I first became acquainted with the work of Casey Driessen during the Americana music celebration known as Merlefest back in 2004. Casey was taking part in a fiddle workshop along with other greatest bow benders Darol Anger, Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo, and Laurie Lewis. What struck me immediately about Casey was his style … his brand of playing the fiddle is called "chop", because of the way the bow chops at the strings in a very percussive manner, much like the style employed by that of Darol Anger. The other thing that grabbed me was the maturity of his playing (at the time he was 25) and the way in which he took an instrument best known for its traditional bluegrass and old-time background and adds a contemporary, if not alternative, flavor. Later that weekend I saw him play with Jim Lauderdale and was just blown away. Since then I’ve seen him share the stage with the likes of Darrell Scott, Tim O’Brien, the Duhks, and Robbie Fulks just to name a few. From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, Casey Driessen is the best young fiddle player on the scene today. The new album, again entitled "3D", is vibrant and warm, and musically Casey breaks new ground at nearly every turn. Driessen, now 27, takes the listener through a joyous ride of twelve songs that are drawn from traditional pieces, the works of bluegrass artists like Bill Monroe and Hot Rize, as well as six new original compositions from Casey himself. And if you judge a musician by the company he keeps, then Casey Driessen is in with the right crowd. The list of guest artists is a "who’s who" of fine instrumentalists from Viktor Krauss on bass, to Jerry Douglas on dobro and lap steel, Bela Fleck on banjo, Tim O’Brien on bouzouki, and Darrell Scott on electric guitar and vocals. The album kicks off with a re-working of an old traditional classic "Sally in the Garden", but in the hands of Driessen, Douglas, O’Brien, and Krauss it comes off sounding anything but traditional as the band puts an almost Middle Eastern twist to the tune. With the additional of Jamey Haddard on drums, the song sounds like its roots are embedded in a far away place like Turkey, rather than the hills of Appalachia. Casey’s bow pulls and sways over the strings as if watching a belly dancer move back and forth to the groove. By track two you start to hear more of Driessen’s signature fiddle style on the original composition "Gaptooth". What starts out as a brooding Irish lament, soon evolves into a full-on jig as both Casey and guest banjoist Bela Fleck trade licks while the tune quickly builds and builds in rhythm and intensity. It’s almost as if one is listening to a calm breeze and suddenly the wind becomes a gale before dissolving as quickly as it rose. By track four, a funky version of the western swing tune "Sugarfoot Rag" we start hear more of Casey’s more modern influences. Darrell Scott joins on electric guitar and both he and Driessen add vocals to what could easily be one of those "outdoor festival let your hair down and boogie numbers". If that weren’t enough the rag soon blends right in to an Eddie Harris composition called "Freedom Jazz Dance" and the jam is on. The fiddle weaves and drives around the deep bass and Scott’s hot guitar licks and you really do want to get up a boogie. And to top it all off just for good measure, Casey’s fiddle chop is in full effect on the tune that follows, a real kick in the pants fiddle only stomp through Bill Monroe’s "Jerusalem Ridge".As for the rest of the album, I’ll leave the bulk of the exploring up to you. What Casey Driessen does with fiddle is very similar to what Chris Thile of Nickel Creek has done with the mandolin. Both have an understanding and appreciation for the music that came before them and how the instruments they play have served that music, but Driessen, like Thile, has his sights set on breaking new ground and reaching for new musical heights. With his new solo debut record Casey Driessen has managed to add another dimension to both the traditional songs of the past as well as to the world of fiddle music itself and he accomplishes it all without the aid of those funny plastic glasses.
