The Old 97’s long awaited record Blame It On The Gravity will suck the oxygen from every other Americana release over the next month or so. Which is a shame because from the songs I’ve heard from Old 97’s bassist Murry Hammond’s new record I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m On My Way deserve to be heard. Murry Hammond is the bassist in Old 97’s but he’s also connected to the new folk movement though his marriage to Grey Delisle.

The track “Lost At Sea” has a Paul Simon circa The Graduate feel. While “I Believe, I Believe” is more of an old country gospel song along the lines of something you might hear on Johnny Cash’s Hymns record. The new disc was recorded in analog which makes the slight reverb and uncompressed layering of instruments a wondefull byproduct of this technique. These songs were written during a period of time when Murry lost his parents, got married, had a child and was a leader at the Burbank Christian Church. So thematically the songs are a bit heavy, but musically they’re rather refined and quietly somber.

Rhett Miller will surely have that last laugh with the new Old 97’s record, but Murry may have made the better record. Ain’t that always the way of things.

You can buy it now here through Amazon.

Lost At Sea
I Believe, I Believe

(b better in the morning by David Choe)

Carry You Away has the coffe house and advertising friendly folk rock of Landon Pigg.

Above The Fold has news about Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez.

There’s a raging debate over at Song By Toad as to whether Chris Denny is ace or the bullocks (not sure what that all means but it sounds funny).

Good Rockin’ Toinight (possibly one of the oddest mp3 blogs) has two songs from Hayes Carll and that’s never a bad thing.

Muruch has two songs from Canadian alt folk singer Brooke Miller.

There was an interesting possibility of a serious discussion about the state of internet music piracy, royalties, and copyright issues cut short by Adam from Beggars Banquet this morning on the Elbo.ws forum. The issue came up when Adam linked to a mix containing songs by Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Arthur Russell, Mose Allison and many more. The mix is being used to promote a for profit event in Philadelphia. I know for a fact that these artists and their estates do not allow posting of their copyrighted material. So the question is: at this point in the music/internet game is it fair to illegally link to mp3’s?

Ironically, Beggars is a big proponent of using Web Sheriff to shut down music bloggers who dare link to mp3’s from their own stable of artists. The implication is that fresh young talent needs it’s material protected but for an artist that has passed away or is past his prime they’re fair game to rip off.

Here’s the brief discussion. I didn’t feel like my question was off base but apparently it ruffled a feather or two.

Adam From Beggars Banquet -

Philebrity Belle & Sebastian Dance Party Pre-Game Mixtape

‘You Are Not Needed Now’ by Townes Van Zandt
‘Did I Say’ by Teenage Fanclub
‘Downtown Sundown’ by Thin Lizzy
‘Manchester’ by The Times
‘A Little Lost’ by Arthur Russell
‘I Just Want A Little Bit’ by Magic Sam
etc etc

Songs:Illinois -

That’s a funny yayblog coming from someone who works at a label that often complains about copyright infringement. Who’s paying the Van Zandt estate for rights to that song or Mose or Magic Sam for that matter? Or doesn’t it matter as long as they’re not on Beggars?

Adam From Beggars Banquet -

yup - i’m a conundrum!!!!

and often complain? hardly. i have issues, but it’s generally just with douchebags like you.

Songs:Illinois -

nice

Does anyone have any thought about this? Songs:Illinois has been a free and legal mp3 blog for 4 years. All of that legality makes the blog harder to run but I think in the end it is the right thing to do.

This new record from Rancho Deluxe should go a long way in separating the band from their Californian alt-country brethren. True Freedom is the band’s second album and features a sterling cast of supporting characters including Don Heffington on drums and Skip Edwards on piano.

“Maintenance Man” may be the first time in song that the lonely janitor get his due. It’s an odd litle ode to the working man but it works due in part to the layers of guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, bass and drums.

You can order this July release a little early here now.

Maintenance Man

This record, The Sun Is always Brighter, by Joshua James has been kicking around for a year or so. Due to his popularity, tour dates opening for some pretty fine artists (Justin Townes Earle, Lex Land and The Swell Season) and great press it will be be remixed and reissued on CD and vinyl in June.

FM Radio

Bonus

Custom Concern
Soul and The Sea

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Annie Keating is a NYC based Americana artist who has been compared to Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch. But her slow tempo, often langorious alt-country is more in the realm of Mary Gauthier. Her vocal delivery always traverses the same range as well…it’s like a low growl. Her new record is called Belmont and is available here.

The title track shows why this genre is perfectly suited to nostalgic songs about growing up, growing old and remembering it all like it was just yesterday.

Belmont

For The Taking

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Matt Bauer is prepping a new record for Crossbill Records. It’s called The Island Moved In The Storm and is a co-production with the label La Societe Expeditionnaire. I’ve written about Matt’s introspective indie folk before here and here.

Matt’s recently moved from the West coast to NYC and I wonder if that move has influenced this new batch of songs. On “Don’t Let Me Out” there’s a bit more to the production (including a dissonant accordion) than just the acoustic guitar of the past. I’m really looking forward to this new record from Matt Bauer.

Don’t Let Me Out

From the stripped down Hinah session recorded on April 10 in France

Sea Lion Woman

Carve It Out

It’s a rainy, dreary day here in Chicago and what better way to spend it than with the Baroque English folk of Nick Hudson. Nick Hudson’s new record, The Elegy, is out on Kiddiepunk Records in June.

On the song “Atlantic Dash” Nick hits just one note: somber. But listening to some of the other songs that are streaming on MySpace show an experimental side to this artist that’s not apparent from this one song.

Atlantic Dash

Hey man-

Got a bunch of links and info for you, that you may or may not know.

