I've been listening to more Country Rock lately, and when you think about it, it's actually quite a small genre of music. Defined mostly in the late 60's through the 70's. To me Gram Parsons will always be the icon for Country Rock. I remember hearing Gram once say in an interview that he did not like the term Country Rock, he said "I dream of Soul, Country, of Cosmic... what I call Cosmic American Music" to describe the style of music he was playing. So what started out as being curious about a musician I had never heard of, and taking the recommendation of someone I barely knew, has turned into an obsession.
It all started at Club Spaceland about six years ago, I went to see Arabella Harrison, and when buying her CD at the merch booth, I heard her talking about Gram Parsons. She talked about all the amazing music he made before dying at such a young age. That next week I went down to Fingerprints at purchased "Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology". Every word spoke to me, and the music, even without the words made a personal connection, I wanted twang in everything, I wanted more pedal steel!
Somehow I lost that CD and I thought about re-buying it, but I decided to just go back and start buying his actual albums. I started with "Live in 1973" and "Sleepless Nights". About a year later I got "GP" and The International Submarine band. Slowly finding more of his records as I would shop picking up "Gilded Palace of Sin", and the the Byrds "Sweetheart of the Rodeo". I went to see Chris Hillman, who co-founded the Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram. I went to Gram Parsons tribute shows at SXSW, Pappy and Harriet's, and Amoeba (Where Chris Etheridge, another original Burrito Brother, performed live). I saw James Burton, who was an original studio musician for Gram, perform with Jim Lauderdale, trying to find any connection I could.
It took a good four years of being a Gram-only fan, to finally looking for other bands. I picked up a copy of Poco's first record "Pickin' up the Pieces". I then went to a Poco reunion show, with Richie Furay, Jim Messina and Timothy B Schmit. I saw Pure Prairie League, The Eagles, John Forgety and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In the last couple months I started buying more Country Rock records, I've picked up "American Beauty" by The Grateful Dead, Manassas, and New Riders of the Purple Sage.
The genre is still new to me. Next week I'm going to see Chris Hillman again at the Grammy Museum. He will be doing an interview with the museum curator, a q&a, and performing songs. This time he is more then that guy that was in a band with Gram, this time I want to hear about his time in the Byrds, in Manassas, in the Southern Hillman Furay Band, his many other projects that on Sugar Hill and Rounder. Come explore with me as I delve more into this fascinating scene.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Hag back in Long Beach
Merle Haggard is playing the Queen Mary in June at the Ink N Iron festival. It's been quite a few years since Merle playing in the LBC, I think before I was even born. But I'm excited!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Update from yesterday
So I didn't quite make it out to fingerprints yesterday, but I did find this guy selling records for a dollar a piece down by the canals. I picked up Willy Nelson and Merle Haggard's duet album Pancho and Lefty as well as a album by country rock supergroup The Souther, Hillman, Furay band... so yeah... come over sometime... we can listen to them... that would be fun... and nice.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Seven Inch, EP, or LP... that is the question.
As the year comes to a close, I think to myself what good music has been released in 2009. My natural thought is to think back to what albums I have purchased this year, and I find myself thinking of quite a few seven inches. So I make a quick tally:
Seven Inches:
Tom Waits "Glitter and Doom"
Leonard Cohen "Live in London"
The Fling "Wanderingfoot"
The Parson Red Heads "Orangufang"
Tape Deck Mountain "Scantrons"
Three Mile Pilot "Planets"
EP's
Deep Sea Diver "New Caves"
Cold War Kids "Live from Fingerprints"
The Romany Rye "Highway 1, Looking Back Carefully"
LP's
Two Guns "Two Guns"
David Serby "Honkytonk and Vine"
First thing I realize, is it's pretty pathetic that I've only bought 11 releases this year (four of which were purchased on record store day), and second is that, wow more then half were seven inches. It reminds me something read once in a Rocket From the Crypt bio, here is the excerpt:
"They had so much music that they started putting out tons of seven-inch singles. Almost at the rate of one a month. It was through these seven inches that their notoriety began to spread. You see, the economy was in shambles back then (1992), and kids just didn't have enough money to buy full albums of new bands they didn't know much about."
