SOUNDS: Patterson Hood in NYC 6/23 & 24

Patterson Hood will release Murdering Oscar (and other love songs) today on Ruth St. Records. The second solo record from the leader of the Drive-By Truckers has been 15 years in the making. The album was produced by Hood and long-time DBT producer David Barbe (Sugar). Most of his DBT band mates join him on the album as well as Don Chambers, Will Johnson and Scott Danbom from Centro-matic/South San Gabriel. This is also the first time Hood’s father David Hood, famed Muscle Shoals bass player, joins him on a record.

The album was recorded at Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, GA and will also be released on 180 gram vinyl. The vinyl release will include three exclusive bonus tracks. An a cappella version of “Range War” will also be available exclusively with iTunes. “Pollyanna” and “Pride of the Yankees” are available to preview on his Myspace page.

Hood and the Screwtopians will start the first leg of their tour in Nashville and end with a headlining slot at AthFest in Hood’s hometown of Athens, GA. Joining Hood on tour will be Brad Morgan (drums), John Neff (guitar/steel), Scott Danbom (keys/fiddle), Will Johnson (guitar) and David Barbe (bass), who has not toured since his days with Sugar. Will Johnson will open the shows. (source)

Patterson Hood plays the Music Hall of Williamsburg in BK tonight, and Bowery Ballroom tomorrow.

SOUNDS: Avett Brothers Play NYC 6/12 & 13

photo by crackerfarm

If you put your ear to the street, you can hear the rumble of the world in motion; people going to and from work, to school, to the grocery store. You may even hear the whisper of their living rooms, their conversation, their complaints, and if you're lucky, their laughter. If you're almost anywhere in America , you'll hear something different, something special, something you recognize but haven't heard in a long time. It is the sound of a real celebration It is not New Year's, and it is not a political convention. It is neither a prime time game-show, nor a music video countdown, bloated with fame and sponsorship. What you are hearing is the love for a music. It is the unbridled outcry of support for a song that sings to the heart, that dances with the soul. The jubilation is in the theaters, the bars, the music clubs, the festivals. The love is for a band. The songs are honest: just chords with real voices singing real melodies. But, the heart and the energy with which they are sung, is really why people are talking, and why so many sing along. They are a reality in a world of entertainment built with smoke and mirrors, and when they play, the common man can break the mirrors and blow the smoke away, so that all that's left behind is the unwavering beauty of the songs. That's the commotion, that's the celebration, and wherever The Avett Brothers are tonight, that's what you'll find. (source)

NC's The Avett Brothers play NYC 6/12 & 13 @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. The Second Gleam has been in stores since July 08.

SCENE/SOUNDS: Willie King's Freedom Creek Festival 5/29 & 30

WILLIE KING'S FREEDOM CREEK FESTIVAL 2009

in honor of the late, great Willie King, will take place on

Friday 29th May and Saturday 30th May

featuring

the Legendary Kenny Neal

Cedric Burnside and Lightenin' Malcolm

the spirit of Willie King

and many more!!!!

Old Memphis, near Aliceville, Alabama

On Sunday, March 8, 2009 the outstanding Alabama blues musician Willie King passed away near his home in Old Memphis, Alabama, following a massive heart attack. His career started on a plantation with a one-string, homemade diddly-bo. Six recordings and a DVD later, along with numerous national and international festival performances, Willie King has gained a substantial national and international reputation.

Ever since he first heard a blues musician play at this grandmother’s juke joint over sixty years ago, Willie King has been consumedby the blues. His life story is about great music but equally it is about care, interest and concern for the community he grew up in - King's own definition of the "blues life."

The loss of this great blues man will be felt by fans and musicians all over the world who have been touched by his unique juke joint blues and uplifting message of peace, love and social justice.

The funeral took place on Sunday, March 15th at 2pm at the City Hall in Aliceville, Alabama. A wake was held the day before on Saturday, March 14, from 1 - 3 pm at Lavender's Funeral Home.

Like many artists, Willie King had little money and made no provisions for his burial costs. The Willie King Memorial Fund has been created for those who wish to help with funeral expenses and to create a historic marker celebrating Willie King's life and works. Please send contributions to "The Willie King Memorial Fund," c/o West Alabama Bank, Attention Tammy, PO Box 406, Aliceville AL 35442 or donate online through PayPal. (source)

Thanks to Jeanie Thompson at Alabama Writer's Forum for first telling me about Willie's passing. She wrote: "Anne, this is a real loss. He was only 66. He was to receive a big award at the Governor’s Arts Awards in May. Everyone is very sad…"

