Ode To Bobbie Gentry

I've only recently discovered Bobbie Gentry, particularly "Ode To Billie Joe" which was a #1 Country and Pop hit in 1967. And it's one of the coolest, stangest #1's you'll ever hear. She retired from the biz in the early '70's and was never heard from or lured out into the spotlight again. I'm sure this is old news to old farts out there, but since there's really only a single decent collection of her work (Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry) I'm just discovering her. Sorta like Dusty In Memphis if Dusty was a cool Southern gal instead of a neurotic Brit.

By the way, that picture is of a smokin' hot Bobbie Gentry at the late Fame Studios where much of her work was recorded.

"That's Hot" - week ending 4/2

1. Sin City
   Are you kidding me, how freakin' cool is this movie gonna be? (Answer: real freakin' cool.)
2. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
   Probably the last in the series (on this generation of platforms anyway) - better, smoother, faster-paced... and oh yeah, you can stab stuff now.
3. Beck - Guero
   I wish everyone would lay off Beck. No, it's not Odelay, but for cryin' out loud, give the guy a break. He still throws more crap in a blender than anyone else and makes it sound super-groovy.
4. "Black Star" by Gillian Welch
   Still hot a week later.
5. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
   I'm sure you've wondered if love for your country's history can turn into a morbid obsession. Read this book by the always witty Sarah Vowell to find out just how off the deep end you can carry an interest in, say, Presidential assassinations. Also, you might appreciate how deftly Vowell connects the dots from John Wilkes Booth to Timothy McVeigh to John Ashcroft, in just under a page.

Current obsession - "Black Star (live)" by Gillian Welch

Gillian Welch's website now hosts a complete download store, enabling you to purchase just about every recording she's ever made, including songs from compilations, etc. However, I'm currently obsessing over the live version of Radiohead's "Black Star", recorded in Minneapolis last year. It is a perfect cover choice, and Welch and David Rawlings pull it off beautifully.

Sometimes when Gillian Welch sings, it sounds like the universe is imploding. This is one such performance.

Ryan Adams - The Destroyer Sessions

Recorded with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings a few days before Heartbreaker, Ryan Adams' Destroyer Sessions has made its way to the internet. Readily available here.

DKHtown Playlist - Giant Chocolate Bunny Edition

Currently in rotation, week ending 3/26:

1. Ryan Adams - "Let It Ride" (from the upcoming Cold Roses album)
2. Allison Moorer - "Day You Said Goodbye"
3. Bobbie Gentry - "Ode To Billie Joe"
4. Fiona Apple - "Please, Please, Please" (from the leaked album Extraordinary Machine)
5. Hayes Carll - "Take Me Away"
6. Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion - "Holdin' Back"
7. Dusty Springfield - "No Easy Way Down"
8. Aimee Mann - "Going Through The Motions" (from her upcoming album)
9. Maria McKee - "Opelousas (Sweet Relief)"
10. Vic Chesnutt - "Guilty By Association"
11. Wilco - "Hummingbird (alternate version)" (from The Wilco Book CD)
12. Victoria Williams - "A Little Bit Of Love"

Tift Merritt - Morning Becomes Eclectic

I just discovered a couple of weeks ago that Tift had recently performed again on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, this time with her full band. The entire performance (plus two bonus tracks) is available to view here.

Also be sure to check out her acoustic performance from last August, still posted in the archives here.

Awesome stuff. Tons of other cool video and audio are available for streaming on KCRW's site. Check it out!

John Doe - Forever Hasn't Happened Yet

John Doe released his new record Forever Hasn't Happened Yet yesterday. It features some collaborations with his buddies, such as Dave Alvin and Neko Case. In case you're musically illiterate, John Doe is one of the founding members of the seminal L.A. punk band X. He's never put out a truly great solo album, but most of his solo work hints at better things to come. He operates pretty comfortably in the alt.country genre, and X's influence over many such bands predates and overshadows that of, say, Uncle Tupelo.

www.yeproc.com

Did I mention Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion?

I didn't mean to push them all the way to the bottom of the page. Their new record is called Exploration and it's out right now. It was produced by The Jayhawks' Gary Louris, and it contains some of the same country and rock sounds that made the 'Hawks such a great band.
www.sarahleeandjohnny.com

Drive-By Truckers - Live at The 40 Watt DVD

DBT release their first live DVD Live at The 40 Watt on Tuesday. It was filmed over two nights in Athens, GA, during the first dates of The Dirty South tour.

