Odd's N End's

Wrinkle Neck Mules album Let the Lead Fly is one my favourites of 2009, check out the reviews, competition and wallpapers @ Twangville and Twangnation

Laura Viers - July Flame
The first two songs from the upcoming album free for your listening pleasure (mp3 sampler)


No Depression featured a wonderful TvZ article from the Jan 99 edition of the magazine, A Gentlemen & a Shaman, read it here

More video treats from Music Fog, Charlie Robison "Down Again"

Joey Allcorn - All Alone Again

Okay I missed this first time around but better late than never.
For those of us who want for authentic country music, then you could do no better than starting with Joey Allcorn's album All Alone Again, it's immediate, authentic and oozing tradition, a collection of thirteen original songs, with tracks like Honky Tonkin' Ramblin' Man and Lonesome Lovesick Man Hank Sr.'s signature echo's throughout this album, it's one thing making a record like this it's another getting it right Allcorn succeeds with honours, the song's are stand out and Allcorn has a bunch of A-list musicians on-board, from George Jones touring band Hank Singer (fiddle), the legendary Lloyd Green, (pedal steel ) - the most recorded player of his generation, Dave Rowe (bass) - from Johnny Cash's last touring band and Hank Williams Sr.’s steel-guitar player Don Helms - his playing on this album was some of his final recorded work. 
Pour yourself a bourbon and turn it up loud.  

On the web @ Joey Allcorn

Buy the album @ CDBaby

YellowHammers - S/T (Up Records)

Hailing from Chicago's West Side the YellowHammers have being around since 1994 but have managed to fly under my radar until now, the band are set to release their self-titled fourth album later this month. 


The band are Terry White (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Rob Pierce (vocals, guitar), Kevin James (bass, vocals), Phil Levin (drums), Tom Kneesel (pedal steel, guitar), and their eleven track album includes a faithful cover of R.E.M.'s (Don't Go Back to) Rockville and ten originals.


If the album art looks familiar then it will come as no surprise to you that legendary cow-punk Jon Langford (Waco Bros, Mekons) is involved in this project, handling the production and adding mandolin on several tracks as well as the cover art, with Langford on board you know this records not going to let you down and the experience of the band and producer shines on through as they successfully knead together roots elemental parts to produce an eclectic and enjoyable album, from the opening ensemble Everybody's Joking adorned with strings and horns to the slow burning country rock of Don't Slow Me Down on through the bar-band rock of C'mon Elvis they've created a solid and thoroughly enjoyable record.


Official release date is November 17th with a release party in Chicago on the 21st details and music from the YellowHammers at the band website or over at Myspace

The Jam "The Eton Rifles"

30 years ago (sharp intake of breathe), Setting Suns was another November release for The Jam, the bands fourth album contained only one single release - but what a single it was - The Eton Rifles  





The Eton Rifles gave the trio their first Top Ten Hit when it entered the charts at #3, it remains one of Weller's most powerful songs, musically and in it's content and message - despite the best efforts of members of the political elite attempting to hijack it for in the name of looking "hip". 




The song is quintessentially and unapologetically a British one - the language used is colloquial, and refers to an actual event involving Eton's public school boys and trade union marchers that occurred in 1978 during the Right to Work protests (Wiki). Rifles has remained a live favourite for Weller fans long after the break-up of The Jam, it always leaves me euphoric at Weller gigs when it's played, there's a great article over at Sound on Sound where Producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven goes into detail on the tracks recording and development. 


So "sup up your beer and collect your fags" for The Eton Rifles


The Eton Rifles - Setting Suns
The Eton Rifles - BBC 
The Eton Rifles - Live 


Buy "Setting Suns"

Musikanto - Ghost Pain (Self release)

Mike Musikanto is a Chicago born and bred singer / songwriter who with band mates Russ Mallord, JJ Evans, Scott Schaafsma and Eugene Choi record and perform as Musikanto, their debut record Ghost Pain was self-released earlier this year and is available from iTunes or CD Baby. It's a strong set of ten all original genre hopping tracks packaged together to produce a great album - one I enjoyed start to finish, intelligent writing with a made-to-order production job that showcases the bands undoubted talents.


There's a range of style's on show here from the melodic opening track Misty Morning which you can listen to at HearYa to the lovely bare-bones ballad To See You One More Time - featuring Sarah Holtschlag through to the records closing track a wonderful piano driven lament I Know Something's Going On. 