SOUNDS: Standard Deluxe presents Blue Mountain 5/29

...Emerging from the post-punk Americana scene in the late eighties Blue Mountain came roarin' up out of Oxford Mississippi with a sound that practically defined Alt-Country as a genre in American Music. Band members Cary Hudson (guitar), Laurie Stirratt (bass) and Frank Coutch (drums) create beautiful music that consumes listeners with all the passion and grace of the American South. Honest and straightforward, Blue Mountain's scope of musical output has been critically linked to Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Allman Brothers, Elvis, Tammy Wynette, Robert Johnson, and Alex Chilton among many others. Touring and recording for over a decade, the band called it quits in 2001 only to be re-born better than ever in 2007. (source)

Waverly, Alabama's full custom "real southern vernacular post modern eclectic" design/screen printing outfit Standard Deluxe is proud to host this exciting and important band. "We hope you all can make it...you don't want hear about this show second-hand!"

Friday MAY 29, 2009 at
FRED's Feed & Seed (and pickin' parlor)
6434 Stage Road in Beautiful Downtown LOACHAPOKA, Alabama

Mississippi's Legendary BLUE MOUNTAIN with BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES

SOUNDS: Allen Toussaint @ Village Vanguard 5/19 - 24

Photo: Robert Sturman

New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint will be performing at the Village Vanguard 5/19 - 24 along with his Bright Mississippi Band.

"Allen Toussaint is one of America's greatest musical treasures. Singer, pianist, songwriter, arranger and producer, the New Orleans native has been making hit records for over forty years. His massive influence on American music reaches deep into the idioms of rhythm and blues, pop, country, musical theater, blues and jazz. Two years ago, Toussaint added yet another credit to his lengthy list of accomplishments, co-founder of NYNO Records with NY partner Joshua Feigenbaum. Toussaint was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. (source)

SOUNDS: South Memphis String Band TONITE @ Joe's Pub

The South Memphis String Band performs tonight @ Joe's Pub in NYC:

The South Memphis String Band is a trio, bound by Memphis and North Mississippi roots, composed of Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Alvin “Youngblood” Hart (Grammy-winning bluesman) and Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers). Although they’ve known each other for years, the trio’s musical spirit gelled last year when they recorded a yet-unreleased album with Luther’s father, legendary producer Jim Dickinson, called New Moon Jellyroll Freedom Rockers. The South Memphis String Band was greatly influenced by the Mississippi Sheiks, Gus Cannon & the Memphis Jug Band and other string bands and jug bands of their ilk, as well as Mississippi Delta and Hill Country blues. They will travel with a passel of guitars, mandolins, banjos, lap steel guitars and harmonicas.

“I break down walls and stereotypes with my music. I confuse people. I use Mississippi music, which is renegade music at heart, as my inspiration and motivation," says Mathus. "I use it as a tool to reach people, to express my own feelings and continue to express those that came before me. I keep the old stories alive while they help keep me alive. Luther, Youngblood Hart and myself have been musical co- conspirators for over a decade. It is only fitting that we should come together with acoustic instruments and perform Mississippi music.”

SOUNDS: Midsummer Night Swing '09 Line-Up Announced

Kermit Ruffins Photo by David Rae Morris

“Midsummer Night Swing heats up Damrosch Park with the rhythms that keep New York dancing. This year brings out the very best of swing, salsa, soul, tango, rockabilly, and much more, showcasing some of the finest musicians and DJs from this country and abroad. For dance fanatics, enthusiastic beginners, and everyone in between, Midsummer Night Swing is the city’s hot spot for three weeks in July.” Bill Bragin

Southern-tinged highlights include:

Tuesday, July 7
Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers
New Orleans Jazz, Small Band Swing

Kermit Ruffins plays New Orleans jazz with all the swing and swagger of the late, great Louis Armstrong. His sweet horn blows jazz, funk, and standards that reflect the big brass tradition of his beloved city. Charismatic and confident, Kermit Ruffins and his band really cook - in every sense of the word - as he serves up hot barbecue as well as cool music at his restaurant & club in The Big Easy.

Thursday, July 16
Ponderosa Stomp: The Get Down
Feat. William Bell, Harvey Scales, and The Bobbettes with The Bo-Keys
Soul/R&B Soul, R&B, Funk

New Orleans’ renowned music revue, the Ponderosa Stomp, decamps to New York for several nights of great live music. The first night will showcase Stax/Volt recording artist and songwriter William Bell, whose strong yet smooth voice sang “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” among other R&B classics. Harvey (“Disco Lady”) Scales, also on the bill, has been active since the 60s. He credits James Brown’s funk as being a major influence on his music. The third headliner will be The Bobbettes, the first all-female R&B group to have a major pop hit record with "Mr. Lee." All three acts will perform with those champions of the Memphis soul sound, The Bo-Keys.

