The March house concert with Greg Trooper was super. It's looking like
this spring and summer are going to be chock full of good house concerts
and small venue shows. Remember to sign up for my house concert mailing
list to hear about these first. The Greg Trooper show sold out in two
hours and it doesn't seem as if any of the future shows will be any
different. Upcoming shows are listed on my website.
Here's my playlist for March as reported to Crossroads magazine. Lots
of new stuff!
Cheers.
Steve Gardner
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.topsoil.net
===================================================================
WXDU-Fm 88.7
Durham, NC
Steve Gardner, "Topsoil"
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
March Roots Report
1. Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien & John Herrmann - Songs From the Mountain -
Howdy Skies
[This is the best CD of new fangled old-time music I've heard in a few
years. Together, these three musicians have succeeded in putting a
soundtrack to the book Cold Mountain, written by local author Charles
Frazier. This CD is only sold as a companion to the paperback version
of the book. Check major retailers such as Borders and Amazon.com if
you have problems finding it. Both the book and the CD are well worth
the search.]
2. Steve Earle and Del McCoury - The Mountain - E Squared
[I wasn't so sure Steve Earle had the voice to pull off a good bluegrass
album...well, boy was I wrong! This CD not only kicks butt, but it is
one of the best bluegrass CDs I've heard in at least a year. This is a
top-notch bunch of original songs with a crack band and it deserves to
be heard by many.]
3. Terry Allen - Salivation - Sugar Hill
[Nobody is more alternative country than Terry Allen. In fact, Terry is
an alternative to just about anything! Contained in this CD is nearly
an hour of the best songs that Terry has written and performed since
1979's "Lubbock on Everything."]
4. Kelly Willis - What I Deserve - Rykodisc
[Kelly still hasn't made an album that really shows how incredible she
really is. This one comes close, but I still think she has a better one
in her. With that said, though, this is still one of the best CDs of
the year. I expect to see this on many topten lists at the end of '99.]
5. Jimmy Murphy - Electricity - Sugar Hill
[I can't imagine anything beating this album out for reissue of the
year. I had no clue who Jimmy Murphy was, but upon hearing this I
realised that I (and many others) have been missing one of the greatest
country songwriters and singers. "I Get a Longing to Hear Hank Sing the
Blues" should be the new national anthem.]
6. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder - Ancient Tones - Skaggs Family
[Another great CD of mostly traditional bluegrass. One of my favorite
songs on the album is one that you probably won't hear on other stations
much. It's an 8 minute version of "Little Bessie" that is a capella for
the first half of the song. It's 8 minutes of bliss if you ask me. One
song really stinks on this album, but the rest are tops.]
7. Various Artists - Kentucky Old-Time Banjo - Rounder
[A great one CD compilation featuring various styles of oldtime banjo
music from Kentucky.]
8. Rosie Flores - Dance Hall Dreams - Rounder
[Another good CD from Rosie. It's not perfect, but I certainly enjoy
listening to it and playing it on Topsoil. It's nice to hear a live
album because I think that is where Rosie is at her best.]
9. Del McCoury - The Family - Ceili
[Ceili Records debuts with the latest release from one of the hottest
bluegrass bands in the country, the Del McCoury Band. If this is any
sign of what the label has to come (and it is, sneaking a peak at the
upcoming releases shows a recording by the amazing Gibson Brothers!)
then we will be kneedeep in good bluegrass for a while.]
10. Biller and Wakefield - Hot Guitars of Biller and Wakefield - HMG
[Steel and Electric guitar instrumentals. Three songs have vocal
performances by either Big Sandy or Dave and Deke. Fans of Jimmy Bryant
and Speedy West take note.]
11. Jeremy Wallace - My Lucky Day - Palmetto
[Someone hold me....this CD is so good it makes me dizzy. I've never
heard of Jeremy but dangit if this isn't one of the best CDs of the
1998. It is one of those CDs that is impossible to describe without
hyphens. If you like your music of the
Louisiana-ragtime-blues-dixieland-country-screamin'-folky-twang on Tin
Pan Alley type then this is for you.]
12. John Wesley Harding - Trad Arr Jones - Zero Hour
[If only more folk music was like that of Nic Jones. Nic was severely
injured in a car accident many years ago and it ended his performing
career. He was an English folk artist who re-arranged English
traditional folk songs. JWH pays tribute to Nic here with an album of
"covers." Even if you like this CD you still need to hear Nic. His
guitar arrangements were just as nice and not even JWH can attempt to
capture those. Unfortunately most of Nic's music is out of print.]
