Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Sorry, Steve Earle
I would have loved to see you live in Malmö, but the tickets to the Blues festival in Eslöv is all I can afford this month!
Jerry Jeff Walker, "¡Viva Terlingua!"
Jerry Jeff is an artist more people need to be aware of, cos he's brilliant at what he does. I can say that after hearing one record only by him, this record, that is, which is also a live record. And I for one am not that keen on live records. This is, however, together with Johnny Cash's Live at San Quentin, an exception.
Not all the tunes on this album are original tunes and the two best of the lot are Desperadoes waiting for a train, written by Guy Clark and Up against the wall redneck mother, written Ray Wylie Hubbard.
I've never heard Guy Clark's version of Desperadoes..., but I've seen numerous versions of it by Jerry Jeff on youtube and it has quickly become one of my all time fave tunes. It's about the friendship of an older man with a younger one and it makes me think of my grandfather. Although my grandfather is very much still alive.
But there are good tunes by Jerry Jeff on this little darling as well, among them the fine party song, Sangria wine, as well as Gettin' by, which I think K.M. Myrland, the Norwegian singer, has made a Norwegian version of.
There are really no bad songs on this one. They all do the trick. The only criticism I may have of the songs is that some of them go on a wee bit too long. But then again, I was raised in the punk/oi! scene and am used to songs that last 2 minutes at maximum.
I'd recommend this record to all fans of 70's country music. If you haven't discovered Jerry Jeff's music yet, then now is the time to! You won't be let down by giving his music a try!
Buy this record!
A good, although not perfect, record like this gets 85,1% in level of satisfaction!
Not all the tunes on this album are original tunes and the two best of the lot are Desperadoes waiting for a train, written by Guy Clark and Up against the wall redneck mother, written Ray Wylie Hubbard.
I've never heard Guy Clark's version of Desperadoes..., but I've seen numerous versions of it by Jerry Jeff on youtube and it has quickly become one of my all time fave tunes. It's about the friendship of an older man with a younger one and it makes me think of my grandfather. Although my grandfather is very much still alive.
But there are good tunes by Jerry Jeff on this little darling as well, among them the fine party song, Sangria wine, as well as Gettin' by, which I think K.M. Myrland, the Norwegian singer, has made a Norwegian version of.
There are really no bad songs on this one. They all do the trick. The only criticism I may have of the songs is that some of them go on a wee bit too long. But then again, I was raised in the punk/oi! scene and am used to songs that last 2 minutes at maximum.
I'd recommend this record to all fans of 70's country music. If you haven't discovered Jerry Jeff's music yet, then now is the time to! You won't be let down by giving his music a try!
Buy this record!
A good, although not perfect, record like this gets 85,1% in level of satisfaction!
Monday, 3 October 2011
An interview with Eilen Jewell
You’ve got a new cd coming out, how would you describe it in terms of sound and your own satisfaction with it? What can the fans expect?
The new record is definitely a close relative of my 2009 release, Sea of Tears. But to my ears it’s a bit more mature and takes more risks. It’s the first time since my debut record, Boundary County, that I’ve released an album of all original material. So the songs are near and dear to me. It’s also the first time I’ve featured guest vocalists (Big Sandy of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys and up-and-coming Seattle artist Zoe Muth). I think fans of my previous albums will appreciate this new member of the family.
I am an active layman in the Church of Sweden, so I have to ask you at least one question on faith. You covered Loretta Lynn’s “Who says God is dead?” on “Butcher Holler”, so I suppose there is at least some connection to faith in the band. What has Church meant to you? Did you perhaps start with music in a Church band?
I’m not religious and wasn’t raised under any particular faith, but I have always loved gospel music. My band and I are in a gospel side-project called The Sacred Shakers. There are eight members, and we all come from very different religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. Having sung in that band for several years, “Who Says God Is Dead” was not a stretch for me. I wanted to include it in “Butcher Holler,” my tribute to Loretta Lynn, because I felt it would complete the picture. You just can’t sing an album of all country songs without including at least one gospel favorite. They go hand in hand. And that song in particular is so classic Loretta Lynn. It’s amazing how even her gospel lyrics are full of sass.
Britain’s PM, David Cameron, told interviewers that he keeps you on his iPod and Europe’s leading country music magazine, CMP, had a long interview with you. Does this mean that you have had bigger exposure in Europe lately and what do you think is similar and what is different when you compare American to European audiences?