Jun
29
2006
We start off we Peter Mulvey’s new disc entitled "The Knuckleball Suite". Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Peter Mulvey’s ninth full-length record and fourth solo effort for Signature Sounds, comes on like a whisper and a double edged sword. Mulvey’s words are intelligent and full of biting wit, the music is hushed and soulful, and the songs are lyrical, lilting, and lasting in the ear and the mind. Many of the songs immediately remind me of Randy Newman in both style and delivery, and both song and singer are aided by David Goodrich’s production and his stellar guitar work throughout the album’s thirteen tracks. Highlights include the bluesy and upbeat "Old Simon Stimson", a really nice jazzy re-working of the U2 tune "The Fly", and the poetry of "You and Me and the Ten Thousand Things" and "The Knuckleball Suite". Peter Mulvey has raised the bar considerably since his debut back in 1994 as"Knuckleball Suite" represents his most complete and rewarding album to date.Up next is Kris Delmhorst’s new album "Strange Conversation", the fourth solo album to date from the Brooklyn, New York raised, Cambridge, Massachusetts based singer songwriter. To call this album poetic would be an understatement considering the nature of the project itself. What Delmhorst has done over the course of the album’s twelve tracks is add another dimension to the words of true poets as she adapts or directly puts to music poems by Lord Byron, Robert Browning, ee cummings, and others. Musically the album is amazing with styles ranging from jazz, folk, and blues as Delmhorst teams up with an all new band featuring bass player Paul Kochanksi and drummer Lorne Entress (both from Lori McKenna’s band) and guitar player Kevin Barry (Mary Chapin Carpenter and Paula Cole). The album in no way sounds stuffy or high brow and the album’s greatest instrument, Delmhorst’s voice, is both powerful and tender, falling somewhere between that of Jolie Holland and Patty Griffin. Favorites include a rockin’ Walt Whitman-inspired tune entitled "Light of the Light" based upon excerpts from Whitman’s "Passage to India" and the New Orleans ragtime infused "Invisible Choir" adapted from George Eliot’s "O May I Join the Choir Invisible". As an added bonus both the excerpts from the original poems and Delmhorst’s adapted lyrics are included in the liner notes.Last but certainly not least is the latest from Jeffrey Foucault entitled "Ghost Repeater". Of the three albums this is far and away my favorite. These songs bounce and breathe, the writing and vocals remind me of something between Darrell Scott and Keb Mo at their very best, and the music on "Ghost Repeater" is pure genius. Bo Ramsey (Pieta Brown, Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams) is brilliant as both a lead guitar player and producer, as he adds atmosphere and depth to the album and gives these eleven songs a perfect place to rest next to Foucault’s pure and lonely voice. Other guests include Eric Heywood on steel guitar (Son Volt), who shines on "One Part Love", Dave Moore on harp and accordion, and Kris Delmhorst on backing vocals. Every song is a highlight and all were written by Foucault on this, his third solo album to date. Collectively these songs are for the most part dark, honest tales for country as represented in lines like those found in "Appeline", the album’s final cut. "They’re selling heart attacks on credit / and shadows on a screen / and they’ll grind your bones to dust / in this American machine". And while "Appeline" portrays the mood and message of many of the album’s songs, Foucault still finds room for love and longing as best exhibited in "Mesa, Arizona". "You’re the sky all full of starlings / and an ax blade shining in the sun / you’re the angel touched a coal / against my lips / you’re my only one". All told "Ghost Repeater" is a true gem and the album clearly establishes Jeffrey Foucault as a singer songwriter whose star is just beginning to rise. With each subsequent listen to this record every song grows deeper in and further outward in both maturity and feeling.Whether you pick up one of these records or all three, they definitely should be heard. And music fans everywhere should be grateful for the man behind not only these three albums, but for introducing the world to deserving artists like Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar, Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, and Mary Gauthier. Jim Olsen, the co-founder of Signature Sounds Recordings has made a career out of giving a home and a sense of freedom to a whole family of artists to do what they do best…create. I can find no better words to describe what Olsen for has done for these and countless other musicians than those from Rumi’s "Where Everything is Music":Stop the words now.Open the window in the center of your chest,And let the spirits fly in and out.
Jun
25
2006
Category : Reviews
So mainstream country radio dissed the Chicks—but the group hit #1 on Billboard’s country and pop charts anyway. That said, is Taking the Long Way (produced by Rick Rubin) a good CD for we Americana fans? Mostly, especially the first several tracks where there is major ATTITUDE. Then, to my furry ears, cuts start sounding alike and the CD enters a kind of glossy sonic snoozeville—until the gospel-like I Hope, a song co-written by Keb’Mo,’ ends the record on an inspirational and positive note. It ain’t perfect, but you gotta respect the Chicks—no matter how you feel about their presidential dis–for sticking it to the man and living to tell the tale.