Saw your post on the new Adam Carroll record. It’s great. It was produced by Scott Nolan (who wrote the song “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart’ on Hayes’ new record), and recorded in Mark Junger’s garage, and engineered by Jungers, who might have helped out with some of the production too, not sure.

Here’s one of my favorite shows that I went to in 2007: Mark Jungers, with Scott Nolan and Adam. Adam plays, for the first time ever live (i think), Oklahoma Hustler and Hi-Fi Love, and perhaps the funniest version of “Werewolves of London” i’ve ever heard. Mark’s cover of “Powderfinger”, with Scott Nolan on lead, is however, one of the best cover versions I’ve heard.

Mark Jungers w/Scott Nolan and Adam Carroll (Flac file)

If you don’t know Scott Nolan, check him out. He’s got a bunch of videos on YouTube. He and Joanna Miller play as a duo, and get a sound that sounds like a 5 piece band.

Also, a buddy of mine (who taped the above show also), recently taped Danny Schmidt, and Danny played a bunch of new ones. Thought you might want to check that out:

Danny Scmidt (Flac) (listen for Danny’s great new song about globalization)

Lastly, I discovered The Lonelyhearts through your site. Really really dig their tunes. Don’t know if you knew or not, but their first band has a ton of downloads available at www.rustbeltmusic.com

Figured I’d gotten enough stuff from your site that I should share a bit.

-Chad

I’m not completely sold on all the young newgrassy bands (how `bout you?). Crooked Still, The Duhks and others just leave me a little cold. The music is pristine and shiny, but at times lacks the passion of less acclaimed and even less purely talented groups.

One of the most acclaimed young groups that stradle this line between polished bluegrass and down to earth country is Nashville’s Infamous Stringdusters. They’ll be releasing their new record on Sugar Hill In June. The guys in the `Dusters can certainly play, and that, along with their age and scruffy appearance, are a few of the reasons the band is treated more like a jam band than a bluegrass band on the road.

So here’s “You Can’t Handle The Truth” from the sophomore long player from the Infamous Stringdusters. Compare and contrast with the Hayman, Watkins, Trout and Lee song below.

You Can’t Handle The Truth

———–

What perfect timing. Here’s an example of an English band playing traditional American music just for kicks around the kitchen table. Hayman, Watkins, Trout and Lee is the name of Darren Hayman’s bluegrass inspired americana group. Darren Hayman is the former front man for the English cult pop group Hefner. So this will receive a wider release than your “typical” London bluegrass band; it’ll be out on Fortuna POP! via Cargo and iTunes on May 6 (today!).

They literally recorded this around the kitchen table in Darren’s flat. It’s probably a purist’s nightmare and is no doubt riddled with miscues and off key singing. But there’s something to this. The lyrics are original and address topics that are more relevant cold Appalachian winters and/or moonshine stills. So again compare this with the song above and see what you think.

Buy it now here. Here’s the song “Sly and the Family Stone”

Sly and the Family Stone

and a cute video of Darren’s dog running around England to the tune of “Beulah Crossing The Marshes”

So which do you prefer or did you even read this far?

———-
Bonus demo of “Don’t Flake Out On Me” from the upcoming reissue of Hefner’s 2nd record The Fidelity Wars.

Don’t Flake Out On Me

This morning there appeared a horrible article in CNET about music blogs. It was filled with inaccuracies, misspellings (Lilly ?! Allen) and downright silliness. Idolator has already taken them to task but I can’t help to point out a few things as well.

First off, this quote - “we pick up the phone and bring original reporting” - by a Rolling Stone staffer about how Rolling Stone with it’s use of the common phone has blogs beat is just classic. I picture an intern or an old geezer with a typewriter, cigar and a rotary phone trying to call Man Man to get an update on the new record. Ironically the guys from Man Man have just abandoned phone use and gone all digital.

Secondly, for an article supposedly about Music Blogs its interesting to note he doesn’t speak with nary a one. None of the people he interviews writes a “real” blog in my opinion. This is not sour grapes I don’t care that he didn’t rush to my doorstep for a quote or two but I do care that he didn’t talk to StG, IGIF, MOKB, GvB etc etc. Maybe none of those guys were sitting by the phone either.

Finally, and maybe I’m wrong about this one, but the dude from Rolling stone is quoted as saying “”I wouldn’t call what they do as writing,” - is that even good grammar? If so it’s awkward at best.

P.S. This article was neither spell checked nor fact checked. And that’s part of the beauty of blogs. If RS even wanted to counteract this post it’d take `em 6weeks, a lot of phone calls (I generally don’t pick up) and a handful of interns. And we’d all be on to the next great band.

I’ve got a couple kids. And they drive me crazy. The most recent incident was a bad fall at the park by my 3 year old resulting in 4 stitches just millimeters from his right eye. Then one day this weekend both kids cried and tantrumed off and on all morning (mostly on). But all of that is quickly forgotten with a hug, a shared book, or a single that makes it out of the infield at t-ball.

Because of my kids I can relate to Lisa Cerbone’s new song for her daughter “Mia Noelle”. The lines in here that strike home about kids are “we have fallen under your spell” and “making friends with everyone”. That’s the truth about little kids.

Lisa’s new record is called We Were All Together and is the first for her in over seven years. Lisa has worked extensively with Mark Kozelek in the past, although on this record she collaborates with some of Baltimore’s finest musicians.

I was introduced to Lisa on a lullaby sampler put out by La Blogotheque. The songs on the new record can be thought of as lullaby’s as well. They’re mostly soft with gentle fingerpicking and subtle instrumentation. Lisa’s voice is stunning and haunting in equal quantities. You can buy this here now at Amazon.

Mia Noelle

Bonus:

“Tiny Patch Of Earth” video