New Interview with Carrie Rodriguez

(photo by Sara Wilson)

I got to finally meet and talk to Carrie Rodriguez last week. I've waited a long time. She lives in Austin now and will be playing with full band this weekend at the soon to be defunct Cactus Cafe. She'll be performing on both Friday and Saturday, April 16th-17th. She is one of the few Americana type artists I actually listen to, other than maybe Band of Heathens. We talked about here move back to Austin, her new covers album, touring with Alejandro Escovedo and growing up in Austin.

Read my full interview on Austin Vida here: http://tinyurl.com/y5xox98

Album Review: 'Live In Louisville' by Carrie Rodriguez

Anything and everything you read online about Austin singer-songwriter and violinist Carrie Rodriguez has the label “Americana” all over it. If there was such a genre called “post-Americana”, I think Carrie Rodriguez would be the poster child. In fact, she may have even invented the genre without meaning to or knowing it. For those non-music geeks, the label “post” usually refers to indie rock that is darker, has crunchy guitar riffs and typically lots of angst.

I didn’t really get that impression when I came across the first album I owned from Rodriguez, She Ain’t Me, about a year ago.  I started to hear hints of the darker “post” sound when I went back and bought 2006’s Seven Angels on a Bicycle. On that album it seemed she experimented a little less and stuck to one sound. It is the album I prefer out of the two.

Read the full review on Austin Vida here:

Carrie Rodriguez Review

Some Vinyl Goodness from Bloodshot Records

Anyone who has read my bios online anywhere or knows me personally knows that I am a vinyl record collector. I'm not nearly at the level John Cusack's character in High Fidelity was, but not far from it. As much as I sincerely love the digital era of music we are currently in, I still think there is no better way to listen to an album than on vinyl. The sound can't be duplicated and the TLC you give a vinyl is unlike the care most people give to their significant others. When you buy a new vinyl record, you know it is delicate and fragile. You know any bend, ever so so slight, can ruin the listening experience.

Nowadays, vinyl costs a little more than it used to when vinyl and cassettes were the norm, even before CDs. The last vinyl I bought from a record store cost me around thirty dollars. That should tell you two things: 1) I really wanted that album on vinyl and 2) the whole album was worth purchasing versus just a few good singles. I think this is the mindset of most nerdy vinyl collectors out there. We want good albums on vinyl and are willing to purchase them legally.  

Well now my passion for vinyl has lead me to suggest some cool new releases for collectors or beginning collectors to pick up. Sure you can go to Goodwill, Half Priced Books or even Ebay, but most of the time you won't have to even do that. Records companies and artists are releasing older albums on special remastered reissues all the time. Local record stores and even Best Buy carry a good amount of vinyl old an new. Most, if not all, even come with a digital download card of some sort so you can have still have the legit mp3s for your iPod. With that being said, here is an amazing addition to your collection. 

Bloodshot Records, the once home to Ryan Adams and even Neko Case, have released two great vinyl gems from their archives in one record. It all goes in conjunction with their 15th anniversary. They released a remastered collection of music from The Old 97s. Their classic album, and arguably their best in my opinion, Wreck Your Life… and Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings came out on vinyl at the end of last month. It was originally released in 1995. There were only a thousand copies of this limited edition stamped, so it may be hard to find at this point. It is a four sided collection that includes classics like"Doreen", "Victoria" and "Big Brown Eyes". The rest of the songs are made up of their other album from Bloodshot Records, Early Tracks. You get all that for around $25-$30 in remastered quality. That my friends, is why you pick up this special edition vinyl. Here is the full track listing for you as well:

1. Victoria
2. The Other Shoe
3. Doreen
4. You Belong To My Heart
5. Dressing Room Wallks
6. My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin
7. Big Brown Eyes
8. Bel Air
9. Old Familiar Steam
10. Over The Cliff
11. Goin , Goin , Gone
12. W-I-F-E
13. Ray Charles
14. Cryin Drunk
15. Harold s Super Service
16. Sound of Running
17. Cryin But My Tears Are Far Away
18. Por Favor
19. W-I-F-E
20. Eyes For You
21. Let The Train Blow the Whistle
22. Making Love With You
23. I d Be Lonesome

You can purchase this great rerelease directly from Bloodshot Records at the following link:

Bloodshot Records Store

Visit the official Old 97s website here:

www.old97s.com

Album Review: 'When The Devil's Loose' by A.A. Bondy

A.A.Bondy

www.myspace.com/aabondy

Indie-folk artist, A.A. Bondy, is not a household name. He will not be selling out stadiums or topping the Billboard charts anytime soon, but you will certainly like him if you listen to his music. If you already have Bondy’s first album, American Hearts, then you already love him. Now that I have heard Bondy’s latest album, I understand why that is.

A.A. Bondy’s sophomore album, When The Devil’s Loose, just became one of my new favorite albums. Released at the beginning of the month, I have listened to it for a around three weeks now. I kept listening for anything negative or imperfect that maybe I didn’t catch previously before I wrote about it. I refused to believe that albums this close to perfect exist anymore, as if it were something of the past. It’s like my dad says to me, “There’s music and then there’s music”. A.A. Bondy makes music.

At the beginning of When The Devil’s Loose, the acoustic guitar intro to “Mightiest of Guns” sound like musical rain drops. Not much else joins the guitar as Bondy begins to sing. His voice is that of a hip, indie rock band lead singer but with the Dlyan-esque warmth that great folk singers possess. He has that old school warmth that too many popular artists lack.

The title track, “When The Devil’s Loose” is my personal favorite on the album. It is a fantastic blues song disguised as indie-folk. Accompanied by a violin and floating guitar notes, it is difficult not to just lose yourself and not focus on whatever you were doing before the song started. Your mind just drifts.

For those who prefer more country or Americana sounds, “The Mercy Wheel” takes a page out of the classic Americana handbook without any twang or indie pretentiousness. There’s a beautiful piano accompaniment to Bondy’s somber and melancholy vocals. It saddens me to listen to it not just because of the lyrics themselves but it is the second to last song on an album you don’t want to end. From beginning to end, When The Devil’s Loose, is music at its absolute best.

Give a look and listen to A.A. Bondy on this great video I came across of Bondy performing "Mightiest of Guns".


Backstage Sessions : AA Bondy - The Mightiest of Guns from Hard to Find a Friend on Vimeo.

Review originally published on Double Stereo here.

Catch A.A. Bondy on tour here in Austin when he performs at The Parish on November 13th. More info here on Do512.

Album Review: One Foot In The Ether by The Band of Heathens

After three albums and an Austin Music Award, The Band of Heathens are finally set to release their second studio release this week. Their new album, One Foot In The Ether, will not only win them more awards but also more fans. Even though you’ll probably find it in the “country” or “Americana” sections of most record stores, it also belongs in music collections of Black Crowes fans, John Mellencamp fans and even Eagles fans. Reason being, there is so many more musical elements in place on One Foot In The Ether; roots rock, gospel, soul, blues, and southern rock even. They are just too talented and musically diverse to be put in a box.

Speaking of diverse, part of that diversity comes from having three talented frontmen: Ed Juri, Gordy Quist and Colin Brooks. On the album’s opener, “L.A. County Blues”, a blues guitar riff and an organ introduce you to Ed Juri. With its country sensibilities and Juri’s vocals, “La County Blues” is one of the album’s many sure fire singles. I am going to go out on a limb early and call it a “beer drinkin’ classic. It also happens to be about journalist and author, Hunter S. Thompson. 

After a few beers and the blues country sounds of “L.A. County Blues”, take it to church with the gospel stylings of “Shine A Light”. If that’s not enough for you, then turn the volume up on “What’s This World”. A feel good but reality check on life, “What’s This World” is certainly a spiritual calling in its own right. Someone looking for a campaign song or a song for a campaign commercial needs to give it a listen.

My personal favorite on One Foot In The Ether is easily “Look At Miss Ohio”. This bluesy, country, folk-rock hybrid is about a girl wanting to do right… but just not right now. The soulful rasp of the vocals and blues guitar riffs blend really nicely with the piano. The musical composition outshines the song’s lyrics, as they are rather simple. Sometimes the “KISS” method can be the way to go. I’d love to ask Gilian Welch (the song writer) one day about the story behind “Look At Miss Ohio”.

Overall, One Foot In The Ether is a solid album from beginning to end. Its musical diversity is to be commended and the critical acclaim should be flooding in soon if hasn’t already. Add The Band of Heathens to the list of artists you used to be able to see for around ten bucks. After this album, those days will be long gone. (Review originally published on September 14th on www.doublestereo.com)

One Foot In The Ether is available today nationwide on BOH Records. 

For more on The Band of Heathens, visit their official website at www.bandofheathens.com.

Album Review: Follow by Johnny Cooper

I can’t even begin to tell you about the countless country or Americana albums come through my mail box, digital or hard copy. Most of them sound like your run of the mill “new country” wannabes who would make the country forefathers turn over in their grave. Even as just a casual fan of the genre, I can hear the difference between what’s good and what isn’t. I grew up in the South almost all my life, so country is something you can’t avoid if you tried. Now it is not often I will write about or review anything country(ish), but today I found something worth talking about. Country singer, songwriter, and Texas native Johnny Cooper is worth a listen. His new album, Follow, made it to my iPod.



Click here to read the full review on Double Stereo