Remembering Townes Van Zandt on his birthday

Raising a glass to Townes on his birthday with a couple of classic performances and some entertaining stories.

Remembering Blaze Foley on his birthday

Here's Blaze accompanying Townes Van Zandt on "Snowing On Raton" back in 1984 and few more performances worth checking.  

Can't Steal My Fire tribute to David Olney out now via New West Records

Along with new versions of David Olney's songs by Mary Gauthier, Dave Alvin and Buddy Miller, the tribute album has a rare Townes Van Zandt live recording.

Here's the scoop from New West Records HQ...

New West Records is proud to release Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney. This album features new versions of David Olney songs recorded by Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mary Gauthier, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller among others. The tracklist is also highlighted by a never-before released live recording by Townes Van Zandt, and produced by Gwil Owen.

Originally from Rhode Island, Olney moved to Nashville in the early ‘70s and fell in with a group of songwriters including Townes Van Zandt, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Rodney Crowell. With his rock band David Olney and the X-Rays he toured tirelessly. He went on to release a string of brilliant albums and his songs were recorded by Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. But the bright lights of stardom never shone on David, and he died the way he lived: onstage in a club, far from home, singing a song.

This album gathers some of David’s friends and colleagues to pay tribute to his unique vision. Many of these artists are legends in their own right; all are here because of their deep admiration and respect for the man and his Songs. Get a copy of Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney via Bandcamp right here. If it's out of stock on vinyl, New West Records should have more copies available for ordering directly the week of November 18th. Check their site right here. Listen to a few songs, including Townes Van Zandt's live reading of "Illegal Cargo" following the tracklisting and endorsements. 

 

Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs Of David Olney

1. Deeper Well - Lucinda Williams 5:40

2. Sister Angelina - Steve Earle 3:17

3. Voices on the Water - The McCrary Sisters 3:27

4. Jerusalem Tomorrow - Buddy Miller 4:35

5. If My Eyes Were Blind - The Steeldrivers 3:38

6. Women Across the River - Willis Alan Ramsey 3:31

7. 1917 - Mary Gauthier 5:11

8. Always the Stranger - R.B. Morris 4:36

9. If It Wasn’t for the Wind - Jimmie Dale Gilmore 3:26

10. Running From Love - Anana Kaye 4:53

11. That’s My Story - Greg Brown 4:44

12. Sonnet #40 - David Olney 1:19

13. Titanic - Afton Wolfe 4:17

14. Steal My Thunder - Dave Alvin with the Rick Holmstrom Trio 6:09

15. Delta Blue - Jim Lauderdale 3:34

16. She’s Alone Tonight - Janis Ian 3:34

17. Illegal Cargo - Townes Van Zandt 3:10

“My father’s songs were true, they were strong, and they were enough to hold him. Death is tragic and reckless and still somehow his passing was a rare and beautiful event. A final magic trick, a sort of perfect symmetry played out. Flame snuffed out while a gentle apology was uttered into this cruel and glorious world. He was a dark eyed man, tender, comedic and profound; tapped into life in a unique and expansive way. Driven to roam, the lonely highway kind and yet incredibly empathetic. He was deeply of this world and also outside of it – observing it. His gaze was honest, seeing both darkness and light. He was angry and he was hopeful. He spoke in many voices – gentle and vicious, ashamed and joyful but always simple and beautiful, always genuine. He did not use people, he did not use stories, he lived within them. And he died the way he lived – in a song. This project shines a light on those songs. The friends and comrades on this album knew and loved my father through and because of his songs. They have come together to make this beautiful tribute to him and his words in their own voices. A song is a dream –A dream is sometimes a prayer – You hope they are heard. I hope these are heard.” – Lillian Olney

“David Olney tells marvelous stories, with characters who cling to the hope of enduring love, all the while crossing the deep divide into that long, dark night of the soul.” – Emmylou Harris

“Mr. Olney never had a hit single or won a Grammy Award, but in folk-rock and Americana circles, he is revered for his poetic sensibility and gruff-voiced storytelling, especially by his fellow songwriters, including his musical hero, Townes Van Zandt.” – The New York Times

“Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard.” – Townes Van Zandt 

Singer/songwriter David Picco launches Until Now album @ Cameron House, Thursday

St. John's singer/songwriter David Picco presents songs from his 7th album "Until Now" at the Cameron House tonight at 9 pm.

