songs:illinois

As you may know Songs:Illinois is based in the Chicago area, but I’ve always thought it silly to focus on the Chicago scene since as far as I can tell I have as many readers in Jakarta as I do in Wicker Park. Besides the one fun, but ill-advised Songs:Illinois show at Cals, I haven’t ventured out into the world of promoting the live music scene. But when I heard about the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival being held at the Congress Theater on November 22 I was intrigued. After seeing the lineup of The Avett Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, Lil Ed and The Dave Grisman Quintet plus at least 10 more bands I was sold.

So I’ve become one of the media sponsors (whatever that means). I’ll be featuring some of the music of the bands performing between now and show time (Nov. 22). And badgering my local readers to buy tickets and attend. That’s it for now. You can buy early bird tickets now here .

Here’s a sample of “Jenna Lee” by Chicago blues-rockers Blackdog:

Jenna Lee

I usually don’t read bio’s, let alone quote them, but Priya Thomas is a mystery to me and I couldn’t find the words to sum up her sound any better than the “About Me” section on her website:

A record meshed somewhere between the worlds of Sufjan Stevens, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, Thomas sounds something like Grace Slick banging pots and pans or Mazzy Starr accompanied by warped ukeleles, clattering tambourines and plunky guitars.

What I like about her sound is the masculine nature of it. Sometimes female artists are so obviously female, kind of like the movies or books that are geared towards a female audience (Nights In Rodanthe anyone?). She’s not polished in any way on these songs and they’re not an easy listen either musically or lyrically but there is just so much more there than on a typical “womyn’s” release.

Priya’s new record is called Blood Heron and comes out in Canada on Oct. 28.

Had I Known, I Would Have Declined

I’ve probably written about 3000 different bands over the past 4 or 5 years, I’ve forgotten about most of them but there are always a few that stick with me for one reason or another. Of course the main reason is always the music, but sometimes it’s the process of discovery that is memorable or an interaction with the artist that makes them stand out. The Sumner Brothers are a combination of all three reasons. Songs:Illinois must have been some of the first press they received since portions of my review of their debut record are up on their CDBaby page, also they’ve always been extremely nice in my dealings with them, but as I say it’s mostly about the music. The Sumners Brothers effortlessly combine all the disparate forms of roots music to create a sound that elevates them to the top of the heap (The Felice Brothers, Chatham County Line and The Avett Brothers are all pushing and struggling not to fall off that same heap).

The band is releasing their sophomore effort on Sept. 19 (tomorrow) with a release party at St James Hall in Vancouver. Staying true to the bands’ all natural, organic sound they recorded the new record in a cabin on Galliano Island. The band admits to being particularly fond of the track “Ticket To Ride”. And this nearly 6 minute long ode of desperation, joblessness, war, and trains is a fine place to start.

Ticket To Ride

I was going to try to squeeze Austin Hartley-Leonard into Honky-Tonk Friday but had to abandon that since his music lacks that twang found on most Honky-Tonk Friday posts. If he was based anywhere else but LA perhaps his music would have a more country sound but as it is now he makes more like Ryan Adams than Merle Haggard. What is it about LA that puts a sheen on the sound of so many young artists? Sure there are exceptions to the rule but it seems like the bulk of LA singer-songwriters are hoping for that Gray’s Anatomy placement rather than focusing on how to make their music more “real”.

With all of that said, I like the start of “Golden Opportunity” with it’s banjo and scratchy vocals. Heck I even like the poppy horns that enter the song toward the end. The new record is called Franklin Avenue.

Golden Opportunity

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P.S. I wanted to share with you the new song from JD Souther. But at the same time I don’t want to end up in federal prison like this guy. See the new record is on a subsidiary of Sony and although I got the song fair and square I just don’t want to push it. So instead of hosting the song myself, please visit JD’s homepage, sign up for his email list and the song is yours free of charge.

Everyone’s got to have a video nowadays even more so than in the heyday of MTV. Even if it’s just a cellphone camera duct taped to the steering wheel of a car as you sing along with your song on the radio - a video is an essential part of keeping your name on the blogs and your image front and center with your biggest fans. So here’s a couple videos from me to you; a couple of S:I favorites. MP3’s to follow some time this afternoon….

