“Dynamite” is a beautiful song, with fairly smooth lyrics over a shuffling beat and melodic accordion, reminiscent of the stellar work on Trace. Farrar sings “This love is like celebrating Fourth of July with dynamite” in the chorus; the pairing of danger and love is 100% Farrar. In the country, twangy “Roll On”, there is much melancholy with imagery of tragedy (“John Barleycorn make his way among the dirty diamonds”) but the flickers of hope and perseverance do peak through the clouds.

Luscious piano and fiddle lend a mournful sound to “Cocaine and Ashes”, another song where lyrical contrasts are effectively used, this time in an empathetic ode to Keith Richards, his mortality, addiction, and ridiculousness (“I snorted my father, but I’m still alive”).
“When the Wheels Don’t Move” is a big distorted-guitar plodding rocker that indulges Farrar’s penchant for political righteousness and the plight of middle America. It tells a tale of the current economic disaster and its effect on the American blue collar worker, and squarely lays the blame on government and corporations.
“Dust of Daylight” is a plaintive country song about lost love and the fact that those in the relationship are sometimes the last to know that the love has been lost. Somewhat contrary to themes of previous work, Farrar doesn’t seem to be shying away from songs about love and heartbreak.
“Down to the Wire” is a track whose drivetrain seems low on oil. It is mildly repetitive musically, and is a great example of Farrar’s sometimes overly complicated vocals coming across as clunky and cumbersome. Message and vocabulary have been given precedence over smooth cadence and meter.

In short, this is a very solid Son Volt offering, but is not one that would be good to just buy select songs off of Itunes; it doesn’t have the hits that Trace had. Akin to the cardgame sung about on “Pushed Too Far”, either go “all-in” on this one or fold. I would recommend being bold.

-Ted

Doc and Richard Watson
Rhonda Vincent
Kruger Bros
Steep Canyon Rangers (it was mentioned they're pals with and have played with Steve Martin -- who the Merlefest director invited to drop in on air. Wouldn't that be sweet?)
Balsam Ridge
Nashville Bluegrass Band
Traveling McCourys (it was mentioned this was Del's sons -- does this mean no Del, anyone know?)
David Holt
John Hammond
Happy Traum
The Lee Boys
Donna the Buffalo
Sam Bush
The Brave Combo
The Waybacks (including the now-famous album hour show)
The Belleville Outfit
WPA (Glen Phillips, Sara and Sean Watkins, and Luke something, fiddle player for Lyle Lovett)
Scythian
The Duhks
Great Big Sea

HEADLINERS:
Elvis Costello (with Jim Lauderdale) -- Saturday
Jerry Douglas
Stuart Duncan
Little Feat
The Avett Brothers -- Sunday (this will be their only show in North Carolina in the first half of 2010)

Y'all have fun. I'll be missing it to give birth. Which, SIGH. The kid's already ruining everything. ;)

Bob _________
Lyle _________
Todd ________
Jeff _________
Jim _________
John ________
Rich ________
Ryan _________
Brent _________

The first HickoryWind reader to provide the last names of all nine songwriters wins a digital copy of "I Can't Make You Happy". A second winner will be selected at random from ALL contestants!

Email your answers to HickoryWindContest-at-hotmail-dot-com

Here's the email:
"I recently wrote and recorded a song, each day, for about three weeks. The result is "Razzmatazz" - 16 songs, just vocal & guitar, recorded in my bedroom on a hand-held voice recorder. The record is available now on my website and will be widely available in September" (HW update-"Razzmatazz" is available through Amazon and iTUNES).

On "Razzmatazz" Hickey sings movingly of happiness and sadness, pleasure and regret. A talented singer-songwriter, Hickey's lyrics recall Kerouac and Bukowski, Harvey Pekar (but not bitter and angry), Jonathan Richman (but not as goofy) and T-Bone Burnett's early solo work when he sings of racetracks, the smell of bread and places to go. You can hear two "Razz" tracks, including "Kerouac", as well as several older tracks, on Chris'
MySpace page. All you angelheaded hipsters will want to watch Hickey's video "Kerouac" in honor of Jack who died forty years ago on October 21st.

"Razzmatazz" is one of my favorite discs of the year and was one of the most pleasant suprises of 2009.

Chris took the time to answer a few questions about his new record:

HW-Your new DIY record "Razzmatazz" sounds great! Would you mind sharing some details about your equipment?

CH-I thought you'd never ask. I recorded this record on an Edirol R-09 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder. It has a high quality built-in stereo condenser microphone. I set it upright on a box on my desk so I could sing into it like a microphone. I played a Stella acoustic guitar which sounds a little bit like a banjo. That's it. It was mastered by a great engineer and producer, Adam Samuels.

HW-How did the project come about? Did you set out with a goal of a song a day or did you just get on a creative roll, like Jack and his scroll?

CH-I went with my daughter one day to her church and the speaker was talking about being nice to yourself, doing favors for yourself. I thought it was kind of a generic message, but I decided to take his advice, make the trip worthwhile. So, I offered myself about an hour each day to write and record a song. I emailed the first one to my old friend, Scott Seskind, and called it the "song of the day". He was real encouraging and that helped motivate me. Some days he'd email and say "Where's my song of the day?" So, I kept it going for about three weeks. A few songs didn't make the record. One was toooo Dylanesque.

HW- "paradise overnight on the road on a scroll kerouac in the back moriarty magic act real deal at the wheel on the road overload good times fun and frolic buddhist loving alcoholic".
On "Kerouac" you really capture the spirit of Kerouac's "spontaneous bop prosody". Could you imagine playing it for Jack or Neal? I think they'd love it.

