earache!

After 15 years, Toni Price played her last Tuesday early evening gig at the Continental Club in April. Price has since moved to San Diego, but she left a huge hole in the SoCo venue’s schedule that left owner Steve Wertheimer scratching his head as how to fill it. What took its place is markedly different, yet retains enough of the vibe that made Hippie Hour special.

Dubbed Planet Casper, it’s anchored by Casper Rawls, longtime Price accompanist and Leroi Brother, and a rotating cast of musicians and songwriters that have included Price alums Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Warren Hood, and Rich Brotherton, as well as David Grissom, Earl P. Ball, and Steve Doerr. Set up as a writers-in-the round configuration, which allows for maximum participation, it’s a chance to hear a wide range of styles, original compositions, and surprising covers. Read More | Comment »

One of the most anticipated events of the summer, the 16th annual Buck Owens Birthday Tribute, takes place tomorrow night at the Continental Club. With a band led by drummer Tom Lewis and guitarist Casper Rawls, Billy Joe Shaver, Jim Lauderdale, Dallas Wayne, Rosie Flores, Monte Warden, Jesse Dayton, Sunny Sweeney, Mike Barfield, Mary Cutrufello, the Derailers, Damon Bramblett, Brennen Leigh, Dave Insley, Bobby Earl Smith, Jann Browne, and Roger Wallace pay their respects to a man who has become the patron saint of the Austin country music scene.

Proceeds benefit the Center for Child Protection, a children's advocacy group dedicated to reducing the trauma for children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.

In a fit of good timing, the Derailers have just released Under the Influence of Buck (see "Texas Platters"), a 13-song tribute to Owens that’s both lovingly produced and one of their most cogent efforts in years. Read More | Comment »

More than 40 years after the first British Invasion, the four members of Chicago’s the Redwalls average less than half that number of years in age. No matter how they got there, the young quartet breathes fire into its Sixties-style garage punk and power-pop. They’ve had some label problems in the past, dropped by Capitol at the beginning of the year. But with youthful vigor on their side, it apparently hasn’t affected their stage presence or mix-and-match sound one iota.

At Saturday's Mohawk show, the Redwalls proved they're not just Beatles imitators. Styled as if it were 1966, with pointy shoes, skinny jeans, and poofy hair, they jangled and harmonized through a set that was dominated by songs from 2005’s De Nova (Capitol).

And there were new tunes from their upcoming self-titled, due in October. “Edge of the Night” set guitars abuzz for a near perfect pop tune, while “Build a Bridge” showed off brotherly harmonies. Read More | Comment »

First, the folks at the Backyard need to be applauded for the solution they’ve come up with to the horrible parking situation. They’ve arranged with a local Home Depot and a church on Bee Cave Road for offsite parking, where you can hop a shuttle bus to the venue. It’s the route I took, and it was remarkably hassle-free, unlike my last visit.

Under a sky that moved from threatening to exposing shafts of sunlight, but thankfully free of rain, this Independence Day celebration began with a much-too-brief set by L.A.’s Particle. The quartet offered but a glimmer of what they're capable of over the course of 30 minutes. Leaning heavily on dancing basslines, they delivered a slab of space funk that moved from high intensity to blissed-out trance with astonishing ease. At set’s end, they upped the cheese factor with a cover of the Commodores’ Seventies disco instrumental “Machine Gun.”

What followed was one of the best sets I've seen this year. File the music of Matisyahu under Hasidic Beatbox Reggae. While that might not make sense, it’s even more difficult to describe its positive nature without sound clips. Beyond the unique image of the Brooklyn-based rapper skanking while clothed in the vestments of his Orthodox faith, the fusion of sounds his fivepiece brought was awe-inspiring. No one mixes dub-wise hypnotics with roaring rock, shifting beats with slinky guitar and authentic reggae into such a delicious whole. Read More | 1 Comment »

It’s no big secret, though some haven’t figured it out, that I’m a Deadhead. No, not one of those. I went to about 20 or 30 shows from 1972 to 1994, and I still listen to a lot of their music, but I was never fanatical to the point of going on tour, collecting tapes, or digging too deep into the mythology. I was just into the music.

It’s a jones that’s been continually fed with a remarkable stream of live releases and box sets since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. The latest, Three From the Vault (Rhino), was released this week and while it’s an interesting set, the real story, at least to me, is the changes apparent since Rhino has taken over the release of the Dead’s archival material.

1991 saw the release of the original One From the Vault, quickly followed by Two. An extraordinary 53 live albums followed, which ranged from complete individual concerts to compilations from specific tours to career-spanning box sets. Most of those, especially the Dick’s Picks series, which is now up to #36, were woefully lacking in any historical context or liner notes. Read More | Comment »

I wasn’t planning on it. But there I was sitting next to the soundboard at the Cactus Café Tuesday night. The SRO crowd was buzzing for the second Hot Tuna show of the night.

An acoustic show usually finds them at their best, allowing the rock legends to vibrate with a singular resonance. Jack Cassidy, Jorma Kaukonen, and MVP Barry Mitterhoff didn’t disappoint with a mix of Tuna classics like “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” and a particularly languid “Hesitation Blues,” as well as a couple of tracks from Jorma’s latest solo effort, Stars in My Crown (Red House). Mitterhoff was quite impressive on a variety of stringed things, including mandolin, tenor guitar, banjo, and bazuki, and was allowed as much space as he wanted to explore the extended hypnotic grooves. Local bluesman Steve James was called up for a boisterous take of his “Saturday Night in Jail.”

“A force of nature if there ever was one,” Kaukonen exclaimed when James left the stage and the audience hooted their approval. It was a rare chance to get thisclose to Cassidy’s eyebrows dancing along to his basslines, Kaukonen’s dusky vocals and distinguished finger picking, and ensemble play that only comes with decades of shows together. The trio delighted with an encore of “Embryonic Journey,”Jorma’s notorious contribution to the Jefferson Airplane canon, done in a kind of walking blues mode, which left the crowd buzzing a whole lot more than they were when the music began. Read More | Comment »

When it began in 1997, after a ‘let’s put on a show’ moment among Internet friends, Twangfest was at the heart of the then-burgeoning alt.country movement. At the time, few would have imagined it would continue for 11 years and provide some of the best underground talent in the country with an audience starved, and rabidly appreciative, of good music.

Held last week at the Duck Room in St. Louis, Missouri, where Chuck Berry still sells out once a month, this year’s Twangfest was light on the twang – alt.country’s dead, stick a spork in it – but heavy on the kinds of American rock that will never die.

While Geezerville didn’t attend the first night of the fest, which wasn’t held at the Duck Room, the three remaining evenings were packed with enough surprising performances and genuine thrills to make the weekend a success. Two trios, Columbus’ Two Cow Garage and Detroit’s the High Strung, brought a punkish sensibility to the stage. Two Cow has matured tremendously since the last time I saw them and their Replacements-meets-Neil Young crunch was appropriately juvenile and crisp. The High Strung had a late-Sixties power trio vibe that recalled the Who with musicianship and melodies to match.

Nashville’s Elizabeth Cook brought to mind a young, spunky Dolly Parton possessing enough ‘alt’ sensibility to cover Lone Justice. Austin’s Slaid Cleaves managed to hush the crowd with his dynamic stage presence and stellar songs, while Carrie Rodriguez, all wistful and glitter, failed to calm the party. Honestly, it might have been the wrong stage for the fragile singer-songwriter.

The biggest surprise was the reunion of Mississippi’s Blue Mountain. One of the original touchstones of the mid-Nineties alt.country movement, the trio gave no hint that this would be its first show in seven years. The mix of country and blues, aided by the manic guitar of Cary Hudson, brought back memories, and catalog songs like “Bloody 98,” “Sleeping In My Shoes,” and “A Band Called Bud” sounded remarkably fresh.

Other glimpses: Graham Parker is better with a band, which he proved by bringing out the Figgs after a long solo set to rock out on “Soul Shoes,” “Local Girls,” and other classics from his past … Tim Easton sounds more like Dylan with each appearance. When he was joined by Two Cow Garage, it wasn’t like the Band showed up, but almost as energizing … Chicago’s Dolly Varden, a personal fave, played a set that veered from arty to spiritual to rockin,’ but seemed unfocused … Saturday night headliners the Figgs closed things with an exhilarating and sweaty set of power pop. Why they aren’t more well-known remains a mystery. Take a gander at the photo gallery for more. Read More | Comment »

There have been tribute records for truck drivers and marijuana, literary figures, and recreations of complete albums. But with its easygoing nature, Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown (Bloodshot) is one of the best of its kind to come out in a long time.

Brown, an Oxford, Miss.-based author, passed away at age 53 on Thanksgiving Eve 2004. If you have never heard of him, seek out one of his books. Almost any one will do. Many lauded Brown for his detailed yet raw fiction about the rural South. He’s been compared to fellow Oxford resident William Faulkner, but he was also a huge music fan. His wife claims that if he didn’t play his guitar every night, “he felt like the day was wasted."

Brown wrote a story on Robert Earl Keen for No Depression magazine and the liner notes to an album by Mississippi alt.country band Blue Mountain. He became friends and acquaintances with quite a few musicians over the years, which is the reason for Just One More. The album’s producer, Tim Lee (The Windbreakers), remembers the first time they met.

“It was at a dinner party in Oxford in the early Nineties,” he recalls. "John Grisham was there. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t impressed with that Grisham guy, because I was such a big fan of Larry’s. I happened to be in Oxford when he died and I went to the visitation. After, when I was driving home to Knoxville where I live, I thought about how much Larry loved music and how much musicians loved him. He treated everybody great, but he treated musicians just a little bit better. It just kind of occurred to me that someone really needed to do a tribute.” Read More | Comment »

The e-mail that Reckless Kelly's publicist sent out said they started at 8pm, so imagine my surprise to find that they'd been onstage 45 minutes when I arrived at the Glenn at a quarter to the hour Thursday night. No loss, really. I was never that big a fan of RK's brand of country rock, and the two songs I heard last night - they opened with an acoustic, sit-down set - didn't leave much of an impression one way or another.

I was really there to see how the quintet's pairing with longtime fave Joe Ely would rate. Of late, the Flatlander hasn't performed nearly enough electric solo shows - the reason some call him the Bruce Springsteen of Texas - and I needed a healthy dose of his dynamic, muscular sound.

The combination not only worked, it was a sweaty success. Ely, who recently turned 60, obviously fed off the Braun brothers' youthfulness. He also drove them to places they might not ordinarily go. The 90-minute set was filled with Ely's crowd-pleasers and drew from the breadth of his career. Highlights included a soaring "Up on the Ridge," an amped up "Me & Billy the Kid," and an extended set-closing "Cool Rockin' Loretta" that showed off the Reckless Kelly boys at their brawny best. There were also a couple of nods to Townes Van Zandt, with a softly shuffled "Tecumseh Valley" and "White Freight Liner" presented as a broke-down ramble. Ely's true gift is that no matter how many times he's played these songs before, they always sound fresh and authentic, much of which is due to his alluring stage presence and the unstoppable musicality of his songs.

An encore that finished with a sing-along of Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy!" left everyone sated. For me, Ely's comment early in the show that "this is all about good friends getting together and making music" rang especially true. Read More | Comment »

The Drive-by Truckers played in my tiny living room during South by Southwest 01. It was an unplugged affair, of course, kind of like what went down this week at Antone’s as part of their Dirt Underneath tour, except they were a very different band back then.

