White Ghost Shivers - Killing Tradition

Austin-based "hot jazz" ensemble the White Ghost Shivers are plugging in tonight at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, KS, and playing a set of punked up versions of their 1920s-style fare. At their acoustic show last night I picked up a copy of a teaser EP featuring four of their songs redone in this style. Here's the original version of "Strictly Ornamental" from their latest full-length album Everyone's Got 'Em along with their new version.



Listen:

The White Ghost Shivers - Strictly Ornamental (acoustic album version)

The White Ghost Shivers - Strictly Ornamental (electric EP version)



Buy:

From Chicken Ranch Records

Top 10 of 2006, Part 1

Head over to Americana Roots to see my top 10 albums of 2006. All ten albums are highly recommended and I've included a brief paragraph of explanation after each choice. Here are my favorite songs from albums 8, 9, and 10. Stay tuned for the rest of the count-down.

10. White Ghost Shivers - Everyone's Got 'Em

Listen:
White Ghost Shivers - Little Kisses

Buy:
From Chicken Ranch Records

9. Gary Bennett - Human Condition

Listen:
Gary Bennett - Headin' Home

Buy:
From Gary
From Amazon

8. Grayson Capps - Wail and Ride

Listen:
Grayson Capps - Give It To Me

Buy:
From Hyena Records
From Amazon

Three previews from Bloodshot

Veering for once from my normal album-centered reviews, today I'm going to post three songs that Bloodshot Records sent out to audioblog types from upcoming albums of theirs.

Wayne Hancock's new album Tulsa drops October 10. I'm a big fan of his. I reviewed a live album of his here. I'm really looking forward to hearing this whole disc.

Listen:
Wayne Hancock - Shootin' Star From Texas

The Wee Hairy Beasties' album Animal Crackers comes out on October 24. This Bloodshot supergroup of Jon Lanford, Sally Timms, Kelly Hogan, with backing by Devil in a Woodpile sings kids songs.

Listen:
Wee Hairy Beasties - Toenail Moon

Also out October 24 is the Bloodshot tribute to the Old Town School of Folk Music. For the Kids: The Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook features most notably Jon Langford and Robbie Fulks and many others singing songs that fit under the general category of standards.

Listen:
Robbie Fulks - Browns Ferry Blues

Hope to have a real post up soon!

Dale Watson - Whiskey or God

Sorry for the delay. Two unexpected things about my new schedule. First, without a twenty minute drive to work, I have no built in time to just listen to CDs, and not listening to CDs means not being able to write about them. The other thing is that not working nights anymore, I can go to weeknight concerts (like I just did) which further eats up my time.

Dale Watson released this album several months ago, but I just picked it up last week. It's a strong outing from one of the reigning kings of the honky tonk. Featuring songs he's been playing live for years but that have never made it onto disc, this album has the polish of the studio with the intimacy and emotion of a live recording.

Dale Watson is often grouped with alt-country, but he isn't alternative in the same genre-bending way as, say, the Bloodshot Records stable of artists. He's not particularly interested in combining seemingly disparate genres and examining off the tensions created. Rather, he's interested in making good old country music. Unfortunately, these days that is an alternative to the mainstream. Not to say that he doesn't have a wide range of influences. This album has songs with influences from Cajun, Tex-Mex, and even disco, along with the more expected honky tonk, Bakersfield, and Nashville Sound.

For some of these songs, I can make an educated guess which album they were originally written for. This is particularly true for "My Heart is Yours" and "I Wish I Was Crazy Again," both of which delve into the same agony of love and loss that is featured on Every Song I Write is For You. (Thankfully, these songs don't feature that albums synth strings.) "I Wish I Was Crazy Again" is to me the strongest song on the album. Listen for the subtle trombone on this track.

Listen:
Dale Watson - I Wish I Was Crazy Again

Buy:
From Dale Watson
From Amazon

Wayne Hancock - Swing Time

I've never seen Wayne "The Train" Hancock in concert, but this live CD makes me wish I had. I imagine the Fourth of July show last year at Knuckleheads was great; I should have gone. There's probably not much I can add to what's been said about him. He's one of the premier Austin-based honky tonkers.

One of the best things on this CD, I think, is the guest trombone work of Bob "Texaco" Staffard. Trombone isn't the first instrument you think of when you think honky tonk or even wester swing, but this trombone works perfect for the record. He plays on two tracks, "We Three" and hidden track "Summertime," and interweaves and trades solos with the steel player Eddie Rivers. It's a real treat to listen to.

Listen:
Wayne Hancock - We Three

Buy:
From Bloodshot
From Amazon

Redd Volkaert - Telewacker

I had been planning on writing about Redd Volkaert today even before I noticed that he's playing Prairie Home Companion this weekend. Redd is probably best known as Merle Haggard's lead guitarist of the '90s or, in Music City crowds, as Brad Paisley's sideman on Paisley's Mud on the Tires.

Recently he's been tearing up the Austin scene; often proclaimed as the best guitarist in town ("even if you've never heard of him"), he plays regularly in several bands as well as solo. Haybale, Lucky Tomlin Band, and the High-Flyers are several of the names you might see him playing under.

The High-Flyers are the group he's appearing on PHC with. They also include PHC regular Cindy Cashdollar on steel and former Hot Club of Cowtown fiddler Elana (née Fremerman) James.

This is his first solo album. Just over half is instrumental; mostly he's interested in showing of his telecaster chops, which he does, ranging from rocking to swinging with a little Chicago blues tossed in as well. This Redd-penned tune is a fine example of his guitar skills, showing not only great technique and good feeling, but also that to be really good you have to play well with the rest of the band, not over-power them.

Listen:
Redd Volkaert - She Loves Everything That Swings.mp3

Buy:
From Redd
From Amazon

Jon Rauhouse's Steel Guitar Air Show

My first experience with Jon Rauhouse was as Neko Case's steel player. Her concert was one of the best I had been to at that time, and Neko's crystal clear, reverbed voice was wonderful, but what stood out the most was Jon Rauhouse's steel playing. I don't think I got the CD that night, but I think I tracked it down soon after.

This CD is a mix of genres, but what stands out most is '50s lounge jazz, Retro Cocktail Hour style. Most of the album is instrumental, but several songs also have vocals, with guest appearances by Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, and Sally Timms. Most of the tracks also feature the Calexico rhythm section of Joey Burns and John Convertino.

Listen:
Jon Rauhouse - The World is Waiting for a Sunrise.mp3

Buy:
From Bloodshot
From Amazon

White Ghost Shivers - Everyone's Got 'Em

I first saw the White Ghost Shivers last fall when they opened for Split Lip Rayfield here in Lawrence, which I believe was their first trip this far up I-35. I missed a return trip 'cause it was an early show, but I made it to this show and I bought their latest CD, which is something like two weeks old.

I like this album very much. I can't say how it compares to the first studio disc or the live radio album, but it's a transfixing listen. The songs are familiar, more familiar than seeing two shows should make them. Their style is very '20s revivalism, and several of the songs seem like old standards, even though the liner notes seems to indicate they're all originals. (Unlike their name sake song which is an old standard.) The mix of string band and hot jazz instrumentation leads to a compelling mélange of styles: hot jazz, hokum, blues, and hillbilly music, I think the show poster read.

The record plays something like a concert, with the first track introducing the band and the last listed track wrapping it up, followed by the encore of the hidden track. I'm including the first track, a nice introduction to the band. I believe they started their show off with this one.

Listen:
The White Ghost Shivers - Everyone's Got 'Em.mp3

Buy:
From Chicken Ranch Records