Here's the scoop...

Canadian singer/songwriter David Picco previews his new album Until Now – out today, Thursday, May 30th – with the single "Still Doubt It" (listen below), a funky slice of classic roots rock that exemplifies the sound Picco has honing for the past decade. The song is available now on all digital platforms and Bandcamp. 

Much of Picco's journey is chronicled on Until Now, 10 songs with lyrics steeped in hard-earned life lessons. Working with a tight crew led by guitarist Jimmy Bowskill of The Sheepdogs and Blue Rodeo (who also engineered Until Now at his Ganaraska Recording Co. in Cobourg, Ontario), Picco and his additional supporting players—Ian McKeown on drums and pedal steel, and Steve O’Connor of the Jim Cuddy Band on keyboards—blazed through four days of sessions in Spring 2023 with the result being an album that runs the gamut of emotions. 

A native of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Picco has recently been splitting his time between Toronto and Austin, Texas, trying to make sense of all that’s happened to him. “Some of these songs are the most personal I’ve ever written,” he says. “They came out of dealing with the passing of my best friend and the end of my marriage. But I wanted the album to have a light-hearted side as well, and I kept writing pretty much up until we were ready to record. There are some spontaneous moments that I love when the band really cut loose. I also wanted to record Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Still Lookin’ For You,’ which we did off the cuff and it ended up fitting in perfectly.” Have a listen below. 

The album’s rocking side is best displayed on “Still Doubt It,” with its instantly memorable chorus and swampy groove punctuated by Picco cutting loose on a fuzzed out guitar solo. But the overall theme of Until Now is summed up on the title track, which closes out the record. Overtop a Faces-esque loose-limbed backing, Picco sings, “I don’t know if I went wrong, but heaven knows it won’t be long / I never said that I was strong – until now.” 

“That song is about hitting the road and moving on, with or without regrets,” Picco says. “This is my seventh album, so I’ve gained lots of experience as a songwriter and recording artist. The last five years in particular have been a pretty creative time for me and I’ve been able to come into my own with help from the people I’ve worked with. I really feel that this is my best batch of songs to date.” 

Indeed, Until Now builds on the foundation of Picco’s previous album Live It Down from 2021, which earned rave reviews from all corners of the Americana world. Having paid his dues within the Canadian music scene since the mid-2000s, David Picco has merely been biding his time in the shadows of this country’s best singer/songwriters—until now. 

Get a copy of David Picco's new album Until Now right here. Listen to "Still Doubt It" and an update of Townes Van Zandt's "Still Looking For You" below. 

Guy Clark documentary "Without Getting Killed Or Caught" now streaming

Tamara Saviano and Paul Whitfield discuss their Guy Clark documentary Without Getting Killed or Caught.

Emmylou Harris salutes Townes Van Zandt & Billy Joe Shaver in Denver

Here's Emmylou Harris performing a great versions of  "Pancho & Lefty" and "Old Five and Dimers Like Me" at Levitt Pavillion.

Take a look inside Galveston's Old Quarter Café with Otis Gibbs

Otis Gibbs takes you on a tour of Townes Van Zandt's old haunt, Galveston's Old Quarter followed by Rex Bell's insights.  

Townes Van Zandt's 1987 gem At My Window re-reissued for RSD

Townes Van Zandt's At My Window – previously reissued for RSD 2012 – is back again, now on sky blue vinyl.  

One For The Weekend: Townes Van Zandt

Here's Townes Van Zandt putting his own spin on Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" back in 1971. 

Eric "Roscoe" Ambel recalls hangin' with Guy Clark & Townes Van Zandt

Eric "Roscoe" Ambel had a couple of memorable interactions with Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt which he shares below. 