Europe has been very good to me from the beginning. There are many communities here in the U.S. where we do very well too, but the U.S. is such a huge country, so spread-out, that it’s harder for anything to catch on, unless it’s on the television every night. Things just don’t catch on as easily as they do in Europe. It’s more like a collection of isolated fires. There are many parts of the U.S. where you literally have to drive for hundreds of miles before you can find a town with a theater or a concert hall and a promoter who’s willing to put together a show. In Europe it seems to me that many people are not as attracted to mainstream music, they actively look for an alternative. And the communities in Europe are closer together than they are in most
of the U.S. so touring is easier. It also really helps that most Europeans we meet know more about American music than most Americans do. All of these things put together have made it easy for Europe to be a real stronghold for us.
Which bands and artists have influenced you the most? And, then, are there any artists who you like and respect, although your music sounds nothing like them at all?
Of the contemporary artists out there, I am probably most influenced by Lucinda Williams, Fred Eaglesmith, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. Oh, and of course Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn. (There are so many!) I have great respect for Chuck Prophet, as a person and as a performer and songwriter, though musically we’re only a little bit similar.
What is most fun, getting a great review or playing a brilliant live concert?
Playing a great live concert is the most fun, and the most fulfilling, thing I can do. I try not to take any review to heart, whether it be favorable or unfavorable. Everyone’s got an opinion, so I try not to get distracted by them.
Are you aware of the existence of Amanda Jensen? She is obviously aware of you, because she sounds very much like you.
I am familiar with her. I don’t know if she’s aware of me or not, but I like what she’s doing. It would be great to do a show together someday.
If your band was not a band, but a sport, which sport would it be? Hard and physical as American football or precise and elegant like golf or maybe something in between?
I think we have some days when we’re more like a rugby team, taking all the hard knocks without any padding. And other days we’re more like pool sharks--calm and calculating and a little conniving. But that’s just how we are as people. Musically, we’re more like cross-country skiers. Our music is fluid, with a lot of space in between the notes, but it has direction and focus too.
Any words to your Swedish fans?
Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and for putting up with my attempts at speaking Swedish. I love Sweden, and I can’t wait to come back! Tack så mycket!
The new record is definitely a close relative of my 2009 release, Sea of Tears. But to my ears it’s a bit more mature and takes more risks. It’s the first time since my debut record, Boundary County, that I’ve released an album of all original material. So the songs are near and dear to me. It’s also the first time I’ve featured guest vocalists (Big Sandy of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys and up-and-coming Seattle artist Zoe Muth). I think fans of my previous albums will appreciate this new member of the family.
I am an active layman in the Church of Sweden, so I have to ask you at least one question on faith. You covered Loretta Lynn’s “Who says God is dead?” on “Butcher Holler”, so I suppose there is at least some connection to faith in the band. What has Church meant to you? Did you perhaps start with music in a Church band?
I’m not religious and wasn’t raised under any particular faith, but I have always loved gospel music. My band and I are in a gospel side-project called The Sacred Shakers. There are eight members, and we all come from very different religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. Having sung in that band for several years, “Who Says God Is Dead” was not a stretch for me. I wanted to include it in “Butcher Holler,” my tribute to Loretta Lynn, because I felt it would complete the picture. You just can’t sing an album of all country songs without including at least one gospel favorite. They go hand in hand. And that song in particular is so classic Loretta Lynn. It’s amazing how even her gospel lyrics are full of sass.
Britain’s PM, David Cameron, told interviewers that he keeps you on his iPod and Europe’s leading country music magazine, CMP, had a long interview with you. Does this mean that you have had bigger exposure in Europe lately and what do you think is similar and what is different when you compare American to European audiences?
Europe has been very good to me from the beginning. There are many communities here in the U.S. where we do very well too, but the U.S. is such a huge country, so spread-out, that it’s harder for anything to catch on, unless it’s on the television every night. Things just don’t catch on as easily as they do in Europe. It’s more like a collection of isolated fires. There are many parts of the U.S. where you literally have to drive for hundreds of miles before you can find a town with a theater or a concert hall and a promoter who’s willing to put together a show. In Europe it seems to me that many people are not as attracted to mainstream music, they actively look for an alternative. And the communities in Europe are closer together than they are in most
of the U.S. so touring is easier. It also really helps that most Europeans we meet know more about American music than most Americans do. All of these things put together have made it easy for Europe to be a real stronghold for us.