Joe Pub - “Hymn 101″

Ha Ha Tonka - “Caney Mountain”

Ha Ha Tonka, “Caney Mountain” from Bloodshot Records on Vimeo.

Matt Bauer - “Barn Owl”

Radio is so messed up. I looked at a recent playlist/airpla¥ chart at one of the AAA radio behomoths (KGSR in Austin) and it’s full of boring crap. The web is so the place to be right now. Here’s their list; how unimaginative and corporate friendly can they be (and yes they threw a bone to Michael Fracasso and Bob Schneider but they’re local and that’s that):

SANTANA - She’s Not There
NICKEL CREEK - Reasons Why
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - Where Are You Going
AMOS LEE - Listen
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
MY MORNING JACKET I’m Amazed
BOB DYLAN - I Threw It All Away
MICHAEL FRACASSO - Naked Fool
LOS LOBOS - Can’t Stop The Rain
ADELE - Chasing Pavements
JAMES HUNTER - Don’t Do Me No Favours
DAVID BOWIE - Rebel Rebel
WILLIE NELSON w/ NORAH JONES - Lonestar
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - I Will Possess Your Heart
NIRVANA - Come As You Are
STEVIE RAY VAUGHN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE - Ain’t Gone ‘n Give Up On Love
BOB SCHNEIDER - When The Sun Breaks Down On
JORMA KAUKONEN - I Am the Light of this World
EDDIE VEDDER - Hard Sun
COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
FLEETWOOD MAC - Never Going Back Again
LOS LONELY BOYS Staying With Me
U2 - Walk On

P.S. I’m pretty buzzed on a good Merlot so just ignore this post…please.

While my goal was never to be the one stop shop for Gypsy inflected music I can’t resist writing about this stuff when I get the chance. And now there’s a group in my very own backyard that’s making inroads with their new release. Harmonious Wail are from Madison, Wisconsin (not a hotbed of gypsy music); their new release Resist Temptation will be out Oct. 7 on Range Entertainment.

I love the accordion, the romantic French vocals and of course the gypsy guitar in “Joie De Vivre”.

Joie De Vivre

I’ll be on vacation for over a week without a laptop so expect to hear from me again on Aug. 20.

This is either a really crappy idea executed badly or an atrocious idea performed poorly. What do you think? Johnny Cash Remixed.

Johnny Cash Remixed sampler (if they could just remix this one more time and take all the crap out it’d be great…oh yeah that’s the way it sounded before they f**k’d it up)

Shit there’s a lot going on. I can barely keep up. I guess the summer doldrums are coming to an end and the fall season is upon us. I don’t have the time or the space to comment extensively on these three releases but I’ll try to link to bio material when appropriate so you can get the whole scoop.

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Todd Snider has an 8 track ep coming out in August, it’ll actually be available as a free download on his site for one week in August. The record is called Peace Queer and features material that is more stridently political than previous Snider stuff. But from the song titles, cover art, and the song below you can hear that his wry sense of humor hasn’t left him. Here’s the title track “Mission Accomplished”:

Mission Accomplished

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Also Yep Roc just released the new song from the upcoming Giant Sand record proVisions. What can I say but that it’s typical (great) Howe Gelb. Like Smog or Wilco, the man can virtually do no wrong, whether he releases a gospel inspired record, an experimental freak-out, or a singer-songwriterly acoustic affair. I’m not sure where this new record will land on the spectrum but it features guests like Neko Case, M. Ward and Isobell Campbell. Here’s one song off it called “Increment of Love”. Pre-order the new record here and get a bunch of cool freebies.

Increment Of Love

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Finally Aquarium Drunkard’s label Autumn Tone has announced they will be making available early limited edition records from J Tillman. I’ve written about the ghostly folk music of Tillman before and consider him one of our best writers and singers. Here’s the title track to one of the records that will be available everywhere fine records are sold or simply direct through Autumn Tone here.

