Friday, October 31, 2008

More treats on Halloween
from James McMurtry

Keeping with the spirit of Halloween, and more so of the spirit of the upcoming election (haven't ya heard?), James McMurtry is giving away a live version of his song "We Can’t Make It Here" here.

Here's why James is giving this song away, as he did four years ago, too. Check it out.

The Boss says, "Trick or Treat?"

Any day with The Boss in it is usually a good day. And that holds true today, even on Halloween.

The Boss is offering you a treat today (and through Sunday night) with a free download of the never before heard "A Night With the Jersey Devil" on his website. You can download it and watch a video of it as well. Download here/Watch here.

No trick. Only a treat.

Thanks, Boss.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

TONIGHT: Squirrel Nut Zippers,
Backyard Tire Fire & The Old Ceremony
Bijou Theatre - Knoxville

As we mentioned previously here, the Squirrel Nut Zippers will invade Knoxville's Bijou Theatre tonight for what is sure to be a great show full of surprises and different sounds with the likes of up-and-comers Backyard Tire Fire and The Old Ceremony in-tow as well.

Tickets are still available here and the show starts at 8...So get moving. And don't say we didn't tell you so.

Dropkick Murphys @ Valarium
Knoxville - Sunday 11/9


Cancel your plans. Make this a priority. Trust me.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Late Night Moons Align Tonight


Once in a while, the late night tv moons align...it happens more than you'd think.

Tonight just happend to be one of those nights. The rock n roll is king tonight on the late nite circuit...so if you're up, check it out. If you're not, TiVo these mugs:

Ryan Adams on Letterman
The Kooks on Leno
The Whigs on Kimmel
The New York Dolls on Craig Ferguson

No Salvation from the Good Reverend



As the Rev might say, "Yep, that's right 'Cats and Kittens'"...It's a sad day in Knoxville.

The show has been cancelled. I guess we should have all bought our tickets ahead of time instead of planning on being a walk-up crowd, which we usually are, for the Rev, Nashville P and Reckless, who had to cancel their in-store appearance at the Disc Exchange as well because of the show's cancellation. You may return your tickets to your ticket source for a full refund.

Maybe next time...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Chattanooga's Giant Tigers

Chattanooga's garage-rock-sleaze-punk Giant Tigers are making a name for themselves in a big way, having played with Monotonix and All Night Drug Prowling Wolves recently. Now they have made it into Paste Magazine. Next...Saints Don't Bother...yeah.

Check them out here, or when they double dip in K-town next month at The Birdhouse with Attractive and Popular on November 6th at 8pm and again on November 11th at the Pilot Light with VBS and The Cheat, also at 8pm.

Buy their debut album here on hot pink vinyl for only $15!

Getchya some.

Monday, October 27, 2008

IN CAHOOTS: Backyard Tire Fire


Today kicks off Backyard Tire Fire's tour, with The Old Ceremony, opening for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, beginning in Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel. On Thursday, they will be here in Knoxville at the Bijou Theatre. Tickets are still available here, and I suggest you get them now, as there will probably not be many, if any, left on Thursday night at the box office. Backyard Tire Fire are touring in support of their newest release The Places We Lived, out now on Hyena Records.

Just before the tour kicked off, we caught up with Ed Anderson, the vocalist, guitarist, driving force and all around utility player for Backyard Tire Fire, for a few questions as they geared up for the tour and their upcoming stop in Knoxville. See what Ed had to say:

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SDB: Knoxville is really excited about y'all coming to town. Forgive my ignorance, as I don't recall and I couldn't seem to find any record of y'all playing here before. Have y'all played Knoxville before? (if so, when/where and with whom?) Where are some of your favorite cities and venues to play?

BTF: this will be our first show in Knoxville and we’re excited about it. Always enjoy Chicago, NYC, san fran. Love the Georgia theatre in Athens. El Macambo in Toronto is a cool room. We’ve been lucky to play a lot of great old theatres like the Blue Note in Columbia, MO. Charlie Chaplin played that room!


SDB: I have been a fan of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, who y'all are touring with now, for a long time, dating back to early high school...How did you get hooked up with them and how's the tour going? Any surprises or stories that you are dying to share? Any anecdotes from the road?

