The Great Roots Rock Scare - alt.country of the 80s and 90s

04/22/2021

Let there be songs to fill the air!

boxoffice.mandolin.com

04/09/2021

First time on vinyl

A pretty great announcement: Pre-order signed copies of Chris' classic album 'A Pretty Good Guy' -- pressed on vinyl for the first time ever in celebration of the album's 20th anniversary by our friends at Dualtone Music Group.

https://www.dualtonestore.com/collections/chris-knight?fbclid=IwAR2gFi3r8f7jXGTg7jcR00Psm8Bi3J6FJDDh80ZzuT3tM3bZhhVPmCbkl_k

03/02/2021

Very sad news

30 years is a good run

It’s with a sad heart that we announce this uneasy news: Brian has decided to retire from the Bottle Rockets. Although he’s in good health, he’s been feeling the passage of time and has lost interest in anything that distracts from or takes him away from home. Unfortunately, this means the Bottle Rockets can’t continue as we know it. This is a difficult and emotional outcome for the band, and we share the sense of loss over this ending, but it can also be framed as an opportunity for new directions.

We appreciate our fans, many who have become dear friends over the years, and we thank you for the wonderful 28-year adventure. It was a thrill and we couldn’t have asked for better people to share it with! We sincerely couldn't have done it without your loyal support -- the music lives on through you.

Forever Grateful,
The Bottle Rockets

==========================

Message from Brian Henneman...

Well friends, it’s time. Time to say “so long”. I’m givin’ it up. Packin’ it in. Retiring. I’m done. Been thinkin’ about it this entire time off. I’m more certain of it than anything I’ve ever been certain of before. I’m turning 60 this year. Including my time with Uncle Tupelo, I have been doing this recording/touring thing for 30 years. I don’t consider myself too old to do it anymore, but I do consider myself too old to want to.

Every musician has their own shelf life for doing what they do. Some go on into their 80’s, some quit in their 20’s and never look back. Ol’ Number 60, that’s me. 60 o’clock, that’s quittin’ time for this guy. Kickin’ off my travelin’ shoes and slippin’ on my house shoes. Home is where my passion lies these days. That excites me now the way the band used to.

I have no problem at all with the band. That’s not why I’m leaving. It’s all about where I’m at on the walk of life. I no longer want to travel, don’t really have any burning desire to write songs anymore either. I just want to be a good husband. A good neighbor. A responsible homeowner. A little dog’s daddy. A guitar repairman. A guitar player in my kitchen, and in some local country cover band whenever that scene comes back around. That’s how I want to spend the rest of my days. I want to be home for supper and home for bedtime. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. I want to experience a “normal life” just as badly now as I did NOT want to in my youth. While I’m still healthy enough to enjoy it. Before I get ancient and impaired. Things change. That’s life. I’m ready and eager for change. Being home for a solid year made me certain of it. I don’t want to miss ANYTHING here anymore.

Mark, John, and Keith all understand where I’m at. That’s such a relief. But they’re damn good guys. The best. Those guys have been the greatest partners a man could ever have. Dedication. Devotion. Turnin’ all the night time into the day. No tellin’ what’s next for them, but knowin’ them like I do, I’d say the sky’s the limit. They all have the musical skills to do anything. A truly “hot sh*t” band. And, unlike me, they still have the desire to get out there and do it. And they are ULTRA professionals. Keep an eye out for ‘em. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to see them show up in phenomenal places. I am rooting for them. Them’s my boys. My team. My life partners. Please support them. I know I will. They are the longest running members the band ever had for a reason. They’re the best on so many levels. I love them forever.

Gotta salute Robert Kearns, Tom Parr, and Tom Ray too. All were members of the band I’m bidding farewell to. Everybody did a great job in their own time, in their own way. Everybody.

I gotta be honest, I’m not sad that this is really finally happening. It was bound to happen someday. What does make me kinda sad is that it’s already that day. WTF??? Where did that time go??? See? That’s my point. That’s what made me go through with this. Knowing how the time goes SO fast. I wanna get goin’ on this next phase, before it passes me by as fast as everything else did. I’ve finally reached an age where things get urgent. Available decades are gettin’ slim. Gotta find what you REALLY want and go for it. So I did.

I want to sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You all supported us for so long. I will never forget that, or take it lightly. I am forever humbled and grateful. It’s been fun, but now it’s done. Surprise ending, yes. But the band had a surprise beginning too, so it seems that’s just how we roll. Maybe the band’s not done at all. Who knows? I just know I won’t be in it. ‘Cause I’m done.

With a year off, and nothing on the books, this was the perfect intersection of time and timing. There would never be a time when leaving would disrupt less. That’s why I did it now. Didn’t wanna make a big deal outta my big deal. Wanted it to be as painless as possible.

So this is where the cowboy rides away. Goodnight now ladies and gentlemen. It’s the end of the show, now it’s time to go.

Maybe I’ll see ya at Home Depot or somethin’…
Brian

# # #

02/11/2021

Rodney Crowell has an excellent e-Rolodex, and it’s on display in a new compilation album, “Songs From Quarantine Vol. 1,” which has an all-star cast of singer-songwriter, country…

12/29/2020

New Grass Revival – Best of (Liberty)

The story of New Grass Revival is long and complicated. The band actually began in the early 1970s. It reached its commercial height, however, as a quartet composed of Sam Bush, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, and Pat Flynn in the 1980s. A bluegrass band that looked to expand what bluegrass could be, it was called progressive bluegrass or newgrass, by covering rock, reggae, jazz, and R&B in an inventive, acoustic style. They also ignored some bluegrass traditions. by appearing on stage in their street clothes and not matching suits, for example.

