Throwback Thursday - Delbert McClinton

Here's another Throwback from my good friend, JNJ!

Little background here. As I was watching Seth James singing "Cigarettes, Anger and Wine" at the Blue Light a couple of weeks ago, I remembered an interview I saw where he said, "That song was kinda like a Leon Russell/Delbert McClinton thing. If I sit down to write a song, I think, 'Are they gonna like it?'"

Delbert with Jana and Joe after one of his shows.

Another time I was in Ft. Worth at a Josh Weathers show, and between songs he was talking about his music direction and his personal direction, and he said he had the opportunity to visit with his hero, Delbert McClinton, the night before. He said after talking with Delbert, both his music and personal direction were now in focus.

These two great singer/songwriters know what should be evident to all. Delbert McClinton has influenced many people, but has never garnered the respect and admiration that he deserves. The cool thing is, he doesn't care... he just likes to write songs, sing and make people happy. I was fortunate the night after I saw Josh Weathers in Ft. Worth to go to Billy Bob's and see Delbert live. Amazing show! Now I have to give my sister Jana and her boyfriend Joe proper credit. I knew who Delbert was, and enjoyed his music, but Joe turned me on to all of Delbert. No telling how many times he has seen him live, and if he's close, they won't miss him.

The Grammy Award winning singer was born in Lubbock and then his family moved to Ft. Worth when he was 11. Starting in 1962 as a harmonica player, his music really hit the stage in the '70s, and he's been entertaining crowds ever since. A member of the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, a lot of his songs were covered by big artists, such as his song "Two More Bottles of Wine," sang by Emmylou Harris which reached #1 in 1978.

Do yourself a favor and read up on and listen to Delbert. A true Texas Treasure!

 Givin It Up For Your Love:

When Rita Leaves (JNJ's fave):

I'm With You (Jana's fav):

-JNJ

Quaker City Night Hawks - Honcho

I have been meaning to review the new Quaker City Night Hawks CD ALL WEEK but I have been putting it off like a mofo. I saw them for the first time last weekend when they opened for Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. It was a hell of a show. I normally don't stand up on the church pew for opening bands, but about two songs in, I couldn't sit still and I was up there shaking my hips and stomping my feet. I left with a CD of their new record, Honcho, that they had only released the night before. I have had a hard time listening to anything else.

I hadn't even heard of this band before I heard they were coming to Blue Light, but this week, upon the release of their new record, I have been seeing their name everywhere.

I'm stealing these words directly from their website because I can't find a better way to describe them...

QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS BRAND OF HARD ROCK N’ ROLL IS BRED FROM TEXAS BOOGIE, MEMPHIS SOUL AND HEAVY BLUES. THEIR MUSIC IS SOUTHERN ROCK RIGHT OUT OF ’75, PLAYED WITH THE FERVOR OF A SERMON CRACKLING OUT OF THE RADIO IN A ’68 LINCOLN. THEY’RE THE WHISKEY BOTTLE YOU FINISHED SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE PRAYER YOU SAID THE NEXT MORNING. LIKE A COUNTRY GUNSHOT ON A HUMID NIGHT AND YOUR FIRST ILLICIT BEER, QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS ARE THE SPIRIT OF ROCK N’ ROLL. COME SHAKE YOUR HIPS!

That's exactly right. All week I was listening to this album and trying to decide what to say in my review when I finally got around to writing it. Well, I guess I should have acted sooner because Hogleg from Galleywinter took the words right out of my mouth... so again, I'm stealing his review, but it's OK because he told me I could so I am. (Damn my job is easy today.)

My recommended tracks are  as follows:
“Fox in the Hen House” because it immediately puts you in the groove for the full Hawks experience. It has all the ingredients of a kick ass tune.
“Cast the Line” has a very Creedence, Lodi feel to it. Makes me want to run or skip (whatever feels right) through a field of Sunflowers with a cape on.
“Rattlesnake Boogie” has that Ray Wylie strut to it. I believe Ray would approve.
I have to like “Greasy Night” because I understand the concept of greasy all encompassingly.
“Yellow Rose” makes me want to sway back and forth with my West Texas lady friend.
I’m no writer here. I’m no album reviewer. I’m just a dude who likes to shake a leg and smoke one if you got it. Get this record. It’s rock and roll.

Hogleg nailed it... QCNK is gritty, greasy, groovy rock. Something about "Train Rolled Home" has me reaching for the volume knob about five times before it's over... it can't get loud enough. "Lavanderia" is just plain fun and almost makes me want to do laundry (not really because nothing NOTHING makes me want to do laundry, but if I had to, this song should be playing). And the CD doesn't do them justice. See them live and see if you can sit still. I promise I'd never lead you astray.

Now turn this up and JAM it.

Throwback Thursday - Loretta Lynn

Here's another Throwback from my good friend, JNJ!

Known simply as the Queen of Country Music, Loretta Lynn has done a lot in her life. From humble beginnings to having four children before the age of 21 (which was the same age she started learning guitar and writing songs), she has changed the way women are represented in country music. And we are enriched because of that. The awards she has received are too numerous to count. She has written over 160 songs, had 10 #1 albums, 16 #1 hits, but more importantly gave women a voice in the '60s and '70s when they didn't have much of one. And she hasn't quit, as the video below with Jack White has brought her a whole new fan base. 

Here's to the Queen!

The classic, "Coal Miner's Daughter"


With the Legend, Conway Twitty.


Lastly, with the amazing Jack White (one of Hallie's favorite videos of all-time).