Jun
21
2006
Category : Features
We hear these stories, which are so larger than life, and we marvel at the audacity of those involved. We wonder at the rebelliousness, a rebelliousness that has defined Rock and Roll since its inception. We might even shake our head and smile.But we often forget there are others involved in the story. People like Diane Parsons, Gram’s younger half-sister who says about the Phil Kaufman incident: “I understood a little more, after him [Kaufman] explaining it to me. I accepted it, but I also felt like there had been a better way to handle it than what he had done. And I never communicated to him the pain that he had caused and actually to this day still causes.”“I was painfully reminded of that by meeting the family,” producer/director Gandulf Hennig says, “and I really tried to show that other side of this myth… because it is painful, it’s real people and they didn’t choose to be in the limelight.” With Gram Parsons – Fallen Angel, Hennig strives to show that balance between the personal and the public life of Gram Parsons. Growing up in Germany as a self-described punk rock kid, Hennig first came to Country music through the seemingly unlikely path of Elvis Costello and his 1981 album Almost Blue, which incidentally includes two Gram Parsons songs. Hennig notes this as his first exposure to Country music and he then began to find other artists whom he connected with, such as the Byrds. Around 1990, a girlfriend gave Henning a homemade tape that included “Hot Burrito #1”. “It just swept me off my feet,” Hennig says of the track, “it literally touched me so deeply that I wanted to know more about that.” Hennig quickly went out to get Gilded Palace of Sin and a 1982 compilation of Parsons tracks, both Burrito and solo, which included liner notes by Elvis Costello.The liner notes of Costello hinted at the life of Gram, including the sensational story of his death and the stealing of the body. Curiosity about the life of Gram and the music that moved Gandulf planted the initial seeds for the eventual film.It was during this time that Gandulf was an intern for a media company and learning the craft of filmmaking. On his own, he researched Gram and began to see the need for a documentary. One of his first contacts was Sid Griffin, a former member of the Long Ryders and an author who had published in 1985 the first full-length book on Parsons.Griffin and Hennig became fast friends and through a connection Griffin had with the BBC, they were on their way toward the goal of making the documentary a reality. Through the uphill battles to get the film financed, they also encountered victories along the way in the form of interviews with key figures in the story, many of which had not spoken publicly on the subject. “When I started, nobody really wanted to talk to me about it,” he says of the trials of earning the trust of these friends and family members.Gandulf was aware that many of the things that had been written about Gram in the past were hurtful to the family and he wanted to be careful not to do the same with his film. “I am really happy they like the result,” he says, “that’s a really great thing for me.”Hennig also struggled to show the balance between the pain and anger of another close associate of Grams, Chris Hillman. Hillman was instrumental in bringing Parsons to the Byrds, only to be left cold when Parsons quit on the eve of a tour of South Africa. It is a testament to both his charisma and his musical vision that following the incident, Hillman, two months later, joined with Gram to form the Flying Burrito Brothers, only to be left again when Gram decided on a solo career rather than continue with the band he helped found. “To me,” Hennig says, “it became obvious that he really liked Gram, that he suffered a lot of frustration from that.” But even as Hennig strives not to add further hurt to the family, he does not gloss over some of Grams attitudes that might not be entirely flattering. “I thought it was important to show both the musical vision, the strength and power, and the torn character he was. And I don’t think that is a contradiction, at least nothing that should be hidden.” This balance, often times overlooked by directors and writers, was something Gandulf learned in the process of writing of the project: “The Gram Parsons that I found was not the Gram Parsons I started to look for. So that was a process for me because you start to find someone less appealing on a personal level than you thought it would be, you know. But so far audiences seem to appreciate that.” But even so, Gandulf never second guessed the project or his desire to bring Grams story to a larger audience.“There is not that much footage of Gram around,” Gandulf notes, “so we show mainly the impact he had on other people.” Beyond the emotional impact he had on those he knew and loved, there is also the musical impact he left on artists of all genres. The foundation that Gram laid can be traced through artists such as the Eagles, The Desert Rose Band, Steve Earle and Dwight Yoakam, to name just a few. Parsons “cosmic American music” has morphed into what we have through the years come to call Americana. Fallen Angel will, in part, be responsible for allowing more fans and future musicians to discover Gram and his music.
