Jim Lauderdale: Patchwork River

I first heard Jim Lauderdale a few years ago on an album with Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys (Lost in the Lonesome Pines). I really liked the album and Jim's voice and delivery on the songs. For whatever reason, primarily the fact that I never got to see him live and this was before I knew of independent radio, that was the only album of Jim's that I ever bought. I saw him occasionally on televised music specials and I would see his name credited as a writer or backing vocalist on other albums from time to time.
Jim has an new album out on the Thirty Tigers label called Patchwork River, and you can hear much more of his blues influences coming through instead of the country/bluegrass tendencies I am more familiar with. There's some soulful blues guitar backing Jim's great vocal on "Patchwork River", one of the album highlights for me. There's one chord in the verse that makes the song. There are also some traditional country songs featuring great harmony ("Between Your Heart and Mine") thrown in that make the album really listenable all from start to finish. Jim sounds right at home in this style, and if this is album is any indication of the sound of some of his past albums I've missed, well, I have a lot of catching up to do. You can listen to two complete tracks below and buy the album here. Check out Jim's tour dates on his website, and listen to his monthly broadcast concert Tennessee Shines.

Jim Lauderdale - Patchwork River
Jim Lauderdale - Winnona

Chase Fifty Six - Allatoona Rising

Chase Fifty Six is a Georgia band that plays Georgia rock, a perfect blend of unapologetic country lyrics, dirty rock and roll guitars, and vocal deliveries that leave no doubt that the singer has lived the words he's singing. Their latest album, Allatoona Rising, out on Dirtleg Records, is packed with eleven such examples. Stories about useless women, trailer parks, and love, sometimes all in the same song, are common themes on the album. I'll be catching Chase Fifty Six if they ever make it close enough. Until then, you can buy the album here. Check out the two tracks below to get a feel for the album.
Chase Fifty Six - Worst Thing
Chase Fifty Six - Goodbye Princess

Clark Paterson - Songs for Another America

Clark Paterson, a Nashville based singer-songwriter who was born and raised in Sandusky, MI and spend most of his college years and early 20's in Chicago, just released his first EP, "Songs for Another America". Clark draws on his experiences with love ("Rather Regret It"), rural life ("God's Country"), deciding to play hooky from work ("Good Afternoon") and paints pictures of the strange ("Abandoned Boat in the Woods"). An excellent first EP that was helped by the excellent backing musicians (including members of Lambchop and Chris Scruggs) and the production work of Mark Nevers. The songs are catchy, well-written and if this is a glimpse of work to come, Clark's best work is still yet in front of him. Definitely worth picking up and rocking out to in your truck.

For music previews, pictures and tour dates, check out Clark's website here (with links to social networking).

The Harmed Brothers - All The Lies You Wanna Hear

The Harmed Brothers come from small-town Oregon and write songs that have an Appalachian feel about them. It is very rare that I care for banjo work that isn't of the Scruggs style, but Alex Salcido gets two thumbs up from me for his style on the Harmed Brothers album All The Lies You Wanna Hear. Many times I hear "Americana" albums that sound like someone said "Hey, we need a banjo track on this song," so one was added. The songs on ATLYWH depend on the banjo and would be nowhere near as powerful without it. The banjo, along with Salcido's and Ray Vietti's vocals and lyrics make for a minimalist sound that creates an emptiness that will leave you hitting repeat, especially on the tracks below. Check them out and buy the CD here, and be sure to check their myspace for upcoming shows. No Kentucky dates yet though...
The Harmed Brothers - One in the Garden
The Harmed Brothers - Greetings from Mardi Gras

Rose's Pawn Shop - Dancing on the Gallows

I've been meaning to post about this album for a while and am just now getting around to it. Los Angeles based Rose's Pawn Shop is a band that's new to me, but they've been around for a few years. Their second album, Dancing on the Gallows, is out now. The instrumentation and vocals have a haunting quality to them, especially in tracks like "Debt Collector," featured below. RPS has a lot of shows all over the country this summer, so check them out here. Somehow, I didn't get the memo on the shows, because I missed the show at Natasha's in Lexington earlier this week. You can buy both albums at the Rose's Pawn Shop store.
Rose's Pawn Shop - Debt Collector
Rose's Pawn Shop - Pine Box

Andrew Combs: Tennessee Time

Today's album is another one that found me via Reviewshine. I'll preface by saying it is great to see that there is still great original and pure country music being made today. Andrew Combs' debut EP Tennessee Time is on my short list for album of the year. Yeah, I know it's an EP but I'd rather have six excellent songs over one or two with twelve "fillers" any day. Andrew has written 5 of the songs and the choice cover he does, "Dark End of the Street", has become my favorite version of the song. Andrew's voice is just gravelly enough to suit the country-rock crowd, his delivery is just as good as Haggard or Jones, and his songwriting, based only on this EP, is top shelf as well.
You can buy Tennessee Time here, and check out Andrew's website and myspace for show dates. Check out the tracks below in the meantime. Let me know what you think too.

