Lonestar Music

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2 | LoneStarMusic LoneStarMusic | 3

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FEATUREs

34 Q&A: Paul Thorn — By Lynne Margolis

48 SunnySweeneyfindsthelight—ByHollyGleason

52 LeeAnnWomack:WhenIcomearound—ByRichardSkanse

56 Cory Branan: ThewanderingmusicalspiritofAmericana’sfree-ranging “No-HitWonder”—ByAdamDaswon

58ImagineHouston:AnexcerptfromReverb,thenewnovelbyJoeEly

ShovelS and Rope o’ What Two Can do

pg 38

PhotocourtesyofAllEyesMedia

The triumphant union, joyful noise and crazy good times of Cary ann hearst and Michael Trent

by Kelly dearmore


Publisher: Zach Jennings Editor: Richard Skanse CreativeDirector/Layout:MelissaWebb CoverDesign: MelissaWebb Advertising/Marketing:KristenTownsend Advertising: TaraStaglik,Erica Brown Artist&LabelRelations:KristenTownsend

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Richard SkanseLynneMargolis

BrianT.AtkinsonMikeEthanMessickMichaelCorcoran

HollyGleasonD.C.Bloom

RobPattersonKellyDearmoreMichaelHoinski

j.poetAdamDaswonTiffanyWalker

TaraStaglikJoeEly

John CarricoLynneMargolisKirkStewartValerieFreminMaryKeatingBrutonNicoleKibertJon-Paul BrunoJeffFasanoMichaelWilsonAnnaWeberLeslieRyanMcKellarBrianT.AtkinsonJeremyFrechetteTaraStaglikMelindaRattleInn

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Reviews:To be considered for a review, please submit CDand/or press kit to: LoneStarMusic, Attn: RichardSkanse at LSMMag Reviews, 202 University DriveSanMarcos,TX78666.

LoneStarMusic Magazine is published bimonthlyby SuperflyMusic LLC. 202-CUniversityDrive, SanMarcos, TX 78666. Copyright © 2014 by SuperflyMusic LLC and/or individual contributors. Allrights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in partwithout written permission is prohibited. Viewsexpressedhereinarethoseoftheauthorexclusively.Typographic, photographic and printing errors areunintentional and subject to correction. Artiststhemselvescontributemuchof thecontentof thismagazine.ThinkofthemagazineasbeingratedPG-13,occasionallyR.

after awhile

NotesfromtheEditor |ByRichardSkanse

inside this issue

Notes From the Editor4 AfterAwhile—ByRichardSkanse

NEWS6 AmericanaFestbustsouton15thbirthday—ByLynneMargolis8 InMemoriam:JohnnyWinter—ByRobPatterson10 MeettheFauntleroys—ByLynneMargolis12 ReunitedSkunksrecalltheirCheathamStreetmemories13BlackFretMentorSpotlight:KevinWommack14 NewsBlurbs:RobertEarlKeen,BillyJoeShaver,CharlieRobison 15New&RecentReleases16DeadMan’sTown:AnewcropofstudentssalutestheBoss — By Lynne Margolis18ArtistProfile:ShakeyGraves—ByMichaelHoinski20ArtistProfile:RuthieFoster—Byj.poet22ArtistProfile:ShelleyKing—ByRobPatterson24ArtistProfile:NoelMcKay—ByD.C.Bloom26 ArtistProfile:JimLauderdale—ByKellyDearmore29 ArtistProfile:DrewKennedy—ByKellyDearmore30 ArtistProfile:JessKlein—ByD.C.Bloom31 ArtistProfile:MikeRyan—ByKellyDearmore

COLUMNS32 TrueHeroesofTexasMusic:BobbyRamirez—ByMichaelCorcoran

REVIEWS66 AlbumReviews

StoneyLaRue,WadeBowen,LucindaWilliams,Tweedy,GaryClarkJr.,LeeAnnWomack,DirtyRiverBoys,RyanAdamsandmore

LSM Music Chart79 LoneStarMusicTop40Albums StaffPicks

VENUE SPOTLIGHT80 MagnoliaMotorLounge,FortWorthTX—ByKellyDearmore

PhotocourtesyofBigHassleMedia

Apartfromtheopportunitytoworkwithateamofreallygoodpeople— especially graphic designerMelissaWebb, who I’d already known andgreatlyrespectedforyears—oneofthethingsthatappealedmosttomeaboutjoiningthismagazinefiveyearsagowasownerZachJennings’visionthatLoneStarMusic couldbeaboutmorethanjustTexasmusic.EvenmorethanTexasandRedDirtmusic.Weallagreed thatwewouldstill focusonsongwriters and roots and/or country(ish)music— prettymuch anythingthatcoulddirectlyorevenindirectlyfallunderthecategoryof“Americana”inadditionto,yes,alltheusualTexasandRedDirtsubjects.ButTexasresidencyoraTexasbirth certificatewouldnotbea requirement for anartist tobecoveredinourpages. Now,don’tgetmewrong:I’manativeTexan,andcouldn’tbeprouderofourmusicalhometeam.Foryears,Iwasguiltymyselfofsometimesthinkingthatanartist(well,themore“serious”singer-songwritingtypes,anyway)had tobefromTexasinordertobe...what,good?Worthlisteningto,following,andwritingabout?Today, I cringe just thinkingabout thatabsurdity.Sure,theLoneStarStatehasalwayshadarostertodiefor:not justthe likesofWillie,Shaver,theFlatlanders,andKeen,butawholemessofbluesandrock’n’roll legends.ButnotbeingfromTexascertainlydidn’tdilutetheimpactandmusicalgeniusofHank,Dylan,Springsteen,Zevon,Young,Petty,Prine,orHiatt—letaloneartistslikeLucinda,Snider,andevenJerryJeffthatweTexasmusicfanslovetoclaimasourowneventhoughweknowdamnwellthatthey’renot.So,justknowingthatLoneStarMusic wouldnotbeconstrainedor blinded by geographic borders in its coverage of greatmusicwas veryappealingtome. All that being said, though, did y’all know that Michael Trent, theColorado-reared“Rockamountcowboy”toCaryAnnHearst’s“Cumberlandgirl” inShovelsandRope,wasborninHouston?Doubtlesstheduo’s latestalbum,Swimmin’ Time,wouldbeeverybitasexcellent—andtheirrisetofameasoneof thebestyoungacts inAmericanamusic todayeverybitascoverworthy—evenifTrentwasn’tanativeTexan,butIgottaadmit,Igetakickouttaknowingthatheis. InadditiontoKellyDearmore’scoverstoryonShovelsandRope,insidethesepagesyou’llalsofindanexclusiveexcerptfromLoneStarMusicHallofFamerJoeEly’sdebutnovel,Reverb,plusprofilesandfeaturesonLeeAnnWomack,SunnySweeney,ShakeyGraves,AlejandroEscovedo’srockin’newband the Fauntleroys, Ruthie Foster, NoelMcKay, Shelley King, Jess Klein,DrewKennedy, Paul Thorn, Jim Lauderdale, andCoryBranan. That’s right,thoselastthreeguysaren’tfromTexas—theydon’tevenlive here—butwelove’emanyways. Branan,infact,wasoneoftheartistswhoplayedatourLoneStarMusicpartyatthekillerNashvillerecordstore,TheGroove,duringtheAmericanaMusicAssociationFestivalandConferenceinSeptember.Ourotherfeaturedacts this yearwere JohnMoreland,Matt the Electrician, Courtney Patton,DavidRamirez,andtheHowlin’Brothers.ThiswasoursecondyearhostingadaytimepartyatAmericanaFest,andwehopetomakeitanannualtradition.Forcertainweplantokeeponattendingtheconference,becauseapartfromNashvillebeingaprettyfuntownwithdamngoodeats,thefestivalshowcasessomanyoftheartistsfromallovertheAmericanamapthatkeepusfiredupaboutchampioningthismusic—nomatterwhereitcomesfrom.


lsm news

AmericanaFestbustsoutonJasonIsbell,SturgillSimpsonamongbig

winnersatAMAAwardsBy Lynne Margolis

Fifteen years after the gathering thatledtoitsformation,theAmericanaMusicAssociationhasdonewhatitsetouttodo:Establish thegenreas itsownentity,notthe red-headed “alternative” stepchild ofcountry,folkoranyothermusicalcategory. The expanded 2014 AMA Festival& Conference — emphasis on festival;it’s now branded as AmericanaFest andincludes a major, separately ticketedoutdoor concert (the Avett Brothersheadlined) — featured more than 160acts showcasing at 10 Nashville venuesoverfourSeptembernights.Withup-and-comers such as Shakey Graves, ParkerMillsap,SturgillSimpson,andtheHadenTriplets appearing alongside favoriteslikeHayesCarllorreveredveteranssuchas Ry Cooder, Rodney Crowell, RosanneCash,andBilly JoeShaver, thegatheringreinforcedwhy somany artists formerlydefined as rock, blues, bluegrass orother styles are now stepping underAmericana’sgrowingumbrella. No gain comes without sacrifice,however; at AMA, both access andintimacyhavebecomehardertoachieve.Showcases boasting big names now fill

sofast,gettinginrequiresliningupfarinadvance. Events such as Country MusicHall of Fame and Museum interview/performance sessions with legendsShaver, Marty Stuart and Ry Cooderrequire reservations.Andthereareearlysigns of South By Southwest syndrome:the condition in which invited marqueeacts suck attention from artists whostill need the exposure. But there arealso more events such as the annualAmericanarama party at Grimey’s New& Pre-lovedMusic, where artits like IanMcLaganandMikeFarriscanbeheardinlow-pressure, cool-hang environments.(LoneStarMusichosteditsowndaypartyatanotherrecordstore,TheGroove.) Butthesingleeventthatspeaksmostdirectly to Americana as both a musicalgenre and ideology — and remains oneof the best nights ofmusic in any genre— is the Americana Honors & Awardsshow. Held in the Ryman Auditorium, itnever fails toprovidebothheartwarmingand electrifying moments — the kindthat make, and crown, careers. JasonIsbell, the night’s big winner with Artist,Song (“CoverMeUp”) andAlbumof the

Year (Southeastern) honors, confessedthat writing the winning song’s nakedlyvulnerable lyrics and singing them to hiswife, fiddler Amanda Shires, was one ofthehardestthingshe’severdone.“Dothethingsthatscareyou,”Isbelladvised. Duo/Group of the Year winners theMilk Carton Kids, who should be hiredimmediately if emcee Jim Lauderdaleever retires,mesmerizedwith their song“SnakeEyes,” thencapturedboththe joyandtollofthemusicallifewhenJoeyRyannoted that being compelled to travel to“godforsakencornersofthiscontinentandothers”toplaymusicforanyonewhowilllistenoftenmeansleavingfamiliesbehind.“Every time we appear before you,” hesaid,“it’sbecausetheyletusgo.” SturgillSimpsontookEmergingArtistoftheYearinatightcompetitionthatallowedforknockoutperformancesbyValerieJune,HurrayfortheRiffRaff,ParkerMillsap,andSt.Paul&theBrokenBones.InstrumentalistoftheYearwent,forthefifthtime,tohouseband leader (and eight-time nominee)Buddy Miller, who admitted, “I can’t tellyouhowfoolish I feelacceptinganawardfromVinceGill,beingonstagewith[house

bandmate]RyCooder.” Butit’stheaccoladesforlegendsthatmakethisnightsospecial.Watchingatearescape accordionist Flaco Jimenez’s eyeas he accepted his LifetimeAchievementfor Instrumentalist Award from Cooderand hearing Lifetime Achievement forSongwriting honoree Loretta Lynn sing“CoalMiner’s Daughter” 54 years to theday after shefirst appearedon that verystagewereemotionalmoments.SowastheSpiritofAmericana/FreeSpeech inMusicAward presentation to Jackson Browne,who noted, “It’s part of the Americancharactertosaywhatyoubelieve.” Lifetime Achievement for Perform-ancehonoree TajMahal stole the show,however, first by saying, “This is one ofthemostpowerfulandwonderful thingsthatcouldeverhappeninmylife,”thenbyhisNationalSteeldeliveryof“StatesboroBlues.” [Even the band applauded, andRobertPlant,walkingonstagetoperformwith ex-girlfriend Patty Griffin, declared,“Thatwasamazing.”] As he presented the posthumousPresident’s Award to Jimmie Rodgers,Marty Stuart held the railroad lamp

entrustedtohimbyRodgers’estateandsaid,“Sometimeswhen I losemyway, Ijust light it and I look into it, and I cansee thepast, present and the futureofAmericanmusic.” Witnessing artists young and oldgather at AMA each year fills one withthe sense that the proverbial circle

encompassing America’s musical past,present and future will indeed remainunbroken, as long as they keep findingwaystopourtheirheartsintooursouls. (Highlights from the Americana Honors and Awards show will be shown on ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival2014, airing on PBS Nov. 22.)

Americana’sbestandbrightest:(fromleft)SarahJarosz,whoseBuild Me Up From BoneswasoneofthenomineesforAlbumoftheYearattheAmericanaHonors&Awardsshow,heldSept.17attheRymanAuditoriuminNasvhille;ValerieJune,nominatedforEmergingArtistoftheYear;SturgillSimpsonwithhisEmergingArtistoftheYearaward;LifetimeAchievementforPerformancehonoreeTajMahal;TexaslegendBillyJoeShaverathisofficialAmericanaFestshowcase;AlejandroRose-Garcia,akaShakeyGraves,whopackedtheBasementforhisshowcase;(below)TripleCrownwinnerJasonIsbell,whonabbedawardsforAlbum,Song,andArtistoftheYear.(PhotosbyLynneMargolis)

15th bir thday


Feb. 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014

“[Johnny]isrightlyknownasabluesmaster,buthewasanall-around

phenomenalmusician.Hewasamanonamissiontoshowtheworldwhathecoulddo.”—JonParis

Johnny Winter

ByRobPatterson

Onefeels justatwingeofguilt tosay there is an upside to the passingof some significant musical artists.But the recent death of Texas bluesguitar wizard Johnny Winter on July16at70yearsoldmakesthecasethatwhen influential musicians long outof the mainstream spotlight departthis earthly realm, it can and doeshelpreassertwhytheymatterandtheimpacttheyhadonpopularmusic. It’s not totally like “you had tobe there” to understand. But whenWinter emerged fromTexas onto theinternational music scene in the late

1960s, whitem u s i c i a n s playing bluesguitar for arockaudiencewas stills ome t h i n grather newsince thee m e r g e n c e of blues-i n f l u en c edBritish rock

bandsliketheRollingStones,Animalsand Yardbirds a few years before.Guitarists like Winter, Eric Clapton,JeffBeck andMikeBloomfielduppedthe ante with their fleet-fingeredextended workouts and fiery tone.What distinguished Winter was howfully-steepedhis styleandsoundwasin genuine blues and the ferocity of

his musical attack. Even the highly-regardedBloomfield,who learnedhiscrafton theSouthSideofChicago—ground zero for black urban blues—hailedWinterasthebestofthewhitebluesplayers. Winter leapt to fame in 1968by bringing a crackling intensityto the electric blues canon withthe independent Progressive Blue Experiment, recorded at Austin’slegendary Vulcan Gas Companynightclubonanightitwasclosed.Hefolloweditlightningquickin1969withhis self-titled major label debut onColumbia Records, for which he waspaidareportedlythen-unprecedented$600,000advance.BothJohnny Winter and Second Winter, a three-sided LPreleased later that sameyear,provedhe could translate theblues traditioninto a rock ’n’ roll mode. A Rolling Stone coverstoryandhisappearanceatWoodstock helpedmakeWinter astarthroughthe1970s. Born in Beaumont in 1944, bothJohnnyandyoungerbrotherEdgarwereencouragedinmusicbytheirparents.“An albino in ever-so-conservativeBeaumont was going to stand out,”says noted music photographerStephanie Chernikowski, who wentto the same schools as Winter, whowasafewyearsyoungerthanher,andfirstheardhimplaywhen shewas inhighschool.Shesaysthatevenfromayoungage,“theWinterbrotherswereknownasaccomplishedmusiciansandrecognizedas‘others’inacommunity

thatwasnotfondofothers.” Jon Paris, a skilled blues guitaristand songwriter himself who playedbass with Winter throughout the1980s, recalls Winter talking aboutfeelingostracizedas a youth. “Johnnytoldme how he and Edgar were justtreatedlikecrapinschool,”Parissays.WhereWinterdidfindacceptancewas,ironically, in Beaumont’s black musicclubshebegantofrequentasateen. He’dobviouslylearnedhislessonsthere well when Chernikowski heardhim again in Austin in the mid ’60s.“He’d come a long way, and he wasawesome,”sherecalls.AWintershowthiswritersawinNewYorkCityinthelate’70swasnotonlystunningforhissearing guitarwork-outs, but also forhowheperformedwithsuchintensitythat at the end of the show, soakedin sweat, Winter had to be all butcarried offstage by his roadmanager.He literallygaveeverythinghehadtoplayinghismusic. “He was just a well of musicalknowledge,”notesParis.“Heisrightlyknownasabluesmaster,buthewasan all-around phenomenal musician.Hewasamanonamissiontoshowtheworldwhathecoulddo.” Dropped from Columbia afterhis last record for the company in1980,Wintercarriedonrecordingforthe independent Alligator label andconsistentlytouring.“AllofusaroundJohnny whenI was working withhiminthe

In Memoriam

cont. on page 77

PhotobyJo

hnCarric

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INSIDE THE AMERICANAMUSIC TRIANGLE: (from top): John Hiatt, Patty Griffin with LutherDickinson,andParkerMillsapsharingtheAmericanaExperienceinFranklin,Tenn.(AllphotosbyLynneMargolis)

Being Alejandro Escovedo’s managercan’t be the easiest job even on gooddays. The guy’s got his finger in somanypots that trying to figure out which onesneed stirring could make anyone’s headspin.Oneminute,he’sreleasinganewEP,Below the Pink Pony, as amemberof thepost-punksupergrouptheFauntleroys.Thenext,he’s touringwithPeterBuck.Or JoeEly.Or the reunitedTrueBelievers.Orhisregular band, the Sensitive Boys & Girls.Orhe’swritingsongswithChuckProphet.Or arranging all-star projects like the LouReedtributethatrivaledLadyGaga’sshowasoneof thehottesteventsat thisyear’sSouthBySouthwest. And then there are the not-so-good days. Shortly before Pony’s mid-September release on Plowboy Records,Escovedo slipped in a tub and had tocancel some shows. That, however, wasnothing compared to his honeymoonhurricane experience, a harrowing near-death encounter with a category 4 beastthat devastated Mexico’s Baja Peninsula,where he and new bride Nancy Rankin

were visiting friends following their Sept.6 wedding. Manager Jan Stabile had tointervene to help them get home aftertheyspentdaysinhard-coresurvivalmode,stranded, as civil unrest set in amid theruins. (Their plans had included joiningBuck at his home in Todos Santos, butHurricaneOdile—thestrongest-evertohitthepeninsula—ravagedthevillage.) Whentheygothome,Escovedojumpedinto rehearsals for a British Invasion-themedconcertbenefitingAustin’sHealthAlliance for Austin Musicians, featuringEricBurdonandtheAnimals,theZombiesandotherluminaries.Butbeforeallofthat(exceptforthefallinthetub),EscovedoandFauntleroysbandmateIvanJuliandiscussedtheirmusicalexcursion—andreportedthebandwasalreadyplottingafollow-uptheirdebutEP’ssix-songenergyblast.LikeBelow the Pink Pony,thenextFauntleroysalbumalsowill likelyberecordedatNYHed,theEastVillagestudioco-ownedbyJulian,bestknownastheguitaristinpunkbandRichardHell & the Voidoids. There’s no timetableyet, but they and fellow Fauntleroys

conspirators Nicolas Tremulis and LindaPitmonhavealreadywrittenmorematerial. All veteran road dogs, they’re adeptat working on the fly. Julian’s credits alsoinclude the Clash, Matthew Sweet andShriekback, aswell as his own bands, theOutsetsandLovelies;hestartedhiscareeras a touring guitarist for the Foundations(whocraftedthe infectiouspophits“BuildMe Up Buttercup” and “Baby, Now ThatI’ve Found You”). Chicago-based guitaristTremulis is the longtime leader of theNicholas Tremulis Band and NicholasTremulis Orchestra. Pitmon drums behindhusbandSteveWynn in theMiracle3andthe Baseball Project (which also featuresR.E.M. vets Buck and Scott McCaughey).Escovedo,of course,beganas apunker intheNunsbeforedippingintocowpunkwithRank&Fileandballs-out rock ’n’ rollwiththeTrueBelievers.He’salsohadalongandstoriedsolocareer.TheFauntleroy’sBelow the Pink Pony,however,markstheseasonedrocker’srecordingdebutasabassist. “Actually, we all wanted to play bassand leteverybodyelseplayguitar— that

sumsupthemood,”notesJulian.“ButI’llsay this about Alejandro’s bass playing:He’sreally instinctive.Hecomesupwiththeselinesthatjustmakethesongwork.” AllfourplayerscametotheFauntleroysat a point in their lives at which theyvalue collaboratingmore than spotlight-grabbing. “The thing about this record thatimpressesme,” Juliancontinues,“is thatitdoesn’tseemlikealotoftheseprojectswhere there’s four separatewriters andthe band goes here or there to supportthe writer. There’s really a commonthread that goes through this record. Itsoundslikeoneband.” Escovedo is equally effusive, sayingthe group effort “brought out themostintenseversionofourNewYorkthatweknow,fromthemid-tolate-70s,whenwealllivedthere.” It’sasoundthatEscovedosaysJulianhelped create with Voidoids bandmateRobert Quine. Asked to define it, Juliansays,“It’stheimmediacyofthestreets. “There’ssomuchimpetuscomingatyou from all directions, even in today’stameNewYork,whenyougooutonthestreets,” he explains. “That affects the

wayyouwriteand thewayyouplay. …Things are just happening 10 times asecond,andsometimesyougetup in it.There’sasoundtothat.” Maybe that explains the lyric, “Iwas watching the crowd, trying tomakeitbleed,”inthesong,“I’minLovewith Everything.” As conveyed on theEP and in performances such as theirSXSW-closing outing at the ContinentalClub, it’s best defined as the sound ofcontrolledcacophony. Julianattributestherecordedversion,atleast,totheuseof“archaic”tubepre-amps and actual tape. “My own solorecord, The Naked Flame, also has thatsound,”he says. “That’swhat convincedthem. When they heard The Naked Flame, theythought, ‘wewant tosoundlike that.’Basically,it’sjustrecordingraw,onto tape, through tubes. And using aminimalamountofreverb.” There’salsosomethingtobesaidfortheimmediacyoftheirprocess. “The studio was right underneaththePinkPonyrestaurant,”Escovedosays.“We just wrote and recorded.We’d geta trackgoingandthenNickand Iwouldgoupstairsandfinishthelyricsovercups

of coffee and go back down and recordfromthere.Bythetimeweleft,wehadallthosesongs.Itwasawesome.” As for heading in so many musicaldirections at once, Escovedo says it allboils down tohaving fun. “I don’t knowwhat to say,” he adds, “other than, ifyou’re gonna be amusician, you shouldplayallthetime.”

Meet The Fauntleroys

HurricanesurvivorAlejandroEscovedoteamswithfriendsIvanJulian,NicolasTremulisandLindaPitmontorevisithispunkrootsandchannelthe“immediacyofthestreets”

ByLynneMargolis

♠

Punksinlove(witheverything):TheFauntleroys,fromleft,areNicholasTremulis,AlejandroEscovedo,IvanJulian,andLindaPitmon.PhotobyJeffFasano


♠

How well do you remember yourfirstgigatCheathamStreet? Jesse Sublett: We had a buzzgoing for some reason … maybe astory had just come out. We gotgood press in the University Star.Weplayedthereanditwaspacked.Iremembervividlytakinghomelike$900 after Kent’s take and I doubtwechargedmorethantwobucks. Irememberreallywellbecausethereweren’t a lot of places paying thatkind of money on the door. It wasgreat and we made decent moneylaterbutneverthatmuchagain.Weprobablyplayedadozen,twodozenshowsatCheathamStreet. Jon Dee Graham: Kent neverseemed to differentiate between usandanyotherrockbandsthatwouldcome through Cheatham Street. Hewouldnevertalkdowntous.Hegaveus great nights. Hewould hang outwithusandtalk.Itwassoweirdbe-causeTexaswassopolarizedbetweenthe cosmic country culture and thepunkrock.JoeElyhadnotyetplayedwiththeClash,sotherewasnomeld-ingofthecultures.ButweneverfeltanythingfromKentexceptthisopenarmed,“Yeah,comeplay.”

DidKent sayhe likedanyoriginalsinparticular?Sublett:WeplayedallourhitsatCheatham Street: “Gimme Some,”“CheapGirl,”“SomethingAboutYouScaresMe.” I rememberKent liking“Something About You ScaresMe,”which was one the earliest songs Iwrote for the Skunks. It’s basicallyabout a dim-witted friend of BelaLugosiasDracula,thedim-wittakingfourversesof thesong toput italltogether thathe’savampire: “Yourskin is a little toowhite/Is it ’causeyou only go out at night?/You’rericher thanaRockefeller/Thenhowcomeyou’resleepinginacellar?”

Describe the common ground youguyssharedwithKent. Graham:Honestly,Ithinkitwasthat Jesse grewup in JohnsonCity,Billy Blackmon grew up in Beevilleand I grew up on the border. WewereallguyswhogrewupintheselittleTexastownsandinsomeweirdwayIthinkitwasanavuncularthing,likehewasthisuncletakingusunderhiswingandgivingusaplacetoplay. Sublett: A lot of people whoweren’tpartofthatscenewouldn’tlike us because we weren’t tryingto be in the scene, [but] we knewthat we hadn’t just bought guitarsbecausewe’djustheardtheSexPis-tols and we were mad or political.Wejustwantedtoplaymusic.Kentwas an anomaly tome.Hewas re-allysweetandeasygoingandI justlovetheguy.You’dthinkitwouldn’tbehiscupofteaatall,butKentjustlikedthebandandhewouldn’tjustpaymeandI’dleave:wetalkedafterthegigs for awhile. That’s anotherreasonIlikehim:He’sreallygenuine.

Yethe’snotreallyknownasapunkrockpromoter.Graham:Iwouldn’tsayhe’sknownforpromotingpunkrock,butlookatallthestuffToddSniderhasdone.Hepushed the boundaries of the sing-er-songwriter thing as far as he cango. Several of his records are prettyavant-gardeasfarassinger-songwrit-erthingsgoandKentlovedhim.Ijustthink Kent is a really open-minded,open-heartedfellowwhotookanin-terest inus.Hecouldsensethatwewere testing boundaries and seeinghowfarwecouldgo.There’snothingmore outlaw than that. Kent Finlaylikespeoplewhofuckwiththerules.

For more information on KentFinlay:Dreamer, visit the book’s website at www.kentfinlaydreamer.com

Black Fret Mentor Spotlight: Kevin WommackByLynneMargolis

Resurrecting the artist-salon model tofoster career development in Austin’s musiccommunity,thenonprofitBlackFretorganizationwas founded to support creative growth in thepost-record-labelera.FoundedbyColinKendrickand Matt Ott, who created the Austin MusicFoundation, Black Fret offers mentorship andcash grants to artists selected by dues-payingmembers and industry advisors; in return,members receive opportunities to hear topAustintalentsperformatintimate,privateeventsandtakepartinfosteringtheirfutures.Thegroupwillannounceitsfirst10grantwinnersatitsBlackFretBall,Nov.8atAustin’sParamountTheater. TolearnmoreabouttheroleofBlackFretmentors, LoneStarMusic spoke with KevinWommack,ownerofPlayinginTrafficRecordsand Loophole Management, whose artistroster includes Los LonelyBoys, theDunwellsandBenKweller.

HowdidyoufirstgetinvolvedwithBlackFret? When Colin came and toldme about BlackFret,IthinkImighthavebeenthefirstmentor—I’mtoreallysure,butitjustseemedlikeagreatidea.SomethingthatchampionsmusiciansintheAustinareaishardtocomeby.Especiallywhenitcomestorealdollarsandopportunityandthingslike that. It’s certainly put a positive focus onmusicians.…Theybasicallycametomeandsaid,“What do you think of this? Do you think thatthisisagoodidea?”Ithoughtitwasfantasticandneeded, and I just really like their enthusiasm;they’reputtingalotofeffortintothisthathelpsthepeopleIcaredeeplyabout.

HowdoesBlackFretmentorshipwork? It’sevolving.Wehadoneeventwhereallthenominatedmusiciansmetwithpossiblementors,and theneverybodygota chance tomeet. Thatwas really fun. Then it’s putting together howmanypeoplewantyoutomentorthem;you’renotreallyworkingforthem,butit’samatterofhowtogivethemadvice.It’shavingpeopleintheindustrybeabletojamwiththemonwhattheyshoulddoandhowtheyshouldlookat[theircareer]. For the 20 nominated artists, it’s a greatopportunity. Ultimately, 10 of them get cash,but all of them benefit. Not only do you get

mentorship from real producers, real bookingagents, real, vital people, you’re also playingthese Black Fret events, getting paid to playprivategigsforpeople[you]probablyneverhadaccess to before. You’re getting a whole newcrowdwhoactuallywanttochampionmusic,goandseelivemusic,andwillbuyyourCDs.That’sphenomenalfortheartist.

Do you see this as a replacement for artistdevelopmentbylabels? Unless you’re an independent label likePlaying InTraffic,doing itold-school, there isn’tartistdevelopment.Itreallydoestakethatplace.Ithinkitcanreallydosomemajorthingsforsomeoftheseartists.It’sallabouthowtheyrespondtotheadvice—notthattheyhavetodoeverything.Butit’sallaboutconnectingdotsinyourcareer.

The long-term goal is to create an endowedinstitution that provides $25,000 grants to 15artistsayear.Arethereenoughwillinginvestorsheretodothat? It’s already happening. We’re over 150already.Thefirstgrantroundisalreadypaidfor.Andsomanypeoplearegettingexcited.

Canthisconceptworkelsewhere? It can. It will, because you have a certainelementof society that really championsmusic,buttheydon’tknowhowtodothat.[This]opensthedoorforthesepeopletogotoprivateeventstoseeartistswhoarereallybubblingup.It’snotonly curating, it’s discovering, it’s developing,and it makes everybody excited about thepossibilities. And that’s what moves thingsforward.Makingarecordindependently,howdoyoubreakthroughthemorassthat’soutthere?That’s where this is helpful, to put a spotlighton people. The only problem is that somedon’twingrants.Mostofthesepeoplebecamemusicians because they weren’t very good atsports,sowinningandlosingisnotusuallypartof their process. But they’re winning somuch:opportunities;newfans;they’rewinningdollarsbecausethey’replayingeventsandgettingpaid.It’snotlikesomebodyloses.

Whatdomentorsgetoutofit? Being able to hang with these people andgettoknowthemonapersonalandprofessionalbasis, it’sbeengreat,becausewe’reallworkingout; we’re exporters. So to get to know ourcommunity, from attorneys to producers thatI didn’t know orworkwith before, to publicitypeopleorwhoever,beingabletojusthang,it’sareallycoolthing.

PhotobyJeremyFrechette

GIMMESoME!

ReunitedSkunksJonDeeGrahamandJesseSublettrecalltheirCheathamStreetdays

ByBrianT.Atkinson

Legendary Austin punk band the Skunks frequently played at San Marcos’ Cheatham Street Warehouse during their early 1980s heyday. Owner Kent Finlay recognized a spark few other Lone Star state clubs could. “At that time in Texas, there were a limited number of places a punk rock band could play,” recalls guitarist Jon Dee Graham, who post Skunks would go on to join the True Believers and eventually launch his own solo career. “You had Raul’s in Austin, DJ’s in Dallas, Paradise Island in Houston and Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos. The punk rock thing was so new and people were so unclear on what it was about.” Answer: Punk was about combustibility. Accordingly, the Skunks imploded after five fiery years. However, the group’s most celebrated lineup — Graham, Jesse Sublett (vocals, bass), and Bill Blackmon (drums) — recently reunited at the Woodshed in San Marcos to record a new original song. “The Boy from Armageddon” will appear on a companion disc with the forthcoming book, KentFinlay:Dreamer (Texas A&M University Press), co-written by Jenni Finlay (Kent’s daughter) and Brian T. Atkinson. Plans are also in the works for a Skunks reunion show at Cheatham Street sometime in the not too distant future, though a date has yet to be set. Here, Atkinson talks with Graham and Sublett about their history with Finlay and playing at his landmark Texas music venue.