Every time there is a change in the Truckers, and there have been a few since 2001, it causes an uproar among fans. There is emotional attachment between any band and its fans, but DBT fans seem to take change especially hard. First, guitarist Rob Malone just up and disappeared in the fall of 2001 during the Southern Rock Opera tour. His replacement, the cherubic Alabaman Jason Isbell, became a force in the band, writing some of its best songs and blossoming into an excellent guitarist. Producer, bass player, and longtime friend Earl Hicks left in December 2003, and was replaced immediately by Isbell’s wife, Shonna Tucker, lending a whiff of Fleetwood Mac’s Sturm und Drang to the proceedings. There was also some record-company drama when they signed to Lost Highway, who reissued Southern Rock Opera after it had been initially self-released, only to leave the Nashville label for their current home, the Austin/L.A.-based New West, without releasing anything else. Read More | Comment »

For the past couple of years, the Old Settler’s Music Festival seemed to wobble on its last legs, both creatively and in terms of attendance. This past weekend, however, it showed great signs of life with respectable crowds; a full, lively campground; and some inspired bookings that proved it’s more than just another (dreaded) bluegrass festival.

The vibe at Camp Ben McCulloch on Thursday night was as pleasant as an Austin music event could be with smiles all around and everyone kicking off their shoes for dancing and hula hoops. Slaid Cleaves cleared the air as to how a singer-songwriter goes about entertaining an audience. Backed by a trio that included striking fiddler Eleanor Whitmore, Cleaves laid down a set of country and folk, fast-paced yet touching and peppered with the occasional yodel. Baton Rouge, La.’s Red Stick Ramblers followed with a plate of swing, blues, and Cajun that had nearly everyone shaking their moneymaker. They’ve had some personnel changes over the years, which has unfortunately led the quintet to lean a little heavy on the swing and away from their Louisiana roots, but there were no complaints from the crowd, which was obviously geared up for a energetic weekend. Read More | 1 Comment »

By the late Seventies, when Warren Zevon had come into the national consciousness with Excitable Boy, "singer-songwriter" had become a dirty word, thanks to the milquetoast offerings of the James Taylors and Joni Mitchells of the world. But Zevon changed all that. He sang about murder, desperation, espionage, detachment, and excess with unswerving wit.

Following his passing in September 2003, there were rumblings of a Zevon box set. While that idea seems to be currently on hold, Rhino has reissued three of his albums, with now-obligatory bonus tracks. What is most heartening to his fans is the appearance of Stand in the Fire, a live set recorded during a five-night stand at L.A.’s Roxy in 1981, and The Envoy, a 1982 studio effort, neither of which have been previously available on CD. The third is the Jackson Browne-produced Excitable Boy, home to some of his best-known songs including “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” and that hit about werewolves. Extras include an alternate take of “Werewolves” and outtake "I Need a Truck,” a 50-second a cappella rant that reveals, "I need a truck to haul my Percodan and gin," as well as one to "haul the womens from my bed.” Read More | 2 Comments »

In tune with Mark Rubin’s spotlight on the local folk/bluegrass scene in this week’s issue, there are a couple of new releases that are causing a bit of a stir nationally. The two-volume Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show revisits fabled bluegrass duo Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs’ groundbreaking television show, which was broadcast to millions of homes throughout the South in the Fifties and Sixties. It ran until 1969, when the pair ended their partnership to take separate musical paths. Simply the first of its kind, their mix of bluegrass, gospel, comedy, and the occasional guest performer provided an outline for subsequent country variety shows to follow. The Martha White Flour in-show advertising and accompanying cooking demonstrations were precursors to modern product placement and goofy fun as well. Thought to be lost forever, more than 30 shows on tape were discovered in the late Eighties and early Nineties, and the Country Music Hall of Fame is now bringing them to the public.

The first two volumes feature episodes from 1961 and 1962, and they show Flatt & Scruggs at the peak of their performing powers. It’s all done with twinkling eyes, brisk and nimble fingers, and a humble, yet effervescent attitude. Most will be attracted to Vol. 2, which features a guest appearance by Mother Maybelle Carter from August 1961. However, either one offers a fascinating and entertaining glimpse into bluegrass history.

