my San Francisco locals, Aquarius and Amoeba (not that I need more than the thinnest excuse to drop by anyway).

Duane Eddy Talks About Lee Hazlewood

2008-03-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Looks like it's from an interview put together by Gibson. Whoever's responsible, thanks--great to hear him talk about meeting and working with Lee.

Second Childhood

2008-02-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Since I'm on the subject of ambient, atmospheric, cinematic-type records, thought I'd pass along another that's been pulling me in lately: Second Childhood. It's a collaboration between Hidur Gudnadottir, BJ Nilsen (he of Hazard and the brilliant Storm collab with Chris Watson), and Stilluppsteypa (try asking for those names at your local shop), came out in 2007 on the Quecksilber label (meaning you won't likely find it at Best Buy--no one said this stuff would be easy to find, let alone pronounce). At any rate it's a beautiful record--dark, moody, and low-key, though don't think 'quiet' or 'relaxing.' Tension comes in waves, riding in on electronic washes, a slow-building rhythm (it's subtle but it's there...at times), and what sound like metallic echoes bouncing between empty cement walls. It's a cavernous sound, haunting, dank, and shivering; it never pieces but does at times rumble, coming more from below than above. As cold and icey as it sounds much of the time (these guys are from Iceland, after all), it's a lovely and beautiful album, one of my favorites from last year.

Type Records

2008-02-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been growing more and more enamored with the label Type Records, a small indie experimental label out of the U.K. that specializes in moody, low-key, soundscape-y music. Think drones, quiet piano pieces, a few scratches and electronic glitches--plus a bit of folk-like guitar here and there, environmental sounds, and the occasional industrial grind. Perfect stuff for grey Sunday mornings or laid-back late nights, when in either case you want something low-key and borderline quiet but still possessing an edge--not just simple background sounds, and certainly not anything overly soft or New Age-y. As a general rule the music is subtle, but it's also got a cinematic quality that widens things out and feeds the imagination. (If you've listen to Brian Eno's abstract ambient albums you know the territory.) Favorites of mine so far include Goldmund, Ryan Teague, and a collaborative release from The North Sea and Ramses III (album cover pictured). Those first two links by the way have free MP3s behind them, so have at 'em.

James Blackshaw

2008-02-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Last night (2-5-08) I caught James Blackshaw at San Francisco's Aquarius Records--hard to see the guy from the back of the room, but I managed to squeeze up front for a few minutes and fire off a few shots. If you haven't heard the guy, he's a young U.K. 12-string maestro in the John Fahey or Robbie Basho camp--a lush, cascading sound that's both delicate and, in the right moments, intense. The site Download Music has a free MP3 download of the song "Running to the Ghost" if you're curious to hear something.

The Feelies

2008-02-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

The recently revamped indie blog Songs:Illinois has a YouTube Saturday feature that's pretty cool, and among the recent treats was a clip of the Feelies playing "Crazy Rhythnms" at the New Jersey club Maxwell's. Know the Feelies? This band rocked my world in the '80s. Not sure when the clip is from, but it's well worth checking out.

Cambodian disabled musicians

2008-01-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

Traveling to Cambodia for the first time is an eye-opener. The average western has likely never seen poverty on this level--and on top of that, a tragically huge number of people continue to be killed or injured by land mines (set mostly by the Khmer Rouge, but some likely left over from the Vietnam War era). People with missing limbs are everywhere, many left with no choice but to beg on the street. Some, though, are finding ways to get around their handicap--including music.

Walking around the temples at Angkor Wat, I came across three different disabled-musician bands, each performing traditional Khmer folk music for passing tourists. They sold CDs for $8 and $10 (I bought a couple), and the music (all acoustic) was pretty interesting--not the stuff you'd put on during a dinner party or to soothe yourself to sleep, but plenty raw, earthy, intense. The songs on the CDs are a bit simple and repetitive, but the sound is like nothing I've heard.

Music in Thailand

2008-01-15T16:36:00.001-08:00

I had high hopes for catching some great local music while in Thailand over the holidays. I'd heard a lot about what they call "Thai country music," which is really a rough and rowdy brand of homemade rock 'n' roll called Molam that's from the Isan region (northeast of the country). Never found any, as luck would have it. However, I did catch a few minutes of of this awesome blind guy (see photo), who was walking down Silom Rd in Bangkok, strumming an electrified four-string guitar (with only one string). 20 baht got me two photos and a 30 second listening session.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 7

2007-10-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

Another year, another Bluegrass Fest in San Francisco, this weekend (Oct-5-7) in Golden Gate Park. Old favorites are returning, including Nick Lowe (when did he get so damn popular all the sudden? It's not like he's moving a ton of records), T-Bone Burnett (one of the fest highlights last year), Del McCoury, Gillian Welch, Mekons, Knitters, on and on. PLUS some new blood, including Jeff Tweedy (solo on Friday afternoon), Charlie Louvin, Neko Case, and, believe it or not, John Mellencamp. There's a reason they renamed the fest Hardly Strictly Bluegrass--which I have no beef with, as it opens the field to a wider range of roots/country/soul/grass type artists.

Here's a few highlights from last year's extravaganza:

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2006

Spot DJ mix

2007-08-21T14:18:00.001-07:00

Met the guy behind this new playlist widget, SpotDJ, so I've been trying it out. Here are a few songs to test it out.

You've Lost That Loving Feeling

2007-08-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

The music of Lee Hazlewood (free download via that link, btw) was steeped in '60s stylized pop--he wrote great material on his own, but he also did some incredible covers, including this Righteous Brothers hit. It was a highlight on the classic Nancy & Lee album. The video below, though (man, so many great Lee videos have surfaced since his death last weekend), features Swedish pop singer Siw Malmkvist.

Goodbye Lee

2007-08-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

It wasn't a surprise to hear that Lee Hazlewood passed away this past Saturday (Aug 4, 2007), but damn it's still sad. At least he knew it was coming and could prepare -- settling back down with family, recording one final album, and living long enough to soak up the newfound attention and acclaim. Lee was the ultimate existential cowboy, pondering big questions, facing darkness, but never afraid at the same time to get a little kooky. He was a bit of a crank when I met him briefly in '95; but from the sound of things he mellowed quite a bit in recent years and welcomed the attention. Good for him, good for us.

Some snaps

2007-08-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Johnny Paycheck

2007-08-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

Johnny Paycheck has a huge catalog so it's inevitable that some great songs would get overlooked. "21 Miles to Lake Charles Prison" was one of the first Paycheck songs I heard way back when (thanks to an old thrift-store copy of his greatest hits LP), and it's stuck with me ever since. When a guy sings about his mother walking him to the train that's going to take him to prison, well, you know it's real-deal country.

Check out the song via this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?fmvysgduhpf

Charlie Louvin 2007

2007-04-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Some shots from Charlie Louvin's appearance at SXSW 2007 in Austin this year.

by wolffkurt

A slideshow:

Charlie Louvin

I Forgot to Be Your Lover

2007-04-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

William Bell is one of the greatest soul singers the genre has seen. This song slays me every time.

mog.com

More about this song

Richard Buckner

2007-04-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

mog.com

More about this song

Some SXSW 2007 images

2007-03-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

SXSW 2007

SXSW 2006 slide show

2007-03-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

SXSW 2006

South By Southwest 2007 band list!

2007-02-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

The intial (not final final) list is out for who's playing at this year's SXSW Music Festival in Austin.

Dig:
http://2007.sxsw.com/music/festival/

Lee Hazlewood returns

2007-02-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

New album! And a New York Times profile to back it up! Who'd ever have thought that would happen? I figured the guy was lost in the Swedish countryside (or maybe more recently, the Phoenix suburbs). Now he's not only surfacing for air but keeping above water level for an extended stay. Dig it. Album's pretty good, too--it's no "Love and Other Crimes," but it's definitely in the spirit of his classic work. "It's Nothing to Me" alone is a standout--a reworking of the Harry Johnson song that I first heard on the country comp LP "God Less America."

Dead Horse

2006-05-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

A photo from a few years back, at one of the most stunning drive-up (and a short walk) viewpoints in the U.S., Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah, near Moab:

by wolffkurt

Calexico vs. Giant Sand

2006-05-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Reading a recent edition of Harp, and come across a one pager interviewing Howe Gelb. Never really caught up on the beef between Howe and Joey Burns (apparently Covertino stays mum and has managed to keep friendship with both). My sympathies immediately drew up alongside my loyalty to Howe. Made Joey sound like an overdriven indie yuppie with a lust for indie-rock power. I don't know, that's a one-sided view, so I admit, I'm not being fair. I love Calexico's music -- and I play it way more than Giant Sand or any of Howe's solo recordings, good as that all may be. Joey's talented, and he deserves attention and the growing indie-fame he's receiving lately. But, I can't help it, every time I play them Calexico records, I think of that article. I think of Howe, and the bitter taste left in his mouth. The bitterness of broken friendships.

So long, Buck

2006-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

California, country music, all of it just doesn't seem the same without you. Nice to see, though, how much attention you've gotten in the press this week, leading up to your funeral (in Bakersfield today). People all over, lots of them, are feeling the loss. Can't blame them. The music had more power than perhaps even most fans knew. The songs were strong, extremely likeable, and they reached far and wide.

Deliver Me

2006-03-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

That's the name of the new album by my buddy Tom Heyman, a supremely talented musician who was formerly the guitarist (and songwriter) with Philly's Go To Blazes and is now busting through the briars on his own pathway as a singer-songwriter. His previous album Boarding House Rules did indeed rule, but Deliver Me takes things several steps further. His voice is sturdier, and that title track...whoa. That's some serious songwriting.

Check it out here (there's a free MP3 of the song via that link, too, so don't despair.)

Me 'n Tompall

2006-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

I keep coming back to ol' Tompall Glaser, the Nebraska kid with the sweet harmonizing voice who hit the charts with his brothers before turning into a Nashville mogul, thanks to a little sing-song ditty ("Gentle on My Mind") that they happened to publish and stars just couldn't stop singing. Waylon's best pal during the Outlaw heyday until they had a fight and stopped talking. Now...where'd he go? Get back out here and sing us another round.

In the meantime, check out "Gideon Bible," from his 1973 solo album Charlie.

A Rio Bravo Moment

2006-02-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Caught this on Spread the Good Word:

Tony Joe White

2006-02-16T16:18:00.000-08:00

Saw him in Austin last year, dark and swampy voice, low key and brooding bluesy-soul sound.

"Rainy Night in Georgia" kills me every time. Light out, sink back, let it pour.

Almost Anniversary

2006-02-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Now get this

Nearly a year has gone by and I still haven't figured out how to post a damn song via Comcast. Lazy bum.

LHI unveiled

2005-09-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

My first post with a photo, trying to see how it looks. Lee Hazlewood, announcing the debut of his new label, LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries).

Dolly Parton

2005-09-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Is playing at the San Francisco Bluegrass Festival next weekend. It's not really a "bluegrass" festival, but there is *some* bluegrass involved--just most of the music is basically country and/or old time folk. Not that I'm complaining. The festival is free, the music's GREAT, and extremely well organized.

Charlie Poole

2005-05-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

This guy's story is pretty wild. He was a Southern singer, regional appeal, who wound up with quite the reputation as a boozer and ladies man, but also a top-notch musician and front man. And quite the charmer, or so they say. He cut at least several dozen songs (I don't know how many), and believe it or not, Sony (which owns Columbia, for whom Poole recorded in the 1920s) is releasing a four CD (yep, four) box set on the guy. Pretty cool, must say.

Here's the goods on Ted

2005-02-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Check out Ted Daffan's bio from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Or if you're curious where he's buried (he died in '96), this little site will tell ya.

Heading Down the Wrong Highway

2005-02-27T00:48:00.000-08:00

Ted Daffan recorded that song in the 1940s - Ted's a sadly overlooked country artist, an original honky tonker. He wrote "Born to Lose," one of the classics of the genre. I'll dig up a version and post it soon.