Tag Archives: Fred Eaglesmith

Celebrate National Train Day – Top Train Songs

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TrainWreck1

No other technology has held a thematic sway over roots and county music like the the railway system (okay, maybe distilling) The train has been a symbol of freedom that has catured the iamginction of songwrietrs or generations.

In celebrate National Train day here are some my personal and fan picked favorites.

As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train out to Western Canada, and began writing songs and performing. It;s natural he’d write a great son about them.

Steve Earle’s post-addiction and post-prison is arguably his best. The GRAMMY-nominated “Train a Comin’ featured older material written when Earle was in his late teens but it;s maturity is evident in songs like “Sometimes She Forgets,” Mercenary Song,” and “Mystery Train part II” whose lyrics finished the day it was recorded.

“Orphan Train” tells the story of the orphan trains operated between 1853 and 1929, relocating about 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest. Julie Miller adds just the right atmosphere to this contemporary dirge,

500 Miles is a folk classic credited to Hedy West and made popular by acts like Peter, Paul and Mary (it was the second track on their US #1, May 1962 debut album).A slightly altered version was a hit by Bobby Bare in 1963. Roseanne Cash does a hulluva version from her release “The List.”

Billy Joe Shaver, with his late son Eddie picking in the strat, made an instant classic with this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpEElGVgv24

Guy Clark wrote “Texas – 1947” bout the first time a diesel sped through his hometown of Monahans in West Texas.

“Ben Dewberry’s Final Run” by Andrew Jenkins was covered by Johnny Cash, Jerry Douglas, Steve Forbert, Bill Monroe, Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Snow. Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings give it fine turn.

Orange Blossom Special” is a classic by Johnny Cash. Johnny burns up the mouth harp on this one at San Quentin.

City of New Orleans” is a folk song written by Steve Goodman describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans. Arlo Guthrie had a hit with i on his 1972 album Hobo’s Lullaby. The way I see it, when Willie Nelson does a song it stays done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnU2Tmqqv9g

In Praise of Trains (songs)

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The other day I was listening to one of the dozens of submissions I get a week and a song cued up assaulting me with a ham-fisted ode to the locomotive. I was in front of my computer and finding myself without an internal editor I threw this into the Twitter wind “I love train songs, but there should never be another one written ever again….EVER AGAIN…” I had no idea this rail (see what I did there?) against a once beautiful metaphor that has been debased into a threadbare cliche’ would stir up such a…er…discussion. It appears people still ride, wait at crossings and live within spitting distance of the proverbial iron horse.

After much constructive tweet and forth I was convinced that, when done with respect and creativity, there is still room for a good old train song. Here are some of the top picks suggested to me by some of my good-natured and learned twitter followers that taught me the error of my ways. If you have others please leave them in the comments, and enjoy the ride!

Fred Eaglesmith – “I Like Trains”

Todd Snider – “Play a Train Song”

Amanda Shires – “When You Need a Train it Never Comes”

Justin Townes Earle – “Workin’ for the MTA”

Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – Texas Eagle

News Round Up: T Bone Burnett Produced Steve Earle Album Forthcoming

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  • I was on the fence about seeing the upcoming Gwyneth Paltrow movie Country Strong but after reading that Hayes Carll was tapped for some of the music (SFGate) for the soundtrack I might have to know. Or at least listen to the soundtrack…(btw, Happy Birthday to Hayes Carll!) UPDATE – Neal Casal (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals) is also in Country Strong. The Americana mojo is strong in such a Music City flick.
  • T Bone Burnett produced the Steve Earle song “This City, ” which plays during the closing credits tune for HBO’s Treme, a drama set in the Treme district of New Orleans which in which Earle plays the character of Harley, a local folk musician who is forming a Cajun band to back him on a tour. The song will appear on Earle’s upcoming album which will be also be produced Burnett, and has been described by Earle as his “most country album to date.”
  • This video was sent to me and when I saw it the singer looked and sounded familiar to me. Then it hit me, It’e Kendel Carson. I met her in Nashville when she was doing work with Chip Taylor. This is a Canadian band Belle Starr, a band Carson is now a member of, along with Stephanie Cadman & Miranda Mulholland, covering a fellow Canadian Fred Eaglesmith.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFkYk3kh0HY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Hayes Carll

News Round Up: New Johnny Cash Recording in February

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  • The big for fans of the Man In Black is that Rick Rubin’s American Records will release American VI: Ain’t No Grave, the final volume in the American series that  helped revitalize Johnny Cash’s career beginning in the early 90’s, after he was unceremoniously dropped from Mercury Records. February 26 would have been Cash’s 78th birthday. (New York Times)
  • The economy may be for the dogs but it seems like it’s every week I find out about another ,usic festival cropping up. This time it’s Austin’s Americana focused Old Settler’s Music Festival (April 15-18) who have just released a partial line up list: Joe Ely, Patty Griffin, The Travelin’ McCourys, Fred Eaglesmith, Buddy Miller, Peter Rowan, The Lee Boys, The Gourds, Band of Heathens, Radney Foster, Blue Highway, Mindy Smith, Alison Brown with Joe Craven, The Infamous Stringdusters, Bearfoot, Solas, The Special Consensus, The Wronglers, Elizabeth Cook, Ruby Jane. Sounds like a winner. Grab those tickets, this one will fill up fast.
  • I was lucky enough to catch Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard as they headed out to a brief 4 city tour, the first time they had appeared on stage together.  This legendary dup will appear once more for one show (as far as I can tell) at Ft. Worth’s Bass Performance Hall on February 17. (Pagasus News)
  • If you missed it today on NPR, you can head over to the Fresh Air site and listen to T. Bone Burnett discuss the creation of the Crazy Heart soundtrack.