Jack White rocks RBC Amphitheatre, Tuesday

Jack White – who just turned 51 – returns to Toronto to play RBC Amphitheatre tonight with Angine de Poitrine opening!  

Nashville celebrates the life and music of Loretta Lynn

The stars came out to honour the late great Loretta Lynn including Margo Price, George Strait, Tanya Tucker & Jack White.

The Raconteurs vs. Danko Jones

Back in 2006, The Raconteurs covered the Danko Jones classic "Samuel Sin" which T.O.'s finest will likely reprise March 12th.

 

The Raconteurs announce new album and tour with Toronto date September 12th

Brendan Benson, Jack White and crew are playing Toronto's Sony Centre on September 12th – tickets on sale Friday.

Here's the scoop...
Hot on the heels of announcing their new album Help Us Stranger (out June 21 via Third Man Records), The Raconteurs – Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler – have announced an extensive run of North American headline tour dates. These new dates, spanning from July to October, include US festival appearances at Woodstock 50 and Railbird. The band will kick off their world tour with their first trip to Australia and New Zealand later this month, as well as stops in Japan, Europe, and the United Kingdom before returning to North American with a Toronto stop at the Sony Centre on September 12th.

The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger

Tickets to the North American dates go on sale to the general public on Friday (April 12) at 10 am local time. Third Man Records Vault members will have access to the very first pre-sale starting on Tuesday, April 9 at 10 am local time, running through Thursday, April 11 at 10 pm local time. Those who sign up for the Vault Package #40 subscription service will get an exclusive limited edition version of Help Us Stranger on electric green/black/copper swirled vinyl with Vault-only lenticular cover art, and gain ticket pre-sale access first. For tickets and more information on all tour dates, visit https://theraconteurs.com/tour.

Additionally, every online ticket purchased in North America for the new headline shows will include a physical copy of Help Us Stranger on CD. Fans will also have the option to upgrade their CD to the standard black vinyl LP.

Out on Friday, June 21, Help Us Stranger – The Raconteurs third studio LP and first album of new material in over a decade – sees the combo reassembled, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever as they continue to push rock 'n' roll forward into its future, bonding prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk, and Nashville soul via Benson and White’s uncompromising songcraft and the band’s steadfast musical muscle. With Help Us Stranger, The Raconteurs have returned right when they are needed most, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition, infinite energy and a collectivist spirit operating at the peak of its considerable powers, once again creating a sound and fury only possible when all four of its members come together. Check the current list of tour dates following a few recent performance clips from Nashville including a cover of Donovan's "Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)" which they recorded for Help Us Stranger.









THE RACONTEURS 2019 WORLD TOUR
April 16: Powerstation – Auckland, New Zealand (SOLD OUT)
April 18: Regent Theatre – Melbourne, Australia (SOLD OUT)
April 20: Big Top Sydney – Sydney, Australia
April 22: Bluesfest Byron Bay – Byron Bay, Australia *
April 24: Akasaka Blitz – Tokyo, Japan

Lillie Mae @ The Velvet Underground, Friday

Fearsome fiddler Lillie Mae presents songs from her Jack White-produced debut Forever and Then Some tonight.  

Dex Romweber, One Trip Little @ Garagenoir Inc, Saturday

Dex is launching his Carrboro album at 1485 Dupont in Pelham Park – doors open at 7 pm.  

"Dex Romweber was and is a huge influence on my music. I owned all of his records as a teenager, and was thrilled at the fact that we were able to play together recently on tour. His attitude towards music is remarkable. His songwriting, along with his love of classic American music from the south, be it rockabilly, country or R&B, is one of the best kept secrets of the rock n roll underground."

— Jack White (The Upholsterers, White Stripes, 2 Star Tabernacle)

Set times 
9pm    One Trip Little
10pm  Zak Miller
11pm  secret local act (rhymes with "Cattle")
12pm  Dex Romweber






LINKS
Premier Guitar: Dex Romweber's Silvertone Soul
Label: Bloodshot Records

Neil Young and Jack White talk voice-o-graph recording on Tonight Show

Neil Young discusses the concept of his new album "A Letter Home" with Jimmy Fallon.

Shovels & Rope take on The Boss

Shovels & Rope open for Lucero at the Phoenix on March 26; their version of Johnny 99 is out April 2.

Johnny 99 by SHOVELS & ROPE

Beck goes country with Jack White

I Just Started Hating Some People Today by Beck

Jack White survives Insane Clown Posse fiasco

Here's the first song, Love Interruption, from Jack White's forthcoming solo album Blunderbuss set for release by Third Man/XL Recordings/Columbia on April 23. There's no word yet whether his Third Man labelmates Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse were involved in the recording. Vinyl junkies should note that the 7" single version of Love Interruption is out on February 7. 

Happy Birthday Hank Williams!

On October 4, The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams will premiere 12 unheard Hank Williams compositions drawn from handwritten lyrics found after his tragic passing and brought to life by a cast of contemporary artists inspired by his work including Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Rodney Crowell, Jack White, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and others. Here's a preview...

Black Milk discusses his Jack White collabo

"It’s a pretty crazy feeling when you’re going about your regular, every day routine in the studio and all of sudden you get a phone call that Jack White wants to work with you. The email to my manager came from Jack White himself. My first reaction was one of shock that an artist like him, who most people would categorize as a rock star, would want to work with an independent hip-hop artist. My second reaction was surprise that he even knew I existed, even though we’re from the same city. Of course, my response was “Hell yeah! When and where do I need to be to make this happen?” A few back and forth emails led to my band (keyboardist AB, drummer Daru Jones and bassist Malik Hunter) and I taking a trip to Nashville to record at Jack’s home studio.

"Upon our arrival, Jack was the first person to greet us. From our brief discussion about music and things of that nature, I learned he discovered my music through the “Deadly Medley” music video. Jack, a team of his musicians, my band and I wasted no time starting a jam session. I immediately felt the pressure of having to create two great songs in two days. Not only were we able to produce two tracks that we felt were great, but we were able to capture our individual sounds. I was prepared to follow Jack’s direction with the songs, but not long into the creative process it became clear that he wanted me to take the lead role as the producer. For a guy who is so well-respected and musically accomplished to humbly step into the recording room as one of many musicians and to trust me as the producer to do what I do best was pretty crazy and such an honor.

Royal Mega

"The jam sessions were recorded to tape, all on the first day. On the second day, I chose two of them to write to and spit my verses back to back. No “edit, undo” like recording digitally in Pro-Tools. On the third and final day, we toured Third Man Records (the most amazing place ever), shot photos for the project cover and sound checked for our show later that night. It was a great performance for an amazing crowd, but the craziest part of the night was seeing (and hearing) Jack White in the crowd, cheering us on like a fan and seeming to have more fun than everyone. As a bonus, the live show was recorded to tape (Black Milk Live at Third Man Records), and will be released on vinyl.

Brain

"The time we spent in Nashville collaborating with Jack White was one of the greatest moments in my music career. It not only inspired me to continue to work hard as a producer, but also confirmed that staying true to my art, without compromise, can manifest into the type of rewards that money can’t buy."

- Black Milk

Where White went wrong with Wanda

Whoa, what a disappointment. Considering the exemplary job Jack White did producing Loretta Lynn's Grammy-grabbing comeback album Van Lear Rose (Interscope) back in 2004, it seemed like his pairing with the still wiry septuagenarian rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson was a can't-miss proposition but The Party Ain't Over (Third Man/Nonesuch) is a complete mess.
The big difference between the projects is that Jackson is an interpretive stylist rather than a singer-songwriter like her country counterpart, and also, Jackson was never anywhere near as hands-on in the studio as Loretta Lynn. Consequently White had to do more than simply assemble the band and serve as a quality control expert, he also had to choose the appropriate repertoire for Jackson and come up with suitable arrangements. Evidently White wasn't up to the task as his head-scratching song choices and the oddball arrangements ultimately set Jackson up for failure. It's now painfully apparent that he was unsure of whether to aim for the retro rock 'n' roll crowd, the old-school country holdouts or forget the nostalgia factor entirely and try reaching a new audience by remaking some contemporary tunes in a Wanda Jackson style. So instead of choosing a concept and seeing it through, White takes a scattershot approach, turning each song into a unique experiment in hopes that something might connect. Unfortunately nothing here really works.

The album opens with an effects-laden blast through Johnny Kid and The Pirates' Shakin' All Over and an equally over-egged version Little Richard's Rip It Up but things start to go pear-shaped with an off-kilter romp through Harlan Howard's Busted followed by a reggae-esque stab at Rum and Coca-Cola that's just plain goofy. Why anyone would think that Lord Invader's bawdy calypso about wartime prostitution in Trinidad popularized by the Andrews Sisters back in 1945 is due for an update in 2011 is beyond me (for the whole crazy story behind Rum & Coca-Cola see LINKS below). Sure Billy Childish once recorded a lame version of Rum and Coca-Cola back in 1988 but would White actually risk embarrassing Jackson by having her take a crack at the kooky novelty number in faux island patois just to one-up his former idol turned nemesis? Anything is possible I guess but whatever the reason, it's a terrible song choice for Jackson horribly realized.
Doing a song by Amy Winehouse isn't such a bad idea in itself but for 73-year old Jackson – who has been happily married to the same man for the last five decades – trying to sing convincingly about the sort of relationship detailed in You Know I'm No Good is more than a bit of a stretch. It also makes for an awkward transition into the holier than thou admonishments of Dust On The Bible. The Bailes Brothers' number made famous by Kitty Wells is one of the album's few selections the God-fearing Christian probably thought she could really get down with, at least until White decided that the country gospel classic needed to be retrofit with a booty-bumpin' funk groove. That doesn't come off any better than White's notion of revising Jimmie Rogers' classic Blue Yodel No. 6 (She Left Me This Mornin') with a clumsy gender flip or playing up the kitch value of Dinah Washington's Teach Me Tonight then tossing in an incongruously nasty guitar break as an afterthought. Why? Because he can.
Perhaps if White spent half as much time gathering appropriate material for the project as he did thinking up clever gimmicks to help sell the finished product – the limited fuscia-coloured vinyl version is being released with a special Greeting Card Gatefold™ sleeve design (see promotional clip below) – The Party Ain't Over might not have turned out to be such a laughable disaster. To find out just how awful it is, check out the fantastic 30-track Wanda Jackson compilation Queen Of Rockabilly – The Very Best Of The Rock 'n' Roll Years (Ace) which collects her most righteously raucous recordings for Capitol cut during the late 50s and early 60s.
Wanda Jackson will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight (Thursday, January 20) and on Conan Tuesday (January 25) accompanied by Jack White and the Third Man House Band.

 

Third Man Records promotional clip





Thunder On The Mountain by Wanda Jackson



LINKS
Third Man Records http://www.thirdmanrecords.com/

The intriguing tale of Rum & Coca-Cola

Lost Greenhornes album magically appears

Just when you thought you'd heard the last of Cincinnati garage rock rebels The Greenhornes, a copy of what appears to be an unissued album recorded during their mid-2000's peak has found it's way into the hands of Zach B. who posted it on his fine Random Old Records blog.  How do these things happen?
Assuming that the recording of undisclosed origins tagged as "Little Horse" sans tracklisting really is a lost Greenhornes album – the professionally recorded 12-song studio set certainly sounds like their work – then it's plausible that the recording could've been done after 2005's East Grand Blues (V2) EP and before the Greenhornes rhythm section of drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Jack Lawrence were deputized by Jack White for various projects, notably Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose album and  the Raconteurs. Meanwhile Greenhornes guitar-playing singer/songwriter Craig Fox has been keeping busy in Cincinnati with Oxford Cotton, The Long Gones and Pearlene.

Of course, it's also possible that these tracks could be early versions of songs intended for The Greenhornes forthcoming Four Stars album set for release on Jack White's Third Man Records label in October. We'll likely find out soon enough as the reunited Greenhornes will be kicking off a short tour with a homecoming show at The Comet in Cincinnati on August 20 followed by gigs at Detroit's Magic Stick (Aug. 21), Nashville's The Basement (Sep. 1), New York's Mercury Lounge (Sep. 3) and Maxwell's in Hoboken (Sep. 4) as a warm-up for their Jim Jarmusch-approved appearance at the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival at Kutsher's Country Club in  Monticello, New York on September 5. No word as yet about a Toronto show but The Greenhornes have always done well here so there will likely be announcement soon. You'll probably read about it here first. 

LINKS
Greenhornes site http://www.myspace.com/thegreenhornes
Random Old Records http://randomoldrecords.blogspot.com
All Tomorrow's Parties Festival http://www.atpfestival.com/events/atpnewyork2010.php
Third Man Records http://www.thirdmanrecords.com/