Friday, July 17
Ponderosa Stomp: The Best Dance in Town
Featuring Joe Clay, Carl Mann, and The Collins Kids
with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics
Rockabilly

Night two of Ponderosa Stomp will celebrate with a night of rockabilly starting with singer Joe Clay. Clay, a contemporary of Elvis Presley’s who mined the same rock, R&B, and blues roots, had some early hits before being rediscovered in the 1980s by British audiences. Carl Mann, singer and pianist, is an alum of Sun Records (as was Presley) who recorded a rockabilly version of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa”, among other songs, that have fanatic fans to this day. The Collins Kids were juvenile rockabilly stars in the 1950s, singing hits aimed at a young audience. Larry Collins was a lightning-fingered double-neck guitar whiz from the age of 10, and the brother and sister (Lorrie) still perform together. All three acts will perform with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics, one of America’s foremost purveyors of roots music.

Sunday, July 19

Ponderosa Stomp Part 3: Lincoln Center Festival presents a Tribute to Wardell Quezergue, the composer/arranger responsible for shaping southern music and the soulful sounds of the Mississippi delta and New Orleans into giant hits.

Tickets are on sale now...

SOUNDS: Bonnie Prince Billy Taking Manhattan in May

Re-post from Brooklyn Vegan!

a 2nd Bonnie Prince Billy show!

I'm not sure whether Bonnie Prince Billy's May 21st show at the Apollo Theater has completely sold out yet or not, but a 2nd NYC show has been added, much farther downtown, at Santos Party House. Tickets for the the May 20th show are on sale now (thx Keith!). Lightning Dust opens.

BPB's new album, Beware, was released by Drag City on March 17th.

SCENE/SOUNDS: "We Have Signal" Taping & Benefit in B'ham 1/22

Tomorrow Night (1/22) @ The Bottletree Cafe in Birmingham, AL: My friends (and a fave band) The Dexateens are performing at a taping and benefit for We Have Signal a very cool live music show that airs on Alabama Public Television.

We Have Signal is APT’s new live episodic music program filmed exclusively at the BottleTree Café in Birmingham, AL. The series features new and innovative bands from around the state, the country and even the world. A new episode of We Have Signal airs weekly at 10PM on Thursday nights, followed by encore presentation of the previous week’s episode at 10:30. Each week’s new episode also airs at 11PM on Sunday evening. Be there or be...well, you know.

In the meantime, also be sure to check out Dexateens lead singer Elliott McPherson's light boxes.
"i build these lightboxes from found items and things that people give me. none of these items are thrifted. i call them lightboxes because they have a feel that can be manipulated depending on the direction and the intensitiy of the light that is pointing towards the box. i build shadow boxes also. they are they ones that have the doors on them. when the doors are open they are lightboxes."

SCENE/SOUNDS: Auld Twang Syne (12/31 in BKLYN)

Brooklyn Country Music (the folks behind the Kings County Opry, CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree, Brooklyn Winter Hoedown, Johnny Cash Birthday Bash, & The Brooklyn Country Music Festival) are, of course, kickin' it country style this New Year's Eve and promising "the sweatiest night of twang ever."


A Brooklyn Country New Year's Eve

Kicks off @ 8PM on December 31, 2008 at

Freddy's Backroom

485 Dean St. (@ 6th Ave.)

Brooklyn, NY

SOUNDS/SCENE: Gringolandia Closes with a New Orleans brass bang

photo credit: One Two One Three/Flickr

New Orleans post-apocalyptic brass sensation Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship sails into Manahttan tomorrow to help the magnificent Honey-Space close Mickey Western’s fantabulous Gringolandia installation.

Friday Saloon 11/21 @ 8PM til late
Closing party with live performances by Mickey Western, New Orleans brass sensation Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship, and Hurray For The Riff

Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship, which sounds like “singing yourself to sleep, and dancing yourself to alacrity,” floats over to Brooklyn on Saturday (11/22) to tape a performance at The Fort.

From NY Art Beat: Gringolandia is an installation, saloon, and full-sensory performance space created by Mickey Western. The title of the exhibition references America, while indicating, simultaneously, a fundamentally outsider perspective. The conceptual framework for the exhibition is built upon the mythos of the Universal Outlaw- that perennial character in American culture who exists on the margins of mainstream, polite society: the poets, preachers and vigilantes whose moral codes have been determined by an internal value system free from the laws of the state.

During the course of the exhibition Mickey will inhabit the space and interact with visitors passing through. Handheld audio tours of the exhibition will be available. A full calendar of events, readings and performances will be released with the first edition of the Chelsea Gonzo, and posted on the gallery's website whenever we recover from the opening party, with additions to the calendar coming in all the time. Regular evening programming will include a Thursday Saloon Salon, and a Saturday Speakeasy Saloon.