CH-I'm happy just to imagine that. Sure, I think they'd like it. If you say I captured something there then yeah, why not? I'm also open to all kinds of buddhist leaning possibilities, like that everything is apart from time and everyone is one and Kerouac hears us as we hear him in one great expression of "here we are".

HW-"Salty Tears" reminds me of a Charles Bukowski poem. Was he an influence?

CH-Yes. I love Bukowski. Bukowski kept it simple.

HW- When I first met Chris Hickey on "Langston Hughes" (from "Looking For Anything"/1987) you sang "I am white Irish-Catholic 27 5'11" one hundred and fifty seven schoolteacher songwriter singer and guitar player. I'm a husband father brother and son and I am one of everyone and you are a part of me as I am a part of you and we are a part of Langston Hughes." You listened to Dylan, REM and Billy Bragg. How would you describe yourself now? What are you listening to in 2009?

CH-Well, I'm 50 now, four times as much a father, still fighting around the welterweight division, I'm a web and graphic designer... Today, I'm listening to the Mark Mulcahy tribute record, 41 songs, none as good as the originals... What's on my ipod right now? Bon Iver, John Vanderslice, Meg Hutchinson, Trixie Whitley, Chris Whitley, Oasis, Maria Taylor, Eef Barzelay, Joe Henry, Loudon Wainwright III... always Bob Dylan.

Q- "Razzmatazz" (2009), "Release" (2003) and Uma's "Fare Well" (1997) are available through iTUNES and Amazon. Is any of your older work available? If not, are digital reissues a possibility?

CH-Yes on digital reissues, coming sooner or later. I might release the older work as is, as was, or put together a collection of songs... Thanks for asking.

HW-Thanks for thinking of HickoryWind. Keep in touch!

Son Volt's Jay Farrar and Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard have come together for a pretty nifty project -- making passages from Jack Kerouac's novel "Big Sur" into songs. The album's out next week, but you can hear it now and read all about it here -- thanks to our super-hip friends at NPR.

But apparently Target is not alone in cranking up the Big Christmas Machine in early October. The folks at the record companies think it's high time, too. So this week's list is CHOCK full of Christmas releases. Deal with that how you will. Here are the holiday offerings, followed by the rest of this week's list:

Oct. 13, 2009 (Christmas in October!)
John Cowan -- Comfort and Joy (Koch)
Jerry Douglas -- Jerry Christmas (Koch)
Neil Diamond -- A Cherry Cherry Christmas (Sony)
Bob Dylan --Christmas in the Heart (Sony)

Oct. 13, 2009 (not Christmas)
Thad Cockrell -- To Be Loved [digital] (Major 7)
The Flaming Lips -- Embryonic (Warner Bros)
John Gorka -- So Dark You See (Red House)
I Was Totally Destroying It -- Horror Vacui (Greyday)
Lonnie Walker -- These Times Old Times (Terpsikhore)
Los Lonely Boys -- 1969 [EP] (Mega Force)
Erin McKeown -- Hundreds of Lions (Righteous Babe)
James McMurtry -- Live in Europe [CD/DVD] (Lightning Rod)
Grant-Lee Phillips -- Little Moon (Yep Roc)
Brian Setzer -- Songs from Lonely Avenue (Surfdog)

Sept. 22, 2009
Vic Chesnutt -- At the Cut (Constellation)
Guy Clark -- Sometimes the Song Writes You (Dualtone)
David Gray -- Draw the Line (Downtown)
Joshua James -- Build Me This (Intelligent Noise)
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -- Speed of Life (Sugar Hill)
Adam Steffey -- One More for the Road (Sugar Hill)
Marty Stuart and the Bastard Sons -- Bend in the Road (Dualtone)
Rufus Wainwright -- Milwaukee at Last!!! (Decca)

Sept 29, 2009
The Avett Brothers -- I and Love and You (Sony)
... and oh my GOD, this is a good record.
Drivin' 'n' Cryin' -- The Great American Bubble Factory (Thirty Tigers)
Will Hoge -- The Wreckage (Rykodisc)
Malcolm Holcolmbe -- For the Mission Baby (Echo Mountain)
Patty Loveless -- Mountain Soul II (Time Life)
Corb Lund -- Losin' Lately Gambler (New West)
Robert Earl Keen -- Rose Hotel (Lost Highway)
Kris Kristofferson -- Closer to the Bone (New West)
Karen O. and the Kids -- Where the Wild Things Are [soundtrack] (Interscope)
Chris Smither -- Time Stands Still (Signature)
Wrinkle Neck Mules -- Let the Lead Fly (Lower 40)

Oct. 6, 2009
Built to Spill -- There is No Enemy (Warner Bros.)
Brandi Carlile -- Give Up the Ghost (Sony)
Roseanne Cash -- The List (Manhattan)
Vic Chesnutt -- Skitter on Take-off (Vapor)
Darrin James Band -- The Lovely Ugly Truth
Mike Doughty -- Sad Man Happy Man (ATO)
Tinsley Ellis -- Speak No Evil (Alligator)
Lucero -- 1372 Overton Park (Republic)
Mission of Burma -- The Sound The Speed The Light (Matador)
Maria Muldaur -- Garden of Joy (Stony Plain)
Me'shell Ndegeocello -- Devil's Halo (Downtown)
Steep Canyon Rangers -- Deep in the Shade (Rebel)

You can check it out here and if you haven't picked up a copy of "National Champions", one of the best discs of 2009 .......well what are you waiting for?