A review of May 3 Olympia ,Paris Show by Steve Seachrist,

Part 1

Steve Seachrist is a Deadhead, musician and a very good reviewer of Dead music, He writes in Musicians and Deadheads language, He has reviewed every Live CD that the Dead have released, Which is quite alot. I am priviledged to have Steve share his review of one of the concerts from the new Europe 72 Box Set. This is a show that I have ordered. Enjoy.

Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings – Paris, France 5/3/72

Overview

Thus begins a two-night stay at the venerated Olympia Theatre in Paris. Please do read

the liner notes to this one, again written by the highly enlightened Steve Silberman. And again his insight gives me license to just let him provide all of the context. That makes me very happy. But here’s a bit about the music played this night: first and foremost, no fewer than four songs were selected from this very gig for the original

Europe ’72 album: “China

 Cat Sunflower”, “I Know You Rider”, “Tennessee Jed”, and “Jack Straw”. These are

centerpieces of that album and became the definitive versions for the vast majority of

Dead fans for a long time. Am I overstating this? I don’t think so. Taping became a
huge phenomenon later, but for a while, these were the ultimate in live versions. In my
mind, this is still pretty much true. I love other versions, but these are to me the pinnacle of what was possible. There are good reasons these were selected for overdubbing and subsequent release. They’re just incredibly hot, even next to versions played either side of this date. Go ahead, argue with me. I want to debate it.

The sound quality has taken a noticeable turn for the better over the past couple of shows, although it is still perhaps one notch inferior to earlier releases from the tour, like

Rockin’

the Rhein 

or Steppin’ Out. Here’s hoping whatever was plaguing the sound has been

 improved from this show on out.

Disc One

1. Bertha

The Paris crowd is already rowdy at the top, clapping in rhythm and cheering loudly.

The band warms up only for a second, then lights into this contender for tightest “Bertha” of the tour. This song had recently (in 1971) been released as a live version so there was little chance it would appear on the live album being recorded on this tour. Maybe that allowed them to loosen up a bit and just pummel it. Pigpen adds nice organ colors, Keith is a god of piano fills, and Jerry hits this out of the park in terms of singing and playing. Oh, sure, the other guys are all over it too. When the guitar solo hits, it is fantastic. I thought the one on  

Skull and Roses was the monster (and it is) but this one is every bit as

 hot and I never thought I’d say that.

2. Me and My Uncle

Another refugee from 

Skull and Roses comes up here. Before it does, a woman speaks

 some French to the audience. Weir chimes in in German. Prankster! The song comes to

life full of the same flavors that “Bertha” enjoyed only moments before. It is a very hot

version from the top to the tail. The solo is completely without peer. I do not know how

a band can get lit up to this extent, I really don’t. But here they are supernaturally great.

Every single note and nuance is as good (probably better) than you have ever heard it.

3. Mr. Charlie

This grooves so deeply I am having a hard time understanding how any version could

beat it. Jerry’s solo is certainly better than the official version. It is scary and thrilling in

ways that cannot be explained. The return to the verses is full of electricity and I rate this absolutely essential in the annals of “Mr. Charlie”. Wow!!

4. Sugaree

This easily could have been a contender for the original album. It is so solid and confidently played that it must have been on the short list. It is interesting that this tune

and the next one appeared on the live album from two years later, the universally-reviled

Steal Your Face

 I don’t hate that album as much as most folks, and I do see it as another

noble attempt to present previously-unreleased live songs, a lot like

Europe ’72. But

 back to this: the song is so completely full of the vibrancy you want that it is utterly

undeniable in its ascendancy to the top of the Europe heap. It’s the best so far.

5. Black Throated Wind There are so many great versions of this on the tour already, I didn’t know if this one could possibly beat them. Sound quality alone could give this an edge. It is played magically, too. Typically, Jerry’s lines make the biggest impact, but Bob’s singing and Phil’s contributions are killer and Keith and Billy nail their respective parts. Just when you thought you’d heard the best one, here comes this! Dig it. It is superlative, and I don’t use that term loosely.

6. Chinatown Shuffle

This version is perfect in its context here. The sound rocks, the playing is hot, and

Pigpen has never been in better form. If I had to nit-pick with a gun to my head, I’d say

Jerry may have nailed the guitar parts a little better on other versions but I am certainly

not going to complain. This is worthy of all the love you could invest in it. It is also a

necessary Pigpen interlude to the next tunes, which happen to be the ones selected for the

Europe ’72   

album.

7. China Cat Sunflower

I’m really excited to hear this, since every nuance of the official version is burned deeply into my brain. Jerry gets the riff straight quietly then snaps to for real. That groove is undeniable – it is the one. To my ears, the vocal we are hearing here is the original one and the more familiar one was overdubbed. They are so close, I could be wrong. When “diamond eye jack” is sung, I know I am right. The instruments do precisely what you remember but they sound huge here. The instrumental bridge is like a Technicolor version of what you know. The last verse is again just different enough that you know there was a later revision. As the jam develops, it is that totally familiar sequence of  sublime playing. And, yes, there are very good reasons why this concise little version was the one selected. It gives me chills to hear it like this. Jerry comes to the fore more so than other versions before the quick set-up to…

8. I Know You Rider

This sounds exactly like the vocals we know. Either they got it perfect live, or we are

now hearing overdubs. I’m going to guess the latter – it is too good. After the “wild

geese” verse, Jerry plays that exact solo we have imprinted in our brains. The next

chorus is that sweetened stuff you’ve heard so many times. Ditto the Jerry “train” verse

and the following chorus. Then the solo blows the roof off. Is it overdubbed? We don’t

know for sure but it sure is inspired. This is what Grateful Dead dreams are made of.

Whether live or contrived, it is pure magic. The crowd goes for it.

9. Beat It On Down The Line

“How many?” someone, probably Jerry, asks. Answer: nine. The version is as hot as

anything preceding it at this show. Every nuance is in place and the full-on Grateful

Dead X-Factor is on display. I don’t want to disparage the earlier shows but we have

serious lift-off here. There is no contest, even though earlier versions were great. This

one is better. We have finally reached our happy, happy home.

Weir mumbles some faux Francais at the end.

10. He's Gone

You’ll notice right away that the opening riff is that static one from earlier versions but it switches halfway through to the one we all know and love. That aside, there are tuning issues and the song is oddly grooveless. I can’t explain this any better than anyone else could. The air has somehow escaped the balloon. The efforts here all sound less than half-hearted. How did this band suddenly become nonchalant after so much magic? That is the eternal Grateful Dead quandary, and the reason we keep digging for the gems. This is certainly not one of them. As of the previous show the arrangement includes an instrumental bridge, a guitar solo that is only the verse part, and then the vocal bridge. That’s what we have here. The final verses are still undercooked and the ending just self fades unceremoniously. This version is easily my least favorite on the tour so far, even given the unfinished arrangements of some earlier ones. A lot of crowd cacophony and tuning precede the next number, but no one in the band says anything.

11. Next Time You See Me

Pig to the rescue again. There is no way to play this song without some level of commitment. The band comes back to life and pushes the blues buttons. After the first

quick verses the harp solo takes over for two rounds and Jerry is then given the stage.

He plays a couple of verses of moderately hot blues licks and hands it back off to Mr.

McKernan for more harmonica blowing. It’s fine and all, but not the definitive version

you may have been hoping for. It does include two verses at the end instead one, which I think is one too many.

12. Playing in the Band

No introduction of Donna precedes this but she is there on the first chorus, mixed

pleasantly low. The verses are powerful and relatively in-tune. When the time comes,

a reasonable bellow emits from Ms. Godchaux. One more chorus gets us to the jammy

zone and it goes to the watery depths immediately. After a minute, the heat is up there

with the best of these short versions and redemption is nigh. It is hard to deny the powers of any of these versions of this song. The X-Factor is on tap at all times. Before 7:00, strains of the return theme can already be heard, but do not let that get you down. Jerry works on the tease a bit more and then does get to it more explicitly. As concise as it is, this version satisfies. The drop to the actual theme is less dramatic than some on the tour, but once it arrives, the fanfare into the chorus is pretty big. Donna screams us in well and the final rounds are full of hot energy. Overall, not my favorite, but most of the many versions on the tour are very solid, including this one.

