Justin Townes Earle has returned with his 5th album which has a title long enough for the next two, Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. I have a feeling that the title, along with the subject matter of a lot of this album is a reference to his well publicized battles with drugs and his relapse last year. I feel no need to rehash those battles here. If you’re a fan of Americana music you already know all about them, and if you don’t you’re better off for it.

The wife and I recently took off on a 4 day beach getaway up in North Florida and I brought this album along for our listening pleasure. I only mention this ‘cause I wanna explain how intimately I got to know this album over those 4 days. In the end, I expect I spent about 15 hours listening to it and thinking about how I was enjoying it. I’ve seen some people pan the album for various reasons, and I can’t tell you whether or not you’re gonna like the it. I can, however, tell you that I like the cd. I like it a lot. Like, Essential Listening lot, and here are some of my thoughts about it.

The first solid opinion I had on the the album hit me somewhere around Starke. The wife was sleeping and I was in the middle of one of those rainstorms I don’t think you get anywhere outside of Florida. Mentally, I was at total peace, as I love thunderstorms and the brand new tires on the truck, plus the inability to exceed 25 mph and see out the windshield alleviated any hydroplaning worries. There, in the middle of the rain, I realized how perfect this album is for solo road-tripping. The mild pacing of the album seems almost made for driving alone.

The second solid thought I had about the album was how much I hated the song “Unfortunately, Anna” while my third was how “Unfortunately, Anna” sounds like it should be a Counting Crows song. I still don’t like “Unfortunately, Anna” as a JTE song but I am pretty confident I’d love it if the Counting Crows covered it.

The next thought that really settled in was how well the “Memphis sound” fits Justin’s songs. I probably could have talked about this when I was mentioning how good of a road trip album this is, but I wanted to mention it separately. It seems like there is a definite trend in the Americana scene right now to implement horns and keys and justify it by saying they wanted to add some Memphis swag to their sound. I don’t doubt any of them, and some are doing it with great success (see Lucero) but Justin doesn’t sound like he’s “going Memphis” with Nothings Gonna Change, at least…not to me. With Nothings Gonna Change it sounds like Justin tapped into the heart of where his soul currently is. Some reviewers have called it “tired”, others have called it “haggard”, but I think it’s sincere. I really feel like this album’s sound and feel was born out of recovery, and the need for complete honesty with one’s self during that process made its way into the writing and recording of this album.

Justin Townes Earle – Am I That Lonely Tonight?
Justin Townes Earle – Memphis In The Rain

Justin Townes Earle’s Official Site, Justin Townes Earle on Facebook, Justin Townes Earle on Spotify, Buy Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now

If that sounds like the good stuff go put some ears on the archived stream of the show and thanks for tuning in.

Below is the playlist for May 17, 2012

01. Todd Farrell – Ninebullets Radio Intro
02. The Woolly Bushmen – Just Don’t Know
03. James Leg & Left Lane Cruiser – Ramblin’ On My Mind
04. Truckstop Darlin’ – Miss You More
05. Anais Mitchell – Welcome The Hadestown
06. Bonnie & The Beard – Sweet Devil Whiskey
07. McDougall – Gates Of Victory
08. Noah – Sexy And I Know It (LMFAO Cover)
09. New London Fire – Other Side Of Town
10. Lucero – I’ll Just Fall
11. Matt Woods – A Company Town
12. Michael Dean Damron – Autotune The World
13. Hurray for The Riff Raff – Born To Win (Part I)
14. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Write Me A Letter
15. The Lumineers – Ho Hey
16. Murder City Devils – Rum To Whiskey

Bold = Request

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P.S.: If you like this show, do me a favor and post about it on your Facebook/Twitter/Blog. It’ll do a lot to help these bands reach new ears…and in the end, that’s what this is all about. It’ll also help bring the existence of the radio show to more people’s attention & the more people there are listening/paying attention to the show the more likely it is to stay on the air.

Episode 72: aired 05.17.2012

“Dead Man’s Blues”

“It Ain’t No Living”

For more information about Robert Childs’ guitar please see this post.

