John Prine is easily one of the most underrated songwriters alive today – or ever for that matter. And it seems that the folks who got together to pay tribute to Prine are in the same boat – super-talented yet overlooked in the spectrum of popular music.
With the release of Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, all this may change. The caliber of artists that contribute to this album not only shows the far-reaching appeal of John Prine, but also reveals an often obscured common thread between these artists – many of whom are considered favorites here at This Mornin’…
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
Oh Boy Records - 6.22.10
1 Justin Vernon - Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
2 Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Wedding Day in Funeralville
3 My Morning Jacket - All the Best
4 Josh Ritter - Mexican Home
5 Lambchop - Six O’Clock News
6 Justin Townes Earle - Far From Me
7 The Avett Brothers - Spanish Pipedream
8 Old Crow Medicine Show - Angel From Montgomery
9 Sara Watkins - The Late John Garfield Blues
10 Drive-By Truckers - Daddy’s Little Pumpkin
11 Deer Tick - Unwed Fathers [ft. Liz Isenberg]
12 Those Darlins - Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian
Pre-Order available 4.27.10
As you can see, it’s a veritable Folk Music All Star Team. Some of the bigger names like Old Crow Medicine Show, Drive By Truckers, My Morning Jacket, and The Avett Brothers will hopefully introduce some listeners to folks like Deer Tick, Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), and Those Darlins, all the while shedding some much-deserved light on the genius of John Prine.
I don’t have any tracks to offer up today, but check out this post for some links to streamable songs. Below, see a video of Conor Oberst (then as Bright Eyes) doing his version of Prine’s ‘Crazy As A Loon’:
Today, March 7th, is the birth date of the late, great Townes Van Zandt. He would be 66 years old and had his lifestyle not gotten the best of him, he would no doubt still be creating beautifully haunting music. I’ve been meaning to get to some Townes posts here at This Mornin’, but keep putting it off. Maybe I’ll re-read John Kruth’s fervent tribute To Live’s To Fly. It was great the first time through, but I was in it for the story. Next time, I’ll log away all the recording session details and get some good post material from it.
Townes’ recorded music, more often than not, became the victim of terrible studio treatment, yet still the power of his songs broke through the odd backing vocals and poor accompanying music. Anyone alive today that fancies their self a songwriter owes much to Townes Van Zandt. And those that don’t aren’t worth listening to. Period. Rest in peace, sir.
Woke up this Monday morning to some exciting news in my inbox. Josh Ritter’s much anticipated follow-up to 2007’s Historical Conquests now has a title, release date, and a promo track. So Runs The World Awaywill be available in the states on May 4th (April 23rd in Ireland).
A note from Josh on the album:
“So Runs the World Away” took me over a year to make. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve never recorded a song for a record that I didn’t believe in absolutely and that didn’t feel, in its writing, recording, and performance, like a moment of real inspiration. I love the songs on this record so much, and my thanks go to my incredible and talented band, my family, and my family of listeners wherever they may be in this fast-spinning world. All my very best, and see you soon!
Josh
As much as Josh is loved throughout the blogosphere, I’m sure this will be posted everywhere, but I’d like to be the first to bring it to you. Josh wants you to join his mailing list to get this track, so do that too below.
Since honing his chops alongside many of the Texas/Oklahoma acts I used to follow, Ryan Bingham has signed with Lost Highway, released 2 critically acclaimed albums (the latest of which found my Top 20 Albums of 2009), and….
Sunday Night, New Mexico born, Texas raised Ryan Bingham won himself a Golden Globe Award. He took home the trophy for Best Original Song for ‘The Weary Kind,’ a tune written by Bingham for the film Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges. This film caught my eye as soon as the trailer surfaced. With a cast including Bridges, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, it was sure to get attention, but surprisingly, focus has been geared toward the music in the film as much as the film itself. Legendary producer T-Bone Burnett oversaw the production of the soundtrack alongside Stephen Bruton.
One of the first things that stood out to me about Crazy Heart was the fact that it was director Scott Cooper’s directorial debut. He adapted the script from a book of the same name written by Thomas Cobb. It follows Bad Blake, a fictional yet very familiar country singer who, at 57, seems to have run his course in the business. Cooper had always wanted to tell the life story of Merle Haggard but could never sort out the rights. After finding the book, he learned he could not only tell Haggard’s, but also stories of Waylon and Kristofferson, “with a little bit of Billy Joe Shaver and Townes Van Zandt all mixed in.” Jeff Bridges pulls off the weary character perfectly, so much that he also picked up a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
Trailer:
Pick up the soundtrack (out today) from Amazon. It includes tracks from Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Townes Van Zandt, and a healthy helping from the movie’s stars (Bridges and Farrell).
