Guitarist and singer Michael Houser was a founding member of Widespread Panic. He passed away in August of 2002 from cancer. This track is taken from Sandbox which was produced by John Keane. Those with jam band phobias have nothing to fear as Sandbox is a singer/songwriter record with only a bit of noodling. In fact, its jangle and melodicism remind me of the brilliant Horsebreaker Star, the 1995 solo disc from Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens.
Michael Houser: Low Country
Archive for the ‘Jim's MP3s’ Category
Michael Houser: Low Country
January 24, 2006Bill Malone & Rod Moag: Dust On The Bible
January 12, 2006Rod Moag is known as the ‘the singin’ – pickin’ professor,’ Bill Malone is renowned as an historian of American country music having written what is considered the definitive book on the subject, Country Music, USA. Despite very different backgrounds, the two retirees share many things including a love for country music of the post WWII era. They possess a particular fondness for the Bailes Brothers, a significant presence on the Louisiana Hayride. History has relegated the Brothers a minor status compared to such contemporaries as Hank Williams and Roy Acuff, but the Bailes’ music, a deceptively simple and emotionally direct blend of hillbilly and gospel, maintains its influence and Remember Me finds Malone and Moag paying them tribute in a way that exudes respect and understanding.
Sure their vocal duets are a little rough, but that just adds to the disc’s charm. Meanwhile top players like Lloyd Maines, Cindy Cashdollar, Justin Trevino and Tim O’Brien add just the right amount of feeling to embellish without overwhelming.
Jud Newcomb: Plain and Simple
January 4, 2006I first met “Scrappy” Jud about 15 years ago when he was a member of Loose Diamonds with Troy and Mike Campbell. He impressed me with his hard riffing guitar play and a wonderfully happy-go-lucky attitude. Since then the band has been gone for several years and Jud has turned into a respected producer for Beaver Nelson and guitarist for nearly everyone who’s anyone in Austin from Ian McLagan to Toni Price to Ray Wylie Hubbard to Bob Schnieder. Most notably he currently sits in with the Resentments, a songwriters circle of sorts with Stephen Bruton and Jon Dee Graham, and the Imperial Golden Crown Harmonizers, a gospel rave up with Gurf Morlix and Papa Mali.
But enough name dropping, Scrappy’s new solo effort, Byzantine, is his best work yet. He sings with a passion that he’s never revealed before – I’d be first to say his sandpapered vocals have always been an acquired taste – and the songs are mature in unexpected ways. It’s as if all the talent he’s worked with over the years have seeped into his consciousness and blended into something remarkably fresh.
Jud Newcomb: Plain and Simple
Dale Watson: Hot Texas Christmas Day
December 20, 2005If you’re looking for a really good, really twangy Christmas record you can’t go wrong with Dale Watson’s Christmas Time In Texas. Dale’s leaving Austin at the end of the year, if you haven’t heard, and I’m busted up about it. This week is his last Thursday night at Ginny’s.
Anyway, here’s a track from the disc. I won’t be around for about a week, so Happy Holidays y’all.
Marah: “New York Is A Christmas Kind Of Town”
December 14, 2005Marah has always been on the edges of the alt.country thing. They started out that way then influences like Oasis and Bruce Springsteen became evident. Still they fall into the infamous ‘big tent’ and this is offered in the spirit of the season.
Their new Christmas album, A Christmas Kind Of Town is kind of an audio play with skits and spoken word bits and appearances by family members. It blends solid originals like this jolly nearly title track that recalls NRBQ and the hopped up polka “Counting The Days (‘Til Christmas)â€? with an eclectic array of classics that jangle (“Christmas Time’s A Comin’â€?), wobble (“Baby, It’s Cold Outsideâ€?) and doo wop (“Silver Bellsâ€?). Overall it’s a surprising effort that’s likely to become a classic.
Marah: “New York Is A Christmas Kind Of Town”
Son Volt: “Armagideon Time”
December 9, 2005 The reaction to the revitalized Son Volt and their recent release, Okemah and the Melody of Riot can be best described as mixed. It seems Jay Farrar has always been an acquired taste for some and it’s safe to say that he’s never really topped the band’s debut 1995’s Trace – which you need to go listen to RIGHT NOW! But Okemah just gets better with each listen and when I saw SV at Stubb’s this summer, they were so good I described them as “state of the art roots rock”.
“Armagideon Time” was written by legendary reggae producer Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd and originally recorded by the obscure Willie Williams. Most of us know it because the Clash included it on their collection of odds and sods called Black Market Clash. Son Volt performed it on tour this year as an encore, removing the reggae and bashing it out as a garage rock protest song. This version is taken from a radio station only release of Okemah, a double CD set that features the original studio record with three bonus studio tracks and a live disc sequenced the same way as the original with versions taken from performances at radio stations and in concert. This is the last track on that second disc and was recorded at The Orange Peel in Ashville, NC. |
Marti Brom: “Seven Lonely Days”
December 8, 2005 It’s probably bad form to link to a feature I wrote for the Austin Chronicle in my first post. But the word on the new Marti Brom record, Heartache Numbers, really hasn’t gotten out yet and it’s the best pure country disc I’ve heard this year so I can’t resist. It’s a concept disc where the Austin-based Brom, best known as a rockabilly diva, sings old country songs with numbers in their title and then sequences them on the disc in numerical order. Producer Justin Trevino is known for making solid trad country and he brings top notch players like Bobby Flores, Lisa Pankratz, Kevin Smith and Levi Mullen to the project to assure that Brom’s ideas really shine. |
“Seven Lonely Days” was originally sung by Patsy Cline in 1961 and was written by Marshall Brown, Alden Shuman and Earl Shuman. It’s a perfect fit for Brom. When I first heard this disc I said that this would be the record Cline would make if she was still alive. Other number songs on the disc range from the fairly well known “A-11,” “Apartment #9″ and “One Way Ticket To The Blues” to the obscure like “13 Steps Away” which she claims she found on a Jimmy Dean record.
And no Marti (mar-tee, btw) doesn’t have a website.
- Smilin’ Jim
Marti Brom: “Seven Lonely Days”