Which bands and artists have influenced you the most? And, then, are there any artists who you like and respect, although your music sounds nothing like them at all?
Of the contemporary artists out there, I am probably most influenced by Lucinda Williams, Fred Eaglesmith, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. Oh, and of course Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn. (There are so many!) I have great respect for Chuck Prophet, as a person and as a performer and songwriter, though musically we’re only a little bit similar.
What is most fun, getting a great review or playing a brilliant live concert?
Playing a great live concert is the most fun, and the most fulfilling, thing I can do. I try not to take any review to heart, whether it be favorable or unfavorable. Everyone’s got an opinion, so I try not to get distracted by them.
Are you aware of the existence of Amanda Jensen? She is obviously aware of you, because she sounds very much like you.
I am familiar with her. I don’t know if she’s aware of me or not, but I like what she’s doing. It would be great to do a show together someday.
If your band was not a band, but a sport, which sport would it be? Hard and physical as American football or precise and elegant like golf or maybe something in between?
I think we have some days when we’re more like a rugby team, taking all the hard knocks without any padding. And other days we’re more like pool sharks--calm and calculating and a little conniving. But that’s just how we are as people. Musically, we’re more like cross-country skiers. Our music is fluid, with a lot of space in between the notes, but it has direction and focus too.
Any words to your Swedish fans?
Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and for putting up with my attempts at speaking Swedish. I love Sweden, and I can’t wait to come back! Tack så mycket!
The blues festival in Eslöv, my hometown
My hometown, Eslöv, hosts one of the best blues festivals in this country and this year's festival will take place on October 28th-29th.
I am particulary looking forward to seeing and hearing Cajun Peppar, a band which mixes blues with cajun and country music.
More info in English here.
I am particulary looking forward to seeing and hearing Cajun Peppar, a band which mixes blues with cajun and country music.
More info in English here.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Nathan Abshire - "French blues"
I have a confession to make. I absolutely adore the music of Nathan Abshire, warts and all. In fact, although I do enjoy more modern sounding acts like, as for an example, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys or Beau Soleil, as well, it was Abshire who got me hooked on cajun music in the first place.
I still love his music as much as I did the first time I heard it. I had borrowed a compilation album of cajun music at my local lending library for what must have been close to twenty years or more ago. I liked all of the music on the disc, but Abshire's song, Les filles du Canada, just blew me away.
Abshire's style was distinctive to say the least. The music was traditional cajun and as traditional as cajun gets with his accordion squeezing out tunes to a traditional backing band in the background. Primitive? Yes! Raw? Yes! That is not the same thing as to say it's bad, quite on the contrary, it gives a certain laidback feel to his music and a devil may care attitude.
The singing is in French (of course!) and I don't know French, so please don't ask me what he was singing about, but what I can say is that his voice blended perfectly with his music. It was as raw and primitive (in a good way, keep in mind!) and between singing, he'd laugh and grunt. Utter genious!
Musically, the tunes on this record are the traditional mix of waltzes and blues tunes in the cajun vein and performed by one of it's all time masters.
Abshire's perhaps most famous tune, Pine Grove Blues is the opening track and after that, the classics keep coming out like a cat of the bag. Included is also a different version on the aforementioned track called Pine Groove Boogie and although there are no bad cuts on this disc, that song is perhaps my fave tune.
There is no bad thing to say about this album. It's sheer genious and anyone who likes old school cajun will appreciate this record enormously. If I was you and if you haven't heard cajun music before, I'd perhaps start with something lighter, like Steve Riley or Beau Soleil and progress to heavier stuff like Abshire or The Balfas later. There's loads of videos of Abshire on youtube, just so you know!
A perfect album like this naturally gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
I still love his music as much as I did the first time I heard it. I had borrowed a compilation album of cajun music at my local lending library for what must have been close to twenty years or more ago. I liked all of the music on the disc, but Abshire's song, Les filles du Canada, just blew me away.
Abshire's style was distinctive to say the least. The music was traditional cajun and as traditional as cajun gets with his accordion squeezing out tunes to a traditional backing band in the background. Primitive? Yes! Raw? Yes! That is not the same thing as to say it's bad, quite on the contrary, it gives a certain laidback feel to his music and a devil may care attitude.
