Honkytonk
Hot Sheet Additions – Koffin Kats, The Howling Wolfmen, Frantic Flintstones and The Ravonettes
1/24/12 – Koffin Kats – “Our Way and the Highway” (Sailor’s Grave) Hear an exclusive stream of the first single, For the Good Times @ Bloody Disgusting (ht: Punk News) 10/6/11 – The Howling Wolfmen – “Asylum Rock” (Razmataz) Frantic Flintstones know how to build anticipation, with their constant Facebook updates, such as: Frantic [...]
Last Chance!!! Donate $1 or More, Get Awesome Rockabilly, Psychobilly and Outlaw Country as a Gift, Help Kids Dying of Starvation
#rockabilly #psychobilly The Retro Kustom Honkytonk – Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2011 compilation, featuring 11 sizzling rockabilly, psychobilly and outlaw country tracks from eleven varied, popular artists will be available until October 31st. Then it is GONE, FOREVER!!!! WHAT IS IT? It is an eleven track “sampler” of the music that typifies Retro Kustom Honkytonk. The [...]
Fearless Radio Features the Retro Kustom Honkytonk – Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Comp!
Read about it, #rockabilly lovers!
Buster Fayte’s Rockabilly Romp Features the Retro Kustom Honkytonk – Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Comp!
Check it out #rockabilly people! If you’re anywhere near my age, you probably remember the cry of “Trick or treat for UNICEF!” that sprung up every year about this time. Well, it’s back! Electric Lotus Records, which gives Phoneix-area roots and rockabilly musicians a label that promotes their music, has announced that two of its [...]
Jayhawks are Amazon Deal of the Day – $3.99
The new Jayhawks album, Mockingbird Time is on sale at Amazon for $3.99 – today only. Pop-inflected Americana – good to mellow you out after a psychobilly overdose. Here’s what some other people have said about it: Paste Magazine NPR: The Jayhawks: Just Like Old Times SoundSpike review Roughstock review
Unvarnished Appeal for You to Support the RKH UNICEF Charity Drive
#rockabilly #psychobilly
As anyone who reads the blog knows, I organized a digital compilation by reaching out to bands I enjoyed. The bands, and in some cases, their producers and labels, kindly and generously agreed to participate, furnishing me with requested tracks and took the time to handle approvals. I am specifically appreciative of their help.
The idea for the comp, however, dates back over four years ago, when I did some blogging-for-hire about extreme poverty (defines as living on $1 US or less a day). That work required me to educate myself on the issues in a crash-course way, reading UN reports and books like The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. It meant learning about the effects of globalization, the scourge of children soldiers, the price of political strife (such as in Darfur) and the impact of environmental conditions such as droughts.
Once you learn all this, you can’t “unlearn” it. It says with you. You start musing about what percentage of your overpriced coffee made it back to an Ethiopian farmer, or the money for the food you don’t need would be better used paying for some high-calorie rations for starving children.
At the same time, you’re not Bill Gates (who is really doing amazing things through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation… more of the “1%” should behave with such foresight and humanity). After a while, a certain hopelessness descends. Your awareness of suffering is vastly greater than your ability to do anything about it. Most people not in the 1% of wage-earners spend most of their time making rent. The little bit of extra cash that can be scraped up is used to try to actually enjoy the one life you have.
And that’s where rockabilly/psychobilly/hillbilly comes in. Rockabilly is a fun escape, full of outlandish personalities, imaginative lyrics, primal, rhythmic music and distinctive aesthetics. Whether it’s their hot rod, their hair or their band, people work hard at projecting a certain image. The “conversation” between all of these imaginative and artistic people is a fun diversion from whatever problems people may have. I firmly believe that’s the main “payoff” for the scene… a little escapist fun and the chance to communicate with other people who share some of your interests. I guess sports fans, gamers or Deadheads must feel the same way, but I’m none of those things, I’m a rockabilly/psychobilly/hillbilly fan.
