4 Songs I Think You Should Hear
I listen to a lot of new Americana and Country music. As much as I can without getting overwhelmed. Even at that, there is so much to discover and fall in love with. If you'll let me, I want to share with you 4 songs that I think you might like or will at least find interesting.
4) Castleneck - Cliff Wagner And The Old #7
From the album "Hobo's Lullaby"
I find a lot of music through movies and tv shows as I'm watching them. I'll pick up on a lyric that interests me and google it. Sites like Tunefind are a great resource to find these cool unknown gems. That's exactly how I found this awesome bluegrass thumper. It was featured in a season one episode of Justified being played by a jailhouse bluegrass band, portrayed in the episode by Wagner and his band. After I did some research and found the song, I discovered that there are a couple of different versions. One is an older more traditional bluegrass style, while the one featured here has a banging drum kit featured. Cliff Wagner was quoted as saying, "Some bluegrass fans say to me, 'you don’t need a drummer' and I say to them yes, I don’t need a drummer, I want a drummer." I'm dig the later drummed up version myself, but your miles may vary.
This tune hits a checkbox with me, and that's the one that digs driving drums and aggressive banjos. Something about that combination really set's off the inner hillbilly in me. It's worth noting this song is based on a true story. Wagner wrote it about a bartender he knew that had a medieval castle tattooed on his neck. He didn't know that sud slinger's name until it was published in the local paper for killing his girlfriend. That's the pedigree of a bluegrass song.
3) Take Me to Lake Charles - Shinyribs
From the album "Gulf Coast Museum"
If you ever, I mean ever get a chance to see Shinyribs live, do so. I guarantee you will not regret it. It doesn't even matter what kind of music you're into. Country? Gospel? Blues? R&B? Swamp rock? Oldies? Jazz? It's all there! I've had the pleasure of seeing them twice and I hope the see them a dozen more. Kevin Russell, the lead singer, is a bastion of energy and "I can't believe he just did that" swagger. That's never more evident than when they are playing a song like Take Me Lake Charles.
The song tells the tale a down on his luck guy who's asking his lady friend to take him to the casino, because he really wants to do some gambling. He's lost his license during Hurricane Rita, so he can't drive, but if she will take him, he'll take her to the buffet and buy her some flowers. It's so much fun and you can't help but sway and smile along as he lists the reasons she should take him on this journey.
Fun fact - Remember when you downloaded Gin and Juice off Limewire back in the day and it was probably labeled as a "Weird Al" song? That was actually Kevin Russell's earlier band The Gourds!
2) If You're Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough - Karen O
From the album "Jackass 3D (Official Movie Soundtrack)"
I love Roger Alan Wade. I think he is such an underrated songwriter that's sometimes unfairly categorized as a novelty songwriter. And certainly while he's written some hilarious songs, he's also penned some truly deep, moving material. Take for instance the title track of his latest album Simmering Rage, or Johnny Cash Has Died off All Likkered Up. Even this song, while comical in parts, has a deeper meaning then the surface lets on. At its core, its and anthem about doing what you have to do sometimes.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs contributed a great cover of this one to the Jackass 3D soundtrack in 2010. She keeps it faithful to the original but turns it into a rowdy sing along fit for a crew of jackasses. It's a unique opportunity to hear O sing a straight up country song and she nails it and more importantly has fun with it.
1) Bible On The Dash - Corb Lund ft. Hayes Carll
From the album "Cabin Fever"
I just have recently gotten into the music of Corb Lund. I was aware of him for awhile, but had never dug very deep into his catalog. It's difficult enough keeping up with all the stateside country and americana singers. Canada is full is exceptionally talented folks as well though, and Corb Lund has the material to prove it. Hailing from Alberta, he's released 9 albums so far, the most recent of which, opened the doors up for me. Agricultural Tragic just came out this past spring and I recommend it highly for fans of good old fashioned cowboy country.
But today we're taking about a track from 2012's Cabin Fever. When I saw that he had recorded a couple of times with Hayes Carll, I wanted to find out more about those songs. I'm a big Carll fan and am always on the lookout for new material. They have a great version of Cover of the Rolling Stone on Lund's EP Cover Your Tracks. Bible on the Dash is an original written by Lund, Carll and Red Dirt heavyweight Jason Boland. It's a comical tale of using the faith to slide your way out of trouble with the law. I can't really do the story justice. Just listen to the song to get the full effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment