Rural Noir Soundtrack

Here's the Rural Noir Spotify playlist from the module I taught on Sunday:

Americana Music – The Roots of Some (But Not All) Evil?

 

For THE WAYBACK MACHINE I'm reclaiming posts that have appeared elsewhere on the internets. Maybe, for the sake of keeping things interesting, I'll update the post with additional commentary or a summary of some of the reactions it generated.

 

Americana Music – The Roots of Some (But Not All) Evil?  

Do you want to know how to make somebody from New York City really mad?

A very happy ?uestlove.

Just accuse them of not having the best museum or delis or pizza, or not being at the center of something. I had this unfortunate experience with a tongue-in-cheek piece I posted on my blog a while back. (It was way more ‘tongue’ than ‘cheek.’) I accused New York City (I’m told you can just say ‘New York’) of not being at the center of the New Wave of Americana. (Sorry if you thought this was an article about THE ROOTS. I don’t want to make ?uestlove mad too.)

Take a second to pick up your hats and calm your womenfolk down.

So what had me so riled up? It was this little article in SPIN magazine. Something about somebody giving washboard lessons in Red Hook for $20 a pop. (I know, right? I laughed when I read it too.) I’m going to blame Mumford and Sons for this phenomenon. Not because they’re disingenuous or making crappy music, but because they made it acceptable for Blue States to like banjos. Almost overnight those five-stringed nightmares went from being an instrument of ridicule (How many banjo players does it take to eat a possum? Two, one to eat it and one to watch for cars.) to a symbol of tolerance and understanding. Like white people had been given their very own pan flute or bongos or didjeridu. And Mumford gave them a way to do it without having to acknowledge Skoal or NASCAR.

Johnny and friend.

To be fair, Nashville may have inadvertently shoved a lot of listeners into Americana when Columbia Records let Johnny Cash out of his contract, which forced Rick Rubin to record Johnny’s version of “Hurt.” A bunch of folks probably ran out and bought the record expecting to hear Cash’s take on other modern things, and instead got “Sam Hall,” a traditional English ballad about an old school death row prisoner, “Streets of Laredo” which recounts a dying cowboy’s last words, and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” which, of course, is a Hank Williams’ number about being lonely and crying.

So, besides Johnny Cash and Mumford and Sons, who should you all be listening to if you want to make it in the New Wave of Americana? Here’s a primer:

MIDDLE BROTHER combines jangly Nashville guitars with songs about booze and curse words. But the trio of Deer Tick’s John J. McCauley III, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez know how to turn a phrase. “…regrets, Tourette’s, I guess it’s the same.” And there’s a song about Portland.

MIDDLE BROTHER “Middle Brother”:



AVETT BROTHERS is a guitar/banjo/bass trio for the traditionalists in the group. They even come from North Carolina. How’s that for cred? But they aren’t really all that traditional. Check out “Kick Drum Heart” if you want to hear what I’m talking about. And hooking up with Rick Rubin isn’t really a traditional move either.

AVETT BROTHERS “Matrimony”:



GILLIAN WELCH and DAVE RAWLINGS Gillian Welch is the Fairy Godmother of Roots music. Her appearance in O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? pretty much confirms it. As a revivalist, Gillian has done as much as anybody to keep Roots and Americana alive during the pre-O BROTHER, pre-Johnny Cash HURT, Nineties. Bleak times for a revival.

GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID RAWLINGS “Caleb Meyer”:



WILCO’s inclusion on this list doesn’t come easy, considering Wilco is a little more Radiohead than Hank Williams nowadays. But there’s no denying Jeff Tweedy’s contributions to Americana. No Depression, the now-defunct Americana, Roots and Alt-country magazine– took its name from Tweedy’s previous band’s first album (and a Carter Family song, “No Depression in Heaven.”) Don’t let the robonoise fool you, Tweedy still keeps it real.

WILCO NPR Tiny Desk Concert:



Here's some old school Uncle Tupelo for contrast AND because one day somebody will want to know exactly what 1989 looked like:



This list should be just enough to get you started. Talk to twenty different people and you’ll get as many different definitions of Americana and Roots. After all, it is the music of the people…

Whatever that means. Even the term ‘Americana’ suggests a hodgepodge of styles and influences. So consider this an apology, New York (City). As long as you’re part of America, you’re part of Americana.

Extra credit:

DR. RALPH STANLEY AND HIS CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS because he has a doctorate in BANJO.



THE CIVIL WARS. Remember that post-Grammy bump I told you about? (Is that a HATCH SHOW PRINT poster in the background? Why, yes it is.)




CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS because nothing says ‘Americana’ like resonators and pork pie hats.



TIM O’BRIEN Best Virginia represent!