BTF: we haven’t started with them yet but look forward to it. Our first show is in Asheville, nc on oct. 27th at the Orange Peel. Not sure how we got hooked up with the shows…


SDB: I saw that y'all opened for Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy earlier in the year-- how was that and how did that come to be? All three of y'all are totally different, which is great to see shows like that, but the three of y'all on the same bill sounded strange to me at first. That show consisted of Psycho/Rockabilly, Southern Rock/Punk/CowPunk and y'all. Also, y'all have played or will be playing with Los Lobos and Rose Hill Drive recently. What were the crowds like and how did they respond to BTF, especially for the Rev and Nashville P?

BTF: not really sure how we got on the rev. tour, but it worked out well. Nashville and the rev. and all of the folks that work with them are good people that we enjoyed being around on a daily basis. Three very different acts, but all very rooted in rock and roll.


SDB: There have been several personnel changes over the years. How have these personnel changes affected BTF? Obviously, these changes were made for the better, but what is different now than before? How is it with your brother in the band? Any "brotherly love" quarrels and shenanigans?

BTF: going from a four piece to trio, was quite different at first, but once we started gigging a lot as a three piece, it became comfortable. We can always pull it off as the trio, but we’ve found that it’s nice to add someone into the mix every now and again.


SDB: Tell us a little about your new album "The Places We Lived". It is grabbing alot of attention on the blog scene and by word of mouth. How does it compare to your past albums and EPs?

BTF: all of the studio stuff has been recorded on analog tape. This one is a little different stylistically in that it has more piano based songs and can be a bit more pop at times. I think it’s the best thing we’ve done, but then I always think the newest stuff in the best. You learn more as you go in the studio and as a writer you know?


SDB: BTF's sound is quite it's own...actually BTF's sounds are your own, as most songs on the new album take shape all their own, and are different from the song before. The Places We Lived is one of the most musically diverse albums that I have heard in some time (that I actually like and it goes together). Some of the songs are poppier like "Time With You"; some are slower, soulful piano based songs like "Rainy Day", "Home Today" and "One Wrong Turn"; some are piano driven with a dive/honky tonk sound like "Everybody's Down"; some are good old fashioned rock songs like "How in the Hell Did You Get Back Here" and "Welcome to the Factory"; and some are just a sum of the parts: "Shoulda Shut It", "Legal Crime" and "The Places We Lived".

Is there a different thought process to writing these different styles of songs, or was it planned for the songs to all sound different, but still related?

BTF: it’s all done in pretty much the same manner. Not a whole lot of thought put into what style I’m gonna write. Sometimes has to do with what I’ve been listening to. Generally I’ve got an acoustic guitar in my hands when I’m home or I’m at a piano tinkering around. Stuff starts to happen and I let it take me wherever it goes. Not really thinking about genres or any of that.

SDB: Who/what are some of your biggest influences, and what did you take from them?- neil young. Do what you want to do. Play what you want to play. And respect the music. How have the homebase/hometown relocations over the years and the personnel changes affected your music and your outlook on your music and the band? You went from Asheville, a pretty cool, artsy city, then y'all pack it up and headed South to Athens, an obvious hotbed of indie rock, beginning with REM and B-52s (and more) and now the Drive-By Truckers, Dead Confederate, The Whigs (I could go on and on...) and now to Bloomington, Indiana, which to me and alot of people doesn't exactly say "rockin'" to us. Why there and what's the town like?

BTF: IT’S BLOOMINGTON, IL. NOT INDIANA. It’s a college town, I went to grad school there a long time ago. It’s close to Chicago. Cheap to live. Three major interstates roll through town. Lots of our friends live there, etc. honestly we spend most of our time in the van and hotel rooms and bars.


SDB: Sorry about the Indiana/Illinois mistake...I realized that I did that as soon as I sent it. Sorry!!

BTF: no worries on the IL/IN. although nobody from IL wants to be known as being from IN. it's like the red headed step child. like Jersey and NYC :-)


SDB: A few of the new songs talk about coming back home and spending time with someone in particular. Between all the moving around to different areas of the country and the touring, does the road take it all out of you and have you missing home, or do you love being out and wouldn't trade it for anything...and everything and everyone at home will just have to wait til you get back? Anyone in particular that "Time with You" and "Home Today" were written for or about?