JesseSublettandJonDeeGrahamoftheSkunks.PhotobyBrainT.Atkinson

♠


NEW & RECENT RELEASESon the LoneStarMusic radar

Sept.9RyanAdams, Ryan AdamsJustinTownesEarle, Single MothersDrewKennedy, Sad Songs Happily PlayedRobertPlant, lullaby … and the Ceaseless RoarBobCheevers, On Earth As It is In Austin

Sept.16GeorgeStrait, The Cowboy Rides AwayMicky&theMotorcars, Hearts From AboveTheFauntleroys, Below the Pink Pony EPVariousArtists,DeadMan’sTown: A Tribute to Springsteen’s Born in the USA

Sept.23Lee Ann Womack, The Way I’m Livin’GaryClarkJr., LiveTweedy,SukieraeMarcia Ball, The Tattooed Lady and the Alligator Man

Sept.30LucindaWilliams, Down Where the Spirit Meets the BoneSonsofBill,Love & LogicRayJohnstonBand, No Bad Days

october7ShakeyGraves,And the War CameHalKetchum,I’m the TroubadourBelaFleck&AbigailWashburn, Bela Fleck & Abigail WashburnJacksonBrowne, Standing In the BreachShelbyLynne, I Am Shelby Lynne [Deluxe CD/DVD reissue]

october14JoshAbbottBand,Tuesday Night EPDirtyRiverBoys, Dirty River BoysAngaleena Presley, American Middle ClassXMas-Men, Santa Is Real

october21KimberlyDunn,Forever On the Run

october28WadeBowen,Wade BowenStoneyLaRue, AviatorHardWorkingAmericans,The First Waltz

Nov4AdamHood,Welcome to the Big WorldRonnieFauss, Built to BreakBobDylan, The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11

Nov17Old97’s, Hitchhike to Rhome (reissuew/bonustracks)

Januay13CodyCanadaandtheDeparted, Hippielovepunk

February10RobertEarlKeen,Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions

Bluegrassalbum,ChristmassurprisecomingfromRobertEarlKeen&family

Get ready to break out the confettiagain:OnFeb.10,AmericanaiconandLoneStarMusicHallofFamerRobertEarlKeenwillreleasehisfirstnewalbuminfouryears, Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions, on Dualtone Records. Keen describes the15-trackalbum(whichwillalsobeavailableina20-song“deluxe”versiononline)ashis“love postcard to bluegrass,” a style he’sbeen a devout aficionado of going all thewayback tohiscollegedaysplaying inhisfirstband. “I’vealwaysfelt likethegenesisofmysongwriting comes from my lifelong loveof bluegrass,” says Keen,who for the firsttimeinhislongcareerrecordedonlycoversfor the album. Recorded at the Zone inDripping Springswith LloydMaines at theproduction helm,Happy Prisoner featuresKeen’s full band — Rich Brotherton onguitar, Bill Whitbeck on stand-up bass,

MartyMuseondobro,andTomVanSchaikonpercussion—alongwithDannyBarnesofBadLiversfameonbanjo,SaraWatkinsofNickelCreekonfiddle,andKymWarneroftheGreencards onmandolin. Additionally,bluegrass legend Peter Rowan is on handtohelpintroduceacoverofhisownsong,“WallsofTime,”NatalieMainessingsonthetraditional“WayfaringStranger,”andKeen’soldA&MchumLyleLovettpopsinforaduetwithhimonJimmieRodgers’“TForTexas.”(Prediction: Get ready ready to hear thatone a lotonTexasandAmericanaradioall2015-long.) Happy Prisoner may still be a fewmonths from release, but Keen fans haveplentytolookforwardtobetweennowandthen.RobertEarlKeen’sHoneyPils,hisveryowncraftbeermadebytheFredericksburg-basedPedernalesBrewingCo.andunveiledat San Antonio’s Alamo Ice House in midOctober,isdueinstoresinDecember,rightaround the time Keen kicks off his annualround of wildly popular Christmas shows.Thisyear’srunbeginsDec.9atSanAntonio’sTobin Center for the Performing Arts, with

additionalstopsinMidland(12/11),Mission(12/17), Corpus Christi (12/18), Austin(12/19),Galveston(12/20),Houston(12/26),Dallas(12/27),andFortWorth(12/28).TerriHendrix opens the San Antonio, Midland,Houston,DallasandFortWorthdates,whileAndreaDavidsondoesthehonorsinMission,Corpus,Austin,andGalveston. Asanaddedtreat,alloftheChristmasshows will also feature a short opening-opening set by the XMas-Men — akaBrotherton, Whitbeck, Muse, and VanSchaik— performing an instrumental mixof holiday favorites featuredon their ownbrandnewalbum,Santa Is Real. Availableat the Christmas shows as well as atKeen’s website, RobertEarlKeen.com, andLoneStarMusic.com, the festive CD boastsboth Louvin Brothers (and bad Christmassweater)-inspiredalbumartandacoverofKeen’s“MerryChristmasfromtheFamily.”—RICHARDSKANSE

Ho-Ho-Hold tHe banjo!

Billy Joe Shaver may still considerhimself just an “old chunk of coal,” butthe quality of artists who turned out topay tribute to the old five-and-dimer forhis 75th birthday celebration at Austin’sParamountTheateronSept.24provesthatthesongshe’sspunarealreadyastreasuredasthemostpreciousdiamonds. AsfellowoutlawtroubadourRayWylieHubbard observed, the consistent factorin the progressive countrymovementwas,and is, Shaver writing great songs thatsongwriters should study. Following thatlead,relativenewcomerJasonEadyadmittedthat when he writes a new song, he asks

himself,“WouldIplaythisforBillyJoe?” In addition to Hubbard and Eady,other artists on hand to salute the greatoutlaw poet (whowas born Aug. 16, 1939in Corscicana, Texas) were fellow AustinMusicHall of Fame inductee (or, as Shaverallegedly put it, “indictee”) Joe Ely, whomasterfullycoveredShaver’s“LiveForever,”and Crooks, a young, bearded-and-braidedAustin band whose rollicking horn sectionand back-bending accordion player hadfolksattheParamountdancingintheaisles.James McMurtry claimed that his newest(yettobereleased)songwas“themostBillyJoe Shaver song I’ve ever written because

I wrote it when I was a little drunk and awhole lotpissedoff.” Inthe introductiontohis stunning a cappella version of Shaver’s“StarinmyHeart,”JoePuggsaid,“IfyouarelisteningMr.Shaver,Ipracticedrealhard.” Shaverhimself,whoplayed,prayedandproselytizedhiswaythroughthesecondset,wasindeedlisteningandwasclearlytouchedby the efforts. “I love all these guys whowereuphereplayingallmysongsbyheart,”he enthused. “I don’t know, maybe I’m inHeaven!”—TIFFANYWALKER

sHaver saluted at 75tH birtHday celebration in austin

barligHt: cHarlie robison & friends open alamo ice House

Charlie “Good Times” Robison wasn’tabout to let a little bad weather spoil hisparty. “Shit happens, rain’s gonna fall,” hesaidofthelongoverdueSanAntoniodown-pouronSept.26,whichhappenedtobethesame night he was celebrating the grandopening of his newly opened Alamo IceHouse on the corner of North Alamo and8th Avenue. When the rain ruled out us-ing the the outdoor stage and large patioarea, Robison (aka the bar’s “MusicGuy”)andhisthreepartners—“SportsGuy”andformerMLBpitcherBrooksKieschnik,“Res-taurantGuy”JeffFuchsand“BBQguy”Ja-

mieGonzalez— justmoved the festivitiesinside. And with plenty of cold beer andBBQ sandwiches and tacos to go around—plus livemusic fromPaulineReeseandRobison himself— nobody crammed intothe joint seemed to be complaining. TheAlamoIceHouse isnowopenforbusinessseven days aweek, and odds are itwon’tbe long before Robison starts booking asteady stream of his famous Texas musicfriends to help him break in that outdoorstage—weatherpermitting,ofcourse.Formore info, visit www.alamoicehouse.com. —TARASTAGLIK PhotobyTaraStaglik


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When Bruce Springsteen re-leased Born in the U.S.A. 30yearsago,he’dalreadyblown up big nine years

earlier with Born to Run. But this al-bum, fueled byMTV videos depicting apumped-upeverymanatthepeakofhisvirility delivering audience-energizinganthems,wouldcatapulthimintostadi-um-filling stardom. Evenhewasn’t pre-paredforthesuccessofwhatwouldbe-come one of the biggest-selling albumsin history, spawning seven top-10 hitsandrenderinganyremaininganonymityhehadobsolete. NorwasSpringsteenpreparedforthefact that his songs’ meanings would beburiedinaseaofbeer-soakedconcertgo-ersmoreeagertodancethanthink (notto mention the re-election campaign ofa president he didn’t support). Brucehad built a reputation as our chroniclerof seekers, believers, impetuous youth—and luckless, downtrodden souls. Butdespite its arena-rock rhythms and al-legedoptimism,Born in the U.S.A. again examined the despair his charactersfound in a country starting its decline;thepromisesunfulfilled,thelongings,thepassionunsated—or theconsequencesif it was. Springsteen has since worked

hardtoclarifyhismessages,evenshush-ingaudiencestodeliverthetitlesongasa 12-string acoustic bottleneck-blues la-ment,fullofthefesteringangerandfrus-tration his poor, PTSD-worn protagonistcouldn’tescape. This is the mood captured on Dead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Born in the U.S.A., Lightning Rod Records’masterful30th-anniversary recasting of the iconic1984release. “It was ready for a re-imagination,”says co-executive producer Evan Schlan-sky,thejournalistandmusicianwhocon-ceivedtheprojectandtookittoLightningRod’s LoganRogers.Though they soughtoutpre- andpost-BabyBoomer Springs-teen contemporaries such asNeil YoungandEddieVedder,theylandedarosterofsecond-generation fans that actually ful-fills their visionmore completely.Unlikethose who watched Bruce rise to fame,they’reinformedbydifferentsensibilities;asmembersofAmerica’sfirstgenerationwho couldn’t expect more prosperitythan their parents achieved, they offerthe stark clarity Springsteen’s ‘80s ver-sionsdon’tfullyconvey. Take the title tune, rendered byAmanda Shires and her husband, newlycrownedAmericanakingJasonIsbell(win-

neroftheAmericanaMusicAssociation’s2014Album,SongandArtistof theYearawards). Their elegiac version, contain-ingonlyhisvoiceandstrummedacousticguitar and her bone-cutting, minor-keyfiddle, is truly haunting. Producer DaveCobb,whoalsoproduced Isbell’s laudedSoutheastern album, made sure there’snocool-rockin’daddylurkinganywhereinitsvastemptiness. As Rogers notes, Justin Townes Ear-le’s fingerpicking on “Glory Days” res-cues it from its sports-bar incarnationandrestores itto its folkorigins,etchingits desperationwith an insight borne ofunfortunate experience. New Jersey’sNicoleAtkinsgives“DancingintheDark”—tracked inAsburyPark—apowerful,quietlyeerie reading,andRyanCulwell’sgruff Southern drawl fully evokes thesadness of a friendship torn asunder on“BobbyJean.” Blitzen Trapper, the Apache Relay,HollyWilliams,TrampledByTurtles,LowandFortWorth’sQuakerCityNighthawksalso deliver mostly stripped-down orrootsy versions that conjure Nebraska’sspare,darktones—manyofthesesongsstarted out as tracks for that album —andtheWoodyGuthriespiritunderlyingU.S.A.’s‘80s-rocksheen.

LikemanyfirstexposedtoSpring-steen via the U.S.A. onslaught,Schlansky’s Boss adorationwasn’t automatic. “Born in the

U.S.A. came out when I was 9 or 10,”recalls the former American Songwriter magazine managing editor. “I quicklydecided that I hated Bruce Springsteen.… Iused tohear those songs,and Iwaslike, ‘WhoisthisBruceSpringsteenguy?He sings in this crazy, hoarse style, and‘BornintheU.S.A.’isthisrepetitivesong.’IwasmoreintoHueyLewisandGenesis,GeorgeMichael, BryanAdams, stuff likethat.Bruceseemedalmostlikeaparody.” ButasSchlanskyhitadolescence,hebondedovermusicwith his best friend,Matt. They latchedonto “Bruce Springs-teen lite”—Bon Jovi— then Schlanskydiscoveredoneofhisdad’smixtapesandheard“ThunderRoad”and“BorntoRun.”Hewastransformed. “I’dneverbeenmoreaffectedbymu-sic like that beforeor since,” he admits.“I remember I sheepishly toldMatt oneday, ‘I think Bruce Springsteen actuallyisn’t that bad,’ and he was like, ‘Yeah,dude,Iknow.’…Springsteenbecameourreligion—not inthatcollectorwaythatadults have … but in the original way,wheremusichitsyousohard,andit’sthesoundtracktoyourfirstloveandyourfirst

cigaretteandthefirsttimeyoudriveacar,anditdefineswhatyouwanttodowiththerestofyourlife.” When Springsteen gave his one-for-the-ages South By Southwest keynotespeech in 2012, he described that exactexperience,whichhesobrilliantlyencap-sulates in the “No Surrender” lyric, We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school. Schlansky ranks that song with hisaforementioned holy grails “in the pan-theonofmovingBruceSpringsteensongsthatwecanallrelateto.”OnDead Man’s Town,HollyWilliams’breathyvocalsandcommandingpresencegiveitanewdyna-mism;Schlanskylovestheideathatshe’scarryingamusicaltorchpassedfromhergrandfather,HankSr.,an idolofSprings-teen’s,aswellasthe“eversoslight”re-contextualization a woman’s voice givesthesong,alsoproducedbyCobb(asistheApacheRelay’sdramatic“CoverMe”). Lightning Rod’s Rogers says thatCobb, who became a Springsteen fanwhileworkingonthealbum,questionedearlyon“whowouldbecrazyenough”topick thetitle track.But Isbell andShiresgrabbeditbeforeanyoneelsesignedon;Trampled By Turtles,who often covered“I’mGoin’Down”live,werenext.Rogersfearedhavingonly12options,unlikehisHigh Cotton Alabamatribute,wouldmake

it tougher to get commitments, but herarelyevendidanymatch-making.NorthMississippi Allstars also picked whathe considered the perfect choice: “MyHometown.”NotingtheStonesyswaggerin Luther Dickinson’s vocals, Schlanskysays, “It’s like Bruce Springsteen meetsExile on Main Street.” He’s also fond ofthe Nighthawks’ Wilco-ish “DarlingtonCounty”cover. Austinite Joe Pug (originally fromChicago) claimed “Downbound Train,”transposing its famous guitar riff ontopiano,addingonlydrumsandchopped,backward-loopedharmonica.Brucehim-selfmighthavecreatedthisarrangementhad he written the tune today, Schlan-sky says; certainly, Springsteen adheresto theGuthriesquenotion that keepingsongsaliveincludesreinterpretingthemovertime. “Inalotofways,heinventedalotofwhatthejobofthemodernsinger-song-writeris,”saysPug. Rogers sees Springsteen’s oeuvre asthe classic-rock equivalent of the GreatAmerican Songbook. Dead Man’s Town, hesays,isanhomagetothatspirit—aswellastothemanwho’sstillteachinguslessonswecouldneverlearninschool.

Dead Man’s TownA new crop of students delivers lessons from the BossByLynneMargolis

CoverMe:SomeoftheartistsfeaturedonLightningRodRecord’sDead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Born in the U.S.A. include:(clockwisefromtopleft)BlitzenTrapper(“WorkingOntheHighway”);JoePug,(“DownboundTrain”);HollyWilliams(“NoSurrender”);Low(“I’mOnFire”);NicoleAtkins(“DancingIntheDark”);QuakerCityNighthawks(“DarlingtonCounty”);ApacheRelay(“CoverMe”)’;TrampledByTurtles(“I’mGoin’Down”);JustinTownesEarle(“GloryDays”);andNorthMississippiAllstars(“MyHometown”).PhotoscourtesyofShoreFireMedia.


Austin folk-blues upstart shakes free of the one-man-band tag, recruits helping hands for And the War CameBy Michael Hoinski

Alejandro Rose-Garcia was destined to be the one and only. In 2007, the Austin native, who grew up in an artist commune on South Congress Ave. and matriculated Austin High School a few years behind the blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., was living in Los Angeles and pursuing acting. He was making appearances on TV’s Friday Night Lights as the character “the Swede,” a lifeguard who was the fleeting object of desire for Coach Taylor’s daughter, Julie. One weekend, Alejandro jetted back home to Austin to catch some live music at the Old Settler’s Festival, unaware that his big break awaited him there on a different sort of stage. While passing through the campgrounds, Alejandro and his buddies encountered a tripped-out hippie who randomly spewed gibberish at them, ending with something about “spooky wagons.” They laughed it off, giving each other their own goofy names, like “Spinster Jones,” “Solomon Doors,” and “Droopy Weiners.” Alejandro had been writing tunes in between auditions in L.A. and occasionally playing them to friends in private, but on the night of this serendipitous encounter, he lost his inhibition, grabbed his guitar, and

crashed a song circle, playing for a crowd for the first time. One really drunk guy came up afterwards and enthusiastically asked him, “What’s your name, man?” Alejandro was surprised by the reaction. After giving a brief thought to the run-in with the hippie, he declared, “I’m Shakey Graves.” That christening and trial by campfire set the actor on the fast track to becoming one of the most-buzzed about homegrown Austin musicians since, well, Gary Clark, Jr. In 2011, he self-released his Shakey Graves debut, Roll the Bones, an enchanting, low-fi blues-folk collection featuring Alejandro playing all of the instruments. Despite giving it away essentially for free online through Bandcamp’s no-minimum, “name your own price” model, he netted big returns, including around 60,000 downloads and, more importantly, a rising national reputation for having the ability to fingerpick with precision an archtop guitar while simultaneously stomping with fury a kick drum embedded into a suitcase. “That little bit of time that it takes to find that album on the Internet, and the sort of mystery of it, I feel kind of played into a story that helped people really, like, come to Shakey Graves,” Alejandro, 27, says. “I feel like everyone that found it literally felt a little bit like they discovered it.” The album and raves for his dynamic performances earned Shakey Graves slots at Pickathon, the Newport Folk Festival, South by Southwest, and, most recently, the Americana Music Festival. As momentum swelled in advance of his highly anticipated sophomore album, And the War

Shakey Graves

ArtistProfiles

PhotobyKirK

Stewart

Came, Alejandrowasdestined tobringthe one-man band to themainstream.That doesn’t mean one-man band inthe senseofabedroomtechno-wizardwho manufactures sounds. Alejandrowasaone-manband inapurer sense:a singer and multi-instrumentalist inthe busker style, sweating through hiswhite tank-top undershirt and Stetsoncowboy hat for enough money tobuy his next meal. And then “DearlyDeparted,” the first single, came outin July, in advance of the new album’sOct. 7 release, and it was a … duet. “Ineverreallysetout tobeaone-manband,”Alejandroinsists.“Thatwasjust themost effectiveway to presentmymusictopeopleanditsortofturnedinto its own thing. I really felt like thisis a crucial pivot point and if I didn’tmakethechangenow,itwouldbealothardertodigmyselfoutlater.Thestoryofthisalbumismeremindingmyself,orrediscovering,thatIneverreallywantedtodothisaloneanyway.” That rite-of-passage theme is setwithAnd the War Came’slead-offtrack,“Only Son,” a tender number withAlejandro on acoustic guitar, singingabout relinquishinghis self-importanceatage10.Thatwastheyearhisparents,bothofwhomhadremarried,eachhad

a daughter with their new spouses,makinghimabigbrother. Musically, Alejandro’s realizationthatoneisperhapstheloneliestnumberfreed him up to allow others into hiscreativeprocess.AmongthemisAustin’sChris Boosahda, a drummerwho playslivewithAlejandroandco-producedthealbumwithhim.For“DearlyDeparted”— and two other songs, “Big TimeNashville Star” and “Call It Heaven”—Alejandro enlisted the Denver singerEsme Patterson. Alejandro had beentoying with the chorus to “DearlyDeparted,” walking around his emptyhouseinthewakeofabreak-up,singing,“You and I both know the house ishaunted/YouandIbothknowtheghostisme.”Later,whileinBoulder,Colo.,fora Halloween show at the Fox Theatre,AlejandroandEsme(whoseband,PaperBird,was sharing thebill)poundedoutadraftofthesongonthefrontporchofher house themorning of the gig, anddebuteditthatnight. “Dearly Departed” has a jaunty,handclap beat and an anthemic,singalong hook — hallmarks ofthe breakout hit “Ho Hey” by theLumineers. Maybe it’s easier to makethatassociationnowthatShakeyGraveshas signed to Dualtone Records, the

Nashville label responsible for takingplatinumtheLumineers’self-titleddebutalbum and for winning Texas stalwartGuyClarkhisfirstGrammyforhis2013album,My Favorite Picture of You. Alejandro originally thought itmight be better to independentlyrelease And the War Came,arelativelyebullient offeringwhose varietymakesit seem likehe is still trying tofindhisvoice. But theDualtone deal gave himthe best of both worlds: he had theautonomy to cultivate his own imagewhile also joining a musical familythat includes his friends, Cary AnnHearst and Michael Trent of Shovels& Rope, providing safety in numbers. “Ican’thelpbutrefertothiscareer,and the way that this lifestyle is, as…ananalogy I always comeback to iswarfare,” saysAlejandro,whotook thealbum’s title from President AbrahamLincoln’sSecondInauguralAddress. “WhenImeetotherpeoplewhoaredoingtheirthing,it’slikemeetinganotherbattalion.You’reallfightinginthesamebattlefields. There are similar ways todoit,buteveryonefightsdifferently.Attheendoftheday,itreallycomesdowntoyouandyour teamandyourallies.”

♦


Nov 2nd - Boot Campaign

Fundraiser featuring Aaron Lewis

Nov 6th - Dwight Yoakam

Nov 7th - Fred Eaglesmith

Nov 12th - Cody Johnson &

Kyle Park

NNov 14th - Josh Abbott Band plus

Casey Donahew Band

Nov 15th - Charlie Robison

Nov 21st - Wayne Hancock

Nov 22nd - Dirty River Boys plus

Crooks

Nov 26th - Reckless Kelly plus

Micky & the Motorcars and

Muzzie BraunMuzzie Braun

Nov 28th - Cory Morrow

14492 Old Bandera Road, Helotes, Texas

www.liveatfloores.com

ArtistProfiles

Finding the Promise of a New Day in the rootsoftraditionByj.poet

“Icomefromagospelfamily,”RuthieFostersaysfromherhomeinAustin,reflectingbackonherformativeyearsinthetinytownofGause,Texas. “My mother and Aunt Rosetta used to sing ‘PreciousMemories’aroundthehouse.OnSundays, Iusedtoseemymominthechoirandwatchhowpeoplereactedtoherspirit.She’dbesoimmersedinthesongs,she’dhavetearsstreamingdown her face. My earliest memories are of her singing,makingherwholebodymoveandbringingthechurchtoanexplosion.Whenshestartedgettinghappy,thespiritmovedeverybodyaroundher.” ThatspiritstillmovesthroughFoster.Althoughthesinger-songwriter first made her name in the acoustic folk worldandmorerecentlyhasgarneredacclaim(andevenaGrammynomination)asa soulfulbluesartist,hervoiceandphrasinghavealwaysbeendistinguishedbya strongundercurrentofgospel.ButPromise of Brand New Day,Foster’sninthreleaseinarecordingcareerthatbeganwith1997’sFull Circle, marks thefirsttimeshe’sbroughtthataspectofhermusicalDNAtotheforegroundbydesign. “I didn’t realize [howmuch gospelmusic]meant tomeuntil I startedputting together the songs Iwanted todoonthis album,” Foster says. “I grew up with the gospel soundandalotofwhatcomesoutofmymouthsoundslikegospel,so I decided tomake a conscious shift in that direction. I’mindebted to gospel music and this album does lean in thatdirection.”

AlthoughshenotesthatPromiseisnot,strictlyspeaking,a“gospelrecord”—“IknowIneedtodoagospelrecord,butthisisn’tit,”sheinsists—thewholealbumisunabashedlyinspiredbyandrootedinthechurchmusictraditionthatservedasherearliesttrainingground.Anditwasn’tjusthermotherandauntshe learned from. She recalls how her grand uncle, HerbertAyers,taughtherhowtoplaypianoandorganinfrontofthecongregation. “IplayedorganfromthetimeIwas11,sittingnexttohimonthebench,”shesays.“Myfeetwouldn’treachthepedals,but I’d shadowwhat he was playing. He’d letme play soloduring the collection and my mom made sure I’d practiceeveryday. I had to learnanewhymn foreverySundayandthatgospelfeelingiswhatItakewithmeintoeverythingIsing—reggae,blues,countryandpowerballads.Iwantedtopaytributetothoseearlydaysandthesoulandgospelsoundsthatshapedme. “My albums have been riding the fence between bluesandfolkforawhile,”Fostercontinues.“Iwantedtoleanmoretowardsthesoulandgospelsideofthingsthistimeandchosesongsmybandcouldreallyshineon.Mydrummer,SamanthaBanks,comesfromtheFourthWardofHouston,wheretheyhavethatoldsoul/gospelfeel,andmynewbassplayer,LarryFulcher, who plays with Taj Mahal and the Phantom BluesBand, was raised in Texas, too. I wanted songs that wouldsoundfullandsoulfulwithatrio.I’malsomovingintomoreofanelectricsoundwhenIplaylive.I’veneverplayedasmuchelectricguitaronstageas Idonow. Iwantedtocapturethatfeeling.” Shemayhavehadherbandandliveperformanceinmindwhensheconceived theproject,butFosterenlistedoutsidehelp to help her make the album in the studio. She askedMeshell Ndegeocello to step in as producer, and the noted

Ruthie Foster

neo-soulartist’spresenceanddirectiongavethePromise sessions an extra jolt of energy. Ndegeocello cut thebackingtrackswithagroupsheassembled:guitaristChrisBruce(SherylCrow),keyboardplayerJebinBruni(AimeeMann),drummerIvanEdwards,andNdegeocelloherselfon bass. (The album also features Nayanna Holley onbackground vocals and Texas guitarist Doyle Bramhall IIguestingononetrack.)WhenFostergottothestudio,allshehadtodowassing. “It was a real treat to work that way,” she says. “ItstretchedmetouseaformatI’mnotusedto,butI’malwayslookingforwaystomakethemusicdifferentandfun.Iwasgoingtoplayguitar[onthealbum],butwhenIheardwhatChrisdid,Iletthatideago. “Meshell had the studio set up with the mics andsoundboardinoneroomwithacouch,realhomey,”Fostercontinues.“ShesaidshewantedtohelpmeexpandwhatI’mdoingvocally.Idon’tknowifit’sbecauseshe’sanartist,or awoman, butwemade a sweet spiritual connection.Shemademesoundmorelikemyself.WhenIwassinging‘Learning to Fly,’ she was swaying andmoving her armsanddirectingme,encouragingmetoopenupvocally.Herreactiontomysinginghelpedmenailtheperformance.” Ndegeocello and Foster exchanged ideas via emailbefore they met in the studio. “I wanted to have moreofmyown songs on the record,” says Foster,whose lastalbum, 2012’s Grammy-nominated Let It Burn, featuredonly three of her own compositions (compared to thesevenshehasonPromise.)“ShetookthedemosIsentherandexpandedonthemforthearrangements,andshewasgreat at bringing other tunes into themix. She sentme‘TheGhetto,’asongmadefamousbytheStaplesSingers,and‘Outlaw’byGeneMcDaniels.Iknew[McDaniels]wasapopsinger,butIwasn’tawareofhimasaprotestsinger,soIgotbusyandlookedhimup.MavisStaplessentmeapersonalnoteafterwedecidedtorecord‘TheGhetto’thatsaid,‘MissRuthiepickedagoodone.’” She made agoodone,too.Promise of a Brand New Day has the intimate feel of a classic soul recording. Foster’sburnished vocals have never sounded warmer or fuller,withNdegeocello’sarrangementsgivingeverytrackitsownunique identity. “Brand NewDay” is a joyous a cappellaode to the salvation true love canbring. “LetMeKnow”opens with Foster’smelisma-drenched vocals playing offofBramhall’s twangyguitar,beforemoving intoagospel-inflected shuffle. There’s a hint of Stax in the swingingbackbeat of “My Kinda Lover,” a simmering soul balladmarkedbyFoster’ssprightlyvocal.Andthere’sevenahintof reggae in “Singin’ the Blues”— an observation that’smetwithachucklefromFoster. “WhenIdidthedemoofthatsong,Iplayedtwobarswithreggaeupstrokesontheguitar,”shesays.“It’sprettysubtle.It’llbeinterestingtoseehowmanypeoplecatchontoit.”

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StirringthefireinhersoulByRobPatterson

“Ican’twaitforthefirepuns,”saysAustinsinger-songwrit-er ShelleyKing,anticipatingthereactiontothereleaseofherseventhalbum,Building a Fire. Okay,waitnolonger.Butthatnameismorethanjustkin-dling forpuns. It’s theperfectanalogy forKing’spassion formusic,fannedovertimefromasparkshewasbornwithintoasuccessfulcareerthat’searnedherbothcriticalandpeerac-claimandacarefullytended,widespreadfanbase. “That’s true,” saysKingover latemorning coffeeatCaféCrèmeinSoutheastAustin,justafewblocksfromwheresheliveswithherhusband/drummer,PerryDrake,andtheirson.Thenshecites thealbum-openingtitle track,aslow-burning(punintended)gospel/bluesnumber,asaparticularlyaptex-ample. “In fact,when the songbegan it startedas that:Mypassion formusicand thefire insideofme.Butas thesongprogressed itbecameadifferent kindof story, anotexactlylovebutdesirestory.Youhavethisideaandthenittakesoffandbecomesawholedifferentstory.” Thesong“BuildingaFire”mayhavechangedcourse,butKing’sloveformusichasbeenaconstantinherlifeforaslongasshecanremember.“IfeellikeI’vealwayshadthatburninginme,ifyouwill—sinceIwasalittlekid,Ienjoyedsinging,”recountsKing,whogrewupintheArkansascountrysidenearHotSprings,withstintsinAmarilloandHoustonashermother

divorcedandremarried.“Mymomtoldmestoriesabouthowwhenshe’dhaveadinnerparty,I’dgoaroundandtugonpeo-ple’sjackets,andsay,‘Hey,youwanttohearmesing?’sinceIwas3yearsold.Iwouldsingsongslike‘RaindropsKeepFallin’onMyHead’and‘I’llNeverFallinLoveAgain’tomyfriendsontheswingset.” Ontopofbeingprecocious,shewasgiftedwithamusicalfamily.“Mymotherwaswritingsongsasahobby,andsomepoemsandthings,whenIwas8or9yearsold,”Kingcontin-ues.“Iwasexposedtothatandthoughtitwascool,sowhenIwouldwrite Iwouldnaturallydo it inverse/chorus format,becausethat’swhatmymomwasdoing.SoIwentinthatdi-rection,but themusicwasthething Iwasalways interestedin.Iwasinchoirsinschoolandchurch,andmyunclesplayedguitar,sotherewasalwaysmusicaround.” Naturally,shedreamedfromchildhoodaboutgrowinguptobeasinger,albeitnotquitethekindsheistoday.“IneverimaginedatayoungagethatIwouldbedoingwhatIdonow,”Kingsays,thensmiles.“IhadmoreofanideathatIwouldberidinginlimousinesandsingingBarbraStreisandsongswhenIwasalittlekid.” Althoughherlimoturnedouttobeavanandherorches-traaroad-seasonedbandofversatilerootsrockers,Kingstilltugs on heartstrings with her potent alto voice and equallyrichrepertoireofdeeply-feltsongs,mostfromherownpen.ShebeganperformingduringhercollegeyearsatSamHous-ton State University, transitioning from community musicaltheatertoplayingsologigs.Shekeptherownearlysongstoherself,though,stickingtocoversuntilshetriedtolandagig

atFitzgerald’sinHoustonandhandedthebookerasonglist.“He justabout laughedmeoutof theoffice,”King recountswithalaugh.Fortunately,thebookeralsourgedhertoworkuporiginalsandeventuallyofferedheraspot. AsimportantasFitzgerald’swasinredirectingKing’smusi-calenergies, itwasn’tuntilhermovetoAustin in1992thatshebegantofindhertruevoice.“WhenIwas inHouston, Iwasjusttryingtofigureitout,”saysKing.“ButwhenImovedtoAustin,Iwasexposedtoreallygoodsongwritersandreallygoodmusicthathasarootsy,bluesyedge,anditjustmadethepop-rockstuff that Ihadbeenwriting fadeaway.Thesongsthat I feltweremybestweretheonesthat IstartedwritingonceIcamehere.” Thosesongsdidn’tgounnoticedbyothers,either—es-peciallynotafterKingfinallyquitherdayjob(sales)andcom-mittedtohermusiccareerfulltime.Shereleasedherdebutalbum,Call of My Heart,in1998onherownLemonadeRe-cords label (named for the old adage about howwhen lifegivesyoulemons,makelemonade),andacoupleofyearslat-erthetitletrackwascoveredbylongtimeAustinfavoriteToniPriceonher2001album,Midnight Pumpkin. Price’srecord-ingof“CallofMyHeart”wonBestSongatthe2002AustinMusicAwards,boostingKing’sprofileandownlivedrawandsettingthestageforherAMAwinforBestRootsBandthreeyearslater.Butherbiggesthonoryetcamein2008,whenshewasselectedastheofficialTexasStateMusician.ThefactthatKing, the first female artist honoredwith the title since itsinceptionin2003,wasstilllargelyunknownatthetime(com-paredatleasttoprevioushonoreeslikeBillyJoeShaverandRayBenson,nottomentionherimmediatesuccessor,WillieNelson)raisedsomeeyebrows. “There’salotofpeoplethatdidthat,”Kingadmits.“Itwasasurprise.Istilldon’tknowhowthathappenedandI’mstillverygratefulforthat.Andit’sbeenarealhelpformycareer.Youhavetostepupwhenyourealizethattherearelegendsthathaven’thadthattitleyet.” Kingansweredthat“stepup”challengeconvincinglywithherthirdstudioalbum,2009’sWelcome Home—eventhoughthefinishedproductwas actually somewhat of a happy ac-cident. Over the years King had played a number of showsopeningfortheSubdudes,forgingafriendshipthatledtoherrecordingsomedemoswiththeband’sJohnMagnieandSteveAmdéeatMagnie’sstudioinFortCollins,Colo.TheplanwastotakethedemosbacktoAustinandaddsomeofherfavoritelocalplayers,butshelikedtheoriginaltrackssomuchthatsheendedupreleasingthemas-is.“Itjustbecamearecord,”Kingsays.“Whenitwascompleted,IfeltlikeitwasatimecapsuleofourtimeinthestudioandsuddenlyIdidn’twantanyoneelseinvolved.Allofmyideasofhavingso-and-soplaythesolohereandso-and-soplaythesolothere…itwasjustgreatthewayitwas.Ireallylikedthespaceandopennessofit. “Austinmademewho I am,” she continues. “[But] I re-allyfeelliketheWelcome Homerecordhelpedmereallyfind whoIam.Whatthey[MagnieandAmdée]dointherecordingprocessisreallyrelaxmeandhelpmetobemyselfandnotbeconcernedaboutwhat’sbeing recorded.Theybringout theheartinme.” Infact,KinghadsuchagoodexperiencemakingWelcome

HomewithMagnieandAmdée that she teamedwith themagaininColoradotorecordBuilding a Fire.Thistimearound,though, she stuck to her original plan of including herAus-tinfriendsontherecord,too.AfterstartingthealbuminFortCollins,shebroughtthetracksbacktoAustintoaddMarvinDykhuisonguitars,mandolinanddobroandSarahBrownonbass.Shealsomaderoomforguestplayers likeCindyCash-dollaronlapsteel,WarrenHoodonfiddle,andCarolynWon-derlandonelectricguitar.(Inadditiontohersolocareer,Kingalso playswithWonderland and Brown in theAustin-basedblues-rockbandSisDeville,anall-femalesideprojectthatalsoincludes singer-songwriter Floramay Holliday and drummerLisaPankratz.) Building a Fire showcaseshervocalandsongwritinggiftsat theirfinest,occupyinga thematicandmusical spacethatembracesthegoodtimesofFridayandSaturdaynightandtheoccasionalmorning-aftermelancholyaswellasaspiritedSun-daychurchmeetingvibe.Itmeldstogetherherloveforgospel,blues,soulandcountryintoherowntrademarkstylisticregionthatspansfromtheMississippiDeltaacrosstheGulfCoasttotheTexasHillCountry. “I’mveryexcitedaboutit,”Kingsayswithasmilingebul-lience that is at the coreof her personality and stagepres-ence.She’ssoexcited,infact,thatshe’shiredpublicistElaineSchock,whoworkswithstarslikeWillieNelsonandTobyKeith,tofurtherthenationalprofileshe’sbeenbuildingforyearsbycriss-crossingAmericaontour.Butnomatterwherehermusictakesherandhowwelcomeherfansmakeherfeelfarfromhome,Austin’scallonherheartremainsstrongerthanever. “IfallinlovewithalmosteveryplacethatIgoandIcouldseemyselflivingeverywhereIgo,”sheenthuses.“IloveNash-ville.IloveFortCollins.IloveWoodstock,NY.IloveSanFran-cisco.SomanyplacesIgetthereandthink,‘Icouldlivehere…’ButthenIthink,‘Ilove Austin.’It’saboutfriends,it’saboutcommunity.” Andin“buildingafire” fromthecitywhereshehaslivedformorethantwodecades,KingdoestheLoneStarStateanditscapitalcityproud.

