We’re at the tail end of 2008 now which means that we have an extra disc to mention, a Christmas gift to our subscribers who received a “Best 0f 2008” CD along with their December fix. Aside from that it’s business as usual as we report that Jason & The Scorchers are to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association and to celebrate they’ll play together with their original line-up for the first time in over a decade. We also note that a certain ex Drive By Trucker announced his first album with a new band, the 400 Unit, presumably it went well. There’s a news story which reports that Darius Rucker, singer with Hootie & The Blowfish, is humbled that his debut solo song ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It’ had hit Number One on the country charts. Whether that’s something to celebrate is down to you, dear reader. Aside from these there’s little to report on the news front (the Wayback Machine remains somewhat bereft of archived material) but in December we pass on the news that Leonard Cohen was predicted to attain the top two positions in the Christmas Pop Charts via his song ‘Hallelujah’. This was due to the X Factor, a poxy TV show which featured Alexandra Burke singing the song which went on to be downloaded in Britain more than 150,000 times. On the back of this Jeff Buckley’s version of the song gained traction with both vying for the Christmas Number One slot.
On the live front there’s the last of our summer festivals report as the late Phil Edwards attends the very first Maverick festival at the tail end of August. He seems to have had a good time although, as he wrote, “The promised back stage passes didn’t materialise, but it made no difference as the whole site was open and accessible to all, and ‘back stage’ consisted of one hospitality tent for the artists.” He’s not enamoured of Gary Louris but he reckons Sam Baker put on a good show and most of his praise is reserved for The Storys, a band featuring Steve Balsamo who seemed, for a short time, on the cusp of making it.
Despite the nights drawing in, AUK reviewers were out in force. Patrick Wilkins sees Big Star at Shepherd’s Bush Empire writing that “Alex Chilton is an unlikely rock legend, he has the look of a nervous Biology teacher about to deliver a lecture on the habitat of the crested newt. All that geekiness evaporated when he strapped on a guitar and hit ‘In the Street’.” Jon Aird attends an odd line up of Steve Cropper & The Animals and Friends which he described as “So, very strange, but ultimately oh so enjoyable.” Later on, in November, Jon again heads back to the 60s as he reviews The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, an evening he enjoyed, even enduring a drum solo from Fleetwood.
Maurice Hope sees Emmylou Harris in Newcastle and on the occasion of Steve Stills visiting these shores we have three live reviews, one from Andy Riggs who saw Stills in Brighton and then two from Jon Aird who caught the man on consecutive nights at Shepherds Bush Empire. Spoiler alert, both were trepidatious regarding reports of Still’s voice having gone westward but they report that this was not the case and that the evenings were quite the delight. Andy Riggs digs Mark Olson reunited with Gary Louris at The Union Chapel in November and Jon Aird, ever intrepid, gets back to Shepherds Bush Empire to see Fleet Foxes although he is flummoxed by their drummer, J. Tillman’s opening set. Paul Villers and Morag Rose offer up a review of an engaging night called Electric Dustbowl held at The Musician in Leicester which featured Jim Jones, The Havenots, Thomas Denver Jonsson, The Redlands Palomino Company and Peter Bruntnell. Sounds like a swell night.
On the interview front, the archives are pretty bare. There are indications that AUK writers chatted to the likes of Justin Townes Earle, Chris Mills, Woven Hand, Jim Lauderdale, Hayes Carll and Jason Ringenberg but the actual interviews are lost in the internet ether.
On a happier note AUK has several “giveaways” on offer over the months covered here. There are tickets to the premiere of a film called ‘We Dreamed America’, a documentary we described, somewhat confusingly, as “exploring the UK Americana music scene which delves deep into the dark recesses of the British music scene.” Make of that which you will but there’s a fascinating clip for the film available on Youtube which features Kitty Daisy & Lewis. It looks like it was recorded aeons ago and I’m not too sure if AUK readers will take to Lewis’ comment that they don’t usually get “boring old people” at their gigs. There’s also an opportunity to win a copy of a ‘Best Of Golden Smog’ CD, along with a koozie. Any winners reading this out there, please do send us a pic of that koozie. Aside from that, in December we have our usual plea to our readers to vote in our annual Readers Poll. The winners will be revealed when we open up 2009 in the next column.
On to the discs then – as ever, each has 20 tracks (plus a hidden extra chosen by our editor Mark) and they feature a fine mix of well known names and others lost in the mists of time. September’s CD opens with a fine blast of nostalgia as Old Crow Medicine Show weigh in with ‘Methamphetamine’, a song which, sadly, remains pertinent to this day. Perennial favourites such as Peter Bruntnell, Giant Sand, Bonnie “Prince” Willie, Ryan Adams, Dan Tyminski, Willie Vlautin and Todd Snider are all present and correct. Tracy Chapman appears on December’s selection and it’s interesting to note that a current favourite, Jerry Leger was also included on that disc with a song from his album ‘You, Me And The House’, a surprise for this writer who only became aware of Leger just a few years back, a fine example of AUK being on the cutting edge. Vlautin’s song, ‘The Drunk Uncle’, taken from his album ‘A Jockey’s Christmas’, is quite superb. With December comes a bonus disc titled ‘More From The Best Of 2008′ which is quite a grand listen. You’ll see the track list in the accompanying illustration.
Of the less well known acts there are, as ever, a few gems. Mr. David Viner slews into a fine folk/rock vibe on ‘Lavender’, I Draw Slow sound quite endearing on the bluegrass inflected ‘Little Switzerland’, a mood that’s continued on Tish Hinojosa’s ‘Roadsongs And Bygones’. The stand out is The Iguanas’ ‘Okemah’, an atmospheric slow burner of a song.
Boothby Graffoe, a Yorkshire folk singer/comedian, is the first of the bonus tracks, selected by our editor. Unfortunately we haven’t got the song title and Shazam fails to find it. It does feature the lyrics “lend me your otter” so, if anyone recognises that please let us know via the comments below. No such issue with the October disc which closes with a fine slice of melodic Americana from Memphis’s Snowglobe on ‘Stubber’, taken from their album ‘Our Land Brains’. November’s cut is Chappaquiddick Skyline’s ‘Hundred Dollar Pocket’, another fine laid back song. Come December we’re in a festive mood thus the disc ends with Tom Petty’s ‘Christmas All Over Again’. Following on from the aforementioned Willy Vlautin song it certainly gets one in the mood for turkey and trimmings. As for the bonus Best of 2008 disc, we find tucked away at the end of it The Thrills singing ‘There’s Joy To Be Found…The Boy Who Caught All The Breaks’. Another song which kind of captures the festive mood.
And just because we can add it, here’s Willy Vlautin on great form…
You can still be a friend of Americana UK in this digital age and, amazingly, it’s now cheaper to do so than it was in 2008. All details here.
Vintage screenshots grabbed via The Wayback Machine.
Thanks as always for this Paul, I’d forgotten all about that track by The Thrills, such a great song – they’re back apparently! (I still remember that George Bush Jr was apparently a fan but not their fault
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