The Americana Gazette Feb/March 2010 Issue

MERICANA GAZETT E A 2010 / February / March

Feature Story: Jim Lauderdale Caroline Herring Paul Griffith MSB Ellis Paul Sleepy Driver Jim Gray Jonathon Little

AMERICANA GAZETTE Greetings: I hope everyone’s 2010 is off to a good start. I am glad to have 2009 behind us. Our year ended with a little bit of excitement. On the day before Christmas Eve, Andy was heading out of the house on an errand to have some lunch and to swing by the local hardware store to pick up a roof rake, when all of a sudden he was hit on top of the head. Now we do live in Belleville which has been known for some UFO activity, but this was not the case. Andy looked around for some neighborhood boys or possibly our Godson and his brother who may have been lurking in the area tossing snow balls his way. Then all of a sudden another chunk of ice hit Andy on the shoulder. As he looked down to the ground he saw the remains of the first airborne object, about a 20 pound solid piece of ice had fallen from the roof and sliced Andy’s head open. Needless to say we were off to the clinic for some fun stitchery work. I did happen to check with the physician as he was working on Andy’s scalp if he could see any brains floating around inside. The doc wasn’t sure, but wasn’t seeing too much!!! Sorry honey. When we got home the doctor had instructed me to have Andy apply ice to the wound. Isn’t that how this happened in the first place?

As Christmas Eve arrived, Andy all decked out in his finest blue stitched scalp, we went to open our gifts from one another. Andy handed me mine “unwrapped” and said he didn’t have time. He was planning on doing this yesterday, then with his injury he didn’t get it done.

My question was “What about the other 364 days in the year?”. Anyway Christmas came and went, and all was well at the Ziehli household. Andy is enjoying his gift – a personalized roof rake!

Anyway, we are off to a good start in 2010. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Don’t forget to send your sweetie a greeting!! And remember a year’s subscription to the Americana Gazette would make a nice Valentine Gift to the one you love.

Til the next issue, Joyce Ziehli Publisher

PUBLISHER Joyce Ziehli jziehli@advisorymgt.com

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Welcome to

Americana Gazette TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE STORY 16 JIM LAUDERDALE WHERE TO LOOK: 3

1/2 Notes

4

Litt DuBay’s Slant

5

Women In The Round Caroline Herring

6

Paul Griffith

7

Ellis Paul

8

Sleepy Driver

9

CD Review

10 American Music 2010 11 Musician to Musician 12 A Pet Note 13 Aaron’s Anecdotes 14 New Year’s Eve 16 Jim Lauderdale 18 3 for 1 19 Trip to Jenny Lake 20 Jim Grey 21 American Radio

FMI: 608-924-4000; www.folklorevillage.org

1/2 Notes Beth Kille and Jerry Grothues from Madison played the Blue Bird Café in Nashville on Thursday January 28th.

Congrats to both of them.

Sugar River Studios is now open again after a 3 month remodeling project. A complete rebuild of the facilities has taken place. New upgrades in vintage style equipment and furnishings. Phase two of the remodeling project will take place in April. This phase will include a new lounge,work room,and additional recording space. Give them a call at 608-424-6300 or 608-558-8131 to set up a time to check out the remodeled facilities and book studio time.

Professional Nashville Songwriter Steve Leslie - hit writer & renown instructor http://www.myspace.com/steveplesliemusic is teaching at an Advanced Songwriting Workshop at Paradyme Productions (636 W Washington in Madison, above the Kelley's Market) on Saturday April 17th. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost is NSAI members $40; $50 for non-members.

Monday February 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m at the Fat Cat in New Glarus Robert J. will join Beth Kille in a Songwriting Workshop. Everyone is invited. If you are a songwriter bring in one song and lyric sheets to share.

Robert J. will give a concert at approx. 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

There will be a musician’s garage sale held the first weekend in May in Belleville. Watch details in the next issue.

Old Time Barn Dance February 6, 6:30pm potluck, dancing follows Featuring Barley Brothers and Caller Tim Jenkins. We welcome all ages and experience levels to our dances in a friendly, encouraging atmosphere where you can learn the steps, dance to your hearts content or simply sit and enjoy the music and camaraderie! Bring the whole family and your favorite potluck dish! Tickets: $6 adults (18+), $5 members, $4 seniors (65+) and teens (13-17), $2 children (5-12). We ask that you only wear shoes with non-marking soles on our beautiful wooden dance floor.Thank you!

Folklore Village, 3210 Cty. Road BB, Dodgeville

On February 27, 8pm a Concert by John Hammond will take place at the Folklore Village, 3210 Cty. Road BB, Dodgeville FMI: 608-924-4000; www.folklorevillage.org.

With a career that spans over three decades, John Hammond is one of handful of white blues musicians who was on the scene at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-’60s.That revival, brought on by renewed interest in folk music around the U.S., brought about career boosts for many of the great classic blues players, including Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, and Skip James. Some critics have described Hammond as a white Robert Johnson, and Hammond does justice to classic blues by combining powerful guitar and harmonica playing with expressive vocals and a dignified stage presence.Tickets: $17 general, $15 members.

March 27,Viewing begins at 3pm,Auction begins at 4pm 10th Annual“Artists to the Rescue!”Live Art Auction. The 10th Annual“Artists to the Rescue!”Live Art Auction will be held Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at Time Out Restaurant, in Dodgeville. Admission is $10 with all proceeds going directly to the Iowa County Humane Society.Artwork will be available for viewing at Spring Gate Mall in Dodgeville and Sirius Sunlight Glass Studio in Mineral Point, as well as on the website prior to the event.The Time Out Restaurant is located at 237 N. Iowa Street, Dodgeville FMI: http://www.ichs.net CALL FOR ENTRIES - "ArtsBuild Annual 2010"ArtsBuild is seeking artwork for inclusion in our second exhibition "ArtsBuild Annual 2010".This juried group show is scheduled to run from March 2nd to April 7th of 2010.Again this year, it will be presented in the Harry and Laura Nohr Gallery in Ullsvik Hall at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville.

Please note that as usual, our use of the term “artwork” is rather flexible. Whether two, three, or four dimensional, the work may include traditional and/or non-traditional art materials (eg. painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video, fiber, etc.). Written work and performance are eligible – just include appropriate work samples with your application.

The timeline is as follows: please plan ahead! Application materials must be received by February 12th.Artists will be notified of inclusion by February 19th.Accepted works need to be at the gallery by Friday, February 26th.

A reception will be held at the Nohr Gallery the evening of Tuesday, March 2nd.

•Accepted art work must be shipped, or delivered, in "ready-to-hang" condition.We will provide pedestals for sculptural works.

•Accepted live performances will take place during the opening reception.

•ArtsBuild will retain a 25% commission on any sales made during the exhibition. continued on page 29

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23 Table Pounding

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Litt DuBay’s

Rant!

eye open and not to drink Blue Gatorade!

John Miller at the Fat Cat is turning a new leaf in 2010.

He is concentrating on customer service. We’ll see. You can’t change the spots on a leopard!

On NewYears eve me and the misses went to Puempel’s to enjoy the Raindogs. There was a buffet which I loved until Henry and Mike dug into the boiled chicken’s feet and started eating them. I guess Mike brought them in.

I know all around the pig’s ass is ham too, but eating chicken’s feet is just nasty!!! I’ve eaten Rocky Mountain Oysters, Rattle Snake, Snapping Turtle, Goat, and even Grasshoppers but I draw the line on eating anything that resembles feet.

BlackWaterGin Texas Rock with Bite ((( BWG ))) BWG Entertainment 608-574-2916 www.myspace.com/blackwatergin

Well I’ll leave you with my Top Ten Predictions for 2010.

Have a great year!

See you next issue.

by Litt DuBay Litt Dubay

H

I FOLKS, OLE LITT DUBAY HERE, Well 2009 ended with a bang or should I say thud as a 20 pound piece of ice fell off the roof and hit our Senior Editor Andy Ziehli right on top of the noggin two days before Christmas. What a baby he is. Went to the doctor and had 25 stitches more or less put into his thick scull. Doc said there was no chance of brain damage since you gotta have brains to begin with. Doc also said good thing he was Swiss because he had a big thick neck to absorb the shock. The only shock I can think of is that the Doc thought Andy could have brain damage,the cheap SOB!!!! Didn’t even give me a year-end bonus!!!

Well Carrie Underwood is getting married. Good for her.

Should keep her out of the studio and off the radio for awhile. No new news on Sugarland so that’s good too!!!

Top 40 Country Music sucks so bad that that it’s getting hard to breathe in Nashville from all the on air pollution.

If I see one more tight jeaned sissy boy in a cowboy hat I think I’ll just puke!

My friend Tony Dipofi and I were talking about how good the chicken is at the Loveless Café in Nashville. I said it was the best fried chicken in the world! Tony said the only way to get a better piece of chicken was to be a rooster!

Saw the other day another fella died after jogging. When will they ever learn? You never see in the paper somebody dying at a buffet table do you? That‘s why Ole Litt does his exercising with a fork. The only running I do is to get first dibs on cobbler at Golden Corral.

It was a very poor Fudge Season as I only had fudge once and it was not all that good.I keep asking my mom to dig up my Granny’s fudge recipe but she says Granny took it to the grave with her. I said I know that, that’s why you got to dig it up!!! Jeeze!!!

I predict that in 2010 1. C.Thomas Howell will make a huge comeback on TV as a War torn veteran back from fighting the Russians in Colorado.

2. Fender guitar and amp prices will go down because there too high now.

3. Gibson will tell the US Government that they found the illegal rosewood in a dumpster in Fullerton California in 1969 behind that other guitar company’s plant.

4. That there will be a customer appreciation day with free coffee at the Fat Cat. 5. We will all find out that the Mayan Calendar is wrong because they did not take into consideration leap years, and that the end of the world has already come and we missed it because we were all too busy texting.

6. The elections for the House and Senate will not happen because no one really cares whose in charge because they are all the same!

7. That Conan O’Brien will leave NBC and go to ABC and beat Jay Leno in the late night TV wars. Dave Letterman will feature all of this on stupid human tricks.

8. Nudey Jackets come back into style and they make them in 5xl tall.

We are a regional advocacy, technical assistance and networking program for all types of creative entrepreneurs – including visual artists, composers, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, and choreographers. We connect artists and arts leaders throughout southwest Wisconsin. :H DGYRFDWH IRU WKH DUWV :H GHOLYHU ZRUNVKRSV DQG HGXFDWLRQDO offerings on entrepreneurial skill topics :H IRVWHU FRPPXQLFDWLRQ DPRQJ artists and arts groups via email updates containing information about grants, workshops, and opportunities.

9. That Tiger Woods and his wife get back together after he agrees to never stray again. When monkeys fly out my butt!!!

2XU RQ OLQH GLUHFWRU\ RI DUWLVWV KHOSV creative entrepreneurs increase their visibility.

10.That Deep Fried Chickens Feet become the newest bucket meal at the Colonels.

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Carol Spelic 608.342.1314 spelicc@uwplatt.edu

Well my rant this month is on why women get so rapped up in that Snapped show on the Oxygen Network. If you are not familiar with this show it tells the story of women who kill their husbands. It gives graphic details on how to do it. My wife says it is her favorite show and she will stay glued to the TV when they have their marathons. Hell she’s already seen those shows twice.

She should just take notes the first time. If men had a show on TV on how to kill their wives there would be protest in the streets. My wife says that Snapped is an educational show. Educational show! The only thing educational about it is that I have learned to sleep with one

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A CONVERSATION WITH CAROLINE HERRING Elaine Erteschik from Lotos Nile was kind enough to put me in contact with singer/songwriter Caroline Herring.

On October 27, 2009 Caroline Herring released her 4th album,“Golden Apples of the Sun”. Herring is known for her in-depth story songs. Her last album,“Lantana” released in 2008 was named by National Public Radio as one of the top ten best folk albums of 2008. I was honored to speak with Caroline via telephone to find out a little more about this extraordinarily talented woman. I also pulled some information about her and her new CD from her website which I am sharing below.

From Caroline’s Website: Herring embarked on her musical path while a student at Ole Miss in Oxford, where she played with The Sincere Ramblers, a local band who purveyed old-time country, country blues and bluegrass. Some of the most renowned figures in roots music-artists like Gillian Welch, Blue Mountain,The Bottle Rockets and bluegrass legend Peter Rowan-came to Oxford to appear on the Thacker Mountain Radio Show, a literary and musical hour co-created by Herring that was broadcast out of a secondhand bookstore; it still airs on Mississippi Public Radio.These visitors to this cultural oasis in the deep South were taken with the purity and honesty in Herring's voice, and they gave her the early encouragement she needed. Eventually, she found the confidence to begin writing her own folk- and

“GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN”

country-leaning songs, though she wasn't yet ready to play them for anyone but herself.

That changed when Herring moved to Austin in 1999 after being accepted into a prestigious doctoral program in American studies at the University of Texas, lured as well by the city's vibrant musical community. In short order,the stars aligned for the aspiring singer-songwriter.

She played her first gig just two months after hitting town, thanks to Rowan, who keeps a second home nearby, and soon thereafter she recorded a demo with Billy Bright and Bryn Davies, whom she'd met through Rowan.That led to a weekly happy-hour gig at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, where she learned to front a band while honing her material.Herring became the first artist signed to the songwriter-friendly Blue Corn Music,which released her debut album,Twilight, in October 2001.

Herring eventually moved to Atlanta, where she now has two children, a daughter and a son. Family life put her musical career on hold for a time, but the need to create kept tugging at the young wife and mother. "I tried to figure out my life in terms of all of that," she says, "and also figure out how to reassert myself. I was able to sink in a little bit with my new babies and write again about whatever I wanted to write about. I just got to the point where I knew I had to do it. Music was my life,and I had songs I felt were good, and I had the support of my family."

The resourceful and dedicated Herring managed to juggle motherhood, writing songs, performing locally, playing some festivals, touring Europe and taking on a long-term project that involved accumulating a database of traditional artists for the State of Georgia. "I was able to do it on my own time, with a 2-year-old in the car if need be," she says, "and it allowed me to the chance to make another record." When a window of opportunity opened, she brought her new batch of songs to Austin, taking the role of co-producer for the first time as she crafted “Lantana”. The album title, she explains, refers to “a wild-looking, flowering plant that grows like crazy around here. Lantana flowers attract butterflies, and it’s common to see lots of them hovering around a big lantana plant. ”

From her 2001 debut Twilight and its immediate successor Wellspring (2003) to the acclaimed widely Lantana (2008), Herring’s music has been hailed for combining traditional sounds with striking, original observations into modern life and love.

On Golden Apples of the Sun, Herring stakes out new terrain, exchanging the countryinfluenced sound of her previous albums for a darker, hauntingly personal sound inspired by the iconic female folk singers and songwriters of the 1960s and 70s.

“There’s no getting rid of my accent,” she says slyly, “but other than that, this is not a twangy record. It’s not roots-based.”The new record suggests that Herring has been as much influenced by classic songstresses such as Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins as by her native Southland.

“I’ve been working on the first song, ‘Tales of the Islander’, for several years,”she continues. “The melody has changed a lot, the structure has evolved. It’s about Walter Anderson, a Mississippi artist whom I’ve always loved. He was a naturalist – and I’m not. It took me awhile to understand his world.I was intrigued with his long trips to the islands around Mississippi, and I wanted to know what he got out of them – what he saw. He was so thirsty for life, and when he was on a good jag, he was so aware and just drinking in everything at once. In the end, I built the song around this little cottage he lived in that no one was allowed to go into.After he died, his family went in and discovered – in addition to thousands of pieces of art – that he had painted magnificent murals on the walls. Each wall was part of a day’s cycle: sunrise, sunset…”

The spontaneity of Goodrich’s approach, combined with the direct and uncluttered arrangements, fostered an atmosphere where chances could be taken and new avenues could be readily explored.“Almost all my vocals were cut live,”Herring says,“which I had never done before. Most of the time it was me playing guitar and singing, and Goody playing alongside me on whatever instrument seemed appropriate.There were a lot of possibilities in that combination, and also a certain amount of flexibility.We recorded ‘The Wild Rose’ three different ways. The last time, we played it with Goody doing a slow piano part, and I sang it in a totally different way than I ever had sung anything.Then, our dear engineer Mark Thayer, said ‘Why don’t you make it sound like a Methodist hymn?’The next take was the one.”

Paradoxically, Golden Apples of the Sun is both a departure from Herring’s previous work and her most personal and representative collection yet.“I’ve been gone from the alt-country world of Austin for seven years, and it just seemed like it was time for me to make a change,” she concludes.“It was the right time to launch out. On the road,I’m a storytelling folksinger,so it made sense for me to make that kind of record.I didn’t have an absolute idea of what it was going to be when I started. I just knew I wanted to get back into the studio and do something new and different while also representing my sound clearly and truly.The process, the material, howcontinued on page 29

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5

Paul Griffith Americana Drummer Supreme I

love talking to Paul Griffith. He is one of the most interesting people I know.

He is English with a Southern accent. He grew up in New York and moved to New Orleans when he was 14 years old. He has played and recorded with some of the coolest musicians on the planet including Joel Sonnier, Carlene Carter,Todd Snider, Kevin Gordon, Last Train Home, Peter Cooper & Eric Brace, and Leroy Parnell.

Yet one of the coolest things is that he loves Joe South’s music as much as I do!

Paul Griffith is the consument session guy. He has no aspirations to be a headliner; he just wants to make every session be great for the performer. When he was a child growing up he would pretend he was a studio musician instead of a pop star. He would lie in bed at night with the headphones on and pretend he was in a recording studio.

The idea came from the back cover of a Monkees album that pictured the boys in the recording studio. His interest in recording and making records is something that he has always had. He would scour over record jackets and read all the music magazines he could find to learn about studio life.

Griffith was born on the Isle of Wright in England. Griffith’s father was an engineer who worked on the Hovercraft’s in the 1960’s and 70’s. His job took him from his native England to New York, then to New Orleans where Griffith got his first real taste of music and the“life”up close and personal. Moving to the Big Easy changed everything for Griffith. He was to that point a stone cold Rock & Roller. The move introduced him to Dixieland and Zydacco music. He would skip school and go down to French Quarter and hang out and follow around New Orleans drummer Stanley Williams who was about 80 years old at the time. He would watch him play 4 shows a day. Griffith just

6

worshipped him and his drumming style. Griffith would go hang out at the Ivanhoe and watch Williams play. “Back in those days they did not care how old you were just as long as you had money you could drink and hang out”said Griffith. Two other guys he would go watch were Johnny Vidacovich and Zigaboo Modeliste who were other New Orleans legends. Watching these men play changed the way Griffith looked at and played music.

I talked to Griffith on the day we had the Blizzard of 09 here in Wisconsin. He had just returned from a two week engagement in the Florida Keys to a much cooler wetter Nashville.

AG: Why do you think you have been able to make a career out of playing the drums when so many other players just can’t seem to get a foot in the door?

Griffith: I think it’s the way I play. I can’t play like those guys up on Music Row. I’m not that schooled. I have a unique style that fits a lot of different types of music. I can play that old Louisiana Back Beat and shuffle that really works with a lot of Americana music today. It’s not a style that you can just listen to a record and copy. You have to put in your time at the feet of the giants who played it and really work at it to come across believable. It’s not fast playing, it’s steady stable playing.

AG: Do you come from a musical family?

Griffith: My father was very talented and musical but never put much stock into doing it as a living. When I was a kid my dad sat down at my drum set and started playing continued on page 30

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WHO IS

ELLIS PAUL?

WELL LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT HIM!

H

ow many of you have heard of singer/songwriter Ellis Paul? Well my husband had heard of him,but me,not so much.

