Some Indianapolis alt-country/roots rock gigs you should know about:
Nov. 13: The Elms w/ Special Guest Henry French and the Shameless, The Vogue 8 p.m.
Nov. 14: David England, Vulgar Boatmen, Old Flames, Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., 9 p.m.
Nov. 18: The Fox Hunt, Joey Welch, The Complete Unknowns, The Vollrath, 118 E. Palmer St., 8 p.m.
Nov. 18: Carrie Rodriguez, Royal Theater, 59 S. Washington St. Danville, 8 p.m.
Nov. 21: Will Hoge, Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., 9 p.m.
Nov. 21: Rusty Bladen, Louie’s, St. Rd 37, Fishers, 9:30 p.m.
Nov. 21: Vagabond Opera, Royal Theater, 59 S. Washington St., Danville, 8 p.m
Nov. 22: Alexa Woodward, Elam Abraham Blackman, Adam Kuhn, The Accordions, Earth House, 237 N. East St., 8 p.m.
Dec. 4: The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Jascha, Joey Welch, The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., 9 p.m.
You guys know I think The Elms are the real deal, right? They work hard, tour around in a van, playing sweaty, greasy, soulful music for 10 or 100 or 1,000 people at a time. The Elms seem to think rock and roll matters. Gotta get behind that, because it’s the difference between music that means something and all the rest of the stuff out there. Here’ s the new video for the hook-laden “Back to Indiana”. (I think it’s golden when bands make MTV-ish videos today. The new retro…). Rock forward…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AkjV7k1RUE]
See. This is what the web was meant to do. Live events. Stuff that TV won’t do.
U2 live webcast of their concert this (10.25.09) Sunday night from the Rose Bowl in CA. – 11:30pm (ET).
Will be an interesting piece to watch, and see if it translates well to the web and if the images and audio rock appropriately.
Oh yeah – U2 ain’t bad either.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2xae9dcAVg]
Bob Dylan opened a three-night run in LA Tuesday night – and we mention because one of our favorite guitar slingers, Charlie Sexton, is back in his band. Ah, we remember little Charlie when he was only 17 and playing bars and clubs, promoting his “Beats So Lonely” record way back in 1986. Saw him at a little dive in Toledo called Kip’s West. Short show (about an hour) and he and the band played everything off that record. But we could tell he had the guitar goods. He’s matured into one of the best guitar players out of Austin, TX, which a damn good feat. read about the show from rollingstone.com Bob Dylans’ Setlist
“Gonna Change My Way of Thinking”
“Shooting Star”
“Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
“Cold Irons Bound”
“Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)”
“My Wife’s Home Town”
“Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”
“High Water (for Charlie Patton)”
“I Feel a Change Comin’ On”
“Highway 61 Revisited”
“Nettie Moore”
“Thunder on the Mountain”
“Ballad of a Thin Man”
“Like a Rolling Stone”
“Jolene”
“All Along the Watchtower” Here’s a vintage video.
Two notes: a young David Grissom is on guitar in the band. Those are two of the best of their generation to come out of the Austin scene. And here they are in the same band. Secondly. Charlie’s hair. These days, he’s aged into a good looking rock star, but here? It’s the 80’s, man.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J37oBBjW7dI]
Owen Thomas of the Elms feels the rock The Elms (Indiana’s own, from Seymour) have a new album “The Great American Midrange” out, if you haven’t grabbed it yet…It’s loud, energetic rock and roll, informed by Petty/power-pop influences and has a solid Middle America vibe. The best record yet for the group. “Back to Indiana”, “County Fair” “Strut”, and “Unless God Appears First” are my favorites at the moment. Ordered on their website. (theelms.net) you can get the album and a companion acoustic version for 15 bucks, or 10 bucks on iTunes for the regular release. If you dig Petty, Springsteen, and Cheap Trick, it’s worth a listen. Or four. They play a show a show in Terre Haute on November 12 and headline in Indy at the Vogue on November 13, with supporting acts Green River Ordinance and one of our faves, Henry French and the Shameless.