BTF: when we’re home we want to get back on the road. When we’re on the road for a long time, we’re ready to get home. Grass is always greener you know? We love what we do, and are lucky enough to have folks at home that are cool with us being gone as much as we are. Time with you and home today are both written to my wife. In fact, time with you is written from her perspective using her words from a phone conversation we had on the road.


SDB: Besides already having a fairly extensive catalog (several albums and a couple EPs), without blowing your showmanship secrets and giving away surprises for the show, do you play covers or do anything in particular to surprise the crowd with that "Oh, Wow! I can't believe they are doing that" feeling and moment? Any trick or treats that y'all will be serving up to Knoxville on the eve of Halloween?

BTF: we’ve got lots of covers up our sleeve. Usually play about one a night. When we do somebody else’s stuff, we try to play the more obscure songs. Which is probably more fun for us than anybody else. We’ve done an older Alejandro Escovedo tune for years and I think there’s been one or two people that have known it. Sure love playing it though! What's your favorite thing about performing live?-sweating. Screaming. Raising hell. Making people think about things. Watching folks let loose.


SDB: Do you have a favorite song to play live, and if so what is it and why?

BTF: I like playing them all. Although there is a steve earle song called F the CC that we cover that I enjoy because of the subject matter and the fact that I get to say the word fuck about 30 times in 3 minutes.


SDB: Do you have a favorite song that you've written? If so why and is it the same as your favorite one to play live?

BTF: I like them all


SDB: Is there a song out there that you love that you didn't write and wish you had?

BTF: Teen angst by Cracker.


SDB: What are 5 artists/records that you've been digging on lately that you might suggest to our readers?

BTF:
alejandro escovedo-real animal.
neil young and crazy horse-Tonights the night
Wilco-being there.
The clash-london calling.
Los lobos-kiko.


SDB: Finally, my fellow blogger "Davy Vegas" and I have a theory that the single greatest sound on the face of the earth is that of a well-played steel guitar. Is this a theory you can support or do you have other thoughts on the subject?

BTF: yeah, pedal steel is an artform. Our friend Jerry “Muttonhead” Erickson that plays on our stuff is simply amazing. He’s been doing it for at least 30 years and can really make it sing. Absolutely love the sound of pedal steel being played by someone that knows the instrument. I feel the same way about a Hammond organ being played through a leslie cabinet. When manipulated well it can sound like a fucking carnival.


SDB: One last question-- where did the Backyard Tire Fire name come from and how was it decided that that would be the name?

BTF: we got our name from the Springfield Tire Fire on the Simpsons. just kinda rednecked it up..

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Other Links:


Also, check out BTF's brand new video for "How in the Hell Did You Get Back Here", directed by NYC indie filmmakers, Filipe Bessa and Nick Schwartz. It was shot in BTF's hometown of Bloomington, IL. Check it out:

PREVIEW: Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads




Yeah...a little late, but better late than never, I say... Preview the Kaiser Chiefs' new record Off With Their Heads right here.

Yeah, it comes out tomorrow...Not exactly breaking news, but oh well.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

PREVIEW: Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On


And, not to harp on the Eagles of Death Metal either...but you can preview their new album Heart On, in snippets, as well as buy it here too, probably for cheaper than at your neighborhood big box store...but I say you should buy it local.

...just my opinion though.

PREVIEW: Tom Gabel - Heart Burns


Not to keep harping on him, but you can preview
Against Me!'s Tom Gabel's solo record here,
before it comes out on Tuesday on Sire Records.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Nada Surf discography on vinyl

Barsuk Records is releasing Nada Surf's discography on vinyl, just in time for the holiday season of course. For a cool Benji, you'll be the most Popular, Happy Kid on your block with a Hi-Speed Soul that everyone will Always Love. This weight can be a gift for a loved one, or better yet, for yourself. Find out more here...

...yeah, those references were that bad. Oh well.