Asha Goodman of Sacks & Co. out of New York sent me his new CD, “The Day After Everything Changed”and asked me to give it a listen to. Well, I listened to it and loved it, I checked out his website, which is phenomenal, and then Asha set up an interview for me. Before I get into the meat of what we talked about, here is some info from his website to get you up to par on Ellis Paul.

Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting. He was a principle leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene,creating a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk pop style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 1990's. His charismatic, personally authentic performance style has influenced a generation of artists away from the artifice of pop, and closer towards the realness of folk.Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today's singer-songwriters - his songs regularly appear in hit movies and TV soundtracks - he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.

In recent years, he has also departed from his solo career to tour and record with longtime compadre Vance Gilbert, and to indulge his deep respect for American folk icon Woody Guthrie. He appeared with the all-star Guthrie tribute tour, "Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway." For his Philo CD, "The Speed of Trees," he wrote a modern musical setting of Guthrie's unpublished lyric "God's Promise." Nora Guthrie,Woody's daughter, invited Paul to perform at a Woody Guthrie tribute show held in September 1996 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.The show was part of a 10-day celebration to honor Woody and also included performances by Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg and others. In 1998, the quintessential Boston songwriter was also made an honorary citizen of Guthrie's birthplace, Okemah, Oklahoma, in recognition of all he has done to revive interest in the Dust Bowl troubadour.

hard to fathom what a small-town boy he was. He grew up in northern Maine, in a potato farming community so remote that his exposure to music came almost entirely from the one top-40 station he could get on his radio, and his school band, where he played trumpet well enough to earn a summer scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He toured the country competing in track, catching a hard case of wanderlust, and earning a track scholarship to Boston College. It was there that he discovered songwriting, completely out of boredom when a track-career-ending knee injury left him bedridden for months, and he began making up songs on a guitar a friend had given him. By 1989, he was haunting the open mic scene that would soon produce the most important generation of Boston folk stars since the early '60s, including Paul, Dar Williams,Vance Gilbert, Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball (then performing as The Story), Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin, and Catie Curtis.While his style was highly introspective at that time, it was also informed by a probing humanism shaped in part by the five years he spent as a social worker.Every day,he struggled to help poor urban kids hovering dangerously on the edges of the criminal justice and welfare systems.

At the same time, Paul remains the most mainstream-friendly ON JANUARY 12, 2010 ELLIS PAUL folk songwriter to emerge from Boston since Tom Rush. Ellis’s FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA songs have been heard on hit TV RELEASES NEW CD – “THE DAY AFTER shows Ed and MTV's Real World; and in the soundtracks of several EVERYTHING CHANGED” Farrelly Brothers films, including "Me,Myself,& Irene," starring Jim Carrey,and "Shallow Hal," with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow.Director Peter Farrelly has called Paul "a national treasure."

On January 12th, 2010 “The Day After Everything Changed” was released, the new record from songwriter Ellis Paul co-written by Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. Since emerging onto the Boston folk scene over 18 years ago, Paul’s music has been consistently recognized and celebrated by both critics and fans alike.The new record reinforces this acclaim and is sure to cement his place as one of America’s most beloved songwriters.

Paul is today regarded as such a classic urban songwriter that it's continued on page 31

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7

SLEEPY DRIVER

I make quick demos of all the songs I write and after my last band broke up I started going through my collection of songs and found a reoccurring theme in theses tunes and decided to go down this path. I played at some house parties and my friends encouraged me to pursue this genera.

P

eter Hicks didn’t plan on starting another band it just happened by accident. He had penned a number of songs that didn’t fit his current projects, so the tunes were put aside.While flipping through his songbook he recognized some recurring themes in the lyrics which included hard lessons,life and death,love and leaving, murder and betrayal.After looking at these lyrics he came up with the concept of Sleepy Driver, an Americana/Alt-Country band

AG: Is there an Americana/Alt-Country scene in New Brunswick?

Sleepy Drivers MySpace bio tells the rest: Hicks recruited Barry Hughes, John Heinstein, Mike Hatheway, and Ethan YoungLai.They were players of all different styles and influences, but their collective sound served as the perfect vehicle for the music, transporting it to brand new places, creating an alternative roots rock that is a formidable blend of college rock,blues,and old school country.It’s dark yet optimistic,gritty and honest with a healthy respect for tradition, full of dynamics, subtlety and noise.

Since forming, the band has gained notable praise for their modest but substantial music.With the release of their debut full-length,“Steady Now” (2009), Sleepy Driver is poised for even more.The album delivers thirteen Hicks compositions: lyrical morality plays and cautionary tales, stories of love, dismay, murder, revenge, and redemption.

The songs cover diverse territory, from simple folk music to feedback-laden rockers.

Each tune is unique and stands capably alone, yet together make "Steady Now" an album that deserves to be listened to from end-to-end.

I talked to Peter about Sleepy Driver and what the future holds for this fantastic Americana Band out of Canada.

AG: What part of Canada are you from?

Hicks: I live up in New Brunswick. It’s a great spot especially in the summertime.

There is a lot of great food and music. You can’t beat the coastline!

AG: Were you in a band before Sleepy Driver?

Hicks: Yes I played in an Electro Techno Pop group with synths and drum machines.

We played all original music.

AG: How did this change come about from Techno Pop to Americana?

Hicks: I’ve always written songs even going back to High School, and keep everything I write good or bad. I played cover tunes for awhile but thought that it was just another form of a DJ and I didn’t want to be a Jukebox when I played out. I’ve always gravitated towards original bands. You write towards the genera that you are playing so it just depended on what type of music we were playing that I would write for.

Hicks: No, it is kind of on the fringes.

There is a lot of die hard Country music and fans for sure. There are festivals, an association, and many musicians for traditional and modern Country Music.

There are great Bluegrass and folk scenes here too.

AG: Are you a full-time musician?

Hicks: No I have a day job. It is always part of the dream to be a full-time musician, but you’ve got to pay the bills!

AG: I really love your CD Steady Now. I’ve listened to it four times through and it just keeps getting better every time. Like a Weapon is an incredible song.

Hicks: The song has been around for about four years. When we were originally in the studio recording that song was not even on the radar to record. Our drummer Barry Hughes suggested we cut that song because we would always play it live. We had gone through a couple of lineup changes before we started recording so the other guys were not familiar with it, so I taught it to them and it turned out wonderfully.

AG: The whole CD is just full of wonderful material. Don’t take this wrong, but for a guy who never was into this kind of music before you really created some fantastically good Americana/Alt-Country songs.

Hicks: Thanks. I think it really helped to come at it from a slightly different angle.

AG: I suppose you’re right. You did not have the baggage,influences,or direction from other writers and you could create with a clean mind and slate.

Hicks: I think if I went back to the original demos of these songs they were more Alternative Rock than Alt-Country. A lot of it came from looking at the lyrical subject matter than anywhere else. The words leant themselves to more of this style of music continued on page 29

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CD Review

Chelsea Crowell ♪♪♪♪ Chelsea Crowell Cleft Records Style: Americana/No Depression

This CD is far different than I expected from Chelsea Crowell. Looking at the cover and her age I expected a Poppy Country/Singer Songwriter CD filled with hooks, syncopated guitars,you know that standard Nashville fare for young bland Country Singers. What I got was a wonderful CD filled with emotion (though dark at times) untuned Pro Tools vocals, deep songs and off center rhythmus. This is what I would have expected from a much older more mature artist, not a first outing CD. All the songs were written by Chelsea. The CD was produced by Crowell and Loney John Hutchins. The CD is sparse and at times very dark and melancholy, but that is not all bad.

The instrumentation was perfect in all the cuts. I would have liked the drums a little farther back in the mix, but that’s just me.

Standout songs include I want my 7 years back, in your arms again, and my favorite Where the hell is Robert E. Lee. This is a very very good first CD. I would lighten up some of the songs on any future CD’s, but all in all this is a very fine first release.

Reviewed by:Andy Ziehli

Ellis Paul ♪♪♪♪ The day after everything changed Style: Americana/Folk Pop This is my first exposure to Ellis Paul. He has been making records and writing songs since the early 90’s. He came out of the Boston singer/songwriter scene that spawned Dar Williams,Vance Gilbert, Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball (then performing as The Story), Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin, and Catie Curtis. He is a master songwriter and story teller. You can shut your eyes and see the picture he paints with his words.

The day after everything changes leads off with a wonderful song (one of my favorites) Annalee, a song about young love and a short summer. The story is so graphical that it is like you are stealing the author’s memories. Heaven’s wherever you are is a very interesting song that is so different than the other cuts it just draws you in. The melody and tempo really rocks! This is one of my three favorite songs on this 15 song CD. The Cotton’s Burning is the last of my favorites on this CD. The story of a Confederate Colonel surrendering to the Union Army and wondering why he is left to do so is mind blowing. You can feel his angst and despair in having to give up. Paul’s remake on Walking after Midnight is interesting and a bit off the wall. The rest of the song is filled with mellow singer songwriter material which is not all bad.

I only gave this CD a four instead of a five because I feel it was too overproduced with its piano and keyboard intros. Think a Jim Brickner styling. I would have liked to see this CD as two separate projects. The great foot tapping story songs and the mellow light guitar keyboard songs. Don’t get me wrong this is a great CD! Just too middle of the road for me.

Reviewed by: Andy Ziehli

Sleepy Driver ♪♪♪♪♪ Steady Now Black Bell Productions Style: Americana This is a fantastic CD by one of Canada’s up and coming Americana Bands.Sleepy Driver is the brainchild of Peter Hicks. Hicks who played techno music before had written a bunch of songs that did not fit that style. He got together with some friends and recorded this CD on their own and released it independently in Eastern Canada to a huge welcoming response from Canada’s open and ever growing Americana community. Based out of New Brunswick Sleepy Driver is becoming a leading and shining light for our northern neighbors drive to be recognized as the force that they are in Americana Music.

This CD is nearly flawless in its recording and songs. The tracks (all 13 of them) are well written, interesting, and exciting to listen to. Hicks wrote all 13 songs, while the whole band helped in the arrangement of them. The CD was produced by Eathen Young-Lai, Hicks, and Mike Hatheway. Young Lai and Hathaway also played on this CD along with Barry Hughes and John Heinstein.

The songs on this CD are well crafted and each has its own life. They don’t run aimlessly together like on some CD’s. There are traces of the early Jayhawks, Long Ryder’s, and even a little Blackfoot in the guitar tones and riffs, which is fine with me. Outstanding cuts include the first cut which is my favorite Like a Weapon,When the lights come on, Lazy Eye, North Dakota (which is a wonderful acoustic song),And the Gravedigger says, and the final cut Where you are. This CD has been nominated for two East Coast Music Awards:Alternative Recording of the Year, and Rising Star Recording of the Year.The ECMA conference and awards will be held in Sydney NS March April 7, 2010.

Hats off to Sleepy Driver on creating an amazing CD! I look forward to hearing more of this first class band in the press and on the radio. Buy this CD!!! It is everything that’s right with Americana Music today!!!

Written by: Andy Ziehli continued on page 15

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Live In Concert: WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY March 16, 2010 7:30pm Overture Hall Madison

Americana Music 2010

An invitation to jump in with both feet!

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ear Americana Gazette Readers;

L

iving legend singer-songwriter, musician, performer, actor and American icon Willie Nelson is going back out on the road again with newly announced 2010 U.S. tour dates in support of American Classic, his solo debut on Blue Note Records.

As a Nashville artist in the ‘60s,Willie Nelson penned more than a few tunes that have arguably become American classics themselves, including “Crazy,”“Night Life” and the sublime “Funny How Time Slips Away.” But that was just the prologue for the iconoclastic singer-songwriter, who would redraw the borders of country music in the ‘70s after moving back to Texas and settling in the musical melting pot of Austin.Along with fellow traveler Waylon Jennings, Nelson was labeled the outlaw of the genre, but he was more visionary than rebel, especially with the way he attracted rock fans to take a closer look at country. He was celebrated for his work with buddies like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, but scaled even greater chart heights by singing, improbably enough, with Julio Iglesias (“To All the Girls I Loved Before”). Along with Wynton Marsalis, recent cohorts have included Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel and reggae icon Ziggy Marley.

Don’t miss your chance to hear Willie Nelson play his greatest hits live in concert at Madison’s Overture Hall on March 16.

Tickets On Sale Saturday, February 6 at 10am Reserved seat tickets ($63, $53 and $43) will be available at the Overture Center Ticket Office at 201 State Street in Madison, charge by phone at 608-258-4141 or order online at overturecenter.com.

For More Show Information Contact: Mike Lynskey, Jam Productions, 312-440-9191, mike.lynskey@jamusa.com Tag Evers,True Endeavors, 608-256-7980, tag@trueendeavors.com Brought to by Jam Productions and True Endeavors

Americana Music, just what is it? Is it the old alt-country, bluegrass, roots, indie, folk, folk-rock, or is it country music for middle of the road baby boomers? It’s all of these, plus more. It’s the melting pot of music and attitude that does not fit into“new”country, the top 40 pop,AOR (album orientated rock), or the adult contemporary music that fills the FM frequency that we are forced to listen to today. Americana Music if a definition is desired is: Americana is an amalgam of roots music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, rhythm & blues, rock & roll and other external influential styles.[1] Americana is popularly referred to, especially in print, as alternative country, alt-country or sometimes alt.country. Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "American roots music based on the traditions of country.While the musical model can be traced back to the Elvis Presley marriage of 'hillbilly music' and R&B that birthed rock 'n roll,Americana as a radio format developed during the 1990s as a reaction to the highly polished sound that defined the mainstream music of that decade."[1] Because of listener interest in the artists who do not fit as comfortably in the country or rock genres, a radio format called "Americana" was developed by the AMA and reported by R&R (Radio & Records, a radio trade publication).

Born out of the Triple A, non-commercial, country and other formats, the Americana format is the sum of the parts that have showcased Americana music since its inception (from Wikipedia).

To you as a listener what does this all mean? It means that the Americana format or genera is a wonderful blending of all the best things in music played by the best musicians, with the deepest commitment in making the best music today by honoring the best music and musicians of the past. Many names in Americana Music today will be familiar to most readers, Cash, Crowell, Williams, Fogerty, Welch, Kaplin, Kane, Keen, Snider, Adams,Tweedy, Carpenter, McGuinn, Doe, Harris, Griffin, and Helms. These artists all were part of our youths and were at home in different genera’s. Today they work and create fantastic music under the Americana Music Flag. Americana music has become a wonderful stepping stone for new artists, and a place seasoned writers and performers can call home.

It is also the home to many international artists. Canada, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Australia all have large and ever-growing Americana Music scene’s that are producing exceptional music and artists. Kathleen Edwards, Jason Rutledge, Sleepy Driver,The Duhks, and Blue Rodeo, are fine examples of Canada’s contribution to the genera, while from Europe the Coal Porters, Sharon Shannon, Paul Brady, and Mumford & Sons. Australia has presented us with Kasey Chambers and Anne McCuen.

The great thing about Americana Music today is that it does not exclude anyone for age, looks, youth appeal, or any of the other crap that keeps viable artists from applying their craft and making a living. It brings many music camps together and forms a new genera that appeals to the masses when it is given the chance to do so. Its listeners and musicians span the globe. The format came together in 1995 and has been steadily growing ever since.

The AMA is an excellent example of a trade organization that works hard to promote and guide its membership.

Led today by Executive Director Jed Hilly, the AMA is thriving and growing organization reaching a world wide audience. Membership fees are very reasonable ($35.00 per person). The annual conference in September is an excellent networking/educational experience for all the attend. Hilly and board of the AMA work hard to make inroads for their membership.

There are two hotbeds of Americana Music in the U.S. today Austin Texas and Nashville Tennessee. Both cities supply the bulk of the bands and artists that dominate the Americana Charts. Almost of of these acts are on small record labels, with some independently releasing their own music. Austin tends to provide a more Rockin style of American Music while Nashville Americana Artists tend to be more country/folk directed. That is not to say that there are not exceptions to this statement in either community. These two cities are natural environments for Americana musicians to migrate too. The abundance of recording studios, live music venues, and the musical communities are all big draws for aspiring and mature acts.

Nashville’s East Nashville is a prime example of such a music community. Low cost housing, an open air lifestyle, and a ready made arts orientated community made it easy for the first wave of Americana Artists to migrate there in the late 1990’s. The bohemian lifestyle and small artist friendly listening rooms provided a home for this group of musicians and songwriters to ply their trade. Many of these artists came from Washington D.C.and the Folk/Rock scene,Athens Georgia, and New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The melting pot of musical styles and flavors that is now East Nashville can be traced back to all these previous music scenes.

Austin has always been a home for alternative music since the early 70’s when Willie Nelson moved back. The Armadillo Club, Antone’s,The Continental Club, and Austin City Limits all have provided a place for alternative continued on page 29

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MUSICIAN TO MUSICIAN – MIGHTY SHORT BUS

Registration for the

7th Annual Madison Area Music Awards is now open

Registration for the Madison Area Music Awards 2010 is now open at www.themamas.org. The 7th Annual Madison Area Music Awards will be held May 8th at the Capitol Theater in the Overture Center.

All musicians who make music in the greater Madison area are encouraged to enter. Last year, over 50 awards were given to artists in Album, Song, Live Performance and Instrumentalist categories. This year the MAMAs have added a Hard Rock/Punk genre to the award roll. The finalists and winners are determined by peer and fan voting.

Broadjam.com, an international music website, will sponsor all Album entries submitted to the MAMAs. In addition, Good 'n Loud Music, a local music instrument retailer, will sponsor all Instrumentalist and Youth award registrations. Eligible artists will receive one free entry in these categories.

All other registration fees are $10 per entrant per category. The annual $5 membership in the MAMAs is required to submit and vote. Below are the key dates:

D

Mighty Short Bus based out of Madison,WI has been bringing some of the best southern rock to the Midwest for the last decade.This is a bands-band, living the life is living on the road.They are one of the hardest working bands on the circuit today and have gained an impressive following with their non stop touring. I recently sat down with Frank Busch of the Mighty Short Bus to see what makes this band click after being on the road for the last ten years. Be sure to check them out at www.mightyshortbus.com for more info.

Aaron Williams: How would you like people to remember Mighty Short Bus if you were all to die in a boating accident tomorrow?

Frank Busch: Hmmm..A boating accident eh... I guess I would want people to remember the music we recorded first of all, and listen to it from time to time. I would also want people to remember all the live shows they came to, and how much fun they had. I would want them to remember how much fun we had playing for them.

AW:You're working on a new CD.Is it titled yet and what can we expect when we pop it in and take a listen?

You've gone through a small line up change, has that changed the sound of the new CD or the band live at all?

FB:The sound of The Mighty Short Bus is always evolving, and changing members will always change the sound. That being said, you will still recognize it as Mighty Short Bus. Even when we expand our musical borders, which we have done very much on this next record. We are feeling more country/bluegrassy than our last record... But it still rocks.As for a name... nothing is decided yet.I personally like Forever Endeavor, because it’s taking us forever!

AW: If for one night you could sing like anyone or play the guitar like anyone, who would it, be? w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

FB: Well there are probably 1000 guitar players in Nashville who's name I don't know that I could listen to play guitar all day long.. As for a big name guitarist I would trade skills with... It would have to be someone real tasteful like Clapton,or Mark Knopfler or something.

As for a singer, that one is easy, Otis Redding. He had an amazing talent.

AW: Mighty Short Bus is on the road a lot and you play a ton of shows.You've played to 1000 people and you've played to 20 people, is there a difference with the two.

Do you change your show at all depending on the crowd?

FB:We change the show all the time so that is a big "Yes." I sometimes feel like the stage is an amplifier for energy.

The more a crowd is putting out, the more they will get back. That being said, we have shows for 20 people that were quiet and intimate, and I would trade for some of the 1000 person shows we have done. But on the whole, we prefer 1000 person crowds!

AW:What’s in store for the Short Bus in 2010?