13. Carbines - Jukejoint Girl 7" - Oil Rig
[This 7 inch record only gives you a glimpse of the vocal strength of
the Tift Merritt, the lead singer and songwriter for the Carbines. This
is the only recording of the Carbines, except for one cut on the Garden
Place compilation, but hopefully we'll here more from her soon. If
anyone ever deserved to be a *star* it is Tift. She conjures up images
of Emmylou Harris mixed with Maria McKee, along with a large helping of
...something...else.]
14. Charlie Poole - Legend of Charlie Poole Vol 3 - County
[Another great reissue of Charlie Poole's oldtime stringband music. I'm
especially excited to hear an old version of the song "Goodbye Booze"
which I only heard recently from a recording by the Blue Ridge Mountain
Minstrels.]
15. Skip Gorman - A Cowboy's Wild Song to His Herd - Rounder
[Yeah! My favorite living cowboy singer released his third CD for
Rounder. The thing that propels Skip past many other singers of Western
music is that he always seems to be more influenced by the range, rather
than Hollywood.]
16. Lydia Mendoza - Vida Mia - Arhoolie
[A great great CD of traditional hispanic music sung mostly with only
guitar accompaniment. I absolutely love this CD.]
17. Hadacol - Better Than This - Checkered Past
[Great album of rootsy rock music. Produced by Lou Whitney of the
Skeletons.]
18. Rock n' Roll Summer Camp 98 - Rock n' Roll Summer Camp 98 - Black
Dog
[Members of Marah, Blue Mountain, the Neckbones and a few others get
together for a summer retreat and walk away with an album under their
belts. This CD is a ton of fun. It just goes to show what great things
can happen when musicians who are friends first get together for fun and
music.]
19. Pinetops - Above Ground and Vertical - Monolyth
[A great local roots rock band led by Jeffrey Dean Foster. Someone
please support the guy because with a name like that he's bound to be a
serial killer if his music career fails...or perhaps a writer of
showtunes.]
20. Buzz Matheson & Mac Martin - Echoes of the Past - White Oak
[Great traditional sounding bluegrass.]
21. Damnations TX - Half Mad Moon - Sire
[I'm still not sure if this band lives up to their hype. I suspect
not. However, there's some pretty good roots rock tunes here.]
22. Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers - An Angel Not a Saint - Sad
Bird
[A great honky-tonk band that deserves to be heard by a much wider
audience.]
23. Frog Holler - Couldn't Get Along - ZoBird
[This band hails from Philly, PA. I hear they know those whacko guys in
Marah. That's a good thing in my book. This CD is lotsa fun.]
24. Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah - Munich
[I've always hated this band. Well, not exactly "hate." More like
indifference because they've never refrained from completely boring me
to death with their songs. This new CD has a few tunes on it that I
actually like, though. So, either I am changing, or they are. Judging
by their rabid fans perhaps it's me? Those old albums still sound like
crap though. <g>]
25. Bad Livers - Dust on the Bible - Quarterstick
[All gospel reissue. First time on CD.]
26. Tom Russell - Man From God Knows Where - Hightone
[Tom has always impressed me with his songwriting. This type of album
is really where he shines the best. These songs all revolve around the
subject of families and his own Scandanavian/Irish lineage and the
instrumentation and choice of guests echo that theme. Together it comes
across as a great total package. Now, for the negative....I don't
really like Tom's voice all that much - never have. However, with
guests such as Iris DeMent, Annbjorg Lien, Eoin O'Riabhaigh, and others
it really makes whatever personal qualms I have with the album easier to
forget.]
27. Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys - Radio Favorites - Hightone
[Gawd, I sure do love this. Big Sandy (with new piano player) have
stepped back and added more rockabilly into their mix. It's terrific!
It's only 6 songs, so now I'm wanting more. I sure do miss seeing them
on a regular basis when I lived on the left coast.]
28. Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell - Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell -
Rounder
[A CD of all instrumental compositions between Tony Furtado (noted
banjerist and slide guitarist) and Dirk Powell (fiddle, cajun accordian,
banjo, piano, and more). The outcome is very nice with enough stylistic
changes throughout the CD to hold your attention. Good stuff.]
29. Jerry Wicentowski - Lucky Break - Wizgrass
[Independently produced bluegrass CD from this guitarist/financial
planner. The album also features Tim O'Brien, Byron Berline, Andy
Statman, Mark Hembree and Scott Vestal. Jerry didn't write any of the
songs on the CD, but his choices for material are nice.]
30. Beausoleil - Cajunization - Rhino
[Another solid CD of cajun and beyond from Michael Doucet and
Beausoleil.]
Questions? Comments?
Cheers.
Steve Gardner
--
Steve Gardner - Topsoil: A Century of Twang - Sun. 12-3pm
WXDU 88.7FM Durham NC and on the Net at www.wxdu.duke.edu
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] **** www.topsoil.net *
