Old 97's clip
Fighting chance Is the new, radio-friendly album by Old 97's a lightweight or a heavy hitter? 04/29/99 By Thor Christensen / The Dallas Morning News little voice shows up in Rhett Miller's head from time to time - the voice of an anonymous Old 97's fan speaking to him from the future. " 'It's too bad the Old 97's tried to sell out,' " Mr. Miller says, imitating the voice, " 'and still ended up as total failures.' " He laughs, as if to imply he's only joking. But press him a bit and the singer admits he is indeed gun-shy about reaction to Fight Songs, the Dallas quartet's new album that hit stores Tuesday. Fans used to the punky, twangy rock 'n' roll of the group's first three albums could be startled by such poppy, radio-minded new songs as "19" and "Murder (or a Heart Attack)," the CD's first single. "I was really worried a month after we [recorded] it. I thought, 'Oh no! We've gone too far.' But I'm not really scared anymore," he says. "Some people aren't going to like it. But our real hard-core fans . . . they're still satisfied. They like it and have forgiven us the departure." Forgiveness is a new concept to Mr. Miller and his bandmates. Formed in 1993 and named after a Johnny Cash song, the band spent the next five years cranking out an uncompromising mix of country, rock and punk that made them darlings of the alt-country scene championed by No Depression magazine. Acclaim from No Depression is nice, but doesn't earn you a gold album. The group's first CD for Elektra Records, 1997's Too Far to Care, sold 26,000 copies - well below the break-even point for a major-label band. So for Fight Songs, the band and Elektra decided to smooth out some of the edges by hiring producer Andrew Williams of the Williams Brothers (nephews of pop crooner Andy Williams). "Andrew made it more cohesive and prettier and did the things that don't come naturally to us," Mr. Miller says. "Rocking out and screaming and jumping around come naturally to us. But these songs that I'd written and [singer-bassist] Murry [Hammond] had written were a lot more introspective and quieter and prettier, and I wanted somebody to do justice to those." On Fight Songs, prettier often translates into "much more marketable." With its breezy melody and ska-flavored, singsong guitar, "Murder (or a Heart Attack)" would sound right at home on a pop radio station next to the latest hits by Sugar Ray or No Doubt. If "Murder" does become a radio anthem, it would be the first hit about a runaway feline: Mr. Miller wrote it about his roommate's cat, Charlie, who bolted from a window he'd left open. (The cat returned before the song was even done, Mr. Miller reports.) But while he says he's happy with the way
Old 97's review
Here's the review that ran with the article from the Dallas Morning News Fight Songs' takes a different track 04/29/99 Fight Songs is the sound of the Old 97's learning new tricks while keeping their dignity intact ... most of it, anyway. When they temper their twang with shiny pop-rock, they score mixed results: "Murder (or Heart Attack)," the CD's first single, is generic radio filler, but "19" is a wonderful chunk of ear candy straight out of A Hard Day's Night. But most of the group's other experiments are right on target. "What We Talk About," a Latin-tinged shuffle in the mode of Fastball's "The Way," is the perfect showcase for Ken Bethea's soulful Tex-Mex guitar fireworks. The autoharp-laced "Busted Afternoon" is the best song Ray Davies never wrote, and Murry Hammond's CD-closing "Valentine" is an uncut folk gem. Producer Andrew Williams applies a high-gloss finish to most of the CD, but don't be put off by the sheen. The Old 97's still throw plenty of bare-knuckle punches on Fight Songs. - Thor Christensen
Dwight Best of
I read in the Dallas paper yesterday that Dwight's version of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (from that Gap commercial) will appear on his new best of collection. Jerald
Free Austin shows (was weird Muzak experiences)