Local bluegrassers are aware that Ricky Skaggs and Del McCoury front two of the best bands in the land, through their regular appearances in Central Texas. Most might not be aware, however, that Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver are the equal to those two. There’s a reason that Quicksilver has been named the International Bluegrass Music Association's Vocal Group of the Year for the past six years. Their latest, More Behind the Picture Than the Wall (Rounder), finds them in secular mode, yet no less moving than when they’re preaching the gospel. Lawson shows why he’s without peer on the mandolin on the dazzling "Tulsa Turn-a-Round," and lead singer Jamie Dailey stands out on the traditional chestnut "When the Blues Are Movin' In." Sure to be one of the bluegrass albums of the year, More Behind the Picture is a must whether you’re just discovering old-time sounds or a geezer who’s been listening to them all along.

Finally, a simple answer to a simple question. The cover of this week’s Chronicle asks: "Is ‘Old-Time Music’ Austin’s New Punk Rock?"

Answer: No Read More | Comment »

By noon Thursday, the gray skies were gone, and the air carried a hint of spring. In the parking lot next to Trophy’s, there was a rudimentary stage and sound system, and it seemed like 1940 all of a sudden. The Get Up Johns had driven from St. Paul, Minn.; this was their only gig of the weekend, and they were making the most of their 30 minutes. With an acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and brotherly harmonies, Josh Wenck and Jake Hyer recalled the Louvins, Stanleys, and Delmores with a youthful skill that exuded reverence. They supposedly garnered an opening slot on an upcoming Carrie Rodriguez tour from this appearance, so maybe the long haul down I-35 was worth it.

Stopping by the Twangfest party at Jovita’s early Saturday afternoon, I was expecting an acoustic set from Columbus, Ohio’s Two Cow Garage, but the quintet was in full blare mode. It all came into focus when they asked for requests. Someone blurted out “Stranglehold,” and off they went into a guitar ramble that would have made the Nuge proud.

While everyone else was enjoying the Stooges late Saturday night, I decided to go to church. The Central Presbyterian Church on Eighth Street was an official venue, but I don’t think it had been totally prepared for Gary Lucas. First, the New York City guitarist provided a stunning solo live soundtrack to the 1920 silent film Der Golem, a German horror classic. With an incredible rack of effects pedals, Lucas proved he could make a guitar sound like almost anything on the planet.

He then led avant-punk legends Gods & Monsters through a set of noisy jazz-rock that was a welcome respite from all the folk and roots music I’d witnessed. But the big surprise was his band, which included Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads on keyboards, Billy Ficca of Television on drums, and Ernie Brooks of the Modern Lovers on bass. After Lucas introduced me to his friend, famed producer Sandy Pearlman, I walked out of that church with my mind truly blown. Read More | Comment »

I just discovered I was attacked by John Conquest in the March issue of his monthly bird cage liner, 3rd Coast Music. Getting a late jump into the fray that was caused by my Mandy Mercier review, he’s thrilled to call me a "wanker." Typical of Conquest’s nonsense, he even complains about a positive David Rodriguez review that ran in December. As far as I can tell, it wasn’t favorable enough. Then he runs the full attack quote that Freddie Krc came up with after the Mercier review about what I imagine myself to be, which was semifunny, only if you knew that I’ve never had any aspirations of being a musician or a songwriter. In reality, a concept Conquest has never been familiar with, the only things I can imagine today are that Conquest’s brain is flea-sized, that Krc will take the hint and buy a vowel, and that maybe some day Mercier will make some music worth hearing. Read More | 2 Comments »

The general view is that South by Southwest remains a kid's game in search of the Next Big Thing. It's just as likely, however, that there are some oldsters participating, hoping to use the event as a springboard to jump-start their career or get in front of some tastemakers who will take the buzz home with them.

Nearly every genre is represented: Sixties stars like Sam the Sham, Terry Reid, Chip "Wild Thing" Taylor, and Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las; punk godfathers the Stooges; folk and country queens like Pam Tillis, Eliza Gilkyson, and Paula Cole; Seventies punk remnants the Buzzcocks, plus the Hoodoo Gurus, the Saints, and Beasts of Bourbon, all from Down Under; Eighties band leaders gone solo like Peter Case (Plimsouls), John Doe (X), Hugh Cornwell (Stranglers), and Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar). And in the maelstrom of more than 1,000 acts with names like When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, they may be overlooked by the younger set.

