songs:illinois

This may not be an official live release from Jonathan Byrd but for now it’s as good as we get. This show was recorded with fiddle player Chris Kokesh at 4th and Main in Wray, Colorado. The acoustics and presentation are top notch. The song “I Was An Oak Tree” with it’s intricate guitar parts and somber violin is presented here with clarity and emotion. On the near classic trucking song “A Big Truck Brought it” Jonathan describes how this is his 2 year old son’s favorite song.

I imagine the purpose of this record is to get you hooked on the songs of Jonathan Byrd. If these two don’t do it you may need some help. Download the whole show here. Purchase Joanthan’s latest Cackalack here.

I Was An Oak Tree

Bonus:

A Big Truck Brought It

I think somewhere along the way Caleb Groh grew up on me. He was 16 when he released his first record as Happiest Lion. Since then he has released a number of records including two collections of Christmas songs. But something is different about Caleb Groh (it’s not just the big scruffy beard) and the new record Bottomless Coffee. For starters the record has a full band (guitar, bass, drums, pedal steel, piano) and a dynamic sound (especially on the track “Smitten”), arrangements are more complicated now matching the maturity of Caleb’s poetic lyrics. And I’d even go as far as to say that Caleb’s voice has matured as well. It has filled out (like his beard). With that said there is still a mix of songs ranging from piano ballads to folk to angular rock (again “Smitten”). I wrote about the first single “Catastrophic Culprit” a couple of months ago and you should really click this link to hear it.

Here’s “Smitten” from Bottomless Coffee. Buy it here via Bandcamp ($5 for the digital copy) or iTunes here.

Smitten

Video from “Hapless Dreamer” also from the new record

I’m not going to sit here and give you the whole rundown on Martin Zellar. Yes, he was the main man behind the late 80′s group The Gear Daddies. Yes, he has since had a long and productive solo career. The thing is that while those early songs by The Gear Daddies may have aged somewhat they still hold a place near and dear to my heart. As does Martin Zellar and his current band The Hardways.

There’s a new album that came out in February called Roosters Crow. “Running On Fear” from it does a good job of spotlighting Martin Zellar’s vocals and putting them in a lyrical context that works (mainly a resigned anger). I’ve also included a song off the debut record Let’s Go Scare Al called “Statue Of Jesus” – it’s the song that initially stopped me dead in my tracks 25 years ago. You can order this record and in fact any of the band’s records at their website here.

Running On Fear

Statue Of Jesus

Gear Daddies performing “Stupid Boy” on Letterman

“Time Heals” with vocals by drummer Billy Dankert

Songs:Illinois favorite and former “S:I House Concert Series” performer Peter Mulvey has a new album and a companion EP out at the end of March. These are a slight departure as they are both cover records. The lp has songs written by Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Jolie Holland, Chris Smither and Duke Ellington. The companion EP is called Chaser.

Here’s “It’s Lonely At The Top” by Randy Newman from Chaser. Peter Mulvey’s record release show is this Thursday at Schubas in Chicago – he’ll have both records for sale at the show.

It’s Lonely At The Top

I’ve done a bunch of Neal Casal posts, which is weird since I don’t really have the normal connection with Neal that most music fans do. See Neal is best known as Ryan Adam’s guitarist for seven years. But my connection to him came probably fifteen years ago when I stumbled on his debut solo record Fade Away Diamond Time at Restless Records in Chicago. At the time Mathew Sweet was huge and Neal Casal was playing in a similar power pop style but with a little more of an easy going California vibe. I’ve been following his career ever since. His new record Sweeten the Distance is out in April on Royal Potato Records.

Sweeten The Distance

“Need Shelter” video

I’m not sure if every Mike and The Moonpies song revolves around drinking whiskey and playing country music but I’m willing to guess it’s a pretty high percentage. This Austin based band of long hairs has just released a four song EP and will be playing SXSW. They are playing at least 5 different gigs but I’m going to catch `em at Hoedown at the Highball on March 17 at 3pm.

Tape Machine

Bonus song

El Camino

Rose Cousins has a new record out now called We Have Made A Spark. I tweeted about a video she put together on the recording process a couple of weeks back. She recorded the album with a community of musicians in Boston (depite her Canadian rooots) including Songs:Illinois favorites like Rose Polenzani, Mark Erelli, & Kris Delmhorst. The results are pretty spectacular. Here’s one song off the new record; it’s rather bare but Rose’s voice is so strong it could probaly work a cappella.

