Archive for category Music
Gone Too Soon: Alex Chilton
Posted by admin in Music, Uncategorized on March 17, 2010
News broke this evening (via The Commercial Appeal in Memphis), that musician Alex Chilton (who influenced many of the bands of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and now) died suddenly today. Here’s the New York Times‘ Dave Itzkoff immediate thoughts upon the news of Chilton’s passing. Chicago Sun-Times‘ Jim DeRogatis also notes that Chilton was to take part in a panel and tribute to him on Saturday at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin.
Below is Chilton from two years ago, performing his first hit, The Letter.
Missed Last Week: Joe Sacco’s Playlist
Posted by admin in Literature, Music, comics on March 11, 2010
Footnotes in Gaza
Many folks may already be aware of it, but if you are not–Paper Cuts (the NY Times literature blog) features an author offering his or her musical playlist on a weekly basis, in its Living with Music feature. It’s a great concept that I look forward to reading every week.
I meant to mention this when it first appeared, but am now catching up on things. Graphic novelist/journalist Joe Sacco was featured last week–and I have to say I never would have pegged him for a Wings fan. Be sure to also look into Sacco’s latest work, Footnotes in Gaza.
I’m Still Processing My Cayamo 2010 Experience
Posted by admin in Music, Uncategorized on March 9, 2010
So it was somewhat reassuring to see that the folks over at Paste (some of whom I met at a Paste discussion session on the cruise) are still processing the experience themselves.
Today they posted Seven Cayamo 2010 Artists Share Their Favorite Moments, be sure to read it, particularly if you’re a fan of Steve Earle, Katie Herzig, Glen Phillips, Lissie, Luke Bulla, Rachel Yamagata, or Vienna Teng.
What amazes me most about the list is realizing how many things I missed, while I was busy seeing other incredible musical acts.
Oh It’s A Good Tuesday for Music
I knew it was gonna be a good Tuesday for music, what with new releases from Peter Gabriel and John Hiatt.
And then Claire Small (who I interviewed back in January) gave me get a listen to the title track for her upcoming release, How Do You Like Love?–due out on May 18, 2010.
I’m not trying to make everyone jealous, by the way, actually she’s made it available for everyone to download for free. Just go to her site and enjoy.
Calming Down from Cayamo 2010 Fun
Sorry for the blog silence for the past several days. My professional and personal life got quite busy just prior to going on Sixthman’s Cayamo Cruise 2010 from February 21 to 26.
I was hoping to see a few shows on the first day of the cruise, but even I was surprised I was able to work five concerts into one day. I was banking on getting to see Katie Herzig and Emmylou Harris in concert on the first day–but I lucked out and was able to see John Hiatt, Edie Carey and Darrell Scott perform as well.
Ultimately, when all was said and done–I actually saw Hiatt perform four separate times over the course of the cruise. There are numerous other artists I got to see and learn about for the first time. A few of them, I really hope (can’t promise) to be able to interview in the coming months. If nothing else, I hope to interview folks at Sixthman, who organized the cruise.
And if I’m lucky, I’ll get to go to Cayamo 2011. But for right now, I am grateful for getting to be part of Cayamo 2010.
Looking Forward to Cayamo: Edie Carey
In my run-up to next week’s Cayamo 2010 cruise, I am trying to focus on certain new artists I am just learning about prior to the cruise. Today I am focusing upon Edie Carey. Go to her site, listen to her music.
Given how much of a Shawn Colvin fan that I am, I’m shocked I’ve not run across Carey before. I’ve never heard anyone sound so much like Colvin–and as you can guess that’s a compliment, not an insult. She has her own distinctive songwriting style, however, and I look forward to seeing her perform live next week.
Looking Forward to Cayamo: Buddy & Julie Miller
This time next week, I will be on vacation, on a cruise–for the first time in my life. I’m not really drawn to cruises honestly. One thing might get me to board a boat. Well two things, my lovely wife being the main reason. The second reason is if that boat was loaded with damn good musicians.
Well the Cayamo 2010 cruise is going to feature an amazing collection of musicians, including Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile, Buddy Miller (with wife and fellow musician Julie Miller), John Hiatt, Darrell Scott, Shawn Mullins, Vienna Teng and Katie Herzig, as well as Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen (solo), Allison Moorer, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers and Rachael Yamagata.