Jun
16
2006
Category : Reviews
Personal File, in my mind, is a historical document. It illuminates several aspects of Cash’s personality and is a must have set for die-hard fans as well as fans of music history.The two-disc set contains 49 tracks recorded from 1973 -1982 and feature Cash alone with his guitar, which is what brought him much acclaim with his later American Recordings. And this to me is the first aspect of his personality to show through. In 1973, Cash had a few albums out (including the Gospel Road soundtrack and Any Old Wind That Blows) and he had produced the Gospel Road film. The early- to mid-70’s was a second wave of popularity for Cash and he parlayed that into a platform for both his Christian outreach and his political interests, including speaking out on prison reform. It was during all of this that he retreated to his studio and recorded many of these songs, songs from his youth and songs from artists of which he was a fan. He then put the tape reels into boxes, which he marked Personal File, and stored them away. Twenty-one years later, Cash sat in a studio with producer Rick Rubin and did the exact same thing – only this time the result was released to much critical praise, a Grammy and the discovering of Cash by a new generation. Rubin deserves the respect for signing Cash after he had been released from Columbia and for producing American Recordings. It is often lauded on him the praise for taking Cash back to basics, but Personal File tells me that it might not have been completely Rubin’s idea. That Cash, who at times in his life was not known for his humility, didn’t balk at the claim shows how much he respected Rubin and his friendship.The songs on Personal File are divided into two parts: disc one contains songs on various themes which Cash, or artists whom he admired, wrote. Many of these songs feature spoken introductions in which Cash describes how he came to write them (such as “Tiger Whitehead” from his Children’s album which was recently released on CD for the first time), or more often where and when he learned many of the older songs he sings. Many will write this off as sentimentalism, but Cash was actually very interested in the history of music. In The Man Called Cash, Steve Turner tells the story of Cash quizzing people on the originals of songs, such as whether they were of English or Celtic descent, for example. He perhaps put these recollections on tape as a reminder – to himself or others – where these songs came from and their importance to the development of Cash as an artist.The second disc is made up of mainly Gospel songs, including old standards, songs written by Cash and songs written by others such as the Louvin Brothers. When Cash became a Christian he, like many new converts, hungered for more knowledge and became something of a Bible scholar throughout his life. It is easy to see how much these songs meant to him. Some of the songs were released in other forms, such as “Matthew 24 (Is Knocking at the Door)”, also from 1973 and included on the Johnny Cash and His Woman album. Other songs such as “One of These Days I’m Gonna Sit Down and Talk to Paul” are released here for the first time. You can hear the searching in songs like the enigmatic, uncredited “If Jesus Ever Loved a Woman”. Although Cash released other sets of Gospel songs and hymns, none are as intimate as these.Intimacy is really what this set boils down to. It hear these songs with just Cash’s voice, which was in excellent form, and guitar accompaniment makes you feel as if you were there, that you are sitting directly in front of him as he recounts various points in his life. Even though many compilations and sets have been, and probably will continue to be, released since his death, Personal File is a truly deserving release. Credit is to be given to John Carter Cash for allowing such a release to be shared with the rest of us.