NOVEMBER 12, 2009:The Verve. $5. 8pm. 21+
NOVEMBER 13, 2009: The Vogue. $10-$12. 8pm. 21+
HEAR “Back to Indiana”
There is a fabulous, honest, intelligent interview with Richard Young of the woefully underappreciated Kentucky Headhunters at 9513.com. The Headhunters had seven studio albums and four straight Top 30 hits in the early 90s – “Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine,” “Dumas Walker,” the not-so-big-hit“ Rock ‘n’ Roll Angel” and “Oh Lonesome Me.” They’ve won a Grammy, CMA and ACM award in their long history (not that awards make a band good, but it does show they were, at one time, a big deal in country music. ) They rocked, yet were a bit hard to categorize. I played the shit out of them at a radio station I was working for around 1990. But they were unique; oddness come by honestly. Read full article FEATURED MUSIC ARTICLE: I love my Peter Cooper. The music writer for The Tennessean in Nashville, (and a guitar player of considerable talent – he’s been playing with Todd Snider recently) has written a great little piece that is called “70 is the New 30”, talking about some great new music from legendary artists. He riffs on Kris Kristofferson Bobby Bare, Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson, Tom T. Hall, Willie and Merle too. Must read. SHOW REMINDER: Nashville boy Will Hoge returns to Indianapolis for the first time in more than a year with a show at Radio Radio on November 21. He burns it up live – his gig at the Rathskeller last summer was outstanding. And he writes a nicely descriptive website blog too. ROOTS ROCK TWANG NEWS: Bruce Springsteen debuted a new song at Giants Stadium during his run of five shows at the soon-to-be-demolished facility. He has played there more than 60 times in his career…the song’s a testament to how unique Bruce is when it comes to capturing moments in time, making them a metaphor for life, and his strength at writing an anthem. And we have a pro-recorded version of the song…
HEAR “Wrecking Ball”
Pat Green parted ways with BNA Records after two albums – 2006’s Cannonball and 2009’s What I’m For. Maybe now Pat will get a little dirtier with his future efforts. I really like him and he is tremendous as a live act. Just would like to see some shine worn off the sound. Here the link to his site, as his career continues to roll on, label or not.
Not exactly R.E.M., but it was close. Drummer Bill Berry performed with R.E.M. bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills onstage recently in the Athens, Georgia, nightclub the 40 Watt, covering the Beatles “Ballad of John & Yoko” and the McCoys’ classic “Hang On Sloopy.” Berry, who last played with R.E.M. in 2007 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was also joined by frequent R.E.M. collaborator and Minus 5 main man Scott McCaughey on lead vocals.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-lUwR-C_7c]
On the new Rosanne Cash album, The List plays like a tribute to the durability of country songwriting . She argues songs such as Don Gibson’s “Sea of Heartbreak,”(a killer duet with Bruce Springsteen) Harlan Howard’s “I’m Movin’ On” and Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings” are worth hearing again.– Read more
Digital music: Online country album sales grew more than 50 percent in the first half of this year. The country music industry sold 2.35 million digital albums for the year through June 28, a growth of 832,000 units, or about 55 percent, which beat all other popular music genres, according to Nielsen SoundScan said. On the other hand, country CD sales were down 7 percent so far in 2009 New Springsteen dates announced; No Indianapolis show – Quite a few tour stops in states that Bruce missed – in Florida, Ohio and Michigan—as well as returns to a few cities, like Chicago, DC, and Philadelphia. There is no Indianapolis date of the calendar, and don’t expect one to be added. His show in March 2008 failed to sell out at Conseco Fieldhouse, as he might have had 13,000 there. His Seeger Sessions tour stop at Verizon Wireless Music Center was a killer show, but they had less than 8,000 there for that show. Head to St. Louis, Chicago or Detroit if you want to see the band.
There are no West coast dates but the Southeastern U.S. gets shows in Nashville, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, and Greenville in September; to the Midwest in St. Louis and Kansas City in October. In November: Live in New York City, as Bruce and the Band return to Madison Square Garden for a pair of shows. The run ends November 15 in Milwaukee. He’s already got number shows at Giants Stadium already sold out. Upcoming Indianapolis show worth putting on the calendar: longtime alternative country/rockers Cracker with local rootsy pop purveyors Henry French and the Shameless at the Vogue on August 27 New Cracker video:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HtYcmHpEM] Pearl Jam has new music online from their upcoming album, Backspacer (out September 20) called “The Fixer.” It’s already a mainstay on AAA, rock and alternative radio. Lyle Lovett combines both originals and songs “by some of my favorite Texas singer-songwriters” on his next album, which is due out Oct. 20. “This is a combination of my songs and the approach I took on (1998’s) ‘Step Inside This House,’ ” on which he also covered material by other songwriters he likes.
Ryan Bingham steps out the field...to hit Indianapolis with a live show Ryan’s Bingham is headed to Indianapolis
Lost Highway Records signed Bingham and issued his major-label debut, Mescalito (featuring production by Marc Ford, former guitarist for the Black Crowes), was released in October 2007. Rolling Stone compared Bingham’s raw, scratchy voice to that of “Steve Earle’s dad.” Ford has also produced Bingham’s latest record “Roadhouse Sun”, out earlier this year. The Indianapolis Songwriters Cafe is bringing Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses with Jesse Dayton to Radio Radio on July 10. It should be really good… RYAN’S WEBSITE JESSE’S WEBSITE
U2 began their U2 360 tour in Barcelona last week, in front 90,000 fans.
The show unveiled the band’s new outdoor stage setup, dubbed “The Claw.” The dual archway extends around the stage in the middle of the stadium, to allow for maximum capacity at the shows, with the sound system for the band mounted within its legs.
Kicking off opening night with “Breathe,” the band played 21 songs and dedicated “Angel Of Harlem” to Michael Jackson, with Bono singing snippets of “Man In The Mirror” and “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”. Enjoy the confidence, command and musical flexibility U2 shows when Bono switches to a short Michael Jackson medley near the end.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3IaL-0h-R4]
In typical Bono bombast, he connected with astronauts on the International Space Station via the tour’s 360 screen. “Commander, can you see Barcelona?” asked Bono. The set list also included a few rarities, including the title track to The Unforgettable Fire, which hadn’t been played live since 1990. U2 opening night - with the "claw"stage – setlist – Barcelona/6.30.09:
“Breathe”
“No Line on the Horizon”
“Get On Your Boots”
“Magnificent”
“Beautiful Day”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“Angel Of Harlem”
“In A Little While”
“Unknown Caller”
“The Unforgettable Fire”
“City Of Blinding Lights”
“Vertigo”
“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“Pride (In The Name Of Love)”
“MLK”
“Walk On”
“Where The Streets Have No Name”
“One” ENCORE “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”
“With Or Without You”
“Moment Of Surrender”
The band mixed up the set list for the second show in Barcelona on July 2 – “Desire”, “Party Girl” and “Electrical Storm” all were additions – plus two different versions of ‘Crazy’ filmed for a video. The tour moves to Milan, Italy this week for shows on July 7 and 8. The tour comes to the United States September 12 with the first of two shows in Chicago. The first night is sold out, and the second show has tickets remaining.
*** NEW MUSIC NEWS One of the best Texas country/roots/rockers, Charlie Robison smiles 'cause he knows his new record is good
→ New Charlie Robison album – Beautiful Day – is out
(Interview excerpt from lonestar.com)
“If I give it to someone while I’m driving or something, people that maybe don’t know me real well will go through it and be like, “Man, I would have never, ever thought that you’d be into this stuff.” I consider myself a country artist, I consider myself a rock artist, I consider myself an Americana artist. Doug Sahm was … I keep going back to influences, but how would you classify him? I think being somewhat unclassifiable is probably the greatest compliment I could get as a musician. So I kind of like that, and I certainly can’t classify myself, because I never know what’s coming out next.” Read entire interview here
Watch album release party concert video of “Nothin’ Better to Do”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYVEY7rVQnw]
→ Newly recorded live performances of some songs from John Mellencamp’s 2008 release Life, Death, Love and Freedom are out, in conjunction with his trek across the country with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. His website says the live versions are presented with no overdubs or studio enhancements. Related Bob Dylan note:
Though Mellencamp did not join Willie Nelson and Dylan at the recent Rothbury Festival, Dylan still rocked a 90-minute, 17-song show to close out the festival’s Odeum main stage. For the fourth show of his U.S. tour promoting his latest album, “Together Through Life,” Dylan offered up just one song from the new album, “Jolene,” instead pulling favorites out for the crowd. He played “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,” a slinky treatment of “Tangled Up In Blue,” “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Ballad of a Thin Man,” “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again,” “Like A Rolling Stone” and fierce “All Along The Watchtower.” –>read review of Mellncamp/Dylan/Willie show in St. Louis Lots of The Jayhawks greatness on one album
→ The Jayhawks recently announced the release of their anthology Music from the North Country. The retrospective will be available as a single disc featuring the best of the Jayhawks’ studio albums, or as a double-disc set with an additional CD full of b-sides, rare tracks and previously-unreleased material.
→ Old Crow Medicine Show will release Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre, their first live concert DVD on August 18. It was recorded last December and is scheduled to have 20 songs. The DVD also includes five tracks not found on their three studio albums: “Wheeling Breakdown,” “Raise A Ruckus,” “Reuben’s Train,” “Sally Anne” and “Shack #9.” all are live songs that OCMS play.
→ Delbert McClinton’s first album in four years, Acquired Taste, on that same date
→ The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will release their first studio album in five years on September 22. Titled Speed of Life, the album will be released on the band’s own record label and distributed by Sugar Hill.
*** INDY LIVE ALERT #2 19Clark25 headlines at the Big Roots Show
Indianapolis roots rockers that we really like,19Clark25, will play The Big Roots Show at Local Only this week (7.9.09) along with Varmit and Nick Ivanovich. go to 19Clark25 website AND FINALLY – A NEW IRISH BAND WE FOUND THAT ROCKS
Go and watch a three song live performance (roots-rock/raspy vocals/sweet harmonies/ partly electric, mostly acoustic/well-miked drummer) from John Shelly and the Creatures. Formed in 2007, they released their first EP Big Day Out and single “Angeline”. The track got airplay on BBC Radio. Two members are from Dublin and two from “the North of Ireland” as they call it. The band recorded their new single “Long May You Reign” in 2009 and it is online in audio and video… WEBSITE WATCH ALL VIDEOS
Quick sample of their sound…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWaZ5-fB_O8]
See. This is what the web was meant to do. Live events. Stuff that TV won’t do.
There is a fabulous, honest, intelligent interview with Richard Young of the woefully underappreciated 
SHOW REMINDER: Nashville boy Will Hoge returns to Indianapolis for the first time in more than a year with a show at Radio Radio on November 21. He burns it up live – his gig at the Rathskeller last summer was outstanding. 
New Springsteen dates announced
Lyle Lovett combines both originals and songs “by some of my favorite Texas singer-songwriters” on 
