That time "Shot" Jackson was interviewed at his Sho-Bud guitar shop

We're remembering pedal steel ace "Shot" Jackson on his birthday with an interview and a few performances.  

It's official... August 29th is Margo Price Day in Nashville!

Margo Price accepted the honour conferred by Nashville's mayor Freddie O'Connell wearing Loretta Lynn's green chiffon Lillie Rubin gown. 

LINKS

Margo Price Hard Headed Woman LP

Margo tries on Loretta Lynn's green chiffon gown from 1972 CMAs right here 

Knox News Margo Price wears Loretta Lynn dress at Nashville Opry honor

VOLK previews new album with "Pop Song"

Check out the video for "Pop Song" off VOLK's forthcoming album, On The Other Hand, You Have Five Fingers. 

VOLK's "Pop Song" b/w "Swinger's Ball" single is out now on Watch It Burn Records. Get it right here. 

Nate Bargatze skewers bro-counry with "Lake Beach"

Stand-up comic Nate Bargatze joined Nashville pal James Austin Johnson for an SNL bro-country parody "Lake Beach." Catch Nate in Toronto Jan 21. 

Nate Bargatze's Be Funny Tour hits Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on January 21st. Get tickets right here.

One For The Weekend: Brennen Leigh

Check out "Running Out Of Hope, Arkansas" off Brennen Leigh's new album Ain' Through Honky Tonkin' Yet out today. 

Grab a copy of Brennen Leight's new album, Ain't Through Honky Tonkin' Yet (Signature Sounds) right here. 

Watch Southern Culture On The Skids tear it up in Atlanta

Here's some footage of Southern Culture On The Skids from their City Winery show in Atlanta. Catch 'em in Nashville tonight!

The Blasters featured in Country Music Hall of Fame's 'Western Edge' exhibit

Dave Alvin's beat-up Fender Mustang will be part of the Country Music Hall of Fame's Western Edge exhibit opening Sept. 30th. 

Writes Dave Alvin....

In the fall of 1988, after being dropped by CBS Records, I attempted to be a professional Nashville songwriter. I failed miserably.

During that odd, rough time of my life, I lived in a second floor apartment (in the dark back building barely visible behind the two well lit front ones) on 17th Ave South. My roommate was a fine jazz guitarist named Chris Page. Neither Chris nor I had any money to properly furnish the place but we did find two metal folding chairs and a metal folding card table that cost us about 20 bucks total at a local store. I slept on the living room floor on a one person air mattress. I really had nothing going on with my career but, on the bright side, I did have an acoustic guitar, a cassette player/AM-FM radio boombox, some clothes in a suitcase, an ashtray, some pens and stacks of notebooks full of questionable lyrics for half-written songs. 

I also had some intense hangovers, met some wonderful folks, met a few jerks, wrote with some excellent (if struggling same as I was) songwriters, had a few memorable experiences with a couple successful tunesmiths and, seeing how I had no car or credit cards back then, I spent a lot of time exploring the lovely streets of Nashville on foot when I wasn't scribbling verses in "the writer's room" at the Bug Music offices on 16th Ave. When no big Nashville stars cut any of the songs I'd been co-writing and the weather got too damn cold in December, I tucked my tail between my legs and limped back to California.

I'm telling you this old tale because September 30th, 2022 will be the opening night at Nashville's highly respected Country Music Hall of Fame for it's newest landmark exhibit, "Western Edge: The Roots And Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock" and I am proud beyond words to be included in it. This comprehensive exhibit covers the early 60s to the early 90s, from The Dillards, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Burrito Brothers to Emmy Lou Harris and Linda Ronstadt through to The Blasters and Knitters then on to Lone Justice, Los Lobos, Rosie Flores and finally Dwight Yoakam. 

I'm sincerely honored that my beat up old Blaster era Fender Mustang guitar will be on display in the exhibit, along with my also beat up old Blaster era leather jacket, my now fragile, lucky red bandanna that I wore on every Blasters album cover and my ragged but right, folk art guitar case that traveled the world with me during those wild years. There is also a big opening night concert at the museum that I'll be performing at which also features many legendary musicians from the exhibit like Chris Hillman (The Byrds/Burrito Brothers), Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield/Poco),  Maria McKee, Rosie Flores, The Watkins Twins and many more. 

Yeah, I'm nervous and a touch scared to be part of this shindig. I know I'm really just a rock and rolling folk/blues guitar basher and not a "country" artist but the influence of country music on my songwriting is undeniable. I'm proud and thrilled The Blasters will be recognized by the Country Music Hall of Fame for the hard work we did and the influence we had. Of course, the down and out guy that was me in 1988, sleeping on the floor in a small Nashville apartment with little money and no prospects, would not believe for one damn second that any of this could possibly be happening. I'm positive, though, that he feels as deeply honored as I do.    – Dave Alvin

For more info, visit the Country Music Hall Of Fame site right here. 

Listen to Lenny Breau's solo nylon-string guitar version of "Cold, Cold Heart"

Late guitar great Lenny Breau put his own spin on the Hank Williams classic back in 1968. Check the audio clip below. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Levert Allison

Dynamic Dixie Travellers' gospel belter Levert Allison – Gene's brother – also cut some nasty funk joints like "Sugar Daddy."

David Letterman's Nashville Episode from 1999

 

Get BR5-49 and Biff Henderson on a flatbed truck rolling through Music City and you've got comedy magic. 

Barbra Lica Jazz Quintet @ Toronto Centre For The Arts' Greenwin Theatre, Saturday

Check out "Nashville" from the Juno-nominated album I'm Still Learning by Toronto's own Barbra Lica.

Trouble Boys author Bob Mehr talks Replacements

If you're in Nashville on April 2, drop by Bob's signing at Grimey's Too (1702 8th Avenue South). 

See Lindi Ortega @ The Rivoli, Thursday

Upcoming Tour Dates 


January 23  - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell’s Music House*

January 24  - Toronto, ON - Rivoli*

January 25 - Kingston, ON - Grad Club*

January 26  - Burnstown, ON - Neat Café*

January 27 - Wakefield, QC - Blacksheep* (Matinee Show)

January 29 - Montreal, QC - Divan Orange*

January 30 - Boston, MA - Café 938

January 31 - New York, NY - Joe’s Pub

February 1 - Philadelphia, PA - Tin Angel

February 2 - Vienna, VA - Jammin Java

February 5 - Charlotte, NC - Evening Music

February 6  - Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic

February 7 - Nashville, TN - High Watt

February 8  - Clevland, OH - Beachland Tavern

February 9 - Chicago, IL - Schubas

February 12 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry

February 14 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre*

February 15 - Regina, SK - Exchange*

February 16  - Calgary, AB - Palomino*

February 17 - Edmonton, AB - Avenue Theatre*

February 18 - Jasper, AB - Legion*

February 20 - Nelson, BC - Live at the Royal*

February 22 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore*

February 23 - Victoria, BC - Sugar Nightclub*

*with co-headliner Dustin Bentall & The Smøkes