I Will Return

This is shaping up to be a delightfully strange week on S:I. The music that will be featured is seemingly going to come from every part of the globe (yesterday the UK by way of Kansas, today Vermont, tomorrow Australia) and is going to be as distinct and original as it is varied and unique.

Everyone (and when I say everyone I mean Matt at Skatterbrain) has been writing about the new record from the Vermont based twee supergroup The Smittens. The band released the video for the single “Gumdrops” earlier in the week and now a few mp3’s have slipped onto the ethernet.

The new record is called The Coolest Thing About Love and is out now on HHBTM. The record will be proudly displayed at every indie pop online mailorder site and will soon be written about gushingly on twee forums and newsgroups. The “problem” is that the band (probably by accident) learned to play their guitars and sing in harmony and in key making them ever so slightly un-twee. The band’s sound also owes more to the sugar coated early rock `n’ roll of the 50’s than anything Belle and Sebastian or Tullycraft (despite Sean from Tullycraft contributing to the new record) has released. This “problem” hopefully will expose the band to more than just the few rabid, Cloudberry loving, ice cream eating, cardigan wearing, indie pop fans out there.

Something Sassy
Gumdrops

Scissormen will see their first nationally distributed disc via Red Eye this September. They just played Bonnaroo and claim to have made a big splash (from the looks of the photo above I’ll take them at their word). The record is called Luck In A Hurry and is a dirty, bluesy affair.

“Tupelo” is one of the few blues songs you’ll ever hear with a vibraphone intro. It’s a mudddy, distorted track that suits its subject matter to a T.

Tupelo

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I wrote up the new Tim Lee record a couple of months back. Tim Lee’s an American rock legend whether you know it or not. He’s been in several of the most influential Americans bands of the 80’s/90’s (aka The Windbreakers with Bobby Sutliff) and produced many of the others. He’s on par with Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter (heresy I know!). Anyway I came across another mp3 from his new record. The band is the Tim Lee 3 and the record is called 2Good2b3.

The song is called “I Like It Like That”. It’s got a Moe Tucker beat, an Alex Chilton b-side feel, and is a romping good time. For fans of power pop and/or Southern rock. Order the new record through Paisley Pop here.

I Like It Like That

Bonus

The Bridge

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A commenter on an ancient post of mine about Timesbold mentioned their Blaze Foley cover “Oval Room”. Although the song is 20 years old its message of economic turmoil and lackadaisical presidential leadership is fairly relevant today (dontcha think!?).

Oval Room Live

Yesterday’s post was about a band stuck in the 60’s and today’s is about a singer emulating the 30’s. What gives?! Elizabeth Butters is a Boston based musician/singer who studies and performs songs from that era. In particular, she’s drawn to some of the more somber and creepy death ballads of the time. Elizabeth works at Passim Cafe as an archivist and is in demand in the New England folk circuit. She performs with a dulcimer, guitar, and usually with an accompanist on musical saw (David Goligorsky).

Seems Elizabeth Butters was born at the wrong time; besides a fascination with the music of this time and region (Appalachia, the deep South), she also performs in one of hundreds of antique formal dresses or outfits (an old nurses uniform for instance). She’ll take this insistence on historical accuracy into the studio with her as she begins recording her debut. She is in the process of recording songs onto an analog reel to reel (naturally!) with the plans of releasing them in the fall as a 10″ 33rpm LP on heavy card stock (of course!).

“Hang Me Oh Hang Me” is a perfect example of the type of song Elizabeth performs with it’s dark subject matter and antiquated sound. You can hear the musical saw warbling in the background. Elizabeth’s vocals have a naive, resigned, and childlike quality to them which makes the subject matter all the more disturbing. For more information check out Elizabeth Butters’ MySpace or read this excellent article by Colin Asher on Weekly Dig.

Hang Me Oh Hang Me (low recording levels — turn it up!)

Elizabeth Butters with David Lamb

“Down In the Valley” with David Goligorsky

Pokey Lafarge is the real deal. How do I know this, you ask? Well just look at his MySpace touring schedule. For the last few years he’s been on the go playing every fish fry, coffeehouse, and viaduct from here to California and back again. Anybody that plays that many dates at such out of the way and unique venues has got to be serious about his music.

Pokey’s new record comes out July 21 and is called Beat, Move, and Shake (if you wonder why, just check out the video for the first single “Mr Nobody” and try to restrain that knee from knocking).

Beat, Move, and Shake is on a small label from St. Louis called Big Muddy Records. The song the label sent me is the most “country” sounding one on the disc, it’s also about Illinois so it was a bit of a no brainer. Expect the rest of the songs to be some sort of odd mix of folk, old timey, jugband, ragtime, showtunes and blues. Sounds perfect, don’t it!

Cairo, Illinois

“Mr Nobody”

So I’m at the beach for the forseeable future. I should be back in town and posting by Tuesday. Happy 4th of July.

I know Bonnaroo, Pitchfork, Lollapalozza et al are all the rage, but how great does this festival in Portland, Oregon sound? The name is Pickathon and it’s lineup is a who’s who and who’s that? of americana, folk, indie folk and eclectic roots music. Highlights include Langhorne Slim, The Gourds, Crooked Still, Jolie Holland, Wayne Hancock, The Everybodyfields, Sean Hayes, Justin Townes Earle, and on and on. The festival takes place on an 80 acre farm with views of Mt. Hood.

As is always the case with S:I here’s a couple of artists that you may not have heard of (but should have!) that are playing the fest.

Half Day Vacation - Tom Heinl
Poor Children - Ian Thomas
East Texas Rust - Shinyribs

My definition of bluegrass for this occasional theme day is very broad. Hell, if it’s mostly all acoustic and even has an inkling of Kentucky, the Appalachian mountains or Bob Wills than it’s ripe for posting. The new record from Erin McDermott conjures up the mountains of Vermont instead (her home state), but otherwise this record is rife with acoustic picking and yearning bluegrass-gospel inspired vocals.

“Fowler Farm” is one of the standout tracks on the new record and I have both the album version and a stripped down live take from WGDR’s fundraiser.

Fowler Farm

Fowler Farm (live)

I met Carrie Elkin down at SXSW, she’s a friend of Danny Schmidt and often performs with him. That’s about all the recommendation you or I should need. She’s got a great big voice which is kind of shocking coming from this pixie-like woman.

Carrie’s releasing her new album, The Jeopardy of Circumstance, this month. You can buy the new record here.

Question About Angels
Gospel Song

Francois Virot has a new record that just came out on Frenetic Records on June 16. This psychedelic freak folk singer is probably an odd choice to follow yesterdays post on the band Embarrassed Fruits, but if you’re open minded and like weirdo rock like Animal collective, early Robyn Hitchcock and even something like Herman Dune you should fare OK.

“Say Fiesta” has moments that share a lineage with the artists mentioned above but it also clearly channels David Bowie and Captain Beefheart. This is probably only the third time I’ve mentioned a French artist on S:I, what that says about the French or me is up in the air. But Francois I like.

Say Fiesta

Pretty cool video of “Cascade Kisses”

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P.S. Catbird Records is back with a new release and this time Ryan’s gone all Web 3.0 on us. The new record from the Brooklyn band Forest Fire is available for $5 as a cd, but for free or as pay as much as you’d like for the download. The band’s been joined by Nathan from Shaky Hands (my favorite “indie rock” band from last year).

I’m listening to the record as we talk and at least on the title track the band is all scattershot with screechy horns, guitar feedback and scruffy acoustic guitar and vocals. It’s just the kind of loose, ramshackle rock I can get behind. Here’s the title track “Survival”:

Survival

Anyone’s Guess has new music from Daniel Clay - a young “folk” singer from Atlanta.

Lonesome Music looks to have another Karen Dalton on their hands with once lost female folk singer Shelagh McDonald.

DC9 at Night (a Dallas Observer music blog) has music from singer-songwriter Lisa Mickelsen, who they compare to the equally unknown but deserving singer-songwriter Kristy Kruger.

We Like It Indie has some alt-country stars from North of the border - The John Henry’s arrive in the States any moment.