Playlist - I Never Liked St. Valentine

Welcome to the most cliche blog post of my life. I hate Valentine's Day. I think it's a stupid holiday that florists and card companies made up. Nothing says "thoughtful" like receiving the exact same box of chocolates or bouquet of roses that every other girl on the planet also received. I sound like the most single girl in the world, but I'm actually not! I just think this holiday is stupid. And if I see another throwback Thursday picture on Instagram of somebody's wedding day or the roses surrounded by baby's breath (I know enough about floral design to know that that is cheap and hideous) I am going to puke.

Now here's some very anti-Valentine's music for all the single ladies and gents and other people like me who are in a relationship but still hate Valentine's Day. (Please tell me I'm not the only one with a cold black heart.)



Get drunk and be somebody tonight.

Kolton Moore and the Clever Few - Dear Mom,

Like many new artists, I first heard of Kolton Moore several months ago when he was on the Texas Red Dirt Roads show with Justin Frazell. I was driving back from my 10-day "study abroad" trip across Texas. I was incredibly hungover and exhausted and sick of every song on my iPod. Thankfully, this voice stuck out through everything else coming through my speakers. It was something new. I ended up listening to the entire show just to figure out who the heck this guy was and it helped me get home in one piece. The next week I did the usual - listen on Spotify, buy the EP, rip songs off YouTube - thing until his latest album, Dear Mom, came out a couple weeks ago.

I usually go through spells where there's no new music so I'll listen to old playlists, then you have weeks like these past few where there's so much new music available to me that I feel overwhelmed. Normally that would be the case, but this album has completely stolen the show. My favorite kind of music is the kind I can listen to at work, driving, studying or on a run at the gym. It's hard to find music that I can listen to all day long, but this does it for me.

Although at times Moore's voice sounds like Sean McConnell (which is never a bad thing), he's still completely original. This first full-length record goes from haunting and lonely ("Hatch That Let the Devil In," "Ain't So Well,") to upbeat ("No Rest") to slow and bluesy ("God Man Blues"). There's not a bad track.

Check the band out on Reverbnation.
Buy the album here.

This is the song that originally got my attention:



I wish there was a better version of this, but it's one of my favorites from Dear Mom,.

News!

I'm excited to say I am the newest contributor to the best source for Lubbock music news... New Slang. Check them out at newslangtakeover.wordpress.com

Here is the link to my first post: http://newslangtakeover.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/passing-through-josh-grider/

Josh Grider, Zane Williams and Matt Caldwell - Troubadour, TX Tour

On Wednesday some of the guys from the show Troubadour, TX were in town at the Blue Light for part of their tour. Zane Williams, Josh Grider and Matt Caldwell were doing an acoustic song swap. Of course I had to go... I mean TV cameras were going to be there.

The crowd was small - which disappointed me because I know Lubbock could have been represented much better than that, but you win some you lose some. Small crowds don't bother me because I get the mindset of "more for me" but I just hate it for the artist. If you weren't there, you missed out. It was a good time. The guys just took turns playing songs and they always told funny little stories in between. They made sure to talk to everybody before and after the show and they played any requests. Carter and I made Zane play our favorite "Pablo and Maria." That is such a great song (which I posted about before here). This was my first time seeing all three of them live and they played lots of stuff I'd never heard. They all have a that classic country sound that just makes you want to dance, and there was plenty of that going on.

Here's my favorite one Matt played.


This is the title track to Zane's next album, Overnight Success, which is ironic considering it's his 8th album.


And you have to listen to his Texas version of the 99 bottles song... so awesome.


And finally, this one from Josh Grider is old, but it's my favorite song of his and the first one I ever heard. Also I can't pass up a "Live from the Backroom" video because I spent a whole summer in that very seat Josh is sitting in when I was 18. True story.


By the way, I interviewed Josh on Tuesday about the show and other things over on New Slang (which I am now a contributor for!). Check it out here. 

Throwback - Ray Charles

Here's another throwback courtesy of my friend JNJ!

 There is not a week that goes by that I don't listen to Ray Charles. His 1959 album was called The Genius of Ray Charles, but every album he ever had could be called the same. Everyone knows who Ray Charles was and the amazing songs he sang, but his influence on country music is sometimes overlooked. In 1962, with control of his music direction and on top of the charts in both R&B and Pop, he went against the grain and recorded Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2. With these albums he moved country music to the forefront of the culture and crossed country music over to the masses.

As Frank Sinatra said, "Ray Charles is the only true genius in show business."

Enjoy these songs from these albums. They are amazing!

"You Don't Know Me"



"I Can't Stop Loving You"



"Your Cheating Heart"

BIG NEWS - Return of Heartworn Highways

I can't even describe how excited I am about this. Just watching the trailer and hearing Townes introduce himself gave me chills.



A while back my best friend, Carter, told me about this documentary Heartworn Highways and we both wanted to see it so bad. I made it my mission to find it online somewhere but they ran about $90 a pop. I found what I thought was a DVD of it on a website for $35 and snatched it up for Carter's birthday in October, only to find out when I got it that it was just the soundtrack. The soundtrack was still worth the $35 anyway and we blasted it at every party for weeks (I know, we're cool).

Then today I read that the entire documentary is now available online. I know what I'll be doing this weekend. It'll be worth every penny of that $14.99 on Amazon.

I've also heard that they (whoever "they" is) are making a modern-day version of Heartworn Highways that will probably have some familiar faces... can't wait to see if that's true.