Willie Nelson Premieres New Video for Shoeshine Man

  • Willie Nelson premiered his new video covering Tom T. Hall’s Shoeshine Man (below) The song is not on his upcoming covers album American Classics so I have no idea whay he made this video, but he seems to be having a ball. The Texas Yoda has taken a page from the DIY codger goofing around in front of a video camera recently used by Neil Young for his video Fork in the Road.
  • The Americana Music Association announced the lineup for its 2009 festival,  Sept. 16-19 at around several of  Nashville’s best venues – The Mercy Lounge, The Cannery Ballroom, 3rd & Lindsley, The Station Inn and The Basement.  On the roster is Cross Canadian Ragweed, Angela Easterling, Asleep at the Wheel, The Bottle Rockets, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Joe Pug, Charlie Robison, Marty Stuart, Patrick Sweany, Those Darlins and many more.
  • Popmatters.com has posted an mp3 for Chain, a cut off Vic Chesnutt’s upcoming release At the Cut (Constellation) to be released 22 September (US)
  • Randy Travis, Martina McBride and Ray Price join an International  line-up of over 60 International, UK and Irish acts performing on three separate stages at the UTV CountryFest ’09  August 1st – 2nd  at the Kings Hall in Belfast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDtaJmrVfx8[/youtube]

The New York Times on Those Darlins

  • The New York Times posts a great review of the riot grrrl-trad country group Those Darlins show at the lower East-Side’s Mercury Lounge.
  • Willie Nelson’s Facebook page is posting hints where this year’s Farm Aid will be held. So far we have:  The city for this year’s concert has a professional sports team named after an animal,  the concert will be in a state that is in the top 12 for number of farms  and it will be in a city & state where Farm Aid where Farm Aid has never been held.
  • Speaking of the Texas Yoda – Head over to Texas Music Matter to listen to Amazing Grace: The Willie Nelson Story – a winner of two National Headliners Awards including this year’s Grand Prize for Radio. Nearly a year in the making, the program features rare music plus interviews with, among others, Kris Kristofferson, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp, Ray Price, biographer Joe Nick Patoski, Willie’s best friend and closest confidante (his sister, Bobbie), and the Yoda  himself.
  • Country music legend (and daughter of country music legend Mel Tillis) Pam Tillis talks to the Vancouver Sun about the state of country music.

Band Roundup – Ruby Jane

Just when you needed more evidence that you’re getting old and aren’t accomplished very much I give you Ruby Jane.  Ruby is a 14 year old native Texan (born in Dallas, now resides in Austin) and is a premiere junior fiddler and a fast-rising star in country and bluegrass-Americana music scene.

She has shared the stage with Marty Stuart, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, Rhonda Vincent, Mike Snider, Jesse McReynolds, Jim Brock, James Monroe, Carl Jackson and Big & Rich (hey, a girls gotta make some bank!) In true old-school country entrepreneurial style  Ruby even has her own pancake mix for sale!  When not sawing wood and hawking flapjacks Ruby Jane is also an actress and a model Kids today and their virtuoso Blugrass playing!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esH2793eoIA[/youtube]

premiere
junior fiddlers and a fast-rising star in country and bluegrass-Americana music. With
deep familial and cultural ties throughout the South, especially Mississippi, where she
lived after her birth until she was 12 years old, she now resides in Austin, TX, with her
mama, when not traveling as a musician, actress, or model.

Willie and the Wheel News

Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel are in New York City tonight gearing up for their performance on Late Show with David Letterman this evening. A little bird told me they will be doing Hesitation Blues in from their current excellent release Willie and The Wheel. Tune your TV to CBS tonight at 11:30pm EST.

Willie and Asleep at the Wheel are currently touring the Eastern Seaboard and will end with two nights at Carl’s Corner. They have a Tour Diary Section on their official site featuring day-to-day activities on the road as well as photos from Kevin Smith.

Zalman King, producer of “9 1/2 Weeks” and “Red Shoe Diaries” – has been filming a documentary about the tour. No release date has been set. “This is a very special album and very special time for all of us,” says Asleep at the Wheel bandleader Ray Benson. “Having a fine filmmaker like Zalman document this tour is a great way to share all the fun we’ll be having with our fans.”

Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt to Release A Bitter Harvest

  • According to a post on her MySpace page Rachel Brooke will be collaborating with  Lonesome Wyatt from Those Lonely Bastards. The release is entitled A Bitter Harvest, and will be released around May, and will be available on CD and vinyl.
  • Daytrotter has three new Joe Pug cuts; Bury Me Far From My Uniform, Unsophisticated Heart, The Door Was Always Open.  Seriously,  Joe’s Pub tonight!
  • Washington Post staff writer J. Freedom du Lac reviews Willie and the Wheel. A new collaberation by Willie Nelson and Western swing preservationists Asleep at the Wheel, and he like what he hears.
  • Alejandro Escovedo’s Real Animal comes out the big winner in No Depression’s Readers Poll.

Willie and the Wheel Website Launched

The always knowledgable Juli Thanki gives us a history lesson of the banjo (Happy-Go-Plucking) at ther new Torch & Twang column at PopMatters.com.

Andrew Gilstrap, also at PopMatters.com reviews the excellent 2008  Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson release Rattlin’ Bones.

The Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel collaboration Wille and the Wheel has launched thier new website. The site allows pre-orders for the CD and lists tour dates. (via stillisstillmoving.com)

Austin Freedom Fest at The Backyard – 8/10/07

If you find yourself in Austin this Friday and want to make a statement against the so-called drug war and the political idiocy and the abuse of the our countries’ legal system that has resulted from it, then mosey on over to the Austin Freedom Fest at The Backyard. The concert will benefit MPP, NORML and WAMM, and will feature Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling, Carolyn Wonderland, Paula Nelson, Mark Stepnoski and others to be announced.