Country Fried Rock: Music & Interviews

CountryFriedRock.org

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:55:00 +0000

As of 3.11.12, we are now posting at http://CountryFriedRock.org.

Thanks for making our radio show so incredible! This page will no longer be updated.

--Sloane Spencer, Producer
Country Fried Rock

Buffalo Clover

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:08:00 +0000

Margo Price of Buffalo Clover feels pulled in many directions with the music she writes and performs. With the development of her side project, Margo and the Pricetags, the lure of traditional country finally has an outlet,
and rock can stay with Buffalo Clover. That said, the band is as eclectic as their self-description.

The core duo with her husband, Jeremy Ivey, morphs with members and special guests, which yields different feels for each record and even their performances. Despite a personally tragic year, the band's success with the release of Low Down Time expanded to include a tour in the UK and a noted video filmed in Liverpool. The album demonstrates their influences, moving from psychedelic roots rock through a waltz and a twangy love song. Buffalo Clover has relied on the kindness of their friends in the music business to pull in different skills and support, from their indie label, Palaver Records, to noted recording studio, The Bomb Shelter, and buddy Micah Hulscher on keys. This release, though, is more cohesive than previous releases, with everything having a roots rock basis.

The dynamic of a married couple writing and co-writing yields a competitive creative filter, pushing each other to improve and rework songs in their development. Recently, though, Buffalo Clover has worked more collaboratively with the band members and friends in developing songs, even building bluesy riffs from which songs expand. They want to emphasize the 1960's rock vibe of their music, but like many creative folks, they are pulled in many directions--while trying not to confuse the listener and still have outlets for all their musical ideas.

www.BuffaloClover.com

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Songs in Episode 1210 include:

3 from Buffalo Clover's latest release, Low Down Time
The Statler Brothers, "Flowers on the Wall"
The Kinks, "Apeman"
Henson Cargill, "Skip a Rope"
Alabama Shakes, "Hold On" (also recorded at The Bomb Shelter)
Sam Doores and the Tumbleweeds, (not yet released in US) "Wrong Time to Be Right"
Bob Dylan, "On the Road Again" (electric Dylan)

One from Next Week's Episode 1211, Paladino, "Ode to Misery"

The Famous

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:49:00 +0000

The Famous bring together a punk influence with traditional country, yielding music that seems to emerge only from California. I always imagine skateboarders who listen to country, not for the irony, but for the cool-factor. In the case of The Famous, though, their music is as much a product of the craft brewing scene as anything else.
From brew pubs to brew fests--even a song in homage to their favorite beer--The Famous have found a well-heeled, selective audience for their music in the greater San Francisco Bay region.

The Famous's live performance, though, is as carefully mastered as the beers their fans enjoy. The Famous's "Experience" combines the group dynamics of evangelism with the imagery and actions of a revival, with their music as the centerpiece, not religion. While not as irreverent as Reverend Horton Heat, one can easily see why The Famous are a logical opening act for them.

Lyricist Laurence Scott views himself as the musical weak link in the band, but his role as showman keeps him in the forefront. Working closely with Victor Barclay who writes the basis of their music, the two flesh out each song and develop them further with the rest of the band. From their debut Light, Sweet Crude to their current record, Come Home to Me, The Famous have defined themselves to their selective fans. Their upcoming release will be their first to take on a national scope, just at the right time.

www.TheFamous.net

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Songs in Episode 1209 Include:

3 from The Famous'sCome Home to Me

Old 97's "Eyes for You" from their Early Tracks

Drag the River "Death of the Life of the Party"

Modest Mouse "All Nite Diner"

Southern Culture on the Skids "Zombified"

Reverend Horton Heat "Big Sky"

"St. Cathleen" from Next Week's Episode 1210, Buffalo Clover

The Vespers

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:01:00 +0000

When sisters Phoebe and Callie Cryar met brothers Taylor and Bruno Jones at a picnic and music jam at their mutual friend's home, little did the then-teens realize that just a few years later the four would form a folk band called, The Vespers. Despite growing up in families who had experienced careers in the music industry, they had really gleaned more about the reality that it was not an easy life path as neither of their family members remained in the business.
As the foursome has moved forward, though, they have called upon their families' support as well as some notable friends, such as Bryan Simpson, formerly of Cadillac Sky.

As their name, The Vespers, indicates, the members of the band are fundamental believers in Christianity, although the songs themselves are not necessarily evangelical. Sonically, though, the tunes are simple folk songs, with a touch of twang in the instrumentation. Despite their youth and professed nervousness, The Vespers performed on Music City Roots to immediate acclaim. Despite only having time for them to play two songs, the band brought it all to that performance in a way that clearly won over sceptics. I found them that night--as I was watching MCR for the other bands on the line-up, but, for the first time ever, tracked them down to feature based on their performance.

Tell Your Mama hints at the sounds that may be to come from The Vespers. Whether they hone their twangier, amped up tunes or drift towards the mellower, folk songs could move them from one set of fans to an entirely different crowd. They are most comfortable with fans similar to themselves--young, energetic, Christian college students--which may ultimately make them a more financially viable band rather than the strength of their still-developing style. See The Vespers live, and you will enjoy them; get their record, and you will surprise yourself when you find yourself singing some of their catchy melodies, whether you want to or not.

www.TheVespersBand.com

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Songs in Episode 1208 include:

3 from The Vespers, Tell Your Mama

1 from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack

Cadillac Sky, "You Again"

"Dreaming of You" by former Cadillac Sky member, Bryan Simpson

The Carolina Chocolate Drops, "Trouble In Your Mind"

The Avett Brothers, "Shame"

Arcade Fire, "Month of May"

One from Next Week's Episode 1209, The Famous

Brett Detar

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:04:00 +0000

When Brett Detar ended his band, The Juliana Theory, he was not sure he would ever play music again. Seeking a change, he became the customer service department and chief stain remover for his wife's vintage clothing shop. Detar fully escaped music, trying to evade his self-doubt about his ability to write songs or be an artist at all.
During these years, every scrap of paper of a lyric or theme crammed into a box, waiting for Detar to make them into music.