FB: Lots, having been working the last couple years on a record; we recorded upwards of 30 songs, and are narrowing that down to 12 or 13 for a record that will come out on May 1st. Then we will immediately start working on another record, consisting on some of the songs that didn't go on this record. Also, I want to release a solo acoustic album, or maybe a duo album with Nic. So 2010 will have at least one album, possibly two, and maybe even three. That on top of our rigorous touring schedule, it should be a busy year!

AW: Finally, Perkins or the Cracker Barrel?

FB:Well,we have eaten at more Perkins in our career,but I think the food is a little better at Cracker Barrel, so we have been eating there more lately. But nothing beats a Ma and Pa greasy spoon!

Story and photo by: Aaron Williams

October 5, 2009 – Open registration January 15, 2010 – Registration ends February 1, 2010 – First voting round begins March 18, 2010 – First voting round ends March 28, 2010 – Final round of voting starts April 28, 2010 – Final voting ends May 8, 2010 – 7th Annual Madison Area Music Awards – Overture Center, Capitol Theater Past winners of MAMAs include a virtual who's who in the Madison music scene. To qualify artists need to live in or play more than half of their gigs in Dane County.

For more information or for interviews, contact: Rick Tvedt Roy Elkins rick@themamas.org roy@broadjam.com 608-250-2565 608-271-3633 MAMAs MISSION STATEMENT MAMAs, Inc. is organized and operates exclusively for charitable or educational purposes, as defined in Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The mission of the MAMAs is to support the preservation and expansion of all forms of music education in the Madison area, and to encourage and promote the artistic advancement of our emerging musical youth.

MAMAs VISION STATEMENT In furtherance of our charitable purpose, MAMA, Inc. has created and presents the annual Madison Area Music Awards ceremony, with the purpose of (1) raising public awareness of the need to preserve and support the existence of music education in our public schools and other community institutions, (2) encourage and promote the advancement of musicians and others in the Madison area by recognizing their musical achievements as well as the achievements of outstanding music students and music educators, and (3) provide promotional support for the Madison music economy as a whole. MAMA, Inc. seeks to establish three other annual events to further carry out its charitable mission and to keep the awareness of the need for music education in the public eye year-round.

MAMA, Inc. also seeks to carry out the following: • Provide opportunities for professional, semi-professional and student musicians who are interested in pursuing careers in music to learn about the music industry • Provide forums for young musicians and others in the Madison area to participate in live performances • Become advocates for music education by working cooperatively through the Madison School Board and with others • Establish a school instrument repair program • Create, support and fund music education events presented in the schools in the form of assemblies • Create an endowment fund to provide music education scholarships

11

A PET NOTE

meet Sarah…

Jane Phillipson). I know exactly where they keep their treats and toys and that is always my first stop when I reach their house. I currently have a winter coat that I wear but I’m going to ask Grammy to take a tuck in it for me. It is a little big and I prefer a snugger fit as you never know who I may run into walking around town.

There are some pretty good looking fellow canines out there – single too I’ve heard. A gal always has to look her best you know!

When I’m not running around playing, I like to sit quietly and look out the window. There always seems to be a lot going on in downtown New Glarus. With so many festivals throughout the year, there is never a dull moment. After awhile I might even sneak off to the bedroom, jump on the bed and snuggle in for a cozy nap now and then.

Faun and Henry are my best friends and I like to get in on their conversations when I can. I cock my head (in a cute little way) and listen when they talk. They are very careful to not use words that I know such as “outside”,“bye-bye”,“treat” or “let’s go to bed”. I know many other words but I don’t always let on, I like to see the surprised look on their faces when they think I might actually be understanding what they are saying.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd

When night time comes around and I finally hear those words “let’s go to bed”,it is time for one of my very favorite things to do. I like to lick Henry’s face right before bedtime. I refer to this as “helping him get ready for bed”.

I’m not sure Henry always likes it, but Faun sure laughs and if I’m lucky I can still catch a crumb from Henry’s dinner entrée.

H

ello, my name is Sarah. I live in the beautiful Swiss Village of New Glarus with my mom and dad, Faun Phillipson and Henry Janisch. For you neighbors close by, you may have heard Faun and Henry refer to me as one of my aliases. I’m a/k/a“Sally”, “Sally Pops”,“Poppy”,“Pippy”, and “Popsie Doodle Bug”. I’ve been known to answer to any of these given names, depending on my mood of course and if any treats are involved.

As you can see by my photo, I’m a very young and attractive (2 ½ years old to be exact) Miniature Australian Shepherd. My main occupation in life is to be my master’s best friend and snuggler. Just ask Faun, I am excellent at fulfilling this task!

Now as mom and dad go about their business during the day, I have my own little daily routine. I have a few favorite toys that I like to keep close by. My yellow Frisbee is my favorite along with an old boot I like to tote around. If I get bored with this I sneak into the bedroom and get a pair of Henry’s socks. A pair of these can keep me busy for hours. Thank God he got a new supply for Christmas.

Check out the photo of me sitting by the kitchen table. Mom is cooking and I’m waiting patiently for her to “accidentally” drop some food. My favorite is peanut butter and for my veggie intake, I really love green beans. Every once in awhile mom will toss me an ice cube to chew on. This feels great on my teeth and gums. To help keep me fit and trim, I enjoy playing catch in the yard and my morning walks. On a rainy day, you can see me all decked out in my yellow rain slicker. (I wish I could have had my picture taken in this as I would like my friend Andy Ziehli to see how pretty I look in it.) Sometimes we even walk over to visit my Grammy and Grampy’s (Chuck and

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I really love my home. I know that my mom and dad love me very much.

If they are sad, I’m there to cheer them up and when they are not feeling well, I’m right there to snuggle up and offer moral support. The only other thing that would make my life even better is if I would have gotten that “snuggie” for Christmas. Santa must have lost my letter. Mom and Dad if you read this, I would like one in pink – petite medium please!!

(And last of all for those of you that don’t know, my mom Faun is an attorney in New Glarus – Phillipson & Uretsky,LLP. She is an excellent lawyer and my friends Andy and Joyce use her all the time for their music businesses, so if any of you other musicians are in need of an attorney for any matters,please check her out at: Phillipson and Uretsky, LLP, 1101 State highway 69, 2nd floor, Box 148, New Glarus,Wi. 53574 – 608527-2752.) I thought if I put in a plug for her – I’m sure to get that“snuggie”for Valentine’s Day! Photo by Jenna Knapp Story by: Joyce Ziehli w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

A s m ’ n o u r s a in A

s e t g Anecdo

PRACTICE SAFE SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING P

ractice safe social media networking! Most of us in Middle school had to take one of the most uncomfortable classes ever invented to teach us about the birds and the bees. I won’t remind anyone of the gory details again but we were taught important lessons that I think should be applied to bands across the world…and no, it doesn’t have to do with groupies! This is much more important and could save your career and extend it by years and years…

The internet and social media has changed the way music is presented to the buying public.The music industry has been playing catch up ever since 2002, the day N’ Sync dropped their final album and to many in the industry was the last album ever promoted the “old fashion way.”At the time MySpace, Facebook,Twitter and Reverbnation weren’t around and if you were to say“social media”to friends they’d probably think you were talking about some club you joined while in smoke shop along the interstate.There was no such thing as social media or at least to the level it is today.Fast forward eight years and the above networks are now how bands reach out to new and old fans alike.We mention the smallest detail on anything having to do with our bands in hopes the interest in our lives and music will spark that interaction that will lead them to buy our CD’s or come to our live shows.We have bombarded the general public with a dizzying array of event listings,newsletter mailing, email lists,MySpace comments,Twitter updates and the list goes on and on.This has been a godsend to indie bands across the globe, but can be a nuisance to the buying public. Being able to reach thousands of fans with a click of the button has made our job easier as a band. But with that ease comes more responsibility, a responsibility that I believe bands are not exercising.

We as bands have that responsibility to protect our fans privacy and also be mindful of how we interact with our fans. Most bands have been guilty of sending off an event listing on Facebook and simply clicking “all friends” the problem with this general listing is that event listings will go out to all our friends, including your friends in Wisconsin, Tennessee, and California and across the globe. This is where the responsibility needs to come in to play.When you interact with your fans there has to be something in that conversation that applies to them that will bring them into your world. I’m in a band myself and nothing bothers me more then getting an event listing from a band that has friended me from Germany and is promoting a show in Berlin.When this happens I usually give the band a few chances to correct this problem, but if I continue to get event listings filling up my mailbox that have nothing to do with me I will simply delete that friend.And that is the last thing a band wants to do, bother or upset our fans.

As bands we work hard for our fans, we promote, we play shows, we learn songs, we write songs…all this is to gain fans that will come to our shows and buy our merchandise.To put in all that work and then by simply being lazy or not mindful of the interactions we have with our fans will alienate them quicker than a Blink 182 song.Taking the same amount of care in writing a song has to be applied when caring for our fans.We need to treat them with the utmost respect, both on stage and over the internet. Remember, without the fans we are nothing.

I challenge my fellow bands to listen and learn from this advice.Take the time to know your fans and how they perceive us will only draw them closer to you and more importantly to your music.A fan that you respect and care for will be yours forever, even when you come out with that holiday CD of you singing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer in German, they will buy it and will always give you another chance. Remember, without fans we are nothing. Peace and good music……

Written by : Aaron Williams w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Blending Southern influence, Country and Rock ‘n Roll, BlackWaterGin creates a sound uniquely their own.

Based out of Wisconsin and founded in 2008, BlackWaterGin has wasted little time establishing itself as a serious up and coming band in Country Music. With an ever increasing fan base, averaging close to 100 shows per year, BlackWaterGin has played everything from small venues, festivals, major clubs, to opening for national acts in the two years together.

Members hail from the South and the Midwest, all veterans of the festival and club scenes, bringing with them their unique life stories and experiences. The melding influences of Cash, Merle, Hank Williams Jr., Eric Church, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many more add to the excitement BlackWaterGin brings to the stage, spanning generations together as one. With BlackWaterGin, what you get is unique, loud Southern Country laced with Rock ‘n Roll.

BWG Entertainment 608-574-2916 www.blackwatergin.com 13

Where Were YOU on NEW YEAR’S EVE ?

THAT IS IF YOU REMEMBER!

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ell, I do remember where I was on New Year’s Eve. I worked at my regular job during the day, fixed a delicious meal for me and my hubby, then we were off to Puempel’s Olde Tavern in New Glarus. There was a nice crowd at Puempel’s and Andy and I ran into many familiar faces. It was great to be out and about and to visit with so many friends, and the Happy New Year’s wishes kisses, and hugs made it even better.

The infamous Raindogs were providing the entertainment on this cold Wisconsin evening. Many of you are familiar with the Raindogs, but if you are not the band consists of Marc Barnaby (guitar/vocals);Tony Dipofi (blues harp/vocals);Lindsay Feuling (bass) and John Miller (drums).Raindogs is a band based out of New Glarus Wisconsin, focusing on blending a mixture of rock and blues styles in a driving and soulful way. Raindogs play a mixture of original music and covers that are arranged into a style to make the songs their own.

On this particular evening, the Raindogs were doing an acoustic night. As God as my witness, I do believe Marc Barnaby is the Guitar God. He is all over that instrument, I think I even saw smoke coming off the strings at one point. Those hands need to be insured by Lords of London!!!

Now John Miller is no slouch on those drums either. I don’t know how he does it, but he is all over that set with an unbelievable sound, never misses a beat. (No pun intended.) And during the week you can check him out at the Fat Cat Coffee Works in New Glarus. He sure can make a mean cup of java! Lindsay keeps everything at an even flow with his “right on” bass playing. I don’t think he ever goofs up. Now Tony, is Tony. The smooth talking, Italian Lover as I refer to him. He sure can play those harps. You just know those Italian lips were made for lovin” and of course, harp playing.

I could sit and listen to these four guys play all night. Sorry Andy (my hubby) but these guys are indeed my favorite band. Of course, your band Amber Skies is my second choice. The growl of Marc’s vocals and the sexy looks veering out from under the Tone Man’s baseball hat, along with John’s cute smile and Lindsay’s quiet demeanor makes this band “easy on the eyes” as well. Sorry, I started daydreaming and got off on a rant. Back to New Year’s Eve…..

Located near the band, and close to where I was sitting was a table filled with many delicious entrees. A plethora of food, a potluck I believe. And yes, I did indulge in a few samples. But the one sample I did not try was the “chicken feet”. Yes, I did say chicken feet, not chicken legs, wings, breast or thighs. People were actually eating chicken feet. I wonder if some of these folks actually remembered this the next day or thought maybe they just had a bad dream. They may have wondered about that funny taste in their mouth though?

Any way,Andy and I had to head out around 11:15 P.M. – the wimp that I am, the smoke was bothering me.

And I felt that I may get out of hand after the couple of Buckler Non-alcoholic beers I inhaled. (This was pretty good stuff, imported from Holland I believe.) Although before I left, I did have the opportunity to ask the band members what their New Year’s Resolutions were for 2010, and this is what they had to say: Marc Barnaby – “less animals”.

John Miller: “get this year over with”.

Lindsay Feuling: “I don’t make any. Stopped years ago”.

Tony DiPofi: “Not gonna be so bad. Keep my goals reasonable. Cut out “some” of the bad things I do.”

There you have it – a fun filled evening at Puempel’s in New Glarus. I too decided on a New Year’s Resolution and that is: “I’m giving up chicken feet” in 2010! Hope you all have a great 2010 and check out the Raindogs when they are in your area and their website at; www.raindogs.biz.

Story and photo by: Joyce Ziehli

14

Nanci Griffith Nanci Takes The 2010 “The Loving Kind” Tour To Australia!

A few issues ago I (Joyce Ziehli) did an interview and story on Nanci Griffith and her new CD,“The Loving Kind”. Just wanted to update you on what she is up to these days.

Nanci Takes The 2010 “The Loving Kind”Tour To Australia: Grammy Award winner Nanci Griffith from AustinTexas,comes to Australia for the first time in March 2010.

Nanci Griffith got an early start on her path to performing and songwriting. At the age of 6 she began to write songs, thinking of it as “part of the process of learning how to play guitar.”While she doesn’t remember many of her earliest songs, she does recall that “the first original song my mother commented on…was a song about Timothy Leary.”Then at the age of 14, when a campfire turn at the Kerrville Folk Festival caught the ear of singer-songwriter Tom Russell, she was on her way.

She has recorded 18 albums and in recent years she has toured with many artists including Buddy Holly’s band,The Crickets, John Prine, Iris DeMent, Suzy Bogguss and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with other great artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett,Willie Nelson,Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows) and The Chieftains. Nanci has been described as one of the most important voices to come from America. Never afraid to tackle difficult topics head on in her songs, her performance is always full of passion and deep honesty.“Griffith is a songwriter, pure and simple….The detail, depth and simple intelligence of her compositions makes her an artist whose work will endure.” -Rolling Stone.

Her latest albumThe Loving Kind finds Nanci Griffith at the top of her game as a songwriter, interpreter, and singer.The Loving Kind, which skillfully touches on newsworthy issues as well as matters of the heart, proves that such a writing style can capture life at its most complex.Featuring nine songs written by Griffith and her collaborators,and four well-chosen covers, the album takes its place alongside the consistently acclaimed work of this Grammy Award-winning, genre-defying artist.

The Loving Kind Tour will be in Australia…

3/6/10–Cooma,AUS–CMC’S Rock The Snowys Festival 3/7-3/8/10–Victoria,AUS–Port Fairy Folk Festival 3/10/10–Melbourne,AUS–Melbourne National Theatre 3/14/10–Katoomba,AUS–Blue Mountain Folk Festival 3/15/10–Sydney,AUS–Sydney Metro Theatre Information provided by: Heather Smith Gold Mountain Entertainment 11 Music Square East, Ste. 103 Nashville,TN 37203 heather@gmemusic.com w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

paints a vivid picture of what pirate life certainly entails.

Some tracks were done on a traditional level, while others though have contemporary tones.The tracks to definitely rock to are ;the reggae inspired, Play and Laugh me Hearties, the lighthearted and harmony filled,Hawaiian Wind, and the driving rock beat of Holler, Hell and Howl.The vocal styling of Bill Rients and the pirate force behind this great album are a force to be reckoned with as I could definitely see this music taking its story to the stage. Potential soundtrack to a pirate film? I could see Capitan Jack Sparrow dodging the British Army to this.

cd review... continued from page 9

I have an appreciation for the musical styles of all these talented musicians and not to forget the “scurvy dogs” surrounding the poetry put to music are nothing short of a delight to listen to.A well deserved,“Bravo”.

Marley’s Ghost ♪♪♪♪♪ Ghost Town Style: Americana Okay I have to admit that I have a soft spot for this CD because it’s that good! I heard a couple of rough tracks off this CD at producer’s Cowboy Jack Clements studio and was blown away by what I had heard. Marley’s Ghost is not a new band by any way shape or form.

They have been making music on the West Coast since the mid 80’s. These guys are experienced dare I say“mature in stature” musicians who make music for the love of it and it shows big time. The instrumentation on this CD is mixed wonderfully, and highlights the multi-instrumental talents of the members of Marley’s Ghost.

This group of superior song stylist deserves a much wider audience and this CD will certainly bring them one.

Cowboy Jack Clement produced this CD and even played on some tracks. Shawn Camp provided two fantastic songs to this collection, the lead song Travelin’ Teardrop Blues and my favorite cut My love will not change. Writers as diverse as Willis Alan Ramsey, Billy Burnette, Kimmie Rhodes,Warren Zevon, and the Cowboy himself all provided Marley’s Ghost with an ousting selection and collection of tunes for this CD. All the members of this stellar group are fantastically good musicians and interpreters of songs. Other standout songs on this CD are Clement’s Got leavin’ on her mind and Goin back to Bowling Green,Here I am in love again and Light in the Forest.

This is a good-time CD that will take you to a happy place! The 14 cuts are performed flawlessly and produced wonderfully. Young producers should study Cowboy Jack and his continual ability to produce great records. Marley’s Ghost is a collection of well traveled minstrels that know how to create great music. You can’t go wrong buying this CD! I have listened to it straight through at least a dozen times in the month I have had it. It’s a keeper! Mighty fine boys might fine!!!

Reviewed by: Andy Ziehli

Bill Rients with words

by Terry Hollembaek The Sweet Life ♪♪♪♪

Style: Pirate I’ll level with you.This musical style is definitely geared toward a certain audience, however, the fantastic thing about this genre and this particular music is the story.The poetry behind the music on this CD definitely w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

I know, I know…Pirate music right? But it is so much fun and who couldn’t say… Right now a beach and bottle of strong Caribbean rum wouldn’t be The Sweet Life….

Reviw by: Erin Blumer

Sean Michael Dargan ♪♪♪♪♪ Snap your fingers & stomp your feet Style: Rock & roll/Americana Sean Michael Dargen is Madison’s answer to Nick Lowe. Dargan is a fantastic songwriter, especially in the Pop hook laden tapestry that he paints his music on. A multi-talented instrumentalist and vocalist, Dargan is a true artist. This CD Rocks!!! I have heard Dargan in the past and seen him live with his band, as a guest artist, as a member of the Kissers, and as a soloist, and it’s hard to pick which Sean Michael Dargan I like best.

Snap your fingers & stomp your feet leads off with Goodbye, a spacey sounding track that reminds me of Steve Miller’s Living in the USA album from the early 70’s, until it kicks in and its balls to walls power pop.

The next two tracks are my favorite tracks. Little Miss Sunshine with its quirky changeup and wonderful chorus is truly a masterpiece. The Ballad of Alberto Gonzales is almost Beatlistic/Steve Miller Living in the USA orientated. The fifth song If I were smart is very Barenaked Ladies influenced, but still keeps Dargan’s edge to it. The 11th song on this CD is a radio ready political anthem Hey Joe Biden. I love this song and its great guitar lines.

There is not a bad song on this CD. If you love Poppy driving dance friendly music this CD is for you. It’s a little rockier than Dargan’s past work but I think it’s his best to date! Dargan wrote all the songs on this CD which is quite an impressive act in itself. It was recorded and engineered by Perry Blanchard, produced by Dargan and Dan Kennedy, and then mastered by Jack Le Tourneau. A very capable team indeed!

This is a great CD to put on when driving down the road or getting ready to go out and have a good time!

Sean Michael Dargan knows how to write a great song.

All you inspiring songwriters take a listen and study from a master. Talent like this is hard to ignore!

Reviewed by:Andy Ziehli

Eric Brace & Last Train Home ♪♪♪♪♪ Six Songs Red Beet Records Style: Americana Eric Brace is one of the premiere Americana songwriters of any generation. His past work with Last Train Home and his duo work with Peter Cooper will certainly stand the test of time. He writes wonder stories that take the listener to a different plain of existence. Brace is also one of the eminent song stylists of today and this six song EP highlights that. Instead of going to the well and bring forth songs of his own,Brace (he co-wrote one song) and Last Train Home cover songs by Scott McKnight (who sometimes plays in Last Train Home) Karl Straub, Walter Donalson, Gus Kahn, Gilbert Becaud, Pierre Delanoe, Carl Sigman,Yannick Farquhar, Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prevert, and Johnny Mercer.

The EP starts out with McKnight’s Always raining on my street. A cool song with a Caribbean beat to it. The next cut Soul Parking is the true rocker on this CD and my favorite cut. The heavy guitar and great snare make this a true radio hit. One the third cut My baby just cares for me is a 40’s style big band song with horns and jazz flavored guitar. The fourth cut finds Brace singing in French on Et Maintenant/What now my love. His strong voice really carries this song. The stark guitar in the first verses sets the tone for a wonderful song. Big Fish is an up tempo happy time country song. It has a great background vocal vaudeville accompaniment. The last cut Autumn Leaves starts out a little different than anything I have heard out of Brace before. The heavy lead guitar reminiscent of Link Ray or Duane Eddy gives way to Brace again singing in French. It’s safe to say that this cut is not your Mama’s Johnny Mercer fare.

If you have never listened to Eric Brace or Last Train Home this is a great place to start. After this I would also buy Last Good Kiss and you’ll get a fuller picture of the band. If you are an old fan you’ll love this EP. Its great listening and great fun. Check out the Red Beet Records Website at www.redbeetrecords.com to get all of Brace’s work. You won’t be sorry!

Reviewed by:Andy Ziehli

Sean Michael Dargan CD Release Party "Snap Your Fingers & Stomp Your Feet"

by Sean Michael Dargan CD Release Party @ High Noon Saloon Saturday 27 February 2010 5pm (two sets w/ his big ol' rock band)

15

Who Is That Handsome Man On The Cover Of This Issue?

Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton.

Vince Gill, and George Strait. He also contributed several songs to the successful soundtrack of the George Strait film, "Pure Country." Not content to just write hits for the stars, he's toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rhonda Vincent and Elvis Costello, among others.

who else – the multi-talented performer and songwriter from nashville... ... JIM LAUDERDALE

F

(aka – Mr. Americana)

or those of you that don’t recognize the name Jim Lauderdale, read a little bit about him that I got from his website and then you will know exactly who I am talking about!!! Jim Lauderdale has always been a household name in our home. He has been one of Andy’s idols for years. I always feel such an inner warmth when I meet these folks. Andy and I had the pleasure of sitting in and listening to Jim play at a songwriter’s session at the Americana Music Conference last Fall. What a treat this was as Peter Cooper was also involved in this session, which made it extra special! We had the opportunity to personally meet Jim after the session. Of course I presented him with a bottle of Wisconsin Primrose Wine. We visited with him again the next day at a breakfast brunch at our hotel. (I had to stop Andy from stealing Jim’s omelet. I can’t take him anywhere!) Jim also was the presenter at the Americana Music Awards at the Ryman Auditorium which we attended and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job at this. No wonder they keep having him come back, he’s perfect for the part. Anyway, Jim agreed to grant me an interview, but before we get into that, check out this info from his website!! See what I’m talking about.

From Jim’s Website: www.jimlauderdale.com Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year" at the first "Honors and Awards Show" held by the Americana Music Association in 2002.

Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years.

He is among Nashville's "A" list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee

16

Jim's musical influences include the legendary Dr. Ralph Stanley and George Jones. These influences and his unique sense of melody and lyric help forge a sound that is truly his own. He is a 2 time Grammy winner, winning his first in 2002 with Dr. Ralph Stanley for "Lost in the Lonesome Pines" (Dualtone). His next one came for his second "solo" bluegrass album, "The Bluegrass Diaries" (Yep Roc 2007) at the 50th Grammy Awards! His first CD with Dr. Stanley, "I Feel Like Singing Today" ( Dualtone/Rebel 1999) received a Grammy nomination as did his first solo bluegrass CD titled "Bluegrass"(Yep Roc) from 2006.

As a performer his credits include production, writing and collaborating on albums such as, "Wait 'Til Spring" (SkyCrunch/Dualtone 2003) with Donna the Buffalo, and "Headed for the Hills" (Dualtone 2004) with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. The remainder of Jim's 17 albums include: "Planet of Love" (Reprise 1991), "Pretty Close to the Truth" (Atlantic 1994), "Every Second Counts" (Atlantic 1995), "Persimmons" (Upstart 1998), "Whisper" (BNA 1998), "Onward Through It All" (RCA 1999), "The Other Sessions" (Dualtone 2001), "The Hummingbirds" (Dualtone 2002), "Bluegrass" (Yep Roc 2006), "Country Super Hits, Volume 1" (Yep Roc 2006), "Honey Songs" (Yep Roc 2008), and "Could We Get Any Closer?"

(SkyCrunch 2009).

"It's been a particularly great period for me," says Lauderdale. "Thanks to the records - I'm performing more and more, which I love. And I love that I can play the Opry one weekend, a jam-band festival the next and then a bluegrass festival the following week. That's really inspiring to me and I think there's a real thread there. The roots are the same for all of them and that's the music I'm interested in."

GUEST APPEARANCES: Have you ever listened to a song and thought you recognized a voice in the background? It's highly possible that if you're an avid music buyer you may see Jim's name listed as harmony vocalist on several in your collection. Most people are familiar with his talents as a singer-songwriter, but would be quite surprised at just how many times he's added his unique voice to blend with his fellow artists. This isn't as easy as it sounds when w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

you are accustomed to singing the lead. To quote Elvis Costello: "What's impressive about Jim Lauderdale's performance on this record (Secret, Profane and Sugarcane) is that he never draws any attention away from the story. He doesn't all of a sudden go, 'Here's Jim!' He's got loads of personality when he's singing lead, but it's quite a talent to be able to tuck in and add that tonal thing to my voice." Elvis was so impressed with Jim that he had him sing harmony vocal on every track of the afore mentioned CD, and included him as part of his 2009 tour as one of the "Sugarcanes" In fact, you'll soon hear Jim's voice on the legendary Willie Nelson's new CD, due out in Spring of 2010. Some of the people he has performed duets with include George Jones and Dr. Ralph Stanley. In addition, Jim is often sought after to participate on numerous projects such as tribute albums, collections, etc.

Jim’s latest CD Release:

Could We Get Any Closer?

SkyCrunch Records 8/18/2009 Track Listing I Took a Liking to You Shawn Camp/Jim Lauderdale All She Wrote Candace Randolph/Jim Lauderdale Calico Jim Lauderdale Tennessee Dawn Robert Hunter/Jim Lauderdale The Ghosts of the Ridge Jim Lauderdale Today Odie Blackmon/Jim Lauderdale Could We Get Any Closer?

Jim Lauderdale Almost Satisfied Jim Lauderdale I’m Kinda Learning As I Go Jim Lauderdale That’s Why I’m Here With You Jim Lauderdale Lead Me Candace Randolph/Jim Lauderdale Honey Hurry Home Jim and I connected on a Saturday afternoon in mid-January and here is a little synopsis of the life and times of Jim Lauderdale directly from the man himself.

“I was born in Statesville, North Carolina and then lived in Troutman, North Carolina. My dad was a minister there at an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. When I was almost 6 we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and he took an executive job in a church. We were there for 8 years and then we moved to a little town in South Carolina called Due West. Dad started working for the college he had gone to and this is where he had met my mother. My mom was the w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Choir Director and Chorus Teacher and the piano teacher in high school. I never had the patience to learn the piano. Unfortunately it is something I had wished I’d learned. But I think I did pick up a lot of ear training by listening to my folks. They played a lot of different kinds of music and of course bluegrass and country music were kind of in the environment there in the Carolinas. And my sister, my older sister Becky, listened to a lot of everything and at the time when I was growing up, the Beatles just came out when I was just in first grade and I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show. That had a big influence on me, as it did on millions of other people. I also grew up on radio at that time. It was kind of eclectic those days. So there was a mixture of rock and soul music, and what was popular in the time during the 60’s and early 70’s.

I finished my last two years of high school up in Chapel Hill in North Carolina at a Quaker School. I’d been playing banjo for awhile. I got bitten by the bluegrass bug pretty heavily. I was real influenced by Ralph Stanley, Flatts Scruggs, Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin. My tastes kind of broadened. Oh, and also Don Stover, a banjo player. I also really liked the Country Gazette. I got a hold of the New Grass Revival’s first album and also the “Will The Circle Be Unbroken Album”. Those were real influential on me. I just wore them out.

About going to college, I went to a place called the North Carolina School of the Arts. Then I discovered Gram Parsons. I started writing during that time. I was performing kind of a wide variety of stuff other than country and bluegrass. I had also gotten into George Jones, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash and Buck Owens real heavily. I was performing songs just briefly in college in a bluegrass band and a country band, but school kept me too busy so I would play solo a lot. There was a guy that played pedal steel and Telecaster, named David Wood that would also play with me some. It was kind of a wide variety of stuff I was listening to and playing. During the summer time I was with a bluegrass band for awhile. But that just really kept me busy just doing what I was doing.

Then I moved, I came to Nashville about 5 months out of college. I couldn’t really get anything going as a songwriter. I kind of got a little bit discouraged with that. I was hangin out with Roland White, he was one of my heroes. Two of my goals were to hang out with him and George Jones. I didn’t get to with George Jones, but I did with Roland. We recorded a duo record, but I couldn’t get a deal for it. I was an unknown in the bluegrass world.

I ended up going to New York 5 months after I came to Nashville.

There was this country scene and it was kind of slowly taking off, then it peaked after a couple of years.

There were a lot of bars up there to play in, bars with a lot of country, lot of great playing up there from all over, a lot of them from Texas. I did my own gigs. I was hired a lot kind of as a front person. I was also in a band with Floyd Domino. It was his band. He was the original piano player for Asleep at the Wheel. Tony Garnier, the bass player from Asleep at the Wheel was also in the band. It was kind of a combination of western swing, country and jazz.

During the day time, I was working as a messenger and in the mail room for Rolling Stone Magazine. Then I went to a play, playing the

banjo mostly and some guitar in this play that Harry Chapin had written music for called “Cotton Patch Gospel”. It was a bluegrass thing. I got into this play, we tried it out in Boston and it didn’t do that well. They renamed it and reworked some things and sadly, Harry Chapin died before we opened off Broadway. So then I came back to New York and that show became my day job. Then I was just playing a lot after the show at night. During this time too, I met a very important person in my life, Buddy Miller, who had a band up there in New York. A great band, some of his band mates were, Larry Campbell, who played pedal steel and guitar; Julie Miller had been in the band and then she moved, this was before they got married. He brought Shawn Colvin up. She was his singer.

Buddy just influenced me a lot and inspired me a lot. Also John Leventhal was a guitar player on the scene. He and I, several years later got into this other show. During this time I was trying to get a record deal. That was my main goal which I was working really hard at. It just wasn’t really happening for me. John and I started writing a little bit. I would spend all the money I was making on various shows I got in on demo tapes to try to get a deal. John started playing on some of my demos. Then we slowly started writing a little bit together.

I’ll skip ahead. I got to be in a show playing Jessie James in a musical called “Diamond Studs”, kind of an old time country musical. This band called the Red Clay Ramblers played the gang and Shawn Colvin played my wife. I figured that would be the ultimate way to get a record deal. The show closed before we got to go to New York or Los Angeles with it.

Anyway I ended up in Los Angeles. I got a manager, (John) and also Billy Bremner started playing with me. A lady named Candy Cane got me my first gig out there. John and Billy started playing guitar with me. Billy had been in a group called Rock Pile with Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. I hadn’t intended to stay in Los Angeles for very long, I had earlier tried to move to Austin. It just didn’t work out. So when I got to LA, things just started falling into place. I began working with Pete Anderson, who was the producer of Dwight Yoakam. I started singing on Dwight Yoakam’s records as a harmony singer. Also an important person in my life, Lucinda Williams, I met out there and sang on some of her records.

I did get a deal on Epic Records. It was a very hard core country record, like a Buck Owens record. It did not work out. It was a little bit too country at the time. So that didn’t pan out. Since then I’ve had a succession of major label deals on Reprise Records, Atlantic and California, and RCA out of Nashville. I did not have hit singles of my own on the radio, but in the meantime something I didn’t plan started happening.

Other people started recording my songs. It started when George Strait did some song that was off of a record of mine, “Planet of Love” on Reprise Records. Then they got into his movie “Pure Country.” After that I started getting a lot of songs cut out of Nashville.

Now to this date George Strait has recorded 15 of my songs and the title of his new record, “Twang”, I co-wrote; it’s currently his single. Patty Loveless had a hit with one called, “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me”, which I wrote out in the desert in California, Joshua Tree, where I was living out in Los Angeles. I used to go out there a lot and write. It’s kind of funny in life as things you don’t necessarily plan on happen. Even if it’s not the way you scontinued on page 18

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The Midwesterners

3 for 1

They recently held their EP release party at the High Noon Saloon. The new EP, "The Truth is Where it's Always Been”is a wonderful collection of Americana songs.

They are currently booking jobs so watch for them to play a club near you.

Members are Bob Manor - lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica; Gail Campbell – drums; Steve Pingry - cello, guitar; Ken Keeley- bass; Sheila Shigley - vocals, fiddle, mandolin; and Barbara Chusid - keys, melodica, and dulcimer.

By: Andy Ziehli

Mark Croft

Lauderdale... continued from page 17

The Midwesterners is the brainchild of Madison songwriter and guitarist Richard Wiegel. Back in 1991 after years of guitar-slinging in one band after another Wiegel decided to work on his own no-nonsense blend of rock and country. With his pick of musical talent and a collection of songs Wiegel produced a CD called The Midwesterners. The core of players on that CD kept the band alive. With original drummer Mark Haines,guitarist and singer Ernie Conner,and bassistTom McCarty,Wiegel put together a road-ready band.

Mark Croft is an Award Winning Original Singer/Performing Songwriter based out of Madison. Since establishing his live professional music career Mark has achieved many milestones including 1st place in the Midwest Song Contest and the Inaugural American Idol Underground Rock Contest.Voted by his hometown as ‘Best New Artist” and “Best Male Vocalist” at the 2006 Madison Area Music Awards, Croft was also designated “Favorite Singer/Songwriter” by Isthmus Magazine’s Reader’s Poll and was again honored in 2008 for “Pop Artist” and “Pop Album of The Year.” He is also a popular guest artist on numerous local network news affiliates including NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox Morning News, Chicago.In addition,radio outlets across the country and Canada are spinning his tunes that can be heard on college campuses,the clear channel radio network and public access stations.

In 2004 The Midwesterners were nominated for a MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) in the Best Country Band category. In early 2005 the band began work on a new CD of songs inspired by an early musical hero Chuck Berry.Though release was delayed while Wiegel recovered from a heart attack,less than a year later Ridin’ With Chuck hit Madison airwaves. Since the release of Ridin’With Chuck,fans have ballotedThe Midwesterners into contention for Best Country Band in the Isthmus, Best-of-Madison Readers’Poll.The Midwesterners keep it authentic, creating a vital link to rock and country’s past with just the basic ingredients: two guitars, bass and drums.

By: Andy Ziehli

The Getaway Drivers

As a recording artist Croft has recorded three CD’s,his debut CD, Sympathetic Groove (May, 2005 – Abacus Music), his 2nd release Permanent Ink EP (June 2007 – Slothrop Records) T and his third CD to date The Possibility of Disaster EP in the Spring of 2009 (Slothrop Records).

Continuing to build his professional music foundation as a respected recording artist and live performer, Mark was the featured headliner for the 2009 “Midwest Acoustic Music Festival”, and continues to balance studio recording time to bring his music live to his fans.Performing more than 120 live shows per year Mark has been honored to take the stage at a variety of prestigious venues including festivals, theaters, music clubs, casinos, and special events, just to name a few. Mark currently tours solo, as a duo, or with his band.

By: Andy Ziehli Story by: Andy Ziehli

The Getaway Drivers produce and create radiate edgy, melodious, alt-rock energy from the infamously progressive heartland outpost of Madison,Wisconsin. They are a close knit band of musicians doing music that they love and having a great time at it.Their song list is made up of almost all original tunes written by Bob and a few

by Sheila Shigley.Their music is a mix of rock and Americana. They have currently released a follow up CD selftitled The Getaway Drivers as a follow up to Bob's solo Ghost's of Yesterday, a MAMAS finalist featuring "The Sweetness," winner of the Madison Area Music Award for the best Americana song.

thought your career would be. I’m real grateful for that. I have really enjoyed making records.

When I was trying to get a record deal, it took me a long time. I think I was, gosh 35 or so when my first record came out finally. So in some ways I have tried to play catch up. Because I wanted to make records for so many years and couldn’t, that’s why sometimes I put out 2 a year or so. Because there is a lot I want to get out there. I enjoy the process of making records. So I’m going to continue to do that.

For instance in bluegrass, I had wanted to start out putting out bluegrass records, it didn’t turn out that way. Finally the first bluegrass record I was able to put out was a duet with Ralph Stanley. That was real meaningful. It got nominated for a Grammy. The follow up record we did actually got one. It was called “Lost in the Lonesome Pines”. The first solo bluegrass record I did got nominated, called “”Bluegrass”.

It was put out the same day as a country record called, “Country Super Hits Volume I. Then the follow up to that record was “Bluegrass Diaries” and actually won a Grammy. Now this latest bluegrass record, “Could We Get Any Closer” has just been nominated. Both of these are produced by a guy called Randy Kohrs who has been real important to me here in Nashville.

He’s really helped me out a lot just kind of getting my feet on the ground here in Nashville over the past 10 years. He’s an excellent dobro player and singer and writer and producer. I just really enjoy working with him on stage and in the studio. He’s just done a great job on those records.

A few highlights in my career that have been real meaningful to me are working with Ralph Stanley for one. I did get to sing a duet with George Jones several years ago when I was on Epic Records and it didn’t come out, but finally came out last year as a record, “Unreleased Duets with George”. That was a real thrill. I got to portray George in a show here in Nashville about 10 years ago. That was a real treat.

George came to the show, to get to meet George Jones and I had dinner with him the night before, this was one of my all time favorites. I also got to sing with Keith Richards a few years ago.

I sang some harmony on a song, “Hickory Wind”.