This Best Of is a fine introduction to their innovative style; four masters of their instruments as well as sweet harmonies that to these ears recall some of the country rockers of the 70s, like Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Pure Prairie League. It’s also noteworthy for the range of songwriters they choose from, representing some of the early work of Radney Foster (“Love Someone Like Me”), Tim O’Brien (“Hold On To A Dream”), and Kim Richey (“Let Me Be Your Man”), with John Hiatt (“Angel Eyes”), Jesse Wi******er (“Let’s Make A Baby King”), and Wendy Waldman (“You Plant Your Fields”) and the Beatles (“I’m Down”) also represented. NGR’s best-known tune, the Dennis Linde penned “Callin’ Baton Rouge” is a prime slice of their high energy playing and silky harmonies. Some might know the tune from Garth Brooks's cover of the hit in the 90s. There’s a healthy 18 tracks in all.

The band might not sound so radical today, but that’s just the sign of a talented group of musicians making music that will never go out of style.

12/21/2020

revisiting an all-time Xmas fave from 2001

it really is that good.

Happy Holidays y'all

Dale Watson Austin Discmas Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., Dec. 21, 2001 Tweet print write a letter Dale WatsonChristmas Time in Texas (Audium) While everyone else is recording "Silent Night" (again!), Dale Watson is writing and recording his own soon-to-be Christmas classics. Eight of the 12 tunes...

12/07/2020

Jay Bennett & Edward Burch – The Palace At 4am (Part 1) (Undertow)

Remember this one? I’m cheating a little because it came out in 02. If I remember correctly it was a big hit among the alt.country crowd that year. Specifically because Jay Bennett had broken away from (been fired from) Jeff Tweedy’s Wilco. For a record of that breakup, I suggest the documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco.

I was going through a stack of discs last week (welcome to my life) when a copy of this popped up. It had Melissa Adams’ business card inside. She was the PR person for it when it was released and most likely sent it to me. We’re friends on Facebook, so I sent her a photo of that card and we went back and forth a little reminiscing. Adams told me that School Kids Records recently released The Palace At 4am (there doesn’t seem to be a Part 2) on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day earlier this year as a 2 record set.

While not really a roots rock record, Bennett and Burch did make a good power pop record. Yes, there are reflections of Wilco throughout. It was released the same day as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. But whether it’s the long lost Tweedy record is up to debate. I hear influences as varied as Emmit Rhodes, Tommy Keene and Matthew Sweet. The duo’s everything AND the kitchen sink overwhelms at times but can also turn Beatlesque. Bennett is credited with playing the usual guitar, piano, organ, bass and pedal steel, as well as mellotron, omnichord, xylophone, orchestra bells, banjo and more. Wilco members past and present, John Stirratt, Max Johnston, and Ken Coomer also make appearances.

Still it comes down to songs and after 15 of them, the disc seems to fade into a breathy, shiny, yet overproduced melodrama. Wilco fans can do a compare and contrast on the Bennett/Tweedy compositions “Shakin’ Sugar,” “My Darlin’,” and “Venus Stopped The Train.” There’s also a couple of Woody Guthrie songs that didn’t make it onto Mermaid Avenue, “No Church Tonight” and “Little White Cottage.”

Bennett never really had the breakthrough he was looking for after Wilco and died from an accidental overdose in 2009. Fentanyl is evil.

Provided to YouTube by TuneCorePuzzle Heart · Jay Bennett & Edward BurchThe Palace at 4am (Part I)℗ 2002 UndertowReleased on: 2002-04-23Auto-generated by You...

11/19/2020

Live from Austin

10/29/2020

one of my first long pieces for the Chronicle was about
Billy Joe

photograph by John Carrico Billy Joe Shaver is a big man, an imposing presence. His hand wraps around yours when you shake it even though h

10/26/2020

Only $10!!!

LyleLovett.com hosts Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaak, Friday, October 30 at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, for an hour of trading songs and stories—$10. Click https://bit.ly/3jtdCR4 to buy a ticket. Stream on up to three devices, including smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs. The show will be available to watch on LyleLovett.com through November 5.

10/25/2020

Albert Collins/Robert Cray/Johnny Copeland – Showdown (Alligator)

Sorry if I’ve been MIA here. Other things have got my mind don’t ya know. I’m going to TRY and be a little more present here. We’ll see.

Showdown (1986) is a little different than most of the other records I’ve written about on this page. First, it’s a straight-up blues record. It won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album the year it was released. Second, it’s on Alligator and some people stick their nose in the air when the label is brought up. I see their point too. The Chicago-based label has released some mediocre blues discs and it’s been pointed out that you can tell an album from them simply by the way the guitar sounds. Truth. Still, I think they’ve done more good than bad, definitely turned me onto some of my fave blues artists, and are still out there making records, trying to bring contemporary 21st Century blues to those looking for it with a modicum of success.

Showdown was easily one of my favorite records of the late 80s. Three guitar slingers, a host of good songs, and a stockpile of lighthearted interplay made it so. At the time, Robert Cray was still the newbie on the block, next to The Iceman Albert Collins, a guitar hero who came to prominence in the 60s, and Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, a journeyman from Houston.

From the first, ringing notes of T-Bone Walker’s “T-Bone Shuffle,” you can tell that this is a blues disc with something different. I always thought that referring to Collins as The Iceman was a perfect description of his playing, like an ice pick hitting the strings, sharp, full of bite, and still captivating. The duel between Collins and Copeland on “Black Cat Bone” simply drips soul and “The Dream,” a showcase for Cray was an early indicator of his potential stardom.

If you loved the deep blues side of the Allman Brothers and/or the sweetness found in the music of B.B. King, Showdown will ring your bell.

Artist - Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland Album - Showdown! (2011 Remaster) Song - T-Bone Shuffle Release Date - 1985 I do not own any copyrig...