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Amasterforamentor,theperfectduopartnerandsongsaplenty—howmuchis“TooMuch”foroneguytoaskfor?ByD.C.Bloom

NoelMcKaywill never forget the day he opened thatcanofwhoop-assattheJimmieRodgersFestivalinKerrvillebackin1993. Because as he and his brother, Hollin, launched into asongaboutthefollyofsettlingmatterswithfisticuffs,payingclose attentionwas none other than festival headliner andveneratedTexassongwritinglegendGuyClark. RecallingthemomenttodayinanEastAustinvegetarianhangout, the ever-humble McKay still seems a tadastonished,yetrightfullyproud,thatClark“kindofflippedoutonmysongs,particularly‘ACanofWhoop-Ass,’whichhethoughtwasreallyfunny.”Somuchso,infact,thatafterthe McKay Brothers set concluded, Clark walked over tointroducehimself. “Herewasthishuge,toweringguywithLeepress-onnailson his right hand, and he gaveme his address and said, ‘Iwantyoutosendmeasmuchofyourstuffasyoucan.’” Clarkalsogave theyoungNoel, then just23,a copyofhislatestalbum,Boats to Build.McKayadmitsthatalthoughhe wasn’t completely unfamiliar with Clark’s music at thetime(youdon’tsplityourformativeyearsbetweenLubbockandtheHillCountryaspiringtoasongwritingcareerwithoutknowingthebasicsofTexasMusic101),itwasn’tuntilhegavethealbumrepeatedcloselistensthat“thegravityofhimsortoftakingmeunderhiswingbegantodawnonme.Ibegantorealizethatthiswasabigdeal.”

Abigdeal, indeed—andone that,over theyears,hasallowedMcKay theopportunity to learnfirsthand fromthemastercraftsmanhimselfhowgreatsongs,ifnotboats,arebuilt with meticulous and tender loving care. “I’ve heardhimsaythingslike,‘Itisn’thowcleveralineisormakesyouseem—if itdoesn’tservethesong,you’vegottothrow itout,’”McKaysays.“AndI’vejustsortofbeguntolivebythat,becausehe’sright.” It’s an apprenticeship that has served McKay wellthroughout his own songwriting career, from his daysperformingwithHollinastheMcKayBrotherstohispresentsoloendeavorsandduoworkwithgirlfriendBrennenLeigh.McKayandClarkhaveco-writtenfoursongstogetherovertheyears, includingonethatendeduponClark’sfirstGrammy-winningalbum,lastyear’sMy Favorite Picture of You. That particular collaborationbeganduring aphone callwith Clark telling McKay, “Hey, I got a song idea for you…” A few days later, McKay was handed a lyric sheet andthe general framework for a song that would become “ElCoyote,”apowerfulballadabouttherapaciouswaysofthesmugglers enlisted by families seeking better lives acrosstheU.S./Mexicoborder.McKayrecallshistrepidationaboutturninginhishomework,and“thehugereliefthatliftedoffmyshoulderswhenClarklistenedtoitandsaid,‘Goodwork.’”Notthat itwasfinishedbya longshot, though; thatwouldstillrequiremonthsandmonthsofsubtletweakingandthewholesalemovingaroundofmajorsections. “Really,theonlywaythatIknewGuyconsideredthesongfinishedwaswhenIfinallyheardhimdoitlive,”McKaysays. WhileClarkwenton to record“ElCoyote,”anotherco-write between the mentor and mentee, “Blue WyomingMountains,”makes its debut onMcKay’s own new album,Is That Too Much to Ask.He released it inAugust, just shy

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ArtistProfiles

ofayearafterBefore the World Was Made,hisGurfMorlix-producedduorecordwithLeigh(anaccomplishedsongwriterandsoloartistinherownright.) Notsurprisingly,Is That Too Much to Askfeaturesacoupleof co-writes with Leigh, including the album’s title track(actually a three-person co-write with David Olney). Leighalso lendsahandonguitar,mandolin,andharmonyvocals,along with additional instrumental assistance from friendsRayBonneville,RebeccaPatek,RickyDavis,EthanShaw,andJonathanMilton. But it’s still verymuch a DIY affair,maderesourcefully“onthecheap”andwithminimumfussineveryaspectexceptforthewriting. “I justtookthis littleSilvertoneguitarthatIgotforfreeandlaiddownabunchofsongswithjustmeandmyguitarandsomeofthemwithBrennenplayingguitarandsingingonthem,”McKaysays.“IjustmadesuretheyweresongsthatIwasreallyproudof.They’remostlysongsabout thesortofpeoplethatmakesomeless-than-stellarchoicesinlife.” If McKay himself has made any such less-than-stellarchoices inhisown life,partneringwith Leigh certainly isn’tone of them. Although they both maintain separate solocareersandworkandrecordwithothers,theycancountoneachotherforsupportevenwhenthey’renotinofficialduomode. “It’snicewhen IhaveagigandBrennencanbemyaccompanist,andtheotherwayaround,too,”hesays,thenaddswithagratefullaugh,“Itkeepsusworking!” And that goes for writing together as much as it doesperforming.

“Brennen and I are in a constant state of songwriting,”saysMcKay.“Wehavesomanyunfinishedsongsrightnow.Eventually,weget to ’emandwrite ’em.Maybewe’llwriteonetodayinthecarheadingtoTennessee.” It’sa15-hourdrivefromAustintoNashville,butMcKayandLeighhaveprobablymadethetrekenoughtimesnowtohaveenoughsongsforawholealbum’sworthofcartunes.ButMcKay’sgotanothervisitwithGuyClarkwaitingforhimonthefarsideofthisparticulartrip,soforemostonhismindat the moment is one last errand he needs to run beforeleavingtown. “HealwayswantsustobringhimbarbequefromTexas,”McKaysayswithasmile.

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jim lauderdale

With I Am a Song, “Mr. Americana” proves he can still deliver straight-up honky-tonk.

By Kelly Dearmore

The seemingly always Nudie-suited Jim Lauderdale is more than just the sharpest-dressed man in Nashville: He’s also quite possibly the most prolific, averaging an album a year and often times two (counting this July’s I Am a Song, a 20-song double album.) In 2013, he casually knocked out three. “I like to write things and see them come to fruition,” offers Lauderdale, 57. “The songs keep coming to me, so I want to get them out sooner rather than later.” Going all the way back to his 1991 Reprise debut, Planet of Love, Lauderdale has actually released an impressive 26 different titles. But it’s no coincidence that 19 of those albums came in the new millennium, coinciding with the rise of the Americana music movement. Although he’s landed many a cut on mainstream country releases by such artists as George Strait, George Jones, the Dixie Chicks, Patty Loveless, and Blake Shelton, the North Carolina native has no doubt that were he still fenced in as a major-label country artist himself — as he was for the first decade of his career — his catalog would be a lot slimmer. “I wouldn’t have been allowed to do things the way I do them now,” says Lauderdale. “Maybe I’m pushing it a bit now! The way I release music probably isn’t good for business, but it’s the way I feel compelled to do it.” Lauderdale’s compulsion to make and release his music his way, as often as he wants and in whatever particular style strikes his fancy at the moment, has resulted in such varied recent fare as 2012’s Buddy and Jim, his folk-rock duo record with longtime friend Buddy Miller, and half a dozen bluegrass-leaning albums co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Not surprisingly, Hunter has a few co-writes on the new I Am a Song as well, along with such seemingly disparate but notable scribes as Elvis Costello, Bobby Bare, and John Oates, among others. Lauderdale wrote a handful of the new songs at a writer’s retreat in the California desert near Joshua Tree, but also reached back into his archives to re-record “The King of Broken Hearts,” his well-regarded waltzing tribute to George Jones and Gram Parsons that George Strait covered on his smash-hit 1992 Pure Country soundtrack. “Pure country,” incidentally, describes I Am a Song to a T: it’s Lauderdale’s most unabashedly straight-up honky-tonk record in at least a decade. “I do usually start with wanting to make a specific style of record,” he explains. “So, if I’m leaning towards writing a bluegrass record, that’s what tends to come out of me at that point. For this new record, everything I wrote, no matter who I wrote it with, felt like country songs.” It really should go without saying, though, that Lauderdale’s country songs don’t feel or sound much like the kind clogging the mainstream radio channels these days. After all, this is still “Mr. Americana” we’re talking about here, and he didn’t come by that nickname just from hosting Nashville’s annual Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony for the last 10 years. As one of the genre’s most passionate ambassadors, Lauderdale walks the walk every bit as well as he talks the talk — and nobody talks that talk better than he does. “Awareness of Americana music and the Americana Music Association has really snowballed in the past 12 years,” he says with mayoral pride. “And I’m really happy about that because it has given a home to a lot of music that needed a real home.”

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Drew kenneDy

Drew Kennedy says he “didn’t have a clue” that he was making his latest album until it was already done. Last November, he showed up at a little venue in tiny League City, Texas (just south of Houston) to play what was just supposed to be another regular solo acoustic gig. The turnout at League City’s Listening Room — actually an old post office — was good, with a capacity crowd of 150 people on hand

to hear the seasoned singer-songwriter play a generous selection of tunes mostly drawn from his two most recent releases, 2013’s Wide Listener and 2011’s Fresh Water in the Salton Sea. When the show was done, Kennedy mingled with the audience, sold a few CDs, and started packing up his guitar. That’s when the venue’s sound engineer informed him that he’d recorded the show and asked if he’d like a copy. As Kennedy would later note in a blog post on his website, the show he listened back to wasn’t technically “perfect” in terms of either his performance or the recording. Had he planned ahead of time on recording the show for posterity, he might have worked out a setlist (even though he rarely ever does), paid a little more attention to how fast or slow he was playing each song, and maybe even been more conscious of the timing of his “thank you’s” and other comments to the audience throughout the set. At the very least, he for certain would have mic’d the crowd and his guitar better. But in spite of — if not because of — all that, he liked it so much, he decided to release the two-track recording as-is as a double live album, Sad Songs Happily Played. It’s what he proudly calls “a human recording” — capturing by “happy accident” what happened not only that one night in League City, but the essence of what he strives to do every night. Better than perfect, it’s an honest document of a true troubadour sharing his contemplative songs and equally insightful stories off-the-cuff and without a net for an intimate audience of music fans who appreciate craft and sincerity over flash. Kennedy was born in Virginia but has lived in New Braunfels for about a decade now — pretty much for his entire recording career, which he kicked off in 2003 with Hillbilly Pilgrim. Counting the new live record, he’s now self-released seven albums and a novel (2011’s Fresh Walter in the Salton Sea, issued in tandem with the album of the same name). Along the way, he’s developed quite a reputation as a songwriter’s songwriter, co-writing songs with a number of other notable artists on the Texas scene ranging from younger guns like Rob Baird and Bart Crow to Red Dirt favorite Jason Boland and even Walt Wilkins. Through constant touring, he’s also established a loyal statewide following. He’s not selling out Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, nor is he at the top of the annual Lone Star Jam bill, but 10 years into his career, he’s right where he wants to be in the grand musical scheme. “My music seems to resonate in both the songwriter rooms that I play and those that lean more towards your standard honky-tonk,” observes Kennedy, 34. “I don’t think about where I fit very often. I’ve played coffee houses, rock clubs, dancehalls, backyards, and listening rooms, and I think my music works in all of those settings.” Kennedy’s found encouraging evidence that his original music works in plenty of places outside of his adopted Lone Star State, too. He’s taken a more aggressive approach over the last few years exploring the Western terrain beyond the Panhandle. Along with helping to organize the annual Red River Songwriters Festival in New Mexico, which marked its third year last January, he just completed a tour of Colorado. But he notes that cultivating his out-of-state fanbase is still very much a work in progress. “There are music fans all over the planet— you just have to work a little harder to build an audience,” he says. “The music doesn’t change based on my location, but it’s certainly more of a slower build as far as an audience goes.” As long as the songs keeping coming to him, though, he’s got the DIY drive to keep on happily playing them anywhere and for anyone he can. “The whole troubadour thing is about winning over one person at a time,” he says. “I don’t care if someone thinks of me as a folk singer or a Texas country artist, so long as they think of me.”

Happy accidents on the troubadour highway By Kelly Dearmore

“I don’t think about where I fit very often. I’ve played coffee houses, rock clubs, dancehalls, backyards, and listening rooms, and I think my music works in all of those settings.”

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A funny thing happened on the way to completing Jess Klein’s most recent album, Learning Faith. The title proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. “It actually wound up giving me back my faith and energy in playing music,” says the diminutive powerhouse of her third release since moving to Texas from New York. “Before I made this album, I was super burned out and I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be playing music. But I had written this song called ‘Learning Faith’ and every

time I played it, it was getting a really strong reaction. I realized that’s a pretty rich question: How do you develop faith?” With that as a centering premise, Klein set off to write an album’s worth of songs “about things that scare me a bit” — then turned to Austin producer Mark “Professor Feathers” Addison to give the intimate, inquisitorial collection the vibrant sonic edge she was seeking. Addison was one of the first Austinites to welcome Klein with open arms when she moved to the city in 2008. Within days of her arrival, Klein was invited to test run her new songs at the time at Addison’s studio while he was out of town. “I’m thinking, man, Austin is so cool,” says Klein now in remembering her good fortune in falling in with the man with the downy moniker she finds so amusing. “It was like I just showed up and here I have the run of this guy’s studio. So I demoed songs and when he heard what I was doing and liked it, he offered to produce the album. He and Scrappy (Jud Newcomb) put together a band and we tried one song and I was like, ‘Ok, I guess you know what you’re doing,’ and we just took off and evolved from there.” Klein was no novice herself. She’d already had a string of critically-acclaimed albums since her 1998 debut, appeared on network television and established herself as a popular touring act throughout the U.S. and Europe. But until her big move down Texas way she still felt like something was lacking in her career. “I came through on tour, and I’d see the way audiences were responding to the music, and I thought to myself, ‘I need to live where people are enjoying music like that,’” she says. Today, the Empire State native is increasingly viewed as a “Texas artist,” especially by her fans in Europe. Klein recently signed with the Germany-based label Blue Rose Records, of whom she says, “I think half of their artists are from Austin.” (Her Blue Rose label mates include Band of Heathens, Jon Dee Graham, James McMurtry, Uncle Lucius, and Carolyn Wonderland). Klein’s rubbed elbows with some noteworthy non-Texans as well, including folk icon Arlo Guthrie, with whom she’s toured three times (once through Ireland). “He’s just like a really cool father figure,” she enthuses of Woody’s son. “He’d show me a couple of guitar tricks, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, Arlo Guthrie is playing my guitar!’” She’s also collaborated onstage with emerging folk wunderkind John Fullbright, having made quite an impression on fans the first time they sang together at an Austin coffeehouse. “Afterwards people were coming up and going, ‘Your voices really sound great together!’ “John has a theory for the reason we clicked so well musically,” she continues. “He once told me, ‘We both just really like to dig in.’” As proven throughout Learning Faith, Klein does, indeed, like to dig in. Her emotional intensity, go-for-broke mentality and astute use of dynamics bring a defiant sense of fearlessness to all 12 songs. They may all be about things that “scare” her, but she faces them head on with a voice to be reckoned with. “It can be really healing to me, to really let those notes soar,” confides Klein. “And you do get people’s attention with a big voice …” She laughs. “People are like, ‘Wow, you’re loud!’”

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An ex-pat New Yorker rediscovers her musical faith in Texas By D.C. Bloom

Mike Ryan is not, strictly speaking, a “newcomer” on the Texas country scene. The San Antonio-reared, Fort Worth-based song-writer released his de-but EP, The First One, back in 2010, and his first full-length, 2012’s Night Comes Falling,

launched a handful of singles onto the regional charts. But a young artist can grow a lot in the short span of two years, and Ryan’s third album, Bad Reputation (released in August), represents a major stride forward in his development. His deliberate steps to both expand and improve upon his creative process have yielded a tremendously fresh batch of new songs with insightful things to say about the real life of a man living, loving, and leaving in the modern age. It started back in March of 2013, six months after the release of Night Comes Falling, when Ryan landed a publishing deal with Nashville’s Sea Gayle Music. Like many an inde-pendent Texas artist before him, Ryan initially had some doubts about how well he’d adapt to Music Row — or more specifically, to the practice of co-writing with strangers. Up until then, he’d only written songs by himself (or occasionally with a bit of help from a friend via email.) Flying to Nashville and participating in a group writing session would prove to be a true rite of passage. “I was nervous about co-writing, because songwriting has always been such a personal thing to me,” says Ryan. “And, I didn’t want to get into a writing session with an established writer and have him think I was an idiot.” That fear dissipated quickly, though, once Ryan got acclimated to his new envi-ronment. He says getting to know the other writers “opened my eyes about Nash-ville,” and when not taking keen notes on how they all worked their “songwriting muscles,” he found time to hit some of the local bars and even attended a couple of Nashville Sounds minor league baseball games. And the more comfortable he got, the more he found himself opening up to a whole new way of expressing himself through songwriting. “When you get two or three writers in one room, you can talk about what you want to say, and then get help in finding the way you actually want to say it,” he enthuses. “We would start talking about a specific idea among the group and light bulbs would start to go on for people and we would then develop that new idea into something.” Ryan ended up co-writing every song on Bad Reputation with at least one other writer. But rather than dilute his own voice, the collaborative results only strengthen the convic-tion of his singing — just as the album’s professionally polished production (all of the vo-cals, its worth noting, were recorded at the home studio of none other than Brad Paisley) enhances its rocking energy. Standout songs like the title track find Ryan delving into adult themes like one-night stands and the intimate nature of relationships with a maturity and confidence merely hinted at on his earlier efforts. “Co-writing has opened up so many doors for me,” Ryan says. “That’s weird because I was so frightened of it just over a year ago. But now, solo writing will never work for me the way that co-writing does now.”

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“I was nervous about co-writ-ing, because songwriting has always been such a personal thing to me. And, I didn’t want to get into a writing session with an established writer and have him think I was an idiot.”

Teaming-up to grow-up with Bad Reputation By Kelly Dearmore

jeSS Klein MiKe ryan

“Before I made this album, I was super burned out and I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be playing music. But I had written this song called ‘Learning Faith’ and every time I played it, it was getting a really strong reaction. I realized that’s a pretty rich question: How do you develop faith?”

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lsm Columns

TrueHeroesofTexasMusic

ByMichaelCorcoran

Drummer Bobby Ramirez was thegoldenboyoftheGoldenTriangleinthe’60s, the 11-year-old who played withteenagers, the 14-year-old who playedwithmen.Hedidn’tjustkeepthebeat,hebecamethebeat,withanaturalrhythmthatwasnotabovefurthereducation. WhenEdgarWinterandsingerJerryLaCroixsetouttoassemblea“blue-eyedsoul”bandtobeatthemallin1970,theysearched the country before realizingthat they already had the best playersfortheirvisionintheGulfCoast.Thefirstto join EdgarWinter’sWhite Trashwasthe brown-eyed handsome man withthe sticks from Port Arthurwhowouldanchor the sound. Thenext callwas toguitaristRickDerringer,whotoldModern Drummer magazine that Ramirez laiddown“thebestgrooveofanydrummerI’veeverplayedwith.” Taught to play by his uncle, a bigbanddrummer,Ramirezwaswellonhisway to becoming the Bernard Purdie,the John Jabo Starks of Texas rock andblues … and then senseless tragedystopped the roll. In July 1972, Ramirezwas stomped to death on Chicago’sRushStreet,byamanwhohadpunchedhimearlier inthenightandhadfriendswaitingoutside.Ramirezwasjust23. His best drummer friend, WillieOrnelas, then living in Houston, was“just numb” when he heard the news.“Nobody could believe it. Everybodyloved Bobby. He was such a mellowcat,”saysOrnelas,whooftencompetedwith Ramirez for gigs, yet they sharedpercussionpatternsandothertips.

“The first time Bobby blew meaway was when I was with Jerry andthe Dominoes, playing some club inHouston, and Jerry (LaCroix) calledhimupon‘HarlemShuffle,’”recallsOrnelas,whohasenjoyedsessionsuccessinL.A.since the ’80s. “Afterwards I went upto him and said, ‘Hey, man, that wasgreat.Whatwasthatonethingyoukeptdoing?’AndBobbystoodrightinfrontofme,puthishandsonmyshouldersandheshowedme(thebeat),withtherighthand being the bass drum and the lefthandbeingthesnare.”

When Ramirez heard a cool twistfromOrnelas,Williewould show Bobbythe same way. Sometimes when theydrove,onewouldsitbehindtheotherandshow him new beats on the shoulders.Then they’dpull overand change seats.“Wedidthatforyears,”Ornelassays.“Youknow, we were both good drummers,butBobbywastherealtalent.I’veneverbullshittedmyselfonthatpoint.Bobbyhad a feel that we all could duplicatetechnically,butitwasrealforhim.” Born inMexico,Ramirezwas raised

“When Imet (iconicmoderndrummer)SteveGaddand I toldhimIusedtoplaywithWhiteTrash,hesaid(excitedly)‘Isthatyouon‘SavethePlanet?,’”saysOrnelas.“Thatwasabigdrumpartforhim.AndIsaid,‘no,thatwasmybrotherBobbyRamirez.’Ididn’tthink,like‘oh,whydidn’thesayoneofmytracks?’IwasproudtotellhimaboutBobby.Hewasonhisway,man.Hewasgoingtobeoneoftheall-timegreats.”

near the oil refineries in Port Arthur in alarge,working classhousehold.Hebecamehooked on drums since the first time hisuncle let himmess around on his kit. PortArthur’s proximity to the Louisiana border,where the drinking age lowered from 21to18,provedessential to theeducationofyoungBobby.Vinton,La.,hadsuchhotspotsasBigOaksClub,LouAnne’s,andtheTexasPelican Club,where drummers couldmakea lotmoremoney than factoryworkers orfarmhands. The music was for dancing, soevery band played soul music, rock stuff,some ballads for slow dances, some FatsDomino to remind everybody what statethey’re in. If youhadhorns, yourmanwasBobby Blue Bland, whose drummer, John“Jabo”Starks,wasaRamirezrolemodel.“Ifyoucouldn’tplay‘TurnOnYourLoveLight,”youcouldn’twork,”Ornelassays. Ramirezwas also heavily influenced byLouisianadrummerClintWest(neeGuillory),who led theBoogieKingsuntil1965.“ClintWestusedtosetuphisdrumsatthefrontofthestage,withthebandbehindhim,”laughsOrnelas.“Wethoughtthatwasthecoolest.” WhenWestsplit fromtheBoogieKings(losingacourtbattletotakethenamewithhim),LaCroixtookovertheraucousswamp-rock party band and tapped Ramirez toreplacehisidol.Finallymakingsomedecentpay, Ramirez dropped out of high schooltotour.Aftera fewstints inLasVegaswith

the Kings, word got out on Ramirez andhe was hired to play some dates with IkeandTinaTurner, thenamoreextendedgigwith Hawaiian singer Dick Jensen. Ramirezwas inHawaiiwhenhe got the call to joinEdgar Winter’s band. “Bobby was makingsomething like $750 a week with DickJensen,buthequitthattomake$50aweektoplaywithEdgarand Jerry,”saysOrnelas.BobbyRamirezwantedtorockout. Heplayedon thefirst twoWhiteTrashalbums, including the live LP Roadwork, whichhasbecomeafavoriteYouTubestopfor

drummers, especially“Love Light” and thegospel-fueled “Savethe Planet.” “When Imet (iconic moderndrummer) SteveGaddandItoldhimIusedtoplaywithWhiteTrash,he said (excitedly)‘Is that you on ‘Savethe Planet?,’” saysOrnelas. “That was abigdrumpartforhim.And I said, ‘no, thatwasmybrotherBobbyRamirez.’Ididn’tthink,like ‘oh,whydidn’thesayoneofmytracks?’Iwasproudtotellhimabout Bobby. He wason his way, man. Hewasgoingtobeoneoftheall-timegreats.” For years, LaCroixdeclined to talk about

that dreadful night of July 24, 1972 in Chicago. It hurt too much. LaCroix andRamirezwerequiteasoulfultandemandthechemistrycontinuedoffstage.Butin2000,theLouisiana-born/Texas-raisedsingerfinallyopenedupinaninterviewthatwaslaterpostedonwww.swampland.com. EdgarWinterdisbandedWhiteTrashin’72toassemblethegroup,withRonnieMontroseandDanHartman,thatrecorded“Frankenstein”and“FreeRide,”sohisformermatestouredasLaCroix.TheyhadjustplayedagreatsetopeningforUriahHeepinChicagoandwentouttoseeanall-girlbandcalledBerthawhomtheyhadmetmonthsearlierinL.A.Itwasagreat,funnightforeverybody. “TheshowwasoverandBobbywentdownstairstotakealeak,”LaCroixrecalled.“OurroadmanagercamebackupstairsandanxiouslyreportedthatBobbyhadhadanaltercationinthebathroom.”AnHispanicmanwithshort,slicked-backhairhadremarkedthat,becauseofhislonghair,Ramirezshouldbeintheladies’room,whichled tocrosswords, thenapunch to the face thatbloodied thedrummer’snose.Bouncersbrokeup the scuffle,but the clubmanagerdeclined to call thepolice.LaCroixsaidhetriedtogetRamirez“tojustblowifoff,buthecouldn’tbelievethatsomeonecouldassaulthiminapublicplaceandgetawaywithit!”Ramirezwentoutsidetolookfortheguywhopunchedhim. ButitturnedoutthatthemanhadfriendsandwhenRamirezturnedthecorner,they jumpedhimandkickedhim in theheadoverandoverwith theirpointed,steel-toeshoes. LaCroixwasalsobeatenwhenhe tried tohelp.Ashesatup inhisfog,LaCroixsawRamirez,hisfaceapulpymess,cradledonthegroundbythegroup’smanager. Whydidthishavetohappen?Itmadenosense.Theseguyswerenotfighters,theyweremusicians.Andnowoneofthemwasdeadandonehadtocarryonwithsuchatragicmemory.Deathhasnogroovewhatsoever. “There’shardlyadaygoesbywhenIdon’tthinkaboutdearBobbyandwhat1,000thingsIcouldhavedonedifferently,”LaCroixsaidin2000.Thegreatrock’n’soulsinger,theBobSeegerofSoutheastTexas,diedinMay2014atage70.ThegreatdrummerRamirezwouldbe65ifhehadlived.Andhe’dstillbeplaying,youcanbesure.

Gulf Coast Rhythms: Bobby Ramirez (far right) with EdgarWinter’s White Trash. Guitarist Rick Derringer enthused thatRamirezlaiddown“thebestgrooveofanydrummerI’veeverplayed with.” But soon after Winter disbanded the group,RamirezwasbeatentodeathinanaltercationoutsideaclubinChicago.PhotocourtesyEpicRecords.

BobbyRamirezEverybody’sbrother

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Paul ThornPrickingconsciences—andfunnybones—withToo Blessed to Be Stressed

ByLynneMargolis

Q & A

ThoughPaulThorndidn’treleasehisfirstalbumuntil1997,it’snotastretchtosayhe’salwaysbeenintheentertainmentbusiness. From his Pentecostal-preacherdad’s tent revivals, where he startedsinging at 3, he learned the power oflanguage and cadence; fromhis days asa professional boxer, he learned how tothrow(or take)crowd-pleasingpunches.Andwhenyou’rebornandraised in thetown thatproducedElvisPresley—130milesfromMemphisand88fromMuscleShoals — it’s entwined in your DNA.All of which helps to explain why he’sso good at spinning plain-spoken talesof downtrodden souls and Southerndiscomfortintoupliftingsongsfilledwithinsightsthatseemsimultaneouslysimpleand brilliant, personal and universal.In an earlier era, grandmothers wouldhave linedtheirwallswithrenderingsofThorn’switandwisdomascounted-cross-stitch homilies — neatly framed truthsworthremembering. Thetileofhisnewalbum,Too Blessed to Be Stressed,wouldbeone. The track“Don’t Let Nobody Rob You of YourJoy” is another. His 2010 release Pimps and Preachers contains humor-tingedconfessionssuchas“IDon’tLikeHalftheFolks I Love,” “Tequila is Good for theHeart”and“IHopeI’mDoin’ThisRight.”(His self-deprecating humor extendsto his label name, Perpetual Obscurity

Records.) As that album title suggests,Thorn’s always straddled the polesbetweenheavenandhell, goodandeviland right versus wrong, generally fromtheperspectiveofthosewhocan’tevengrasp the ladder’s bottom rung, muchlessclimbit—butstill,theymightseethelightwhenothersdon’t. Thorn says he’s not religious, but hiscombustiblyfunkyrhythms,swampybluesand rock-edged tunes are often infusedwith true gospel fervor. Occasionally,though, he switches to gentle, heart-tugging — and equally powerful — loveballads. Always, he reminds us thatcompassionmightbethemostimportantqualityhumanspossess.Orshould. In his country-boy Southern drawl,Thorn discussed his latest work a daybeforeheadingbacktohisTupelo,Miss.,home — the subject of “No Place I’dRatherBe.” Thenewalbumdefinitelyhasanupbeatsound, which reflects the messageyou’ve said you want to convey aboutpositive encouragement. Does it seemlikeeverything’sreallygoingtohellrightnow,ordowejustperceivethatbecauseofsomuchnegativecoverage? It’s a little of everything. Themediais really negative and there’s so muchdowner stuff goin’ on. Even in music;

there’sonlysomanysongsIwanttohearaboutmissin’agirl, youknow?Mynewrecord, I thinkofas theAmericanaKool&theGang.Ilikedtheirmusicbecauseitmadepeople feelgoodwhenyouheardit. I’vebeenarounda lotofpeoplewhoaresmarterthanmeandwiserthanme,and they have shared some thingswithmethatIjustdecided,I’llmake’emintosongsandput’emonarecord.

That makes you as wise and smart astheyareifyouknewwhattodowiththeinformation.

Well, so much bad information isbeing given out, and advice that don’twork. I wanted to share some nuggetsthatIlearned do work. Likethesongtitles—one is “Don’t LetNobodyRobYouofYourJoy.”Thatwassomethingmygrandpausedtosay.Andwhathewassayin’was,hangaroundpeoplethatencourageyou.Becausetherearepeoplewhowanttobeyour friend but not really, because theywantyoutobebeneaththem.Ifyoueverget a legupanddo something you like,andtheyain’tGodnomore,thentheygetupset.KnowwhatImean?

Yup. There’s a lot of that jockeying forpositioninthisworld,unfortunately.

Yes,thereis.

Thisalbumforsakessomeoftheslysarcasmandpoliticalcommentaryyou’ve done in the past, although you’ve got “Mediocrity is King.”Therearealso fewernarrative, story-type songs.Yourpress releasesaysyouwantedpeopletofeellikeyou’retalkingdirectlytothem.Isthatwhytherearefewercharacters?

Yeah, they’re not stories, they’re more like anthems. They’repositiveanthems.Lookatthesongtitles:There’sonecalled“Don’tLetNobodyRobYouofYourJoy,”onecalled“EverybodyNeedsSomebody,”onecalled“Everything’sGonnabeAlright,”one’scalled“TooBlessedtobeStressed.”IhavetosayI’veprobablygottenabetterresponseatmyshowssingin’thesesongsthananysongsI’veeverputout.Peoplewanttosingthelyrics;thechorusesarerealsimple,anditseemsliketheyjuststartsingin’alongrightoffthebat.It’sreallywonderfulhowit’sbein’received.Youknow,nobody’sgonnalikeeverythingyoudo. Iheardafewfolkssayin’itwasn’ttheircupoftea,butIcan’tpleaseeverybody.Fromthemajorityofthepeople,it’sbeenwellreceived.Anditseemslike it’s touchin’ people, the sentiment ofwhatwe’re sayin’ in thesesongs.Icanjustseepeopleoutinthecrowd;they’reswaying[together].Withoutbeingcorny,itreallyiskindoflikearevival.Everybodycomestotheshow,wesingthesesongstogetherandeverybodyleavesfeelingrefreshed.Whatcouldbewrongwiththat?