Here’s your Golden Globe Winning Song performed earlier this month on Letterman:
Here’s an unranked group of some of the best music videos from 2009. I didn’t scour the internet (or god-forbid watch MTV/CMT) for every video made this year. They are basically taken from those artists in my Top 20 Albums list (coming soon) that happened to make videos this year.
These United States – Everything Touches Everything
The Everybodyfields were one of my favorite discoveries of 2007. Their album from that year, Nothing Is Okay, was a top 10 choice and remains in solid rotation. So I was understandably upset when I learned last year that they were taking separate paths. But my disappointment changed to excitement once I heard a couple tracks from their current projects.
Sam Quinn has since formed another band – Sam Quinn & Japan Ten. The band includes Sam, Josh Oliver, Megan Gregory, and Brandon Story. So far, they have only released a DVD (available here), but have set a tentative date of late February – early March for The Fake That Sunk a Thousand Ships:
1. Hello 2. Fanboy 3. So Strong 4. Suite Motown 5. Strange Wave. 6. Gun 7. Mardi Gras 8. Help Me 9. Late The Other Night 10. River
Meanwhile, the beautiful Jill Andrews has been hard at work recording new stuff, getting her touring feet on the ground, and making videos to tell us all about it. Jill has a 6-track EP out (both hard copy and digital) on her website.
Here’s her latest (November edition) Video – this one with Matt Buthcer.
The good folks from North Carolina’s Bombadil have been very generous to this music blogger from the start. I have received both of their full-length albums early, free, and thoughtfully personalized. Just last week, I was also sent a postcard featuring Oto The Bear (above) from the guys wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks, and right back at you Brian, Daniel, and James.
Be sure to get yourself a hard copy of the band’s latest, Tarpits & Canyonlands. It is adorned with some amazing album art – including Oto – by Robbi Behr – check it out here.
Bombadil just unleashed their first ever music video. Set to ‘So Many Ways To Die,’ the flick features classic (public domain) footage of the various ways people have come close to dying. But just as their music is brave and uplifting, the video reveals that the only way to truly live is to push yourself to your own limits.
This may just be the strangest music ever posted on this site, but damn if doesn’t groove!
Adriano Celentano – Prisencolinensinainciusol
If you wondering what it is you’re hearing, you’re not alone. It’s gibberish. Gibberish posing as English, set to a funky 70’s disco beat. Adriano Celentano is an Italian entertainment renaissance man who wrote the tune in 1972 as a bit of commentary on the lack of communication in the world. Prisencolinensinainciusol is said to mean Universal Love.
I found the video and although I had no clue what I was watching… I couldn’t stop watching. It’s dangerously infectious with an old-school, Dylan-esque vibe that pulls from just about every genre of music. If you check out some of the comments on the various versions posted on YouTube, you’ll see that a lot of folks felt the same. The song is also said to be one of the earliest precursors of rap music. Just more proof of the overwhelming power of music to transcend all language and culture barriers.
I started this blog first and foremost for the music. I found myself spending a lot of time reading music blogs - but there were so many of my favorite artists that weren't getting enough (or any) attention. So, my solution: start my own blog so I could talk about the artists and topics that I wanted to read about. There is no formal structure to this blog - I simply write about music that makes a certain impact on me. So if you dig the folk/americana/indie scene and want to learn about some artists that don't get the recognition they deserve, keep checkin' back to see what I have to say. Don't be afraid to leave a comment and tell me what you think. Cheers.
All mp3 files posted here are for sampling purposes only. Take what you want, but move fast because they expire (normally within a month or two). If you like what you hear, go out and support the artists by buying their stuff. If you are the artist/rep and want immediate removal of any file please email me (payton @ thismornin.com) directly and I will remove it.
Please email me (payton @ thismornin.com) if you encounter broken links or any other mistakes. If you want to know more about any artist highlighted here, suggest topics, songs, artists, etc., or if you would like to send me promo items please feel free to contact me as well.