Gone are the days where you'd get up early, hit a couple of day parties, and then stay out past closing time, seeing 15 or more bands in a day. Now it's eat a good meal or two, see a new band your friend from out of town recommended, stop by the Yard Dog for a beer, and make sure you get to a venue early enough to get a seat. A couple of rare appearances worth seeing, seating permitted: Jandek, Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey (a tease of the dB's reunion), and Public Enemy. Read More | 2 Comments »

Saturday night offers too many choices in Geezerville, with Richard Thompson and Eliza Gilkyson in the Union Ballroom, Kenny Loggins (I kid!) at the One World Theatre, Daniel Johnston as Danny & the Nightmares at the Parish, and John Prine holding down his second sold-out night at the Paramount. Personally, I'll be at the Michael Franti & Spearhead throw-down at Stubb's, but only because I've already seen Prine and Thompson countless times over the years, and Franti will bring something fresh to my folk-weary ears.

If you're a Prine fan, though, there's excitement on the horizon, in the form of a couple of upcoming releases. Shout! Factory will be releasing the DVD Live on Soundstage 1980 on March 27. It's relatively brief, at almost exactly one hour, but offers a entertaining glimpse of where Prine was musically around the time of Bruised Orange and Pink Cadillac. There's a touch more rockabilly than one might expect from Prine, as the latter album was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, but that means a special appearance by Mr. "Red Hot" Billy Lee Riley and an enthusiastic run through "Ubangi Stomp." Of note are a couple of acoustic tracks recorded in the back yard of his boyhood home in Maywood, Ill., including a version of "Paradise" that's the definition of "getting back to one's roots." Not essential but interesting if only to prove that "alternative country" existed long before the term was coined. Prine's band combines folk and rock with pedal steel and fiddle in several obvious ways.

Not due until April 24 is Standard Songs for Average People (Oh Boy), a collection of duets with Mac Wiseman. Prine had never met the bluegrass legend - Wiseman worked with Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe in the Forties - until songwriter and producer Cowboy Jack Clement got them together. After their first meeting, they decided to make a list of songs they'd like to record - with no restrictions as to age or genre. When they compared lists, they had seven songs in common, which they saw as a sign that they should record together. The rough-hewn results are filled with spunk and compassion. They draw on old songs – some well-known, others obscure – from Bob Wills, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Bing Crosby, and others for a set that feels timeless and filled with love. Read More | Comment »

In the Seventies, the one artist I saw perform more than any other was David Bromberg. At the time, I was living on Long Island, and since he was immensely popular on the East Coast, I saw him more times than I can remember.

The real attraction was the mighty band he had back then, full of fiddles and horns and mandolins. Along with masters like Andy Stein, Dick Fegy, and Peter Ecklund, he would play for what seemed like hours. They would cover an amazing range of music from traditional fiddle tunes to electric blues to deep folk songs to blaring rock & roll. It was always a high point when five fiddlers would line the front of the stage, Bromberg included, and run through a medley that would just about raise the place off the ground. After a Bromberg show, you'd be in a jumble, breathless and intoxicated beyond anything that you had consumed during the evening.

Sadly, in the fall of 1980, Bromberg dissolved his band and moved to Chicago where, four years later, he graduated from the Kenneth Warren School of Violin Making. Since then he’s concentrated on crafting violins and tours infrequently, mostly as a solo act. Read More | Comment »

Some will be surprised and, perhaps, thrilled that the Chronicle has given "the most hated man in Austin music" (hat tip: Raoul Hernandez) some space on their Web site. The reality is that I'm delighted to be part of this blogging adventure. The concept allows me to get to some music, that would otherwise go unmentioned, with immediacy, and you can now attack me at will, via the accompanying comments. It should make for an interesting read. We went with Geezerville because I'm the elder of the group. You'll almost never find me at Emo's. I rarely get excited about Austinist.com. And I'm a proud member of the crowd that takes Loudon Wainwright's "Watch Me Rock, I'm Over 30" (or is it 40?) to heart. Plus, there's an amazing group of oldsters still making great music, each unwilling or unable to simply fade away. Read More | Comment »