The Darkness

This music from Vancouver based Ruffled Feathers is a little too catchy for Songs:Illinois. But if that’s the only complaint I can register that’s pretty good, right? Besides lead vocals by Gina Loes, one of the key elements the band uses is an assortment of instruments to create a layered and unsubtle type of indie folk. I’m a sucker for trumpet in my music and both songs below from the forthcoming debut lp Oracles delivers that in spades.

You can preorder the new record here.

Mockingbird
Rooftop Garden

Here’s a strange little collectible via K Records in Olympia. It’s a cassette only tribute to the Carter Family called America Salutes The Carter Family. All the songs were recorded live with a portable cassette recorder giving the whole thing an archival feel that suits these songs. I don’t have any downloads for this project but below are a couple streams courtesy of the Bandcamp page for this project – lots more info there.

Hurray For The Riff Raff created a stir last time they played SXSW. Enough of one that Phil Alexander, the Editor-in-Chief of MOJO named the band the second best band he saw at SXSW 2011 and wrote, “Hurray For The Riff Raff evoke images of a lost America, her strange sepia’d country-folk vignettes, heartbreaking and poignant, provide a safe retreat and a place of freedom from the 21st century for those yearning authenticity and something tangible.”

The band is about to release their followup to the critically acclaimed 2010 release Young Blood Blues called Look Out Mama. You can preorder the record and get assorted goodies at their Kickstarter page here. The band plays Thursday March 16 at Treasure Island in Austin; more info here.

Here’s the title track to the new record complete with yodeling, some excellent fiddle playing, and as always the yearning strained (but beautiful) vocals of Alynda Lee Segarra.

Look Out Mama

I love it when the stars align and I have a perfect slab of old timey country to feature on Honky-Tonk Friday. This time it’s the new record from Davy Jay Sparrow and His Well Known Famous Drovers. The new record is called Olde Fashioned and is out March 23 on the Two Man Gentlemen Band’s label Bean Tone Records. These songs are outtakes from that session; if these are the songs they couldn’t fit I can’t wait to hear the ones that they could.

Take Me Back To Tulsa
Slowly and Sweetly

Who do you like most among these three artists: John Dee Graham, Freedy Johnston or Susan Cowsill? No matter. If you wait long enough you’ll hear a song you’ll love from one of these guys on the new record At Least We Have Each Other from the Americana supergroup The Hobart Brothers. Me, I’m a sucker for Freedy Johnston so I’m drawn to the song “I Am Sorry”.

The Hobart Brothers are part of a great lineup at the Dogfish IPA/Blurt Magazine Showcase on Saturday March 17 at the Ginger Man Pub. The new record is set for release on Feb. 28 on Freedom Records.

I Am Sorry

Tommy Womack has just released the followup (almost a sequel) to his last. It’s called NOW WHAT! and came out officially yesterday. I’ve been following Tommy for a couple years now – I missed the first go round when he was the in the band The Bis-quits and Government Cheese. But that’s ok I think I prefer the more mature – more thoughtful Tommy Womack.

Speaking of sequels the song “Wishes Do Come True” is a bit of a followup to the 2007 song “Nice Day”. As another reviewer stated this song and the record as a whole is a good example of Tommy’s heart-in-his-hands (vs. on his sleeve) style of songwriting. The new record is available now in all the regular places or you can buy it directly from Tommy here.

Wishes Do Come True

EPK (so to speak) for the new record NOW WHAT!

In my book there is no other band that compares to Frontier Ruckus; with that said Branches comes pretty close to a West Coast version of the band. First off the music is folk based (although on this record they have added ukulele, trombone, trumpet, violin, toy organ), the lyrics are flowery/poetic, and the band exudes a sense of community. But unlike Frontier Ruckus who seem to be writing about the barren and collapsing midwest, Branches writes about the open spaces and natural surroundings of Northern California. There’s no better example of this than the song “Helicopter” from the band’s just released record Thou Art The Dream with it’s allusions to pebbles, streams, and saplings.

Buy the band’s debut full length here via CD Baby.

