Scott Kempner of Dictators and Del-Lords fame has a new record coming out soon on … I’ve got mixed feelings about the record as a whole but it’s nice to hear his voice again and it’s especially nice to hear it singing a song from the perenially under rated singer-songwriter Tommy Womack.

The new record is called Saving Grace and as I said I’m still listening and forming an opinion but Tommy Womack’s “I’ll Give you Needles” as sung by Scott Kempner is a real gem. Saving Grace is due soon from 02:59 Records.

I’ll Give You Needles

PS I just enabled video commenting on Songs:Illinois. And while I’m a little worried about seeing all yer scruffy faces, I would like to hear your comments on this development and/or anything loosely related to roots music.

The British are coming! The British are coming!

As a proponent of Swedish music (here) I expect you might think I’d say that the Swedes will make a mark this year at SXSW. But I think that this is the year of the British band.

Kitty Daisy and Lewis are the Pipettes; if they were emulating the cool kids from the 50′s instead of the squares. They’re the Pipettes, if the Pipettes drank whiskey and listened to Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. They’re the Pipettes, if the Pipettes weren’t an artificial media creation. They’re the Pipettes, if the Pipettes had any soul.

“Mean Son Of a Gun” is an amazing cover, but the question is can these gals write and record their own material. There are rumors of a debut full length on Sunday Best this spring, so we’ll have our answer then.

They’re playing three times so far at SXSW: March 12 for Fatfox, March 14 for British dj Rob Da Bank and March 15 for Mojo.

Mean Son Of A Gun

We Dreamed America – A Twisted Tale of British Roots and American Music is a documentary film about the British roots scene. The thesis behind the film is that good country music can exist in the UK and that one band is going to break out of that scene soon. Lay your money on Kitty Daisy and Lewis or The Broken Family Band.