Once Brett decided that music still was his creative purpose, the development of Bird in the Tangle proceeded swiftly. Brett heavily researched the players he wanted and knew that Nashville offered the professionals and the sounds he imagined to bring these songs to life. Pete Young's production brings a full, layered sound to Detar's songs, contrasting with the solo tour that Brett ran in support of Bird in the Tangle.

Brett Detar, himself, though, embodies many contrasts, tall man with a soft speaking voice, physically transforming himself from long-haired, bearded troubador to freshly haircut and shaved self-portrait subject, and expressing himself through musical styles that differ based on how he has grown conceptually. For fans expecting "another" record from his former band, they will not find it here; however, for those who like to see how an artist matures and follows their muse wherever she may lead, they will love it. Bird in the Tangle stands on its own, for those who never knew Detar's previous work.

www.BrettDetar.com

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Songs in Episode 1207 include:

3 from Bird in the Tangle, Brett Detar's recent release which can be downloaded for free from his website
Townes Van Zandt, "If I Needed You"
Gomez, "Extra Special Guy" (Producer Peter Young sings backing vocals on this one.)
Ralph Stanley, "In Despair"
Robert Ellis, "Friends Like Those"
Deep Dark Woods, "Sugar Mama
A preview of next week's Episode 1208, The Vespers, "Tell Your Mama," available for free download on Noisetrade

Mr. Isaac Allen

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:06:00 +0000

Mr. Isaac Allen's debut record, Don't Smoke, shines light on the darkness of human life in his portion of urban New England, from crack houses to prisoner parents and pawning wedding rings for the next brief high. Don't Smoke's irony is not smug; it's the only tool for psychological self-preservation when you, too, are part of those hovels of which you write.
The contrast of the stark lives portrayed in the lyrics with the elaborate band backing the songs keeps Allen's tunes from just being intellectual exercises, and instead draws in listeners to what would otherwise be a devastating examination of urban blight.

The fact that Allen himself has been part of this world, keeps the songs from being "social worker-esque;" they do not point out the foibles of "those poor people," rather they illuminate the interactions on very personal levels and let the listener experience the social commentary--not just hit you over the head with it. Given Allen's atypical youth, it's fairly surprising that he ended up in the decrepit part of New Haven.

From an early childhood filled with the arts in the States, to life as the child of a "medical missionary" in Borneo, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia listening to his dad's old blues records, Allen's descent into escapism, adventure, and addiction started young. He finally amassed his lyrics stored in cardboad boxes, on the backs of unpaid bills and crumpled receipts in to hunderds of songs. With the help of his production team, he viciously culled his catalog into the tunes that are included on Don't Smoke. Within our conversation, Allen's take on the power of songs to change the world is particularly revealing.

Songs in Episode #1206 Include:

3 from Mr. Isaac Allen
one from Greg Brown's latest Greg Brown
a James Taylor tune that may surprise you
a Bob Marley song demonstrating the personal power of music
one from a somewhat obscure 1970's Southern Rock band, Thunderhead, that is part of the Horizon Records catalog, and demonstrates the emotional contrast of songs shining light on darkness, or worse, apathy in the face of darkness
a sneak peek at next week's feature, Brett Detar (The entire album, Bird in the Tangle, is available for free download from his site.)

This episode does not include, but does reference, the incredible chain gang recordings of Alan Lomax. More about Lomax here.

www.MrIsaacAllen.com

Tara Nevins

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Tara Nevins waited over a decade to release her second solo record, Wood and Stone. In the interim, Nevins traveled relentlessly with Donna the Buffalo, but her musical interest began as a child in the school orchestra, encouraged by her music and dance-loving parents.

To hear the complete radio program on Thursday evening at 9 Central, please click this link.

She often tells the tale of "sneaking" to play "Turkey in the Straw" during the downtime of orchestra class, but Nevins' immersion in Old Time fiddle music came much later. While Tara studied Classical Violin, her roommate played on the side in an Old Time fiddle band, and after graduation, she never played another Classical tune again.

From fiddle festivals and the old time music community, to immersion in Cajun and Creole music and the accordion, and a decade in an all-female string band (who backed her on a few tunes on this record), Nevins saturates her life with playing music. Wood and Stone is the result of a four year excursion to Huntsville, Alabama. Led there by love, and leaving there by choice, exposed thoughts and emotions that Nevins expressed by writing songs. The result is a record that is both personal and reflective, but not so introspective to have narrow appeal. Even without knowing the back story, Wood and Stone shows a very different side of Nevins than her previous solo release or even her work with Donna the Buffalo.