Yonder Mountain String Band! These are the guys that started it all for me. Yonder showed me how  The Beatles, The Misfits, Pink Floyd and guys like Ralph Stanley could all get along in the same setlist. (All videos were filmed on either February 24 or 25 at the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio. Heidi and I attended both shows, but none of the videos belong to us.)

THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK Spotify playlist!

Every song in the book. Well, almost. The Beatles didn't make it easy.

TOP NINE: Duets

Just in time for (the day after) Valentine's Day, here are Preston Black's Top Nine Duets!

#9 'Islands in the Stream' Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

From The Devil and Preston Black: My brother and me were pretty much forced to listen to whatever mom played in the car. Mostly country. Kenny and Dolly singing "Islands in the Stream."

 

#8 'Hunger Strike' Temple Of The Dog (Feat. Chris Cornell & Eddie Vedder)

 

#7 'Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart' Against Me! and Tegan Quin.

 

#6 'Fairytale of New York' The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

 

 #5 'Wake Up' Arcade Fire and David Bowie

 

#4 'Rich Woman/Gone, Gone, Gone/Done Moved On' Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

 

#3 'Safe and Sound' Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars

 

#2 'Jackson' Johnny Cash and June Carter

From The Revelations of Preston Black: "Jackson" came through the shitty speakers first. I looked at Katy and smiled but she just rolled her eyes. I said, "You're hotter than a pepper sprout, you know that, my love?"

She smiled an acknowledgement. "Haven't heard that one yet."  

#1 'If I Fell' The Beatles

Who'd you think I was going to put at #1? Alice Cooper? Whatevs.

From The Revelations of Preston Black: Ignoring the request, we played them our version of Arcade Fire's "Deep Blue" and finished the night with an abbreviated version of our setlist. Harmonizing with Katy on an a cappella "If I Fell" as an encore was my personal highlight. It was something we always practiced in the car—Katy doing the Paul part and me doing the John part—but never sang in public. The song had become our little secret, our way of telling each other that everything was going to be just fine. And after tonight, a little assurance was all we needed.
 

Happy birthday, Johnny Cash!

From THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK:

...when a local cop showed up he asked Stu, "What are you hanging around here for?" and Stu said, quoting Johnny Cash, "For whatever's about to go down, that's what for."

Country Style, USA is a series of 15-minute radio and film programs produced by the US Army as a recruiting aid from 1957 to 1960 featuring top American country music artists. Each year 13 episides were produced in Nashville, Tennessee and distributed to local radio and TV stations.

Johnny Cash and the original Tennessee Two, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant.

These are vintage radio broadcast transcription discs (at times you can “hear” the vinyl which adds flavor). The sound quality is amazing.

Country Style USA is from 1958, Guest Star is from 1959.


Download the show at SUGARMEGS.


1) Country Style USA Intro
2) Hey Porter
3) I Walk The Line
4) “Join The Reserve For Youth Training Program” spot
5) Rock Island Line (Johnny says they haven’t recorded it yet)
6) So Doggone Lonesome
7) Country Style USA Outro
8) Country Style USA Intro
9) Folsom Prison Blues
10) Cry Cry Cry
11) “Reserve For Youth Training Program” spot
12) I Was There When It Happened
13) Get Rhythm (“Our latest release on Sun”)
14) Country Style USA Outro
15) Guest Star Intro
16) Country Boy
17) Chat w/ Johnny
18) Don’t Take Your Guns To Town
19) Johnny Cash “Buy Savings Bonds” spot
20) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
21) Guest Star Outro

Top 9: Veteran's Day Songs

Remember the men and women who came home, the ones who didn't, the ones still waiting to come home and the ones who never will. 11/11/11

9. THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER The Doors


8. SEAN FLYNN The Clash


7. TRAVELIN' SOLDIER The Dixie Chicks


6. BELLEAU WOOD Garth Brooks


5. RUBY, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN Kenny Rogers


4. THE BALLAD OF IRA HAYES Johnny Cash



3. WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS Green Day


2. ONE Metallica


1. HERO OF WAR Rise Against

THE MUSIC AND PRESTON BLACK Johnny Cash and the Carter Family, Wembley Arena, London, U.K. 1986-03-31

From THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK:

    "In the process I found out a little about the place where I was born."
    I took a deep breath and picked out a slow, soft "Wildwood Flower." At the 'I will dance I will sing' part Katy stepped up to the mic and joined me.
    Right then and there an amazing thing happened. In these kids who threw down Jäger by the pint every Friday night, I managed to induce images of the buckwheat cakes and the lonely hollows they went back to every Saturday morning. I had to let them know that I knew, and playing that song created a common ground. They were mountaineers not just in the hoodies and ball caps they wore to football games. That's why they sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" every week at the top of their lungs. The hall stood frozen, like in an old photograph. It was so quiet Katy could've played unplugged.

Buy the book on Amazon.

Johnny Cash.