The singing is in French (of course!) and I don't know French, so please don't ask me what he was singing about, but what I can say is that his voice blended perfectly with his music. It was as raw and primitive (in a good way, keep in mind!) and between singing, he'd laugh and grunt. Utter genious!
Musically, the tunes on this record are the traditional mix of waltzes and blues tunes in the cajun vein and performed by one of it's all time masters.
Abshire's perhaps most famous tune, Pine Grove Blues is the opening track and after that, the classics keep coming out like a cat of the bag. Included is also a different version on the aforementioned track called Pine Groove Boogie and although there are no bad cuts on this disc, that song is perhaps my fave tune.
There is no bad thing to say about this album. It's sheer genious and anyone who likes old school cajun will appreciate this record enormously. If I was you and if you haven't heard cajun music before, I'd perhaps start with something lighter, like Steve Riley or Beau Soleil and progress to heavier stuff like Abshire or The Balfas later. There's loads of videos of Abshire on youtube, just so you know!
A perfect album like this naturally gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Eilen Jewell - "Queen of the minor key"
This record came out in June, already and I should've had reviewed it earlier, but I only got around to buying it a few weeks ago.
The reasons for reviewing it now are threefold. The first and obvious reason is that more people deserve to experience the music of miss Jewell and her band. The second is that I reviewed the record in my Swedish blog a few weeks ago and only decided to take my English-language blogging more seriously just recently. Lastly, I was offered by her record label to review the record already when it came out, but I like supporting good musicians and insisted on buying the record myself. I could've reviewed it digitally, but I'm old school and prefer owning the music I like on a disc!
As for this record, yes, to everyone who likes Eilen Jewell, this record is a must-have. It might not be groundbreaking, no, it's just more of the Jewell-sound you like from previous records. A bit of melancholy, a bit of 50's style music and a big dose of country!
This record is also noteworthy for the fact that Eilen Jewell has written all the tunes herself.
This record is, no matter what comes out later this year (or previously, for that matter!), one of the best releases in country music this year. I would love to hear this material live too, so we can just hope that miss Jewell returns to Sweden this year with a load of these tunes in her set! I don't think it's impossible, cos a load of good country artists have been playing Sweden lately and if I can afford it, I'll see Steve Earle in Malmö this autumn!
I would definitely recommend this record for all fans of country music, but I also think that people who like rockabilly or Swedish folk can enjoy this. To all fans of Swedish singer Amanda Jensen, it's a must-have (and I can really recommend all fans abroad of Eilen Jewell to discover Amanda Jensen!).
The only thing I can criticise this record for is the fact that it's stuck a bit in a rut and not too groundbreaking. That is not necessarily such a bad thing and, as I said, it's one of the best releases this year. All her old fans will like it and new fans will absolutely, I'm sure, adore it.
It's a good record, alright, but the fact that it ain't too groundbreaking means that I can't give it a totally satisfactionary stamp of approval.
I give it 72% in level of satisfaction.
The reasons for reviewing it now are threefold. The first and obvious reason is that more people deserve to experience the music of miss Jewell and her band. The second is that I reviewed the record in my Swedish blog a few weeks ago and only decided to take my English-language blogging more seriously just recently. Lastly, I was offered by her record label to review the record already when it came out, but I like supporting good musicians and insisted on buying the record myself. I could've reviewed it digitally, but I'm old school and prefer owning the music I like on a disc!
As for this record, yes, to everyone who likes Eilen Jewell, this record is a must-have. It might not be groundbreaking, no, it's just more of the Jewell-sound you like from previous records. A bit of melancholy, a bit of 50's style music and a big dose of country!
This record is also noteworthy for the fact that Eilen Jewell has written all the tunes herself.
This record is, no matter what comes out later this year (or previously, for that matter!), one of the best releases in country music this year. I would love to hear this material live too, so we can just hope that miss Jewell returns to Sweden this year with a load of these tunes in her set! I don't think it's impossible, cos a load of good country artists have been playing Sweden lately and if I can afford it, I'll see Steve Earle in Malmö this autumn!
