Archive for June, 2011
Amanda Shires: Mystery Girl
Amanda Shires finally bought a Kindle. It’s not her first choice for reading, but it’s a must for touring. “I usually have about twelve books going at one time,” says the Texas-born, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter, “and I had to have separate luggage just for books. I got tired of hauling that shit around.” If that sounds [...]
Eilen Jewell: Queen Of The Minor Key
Eilen Jewell Queen of the Minor Key (Signature Sounds) Rating: It’s 2 a.m. on a weekday night in a local club. Only the lonely and diehard drinkers are left, nursing their cocktails in a mist of stale smoke and cheap perfume. A woman and her combo shuffle on stage. The baritone sax lays down a [...]
MerleFest 2011: Meet The CASC Winners
“That was written about my father,” Lera Lynn says of “Bobby, Baby,” which took top honors at the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in the Country category at MerleFest 2011. “He was an alcoholic and meth addict who died at a young age.” It’s a haunting, Appalachian-style folk ballad that tells the story of a man [...]
Lyric Contest Winners: July/August 2011
1st Place “Just Married” Larry Black Asheville, North Carolina www.americansongspace.com/larryblack Lyrics 2nd Place “No Timeshares For Heaven” Dan T. Chandler Dallas, Texas www.sonicbids.com/danchandler Lyrics 3rd Place “Lonely Ride” Jeff Maddox Pearl, Mississippi www.americansongspace.com/goodganny Lyrics 4th Place “Sand In Her Shoes” Steve Tolliver Saint Petersburg, Florida Lyrics Honorable Mention “Big Old House” Debra Goldstein Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [...]
Guitar 101: Playing With Soul
Back in the ‘60s in Memphis, I listened to and played a lot of Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, Booker T. and The M.G.’s, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett. We used to call it “soul music.” Some people called it R&B (rhythm and blues). Now they call it “old school.” A lot of [...]
The Harmonica: Blowing In The Wind
When “Blowing in the Wind” was blasted on the airwaves in the early ‘60s, the sound and image of Bob Dylan standing on stage inches away from the microphone, blowing harmonica was burnt into the consciousness of America, and the world, as a whole. So much so that Dylan himself once quipped, “The harmonica is [...]
Makin’ Stuff Up: Chaos Theory
As American Songwriter’s newest columnist, I thought perhaps I should use this, my inaugural blurb, to introduce myself. I’ve also composed a mission statement of sorts for this column, which I’ll be sharing with you – but only after I overtly suck up to Caine O’Rear and Douglas Waterman. Caine, for graciously asking me to [...]
Bridging The Gap At Newport Folk Festival
Jim James at Newport Folk Festival in 2008, photo by Laura Brown “My whole dedication now is Newport… I want both those festivals to go on after I’m gone,” said George Wein, who founded the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals in the 1950s. Asked what the legacy of Newport meant to him, Jay Sweet, the [...]
Wilco Announce The Whole Love, New Tour Dates
Chicago rockers Wilco have picked a name and a release date for their much-anticipated eighth studio album. The Whole Love will be released September 27 via their new label, dBpm Records. The new disc was recorded at the band’s Loft studio space in Chicago, and was produced by Jeff Tweedy with band member Patrick Sansone [...]
Bruce Springsteen Delivers A Moving Eulogy For Clarence Clemons
Bruce Springsteen has posted his eulogy for the late Clarence Clemons on his official site. I’ve been sitting here listening to everyone talk about Clarence and staring at that photo of the two of us right there. It’s a picture of Scooter and The Big Man, people who we were sometimes. As you can see [...]
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