There’s a big world with big problems beyond your ability to affect. The world keeps turning no matter what you do, so you might as well go to a car show or enjoy a band or buy that cool shirt, trying to compartmentalize the fact that through nothing but rotten luck, a child was born to die a half a world away.
In my case, I saw, through this admittedly fannish blog, I was finding bands that seemed cool and approachable. I had a computer with the capability of putting together CD-style packaging and I had page views in the 1,000′s. UNICEF has this cool “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Online” portal that handled credit card donations directly… I didn’t have to worry about the liability of touching other people’s money, and the donation would be tax-deductible (in the US, at least).
Best of all, I knew from my research a few years ago that UNICEF was one of the few genuinely effective NGOs/charities on the ground. Not perfect, but better than most. This fact is confirmed by the respected independent organization, Charity Navigator, who gave UNICEF four stars.
I thought a compilation that accurately reflected this blog… a mix of outrageous outlaw/honkytonk country, swingin’ rockabilly and slammin’ psychobilly, with a mix of male and female vocalists… would make for a pretty cool enticement to donate to this cause that is so close to my heart. Extreme poverty is not a “crisis” the way a natural disaster is… it is a pernicious problem that is hard to personalize. I don’t know the names of the 1,000 of kids who are dying today, and I can only give a fumbling guess as to their stories and the causes of their premature demise – a clusterfuck of geography, weather, local and global politics and local and global economics – but I thought maybe I could turn this admittedly frivolous blog (about a fairly frivolous, but creative, scene) to help accomplish what I so often felt too small, powerless and insignificant to do… help contribute some cash in maybe the three-digit range, rather than the two-digit range (lofty goals, I know!)
It’s a challenge to motivate pure charity without a direct emotional appeal (like disaster relief, or those ads with the sad dogs and cats), but I hope that the opportunity to do good, in combination with the inducement of getting music hand-chosen by the blogger you read will motivate some of you to support this great cause.
As always, this project is only possible through the generosity of the participating bands and, in some cases, the producers and labels associated with them.
If you’d like to donate ANY AMOUNT to UNICEF and get the compilation, CLICK HERE.
New Releases 10-11-11
#countrymusic
10/11 – Johnny Cash – “Johnny Cash: Bootleg Vol. 3″ (Sony Legacy)
10/11 – The Infamous Stringdusters – “We’ll Do It Live” (High Country Recordings)
10/11 – Scott H. Biram – “Bad Ingredients” (Bloodshot)
10/1 – Robb Shenton & The Western All Stars – “We’re Gonna Rock” (Fury Records) (missed this one previously)
EXCLUSIVE MUSIC – Retro Kustom Honkytonk’s First Charity Compilation Album – Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2011!
#psychobilly #rockabilly #countrymusic
Want to celebrate Halloween 1950′s style, by supporting the vital work of UNICEF?
GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LOT!
Make a tax-deductible donation in any amount to UNICEF through the link below and get an 11-song compliation album as a “thank you” gift.
New Releases 10-4-11
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
#rockabilly by Retro
#psychobilly by Kustom
10/3 – Rocker Covers – “Revved Up” (Greystone Records)
RKH reported and reported again… | Buy @ Amazon
10/4 – Merle Haggard – “Working In Tennesse” (Vanguard Records)
RKH reported… | Buy @ Amazon
10/4 – Misfits – “The Devil’s Rain” (Misfits Records)
RKH reported, reported again, and opined | Buy @ Amazon
10/4 – VA – “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams” (Columbia)
RKH reported… but because find the idea of “finishing” the work of a genius seems suspect (or necrophiliac, according to Rolling Stone) despite the involvement of Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Jack White and others, we recommend a thoughtful post from the excellent blog Saving Country Music. | Buy @ Amazon (if you must) or Buy REAL Hank Williams – 20 Greatest Hits – @ Amazon
Hot Sheet Add – Hellbound Glory
Hellbound Glory, from Reno Nevada, calls its music “scumbag country”. I call it pure honkytonk, the kind of music barroom bards like Lefty Frizzell perfected. Lots of music on RKH consists of the loveable mutts of the world – weird amalgamations of country, punk, folk and indie rock. Hellbound Glory is more straight-up country, which, [...]