If you like what you hear - be sure to check out Musikanto @ Myspace and the live session @ HearYa, better still get yourself a copy of the CD Buy Musikanto 

Website Muskanto 
Website Sarah Holtschlag

Odd's N End's

Assorted stuff enjoyed this week.

Lucero at Daytrotter

From Music Fog

Rosanne Cash on Johnny, “The List,” Taylor Swift–and Playing Live at the WSJ Café 


HearYa

Happy Birthday Neil "Keep on Rockin' "

il Young is 64 today, one more year before he gets a state pension and a free bus pass.


Neil Young  Glastonbury 2009

Charlie Robison – BBC Session “Beautiful Day”

Bob Harris recorded a short session with Charlie Robison earlier this year during the Americana awards in Nashville, the session aired on the 5th November - I was otherwise engaged that evening getting soaked to the skin whilst simultaneously enjoying hot dogs and beer - I caught up with the show on iPlayer after I'd dried out and was very pleased I did.

Robison performed two live session tracks and had a chat with Bob about the album, the divorce and Austin versus San Antoine, his album Beautiful Day has being one of the muscial highlights for me this year and he performed two acoustic tracks from the record during the session Down Again and the title track, before the session closed with one of my favourite tracks from the Beautiful Day album Feeling Good.


For any overseas readers who may not have come across Bob Harris before, the man’s a real hero when it comes to getting alt-country and Americana to a wider audience in the UK, his long running shows on BBC Radio 2 have introduced me and many others to a whole host of new artists, particularly the Thursday night show Bob Harris Country, check out Whispering Bob at his website here.

Intro
Down Again
Interview 1
Beautiful Day
Interview 2
























Buy Charlie Robison @ Amazon    Buy Bob Harris Presents @ Amazon

The Jam - All Mod Cons

So to the second best album from The Jam All Mod Cons, another November release one year on from This is the Modern World, there were two singles gleaned from All Mod Cons,  the first was a double A-side (does anyone do these anymore) a cover of The Kinks David Watts doubled up with A Bomb In Wardour Street which was followed by Down in the Tube Station at Midnight which charted ten places higher - peaking at number 15, the B-side included a cover version of The Who's So Sad About Us and the back cover of the single was adorned with a photo of legendary drummer Keith Moon who had died a month earlier. 

Tube Station kicked off one of the greatest runs of single releases in British music history - followed as it was by Going Underground / Dreams of Children, Start, That's Entertainment,  Funeral Pyre, Absolute Beginners, Town Called Malice / Precious, Just Who is the 5 O'Clock Hero and of course Beat Surrender (okay I missed out The Bitterest Pill, it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to, never liked it). 


The US version of All Mod Cons included The Butterfly Collector - which was the b-side to the next UK single release Strange Town - love this song particularly the sit down version that has featured in recent shows and on the BBC Electric Proms performance.  The band were never a part of the "punk" movement in it's purest form and when all those around them were content with churning out albums full of nihilistic tracks finding a song like English Rose on the album was surprising (the song is not listed in the album's track listing and the lyrics were not included on the inner sleeve of the original vinyl release), the song was used for an Enjoy England ad campaign a few years ago and has been covered by a few times including a great version by Everything But The Girl (check it it our at Cover Lay Down), it is rumoured the song was used by a big Jam fan during his "wild oats" period to seduce the girls - I wouldn't know anything about that though.


Down In the Tube Station at Midnight
The Butterfly Collector
The Butterfly Collector (Paul Weller, Island 50th) (Credit)


Buy All Mod Cons 

Highway Ghosts – After All This Time

Final one of the day is from the Highway Ghosts a Boston MA based rock outfit.The band were born out of an old-fashioned jam session between Dennis Barry (Bass / Vocals),  Matt Slowick (Drums / Vocals) ,Dan Cody (Guitar / Vocals) and David DeLuca (Guitar / Vocals), taking inspiration from each other the band have released a CD entitled After This Time, assisted by Ward Hayden on vocals and Jim Gambino on keyboards.


The album is a set of twelve original roots rock tracks which walk the familiar ground of heartache, loss and yearning, my picks from the album are Troubled Shoes and Talk About It Later , this album breaks no new ground, but the band have put the essential parts together - well written songs, sound musicianship and solid production, and the end result is a more than solid debut showcasing the bands talents.


Bands MySpace                Buy @ CDBaby