In the past, she's played just for the sound, but having to shift her focus to being about the song and painting a picture with the record as a whole challenged Nevins creatively and personally. The songs are not "downers," even though they are about relationships that have ended. Working with Larry Campbell at Levon Helm's studio, Nevins was free to focus on instrumentation and song craft, while being filled with a mystic vibe and the energy of that hallowed venue. For someone as busy playing music with Donna the Buffalo and attending fiddlers' festivals, Tara Nevins surprises fans even more by taking a clear road, with a distinct sound, in Wood and Stone, neither copying the band nor repeating her previous solo album.
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The music in this episode includes:
3 songs from Wood and Stone
a song written by Carole King, but commonly sung by the Monkees, about life in the NYC suburbs
Donna the Buffalo
a tune that made Levon Helm a household name with The Band
a song by The Band, produced by Larry Campbell, and recorded at Levon's studio by My Morning Jacket
one from Whitey Morgan and the 78's produced by Larry Campbell
a preview of Episode 1206 Mr. Isaac Allen

Check out the movie 20 Years After about a post-nuclear meltdown Alabama with Nevins' arrangement of the jazz standard, "Stars Fell on Alabama", commissioned for the film and on the Wood and Stone record.

Nouveaux Honkies

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

The Nouveaux Honkies' record, Where Do I Go?, bounces and swings through its playlist, careening from a bop to a blues groove. Of the times I have seen the band play, the record resembles their performance, with the crowd bopping and dancing along.
Songwriter Tim O'Donnell laments their past inconsistency with their live shows, realizing that, in the band's interest in experimenting with sounds, the audience and the performance were sometimes left by the wayside. The current players, however, gel both in rehearsal and on stage to reflect the sounds you hear on the record and deliver a reliable, fun show.

From his dad's Frankie Valli and Arthur Brown records (Brown is the guy who used to set his hair on fire), to his self-education on "How to Swing" and "Blues School," O'Donnell's interests in music always stretch just beyond his current skills. Once he's proficient in a way of playing, he pushes himself to explore, experiment, and examine new techniques. This constant striving for what seems just beyond where he is at any moment reveals a creative person's perfectionism in critiquing his own work at certain stages of the process. In reflection, however, he finds satisfaction with where his music is.

Despite his personal immersion in heavy duty vintage Chicago blues, The Nouveaux Honkies' music swings more than anything. The band's goal is for their music to make you smile and feel uplifted because you had fun with them, which is what they achieve both on this record and in the times I have seen them over the past year. Rebecca Dawkins' fiddle playing brings a little twang into the band, but she especially shines with her stage presence, and is the highlight of their performances.

The songs in Episode 1204 include:

3 from The Nouveaux Honkies' record Where Do I Go?
Frankie Valli
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
a song from the Matt Guitar Murphy with Memphis Slim, Bill Stepney, and Willie Dixon live in 1963
defunct Texas band, Belleville Outfit
a cover song performed by the White Stripes
a teaser of Episode 1205 with Tara Nevins solo (also of Donna the Buffalo)

Southeast Engine

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:56:00 +0000

Southeast Engine released their latest record, Canary, just as the band was dispersing geographically--relocating for their dayjobs, but coming together as a band. The guys are in Athens and Dayton, Ohio, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Durham, North Carolina, but being spread out has not seemed to detract from their mutual language as Southeast Engine.
Working with Misra Records has connected the guys through five albums, and now one of them is working for the label itself. (Misra is very cool about offering a few songs from their artists for free download. Check them out here and investigate their other artists, too.)
Country Fried Rock Episode 1203: Southeast Engine EXCERPT WITHOUT MUSIC by Sloane Spencer
The band formed while Leo DeLuca and Remnant shared mutual music interests as students at Ohio University. They are the core of the band, who have seen some line-up changes over their decade together. The Appalachian area of Southeastern Ohio influences their music, though, in the inclusion of old time and folk music into their psyche, processed through memories of his first electric guitar and Nirvana cover band duo with his brother, through local Dayton music, and classic 1960's and 1970's folk and rock. They consciously avoided being a garage rock or jam band, which is more prevalent in the Athens, Ohio area, and have gravitated more towards the old time and folk influences recently, which is apparent in Canary. They intentionally craft each album to reflect a cohesive sound, while also not repeating the exact vibe of previous work, and moving in new directions along an arc--not swinging the pendulum, but intentionally moving around within their comfort zone.

Despite having their own distinct musical identities, they appreciate the others' preferences, too, and that allows them to arrange music together in a way that works, incorporating the different elements, but not muddying their sound. Remnant wants each album to be mini-masterpieces, and wishes they had unlimited time to create little releases between albums, like split 7" or "basement tape" EP's and music recorded simply for fun. An audience's energy fuels the band and different venues bring distinct vibes, which can lead to very different shows from Southeast Engine.

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The songs in this episode include 3 from Southeast Engine's latest record, Canary, as well as ones from the Beach Boys, a tune from the upcoming Guided by Voices album, Hallelujah the Hills, Bob Dylan, a recently released instrumental from Buddy Holly, and a preview of Episode 1204, The Nouveaux Honkies.

Shurman

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Shurman first appeared on our radar when mentioned on Country Fried Rock by two Austin, Texas bands in 2011: Stonehoney and The Mother Truckers. When musicians recommend other musicians, we pay attention. Through the magic of the Americana Music Festival, front-man Aaron Beavers and I met through mutual friends at a casual event in Church Street Park benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank.
We talked for a while and he mentioned that he was releasing three new records in the next year or so, including a Christmas album recorded in the height of Austin's hottest summer in recent memory.

NOTE ABOUT THE AUDIO: We had sunspots or something weird on some of our conversation, so the audio quality is not consistent. Thank you for understanding our technological limitations.

