JUNIOR BROWN OUT ON THE ROAD AGAIN

JUNIOR BROWN @ ANTONE'S
Originally uploaded by Kingsnake

I am excited. Junior Brown is coming to Nashville. I plan on being there. Junior Brown is what country music SHOULD be. Nashville country really blows. Cardboard cutout cowboys who all look and sound the same. Same tire stuff. Same tired recycled 70's rock passed off as country. Not so with Junior. When he picks up his guitsteel, a combo of a lap steel and Telecaster, get ready for some down home picking. Equally adept at surf, blues, rockabilly and country, a Junior Brown show is all about what is great in music. Clever lyrics, virtuoso playing and a humble persona that would make Ernest Tubb proud, Junior makes the audience feel at home. I remember seeing him in Chapel Hill NC back in the 90s. The crowd had college hipsters, old guys wearing overalls and everyone in between rocking the house. He hasn't done a studio album for a while so I hope one is in the works. In the meantime, we can catch him out on the road.

Southern Culture on the Skids - Countrypolitan Favorites

Southern Culture on the Skids
Originally uploaded by astromonster zero one

This cd came out a couple of years ago, but I find myself listening to it continuously here lately. What they did was take a bunch of 1960's country tunes and give the the SCOTS treatment. Turbocharged, psychobilly style. It would be easy to write off these guys as a novelty act, but they are much more. Their music rocks, and their attitude toward the music is serious (from a musicianship standpoint) even though the material is lighthearted and fun. Sort of what NOFX does to punk, SCOTS does to rockabilly and traditional country. If Southern Culture on the Skids comes to a town near you, you might be a redneck. But check them out anyway. You won't be disappointed.

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY- THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

Buddy Holly
Originally uploaded by Arvada Center

February 2nd, 1959- the day the music died. It has been fifty years since the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. En route to a concert, their plane crashed in a field in Iowa. People do not realize the lost potential of the artists. Holly was only 22, Valens was 17.
Rock and roll was in its infancy, and these were artists at the top of their game. Holly was an accomplished songwriter, and Valens was a star on the rise. In the early days of touring, they were doing a Winter Dance Tour by bus. The tour buses at that time were no more than converted school buses with no heat and poor amenities. Holly and the other artists chartered a plane to get ahead of the game, get to town early and get some rest, clean shirt, etc. They never made it.
So many great songs. Such a great talent. Go rent The Buddy Holly Story, and La Bamba this week to get a new appreciation for these two stars who died too young.

The Dirty Dozen Year End Round Up: The Twelve Most Popular Stories on The Dissident Times for '08

These are the most popular stories voted on by your little mouse-clicking fingers. A little schizo, but so is our blog, our readers and that's okay. Man does not live by punk and politics alone! In a world where Al Franken is a maverick, and John McCain is on Saturday Night Live, anything can happen. What a great year.
Drum Roll please:

1. Henry Rollins Spoken Word Tour of 2008 There seemed to be mucho interest in what Henry has to say, as this was the top article of the year. Henry is a rennaissance man and all-round interesting character. Little did I know during his Black Flag days that he would go on to have a successful career as a talk show host and spoken word artist. I was lucky enough to meet Henry back in '86. He was "intelligent and intense". That is how I always describe him. He has a busy mind, a great sense of humor, and a vitality that is always refreshing.
2. Ten Essential Punk Albums You Should Own. This article was one of my "Ten Essential" series that I like to write to help expose people to new music and artists. I tried to get 30 years of punk and boil it down to the 10 best albums. I could have made it the Top 100, as it was hard to narrow down the list. I tried to pay homage to as many styles of punk from different locales and eras as I could.
3. Anti-Flag Playing a free show at the Republican National Convention. A lot of hits on this came from ground zero itself, Minneapolis. Don't be confused, they were not doing a gig at the RNC, but at a different venue. The concert also featured Rage Against the Machine and others, and was great by many accounts.
4. Story of the Year Releases New Album. This seems like it should be number one, as "story of the year", but it managed a respectable #4 on the list. The St. Louis band turns out tasteful licks with just enough hard edge, good lyrics and hummable melodies to keep you tuning in. The new cd satisfies in several categories. Buy it.
5. New Release of Eva Cassidy material. Who is Eva? She is a jazz/folk/pop singer from DC that died 10 years ago. She had such a powerful voice that it will haunt you. Why else would bloggers like me be talking about her 10 years after her death. She had a purity and natural talent that stands tall even after all these years. Celebrate her life and get some Eva. I know this is a punk blog mostly, but give in to your tender side, bro. I think I love her.
6. Fender's New Joe Strummer Telecaster. Here is an amalgam of everything I love. Punk-The Clash-Fender guitars-Street art. The only way it could be more appealing to me is if it had a picture of my kids on it, got 50 miles per gallon and smelled like pizza.
7. MXPX celebrates 16 years in-yer-face. This article was a nice little howdy do to a punk band that I have always liked. They are straightforward, melodic, classic punk and a nicer bunch of boys you will not find. Happy 16th, MXPX!
8. Live CD: The Clash at Shea Stadium. The Clash at their best in a live concert cd at Shea Stadium. The band sounds tight, vibrant and as important as ever. Buy this disc too or ask Santa to get it for you. I love the Sandinista and London Calling era, and I love this too.
9. Unknown Hinson's Live CD in the works. For the uninitiated, Unknown Hinson is half vampire, half pyschobilly master of the Telecaster. He comes to town a couple of times a year looking for fresh blood. Nice sparse tunes done full-blown rockabilly style, with Unknown's unique delivery. This is priceless stuff!
10. Camper Van Beethoven retrospective Camper Van was there before indie had a name. Their stuff was quirky and different. This article was just a little roundup of a band that I remember fondly from the late 80s and early 90s. I think I accused an old roomy of stealing that CD, but I found it again in a cd folder since the article was written. What is the statute of limitations on libel?
11. Ten Essential Reggae Artists to Know. I never claimed to be a reggae expert, but I do like the music. Here, I just wanted to pay respect to some Reggae artists I felt have had a big influence on the genre over the years. I always loved how bands like Black Uhuru could sound so hopeful and so sad at the same time. There are tons of great reggae bands out there, and this was my list of ones I found worth the listen.
12. The Urges- Psych Ward New cd that merges the atonal and tuneful, the straight ahead with the psychedeilc. It is nice to see newer bands coming out with worthy takes on classic genres, and taking the music to new places in the process.
    
    So that, my friends, is it. Have a great new year, keep your ears open to new music, and contact us with your favorites and opinions on our favorites. May 2009 rock and rock hard!
    
    
    

Unknown Hinson Live Album due in September!

Unknown Hinson,(aka Stuart Daniel Baker) the undiputed king of psychobilly rock will be releasing a new live CD in September, according to his website. Those who are unkowing of Unknown, check him out. Apart from his campy image and wild getup, he is a GREAT master of the Telecaster. He can throw down the rockabilly, twang and blues licks with the best of them. His songs cover the vast territory of women, whiskey, heartaches, murder and the like, as if ripped from the headlines of the Weekly World News. Unknown has a cult following that includes celebrifans such as Hank III (who has a tattoo of Unknown on his forearm), Matt Groenig and Billy Bob Thornton. I am already looking forward to Kentucky Derby Week 2009, as Unknown Hinson is scheduled for a gig sometime that week at the Phoenix Hill Tavern. For a nice live audio of Unknown Hinson, see WFPK's Live Lunch concert series on their website.

Big Sandy and His Fly- Rite Boys

Here is a band that has been around for 20 years, but still relatively unknown, and that is a shame...
Big Sandy plays authentic rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, with a little western swing thrown in for good measure. Using retro instrumentation for the sparse sound of the era, the band really swings. Upright bass, Fender Telecaster, accoustic guitar and snare drums are the weapons of choice on most of their tracks. Buddy Holly would be familiar with their style, as would Eddy Cochran, Gene Vincent, Link Wray and the King himself. They fell through a time warp and dropped here from someplace in the 50's, and I am glad they came! http://www.bigsandy.net/ is where they hang out, listening to their old 45's and waxing up their vintage Telecasters. The hang out on the West Coast for the most part, but I hope to see them come to the midwest one of these days.