In the meantime, check out Nada Surf's new fan directed video here for "Weightless".

See previous Nada Surf related stuff here.

PREVIEW: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology


Preview Ryan Adams & the Cardinals' soon to be released album Cardinology on iLike. It comes out on Tuesday, so you don't have that long to wait...but if you can't, here ya go. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

TONIGHT: Johnny Cash's America

"Johnny Cash's America" will be shown at 8 p.m. 9p.m. tonight on A&E's Biography Channel, and comes to DVD Oct. 28. We mentioned this documentary here, as it was premiered earlier this month at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. Check it out, and the Man In Black too.

More info here.

Eagles of Death Metal - Wannabe in LA video

Check out this shizz: The Eagles of Death Metal's first single, "Wannabe in LA", from Heart On, which will be released on Tuesday via Downtown.





Hopefully, this time around the Eagles can regain their raw, dirty sex-rock and tongue in cheek humor from their first album Peace, Love, Death Metal, rather than the sorority girl, don't-tell-my-daddy, bubble gum dance feel slickness of Death by Sexy (...a killer album name though).

TONIGHT: Coliseum, Generations of Vipers & I Need Closure - Patrick Sullivan's


As we reported here two weeks ago, Coliseum will be at Patrick Sullivan's tonight in the Old City with local ear-bleeders and face melters Generation of Vipers and I Need Closure. Come out and get blown away by these heavyweights.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tom Gabel videos

Check out the video for Against Me!'s singer Tom Gabel's Conceptual Paths. This video was shot by Jason Thrasher on August 26th, 2008 in downtown Los Angeles ,CA, according to this.

and 100 Years of War:



Tom is set to release his first solo record, Heart Burns, next week on October 28th on Sire Records.

TONIGHT: Murder By Death @ Pilot Light - Knoxville

Don't know much about these guys, other than they are awesome. I heard a little bit of Murder By Death (yes, named after the old movie) back in the college radio days with the track "Until Morale Improves, The Beatings Will Continue" and a couple others off of Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? album from 2003, but I sadly did not pursue them any further. I chose poorly.

Murder By Death blend punk rock, western-y alt-country and a small pinch of Southern boogie and shake music, with a lot of tremolo and reverb, and some eerie strings in the background just to round it out a bit. They have toured with Lucero...and for the most part, that will get you at least a listen or two in my book, along with instant cool points for association.

More to come on these guys and gal, as I will be getting to their newest album Red of Tooth and Claw soon. In the meantime, if you're around the Knoxville area, go see Murder By Death tonight at the Pilot Light with The New of the Moon. Show starts at 10 and will cost ya a cool $12.

MOTORHEAD TO PREMIERE VIDEO ON MTV2



As if the 20th anniversary of MTV’s long-running heavy metal show Headbanger’s Ball wasn’t exciting enough, Motorhead have announced that they will premiere a new video during the program’s week-long celebration. The clip is for the group’s song “Rock Out” and will debut on Thursday on MTV2. Check it out at 10 PM on the network or, at that same time, online at Headbanger’s Blog where you can also read about how the video was made and see a note from Lemmy.

The Whigs - Like a Vibration

Dig on the new video for Athens, GA's The Whigs "Like a Vibration" from their Mission Control album:




The Whigs MySpace

The Whigs Blog

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Video Premiere: The Sword’s ‘How Heavy This Axe’

Video Premiere: The Sword’s ‘How Heavy This Axe’ tonight on Headbangers Ball on MTV2 at 10pm.

Posted using ShareThis

TONIGHT: Donna the Buffalo - Valarium - Knoxville


Donna the Buffalo brings the herd to try and trample the Valarium tonight for a FREE promotional show tonight for New Belgium Beer. Get your free DTB tickets wherever New Belgium beers are served. Check with your favorite local Knoxville bar or tavern for details. Tickets are still available. Doors are at 7, show starts at 8 with Big Country's Empty Bottle.
You must be 21+...sorry youngsters. You'll have your day sometime too.

Happy Birthday, Saints Don't Bother!