Shurman Outtake by Sloane Spencer

Despite no similarities whatsoever to Rush, Shurman's next release, Inspiration, lands on February 21, 2012 (2.21.12...2112...insert music geek laughter here). Shurman's new record label, Teletone Records, has given the guys the freedom to record what they want on their own schedule. Country Fried Rock is thrilled to be the first media outlet to bring three brand-new songs to you from the Austin rockers. "Back to Texas" is an homage to Aaron's grandmother, Jane Beavers, "Midnight Apt. 9 Blues" is a song Mike Therieau wrote that the band enjoys playing and highlights Mike's vocals, and the title track "Inspiration."

Although Beavers is a native Texan (and we follow the Third Coast Music's definition of "Texan", of "from there or got there as fast as they could"), he lived in many places, including long stints near Atlanta, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. He is definitely a Texan because he thinks barbecue is made from beef, not pork, and does not include a vinegar preparation! Beavers is at home in many places, and with many other musicians. He is one of those guys that other players and music people gravitate towards, like his buddies Rich Mahan, John Popper, and Shilah Morrow of Sin City Social Club. After a nice run with Popper's Duskray Troubadors, John returned the favor to play some awesome harmonica on one of the hotter-than-Hades sessions for the Christmas tunes Shurman just released.

Tunes in this week's radio program include the three from Shurman mentioned above, a tune from John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors, Asleep at the Wheel, Stonehoney, Band of Heathens, and in the 58 minute version of the radio program, for college-band colleague, Josh Rouse. We are not allowed to give the exact song listing prior to first broadcast due to FCC regulations.

Dawes

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Dawes' most recent record, Nothing Is Wrong, launched the folk rockers from niche-favorites to headliners of sold out shows. At the beginning of the summer when it was released, fans and music bloggers latched onto their album as they had their performances, spreading the word about Dawes in ways the guys could only dream.

For a band who defines themselves with their analog recordings and vintage tube gear, they really fleshed out their vibe by bringing live sound guru, Wes Delk, on board for the fall stretch of their tour. Jonathan Wilson's production and studio keep the Los Angeles band channeling Laurel Canyon and Echo Park's music history; they are very aware of what has come before them, yet humble about their role in the developing roots rock music scene.

Country Fried Rock Episode 1201 Dawes Excerpt Without Music by Sloane Spencer

While their music may not be overtly political, the guys are certainly influenced by the inclusion of social justice in lyrics, particularly in older R&B and folk music. For those who know Dawes, they were not surprised to see them perform with Jackson Browne as part of an "Occupy Wall Street" protest in Manhattan in December 2011. Goldsmith takes his songwriting craft seriously, and immerses himself in great writing, such as Browne's.

The songs from this episode include Taylor and Griffin's father's former band, Tower of Power, R&B and soul greats Bill Withers and Otis Redding, a song written by Warren Zevon but sung by Linda Ronstadt, fellow indie rockers The Romany Rye, Vetiver, and Delta Spirit, and a tune from Dawes' first release, North Hills, and two from their current record, Nothing is Wrong.

Best of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:31:00 +0000

Wow! In 2011, Country Fried Rock featured 50 roots musicians via in-depth interviews, highlighting their songwriting and musical influences. From those, we selected the 40 most-listened to programs, and let our listeners select their Top 10. Hundreds of listeners voted for the Country Fried Rock "Best of 2011" list, yielding a surprisingly clear Top 10.

If you liked any of the music we have featured this year, please consider buying the albums and supporting the musicians who make great songs. All of the songs posted for download are with express written permission of the artists. Please "thank" them by visiting their pages or buying their music. If you buy music through our links, a very small portion also goes to bring you Country Fried Rock in the future. Thanks for supporting roots music & Happy (almost) New Year!
10. Renee Wahl, Cumberland Moonshine
Free download "One More to Go"

9. Betsy Franck, Still Waiting

8. The Back Row Baptists (now called Some Dark Holler), Broken Hearts and Bad Decisions
Free download "Purple Hearts" from the new Some Dark Holler EP

7. Dylan Sneed, Texodus
Free Download of "No Worse for the Wear," Live on Dutch Radio

6. James Scott Bullard, The Rise & Fall of James Scott Bullard & The Late Night Sweethearts
Free exclusive download, "Skin and Bones"

5. Driftwood, Wanderlust
TWO exclusive, free downloads! Jeannie and the Giant
and California's Burning.

4. The Mother Truckers, Van Tour

3. Kevn Kinney, A Good Country Mile (with the Golden Palominos)
Free download of "In the Land (Of Things That Used to Be)" exclusively for Country Fried Rock listeners.

2. Abby Owens, Indiantown

1. Stephanie Fagan, Heart Thief
Free download of "You Are the Devil," first available for our listeners

So, who would you like to hear in 2012
on Country Fried Rock? Leave a comment and let us know.

Stephanie Fagan

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Stephanie Fagan married, started her second record, moved to Germany, waved her husband goodbye while he went to Iraq, returned to South Carolina, finished the record, played to a standing room only CD release party, and went home to Germany--all in less than a year. The twenty-something songwriter from the country takes it all in stride, and has already written her third album while her husband serves our nation.
Fagan describes her first effort as "trying to sound like a singer-songwriter," but Heart Thief comes from a more personal and genuine moment in her life, post-college, pre-marriage, in a comfortable limbo of adulthood.

Fagan wrote the first single, "Beautiful Man," as a "platonic love song" to her former roommate. Thematically, her songs cover everything from being hungover in a greasy spoon diner to being irritated with oneself for obsessing over a former love to a sweet-sounding "I hate you" song. Her tunes are catchy, but not bubble gum. With a cast of players including nearly every professional musician in her hometown, the tunes are layered with instrumentation and ambient sounds, reflecting the public folk music that greatly impacted her appreciation for German street performers. Stephanie tells an amusing tale contrasting the complex pedal steel that only took an hour to record with trying to get the sound of gentle wind chimes, which took five hours!