Hot Sheet Add – Dwight Yoakam
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
#rockabilly by Retro
#psychobilly by Kustom
The Hot Sheet is a mixed list of all the music Retro, Kustom & Honkytonk are curious to hear. Are we missing an upcoming release or recent release that you want to tell us about? COMMENT BELOW!
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam announced over the summer that he was returning to Warner Nashville for his next album – scheduled for early 2012. Today, his Facebook read:
New music is coming . . .
Guess we’ll have to stay tuned to see what that means!
Preview Johnny Cash Bootleg 3
JohnnyCashOnline posted these exclusive preview tracks from Johnny Cash: Bootleg Vol. 3 – Live Around The World (Legacy)! Can’t wait to hear more. RKH discussed this album previously. We [JohnnyCashOnline] are providing an exclusive first listen to several tracks from the album, including the previously unreleased version of “Cocaine Blues” performed live at Annex 14 NCO Club, [...]
Sneak a Peek at Haggard
#countrymusic by Honkytonk ~ Head over to No Depression to hear an advanced streaming of Merle Haggard’s new album (they have a contest running to win a copy, too).
Haggard is an institution, but one who’s troublesome heart doesn’t settle comfortably into the role of icon. While he has nothing to prove to anyone else, it appears he still restlessly strives to prove something to himself.
A world with fresh Merle Haggard songs ain’t such a bad place. Listen to Working in Tennessee (Vanguard) now, and pick up a copy on October 4th, 2011.
R.I.P. Johnnie Wright, Country Artist, Husband of Kitty Wells
Johnnie Wright passed away yesterday at the ripe old age of 97, having lived as full a life inside Country music one could imagine. A member of The Grand Ole Opry, coming to prominence as a member of the duo “Johnnie & Jack”, having a number one hit in 1965 as a solo artist and having a successful marriage to Country superstar Kitty Wells for seventy-four years! In that time, he also acted as the Queen of Country Music’s manager.
Read more at any and all of these better-informed blogs:
The Tennessean
Music Row
The Boot
MPFree – Amazing Bloodshot Records Fall Sampler
Bloodshot Records is offering a free sampler. Add your email and zip code below in order to get the downloads from Bloodshot. TRACKLISTING 1. HA HA TONKA – Usual Suspects [Buy album: iTunes, Amazon MP3 or Bloodshot] 2. LYDIA LOVELESS – Can’t Change Me [iTunes, Amazon MP3 or Bloodshot] 3. DEX ROMWEBER DUO – Jungle Drums [...]
Hot Sheet Adds
The Hot Sheet is a mixed list of all the music Retro, Kustom & Honkytonk are curious to hear. Are we missing an upcoming release or recent release that you want to tell us about? COMMENT BELOW! New Additions: 10/?/ 11 – Screamin’ Sugar Skulls – “Undertaker Boogie” 10/7/11 - The Jancee Pornick Casino - “Slice [...]
New Releases
9/27 – Southern Culture on the Skids – “Zombified” LP version (Kudzu) SCOTS.com/skidmart (previous RKH post) 9/27 – Mekons – “Ancient & Modern” (Sin Records – owned by Mekons/distributed by Bloodshot) (previous RKH post) 9/27 – Wilco – “Get Well Soon Everybody” (dBpm - Jeff Tweedy’s label) 9/27 – Elvis Presley – “Young Man with the Big Beat” [...]
MPFree: 2 Free Mekons Tracks
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
The Mekons are a UK band who were there for the first wave of punk in the 7o’s, but embraced the various strains of roots music, developing into a forerunner of the Americana genre. The band has a rich recorded history, ready for you to devour, but you can start with “Geeshie”.
Rolling Stone offers a free download of the song, which will be on their upcoming album, Ancient and Modern (Bloodshot) on September 27th, 2011.
The band’s guitar player, Jon Langford, explains the free track:
“When [Wilco frontman] Jeff Tweedy came on my WXRT radio show the Eclectic Company a few years ago, he brought along a track I’d never heard by Geeshie Wiley called ‘Last Kind Words. I played it to Lu Edmonds, and we spent a long time trying to predict when she was going to change chords, then gave up and wrote ‘Geeshie,’ which, while retaining the original groove, changes chords in even less likely places.”
Bloodshot Records, by the way, has a DIFFERENT sample song, “Space in Your Face” from the same album, on the album’s site.
Langford discussed “Space in Your Face” in an interview on The Awl:
“Space In Your Face” actually talks about the bombing of the LA Times. It was a time of domestic terrorism, huge corruption, and witch trials… so there are all of these similarities [to today]. It’s almost like that period leading up to the First World War was like the end of human history as it had been. And what we’ve lived through, from the 20th century ‘til today—it’s just the modern world, you know, and all of its glory and destruction.
By the way, from Dex Romweber to The Mekons and tons of others, Bloodshoot Records have been killin’ it. I don’t know them, but from the outside, it seems like the best example of “record label 2.0″ I’ve seen.
Available Today – 454′s & Jayhawks
9/20 – The 454′s – “Granpa’s Whiskey” EP (self-released) 9/20 – Jayhawks – “Mockingbird Time” (Rounder / Pgd)
The Jayhawks and the Lowdown on Alt. Country
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
I’m lookin’ forward to the upcoming JAYHAWKS album. There’s a pesky genre that found a center of gravity with No Depression magazine (now an online endeavor) in the 90′s. For a while the music was called “No Depression”, but that seems to have waned in favor of either “Alt. Country” or “Americana”. As a rule, it was rock guys adding country, folk, 60′s country-rock and “old-time” musical intrumentation to pop-structured indie rock songs.
Sometimes it sounds a little like 70′s era singer-songwriter stuff, sometimes it has some of that Graham Parsons/FLYING BURRITO BROS. California Country Rock sound, other times, it can have rockabilly overtones or even sound like 80′s college rock (like early R.E.M.). In other words, it’s pretty all over the map and can often hit my personal gag reflex as often as my auditory pleasure center.
The Jayhawks were right there at the start, part of that first wave of Alt. Country. UNCLE TUPELO, from who’s 1990 album the magazine took its name. UNCLE TUPELO’s Jeff Tweedy went on to become the sole core member of WILCO, while his old songwriting partner, Jay Farrar formed SON VOLT. WHISKEYTOWN let to the emergence of Ryan Adams. OLD 97′s/Rhett Miller, also veterans of that first wave, still release great albums (RKH review here, btw).
Formed in Minneapolis in the mid-80′s THE JAYHAWKS centers on the songwriting partnership of Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Louris quit in the mid-90′s, leaving Olson to hobble on as “Jayhawks-in-Name-Only”.
A few years ago, however the two got back together and are kickin’ it old school on their soon-to-be-released return-to-form album, Mockingbird Time (Rounder – available September 20th, 2011). Unlike a lot of songwriting duos that reunite, they seem to actually still like each other. Must be a midwest thing. Check out the teaser video below.