At 04:14 PM 4/15/99 -0500, Joe wrote: "HEB" is a chain of stores here in South Texas. Means "H.E.Butts" and they have soulful stuff because a lot of their customers are cedar choppers and Hispanics. They also have the greatest food store in the world, Austin's Central Market. BTW the new Central Market opened in South Austin and Charlie Burton is playing there at 6:30 this Saturday. Also for you Austinites I have a copy of the free Parks shows this year: Wednesdays at Auditorium Shores 7-9pm April 28: 3 Balls of Fire, Lisa Tingle May 5: Rhythm Rats, Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes May 12:Jimmy Lee Jones Band, Night Crawlers May 19:Los Aztex, Beto y los Fairlanes May 26:Barbara K (of timbuk3), Courtney Audain June 2:Mandy Mercier, Newmatics June 9:Seth Walker, W.C. Clark June 16: Walt Lewis, Jump Start June 23: Bukka Allen, Ray Wylie Hubbard June 30: Justin Trevino, Don Walser and the Pure Texas Band Sundays at Zilker Hillside Theater 5-7pm April 25: Thad Beckman, High Island Hepcats May 2: Leeann Atherton, Betty and Gene Elders May 16:Kimmie Rhodes (and Joe!), Redheaded Stepchild May 23:Steven Fromholz, Darcie Deaville May 30:Mike Landschoot, Roy Heinrich and the Pickups June 6:Albert/Gage Band, Suzi Stern June 13: Ray Baker, Paul Glasse Group June 20: Ethyl and Methyl (you've loved em on the Southwest Airlines commercials!), Forlini and Cross Of course I just typed that so any typos are mine and all acts subject to change. Hope to see some of you P2ers at those Sunday shows. Jerald
David Hidalgo on Shania
from yesterday's Dallas Morning News, full story can be found at http://www.dallasnews.com/arts-nf/music1.htm By Thor Christensen / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - He's the flame-keeper of American roots music, but Los Lobos singer David Hidalgo also has a dark musical secret: He's an unrepentant Shania Twain junkie. "Did you see her TV special? I taped it. . . . I love Shania," the singer says, flipping through the latest copy of Billboard in search of a photo of the comely country-pop thrush. "If Shania ever wants to do a duet, I'm there. . . . I wanted to do 'Man, I Feel Like a Woman' on the air today, but they wouldn't let us." Relaxing in the offices of Austin's KGSR-FM after a recent on-air performance, Mr. Hidalgo is joking about actually doing a Shania song. But if he really did decide to play one, he'd probably turn it into a surreal blues anthem or a wicked Tex-Mex stomp: Since helping pilot Los Lobos to fame in the early '80s, the 44-year-old musician has quietly become one of rock's most provocative artists.
Waterloo Top 50/Texas Top 10 - 4.3.99
Subject: Waterloo Top 50/Texas Top 10 - 4.3.99 1. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Real Deal... TX 176 2. Toni Price TX 147 3. Kelly Willis TX 131 4. Steve Earle Del McCoury Band TX 101 5. Beth Orton 91 6. Van Morrison 91 7. Damnations TX TX 78 8. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Couldn't Stand...TX 70 9. Wilco 70 10. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood TX 68 11. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels... TX 66 12. Guy Forsyth TX 63 13. Lauryn Hill 56 14. OST: Matrix 52 15. Ginger Mackenzie TX 51 16. Baz Luhrmann: Something For... 49 17. Willie Nelson TX 44 18. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Soul... TX 44 19. Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Step TX 44 20. R.L. Burnside 43 21. Jon Dee Graham TX 43 22. Lyle Lovett TX 43 23. Robert Earl Keen TX 41 24. Cassandra Wilson 37 25. Built To Spill 36 26. Los Super Seven TX 36 27. Buena Vista Social Club 36 28. Blur35 29. Susan Tedeschi 34 30. Roots31 31. Jeff Beck 31 32. OST: Rushmore 28 33. Gourds TX28 34. Terry Allen TX 28 35. Fatboy Slim 28 36. XTC KGSR27 37. Chieftains26 38. Air 25 39. David Sylvian 25 40. Sheryl Crow 25 41. Lucinda Williams: Lucinda... TX 24 42. Tito Tarantula 24 43. Ana Egge TX 24 44. Billy Bragg Wilco 23 45. Natalie Merchant 23 46. Jimi Hendrix 22 47. Latin Playboys 22 48. Charlie Hunter 22 49. Monte Warden TX 21 50. Reckless Kelly TX 21 Waterloo Texas Top Ten for week ending April 3rd, 1999 1. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Real Deal 2. Toni Price - Lowdown Up 3. Kelly Willis - What I deserve 4. Steve Earle Del McCoury Band - Mountail 5. Damnations TX - Half Mad Moon 6. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather 7. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood 8. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 9. Guy Forsyth - Can You Live Without It 10. Ginger Mackenzie - Kismet