Fagan is a self-described "lyrics snob," with melody and instrumentation coming in far behind. She also is a product of her generation--she grew up listening to singles, and only recently has discovered the pleasure of an entire album. Interestingly, this has led her to re-examine some of her former favorite songs and find the artists' deeper catalogs and histories--a completely novel concept to Fagan! Prior to the last two years, she could not even identify artists, simply individual songs, but at the encouragement of the producer, Missy Jones of Yonder Music, Fagan began to immerse herself in albums from start to finish and found that the cohesive concepts greatly improved her own writing for this record.

Stephanie's voice needs no "fairy dust" to bring forth meaning beyond her lyrics. Her live performance, whether backed by a full band, in an acoustic duo, or just with her guitar, remains true to the recording yet stands on its own. If you enjoy her live, you will appreciate the album, and vice versa. Heart Thief accurately reflects songwriting to which many people can relate and enjoy.

Merry Christmas from the Fulltones

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:34:00 +0000

Free exclusive Christmas tune for Country Fried Rock listeners from the Fulltones!

Kim Beggs

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Kim Beggs may not be recognizable to American roots music fans, but in Canada, her music brings forth luminaries like Ivan Coyote, Dan Mangan, and Jerry Alfred for collaboration-- a who's who of Juno Awards winners.

Radio show on Thursday night
at 7 Pacific/ 10 Eastern HERE.

Stereotypically, those of us in the States think of Canada as being culturally similar to us, when in fact, their geography and smaller population alone contribute to an on-going folk culture that is distinctly Canadian. The fact that their government supports both the preservation and creation of the arts, allows musicians and writers to make a basic living plying their gifts. Additionally, the Canadian celebration of their First Nations elevates traditional art and music into the mainstream in a way that is not reflected in the United States.

Blue Bones can easily be taken for the catchy melodies and appealing production, and not given its due for the lyrical content. With topics ranging from a family member's life with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and early death, to dangerously fast driving, Beggs' songwriting goes much deeper than its sing-along qualities may imply. Kim honestly assesses her songwriting development, in that the melodies she writes may not best suit her voice, and she may need to adapt them or simply write for others at some point. Beggs points out how Joni Mitchell's vocal range has changed with age, and Mitchell's choice to modify her melodies has allowed her to continue to perform her own songs.

For listeners not familiar with Canadian musical content, here's a brief and intentionally incomplete description of the connections amongst the songwriters for this radio program's playlist:

--Featured album, Blue Bones, by Kim Beggs
--"Big Yellow Taxi" 2007 version, by Joni Mitchell: part of our discussion about how one's vocal range often deepens with age and the decision to modify one's songs, improve one's singing, or simply write for others
--Jerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat: conversation about a meaningful solo canoe paddle on the Yukon River to the abandoned town of Port Selkirk for a musical performance in the First Nations' restored church; Alfred is the "Keeper of the Songs" for his community and combines traditional rhythms with modern folk music in efforts to preserve their language and traditions
--Dan Mangan: a fellow collaborator in a spoken word and song project with Ivan Coyote
--Penny Lang: Canadian folk treasure, personal friend of Beggs, story about finding the peace to write about emotional topics
--Old Man Luedecke: connection via Black Hen Records & Canadian folk music
--Steve Dawson: Producer of many records, including Blue Bones, songwriter, Black Hen record label fellow artist

This radio program is available to radio on Public Radio Exchange/PRX, in 58 minute, 54 minute, and 50 minute/3segment formats.

Joe Pug

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Joe Pug spent three years and countless dollars studying to be a playwright, only to discover that he really likes to read. While college may not have been the correct format for his writing, he brings a lot of theatre theory to his songwriting. Pug humbly describes his room for growth with arrangements in his songwriting. He uses some of the same concepts from writing farces when developing his lyrics; the stock characters

fromcommedia dell'arte allow a playwright to use familiar characters and create stories around them, likewise, Joe Pug uses familiar melodies and subjects to craft his own songs. He considers himself more of a lyricist than a songwriter at this point, letting the songs speak for themselves in creating meaning for a listener.

Early on, Joe Pug recognized that social media, especially YouTube, can be incredibly effective for independent musicians. He encouraged taping at his shows and let fans post the audio and video. Pug matched this grassroots method with his own free promotions: sending a home-burned CD with 2 or 3 of his songs on it to any fan who sent their address and asked for one--for free. By controlling the free distribution of his music (to the extent that anyone can control that), Joe developed a loyal fan base who became his "street team" in ways that other entities now copy. By the time Lightning Rod records came on board for his last album, Pug was able to allow this controlled, free distribution of a limited number of songs to continue.

For a guy who references Steinbeck (hence Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" tune), Nabokov, and Chekhov in conversation, Joe Pug's favorite type of venue may surprise you: dive bars. Pug affectionately refers to those dingy, local rock clubs because of their crowds that probably don't expect to hear a heady songwriter, yet give him their attention and find his music appealing by the end of the evening anyway. A lot has changed for Joe over the last year; after hundreds of gigs, he is finally getting the recognition for his music that leads to performing arts centers and halls with padded seats and clean floors. What remains for Pug, though, is the intensity of his performance and gratitude for the road he ultimately chose.

Jenny Reynolds

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Jenny Reynolds moved from Boston to Austin for her music. The guitar picker and songwriter always felt like more of a New Englander than a Bostonian, with that "Live Free or Die" mentality, which helped her fit in more in Texas than Massachusetts. Although she does not yet have boots, she does have flip-flops and a good cowboy hat.