Yep, that's right. Happy Birthday to SDB. Today is one year since we started typing and telling the world that we knew about music and stuff (we always have done that on a local level). Let's see...what's changed? Oh, nothing, other than we still act like we know what we are talking about- we just do it more and more often. And we are trying to upgrade our content here with interviews, which a few are coming in the next week or so with some names you might know, and some you probably won't...but you will after we're done with you.

And you'll thank us for it! And if you don't, you should.

Other changes-- we are also in the process of beginning to post mp3s on here for y'all to hear, download, share with friends, and then go buy the record (locally, preferably) in order to ultimately get this sluggish economy that we are all living through going strong again...through the power of music.

And then, after that, 'Merica will thank you!

But right now, it's our turn: Thank you for sticking around with us. It's getting better, I promise. Watch and see...or read and listen, as it is sometimes too.

Monday, October 20, 2008

TONIGHT: Delta Spirit @ World Grotto - Knoxville

Delta Spirit brings it's Trashcan styled rock to the World Grotto tonight. Show starts at 10, with local yokel Joey English. Check it out.


addition/correction: The Young actually opened. Not sure why Joey English was listed and didn't play, but nonetheless, he didn't, and The Young did. I couldn't find a link for them, and I missed their set... You are on your own.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Misfits w/ the American Plague

Tickets on sale tomorrow at noon here. Get some.

As I mentioned last year about this time, I saw the Misfits at the Orange Peel in Asheville and it was a great show, despite Jerry Only over-vamping his way through the show, covering all the old hits such as "Skulls", "London Dungeon", "Hollywood Babylon", "Die Die My Darling" and about twenty others sans-Danzig. With the edition of Black Flag's Dez Cadena, the 'Fits rumble through Black Flag classics like "Six Pack" and "Rise Above". All in all, it's cool to hear the songs, whether or not it's the O.G. Misfits...but these days, that's the way it is.

Opening will be local veteran rockers The American Plague, who opened for the New York Dolls in 2006. If you haven't caught them yet, catch'em now-- you never know when they might pack it up and take it to the big city.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

PREVIEW: AC/DC Black Ice


Well, despite AC/DC's album not coming out for just a few more days on October 20th, and only at WalMarts supposedly, it has somehow mysteriously made it's way on to YouTube track by track. Below is the first track "Rock n Roll Train" and you can take it from there, or click here for AC/DC's web preview or here for the rest of the tracks on YouTube...

Thanks for the heads up, KC.

TONIGHT: Girl Talk @ The Valarium -- Knoxville

Girl Talk brings its samples, mash ups, remixes and thousands of blended jams to the Valarium tonight for the ultimate dance party slash iPod outta control, as if playing multiple tunes at the same time that you haven't heard in years that all somehow just seem to fall in place together...It must be magic. But it's really just Girl Talk.

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of sampling, well, I should say, over-sampling and over doing it. Nor am I a fan of remixes and mash-ups. It was cool in the 80s and early 90s before everyone was doing it on every rap, hip-hop, and R&B jam...but mostly before Sean Combs/Puff Daddy/Puffy/P Diddy/Diddy wore it out. But Girl Talk is a bit cooler than all of that; GT doesn't just take someone's old jams and hooks, and use the whole thing as the new song, and then lay stupid lyrics (and rhymes, yo!) on top of it. He actually doesn't even have the licensing rights to the songs either- he just does it.

Instead, GT uses ten to twenty samples (at least) to create a new tune. It will kinda blow your mind to hear some of the stuff that is mashed together and comes out they way it does. If nothing else, you might say, "Sheeewww, I haven't heard this song in forever...and what's it doing with Nirvana's Lithium?"

Like I said, I'm not a fan of sampling, or really most dance and hip-hop music, unless it's the good Dr. Dre...or the o' G's, Eazy-E's Ice Cube's and D.O.C's, the Snoop D-O-double-G's And a group that said muthafuck the police! But Girl Talk is fun, and if nothing else, makes you appreciate that someone has the imagination to mix the oddest group of unrelated songs, genres and generations together into one (or 20 beats) and somehow it seems to actually work. Who would have thought?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

In Cahoots: GLOSSARY

In Cahoots is our newest feature here on Saints Don't Bother where we talk with some of our favorite bands and artists about who knows what. In the inaugural edition, we talked with, well...we emailed with, Joey Kneiser of Murfreesboro rock/alt-country-esque band Glossary. Joey is the main singer, writer and guitar picker for one of my favorite bands of the decade.