Re: SXSW finally
I want one of those damn 7" Meat Purv records with all the Madonna songs. Where can I get one other than at one of your sinful shows at the Hole? Jerald
Waterloo Top 50/ Texas Top 10 - 3.27.99
Subject: Waterloo Top 50/ Texas Top 10 - 3.27.99 1. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Real Deal TX 220 2. Kelly Willis TX 166 3. Toni Price TX 116 4. Damnations TX TX 100 5. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels... TX 97 6. Van Morrison 78 7. Beth Orton CIMS 75 8. Stevie Ray : Texas Flood TX 75 9. Stevie Ray : Couldn't Stand... TX 72 10. Guy Forsyth TX 68 11. Wilco 66 12. Gourds TX60 13. Stevie Ray : In Step TX 56 14. Steve Earle TX 55 15. Built To Spill 51 16. Ginger Mackenzie TX 49 17. Stevie Ray : Soul to Soul TX 48 18. Terry Allen TX 43 19. Los Super 7 TX 43 20. Reckless Kelly TX 42 21. Robert Earl Keen TX 42 22. RL Burnside 42 23. XTC KGSR41 24. Baz Luhrman 39 25. Jeff Beck38 26. Cesar Rosas 37 27. Asylum Street Spankers TX 35 28. Lauryn Hill 35 29. Indigenous 35 30. Dixie Chicks TX 33 31. Chieftians CIMS 32 32. Joe Henry WR 30 33. Tom Russell 30 34. Blur30 35. Storyville TX 29 36. Tito Tarantula 29 37. Jon Dee Graham TX 28 38. Fatboy Slim 27 39. Cassandra Wilson 27 40. Willie Nelson TX 25 41. Roots25 42. Patty Griffin TX 24 43. Sleater-Kinney 24 44. Susan Tedeschi 24 45. V/A: Pearls In The Snow TX 23 46. Iguanas23 47. Eminem23 48. Jimi Hendrix 22 49. Latin Playboys WR 22 50. Trans Am22 Waterloo Texas Top Ten for week ending March 27th, 1999 1. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Real Deal 2. Kelly Willis - What I deserve 3. Toni Price - Lowdown Up 4. Damnations TX - Half Mad Moon 5. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 6. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood 7. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather 8. Guy Forsyth - Can You Live Without It 9. Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah 10. Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step
waterloo Top 50/Texas Top 10 - 3.20.99
Subject: waterloo Top 50/Texas Top 10 - 3.20.99 1. Kelly Willis TX 230 2. Toni Price TX 150 3. Guy Forsyth TX 146 4. Beth Orton CIMS/KGSR 133 5. Damnations TX TX 118 6. Van Morrison 105 7. Lucinda Williams: Car wheels...TX 102 8. Wilco101 9. Gourds TX101 10. Joe Henry IS/WR 71 11. Monte Warden TX/IS 70 12. R L Burnside 68 13. Jeff Beck68 14. Lucinda Williams: Lucinda TX 67 15. Steve Earle TX 66 16. Ginger Mackenzie TX/HTH 65 17. Built To Spill 64 18. Jon Dee Graham TX 61 19. Cesar Rosas IS 48 20. Ana Egge TX/HTH 48 21. Roots45 22. Reckless Kelly TX 44 23. Los Super 7 TX 43 24. Robert Earl Keen TX 43 25. Lauryn Hill 43 26. Chieftans CIMS 42 27. Asylum Street Spankers TX/HTH 38 28. Lucinda Williams: Sweet... TX 38 29. Knife In The Water TX/IS 37 30. Paul Westerberg 33 31. Jimmy LaFave TX 32 32. Elliott Smith 32 33. Sleater-Kinney 32 34. Eminem32 35. Imperial Teen CIMS 31 36. Terry Allen TX 31 37. Latin Playboys WR 31 38. Jesse Taylor TX/HTH 29 39. Storyville TX 29 40. XTC28 41. Macha IS27 42. Stephen Bruton TX/HTH 27 43. Chuck E Weiss WR 27 44. Bruce Robison TX 27 45. Indigenous 26 46. OST: Rushmore 26 47. Willie Nelson TX 25 48. Patty Griffin TX 24 49. Meg Hentges TX/IS/HTH 24 50. Tin Hat Trio IS/WR 24 Waterloo Texas Top Ten for week ending February 20th, 1999 1. Kelly Willis - What I deserve 2. Toni Price - Lowdown Up 3. Guy Forsyth - Can You Live Without It 4. Damnations TX - Half Mad Moon 5. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 6. Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah 7. Monte Warden - Stranger To Me Now 8. Lucinda Williams -Lucinda Williams 9. Steve Earle Del McCoury Band - Mountain 10. Ginger Mackenzie - Kismet
Top Texans (long)
