500 Miles To Memphis has a new album. Here’s a couple of the songs: Piggie Boy and In My Chest
The Thirsty Crows put out a new album a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the title song: Hangman’s Noose
The Madisons released a more country EP entitled “Country Music Sunday” the start of the year, but here’s a selection from their last full-length album: Headache
San Marcos’ own Rock Bottom String Band: Nothin’ Below
Here’s a selection from the Whiskey Shivers: Reckless
I couldn’t get free to go to Gruene Hall a couple of weeks ago for this songwriter circle, but fortunately, someone taped all the songs and uploaded to YouTube. I have mentioned David Lee and Dallas Moore here before, but it’s cool that someone took the time and effort to record all of this for everyone to enjoy. I’ll kick it off with one of David Lee’s big songwriting hits: I Need You
Cody Johnson fans will recognize David Lee as the songwriter behind the title tracks on CoJo’s albums, including the new one.
Nick Dittmeier and the Sawdusters are from Indiana, but their honky tonk sound sounded right at home in Texas yesterday at Kent Black’s BBQ in San Marcos. They opened shows in the Dallas area for Flatland Cavalry and Buffalo Ruckus a few days ago, so if you like those bands, check these folks out, too. Here’s last year’s album, All Damn Day
Flat Top Jones plays every month at Gruene Hall, and has for years. The band members are very skilled musicians with vast experience in other groups. Erik Hokkanen’s energetic fiddle playing was especially well received. Here’s a video from a few years back: Flat Top Jones Band at Gruene Hall
Yesterday’s show featured three members of Flat Top Jones together with family trio Toy Hearts from Birmingham, UK. The patriarch of the family plays pedal steel, and still lives in the UK, as does younger daughter Hannah (Hannah and the Broken Hearts). The older daughter Sophia has lived in Austin close to a decade, and I saw her win the Ameripolitan Award last year in Memphis for Western Swing. The family’s all together in Austin for just a couple of weeks to record their next album at Dale Watson’s studio. The sister harmonies are a real treat.
The combined Flat Top-Toy Hearts band entertained a strong crowd at Gruene Hall for close to four hours. Most of the music was really old school country and western swing. Think Bob Wills and Hank Sr. There were bits of bluegrass and rockabilly, too. Each band played just a small number of originals, and one of the new Toy Hearts songs was written by Sophia Johnson and Brennen Leigh.
Apparently, I missed his debut album earlier this week. I haven’t had a chance to listen to much of it yet, but my initial impression is that this is good, solid Texas country. I look forward to hearing the album in its entirety.
As always, I am on the lookout for new songs for my 2019 Country Plus Showcase
Like most weeks, there’s more music than you can shake a stick at. Let’s see what we can find…
I saw both Sundance Head and Farewell Angelina at CMA Fest last year, so I’ll start with mentioning them. Sundance is best known for winning The Voice.
I included songs from Jordan Robert Kirk Pine Box and Joshua Ray Walker Canyon on my 2018 list. Like Sundance Head, they’re Texans, so the Lone Star State is strongly represented again this week. Triston Marez and George Dearborne have new EPs, too.
The Ponderosa Aces from California have a twangy, honky tonk sound: Come Around
Hadley Elizabeth released her album yesterday, so this is one of the few I’ve had a chance to listen to at all. Fairy Tale Family will get some spins on my 2019 list.
Lindi Ortega has a piano instrumental version of her last album.
Bluegrass fans will want to check out Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, and Milan Miller.
EDIT: Milan Miller’s EP isn’t strictly bluegrass, even though much of his previous material is. Check out Eloise
From the UK, Clint Bradley has a new western album. I considered putting his video for Soul of the West on my playlist, but there’s about half a minute of dead time at the end of the video for the credits.
More albums that I’ve seen listed elsewhere that I don’t know much about: Lula Wiles, Travis Howard, If Nothing Else, Pony Bradshaw, Jeff Cramer, Bob Sumner, Amelia White, DBUK, Tango Cowboys , Seckond Chaynce, Jef & Clo, King Calaway, Jess Klein, and Terry Klein.
Long story short is that there’s such a barrage of new music every week that I need to change some songs out to make room. I’m glad for whatever few spins I can give to lots of artists who receive little coverage, but last year’s list was gigantic and unwieldy, and there are too many people putting out new music to include but a small fraction. What I keep at a given time might not necessarily be what is “best” as much as “best fit” (“blocks” of songs with similar themes, etc).
Before we get to all the weird and goofy covers, here’s a brand new video from Daniel Miller, featuring the great Robby Turner on pedal steel: Your Man (not the Josh Turner song of the same name)
Now, for the oddball covers:
I don’t think Skeeter done it this way: Carcass Brook cover of “End of the World”
Conway Twitty singing in Russian: Hello Darlin’
Tennessee Mafia Jug Band: Ghost Chickens In The Sky
Donald Duck & Goofy: Home On The Range
The Cleverlys cover Red Hot Chili Peppers: By The Way
Krisenka’s country cover of Highway to Hell
The Steel Chipmunks (Steeldrivers “chipmunked”)
Shinyribs’ cover of Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money
Music Row Magazine interview with Ray Stevens
CBS interview with Marty Stuart
Rodeo Austin concerts announced yesterday
NSAI (Nashville Songwriters) will honor Loretta Lynn and Lamar Alexander
Irish country star Cliona Hagan on Ireland Dancing With The Stars
Blake O’Connor won Toyota Starmaker award at Tamworth
The artist who designs Americana awards
USA Today – Swiss University offers bachelor’s, master’s degrees in … yodeling
Randy Rogers released a track list for his new album, and it includes a cover of this Guy Clark/Stapleton song: Hell Bent On A Heartache.
Here’s a fun murder ballad from Linda Gail Lewis & Robbie Fulks last year: Till Death
Annie Marie Lewis and Danny B Harvey with Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead, Tales From The Tour Bus): You Win Again
Brand new lyric video from Jade Marie Patek: Love’s To Blame
Here’s some old-time fiddle and buckdancing from Hillary Klug
I haven’t had the chance to check out the new albums from Clay Walker, Joanna Young, Joshua Allen, Tiffany Williams, and Season Ammons, but I’ll make a note of their existence here, so that I might find the time to check them out later.
Sam and Dave are receiving a Grammy lifetime achievement award: Commercial Appeal article. They played music before some of Dr. King’s speeches. Sam Moore is still around, so there’s some great, living history for the holiday. He collaborated with a number of country artists over his decades-long career, too, like Vince Gill, Conway Twitty, and Travis Tritt. He has worked some with bluegrass group Nu-Blu. Here’s a 2015 Tennesseean article about Sam Moore’s country roots
Here’s a video of Sam singing some Hank on the Marty Stuart Show: I Heard That Lonesome Whistle
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