Only a moron wouldn't buy this.

Vic Chesnutt - Ghetto Bells (March 22)

Vic Chesnutt's new record Ghetto Bells will be released on Tuesday. If you're not familiar with some of Vic's work, he is probably one of the most unique songwriters around, decidedly "Southern" and "literate" but certainly not just your average alt.country songwriter. This new album is a collaboration with Van Dyke Parks (Brian Wilson's right-hand collaborator on Smile), jazz guitarist Bill Frissell and drummer Don Heffington. I have a surprising number of Vic Chesnutt albums, none of which enjoy regular rotation. But I always look forward to his releases because of his unique perspective. This new release is supposedly heavy on Parks' orchestrations, which should extend Chesnutt's reputation for never being boring or repetitive.

If you like what you hear, be sure to check out New West's excellent reissues of his early work, as well as his last record Silver Lake.

New Fiona Apple album leaked

I'll probably get arrested, but you can download the new Fiona Apple album in its entirety here. Apparently Sony is holding this album hostage until she can cough up a hit single. Best of luck with that, Sony -- let us know how it works out for ya.

If you download the record, you might feel compelled to help Fiona out by donating to the cause:
http://www.freefiona.com/

I'm not sure where the money goes, but I doubt it goes to Sony.

UPDATE 3/24: The tracks are back up, apparently.

New West Records - Street Teamer

Well, I finally broke down and joined New West Records' Street Team, following the dismal attendance at the Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion concert Sunday at Zilkha Hall in Houston. Not that New West is necessarily responsible for all the promotion (that would be something supposedly known as a "Promoter," right?), but I just think that the current roster of New West Records deserves a lot of attention. I think their current lineup is probably the best in the biz at the moment. So if it seems that I'm shilling a bit for New West in the future, well, I am.

I'll try to keep up with their new releases and current tour dates. If you've got any relevant information, please pass it along, and I'll see that it gets posted. It might give this blog site some much needed focus for a while. Thanks.

In case you're wondering, the current roster at New West includes the following artists:

• Drive-By Truckers
• Old 97's
• Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion
• Buddy Miller (and supposedly Julie Miller sometime in the future)
• Vic Chesnutt
• Ben Lee
• Nic Armstrong
• Tim Easton
• Stephen Bruton
• Chuck Prophet
• John Hiatt
• Jon Dee Graham
• and a handful of other worthy artists...

Something to blog about... Sarah Lee & Johnny

Well, it's been a couple of months, but I finally found a good reason to crank the blog site back up. Last night, my wife and I attended a concert by Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion at Zilkha Hall (adjacent to Houston's Hobby Center). The show was fantastic, despite being attended by about 20 people (in a venue that seats 500). I'm not sure who's bright idea this booking was (they have previously played at The Mucky Duck), but despite the poor attendance, the performance had its share of magical moments. Their new record 'Exploration' is currently in heavy rotation at my house, and Sarah Lee and Johnny played nearly every track from that record. Despite being pegged as a "folk duo," they tour with a rhythm section, and Johnny is quite fond of his big Gretsch electric guitar.

I don't know what the deal is with Houston concert audiences - this is the kind of show that 100 people would attend at The Mucky Duck, but in a much nicer venue. Granted, it was poorly publicized, and tickets went on sale around March 11. I'd blame it on Sunday night, but I attended an Elvis Costello concert just down the street last Sunday, and it was packed (I know, it's E.C.). I guess Houston concertgoers are just more comfortable staying out until 2am and coming home smelling like smoke. In any case, Sarah Lee & Johnny were very polite and courteous, and appreciative of the people who did attend. They are a charming couple, not to mention ridiculously talented.

I'd love to see another show like this at Zilkha Hall, but Sunday's performance felt like a "test case" (it was sponsored by The Magnolia Hotel and St. Arnold's Brewery, among others). So I'm not holding my breath.

BTW, they are performning in Dallas on Tuesday, March 22, first at a Border's instore and later that evening at Poor David's Pub. Tickets are only $10.

www.sarahleeandjohnny.com
www.newwestrecords.com