As we all know it's 2009, and our economy is now once again back in shambles. I for one can relate to spending less money, just this week while in the record store, I had to choose between the new Three Mile Pilot seven-inch or the new Old Canes record, If you were paying attention to my above tally you will know which one I purchased. Oh I wish I could just buy all the records I want, or at least more than 11. I'm gonna try and swing by fingerprints, I hear the new live Tom Waits record is pretty good.
+W
Seven Inches:
Tom Waits "Glitter and Doom"
Leonard Cohen "Live in London"
The Fling "Wanderingfoot"
The Parson Red Heads "Orangufang"
Tape Deck Mountain "Scantrons"
Three Mile Pilot "Planets"
EP's
Deep Sea Diver "New Caves"
Cold War Kids "Live from Fingerprints"
The Romany Rye "Highway 1, Looking Back Carefully"
LP's
Two Guns "Two Guns"
David Serby "Honkytonk and Vine"
First thing I realize, is it's pretty pathetic that I've only bought 11 releases this year (four of which were purchased on record store day), and second is that, wow more then half were seven inches. It reminds me something read once in a Rocket From the Crypt bio, here is the excerpt:
"They had so much music that they started putting out tons of seven-inch singles. Almost at the rate of one a month. It was through these seven inches that their notoriety began to spread. You see, the economy was in shambles back then (1992), and kids just didn't have enough money to buy full albums of new bands they didn't know much about."
As we all know it's 2009, and our economy is now once again back in shambles. I for one can relate to spending less money, just this week while in the record store, I had to choose between the new Three Mile Pilot seven-inch or the new Old Canes record, If you were paying attention to my above tally you will know which one I purchased. Oh I wish I could just buy all the records I want, or at least more than 11. I'm gonna try and swing by fingerprints, I hear the new live Tom Waits record is pretty good.
+W
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Dr. Ralph Stanley and Cherryholmes
Last night I went to the Poway Center for performing Arts to see Ralph Stanley. Ralph Stanley's new book, 'Man of Constant Sorrow: The Life and Times of a Music Legend', was released on October 15th, and he is on tour promoting the book as well as his many hit releases.
The opening band was Cherryholmes, consisting of Mom, Dad, Two Sister, and Two Brothers. All of them had so much talent, it was quite amazing. The only thing that was distracting me was their odd choice of wardrobe for the set. It looked as if they all were given clothes by the same company earlier that day and decided to wear whatever they were given. It was very glittery, and did not seem to fit their personality at all, but they did a cover of The Flying Burrito Brothers "Christine's Tune (Devil in Disguise)", which more than made up for their cheesy clothes.
Ralph Stanley opened his set with "Man of Constant Sorrow". This is the third time I've seen Ralph Stanley, and his shows are always fun. Now that he is 82, he does not play the banjo or sing as much, he leaves most of it up to his backing band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. The highlights for me were his a capella version of "O' Death", and his duet with Ralph Stanley II of "Katy Daley". He ended the night by calling Cherryholmes back out on stage for a heartwarming cover of the Carter Family Classic "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", ahh what a great way to end the night.
Here is some classic Dr. Stanley for you listening and viewing pleasure:
The opening band was Cherryholmes, consisting of Mom, Dad, Two Sister, and Two Brothers. All of them had so much talent, it was quite amazing. The only thing that was distracting me was their odd choice of wardrobe for the set. It looked as if they all were given clothes by the same company earlier that day and decided to wear whatever they were given. It was very glittery, and did not seem to fit their personality at all, but they did a cover of The Flying Burrito Brothers "Christine's Tune (Devil in Disguise)", which more than made up for their cheesy clothes.
Ralph Stanley opened his set with "Man of Constant Sorrow". This is the third time I've seen Ralph Stanley, and his shows are always fun. Now that he is 82, he does not play the banjo or sing as much, he leaves most of it up to his backing band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. The highlights for me were his a capella version of "O' Death", and his duet with Ralph Stanley II of "Katy Daley". He ended the night by calling Cherryholmes back out on stage for a heartwarming cover of the Carter Family Classic "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", ahh what a great way to end the night.
Here is some classic Dr. Stanley for you listening and viewing pleasure:
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