This was a tribute to Gram Parsons. It’s on DVD and is called “Return to Sin city”. More recently I got to start singing with Elvis Costello. I toured with him, sang on a record with him, “Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane”. As a band we will tour here and there called the Sugarcanes. Fellows that are on the album are Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan and Jeff Taylor, Dennis Crouch and Mike Compton. That record was nominated for a Grammy too this year. I will be doing some more recording soon and doing some touring this Spring and Summer. scontinued on page 24

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MY TRIP TO JENNY LAKE I

n Northwestern Wyoming, six miles south of Yellowstone National Park, there is an area of mountains, lakes and forests known as Teton National Park. The Teton Mountains rise 7,000 feet from the level floor of Jackson Hole a valley in the park. The mountain peaks push skyward in unbelievable beauty for over forty miles. The highest peak is Grand Teton rising 13,700 feet above sea level. It has a close resemblance to the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Many people believe the Teton Mountains to be the most beautiful mountains in North America. I happen to be one of them.

Mountain men Jedediah Smith, John Coulter, and Jim Bridger explored and trapped beaver in this area in the early 1800’s.Rendezvous or gatherings of trappers and traders were held at Jackson Hole in the Teton Range making this a part of our heritage and history.

The first time I saw the Teton Mountains I was filled with such emotion. I had never seen anything so profound or so beautiful, and as I viewed the snow crested spires of these mountains it was hard to focus my thoughts on anything else. Looking upward to the mountain top made me aware just how insignificant I was as a human being.

They seemed to rise up from the valley and march above pine covered forests on and on. My feelings had not changed on another visit at another time. Nothing quite prepares you for this sight.

A series of lakes formed by glaciers lies along the east side of the Teton Mountains.

Of all of them Jenny Lake is my favorite. The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris. The lake is estimated to be 260 feet deep and encircles 226 acres. The water is so clear and cold. The air in the morning is cool and calm and there is a silence and serenity that makes you want to whisper so that nothing would disturb the surroundings.There is wildlife around as elk and moose roam freely. Wildflowers dot the meadows in spring and summer.

On my first visit to the area I met a man at Jenny Lake. He was taking pictures of the mountains in the background. He told me that each year when he travels in this direction he never fails to come back to this particular spot. It was sort of a renewal for him. He called it an epiphany for his soul.

As I stood on the shores of Jenny Lake with the Teton Mountains in the background, the water so limpid and cold and the morning sky mirrored in the lake, I could understand his feelings.To me it was the most beautiful spot I had ever seen.

It has been over twenty years since I have seen the Teton Mountains and visited Jenny Lake.I will probably never get there again although I had wanted to return someday. Until I do, I know that when I want to get a view of the mountains and the beautiful glacier lake, all I have to do is -- Close my eyes, take a deep breath, and in my mind I am once again there. So strong are my feelings for this area.When I do this a special phrase comes to mind and I am blessed with an inner peace. Now, look around, see what God has already done for you.

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Madison Style Southern Wisconsin and Madison have a wealth of fantastic songwriters who pour their hearts out into their work for very little money or recognition. But how did these writers get so good at their crafts? By hard work, determination, talent, and studying the masters. Now you can study with the masters of this new generation of songwriters by attending The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) at monthly get togethers that are held at Paradyme Productions Studio on West Wash in Madison. Each month songwriters of every level get together and play their songs to their peers and have them critiqued.

The official word from the NSAI is The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) consists of a body of creative minds, including songwriters from all genres of music, professional and amateur, who are committed to protecting the rights and future of the profession of songwriting, and to educate, evaluate, and celebrate the songwriter and to act as a unifying force within the music community and the community at large. NSAI chapters exist throughout the United States & Canada. This myspace page is designed to help promote the Madison, WI chapter of NSAI. Please see the schedule of events for monthly meeting times/dates and other special events that take place throughout the year.

Two local songwriters with Nashville Connections Gerry Grothues and Beth Kille head up the Madison Chapter. Grothues grew up in Madison. By the 1990s he had become a huge fan of country music, and his writing was becoming increasingly influenced by artists like Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Randy Travis, and Alan Jackson. He recorded his first album in 2000, and put a band together that received a lot of attention very quickly. Soon he was opening for major country artists such as Kenny Rogers, Gary Allan, and Andy Griggs. He released a single in 2002 that charted for four weeks in the U.S and several other counties. Performing for large crowds on big stages was a lot of fun, but by 2005, after recording his second album, he knew that he didn't have the same passion for performing as he did for songwriting. He closed that year with his band, "Whiskey Station", by winning the Wisconsin Colgate Country Showdown championship, and then began to focus strictly on songwriting. Grothues quickly found out that writing for another artist is much different than writing for yourself, and that he had a lot to learn. He was referred to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) by another songwriter, and decided to join. Grothues could tell almost immediately that he had become part of something special. He began making monthly trips to Nashville to absorb everything he could about writing for the commercial country market. Wanting to give other songwriters in the area a chance to experience what he had, he started the Madison NSAI Chapter in 2007.

Singer, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Beth Kille led the Madison, WI band, Clear Blue Betty, from 2001-2008. During her tenure, Clear Blue Betty dominated the Wisconsin music scene, garnering a Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award in 2008 for Best Band of the Southeast Quadrant and 7 Madison Area Music Awards (Rock Album of the year-twice, Rock Band of the Year-twice, Entertainer of the Year, Best Female Vocalist & Song of the Year). Kille recently received national recognition when she took home the Grand Prize in the 2009 NSAI Spring Training Songwriter Showdown. Beth has collaborated with several notable co-writers around the country including Grammy winning songwriter, Bobby E Boyd (Bless the Broken Road, Rascal Flatts), Connie Mims (2009 Texas Singer/Songwriter of the Year) and Jessi Lynn (Nashville-based country artist with 13 first-round Grammy nominations). Her songwriting expertise earned her an invitation in January of 2009 to be an instructor for High School juniors & seniors at GRAMMY (r) Career Day at the University of Houston. Beth is currently running a Songwriting Club at Madison West High School and continues to perform solo shows.

The NSAI Madison Chapter is open to anyone interested in songwriting. You can find more information on their myspace page www.myspace.co/nsaimadisonchapter and times of their monthly meetings.

Twice a year they like to bring up a professional songwriter from Nashville and are doing so in April.

Below is the press release.

We have locked in our pro writer for the "Advanced Songwriting" workshop in Madison on Saturday, April 17th. It is hit Nashville songwriter Steve Leslie! Steve has written songs that have been recorded

by Kenny Rogers, Mark Chesnutt, Neal McCoy, Darryl Worley (over 20 cuts), and George Strait, among others. He was a staff writer at EMI for eight years before becoming an independent songwriter and publisher. Steve also teaches songwriting, and gave a great Thursday night workshop in Nashville at NSAI headquarters in October that members can watch in the web cast archives.

The workshop will be held at Paradyme Productions, 636 W. Washington Avenue, in Madison. It will be an advanced workshop on the craft of songwriting. Steve will focus on a variety of techniques to take your songs to the next level. Some of the topics that will be covered are: selecting the right concept; constructing cohesive, linear lyrics; developing a strong melody; chord selection; grooves;

Written by: Rosemary Ziehli continued on page 25

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it the last 25 years or so!

Jim Gray

AG: You were part of that D.C. music scene in the 80’s, how was that?

Gray: I was really lucky to be part of the last really big scene that D.C. had that launched the careers of some really great musicians.

Danny Gatton,Billy Hancock,Evan Johns,Kelly Willis,andTuck Pence were part of that scene. A lot of really great guitar players and songwriters. When I was a kid around age 15 Danny Gatton and those guys would sneak my buddies and I into the clubs to watch them play. That was a pretty good education for a kid to get.We would go to Gatton’s house and hang out for lessons and just end up watching him.

Americana Bassman

I started playing with Kelly Willis around that time. We went to the same High School. My band backed her at a talent show and it went so well we kept playing out. The drummer was dating her. Our band name was the Vibratones and we were a Rock a Billy band.

After she joined we became Kelly and the Fireballs. We played everything from Hank Williams to Punk. The Fireballs went to AustinTexas and did very well. Kelly got signed to MCA, but they did not take the band. We were all bummed out about that, but that‘s how the music business works.

AG: Did you stay in Austin then?

Gray: I did for a while. I was 23 years old and had no real commitment then. The work just did not pan out so I moved back to D.C. I thought I had enough of the music business at the time. After a couple of months I started playing with Tom Clifford. We had a pretty good band calledTheThangs. It was a Rock a Billy Roots Rock band. Those guys decided that they wanted to move to Austin and I did not. Been there done that! So I stayed around D.C. and started playing with the Grave Robbers who were a Punky Pop band. Karl Straub was in this band. After a stint with those guys I hooked up with Eric Brace in Last Train Home and I am still here after 13 years.

AG: So how did you end up in Nashville?

Gray: We had been coming down here a couple time s a year to play with Last Train Home and we really liked it. I got tired of living in D.C. and it got so expensive to live there that I brought my wife here and we both fell in love with it. It was affordable and much more laid back than where we were living so we made the jump. It was a great

move for us.

J

im Gray is the kind of bass player everyone wishes that they could be. Solid, dependable,a master at his instrument,and an all around nice guy. He is one of the best Bass player’s in Americana Music today.

He grew up in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. He has been playing bass since the 80’s in the Washington DC and Austin Texas music scenes. He now resides in East Nashville Tennessee where he keeps busy playing with a wide variety of musicians including Kevin Gordon,Fats Kaplin,Eric Brace,and Peter Cooper. I talked to Jim on a very snowy cold night in January as we here in Wisconsin were getting blasted with eight plus inches of snow, and Nashville was shut down from half an inch of snow.

AG: Hey Jim how’s the weather in Nashville tonight?

Gray: Well we got half an inch of snow and they shut the schools down today and they are shutdown for tomorrow already. We are supposed to get some ice too. We can’t handle it like you guys up in Wisconsin!

AG: Ready to get started?

AG: Did you play on sessions when you lived in D.C.?

Gray: I did do some recording. I’m on a record with Danny Gatton, and I’m the only other guitar player besides him. I also recorded on all the Last Train Home CD’s AG: Do you record much in Nashville?

Gray: Not much. I have recorded here with LastTrain Home and Paul Birch,but mostly I play live.

AG: When you got to Nashville did you tour a lot?

Gray: We (Last Train Home) were gone a lot. We toured most of the time so I wasn’t home much at first. The first several years we were here I don’t think people even knew that the band was based out of here. Marty Lenz the drummer in LastTrain Home moved down here at the same time and started playing with Paul Birch and continues to play today. I also play with Kevin Gordon a lot which I also love.

AG: That old Fender Bass you play, what’s its story?

Gray: I don’t know how good this interview will be. I’ve been sweating it all week!

Gray: It’s a mutt. The neck is a 66 I think and I don’t know what the body is. I got it from Tex Bennewatz who made these along with guitars and drums all the same color.

It is heavy and loud. I’ve dropped it and it still plays. I just love it.

AG: It will be fine.

AG: Do you play music full-time yet?

AG: When did you start playing?

Gray: No I had to get a day job. Family responsibilities,but that just makes playing more of a treat. I was a full-time musician for about seven years.

Gray: I played my first gig in a bar when I was 18. That was a long time ago.

AG: Have you always been a bass player?

Gray: I started out playing guitar. A friend of mine was playing a talent show and he had a bass guitar and a bass rig but no bass player so I said “let me see what I can do” and the rest is history. I never learned how to really play bass I have just been faking

20

AG: Are there any musicians that you really like to play with?

Gray: Paul Griffith is great to play with. I’ve been playing a little more with him this last year and it’s always a good time! continued on page 21

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The Train, Americana Radio on track to be your station this year T

hat sound you are hearing is not an early spring thunderstorm or tornado. It is The Train, a totally new radio format that was created by longtime Madison radio personality and entrepreneur Jonathon Little along with business partners Les Garmen, Dave Scholen, and Rob Blestien who was the first Americana editor at the Gavin Report. After a few months of meetings Garmen left to work in video and the other members of this team continued on to put together an exciting fresh radio programming marvel The Train.

The Train grew out of a research project by Troy Research (Little's Radio Consulting Company) for the Americana Music Association out of Nashville TN. They wanted to have information to go to radio people and say that the Americana format was worth looking into. Executive Director Jed Hilly had Little sit in on conference calls with Corporate Radio heads to discuss the possibilities of more radio groups take on Americana formats. After sitting through a half dozen of these meetings with no real positive results Hilly asked Little what they should do. Little then decided to pull together a group of radio programming veterans and put together 24/7 syndicated Americana format which became The Train.

Three thousand radio listeners who sampled all kinds of radio during the day were contacted and surveyed about what they thought of the different radio formats. The results of the survey showed that fifty percent of all radio listeners are dissatisfied with what they are hearing on radio today. They also commented that they would be interested in listening to a “new” radio format. So Troy Research then submitted Americana as a possible substitute radio format. This was to see what the listeners were currently listening to and found out that four percent of the people say that this would be their new station. Ten percent say that this would be our second favorite station, and thirty percent say that I’m not sure but I would be willing to listen to it and make a decision later. Little commented that “if you take a look a ratings across the Untied States of people that listen to radio and take Madison as an example, the top station here probably has an eight or nine percent market share. These people (the 4%) without even hearing the station say that they would make it their first choice and ten percent would make it their second choice so you really have a winner here”. Little went on to say the “our own projections say that this would be a top eight or nine radio station within six months. What that means to the affiliate radio station is that it is a money maker. Not only will the people embrace it, advertisers will support it too.”

Radio like every other music based industry is having problems and dealing with changes and cash flow. They at this time are not as eager to take risks on a new format, unless it can be proven that the potential is higher than normal to make money and attract listeners. What radio has tended to do over the last 12 years is to consolidate and merge stations and formats. What has happened is that many of these radio corporations overpaid for new stations when they were buying everything up and now the value has gone down and the potential to make back their investments is either gone or at a much slower pace than past times. In the past six times cash flow was considered acceptable for the price to pay for a radio station. What happened in the late 90’s early 2000’s was that corporations started paying 12 to 18 times cash flow and now they cannot make it.

After a review of the survey and looking at the state of radio in 2009, Little decided to launch The Train. A fully Americana formatted radio program that they will provide all music and radio personalities for terrestrial based radio stations. Think satellite radio with local advertising and less talk. Americana radio today only exists in a couple of markets today. Where it is being programmed “it is usually two or three hours of specialty programming on a public radio station.”according to Little. There are stations in Texas and the Carolinas that do program Americana music,but it is mixed in with more contemporary music to bring in and keep listeners. Little and his business partners plan to bring Americana music to main stream America.

Americana music has many definitions today and encompasses many different styles such as Blue Grass,Alt-Country, No Depression, Blues, and Roots Rock. All of these will be featured onTheTrain along with artists like Lyle Lovett,Willie Nelson,Rodney Croww w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

ell, and Emmylou Harris, artists that don’t get played on commercial radio today. The station will also feature Independent artists something that does not happen on commercial or corporate radio in any measurable form. Little states the “the song will dictate if it gets played and programmed in rotation; not some radio consultant in New York, LA, or Nashville”. This will give Americana artists a level playing field in getting their music heard by the masses.

Americana Music fills the niche and needs of many disfranchised listeners today. It is loud and quiet, rowdy and soulful, acoustic and electric along with having something for everyone, it is timeless. The importance of an Americana Radio format and national program cannot be understated. Little’s tireless approach and maximum effort to bring this to fusion is awe inspiring.

The Train is in the process of securing financing. They are looking for investors. Online personalities have been hired and the plan is to launch by the end of the first quarter 2010. They have radio stations ready to sign on. The future looks bright forTheTrain and Americana Music because of Little and his partners work. Keep your eyes and ears open for the sound of America’s greatest artists making America’s greatest music on a radio near you. Listen for The Train!

Story by:Andy Ziehli

bassman... continued from page 21

AG: You guys are a very very tight rhythm section. I always tell everybody that you two are the best rhythm section in Americana Music today.

Gray: Thank you. Paul is such a beautiful person and great player. It is always fun to get on stage with him. I feel very fortunate that moving here has allowed me to play with greats like Paul, Rich Malloy, and Marty Lynn. Having a great drummer makes life easy. Other great people I get to play with here are Jen Gunderman and Fats Kaplin who you have interviewed for the magazine.

AG: Yea Fat’s is one of my favorite people and musicians in the whole world. I love his playing. He has been one of my musical hero’s for years!

Gray: He‘s great! One of the best! His playing blows me away too! I have had the opportunity to play with so many fantastic people and players. I sometimes feel like Forrest Gump live in his charmed world. Kevin Gordon is another fantastic player and person. I am so lucky to be able to play with him. He really means it when he plays.

I always feel good after playing a show with Kevin.

AG: So what’s in the future for Jim Gray?

Gray: Hopefully keep playing as much as I can. Even if it’s down at the corner bar I’ll keep playing. I still enjoy it tremendously.

Written by: Andy Ziehli

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BAPTIZED A

s we rounded the hard right corner I could see familiarity in Bob’s eyes as he gazed out the window of our red Buick LaSabre. He mentioned that for many years he brought his Mother and his aunt and sometimes a boyhood friend with him to this place “up north”.

This was all new to me and I was soaking it in. For the past half hour or so there was a new vibration inside of me. This feeling was new and old at the same time. Bouncing off my cellular structure, lighting me up more and more with each new thing observed this feeling grew and grew. This feeling was one of sheer joy and excitement. As the steering wheel returned to center and my hands began crossing over, turning left my eyes found the parting in the line of trees and BOOM, the energy in me found its lover.

For the first time in my life I was gazing out on the crystal blue waters of the mighty Lake Superior; Kitchi-gummi, my Native Tribal translation for “great water”. We had just entered Bayfield, Wisconsin, but for me it was a whole new world.

I was speechless. Then I could not stop talking! I used every adjective I could find trying to describe what I was feeling as my eyes fell upon the water. It was as if a circuit had been completed in my body. The moment my eyes found that patch of shimmering blueness the connection was complete. As Melville states in the opening chapters of his classic work “Moby Dick” “....Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea?” (pg 24) That described me to a T at that moment.

We parked the car and checked into our room. After unloading and unpacking our things Bob took me to a wonderful long stretch of sandy beach a few miles south of town. Before leaving the car I took my shoes off. The sound of waves called to me over the ridge of sand. We walked a short distance to the path that parted the trees heading to the water. Just as a curtain hangs as a beautiful frame for the stage so these trees were for me. As we approached I could see the sun ref lected in a thousand, no a million individual suns ref lected upon the canvas of blue, chasing each other with playful abandon.

As with all sacred moments there is an order of things that go beyond our planning. Bob and I found ourselves the only two humans on that stretch of beach at that moment. This stretch of beach is in a horse shoe curve of the shoreline and the sand stretched out for quite a distance allowing the water off shore to drop off very gradually. Being the very intuitive soul that he is, Bob took a few shorter steps allowing me to separate from his company and experience this new wonder for myself.

The energy that now f lowed uninhibited on the newly closed circuit deep within me was building. Before I knew it I was up to my knees in the water. Thankfully, the shallow nature of that particular portion of shore line and an on shore breeze had the water temperature warmer than usual.

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I just knew that this was a special moment for me. The water was speaking to me, calling to me as water always does but this time it was urgent. The words were forming in my brain slower than the cells in my body were able to understand the message. I ran back to the shoreline, tore off my shirt handing it to Bob. I turned back around to facing the water once again. With my feet submerged I viewed them through the few inches of water that covered them.To my amazement it appeared to my eyes that my feet were no longer supporting me, somehow removed from my body. As I looked down my feet were no longer directly beneath my legs, rather they were an inch or two off center. It was as if the mighty Kitchigummi had the power, even in those few inches, to hold me up.

Then the call came to me. “Be in me.” As I considered this voice from the water I gazed out upon its depths. I could feel in every fiber of my being resonate with the ancient wisdom of this great lake. I did not understand it at all, beyond considering I was experiencing a sacred moment. “Be in me” the water invited once again. I considered it all for another moment and then I started to understand.

I turn around and said to Bob,“I want to be baptized by this water. I want to submerge myself and completely surrender to its invitation.” Bob knowing I can have an occasional f lair for the dramatic smiled and nodded and said, Go ahead!