"Skaggs Family Christmas" - Vol 2 - a review

 This concert on CD and DVD is a real bluegrass ,Christmas treat, recorded live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A very relaxed concert featuring The Whites and Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder.

   What a treat to watch and hear the very talented Cody Kilby playing guitar, I mean (lead bluegrass guitar), missing alot in bluegrass today.

   There is something for everyone if you are a country or bluegrass fan. The traditional Christmas songs are just plain beautiful with the accompaniment of the Nashville Strings.

  A very special combination of original songs and traditional Christmas material is performed.

   "What Songs Were Sung" is a song that one of the Skaggs girls sang. It is just a very sweet, melodic tune. Following that, Luke Skaggs, (son of Ricky) plays lead guitar on a very upbeat song called "Flight To Egypt" which is very progressive. Luke Skaggs is a refreshing young, talented man who looks like he will carry on his Dad's tradition.

    There is a CD which has a lot of the songs which were on the DVD in the set.

   www.Skaggsfamilyrecords.com 

"The Dead In 1976" - Road Trips 4.5 - A Review

The Grateful Dead of 1976 was one of my favorite configurations. Back from a time off in 1975, the members went their own ways for awhile. They sounded refreshed and ready to play.

  I am listening to the Dead's last Road Trip's Series which is my first one, it is the releases which followed Dick's Picks(Latvala), and now will make way for Dave's Picks (Lemieux). This is their Third show back of the small theater tour they did. They would play usually multiple nights at a smaller than huge venue. In Boston and Philly , they did 4 night stands. Tickets were available by mail order to Deadheads first. I got the best seats ever for a Dead show, two third row seats. The Tower Theatre in Philly seats about 2,000. The vibe of these shows is mellow and intimate. Donna's singing is coming into her own, and sort of has to, as Phil is not singing at this point. Mixed in with recent Dead material,they were playing some Jerry Garcia Band songs and Kingfish songs(a group that Weir played in during 75, a country rock type group, they put out one album, a good one, in my opinion, I saw them ,the previous year.

    They played the two songs "Lazy Lightning" and "Supplication" by Kingfish on the Road Trips disc and from the JGB, "They Love Each Other" and "Mission In the Rain" from "Reflections" by the JGB.

   A beautiful version of "Crazy Fingers" is on the Road Trips disc. Garcia is playing a white Travis Bean guitar, which he played for about a year. It tonally gave him some great tone, though it took a while for him to get it dialed in, after playing the heavily tricked out Irvin "Wolf" guitar which he was used to. The sound quality of this record is like a good Dick's Picks and it contains a caveat on it about how it is a snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording. The quality is good enough, not to need a caveat, but I think there had been some complaints about the quality of a former recording, I guess that they wanted to give themselves a way out. For the most part, I really like the sound quality. Garcia's vocals are low in a lot of the mix, depending on song. They are getting away from the Wall Of Sound which they had used on their last tour to a down sized system that they rented for a trial of shows.

   It is fun to hear them start out the second set with "St Stephen", a song which I do not think had been played in a while. Sounds like some of the beginning is lost or it was part of a segway from another song. Very good version of "Eyes Of The World " next, both on the mellow side. Next, they play a part of the Weather Report trilogy "Let It Grow", which is different, but good. A lot of songs on this Road Trips, I heard a few weeks later in Philly which was a more upbeat show, with a lot more reverb. I had heard an interview with Jeffrey Norman about mixing the Dead, He mastered this CD set. He said that Garcia always liked too much reverb on his guitar, so he would take it out in the mastering process. I don't know about this, you are trying to present the music the way that the group liked it, but you change it to your own tastes? A little more reverb would have been nice to warm up the mix. Jerry plays one of his best solos on " Ship Of Fools", He was not really jamming alot this night or playing lots of extended leads.

     Weir was playing a custom Ibanez instead of his Gibson 335 which he had been using and it changed his tone, The Gibson was a hollow body. Nice booklet by Blair Jackson describing the show with some nice pics. To fill out the space on Disc 3, they added some songs from June 12 to the CD. The Original Show ends with a raucous "Round and Round" which at first I thoght was a gliche, but it wasn't, towards the end of the song, they actually gallup into double speed, quite a feat, Jerry playing almost mandolin style. All in all, a good show, they were still working themselves back into shape after being off for awhile. The songs from June 12 were really nice. A Sugar Magnolia with a US Blues in the middle of it. I think that I had heard them do that once before.

www.dead.net

"In Overdrive" - Aaron Tippin - a review

                                
 This CD by Aaron Tippin is a tribute The great Jerry Reed, guitarist,singer and actor. This great selection of well known trucking songs, performed by Tippin and his band of Nashville studio musicians is the right CD to put in your Car for a long ride. I like the retro Reed sound and great guitar picking by Brent Mason and Pat Buchanon.

   The CD starts out with Reed's "Eastbound and Down" from Smoky and the Bandit. This is really flat out nailed,as Tippin does some great Jerry Reed style singing. This band keeps it country, in the Reed Time period. If this doesn't get your toes tappin, I don't know what will. Great selection of songs on well produced CD.

   Some other songs I recommend are "Drill Here, Drill Now" which has a CDB type sound and a message to it. "Drivin' Fool" is a country rocker ballad with good lyrics and even better pedal steel by Mike Johnson. Finally, for a laugh, well, maybe not, if you are this truck driver, "Chicken Truck".

   www.aarontippin.com 

DeadViDs- All Dead

"Europe 72" - Volume Two - Review

I have had this set for about a week and I go back and forth on it. I loved "Europe 72" ,it turned me on to the Dead, back in the day. I have the '03 Rhino remastering of it, as I have gone from 2 sets of LPs in the Seventies, to a Cassette version, then to 2 versions on Compact Disc, the original in '91 and also the remaster by Rhino (which is done in HDCD),which I love , both CD versions are very good, but Rhinos' really opens it up and you can just hear everything in the recording,also,it is tonally exquisite.

  This Volume Two was a great idea, but I find the sound quality a bit disappointing at times, especially for Rhino, but most people who are used to mp3s will not notice anything, Digital recording has set new standards for what and how folk listen to stuff. There is some distortion in places, I find listening to it on a regular CD Deck as opposed to a HDCD deck makes it sound better. There are some very good performances on here, a great version of "Greatest Story Ever Told", an inspiring "Sing Me Back Home" (Haggard) with some pretty harmonies on it, even Donna Jean sounds good on this song. I find that Disc Two has a deeper tonal quality to it. Also it ends with a very good rendering of "Not Fade Away- Going Down the Road Feeling Bad". This is a good companion for the original Europe 72, no songs repeated. It is culled from the 73 disc remix/remaster of the whole Spring Grateful Dead Tour, which covers 22 shows, in 73 Discs. I have not heard any of those, so hopefully there are no sound problems with that box set which you can still get from dead.net for $450.  

www.dead.net

Time Life Building Strong Marketing Campaign For Hank Williams: The Legend Begins That Releases Sept. 13, 2011

Coverage Will Include National TV Shows WGN Midday News And Daytime Along With Coverage From Blurt Magazine, Hits Magazine, Billboard.com, Blogcritics.org, Country Weekly And Chicago Tribune