Blaze Foley tribute album cut by pal Gurf Morlix now available on Bandcamp

Who better to pay homage to singer/songwriter Blaze Foley than his longtime Austin sidekick, guitarist Gurf Morlix. 

Here's the scoop...

On this disc Gurf Morlix takes the songs of his friend and compadre, Blaze Foley, that often celebrate the underprivileged, and presents them for the entire world to hear. Some of the songs when you hear them will jar memories of hits by other artists; Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett and John Prine, not a bad tribute in itself, covered Foley's songs. The songs range from love songs to political commentary. Foley never had an album released while he was alive. The story behind the three he recorded and what happened to them is both too long and too bizarre to explain here. Suffice it to say he was considered a genius and revered by his friends and fellow artists, and once you hear these songs so lovingly performed by Gurf Morlix in his inimitable way you'll know why. This is one of the most poignant discs to cross this desk this year, and it is about time this artist got his due. You might also understand why Townes Van Zandt said of his friend, "He's only gone crazy once. Decided to stay." – Bob Gottlieb, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

Get a copy of Gurf Morlix's tribute album - Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream right here. Check out Gurf's story about Blaze Foley meeting Townes Van Zandt, a couple of Gurf's performances and his studio version of "Clay Pigeons" below. 

Townes Van Zandt virtual tribute concert, Monday

Toasting Townes Van Zandt on his birthday with a celebration in song hosted by Butch Hancock & Betty Soo at 7:30 pm.  

Walter Daniels previews new album with cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Marie"

Have a Coffee Break with Walter Daniels & The Del Valle Trustees is out via Chaputa! Records on December 3rd. 

Here's the scoop...

This Austin, TX-based band is helmed by longtime punk rock harmonica player and vocalist Walter Daniels and features: Evan Whitehead (guitar – plays in Cunto! And Black Eyed Vermillion), Kevin Curtin (mandolin – plays in Cunto!, the Pleasure Tide, and Boxcutters), Scott Stewart (Upright and Electric bass – plays with Zero Skills, Inc, Pleasure Tide, and Corrine Rose), Matt Hammer (drums – Strange Boys, OBNIII’s, Wes Coleman).

Daniels is best known for his work with Jack O’Fire, Bigfoot Chester and has recorded with James Williamson, Lydia Lunch, Alejandro Escovedo, Guadalupe Plata, Henri Herbert, among many others. Daniels most recently added harmonica to a song for Barry Adamson – former member of the Bad Seeds!

Have a Coffee Break is the debut album of Walter Daniels and the Del Valle Trustees, and showcases a unique swinging band – capable of playing Country, Blues, and Punk tunes in a Texas style. Think jailhouse swing and some lively, innovative punk country rock. 

The band is planning on a tour in Fall 2022. Pre-order a copy of Walter Daniels & the Del Valle Trustees' debut album from Chaputa! Records right here. Check out their version of Townes Van Zandt's "Marie" feat. J.D. Pinkus on banjo below. 

Have a Coffee Break with Walter Daniels and the Del Valle Trustees

Side A

No One To Talk To (But The Blues) (Troy Martin & Wayne Walker)

Cold Call (WD & The Del Valle Trustees)

Marie (Townes Van Zandt)

I Can’t Get Over You (To Save My Life) (Whitey Shafer & Lefty Frizzell)

Army Of The Lord (Traditional)

Which Way To Go (Chris Gates)

Side B

Coffee Break (Traditional – Arranged By WD & The Del Valle Trustees)

Please Give Me Something (Bill Allen)

Baby Again (Billy Ed Wheeler)

The String You Wear (Jeffrey Evans)

Fifth Floor Corinth (WD & The Del Valle Trustees)

The Last Round-Up (Billy Hill)

WALTER DANIELS & THE DEL VALLE TRUSTEES:

Evan Whitehead – Acoustic and Electric Guitars and Backing Vocals

Kevin Curtin – Acoustic and Electric Mandolin and Backing Vocals

Scott Stewart – Stand-Up Bass, Electric Bass and Backing Vocals

Jarred Brown – Drums (sessions at Million Dollar Sound and the Church House)

Matt Hammer – Drums (session at Ameripolitan Studio)

Walter Daniels – Vocals, Harmonica and Nose Flute

ADDITIONAL PLAYERS:

Danny B. Harvey – Electric guitar on “Please Give Me Something”

Henri Herbert – Piano on “Coffee Break”

J. D. Pinkus – Banjo on “Marie”

Chris Gates – Background Vocals on “Which Way to Go”

Ralph White – Fiddle on “Last Round Up”

Brigid Mae Power issues covers collection Burning Your Light

The 6-song EP features Brigid Mae Power's versions of tunes by Townes Van Zandt, Songs:Ohia, Patsy Cline and Bob Dylan.  

Here's the scoop...

Last year Brigid Mae Power’s record ‘Head Above The Water’ saw her unique vocal style and music heralded in all corners. Burning Your Light is her follow up six track EP of covers out now via Fire Records.

Taking on a lesser-known Aretha Franklin track from her 1970 album ‘This Girl’s In Love With You’, "It Ain’t Fair" is a tear-soaked paean of regret that was written by Ron Miller who notably co-wrote  ‘For Once In My Life’ with Orlando Murden which was a huge hit for Stevie Wonder.

 

“I have listened to 'It Aint Fair' by Aretha Franklin possibly thousands of times by this stage. Starting when I was 14. I always loved Aretha's voice and emotion in the song. I also like that the song has a 'feeling sorry for yourself nothing ever works out' vibe but it picks up with 'I believe, I'm hopeful I can make it'.” – Brigid Mae Power 

 

Ranging from the traditional tune "May Morning Dew" to ‘Didn’t It Rain’ (Songs:Ohia) through to the timeless gems of Townes Van Zandt ('I'll Be Here In The Morning"), Patsy Cline ("Leavin' On Your Mind) and Bob Dylan ("One More Cup Of Coffee"), she brings hope and reverence to these classic songs.

Brigid Mae Power’s ability to interpret songs is unquestionable, as is her love of the art of songwriting. She skilfully brings joy from pain which is perfectly illustrated on this new release. 

Get a copy of Burning Your Light right here. Listen to Brigid Mae Power's haunting version of Songs:Ohia's "Didn't It Rain" Bob Dylan's "One More Cup Of Coffee" below. 

Hear John Lomax III tell Townes Van Zandt stories

Here's an interview Otis Gibbs conducted with John Lomax III about his time managing Townes Van Zandt. 

Here's the scoop...

The short version: John Lomax has done a ton of cool things in his life. This is an interview about the time he spent managing Townes Van Zandt.

The long version: When I first moved to Nashville, I got an email from John Lomax wanting to buy some CDs. I figured it was some other John Lomax, it couldn't be THE John Lomax. Low and behold, a few hours later, there was John Lomax standing in my living room. It was one of many great "welcome to Nashville" moments.

I can't imagine what American music would sound like without his family's influence. I don't want to get too far in the weeds right now, so scroll down and we'll talk about his family's storied history in the comments.

I later became friends with John and he's about the coolest cat you'll ever meet. This is an interview from back in 2014. It originally aired on my podcast and this is my attempt to adapt it to YouTube. John was Townes Van Zandt's manager back in the day, so I asked him to share whatever stories he'd feel comfortable sharing.

He talks about starting Townes' fan club, Heartworn Highways, Townes partying with Gram Parsons, Townes jamming with The Allman Brothers, Townes' love of Lightnin' Hopkins and a lot of other great stories. – Otis Gibbs

Listen to an unreleased Townes Van Zandt tune "All I Need"

"All I Need" is off the posthumous Townes Van Zandt release Sky Blue due March 7 on Fat Possum.

Here's the scoop...
Sky Blue, a collection of unreleased songs by one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century, is a time capsule that Townes Van Zandt created forty-six years ago. Scheduled for release by TVZ Records and Fat Possum Records on March 7—which would have been his 75th birthday—this album shows the artist working out some of his most iconic songs in an intimate, comfortable setting with one of his lifelong confidantes.

These tracks will sound both fresh and familiar to even the most avid fans. Sky Blue includes eleven unreleased recordings made in early 1973 with the late Bill Hedgepeth, a journalist, musician, and most crucially a close friend of Townes. The singer-songwriter was splitting his time between Texas, Colorado, and a shack outside Franklin, Tennessee: an itinerant life that informed many of his most famous and beloved tunes. Throughout his life he would often return to Hedgepeth’s home studio in Atlanta, later with family in tow, to record, re-work, and experiment with new songs as well as old favorites.

The versions of “Pancho & Lefty” and “Rex’s Blues” show these songs as early drafts: raw, sorrowful, and as stunningly moving as he ever was, full of clean flat-picking and adept flourishes in just the right places. He emerges as a master of economic songwriting and playing, providing all that’s needed and nothing more, confident that his ideas and emotions would come through more clearly for being so judiciously understated.

In addition to a handful of old favorites, Sky Blue also includes two new songs that have never been heard before—”All I Need” (hear it below) and “Sky Blue”—as well as covers of songs by Richard Dobson and Tom Paxton. There is a smoky version of “Blue Ridge Mountain Blues” and a scarred and scarring interpretation of “Hills of Roane County,” an East Tennessee murder ballad from the 1880s that was popularized by Tony Rice. Van Zandt performs them deftly, sings them intuitively, and displays his delightfully twisted sense of humor on the devious “Snake Song” and the vicious “Dream Spider.”

Conceived by Townes’ surviving family—his wife and literary executor Jeanene, along with his children, J.T., Will, and Katie Bell—Sky Blue sounds like an entirely new album rather than a reissue of old recordings. That’s how urgent and invigorated these performances sound, offering a revealing glimpse into Townes’ process, the evolution of his songs as well as the myriad versions he had in his head.

Pre-order a copy of Sky Blue from Fat Possum right here. Check out "All I Need" below.



Sky Blue tracklist
1. All I Need
2. Rex’s Blues
3. Hills of Roane County
4. Sky Blue
5. Forever For Always For Certain
6. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Smoky Version)
7. Pancho and Lefty
8. Snake Song
9. Silver Ships of Andilar
10. Dream Spider
11. The Last Thing On My Mind

'Tis the season for Snowin' On Raton

Townes Van Zandt is joined by his buddy Blaze Foley for a moving version of "Snowin' On Raton" 

Townes Van Zandt vs. The Walkabouts

Many folks missed it, but Townes knocked out a great version of The Walkabouts' tune "The Stopping Off Place"

Lindi Ortega vs. Townes Van Zandt

Check out Lindi Ortega's version of Townes Van Zandt's Waiting 'Round To Die off her "Til The Goin' Gets Gone" EP

Tickets are on sale now for all of Lindi Ortega's upcoming tour dates right here.

Rodney Crowell's new album Close Ties out March 31

Rodney Crowell remembers his old runaround crew Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt on "Nashville 1972" from Close Ties.

The Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell is set to release Close Ties on March 31st via New West Records.  The 10-song set is his first album in over three years and follows The Traveling Kind, his acclaimed collection of duets with longtime collaborator Emmylou Harris.  Co-produced by Jordan Lehning and Kim Buie, the album features a duet with Sheryl Crow on the haunting “I’m Tied To Ya,” and “It Ain’t Over Yet,” a vocal collaboration with his ex-wife Rosanne Cash and John Paul White.

The album's latest single “Nashville 1972” is accompanied by a video (see below) directed by Reid Long on 16mm black-and-white film and includes archival and modern images depicting the Nashville Crowell arrived in over 40 years ago and the Nashville in which he currently lives.  It’s lyrics namecheck Guy & Susanna Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall and others.  While speaking about the song, Crowell stated, “You learn that writing is work, and all of us young guys in those formative years figured out that you just slept during the day and stayed up all night, at first in pursuit of girls and then in pursuit of the perfect song.”  He continued, “With the poor man’s salons where we hung out, sitting around drinking and sharing songs, when you were working you’d be trying to come up with something that you could be proud of when it was your turn to play one.”

Close Ties is a loose concept record that ranges from songs about Crowell’s childhood in Texas (“East Houston Blues”) to songs about arriving in Nashville as a young songwriter (“Nashville 1972”) to songs about friends (the anguished “Life Without Susanna”) and lovers lost (“Forgive Me, Annabelle”).  It is a roots record, in the sense that Crowell himself has deep roots that stretch back into Music City's outsider country scene of the early seventies that included Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Young, Larry Jon Wilson, Mickey Newbury and more.

But Close Ties defies easy classification.  Is it country?  Is it a singer-songwriter record?  “I have declared my loyalty to Americana.  It’s a hard category for people to get their heads around, or at least the terminology is.  But all the people who represent it - Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Lucinda Williams and more recent stars like John Paul White and Jason Isbell - share a common thread, and that thread is poet.  Whether they are actual poets or their music exemplifies a poetic sensibility, generally speaking, the Americana artist shuns commercial compromise in favor of a singular vision.  Which resonates with me.”  One trait of a poet and the concept behind Close Ties involved the careful handling of memory.  “A few years ago I made a record called The Houston Kid that triggered Chinaberry Sidewalks (his 2011 memoir), ” he says.  “Those memory muscles are pretty strong in me.  They have a natural pull.  And so many of these songs use those memories as raw material.”

Fifty years after Crowell first started playing as a teen in Houston garage bands, he has moved into elder-statesman territory, and continues to extend the path carved out by the top-tier songwriters who preceded him.  His songs have been recorded by country legends (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Strait), to current country chart toppers (Tim McGraw, Keith Urban) to blues icons (Etta James) to rock and roll legends (Van Morrison, Bob Seger).   He is a Grammy award winner, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and recipient of the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting from the Americana Music Association.

Close Ties track listing:
1. East Houston Blues
2. Reckless
3. Life Without Susanna
4. It Ain’t Over Yet (featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)
5. I Don’t Care Anymore
6. I’m Tied To Ya (featuring Sheryl Crow)
7. Forgive Me Annabelle
8. Forty Miles From Nowhere
9. Storm Warning
10. Nashville 1972





Rodney Crowell On Tour
March 14 – Aspen, CO @ Wheeler Opera House
March 15 – Fort Collins, CO @ Bohemian Nights
March 16 – Boulder, CO @ eTown
March 18 – Nashville, TN @ TPAC at Andrew Jackson Hall
March 23 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads
March 24 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Nightclub
March 25 – Chicago, IL @ City Winery Chicago
March 30 – New York, NY @ City Winery New York
March 31 – Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
April 1 – Washington, DC @ The Hamilton
April 7 – Austin, TX @ Darrel K. Royal Homecoming Show Honoring Guy Clark & Tamara Saviano
April 14 – Virginia City, NV @ Piper's Opera House
April 16 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
April 22 – Fort Worth, TX @ Ft. Worth Main Street Arts Festival
May 6 – Madisonville, TX @ MSCA Pavilion
May 7 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Lobero Theatre
May 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
May 10 – Berkeley, CA @ Freight & Salvage
May 12 – Portland, OR @ Alberta Rose Theatre
May 13 – Olympia, WA @ Capitol Theater
July 22 – Telluride, CO @ Americana Festival - Sheridan Opera House
August 27 – Fayetteville, AR @ Main Stage at Fayetteville Roots Festival
September 16 – Bristol, VA @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots
September 22 – Amesbury, MA @ Amesbury Harvest Fair & Country Music Festival
September 23 – Boothbay Harbor, ME @ The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor