tangelO

Pela – No More

I am saddened to hear that one of my favorite bands that I’ve been following over the past few years, Pela, has broken up. I was bummed out all weekend, because I’ve been waiting for their new CD (no word on that) to come out this fall. Hopefully it will still happen, but that is a minor point – this band KILLED it live. A new CD will not bring back the passion they had on stage, or the energy they created in the pit. I will miss them.

Pela – Waiting on the Stairs

Links: Ekko, who originally turned me on to Pela. And Ryan’s Smashing Life. He talks about the Shawn Fogel, The Motion Sick, Static of the Gods show that I was also at.

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NOTE: As some of you may have noticed, I haven’t been updating a ton lately (that’s an understatement). I am currently working full-time and studying full-time. This leaves VERY little time to write, which is depressing and unfortunate. I have a ton of CDs I have half-written reviews for, and hopefully I’ll have a chance to finish them soon. Apologies all around.

The Berkshire Tragedy, aka – Knoxville Girl

The folk song Knoxville Girl was made famous by the Louvin Brothers in their opus “Tragic Songs of Life,” but was merely a tradition of several hundred years of folk tales, street songs, and eventually folk songs. Recorded first in the United States by the Carter Family (that I know of), Knoxville Girl is the story of a man that kills his girlfriend/acquaintance in a fit of passion. The song is usually not very explicit, but through the various bluegrass renditions and into the country/alt-country renditions it becomes much darker and detailed. Nick Cave’s version and the Handsome Family’s version are among the most explicit of the modern versions.

To me, this song represents the country tradition – it is human and unapologetic in its subject matter; it’s not complicated or sophisticated in the song patter or verses; and it is endlessly flexible in being adapted to new repertoires. I hope this song is covered indefinitely.

The original ballad can be found (try googling them) under the names “
The Oxford, Lexington, Waxweed, Wexford or Knoxville Girl, The Cruel Miller, The Wittam Miller girl…” I was also able to find a neat collaborative writing project at the University of Minnesota English Department of “Nineteenth Century English Street Ballads” which has a lot more to add to this discussion than I can. If you can, give “The Subgenre of Murder Ballads in the Street Literature of Britain” a read.

1937 – The Carter Family – Never Let the Devil Get the Upper Hand of You
1937 – The Blue Sky Boys – Story of the Knoxville Girl
1956 – The Louvin Brothers – Knoxville Girl
1975 – The Outlaws – Knoxville Girl
1975 – Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys – Knoxville Girl
1986 – Elvis Costello – Knoxville Girl
1988 – Jimmy Martin – Knoxville Girl
1996 – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Knoxville Girl
1996 – The Lemonheads – Knoxville Girl
1996 – BR5-49 – Knoxville …

Jay Bennett

I was in the northwoods of Minnesota all weekend, and I am horribly embarrassed that I missed this. I don’t have a whole lot to say that other people haven’t already said, so I will leave you with a song, and links to a few eulogies and other such sundries.

1994 – Jay Bennett & Jeff Tweedy – Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down

My Old Kentucky Blog
Ryan’s Smashing Life
NPR
“Another Brilliant Champaign-Urbana Death,” at Urbanagora
New York Times

It’s Real – Codine and the Delta Momma Blues

Delta Momma Blues, one of Townes Van Zandt’s earlier albums, is not as cut and dry as one might think.  While the title-track drifts by slowly and gives off a somewhat lazy-river feeling, it contains a double-meaning from the songwriter.  “Delta Momma,” as Townes referred to it, was cough syrup with codine (Robitussin DM = Delta Momma), and was easily available over the counter.  As the lyrics suggest, it made the consumer feel removed and relaxed.  On the other hand, it is violently addictive (as a opiate) and it’s ingestion with the other ingredients of cough syrup in large quantities is not a good idea.  Nevertheless, Townes Van Zandt and many other prolific songwriters swore by the Delta Momma, and it’s use continues in the southern United States – popularized again through hip-hop.

1964 – Buffy Sainte-Marie – Cod’ine
1964 demo - Donovan – Codine
1965 – Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs – Codine
1965-66 – Gram Parsons – Codine
1966 – The Litter – Codine
1967 – The Leaves – Codine
1968 – 31st of February – Codine
196X – Matthew Moore Plus Four – Cod’ine
1976 – Man – Codine
1983 – The Charlatans – Codine Blues
1994 – Poison 13 – Codine
2006 – Oakley Hall – Codine

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1970 – Delta Momma Blues – Townes Van Zandt
(Also a mention in “Waitin’ Round to Die”)

New York City?!?!

I was in New York City last weekend – definitely for a little bit longer than I wanted to be, but that’s ok. I got a chance to see some great music and check out some parts of NYC I hadn’t really been to before. Also, I was introduced to the joys of the Chinatown Bus, something I will try to avoid using for the rest of my life.

And the Moneynotes

The first thing I had a chance to see was at Piano’s Bar & Grille. They have an open mic night (sort of) on Friday nights, and a friend’s band was playing. I had no idea what to expect, but I was very surprised and pleased with what we saw. The band: And the Moneynotes (myspace, daytrotter session) – A pseudo jugband/country-rock/good-time band with heaps of talent and an obvious joy of what they’re doing. They mixed genres throughout their set – bluegrass, R&B, country-rock – it all fit, and was delivered without much effort. Their energy was directed into the crowd, and was generally well-received by everyone I was in elbow-contact with (it was PACKED). Tons of fun, and very impressive musically. They are enormous (at least in comparison to the stage at Piano’s), and carry a sound that is tight and well rehearsed, but slightly unhinged, giving them a sort of “sing-and-dance-around-the-fire-with-your-jug-o-wine” type attitude. Regardless of their low-brow genre, their music is serious, and they play directly to their audience. For country and blues enthusiasts, they are a must-see.

And the Moneynotes – Too Much
And the Moneynotes – A Pirate’s Confession Part III

(both from the most current release “New Cornucopia!” Buy it from iTunes here.)

EDIT – I was immediately reminded of this song from the documentary “Heartworn Highways” when I saw them. It would be great to hear them cover this.
Rodney Crowell – Bluebird Wine

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Holy Crap

I am back for real this time. The server move is complete, and my email is working again. I will most definitely have some reviews coming up – I haven’t forgotten.

By the way – do not, for any reason, go with “aheadservers.com.” You will regret it.

Servers

Sorry! I’ve been have server problems the last few weeks. I’m back up now and everything is going smoothly. If you’ve sent me an email over the past 2 weeks, chances are I haven’t gotten it, and never will. Please resend them!

Vinyl Sales for last year

It seems like everyone has drank the kool-aid recently, and even though I recently upgraded my system to once again include a turntable, I have always had a decent vinyl collection, thanks to my parents. Even so, I think it’s safe to say that I’m not very unique in my listening, and it’s more likely I’m just another one of the faceless hipsters that listens to and buys records. Even so, I am not one of the pierced hundreds at Newbury Comics talking about all their new “vinyls” they have, and whether or not a USB turntable is a good investment (it’s not).

The Soundscan statistics support the fact that records are once again coming back, but only to a certain degree. It’s probably safe to say that although new sales have increased, used sales have increased even more. With the flagging industry and CDs at $18, more people are looking to used CDs and records. I would be very impressed if: 1) It was even possible to tally the numbers of used albums sold and, 2) What the numbers are compared to the “new” sales.

Nielsen SoundScan 2008 Sales Figures Released: LP Sales Up 89 Percent — And Neutral Milk Hotel Breaks the Top Ten via LA Weekly.

ps – As soon as my school applications are done you’ll see some more posts. I have several CDs that have been submitted to me that I’ve been meaning to write about, but no time to do it. The work keeps stacking up, and some day it will get done.

The Tallest Man On Earth

I had the pleasure of finally being able to see Bon Iver at the Wilbur Theater in Boston last Sunday. It was a great show, albeit in a weird space. I always enjoy general admission over sitting, but sometimes bands (or managers) like the relaxed atmosphere and extra space provided by larger venues. It’s always been my opinion that people pay to hear the music, and do not pay for comfort. When I bought my ticket I was somehow under the impression there would be no general admission/standing room space. I was wrong. So, I sat in the first balcony and watched the show from 100 yards away.

The absolutely best thing that could happen to me, happened. The opener was fantastic, and worth the price of the ticket by himself. And he was – by himself. The Tallest Man On Earth was an amazing act with equally amazing songwriting. His fingerpicking was soft and mellow at times, but he was able to vary the mood thoroughly throughout the show. His dynamic range on his guitars is very impressive, especially among the current pool of pop and folk musicians that play at one of two volumes – soft (aka “I’m so deep and thoughtful”) and loud (aka “I’m angry. Listen to what I have to say”). His songwriting might be considered melodramatic at times, but the listener is not bored to tears by unrealistic protest songs or flowery poetry – this is folk music, and I am not embarrassed to say it.

Ok, Kristian Matsson is his real name. He is Swedish, and he music comes straight out of his mouth (often, we are used to musicians’ songs coming straight from their ass). At times the songs seem to be playing him – very “shoot from the hip” style. He played each song without much hesitation, or at least with time to ponder which guitar to play. The music sounds very comfortable …

Darling Downs – It’s Dark Down Under

In the United States we are unfortunate to have so little contact with music from other countries.  To listen to a band from Britain is enough for most people, and the only contact with Australian music comes from pop groups like Silverchair, pop/country acts like Keith Urban, and pop/folk groups like The Waifs.  “Goth Country” is a genre pioneered (”pioneered” is a term I used lightly when talking about country) by groups out of the western US; bands like 16 Horsepower and The Handsome Family (also on Carrot Top Records), from Colorado and New Mexico, respectively, have shaped how we listen to new country music, and returned the genre to it’s former dust and ashes glory.  Yes, murder ballads and jilted lovers are what country music is all about, and these Aussies have shown that they’ve got the stuff.

Ron Peno, the Darling Downs’ frontman and songwriter also sounds amazingly like one of my other favorite country/folk singers – Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy. Dry and forceful in his upper register and resonating in his lower register, Peno’s voice sends a chill down your spine and embraces the listener in reverberating darkness. Lovely.

Darling Downs’ sophomore release From One To Another jumps to it’s feet right away; perhaps a little more upbeat than expected from my previous descriptions. The first track is lead by a steadily picked guitar, accompanied by strictly country countrified vocal riffs, giving the listener an different expectation as to what is coming for the rest of the album. The lyrics themselves follow the theme of the album, but for a first-listen, everything comes across a little more positive than it actually is. Following the opening track A Moment of Despair, comes Gather ‘Round (Stomp It Down) – a stripped down and bright banjo driven melody with eager, almost hollered lyrics.

After the first two songs, the album really gets going (and by that, I mean “slows down”). Everytime We Say Goodbye has a slightly lazy feel, with …