Robert Childs’ Guitar is a running series here on ninebullets that has a special place in my heart. In the past few years my father had picked back up playing the guitar and sometime in early 2011 he decided that he was gonna build one. Now, my father had built plenty of things in his life; churches, shopping centers, the house he and my mother live in but a guitar is a completely different beast. While some folks get an idea, buy a kit and glue it together he went and bought a set of plans and some boards. For the better part of the year he and a friend cut, re-cut, sanded and glued pieces of wood together until sometime in September 2011 all that was left was some tuning pegs a bridge and a pickguard from an honest to god, hand built guitar.

In late October of 2011 my father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and in November had a tumor the size of a grapefruit removed from his head. Neither me nor my brother have any true musical talents so either of us keeping the guitar seemed (to me) to be a disservice to both the instrument and my father’s spirit since it would just find itself collecting dust in a corner until we died too. So I cooked up this silly scheme…

Ninebullets allows me access to lots of musicians so why not take them my dad’s guitar. Record them playing some songs on it and post it all on the internet. The guitar gets used for it’s intended purpose and through that, in some small way, maybe my father will live on. I discussed it with my brother and father who thought it was a great idea and in May of 2012 I brought the guitar home and began the process of making these videos.

So. That’s the backstory for “Robert Chids’ Guitar”….please enjoy the songs…

Check it out around 0:56 and lemme know your thoughts.

New London Fire of Asbury Park, NJ experiments with sound, creating an exciting, and often surprising, aural landscape that propels the superb first half of their third album, The Dirt The Blood The Faith.

Kicking off with “Other Side of Town,” the band careens like an old wooden roller coaster car whizzing dangerously fast along a rickety track. “Rise,” another standout, becomes an ominous, atmospheric anthem that perfectly segues into “Until the Light Goes Out on Me,” a short campfire hymn presented as a sing-along. “I Don’t See You Anymore” has the breezy vibe of vintage Gram Parsons, and would be a perfect pick for a Golden Smog-inspired playlist. “Arizona” is one of two bloody murder ballads, along with “The Dirt The Blood The Faith,” and both rank among the best cuts off an album rich with choice tracks. “The Dirt The Blood The Faith,” with its dark overtones and arena-ready chorus, reminded me instantly of Pink Floyd’s 1987 classic, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, where David Gilmour took the reigns and created a sonic masterpiece.

If there’s a complaint to be made, it’s simply that the second half of the album loses focus and becomes too repetitive. That isn’t to suggest that the final four songs, “The Jungle,” “Ain’t Wagin War,” “Brothers” and “October,” are bad or qualify as filler. They aren’t, and they don’t. They just fail to leap up and grab you like the earlier songs. And, since they are the final four songs, the album sadly limps off instead of saving one last ass-kicking tune for the very end.

Still, an album with six stellar tracks out of 10 total is an album deserving to be heard. And New London Fire is absolutely a band to watch.

New London Fire – Other Side of Town
New London Fire – Rise
New London Fire – The Dirt The Blood The Faith

New London Fire’s Official Site – http://www.newlondonfire.com/, New London Fire on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/newlondonfireband, New London Fire on Spotify, Buy The Dirt The Blood The Faith

Maybe you know Matt Patton from his days manning the low end for The Dexateens, maybe you’re familiar with his work as the frontman for his own band Model Citizen.  Maybe you’ve heard there’s a new guy playing bass these days with The Drive-By Truckers.  Matt Patton does lots of stuff and we here at Nine Bullets are thankful that he took a few minutes to answer a few questions.

9B: It seems like a stupid and obvious first question but how does it feel to be playing bass with the Drive-By Truckers?  I saw John Frusciante talking about jumping up the wall when he got the call from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Did you do anything to celebrate?  Has anything surprised you about them now that you’re playing with them?

MP: It’s a great feeling to be playing with Drive-By Truckers. They were patron saints to the Dexateens when we were making a go of it. They believed in us from the time we met. I have often said that if faith, tears and goodwill could’ve made us more successful the DBT folks and the folks who run the 40 Watt in Athens would’ve willed it to happen for us.

I have to make a conscious effort to separate my fandom from the business side of things. There wasn’t much time for celebration when the dialogue started. We spoke briefly about the possibility one day just after the new year. A couple weeks later they offered me a month of dates and I had to commit to learning a hell of a lot of songs. I have been through this before in a few different settings. I have had the chance to play with a few heroes. There is excitement, but you pray you don’t ruin it. In the end it’s all about the moment you get to walk out on the stage with those folks. If you’re prepared it’s going to be so very rewarding and fun. When I feel prepared and relaxed I catch myself being able to focus on those guys and in that moment I become a fan again.

9B:  I was at your first show in Denver.  Patterson mentioned you were using your vacation days to go out on the road with them.  What’s your day job and is anyone there familiar with the Truckers?

MP: I took a job last year working for the State of Mississippi as an Environmental Scientist. I work in their water division. I am one of the folks trying to ensure that state waters stay clean. I have been working in that field in the private and government sectors for five or six years now. It feels good to come off the road and still have a job. I remember my food and bev days. It was a crapshoot as to whether or not you would be on the schedule when you got back to town!

My co-worker Alicia and I were riding around the levies taking samples one day when I first started and I noticed she was listening to the Truckers on her iPod. She told me that our supervisor Michael was a big fan. The next day I noticed the inconspicuous DBT sticker behind the toolbox on his truck. Needless to say everyone at home and at work has been very supportive of this opportunity. All Michael wants is a signed poster. All my wife wants is me to come home safe….and, my check.

9B:  I read an article about the benefit show that your old band, the Dexateens, played with the Alabama Shakes and Lee Bains and the Glory Fire.  The article said the Dexateens were working on new music and were changing names and maybe getting on the road.  Can you fill us in with Dexateens’ news?

MP: Since we took a break a couple summers back we’ve recorded nearly 40 songs. They’re all in varying stages of being complete. It’s not a project about which we’ve been terribly aggressive. We just focus and get a ton done whenever we do get together. I don’t know what the ultimate plan is. Everyone in the band has moved on to some degree. We all stay extremely busy with work and family; not to mention our own musical endeavors.

I’ve already talked with Elliott about how I think the new material should be released. I’m the one who gets all excited. I start to sweat those details way before it’s time and sometimes I miss the actual plan when it goes down. Elliott has proposed that in the future we use the name the ex teens. That’s very clever and very cheesy at the same time. So obviously I love it. I know there will be new music as well as some shows when the time is right. I would look for it all to be still a ways down the road. There’s no rush anymore.  

9B: Word on the street is that you’re a serious vinyl collector.  Tell us about your collection, numbers, particular genres, etc etc.  I’m not asking about favorites because that’s stupid.

MP: Like most collections it tells my musical story. I started collecting around age 10. My dad started taking us to record shows in Birmingham a couple of times a year. He’d give us a few dollars and let my sister and I  pick out some records. In a few years he wasn’t as involved in collecting and I had become consumed with it. Early finds included Elvis, Stax and Motown because that reflected my mother’s taste. My mother is not a collector. She expresses her appreciation for music outwardly. She taught me to dance. And, when that music plays he seems to be at her happiest. 

My collection really exploded in my teens and early twenties. I had odd jobs and I once worked at the Sound Shop in the mall. I was free to spend a good bit of my earnings on records. This period saw me go from the flowery pop of the 60′s to the hard rock of the 70′s and eventually on to punk and new wave. I added the bulk of my collection at this time. When I got to college in Tuscaloosa we had a wonderful store called Vinyl Solution. I probably stopped in at least twice a day every day for years. I even worked there on weekends for store credit sometimes. Vinyl hauls at this time were all over the map from Zeppelin to The Clash to Gary Numan. I was consuming it all. 

After college I was just another broke musician. I got so tired of looking at my collection. I would have parties sometimes just so someone would pick out the records to play. It’s like I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It’s worth mentioning that Vinyl Solution had shut down by this time. The owner sold me a couple of retail cabinets from the store in which my records sat and collected dust for a few years.

Meeting my wife turned things around for me. I learned how to handle money. I’m happier and I find there is a little money to be spent at the record store. My collection is growing again. The End of All Music in Oxford, MS has a good selection of gospel that I’ve been getting into. I’ll look at everything in the store, but the room where they keep the old soul and gospel usually gets me rifling through my wallet these days. I haven’t counted in years, but I would guess there are more than 2000 records in my music room these days. 

9B:  A little while ago you moved from Alabama to a little town in Mississippi called Water Valley.  I’m a bit familar with Water Valley, it’s a nice town with it’s fair share of odd ball characters and underbelly.  If people want to read about the positive things going on in Water Valley they can read this article from the New York Times but tell us a story about the seedy and socially awkward side of Water Valley.

MP: Very funny! I have used the word miraculous to describe my ending up in Water Valley on several occasions. I noticed I had been saying it one day and I started doing a lot of thinking about it. It’s hard to know where to start, but I have to give my wife credit for moving here five years ago and refusing to move to Alabama where I was. She’s an Oxford girl. She has built a reputation as an artist around these parts and is a part owner of a gallery.

A couple of years ago I was living and working in my hometown of Jasper, Alabama. All of a sudden the Dexateens called it quits and I didn’t have a whole lot to look forward to. Those were some trying times for me. In time I learned that Lynn Bridges had moved to Water Valley to work at a studio there called Dial Back Sound. Lynn recorded several Dexateens records as well as a number of other records I have worked on. In addition to that reconnection I was able to cross paths with Bruce Watson once again. Bruce owns the studio. He has a hands on approach. He hired me for some session work. It was the first I had been offered since the economy went south. It was all such a pick me up!

But, Water Valley is full of self-made folks like Bruce, Lynn and my wife. Independent business is thriving here. We have a grocery that focuses on foods produced locally. We have an actual dress maker in a store front on the main street. We have a space lawyer as well as a mother and wife who produces and markets her own grits. When I look at it all it seems like people here are living on a lot of faith and most folks have told them over and over again that they’re crazy. Yet, they are making it work slowly but surely. These folks are my kind. It’s inspiring and I believe, miraculous. 

9B:  Are you interested in joining the Truckers full time?  Is that on the table, up to you or up to them?  From the Denver show it looked like the band was enjoying having you there and it sounded great.

MP: As Patterson has said in his memos recently it’s a non issue right now. It’s not on the table. The main thing they want to focus on is getting some rest and catching up with family. I know they want to make a really great record this next time and that requires recharging your batteries. I believe they have earned the right after releasing several albums and embarking on tour after tour the last few years. 

They are trying to time all of these things just right. They are trying to have a great time on the last longer run they’re likely to do this year. Nothing would ruin all that right now like trying to fit a new member into the picture. All I know is that I’m having the time of my life and they have expressed to me how grateful they are and that’s enough. 

Big thanks Matt.

Whew. I’m a little late getting this one up. The past 3 days have been a whirlwind of beer, vodka, whiskey, rock shows and front porch laughs but now it’s back to the real world…

Anyhow, last week’s show featured Von from Americana Rock Mix pulling a cohost stint. It’s been a while since we had Von in studio so it was a whole lot of fun. He pulled a lot of the music for the show and much of it, I’d never even heard before. I bookended the show with a Beastie Boys cover and one of their hits while dropping a little McDougall in the middle of it all. Von and I have a worthwhile discussion about The Gaslight Anthem and the possibility that they’re just a one trick pony in the middle of it all too. If none of that is enough to entice you into listening to the show did you know that James Leg (Black Diamond Heavies) and Left Lane Cruiser are putting out an album together? Neither did I! But I did play the first single during the show.

Sound like the good stuff? Then go put some ears on the archived stream of the show.

Below is the playlist for May 10, 2012

01. Portland Country Underground – Fight For Your Right
02. JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound – Everything Will Be Fine
03. James Leg & Left Lane Cruiser – Ramblin’ On My Mind
04. Michael Donner & The Southern Renaissance – Promise Me
05. Magic Box – Cover It Up
06. Sunday Valley – Old Sunshine
07. Whiskey Myers – Turn It Up
08. The Gaslight Anthem – 45
09. Arliss Nancy – Pages
10. Mosey West – Hell Hounds
11. McDougall – Ready, Begin
12. Ha Ha Tonka – Usual Suspects
13. Truckstop Darlin’ – Southern Ghosts
14. Suburban Dirts – Lost In Transcription
15. Beastie Boys – Shake Your Rump

Bold = Request

Ninebullets Radio on Facebook
You can stream Ninebullets Radio here
You can download Ninebullets Radio here
If you like Ninebullets Radio please drop a 5 spot in the Tip Jar.

P.S.: If you like this show, do me a favor and post about it on your Facebook/Twitter/Blog. It’ll do a lot to help these bands reach new ears…and in the end, that’s what this is all about. It’ll also help bring the existence of the radio show to more people’s attention & the more people there are listening/paying attention to the show the more likely it is to stay on the air.

Episode 71: aired 05.10.2012

You just can’t go wrong with a musician sporting a serious beard. Just look at Otis Gibbs. Or the dudes in ZZ-Top. When the beard issue is brought up, our man Rune says, “I guess it’s part envy on my part, I’ve been wanting one all my life and it turns out I can not grow a beard if my life depended on it. I guess that’s why whenever a musician, and especially a singer/songwriter turns up with a beard, I’ll take him twice as serious as a beardless hack like me.” “The beard,” he continues, “to me at least, signifies that this person actually has lived life, and been too busy to shave – staying away from dead-end jobs where you are encouraged to stay clean shaved.”

Let’s talk about the music though, because that shit speaks for itself. You don’t need to see McDougall’s beard to hear that he’s lived his words when he pleads things like, “I used to be so sure of who my enemies were,” like he does in “The Travels of Frederick Tolls – Part 1″. There’s just so much truth in there. He’s got this raw, dirty voice, and his music has elements of Canned Heat, Tom Waits and delta-blues carefully mixed with bluegrass, country and rock. Writing these catchy tunes with enough edge to keep you on your toes – waiting for his next tale.

A Few Towns More kicks off with a real party. Handclaps, a swingin’ banjo, footstomps and people humming loudly along to the tune before making its intentions wholly clear with track 2, aptly titled “Ready, Begin”. From there the album unfolds with 10 tracks of banjo, growls, footstomps and declarations that, by the end of it’s 39th minute, might have you thinking Scott McDougall is the perfect mixture of Possessed By Paul James and Tim Barry. That’s how it worked for me.

Of one thing there is no doubt: A Few Towns More in undeniably Essential Listening.

McDougall – Ready, Begin
McDougall – A Few Towns More
McDougall – Gates Of Victory

McDougall’s Official Site, McDougall on Facebook, McDougall on Spotify, Buy A Few Towns More, Find more McDougall on CDBaby

Two years ago we’d booked Lee for the Saturday ninebullets.net day party out at SxSW. It was about an hour and a half before they were supposed to play and I realized I had no idea if he was there and, more importantly. I had no idea what he looked like. So, I wandered over to Shane (Two Cow Garage) and asked if he knew who Lee was and if Lee was in the building yet. Shane said (and I quote), “You’ll know him. He’ll be in overalls, carrying a gallon of water and he’ll be the best looking dude in the room.” The minute Lee walked in the room I understood just how terribly accurate Shane’s description had been. An hour later, Lee proved he and his band weren’t just a few pretty faces by completely destroying the room (figuratively not literally). Since then, I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for a Lee Bains album and, finally, we’ve gotten it in There’s A Bomb In Gilead.

Lee Bains, as most of you probably know, was the guitarist for The Dexateens (now Ex-ateens) and the Glory Fires are Matt Wurtele (guitar), Justin Colburn (bass) and Blake Williamson (drums), all well-seasoned vets in the Alabama music scene. Finding himself gigless after the sudden dissolution of The Dexateens, Lee and Co. went to work fleshing out the raw material Lee had that was suddenly without a home.

The result?

In a word, There Is A Bomb In Gilead is sexy .The result is everything The Drive-By Truckers have been trying to become since Jason left/was kicked out of the band. The result is pure rock and roll. Pure Muscle Shoals. Pure Essential Listening. Pure American music.

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Roebuck Parkway
Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Righteous, Ragged, Songs
Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Ain’t No Stranger

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires Official Site, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires on Facebook, Buy There Is A Bomb In Gilead