New Albums Out Today
Pat Roberts & The Heymakers – “Lonesome & Blue” (Electric Lotus)
Tom Russell – “Mesabi” (Shout! Factory)
Hank 3 – “Ghost to a Ghost”/”Guttertown” double-LP (Hank3 Records)
Hank3 as Attention Deficient Domination – “Attention Deficient Domination” (Hank 3 Records)
Hank3 as 3 Bar Ranch – “Cattle Callin’” (Hank 3 Records)
VA – “Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” (Verve Forecast)
Pat Roberts’ New “Blue”
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
Retro told you about Electric Lotus artists VOODOO SWING a bit ago, which alerted me to the upcoming release by PAT ROBERTS & THE HEYMAKERS, Lonesome & Blue. As you can hear, Pat Roberts plays a pretty mean guitar and has a nice honkytonk-friendly voice, while the songwriting seems to stay true to traditional country. Maybe in another life they could’ve shared a package tour with Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison or Johnny Cash, or cut a record with Owen Bradley. Instead, this well-crafted country music, which should be the very definition of mainstream country, is left to be adopted by the rockabillies and country purists (such as myself). Give ‘em a spin and LIKE ‘em on Facebook.
MPFree – Bloodshot Records: Fun For All Ages Sampler
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
It’s never too early to start indoctrinating your kids to like good, authentic music. In the name of brainwashin’ the impressionable, I recommend getting the FREE Bloodshot Records: Fun For All Ages Sampler over there at Amazon.com.
I’m not saying every track is a triumph. Some of it gets a little twee and treacley for this cowpoke, but what do you want for nuthin’?
Most of it, like the bluegrass ramble Down in the Arkansas, by Jim & Jennie and the Pinetops, or the breathy take on Rubber Duckie, by Kelly Hogan, will please young and old. And even if they only please the old, the old are the one’s driving the car and can tell the young to shut the hell up about their Justin Beibers and Victoria Justices and listen to some damn fiddle music!
Bloodshot’s got a hell of a roster, too, check ‘em out and buy some records.
MPFree – Glen Campbell – Ghost On The Canvas – Amazon Deal of the Day – $3.99!
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
Glen Campbell has navigated a course between country and pop that been unmatched by anyone else. He’s had hits under his own name which have since become standards, such as Wichita Lineman and Gentle on My Mind. An accomplished and tasteful guitarist, his playing has graced a broad range of hits for artists in a mind-boggling array of genres.
At the same time, he pursued an acting career, starring with John Wayne in True Grit.
He then transitioned to television, hosting his own variety program, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, before defining the country crossover era of the late 70′s/early 80′s with the megahit Rhinestone Cowboy.
Like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, Country radio wrote Glen off a long time ago. In 2010, Glen announce he has been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. This release will likely be his final full-length album, and proves, once again, how much Country radio loses by throwing away the masters of the craft.
Rockabilly superstar Brian Setzer (STRAY CATS) plays on the album and, in addition to original compositions, the work features versions of songs by indie icons Paul Westerberg (REPLACEMENTS) and Robert Pollard (GUIDED BY VOICES).
Today, you can buy it for less than a sandwich. For the next 24 hrs. (as of this writing, on Tuesday, August 30, 2011), the songs are available as DRM-free MP3 downloads/free Amazon cloud thingie for $3.99 at Amazon.com.
And, by-the-by, since Amazon skunked all of their California associates, I don’t even get anything for pointing this out… just doing it out of the goodness of my heart (stop laughing).
MPFree – Muddy Roots 2011 Compilation Vol. 3
#countrymusic by Honkytonk
Muddy Roots Music Festival is an event in Cookeville, Tennessee on September 3rd and 4th, featuring Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Country, and Punk bands that honor American roots music, but play “with the energy of punk rock”.
This compilation gives all of us potential concertgoers a chance to hear songs from every artist on this year’s line-up – for FREE.
Go to THIS SITE and “add to cart”. You will proceed as if you are buying it (putting in your email, etc.), but you will NOT be asked for a method of payment. Within moments, an email is sent to your email address with a download link.
Check out their sites for more information about the event:
www.muddyrootsmusic.com
Muddy Roots Music (event) Facebook
(h/t Wreckhouse Radio Facebook Page)