The last few Glossary shows I've seen in Knoxville have been in different places each time (Pilot Light, a little old church way out in Lenoir City years ago, the Corner Lounge, and now Barley's a few times). Which of these is your favorite place to play, and what is/are your favorite place(s) to play elsewhere and why?

We like all the places we've played in Knoxville, really. We just want people to be there, so it doesn't matter where it is, as long as people come. A couple of our favorite places elsewhere are the White Water Tavern, in Little Rock Arkansas, and the Bottletree in Birmingham. Both of those venues are very band-friendly, they really take care of us when we play there.


No doubt touring is rewarding but also tough and taxing physically and mentally. How do you stay focused/motivated/energized during a tour and stay cool with your bandmates/friends/your wife Kelly?

Touring is tiring and a lot of work, but it's fun work. You get to do what you love doing every night, and it's immediately gratifying because you get to see if people like what you're doing. We've been a band over ten years, so at this point nothing is going to make us not get along that a show won't fix.


I didn't think that your wife Kelly was always in the band. How did it come to be that she joined the band? How did the rest of the band handle that-- was it a breach in Boys Club rule? In the last few years, a few members have come and gone in Glossary; how have these personnel changes affected Glossary?

Before Kelly, many years ago, there was another female singer in the band, and when she quit we asked Kelly to join. So it was never a Boys Club. All of our personnel changes have ended up making the band better, and tighter in the musical sense and in the friendship sense.


Do you have a favorite song to play live, and if so what is it and why?

I don't have a specific favorite...I like playing all the songs.


Do you have a favorite song that you've written? If so why and is it the same as your favorite one to play live?

I really don't have a favorite song I've written, either...I like them all for different reasons. It's like trying to pick your favorite kid.


Is there a song out there that you love that you didn't write and wish you had?

Millions of them. There's just too many...


Tell us a little about your schedule for a new album. How will it's sound and themes compare to "...Better Angels", as well as your other albums "FWIDB", "...Midnights" and the EPs?

The album is scheduled to be recorded in January 2009, and hopefully will come out as soon as possible afterwards. We hope that it sounds good, that's pretty much it. We just want it to sound like us, but like we've progressed, gotten better than we were before. The record is going to be called "Feral Fire", and the themes are based around longing to find out what you're supposed to be doing, who you're supposed to be with, listening to that little voice in your head and not being afraid to go for what you want.


There's always been that DIY feeling and movement in rock music, maybe more so now than ever. Kelly and Bingham told me that y'all physically put together the last album's packaging on your kitchen table, and that y'all designed it all. How has the "Do It Yourself" attitude affected your music and your outlook on your music and the band, as well as the future of music/record business as a whole?

It's affected the band 'cause it's forced us to figure out how to do all this ourselves. Bingham owns a screen-printing business that began from us making t-shirts on the floor of my old apartment. Todd learned how to pay pedal steel because we couldn't afford to keep paying someone to play on our recordings. The whole band is based on do-it-yourself, we've never had much outside help since the band started. It's affected the music business in that it's almost caused the collapse of the music business...now bands can do for themselves what traditionally you've had to have a label to do. A label's primary job was to get you on the radio and in record stores, but radio is almost dead and the brick-and-mortar store is on its way out.

What's your favorite thing about performing live?

Trying to make a connection with the audience, trying to convince people that you have something that is worth their time. And also just getting to play with my friends.

Glossary doesn't play many covers (I don't remember hearing any over the years, at least not knowingly, and that is ok with me as I love your music). Besides already having a fairly extensive catalog and repertoire, why do you not play covers?

We do have several covers that we play, but most of the time we're still an opening act and only have 40-45 minutes, so we try to squeeze in as much of our stuff as we can. But many a night when we have enough time, we bust out a Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen song; lately we've been into contemporary covers and have done My Morning Jacket and the Hold Steady.

I have always wanted to see Glossary play with the Drive-By Truckers and Lucero on the same bill. Then it happened kinda, with your recent tours in the spring with DBT and then this summer with Lucero. Tell us about Todd Beane and Mr. Jimmy playing with fellow Tennesseans Lucero. How did that come about, and what's next for them? Will there be any more DBT/Lucero/Glossary happenings in the near future? Possibly all three together so I can cross that off my list of things that I need to witness.

We've known both lucero and DBT for years, and they've both reached the point in their careers where they're able to take us out opening. Todd and Mr. Jimmy just started sitting in with Lucero, and it turned into playing with them whenever they're available. Todd's been adopted as their 5th member of the band. Todd will be on tour for the next month or so playing with Ben Nichols on his solo tour. Hopefully we'll get to open for Lucero and DBT in the future (unless they decide they don't like us anymore). All three together?...I wish. I want to cross that off of my list, too.


You've been playing some solo shows lately as well. How are these shows different from Glossary shows for you. Do you play Glossary songs in your solo sets? How do you know if a song is a Joey song or a Glossary song, if they are indeed different.

It's not too much different. I do play some new songs and some covers. But right now I don't really have time to focus on anything but Glossary, so it's all about Glossary songs. But I do plan on making a solo record... it's been on my mind for a long time, I just haven't had any time.

How did gigging around Murfreesboro, a growing city/suburb of Nashville affect your musical interests, influences, and playing in a band. Is it harder to be in a band and be taken seriously, as everyone in Nashville is playing music it seems? Has living in that area helped or hurt your band? And how did the steel guitar come to be a staple in Glossary's sound...kind of odd for a "rock" band...?

I think being in this area has helped us, I don't see it as hurting us. Regardless of being in Nashville, which is a music mecca, we're also pretty centrally located in the country in general, so it's easier to travel to most cities than it would be if we were on the east or west coast. Living in M'boro specifically hasn't really affected musical influences or interests, but living in the South definitely has. The pedal steel became a staple from trying to use it on How We Handle Our Midnights, and Todd just picking it up and becoming good at it fairly quickly. But really it was from hearing it used in Pavement's song "Father to a Sister of Thought", which Todd and I both loved...Doug Easley played steel on that.


Finally, my fellow blogger "Davy Vegas" and I have a theory that the single greatest sound on the face of the earth is that of a well-played steel guitar. Is this a theory you can support or do you have other thoughts on the subject?

I absolutely agree. The pedal steel is so close to the sound of a crying voice; it has that lonesome whine that if played correctly can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.


Ok, Ok, Ok- One last question: what's in your cd/tape/record player right now? What are the 5 bands/artists you've been really digging on lately?

Lately I've been listening to a lot of early Steve Earl. Especially "Guitar Town". Some of my favorite records to come out lately are:

Drive-By Truckers - "Brighter Than Creations Dark"
My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"
Centro-Matic - "Dual Hawks"
The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive"

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Download Glossary's latest album, "The Better Angels Of Our Nature", for FREE at http://www.glossary.us/.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Hayes Carll - She Left Me for Jesus

2008 Americana Music Association Song of the Year:

Hayes Carll's "She Left Me for Jesus".

I can't believe Hayes made such claims that Jesus is a Commie, and even worse yet a Jew.

Check it- it's hilarious.

Hook a brother up -- WUTK needs your help!


Yep, go out and show your loyalty support and patriotism to...local purveyors of rock 'n roll. WUTK, the University of Tennessee's student-run "student learning lab", which by the way is 100% financially independent of the university, is up for another mtvU Woodie Award for Best College Radio Station of 2008. Go here and vote for the hometown team-- they deserve it. If they get enough votes, they will advance to the next round and so on...Voting for this bracket runs through October 13, so vote now...and again...and again... We all appreciate it- it's about the only thing on the radio that's tolerable 'round these parts.

Aaaaand since you're wastin' time at work while on the clock, desperately searching for the end of the good ol' world wide web, check out WUTK 90.3 The Rock's website too. Go ahead, and look around a bit- I bet you'll find some cool stuff on there.

The Rock host specialty shows every weekday after 8pm and all weekend long. They have something for everyone on these shows, not to mention you'll never know what you"ll hear during the daytime as well (but that's is a good thing).