That’sonethingInoticedaboutthemelodies;they’rejustsopretty.Theymakeyoufeelgoodallbythemselves,evenwithoutthelyrics.

Good.That’swhatIwashopin’for.AndIdoadmit—onceagain,Idon’twanttosoundcorny—butIreallybelievethatmusichashealingpower.And I believe that it canmakepeople feelbetter. I know thisbecause I’ve had people come up and tellme that itmade ’em feelbetter.Tome,thatmeansmissionaccomplished.I’mproudofwhatmeandmybandandmyproducerproduced.I’mreallyproudofit. You’vegot[gospelsingers]theMcCrarySistersonthreesongs.DidyouoriginallygettoknowthemthroughtheDelbertMcClintoncruiseorwasthatapreviousassociation?

You’re correct. I met them on the Delbert cruise. And I actuallyrecordedtheirvocalsonthe[2014]cruise.Webroughtsomerecordingequipment,andIwentaheadandloggedtime;weliterallytooksomerecordingequipmentintoacabinontheboat,andwejustsangitrightthere.Itwasgreat.They’reaboutthebestatwhattheydo,youknow?

I know. I love hearing them, and they fit sowellwithwhat you’redoingonthisalbum.

I think so. The starswere really linedup. I’m reallyproudof thisrecord,becauseof,mainlyhowI’msinging,itmakespeoplefeel.Y’know,ifyoucanmakepeoplefeelsomethin’,thenthat’sgreat.Itappearsas

“Idon’twanttosoundcorny,butIreallybelievethatmusichashealingpower...IknowthisbecauseI’vehadpeoplecomeupandtellmeitmade’emfeelbetter.Tome,thatmeansmissionaccomplished.”

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mightletsomeotherpeopleknowexactlyhow they feel, being away from theirlovedones.

Yousang“DoctorMyEyes”onthisyear’sJacksonBrowne tributealbum,Looking Into You.Didyougettopickthesngordidtheypickforyou?

That’s the song they wanted me todo.Iwasaskedtobeonthatprojectandtherewere a lot of superstar singers onthatrecord,whichmadeitabigthrill tome toget tobeon it.Weflewdown toDallas, where they were recordin’, andwe recorded it in one day.What you’rehearin’wasdoneinjustoneday.I’mveryproudofit.

It’soneofthestrongesttracksonthere.Ithoughtitreallygaverespecttotheartistwithoutjustmimickingtheoriginal.

I’m very fortunate because I’ve hadthesamebandforover20years.Andit’sarealband;it’snotjustabunchofsessionguyswhogethired to come inandplaythe songs. I think that comes across ontherecording;becausewe’resuchatightunitfromplayin’together,itreallyclicks.It’ssomethin’thatI’mveryproudof.

After all this time, are you guys eachother’sbestfriends?

They’remyfamily.Well, Ihavethreedifferent families. I havemy fans, that’soneofmyfamiliesthatIlove.AndIhavemyband,that’safamilyIlivewithsomeof the time, and then I have my mosttreasuredfamily,mybiologicalfamily.

You’ve done several Delbert McClintonSandyBeachescruisesandyou’reslatedfor next year’s. Got any stories to tellaboutthoseexperiences?

Idon’tknowifIhaveanygoodstoriesto tell, but Delbert is getting close toretiring. I’m making a concerted effortto takehis spot andbe theambassadorof thewhole thing,because it’sbecomeapparent that a lot of people are goin’onthecruisetoseemeandmyband.Sowe’rejusttryingtogetittowhere,whenDelbert leaves,Icancontinueonandbetheflag-bearerforthefuture.

That’sawesome,becausealotofpeoplewouldnot be able to face losing it; it’s

likesummercamp—abigreunioneveryyear.I’vedoneafewofthem,includingthe first one youwere on. I rememberdragging people to see you, becausethey had no clue— then they becameconverts. So, would you take overbooking,orhowwouldthatwork?

Well, it’s in a transitional phase rightnow.Themainthingthat’sgonnahavetohappenis,youknow,there’slotsofotherartistsontheboat,butwhatit’sgonnagetdowntoiswhenpeoplecalltogetaticketonthecruise,they’regoingtobeaskedwhoisthemainartistyou’recomingtosee.Forlackofabetteranalogy,it’slikeI’mrunningforoffice.Ineedpeople,whentheyordertheirticketsandthey’reaskedwhothey’remostlycomingtosee,iftheyreallymeanit,tosayme.BecauseifI’mgonnatakethis

thingover,thecompanyI’mworkingwith[Sixthman], they’re gonna need to knowthatIcandrawpeopleonthecruise.SoI’maskingallpeoplethataremyfriendstoletthemknowthatthey’recomin’toseeme.Itwouldreallyhelpoutalot.

Next year, you’re also touring withRuthieFosterandJoeEly.Howdidthatcomeabout?

I received a phone call from theirbookingagents.Andtheywantedmetodo this in-the-round thing, justme andRuthie and Joe. We’ve already done afewanditreallywentovergoodandwaswell-received.

Thepianoonthealbumcover…wehadseveraldecoratedpianosaroundAustinat one time for people to play.Wherewasthatone?

Lee Harrelson took those picturesin Clarksdale, Miss. We were just drivin’around looking for someplace to shootpictures. I saw that piano on the side oftheroadsittin’underanoverhangonthe

street, and we just went out there andstarted takin’ pictures. I don’t even playpiano.Ican’tevenplaypiano.ButIjustlikethewaythepianolooks.Ithasareallynicevibetoit.

Itcarriesthemessage,inaway.

Yeah. It had the words “Be thechange”onit.AndIthought,“Man,that’sperfect!” Itwentalongwiththepositivethemeofmyrecord.

I haven’t asked anyone this questionbefore, but I’m curious: What do youwishsomeonewouldwriteaboutyou?

That’s a hard question. I wish theywould—well,Idon’twish thatanybodywrites anything aboutme.Maybe hope

— better than what they write aboutme, IhopethatwhattheywouldthinkaboutmeisthatI’maniceperson.Andthat when I get onstage, I try to givethe people something that they cantake with them beyond just a show.I would like them to go home with athought that will maybe help them alittle bit with whatever trouble theymightbehavin’intheirlife.Iwouldliketo be known as somebody thatmakespeoplefeelgood.IfIcouldbeknownforanything, it’dprobablybethat.There’snogreaterhonorthantobeaservant,tome.Iliketobeaservanttomyfriends,Iwanttobeaservanttomyfamily,beahappyservant.Yeah,themoreIthinkaboutit,whenIdietheycanputonmytombstone:“Hewasahappyservant.”

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Q & A

Paul Thorn

“Iwasapreacher’skidfor18years,sothelanguageofthechurch—eventhoughI’mnotaChristianartistorareligiousartist,orareligiousperson,forthatmatter—thatdialogueisingrainedinthewayItalkandthewayIwrite.”

iftheyfeelsomethin’,becausetheykeeptellin’metheydowhentheyhearthesesongs.

“WhatKindofRoofDoYouLiveUnder”reallydoes sound likea sermon,as ifapreacher isaskinghisflock,“Whatkindofpersonareyou?”

Well,youknow, Igrewup inchurch.Iwasapreacher’skidfor18years,sothelanguageofthechurch—eventhoughI’mnotaChristianartistorareligiousartist,or a religious person, for thatmatter—thatdialogueisjustingrainedinthewayItalkandthewayIwrite.

Who’sCarloJ.Ditta, theauthorof“GetYouAHealin’”?

He’sasongwriteroutofNewOrleans.I just heard the song; never even metthe man. I just liked it so much that Iwanted to record it. You talk of a feel-goodsong;that’sreallyafeel-goodsong.My producer and songwriting partner[andmanager],BillyMaddox,founditonSpotify. It’s the only song on the recordthatIdidn’twrite.Butifit’sagoodsong,Idon’tcare.

How do you and Billy approach song-writingtogether?

We’ve been writing together for 30years. We just click real good together.He’sactuallymysongwritingmentor.HewasalittleolderthanmewhenImethimand he was already havin’ success as ahitcountrysongwriter.AndeventhoughI’mnotacountryartist,Ilikethewaythatgoodcountrysongsareputtogether,andthat’sthestyleofwritingIhave;mysongs

arelikelittlestories.

A couple of songs on here sound kind of Stonesy: “This is A Real Goodbye” and“oldStrayDogandJesus.”They’reanicemixofrockandblues.Howdoyouarriveat a sound like that versus somethingthatsoundsmorerevivalist?

I don’t really set out to write asong that sounds like this or that. I justsit around with my guitar and play,and whatever comes out, that’s whathappens.Ijusthavefunwritin’songs.

How about “old StrayDog and Jesus”?It sounds like a homeless person’s per-spective;notexactlyuplifting.Butdoesithelptoremindpeople…

Oh, no, if you listen to the wholesong, it’s about the downward spiral ofdrugaddiction.Theplussideisthatattheendofthesong,theguy’sinrehab.Whenyouhitrockbottom,whichiswhereheis,yougottwochoices:die,orgotorehab.Andsoreally,theguy’srecovering,that’sthehook—that’sthepositiveendingtothatsong.He’sintheGloryRoadRecoveryHome,he’sgotadog,he’sgotasackofdog food, a pack of cigarettes and he’stryin’togetbackontrack.

I also thought of it as possibly helpingto remindpeoplehowgood they reallydohaveit.Mostpeoplearenotindrugrecovery.

It goes to show what I’m talkin’about. The song canmean one thing toanotherperson,buteitherway,itmeanssomething positive. Because in thebeginning,itpaintsapictureofwhatthebottomlookslike.

onceIaskedyoutodescribeyourmusicandyousaid,“It’sinfluencedheavilybygospel, but it’s not gospel. It’s sort ofa cross between, shoot, I don’t know,LawrenceWelkandZZTop.”

Yeah,Istillkindathinkthat’sit.

And I didn’t think to ask then:Did yougrowuplisteningtoLawrenceWelk?

Of course! [Imitating the late bandleader]“Aoneannatwoanna”…Ilovedthatshow!WhenIwasakid,Ilikedtoseethebubblesflyin’throughtheair.Iloved

The Lawrence Welk Show.

I did for a long time, too. And thensuddenly, it just felt completely unhipandIcouldn’twatchitanymore.

Well, the definition of hip is beingwhoyouareandenjoyingwhatyoureallyenjoy and not following a trend. That’swhatbeinghipis,tome.

True.

Youknow,thepeoplewhodresship,and they follow whatever Lady Gaga’sdoin’,thatain’thip,that’sjuststupid.

I agree. Maybe she’s trying to be atrendsetter,butshedefinitelygoesovertheedge.Whenshe justsitsdownatapianoandsings,Ikindoflikeher.

I’m not criticizing her; she’s verytalented. I just used her as an example.Her andMadonna. I like Lady Gaga, butit’s justMadonna all over again … Someof the songs almost sound like the exactsamesongs.IcanactuallysingthelyricsofoneofMadonna’ssongsoveraGagasong;it’sjustperfect.Ithinkthepowersthatbeup in the corporateworld know that thenewgenerationcomin’upneverheardofMadonnaordon’thearhermusic,sotheyjust do it again. They do the same thingagain,’causetheyknowthework.

It’sjustlikefashion;theyrecycleitevery20years.

That’sright.

I mentioned earlier how strong themelodies are on this album— not thatthey aren’t on your previous work, butthey all sound sweet here, and you’vegotthatbeautifulribbontyingitupattheendwiththatlovesongtoyourwifeandfamily,“NoPlaceI’dRatherBe.”Didyoualwaysknowthathadtobethelasttrack?

Well, I’ve gotten into the habit ofwhatever the last track isonanyalbum,I want to do something poignant andmeaningful, to leave people with athought, you know. That song is aboutwantin’tobehome,andpeoplewhoaretruck drivers, people who are soldiers,peoplewhoaretravelingsalesman,theyallcanrelatetothatsong.Ifeltlikeitwasworth putting on there, ’cause I think it


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drum.Theypunchedoutacoupleoftestshoutsintotheirmics,andliketheflickofaswitch,theatmosphereintheentirebarseemedtochange.Anewcrowdambledoverandformedatightcrescentaroundtheguyandgalandtheirminimalistset-up, and in marked contrast to Buxton’spolite but overly reserved fans, this lot—anall-togetherrowdier-lookingbunchsporting an impressive array of colorful,sometimesmenacingtattoosandevenafairamountof leather— lookedprimedand ready for somethingmore than justalittleshow.FueledbyaheadySaturday-night buzz and a palpable charge ofpent-up, restless energy, they wereready forrelease—andCaryAnnHearstandMichael Trent of Shovels and Ropedeliveredinspades. ThesetstartedoutwithTrentondrum(andharmonica)andHearstonguitarandleadvocal.Butoverthecourseoftheirsetthey harmonized together and switchedroles and instruments as frequently anddeftly as their up-tempo songs swervedin and out of country, rock, punk andfolk, like a possessed, whirling dervishspinningwildly across a genremap. Thecrowdlookedliketheydidn’tknowwhathitthem,buttheywentalongfortheride,happilygrowingmoreandmoreape-shitwith every song. And the wilder it allgot, themoreHearst and Trent seemedin complete control: two devil-may-caremisfits from South Carolina, standingconfidently in the eye of the storm andwhippingasmallTexasbarintoafrenziedstateofjoyousraucousness. That was two-and-a-half years ago,and I can still remember that show likeitwas yesterday.Not necessarily all thesongstheyplayed(apartfromgems like“Gasoline”and“Boxcar”fromtheir2008debut,Shovels and Rope,andprobablyapreview song or two fromO’ Be Joyful, their July 2012 sophomore album thatendedupreallykickingtheircareer intohighgear);butIfordamnsurerememberthatdizzyingfeelingof“whew, thatwassomething!” Andasitturnsout,HearstandTrentrememberthatshow,too. “Oh,yeah,Irememberplayinginthebarrio on the floor,” says Hearst todaywith a hearty laugh. “I believe the guysin Buxton got us that gig, andweweregrateful to be able to play it!” Trent,

sittingrightnexttoher,smilesandnodsinagreement. “We’ve always been grateful to playany floor or stage thatwill haveus,” hesays.“It’sbeenawildrideoverthepastcouple of years, but we know that wecouldbebackplayingat theTradewindsof the world next week possibly. Somanybandshaveonlyabriefmomentofsuccess,butwe’re trying tomakemusicasourcareers.” Judgingfromsomeofthehighlightsfrom that “wild ride,” so far, so good.In thewakeofO’ Be Joyful,HearstandTrent found themselves touring withJackWhite (whoapparentlystillhasanaffinityforakillerco-edtwo-pieceband)and performing the album’s irresistiblesingle “Birmingham” on the Late Show with David Letterman. In the fall of2013,theytookhometwoawardsattheAmericana Music Association Honorsand Awards ceremony in Nashville:Song of the Year for “Birmingham”(beating such notable competition astheLumineers’smash“HoHey”andJDMcPherson’s stellar “North Side Gal”)andEmergingArtistoftheYear. As career-making calling cards go,“Birmingham” still holdsup a year later.But that “emerging artist” tag didn’t fitShovelsandRopeforlong.It’sSunday,May31,thelastdayofthefour-dayNelsonvilleMusicFestivalincentralOhio,andHearstandTrentaresittinginaVIPtent,waitingfor their time slot. Alt-country stalwartstheBottleRocketsandTexassongwritinglegend RayWylie Hubbard have alreadyperformed and are ambling around thebackstage artists’ village. Next up isMemphis’ soulful roots marvel ValerieJune, whose Dan Auerbach-helmedalbum,Pushin’ Against a Stone,garneredwidespread critical acclaim throughout2013.Notabadday’slineupforafestivalwhose first three nights were alreadyheadlined by Jason Isbell, Dinosaur Jr.,andtheAvettBrothers.Andtonight,thathonorfallsonShovelsandRope. Consider them fully “emerged” then—eventhoughthey’renotdonerisingyetbyalongshot.Bythetimeyoureadthis,HearstandTrentwillhavealreadyloggedtheir second appearance on late-nighttelevision(playingConanonSept.3),andtheirthirdalbum,Swimmin’ Time, willbewellonitswaytowardropingevenmore

Americana music fans into their corner.Ditto the full slate of festival, theater,ballroom and other marquee concertdates linedupthroughtheendof2014.Fortunately, theirheadshavenotgrownin tandemwith the size of their crowdsandbuzz. “We’ve made this happen oneTradewindsatatime,”saysHearst. “A few years ago, we literally wrotea plan out on a piece of paper,” shecontinues.“Andsomanythingswewrotedownhavecometofruitionandsomanyofourwildestdreamshavecometrue…” Shepauseswithagrin.“Now,keepinmind,wehaveveryreasonabledreams,”she adds, letting loose a gleeful,contagious laugh. Trent chuckles, too— though it’s pretty clear that theyhaven’ttakenamomentoftheirrideforgranted. You get the feeling these twopincheachotheralot,andnotjustoutofgenuineaffection. “Westill feel likewe’regettingawaywithsomething,”saysTrent. Plenty of Shovels and Rope fanswould likelybeg todiffer.Sodoes fellowartistHayes Carll,whohas been an avidchampionofShovelsandRopeeversincehe struck duet gold in 2011 by cannilycastingHearstashisfoilforhistongue-in-cheekopposites-attractanthem,“AnotherLikeYou.” “There are a lot of reasons whyShovelsandRopehave takenoff,”offersCarll, who won his own Americana Music SongoftheYearAwardin2008for“SheLeft Me for Jesus.” “They’ve workedtheir asses off,made themost of everyopportunityandbeenreallysmartalongtheway—butreallyitjustcomesdownto thembeing incrediblygood.Theyareridiculously great singers, writers andmusicians. They pour their heart into itand there’sno faking it.TheycansoundaspowerfulinalivingroomastheycaninCarnegieHall. “People want to see somethingreal,”Carllsays,“andtheyareaboutasrealasitgets.”

The Tradewinds Social Club is not the kind of joint where lastingmusical memories are usually made. Located in a less-than-ideal areaoftheOakCliffneighborhoodinsouthernmostDallas—“onthecornerof Carjack and Hold Up,” to borrow directions from one Yelp reviewer— it’s the kindof fabulously down-and-dirty divebarbelovedbyblue-collartypesandslumminghipstersalikeforitscheapbeer,stiffdrinks,anddecidedlyglitz-andpretension-freeatmosphere.Butasaconcertvenue,sufficeittosaythatit’sagreatplacetoplaypool,darts,andshuffleboard.OntheoddnightwhenTradewindsdoesfeaturelivemusic,itinvariablyfeelsmorelikeanafterthoughtthanthemainevent.There’snostagetospeakof;justasideoftheroomwithjustenoughspaceforabandtosettheirgearupontheraggedcarpetinganddotheirthingforwhoevercarestolisten,leavingplentyofroomontheother sideofthebarfortheSocialClubregularstocarryonwiththeirusualdrinking,socializing,andpoolshootingundisturbed. ButthenightofSaturday,Feb.25,2012wasanexception. Itdidn’tstartoutthatway.Forthefirsthalfofthenight’sdoublebill,thepool-tablesideof thebarwasa lotmorehoppingthanthemusicside. To be fair, Buxton—an indie outfit fromHouston newly signedatthetimetoNewWestRecords—didthebesttheycould,allthingsconsidered. The bandmembers playedwith their backs crammed upagainstthefrontwall,facingamodestcrowdofacoupledozenyoungfanswhowere all no doubt Tradewinds first-timers. You could tell as

muchbythewaytheylistenedattentivelythewholewaythroughwhilejammed in close together in a safety-in-numbers sort of way, evenleavingagood10or12-footgapbetweenaudienceandband.Theyalllooked about as uncomfortable and out of their element as Buxton’sorchestral folk-pop sounded in the room, and as soon as the setwasover,mostofthembegantoclearoutasquickastheycould. That’swhentwooutlierswho’dwatchedthewholeshowfrombackinacorner—arail-thindudeinatruckercapandalively,grinninggalwithamopofthickauburncurls—steppedoutoftheshadowsandgottowork.Buxtonwasstillpackingupandhaulingouttheirplethoraofinstrumentsasthenewduoclaimedaspotinpracticallythemiddleoftheroomandsetuptheirownarsenal:twomics,anacousticguitarandasinglesnare

The crowd looked like they didn’t know what hit them, but they went along for the ride, happily growing more and more ape-shit with every song. And the wilder it all got, the more Hearst and Trent seemed in complete control: two devil-may-care misfits from South Carolina, standing confidently in the eye of the storm and whipping a small Texas bar into a frenzied state of joyous raucousness.

Shovels And Rope


A Joyful matrimony

Speaking of being as real as it gets,there is at least one thing Hearst andTrent havemanaged to “get awaywith”thus far in their Shovels and Ropecareer: avoiding the tricky tightrope actof pretending to be something in thespotlight together that they’re not inprivate.Musical chemistry and personalchemistry are by no means always insync in such relationships; indeed, theoppositeismoreoftenthannotthenorm,ascountlessartisticpartnersrangingfromMick and Keith of the Rolling Stones toJoyWilliamsandJohnPaulWhiteoftheCivil Wars could readily attest to. ButHearstandTrent,marriedsince2009,areoneveryhappyexceptiontothatrule.Asclose as they seem and sound togetherwhenperforming,itbecomesclearwithinmoments of meeting them that they’reevenclosertogetheroffstage. Whether sitting for an interview inthe festival’s artist’s tent or watchinganother act’s set from the of the stage,they position themselves close to oneanother at almost all times,withHearstlovinglyputtingherarmaroundTrentorgivinghimaquickpeckonthecheekwithacasualregularitythat’ssomehowmoreendearingthaneye-rollinglysappy.She’sbyfarthemorerobustlyanimatedofthetwo, coloring her conversation with allmanneroffunnyvoices,sillyphrasesandevensoundeffectstodrawanyonenearintoherworld.ThatmakesTrent thedefactoquietone,buthismoreunderstateddisposition doesn’t come across asawkwardshynessordiscomfortsomuchasgenuinecontentment.Hesmilessoftlyand chuckles where his wife beams orroarswith laughter,and leavesthe lion’sshare of playful stage banter in front ofcrowdstoherwhilehetakesthereinsinthestudioastheirproducer. They complement each other sowell, in fact, that it’s fitting that theirbreakthrough song, “Birmingham,” tellstheir story in a nutshell, chronicling thecourtshipofthe“Cumberlanddaughter”who“couldn’tfitin”andthe“Rockamount

cowboy”who“spentfiveyearsgoingfromtowntotown/waitingonthatlittlegirltocome around.” After a verse or two oftouch-and-gonearmisses,thestarsalignin Birmingham and they begin again asone—“makingsomethingoutofnothingwithascratcherandahope/withtwooldguitarslikeashovelandarope.” It ain’t your typical love song, butit says it all so well, it stands alone aspractically the only love song in theShovelsandRoperepertoire—oratleasttheonlyoneexplicitlyaboutthem. “It’s kind of silly for us, five yearsinto this beautiful marriage, to get alllovey-dovey,” explains Hearst. “Maybe ifwe become estranged,we’ll writemoretypical love songs.But there’s toomanyother good stories to tell. And besides,I already wrote all my good love songswhenIwaspursuingthisfellaoverhere!” She laughsheartilyat this,butTrentdemurs with a quiet smile. “It was amutualpursuit,”heclarifies. Bothpursuerswerealreadyseasonedperformersbythetimetheyfirstcrossedpaths, and they continued working ontheirseparatesolocareersforaspellevenafter their first album together, 2008’sShovels and Rope. Tellingly, that recordwas actually co-billed as a “Cary AnnHearst&MichaelTrent”project,makingO’ Be Joyful theirofficialdebutundertheShovelsandRopebanner. Trent is a native Texan, born inHouston, but his family moved toColorado when he was 2 and he cameof age in Denver. He describes bothhis family and his high school as ratherconservative, though neither could curbhisadolescentaffinityforrap,metalandhardrock.Notthattheydidn’tgiveittheirbest shot, trying to nudge him towardbluegrassoratleastcontemporarymusicthat skewed a little more wholesomein spirit. “Myparentsarecool,and theydo likedifferentkindsofmusic,butonetime,theywenttoaChristianbookstoreandboughtmeacassettefromaChristianrapbandcalledRapture,”herecalls.“SoIjustputtapeoverthetopofthecassetteholesand I recordedSlippery When Wet overit.” It was in high school that he puttogether and fronted his first band, anindie-rock outfit called the Films. “Wepracticed in my friend’s basement in

Boulder—hismomwasreallycoolaboutit,andshewouldbringussnackswhenwepracticed,”hesays. “Weweresoyoung,none of the barswould book us, sowejustplayedafewbattle-of-the-bandsgigsforawhile.” The Films (who originally calledthemselves Tinker’s Punishment andrelocated to Charleston, S.C. in 2003)endeduphavingafairlygoodrun,touringboth nationally and in Europe and evenlanding a major-label record deal. Thatfell apart as soon as it came together,but the band went on to release twoalbums, 2006’sDon’t Dance Rattlesnake and 2009’s Scorpio, before ultimatelycalling itquits.By then,of course, Trenthadalreadymetandstartedcollaboratingwithhisfuturewife. The oldest of three girls, Hearstwasborn in Jackson,Miss.,butgrewupmostly in Nashville, where her motherand musician stepfather (the “DeltaMama” and “Nickajack Man” from theopeninglineof“Birmingham”)raisedheronavariedmusicaldietofMollyHatchet,John Prine, John LeeHooker, FleetwoodMac,Motown,and’80ssoulandpop.Bythetimeshehadherfirstgigat14—atMusic City’s now-closedGuido’s Pizzeria—shewasalreadyplayingintwobands.“IwenttoacoolHighSchoolinNashvilleformathandscience,”shesays.“Sobeingamusician,eveninNashville,kindofsetme apart in a good way and everyonethere was really supportive. We wouldplay everything from Billy Joel songs toSalt-n-Pepa.” Shemoved toCharleston for collegeand continued playing, finding her ownvoiceasa songwriteron the local sceneand eventually picking up enough out-of-towngigstocrosspathswithTrentforthefirsttimeatashowinAthens.But itwasn’t until Trent’s band landed in hercollegetownthatthewheelsoffate(andlove) really started turning. As HearstrecountedinablogentryonShovelsandRopes’website,she’d“beenhangingoutsinging in bars in Charleston, half drunkmostofthetime,notreallyuptomuch.I feltattimes like Iwas rusting inplace,waiting for some great adventure tocome along. When the Films moved toCharleston, with their ameri-trash glamrock-a-mount cowboy swagger, I wasgoodasdonefor.”

It would still be another five yearsbeforetheygotaroundtomakingShovels and Rope, though, by which time bothhadalready releaseddebut soloalbums:Hearst’s Dust and Bones in 2006 andTrent’sMichael Trent in2007. In2010,ayear after marrying and two years aftertheirco-billedduoalbum,theyeachissuedsophomoresolosets:Trent’sThe Winner and Hearst’s Lions and Lambs. Althoughneitheralbum(norShovels and Rope,forthatmatter)garneredquitethebuzzandnationalattentionthat2012’sO’ Be Joyful eventually would, a fittingly spooky cutfrom Hearst’s record, “Hell’s Bells,” didcreep its way onto an episode of HBO’shit supernatural drama True Blood (and,subsequently, onto the 2011 soundtrackcompilation True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series, Vol. 3, alongsidetracksbyNickCaveandNekoCase,JakobDylanandGaryLouris,andNickLowe). ButitwaswithHayesCarll,notSookieStackhouse, that Hearst made her mostmemorable pre-O’ Be Joyful splash ontheAmericanamusicscene.Outofallthequality tracks on the Texas songwriter’sacclaimed fourth album, KMAG YOYO (and other American stories), it was thehilariously ribald, politically charged“AnotherLikeYou”thatimmediatelystoodoutmostofall—andinlargepartthankstoHearst’ssassyraspsingingthelinesof

a hot-headed but drunkenly horny neo-con.(Thevideo,featuringCarllandHearstandacameoby left-wing/right-wingoddcouple JamesCarville andMaryMatalin,wasquiteahoot,too.) Three years and many morningsafter later, Carll and Hearst share twoappropriatelyslightlydifferenthesaid/shesaidversionsofhowtheirone-offmusicalhook-upcameabout. “Hayesgotluckybecausehecouldn’tget any of the other singers he liked!”Hearst offers with a laugh. “So, I wassuggested to him by Lost Highway, even

thoughHayesbarelyknewmefromaholeintheground.Butwewentoutforafewdrinks,hadsomefun,andI’msothankfulthatitworkedoutthewayitdid.” “Cary Ann actually wasmy first pickfor that song,” Carll counters. “I hadplayedwithheronceinCharlestonafewyears earlier, and I just remember beingblown away by her voice. As we led upto the recording, I was kicking around alotofwell-knownnamestosingthesongwith, but none of them felt quite right.I kept thinking about CaryAnn and howmuch fun itwould be to hear her on it.That ended up being one of the betterdecisionsI’vemadebecausenotonlydidsheslaythesong,butthatledtousdoinga lot of touring together and becominggreatfriendsalongtheway.” HearstperformedthesongwithCarllonstage at the Ryman Auditorium atthe 2012 Americana Music Honors andAwards. She was back a year later withTrent as Shovels and Rope, stealing theshow with “Birmingham” and collectingtwooftheevening’sbiggestawardsfrom“Mr.Americana”himself. “Cary Ann and Michael have justblownmeawayfromthefirsttimeIsawthem,” enthuses Jim Lauderdale in hisdeliberate drawl. “They are so talented,charismaticanddeepwiththeirmaterial.They’re what other artists aspire to be

like.Theycomplementeachothersowell,too.CaryAnnhassomuchofwhatI liketocallvivaciousness,andMichaelhassomuch reserved power in what he does.Andthemusicthatcomesoutofthemisnothingshortofamazing.”

Swimming against expectations and dancing with the devil

Back in 2010, Jace Freeman of TheMoving Picture Boys, a Nashville-basedfilmproductioncompany,gotatipfromafriendaboutatalentedcoupleofup-and-coming songwriters from South Carolinaworthcheckingout.AftermeetingHearstandTrentandhearingtheirmusichimself,he was intrigued enough to want toworkwith them on a video or two, justto capture some of their chemistry andcreative sparks on film. The next thinghe knew they were off and running onwhat would become a feature-lengthdocumentary. Shovels and Rope just have thatway about them. Once they grab yourattention,there’snolettinggo. “We definitely did not intend tobe filming for three years,” admitsFreeman.“Westartedoutwithasmaller

project, just documenting the processof making what would become O’ Be Joyful.ButwewereattractedtotheirDIYapproach, and after filming for a couplemonths,werealizedthattherewasamoreinterestingstorydevelopingatthatpoint.” The beautifully produced film, titledThe Ballad of Shovels and Rope, has alreadyscreenedatanumberoffestivals,including the Nashville Film FestivalwhereitwontheGroundZeroTennesseeSpirit Award for Best Feature. A DVDrelease is due soon. But the story ofShovelsandRopeisstilldeveloping,with

“It’s kind of silly for us, five years into this beautiful marriage, to get all lovey-dovey,” explains Hearst. “Maybe if we become estranged, we’ll write more typical love songs. But there’s too many other good stories to tell. And besides, I already wrote all my good love songs when I was pursuing this fella over here!”


Swimmin’ Time marking the beginningofabrandnewchapter—ifnotawholenewadventure. “Wedefinitelyfeelpressuretofollowup on what we’ve done,” Trent says,acknowledging the inevitable weight ofheightenedexpectationsthatcomeswiththeterritoryofJoyful-levelsuccess.Theirgoal going into the studio for Swimmin’ Time was to turn that pressure intoinspiration. “It all starts with the songs, whichis the kind of pressure we put onourselves,” Trent continues. “We didn’ttrytogetawaywithsomethingwedidn’tthinkwasgreat,andwhenwedidgointoour studio, we challenged ourselves tonotmakesomethingboringorsomethingwe’ve already made. At the risk ofsounding pretentious, we also want tochallengethepeoplethatfollowustoo.We want to give them something trulynewtohear.” ButHearstisquicktoaddthat,whiletheycertainlydidn’twanttomake“O’ Be Joyful II,”“it’snotas ifwe’vereinventedourselves.” “It’sstillus,”sheinsists,“andpeopleare still going to recognize what we’redoing, we think. I love the way thisrecord’stoughmomentsareourtoughestmoments ever and the sweet momentsare someofour sweetest. Likeon ‘SavetheWorld,’weallowedourselvestobeastenderaswewantedandneededtobe. “Wehavethisspectrumthatwefeellikeourownmusicfloatsbetween,” shecontinues, holding her hands about twofeet apart from one another. “And thatspectrumseemed towidenaswemadethis record. We had more freedom, sowetookmorerisks,butwealsohadthefreedomtostillbeourselves.” Ontheoppositeendofthatspectrumfrom the genteel “Save theWorld” sitsSwimmin’ Time’sforeboding,low-rolling“Evil”andthestomping,sinister“Ohio,”arguablytheoddest, funkiestandmostintriguing song Shovels and Rope haveturned out yet. It’s a sordid tale thatexemplifies the impeccable manner inwhich they defy easy categorizationeven within the free-range fields oftheAmericana realm. Trent andHearstpurposelywentalittlewildonspinningayarnthatwouldsoundasmenacingasitread. “Thatwasatrickyonetobeginwith

because Ididn’t knowwhat Iwanted todowithit,”Trentadmits.“Ifeltlikeitwastooslow,butIlikedthestoryinthesong.Carywastheonethatmadesurewekeptworkingonitandthat’swhenweaddedthehornsonit.” AndthehornsTrentmentionsaren’tyourrunofthemillbrassyblasts. “It’s a funeral march kind of song,”Hearst says, then punctuates her pointby mimicking a deep, horn-like bellowjustliketheoneontherecordinspiredbythedarker soundsof theCrescentCity’smusicalheritage.“We’rebothfansofthemusic of New Orleans, and I’m a littleobsessedwithNewOrleans,actually. Sothesongisaboutaguywho’sdownonhisluck and doesn’t knowwhy he’s gettinghis ass handed to him inOhio. He talksto a friend of his from Dallas when hemakesa trip to Louisiana,who tellshimthat he’s been making a ton of moneyrunning scams on people in Ohio, andtheguyrealizeshe’soneofthepeoplehisfriend has scammed. I thought it wouldbe prefect to set that kind of story to aslowdirge,andIputmyfootdownaboutkeepingitonthisrecord.” Fortunately for her, though, Hearstdidn’t have to lock horns with anoutsider in order to get her creativeway. Nor did Shovels and Rope have towatch the studio clock. Swimmin’ Time was recorded in the couple’s house inCharleston, with Trent at the helm forproduction and engineering — just likehewasfortheirlasttworecordstogether. “I pity the poor producer that triestoworkwithusandourcrazyschedule,”Hearstsayswithalaugh.“Thatproducerwould run away with his tail betweenhis legs.Whatwehave is greatbecauseMichael is patient and has a laser focusthatIbenefitfrom.” Trent agrees with a nod. “Doing itourselves is really working for us,” hesays. “I’m not saying we’ll never havesomeoneproduceus, butwe’renotoutofideas,andthat’sreallyexciting.” To illustrate that point, Hearstenthusiastically recalls an unexpectedholidayexcursionafewyearsagothatledthecoupletodigdeepandfindanewwaytosingtogetherwithoutrelyingonsweetharmoniesalone. “MichaelandIwenttoaPoarchCreekIndian pow wow three Christmases agowheremyDaddylives,”shesays.“Andfor

me,listeningtothecommunalsingingofthe Creek Indians and their war singingchangedthewayIthoughtaboutsingingforever.Now,whenwe sing a song thatway,Icallitour‘IndianWarCall,’whichiswhatwedidfor‘FishAssassin.’It’sapowwowsong,andwejustleanbackwithourshoulders straight, mouths wide-open,andlocked-ineyes.” Hearst is practically jumping in herseat as she says this, as if just thinking aboutbeltingoutthatparticulartune—or really, any song—with her husbandisenoughtogethergiddy.Trentasusualstays more composed but his sharedenthusiasmisbeliedbyawidegrin.“Forthisrecord,wedidallofoursingingwithourmicrophones really close and facingeachother,”hesays.“Sowewereliterallysingingtotheotherthewholetime.” The resulting kinetic charge of theirvoices blending and whoopin’ andhollerin’ against and with each othercanbeheardrunningthroughtheentirerecord, which throws off electric sparksevery bit as intense as the ones HearstandTrenteffortlesslygeneratelive.It’saprimal,sexyenergythatcanimbueapowwow song about fishing with as muchpassion and feeling as their colorfullywoven stories of struggle, desire andwicked fun. That heat you feel comingoff Swimmin’ Time’s opening track andleadsingle,“TheDevilIsAllAround,”isasmuchagleefulsummonsasitisascare-the-lights-outta-you warning couched ingood-old-fashioned revival preaching.ShovelsandRopemaynothavea lotoflovesongs in theirarsenal,but theycansing thehelloutofa songabout sinnin’andredeemin’. “We were both raised in the waywhere going to hell was a regular thingto fear,” Hearst explains. “Michael grewup in amore religious house than I did,but I still cameup inaveryhellfire-and-brimstonekindofway,andthat’sascarything for a child! So in some ways thatcanbegoodand insomeways itcanbebad,butwebothspeakthatlanguageandwe understand the overall reasons thatpeople look for spiritual peace, and itsalwaysonourmindswhetherwe’reactiveinachurchornot.It’ssuchapartofourfoundationsthat it justcomesout inourwritingwithoutusmeaningforitto.” It’s oft been said that the devil getsthe best tunes, and with “The Devil Is

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All Around,” “Evil,” and “Ohio,” Shovelsand Rope sound more than happy tooblige.But lest their folksbackhomeorchildhood preachers or anyone else gettooworried,HearstandTrentbothofferassurances that however far they mayroam,they’restillmakingajoyousruckuswiththeirheartsintherightplace. “None of us are perfect and we’rea bunch of messes, but we do the bestwe can,” Hearst insists with disarmingsincerity.“IwillalwayschoosegoodoverevileverychanceIget.”

Rock of ages, cleave for me … Our conversation winds to a closejust as Valerie June’s marvelous setis reaching what sounds like its peakmoment of intensity. Shovels and Rope,themainevent,aredueupnexttobringtheNelsonvilleMusicFestivaltoarousingclose; but rather than stealing away tofindaquietspottogetready,HearstandTrentelecttograbafewmorebeersoutofthecoolerinthecornerofthetentandrun over to catch June’s last few songsfromthebackofthestage.Theynotethat

althoughthey’vealreadyplayedanumberofotherfestivalswithJune,they’veneverhadmuchofachancetoseeherinaction.Watching the Tennessee-born songstresstearupthestagewithonlyhervoiceandher banjo, it’s easy to grasp why she’sgeneratedsomuchbuzzofherownoverthelastyear—andeveneasiertoimagineanyactthathastofollowherfeelingalittlenervous. But Hearst and Trent, standingarm in arm, just smile anddrink it all inlikehappy fansenjoying thebest seat inthehouse. “Allofthisfeelslikeafeverdreamthatdidn’t really happen, but I wish it had,”Hearstenthuses—laughingalittleathowconvolutedherthoughtsoundsoutloud.But there’s no doubting how much sheabsolutelymeansit. “This stuffdoesn’tgetoldandeveryday we wake up now is just good,” shemarvelsasherhusbandnods.“Ourlifeisjustcrazygood.” Halfanhourlater,sheandTrenthavemovedfromthebackofthestagetothefront. Their gear arsenal has doubledin size since the first time I saw them— there’s nowa snareand a kick-drum,alongwithasmallkeyboardandanextraguitar—butit’sstilljustthetwoofthem,dwarfed by a stage big enough for thePolyphonicSpree.AndeventhoughJuneplayed a one-woman-show, the two ofthemsomehowseemtotakeupevenlessof the stage—perhaps becauseHearst,dressedinacutenavysummerdresswithboldwhitepolka-dots,andTrent,sportinga brown blazer over a white tank-top,neverstraymorethanayardapart fromoneanotherthroughouttheirentireset. Being a Sunday, the last day of thefestivaliswrappingupearlierthanthefirstthree,soit’sstillbroaddaylight,allowingthemaperfectviewofthefewthousandmusic fans in front of them packing thegroundsofHockingCollege.Hearstbeamsabig,fun-lovinggrinoutoverthem,nodsatherhusbandtocountoffthefirstsong,andjustlikethat,I’mbackatTradewindsinearly2012. Sure, everything around them isbigger:thestage,thecrowd,theirname— hell, even their sound, with theirgutsy, rootsy acoustic stomp ampedloud enough to reach the back of the

fieldandtheirIndianWarCallsfillingthestage andopen sky like the indomitablefloodwaterstheysingaboutinSwimmin’ Time’s title track. But at the heart of itall it’s still just a Cumberland DaughterandaRockamountCowboy,locked-inoneach other and in complete control ofthemomentbutlookingforalltheworldlike they’re getting away with havingthe crazy good time of their lives. Andwhen Hearst belts out the opening lineof“Birmingham”—“Delta Mama and a Nickajack Man …” — andisansweredbywhatsoundsliketheentirecrowdjoiningin with her before the end of the firstverse,well…whew, that’s something.

♦

“All of this feels like a fever dream that didn’t really happen, but I wish it had,” Hearst enthuses — laughing a little at how convoluted her thought sounds out loud. “This stuff doesn’t get old and every day we wake up now is just good. Our life is just crazy good.”


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PhotoCourtesyofNewWestRecords

Sunny Sweeney can recall with vivid, multi-sensual clarityher veryfirstmusicalmomentoftranscendence. “Irememberbeing5yearsold,listeningto‘I’mNotLisa,’sittingcrossed-leggedandwatchingthewordsgoroundandroundontherecordplayer…

“I knew sad and happy, those emotions, but I rememberthinkingthiswassomethingelse,”shecontinues.“Ididn’tknowanythingaboutJessiColter,orthepiano,orguitar…butIknewthiswomanwasfeelingsomethingdeep.” After a beat, the brash-talking Texan snaps back to thepresentwitha loud,self-effacinglaughatherprecocity.Howshe “knew” still eludesher, but she realizeshitting that veinat such a young age may well have set her on the path toProvoked,analbumthatpullsnopunchesanddoeseverythingbutnamenames. “Hittinganerveisaperfectwaytosayit,”sheagrees. Alongtheway,Sweeneytookanindie-to-majorlabeltruth-telling turn with Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame, originally self-releasedbeforebeingpickedupbytheTaylorSwift-poweredBigMachine,thencamebackaftertheendofherfirstmarriagewithConcrete,amoreradio-friendlyprojectgivenanationalpushbyRepublic Nashville that yielded the Top 10 slice-of-the-other-woman’scheatingreality,“FromATableAway.”Bigbudget,lowbudget,whatSweeneywantsiswhat’sbeneaththetruthwesee. That’swhyshewritessongslikeProvoked’spassive-aggressivebusting “Backhanded Compliment” and the unrepentant“EverybodyElseCanKissMyAss.”Sheplays ’embrazen,wide-openandbrassyenoughtoscarementwicehersize. If Concrete captured a young woman’s life falling apart,Provoked looks at the pieces, owns the wreckage, and evenfindsa little lightattheendofthetunnel.Laughing,Sweeneyconcedesshemightknowalittleofwhatshespeaks. “It’s not a divorce record, or a happy ending record,” shesays.“Nothingthatsimple!It’sjustsomuchmorethanthat.It’stheideathateverythinghappensforareason—andthepartthat’samessispartofit.” Sweeney knew when she walked away from the major-labelmachinethatsheneededtoraisethestakes.Notsomuchgobigorgohome,butdigdeeperanddumptheturpentine.

Beyond her scalding cover of RandyWeeks’ obsessive “Can’tLetGo,”bestknownfromLucindaWilliams’rendition,Provoked (releasedinAugustviaindieThirtyTigers)cameastheresultofcarefulthoughtandtheA&RsenseoflegendaryartistadvocateKimBuie. “WemetwiththeThirtyTigerspeople,David(Macias)andKim,”Sweeneyrecalls.“Ilovedhowtheythinkaboutthings,howtheyexplainwhattheydo.Davidisagenius,sosmartandsuchamusicfan,andKim...” Shepauses inthat I Love Lucy waythat letsyouknowthe

nextthingoutofSweeney’smouthisgonnabegood.“Wewerewalkingoutofthemeeting,andIsaidtomymanager,‘IreallylikeKim!Ikindahaveagirlcrushonher...’AndStevesays,‘Well,youknowwhosheis,right?’Thenheexplained…” Buie,whose career spans stints at Chris Blackwell’s IslandRecords and Palm Pictures, Lost Highway, and various JimmyBowenlabels,hasworkedwithElvisCostello,EttaJames,WilliamBurroughs,RyanBingham,andLucindaWilliams.SherecognizedSweeney’sneedtonotjusttellherstory,buttoempoweryoungwomenengagedinthesamestumblethroughlife. “I knew therewas a story to tell,” Sweeney admits. “AndnomatterwhatIranbyKim,sheneversaid‘no.’Shejustkeptaskingquestions.Sheactuallysaid,‘Iwanttodirectyou,tohelpyoumakethebestrecordyoucanmake.’” ThestorySweeneywantedtotellonProvokedisverymuchher own, its songs (all but two of which she had a hand inwriting)ofemotionalturmoil,“SecondGuessing,”accountabilityand stubborn resolve unabashedly personal in amanner thatConcrete,evenatitsmostrevealing,onlyhintedat. “In the end, I didn’twant people to think Iwent throughall this shit on my last record and that was the end of thestory,” Sweeney explains. “Yes, I swore off dating, was nevergoingtohaveanotherrelationship,all that.Butthat’snotwhathappened.Lifeisn’taboutnow,it’sabout‘therestofit...’Soinmakingthisrecord, Ifinishedtellingthatotherstory,andkeptgoingtothisone.Thatwaypeopleknowthere’slightattheendofthetunnel.” For Sweeney, that light comes in part in the form of JeffHellmer, her husband of three years. AnAustin copwith twokids,he’dwatchedSweeneygothroughallofit—andofferedasteadyinghandtoawomaninthethroes. “When you’ve been through heavy things, you secondguess everything,” Sweeney says. “Jeff’s been friends withmeforadozenyears,sothere’snothinghe’snotseen.Duringthebreak-upofmyfirstmarriage,hesuggestedweshouldtrycounseling; that’s the kind of guy he is. And now?Well, he’snotjustsupportive;hetellsmethingsIdon’twannahear,butprobablyneededtohearthem.Thatbondwehave(ofthetruth)strengthenseverything.” NotthatSweeneywaseverashrinkingviolet.Butperhaps

whereshewasoncemorecombustive,nowshesavesthefireforthemusic.Afterall,awomanwhokicksoffnotjusthernewalbumbutherbeerjointandhonky-tonksetsbeltingouttheopeningofasongcalled“YouDon’tKnowYourHusband”acappellaisaprettystoutcontender. “Peoplemay be talking or doing their own thing, butsuddenly, they hear plain voices singing, they stop, andtheylisten,”shesays.“I’vebeendoingitforawhile,andtheonlythingstrongerthanthefactit’sbareiswhatthesong’s

saying.” LikeMirandaLambert,anotherhardcoreTexasgirl,Sweeneyhasneverbeenonetooverlysweetenhermusicorshyawayfromblunttruthwhenshe’sgotsomethingtosay.Sheseekskindredspirits and attitude when choosing songs and collaborators,too,workingwithsomeofNashville’smostprogressivewomensongwriters:BrandyClark,AshleyMonroe,NatalieHemby,andAngeleena Presley. The credits on Provoked also find her co-writingwithclassicistsMontyHolmes,ConnieHarrington,MarkD.Sanders,andBuddyOwens,plusbadboyhit-makingbrothers

Finds the lightSunnyThree years after cracking the country Top 10 with the majors, Sunny Sweeney returns to her feisty independent roots with the bold, confident Provoked.

By Holly Gleason

PhotobyJon-PaulBruno50 | LoneStarMusic LoneStarMusic | 51

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BradandBrettWarren. “MontyHolmes,whowroteLeeAnnWomack’s‘NeverAgain,Again,’isthefirstpersonIreallyclickedwith,”Sweeneysaysofher“SundayDress”co-writer(alongwithBuddyOwens).“He’snotafraidtotalkaboutthingsnobodyelsewants to. I likewritingwithwriterswhodon’tmind talkingaboutthingsthatmighthurt–becauselifedoes.It’swhypeoplecomeupandtellmetheirstories!Bysingingthesesongs,peopleknowsomeoneelsehasfeltit,andtheyfeellessalone.Justknowingyou’renottheonlyone,there’sstrength—andawholelottafunsometimes—init.” Shefallssilent,mullingoverwhatshe’sjustsaidandwhereshe’sgoingwithit.Whileshe’sneveratalossforwords,ourtimeiswindingdownandshe’ssearching forawaytotieupeverythingwe’vetalkedabout— life,tangles,Texas,songs,recordcompanypeople—inamannerthatconnectsitallbacktothewayshefeltasachild,listeningtoaJessiColtersongshedidn’tunderstandbutfelttohercore. “Sometimesyouneedemotions,”Sweeneyoffersfinally.“WhenIneedtobringemotionsup,Igotosongs.Ithinkalotofpeopledo—andthat’showItrytolookateverysongIputonmyrecords.Ievenlikeitwhentheyreachacross albums toeachother. Like if you thinkabout it, ‘YouDon’tKnow YourHusband’ is the prequel to ‘From a Table Away’— It’s light-hearted,butit’sthesamegirl.

“Thosesongsareabridge,which ismorethe way life is,” she continues. “I’ve alwaysmademymusic my way, and I’ve tried to betrue to who I am the sameway Loretta LynnandLeeAnnWomackhavebeen: I trulydon’tthinkeitherofthemhasabadsong. “That’swhatItrytodo.AslongasIfeelthatway,I’mdoingfine.”

“I’ve always made my music my way, and I’ve tried to be true to who I am the same way Loretta Lynn and Lee Ann Womack have been: I truly don’t think either of them has a bad song.”

PhotobyJon-PaulBruno


Lee AnnWomack won’t namenames, let alonepinpoint thesceneofthecrime.Butoh,thetruecolorsofthecountrymu-

sicindustryshe’sseen…

“Well, without singling out a singleorganizationoreventoranything,whichI don’t want to do ...” she teases overbreakfastatdowntownAustin’sStephenF. Austin Hotel, tiptoeing around the“tellmeyourbestindustryhorrorstory”question as delicately as she’s beenpicking at her plate of Eggs Florentine,“but I have found myself in a lot ofsituations. Very early on I recognizedthat,‘Oh…thesepeoplearenotallaboutmusic.That’snotwhatthisisabout.’” She smiles, bemused by the wide-eyed naiveté of youth. She’s older andwiser now, but back then that was ahard epiphany to come by for an EastTexas girl who grew up listening to herDJ daddy spin classic country recordson the radio in Jacksonville, obsessivelytryingtofigureouthowtosingharmonyoverherfavoritesfromthecocoonofherbedroom.Allsheeverwantedtobewhenshegrewupwasacountrymusicsinger,and there she was, living her dream inTechnicolor but finding herself less andlessenchantedtheclosershegot to thebigmachinebehindthegildedcurtain. Shestuckitoutjustthesame,though,learning to adapt and dance themajor-label dance for 15 years that, all thingsconsidered,yieldedaprettygoodreturn.Her breathtakingly pure, expressivesoprano graced the charts singingeverything from Patsy Cline-worthyhonky-tonk laments (her 1997 debut,“Never Again, Again”) to sweepingcrossover pop (2000’s “I Hope YouDance,”whichshewas invitedtosingatboth aNobel PeacePrize ceremonyandthe funeral of Maya Angelou.) She alsowon enough awards to fill a bookcase,including a Grammy for singing a songwith Willie Nelson (2002’s “MendocinoCounty Line”) and a CMA Album ofthe Year trophy for her classic-countrythrowback collection, 2005’s sterlingThere’s More Where That Came From.Buttherewerealsocompromises:artisticconcessions made to keep her label’spromotion and accounting departmentshappyandtoremaincommerciallyviablein a mainstream format veering everfartherafieldfromthekindofsongsshe

could sing from the heart. Somewherealongtheway,Womackstartedtodreamadifferentsortofdream. “You know, I was with that labelfor a long time and had some greatrelationships there,” she says of herseven-album run as part of the MCANashvillefamily.“ButIwastryingtobealotof thingstoa lotofpeople, tryingtogive everybodywhat they neededwhilealso trying to be true to myself. And itwashardtobalanceallthatstuff.Butthewhole time, I would look at Buddy andJulieMillerandJimLauderdaleandRickySkaggsandallthesepeoplewhosemusicIlovedsomuch,andIwouldthink,‘Oneday,I’mgoingtobeinasituationwhereIcanmakemusicwithandtourwiththosepeople,andthatwillbemycommunity.’ “Itwas something that I aspired to,”shecontinues.“I justkept tellingmyself,‘One day, you’ll be able to run in thecirclesyouwanttoruninandonlymakethemusicyoureallylove.’AndIjustlivedforthat.” There’sareasonwhyWomackspeaksofthisaspirationinthepasttense—andit’snotbecauseshehadachangeofheart.It’s because that “one day” she used tolivelookingforwardtoistoday,rightnow.Thetitleofhernewalbum,releasedSept.23onSugarHillRecords,prettymuchsaysitall:The Way I’m Livin’. Don’t call this Womack record a“returntoform,”alathewidelyacclaimedThere’s More Where That Came From, her brilliant recovery from the style-over-substance stumble of 2002’s Something Worth Leaving Behind.Anddon’tcallita“comeback,”despiteitbeingherfirstnewalbum since 2008’s Grammy-nominatedCall Me Crazy. Instead, think of it as abrandnewbeginning,whereinoneofthebiggest country starsof the lastdecade-and-a-half jumpsout of themainstreamtorunawayandjointheAmericanacircus. “Thisisstartingoverforme,definitely,”saysWomack, 16 years after winning anAcademyofCountryMusicAwardforTopNew Female Vocalist. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a new artist half her agebrimming with half as much excitementabouttheroadahead. “IhaveachancenowtodosomethingsdifferentlythanI’vedoneinthepast,”sheenthuses,“andIfullyintendtodothat.”

L ike Rodney Crowell’s career-reviving Sugar Hill release The Houston Kid 13 years before it,Womack’s The Way I’m Livin’

soundsverymuchlikethekindofalbumyou’dexpectaformermajor-labelcountryartisttomakefortheirdebutonamoreroots-centric indie label. But just as thecasewaswithCrowell’srecord,Womack’swasalreadyinthecanbythetimeSugarHillpickeditup.What’smore,sheandherproducer/husband,FrankLiddell,madeittogetherwhileshewasstillsignedtoMCA—andatthebehestofnoneotherthantheheadofthelabelatthetime. “We actually started this record acoupleofyearsago,”saysWomack.“Whathappened was, Luke Lewis sent me andFrank into the studio saying, ‘Y’all gomakewhateverrecordyouwanttomake.’BecauseLuke’sarealmusicguy,andIthinkhejustwantedtoseewhatwouldhappen!Like,‘WhatwouldLeeAnnandFrankdoiftheycoulddowhatevertheywanted?’” Despite her success over the yearsat MCA (not to mention her husband’strackrecordproducinghitsforthelikesofMirandaLambertandtheEliYoungBand),thiswasnotacaseofamajor-labelbossbettingonasurething.Foralltheircriticalacclaimandawardsshowfanfare,There’s More Where That Came FromandCall Me CrazyyieldedonlyoneTop10hitbetweenthetwoofthem(theformer’s“IMayHateMyselfintheMorning.”)ThemagnanimityofLewis’offerwasnotlostonWomack. “Upuntilthatpoint,IhadbeentryingtobeastruetomyselfasIcouldmusicallyand fit into the commercial Nashvilleworld,”shesays.“AndtheproducersthatI had were producers who, when theyturnedmusic intothelabel,theyneedtoprove that they can make a commercialrecord.Soyouget intothatmachineandeverybody’s trying to fit in or make mefit in,youknow?AndsowhenLukesaid,‘IwantyouandFrank to forgetaboutallthatandjustgomaketherecordyouwanttomake,’ that justcompletelyopenedupthedoors.AndFrank’snotafraid,either—Frankdoesn’tfeel likehehasanythingtoprovetoanybodyinthecommercialmusicworldoranyother…hereallyonlythinksabout ‘what’s thebest treatment for thissong.’Allofthatreallyfreedmeup.” Although they’d been married since1999 — and known each other fromthe start ofWomack’s career, given thatLiddell was her A&R rep at Decca (“Shehatedme,”Liddellsaystoday.“Ithinkshe

When I Come AroundLeeAnnWomackfindsherwayfromcountrymusicstartoAmericanafreebird.ByRichardSkanse

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justthoughtIwassomecollegeguyfromtheUniversityofTexas,whichalwaysbugspeople fromEast Texas, but everything Ididbuggedthehelloutofher—untilonedayIguessitdidn’t.”)—thiswasactuallythefirsttimethatthecoupleworkedonawholealbumtogether. “Ijustdon’tthinkthetimingwaseverright before this,” says Womack. “Andthere may have been a little bit of fearabout working together and also beingmarried,butafterall thistime,weknowwhatourthingis.Anditturnedouttobereallyeasy.FrankandIhaveneverbuiltahouse together,and Iwon’teverbuildahousewithhim[laughs],butwe’reso insyncmusicallythattherewasnotevenasmidgeofaproblematall.” Findingtherightsongsfortheprojectwas no problem for them, either. Inaddition to his A-list production gigs,Liddell also runs his own publishingcompany, Carnival Music, whose rosterover theyearshas featured suchwritersasBruceRobison,AdamHood,GretchenPeters, and Mando Saenz. Betweenthat and their shared affinity for otherperformingsongwritersoftheAmericanapersuasion, the couple had beenstockpilingsongsontheir“oneday”wish-list for years, going all the way back totheirearliestdaysofworkingtogether. “Even when she ‘hated’ me backwhenIwas justtheA&RguyatDecca, Icouldstillbringhersongsandknowthatshewould really listen to them,” Liddellrecalls.“Imean,shewasgreatatit—shewas the best listener. She was the oneartistwho,whenyouplayedherasong,itwasneverabout‘howwillthiswilltakemesomewhereinmycareer.’ Itwasjustabout, I either love it or not. Some ofthesesongs, like[ChrisKnight’s] ‘SendItOnDown,’we’vehadthatonearoundfor12or13years,waitingtodoit.And[JulieMiller’s]‘Don’tListentotheWind’isonethat shehas really lovedsince like1997—Ican’trememberwhenIfirstplayeditforher.SowhenLukesaidgoinandmakethis record, I think right then and therewe looked at each other andwere like,‘OK,we’vegotlotsofsongslyingaround…. How many times have we sat thereandgone, ‘We’vegot tocut this—thatsong’sbadass’?” In addition to the those Knight andMiller tunes, their other hand-pickedsongs on the record include the titletrack(byCarnivalwriterandAlanJackson

nephew Adam Wright), Mindy Smith’s“AllHisSaints,”AdamHood’s“SameKindof Different,” Brennen Leigh’s “SleepingWith the Devil,” Mando Saenz’s “WhenI Come Around,” Brett Cobb’s “Fly,” anda pair by Bruce Robison (“Nightwind”and “Not Forgotten You,” the latter bestknown from Robison’s wife Kelly Willis’ownAmericanacoming-outparty,1999’sWhat I Deserve.) Womack also brought“Tomorrow Night in Baltimore,” an oldKenny Price-penned RogerMiller cut, tothetable,whilethecoverofNeilYoung’sHarvestclassic“OutOntheWeekend” isanodtotheearlydaysoftheirromanticrelationship.WomackhadneveractuallyheardHarvestbeforeLiddellplayeditonenightonaroadtrip,butshetooknoteofhisfondnessforthealbumandsurprisedhimbyperformingtheopeningtrackataconcertperformancelateron. Intheend,onlyonesongonThe Way I’m Livin’cametothetableviaathirdpartyrecommendation: Hayes Carll’s “ChancesAre”— a tune that the Texas songwriteroriginally wrote on spec for the movieCountry Strong and later recordedonhis2011 Lost Highway album, KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories). It was LukeLewis himself who presented the songto Womack for consideration, thoughaccording to Liddell, Lewis didn’t evenknowthey’drecordedituntilafterheheardthefinishedalbum.ButWomackwassoldonitfromtheget-go. “Iwasjustflooredbyit,”sheravesofthesong,whichwouldn’thavebeenoutof place at all on There’s More Where That Came From. “I didn’t even knowpeoplestillwrotesongslikethis!IgrewuplisteningtoBillySherrill’sTammyWynetteandGeorgeJonesrecords,andIlovetheway those songs are written, how theycircle back to the hook and are just soclever.Foralabelheadthisdayandagetobringanartistasonglikethisisjustrare.” AlthoughWomackherselfdidn’twriteanyofthesongsonthealbum,shenoteswith pride that every one of them waswritten“tobeperformed,”initiallybythewriters themselves, rather thanas songsjusttobepitchedonMusicRow. “A lot of things that I want to cutnobodyelsewillcut,”shesays,marvelingat how a song like Knight’s “Send It OnDown” could go untouched for somanyyears by anyone but Knight himself.“Whenyou listen tocommercial countryradio these days, you just don’t hear

anything like that at all. If we’re beinghonest, you just don’t hear that manyreal,craftedsongs:youhearalotofstuffthat sounds like it was just made up,not written. I think we’ve gotten awayfrom that inNashville,which is a shamebecause there’s still a fantastic writingcommunitythere.” Having the freedom to pick andchoose material from some of theirfavorite songwriters was only part ofthe luxury of getting to make an albumon their own terms, though. Womackand Liddell were determined to make arecord that captured the intimacy of alive performance rather than the usualbells and whistles of glossy mainstreamproduction. It startedwith Liddell askingWomackwhatshedidn’twantherrecordtosoundlike. “I toldhim it just seems likewithallthatIheargoingoninNashvillerightnow,everything’s so bombastic: everything’smore,more,faster,faster,louder,louder,”shesays.“Andthat’snotwhoIam.ItoldhimIwantedtomakesurethatwedidn’tgetcaughtupinthatgame,andthatIjustwantedittobeasifthelistenerwassittinginaroomandhearingtherealmusiciansthe way they really sound.” And shewanted to be in that room, too, singingwiththemusicianswithhervocalsrightinthemiddleofthemixratherthandroppedon top of a “bunch of instrumentation”afterthefact.Consequently,mostofhervocals on the record were tracked livewiththeband. Liddellpointsoutthatalthoughthat’snot the way most records usually getmade in Nashville, it wasn’t long beforeit became apparent to all involved thatitwastheonlywaytomakethisone.Herecalls one moment when his wife wasin the lounge tending to other businesswhile the band was fussing with anarrangement,tryingtorunasongdown.It was drummerMatt Chamberlain whonoted, “There’s no sense in doing thiswithoutherbeinginhere,too.” “The interesting thing about thisrecordis,ratherthanhavingabandoverhere doing their thing and then doingthevocaloverthere, itwas likehavingafour-to-seven piece band, depending onthe song,with her vocal as just anotherinstrument,” Liddell says. “And that’ssomething that I had never seen beforethatIthoughtwasreallyspecial.” Therewassomethingelsehe’dnever

really seen before that struck him asprettyspecial,too. “Asyoumighthavenoticed,LeeAnn’snot very tall,” he sayswith a smile (shestands5’1”.)“Andwewereinthestudio,talking about ‘what have you missedhearing on your other records that youwant to hear on this one,’ and shewassitting in this chair with her feet nottouching the ground and just swinging,likeshewasa4-year-oldgirlgettingreadytoget icecream.And it’s funnybecauseshe’salwaysbeenmywifeandshe’sthisreally intense person, and for the firsttime, I just saw this little girl in her asshewas talkingaboutwhatshe’salwayswantedtodo.”

I n early 2012, Luke Lewis, the manwhohadgivenWomackandLiddellcarteblanchetomaketheir record,stepped down from his position as

theheadofUniversalNashville.Thenewsdidn’tquitehitWomackfromoutoftheblue,giventhatLewishadaskedhertosittightwithherfinishedrecordfornearlyayear,lestitendupcomingoutrightwhenhe was walking out the door and thuswind up orphaned without a championin its corner. After Lewis’ departure, hissuccessor,MikeDungan,askedWomackifshewouldmindsittingonthealbumjustalittlebitlongerwhilethecompanysortedout its release calendar.When her turntomeetwith him again finally came upseveral months later, Dungan explainedto her that Lost Highway, Universal’sAmericanaimprint,wasgone,andaskedif she’d consider going back into thestudiotocutsomeadditionaltracks“forradio.”Sherespectfullydeclined. “I justwasn’t interested in changingit,” she says today. “Not in that classicstubborn‘I’mgoingtodothingsmyway,I’mmadatthem’way—itwasn’tanythinglikethat.ItwasjustthatI’vebeeninthisbusiness long enough and I just wasn’tinterested in what was going on.” Shestood her ground, but the scene playedout nothing at all like the contentiousshowdown between Connie Britton’sfictional country star Rayna Jaymes andthe ruthless CEO of “Edgehill Republic”onTV’sNashville.Giventhathercontractwith MCA had actually been up beforeshe even started making The Way I’m Livin’,shewasfreetogo,andDungan,as

ashowofappreciation forherpatience,evenletherwalkwithhermasters. For the better part of the next twoyears,Womackspentsomemuchneededtime away from the business of being acountrymusicstar inordertoreconnectwithherfamilyandkidsandfriends,“justbeingnormal.”Butshealsokeptlisteningto andwriting new songs, because, shesays,“there’salotofmusicatourhouse,all thetime,and itnever stops.”Andbythe time Sugar Hill came a courtin’, shewaschargedandreadytobeginthenextchapterofhercareer. “Sugar Hill kept coming back, going,‘Wewantthisrecord—weheardacopyofitandwewanttoputitout,’”shesays.“Andyouknow,Iwasthrilled.Theirwholeapproachtothemusicbusinessis‘wedomusicthatmatters.’It’srootsmusic,andIlovetheircatalog.Somanyoftheirrecordsthat they’veputoutover the yearshavejustbeenbrilliant.SoIthoughtitwouldbenicetodosomebusinesswiththem.” The Womack record Sugar Hill gotfitsrightinwiththatrootsmusiccatalog.But truth be told, even if it had endedupbeingreleasedbyher last labelas-is,chancesarethatsongslike“ChancesAre”and “Same Kind of Different” wouldn’thavethrownanyfanwholovedtheclassic’70s-country feelofThere’s More Where That Came FromorevenmuchofCall Me Crazy fortoomuchofa loop.Andwhenpressedonthematter,Womackconcedesthat,giventherightkindofpush—evenfromanindielabel—The Way I’m Livin’ isarecordthatconceivablycouldstillgetplayedoncountryradio. “But, is that a game I’m interested inplaying?”sheaskswithasmile.“Notreally.” Instead,she’drathertakethesesongs,andwhateveronessherecordsorwritesnext,andsingthem“inroomsthatwerebuilttoplaymusic,notbasketball.”She’smore interested in seeking and playinginthecompanyofBuddyMillersandJimLauderdalesandJohnHiatts—asshedidin January as part of the CayamoMusicCruiseandinSeptemberattheAmericanaMusicFestival inNashville—thansheisinwalkingawardsshowredcarpets.Andif the folks at MusicFest in Steamboat,Colo.,shouldeveraskherbackagain,orsome scrappy Texas or Red Dirt act likeCodyCanadaandtheDepartedwantstohookupforastudiosessionorroadhousegigsomewheredowntheroad,countherin. Womack joined Canada’s last band,

Cross Canadian Ragweed, onstage as aspecialguestwhentheyplayedtheirfinalshowtogetherat Joe’sBar inChicago inSeptember2010. “IfirstmetthoseguysinCorpusChristiafewyearsago,”sherecalls.“IwasplayingashowthereandIcan’trememberiftheywereplayingsomewhereelseintownorif itwas a festival or something andwewereonthesamebill,butamutualfriendof ours said, ‘My buddies are going tocomeover,’andIjustsaid,‘OK.’Andwhentheywalked in, theydidn’t look likeanyother country starsoutofmy friendsoranything. In fact,mydaughter said, ‘Arethosepirates?’” She laughs at this, along with thesuggestion that her hanging with theRagweedsetsoundsratherlikeastraight-lacedgoodgirlslummingwiththestonersoutatthebackoftheschoolparkinglot.“Iwasjusttotallyenamoredwiththem,”she admits, “because therewas a lot offauxstuffinmyworld,andtheywerejustreal,youknow?Andthentheyintroducedme to Wade Bowen and Stoney LaRue,and it was just a whole new world ofmusic lovers that I got tohangoutwithandhavefunwith.” Itis,withoutquestion,averydifferentworld from the one she first made hername in. It’s rather different, too, fromtheworld of artists like Buddy and JulieMiller and Rodney Crowell that shemarveled at from the fringes for years,cutting their songs every chance shecouldwhilestillkeepingupappearancesas a contemporary country star.And it’svery different from the bluegrassworld,which she’s been a fan of and mingledwithgoingallthewaybacktohercollegedays in Levelland. But the way Lee AnnWomack’s livin’ these days, all of thoseworlds and even the best bits of heroldoneareallhers to roam freelynow.And whatever or however many circlesshechooses to run in,chancesareshe’sgonnafitrightinanddojustfine. “WhenIfirststartedout,Irememberdoing an interview where I said that Ihoped that I could work toward beinga Willie Nelson,” she says. “Willie fitseverywhere. He’s not this, he’s not that—he’sWillie.Andthat’sstillwhatIwanttobe,too.”


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Idon’ttrytorecordinthestudiolikeI play live, to the chagrin of somepeople…”CoryBranan,anartistknownforhis

veryenergeticanddynamic concertper-formanceswhereasongmayneversoundthe same twice, says he gets asked thequestion a lot: “Whydon’t you dowhatyoudoliveinthestudio?”TheMemphis-reared songwriter offers his standardanswerwith a hearty laugh: “Because itwouldbethemostannoyingthingyou’veeverheardonyourradio—itwouldbesofastandslowandloudandquiet…” Thetruth,though,isthatBrananac-tuallydoesmake recordsverymuch likethewayheplays live shows.Hemaybea bit moremindful of tempos and tun-ing and getting the best take he can ofany given song worth making the finalcut,butifanything,he’sevenmorefree-wheelinginthestudiothanheisonstage,makingfulluseofthemediumandtoolstoexploreandexploitwhatevermusicalurgeordirectionhefancies.Theresults,as typified by his latest album, The No-Hit Wonder (releasedinAugust), findhimveeringbothwillfullyandconfidentlyallover(andoftenbeyond)theAmericana/rootsmusic landscape.Heisascomfort-able layingdowna track inspiredby thesoundofaTennesseetrio(“SourMash”)asheisembracingthedeltabluesofhisnative Mississippi (“In the MeantimeBlues”),allwhileembellishing thesongswith the edginess and honesty of thepunkrockthatsoundtrackedhisyouth. Whilehisshowsmaybealittlecrazyandhisalbumsalloverthemusicalmap,Branan sounds perfectly settled and ateaseoverthephone,discussingthenewrecord and retracing his career back tothe beginning. After spending his child-hood inwhat he calls the “last town inMississippi”becausehisplanemechanicfatherdidnotwanttofullycommittoliv-ing inMemphis,BrananfinallymadehismoveacrosstheborderintoTennesseeas

ayoungadultandkickedaroundforafewyears playing guitar in an assortment ofpunkandcountrybands.Itwasn’tuntilhewasinhismid-20sthatthedesiretowritesongsofhisownbegantosurface,butheprovedaquickstudy.His2002debut,The Hell You Say, released on theMemphisindie labelMadjack Records, received afair bit of critical praise, asdidhis 2006follow-up,12 Songs. Neither albumwasnecessarily a “hit” in the classic sense,butthroughconstanttouring(playingup-wardsof200showsayear)Brananbuiltacultfollowingloyalenoughtokeepcom-ingbackdespitehavingtowaitsixyearsforhimtoreleaseanotheralbum. Branan’s third album proved worththewait.Released in2012onBloodshot,theChicago-basedlabelfamedforitsros-ter of energetic alt-country and punkishrootsrockacts,theaptlytitledMutt show-casedBrananathisbest,usinghischarm-ingly gruff Southern voice to sing storiesof richly defined characters and creatingthree-minutemovies for the imaginationwhile stretching his musical boundariesateveryturn.AndThe No-Hit Wonder fol-lows eclectic suit with even stronger re-sults.Fromthestraight-countryballadryof“AlltheRiversinColorado”tothelounge-influenced “Come On Shadow,” Branandoesn’t just dip his toes in the water ofa particular sound; he dives in headfirstwithconfidenceandtotalconviction,eventhoughheadmitshedoesn’talwaysknowwhereasongisgoingtotakehim. “Thesongsthemselves, Idon’tsteerthemtoomuch,”Brananexplains.“Some-timesI’llkickthemoutoftheditch,iftheyendupinaditchsomewhere.ButmostlyIjustsortofseewheretheygo…” Sometimes the other musicians he’sworkingwithinthestudiohelpthesongsfindtheirway,too.“Ihavethe ideasandarrangeitandtheychartitout,butwhensomeone plays something better thanwhatIhadinmind,Igowiththat.” For The No-Hit Wonder, recorded

withproducerandfellowMemphisnativePaulEbersoldinNashville(Branan’shomeof the last three years), the musiciansalong for the ride and sometimes help-ingtosteertheshipincludedthenotablelikes of Jason Isbell, Tim Easton, AustinLucas,andmembersoftheHoldSteady. “On every record I’ve hadmy bud-diessingonit,butI’veneverhadanyoneon just to have themon,” Branan says.“And Iknowthisroundofpeoplethat Ihadon ithada littlebiggernames,butItrytoputpeoplewheretheywillactu-allysuitit.” Notthathetakesanyhelphecangetforgranted. “Yeah,I’mjustreallylucky…I’vefall-eninwithgooddudesovertheyearsofdoingthis,”heenthuses,thenaddswithalaugh,“andIwasluckythat,hell,theyallliveintownandtheywereallfree!” Armedwithanewalbum’sworthofqualitysongs,Branan’salreadyhittingtheroad again, although he notes that he’scut back of late to a moremanageable120orsoshowsayear.That’sjustaboutenough,hequips, to “keep the lightbillpaid,”whilealsoallowinghimtoenjoyalittlemorequalitytimewithhiswifeandtwoyoungchildren,asonanddaughter.Fans needn’t worry about all that fam-ily timeencroaching onhis productivity,though;ifanything,itseemstobeaddingfueltohiscreativefire.Hesaysheexpectstohavehisnextrecordoutinaboutayearandahalf. “I’mwritingconstantly,”hesays.“I’vegotallkindsofthingsinmyhead.I’vegotsomekidssongs I’mworkingon,so I’vebeenkickingaround the ideaofputtingoutakidsrecordsometime,butitwon’tbethenextone.Thenextthingwillprob-ably be a more stripped-down folk re-cord.Butwhoknows?Whenitcomesittime,itcouldbeaklesmermetalrecord,Idon’tknow.”

Cory Branan

ThewanderingmusicalspiritofAmericana’sfree-ranging“No-HitWonder”ByAdamDawson

PhotobyNicoleKibert

“


LoneStarMusic is proud to feature thisthrillingteaserfromTexasmusiclegend(andLSMHallofFamer)JoeEly’snewlypublisheddebut novel, Reverb (LettersAt3amPress).Inspired by (but not limited to) key eventsandcharactersfromEly’sownlife,thestoryfollowstheodysseyofarestlessyoungWestTexan named Earlewho leaves Lubbock intheSummerofLovewithnothingbutagui-tar,aSuperReverbamplifier,a journalandthe clothes on his back. In this excerpt—taken fromChapter3—Earlehas recentlythumbed his way from Lubbock to FortWorth, where he briefly reconnects withan old friend and fellow Lubbock refugee,Gene, and lands a gig playingwith a localbandcalledtheNeuroticSheep.Earleisjustgettingacclimatedtotheband’sresidencyatanotoriousCowtowndivecalledtheCellarwhentheSheepareinformedthattheirresi-dency has been transferred to the Cellar’snewly-openedsisterclubinHouston. [Editor’s note: In addition to omitting a brief section of the chapter checking in on secondary characters back in Lubbock, for space reasons we are running this ex-cerpt with (mostly) standard formatting, rather than Ely’s stylized use of hanging indentation.]

Opening night at the Houston CellarbroughtoutthebestandworstofHoustonnightlife.TheBanditos,anotoriouslybadassversion of the Hell’s Angels whose head-quarterswere inhideoutsaroundtheshipchannel,cameout inforce.HarleyscircledMarket Square as thebikers paradedwiththeirmamasitasstraddlingtherearwheel,looking like goddesses of some long lostunderworldsurfacingonsomestrangenewplanet for thefirsttime.As theyrolled to-getherinarumblingpack,theypersonifiedthe very image of rebellion and defiance,yetEarlesawintheireyestheglintofdes-perateness that an outsider alwayswears,andfeltastrange,althoughdistant,kinshipwiththeseroamingrefugees. Cool Daddy Winter, his snow-white

pompadour frozen hard inan invisible shell of spraynet, arrived in a whitelimousine with a gaggleof slinky blondes at hisside. His pink albino eyessquinted when the pressfiredtheirflashbulbsathimasheenteredthedoorsofthe new dungeon, and heducked behind the curtainthat concealed the bandfromtheworld.TheNeuroticSheepparkeddiagonallyacrossthestreetfromthefrontoftheCellarinafirezone.TheoldChevythey arrived in was cov-ered in so much rust thatit looked like parts fromanoldrailroadbridgedrugup fromsomegulf salvageyard.Noonehadtoldthemaboutanypressparty.Theband looked so beat upthatthepressthoughttheyweretheclean-upcrewandstepped aside to let theminside, all the while scan-ningMarketSquareforthepossibilityofanotherVIPorbandmemberwhomaybelateandnewsworthy. The inside of the clubwas just the same as theFortWorth club with double the size andhalf the imagination. In fact the same cli-chésadornedthewalls,thesameflatblackpaintjobwiththesameblackburlapcover-ingonpartsof thewalls and ceiling. Eventhestagewasmadethesame,downtotheautomobile dimmer switches used for thelighting system.Maybe itwasdesigned sothatneither lightnor thebluescouldeverescape.Therewasagroupofmusiciansgo-ingdowntoseethehotelandEarlejumpedat the chance to break from this brandspankingnewdungeon. As theywere about to leave, a vagueanddangerous-lookingmanwalkedoutofthefrontofficeandgavethemadiscrimina-tory looking-over as if hewere somemili-taryofficerinspectingthenewrecruits. You the Fort Worth boys? Yep, that’s where we come from today. Bad Bob. Welcome to your own pri-vate hell, where you’ll be livin’ and tryin’ to breathe seven nights a week. I guess we should say thanks. You better wait on that. You might change your mind. You know the rules — nobody can be late, ever; no dating the waitresses, ’specially Candy; no alcohol in-side the club; and a one-month notice if you

decide to escape. Sounds like the Army, saidEarle. You might be wishin’ for the Marines after a few weeks here, fuckface. I used to break in little shits like you in Fort Bliss. Don’t ever fuck with me. He turned back into the office andslammedthedoor. They didn’t spare no expense on the welcomin’ committee. You said he was no picnic, but I didn’t expect him to be a fuckin’ bucket ’a scorpi-ons. Best to take the long way around him. TheMilbyHotelhadseenbetterdays.Itwasobviousthatthemuralofthefabulouslocomotiveonthewallinthelobbyhadnotalwaysfadedintoawaterstain,andthatthepaintedplywoodaroundthelobbywindowsusedtobewindows.Butitwasconvenient,beingonlythreeblocksfromtheclub.Therewasacheaplittledinernextdoor. Eachmusicianmadetendollarsanightandsincethehotelchargedfortydollarsaweek for rooms, it was instantly decidedthat the bandwould only rent two roomsand share them accordingly. Since Earle’sentirewardrobewasonhisback,heneeded

very little in theway of accommodations.He only had to jump in the shower andsplashsomewaterinhisfacefromtimetotimeandhewasreadyforthenight. The Cellar was packed. The Banditostook up the entire floor section sitting oncushions and having their ladies sprawlacross their laps.Thebohemiansgatheredat the tableson the sideof the stageandsmoked roll-your-owns and stared expres-sionless. Thecollegekids saton theothersideoftheroomandtalkedtoeachother,laughingcarelesslybetweenthemselvesasifnooneelseexisted. A local band, the Treeks, opened thenightandthentheNeuroticSheepwentonand stumbled throughmost of their earlyset.TheAmericanBluesmadeagranden-trance, bursting through the front door,spilling drinks and crawling over the audi-ence to get to the stage. They had onlyplayedtwosongswhenaparticularlysurlybikergrabbedawaitressandbeganpoppingthe elastic on her panties while gruntingthroughhisbeardathiscompadres.Rockyhadbeenwatchingfromthebandstandandsuddenly threw down his instrument andleaped onto the unsuspecting customer.The bouncers were close behind. A chainreactionbegan,withskirmishespoppinguparoundthefloor.Thebandwentintoadrumsolo that built in intensity like a runawayfreighttrainthatwasaperfectsoundtrackfor the mayhem. Rocky returned to thestage, slightlybloody, toa rousingencore.Bytheendoftheirset,theCellarhadbeenchristenedinthestylethatitwouldrepeatoverandoverandoveragain. Earleandthebandhadjustenoughtimetoeattheirfirstmealofthedaybeforego-ingbacktotheCellar.TheirnextsetstartedatelevenandtheAmericanBlueswentonatmidnight.Thecrowdwasstartingtocomeinfromotherclubsalltankedupandreadyfortrouble.EarleandtheSheepplayedtheirbest set ever (in less than aweek) closingwithMidnightHour,andlookedateachoth-er insurpriseat theovationtheyreceived.The Blues were feeling their oats on thebacksideoftheclockasCoolDaddyWinterjoinedthemfortwosongs. Bythethirdsetthecrowdhadevolvedintoadrunker,sleazierbunchandtherealundergroundofHoustonwasbeginning toappear.TheBanditos,whohadleftafterthefightearlyinthenight,wereback—doubleinsizeandtripleindefiance.Thewaitresseswere visibly afraid to walk between themand thebouncerswerebeginning towon-deriftheywerecurrentontheirinsurancepolicies. Themusiciansdug inas if tofindthe source of their inspiration and to useitasashieldagainstanyoutsideforcethatmightcausethemharmorhumiliation.As the band began to play, the music

seemedtocome,notfromthesurface,butfromadeeperrealmwheretheplayersfeltabondbetweenall thosewhohavecomebefore. Now here they sat in the presentmoment, circled around a stage in a diveindowntownHouston.Themoretribalthemusicbecame,themoreunifiedthecrowdbecame,untilat3a.m.therewerenodiffer-encesbetweenthemostsophisticatedandthemost heathen in the audience. Every-onewasconnectedtoeveryoneandbythetime theAmericanBlueshit the stage thebikersonthecushionsandthebeatniksatthetablesweremakingoutwiththeirwom-en,squirminghereandthere,flowingwiththepassion.Everyonestirredasifoncueatabout4a.m.,whenthebedroomcalledandthemass exodus began.When the Sheepwenton for the5a.m. set, theCellarhadbecomeagraveyardandthebandfelt liketheywereplayingtozombiesasonebyonetheaudiencenoddedandwereescortedtothe frontdoorby thebouncers. Themainexceptionwastheratherlargegatheringofthemeth-headed Banditos whowere juststaringtokickintogear.Whenclosingtimecameat6a.m. they raced for their scoot-ersandzippedawayintothedawn,tothewarehousesintheshipchannelwheretheweek-longdaywasjustbeginning. SomuchhadhappenedinEarle’slifeinthelasttwenty-fourhoursthatitwashardto remember what had happened. WhenhelandedonthecouchattheMilbyhewasout cold,dreamingof aplace far away,ofagreenslopethatrolleddowntothesea,where the clouds floated by and all theworldwasassimpleasthat.... The next afternoon Earle woke up attwoandwentouttoexplorehisnewneigh-borhood. Every bar aroundMarket Squarehadtheirjukeboxesblastingaway,churningupthebrutalheat.Infactitfeltasifthemu-sic itselfwascreatingthe100-plusdegreesthatwasturningthesidewalksintogriddles.GeorgeJonessanghisbluesoutofahillbillybarwhilenextdoorLightnin’Hopkins’voicewailedhisowntalesofwoefromajukeboxspeakeraimedatthestreet.Fromtheshoe-shineparlorcameSamandDaveandfromapawnshop came theRolling Stones singingTime Is OnMy Side. Earle wondered howithadallevolvedtobecomesuchadiversecenterofsadness. Noanswercametomindsohestoppedinforcoffeeataburgerjointonthesouthsideof thesquare.Thesign saidSt.Paul’sCafebuttherewasnothingtosuggestthatany church or charity was involved in themanagementoftherundowncafe.EarlesatontherippedNaugahydestoolatthecoun-terandfoundapieceofyesterday’spaperat the booth behind him.He noticed thatthe ashtray was so packed with cigarettebuttsthatithadbecomeapyramid.Earlelit

asmokeandslidaCarlingBlackLabelash-trayfromdownthebar. Earleheardthewaitresscomeuptothecounterbuthekeptreadingthepaperasheorderedcoffeeandtoast. Anything else? Who’s Saint Paul? Was my old man till he bled to death in my arms.. Earlelookedupfromthepaperandwasstunnedatthefaceoftheoldwaitress.Herskin was the texture of sunbaked leatherand the creases and folds seemed as if ithadtakennaturethousandsofyearstocre-atesuchamasterpiece.Therewasastrangebeautytotheoldwoman,yettherewasasadness as deep as the cracks around hereyes.Therewasakindofsymmetrytoeachline that curled and twisted like eddies intheRioGrande.Eachravinehaditsmirroredequivalentbutnotalwaysinthesamepartofherface.

Oh, my God. I’m sorry. He saved me from a mad robber. Would’a killed us both if Paul hadn’t ’a wres-tled him down. Bullet went clean thorough the son-of-a-bitch, bounced off’a the hard top, went back through him and into Paul’s heart. They ought’a make a saint out of him. We already have.

Shepointed to the signabove theor-deringwindowthatsaid‘SaintPaul’sKitch-en.’ Ithadbeenstitchedbyhand,embroi-deredwithcruderosesandplacedinasub-stituteframethathadpreviouslyborderedabeersign.

And your name is? Paulina, Santa Paulina. That’s what ev-erybody’s called me since Paul’s gone. Earle, here. I just moved into your town. Playin’ over at the Cellar every night. People ain’t too pleased about the Cel-lar movin’ in. How come? That gangster who runs it has warned everybody in ten square blocks about what a bad ass he is. He don’t scare me none. Them kind’a fellers usually get what they deserve. I just met him, and I don’t care if I ever see him again. ’Cept at paycheck time. I’m just a musician, and I don’t get involved in the business end of things much. You ever hear of Lightnin’ Hopkins? He’s the King, far as I’m concerned. He plays sometimes over at the liquor store and sometimes at the bar next door. I can’t even believe that. He’s got family down here.

ImagineHouston…AnexcerptfromReverb,thenewnovelbyJoeEly


Maybe I’ll catch him one of these days. Damn, Lightnin’ Hopkins! Never really knew if he was real or not just because he’s too real. You know what I’m sayin’? Well, guess I better run. Nice meetin’ you, Pauline. I make the best French toast in Houston. I bet you do. I’ll see you mañana. Sayonara, cowboy. Earlewalkedback to thehotelexpect-ing to takea shower,butwhenhewalkedintotheroomeverysquareinchwasoccu-pied by the musicians and the waitressesand other employees from the club. Thesmokewassothickyoucouldhardlyseethedreadfulpicturesonthewall.Inonlytwen-ty-fourhourstheirroomhadestablishedit-selfastheofficialhangoutspotoftheCellar.Hewalkeddowntothe lobbyandfoundagiganticcouchcovered inraggedgoldche-nilleandhesatatoneend,imaginingallthemillionairesthathadsatthereintheMilby’sheyday. He found a piece of paper by thehousephoneandwrote:

The Comfortable Dead, The Happy Dead Those who deny in public, Deny that they are dead Let the Dead Wake Up!Let the Dead Watch Out! Drowsy memory perforated! Soon the dead will rise! Let the Dead Wake Up!Down the tracks of insomnia Let the Dead Wake Up!

Heheardtheelevatordooropenandawallofconversationspilledout,mixedwithsmoke,perfumeandguitars. It tookhimasecondtorealizethatthesewerethesamethirty peoplewho had just come fromhisroom. He glanced at the clock and saw itwasclosetoseven,timetogototheCellar.He walked with everyone, straggling be-hind,andwasgreetedbytwowomenwhohaddroppedtothebackofthepackandin-troducedthemselves.

Hi, I’m Pam and ... I’m Loretta and we ... Like the way you sing and ... We dance around the corner from ... The Cellar and we live ... On the same floor as you guys and ... Sometime, if you want ... Come by and visit Prince Albert ...

Theyturnedatthecorner,giggling,andwavedgood-bye,bumping intoeachotherand dropping this and that like a slapstickteamimprovisingtryingtowalkinarollingfunhouse. Randydroppedbackandmadeacom-mentary.

It’s a wonder they can make it through a day. What’s with them? Stoned titty dancers from the Stag.

They could still see them two blocksaway,weavingandlaughing.

Good thing they don’t drive airplanes, Randysaid. Or run the government. AfteracoupleofsecondsEarlerecant-edhislaststatementandtheybothdecid-edthatthegovernmentwould,infact,bebetterifthesegoofygirlswererunningtheplanet. Theywouldmost certainly notbeinvolved in anobscure civilwar in South-eastAsia. TheywalkedthroughtheCellardoorandfeltallpatchesoftimepeelawayandremainoutsideastheblacknessinsideforbadeanyforward advancement. In fact, the eveningprogressedverymuchthesameasthenightbeforeandEarlewasamazedtoseeapat-ternemergeinsuchashorttime.Itseemedtherewasnothinganymorefulfillingaboutthisnightthanthenightbefore,muchtohisdismay.Hehadhopedthatitwasonlyhim-self thatwas disturbed by this impression,buteveryonehe talked to seemed tohavesomefeelingthattherewassomethingnotrightaboutthisplace.Ofcoursetheywouldthen dismiss their testimony with a shrugandanervouslaughandchangethesubjecttosomethingalittlelighter. Earle began to cherish the time be-tween sets,walking the streets, getting toknowthecharactersaroundMarketSquare.Helistenedtocountlessstoriesabouthoweachpersonhappenedtolandinthisstew-potofacity. HewalkedtotheliquorstorethatPauli-nahadmentionedandwentinandengagedthemanbehindthecounter. Y’all carry Southern Comfort? Half-pint, pint, or fifth? You of age? Just seeing if y’all carried it or not. I’m new in town. Heard Lightnin’ Hopkins shows up now and then. You never know what Lightnin’s gonna do. He’s like Texas weather, only more so. It might be rainin’, might be cloudy. Might be blowin’ like all get out. Free as the four winds but less predictable. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Mondays, ’round dark. He sometime git thirsty on Mondays. Name’s Earle. Yeah, Little Bell, here. Pleased to meet ya. Likewise. HewalkedbacktotheCellarandslipped

intothedarkness.Nothinghadchanged.Heplayed thenext setnoticing that thebandstumbled at the same places each time.Eachsetwaslikealiverehearsalonlytheycouldnotgobackandfixwhatneededfix-ing. Themagic from the night beforewasmissing. It seemedthat theywere justgo-ingthroughthemotions.HemissedhisLub-bockband. When the set was over he strolledaroundthesquareandwalkedovertoMainwherehewatchedthebuses loadandun-load.Thecitywounddownastheoilcom-pany skyscrapers flicked whole floors oflightsonandoff.Asthelastoftheworkerstrudgedout,thenightcrawlersarrived,oneby one, to see what they could scavengefromthescene.Theyhadanairaboutthemthatwascautiouslikemice,yetsinisterlikescorpions. Con men, dealers and pimpssnakedaroundthedarkstreets,sittinglowintheircarswaitingtomakeaplay. Earle realized that since he had ven-tured away from West Texas and out intothe world, everything around him seemedtohappeninaspeededuptimeframe,andasaresulthehadignoredhisdailyhabitofrecordinghisthoughts.Hesatonaconcretewindowsillthatwaslitbyseveralpulsingad-vertising lights.He readbackwards throughthepagesofhisjournalanditfeltlikehewasreadingsomeoneelse’slife,nothisown.Hedidnotfeelevenremotelythesamepersonas the one from a week ago. It made hishearthurttoreadhisreferencestoPatricia,asheallowedhimselftoreminisceaboutherforabeatortwofromhisemptychest.God,howhehadlovedher. Hesawhimselfasafly inahuge,ma-niacalcowtown.HethoughtabouthishomefarawayandtheeventsthatledhimtothisunrealcityandhedecidedheneededtojotdownacoupleoflinesthathadbeenrollingaroundinhisheadbeforegoingbacktotheFlatBlackInferno.

The Cyclone The Hurricane The Tornado berserk! The Living, The Dying Trudging on to Work ...

O Volcano, Frost and Freeze Wild fire of mad disease Tidal Wave of the weary Let the Dead Wake Up! And the Dying!And the Dying! And the Dying!

During the next five hours the SheepplayedtwicemoreandEarleescapedtothestreetsaftereachround.BytheendofthenighthehadmetmostoftheMarketSquareregulars. They were all curious about the

Cellarmanagementandtheyallwantedtoknowifitwasreallyasbadasitsreputation.Earlesaidthathedidn’tknowmuchaboutitbutthathefigureditwasworsethantheyhadheard. The Cellar emptied out after the fouro’clock set and everyone filed out jokingaboutgoinghometothe‘ChateauDebris.’Charlieinvitedeveryoneovertotheband’sroomforaparty.AstheyenteredthelobbyEarle saw Pam and Loretta, the two strip-pers from the beginning of the night, stillgigglingandbouncingintoeachother.TheysawEarleandasked ifhewantedtocomeuptotheirroom.Itseemedlikeasensiblealternativetohisonlyotheroption. They had obviously been living in thehotel forsometime.Their room,althoughhuge, was jam-packed with stage clothes,hangers, props, trinkets and other thingsthathadnoname.Pam,theredheadedone,toldEarle tomakehimself comfortableonthecouchwhiletheychanged. When they returned arm in arm theyweredressedinEastIndianoutfitsandgig-glinghysterically. Loretta, the largerof thetwo,askedtheroomtobequietasshehadanimportantannouncementtomake.Ear-le,sincehewastheonlyotherpersonintheroom,didnotsayaword. Lorettaproceeded.

Please rise.

Earlestoodup.

The Prince has arrived.

She pulled a tin from her feather boapurse, and both girls mock-ceremoniouslywalked thecanover to thecoffeetable. ItlookedtoEarle like the thinkindofPrinceAlbert tobacco can that had a hinged topandwouldfitinyourhindpocket.ThetwogirlstookapipeoutofanelaboratewoodenboxandaskedEarle ifhewould like todothe honors. Since he did not know whattheyweretalkingabout,heshookhisheadandmumbledthathewastheguestandhereckonedthatthehostessesweresupposedtoinitiateallhonors.Pamsuddenlyblurted.

Your accent is so cute. It’s luscious and delicious. Afterslurringhersimilarwords,Lorettalaughedherselfintoaballonthefloor.

Is that word inside a word? It’s a wordy, wordy, wordy world. Thetwogirlshowledwithlaughterandseveralminuteswentbybefore theywereabletocontainthemselves.Earlehadneverseenanytwocreaturesquitesoabsurdinall

hislife. When Pam was able to crawl to thecoffee table, she pulled some greencrushedleavesfromthecanandputthemintothepipeandhandedittoEarle.EarlesmokeditjustlikehisuncleWillisusedtosmokehispipe.

No, don’t let it escape. It has to bloom in your body.

Pamtookalongdrawfromthepipeandheld thesmoke insideher lungs fora longtimeuntilathoughtflewbyandcausedherto laugh.Earle followedherdirectionsbutfound that, except for being a little dizzyfromholdinghisbreath,hefeltnothingun-usual.Heeven told thegirls thatvery fewthingshadeverhadaneffectonhim. Theypassedthepipearoundagainandhe noticed that the room had become soquiet that his thoughtswere beginning toturn inward, away from the circumstancesof the situation.Heclosedhiseyes,partlyoutofexhaustionandpartlytoconcentrateon what was inside his head. He heard arustlingintheroomandopenedhiseyestoanudeLorettawholookedlikeshewastenfeettallbendingtosoftmusicthatseemedto be spraying out of thewalls. Pam thenstoodanddroppedthesarifromaroundhershoulderswhichtwirledherglitter-coveredpastiesasitfellinaheaparoundthespar-klesonherchromehighheels.Shebegantocaress Loretta ina slowswishofherhandthat left trails of light behind eachmove-ment,embeddedintoLoretta’sskin. When he turned his head, he noticedthat the candles left streams of light thatstayed in his vision where he stopped hiseyes. The shapes would turn into smokyspirits that seemed to dance in midairagainsttherollingblueandpurpleshadowsthatmadeupthedarkspaceoftheroom.Astheircolorsturnedtoblueandgreen,theirshapeselongatedanddivided,givingthem-selveslegsandarmsthatbentandtwistedlikesomekindoftaffythatbecameinfinitelythinnerasitstretchedintothedarkcorners.He could hear the dancers’ skin as theyrubbedagainsteachotheracrosstheroom,butthestreamsthatwereinhisvisionhadcommanded his attention. A groan fadedintoatrainwhistlewhichfadedintotherat-tlingof the fanwhichgave the impressionthateachsoundwasbeingplayed,oncue,intimetothedancingspiritsthatwerenowpassing through the wall. The glass door-knobontheclosetdoorseemedtobeckonhimandhewasunable todoanythingex-cepttoobey. Whenhelookedcloselyinsidetheglasshe could seewhat looked likea contortedShakespeareplay.Ladies in tallpointy lacehatswerewatchingtelevisiononabalcony

aboveahugeballroomfilledwithdancingshapes. Rubber Great Danes sat stretch-ingtheirnecksatthemooninhugespiralsasiftheyweresingingitasilentsong.Theladies were fanning themselves with fansthatspewedoffdozensoftheghostlyspiritphantomsthatEarlehadjustseendancingaroundtheroom.Theydoveinandaroundthewavesofwhirlingbluevelvetthathad,onlysecondsbefore,beenahallfullofdanc-ingpeople.Golden falconsflewoutof thewindowsof thepalaceand into thedrive-waywherebishopssatonwhiteHarleyDa-vidsonsinwhiterobesandtallhats,revvingtheirengines intimeand in tunewith theunseenorchestrathatseemedtobeplayingjustbehindawallofjunipertreesattheendofthedriveway.Inthedistance,largebon-fireswere burning on the tops of each ofthemanyhillsthatsurroundedthepalace.Atleastitusedtobeapalace.Nowitlookedmorelikeahugegazebosurroundedbyflag-poleshundredsoffeettallwithridiculouslytinyflagsattachedtothetopofeach. Earle watched this amazing event forwhat seemed like hours, only to be dis-tractedbythesmellofcandlesmokefromacandlebythecouchthatthegirlshadblownoutbeforegoingtobed.Earlecrawledoveronthecouchandclosedhiseyestowatchgreen and blue fluorescent road graderspave a road that seemed to be a perfectmirrored surface across the flatlands andintoacrimsonsunsetnexttoagazebosur-roundedbyflagpoles....

* * *

Earle woke upwith the afternoon sunslicing straight through the middle of hishead. He was not sure if this was still hisdreamorifitwassomethingleftoverfromlastnight.Heraisedupand lookedaroundtheroom.Theglassdoorknobcaughthisat-tention and he fell back into the scene hehadwitnessed inside its shell.He laidbackdownandclosedhiseyes,slippingbackintorecenteventsthatnowseemedmellowandunthreatening. In fact he slept for anotherthreehours,wakingwhenthegigglinggirlscameoutoftheirbedroomandaskedifhe’dever been to Sugarland. When he askedwhereSugarlandwas, they,ofcourse,diedlaughingforatleastanotherfifteenminutes. Earlegroanedatthethoughtthatitwasalmost time for the first set at the Cellar.HedecidedtogotoSaintPaul’sandsee iftheywerestillmakingbreakfastat5p.m.Hetiptoedoutthefrontdoor,hopingthegirlswouldn’thearhimleave. TherewasanoldblackCadillacinfrontofthecafewhenEarlearrived.Ithadamys-terious,hand-madeairabout itand,whenhesawPaulina,heaskedheraboutthecar.


It’s a friend of Lightnin’s. They were here a couple of hours ago. Saw ’em gettin’ Light-nin’s guitar out of the trunk. Might be over at Little Bell’s. You want a menu? How could I eat knowin’ Lightnin’ might be wailin’ around the corner? Why don’t you shut this joint down and come over? Cain’t. Paul would be reproaching me all the way there and back. Ain’t nobody else to run the place ’cept Willow. And she cain’t run a toaster, much less a register.