I had not heard of Buddy Miller until recently, when I saw Miller play with Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin on PBS’ Soundstage. Soon after that, a friend heard I was going on the cruise and he insisted I made sure to go see the Buddy and Julie Miller play together. They’ve been knocking around music circles for a number of years–since the early 1990s at the very least. Buddy Miller is also known as a producer. Be sure to go the musicians’ website as you can get a good listen to their music there, as well as an idea of all the people they have worked with over the years.
Claire Small on How Do You Like Love?
Claire Small (Photo: Valerie Fremin)
In researching an upcoming Peter Bradley Adams interview, I learned about the music of Claire Small, and found myself drawn almost immediately to her songwriting and voice (the latter of which reminds me of Shawn Colvin). I love Small’s succinct and effective bio: “Claire Small is living out her musical adventure that includes leaving, losing, loving and moving to Texas to sing her heart out.” This spring (May 18, 2010 to be exact) will see the launch of her third release, How Do You Like Love?, for Freedom Records. But in the runup to the May release, Small will be offering folks the chance to buy pre-release packages very soon. Also to whet listeners’ appetites, Small recently revealed that the album’s title track (“How Do You Like Love?”) will be available to download for free sometime in February. She also will be opening for Asleep At The Wheel for a few shows in Arizona, and then returns to Austin to play the Cactus Cafe on Feb. 13, 2010, with Terri Hendrix. My thanks to Small for her time and thoughts.
Tim O’Shea: What was the big attraction to move from Nashville to Austin, Texas a few years ago?
Claire Small: I actually moved to Houston first to be with someone I was in a relationship with but only stayed there about 5 months. When things started to not go so well I knew I had to leave but I didn’t want to go back to Nashville. In 2006 I had been to Austin to play ACL Fest and really liked the city. It seemed so laid back and the people were really nice and very into live music. So, I thought I would go and check it out on my own and stay a week to see if I liked it enough to live there permanently. I haven’t left since.
Interviews Elsewhere: Sam Phillips
It’s been awhile since musicians Sam Phillips and T. Bone Burnett divorced. In fact, I believe they divorced around the time of my divorce. I have not listened to Burnett’s music from around the time of their divorce, but I did listen to (and enjoy) Phillips’ work from that period (in the mid-2000s).
I ran across a recent interview with Phillips in OutSmart magazine. The subject of her divorce came up at one point and I was quite struck by this quote.
“I don’t want to go into the gory details but … it’s just that for us it was really complicated. It wasn’t like, ‘Sign a piece of paper and it’s over.’ It was a ripping apart, that’s the only way I can describe it. And I wrote about it. T-Bone wrote a little bit about it on his record, but not as much. I just kind of tore open my heart and laid with it as politely as I could. And I didn’t want to tax my listeners, but I felt that it was the most honest thing to do, because it was really an intense time for me. The last two years have been great, but I think the five years before that were very, very tough. But I think in a funny way I feel that we’ve had a successful marriage and a successful divorce, because we still have great affection and respect for each other and are able to work together to raise a child. In a broken situation, that’s the best you can do, or hope for or ask for.”
I really admire the way she discusses the impact of the divorce (and the importance of working together) for their child. Not every divorced parent thinks that way, but fortunately I can say for my son, working well together is something that my ex-wife and myself aim to achieve.
Phillips is allowing folks to subscribe to her music, and gain access to her digital EP releases. Here’s a YouTube sampling of one of those digital EPs, Hypnotists in Paris.
RIP Carl Smith (Mr. Country)
If you’re like me, you’ve heard of June Carter Cash–and you’ve likely heard of her daughter, Carlene Carter. But until his death this past weekend (as noted in this NY Times obit), I had never heard of Carter Cash’s ex-husband (and Carlene’s father), Carl Smith.
As I have quickly learned, Smith was one of the most popular country singers of the 1950s and 1960s. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003, having been a major influence on many of country’s most popular acts. According to the Tennessean’s obit: “Waylon Jennings did not attend his own 2001 induction, saying that he would not go into any hall of fame that didn’t include Mr. Smith.” Part of the reason most folks my age never heard of Smith (also known as Mr. Country) was that he left the industry in the late 1970s. As noted by the NY Times coverage, he “might be better known today if he hadn’t retired from performing to become a gentleman horse breeder in 1978″.
Not many singers can claim that they “had 58 consecutive Top 40 hits on that chart from 1951 to 1965″, but, according to the NY Times, that’s exactly what Smith did.