Last week’s Chain Gang track was Hot Club of Cowtown’s ‘Pennies From Heaven’ and it is impossible to imagine artists like Hot Club of Cowtown without the ground breaking example of that true eccentric Dan Hicks who mixed retro styles with his own humorous and original compositions played on generally acoustic instruments. Dan first came to prominence as the drummer, singer and main songwriter with the original San Francisco ’60s band The Charlatans, who mixed jug band, country and blues music and were a major influence on the then emerging San Francisco sound. Continue reading “AUK’s Chain Gang: Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks “I Scare Myself””
Nick Lowe has reached the exalted position of a national treasure, with appearances on Breakfast TV and various TV chat shows and coverage in the national press. This was definitely not the case in 1993, when, after a period of falling sales, he found himself without a major record deal, his latest push for mainstream success, the group Little Village with Ry Cooder, John Hiatt and Jim Keltner, had not delivered artistically or commercially and, while he had a legendary reputation with fellow musicians, particularly in America, he was struggling to re-start his career. Fate then took a hand when Curtis Stigers was asked to record a cover of Nick’s ‘What’s So Funny ’bout Peace, Love And Understanding’ for ‘The Bodyguard’ film soundtrack. While the song didn’t appear in the actual film, it was included on the soundtrack album which sold 45 million copies giving Nick a seven-figure payday. 
Tenci is really bedroom folk artist Jess Shoman backed by more famous musicians from the Chicago music scene and their debut album is released on Austin label Keeled Scales. Jess Shoman spent nearly ten years writing her songs before deciding to start playing them live in the clubs of Chicago. It was when she started appearing as a solo performer that she attracted the attention of Everyone Else vocalist Tina Scarpello, who started backing her on bass and brought her song demos to the attention of Spencer Radcliffe, who produced and played guitar, piano, sax and piano on ‘My Heart Is An Open Field’. 
Last June’s ‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’ was Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’s eighth and most successful album – it was also their best to date. ‘Naked Garden’ is an album of out-takes and alternative versions from the sessions, at The Band‘s old Shangri La studio and Village Studios in LA, for ‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’ and is just as good, if not in some ways, better than its predecessor. For those who don’t know it, guitarist and singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson is Willie’s son and he started touring with his dad in the early ’00s. He has said his main musical influences are Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young and his instrumental skills were clear from the start. Bob Dylan offered to take a teenage Lukas on the road as his guitarist only to have his mother forbid it. He ended up at college in LA in 2007 and over a year formed Promise of the Real to play a mix of country and rock’n’roll. 
It can be surprisingly difficult to establish a long-term career as a musician if you have a parent who is also a successful musician. Obviously you get first hand knowledge of the music industry, and you will get help with starting your career, but very quickly you will find you will, more often than not, be in competition with your famous parent, and, if you don’t come up with the goods quickly enough, interest in you will fade. This makes it particularly hard for Lilly Hiatt, as she is in competition with one of the best current songwriters in America, her dad John Hiatt. However, if the cover of ‘Walking Proof’, her fourth album, with its vibrant and strong colours is anything to go by, Lilly Hiatt is enjoying her music and is full of confidence about the future, and so she should be, as this is her best album to date.