He bridged the gap between traditional music and punk before Rick Rubin ever got the big idea to have Johnny cover Soundgarden and NIN.

Consider the following examples:

"I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die." Johnny Cash, FOLSOM PRISON BLUES versus "Somebody got murdered, his name cannot be found. A small stain on the pavement, they'll scrub it off the ground." The Clash, SOMEBODY GOT MURDERED

"One morning at breakfast, I said to my wife, we been everywhere once and some places twice. As I had another helping of country ham, she said "We ain't never been to Vietnam,and there's a bunch of our boys over there." So we went to the Orient: Saigon." Johnny Cash, SINGIN' IN VIET NAM TALKIN'BLUES versus "Well you'll work harder with a gun in your back. For a bowl of rice a day, slave for soldiers, till you starve, then your head is skewered on a stake." Dead Kennedys, HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA

"Well, I woke up Sunday morning, with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,so I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt. Then I washed my face and combed my hair and stumbled down the stairs to meet the day." Johnny Cash, SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN versus "I went downtown to look for a job, I had no training, no experience to speak of. I looked at the holes in my jeans and turned and headed back." Social D, STORY OF MY LIFE

Okay, so this isn't exactly a doctoral dissertation, but I think I've made my case. With a longer attention span I could've done three or four more comparisons. But I don't have to--look at the picture! This is the man who kicked out the lights at the Grand Ole Opry, saying, "The band kicked off a song, and I tried to take the microphone off the stand. In my nervous frenzy, I couldn't get it off. That was enough to make me explode in a fit of anger. I took the mic stand, threw it down, then dragged it along the edge of the stage. There were 52 lights, and I wanted to break all 52, which I did."

Johnny's biggest contribution to punk is the idea that we can all be redeemed. Without redemption, or a shot of redemption, all that anger is for nothing. I think we all want a chance to scream at the top of our lungs, but we can only do this if we know somebody's going to listen, and that they're going to forgive us when we're done.

Download the show at Sugarmegs.com

Johnny Cash and The Carter Family
Wembley Arena, Wembley Country Festival, London, U.K.
1986-03-31

Johnny Cash : Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Bob Wootton : Lead Guitar
Earl 'Pool' Ball : Piano, Vocals
Jim Soley : Guitar
Joe Allen : Bass Guitar, Vocals
W.S. Holland : Drums
Jack Hale Jr: Trumpet, French Horn
Bob Lewin : French Horn

with:

Carter Family:
June Carter : Autoharp, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Anita Carter: Vocals
Helen Carter: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

guest: John Schneider (Highwayman, Daddy Sang Bass), Carlene Carter (Elbow Room + more??)

June, Anita, Helen (and Carlene?) appear on more tunes (towards the end of the show) than indicated ... songs are shown as "with June" when June is more-or-less duetting, on other tunes she (and her sisters) share backing vocals.

Lineage: FM broadcast(taped, not live)>cassette>SW1000XG>wav>CEP (minor editing only, + normalisation)>CDWAV>CD.

CD#1 :
1. Intro Medley (Johnny Cash Band) (2:40)
2. Ring Of Fire (2:41)
3. Folsom Prison Blues (2:40)
4. Sunday Morning Coming Down (3:37)
5. Any Old Wind That Blows (2:44)
6. These Hands (2:35)
7. Here Comes That Rainbow Again (2:17)
8. Love Is The Way (2:00)
9. The Highwayman (with John Schneider) (2:43)
10. Big River (2:32)
11. I Guess Things Happen That Way (1:30)
12. Band Introductions (0:27)
13. Fairweather Friends (2:38)
14. Piano Solo (Earl 'Pool' Ball) (3:48)
15. One Piece At A Time (4:23)
16. Forty Shades Of Green (2:18)
17. Ghost Riders In The Sky (3:56)
Total Time : [51:07]

CD#2 :
18. If I Were A Carpenter (with June) (2:04)
19. Jackson (with June) (2:22)
Carter Family (June, Helen, Anita):
20. June Carter Introduction (1:28)
21. Wabash Cannonball (June Carter) (1:52)
22. San Antonio Rose (June Carter) (1:04)
23. Elbow Room (Carter Family with Carlene Carter) (3:23)
24. I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Anita) (3:28)
25. Foggy Mountain Top (Carter Family) (2:38)
26. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Carter Family) (3:52)
27. Wildwood Flower jam (Johnny Cash Band) (0:21)
28. Wreck Of The Old '97 (with June) (2:52)
29. A Thing Called Love (2:21)
30. The Ballad Of Ira Hayes (3:02)
31. Were You There When They Crucified My Lord (3:26)
32. Daddy Sang Bass (with John Schneider) (2:12)
33. Outro (Johnny Cash Band) (0:37)
34. Casey Jones (1:25)
35. Orange Blossom Special (3:35)
36. I Walk The Line (2:07)
Total Time : [49:16]