Reynolds' songwriting, though, is what makes her at home in the vibrant Austin music scene. With so many talented players and writers in one town, Jenny found her niche playing places like Threadgill's and Momo's, but it was an early nod from Kerrville that really helped her gain credibility from other songwriters.

Listen or download here.

When talking with Jenny Reynolds, two themes emerge: organic song creation and guitar picking. From a technical standpoint, Jenny just plain loves to play guitar and practices constantly to improve her picking. She appreciates the Chet Atkins style of picking, to Paul Simon and Lindsay Buckingham, contrasting the heavily produced version of a Fleetwood Mac tune with the acoustic, guitar-picking version that Buckingham often plays live. "Organic" means more than "naturally impromptu" when Reynolds uses it. For her, songs appear and develop, and she crafts them like clay. By the time she takes a song into the studio, it is not necessarily a finished product; the song is an essence ready for the next step of its life. Like students who work to get into university, they go through that process and exit as changed beings; songs, too, grow.

Next to You was Reynolds first record after relocating to Austin, and demonstrates the influence of the locale in its differences from her previous album. After several years in Texas, it will be interesting to see what aspects of music emerge from her writing and her playing. The songs have been ready for a couple of years, and the demo process and songwriting circles have helped them along their organic growth curve. Depending on her production team, Reynolds vision for the songs may change entirely...if the songs dictate that.

Renee Wahl

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Renee Wahl co-wrote one of my favorite murder ballads of 2011, on her recent record, Cumberland Moonshine. The most unusual part of Wahl's record is her writing partner, Roger Prescott, part of the late 1970s Los Angeles music scene. Prescott played in multiple bands, including The Pop (David Robinson of The Cars was an original member and they were
compatriots of The Motels, The Plimsouls, and their own heroes at the time, X), and later Trainwreck Ghost, and The Texacala Jones Band. For the last decade or so, Prescott has been producing records in Nashville.

Download the edited version of this interview HERE.

Wahl herself is pretty unusual. After a stint in the Air Force as a physicist, she decided to pursue music while her husband is serving in Afghanistan. How she became a physicist, though, is pretty funny. As an early teen, Renee was obsessed with the Beatles and wanted to time travel back to hear the original foursome play! Her focus on time travel ultimately led to her decision to become a physicist. Wahl chose to leave the security of a military life--with steady income, health care, and commitment to her work--only after soul-searching and deciding that pursuing music was a "now or never" opportunity.

As a newcomer to the Nashville songwriter circuit, she became overwhelmed when she realized that she was scheduled to perform a song that acknowledges her influences from Gram Parsons, right after Walter Egan played--the songwriter of "Hearts on Fire!" Such songwriters night have allowed Wahl to hone her skills and test new material on receptive but discriminating audiences. After a long tour with her drummer in an RV that had been ridden hard and put away wet, Renee returned to Nashville with new song ideas and a disdain for vehicle maintenance and leaky RV plumbing!

Eric Hanke

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:07:00 +0000

In some parts of the South, you might live there for eighty years, but locals will still say, "Well, you're from Michigan." Texas is different; if you say you're a Texan, you are. You might not be from there, but you got there as fast as you could. By that definition, Eric Hanke is a Texan. His parents brought him to Dallas from Michigan as a toddler, and he never left--except for that long semester in Germany tracing his roots.

Download an edited version of the interview HERE.

Everything's bigger in Texas, and Hanke is no exception. At over 6'8" tall, he nearly matches his business name, Ten Foot Texan. For all the superlatives of Texas, though, Hanke's music reins in the excess, for an exuberant but not flamboyant take on roots music that works as well in a dance hall as it does in a listening room. Any musician who can placate a South Padre Island bar crowd of tourists and salty regulars repeatedly--while never playing a Buffett tune--has exceptional talent.

Hanke's recent record, Factory Man, brings out the honky-tonk in his songwriting. After quite a bit of self-analysis regarding his music, Eric determined that he just wants his music to make people feel good. Whether it's good enough to jump up and dance, or just make you feel better about what your life is, that's all okay. Some of his friends and collaborators play on this recording, like noted steel player, Cindy Cashdollar, and producer-bandmate, Merel Bregante.

Hanke released Factory Man in recognition of the fading lifestyle of his grandfather, a German immigrant to Michigan, who worked in a factory his entire life. As major American industries move overseas and immigration becomes viewed as negatively impacting our economy, regular people question their hopes for the type of American dream of previous generations. While the topic may be heady, the album as a whole is fun. Both lyrics fans and those who listen for the music will enjoy Eric Hanke's Factory Man.

Amy Black

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:58:00 +0000

As a preacher's child, Amy Black grew up in a family full of singing, but not with instrumentation or secular music. Her church congregation sang a capella hymns from the last hundred years. One of Amy's favorites was "There Is Power in the Blood" because the town doctor had developed impromptu choreography with his hands during the song.
When Black finally ventured outside of her church to hear music, she first heard several faith-based, a capella popular touring bands of the time, with their complex harmonies and vocal interpretations of instruments.

Listen to an edited version of our conversation without music here.

Download the edited interview HERE.

Many Grammy viewers in 1990 were blown away by Bonnie Raitt's performance of John Hiatt's song, "Thing Called Love" (with him playing in the telecast), but for young Amy Black, Raitt's playing and singing blew her mind. For a girl whose music knowledge was basically limited to the hymnal, such a powerful performance (from a woman, no less!) was life-changing. Absorbing these new sounds led Black down a rabbit hole of music discovery, including country legends, secular folk music, and a touch of non-Gospel bluegrass.