I would definitely recommend this record for all fans of country music, but I also think that people who like rockabilly or Swedish folk can enjoy this. To all fans of Swedish singer Amanda Jensen, it's a must-have (and I can really recommend all fans abroad of Eilen Jewell to discover Amanda Jensen!).
The only thing I can criticise this record for is the fact that it's stuck a bit in a rut and not too groundbreaking. That is not necessarily such a bad thing and, as I said, it's one of the best releases this year. All her old fans will like it and new fans will absolutely, I'm sure, adore it.
It's a good record, alright, but the fact that it ain't too groundbreaking means that I can't give it a totally satisfactionary stamp of approval.
I give it 72% in level of satisfaction.
Dock Boggs - "His folkways years 1963-1968"
I had no clue who Dock Boggs was yesterday, I must admit. I came into the best record store in southern Sweden, or at least the record store with the best selection of american music, looking for the latest Merle Haggard album and when they didn't have that, I asked for the new best of Bluegrass album Country Music People reviewed in the latest issue.
Now, Folk å Rock (the record store in Malmö town I went to) had neither, but the shop clerk recommended me this record, as well as a record by Earl Scruggs. I was completely blown away by both, but the Dock Boggs album struck me that hard I've been listening to it non stop since I got out of bed this morning.
Dock Boggs is truly folk. Musically, it's bluesy American folk with a unique sound. He sometimes remind me of another great white American singer, who was influenced by blues as well, Nathan Abshire, though Abshire sang in french. But to be fair, Boggs is both better than Abshire, as well as having more influences than blues, there is European influences as well in his blend of folk music.
The record comes with a booklet full of info on mr Boggs and if half of it is true, he seems to have had a truly interesting life. A coal mine worker and a bootlegger of corn whiskey in and out of trouble, the kind of life you'd expect from an oi! singer, not a folk singer. However, what I, as a Christian labour man appreciate is Boggs foundation in faith, as well as in the trade union movement.
The music is so good that Boggs could do instrumental numbers only, but the lyrics really stand out as well, covering the life of poor people in the American south.
Boggs started recording in the 1920's, but gave it up and didn't record again for almost 35 years. This could give Boggs music a bit of a dated feeling and to be true, yes, it's old time fashioned bluesy folk, but it's still relevant. What one, however, can say about it is that one can hear which influences bluegrass, country and folk had in the 1940's-60's. Boggs was one of their sources of influence no doubt. The fact that his music continued to be popular between 1929 and 1963 despite the man not doing any recordings then says it all.
This is a brilliant piece of work and truly a milestone in folk, yet it leaves some to wish for, so I won't give it a totally flawless stamp of approval, but almost. I give it 95,9% in rate of satisfaction.
Now, Folk å Rock (the record store in Malmö town I went to) had neither, but the shop clerk recommended me this record, as well as a record by Earl Scruggs. I was completely blown away by both, but the Dock Boggs album struck me that hard I've been listening to it non stop since I got out of bed this morning.
Dock Boggs is truly folk. Musically, it's bluesy American folk with a unique sound. He sometimes remind me of another great white American singer, who was influenced by blues as well, Nathan Abshire, though Abshire sang in french. But to be fair, Boggs is both better than Abshire, as well as having more influences than blues, there is European influences as well in his blend of folk music.
The record comes with a booklet full of info on mr Boggs and if half of it is true, he seems to have had a truly interesting life. A coal mine worker and a bootlegger of corn whiskey in and out of trouble, the kind of life you'd expect from an oi! singer, not a folk singer. However, what I, as a Christian labour man appreciate is Boggs foundation in faith, as well as in the trade union movement.
The music is so good that Boggs could do instrumental numbers only, but the lyrics really stand out as well, covering the life of poor people in the American south.
Boggs started recording in the 1920's, but gave it up and didn't record again for almost 35 years. This could give Boggs music a bit of a dated feeling and to be true, yes, it's old time fashioned bluesy folk, but it's still relevant. What one, however, can say about it is that one can hear which influences bluegrass, country and folk had in the 1940's-60's. Boggs was one of their sources of influence no doubt. The fact that his music continued to be popular between 1929 and 1963 despite the man not doing any recordings then says it all.
This is a brilliant piece of work and truly a milestone in folk, yet it leaves some to wish for, so I won't give it a totally flawless stamp of approval, but almost. I give it 95,9% in rate of satisfaction.
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