I meant to post this article when it ran back in January in the Dallas Morning News. I found it again when looking for an article in today's paper that says Maria Holly is not only suing MCA but also two of the Crickets as well. I couldn't find it but thought I would post this anyway. Can any other state match up with Texas? Jerald Texas musicians whose influence helped shape the sound of the century 01/21/99 By Thor Christensen / Pop Music Critic of The Dallas Morning News Coming up with a list of influential Texas musicians is easy. But trimming that list down is like whittling a symphony to a handful of notes. In deciding which artists made the cut, we placed originality and artistic vision above mere popularity (in other words: no Vanilla Ice). Here, in chronological order, are the 25 most influential Texas musicians of the 20th century: Scott Joplin(1868-1917) - Though he was born in Texarkana, the pianist-composer bolted for St. Louis in his teens soon after learning to play the 88s. By the turn of the century, he'd popularized ragtime and set the stage for jazz. Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1930) - The pride of Deep Ellum wasn't the first blues singer, but he was clearly one of the first blues legends. He died at 32, but not before making dozens of landmark records that shaped everyone from T-Bone Walker to Bob Dylan. Jack Teagarden (1905-1964) - The Vernon-born trombonist was known in the jazz world as a hard-drinking hellion. But whenever he put his instrument to his lips, he made transcendent music that was inspired by the blues singers he heard growing up in Texas. Bob Wills (1905-1975) - The Fort Worth fiddler and his Texas Playboys performed musical alchemy - mixing country, pop and big-band jazz into a brave new sound called Western swing. T-Bone Walker (1910-1975) - His calling card was a somber ballad, "Stormy Monday." But "Oak Cliff T-Bone" shook up the blues and paved the road for rock with his rough-and-tumble playing on the electric guitar. Lightnin' Hopkins (1912-1982) - One of the most widely recorded artists of his era, the Houston singer-guitarist was also one of the most influential. You can hear a little of his country-blues in everyone from Buddy Guy to R.E.M. Ernest Tubb (1914-1984) - He started off in San Antonio as a Jimmie Rodgers imitator, but after a tonsillectomy left him unable to yodel, he carved out an ultra-blue country sound all his own. Charlie Christian (1916-1942) - The Jimi Hendrix of jazz. The Dallas-born guitarist almost single-handedly turned electric guitar into a lead instrument. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (Born 1924) - He shaped the sound of Texas guitar blues, but his impact doesn't stop there. An omnivorous musician who roves from blues to country to Cajun and swing, the Orange, Texas, native practically invented the word "eclectic." Lefty Frizzell (1928-1975) - Along with the lonesome wail of Hank Williams, Lefty's blue yodel is one of the signature sounds of honky-tonk. The Corsicana-born singer had a profound effect on the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis and Willie Nelson. Ornette Coleman (born 1930) - The Fort Worth sax player broke new ground by doing away with traditional rhythms and harmony. He dubbed the sound "harmolodics," while the writers named it "free-form jazz." Whatever you called it, it was pure revolution. George Jones (born 1931) - With his rich, expressive voice and his thick back catalog of heartache, the Saratoga-born "Possum" is a living definition of old-school country music. Albert Collins (1932-1993) - "The Iceman" of Houston was a phenomenal showman who spent as much time jamming in the crowd as he did onstage. But stinging instrumentals such as "Frosty" and "The Freeze" are towering blues landmarks. Willie Nelson (born 1933) - Nobody's going to tell you Mr. Nelson is an incredible singer. But the Austinite is one of country's greatest resources, both as a
Re: Top Texans (long)
At 02:38 PM 3/25/99 -0500, you wrote: Jerald Corder forwarded: By Thor Christensen / Pop Music Critic of The Dallas Morning News Wow, funny to see his name pop up. He was the music critic for the Cincinnati Enquirer for, literally, about two weeks. Just sort of vanished. I never did hear why. Probably because he got the big gig with the Dallas Morning News, one of the better daily papers in the country (IMHO of course) although I think the music section is not as good as when Michael Corcoran was in that positon. Jerald
P2 BBQ is on!
