Two themes emerged unintentionally from this episode, Californian cities and the highway. Both are classic themes in country and Americana music and both are telling on his we got here and where we’re going as a community.
On Californian cities , the Son Volt song, “Bakersfield,” included tells the story of dust bowl immigrants to that Southern California town that resulted in a thriving Southern/plains working class culture there. After work visits to honky-tonk bars like The Blackboard gave performers like Wynn Stewart and Buck Owen’s a stage to shape the Bakersfield Sound. This sound contrasted against the Nashville Sound that was thriving in Music City and borrowed elements to rock music sweeping the nation.
Fusion and evolution is what created this music we love. But we wear our roots proudly. Blake Shelton might be right about Music Rows’
jettisoning it’s legacy to craft a business plan for sustained growth. But great culture never comes from a corporate marketing department and strip mine approach to culture is not what Americana is about. It’s about sustained growth for long-term benefits for everyone involved.
Regarding the highway, we are all on it. The internet is part of that analogy and the past, present and future of the genre is another. then there’s the literal hundreds of miles of highway that these performers travel every year. It’s a tough life they choose to bring us this great music and we owe it to them to see them live, buy their music and pick up a t-shirt. We owe it to ourselves because this financial investment in them allows them to bring us more great music.
As always. I hope you like this episode of the Twang Nation Podcast and thank you all for listening. If you do tell a friend and let me know here at this site, Google+ , Twitter or my Facebook.
Opening Song – “Mr. D.J†– by Dale Watson
1.Caitlin Rose – “I Was Cruel””- Album: “‘The Stand-In” (ATO Records)
2. Holly Williams – Song: “Let You Go”- Album: her third album “‘The Highway” (Georgiana Records)
3. Wayne “The Train” Hancock – Song: “Ride”- Album: “Ride” (Bloodshot Records)
4. The Law – Song: “Crazy and Lonesome”- Debut Album: “Dust And Aether” (TLB Records)
5. Brett Detar – Song: “A Soldier Burden” – available for the low price of an email address at brettdetar.com
6. Escondido – Song: “Bad Without You” – Album: debut The Ghost of Escondido
7. New American Farmers – Song: “Everywhere” – Album: Brand New Day
8. Son Volt – Song: “Bakersfield” – Album: Honky Tonk (Rounder Records)
9. Charlie Parr – Song: “Groundhog Day Blues” Album: Barnswallow
10. Dale Watson – Song: “Smokey Old Bar” Album: El Rancho Azul (Red House Records)
11. Steve Earle – Song: “Calico County” Album: The Low Highway (New West records)
12. Carrie Rodriguez – Song: “Devil in Mind” Album: Give Me All You Got (Ninth Street Opus records)
Alt.country/Americana music pioneers Son Volt will release Honky Tonk, their highly anticipated follow-up to 2009’s American Central Dust.
Richmond, Virginia’s Wrinkle Neck Mules’ fourth studio release Let the Lead Fly finds the band – Andy Stepanian on vocal, guitar, mandolin, Mason Brent on vocal, guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, Brian Gregory on vocal, bass, Stuart Gunter on drums and Chase Heard on vocal, guitar, banjo – strips down their earlier sound resulting in this fine rustic Americana bedrock veined with flashes of indy rock gold that fits well with other roots rockers like The Drive By Truckers, Son Volt and American Gun.