Thursday, October 9, 2008

Who?



From Myspace:

Watch The Boxmasters performance on "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Friday, October 17.

Stuart Daniel Baker (aka Unknown Hinson, pictured) will be playing with Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters on the TV program "Live with Regis and Kelly" next Friday, Oct. 17. Check this link for the time and station in your area.

Memphis, representin'!


The 11th Indie Memphis Film Festival begins today in uhh, Memphis. Many of the films focus on and/or are influenced by the "rich cultural history" of rock and roll and Southern culture that began in Memphis in the mid '50s. This year there are over 100 films being showcased, including Johnny Cash's America, which sounds good to me.

The festival takes place at Malco's Studio on the Square on Thursday and runs through the 16th.

Find more out about Indie Memphis here, or buy your passes here, or see the film list here. Besides the Cash film, I will suggest (and by only having read their descriptions): Adventures of Power, At the Death House Door, The Frozen City, Full Moon Lightnin', Heavy Load, Hollywood Jerome, Ibid, I.O.U.S.A., Mammon, the Music Video Showcase, OMG/HaHaHa, Smokey, Song Sung Blue, Throw Down Your Heart, The Tribe and Valentine Shredders.

But don't take my word for it- I haven't seen any of these, or know anymore about them than what the descriptions say...I just picked out a few that interested me more than others, and ones that I thought might interest you. If you attend Indie Memphis, give us a shout and let us know what you saw and what you thought.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Lowdown


My Morning Jacket's Jim James slipped and fell off the stage last night thirty minutes into MMJ's set at the University of Iowa, thus canceling the rest of the show. He was rushed to the University Hospital, where he was treated and released. My Morning Jacket is set to play Chicago tomorrow and Friday night.

Read more here.


UPDATED BELOW at 2:45pm -- from MMJ:


Chicago Shows Postponed:

As some of you may have heard we had to cancel our show last evening in Iowa City. We were finishing up the last few bars of "Off The Record", and just like any other night we were all having a great time. Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage. Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital. Per the doctor's orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks. Sadly, we must postpone the two shows in Chicago on Thursday and Friday until further notice.

For those who attended the Iowa City show, we would like to extend our gratitude for your understanding and cooperation. We take our fans and performances very seriously, and would never cancel a show unless it was absolutely necessary. Please know that we will be making every effort to return to your fine city.

Thank you so much to our fans for the kind sentiments and well-wishes on Jim's behalf. We hope for Jim's quick recovery and to be back out on the road soon.

With Love,
My Morning Jacket

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Clash Live at Shea Stadium

Recorded during their two night stint as openers for The Who (sadly) on their 1982 U.S. farewell tour on October 12th and 13th, The Clash's Live at Shea Stadium is finally being released today via Legacy Recordings (Sony), almost 26 years to the day from the shows. The release features the entire second night's show, which Joe Strummer uncovered while packing some years ago before his untimely death.

You can stream the album here and watch some clips of the show and see the band discussing the show below:



Choose from the regular cd, deluxe version complete with a 32-page photograph book, or the vinyl version. Or...you can preferably buy it locally here.

Turn it up loud, enjoy and start a revolution.

CASH Remixed


Yet, another Cash-tastrophe. Who is letting this happen? Do they realize that they are sullyin' up the Man In Black's name, music and legacy, as well as pissing off his fans that are more in favor of his, ahem, traditional and classic sound.

The only good, and I mean THE ONLY good, that can come from something like this, is that it might turn someone who has not been fortunate enough to know about Cash's music on to it. But between that Everlast travesty that SDB discussed, and now this mash-up/throw-up/fuck-up, it's starting to become a bad rash that is spreading like a "Ring of Fire".

You can preview/stream the album here, if you care, and are brave enough. According to the Johnny Cash Remixed site, the album comes out in January '09, but Amazon has it here beginning next week.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Coliseum with locals Generation of Vipers

Local sludge/ambient metal rockers Generation of Vipers announced today of their upcoming show with COLISEUM and I Need Closure at Patrick Sullivan's on October 23. This will be a definite ear bleeder.