I just received a message from Cherilyn that the BBQ is on for today. Starts at 1pm or so. I just checked the Doppler radar and it looks like the heavy storm is moving Northeast and might just miss Austin. I have seen quite a few P2ers already: Bob Ostwald and Kerry, Bill Silvers and Jamie Swedberg, Alex Millar and it's only Thursday morning. Hope to see more of you today. Jerald
Re: Boot Recommendations-Austin
At 06:07 PM 3/15/99 -0800, you wrote: A couple of places (not sure if they are still around, though) Tiny's Boot Shop--East First just east of I35 Cadillac Jack's--North Lamar It's been gone awhile and Jimmy died a couple of years ago. Not sure what happened to all those boots. Allen's Boots--South Congress This is my recommendation too. Locally owned and nice folks and one of my clients. They told me some good stories about folks in town for the rodeo coming in and seeing some of the rockers in for SXSW. There are several of the big chain places as well, Cavenders and Sheplers. Junior mentioned some places on S. Lamar which might be Amelia's or Flashback. Bracing for the influx of SXSWers looking for Mexican food (Polvos on South First, Hernandez on east 6th), boots (see above), vinyl (Musicmania and Treasured Tracs and Antones and Waterloo) and bbq (Kruez in Lockhart, Rubys in town, Iron Works but it's too crowded, Salt Lick in Driftwood). What did I leave out? Jerald
Re: Kelly Willis song comments
At 04:25 PM 3/10/99 -0600, you wrote: Stuart asks: Who is Damon Bramblett? He's an Austin based singer/songwriter. Good friends with Kelly and Bruce. He's supposedly got a record in the can that was supposed to come out on Watermelon (ha!). I've seen him play a couple of times and he's pretty entertaining. Jim, smilin' He is very influenced by Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan (who isn't but you can really hear those people in his songs). He has a song on Charlie Robison's latest cd and Sara Hickman also covered him on one of her cds. Jerald
SXSW in stores
Here are some more free daytime events for you to work in to your busy schedules. Could one of the Weiss bros email the times for the bands for the MoM party, specifically when is Cisco going to play. Don't want to miss that. All subject to change, check ads in the Chronicle for latest info. Waterloo Records Thursday 2pm: Michael Dejong (Munich) 3pm: Shaver,Jon Dee Graham, Stephen Bruton, Bocephus King (New West) 4pm: Krosfyah (Cross Roads) 5pm: Joe Henry (Mammoth) Friday 2pm: Tin Hat Trio (Angel) 3pm: Varnaline (ADA) 4pm: Macha (Caroline) 5pm: Monte Warden (Asylum) Saturday 2pm: Ben Lee (Grand Royale) 3pm: Meg Hentges (Robbins) 4pm: Queens of the Stone Age (Loose Groove) 5pm: Cesar Rosas (Ryko) Tower Thursday 12pm: Ekova 1pm: Johnny Society 2pm: Michael D. Young 3pm: Michelle Gunn 4pm: Nina Hynes Friday 12pm: Elkabong 1pm: Mojo Nixon 2pm: Anna Egge 3pm: Josh Rouse 5pm: Reckless Kelly Saturday 1pm: Dust Revival 2pm: Trish Murphy 3pm: George Devore 4pm: Haggis 5pm: Jimmy Eat World
Re:Lindley benfit SXSW (was: Shania Spam )
There are two benefits as I understand it. I am still catching up with email so someone may have already answered this. Jerald At 03:50 AM 3/10/99 -0500, you wrote: ..., who else will be playing at that Saturday night Donald Lindley benefit at the Texas Union Ballroom. You mentioned Jimmy Dale and Kimmie. I do believe I'll be there. Thanks, --junior And is there more than one event, or has the night and venue cxhanged? Mistuh Corder noted the copy below the other day-- for SUNDAY night Jerald had said: There is a benefit for Donald Lindley's family Sunday night, March 21 at Stubbs with Lucinda, Joe Ely, Terry Allen, Rosie Flores, Will and Charlie Sexton and more. You will have to pay for this event, no badges or wristbands get you in.
Re: Kris McKay?
At 11:35 AM 3/1/99 PST, you wrote: I'd be interested in knowing what she's up to now, and if anyone has a source for her hard-to-find previous album. She moved to LA at some point although she may be back in Austin. I think she will be here for SXSW so maybe we will find out more about what is happening. I see the Arista cd around town occasionally. Email me off list if you want me to track one down for you. Jerald
Wilonsky on Wilco and the sleazy radio programmers
I started to post this article from the Dallas Observer but it is really long. If someone really wants to see it I will post it to the list. I haven't read it all but I have heard several folks are pretty steamed. http://www.dallasobserver.com/1999/current/music1.html Jerald NP: Mike Ness 4 song sampler-he covers "Don't Think Twice" and there is steel guitar on a couple of tracks.
NP
from Tower's epulse, P2 once again ahead of the curve. 6. EMOTICON OF THE WEEK: Emoticons are the often annoying vernacular of typographic symbols used to lend flavor to email. For the most part we all stopped speaking of them, let alone using them, at least a year ago -- things like :-) for happy and :-( for sad, not to mention the slew of related alphanumeric codes, such as "BTW" for "by the way" and "IMHO" for "in my humble opinion." But some trends just won't die, and a relatively recent digerati abbreviation is worthy of mention. Popping up for some time now on emails, especially on music-related email lists, is "NP" -- which stands for "now playing." The writer tags the end of an email with the name of the song or album he's listening to, more than likely on headphones hooked to the CD player of the computer on which he's doing the typing. Like the best emoticons, "NP" can be a valuable window on the psychology of your correspondent. When someone tags a sentence with :-) she may be happy or she may be trying to put a smile on a less-than-friendly missive. When someone writes you an email about a failed romance and tags the end with "NP: The Jam's Snap," there's nothing to worry about, but when it reads "NP: Blue Monday," a phone call may be in order. An "NP" in music-related correspondence serves as, perhaps, the ultimate act of one-upsmanship. A writer who tags an email with a CD by a hearty avant-gardist, such as Alvin Curran or James Tenney, is really saying, "Yeah, I do listen to this stuff." (Sure, he could be lying.) But "NP" can also have unintended consequences. There's nothing like reading a come-on from a would-be admirer -- or a lengthy email treatise on some heady subject -- only to find, at the end, "NP: Dream Theatre's When Dream and Day Unite" or "NP: The Lion King." At which point, depending on the reader's point of view, the value of that email may have diminished considerably. (Weidenbaum)
Re: SXSW - What is the deal
In a message dated 2/14/99 10:51:20 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It's obvious that you haven't paid attention to what I have been saying on why I won't attend these festivals any longer, and why the people whom originally started the SXSW are no longer involved in it. I won't defend SXSW since I work for a paper owned by 2 of the 3 SXSW owners but I will correct this misinformation. Only one of the four founders of SXSW has left the organization. Louis Jay Meyers now has a festival/conference in New Orleans called LMNOP. He still lives in Austin and is starting a label with Mike Stewart (Gourds producer/manager). Jerald
Re: Texans and odd hats
On Thu, 11 Feb 1999, JP Riedie wrote: So does Matt Cook exist? Or is he a publicist's creation? Every time I see the Gourds at the Electric Lounge I ask soundguy Rche if he's seen Matt Cook. he always says yes, but he thinks Matt left for a bit or he went into the crowd. I want to see this man with my own eyes. I saw him myself last week at the Bare Jr. instore at Waterloo complaining about too much drink from the night before and we compared Doug Sahm cds we were about to purchase. Has anyone else seen that Crazy Cajun recordings on Edsel? It's a two cd set and I have listened to it once. So anyway yes he does exist. Jerald
Waterloo Top 50/ Texas Top 10 1.30.99
1. Lucinda Williams: Car wheels...TX 79 2. Ani Difranco 66 3. Dave Matthews 59 4. Baz Luhrman 57 5. Willie Nelson TX 54 6. Susan Tedeschi 54 7. Billy Bragg Wilco 53 8. Lyle Lovett TX 47 9. Lauryn Hill 47 10. Beck43 11. Robert Earl Keen TX 40 12. Everlast36 13. LeeAnn Atherton TX/IS 35 14. Chris Isaak 31 15. George Devore TX 28 16. Dixie Chicks TX 28 17. Bad Livers TX 27 18. Shawn Mullins KGSR 27 19. R.L. Burnside 27 20. V/A: Pearls In The Snow TX 26 21. Cake26 22. Andrea Bocelli 25 23. Reckless: Kelly Live TX 24 24. B.B. King24 25. Los Super 7 TX 22 26. Elliott Smith 22 27. Madonna22 28. Black Crowes 22 29. Sarah McLachlan 22 30. Air 21 31. Buena Vista Social Club 21 32. Gourds: Gogityershinebox TX 20 33. Gourds: Stadium Blitzer TX 19 34. New Radicals 19 35. Sheryl Crow 19 36. Vallejo TX 17 37. Tom Waits 17 38. Keb Mo 17 39. Belle and Sebastian 16 40. Jewel 16 41. Metallica16 42. Reckless Kelly: Millican TX 15 43. Storyville: Piece... TX 15 44. Beatles15 45. Ray Wylie Hubbard TX 14 46. Lucinda Williams: Lucinda TX14 47. Fatboy Slim 13 48. U2 13 49. Liz Phair13 50. Offspring13 Waterloo Texas Top Ten for week ending January 30th, 1999 1. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 2. Willie Nelson - Teatro 3. Lyle Lovett - Step Inside This House 4. Robert Earl Keen - Walking Distance 5. LeeAnn Atherton - Lady Liberty 6. Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces 7. George Devore The Roam - George Devore The Roam 8. Bad Livers - Industry Thrift 9. Various - Pearls In The Snow 10. Reckless Kelly - Live At Stubbs
Re: Kevin Russel (Gourds) solo record
At 10:49 AM 1/29/99 -0600, you wrote: Waterloo is stocking a Kevin Russell solo record. Has anyone heard it yet (Matt Cook?). Any reviews? I saw that the other day and I don't think it is the Kevin Russell of the Gourds. Looked kind of like a Jack Ingram clone. But I haven't heard it yet. Maybe Matt can clue us in on this. Jerald
Jimmy Day
from this week's Austin Chronicle JIMMY DAY, 1934-1999 If the death of Austin blues guitarist T.D. Bell on January 9 was a hard blow for the Central Texas music scene, the loss of steel guitar player Jimmy Day must be measured in even larger terms -- its impact resonates on a national, even worldwide scale. Buda resident Day died of cancer Friday, January 22 at the age of 65. There are a select few musicians whose talent is so highly regarded that their names literally become synonymous with their instrument -- Jimi Hendrix on the guitar, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker on the saxophone, Miles Davis on the trumpet. In the world of steel guitar, those names were Buddy Emmons and Jimmy Day. Of course, Jimmy Day never received the fame of those other names -- he was primarily a sideman, rather than a band leader -- but like all sidemen, he helped make the sounds that made the stars famous. Day's résumé alone is mind-boggling; name a country music hall of famer from the Fifties or Sixties, any one, and chances are, he played with them. And there's a reason he hooked up with so many great musicians -- they sought him out. But Day also played with some smaller names as well, which must be seen as a measure of their talent. When you're the guy who laid down the opening licks of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms," you don't have to play with also-rans. Clay Blaker, Alvin Crow, and Don Walser are among the Central Texas regional talents who received the Jimmy Day stamp of approval and benefited from his talents. Day was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on January 9, 1934, and grew up in Louisiana. He heard Shot Jackson playing the steel guitar in 1948 and fell in love with the instrument, developing a friendship with Jackson (Day, Jackson, and Emmons together manufactured their own brand of pedal steel, the Sho-Bud, beginning in 1957). He quickly mastered the instrument and was soon among heady company; the same year he graduated from high school, 1951, Day auditioned for The Louisiana Hayride, the Shreveport radio show which at the time rivaled the Grand Ole Opry in importance, and backed Webb Pierce and Red Sovine. That same year, he recorded with Pierce on "Don't Do It Darlin'," which went to number one. From there, there are just too many highlights to mention. Day moved among the upper echelons of country royalty until the late Seventies, when Nashville began its attempts to destroy country music, often dropping the steel guitar from recordings altogether. Day returned to Central Texas in 1978 and sought out audiences who still appreciated true country. Among his gigs were the now-legendary Monday nights with Don Walser's Pure Texas Band at Henry's Bar Grill. He moved to Nashville in 1991 for some session work when Nashville rediscovered the steel, but then settled down in Buda again shortly thereafter. As said, the best way to understand the impact of Jimmy Day is to look at his résumé, so here it is (no, we're not making this up): Webb Pierce, Red Sovine, Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Lefty Frizzell, Elvis Presley, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Ferlin Husky, George Jones, Tracy Nelson Mother Earth, Sammi Smith, Leon Russell, Commander Cody, Clay Blaker, Alvin Crow, Don Walser, Skeeter Davis. -- Lee Nichols
Slow down the sound
from this week's EPulse, for whoever was listening to records at 17 to pick up the solos. Reminded of Bill Hick's bit on playing records backwards to pick up Satanic messages: "If you're playing records backwards, you are Satan!" 8. SOFTWARE OF THE WEEK: Ostensibly, a new piece of software called SLOW GOLD II ($89.95), a product of www.WorldWideWoodshed.com, renders fake books redundant -- provided you have the patience to do its bidding. The software's premise is simple: it will play back recorded music at a considerably slower rate, facilitating study by maintaining the music's original pitch throughout, whether you slow the tune to half or even a fifth of its original speed. Trying to ape one of Janis Joplin's inestimable yodels or one of Thelonious Monk's leapfrogging melodies? Just drop your CD in your PC clone's drive (Macs aren't eligible), apply Slow Gold liberally and mimic to your heart's content. Reviewers from PC Magazine to Guitar Player have praised Slow Gold's simple interface and quality audio. The instructions report "a 10-second loop, slowed down 50% with the highest-quality algorithm, took 15 seconds to slow down on a 300 MHz Pentium II"; repeated experimentation confirms those numbers. The only thing that's missing, really, is the software's ability to provide note values at various points along the way -- but since the software is aimed at the guitar enthusiast or someone with rudimentary music theory, that feature would be pretty superfluous. An additional audience, however, lays in wait. The sound quality of Slow Gold's samples is excellent, and the paint-by-numbers controls suggest that ambient music fans may have a new tool to play with. Has repeated listening to your favorite Steve Roach or Brian Eno CD lent the music an all too familiar feel? Well, then dial it down with Slow Gold II. Make Eno's 'Thursday Afternoon' album last all day. (Weidenbaum)
Re: why we hate line-dancing
At 03:54 PM 1/22/99 +, you wrote: Lianne: Yes -- drinking and dancing don't mix very well. Ummm, except in Texas, where drinking and dancing are both obligatory, preferably at the same timeg. Thank god for Texas. Speaking from experience, we pretty much had to drink and dance at the same time in high school because someone would steal your beer if you sat it down somewhere. Jerald
RE: Split Enz - True Colours
I saw Crowded House live on MTV some years ago and they did a song that I didn't recognize. The only lyric I can remember is somthing about "shedding skin". Since it looks like we have some Finn experts here I thought I would float it out. Also anyone know a Louvin Brothers song with the line "what are those things with wings..." Thanks, Jerald
Watermelon news
also from this week's Chronicle: As you learned here last week, long-beleaguered local label Watermelon Records filed for Chapter 11 on December 31, 1998, enabling the company to have legal protection from creditors during a period of financial restructuring. So what's up next for the label? How about a merger with their distribution-mates at Sire, local blues label Antone's Records? One disgruntled former Watermelon employee calls it "the blind leading the blind," but Antone's Christie Warren confirms rumors that the latter label has been contacted by the former -- though nothing is confirmed at the moment. "We're big fans of theirs," she says, "and anything we can do to help them we're going to do." Watermelon President Heinz Geissler is a bit more vague on his plans, worried that premature talk could jinx his ideas for the future. "We're working on something right now," he allows, but declines to say whether it's with Antone's or another party. Whoever it is, he says he had hoped to have ink on paper this week, and expects to have solid news on Watermelon's fate to report in the very near future. He could have more trouble in the wind, however; Tom Pittman of the Austin Lounge Lizards says that he fears his band may be forced to sue Watermelon. Pittman claims that the band canceled its contract with the label in late 1998 after the label failed to pay a sum that was owed within the contractually agreed time. The Lizards hope to take their catalog to Sugar Hill Records, but, says Pittman, "[Watermelon is] resisting us, so it looks as though we're going to have to sue." Geissler, on the other hand, says that not only are the Lizards still under contract with the label "forever," he believes the two parties "have a good working releationship." Given Pittman's statement, I'd have to say I've seen better ones. Don't expect Watermelon/Waterloo Records' owner John Kunz to figure highly in the label's plans. Kunz says that while he will remain a shareholder in Watermelon, he doesn't expect to be involved with the newly restructured company as he has in the past. Then again, he just may have his hands more than full with competition threatening Waterloo Records; rumor has it that a Virgin Megastore may be one of the planned businesses in the big shopping center in the works catty-corner to Waterloo at Sixth and Lamar. Calls to Virgin headquarters went unreturned, and Kunz says he doesn't wish to comment until he knows for sure the chain is building here, but he admits that he, too, has heard the rumors. In any case, the store wouldn't actually be open for a couple of years, one supposes, and by that time we should have time to decide on where to found a New Austin anyhow. (And whose brilliant idea was it to build at that spot and escalate the already overwhelming traffic situation at that uber-congested intersection? Ah, well, at least the Electric Lounge will have more potential customers -- if they're still there, that is).