Fairfax, VA (September 12, 2011) -- The highly anticipated Hank Williams: The Legend Begins releases tomorrow, September 13th, through Time Life and the Estate of Hank Williams. Already there is critical acclaim for the project with coverage from such major media outlets as national television programs, WGN Midday News (September 20) and Daytime (September 27); magazines such as Blurt, Vintage Guitar, Goldmine, Hits and Country Weekly; high-profile newspapers like Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Tennessean and Arkansas Democrat Gazette; and online webzines, Billboard.com and Blogcritics.org.  Williams’ daughter, Jett, is also doing a three day satellite radio tour that includes over forty radio stations and syndicated outlets that service 100+ stations.  In conjunction with the radio interviews, close to eight-hundred radio stations are doing promotional giveaways during street week and over the weekend. In addition, there will be national and focused online marketing initiatives (e.g. contests, social networking, and email blasts to extensive related data bases etc.)
The 3-CD box set offers Williams’ first recordings at fifteen and seventeen years old, which have never been heard before, along with his first radio series, Health & Happiness.  The recordings have been restored with the highly acclaimed technology that was used for the Grammy nominated project last year, The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings….Plus!.   Hank Williams: The Legend Begins will be available online at Amazon.com, along with other digital and retail outlets.
"I am very proud that these recordings have been made available to everyone,” says Hank Williams, Jr.  “It was great to hear of their discovery, and then to share the treasure of daddy's music is wonderful!  It really takes you back to a time when family meant something, where we would all circle around that radio and listen to those legendary shows.  It is a rare find indeed and I'm so glad people will now have the chance to hear that part of history."
 "This might be the most rewarding component of this entire multi-year project," adds Jett Williams."  I am just so pleased that I was able to obtain and preserve these early recordings of my dad.  To think of him at 14 or 15 sitting at a kitchen table, in a garage or wherever, singing songs that would end up being a part of his legacy is truly remarkable."

The music will take you back to 1938 when Williams was a 15-year-old teenager performing his first recordings of Fan It and Alexander’s Ragtime Band.  Then fast forward to 1940, and the rare home recordings show how much Williams’ voice had matured in two years when he rocks out to four classics of American music; Freight Train Blues, New San Antonio Rose, St. Louis Blues, and Greenback Dollar.  In 1949, Williams recorded his first syndicated radio series, The Health And Happiness Show.  Forty-nine songs from the show have been restored on Hank Williams: The Legend Begins which gives superior quality to these historic CDs.
 

Interview With Dennis McNally, About New Europe 72 Box Set

 This is a short interview I did through an e-mail conversation with Dennis McNally, longtime publicist and historian for the Grateful Dead, some info from his view about the highly anticipated release of the Europe 72 Box Set, which is easily the Group's biggest undertaking, containing 22 full shows performed on the Europe 72 Tour, in a format of 73 HDCD CDs, with the first 7,200 versions in a fancy trunk with extras and personalization's and the rest after that are music only, the 73 CDs in Digipak packaging. Also, there is being released a Europe 72 -Part 2, which contains songs not on the original Album.


1. Dennis,your book about the Grateful Dead is the one I go to when I want to find something out, it's like the
textbook of The Grateful Dead, you were there, as publicist alot and also as Historian, moreover, you were there, from the beginning. How excited are you about this release of the Whole Europe 72 Tour, Twenty Two Shows, Seventy Three CDs?

It's unquestionably, overall, the best tour in the band's history.  And of course it was recorded in 16 track, so now what you're going to hear is the best possible version... so yes, I'm excited/impressed/very pleased that Rhino pulled the trigger on this.

2. This original 3 record set of "Europe 72" turned myself and many others on to the Grateful Dead. Back Then, Did the Organization think that this recording which they had put so much into would turn out to be as big and influential as it  was?

  By the time of Europe '72, the band had already put out six albums.  Though Workingman's Dead and American Beauty had done well, their overall experience with the record business had been mostly a little disappointing, even though they recognized that Warner Bros. had actually treated them pretty well.  So, no, I doubt very much that they had any wild expectations of the results of Europe '72.

3. Just to keep this short, any special memory of the tour, that you would like to share?

 I'm lazy - I'm going to give you the story as I wrote it in the book....


"It was during their second and last night in Paris that the most hilarious adventure of the tour began.  A young Frenchman approached the band at the theater and began arguing about their lack of political consciousness.  To Kreutzmann, it seemed "obvious he wanted free tickets."  They put him off, and he moved his harangue to Cutler and Rex Jackson, getting no satisfaction.  When everyone returned to the hotel, he took up a position in front, bracing every member of the tour party as they came in or out. He was wearing a velvet jacket, which caught their eye, and when they eventually concluded he'd become a bore, Rex dumped ice cream on the jacket he was so proud of, and the Dead all had a good laugh and went to bed.  While they slept, Monsieur la Politiquehad his revenge, introducing a foreign substance into the equipment truck's gas tank.
         The next day they were scheduled to play Lille, a very political college town.  The buses and one truck arrived, their equipment truck did not.  No amps,no show.  The promoter was not able to offer instant refunds -- according to some memories, he was unable to offer refunds at all.  Sensing trouble,the streetwise Garcia decided that honor did not require going to the hall, and along with Kreutzmann, elected to stay at the hotel.  "You guys are nuts" was his analysis.  Phil and Bobby went out on the stage and talked to the audience, but "Pasde musique" was about the best they could muster, even after Weir's five years of high school French. "It quickly became my job to explain to a crowd of irate Frenchmen just exactly this -- no show tonight, sorry about that.  I got three or four sentences off before the crowd became very surly."
         Ushered offstage into the dressing room, Lesh, Weir, Rosie, and a few others suddenly realized they were in deep shit. The audience was furious, convinced of American perfidy, and though no one was thinking in terms of death, Weir thought "they woulda thumped us good and proper."   The door to the dressing room had a window, and they covered it with newspapers and considered their options.  Other than being thumped, there was only one: climb down the drainpipe to the top of the truck, jump down on the hood,then to the ground, and run run run for the bus, which was waiting with the engine idling.  The furious Frenchmen began to pound on the door, and as the hinges started to creak, Dead family members began going out the window.  A gentleman to the end, Weir's main worry, as he thought about it later, was getting the interpreter, Rosie McGee, and photographer,Mary Ann Mayer, down the drainpipe. That accomplished, he turned to the promoter, promised they'd make up the show, dropped a rose on the sill, and scooted down the pipe like the part monkey he was.  He was on the roof of the truck when he heard the door give way, and he hit the ground running for "what physicists called the absolute elsewhere, in a big hurry."  A couple of hours later, after wrapping themselves around some good Bordeaux, it was all pretty funny, but it had been a near thing." 

From Dennis McNally's Book "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of The Grateful Dead"
(available on Amazon and where fine books are sold"

www.Dead.net

"V" -Kenny Vaughn - A Review

I heard this CD for the first time last night, this is a heads up, great CD, one of those that really caught me saying, like , this is great, Kenny has done so much under the radar, known as guitarist for Marty Stuart's Fabulous Superlatives, He is a rare guitarist who is truly as good on acoustic as he is on electric, like Brent Mason and Bryan Sutton in one. TONE,TONe,TOne,Tone,tone. From "Country Music got a hold on me" to "Don't Leave Home Without Jesus", Kenny sparkles with the Superlatives as his backup band and Marty Stuart as his other guitarist.



Kenny has done lots of stuff in his musical career, even a dip in punk music. I first heard Him in a Mindy Smith CD from 04 called "One Moment More". He has done lots of studio work. He spent some time in Lucinda Williams band. He took lessons from Bill Frisell, and went on from there. This record has a lot of flavor of swing in it and even a touch of surf style sound. His guitar playing is sensational in his own way. You really get to hear what he can do, when he is let free. "Wagon Ride" is a mid tempo instrumental that shows Kenny playing at his best, yet doing things in his own style, lots of reverb, real country rock. The lyrics to "The Things I Do" are down to earth and the song sort of shows his style of music. Him and Marty Stuart play very well together. Not many guests on this CD, just the Superlatives and Chris Scruggs, Oak Ridge Boys, Charles Treadway and Jeffrey Clemens.



The last song on the disc, "Don't Leave Home Without Jesus" is a sincere tune about Christ. The overall sound quality is top notch, produced by Gary Paczosa, an icon of Nashville producers. The guy knows how to make an artist sound good. I mean, if you want to hear one of today's best in his own element, This is a CD to get.
 
       http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/

My Review of IRT Deadliest Roads Season 1 DVD SET

Originally submitted at AETN

IRT: DEADLIEST ROADS sends today''s toughest drivers to navigate the world''s most dangerous roads as they haul their way through India''s Himalayan highways, some of the most historic and lethal on the planet. From the crowded streets of Delhi, to treacherously steep, narro...

IRT Deadliest Roads Season 1 DVD SET

Real Dangerous Roads

By guit30 from Abington,Pa on 8/29/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Engaging Characters, Informative, Entertaining, Great Cinematography

Best Uses: Worth more than one view

Describe Yourself: Casual Viewer

Excellent camera work, not one camera worker seen, in newer shows, they are getting sloppy with their camera folk. Beautiful vistas.

(legalese)

"Little Bird" - Kasey Chambers - a review

                                                  
Kasey Chambers sounds a bit more mainstream on the production of her new CD, well, it has been out for awhile in Australia. Now, Sugar Hill Records is releasing it here in the states. The title track "Little Bird" is a real catchy song, bouncy melody with real melodic feel. She still has that bit of nasally sound to her vocals, but her voice sounds stronger than ever.




"Somewhere" is a very beautiful love ballad. It is done very well, Sort of a sparse delivery, but very delightful. Some nice guitar fades,too. The lyrics are thought provoking.



Bottom Line, This is a good CD, that has proven itself, it seems to try to please both alt/country and mainstream country fans by it's variety of material. I love the textures the sound quality produces, American version mastered by a top notch engineer who usually doesn't master a lot of country, but this works well.

Enjoy



http://www.kaseychambers.com/

"To Terrapin" - Grateful Dead- HDCD

On May 28,1977, the Grateful Deadtook the stage and put out possibly the best sounding and tightest show that the band has ever done.This was not a multi-track recording. 1977 and 1972 were my 2 favorite years of Dead Music. "To Terrapin" was released in '09 as was their June 77,box set from Winterland which covered 3 full shows, June 7,8 and 9. I also have 2 great Dick's Picks from 77, DP 10 "Winterland,Dec 29" and DP 15 "Live From Englishtown ,NJ, an outdoors festival with the MTB. (I was at that one).






"To Terrapin", was done way after last Dick's Pick, #36(I was at that one too, Philly, 72) the untimely death of Dick, led to other outlets from the vault ,like Road Trips and special shows ,like "To Terrapin". This concert was a bargain ,selling for around 15 bucks for 3 Discs in a Cardboard sleeve. The artwork, along with the music is beautiful. This is a Betty Cantor recording, like Dick would used for a Dick's Pick, but technology had picked up and also Rhino Records were in charge of Dead releases, so the sound quality was shining, it was mastered by Jeffrey Norman.



Garcia is playing his Travis Bean guitar on this show, which had a different timbre than the Wolfe,his custom guitar, built by Irwin Guitars. I really loved the tones he got out of this instrument which had an aluminum frame. There is a very well done "Estimated Prophet" on Disc 3, which is off of their newest CD , "Terrapin Station". A very good "Playing in The Band", with some unusual jamming for this version. Keith Godchaux plays great on this disc. On the first CD, there are very good versions of "Jack Straw" and "Row Jimmy", overall, a very good setlist. This summer, I have been taking a bit of a break from bluegrass, and there haven't been any stellar releases that I have heard, except Ricky Skaggs latest, recently. I have been delving into the vault of Grateful Dead music, something only a Deadhead would understand. See you next time.



http://www.dead.net/  -Coming soon, Europe 72 Box Set

"Wrapped Up Good" - The McClymonts - A Review

This Three Lady Country group from Australia has put out a very good and hot country CD reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks back in the "Wide Open Spaces" era. They released the CD in Australia in last year with very good results. They released the first four songs on the CD as singles and each was a single #1 on the Aussie Country Charts. I really love their sound. They write most all of the songs and Nathan Chapman and Adam Anders produce different songs on the CD. This is their second CD.




They start out rockin with "Kick It Up", a country, dance number. Lots of nice hooks and they sing well together. It looks like they play some of their own instruments when performing. I found a YouTube for this song, and each gal was playing an instrument, bass, guitar and mandolin. "Wrapped Up Good" is another well done upbeat country song, with some great guitar work. These gals can really sing well together, the 3 part harmonies are something to behold.



"He Used To Love Me" is a masterpiece of a ballad , It has a great emotional melody. This CD is very well produced, by Adam Anders and Nathan Chapman. Both of these guys are great. "Boy Who Cried Love" is another upbeat country song. These gals are great songwriters too. Overall, these girls are a step above what you hear on country radio, not everything, but their music is every bit as good or better than what is on country radio. They have a debut at the Grand Ole Opry. This should give them well deserved exposure. Last fall, they opened for country "bad boy" Jason Aldean, that must have been a great show.



"Take It Back" is a mid tempo song sang by Samantha, Brooke sings most of The leads. Samantha has a different timbre to her voice, a bit more melodic, where Brooke tends to rock out more. "Rock The Boat" -Talk about rocking out, Brook rocks out on this song, which has a great guitar solo. You know, there is just not a bad song on this CD. This is real talent. I would be surprised if they don't get picked up by a major label, or at least get a major distribution deal.



http://www.themcclymonts.net/

JUDDS RECEIVE HIGH HONORS AS #15 OF BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S TOP 25 COUNTRY ARTISTS, 1985-2011

                                      
THE JUDDS RECEIVE HIGH HONORS AS #15 OF


BILLBOARD MAGAZINE’S TOP 25 COUNTRY ARTISTS, 1985-2011



Nashville, TN (August 12, 2011) – The Judds, one of the most successful Country music duos of all time, have been named #15 of Billboard Magazine’s Top 25 Country Artists from 1985-2011. Earlier this summer, Billboard ranked the top 25 country artists of the last twenty-five years, combing their Country Songs and Country Album charts since 1985.



Kentucky natives, The Judds became country music’s sole successful mother-daughter duo and practically owned the country charts during the ‘80s. Naomi and Wynonna shot to stardom with a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Had a Dream (For the Heart)” in 1983, followed by heartfelt ballads such as “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days).” After launching their career with Curb/RCA Records, The Judds sold 20 million albums in just six short years. All but two of The Judds’ 16 radio singles between 1984-1989 topped Billboard’s Country Songs chart. By 1989, The Judds were one of the top-grossing and most popular touring acts in America, earning more than 60 industry awards, including multiple CMA, ACM and GRAMMY awards.



Sadly, at the height of their career, Naomi Judd announced her impending retirement at the end of 1991 due to health complications. Their subsequent tour sold more concert tickets than any artist that year except for The Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones. The pair reunited on Dec. 31, 1999, for a New Year’s Eve show, prompting a successful reunion tour, multi-media partnership and CBS Special in 2000 sponsored by Kmart. Then, ten years later, after a performance at the 2009 CMA Music Festival, and with encouragement from their fans, the duo decided to tour another time for their 2010 tour, The Judds: The Last Encore. During this significant time, they invited the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) to document their journey.. In April 2011, their six-episode docu-series, “The Judds,” debuted with the highest rated premiere outside of OWN’s launch week. Viewers tuned in every Sunday night to watch the moving exploration of Wynonna and Naomi’s mother-daughter bond weaved throughout the backdrop of this momentous concert tour.



How This Chart Was Created

The Top Country Artists 1985-2011 ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Country Songs and Country Albums charts dated Jan. 5, 1985 – June 4, 2011. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at the lower end of the chart earning the least.



Prior to the Country Songs chart’s implementation in January 1990 of monitored radio airplay by Nielsen BDS and the Country Albums list’s incorporation of point-of-purchase sales date from Nielsen SoundScan in May 1991, titles on those lists had shorter reigns at No. 1 and shorter chart lives. To ensure equitable representation from all 25-plus years, earlier time frames were each weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years and the turnover rates that have occurred since the advent of Nielsen music data. (Used by permission)







Media Contact:

Kirt Webster

615-777-6995 x230

kirt@websterpr.com

Europe 72 -Part 2 - Grateful Dead

              

I'm sure that you have heard of the huge project Jeffrey Norman and David Glasser of Airshow Mastering have been working on. They are remixing and remastering every song from the Europe 72 Grateful Dead Tour which consisted of 23 concerts. They will release this in 72 HDCD Discs in a special fancy boxed set for the first 7,200 orders and after that you can get the discs only in digipak for the same $450.00




I am happy that they also decided to release a Europe 72 -part 2 , which will contain songs from the tour that did not make it on the original Europe 72.





http://www.dead.net/

Grateful Dead Road Trips Vol4 , #4

This Grateful Dead 82 Concert at The Spectrum in Philly sounds awesome. The Recording is excellent and contains 3 Discs of great songs. Garcia's vocals are great, the recording is just splendid,unlike most Road trips CDs, this is a full concert ,like a Dick's Picks,but the Sound Quality is almost unbelievable, especially Garcia, both vocals and guitar!!!

Get it @

http://www.dead.net/

"Wine,Women and Song" -Gretchen Peters,Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss

  

    Gretchen Peters, Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss play a show at a place called "Green's Grocery" in Leiper's Fork , Tennessee on Feb 24, 2011. There were tornado warnings out, but this great show goes on, and I am so glad that it is on DVD.


These ladies sound so good together. Wow, they are singing C,S,N's "Helpless", great harmony. Berg plays some great harmonica. You know what is cool, these gals play the same guitar for the whole show. They don't have a guitar tech handing them a new guitar every song. Gretchen has this beautiful Jumbo ,Maple Gibson. Suzy plays a gorgeous handmade guitar, the wood is exquisite. Matraca has vintage looking Gibson which is like a dreadnought size.



Peter's "You Don't Even Know Who I Am", really blew me away, always loved this song, Patty Loveless did a great version of it on a 94 Album. When the songwriter sings it, it always seems a bit more personal.


Gretchen plays some mandolin, these gals sound so good together, they really seem to love singing together. Bogguss plays some percussion on some songs.



This is a great performance, not real formal ,but it is a simple delight. There are 12 songs on the DVD. They play a couple of songs after the crowd leaves. A beautiful rendition of "Further Along". I love a tune that Peters sings ,called "Gaudelaupe", with Berg on Harmonica and Bogguss singing backup. Peter's jumbo Gibson is a sweet sounding guitar.



Another special treat is from Berg's new CD "The Dreaming Fields", is called "South Of Heaven". If you like country done unplugged by the best, you will love this.





http://www.gretchenpeters.com/

"The Life We Live" - Cumberland River - A Review

Cumberland River is a real authentic sounding bluegrass band. They write their own songs and their music has good melodies and harmonies also, but with a flair of the old time bluegrass sound prevalent in their music. The Dobro is a big part of their sound. Steve Gulley does a good job of producing the CD. I like the sound Gulley creates, not too polished, he lets the instruments come thru like they should. Banjo and mandolin sound great too, with some nice lead guitar.






James Dean plays banjo and sings, Joseph Jones plays upright bass, Dustin Middleton plays guitar and mandolin, and sings, Andy Buckner sings and plays guitar, Justin Moses plays fiddle and Dobro, and Jamie Stewart plays Dobro. Steve Gulley sings harmony on several tracks, plus Dale Ann Bradley also sings harmony vocals.



Their music appears on the TV show "Justified", Six of their original songs appeared on two different shows. I really like "Train Of Sorrow", a song that tells a sad story. "Remember Me" is a sad song that is very touching.



This is a very good bluegrass set of songs, that has an original sound in old genre.



http://www.cumberland-river.com/

"The BLU-DISC" - Nu- Blu - A review

          
This group has a smooth ,yet fundamental bluegrass sound as they play their way thru this disc. The group is Carolyn Routh on bass, Daniel Routh on guitar with Kendall Gales on mandolin and Levin Austin on banjo. Their sound is definitely their own as they play these in the bluegrass vein, yet what comes out is smooth as a mountain stream, almost with a pop sound, yet not a bad thing, their sound is great.



After a quick look at titles , I recognized several songwriters like Mark Brinkman, but I did not notice much in the way of new stuff, but what they play sounds delightful. Carolyn has a great voice for the female lead vocals, I mean, real good. I really like the instrument interaction, they are really together. It is really well produced, the tones are smooth and sweet. The lyrics of these songs are very thought provoking. The opening track "Look To You" is delightful, yet the words are challenging.


Nu-Blu is a new dimension in the bluegrass world, it is a CD to check out, I liked it immediately, it is different, but what is wrong with that. There are some more traditional driving songs mixed in.



http://www.nu-blu.com/

THE ROYS PLEDGE SUPPORT TO COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Nashville, TN (July 11, 2011) -- The reigning two-time Inspirational Country Music's Duo of the Year, The Roys, "RESPOND with Compassion" as they support COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL's newest campaign. The RESPOND with Compassion effort encourages people everywhere to sponsor a child - now.


"The development of the whole child is the foundation of Compassion International. Sponsorship enables us to work one-on-one with the child, fostering a personal relationship and transforming families and communities," says Zane King, Manager of Artist Relations for Compassion. "We are simply asking everyone to ask themselves one question: Can you offer aid to a child in need?"

One key component of the new RESPOND campaign is to offer donors three different "needs" categories, which allows for targeted contributions: Health & Medical, Disaster Relief & Stability, and Education. To learn more about how you can Respond, visit www.theroysonline.com, click on the Compassion logo, and sponsor a child today.

"It's a very unique concept," says Elaine Roy of the new campaign. "A lot of folks who donate to charity wonder where their money goes," adds her brother, Lee Roy. "This way they'll know for certain how their money is spent, and they'll rest easy knowing that Compassion is one of the top 1% of all charities in terms of stewardship."

The duo has been involved with the organization since early 2010, and last Summer, Lee and Elaine traveled to Bogota, Columbia, South America to experience first-hand how the programs are implemented. Compassion's King is happy to have The Roys on board for this new campaign. "We are just thrilled to be in partnership with them as they ask their fans to 'RESPOND with Compassion' to help those in need."

As part of their ongoing relationship with Compassion, The Roys' tour bus has been "wrapped" with RESPOND graphics, and Compassion is furnishing the duo with t-shirts and other giveaway items to help them spread the word to their fans. "We believe strongly in their mission to eradicate poverty in the lives of children," says Lee. "We want to spread the message that sponsoring a child not only changes the life of that child, but it changes the sponsor's life as well," adds Elaine.

Upcoming shows for The Roys include:

Craven Country Jamboree (Saskatchewan, Canada, 7/14 -17)

The Oak Tree Opry (Anita, IA, 7/19)

Country Thunder (Twin Lakes, WI, 7/21-24)

Blue Moon Mountain Bluegrass Festival (Prestonsburg, KY, 7/30)

Workplay Theater (Birmingham, AL, 8/4)

Chocotaw Casino with Janie Fricke (Idabel, OK, 8/6)

Dogwood Park Concert Series (Greeneville, TN, 8/21)

ABOUT THE ROYS:

These Massachusetts natives were "raised right" on country and bluegrass in New Brunswick, Canada. Their current CD, LONESOME WHISTLE (Rural Rhythm Records), debuted at #7 on BILLBOARD's Bluegrass Albums Chart. Their current single (and video) "Coal Minin' Man," is generating a storm of media attention on a national level, and rapidly expanding their ever-growing fan base. The Roys come from a unique, musical family and are known for their superb sibling harmonies, Rootsy/Bluegrass sound and compelling original songs. http://www.theroysonline.com/



ABOUT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL:

Compassion International (www.compassion.com) is the world's largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, CI successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1.2 million children in 26 of the world's poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, CI works through local churches to holistically address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children - enabling them to thrive, not just survive. CI has been awarded 10 consecutive, four-star ratings by Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.







Media Contacts

For The Roys

Martha E. Moore / 615.746.3994

so much MOORE media

martha@somuchmoore.com

For Compassion International

Chris Tatum / 615.777.6995

Webster PR

chris@websterpr.com

THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND SETS SAIL WITH ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE THIS DECEMBER

MTB Headlines Cruise With ZZ Top, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Foghat, Artimus Pyle, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Band, Among Others


Royal Caribbean's Liberty Of The Seas Cruise Ship Departs on Four-Day Excursion to the Bahamas December 1



Nashville, Tenn. (July 7, 2011) – This December, legendary southern rockers The Marshall Tucker Band will ‘batten down the hatches’ and take to the seas, as they co-headline the inaugural ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE, benefiting the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA).



“This is going to be one hell of a party on the Atlantic,” notes Marshall Tucker Band lead singer and founding member Doug Gray. “Hittin’ the waters with some of our best rocker pals never sounded so good. You can bet we’ll have some of these guys jammin’ with us MTB-style on more than a few of our sets!”



Departing from Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 1, The Marshall Tucker Band joins more than 18 rock bands including ZZ Top, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Dickey Best & Great Southern, Foghat, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Band, and The Outlaws, among others, on a four-day Bahamian cruise.


As many as 3,200 music fans, served by a crew of 1,300, will be aboard The Royal Caribbean Line’s Liberty of the Seas. The ship, one of the largest (160,000 tons / length equal to almost four football fields / 18 decks) and most luxurious passenger vessels in service today, is scheduled for stops in Bahamian cities Coco Cay and Nassau. The main attraction of the cruise is the multiple performances by the rock bands brought aboard in four different on-board venues. Liberty of the Seas also features on-board surfing thanks to its FlowRider wave generator, a boxing ring, a full-sized volleyball / basketball court, cantilevered whirlpools and a range of gourmet restaurants.



The unprecedented cruise will benefit Native American Heritage Association’s mission to provide emergency assistance and self-help programs to the Sioux Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota. Since 1993, NAHA has worked with Lakota (Sioux) Reservations, strengthening the Native American communities and families one member at a time. The challenges are difficult as unemployment rates on the Reservations are at 80%, 70% have no transportation, the average life expectancy is 58 years of age, infant mortality is 10 times the national average and 31% of Native American children under the age of 4 are obese because of lack of proper nutrition. NAHA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in partnership with Feeding America and Gifts In Kind International, has provided food, clothing, heating assistance, personal care items and home care items to the many Native Americans in need. NAHA has a 17-year history of executing its mission in a fiscally responsible way, outperforming most other charities. Thanks to its financially sound business practices, NAHA has earned 6 consecutive 4-star rating with www.charitynavigator.org. 92.4% of all NAHA revenue goes toward its program services. For additional information, visit http://www.naha-inc.org/



This year, The Marshall Tucker Band celebrates its 40th year since forming in 1971. Last May, the band, in recognition of four decades, released The Marshall Tucker Band: Greatest Hits and lead singer Doug Gray’s lost solo recordings, Soul Of The South. The legendary southern rock band continues to tour regularly and recently returned from a five-concert tour of Iraq and Kuwait, where they entertained thousands of United States military personnel.



For ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE ticketing information, visit www.rocklegendscruise.com.



For additional information on The Marshall Tucker Band, visit http://www.marshalltucker.com/

"Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack and other News"

First, this set of five discs and four shows has just about the best Sound Quality of any Dead recording ever, period. This is the last time the famed "Wall Of Sound" is used. It has been all over the world in '74. So, this four night stand is it's farewell and they now have it tweaked to perfection. I saw the "Wall Of Sound" in Philly in August hanging from the ceiling of the Civic Center in it's single configuration, a huge cylinder of speakers , amps, beyond huge.



There is a distinct clarity to this mix, each musician has control of the volume and tone of their vocals and instrument. Phil's bass is not laying bombs, but it is perfect in the mix. Garcia's vocals sound great. The fifth CD see's Mickey Hart return to the group.


Jerry's "Wolf" sounds big, fat and clear, Weir plays a hollow body Gibson for his parts. I always liked Bobby playing the Gibson, so warm sounding. This is probably a 24 track recording as it is for the Grateful Dead Movie. You cannot compare it to a 2 track Dick's Picks, though some of them sounded very good. There are a lot of great jams on this five disc set. Great jam out of "Black Peter" on (Disc 4 , 10/19).


The material is from "Europe 72", "Wake Of The Flood", and the newly released "Mars Hotel". This was the culmination of The "Wall Of Sound" era, they had to truck 2 of these total sound systems on tour. While they were playing in one town, the crew was in another town setting up for the next show. It just showed the Dead's commitment to their fans, always the best!!


On to the news, which is probably old by now, Rhino Records, The Deads' current label is almost done remixing and mastering every show from the Europe 72 Tour, The 72 discs will sell for $450. The first 7,200 customers get a special wood box for the CDs and a hardcover book, plus other keepsakes. You still order the music only version from the http://www.dead.net/  for the same price. This will be a special box set for sure.





Happy Fourth Of July!!!

My Guilty Pleasure Of Choice, Ice Pilots NWT

I love this show, very personable, down to earth charactors

"Country Hits: Bluegrass style" - Ricky Skaggs - A Review

Ricky Skaggs is an iconic bluegrass, acoustic musician. He is best playing his mandolin, a real hot player. He has made many a recording that I have enjoyed and has a great bluegrass band in Kentucky Thunder with Cody Kilby on Lead guitar. Kilby is a great player. He reminds me a bit of Tony Rice.

Skaggs has a label too with which he helps out other artists like the recently retired Cherryholmes Band after an excellent six CD career. I am sure that we will hear from members of this great group again.


This album has the feel of retro country music with a combo of bluegrass, country sound. Some of the songs are kind of hokey. I read No Depression's website, their idea of bluegrass is stuff like "Trampled By Turtles" (a group), and The Mumford Brothers. These are basically folk music with an acoustic jam band feel to the sound.

  This is the first CD I see of re released stuff by Skaggs. He usually is in to original music. A lot of releases are available today. Skaggs new recording sounds very good and there is some dynamite guitar and mandolin picking, along with some pedal steel. I am familiar with some of the songs, not all of them.



The Internet and the ease of digital recording ruined the music market. With vinyl there would not be an overflow of too much music. It's like The what The NFL would be with 50 teams. Vinyl pared down the recording process to only the best musicians and singers. You needed a good recording studio and a large budget. Lots of Major labels struggle because they can't sell CDs , because folk download them for free from the Internet. I read that last year, 95% of downloads were illegal. Fortunately, the good groups can make a good living by touring.



Lots of folk today, including younger folk like music from the 60s and 70s. I know myself, I buy a lot of music from that era today. The only new genre I really like is bluegrass and some country.


Ricky Skaggs is a class act and this is a good listen with plenty of great singing and guitar. It's just not new music, not a problem.



http://www.rickyskaggs.com/

Nashville Memorial Service For Steve Popovich Announced

Nashville Memorial Service For Steve Popovich Announced


Nashville, Tennessee (June 21, 2011) -- A memorial service for Steve Popovich will be held from 6 - 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 30 at United Methodist Fellowship Church (2511 Highway 99, Murfreesboro); a reception follows at the Church from 7 - 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Stephen C. Popovich Memorial Fund, U.S. Bank, 2504 Old Fort Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37128. All funds donated will benefit the various charities that Steve has contributed to throughout his life.

The engaging and unconventional industry legend championed such disparate talents as Michael Jackson, Boston, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe and polka king Frank Yankovic during a multi-decade career that began in 1962. From unloading trucks at a Columbia Records' warehouse, young Popovich's "foot-in-the-door" mentality would, at 26, see him rise to the position of Vice President of Promotion for the label; a feat that is well-remembered by his "Sony cronies." In 1976, after helping break Bruce Springsteen worldwide, he left Columbia and formed Cleveland International Records. He discovered Meat Loaf and released the BAT OUT OF HELL album, which has gone on to become one of the Top 5 selling albums in the history of the music business. Steve worked his way into Music City hearts while at the helm of PolyGram Records Nashville in the late 1980s, working with Kris Kristofferson, The Statler Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Kathy Mattea, Lynn Anderson, Tom Jones, Johnny Paycheck and others. Steve Popovich (born July 6, 1942 in Nemacolin, PA) leaves behind a son, Steve Popovich Jr., a daughter, Pamela Popovich, a sister, Barb Lemmo, and two grandchildren, Tanner and Stephen Popovich.

Funeral services were held June 13 at St. John of the Cross in Euclid, Ohio; interment followed at Western Reserve Memorial Gardens in Chesterland. Popovich died at his home in Murfreesboro, TN on June 8 at age 68.

Condolences may be sent to the family via email: spopovich34@earthlink.net  .

For Hi Res Image, contact martha@somuchmoore.com

"The Dreaming Fields" - Matraca Berg - A Review

Matraca Berg has been writing hit country songs for quite some time. This collection of her performing a set of her material is an ethereal experience. It is such a subtle production, but seething with emotions.

Berg sings songs that are so poetic, yet so real in human experience. The musical textures are subtle yet they so augment her vocals. The art work for the cardboard CD case is beautiful. Dualtone Records released this recording for her. The Musicians are the best that Nashville has to offer. There is a haunting feel to the music with the steel guitar fades and sparse feel. Dan Dugmore gets some sounds out of his steel on "You & Tequila" that are like other worldly.


"Racing The angels" has Suzy Boguss and Gretchen Peters on background vocals and also as co-songwriters.


If you never have heard of Berg, her sound on this CD is a cross between Kathleen Edwards and early Mindy Smith. There is a dark feel to the mood, but there is something deeply personal there you can relate to.



"Clouds" - I love this song, "only like clouds when it's rainin', doin' no good just hangin' round".


The title track is basically just her and piano . With the watered down glut of Discs littering the internet, this is a masterpiece. After I finished doing this review, I saw Kenny Chesney's version of "You And Tequila" on a CMT video, from his last CD, "Hemingway's Whiskey". It is good, I like Berg's version better.



http://www.matracaberg.com/

Roys Celebrate New Album At The CMA Music Festival

"The Roys didn't disappoint, piercing through the heat with their crisp traditional sound and elegant harmonies." ~ Mark Shimabukuro, The Tennessean



Rural Rhythm recording artist, THE ROYS, celebrated their hit album, LONESOME WHISTLE with 12 performances during last week’s CMA Music Festival. Excited fans were treated to performances at the WSM/Durango Boots Acoustic Corner Stage; Cadillac Ranch (for Operation Troop Aid); The Power Source Showcase at B.B. King’s; The Gibson Acoustic Stage at the Hard Rock; the Bud Light Stage in the Sports Zone and other stages where they featured songs from their new album.



Since its April debut at #7 on Billboard’s Top 10 Bluegrass Album Chart, LONESOME WHISTLE has also proved to be a radio hit as well. The album made its debut this month on the Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine Top Album chart along with the single, “Coal Minin’ Man” climbing 10 spots to reach #16 this month on the publication’s Top 30 Song chart. The single also appears at #4 on Bluegrass Music Profiles Magazine’s Top 30 Hot Singles and #4 on Power Source Magazine’s Top 10 Bluegrass chart this month as well.



Fans might also want to check out the recent Q&A with Lee and Elaine at Music News Nashville and at http://www.examiner.com/ 



THE ROYS are currently on tour with upcoming performances at: The Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival in Waldron, AR; Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC; Pigeon Forge Patriots Festival in Pigeon Forge, TN; plus many more. Please visit www.theroysonline.com, via Twitter and on Facebook. Fans can receive the latest updates on The Roys and all their favorite Bluegrass artists now on their mobile devices simply by texting "bluegrass" to 90210.



Rural Rhythm Records

Radio: Sammy Passamano III, email

Airplay Direct

Media: Penni McDaniel, email



FOR THE ROYS

Martha Moore, email

so much MOORE media

615-746-3994




Tel: 1-800-776-8742

Facebook





Photo Credit:

Martha E. Moore

A Special Message From Rural Rhythm Records

My father was a major part of the Distribution team with Decca and MCA Records for over 30 years starting in the early 50's. Bill Monroe was a major part of the label's tremendous Country & Bluegrass roster through the years, so I literally grew up enjoying Bill's music and respecting the importance an impact he had on the music world.



Rural Rhythm Records will be showing our respect to the Father Of Bluegrass this year with several tribute album projects starting with the BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY: INSTRUMENTAL TRIBUTE TO BILL MONROE releasing January 25, 2011.



We are proud to also announce Audie Blaylock's next album will be a tribute album with some very special guest artists who performed with Bill through the years. Audie is currently celebrating a #1 single ("Cryin' Heart Blues") on the January 2011 Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine's Top 30 Song chart. The single is the title track from Audie Blaylock & Redline's 2010 chart album.



In June 2011, Rural Rhythm will be recording a live album during the Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival held in Bean Blossom, IN. TRIBUTE TO BILL MONROE - LIVE AT BEAN BLOSSOM will feature many Rural Rhythm artists performing some of Bill's special Bluegrass, Gospel and Instrumental gems.



In honor of Bill Monroe and the 100th year celebration for his musical legacy, we have developed a Celebration logo that will be used in the packaging of all our tribute album projects throughout the year. Bill the man and his music was one of a kind and this 100th year celebration is wonderful way for everyone to take time out of their busy days and acknowledge the impact this pioneer had on the music world for much of the past 100 years.



Sincerely,



Sam Passamano, Jr.

President, Rural Rhythm Records

http://www.ruralrhythm.com/

"I'm Going Back To Old Kentucky" - Audie Blaylock & Redline - Review

This is Audie Blaylock's latest CD. It is a celebration of the music of Bill Monroe. The CD is a delight to listen to. It has the sound of real traditional bluegrass and is a great recording, nothing pop sounding, this has a real authentic sound to it. Blaylock's vocals with backups make you think that you are down in the Mountains of Old Virginia with the High Lonesome sound. He has some distinguished guests in Lou Reid, Ronnie and Del McCoury, Bobby Osbourne, Glenn Duncan, Carl Jackson and Jason Carter.




Recorded at "The Digital Underground" ,it has a real warm sound to the great recording. The first single is "Mighty Dark to Travel", which is an upbeat bluegrass delight with great harmony. Some other great tracks are "Lord, Lead Me On", "Tall Timber", "My Little Georgia", and "I'm In Despair". Listening to this music is one of the most authentic bluegrass recordings that I have heard in awhile. Now, I'm a fan of all kinds of Bluegrass including the more modern groups like The Grascals and Mountain Heart. But for people who think real bluegrass is dead,they need to check this out. This is the real stuff. A great Release by Rural Rhythm Records. Some more good news, looks like last years great recording of "The All-Star Jam - Live at Graves Mountain" will be coming out on DVD this fall, I can't wait. That is a great recording. Word also has it that Carrie Hassler is back in the studio working on a new CD.



http://www.audieblaylock.com/

Teddy Gentry's Best New Nashville - Review

Teddy Gentry, bass player for for iconic country rock group Alabama has put together a collection of 12 new artists to gain exposure for them. This is a project for the Cracker Barrel Collection, so it has a great chance of good exposure. I enjoy listening to new material like this. Teddy does a little of everything on this disc, He puts together a collection of Nashville's best studio musicians. He helps out with production.




There is an informative booklet that gives each artist a page of background and a picture. This New Nashville for the most part sounds different than what you hear on the country radio today. It has more of a rock sound for most tracks. Some of these artists have been around for awhile as songwriters, actors, performers,



Here is a page where you can check out their info

http://bestnewnashville.com/home



Some of my favorites are, Jimmy Stewart - "Every Mile I'm Missing You", Brad Long - "Long Last Smile", Amber Shelene - "Are You Ever Going To Love Me", Chip Davis - "In His Hands" and Dillion Dixon - "Chip Away".



It is good to have a veteran like Gentry be willing to give some promotion to up and coming artists like this. Check it out.



http://www.crackerbarrel.com/

Kickin' Up Dust - Grasstowne - Review

I have put this off way too long. It was a pleasure to open the jewel case of the colorful CD with the vintage Red Chevy. It was fun just to put it in the CD deck and sit back and enjoy.




Grasstowne has a very nice traditional sound. Steve Gulley (founder of Mountain Heart) runs this well oiled ship. These guys have a great, natural acoustic sound. These guys can do a driving bluegrass song or pull up the reins and do a nice ballad.



Every instrument is first rate, the mandolin player can rip off some sweet leads, Gulley plays rhythm guitar. An acapello song called "Our Father" is a masterpiece. It has such sweet harmony. Alan Bibey plays mandolin. Adam Haynes plays a sweet sounding fiddle.



"Grass Stain" is a sweet instrumental written by Adam Haynes, very nice melody and some great pickin' by all.



"Anchor In The Storm" is a comforting blue grass song. A well written song, and Steve has such a mellow lead vocal, with bluegrass harmonies and some more good fiddlin'.



"Vicksburg" is a haunting song about the civil war and the taking of Vicksburg. The fiddle does some very creative sounds. This song is worth price of admission by itself.



"Waves Of Sorrow" is a song about heartbreak, originally done long ago by 111rd Tyme Out.



Justin Jenkins is their very capable banjo picker and Kameron Keller plays bass, This was a joy to listen to, no filler. Bluegrass that is traditional, but creative too. Enjoy!!







http://www.grasstowne.com/

"Randy Travis" - Cracker Barrel Collection

This is a classic collection of material from the great country artist Randy Travis, covers songs during late 80's and early 90's, Travis had a very unmistakable voice and was very country sounding, probably a bit too twangy for today, his voice was his strength, plus his music had a signature sound of twangy guitar and lots of old time pedal steel. This collection of twelve tracks has a few unreleased gems to share.




Every iconic artist like Travis has a few songs that are just always associated with him. The songs that I think of with Travis are "Forever and Ever, Amen" , "Better Class Of Losers" and the great Christian Country Song, "Three Wooden Crosses".



The story of "Three Wooden Crosses" is in my opinion one of the best Christian country songs written. Basic story of an accident involving an eighteen wheeler accident where three good upstanding people died and a hooker lives. Song ends with Preacher saying He's telling the story because the hooker was his mom and the blood stained Bible given her, had influenced her and she had read it to him. You have to hear it, just great story with great hooks and melody. A Travis Classic. This collection is good for a Randy Travis Fan, or someone who wants to hear him at his best.



www.crackerbarrel.com/

"Follow Me Down" - Sarah Jarosz - A Review

If you expect more of the rootsy, country-bluegrass , folk sound of "Song Up In Her Head", you won't find that here. Jarosz has pulled a quick Chris Thile type move into the experimental, very eclectic style of expanded string music. She wrote all of the songs except a couple, one by Bob Dylan and the other by "RadioHead". Also, she has so many guest musicians ,it is quite an extraordinary affair. Her vocals a bit like Norah Jones at times. Gary Paczosa (one of the best acoustic music producers in Nashville) works with her on this CD as he did on her first one.




She plays everything from toy piano to electric guitar, but sounds best on octave mandolin. She is studying contemporary improvisation at Boston's New England Conservatory.



A lot of songs sound like a jam band. Then there are songs that are like chamber music. Sometimes her music is frenetic with all sorts of percussion going on.



Some of her guests include The Punch Brothers, Vince Gill, John Leventhal, Vicktor Krauss, a total of about 24 well known musicians.



Jarosz definitely is a super talented young lady and I can see this CD being hugely popular.



One song that really touches me is her version of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells" with Vince Gill singing backup vocals. Paczosa mixed this CD, that must have really been a task, with all that is going on. He does an excellent job however. I really like track seven, also, with her creative and in command jamming on octave mandolin.



If you like Mumford and Sons, Trampled By Turtles, you should love this. Very well done CD.



http://www.sarahjarosz.com/

Larry Gatlin And Brothers Roll Out Latest Single, "Americans, That's Who"

LARRY GATLIN & THE GATLIN BROTHERS ROLL OUT LATEST SINGLE, "AMERICANS, THAT'S WHO"




Osama bin Laden Death Prompts Legendary Gatlin Brothers to Release Patriotic "Americans, That's Who"



Nashville, Tenn (May 9, 2011) – Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers have been waiting-- waiting for the moment. The moment that the legendary Grammy Award-winning trio knew would eventually come. At last, on Sunday, May 1, loud and proud, that moment arrived.



Upon hearing the news of Osama bin Laden’s death, the Gatlin Brothers knew it was time to release their patriotic “Americans, That’s Who” (CURB Records) to radio.



“Plain and simple, we’ve been sitting on this thing for awhile,” notes front man Larry Gatlin. “We’ve known for some time that it would take a groundbreaking, monumental event for us to release this single to radio. The death of Osama bin Laden meets those qualifications. We would like to send a very special 'thank you' to the members of SEAL TEAM SIX and all of the brave American men and women in uniform who risk their lives to keep us free. Who are these good people? AMERICANS, THAT’S WHO!”



Click HERE for private audio link to "Americans, That's Who." Check Website.



For addition information on Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, visit http://www.gatlinbrothers.com/

"Where were you When The World stopped Turning?' - Alan Jackson

"Take The Highway" -Blind Boys Of Alabama - a Review

The Iconic Gospel Group, "The Blind Boys Of Alabama" with the help of some Nashville Cats, put out a CD that is a Real good Spirit filled listen, co-produced by Jamey Johnson, it has the famous recognizable sound of the Blind Boys with the addition of the Nashville Sound. Adding a little Nashville to a project is usually a good thing and it sure works here with the help of Jamey, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack , and some great Nashville Musicians. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVbglUZGUqo&feature=player_embedded  This Footage shows some joyful moments in Nashvilles' RCA Studio A.



"Take The High Road" is a great song with The help of The Oak Ridge Boys, The Blind Boys bringing some fun and good ole joy to the Studio. A great relaxed sounding production with a live vibe, Jamey Johnson shows brilliance in his help with production. He had just met the BBoys at a gig and they hit it off right away, I think that you will be glad they did. Jamey hows another side of himself that is confident and full of musical intelligence. His song with the Boys "Have Thine Own Way" is a very good version of an old familiar song. Willie Nelson does "Family Bible" with the group sounding like himself. Hank Williams Jr. does a song his Dad wrote a long way back, "I Saw The Light", great version. Lee Ann Womack's "I was a Burden" is stellar, Womack is a country super star that is unusual in the fact that she has stuck to the stuff like George Straight. Vince Gill sounds great on his song with them "Give Me A Drink".



The CD is called "Take The High Road" and is coming out on Saguaro Records this month. Check out the great youtube coverage and I think that you will agree this is another winner for both Jamey Johnson and The Blind Boys. I must admit, I was wrong on my first take of Jamey, He is the real deal.



www.blindboys.com/