Helicopter

Bonus songs from previous eps:

In The Morning
O Come All Ye Faithful
Silent Night

New album EPK

Great live video of the song “In The Morning” (with slamming door as bass drum)

Marvin Country is producer extraordinaire Marvin Etzioni and special guests. Friends like Lucinda Williams, John Doe, Richard Thompson, Buddy Miller and Maria McKee (he was one part of the band Lone Justice w/Maria) all join him on the new album. The song “You Possess Me” is a lush song which reminds me of Roy Orbison but with Phil Spector wall of sound production. Maria McKee makes an appearence on the song by adding sumptuous backing vocals. The new Marvin Country record is due out on April 17 on Nine Mile Records and Marvin Country will be playing the Nine Mile Records showcase (time and date tba).

You Possess Me

You should know by now that I like me some Ramsay Midwood (here, here, here, and here). So it’ll be no surprise that I will be encamped at whichever jukejoint, bbq pit or pizza slice establishment Ramsay will be playing at during this year’s SXSW.

Buy the new record Larry Buys A Lighter here via Amazon. Here’s another song off the new record that contains phrases like “wheel of hippie cheese”, “creek is getting muddy, got no horse to ride”, and “called you from her sensible bedside phone”. It pretty much encapsulates the loose as a caboose vibe that Ramsay gives off on record and live.

Ramsay Midwood will be appearing at SXSW but as of yet there’s no venue or date listed.

Maybelline

Today was going to be another in a series of posts previewing SXSW but I accidentally stumbled upon the new record from Philly singer-songwriter Carsie Blanton. Idiot Heart is the new record and it was released on Jann 31. Carsie combines multiple genres in her music. She is a fan of singer songwriters like Ani DiFranco and Anais Mitchell, as well as pop from the likes of Paul Simon (whom she has opened for) and Elvis Costello and jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

The songs on Idiot Heart are well crafted, the music is eclectic yet accessible, and the production is tight (produced by Oliver Wood of Wood Brothers fame). The new album is available now as a digital download or as a name your own price cd – both are available here via Bandcamp. The song “Little Death” is a sad tale of a girl who dies the death of a thousand little cuts at the hands of a misogynistic hustler. The song is a great showcase for Carsie’s vocals as well as for the band’s (especially the organ and standup bass that are standouts) musicianship.

Little Death

Here’s the first of what will hopefully be a bunch of SXSW previews. These will not be for the bands that you already know and love; what would be the point of me trying to preach to the converted. Instead here are some of the out of the way artists (who will no doubt be playing some out of the way places!) that I suggest you check out when you are down in Austin.

Shaky Graves is a perfect first post in this series. The band is really a one man band based in Austin. His debut record, the 2011 release Roll The Bones, has been praised by the Austin Chronicle as well as influential LA based music blog Rollo & Grady. “Built to Roam” is a forlorn farewell song; an ode to leaving places like L.A. and N.Y.C. It’s these types of songs where Shaky Graves shines. His high pitched voice (similar to the great Tom Brosseau) is perfectly suited for this type of song. Here’s “Built To Roam” song that 2011 release:

Built To Roam

Shaky Graves has just released a followup ep titled The State Of Texas Vs. Alejandro Rose-Garcia (available free via Bandcamp). Here’s “Halloween” off that new ep:

Halloween

No date yet for either an official or unofficial showcase. I’ll update this post as we get closer to SXSW.

Jacob Furr is a Texan who spent some time in the Pacific Northwest. As a result of his travels and time spent on the coast you get these songs of “shorelines, leaving, and discovery”. I’m linking to the song “Voices on the Sea” since it lyrically seems to sum up the themes of the ep. While the song is propelled by a a simple strummed guitar it is also accented with pedal steel, drums and what sound like accordion.

Voices on the Sea

There used to be a time in college radio in the late 80′s and early nineties that a Golden Palominos record was a big deal. REM were usually involved in some way and of course so was drummer Anton Fier – also folks like Syd Straw, Richard Thompson, Peter Holsapple, Bob Mould, and NYC improvers like John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Arto Lindsey and Fred Firth. The Palomino records that were produced with varying guests over a decade were eclectic ranging from rock to industrial.

It’s been awhile since I heard from the group but I just learned Anton Fier has teamed up with Drivin n Cryin alum Kevn Kinney to record a new Palomino record called A Good Country Mile. In fact there is a song called “A Good Country Mile” on here and it’s one of my favorite Kinney tunes. But here is “Challenge” from the new record. It’s more muscular than a typical Kinney solo outing but this is no ordinary Kinney solo outing. This will appeal to fans of Drivin n Cryin.

Challenge