Jun
13
2006
I put the CD aside. Later, I listened again and reconsidered. I paid dues for the right to address doping and drinking and songs that deal with this subject. The price: a non-stop ten-year high followed by a fifteen-year federal sentence for smuggling marijuana. Friends sit in prison for providing you the materials you use to get stoned. Some will never see the street. If Hank III can sing about hard-partying ways and sell a CD, then I deserve my say. But that’s not the only reason I need to write about Hank III. This CD is too good or too bad to be ignored, depending on your perspective. There’s nothing mediocre here. Hank III doesn’t bullshit. He’s brutally honest, in your face, vulgar, unashamed and unrepentant. His songs say, here I am. Nothing hidden. Take it or leave it and screw you if you don’t like it. Only, harsher. The CD is so rough it carries a parental advisory. He starts and ends the album singing about a battle with Satan. I have no problem with that. I also believe Satan exists. In fact I’m so convinced, when I hear someone say they don’t believe in him, I realize I’m talking to a person that has no clue what’s happening in the world around them. Not even on first base. (That, for those of you out there calling yourself preachers, doctors, scientists and psychologists). How can anyone profess faith in the God of Abraham, Jesus or Mohamed without also recognizing the existence of evil? Their entire message describes a battle of good and evil spirits. Like many in our era, Hank III turns to drugs and booze to combat depression and a myriad of other problems life throws his way. I am convinced this is a minor failing. We’re all on dope of some kind or other, whether we admit it or not (coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, sleeping pills, Prozac for depression, Ritalin for the kids, women taking estrogen to combat the effects of menopause, maybe a little testosterone or some muscle building steroids to make an old men feel young again, antihistamines, anti-acids, aspirin, ibuprophen, pain killers, a little ephedrine for the road, allergy medicines, etc. Viagra for a hard-on, anyone?). If there weren’t something enjoyable or redeeming about doing drugs why would anyone use them? They make us feel better. Perhaps they help us cope or function. They also can make us feel like crap sometimes. Or kill us. Hank III paints an unvarnished and realistic picture of why he uses drugs and the effects, both good and bad. This is valid and necessary information to gain understanding about the human condition. To do so isn’t politically correct. I’m confident no one will ever accuse Hank III of being politically correct. Hank III and I share contempt for the bullshit coming out of the Nashville pop-country culture. Why? Because it bears no semblance to the real world in which we live and struggle. Worthless drivel. Worse. It ain’t real. Hank III’s semblance to his grandfather is frightening. Unlike Hank Jr., both are gaunt in appearance—almost skeletal. Upon hearing Hanks III’s distinctive voice you’ll swear it’s an echo of Hank Sr.’s voice from beyond the grave. I’m not exaggerating. I doubt there’ll be any invitation to play the Grand Old Opry forthcoming for Hank III. Nor will Nashville music executives fight for a spot in line to sign a contract like they did with Jr. Hank III is a man in search of roots, roots he couldn’t find in the rhinestone, silver and plastic world where Hank Jr. earned his living. These roots are the same of which his grandfather sang—a world of hillbillies, outlaws, swamp-dwelling, crawfish-eating, coal-mining, and hard drinking country folk A place where the women are as tough as the men they marry. Maybe tougher. He knows his is a life that won’t appeal to all and he likes it that way. He has searched high and low to find those roots, often in the wrong places. I hear a tinge of regret in the last song of the first CD, Angel of Sin, which very well could have come straight out of Solomon’s proverbs. When you’re loving an angel of sin she’ll never be there for you. Straight to Hell is a two CD album. The second CD starts off with an interesting sounding song about a man about to die in a Louisiana penitentiary and then regresses to a series of sound effects I can do without, in the vein of a tortured journey through a bad acid trip. The first time I listened, I failed to make it through. The second time I was ready to quit the damned thing again when another series of interesting songs, sounding like the first Hank—once again, from beyond the grave—came along. Some of them are very good. I find it unfortunate that the listener is forced to endure too-long stretches of annoying sound effects to discover these gems. I have advice to offer Hank III. It wasn’t your grandfather’s tragic death that made him a man of consequence; it was an infectious love of life he captured in songs. Hank Sr. also understood the spiritual battle we face. I heard him sing I saw the light and I believed he did. You sir, have inherited a great and wonderful spirit. No drug can kill this spirit but the body in which it is housed is fragile. It can and will die, given enough drugs. Blessings come with your gift, but also responsibilities. And one hell of a battle. Satan would like nothing better than to take you out. I know what I’m talking about. I stayed high for so long that now being sober has become a high of sorts. One I relish. The only hell for those God counts as his own is to be found right here, just outside your door. You ain’t headed straight to hell, you’re there now. Keep it honest, Hank III, and I’ll keep listening.
Purchase Hank III’s latest CD at LoneStarMusic.com
——————– About the Author – Don Henry Ford, Jr.
When Don’s not writing books he lends out his talent to Americana Roots to put together great articles like this. If you’ve enjoyed what you read, then pick up Don’s latest book Contrabando: Confessions of a Drug Smuggling Cowboy at your local bookstore or online at Cinco Puntos Press.