The call came once again, not in any impatient sort of way thankfully. It was as if the spirit of the lake knew that all things were aligned for me to take this chance, to let go of my method of thinking and literally take the plunge into something new.

Bowing my head slightly I thanked the water for knowing me and for inviting me. I then walked into the lake until my knees were wet. Then allowing gravity to work its magic I dove head first into my lover.

As I felt the last of my f lesh leave the world of air the chill enveloped me like new skin. Everything was different. Even gravity was different. The voice that had beckoned me, now silent, shifted its communication to all of my senses. I was alive in a way I had never felt before. I swam under the surface trying my very best to allow all the changes within my body and spirit that were waiting for me there. I considered the millions of ref lected suns that were above my head and then in a f lash was very aware of the power that my lover possessed.

As my head broke the surface and I took my first “new” breath I was filled with fear. Here I was an air breathing creature over my head in a substance that not since my mother’s womb did my lungs understand. I can swim so I had the power to support myself keeping my head above the waves, but the feeling that I had just moments ago standing on the shore looking at my feet amazed that the great lake was holding me up was gone. I was now fully aware that I was indeed a very small thing suspended in a much larger and largely unknown entity.

As my head bobbed and my arms and legs tread water, I looked around. As continued on page 28

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ARGUING &

TABLE POUNDING in a SMOKE FILLED ROOM M

y dad was one of eleven children. They used to joke that his mother hoed potatoes in the morning, had a baby in the afternoon, and played cards that night. That whole family of eleven loved card playing just like their mother did. The eleven were also very competitive, and that fit right into their love of cards. They played a game called solo. Where or how they learned it I do not know, but I know as long as I can remember every family gathering meant those adults were playing solo. Back in those days family Sunday dinners were very common. Once the round got started each family would end up hosting a Sunday dinner. After each had hosted, there would be a short span of no Sunday dinners, but then one of the eleven would start the round all over again. Of course, any family occasion meant that a Sunday dinner would be part of the celebration, for example First Holy Communion, Confirmation, special birthdays, and special anniversaries or even some milestone in the family— a good crop or buying more land or being honored by some farm agency or by their church.

Each Sunday dinner was similar to the other. It was the wife that bore all the work for these events.

She would serve a big Sunday dinner usually roast beef or chicken with lots of side dishes and mashed potatoes and homemade pie. Each wife had a special pie that she loved to create for us. We would arrive around noon, and the men would immediately head for the card playing area. In good weather it could be out in a shed or in the garage or even on the lawn. In bad or cold weather it was usually in the cellar or a backroom of the house. The women would gather in the kitchen, and I am sure they were in the way of the poor hostess and her last minute preparations. But they caught up on the news in their family and shared family gossip until it was meal time. The kids gathered outside to start ball games or hide and seek or tag. In cold weather the kids might play “horse” in the hay loft. Some times the kids would all run upstairs where board games or card games could be played in the hallway or a spare bedroom or fairly empty “junk room”. My memory is that we always ran up stairs; we never walked.

Soon the call would come to eat, and the men, none too happy about leaving their card game, trudged to the dining room table to eat. Their wives joined them, and the kids headed for the kid’s table usually the kitchen table.

It was at the adult table where the arguments would begin. This family loved to argue. Each was right about everything. They would argue about someone’s name, a certain date, past weather conditions, where someone once lived----the person in question always had a nickname: Skunk Cabbage Jones, Shorty, Skinny, Loud Mouth Frank, etc. The argument would never be settled because a new one broke out in the middle of the old one. The men shoveled w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

down the food and hurried back to the game. The women helped the hostess clean up, and then some of them joined the card game. The others sat in the living room and talked. The host woman was almost immediately starting supper: baloney or wieners, fried potatoes, warm apple sauce, and leftovers from the noon meal. She would bring out cake and bars and leftover pie, too. Around 5 the card games and visits were done and a quick supper was eaten before everyone headed home.

But let’s go back to the card playing. They played for money. I think it was like a quarter a game or quarter a set or whatever the game had for “losing”. I never did understand the game. It was never taught. You learned by playing and by your mistakes which would send them into shouts of disappointment aimed at you the learner. They did not want to teach the game, for they enjoyed seeing a person suffer while learning, and after all they got more money from you. At the end of the day each would total up their winnings and grumble about losses if they had those. I tried to learn the game, but to my dismay a new rule or wrinkle seemed to occur all the time. It was almost like they were making up new rules as the game went on, but maybe if I had played more often, I would have learned all the aspects of the game. Okay, did I mention that they all smoked? The room was full of smoke by early afternoon, and when playing the men and some women loved to pound the table as they played their cards.

Slamming those cards down was the way of proving what a great player he or she was.

These games took place a long time before “instant replay”, but these card players created instant replay. They were constantly replaying the previous hand or the hand three times before or a hand the last time they met. And part of that instant replaying meant someone at the table was yelled at because they caused whatever it was still bothering the card player that was so upset. Occasionally the replaying was someone wanting to gloat about his/her card playing ability. Too bad we didn’t have a patent continued on page 29

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The Grateful Dead

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER’S THE AGE OF MIRACLES OUT APRIL 27 ON ZOË/ROUNDER RECORDS

A Turn to the Traditional

T

he Grateful Dead came into existence in a burst of smoke and psychedelia in San Francisco in the mid sixties. Drawing from a wide array of musical backgrounds including bluegrass, rock, folk, and jazz, the music that they developed was strange, but captivating. Known for playing concerts that went on for hours and knowing how to make an audience move, they quickly developed the reputation as a partying rock band.

The first albums were full of creative and intriguing arrangements that took the listener to other worlds and beyond, but there was a change on the horizon. After releasing their fourth record, live album the band’s music took a turn to the traditional.

Workingman’s Dead was released in June of 1970 and demanded attention with its “Crosby, Stills, and Nash”-like vocal arrangements and its lyrics about the times of steel drivers, miners, and hard living.

The album opens with the feel-good Uncle John’s Band, and quickly shifts gears with the melancholy but beautiful High Time.

The rocking New Speedway Boogie and Pigpen’s best studio recording Easy Wind both stand out on this rock solid album. This album lacked the trippiness of the previous studio albums, but what it lacked in that realm it more than doubled in depth. Mickey Hart the second half of the Grateful Dead’s drum machine described the change in the music, “We were sort of stepping out of our space suits, and coming down to earth and putting on a pair of Oshkosh and digging the furrows. Getting back to our earth and putting our feet on the ground.”

Then in November of that very same year the band released American Beauty, an album that had the depth of Workingman’s Dead but with a large helping of heart along with it. During the recording of this album multiple band members were getting through losses in their families, or preparing for them. The problems of real life definitely affected the tone of this album and added that mournful quality. The first song to really grab you on this album is the bluegrass/country influenced Friend of the Devil.

The simple beauty in this song is its main attraction with its soft guitar play and Garcia’s expressive vocals, but vocals aren’t much without words.

Robert Hunter was the lyricist behind many of the Dead’s most popular songs. Also on this album is the song Ripple, which too many fans of the band is their finest song.

A simple folk tune but it seems to offer more than just any old arrangement, it seems to go deeper which goes along with the overall feeling of the album, simple but powerfully true.The track that comes after Broke down Palace is as good if not better than the last. Til the morning comes a song about pushing on and finding the beauty in the simple things,“Fare you well, fare you well. I love you more than words can tell. Listen to the river sing sweet song to rock my soul”is very inspirational. These are two great Americana records from a few of the pioneers of the 1960’s psychedelic rock movement. A coalminer offering you a couple diamonds. They touch on all the American roots genres while at the same time sound modern. If you are a fan of Americana music I highly recommend these albums, even if you could do without the Grateful Dead. I wouldn’t want you to miss the experience that these two albums are! I’m told it was then, and it still is now.

Written by: Rob Kosmeder

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“

…slowly but surely, Mary Chapin Carpenter has built a repertoire that ranks with the best of her generation.”— The Boston Globe The Age of Miracles, the new album from worldrenowned singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will be released April 27 on Zoë/Rounder Records. Over the course of a 12-album recording career,Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards and sold over 13 million records.The new record follows 2008’s acclaimed Christmas release Come Darkness, Come Night and 2007’s Grammy-nominated album The Calling.

Recorded in Nashville, the 12-track album was produced by Carpenter and long-time collaborator Matt Rollings (Lyle Lovett, Keith Urban) and was recorded and mixed by Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler, Sheryl Crow,Willie Nelson). Carpenter is backed by a band that includes Rollings (piano, B-3 organ), Russ Kunkel (drums), Duke Levine (electric and acoustic guitar), Glenn Worf (bass), Dan Dugmore (steel and 12 string guitar) and Eric Darken (percussion).The album also features guest vocals by Vince Gill on “I Put My Ring Back On” and Alison Krauss on “I Was a Bird.”

A national tour is planned surrounding the release.Additional details to be announced.

For more information, please contact Asha Goodman at Sacks & Co., ashagoodman.com@sacksco.com. photo credit:Traci Goudie Lauderdale... continued from page 17 I also got to write with one of my favorite writers named Robert hunter.

“Headed For the Hills”, is a record I put out in 2004 which is a song chosen from around 50 or 60 songs that we had written. About 3 years ago we started writing together again, hadn’t written together for awhile.

Another highlight was doing a record with The Dream Players, consisting of James Burton and Ron Tutt from Elvis Presley’s band, Al Perkins, Glen Hardin and Gary Tallent. Gary plays with Bruce Springsteen. We recorded in his studio and it came out a couple of years ago entitled “Honey Songs”.

Finally, a few months ago in November I finished this record, collaboration with Robert Hunter and it will be out in April or May and will be called, “Patchwork River”. I am real excited about that. I really love writing with Robert. I’m real happy about the record.

So now I’ve just been doing some interesting things. I’ve been working with T-Bone Burnett who produced the Elvis Costello record that we did.

He produced a Willie Nelson record in September and I got to sing a lot of harmony on that. Willie is one of my favorites. That will be out in March I believe. It’s a great sounding record. I enjoy playing bluegrass whenever I can. I play regularly in Nashville. Whenever I can I like to play traditional country that I’ve written. I get to do that occasionally at the Grand Ole Opry.

I do enjoy playing solo a lot. I can kind of do a little bit of everything that way. I’m really waiting for warmer weather and will be touring a whole lot this year and preparing for that new record, “Patchwork River”. I will really be focusing on this and touring with Elvis Costello. I will have to get up your way.

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Robert’s Ramblings

nsai... continued from page 19

H

ere we go with the first issue of the AMERICANA GAZETTE FOR 2010. So how are you saying it? Do you say two thousand and ten or do you say twenty ten? Not really a big issue especially just ten years ago we were all warned about all the evil things that were going to happen when we entered the year 2000. Some people even bought extra food and bottled water to be safe from whatever was going to happen when we went from 1999 to 2000. I heard about people that got extra cash because they were sure that checking accounts would not work on that first day of 2000.

Nothing did seem to happen in that transition, and it is a distant memory ten years later. And one more thing regarding the New Year, do you go to your check book and write 2010 in the first few checks just to make sure you have the right year on any check you write. I bet Joyce of this paper does that. Ask her.

Some people make resolutions to guide them to the New Year. Studies show that most resolutions are never kept, and most of them do not last the first few days of the year. I don’t make resolutions, but I do have a couple of pet annoyances that I want to get out into the open. I do not want them festering in me for another year. My first annoyance is these modern weather forecasts. I admit they are more accurate and more precise even within the hour a snow will begin and within the hour it will end. The times winds begin and stop are predicted fairly accurately,too. But I long for the old days when there was ONE WEATHER FORECAST which came from the “weather bureau”. Today every radio and television station was its own expert weather person. The forecasts are too long. By the time it is over the listener has often tuned it all out and never heard the forecast at all. I understand all the desires that each weather person has a special personality that we can all like and enjoy. But and that is a big BUT I don’t like them telling me what to do. I know how to drive or dress and prepare for our varieties of weather. The latest one to really bug me occurred in that big December snowstorm. When the weather guy was done, he said that the main roads were in fairly good shape, but back roads and country roads were not in good shape and people should stay off them Excuse me……..how about those of us that live on back roads or country roads?

Are we supposed to fly over them to get to our jobs and appointments? I bet those of us driving those roads know how to drive on them, I bet we have had lots of experience driving on them even in winter conditions,and I bet there are actually fewer accidents on those roads. Of course, there are fewer people out on them so that should be true. Just give me the forecast forget the lecture.

prosody; repetition; harmonics; and demos. To make sure you have a solid understanding of songwriting fundamentals and terminology before attending the workshop, it is strongly recommended that you read Jason Blume's "6 Steps to Songwriting Success". You can order the book at http://www.jasonblume.com for $16.95, plus shipping and handling. Those of you who will be in Nashville in two weeks on the group trip can purchase a copy of the book at the NSAI bookstore. You may also be able to find the book at a local bookstore or the library, and some of our members may have a copy they would be willing to loan you.

Following the workshop, there will be a songwriters round at The Brink Lounge, located at 701 E. Washington Avenue, in Madison, at 7:00 pm. The round is open to all workshop participants. Steve will close the show following the performance of the workshop songwriters! The show is free, and is open to the public.

Song critiques will not be part of this workshop, so Steve will be doing private consultations for $30 per half-hour on Friday and Sunday. Beth and I will let everyone know the dates and times of available slots in the near future and we will be scheduling those appointments for you.

Space will be limited for the workshop due to the size of our venue. We are in the process of determining the workshop cost, and will provide you with that information in the next few days. We will begin registration at that time.

All the best, Gerry Grothues, 608-438-6180 Beth Kille, 608-206-6813 NSAI Regional Chapter Coordinators, Madison, WI

15% DISCOUNT On your first recording project!

My second annoyance comes from my favorite sports season, college football. I love watching college football games, and the bowl season is such a special treat for me. BUT I cringe at the end of every game when a couple players sneak over to the sports drink barrel and pick it up and try to dump the cold icy drink all over the head coach. Personally,I am offended by this childish action. It is neither creative nor clever, and I wish that not one TV camera would show this childish thing. This practice would end quickly. I would like to see the old fashioned way of celebrating by the team carrying the head coach to the center of the field or off the field. I finally heard one announcer on one of the last bowl games agree with me,and he even suggested officials could give the offending team a penalty. A game can not end on a penalty, so maybe that would bring some common sense into the picture. Okay, okay, neither of these pet annoyances is earth shattering or life threatening, but it does feel good to get them out into the open.

I will end my ramblings with a suggestion of an author to consider. If you have not read any thing written by Alexie Sherman, I would highly recommend you give him a try. He is Native American, and his books and stories and movies all tell about the Native American experience especially life on reservations. His old books are THE LONE

313 East Church Street • Belleville, WI 53508

608-424-6300

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Enjoy A Variety In Your MUSIC? MARLEY’S GHOST RETURN WITH NINTH ALBUM GHOST TOWN, RECORDED IN NASHVILLE WITH COWBOY JACK CLEMENT Acoustic quintet from Northern California and Pacific Northwest migrates to the (615) to record with legendary musician/producer, veteran of Jerry Lee Lewis, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.

Marley’s Ghost, cited by Paste magazine as “(having) earned cult-band status over 20 years of spirited musicianship,multi-part harmonies and irreverent humor,”will return from a three-year absence from recording with a new album, Ghost Town, due out February 23, 2010 on Sage Arts Records.The new album was produced by Cowboy Jack Clement, in whose Nashville home studio it was recorded.The cover was painted by acclaimed American watercolorist William Matthews.

The album follows Marley’s Ghost’s 2006 album Spooked,which was produced by Van Dyke Parks and featured a cover by R. Crumb. Of Spooked, No Depression remarked, “The band’s eighth full-length in 20 years glides with deadpan sincerity through sea chanteys, perverted mountain gospel, country-rock, vintage pre-WWII pop, Jazz Age vamps, Dylan, western campfire songs, and a rib-tickling salute to ‘the French Elvis,’ Johnny Hallyday. Brilliantly sung and played, Spooked is a heady, subversive treat.”

The latest development in the band’s recording career may prove to be the crucial link for Marley’s Ghost. Clement, the country music cornerstone whose career entwined with those of Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash,Waylon Jennings and so many others, is the beloved dean of Nashville producers, and the presence of Marley’s Ghost in his studio earned the band its first Music Row buzz.

“Our criteria,”says the band’s guitarist, Mike Phelan,“has always been: bring it, let’s run it. It’s not about genre or style.”This is one band that knows all the songs from both The Harder They Come soundtrack and Ralph Stanley’s Cry From the Cross.Or as Paste puts it, "a decidedly unusual band, as capable of reanimating Appalachian folk songs as they are traditional Celtic fare, honky tonk and reggae.”

The most important ingredients in the Marley’s Ghost musical brew are the characters in the band.The five multi-instrumentalists boast distinctive musical personalities that couldn’t be less alike.

Dan Wheetman is a veteran of the ’60s Simi Valley, Calif. teen rock group the Humane Society, and, as a member of ’70s country-rockers Liberty, toured for years with John Denver and Steve Martin. Jon Wilcox, mandolinist and vocalist, used to trudge around the country as a solo artist. Mike Phelan, like Wheetman and Wilcox a prolific songwriter, can tear your heart out with a soul tune,put a romantic lilt into an Irish folk tune or blast molten lead guitar licks through the heart of a blues. Innovative pedal steel guitarist Ed Littlefield, Jr., spent years performing C&W in rugged roadhouses for loggers across the Pacific Northwest, and plays a fierce fiddle and bagpipes.And Jerry Fletcher, the band’s secret weapon and unofficial fifth Ghost, became “certified” in 2006, bringing his eclectic music skills (drums, keys, accordion and vocal arranging) to bear fulltime.

Together they are a unique amalgam of their respective backgrounds, personal proclivities and musical abilities — a blend honed to a seamless collaboration over the many miles they have traveled together down the road.

“I call it ’bang,’” says Clement in summation.“It’s got bang.The band’s got some bang to it.”

“Working with Jack is standing in the front door looking out into the world with the whole house of rock ’n’roll and country music behind you,”says Marley’s Ghost bassist and singer Dan Wheetman.“Jack is steeped in the Sun Records ideals of music.The technical side is important but takes a backseat to the ‘bang,’ the performance with heart and energy.”

Information supplied by: //www.conqueroo.com Cary Baker • cary@conqueroo.com

“It’s easy to think of Jack as the guy who wrote hits for Cash at Sun Records and recorded Charley Pride in the ’70s, but you know, he has a platinum album with U2,” he adds, referring to a portion of Rattle and Hum that Clement oversaw.

GREAT AMERICAN TAXI’S SECOND ALBUM, RECKLESS HABITS, DUE OUT MARCH 2 THROUGH THIRTY TIGERS, WAS RECORDED HIGH IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

“Marley’s Ghost is very experienced, versatile and best of all, open-minded, and a fun bunch of guys,” says Clement.“I prefer to play with a great band rather than a bunch of great session players.And they are a great band.They understand that we are all in the fun business and if we’re not having fun, we’re not doing our jobs.And they can play just about anything they want to. Even polkas. I ain’t got ’em to do one yet, but I will.”

Fronted by Leftover Salmon frontman Vince Herman, band celebrates its fifth anniversary as one of thebest country-, rock- and bluegrass-influenced Americana bands in the land

After more than 20 years of making music together— recording nine albums and performing thousands of shows around the country — Marley’s Ghost remains one of the best-kept secrets in the music world, an untapped natural resource waiting to be discovered.

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In the past five years, Great American Taxi has become one of the best-known headliners on the jam band circuit, their uninhibited sound a swinging concoction of swampy blues,progressive bluegrass,funky New Orleans strut,Southern boogie,honky tonk, gospel and good old fashioned rock ’n’ roll.That loose, anything-can-happen feel is the hallmark of Reckless Habits, the band’s second album, which was recorded in Loveland,Colo.,with producer Tim Carbone (from Railroad Earth) working together to bring the feel of an onstage performance to the recording process. w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Street date for the new album, which will be released through Thirty Tigers, is March 2, 2010.

When banjo player Mark Vann of Leftover Salmon died of cancer in 2002, the band lost momentum. Salmon singer/guitarist/mandolinist Vince Herman had a few rough years and survived a broken neck before joining keyboardist Chad Staehly for a superstar jam to benefit the Rainforest Action Group in Boulder in March 2005.

“We put together a dream band of the best local musicians for a one-off gig,”Herman recalls.“It worked so well we had to do it again, and again, and again.”The band’s current lineup includes Herman, Staehly, guitarists Jeff Hamer and Jim Lewin,bassist Brian Adams and drummer Chris Sheldon.

Great American Taxi has been compared with roots rockers like New Riders of the Purple Sage, Grateful Dead,Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, the Byrds and Little Feat. Herman finds the comparisons flattering.“We’re definitely connected to all the acts in the country/rock spectrum, as well as the spirit of Gram Parsons and Woody Guthrie,” he says.“We want to address the issues appropriate to our times, while making music that gets people up and moving.”

The 13 tracks on Reckless Habits gleefully stretch the boundaries of American roots music with a nod to both tradition and the future.The title track, for instance — Staehly’s salute to Gram Parsons — is as country as it is rock, a rousing honky-tonk tune with Carbone’s fiddle and Sless’ pedal steel kicking up the sawdust on a Saturday night dance floor.The titles of several other Parsons songs appear in the lyrics, and there’s a definite Cosmic Cowboy vibe to the band’s expansive playing. Staehly’s “American Beauty” tips its hat to the Grateful Dead, and features an extended jam. Herman’s “Cold Lonely Town” is a slow R&B tune that describes life during long Colorado winters.The Black Swan Singers add smoky doowop asides to Herman’s poignant vocal. Carbone has described its swampy laid-back vibe as “’A Day in the Life’ meets Gram Parsons in the high desert.”And that’s to name only a few of the album’s 13 songs (plus a 14th song, a hidden track,“Parade”).

Information supplied by: Conqueroo: Cary Baker • cary@conqueroo.com

WWE® DIVA MICKIE JAMES SIGNS RECORDING CONTRACT WITH ACCLAIMED NASHVILLE PRODUCER KENT WELLS WWE® Diva Mickie James announced the signing of an exclusive personal recording contract with famed Nashville music producer Kent Wells.

Wells has produced projects for country artists Dolly Parton, Michael Peterson, and Neal McCoy among others. He also played guitar on and co-produced Dolly Parton’s GRAMMY-nominated album,“Halos And Horns”and the GRAMMY and Oscar-nominated song “Travelin’ Through.”He also produced Parton’s most recent album, “Backwoods Barbie,” which was the highest debuting Billboard Chart album release of her historic career.

James and Wells are currently in the studio working on her first recording project. A spring 2010 debut release is anticipated.

Information supplied by” Absolute Publicity, Inc. Don Murry Grubbs, Publicist / President 1009 16th Ave S Nashville,TN 37212

PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS FEATURING MARK LINDSAY’S COMPLETE ORIGIw w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

NAL COLUMBIA SINGLES COMING ON MARCH 23, 2010 ON COLLECTORS’ CHOICE Three-disc set contains 66 songs including all commercially released Columbia A and B sides plus “special product” tracks and a Pontiac GTO commercial Paul Revere & the Raiders put the Pacific Northwest on the rock ’n’roll map with such smash hits as“Steppin' Out,”“Kicks,”“Hungry,”“Just Like Me,”“Good Thing,”“Him Or Me — What’s It Going to Be?,”“Ups And Downs,”“Let Me,”“I Had a Dream,”“Too Much Talk,”“Indian Reservation” and many more — 62 A and B sides of singles in all.

They were the rare ’60s American singles band with true street cred. And on March 23, 2010, Collectors’ Choice Music will release Paul Revere & the Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay:The Complete Original Columbia Singles.

In addition to the 62 commercially released sides, this collection makes available a rare single Paul Revere & the Raiders recorded for Chevrolet (distributed at its dealerships),“SS396”b/w“Corvair Baby,”plus two bonus tracks: a commercial for the Pontiac Judge GTO Breakaway street rod and a special record included with Mattel’s “Swingy Doll.” Many of the songs on the CD have never appeared on CD. In the tradition of its critically hailed “complete singles” collections for Jan & Dean, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, and Jay & the Americans, all singles appear in their original mono or stereo mixes with ace engineer Bob Irwin working his renowned remastering magic on the original tapes for best-ever, kick-butt sound.

As with the previous Collectors’ Choice “complete singles” collections, Ed Osborne produced and annotated the set, gathering insider perspectives from leaders Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay, Raiders Phil “Fang”Volk, Keith Allison, Jim “Harpo”Valley, and manager Ron Hart.The package is festooned with rare photos.

One might not think of Idaho as a hotbed of ’50s rhythm & blues,but that’s where the young Paul Revere (his real name) and Mark Lindsay listened to 50,000-watt Southern radio stations and obscure singles, idolizing artists like Fats Domino and Ernie K-Doe.Like every hip teen in the NW, they loved Richard Berry’s“Louie Louie”and, in April 1963, they and the Raiders recorded and released it on the tiny Sande label. Coincidentally, fellow Northwesterners the Kingsmen had done the same for Wand Records.Ultimately,the Kingsmen won the“Louie Louie” battle, but the Raiders won the record biz war, kicking off a decade-long career as pop hitmakers.

Paul Revere & the Raiders were immediately contacted by a Columbia Records A&R man who — defying the wishes of label A&R head Mitch Miller to focus on easylistening music — signed them.Terry Melcher, Columbia's youngest staff producer based in Los Angeles, took a special interest in the band and became, in essence, the group's George Martin.

Unlike many bands of the era,the Raiders played on their own records.Their 1965 breakout single,“Steppin' Out,” featured the powerful playing of what is now considered the classic Raiders rhythm line-up: drummer Mike “Smitty” Smith, lead guitarist Drake Levin, and bassist Phil “Fang”Volk.

“Steppin’ Out” hit #46 on Billboard on the strength of the strong radio airplay and an ongoing stint on ABC’s afterschool TV series Where the Action Is.The show’s producer, Dick Clark, promptly put them on the road where they were able to expand their fan base beyond the West Coast. Recognizing their star power, Chevrolet hired them to record theme songs for two of its youthtargeted cars,“SS396” and “Corvair Baby.”

the breathy vocals that would become his trademark.

The single hit the #11 spot on January 11, 1966. Its follow-up, “Kicks,” written by Brill Building denizens Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, cracked the Top 5. Mann and Weil had written the verses, but the signature guitar riff, later to be emulated by garage bands from coast to coast, came from Drake Levin with expert production by Melcher.Another Mann & Weil tune,“Hungry,” gave the gang their second straight Top 10 hit.

In the spring of 1966,Levin was drafted into the National Guard, and fellow Northwest native Jim “Harpo”Valley from Don & the Goodtimes stepped in to replace him.

With much of the nation shut down by the airline strike of 1966, Lindsay quickly penned “The Great Airplane Strike,” which became a follow-up single, backed with a Volk vocal on “In My Community,” which featured Melcher’s friend Van Dyke Parks on organ.

The hit streak continued (“Good Thing,” “Ups and Downs,”Him or Me — What’s it Going to Be?”) and, with the band constantly on tour, Melcher began to hire studio musicians to take up some studio slack.Jack Nitzsche scored the horn section for “Ups and Downs,” and longtime “unofficial Raider” Keith Allison — later to become a bona fide member — played guitar along with Ry Cooder. Also, Wrecking Crew drum legend Hal Blaine began to displace drummer Smitty.The change in musical direction caused disheartened Fang, Smitty and Harpo to resign after a 1967 Ed Sullivan Show appearance. They were replaced by bassist Charlie Coe, drummer Joe Correro Jr., and guitarist Freddy Weller, Southerners all.A new musical influence began to permeate the Pacific Northwest band.

As ’60s pop music lyrics began to respond to current events, the Raiders followed suit with songs such as “I Had a Dream,” “Peace of Mind,” and “Too Much Talk.”

Melcher left the fold around this time, Lindsay took on production duties, and the hits kept on comin':“Don’t Take it So Hard,” Cinderella Sunshine,” and “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon.”In 1969,Lindsay and Freddy Weller launched solo careers in addition to their duties as Raiders. Rock was changing, but the band had one more charting hit in them,“Indian Reservation,” a song which had been previously recorded by Marvin Rainwater, John D. Loudermilk, Ray Acuff Jr., and the Nashville Teens.Artie Butler played organ and Hal Blaine drums on the Raiders version. After a slow start at radio, the record went all the way to #1, the band's biggest hit ever.

In 1975, Revere, Lindsay and Allison played the last Paul Revere & the Raiders gig at Knott’s Berry Farm.“Looking back,” says Revere,“we really had an incredible run . . .

Any mistakes that were made along the way don’t mean shit after all is said and done. Everything turned out for the best Information supplied by: Conqueroo: Cary Baker • cary@conqueroo.com

FRANK SINATRA’S STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT REISSUED IN DELUXE EDITION

BY CONCORD MUSIC GROUP WITH THREE BONUS TRACKS With his biggest single as its centerpiece, the album won four Grammy Awards pairing the Chairman with arranger Nelson Riddle and producers Jimmy Bowen and Sonny Burke.

“Strangers in the Night” was Frank Sinatra’s best-selling single and — between the single and its namesake album — the recipient of four Grammy Awards including Record of the Year in 1966. But it almost didn’t get to market in time, with Bobby Darin and Jack Jones cutting the song at the same time. Sinatra’s version was the hit, displacing the Beatles’“Paperback Writer” to the #2 po-

On their next hit,“Just Like Me,” singer Lindsay adopted continued on page 28

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sition in 1966 and proving the biggest hit of his career.

The album shot to the top of the charts as well. Even in the rock ’n’ roll era, nine-time Grammy recipient Frank Sinatra was still the Chairman and one of the most important musical figures of the 20th Century,selling more than 27 million CDs in the SoundScan era alone.

On January 26, 2010, Concord Records, on license from Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE), will release Strangers in the Night: Deluxe Edition, a digitally remastered reissue of Sinatra’s classic album featuring three bonus tracks and liner notes by Ken Barnes.The deluxe edition contains all ten of the original Reprise Records album’s songs as well as three previously unreleased additions: “Strangers in the Night” and “All or Nothing at All,” both recorded live at Budokan Hall in Tokyo in the ’80s, and an alternate take of “Yes Sir,That’s My Baby” from the original 1966 album sessions.

The Strangers in the Night album was arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle (with the title track arranged

by Ernie Freeman). Sonny Burke was the album’s producer, with the exception of the title track, which was produced by Jimmy Bowen, theretofore known primarily for his work in rock ’n’ roll and country. German composer/arranger Burt Kaempfert, known for his production of the Beatles’ first commercial recordings in the very early ’60s, had supplied theme music for the James Garner film A Man Could Get Killed called “Strangers in the Night.”Within days, Bobby Darin and Jack Jones were both recording it.But Bowen heard it as a hit for Sinatra and instantly set up a session to record just that song (most sessions would produce four songs at a time). Sinatra was not initially crazy about the song, but trusted Bowen’s judgment.It wasn’t long before the trust was justified.

Within hours of final mixing,Bowen sent acetates of the song to key radio stations —by private planes.The extravagance paid off,but not overnight.Two months later, the song broke big in the U.K. and a month later, on July 2, 1966, it hit #1 in the U.S. and in every major territory, becoming the biggest record of Sinatra’s career.

The rest of the Strangers in the Night album was recorded in two May 1966 sessions with longtime producer Burke again at the helm and Riddle arranging.The songs were primarily classic standards with a few of them reflecting the current scene. But as annotator Barnes points out, there was no attempt to appeal to teenage America, other than that some of the songs came from Sinatra’s own teenage years:Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn’s “My Baby Cares for Me” from 1928, Donaldson’s “You’re Driving Me Crazy” from 1930, and “Yes Sir,That’s My Baby,” also by Donaldson and Kahn, from 1925.Also included was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” from the 1935 musical Jumbo. Apart from the album’s title track, the most important song on the album was a German tune with English lyrics by Johnny Mercer,“Summer Wind,” which reached #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.

Two British songs, both popularized by Petula Clark, “Call Me”and“Downtown,”were a nod to current tastes, as was Alan Jay Lerner’s“On a Clear Day,”one of the better show tunes of its period.

Ken Barnes observes,“Despite a marked stylistic difference between the title song and the rest of the tracks, Strangers in the Night became Sinatra’s most commercially successful album. He had dealt with the new pop age spectacularly — and on his own terms.

Information supplied by: Conqueroo: Cary Baker • cary@conqueroo.com

Legendary Musician John Jorgenson Releases Two New Albums – Istiqbal Gath28

ering and One Stolen Night Celebrates 100th Birthday of Gypsy Guitarist Django Reinhardt As one of the pioneers of American gypsy jazz music, Jorgenson is celebrating the father of gypsy jazz, Django Reinhardt, whose 100th birthday would have been January 23rd of this year, with two album releases and a touring schedule that takes him across the country and across the pond with the John Jorgenson Quintet.Widely known as the "U.S.Ambassador of Gypsy Jazz," Jorgenson has earned a reputation as a world-class musician and guitarist and has collaborated with the likes of Elton John,Luciana Pavarotti,Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan.Both new releases see this legendary musician exploring new elements of world music, bluegrass, rock and classical as Jorgenson expands the range of gypsy jazz, captivating and enlightening fellow musicians and listeners along the way.

One Stolen Night, Jorgenson’s first 2010 release, is the second album credited to the John Jorgenson Quintet, following up on the Billboard Jazz chart success of Ultraspontane. This collection contains a mix of standards and new compositions,with plenty of clarinet and swing, plus a vocal and the addition of the Greek bouzouki into the Quintet's instrumentation.The Quintet recorded all of the tracks in two days using minimal production, resulting in a "live in the studio" sound that is warm, rich and so crisp that it transports the listeners to an intimate private concert.

The album features a driving rhythm section throughout as Jorgenson creates a classic gypsy jazz feel while pushing the boundaries with his arrangements and melodic content. "Red on Red" opens the album with fanfare and Django-inspired minor key swing, while "Mediterranean Blues" highlights a fiery jam session between violin and guitar. The title track, “One Stolen Night,”presents a captivating melody and showcases the enchanting sound of the bouzouki. Throughout the album the John Jorgenson Quintet creates a unique musical experience that equally enthralls the most discerning and the casual music fan with a sound that is all at once dynamic, romantic, driving, melodic and accessible.

Jorgenson’s second album release in 2010, Istiqbal Gathering, is the culmination of a long relationship between Jorgenson and Paul Gambill, conductor of Orchestra Nashville, and was recorded live at Ocean Way Nashville and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Jorgenson and Gambill combined with a world-class team of musicians and collaborators to create the first collection of music specifically composed and recorded for gypsy jazz guitar and orchestra.

Jorgenson's brilliant guitar work leads the way, supported by the progressive and dynamic Orchestra Nashville."Concerto Glasso" and "Istiqbal Gathering" feature a full orchestra, the latter showcasing the breathtaking talents of Alexander Fedoriuk on cimbalom and David Davidson on violin."Dieter's Lounge" and "Groove in the Louvre" feature the unexpected blend of string orchestra along with the GRAMMY award-winning Turtle Island Quartet. The combination is a groundbreaking album full of soaring melodies and driving rhythms, and it is utterly one of a kind.

The John Jorgenson Quintet is the only American act to ever headline the prestigious Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in France, and has been featured at other "Djangofests" in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. For the films Gattica and Head in the Clouds Jorgenson was tapped to recreate Django's music, and in the latter he even appeared onscreen as Django with stars Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.

Despite the levels of success Jorgenson has already attained, the acclaimed musician has no intention of taking it easy any time soon. Building on the legacy of

Reinhardt, Jorgenson continues to expand the popularity of his beloved gypsy jazz by offering listeners an exotic yet familiar sound to which they can relate. If 2010 is any indication, we can expect Jorgenson to take gypsy jazz to new heights for many years to come.

Information supplied by: Kissy Black Lotos Nile Media kissyblack@lotosnile.com

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RANGER AND TONTO FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN, RESERVATION BLUES, and THE TOUGHEST INDIAN INTHE WORLD. I just finished his latest book which features short stories and some of his original poetry. He calls this book WAR DANCES. There are a couple of excellent short stories in this collection. It is an easy and quick read. And if you are not a reader, rent or borrow one of his movies, SMOKE SIGNALS and THE BUSINESS OF FANCY DANCING. Both have received critical acclaim,and I own both and watch them at least once a year. I find something new each time I view them. I was lucky enough to attend a special showing of FANCY DANCING in Mineral Point, and after the movie,Alexie spoke to us via a speaker phone, and he answered questions about the movie. It was very interesting to hear of the creative efforts that go into a movie. That’s my tip for you this issue.

Stay warm and dry or take a trip to a warm weather spot. I am headed for the beach in Miami.

What a tough life I have!

Written by: Bob Hoffman

baptized... continued from page 22

I relaxed I realized that indeed there was support assisting me. My lover had wrapped its arms around me and allowed me a few precious moments to consider what had just happened.

I considered the unfolding of events beginning with the calling that came to me while I was behind the wheel of the car followed by Bob’s intuitive selection of lakefront beach, the sandy bottom, the warm water, the private space and the invitation, “be in me”.

Not more than a few moments passed from the time I was walking with Bob on the beach to my current experience of being fully suspended in the water. Those few moments were some of the best teachers I have ever had.

This process has happened over and over in my life, often daily. I am baptized into new experiences as often as I am willing to allow them.

Every single time I accept the invitation and trust that all is well, all is well! The only thing that ever prevents me from having a joyful experience with change is when I pretend to know the outcome before I begin the journey. When I allow myself to surrender for a moment to something new I am forever changed.

The voice from the lake continues to call to me.

I need not be near my lover to experience its support and encouragement. When the fear kicks in, I just recall the moment when I stopped trying so hard to keep myself af loat. Then and there I realized, when I relax and enjoy every single moment all that I need is there for me.

Written by: Jim Smith w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

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1/2 notes... continued from page 3

ever, was all so unusual for me. It’s not like anything I’ve done before…”

•Unsold work must be picked up by April 16th,or an adequate pre-paid container must be provided for return shipping.

There, that should give you a little bit of background on Caroline Herring. This is how my conversation went with Caroline as we both kept one ear out for her kids playing in the background.

Joyce: You grew up in Mississippi. When did you write your first song?

To apply:The application fee for this exhibition opportunity is only $15 for up to five pieces.The fee will help to cover the costs of producing the exhibition.You must be a registered ArtsBuild participant to submit work for consideration. (Not yet a participant? It’s simple! Go to the ArtsBuild website and fill out the participant questionnaire!) http://www.uwplatt.edu/cont_ed/artsbuild/

Caroline: In my early 20’s. I never played it out anywhere and I never even recorded it.

Joyce: How do you handle being a songwriter and performer and mother? Yikes!

Joyce: Where do you play and what type of venues do you prefer to play at?

Caroline: Usually coffee shops, theatres, sometimes bars and house concerts. All of those things. You know wherever you can get a gig.

Joyce: What other types of jobs have you done, or have you always been a musician?

Caroline: Right out of college I taught High School for 4 years. I also worked with Georgia Council for the Arts as well.

Joyce: What do you do to relax, besides spend time with the family?

Caroline: I like to read and play outside with the kids.

Movies unfortunately are not so prevalent these days. I just hang out, and I enjoy cooking.

