Here is a link to one of their videos. I especially like the horses in skeleton costumes.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Gothabilly on Halloween
Ghoultown is a gothabilly band from Dallas, and their website bio describes them as "an uncharted crossroads between Johnny Cash and Rob Zombie." Who could resist a little cowboy graveyard rock on Halloween night?
Here is a link to one of their videos. I especially like the horses in skeleton costumes.
Here is a link to one of their videos. I especially like the horses in skeleton costumes.
Floydada: Pumpkin Capital USA
Floydada, Texas, which is up around the Panhandle, is known as "Pumpkin Capital USA." There's a good chance that the fat orange squashes that many of us have carved into jack o' lanterns come from Floydada. James McMurtry actually wrote a song about the town, although it is called "Levelland." Floydada wouldn't fit the meter. Below is a link to an article about Pumpkin Capital USA as well as a link to James McMurtry's "Levelland" video.
Floydada: Pumpkin Capital USA:
"Levelland" by James McMurtry:
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Cormac McCarthy, The Road, and an El Paso Hotel
A few years ago, Cormac McCarthy, who could be described as a reclusive genius, granted an interview to Oprah Winfrey. McCarthy's take on language and the subconscious is fascinating, and the anecdotes from his hardscrabble life can be quite funny. In the interview, he discusses the birthplace of The Road, which was a hotel room in El Paso. When he describes the book's origin, he talks about imagining fire on the mountains beyond his hotel window. I can not help but wonder if his apocalyptic vision was somehow connected, subconsciously or otherwise, to the words written on a mountain across the border in Ciudad Juarez, "LA BIBLIA ES LA VERDAD. LEELA," or "The Bible is the truth. Read it." I imagine that this question has already been posed by a member of the Cormac McCarthy Society, but it's new ground for me. Here is a link to a segment of the interview.
Monday, October 26, 2015
John Prine Covering Blaze Foley
Good ol' John Prine is a formidable songwriter, but he is also an accomplished interpreter of the songs of others. In this clip of John Prine playing Blaze Foley's "Clay Pigeons" on Austin City Limits, he also tells the story of his connection with the Armadillo World Headquarters and ol' Blaze himself.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Burrus Mill Recording Studio: Saginaw, Texas
As unlikely as it may now seem, Burrus Mill in Saginaw, Texas once was home to an important recording studio. Bob Wills recorded "New San Antonio Rose," which went on to sell more than a million records, in that studio. "Pappy" O' Daniel, a musician in his own right, hosted a radio show that broadcast statewide from that location, and the fame he achieved on the show helped him become the governor of Texas. Not long ago my grandfather told me about Pappy's gubernatorial campaign. A wagon traveled through the North Side of town giving away biscuits. "Pass me a biscuit, Pappy" was O' Daniel's slogan. In the 1930s, a free biscuit was always welcome, and I imagine that "Pappy" garnered at least one vote per cat-head.
When the major labels were in town to record regional acts, they would sometimes use Burrus Mill Recording Studio. Ted Daffan's Texans first recorded at the mill in 1940. Daffan, incidentally, was an early pioneer of country steel guitar. Okeh, a major label for "hillbilly" and "race" recordings at the time, produced sides by Ted Daffan's Texans in 1942. Here is a link to two of the act's California recordings.
When the major labels were in town to record regional acts, they would sometimes use Burrus Mill Recording Studio. Ted Daffan's Texans first recorded at the mill in 1940. Daffan, incidentally, was an early pioneer of country steel guitar. Okeh, a major label for "hillbilly" and "race" recordings at the time, produced sides by Ted Daffan's Texans in 1942. Here is a link to two of the act's California recordings.
Milton Brown: Father of Western Swing
Although Bob Wills is indisputably "the King of Western Swing," Milton Brown is the genre's father. Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies played a style of music that was sometimes called hillbilly string or cowboy jazz. The group played at the Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion in Fort Worth, the venue that some have credited to be the birthplace of Western Swing.
Milton Brown would probably be better known today had he not died soon after a car accident on Jacksboro Highway in April 1936. That same year both a Bob Wills and a Milton Brown version of "Right or Wrong" was released. Younger generations are more likely to associate the song with George Strait, who recorded it in 1984. Here is Milton Brown's version of "Right or Wrong."
Milton Brown would probably be better known today had he not died soon after a car accident on Jacksboro Highway in April 1936. That same year both a Bob Wills and a Milton Brown version of "Right or Wrong" was released. Younger generations are more likely to associate the song with George Strait, who recorded it in 1984. Here is Milton Brown's version of "Right or Wrong."
Friday, October 23, 2015
Townes: A Cameo Role
Listening to Willie and Merle's new album this week, I got to thinking about buying their "Pancho and Lefty" album on cassette for my dad back in the 80s. I believe that I bought an Iron Maiden album in the same transaction. Oh, the wild testosterone of youth... Anyway, after watching the video of "Pancho and Lefty" recently, I realized that Townes Van Zandt is one of the Federales. Watch for the tall man with the writing utensil.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)