Jun
11
2006
Category : Features
There are very few singers who can take control of an audience with nothing more than words and an acoustic guitar. There is no flash, no big show, no fancy guitarwork � only one spotlight, one voice, and one guitar. I discovered Walt Wilkins just over a year ago when his fourth album, Mustang Island came across my desk. I recalled his name from a mention in a 2001 hit by Pat Green – �Carry On.� So, I decided to give Wilkins a listen and was instantly a fan. Upon further research, I found that Wilkins is an Austin native, that was living in Nashville as a songwriter. His songs have been released by the likes of Perfect Stranger, Ricky Skaggs, Ty Herndon and most recently (March 2006) by Kenny Rogers. Wilkins is also a producer whose credits include the likes of up-and-comers Brandon Rhyder and Autumn Bouakadakis (AKA Autumn from Mix 94.7�s JB and Sandy morning show). After spending a decade in Nashville, Wilkins took an opportunity to move back to Austin in late 2004. He now spends his time playing some of the best listening rooms in the state and many times is able to be home with his wife (Tina Mitchell Wilkins a singer-songwriter as well), and four-year-old son, Luke, at the end of the night. Recently Wilkins produced and released his newest album, Hopewell on his own label – Highway 29 Records. Sean Claes had a chance to talk to this born-again Austinite in mid April.
Sean Claes: About a year-and-a-half ago you moved back to Austin from Nashville. What sparked the move?
Wilkins: I�d been away a long time, 10 years. I never thought I�d be away that long. I�ve got a boy, at the time he was about three and I wanted to raise him down here. I really just wanted to come home for a while. I was feeling pretty beat up by Nashville. Plus, the three years previous to the move I was playing here a lot. I was out on the road with Pat Green and his band for one year � about 130 nights, and then I got back out on my own. Where I play is Texas. It�s where I can get people to come and see me. So two years in a row I was playing 100 nights, and that would mean when Tina and Luke were in Nashville, I�d be away for two weeks at a time. It was hard.
Claes: Why did you end up leaving Austin for Nashville in the first place?
Wilkins: I had a great job in Austin. I was working for the State at the Texas Film Commission. It was a great life. But I had started playing my songs because I realized that no one else was going to hear them unless I played them. You can�t be a beginning writer and just get other people to sing them. I really liked performing more than I thought I would.I made a little cassette of my songs and it wound its way around to a guy in Nashville in a big publishing company. He called me out of the blue in 1992 and said �you should come to Nashville.� I told him �I live in Austin, why would I move?� But he flew me up there and on my first trip I met some really cool writers. He planted the seed. He also offered me a publishing deal. I didn�t realize at the time what a big deal that was to not hit the streets looking for one. I grew up in Austin. Sometimes you have to move away to go out and chase down that golden fleece. A lot of singers and songwriters moved to Austin for that reason. I didn�t know any of those people I wasn�t in that clique of writers and musicians. I hung around with the people I grew up with. I was too country or too square for Austin really.
Claes: So being a songwriter was first, then becoming a performer was second and it was all a second career for you.
Wilkins: From the time I was a kid I wrote poetry. I started learning guitar when I was about 14 and I knew I was going to write songs. I wrote some songs for my high school band. I didn�t even want to go to college, I just wanted to play guitar. But I kind of took the unbrave way out and I went to college. I went into the funnel and went into the mainstream.
Claes: Before you went to work for �the man�, I hear you went to seminary as well.
Wilkins: I don�t really know why, I just went. It just seemed interesting to me. So I went and it was not the place for me at all, but it was an interesting time and I wouldn�t trade it. I also wrote my first song when I was there. I was moving and stretching those muscles to a point where maybe I hit a stride there and I wrote a song that I thought �This is a song.� It was �Songs About Texas� which later was recorded by Pat Green and it helped him break through here in Texas. So that was my first song. It was the first time where I said �This is it. I can do this and I can show this to anybody.� There were a lot of attempts
before and thank God they didn�t see the light of day.