Joyce: Anything you’d like me to ask you that nobody else ever has?

Caroline: Wow, that’s a good question. Nope, right off hand I can’t think of anything.

Joyce: What would you like people to remember or know about you?

Caroline: That I am a singer/songwriter. I project a roots influence!

on this instant replaying device. sleepy... continued from page 8

and I just worked the music in to fit. Once the band got together way back as a three piece the Americana/Alt County side came out. The additions of Mike Hatheway, John Heinstein and Ethan Young-Lai cemented the sound.

AG: Did you record this CD at your studio?

Hicks: We did in fact. Since we all had been in bands before and recorded before we had enough gear to put together a pretty nice studio.

AG: When you play shows in Canada do you mostly stay on the Eastern Coast and play or do you travel in-land too?

Hicks: We mostly play in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The CD was released in July. Our plans for the NewYear are to tour in Quebec and Ontario because we have had a lot of great response from radio there.

AG: Do you have another CD planned?

Hicks: Yes we do. I have enough material written for 3 CD’s just waiting to be cut. We have already started sessions for the next CD and plan to have it out fall of 2010.

The first CD has been so successful that it has taken on a life of its own. We have been nominated for 2 East Coast Music Awards which are pretty big in the Maritime Providences of Canada and will find out in March if we are lucky enough to win.

AG: Is it difficult in Canada for independent artist to get their music on radio in Canada?

Hicks: It is. It depends on the genera. A lot of the commercial stations are rock and pop stations. We have been focusing on college and community radio stations to get a grass roots following. This gives credibility to get onto commercial radio even though we are not backed by a major label.

AG: Is there anything you’d like people to know about Sleepy Driver?

I want to thank Caroline for her precious time and her kids for being so well behaved during our interview.

Check out Caroline’s CD’s and learn more about her at her website: www.carolineherring.com .

Hicks: Just that you can get our CD from our Website (www.sleepydriver.com), Amazon.com, Napster, Rhapsody, and I tunes.

Story by: Joyce Ziehli Info provided by: Caroline Herring website Photos by: Jeffrey Fasano (Caroline’s website)

Story by: Andy Ziehli Photos supplied.

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Americana Gazette and our salute to Americana Music today. I hope too that you learn something about it, and take the next step and explore all the layers and styles of music that is Americana Music today.

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Joyce: Tell me about your new CD – “Golden Apples of the Sun”.

Covers on the album are pretty wide spread. It might not appear to make a lot of sense together at first, but I did alter the melodies on most all of the songs. It was a creative exercise and a way of having fun. That is what combines them is that I did a lot of tinkering. There’s no over arching thing, but the title,“Golden Apples of the Sun” and the accompanying EP,“Silver Apples of the Moon”. Those are both from a W.B.Yeats poem,“Song of the Wandering Aengus”.

country musicians could make a living. Austin’s diverse makeup of Hispanic, Black, and White musicians and residents provides an ever growing pool of listeners and music consumers. Its diverse mix of white and blue collar residents also provides that extra something that grows a music scene. Today people from all over the world travel to theses two cites to see live music, attend festivals, and take part in the celebration of Americana Music.

Andy Ziehli

Caroline: I’m awfully busy, but I have a very helpful husband. He is very supportive. I am very proud of him.

Caroline: Well, we started out thinking about a covers album, that’s why there are so many covers on the album. Although,I kept writing and eventually it became half and half, half covers and half originals. I wanted to add more of my original songs.

americana music... continued from page 10

For much of the time all eleven and their families lived in Dane County, so gathering together was easy. All but three farmed, and most of the card games were on the farms. Eventually one moved to California to his wife’s home state. He and his family would visit about every two years.

That meant the family got together each night of the visit. The various families would take turns hosting. The California visitors would come at noon to have dinner with that brother or sister and family, and after chores the other family members would arrive for the evening of arguments, card table pounding, and lots of smoking. Happily as the years went on the smoking became less and less. The host wife would provide a hardy lunch before the night was over. Not all eleven made it each night, but a handful would be there so the quota for the card games was ensured. One or two brothers or sisters usually made it to all of these visits. As it turned out the married spouse of the Hoffman clan played cards and learned to argue and table pound as good as the Hoffman’s. Children played softball until dark, and then kick the can or hide and seek until the lunch was served.

Some of the younger kids would crawl into their family car and be asleep in the backseat when the parents were ready to go home. Occasionally a priest from the family parish would join in these events and play cards with the group. No priest got any special treatment. They were yelled at and were victims of the table pounding, too. Sadly I recall that that priests smoked, too. One night I heard one priest tell the group that they were the smartest family he knew, for each had married a person that made them a much better person and had strengths they did not have. Surprisingly, not one argued with that.

Today only one of the eleven lives, and there are only two aunts by marriage alive. The new generations rarely meet, and if there is a card game, it is much tamer and far fewer playing. I suspect the other ten are busy playing the eternal game of solo somewhere beyond us. I also suspect that each of those ten was buried with a deck of cards. How else could you honor them better or make them happier?

I can still hear the arguing, I can still hear the table pounding, and I can still visualize the smoke filled room, and most of all I can still feel the love and family connection that was there and exists even today in the second and third generations.

Well, gotta pick up my cards and make my bid and practice my table pounding.

Story by: Bob Hoffman

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griffith... continued from page 6

this cool Jazz beat and I got mad because I could not play like that. My grandfather on my dad’s side was a drummer and my grandmother was an organist and they had a combo that played during WWII. She also was a church organist and my uncle still plays the organ in the same church today. My Mother’s father was a dancer and performed all over London. He was also a very accomplished artist and sketcher.

AG: You have a Masters Degree in Theological Studies I see. Not something one would expect from a musician today.

Griffith: Yea in 1997 when I turned 40 I decided that I wanted to get my Masters Degree. I had always wanted to get it, but I kept putting it off for one reason or another. I really liked college and never minded studying.

So I took the steps to get back to the books and returned to Vanderbilt and got my Masters in Theological Studies.

I was really into religious art and this seemed like a good program to get into. I took the time away from playing as much as I was before and took to the books, but I missed the life of being a musician so when I graduated I went right back to recording and working on the road.

AG: How did you get to Nashville?

Griffith: When I first got to Nashville I got a road gig with Joel Sonnier which was pretty cool. I toured with him for a couple of years. Then I went on the road with Carlene Carter during the I fell in Love years. I then worked with Leroy Parnell and I am going to be doing some more stuff with him this year. I found out though that I really wanted to make records and not travel so much. Being on the road all the time took me out of peoples lines of site and I had a hard time getting session work because I was always gone.

After I got off the road with Leroy Parnell I made the decision to just be a session guy. I didn’t care if I starved I really just wanted to make records. So in 1993 I became a session guy. I had played on a lot of sessions back in Louisiana but had not yet done any of consequence here in Nashville. Slowly word got around and I started getting work. I have recorded four CD’s with John Prine, four Todd Snider CD’s too. I also worked with Marty Stuart. My name just got passed around and I got more work.

AG: So when you moved to Nashville you were doing the mainstream Country scene. How did you get into the Americana work?

Griffith: That’s a good question. I think that it is just a war of attrition. I don’t have that mainstream Country sound that they want today. I can’t play that big rock sound. I also don’t have the equipment that they record on. I play vintage ancient drums and cymbals. I’m going for a sound that you don’t hear on the radio anymore, unless you listen to Americana music. That’s the sound I have always heard in my head like Earl Palmer. That’s how I tune my drums. I don’t have that cracking snare or thunderous bass drum. I have that old analog drum sound and Americana music is the only place that you hear that anymore. It has become the “catch all” for all that great roots homegrown traditional sounds I love.

AG: How long did it take you to be able to make a living playing sessions in Nashville?

Griffith: Well there are some months where I still don’t make a living just playing sessions. I still do some road gigs with friends and musicians that I like their work.

You have to find a balance so you can survive. Some months are better than others. Mostly it’s 50/50 for me.

I hope that it continues to get better with the sessions.

AG: When you play with so many people do you rehearse with them a lot?

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Griffith: I’m not one for rehearsing. Rodney Crowell has a great expression that he uses for my friend Will Kimbrough. He tells him that he’s not a rehearsal guy, and that’s how I am. I like to feel the music and play what is necessary not what I worked out ahead of time.

Most of the time when I rehearse new material, I work on it by playing the bass guitar. It helps me feel the parts better. The less preparation I put in the better I play. It helps me to be off balance a little. If I over prepare I don’t play as well. Maybe it comes form my days in New Orleans playing Jazz or it could be that I have ADD and I get bored very easily. If I take too much time on a song it sucks the life out of me. Don’t get me wrong you have to know the song or you will make a fool out of yourself, especially here in Nashville. I learn it. I just don’t over prepare.

AG: So what’s your take on making a living and working as an Americana Musician?

Griffith: Well the old model as we know it has died and gone to who knows where. Carving out your own niche and promoting yourself independently is the new way and I think a better way. The guys that are making it now are out playing shows and getting their music to the people any way they can. Being true to yourself and to your music is what is important.

AG: So if someone came to you today and said Paul how should I go about starting my career, what would you tell them?

Griffith: I would tell them to follow their hearts and play like the guys you love to listen to. Don’t copy them, study them. If you want to play like the guys on Music Row learn to play like them. If you want to play like Levon Helm, play like Levon Helm. I don’t think you can make it fit. You have to have the desire and ability to make the songs better without taking over the song.

There are at least ten guys a day who are great drummers who move to Nashville to make Country records and play on music row who will never get the chance because they are just like everyone else. So you are better off being a stylist and have an artist soul. Those are the guys who will get work.

The reason I got under the radar and got work was because I had a different style and sound than the guys on music row. I was different, and different can get you work. I’m sloppy.

AG: I don’t think you’re sloppy!

Griffith: Well just sloppy enough to be different!

AG: Paul thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me today and last words of wisdom for our readers?

Griffith: Just if you want to make music your career always take it seriously. Be professional, arrive on time, don’t overplay, and have fun with it. It takes time to build a career in music. Nobody ever makes it overnight.

Just take it a step at a time. Network and play with as many different kinds of musicians as you can until you find the style you are most comfortable with and then work to be the best you can at it. Remember to study and listen to the greats.

AG: Great advice from a fantastic musician, performer, and person!!!

Story by: Andy Ziehli

paul... continued from page 7

Recorded at Sorted Noise studio in Nashville, the 15song album was produced by Thad Beaty and Jason Collum and features five songs co-written by Paul’s longtime friend and collaborator, Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. Of Paul,Bush notes,“Ellis has a voice that is so powerful that you know who it is the second he comes through your radio. His music and songs are a new birth in American sound that makes me want to go see concerts again.”The songs on the record reflect Paul’s commitment to storytelling, exemplified in the title track “The Day After Everything Changed.” Described by Paul himself, the song “is about people who are at a crossroads in their life; a hurricane Katrina victim wondering what direction his life would take after the storm hit; a person doing the long drive home after being laid off at work.”

Paul continues, “I have committed myself to writing more conversationally. I like songs to be cultural events, little ones, that somehow tell me what it feels like to be living here on this planet in this country at this time. I want to hear about people’s joys and woes and apply them to my own.You can’t fake real life stories. When you’re faking it—it’s obvious.As long as the writing feels real—it works in any genre.”

The Day After Everything Changed is Paul’s first studio album in five years and proves that his backing support is stronger than ever. For the making of the album Paul turned to his fiercely dedicated fan base and, in total, raised over $100,000 in audience funding. Inspired by this outpouring of support, the entire team behind the album stepped up to make sure the end result would make the fans proud of participating.

I was privileged to speak to Ellis Paul two days after this release. You certainly could feel the excitement in his voice, and his love for writing was quite evident as we spoke.

AG: Good morning Ellis. How are you doing today?

EP: I’m doing great, how about you?

AG: Let’s start out this interview with you telling me a little bit about your childhood, what was your life like growing up?

EP: Well, I’m from Northern Maine. I grew up in a town called Presque Isle. I went to college in Boston. Growing up I listened to probably top 40 and singer/songwriters who had original records and when I went to school I discovered Dylan and got into folk music and classic rock stations were playing Boston for the first time. They were playing a lot of music from the early 70’s, so I got hooked back into that kind of music.

AG: Was your family in the music business?

EP: I kind of came from a musical family, we sang a lot in the car. Everyone was sort of an amateur piano player and such. Nobody was doing it professionally. Now I have a sister who is getting her PhD in choral conducting and I am the folk singer in the family.

AG: You play guitar and piano? Self taught or lessons?

EP: Yes, just those two. I’m self taught on both instruments. I’ve always been interested in learning more about the guitar by stealing from other people’s playing.

Whenever I can play something that’s hot, being played by others I feel good. I’m just learning piano now. On guitar I’m always trying to stretch out and learn something new that I don’t already do.

AG: Who inspired you to write or how did you get into writing songs?

EP: I was inspired most of all by Dylan in the beginning.

Then I stretched out into sort of classic folk rock,Johnny Mitchell, John Prine, Neil Young, and James Taylor, those people. w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

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AG: How old were you and what was the first song you wrote?

EP: Probably 20 or 21, somewhere in there. I was in college for sure. I think the first one was called,“Farm Boy”.

This was about some Vietnam guy coming back from the war.

AG: Did you record it?

EP: I remember playing it at an open mic session, so yea there is a recording of it somewhere, but I wouldn’t want anyone to hear it. It wasn’t very good.

AG: Do you write by yourself or prefer to co-write?

EP: I do a lot more co-writing now than I ever have before. I’ve been writing with Kristian Bush from Sugarland, the country band. I have also co-written with a wonderful man, Sam Baker, an Americana artist from down in Texas.

AG: Tell me about your new CD – The Day After Everything Changed. This is your 14th CD correct? You had sort of a fundraising project tied in with this?

EP: Yea, we created like a ladder system of goods and services. On the bottom of the ladder was a $15.00 pre purchase of the CD and on the top of the ladder was $10,000 for a life time pass to get into all my shows for free, they get a signed guitar, a house concert, and they get a song written for them for a loved one. So that’s the gambit of the top to the bottom of the ladder. I raised around $100,000.

AG: This CD was just released a couple of days ago, January 12th?

EP: Yea, it just came out!

AG: Did you have a big CD release party for it?

EP: No, we’ve been doing them all along. We did one in Boston that was prior to this. We just did one in Charlottesville, VA where I live now. Over time I’m going to hit the entire country doing CD release shows in every city.

AG:Anything to share about the songs on the CD? Any particular favorites?

EP: I have some personal favorites, but I think they all came out great. I’m really happy with it and it would be too hard to choose.

AG: I really liked “River Road”. Is there a story behind this?

EP: Yea,“River Road” is the name of a road I lived on in Maine a few years ago. I sort of pictured a road that runs along a river that feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a beautiful drive. I had an old house at the end of the road that I was in love with, so it was kind of a way to say good-bye to that road.

AG:Where do you get your song writing ideas from – do you sit down and write or wait till something pops in your head? Do you get inspirations from pictures, movies, people, environment…?

EP: All of the above. If I’m hit by something,I’ll sit down and write the title at the top of the page and write about that thing. Sometimes I just come up with a catch phrase while I’m writing and can supply the things that w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

are important to me later on. So it varies, depending on what the mood is and where I’m at.

AG:You talked above with the ladder system about writing a song for someone for their loved one. How does this work?

EP: I’m in the process of doing this. One of the donors is from England. We are corresponding through email about what he wants me to write about and what kind of song he wants it to be. He gives me the frame work, then I’ll write the song and send it off to him as a MP3.

Then he will tell me what lines are working, what lines don’t work and how he wants it, kind of like a co-write.

AG: Does this work out pretty well?

EP: I don’t know. I haven’t done it before. He’s my first one. I just want them to be happy with the end product.

I want it to capture what they want it to capture. If it can do that and the song is great, who knows, I may put it on a record.

AG: That sounds kind of hard to do, good luck with that.

EP: Thanks. It will be interesting.

AG:You just won another Boston Music Award – how exciting was this?

EP: It was for Folk Artist of the Year. I was thrilled and this is my 14th trophy. I’m tied with Aerosmith now!

AG: You must have a whole wall of trophies in your house?

EP: They are all tucked away. I actually just moved and haven’t gotten them out of the box yet. I haven’t found the right place for them yet.

AG: Have you always been a musician? Or did you work other jobs?

EP: I have been a full time musician for 20 years. I was working with kids for awhile before I quit to do this full time.

AG: Do you tour a lot during the year? In the states or out of the country?

EP: I tour around 15o dates a year. I rarely travel out of the states. I do go to Europe and I’ve done some work in Canada, but for the most part, I play in the states on Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

AG: Do you perform solo or take a band with you?

EP: Most part I’m solo. Occasionally I will bring out a band, but most of the time its solo.

AG: If you have time to relax, what do you do, hobbies?

EP: Well,I have a couple of kids,so I spend as much time as I can with them when I’m home. They are 5 and 3 years old.

AG: Wow, they will keep you busy!

EP: Yea, that’s for sure.

AG: What does the future hold for Ellis Paul?

EP: I want to make this record the best it can be so I’m going to focus on promoting it for the next 2 years.

Hopefully I’ll get some breaks with that and it will help fund the next record. I write a lot of songs and am trying to get artists to cover them. I would like to get some songs into television, movies, maybe have some luck there. I write kids songs and I will be working on a chil-

dren’s record the next 4-5 months.

AG: If you could have an artist record one of your songs, who would you like to do this?

EP: I would like anyone to do it. One of my songs is on hold with Tim McGraw. I’d love that to come true. That would be really nice. I’m sure he would do a beautiful job. Anyone with a beautiful voice would work.

Talking with Ellis was great. I personally want to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Please check out his website at: www.ellispaul.com . Pick up one of his CD’s and give it a listen like I did. You will be hooked and check out his tour schedule for when he is in your area.

Written by: Joyce Ziehli Photos supplied.

Lauderdale... continued from page 24 Some good news is that I just found out that Lee Ann Womack has recorded a song that I cowrote with a couple of fellows . This will be on her new record. That was great news!”

(I had to break in and ask about Jim’s hosting of the Americana Music Awards in Nashville every fall since he hadn’t yet mentioned this. How do you develop your material?)

“Most of it is ad lib. It just hits me at various times as the show gets nearer. Some of it comes together the day of the show. One thing that has grown out of the AMA (Americana Music Awards) in that I’m a part of a radio show. Once a month, there is an hourly/weekly show on WSM radio station, and also once a week is an Internet Show broadcast live called “Tennessee Shines” On “Tennessee Shines” there are usually 4 different acts, I do a couple of songs and so on. We have featured Buddy Miller, Dawn of the Buffalo, The Ducks, Theresa Henderson and the list goes on and on. Check them out at www.tennesseshines.com. Also check out www.musiccityroots.com , both shows are what Americana really is!

And lastly when I’m not doing all of this stuff, to relax I work out. I do Tai Chai and Tai Chi Chuan. I have been doing Martial Arts for about 15 years and have been to China 3 times. I really enjoy this, it is great exercise and helps keep me grounded!!!”

There you have it. I could have talked to Jim all afternoon. He is so interesting to talk with and so talented. Thank you Jim for all your time and sharing this information with me and our readers. I really look forward to seeing you again this fall at the Americana Music Conference in Nashville and good luck on your new CD, “Patchwork River”. So Americana Gazette readers, check out Jim Lauderdale at: www.jimlauderdale.com and be sure to pick up his latest CD, “Can We Get Any Closer” and watch for the release of “Patchwork River”. This is true Americana!!!!!!

Written by: Joyce Ziehli Info and photos supplied by Jim’s website.

It was wonderful talking with Jim and I hope all you Americana Gazette readers check out his music, buy his CD’s, go see him when he is in the area. It is well worth it. Believe me!!!! You can get his tour dates and CD info on his website: www.jimlauderdale.com

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