Since her early days of singing in church, Amy Black kept her desire to sing professionally under wraps; she would sing for parties or friends' weddings, but followed a more traditional route to support herself. Five years ago, the urge to pursue singing became more powerful and she decided to start with open mic nights around Boston. After positive receptions at several events, Black decided it was time to go for it. Fortunately, her marketing career has benefited her DIY record pursuit, giving her an edge particularly in the early days of forming a social media campaign to develop her fan base. Combining her experience with her direct approach to finding a team helped her make it happen, and that is how she brought forth One Time.

Amy Black is known as a Boston-based, Northeastern performer, but her roots are further south. Her grandparents were from Alabama, one of her father's churches was in Missouri, and her parents are now in Nashville and a sibling in Texas. Expanding her fanbase in the Northeast, though, has allowed Black to collaborate with notable players and writers from the area like Mark Erelli and Lori McKenna. Completing a few tracks in Nashville with fiddler Stuart Duncan (Nashville Bluegrass Band), Connecticut-based producer Lorne Entress brought the layers to Black's songs.

Matt Woods

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Matt Woods' most recent record, The Matt Woods Manifesto, confirms his turn towards country, after sliding in that direction since the days of his bands Magpie Suite and Plan A. A fixture of Knoxville, Tennessee's music scene for over a decade, Matt Woods started playing to take his love for power guitar rock like Led Zeppelin and early Drivin N Cryin, and combine it with
his interest in poetry and songwriting (which started with Jim Morrison's works which Woods read in high school). Over the last year, Woods has taken his own songs to their bare bones, performing solo acoustic sets throughout the Southeast. This stripped delivery lends power to the lyrics by not dominating them.

Download an edited version of this interview (without music) HERE.

Click the play button to listen to this interview any time you want.

Not to portray Woods' songwriting as melancholy, there are some barroom singalongs on the deluxe edition, too. Manifesto is simply more raw than previous albums, without being gravelly. The lyrics are direct, but not confrontational. Somehow, Matt presents them in a way that makes you feel empathy for both the storyteller and the adversary, or just find the place within yourself that may have felt similarly due to entirely different circumstances. Even his ode to beer manages to distinguish itself from similarly focussed songs by staying genuine; this song could easily be co-opted by commercial ventures and turned into something more slick that would be the next bachelor party anthem for decades. Woods keeps it true, though, by not polishing it so much.

In reality, Matt Woods probably ought to write songs for some commercial country superstars. I'll still pay to go hear him play his versions of the songs, but let them spit-shine the production and add more flourishes than a Shakespeare movie, as long as he makes some money off of his excellent songs. I can just imagine the Twitter feed of people posting lyrics in homage to the singer, not even knowing that some other guy who meant it wrote those words. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, as long as you know whose song it really is, because that's the guy I want to investigate.

This is a New Year's Eve bar crowd, but listen to "Ghosts of the Gospel" in its acoustic, developmental form.

Gentry Bronson

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Gentry Bronson does not play guitar, but he does surf...not that those two must go together for all California musicians. It's fairly difficult to bring a grand piano to the beach, so Bronson brings his bare feet to the stage. For a kid whose Classical piano training never burned him out from the instrument nor ruined his love of the sounds it could make, Gentry's professional music career has been anything but traditional.
From being an electronica-jungle-industrial club deejay in Prague soon after it opened up, to a bartender on the pre-grunge scene in Seattle, Gentry Bronson brings his appreciation for a vast array of musical styles to the songs that he writes.

Listen here any time to an edited version without music,
or download it for your very own!

After analyzing our mutual need for morning coffee and the potential calamity of being a guest in a home without a coffee maker, we jumped right into Gentry's early piano lessons on an out of tune honky-tonk bar piano salvaged by one of his parents' hippie friends (who removed the ivory from the keys). His early technical skills out-led his ability to understand the contemporary Classical music of Khachaturian that he played; he was more attuned to the Star Wars, Superman, and Indiana Jones movie themes!

As an early teen, he discovered punk which led to goth and electronica while maintaining his love for Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, and classic rock of The Doors and modern rock pioneers R.E.M. During the Dharma Bums' final performance in Seattle, bartender Bronson was completely starstruck when he met Michael Stipe while R.E.M. took a break from recording Automatic For The People. This expansion of musical appreciation allowed him to claim a style for his own, but he still had not melded his piano life with his punk performance life. That maturation did not come until much later, via experimental jazz. While Bronson does not consider himself a jazz musician, he does appreciate the space between the notes and energy that the combination of the players bring to a piece.

We had an interesting conversation about live songs versus recorded songs and the difference between the inherent value of an excellent song no matter how poor the recording, versus a band who does not sound as good live as on record--in Bronson's view, that band is not doing its work and needs to spend more time practicing. Live should always be better. The human element to music, in the imperfections of our nature in contrast to the slick nature of polished production (ie the Velvet Underground versus a Peter Gabriel record) recurs in conversation with Gentry, and his next driving theme for a record revolves around these questions of humanity, impefection, and rising and falling together and apart from one another. Gentry Bronson's music is not easily categorized, but his ideas behind what he writes bring it closer to roots music than may be apparent on the surface.