Claes: There�s this perception that Nashville is this horrible place with all sorts of evil people and Austin is this hippy, weird Mecca. I personally don�t buy into either one of those�
Wilkins: All the terrible stuff you hear about Nashville� It�s all true and it�s worse than that� really. But, it�s also incredible. Hundreds of the greatest musicians of all kinds live in Nashville and you bump into them everywhere you go. Bump into Webb Wilder at the neighborhood grocery store and sit there and talk in the canned goods aisle for awhile. Darrell Scott at the coffee shop. Taking a walk with Guy
Clark from a bar to the studio. That doesn�t happen here. Austin is a big nirvana where everybody goes. They�ve always talked that Austin is the next Nashville. Well, let�s pray that never happens. Because the weight of all those weasels can really kill the energy of the place. But, Austin is as cliquish as Nashville and it�s still a popularity contest and it still plays favorites and it�s very self-conscious about stuff and being hip. That�s the bad side, but the good side is it�s really the freeist place to create. You really can do
anything and you can�t put a price on that. Gosh, what a place to grow up listening to music.
Claes: You mentioned looking up to, meeting and taking a walk with Guy Clark. Now, you�ve had some comparisons to Guy Clark, is that odd to you?
Wilkins: It�s humbling. It�s funny, if you are a Texas songwriter and some of your songs are story like, the comparisons to Guy Clark and Townes (Van Zant) will come. It just happens. So, I never want to say �Wow, I�m as good as Guy�
Claes: So, it�s kind of the same thing as saying a young Texas blues guitar player is �like Stevie Ray Vaughan?�
Wilkins: Completely. It�s fine with me. I relate to Guy. I would say Guy�s music is in my bones. I really did get nourished by him. There is no way I couldn�t have been influenced by him. He�s Guy Clark.
Claes: I discovered you when I got hold of Mustang Island (2004 release) and probably the reason I picked that up was because I recalled hearing Pat Green mention your name in �Carry On.�
Wilkins: Pat�s done a lot for me. There�s no way to undo what he�s done. He�s talked about me a lot and of course there�s that song. I mean, how many people get their names in songs. Not too many. And he�s a great guy. Plus everything he�s done of mine I�ve loved and I�m always proud of it.
Claes: What is your favorite version of someone else covering one of your songs?
Wilkins: I�ve got to say this Kenny Rogers version of �Someone, Somewhere Tonight� is really extraordinary. It�s my favorite song I�ve ever written and I love that version. He�s in his late sixties now and to hear that age sing that song� you get something more out of it than when I sing it. Kenny, whatever anyone thinks of him anywhere, he�s made a great career and he�s seen a lot. That�s a very philosophical song.
Claes: Back to you singing your own songs� I see you�ve got �Absolut Crazy� on your new release Hopefall. That�s the first song you ever had cut by someone else � Perfect Stranger.
Wilkins: Perfect Stranger recorded it. At the time, I�d just been in Nashville for a short time and I thought, �wow, this is easy.� Then I didn�t have another song recorded for like two years. I put �Absolut Crazy� on this record because people ask me to play it and I never recorded it.
Claes: Well, the last time I saw you live, you played a beautiful ballad called �The Angels Share� that is on the new album as well. What�s the story?
Wilkins: I had heard an interview on NPR�s �All Things Considered� and they were interviewing a whiskey distiller. He was talking about all of the whiskey that evaporates. The interviewer said �you must lose a lot of whiskey.� He said �We lose about 3-5 percent of the whiskey every year. In Ireland they call that the �Angels Share.�� If you are a professional songwriter and you can�t write a song about that�
Claes: I�ve seen you play a lot of song swaps. Is that your preferred way of playing?
Wilkins: My favorite way is to play with my guitar and myself and that�s it. That is about the hardest thing, and that�s how I prefer it. Song swaps are all the rage right now in Texas and I�m invited to play some and I enjoy them. I especially enjoy Brandon (Rhyder) and Susan (Gibson) because we�ve done it a lot and they are great to spend an evening with. If I�m going to be away from home, that�s who I want to be with if I�m going to get to play.
Claes: Outside of Austin is it more difficult to get a gig as a singer-songwriter playing originals?
Wilkins: Absolutely. At my age, what I want to do with my time, if I�m going to be out of town, I�m going to be playing songwriter places. Meaning, I�m playing listening rooms. Austin has several great places to play, San Marcos has Cheatham Street, New Braunfels has a couple great sitting rooms depending on the night. San Antonio has a couple of places. Fort Worth and Houston have a couple of great rooms. There are great rooms all over the state between the big cities, but not hundreds. Frankly, I don�t even like playing if someone doesn�t know me. I haven�t skipped any steps in this path and I want to play where I�m wanted. You�ve got to have an ego in this business. To get up on stage and say, �Hey, I want you to hear these songs. I think it�s worth your time.� You�ve got to believe in yourself before you can have someone else believe in you. Absolutely. And you�ve got to believe in your song and you�ve got to believe in your ability to put them out there.
Visit http://www.waltwilkins.com for more information on this phenomenal singer/songwriter. Sean Claes (www.seanclaes.com) is a freelance entertainment writer living in Kyle, Texas. You can purchase Walt’s latest CD at LoneStarMusic.com.
Jun
09
2006
Category : Reviews
This week I thought I would try to fit in some deserving CDs, which I haven’t been able to get out there yet. The Round-Up reviews might become a more regular feature with all of the great music that is coming in monthly.Eric Hisaw – The Crosses: One of the best things about doing CD reviews is the CDs you receive by artists you have never heard of, but are glad you finally have. Eric Hisaw is one such artist. The Crosses is his fourth independent release and it is a strong one. For me, Hisaws’ voice is a nice mixture of early Elvis Costello and Richard Buckner. His songwriting is strongly influenced by observations of those who came through his life as a young child in Las Cruces, NM and form stories that are easily relatable. “Peggy” talks about that friend or relative who pops in and out of your life, always with a tale to tell. In “Every Sunday” the main character struggles with reconciling his past lifestyle with that of the married life he now lives. The things his wife doesn’t say to him torture the man in “Silence”. Strong characters, characters we all know or have been, populate Hisaw’s songs and bring to life the picture he paints on The Crosses.Allan Harris – Cross That River:Cross That River is one of the most interesting projects to come across my desk in a long time. Allan Harris is a renowned Jazz singer featured on several BET specials, featured in a Smithsonian film on Jazz and sold out the Kennedy Center with his tribute to Jazz Great Billy Strayhorn. His newest project focuses on the African-American experience in the Old West.“Cross That River" is from the perspective of a slave longing for Freedom while “Blue Was Angry” is from the perspective of a slave who, in the confusion of the beginnings of the Civil War, escapes to unclaimed territory. Other characters that populate the Harris’ songs include Buffalo Soldiers, freed slaves and a few ladies of the West.Harris has an authoritative voice that suits the tone of the project perfectly. The songs, all written by Harris, do a fantastic job of laying out the scenes and populating them with historically accurate characters. The contributions of African-Americans to the settling of the West are often overlooked and Harris does a good job of putting those contributions into perspective.JR and the Roadkill Choir – Old Family Recipe:Novelty songs come in many stripes from simple wordplay (such as Roger Miller) to out and out comedy (such as Ray Stevens). JR and the Roadkill Choir stand on the Miller side of the fence while occasionally stepping over to visit the Stevens school. Songs such as “I’m Drinking You Beautiful” and “You’re too Ugly to be Cheatin’ on me” contain the same type of humor as songs such as the Bruce Robison penned “You’re Not the Best” or “What Would Willie Do?” There are several songs on Old Family Recipe that could easily be cut by mainstream Country artists such as Alan Jackson. One track that jumps out would be “Redneck with the White Collar Blues” in which the protagonist laments the office life against the backdrop of his upbringing.Unlike many novelty CDs, Old Family Recipe stands up well to repeated listens without the joke wearing thin. JR and the Roadkill Choir won the 2005 battle of the bands competition at the legendary Tootsies in Nashville which serves as evidence that they also take their musicianship seriously.
Jun
08
2006
Category : Reviews
No E Street Bandies (except for wife Patti Scialfa and several lesser known members), but Bruce and the assemblage—consisting of horn guys blowing Dixieland, guitarists, fiddlers etc.—make the mostly traditional tunes hop, skip and jump. Songs include John Henry, Erie Canal, Jacob’s Ladder and Shenandoah. The flip side is a DVD with a 30 minute movie of Bruce and the band. If you don’t like Springsteen’s over-the-top strut and style, buy something else; that said, he’s to be congratulated for turning what could have been a boring, pedantic exercise into a celebration. Will Asbury Park’s favorite son inspire another folk scare in the USA?