Andrew Combs - Tennessee Time
Andrew Combs - Too Stoned To Cry

Also, check out this video of Andrew doing Tennessee Time and a little bit of an interview.

State of the Blog Address

As most of the three of you reading this blog may have noticed, the posting frequency has dwindled to a slow trickle. This is a result of a few things happening that are important to me and probably not important to anyone else. While things are going to be slower for a few months, this is not the end and there is no swan song in the works. I plan to be back to a regular posting pattern in just a few months, but in the meantime I'll only waste your time with the best new music I receive. I may have someone else guest posting from time to time also. Check out Twitter (@bootlegend) and Tumblr (http://inmybasementroom.tumblr.com) as those are a little quicker and I sometimes throw stuff up there that I find of interest. It requires less work from me, but is also limited too. Anyway, I'll be around.

Shadwick Wilde: Unforgivable Things

I discovered this album through Reviewshine, and it is one of only a handful that I've received that way that didn't suck. Shadwick Wilde was raised in a San Francisco but is now based in Louisville. He's just self-released Unforgivable Things, an album of songs concerning heartache and sadness (more or less). No happy melodies here. There's a lonesome fiddle here and a sparse, somber electric guitar fill there, but the primary focus of the album is the lyric. "Wearing Thin" is the confession of a man on the edge of giving up, and "Motorcycle Song" is about the guy that can't get that one girl.

The first comparison that came to mind when I heard Unforgivable Things was Lucero. Careful though, because I'm talking The Attic Tapes brand Lucero, not rock and roll brand Lucero. That said, this could be Shadwick's Attic Tapes, a group of songs that have a vulnerable identity when first recorded that is great, but may also grow into rock and roll excellence somewhere down the road.

Shadwick is playing a ton of shows in Louisville now so you should check him out if you can. He has an Ear X-Tacy show coming up too. Buy Unforgivable Things here, or get it from Itunes.

Also, for you local people, I noticed in the liner notes that Nick Hamstra (Hambone) played electric guitar on the album. So check it out if you dig Hambone too.

Check out the two tracks below.
Shadwick Wilde - Motorcycle Song
Shadwick Wilde - Girls Like You

Trapper Haskins & the Bitter Swill - Alluvium

Trapper Haskins & the Bitter Swill's debut album Alluvium is out on Jake Leg Records and contains twelve tracks of mellow Americana straight from Tennessee. The songs are the product of a two year's writing and cover the usual country base but do so with particularly memorable choruses. The band sounds like they've played together for years and consists of Trapper (vocals and guitars), Ry Evans (drums), Paul Thacker (keys,accordion, sax, backing vocals), and Shane Vahle (bass). First half of the album is the best, partially because most of the later songs are over four minutes or closer to five minutes. Two standout tracks are posted below, along with a select chorus lyric. By the way, artwork on the album is fantastic too.
"Hydrocodone and Green Label Jack
Will push the pain away but it won't bring you back
Won't bring you back any nearer to me
And the day that you left, hon, the sun set on Tennessee"
----Hard Luck Angel----


Trapper Haskins - Souvenir
Trapper Haskins - Hard Luck Angel

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Musick Party @ the Morgan's

I've been meaning to post about this for a while now. It's one my favorite things I've found anywhere and it comes from the excellent Southern Shelter. The recording is a couple years old, taking place right before Adam & Wendy Musick of Southern Bitch left Athens. This is a very informal jam session/going-away party at Brad Morgan's (of Drive-By Truckers). Some others showing up to jam/sing include Patterson Hood (DBT), John C. Stubblefield (Lucero), and Don Chambers. The whole set is great with plenty of originals and choice covers. Check a couple of my favorites out below and get the whole set from Sloan here. Highly recommended!

"My Kind of Country" - Adam Musick
"Rock Salt and Nails" - Adam Musick