Music Adds October 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Americana Music Association Festival and Conference 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:41:00 +0000

When I attend festivals, I balance my time between bands I already know that I love and the desire to find a band with whom I am not familiar in hopes that someone will blow my mind. The Americana Music Association's annual conference and festival offers over 100 showcases where that happens nightly.
In 2010, 18 South--a loose association of Nashville session players and songwriters--left me speechless with delight, as did the voice of Mike Farris--whom I had written off due to his previous projects that did not suit my taste. The common thread for me with these two bands last year was their soul, both in the depth of vocals as well as the performance. In 2011, I think I have discovered what blows me away again: soul.

With at least 4 official venues nightly, and countless unofficial venues, each with 5-7 acts every evening, Americana is completely overwhelming. Despite my detailed grid of where to be when, I inevitably miss showcases that I dearly want to hear--sometimes because bands I want to catch are playing in different venues at the same time, sometimes because I have no sense of direction traveling between venues, and sometimes because the whole plan gets tossed in the air and I wing it. The latter is how I ended up catching the first 2011 band that blew me away, in one of my favorite Nashville venues, The Basement, literally, the basement of Grimey's Record Store. Brooklyn-based quartet Lake Street Dive were not on my radar--even after researching bands on the list via YouTube before heading to Nashville.

I never found Lake Street Dive ahead of the event because their name was misspelled on the first bill posted, thus I was looking for a band that did not exist. I stuck around rather than bolt to another venue as originally planned purely out of my own exhaustion from the conference. From the moment Rachael Price sang the first note, I was stunned. Perhaps because I did not know what to expect, perhaps because her voice does not seemingly match her persona while setting up gear beforehand, I can't decide, but the instant I heard them live, I was hooked. Her soulful voice, their direct lyrics, the honesty of the situations within the songs all grabbed the entire crowd. They were hooked, into the groove, and I am confident, turned on--musically and otherwise--by Lake Street Dive, the band that blew my mind for Americana 2011. (Scroll down my Twitter profile to see what I wrote during their show.)

Since their showcase, I have listened to both of their CD's several times in their entirety. While I like them, I do not know how one can possibly convey the heat, longing, fun, and desire of their songs in any method other than live. I have since learned that they also have a live record, but I have not heard it myself to compare. Their technicality in terms of playing and vocal notes on the records are there, but the allure of Lake Street Dive is in the passion of their performance. I hope to catch them again in a longer format.

The second band that blew me away at Americana 2011 was also at the Basement, and on my schedule simply because his showcase was between two that I knew I wanted to hear. I am so grateful to have discovered Akron, Ohio soul singer (a non-Southern, James Brown-type showman without the dance moves), Patrick Sweany. While tweeting from the show, my phone kept auto-correcting "Sweany" to sweaty, and it was true. The man puts on a performance! One of the coolest things about tweeting from a show is when someone else discovers your bits about the band; while I was posting, another blogger sent me her link from her interview with Patrick Sweany early in 2011. In looking for video that reflects Sweany's excellent stage banter, I found a solid performance from Music City Roots that has edited out all but the music; it's good, but not as powerful as the real deal.

I bought both CD's on the spot, and listened to them immediately on the long drive back from the conference. While they catch his energy, the showmanship is not there. In Sweany's case, I think the records stand well on their own, but audiences will be awed with the simplicity with which he hooks a crowd, like the showman he is. The music is real. Soul does not have to come from my home states of Georgia and South Carolina in the outrageous get-ups and choreography of the late, great James Brown. Soul can come from a guy from the midwest--now based in Nashville--with an English degree.

This week's blog is purely the opinion of the author, Sloane Spencer, and not necessarily reflective of Country Fried Rock.

Doc Dailey

noreply@blogger.com (Sloane Spencer) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Doc Dailey, of Florence, Alabama, writes songs reflecting his life, through music that incorporates bluegrass elements into a rock and roll band. His distinct "high, lonesome" voice at times reminds me of Garth Brooks, although Doc Dailey's music in no way resembles pop country. Lyrics grab you, like, "If there’s a million fish that’s in the sea/The same ones keep on catchin’ me/And I wear those rusty hooks in me /Like medals from a war,"
and, "She spent her childhood playin’ in the fields/Full of tractor bones and Oldsmobiles." Dailey's voice brings a haunting quality to the forlorn lyrics that adds to their meaning beyond that on a page.

Download the edited conversation, without music, HERE.

Listen to the entire episode, without music, by pressing the "Play" button.

The Muscle Shoals region defined periods of American music, and that memory hangs in the swampy air. While not directly influenced by they heyday of soul like The Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Dailey grew up playing saxophone before guitar, and the horns were an integral part of his production on Victims, Enemies & Old Friends. Doc credits growing up with the knowledge of Spooner Oldham and later, Patterson Hood, with giving young musicians from the area the idea that it was possible to make a living as a musician. Until very recently, however, they have had to leave the area in order to make that belief reality, as there were limited venues in which to play, and not a viable live music scene.

Jason Isbell may be the reluctant face of the Muscle Shoals scene right now, but he is certainly not the only monster songwriter to come from the area recently. Colleagues like The Civil Wars, The (Alabama) Shakes, Lauderdale, and Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil show that a variety of music is emerging from the swamp to critical acclaim. Alabama, and specifically his part of the state, frames Dailey's music, but does not limit it. By creating the band as a backing element to his songs, Doc remains flexible in his touring. When the gig warrants the full band, the expanded sounds support his songwriting; conversely, when a gig does not demand a full band, Dailey brings the same energy to a stripped down sound, but does not detract from the depth of his lyrics.

Thus far, no other album new-to-us in 2011 has grabbed our attention in its entirety more than Victims, Enemies, and Old Friends by Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil. The songs stand on their own, but the record as a whole is greater than its parts.