EarleskippeddowntoLittleBell’sand,sureenough,he couldhear the refrainsofLightnin’s guitar from a block away. A fewpeopleweremillingaroundoutfront;somelistening,somesmoking,andsometappingtheir feetandsingingalong.Earlewassur-prised there weren’t more people aroundandmostoftheonesthatweretherewerefrom the neighborhood. Hemade his wayinto the bar next to the liquor store andthere was Lightnin’, his gold tooth shininginthebeer-signlight,sittin’onanoldcanechairwailingawaywithahalf-pintofginonthefloorbyhischair.Hewasinthemiddleofarevved-uprenditionofMojoHand,grin-ningfromeartoearlikehehadfinallymadeithomeafteralonghardjourney.Therewassomething familiar, almost grandfather-likeabout Lightnin’, as if his soul had mergedwithhismusicandbeenpassedonthrougha tweed amplifier for the world to share.Heplayed song after song and in-betweentalked and laughed with his friends in thebar.LittleBellcameinthesidedoorwithachocolatebirthdaycakewithasparklerim-plantedinthetop.ItappearedthatLightnin’hadordered the cake forhis friend,Napo-leon, the bartender. After they mumbledassorted versionsofHappyBirthday, Light-nin’dedicatedasongtoNapoleonandasheplayedthefloorbegantoshake.Earlecouldhavespenttherestofhislifeinthisspothadhenot glancedat the clock to see thathewastobeonstageintenminutes. HerantwoblockstotheCellarandsawBadBobeyeinghimashepantedinthedoor.

Cuttin’ it purty thin, ain’t ya? Always have. Just don’t fuck up. The Cellar ain’t for-givin’. That seems to be the consensus.

The Sheep played an all right set thatendedafewminutesearlywhenCharliebust-edabassstring.Earlehitthedoorandmadetracks for LittleBell’s.Thebarhad returnedtoitspre-Lightnin,’sleepyself.ThelightwasstillontheamplifierthatLightnin’hadplayedthroughandanemptyhalf-pintbottlestoodat the sideof the chair.Napoleonwaswip-ingthebarinaslowcircularmotionasEarleaskedwhenLightnin’mightreturn.

If I knew that, I might be one rich fool. He pop in like the Jack ’n a Box and he pop out the same way. He done gone ’bout ’da time the woid get aroun’. Name’s Earle. I caught a little of Light-nin’ earlier before I had to run and play my set over at the Cellar. Nice to make your acquaintance but I wouldn’t brag about my place of employ-ment if I were you. Somethin’ strange all right. I can feel it here, blocks away. Bob ain’t got much of a name ’roun’ here. We crossed swords the day we met. He don’t seem to care much for the very ones that pay his bills. It sure as hell ain’t his pla-yin’ that brings in the door. Funny guy. Well, Napoleon, guess I better grab a little break-fast ’fore my nex’ set. Breakfast at eight in the night? You kee-pin’ my hours now .... Earle sat in a booth by thewindow atSaint Paul’s drinking coffee and watchingblack clouds bury the sun.Withinminutesthe rain came, turning to steam as it hitthebroilingHoustonasphalt.Thewindowsfoggedupandpuddlesofrainformedundertheholesintheroof.Paulinawasdoingdou-bleduty,cookingand serving;Willowhadtoleaveearlytopickupherhusbandatthere-finery.Theradiowasblaringthatahalf-mil-lionsoldierswerenowfightinginSoutheastAsiaand thewarwasescalating.PresidentJohnsonwassayingthatifAmericadoesn’tstop the Communist aggressors in NorthVietNamtheywillbesoonbetryingtotakeoverourneighborhoods.ThestationplayedEve of Destruction and the chorus playeddifferentlytoEarlenow;everythingthathehadtakenforgranted,freedom,libertyandthe pursuit of happiness, was now beingchallengedbyawar10,000milesaway.

You look like you’re lost ’cross the ocean. You ain’t far off. I’m gettin’ more and more worried that I might get called for the draft. You shouldn’t fret, you should pray. Pray you get called up. It’d be an honor to serve your country. That’s just it. I’m in a dilemma ’bout this whole deal. I’ve tried praying and the an-swer I get is the one that everybody says is the wrong one. We had to stop the Germans from tak-ing over the world. I don’t see that this is anything the same. Well, you just follow your heart and ev-erything else will follow along. My heart tells me to run. That’s just what you’re doing. And it’s

what I better do ’fore I git swamped in the kitchen. If that Willow does this to me one more time .... CaliforniaDreamingcameontheradioandsetaseriesofwheelsoffinsideEarle’shead that spun like thepointerona com-pass. He remembered the times he trav-eledontheSantaFeChiefwithhisparents,across the desert, to the palms of sunnySouthern California. He remembered see-ing the barracks in San Diego where hisdaddyhadbeenstationedinWorldWarII,andhe remembered the rideup thecoastontheSunsetLimitedpastgreatcliffsthatdropped off into a wild, frothing sea. Heremembered the ladywhosatbehindhimandtoldhis fortunebyreadingthebumpsonhis head.He remembered the fog thatslithered around Alcatraz as he wonderedwhatimprisonedkillersateforbreakfast. TheothernightinFortWorth,Genehadmentioned somethingabout knowing somepeopleonthebeachinL.A.andthathemightgoouttheresoontoseeifhecouldfindthem.EarlethoughtthatmaybeitwasinhisfortunetoseethebeautifulWestCoastagain.Ontheotherhand,maybeitwastimeforhisnextsetinthepitch-blackhellholedowntheroad.... Thedaysandnightscrawledbyandverylittle changed. The routine that had beenestablisheduponarrivingattheCellarsoonbecameadeeprut.Theinsanityofhavingtobearoundthatplaceforelevenhoursanightwasstartingtotakeitstolloneverybody.Nottomentionthetensionthatwasbuildingatthehotel.Themanagementhadreprimand-ed Rocky and Dusty and Frank for turningtheirtowelsbluewhentheydyedtheirhair.In return the musicians were beginning totakeouttheirownfrustrationsonthehotel’souterappearance.Severalof the landscapepaintingsinthehallshadbeenmanipulatedtoincludesuchthingsasflyingsaucersland-ing in the distant hills while long-tongueddogsfornicatedintheforeground. If itweren’t for his friends around thesquare, Earlemight have lost all hope. Hebeganinvitingthemtodropbytheclubforthehonorofhavingthemashisguest.Dur-ingthecourseofoneeveningheinvitedBoPeepandTooSlimfromtheshoeshineparlorand Julio andHector from thepawn shop.HestoppedbyLittleBell’sthenexteveningonhiswaytotheCellarandsawNapoleonpolishingthebar.

You’re liable to rub a hole in it and then what would you do? Have to shut this joint down and go fish-in’ I suppose. Might be too hot, the locks might melt. Or the fish be hangin’ on to a root down on the cool bottom.

Earle looked through the glass to theliquorstore.

I don’t see Little Bell. His gal friend swooped him up and they done flew to Red Bird City. I gotta go there someday. Hey, listen, I’d like to invite you guys over some night as my guests. That’s mighty kind of you, but the word on the street ain’t too favorable to-wards that place. I’m out to make it better. The place is a little too wrapped up in itself, that’s all. Thursday’s our only night loose. Good, that’s the new moon. Tell Little Bell or I will if I see him first. Why, thank you Mr. Earle, I’ll let him know. I’d like to see the inside of somewhere other than this bar.

Bad Bob’s girlfriend, Candy, showedupthateveningfromFortWorthandtherewas a general red alert around the clubthatnight.NomusicianwastoevenglanceatCandy,orBobwouldhavethemvapor-izedbyhis packof hoodlums. Therewasonlyoneproblem.Candywasnutsaboutmusicians and ran around the club in aredminiskirt begging for their attention.Earle crossed fromone side to theotherseveraltimes toavoid thisnew threat tohiswellbeingandslippedinthefarback-stagedressingroomwhileshewasontheother side of the club.Hewas sitting onthecouch,lookingdown,tuninghisguitarwhen he heard the volume level rise inthe room.Whenhe lookedup, his heartskippedabeatwhenhesawCandyslitherinto the room like a coral snake. Therewasnowayoutof theroomsohestoodupandfacedthecornerandstartedhum-mingSaintJamesInfirmary.Hecouldhearherslideacrosstheroomtowardhim.Hestopped playing and began making hispleaasifhewereontrial.

I really really think you better leave this room. She came back in a low seductivevoicethatstruckfearinEarle’sheart. What if I don’t want to. Are you going to make me do something I don’t want to do? I’m just asking — no, begging. A nice boy like you shouldn’t have to beg. Look, Candy.... I didn’t know you knew my name. Say it again.

Earleturnedaroundtofindacreaturemore drenched in sex than any girl he’deverseenbefore.Herpalefleshwasburst-

ingoutofherclothesandshewrithedbe-foreshespoke.

Say my name again. Earle tried to say her name but thesound choked in his throat. The volumelevelrosesuddenlyintheroomagain,andEarle thought it was a reaction inside hisownbodyuntilhesawthesilhouetteatthedoorway.BadBobglaredintotheroom.

Candy, I need to see you out here. He stared a hole into Earle as Candyswiveledtoleavetheroom.

And you ....

HeslammedthedoorsohardthatthesoundintheroomimplodedandcollapsedintoavacuumbetweenEarle’sears.Hefellinaheaponthecouchandwonderedhowhewasgoingtofinishoutthenight.Larrycame in and told him it was time to goon.Earleasked foraslugof thehalf-pintthat hehad stashed in thewall.He tooktwogiantswigsandthentottered,rubber-legged,tothestage. He felt dizzy and disconnected as hewalkedtohisamp.Theweightofhisgui-tar had doubled since the last set. Theredandgreenlightsburnedhiseyes,andwhenthebandhitthefirstnotehecouldfeelthekickdrumslugginghiminthebackofhisneck.Heopenedhismouthtosingandthesoundthatcameoutwasnothinglike his normal voice; itwas guttural likethe sounds animalsmakewhen they arecorneredandabouttodie.Ashewassing-ing he was also making a huge conscious effort to not look at Candy. But in everydirectionheturnedshewasthere.Itwasas if shehadpremonitionsofwhichwayEarle’sheadwouldbefacingoneachpar-ticularverse.Shemovedaroundtheroomandstood inwhatever lighthappened tobethere. Bobwas at the office doorwatchingCandyprissaroundtheroomwhilewatch-ingEarle’severymove.Thetwobouncersathissidewerefollowingthedirectionoftheirboss’shead.Theyevenshuffledtheirfeet and moved their toothpicks at thesametime. From Earle’s viewpoint they re-sembled a three-headed viper trailing agrasshopperaroundadrycreekbed.Heneededtoescapethisgravesituationbuthadnoideahowtogetaroundthehaz-ardsatthefrontdoor.Aftertheset,Earletoldthebandwhathewasupagainstandhowhewastrulyatoddsoverwhattodoaboutit.LarryranoutandcamebackinwiththenewsthatRockyandDustyhadoffered theirdressing roomasa refuge.


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Itwastheroomwiththesafe in itand ithadbothadeadboltandapadlockontheinsideoftheroom.Earlethankedthemfortheirkindnessandlockedthedoorbehindthem as theywent out for their set. Fortherestofthenighthejumpedbackandforth fromstagetobackstageandby theendofthenighthewasawreck.HeaskedRocky ifhewouldbringhisampandgui-tarbacktohimsotoavoidCandyandBadBob.Rockynotonlybroughthisgearbutofferedhimaridebacktothehotelwithhimandhisgirlfriend,Misty.Theyleftouttheserviceentrancearoundbackandat-tractednoattention. At the Milby, it took all of Earle’sstrengthtowrestlehisampupstairs.Rocky’sgirlfriendsaidshewouldlockhisguitarupinhercarandhecouldgetitinthemorning.HehadakeytoPamandLoretta’sroomandfelloutonthecouchwithoutevenremov-inghisboots. In the morning he went down to thelobbyforacupofcoffeeandnoticedsomecommotion outside on the street. He sawthrough the window a couple of Houstonpolicecarswiththeirlightsblinking.Misty,whohadgivenhimaridelastnight,wascry-ingonthecurbandapolicemanwastryingto comfort her. Rocky was pacing up anddownthesidewalkrantingandraving.Earlewalkedoutto investigateand immediatelynoticedthepileofbrokenglassbythesideofthecar. He toldhimself that this couldnotbehappening.Someonecouldnothavetakenhisguitar.Itwasimpossible.Nothisguitar.Nothisstaff,themaintoolofhisholytrin-ityoftools.No,hedecided,thepolicewerethere for some other reason; there wasa shooting and the perpetrator, perhaps,missed.Maybeagargoylefelloffthehotelroof. Each made-up explanation fell shortuponhislogic,althoughEarlerefusedtoac-ceptthatwhichwasobvious. Rocky turned to find Earle staring atthesceneinshock.HeranovertotellEarlewhatwasgoingon.

Some son-of-a-bitchin’ junkie-assed bastard broke in Misty’s car and got your guitar, Misty’s suitcase, and my fuckin’ pis-tol. What in the hell is this fuckin’ world co-min’ to? Earle felt sick at his stomach andthoughtaboutthegoodReverendwhohadgivenhimaridetoDallasandwhohadtoldhimtousehistoolstomaketheworldabet-terplace.Thatwas less thanamonthagoandhehadnowlosttwo-thirdsofhistoolsand,inhiseyesanyway,theworldseemedtobeaconsiderablyworseplace.Anyway,hetoldRockynottoworry,butafterhesaid

ithewonderedwhyhehadsaidsomethingsomundaneatatimelikethis. Worry, hell, I just hope the asshole shoots off his own little pecker with my .38. AfterthecopshadgottenadescriptionoftheguitarfromEarle,hewalkeddowntothesquarestunnedandbewildered.Everybuilding lookedhollowwith rowsofdead,sunken eyes. The storekeepers seemed tophysically avoidhimashewalkedby. Thiswasit.Itwastimetomoveon.Hewalked,slightly relieved at his decision, down toSaintPaul’sforcoffee. PaulinawasreadingtheBiblewhenhesat down at the counter. She got up andbroughthimacupofcoffeebeforehehadachancetosayanything.

Somebody shoot your horse? You want to tell me about it? Thieves stole my guitar last night. I’ve pretty much had it. That was the instrument I used to speak through. I washed dishes for two years to pay for that guitar. I feel like my soul’s been stolen. No one can steal your soul but the devil. You lost something dear, but it can be replaced. There’s something about that place that’s rubbin’ off on me. I gotta do something before it gets too late. That’s your best call yet. You know Little Bell and Napoleon went by there last night to see you and that thug at the door pointed to a tiny sign way up by the roof that said: Cover Charge $99. Earlejumpedupinanearpanic. That son-of-a-bitch. That son-of-a-bitch! That lowdown .... I’ve got to tell them — I think they knew all along. EarlethankedPaulinaandranoutontothesquare.Hefeltlikehemightneverseeher again andawaveof sadness ranoverhim.Hewalkedwithhisheaddown,watch-ingthesidewalkcracks,wonderingwhattosay to his friends that he had invited thenightbefore. When hewalked into the liquor storeLittle Bell glanced up and quickly glancedaway.Earlewenttothecounter.

Paulina told me y’all came by last night. I had no idea that those guys were that low down. I’ve had it with them. I quit today. Right now. Right this minute. You mean to say you didn’t know about that place before now? You ain’t got ears? I had a bad feelin’ when I first walked in

the door. I thought it was just me, though. Most of the musicians are happy just to have work and a roof over their heads. Us black folks been havin’ situations like this for a long time. Maybe you seeing something for the first time. Maybe so. Therewasalongsilencebetweenthemasapolicesirenwailedthruthecitystreets. Is Napoleon around? After we got turned away, he started drinkin’ heavy. Reminded him too much of his upbringin’. He ain’t showed up to open the bar yet, neither. He don’t handle hang-overs too well at his age. Tell him I’m sorry about what happened last night and that I’ll come by when I fig-ure out what I’m gonna do. Thieves stole my guitar last night. Broke out a car window in front ofthe hotel. Reckon I’ll have to start all over. Well, guess I better run. Earleturnedtoleave. Earle? Yeah? Me and Napoleon ain’t blamin’ you. Earle looked straight into Little Bell’ssincereeyes. I know you ain’t. It was painful to walk away but Earlewasgladthathehadheardcompassion inLittleBell’svoice.Notthatitmadeanythingon theoutside anybetterbut it didmaketheunderstandingbetter. EarlewentbytoseeBoPeepandTooSlimbuttherewasasignonthedoorthatsaid ‘Gone off— Be back.’ He walked ondowntothepawnshopandsawHectorbythebackcurtainbutwhenheaskedtheca-shierinside,hetoldEarlethatneitherHec-tornorJuliowasthereandthathewasnotexpectingthemtodayandprobablynotto-morroweither.Earlecouldseetherage intheyoungcashier’seyesandcouldseethataconsiderableamountofdamagehadbeendone.HeaskedhimtorelaythemessagetoHectorand Julio thathewassorry fornotrealizing any sooner that the people heworkedforwerebigotsandracistsbutthathedidnowandthathehadquittheCellarandwasleavingthecitysoon. HewalkedbacktotheMilbytotryandcatchthebandbuttherewasnotasoulineither of their rooms, though smoke stillhungthick in theair.Hewentover to thewindow and opened it as far as it wouldopen and sat on the ledge and lookedout over the cruel city. An approaching

stormblocked the sunset and the neonsignscameonastherainlashedoutandsplashedintotheglazedstreetslikemol-ten lava. The whole city steamed andhissedlikeawildcatdefendingsomethingsickandunborn.Thecity’sincessantbasspulse came from somewhere deep andsecretandthetwosoundswerepullingatoneanotherasifsomegargantuanforcewas being twisted inside. It sounded asif the city itself was seeking a breakingpointinordertorideachpartfromitself.Hescribbledinhisbook.

Flood Light Blind Eye The Power Within! Mad dogs follow Where Fools rush in Let the Dead Wake Up!Oh Plastic Clock The Timex cries Alarm the World Warn the Dead to rise!

Dead in Spirit, Dead in Nerve Dead in Mind, no King to serve Dead in Spark, Dead in Gut Dead in part, Dead clear-cut Lift your eyes, O Shaft of Light Abandon Ye O GuillotineLet the Dead Wake Up! And the Dying! And the Dying! And the Dying!

SomeinsaneimpulsemadeEarlede-cide to walk to the Cellar and confrontBobCrump.Hehadtotellhimwhatwasonhismindandask for themoney thatwas owed him.When he walked in thedoorhewaswhiskedintotheofficebythebouncers at the front door. Bob sat in awell-wornofficechairandraisedhisbrowandfrozehiseyesonEarlewhenhecamein the room.Earlecouldhear theSheepplayingon-stageandhewaitedforBobtoblink.FinallyBobshiftedbackinhischairandcrossedhisarms.

Maybe you don’t recall our lateness policy. You’ve damned near missed the first set. I ain’t late. I’m quittin’ this hole. Ain’t my idea of a good time. That ninety-nine dollar cover charge bullshit didn’t set well with my amigos. We don’t like niggers and meskins in here and don’t care whose friends they are. And maybe you don’t recall our quit-ting policy. Nobody quits the Cellar.

Bobreachedintothetopdeskdrawerandpulledouta.45automaticandaimeditatEarle.Hethengrinnedtheevilgrinhe

always usedwhen he intimidated some-one. Earle felt his ribcage suddenly risethrough his throat and lodge in the roofofhismouth.Thebassnoteshammeredthroughthewallandmatchedthepound-ing of his heart, beat for beat. The dooropened suddenly on his left and whenBob’seyesdartedtowardit,Earledoveforthebottomoftheopening.ThebouncerswereintheprocessofthrowingsomeoneoutasEarleflewpastthemandsailedoutthefrontdoorandacrosstheintersectionwith cars’ brakes screeching all aroundhim. His vision blurred at the edges ofhiseyesandhisheadfeltlikeaspark-gunblowing fueled sparks from every cav-ityintothethickhumidair.Hecouldfeelhis lungs beating him in the back as theliquid light rippled beneath him on thewet,glassysidewalks.Asheroundedthecornerhisshirtcaughtonapieceoftornchain-linkfence,causinghimtofallandtoskid across the asphalt.He stayed there,notmoving,feelingthatthepainofthefallwaslikearesurrection.Henolongerheardfootstepsbehindhim.Hecouldfeelanewdawn on the other side of the pain. Heclosedhiseyesforasecondandthoughtabout the sweet girls back in Lubbockasleepincottonquiltsinroomswithlittlepaintingshungonthewallsoffurrykittenshopelesslytangledinballsoftwine. He could hear Lightnin snappin’ hisstringswaybackinthebackofhishead.HekissedthesmoothsidewalkandwhenheliftedhisheadhecouldsmellthebustoFortWorthidlingnearby.

♦


sToney larue

wade bowen

lucinda williaMs

Tweedy

gary clark jr.

lee ann woMack

jusTin Townes earle

ryan adaMs

dirTy river boys

chrisTine alberT

sunny sweeney

lucero

sons oF bill

The belle sounds

drew kennedy

roger creager

Mike ryan

jereMy sTeding

d .c . blooM

ronnie lane and sliM chance

SToNEYLARUEAviatorEntertainmentoneMusic

WADEBoWENWade Bowen+180Records

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OneofthesignatureartistsandbiggestdrawsontheTexas/Oklahomamusicalaxis—de-spitehavingwhatoncecouldhavebeendescribedasaprettyslimcatalogoforiginalmate-rial—StoneyLaRuehaspickeduphispaceconsiderablybyonlytakingthreeyearstofollowup2011’sexcellentVelvetwiththisyear’smodel,Aviator.Threeyearsapparentlywasn’tlongenoughtolosethethoughtful,restrainedvibethatbuoyedhislastrecord;healsodidn’tlosethenumberofsongwritingcollaboratorMandoSaenz,theunder-the-radarHouston-bredtal-entthathelpedLaRuemakethebestofhissubtlenewdirectionsonVelvet. ConsideringthatLaRue’sbiggestcallingcardhaslongbeenhisgritty,expansivevoice—an instrumentthatcanrattlethecrowdsatthescene’sbiggestvenuesandfestivals—thismeditativeturninhismaterialiskindofaboldstatementinitself.Ruefulself-examinerslike“ALittleTooLong”and“FirstOnetoKnow”andspaceyballadslike“BlendingColors”owemoreto thepsychedelic-tingedCosmicCowboyearlydaysofMichaelMartinMurpheyandB.W.StevensonthanjustaboutanyofLaRue’smodernRedDirtfriendsandrivals.Evenwhenthetempopicksup,suchasonthejitteryrocker“StudioATroubleTimeJam”orthetwisty,fiddle-driven“Spitfire,”itstillfeelsmorelikeanexplorationthansettlingintofamiliarcrowd-pleasinggrooves.Ofcourse,itcertainlyhasn’thurttobringinco-producersFrankLidellandMichaelMcCarthy,knownforworkwithenvelope-pushersrangingfromMirandaLamberttoSpoon,inontheadventure:Theyknowthatcreativefreedomcansell(andsoar)ifthetalent’sinplace,andthesingerupfronthereismorethangame.YearsontheroadhaveleftLaRue’svoiceabitheavieranddeeper,withalittlemoregravityinhisdrawl,andhissongwritingandchoiceofmaterialhavefollowedsuit.—MIKEETHANMESSICK

World-beatingself-assurednesshasservedWadeBowenwelloverthelastfewyears.He’smadethegradualtransitionfromNorthTexasbar-bandkidtooneofthemostsuccessfultour-ingcountryartistsoutsideof theNashvillemachinewhileothercontemporarieshaveseentheircareersstalloutorfade.Andjudgingbythislatestbatchofsongs,thePowerofPositiveThinkinghasgotalottodowithit.Songslikethelead-offsingle,“WhenIWokeUpToday”and“TheSunShinesOnADreamer”soundliketheymighthavebeenco-writtenwithTonyRob-bins.Thatmightbealittletoomotivational-postercheerfulforsometastes,butfortunatelyawelcomecomplexitysettlesinasWade Bowenmoveson.Forstarters,hisbackingbandisason-pointasever:numberslike“I’mGonnaGo”andtheLatin-tinged“Wel-comeMat”mightnotbestoneclassics,buttheydopushBowen’s familiar heartland sound in some interesting,jam-friendlydirections. There’slittledangerofthebandorproductionover-whelmingBowenasasinger,though,becausesomewherealong thewayhe’sbecomeonehellofavocalist,bothdistinctiveandflexible.Buthesmartlyavoidstheurgetooverdoit,savingsomekillervocalclimaxesformomentslikethetagofthesatisfyinglyhearty“WestTexasRain.”Asidefromthatone,perhapstherecord’smostfullyreal-ized track is the tender “Sweet Leona,” anunassuminglovesongwithshadesofbothVanMorrisonandMerleHaggardinthedelivery.Thatbeingsaid,thefanfavoritemaywellendupbeing“HonkyTonkRoad,”asimpleyetcatchynumber(alreadyknowntosomeviaWaltWilkins&TheMystiqueros’originalversion)augmentedbyguestspotsfromBowen’sfrequentcollaboratorsRandyRogers,CodyCanada,andSeanMcConnell.Bowendoesn’thaveto takeabackseat toanyoneat thispoint,buthesuresoundsenergizedsingingshoulder-to-shoulderwithhisfriends.Overall,thisself-titledeffortisn’tquitethestunnerthat2008’sIf We Ever Make It Homewas,butit’splentyengagingtojustifyitsmaker’ssignatureoptimism.—MIKEETHANMESSICK

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PhotocourtesyofWadeBowen


LUCINDAWILLIAMSDown Where the Spirit Meets the BoneHighway20Records

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Atthispointinhercareer,it’salmosthardtobelievethatLucindaWilliamswaseverpeggedasafussyperfectionist.Shegotsaddledwiththatrepoverthereportedlyprotractedlaborpainsandstudiodramathateventuallyproducedher1998breakthrough,Car Wheels on a Gravel Road;buteversincethatalbum’sreleasetoresoundingcriticalandevencommercial(foranon-mainstreamrecord,anyway)success, she’sproducedasteadystreamofnewwork likeanunburdenedartistinfull,confidentstride.What’smore,she’sadmirably(ifalbeit frustratinglytosomeofherfans)avoidedthesaferouteoftryingtodeliveraCar Wheels II, resulting inano-two-alikesuccessionofrisk-takingrecordsthathavehitthemarkfarmoreoften(2001’sEssence,2007’sWest, 2011’sBlessed, andabouthalfof2003’sWorld Without Tears)thannot(therestofWorld Without Tears, andprettymuchallof2008’sdecentbutforgettableLittle Honey). Atfirstpass,her11thstudioalbum,Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone,seemstosplitthathit/missratiorightdownthemiddle,whichseemsaboutrightforadoublealbumspanning20songsstretchedoutoveranhourand43minutes.Evenforahardcorefan,that’salot ofLutoprocessallatonce—andWilliamsdoesn’treallygooutofherwaytooffermuchofahelpinghand,alatheirresistible,kick-asshookof“Buttercup,”whichopenedBlessed withabang.Restassured,thoughthere’sswaggertosparehere—butit’sgrooves,nothooks,thatdotheheavyliftingandgrabbing.Pacedandsequencedlikeamarathonsetlist,it’sarecordthatsneaksuponyou;youmaywellbehalfway through the six-minute “Foolishness” (ondiscone)before you smell the smoke comingfromthespeakers.Thenyou’llcrankitupandplayitagain,earsaskeenlyattunedtotherollingboilintensityofguitaristsGregLeiszandStuartMathis(Wallflowers)astothehypnoticspellofWilliams’chant-like admonishment of trash-talking liars and fear-mongers, her seething delivery closer inspirittoprimePattiSmiththananythingremotely“Americana.” Lyrically,Williams is as sharpandpoignantasever throughout, tappingdeep into rich veinsoffrustration,heartbreak,andemotionalresolveandtuningeverylinetoprecision.Theopening“Compassion,”adaptedfromapoembyherfather,MillerWilliams,setsthetone,itspleaforempa-thy(“Youdonotknowwhatwarsaregoingon/downtherewherethespiritmeetsthebone”)alter-natelyansweredandwrestledwithinsongsasdisparateasthefeel-good“StowawayinYourHeart”andthetorturedanguishof“BurningBridges”(“You’rethesaddeststorythat’severbeentold/andIstandbackandwatchasthetragedyunfolds.”)Andthoughalotofhermelodiesthistimearoundseemalittleunderdeveloped,thatrough-around-the-edgesqualityfeelsofapiecewiththebottledlightningchargeof theperformances.Williamshasalwayshadgreatplayersonherrecords,butshe’snevercomeoutofthestudiowithanalbumthatcrackleswiththeenergyofalivebandquitelikethisone.Thecreditsrevealafairamountoftrack-by-trackmusicalchairs,butco-producerLeiszandthecorerhythmsectionofPeteThomasandDaveyFaragaher(bothonloanfromElvisCostello)earnMVPnodsalongwithTonyJoeWhite,whosethick,swampyguitarcloaks“WestMemphis”and“SomethingWickedThisWayComes”inmenace,andjazzguitaristBillFrisell,whosemoody,liquidtonesunderscorethebeautifulmelancholyof“It’sGonnaRain”andinfusethelong,slowclos-ingcoverofJ.J.Cale’s“Magnolia”withanambientglow.Williams’singing,meanwhile,hasrarelysoundedbetter,beitdialeddowntoquiet,vulnerablelamentorpushedtoangry,feralgrowl.Andifit’sthecarnalsideofLuyou’relookingfor,well…sufficeittosaythatthehot-and-botheredWilliamsthatsang“RightOnTime”backonCar Wheels wouldblushlikeaschoolgirllisteningtothewaythis womansummonsthedevilon“SomethingWickedThisWayComes.”Thatsong’snotawarning:It’sapromise.—RICHARDSKANSE

PhotobyMichaelWilson

Schweiki full page


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Forabandwhosenamederivesfromthevoiceproceduretermfor“willcomply,”Wilcohasbeenatitsbestwhendealingwithconflict:JeffTweedyvs.personnelorTweedyvs.addictionorTweedyvs.depressionorthestylistictensionthatoccurswhenyousetmurderouslyricstoprettymelodies.ButtheWilcoofthepast10yearshasn’tquitefoundthetensionofitsearlieriterations.Tweedyhascaptainedabandoftremendousdexterity,butindoingsohaslostsomeofitsscruffysoulfulness.Enterillness,though,andanoldghostisreborn. Sukierae takesas itstitleanickname forTweedy’swife,whowasdiagnosedwithapairofcancers.Butthisisn’tsimplyanalbumaboutasicklovedone,justasit’snotaJeffTweedysoloalbum:creditedtotheband Tweedy,Sukierae isamusicaldialogbetweenJeffandhisyoungson,Spencer,agifteddrummerofincrediblerange.Lyrically,theolderTweedyexpressivelywritesandsingssongsherethatdigintoanewconflictthatillnesspulledtothefore:theonebetweenageandyouth.Wilcobegantobecomeitselfonitssecondalbumwithadarkandexperimentalsong/proclamationcalled“Misunderstood.”Sukieraeopenswithitsagedcounterpart:“Idon’twannagrowup,”Tweedysingsbeforegettingtohispoint,“Idon’twanttobesounderstood.”Why?“Bor-ing,boring,boring.”Sohespendsthealbumkickingagainstthedulledpricks.On“WorldAway,”hewantstofreezethesunandstealamoment.On“WaitforLove,”hereferences“distantdays”andasweetnessthatslipsaway.Agorgeousmelancholyariseswhenanartistfightswithtime.Thealbum’sfinestmomentofbruisedbeautyis“NobodyDiesAnymore,”asongthatdefiestimeasitsauthortriestosweepwisdomasidetocapturesomeelusivewispofyouth.Thetune’schildlikere-questsuggestsbothDanielJohnstonandNeilYoung.“I’mgoing,”Tweedysings,“towherenobodydiesanymore.”It’sthekindofsimplydeepsongthatcanleaveyoubreathless. Fatherandsondesigned themusic tocomplement the songs:Thesofteronesarecradled,thesharperonesmadetobristlewithelectricity.Tweedy’sguitarplayingissoulfulandexpressivethroughout,andhissonprovidessympatheticsupport;therapportfeelslikethesortofvocalhar-moniesonlyfamilymemberscanachieve.BymostmeasuresSukieraerunslong–20songsover73minutes.Butitplayslikeariverride.Ifacontemporaryrecordexiststhatdisregardstimeinourmessage-every-momentculture,thisistheone.—ANDREWDANSBY

Bluesfanscanbeademandingbunch.Eachtimepromisingplayersemerge,they’reexpectedtodocumenttheirauthenticity.Showusyoursuffering,please.Extrapointsifyourskintonematchesthegenre’soriginators,becausethenyoucanbeappointedthesaviorofasupposedlyendangeredartform.Whileethnicitymightprovideanedgewithregardtounderstandingtheblues’culturalroots—unlikeRobertJohnson,whitesdidn’thavetofearbeingcaughtoutdoorsaftersundown—thenotionthatcoloraddscapabilityisonemostplayersdon’tbuyanymorethantheideathatthey’resupposedtosaveanythingbesidesthemselves. Fortunately,byremainingmoreinterestedinself-expressionthanlivinguptoothers’ideals,Aus-tin’sGaryClarkJr.hasfoundhisownlevelofartisticpurity—onesteepedinthelegaciesofhisbluesinspirations(blackandwhite),yetgivingequallegitimacytohisrock,hip-hopandsoulheroes.That’swhatliftshimoutoftherealmofimitators;it’salsowhatcausedhimtofloundersomewhatonhismajor-labeldebut,Blak and Blu.Butwhenhestandsonstage,guitarinhand,Clarksomehowturnsevenlessermaterialintothestuffofperformancelegend.Onthisdoublealbum,everytracksoundslikelightninginabottle.Clarkseamlesslymeldspastandpresent,layingthegritty,fuzzed-upslide-guitarsnarlof“NextDoorNeighborBlues”besidethedeep-throatednotesof“CatfishBlues”(at-tributedheretoMuddyWaters),andchannelingbothChuckBerryandadmittedBerryborrowerKeithRichardsthrough“TravisCounty.”HeturnsAlbertCollins’“IfTroublewasMoney”intoastun-ningboutofimprovisation,andgraftsthecascadingnotesofHendrix’s“ThirdStonefromtheSun”ontoLittleJohnnyTaylor’s“IfYouLoveMeLikeYouSay”withabreakthatsoundsasifhe’shidingavinyl-scratchingDJ—orTomMorello—behindhisamp. Thedefibrillator-jolt segue from“BlakandBlu” to “Bright Lights”providesanotherhigh,anddefinitivelyconveysjusthowwellhe’slearnedtomoderatebothhisintensityandpacing.Clarkdeftlyspinsnotesintowhirlingcrescendos,thenpullsback,onlytohitmorepeaksuntilhefinallygoesfortheclimax—givingaudiencesorgasmicfrenzies.ButtherealdepthofClark’stalentbecomesevi-dentwhenheswitchestothesoftgrooveof“ThingsAreChangin’”orthesoul-bluesof“WhentheSunGoesDown”or“PleaseComeHome,”whichearnedhimhisBestTraditionalR&BPerformanceGrammy.There’snoquestionhedeservedit;hissweet,butter-smoothvocalsdazzleevenmorethanhisfretwork.Nowhejustneedstofindmorematerialwherethatcamefrom.—LYNNEMARGoLIS

TWEEDYSukieraeAnti-

RYANADAMSRyan AdamsPaxAm/BlueNote

LEEANNWoMACKThe Way I’m Livin’Sugar Hill

Giventhefreedomtofinallymakeexactlytherecordshewantedtomakeafteryearsofcolor-inginsidethemainstreamlines,certifiedcountrysuperstarLeeAnnWomackearnsherAmericanacredentialswithflyingcolorsonherfirstnewrecordinsixyears.TocalltheoverallexcellentThe Way I’m Livin’thebestrecordshe’severmadewouldbeadisservicetobothherexquisite2005classic-countrythrowback,There’s More Where That Came From,and2002’sI Hope You Dance, whichhadalotmoregoingforitthanjustitsundeniablymovingsmashtitletrack;butitundeniablyrepresentsakeyturningpointinherartisticjourneythatmaywellprovetobethedefiningmomentofhercareer.It’stellingthatWomack,whointheorycouldhaveusedthisrecordasaplatformtoshowcaseherownsongwriter’svoice,beitsoloorwithassistsfromanynumberofA-ListAmericanafriends,insteadtakesacuefromEmmylouHarrisandplaystohergreateststrengthbyshiningherpeerlesssopranoonalov-inglycuratedplaylistoftunesalreadyroad-testedbysomeofthebestyoung(andsomenotsoyoung)performingsongwritersinthefield.It’satrue“forthesakeofthesong”movethatpaysoffinspadesviagorgeousinterpretationsofChrisKnight’s“SendItOnDown,”HayesCarll’s“ChancesAre”(whichdespiteitsAmericanarootsisarguablyoneofthepurestsoundingtruecountrysongsshe’seversung),andespeciallyAdamHood’s“SameKindofDifferent,”whichWomacksingsmostlyacappellaorwithbackingsosubtleitsmorefeltthanheard.Thearrangementsthroughoutareakeypartofthemagichere,withWomack’sproducer-husbandFrankLiddellcapturingtheintimatesoundofasingerandbandplayingtogetherasone.RegardlessofwhateverthefutureholdsinstoreforWomackintermsofcommercialandchartsuccess,The Way I’m Livin’ hitstheartisticbullseye. —RICHARDSKANSE

Aftertheold-timecountrystylingsofhis2008debut,The Good Life, JustinTownesEarlehasdivergedfromthatsawdust-coveredpathinfavorofamorecrooning,groovingcatalog.ThestylishsonofSteveEarle’snewalbum,Single Mothers,isa10-tunecollectionthatcontinuesintheveinofhis lasttwo,2010’sHarlem River Bluesand2012’sNothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now,asanexplorationofsoul-inspiredAmericanawithonlyoccasionalcountryflour-ishes—mostnotablywithsomestunningpedalsteelwork.Earle’ssoundhereisnotunlikethatoffellowfolk-soulartistsRayLamontagneorAmosLee,buthisvoice isn’tquiteheartyandboldenoughtobellowouttheliveliestvibesonitsown;fortunately,theinstrumentationcarriesmuchoftheweight,asonthegenuinelybutt-shaking,head-bobbingmuscularboogie-woogieof“MyBabyDrives.”Thesoftersongs,suchas“WhiteGardenias,”suitEarle’svocalsmoreattractively.Hisvoiceshowsrealcharacterasitcarriessomecracklingpaininthesparselyadorned,acoustic“It’sColdinThisHouse,”inwhichhesingsaboutnotneedinghisphoneashehasnoonetocall.Otherhighlightsincludethedrumbeat-happy“TimeShowsFools”andthebreezy“WannabeaStranger,”bothofwhichowefarmoretothecinderblockbuildingsofMuscleShoalsthantothemorecountry-leaningroomsofNashvilleorAustin.—KELLYDEARMoRE

BeingaRyanAdamsfantraditionallyhasnotbeenforthefaintofheart.Forevery“WhentheStarsGoBlue,”therehavebeenmomentsofself-indulgenceandself-destructionthatrivaleitherGal-lagherbrother’s.Butthethoughtfulnessandmaturitythatpermeatedhis2011albumAshes & Fire areevenmoreevidenthere;subtlyshadedmoodshavereplacedanytraceofcockiness.Themusicon Ryan Adamssimmers,andshimmers,withunderstatedintensity,offsettinglyricsofrestlessnessandworry,evenoutrightfearforsomething,orsomeone,hehasn’tyetlost—ormaybehehas,buthasn’tfacedit(because,ashenotesin“FeelsLikeFire,”“Youwillalwaysbethehardestthing/Ieverwillletgo”).Adams’geniusliesinmarryingthatdarknesstonear-popmelodies,andkeepingthepro-ductionspare—exceptforhislayersofelegantguitarwork,augmentedbyguestJohnnyDepp(takenote:thisisamonumentalguitaralbum).He’salsowritingSpringsteen-levellyricsinsongssuchas“MyWreckingBall”and“Shadows,”andinthemutedtensionof“IJustMight,”evokesNebraskaout-right.Whateverrelationshipshispain-baringlyricsmightreference,it’sagoodsignthatwifeMandyMoore(“MyBug”inhisthank-yous)contributesvocals.Maybeturning40willhelpsettlehissoulevenmore.—LYNNEMARGoLIS

JUSTINToWNESEARLESingleMothersVagrant Records

GARYCLARKJR.LiveWarnerBros.


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Fromtheveryfirstnotes,it’sclearthattheself-titledreleasefromElPaso’sDirtyRiverBoysisonefinelypolished record.That’snotalwaysawelcomedevelopment,but theextrashinehereenhancesthepopularlivegroup’sfolk-meets-punk-meets-popdynamicwithoutovershad-owingitwithoilyslickproduction.RecordedatthefamedSonicRanchoutsideofElPasounderthedistinguishedearofproducerChris“Frenchie”Smith,thevastmajorityofthesongsherewouldhavefitrightinonanypreviousDRBrelease.TheNinoCooper-sung“SailedAway”and“ThoughtI’dLetYouKnow,”whichisledbyMarcoRodriguez,bothofferupthetrademarkgal-lopingbeatsandgang-stylesing-alongsthathopefullywillalwaysbeapartoftheband’sgo-tobagoftricks.“TeenageRenegade,”meanwhile,offersevidenceofthegroup’scontinuedevolu-tionviaemploymentofelectricguitar.ItmaynotberevolutionaryalaDylanin’65,butit’sjustenoughofatantalizingteasetosuggestthattheseBoysstillhavealotofsurprisesuptheirtat-tooedsleeves.—KELLYDEARMoRE

There’satime—andmusic—forTexastwo-steppingandknockingbackcold longnecks inTexasdancehalls,andthenthere’satime—andmusic—forreflectingonthatcoldhardfactfromtheGospelofHankWilliamsthatnoneofusgetoutofthisworldalive.VeteranAustinsongbirdChristineAlbert’sEverything’s Beautiful Nowisacollectionofbeautifullycraftedsongsbornoutofthesorrowandcontemplationfromseeingseveralbelovedfriendsandfamilymemberspassoninrecentyears.Fromlosscomeslyricalelegance;fromheartachecomesharmonicconvergencewiththepreciousmemoriesthatremain.Inpayingthismovingtributetothosedearlydeparted,Albertdrawsuponanimpressivearrayofmusicalfriendsandfamily,fromco-producerandlong-timepartnerChrisGagetoElizaGilkyson,JerryJeffWalker,andhersonTroupeGammage,withwhomsheduetsonShakeRussellandDanaCooper’s“LeanMyWay,”alovelypromisetobethereforothersthroughlife’shardtimes.AlbertcoversWarrenZevon’splaintiveandpleading“KeepMeInYourHeart,”asongthatinAlbert’shands—andwithGage’shandsonamournfulyethopefulaccordion—becomesacelebrationofthestayingpowerofremembrance.Shealsotakesagrace-fulturnatJacksonBrowne’selegiac“ForaDancer”andTomPeterson’s“OnThatBeautifulDay,”asanguinevisionbuttressedbyLloydMaines’masterfuldobrowork.Whileshewiselychoosestheworksofothers, it isAlbert’sownsongsthatmakeEverything’s Beautiful Nowacherishedgift.Thetitletrack,inspiredbysomeofthelastwordsofhermother-in-law,includesAlbert’swordsofplacidandpoeticacceptance:“Thewindow’sopen,thebreezeisblowing,soI’llbegoing.”—D.C.BLooM

Ifthecurrentpackofmainstreambro-countryhitchurnersgothewayofthedinosaurinthenextfewyears(wecanhope),there’satenaciousemergingspeciesofcharminglybrash,unmistakablycountrifiedwomenlongoverduefortheirturninthesun.SunnySweeneywasalreadyonabitofaroll,breakingintotheTop40mainstreamjustafewyearsago,butironicallyshesoundsabityoungernow:thesortoftough-galswaggerthatmadefellowTexanMirandaLambertfamousfiguresmoreheavilyintoSweeney’ssoundthatitusedto,andit’sagreatfit.HavingcollaboratorslikeBrandyClarkandPistolAnniesmembersAngaleenaPresleyandAshleyMonroeonboardmakestheaptly-titledProvokedasnapshotofascenewherebrutalhonesty,rawvulnerability,andunabashedsaucinessareheartilyencouraged.Someofthebestsongshererolloutlikemini-moviesfromadistinctlyfe-maleperspective:thechillyawkwardnessofshowingup“Uninvited,”thecattyback-and-forthsof“BackhandedCompliment,” thestingingself-reproachofaheartbrokenwomanhittingthebottleearlyinher“SundayDress.”Atworst,therecordstumblesabittryingtoshoehornpersonaltalesintolyricalform(“SecondGuessing,”“UsedCars”),butSweeney’ssweetEastTexastwangandLukeWooten’spleasantlyscuffed-upproductionnevermakeitlessthanlistenable.Atbest,yougettheachinglypretty“MyBed”(aWillHogeduetwithsomehair-raisingharmonies)and“FindMe,”plusthebiting,almostWarrenZevon-esque“FrontRowSeats.”ProvokediseasilySweeney’sbestworkyet,bothself-deprecatingandlikeablyassertivewiththevibeofsomeonewho’llwanttoholdyourhanduntilshehastokickyourasss.—MIKEETHANMESSICK

CHRISTINEALBERTEverything’s Beautiful NowMoonHouseRecords

SUNNYSWEENEYProvokedThirtyTigers

Memphis-basedroots-rockersLucerohaverightfullyearnedtheirnameasakillerliveact,espe-ciallyafterimplementingasmallhornsectionintotheirpresentationin2009.Andwith Live From At-lanta,recordedoverathree-nightstandatAtlanta’sTerminalWestlastNovember,thebandservesupagrand32-songopusthatcapturesnotonlytheheartandsouloftheirstageshow,butthepo-tencyoftheircatalogashonedtoperfectionafter16yearsinthetrenches.Mostofthesongsherearefaithfulinterpretationsofthestudioversions,especiallythenewer,soulandhorn-infused“Ju-niper”and“OnMyWayDowntown,”butasweatygritispalpablethroughouttheentiremarathonset.Thegreatestbeneficiaryofthelive-concerttreatmentis“ThatMuchFurtherWest,”thetitletrackfromthegroup’s2003album.Augmentedwithnotonlynewbrassinessbutachugging-pacedguitarlickingontheheelsofBenNichols’grizzleddelivery,thesongisatriumphantblendofStaxsoulandlate’80sBayArea-punk.Likeanygreatconcertshould, Live From Atlantaleavesyouspent,exhilarated,andbeggingforanencore.—KELLYDEARMoRE

SonsofBillmayverywellbetheBillPullmanoftoday’sAmericanamusicscene.Needatalentedbutego-freebandofeverymanmusiciansversedintheSonVolt/Whiskeytownplaybookofearnest,literate,anddead-seriousmid-90salt-countrywithoutatendencytogetallWilco-yandweirdonya?ThencallupCentralCastingandaskforthesefiveguysfromCharlottesville,Va.AlthoughproducerDavidLowery(CamperVanBeethoven/Cracker)gottheSonstopickupthetempoasmidgenon2012’sSirens,thenewLove and Logic(helmedbyformerUncleTupelo/WilcodrummerKenCoomer)forthemostpartfindsthemsettlingback intotheirslower,moremeditativecomfortzone.Toeveryone’scredit,theydothiskindofstuffimpeccablywell,withtastefulguitarsandatmosphericsteelpaintinglargeswathsoftherecordingloamingshadesofblueandamberandJamesWilson’srich,plaintivevoicestilladead-ringerforJayFarrar’s.Butforalltheunderstatedbeautyofsongslike“RoadtoCan-nan”and“Hymnsong”(whoseline,“Wewilllookforloveandlogicinthedyingofthelight,”lendsthealbumbothitsnameandprimarycolorscheme),there’sanennui-inducingsenseofdéjàvutoboot-gazerslike“FishingSong”and“LostintheCosmos(SongforChrisBell)”thatunderscoresjusthowdullthisgenrecanbewhenitstickstooclosetothescript.SonsofBillarereallyattheirbestherewhentheybreakform—beitjustlongenoughtobustoutaBeachBoys’(orJayhawks’)Smile-evokingcho-rusontheaptlytitled“BrandNewParadigm,”oreventogowayoutonastylisticlimb,astheydoonthebeguiling“BadDancer.”Apo-facedalt-countrybandmixingreferencestoThe Odyssey withhooky,’80s-stylesynthpopmaynotsoundlogical,butit’srefreshinglyeasytolove.—RICHARDSKANSE

TheBelleSoundshaveonehelluvasound.It’savintageRumours-esqueharmoniclushnessoverprecise,Shins-likeshinygrooves.Black Stone, afive-songEPandthesecondreleasefromtheAustin-basedband,kicksoffwithapulsating,instantlycaptivatingenergythatservesasalovesongofsortsfromfrontwomanNoelleHamptontoMt.Tamalpais,thechildhoodstompinggroundsofthenativeCaliforniaGirl’syouth.“TheSiren,”inspiredbyHampton’sloveofRayBradbury’sprescient1953clas-sic Fahrenheit 451,isasoothingreflectiononthehyper-ventilated,technologicallypossibletalk-aboutthatdominatestoday’scollectivediscourseandover-sharing.Andinthewinsome“GhostofMyko-nos,”sheturnsanunsettlingNancyGraceheadlineaboutatragichoneymoonintoalovelyodetoromanticmysteryandstar-crossedsecrets.TheBelleSounds’penchantforupbeat,pop-sensiblesongsoverthedarkestofsubjectmattersisalsodisplayedon“GoldenBoy,”asonginspiredbyfictionalse-rialkillerDexterMorganthatfeaturesAndreMoran’seyebrow-archingguitarriffsaugmentedwitha“truthisoutthere”synthesizerthatgivesthetrackalove-is-kinda-crazyspookiness.—D.C.BLooM

LUCERoLive From AtlantaAToRecords

SoNSoFBILLLove and LogicGrayFox/ThirtyTigers

THEBELLESoUNDSBlack Stonewww.thebellesounds.com

PhotobyAnnaWeber

DIRTYRIVERBoYSDirty River BoysDRBMusic


http://thebellesounds.com/

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Ontheshort listof livealbumsrecordedwithouttheartist’sknowledge,DrewKennedy’sSad Songs Happily Playedproveswhatmostfanswouldsuspect:he’sonhisbestbehaviorevenwhenhedoesn’tknowthetapeisrolling.TapedatanintimateTexasgiglastfall,thiswinningtwo-discsetshowcasestheNewBraunfels-basedtroubadour’scomfortablegraceontheguitarandhispliant,immediatelyrecognizabletwangholdingtogetheranassortmentofsongsfromhisrecentspateofexcellentstudioalbums.Especiallywell-representedis2013’sWide Listener, andthesignificanceofthematerial’sfreshnessisevidentinthepalpableenergythatleavenstheunhurried, introspectivepaceof thesongs.Anappealingly regularguy that justhappenstobealittlemorewell-travelledandcriticallyrespectedthanmostoftherestofus,Kennedy’shumorous talesofmistaken-identitydrugbusts,buyingdeadplantswithhiswife,andbeingrepeatedlymistakenforJoshGrideraretheseasoningonagenerouslyheartyhelpingofsongslike“GoodCarpentry,”“Age&Color,”andtheparticularlytender“VaporTrails.”StakingoutareliablesweetspotbetweenthegrittyobservationsofGuyClarkandthedreamierpopsensibili-tiesofJacksonBrowne,Kennedy’srecentcatalogiswellwortharehashforexistingfansandanewlookfortheuninitiated.—MIKEETHANMESSICK

Backinthelate’90s,RogerCreagerwasfirmlyamongstthewedgeofyoungartistslikePatGreenandCoryMorrowthatsplit thescenewideopen foraspiringTexascountrysingers thatdidn’twant towait forNashville to assimilate and exploit. Thebig-voiced, endlessly energeticCreagerdiditaswellasanyone,andbyallaccountsstilldoes:Road Show’stitletrackdescribestheday-to-daysofregionalsuperstarlifeprettywell.Thisseven-songEP’smostambitiousnumber,“ALittleBitofThemAll,”amusinglycatalogstheparadeofsinnersandsaintsinhisDNA,butthecon-flicthasn’treallyseepedintohisart:ifanything,the2014Creagerhasdoubleddownonhisparty-heartyinstincts.LikeJimmyBuffettexceptforwithbeerandinnertubesinsteadofmargaritasandsailboats(nottomentionNeilDiamond’svocalgiftsinsteadof,well,Buffett’s),Creagertoastsriverfloats(“RiverSong”)andMexicanvacations(“WheretheGringosDon’tGo”)withall thegustoofsomeonewho’sfoundagroovethatworks.All(oratleastmost)ofhisrowdyfriendsfromtheearlierwaveofLoneStarmusicmighthavesettleddown,butnowmorethaneverCreager’sstillthereforyouifyoufeellikefeeling21alloveragain.—MIKEETHANMESSICK

ThestarofMikeRyan’snewalbum,Bad Reputation, isn’tanyoneof its terrific songs,butratherthematurityoftheentirecollection.Ryan,whohasapublishingdealwithNashville’sSeaGayleMusic, co-wroteevery trackwith fellowpro tunesmiths inMusicCity,butdon’t let thatscareyouoff.Thecollaborativeresults,chock-fullofcleverlyricalgymnasticsandfeaturingamorerock-forward,polishedstylethanhissolid2012record,Night Comes Falling,areterrific. IntheR&B-inflected“Easy”and“PuttingOffTellingMeGoodbye,”Ryancasuallybutconfidentlydetailslife behindbedroomdoors. Likewise, in the smoky, riff-heavytitle track, hebegins by singing,“Anothernightinanotherbed,nothingnewtome,”inarelatablemannerthatstopsshortoffrat-boybraggadocio,becauselikeeverysongonhere,it’sdonewithatruewriter’scraftsmanship.On“DancingAllAroundIt”and“WastingNoMoreWhiskey,”thetwobestsongsonthealbum,Ryantakesstandardwordingandpumpsthephraseswithcoloraseachsong’schorusunveilspainandperspective.Fromstarttofinish,Bad ReputationisarecordthatdeservestoputthisTexanonthemapinaverygoodway.—KELLYDEARMoRE

DREWKENNEDYSad Songs Happily PlayedAtlas Aurora

RoGERCREAGERRoad ShowFunAllWrongRecords

MIKERYANBad ReputationRock&SoulRecords

Althoughhe’sbeengettingsteadilybetterwitheachrecord,Austin’s JeremySteding’s thirdalbummarksagiantstepforwardfortheformerUniversityofFloridastudentintermsofmusicalmaturity.Onhispastefforts,mostnotably2009’sA Damn Good Ride,hehadahabitofflauntingarebelattitudethatcouldfeelforcedattimes.ButwithMy Own American Dream,hetakesagentlerturnforthebetter.Here,everythingjustseemstoflowwithanorganicgracethatishighlyappeal-ing.Thefiddleandmandolin-enriched“LoveLoveLove,”alongwiththepedal-steel-kissedserenityofthetitletrack,offersmorepastoralstorytellingthaninthepast,and“HomeinTravisCounty”isapicturesque,achingodewithappealingacousticflourishesinsteadofaclichédrockerabouthowgreatAustinis.Thetender“ArkansasRain”isanothergemthatproveshoweffectiveSteding’splainspoken, truthful delivery soundswhen set against a rustic backdrop. The rootsy approachworksjustaswellwhenhepicksthepaceupalittle,too,ashedoesinthebarn-danceworthy“FourHourGig”and“Oh,Darlin.”Here’shopingStedingcontinuesdownthispromisingpath,becausewhileTexasmusicreallydoesn’tneedanymorewannabeoutlaws,thiskindofauthenticityisal-wayswelcome.—KELLYDEARMoRE

Inthe10yearssincehismovedownfromVirginia,corporate/governmentspeechwriterbyday/singer-songwriterbynightsandweekendsD.C.BloomhascomealongwaytowardsmakinganameforhimselfinthecentralTexasmusiccommunity.He’sforgedmeaningfulfriendshipswithatonofnotableartists,pissedoffafewothersviahisalarminglyfrequentandpatentlyirreverentFacebookpostings,securedhisownweeklysongwriters-in-the-roundhostinggigatAustin’spopularWhipIn,wontheheartsofSanAntonioSpurs fanbypenningan irresistible tribute toManuGinobili longbeforeShinyribs’KevinRussellwroteoneofhisown,andevenfinagledhiswayintothestaffboxofthismagazineasaregularcontributor.Butashisfourthalbum,The Rest is Commentary, makes clear, he’sstillalongwayfromblendinginwiththecrowdasjustanotherdudewithaguitar.LikeascarletBuckeyeinafieldofburntorangeLonghorns,theOhio-bornBloomstandsoutfromtheTexasfolkcrowdherunswithbywritingandrecordingsongsthatfeelcloserinspiritto’50s/’60ssatiristTomLehrer—orevenvaudeville—thananythinginspiredbyVanZandt,Clark,orShaver.Evenwhenhesteersclearofthefunnyboneandplaysthingsearnest—whichheactuallydoesmoreoftenthannoton Commentary,favoringheartfeltsongslikethelovely“TheKeyofYouandMe”overlighter,cleverfarelike“LesserPrairieChicken”—Bloomstillsoundsliketheoddestduckinthelisteningroom.Andjustwhenyouthinkyou’vegothimfiguredout—asin,of coursehe’dhavetubaalloverhisopen-ingtrack,“IGotQuestions,”andof coursehe’dfindawaytoturnthelastwordsofSteveJobsintoasing-alongfolkgospeltune(“OhWowWow”)—hedropsastone-coldbeautifulrenditionofStephenFoster’s“HardTimesComeAgainNoMore”onyouthatcouldflooranarmyofstone-facedfolkNazis.AsfortherestofCommentary,well,sufficeittosaythatBloom’stunesmaynotfiteveryone’stastesorAmericanaprogramdirector’splaylist,butit’shardnottorootforaguywhosoundslikehe’shav-ingthismuchfunjustbeinghimself.—RICHARDSKANSE

JEREMYSTEDINGMy Own American Dream BonnieBlueMusic

D.C.BLooMThe Rest is CommentaryTableorBoothMusic


reviews

After co-founding twoofEngland’s greatest rock ’n’ roll bands— ’60smodgodheadstheSmallFacesandtheirboozy’70ssuccessorstheFaces—RonnieLanetookoffinalessraucous,yetequallyaudacious,directionwhenhewentsoloin1973.Launchingthesprawl-ingacousticcomboSlimChance,LanesetaboutcreatingadistinctivebrandofrusticBritishalt-country/folk-rockthatrockedwithcelebratoryabandonwhileminingtheundercurrentofintrospectivemelancholythatLanebroughttotheFaces’bestwork.Lanemademuchofhismostexpressiveandaccomplishedmusicduringthisperiod,untilhisperformingcareerwasendedby themultiplesclerosiswhicheventually tookhis life (aftera fondly-rememberedstintlivinginAustin)in1997. Thetwo-disc,37-trackOoh La La: An Island Harvest —drawnfromLane’sstintwithIslandRecords,whichyieldedhistwobestsoloefforts,1974’sSlim Chanceand1976’sOne for the Road —ishardlyaperfectanthology.Thelinernotesareamateurish,therecordinginfoisskimpy,andthesequencingreversesthechronologyofthetwoalbums.Butit’sstillthebestLanecollectioncurrentlyavailableandafineintroductiontohispost-Facescareer.Withvari-ouskeynon-Islandsongs(includingthebittersweettitleanthem)substitutedbylivetracks,alternatetakes,BBCsessionsandpreviouslyunreleasedversions,Ooh La Laproceedsinanappropriately shambling yetpurposeful fashion, gatheringnearly twoandahalf hoursofmusic—nearlyallofitmemorableandaffecting.—SCoTTSCHINDER

RoNNIELANEANDSLIMCHANCEOoh La La: An Island HarvestUniversal-Island

’80susedtosaytohim:‘Johnny,whydon’tyou tryandhaveahit record,what’s sobadabout that?Doagoodrocking tuneandtrytogetahit.Thenwhenwegetouttoplayyou’regoingtohavemorepeoplecomethatyoucanlaytheblueson,’”saysParis. “At the time it seemed like a no-brainer:GuyslikeClapton,ZZTopandtheFabulous Thunderbirds were having hitsand thengettinguponstageandplayingtheblues. “Hesaid,‘Ohno,ifIhaveahitrecord,all my blues fans will desert me,’” Pariscontinues.“Hewassointobeingabluespuristandrespectingthegenre.” During theheight of his fame in the’70s, Winter produced three excellentalbums for Muddy Waters that wonthe blues legend Grammy Awards andushered in themost successful years ofhiscareer.Winter’shard-drivingstyleandthree-manbandwasanobviousinfluenceon StevieRayVaughanwhenhe formedDouble Trouble with former Winter

sidemanTommyShannononbass. Winterdiedashelived,inahotelroomontourinEurope.Sadly,itwasjustafterissuing a three-disc career retrospectivebox set, The Johnny Winter Story, andlessthantwomonthsbeforethereleaseofanewalbum,Step Back,thatfeaturesguest appearancesbyBillyGibbons, EricClapton,BenHarper,Dr. John, JoePerry,BrianSetzerandothers. “It’s now a moment for celebrationofhisbrilliance frozen foralltime,” saysGibbonsofWinter’spassing.“We’ve lostanotherofthegiftedguitargreatsandatrulysoulfulspirit.” “Heoncetoldmehowwhenhewasa kid, he wanted to be the best bluesguitarplayerintheworld—thatwashisgoal,”saysParis.“Andhecertainlyisintheminds of a lot of people. Nobody couldplaylikehim.Hewasjustunbeatable.”

♦

Johnny Winter Cont.from page 8


Zach Jennings: RyanAdams,Ryan Adams

Richard Skanse: LucindaWilliams,Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone

MelissaWebb:Shovels&Rope,Swimmin’ Time

KristenTownsend:ShakeyGraves,And the War Came

KallieTownsend:AdamHood,Welcome to the Big World

PromiseUdo:LeonardCohen,Popular Problems

LanceGarza:FireInthePines,Heart of the Machine

EmilyHervey:St.Paul&theBrokenBones, Half the City

LoneStarMusic Staff Picks

2.Micky&theMotorcars—Hearts From Above3.RogerCreager — Road Show4.RyanAdams — Ryan Adams5.CodyJohnsonBand — Cowboy Like Me6.BillyJoeShaver—Long In the Tooth7.GeorgeStrait — The Cowboy Rides Away8.CanvasPeople — Sirens9.RandyRogersBand — Homemade Tamales: Live at Floores10.ShaneSmith&theSaints — Coast11.JohnnyWinter — Step Back12.DrewKennedy — Sad Songs Happily Played13.PaulThorn — Too Blessed to Be Stressed14.TurnpikeTroubadours — Diamonds & Gasoline15.Washers — Everything at Once16.TurnpikeTroubadours — Goodbye Normal Street17.MikeRyan — Bad Reputation18.LucindaWilliams — Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone19.Shovels&Rope — Swimmin' Time20.ShelleyKing — Building a Fire21.KelleyMickwee — You Used to Live Here22.GreenRiverOrdinance — Green River Ordinance23.JohnFullbright — Songs24.GaryClarkJr. — Live25.ParkerMillsap — Parker Millsap26.JoeEly — B4 8427.JoshGrider — Luck & Desire28.SunnySweeney — Provoked29.SturgillSimpson — Metamodern Sounds In Country Music30.WilliamClarkGreen — Rose Queen31.LeeAnnWomack — The Way I'm Livin'32.SonsofBill — Love & Logic33.Lucero — Live From Atlanta34.OldCrowMedicineShow — Remedy35.CurtisMcMurtry — Respectable Enemy36.CurtisGrimes — Our Side of the Fence37.JasonEady — Daylight & Dark38.DollyShine — All In EP39.CodyCanada — Some Old, Some New, Maybe A Cover or Two40.JasonEady — AM Country Heaven

J u l y , 2 0 1 4

This chart is sponsored by

1.ChrisGougler—Chris Gougler EP

Lonestarmusic top 40


Getyourmotorrunning:Inthethreeyearssinceopeningforbusiness,FortWorth’sMagnoliaMotorLoungehasdistinguisheditselfasoneofthebestlivemusicvenuesinNorthTexas—nottomentionasacoolhangoutthatservesupagreatburgerandmeancocktail,too.(PhotoscourtesyofBryanBeckman)

MagnoliaMotorLounge|FortWorth,Texas

Magnolia Motor Lounge, 3005 Morton St., Fort Worth, Texas; 817-332-3344; www.mmlbar.com.

Onanelevatedcornerinanincreas-ingly bustling FortWorth neighborhoodsits a former transmission repair shopthatnow standsas the starof adistrictwhere live-music, food and great localbeer have replaced power tools, emptystore-frontsandgeneraldrabness.SinceOctober of 2011, the Magnolia MotorLounge — situated in the party-readyWest 7th Cultural District just a coupleof miles west of the scenic downtown—hasbecomeadestinationspotfornotonlyTCUstudentsorpeoplevisitingthenearbyFortWorthZoo,butformusiclov-ersfromeverycorneroftheDallas-Den-ton-FortWorthtriangle. Things really took off for MagnoliaMotorLoungewhencurrentownersGray-land,MatthewandBethanySmithboughtthe venue in August of 2012. Since thatpoint, Bryan Beckman, a respected vet-eranofthenorthTexasmusicscenewhopreviouslyranFortWorth’sWoody’sTav-ernfor11years,hasbookedthediversearray of local, regional and nationallyknown musical talent to fill-out the de-mandingseven-nights-a-weekschedule. Theversatilevenuecaneasilyaccom-modate crowds up to 1,000 strong, likethe one that came out for the QuakerCityNightHawks’Honcho albumrelease

show,butalsofeels“justright”formoreintimatesinger-songwritershowcases. “One night, Bobby Bare Jr. left it allonstagetoanattentivebutsmallcrowd,”recallsBeckmanfondly.“AndonmanyofourSundayAmericanaandcountrymati-neeshows,youcanhearapindropdur-ing performances byWaltWilkins, MaxStalling, Bonnie Bishop, Susan Gibsonandmore.” Beckman’s expertise in bringing ingreatactsandthevenue’squalitysoundsystem and communal vibe are all cer-tainly key ingredients toMML’s success,butthere’salsonoover-statingtheaddedallureofaddingdeep-friedbacon to theirresistiblemix. Truly, a trip to theMMLis worth it just for the Magnolia Cus-tom Burger alone. The decadent burger—piledhighwith a runnyegg, stripsofchicken-fried bacon, grilled mushroomsandpepper jackcheese— isbutoneofthe stars of the varied menu. The draftbeerselection iseverybitas impressive,andtheymakeatop-notchmartini,too. “I’ll usually grab a few [beer-braisedpulled pork] Garage Tacos before I takethe stage, that’s my go-to — and I al-ways get whatever cool IPA they haveon tap when I’m there, too,” says sing-er-songwriter Drew Kennedy, who has

madeMMLhisprimaryperformancestopamongthemanychoicestherearetoplaywestofDallas. “I lovethepeoplebehindtheplace,”enthusesKennedy.“Theytrulycareaboutmusic.Theycareaboutcreatingamean-ingful partnership between the venue,the artist, and the audience. That’s howyoubuildalastingbusiness:Bottomline,it’sthepeople.”

ByKellyDearmore

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