ND News

Krauss & Plant win big at AMA Awards

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:36:50 -0500

(NODEPRESSION.NET) -- Alison Krauss & Robert Plant won took home two of the major awards at the seventh annual Americana Honors And Awards Show Thursday night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Krauss & Plant were named Duo/Group of the Year and also received the Album of the Year award for their 2007 release Raising Sand on Rounder Records. Guitarist Buddy Miller, a member of Krauss & Plant's touring band, received Instrumentalist of the Year honors for the second straight year. Former Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies frontman Mike Farris, who had made a major impression on attendees of the Americana Music Association conference last year at a tribute to Porter Wagoner, received the New/Emerging Artist of the Year award on the strength of his solo debut gospel album Salvation In Lights. Former Band drummer Levon Helm, who resurfaced in 2007 with the solo disc Dirt Farmer and thrilled AMA conference members on Wednesday night with his "Ramble on the Road" performance at the Ryman, was named Artist of the Year. Song of the Year went to Hayes Carll and Brian Keane for "She Left Me For Jesus", from Carll's 2008 release Trouble In Mind on Lost Highway Records. Receiving the second annual Americana Trailblazer Award was Nashville-by-way-of-Austin singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. The President's Award, a posthumous honor given annually since the AMA Awards began in 2002, went to Grateful Dead ringleader Jerry Garcia. The conference's annual "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award was presented to singer and activist Joan Baez. Lifetime Achievement Award recipients were Jason & the Scorchers (Performer), John Hiatt (Songwriter), Larry Campbell (Instrumentalist), Tony Brown (Engineer/Producer), and Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona (Executive).

Bluegrass Awards nominees announced

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:49:01 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced its nominees for the 2008 IBMA Awards, which will be presented at the organization's 19th annual awards show on October 2 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Nominated for the major "Entertainer of the Year" honor are longtime veterans the Del McCoury Band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, as well as relative newcomers the Grascals and Dailey & Vincent (featuring Rhonda's brother Darrin). Three acts tied for the most nominations, with six each: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Blue Highway, and the Dan Tyminski Band. The full list of nominees is posted here.

Isaac Hayes RIP

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:07:18 -0500

(NODEPRESSION.COM) -- Soul legend Isaac Hayes was pronounced dead Sunday, August 10. He was found, according to a family member, in an unresponsive state on the floor next to his treadmill at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Hayes was 65. Best known for his Academy Award-winning "Theme From Shaft" (1971), Hayes became a somewhat unlikely star in 1969 on the strength of the album Hot Buttered Soul (1969). He had been a member of the Stax studio family since 1964, first as a pianist and sax player, and then co-writing with David Porter (including Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming", Carla Thomas's "B-A-B-Y" and Johnnie Taylor's "I Had A Dream"). His singing style (that deep, slow voice, a bit like Barry White's) is credited with leading to rap, and to disco, though it's possible disco owed more to Hayes' fashion sense. Hayes later played "Chef" on "South Park," but left after an episode in which the cartoon show made fun of Scientology, which happened to be his religion. Issac Hayes was an actor, an arranger, and a member of the royal family of Ghana. He was elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jon Dee Graham hospitalized after car crash

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:28:15 -0500

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jon Dee Graham is recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a car crash on Interstate 35 Saturday night after Graham fell asleep at the wheel while returning home to Austin after a performance in the Dallas area, according to a statement on Graham's MySpace page. All of us at No Depression extend our best wishes for his full and speedy recovery.

New Joan Baez, produced by Steve Earle, due September 9

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:59:06 -0500

Joan Baez is to release her 24th studio album, Day After Tomorrow, September 9 (Bobolink/Razor & Tie), her first studio release since 2003's Dark Chords On A Big Guitar. Produced by Steve Earle in Nashville, the ten-track album was recorded with an acoustic ensemble made up of Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, Viktor Krauss, Kenny Malone, and Earle himself. Songs include Tom Waits' title track, "Day After Tomorrow," Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett's co-written "Scarlet Tide," and a new Steve Earle song, "God Is God." Another track comes from Patty Griffin.

Avett Brothers team up with American/Columbia; Rick Rubin to produce next album

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:49:53 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- North Carolina band the Avett Brothers have signed a deal with American/Columbia Records for the release of the group's next album. American honcho Rick Rubin will produce the sessions, which recently commenced, according to a statement on the band's website. The Avett Brothers, hailing from the town of Concord just outside of Charlotte, had released five albums over the past five years with Ramseur Records, a label owned and run by their longtime manager, Dolph Ramseur. The most recent of those albums, 2007's Emotionalism, helped catapult the band to new heights, including Band of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year honors at the 2007 Americana Music Association Awards. The band has also gradually grown into a major live draw, typically selling out rooms larger than 1,000 and playing to huge crowds at both rock and bluegrass festivals, including Merlefest and Coachella. The Avetts have one more disc coming on Ramseur, a six-song EP titled The Second Gleam due out July 22. A release date for the American/Columbia disc has not yet been announced. Photo: Avett Brothers at Merlefest 2007. Photograph by Peter Blackstock.

George Jones unearths new/old duets

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:40:17 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Drawing from the 1993 Bradley Barn sessions and various late 1980s-early 1990s Billy Sherrill sessions, George Jones will release an album of unreleased duet tracks called Burn Your Playhouse Down on his own Bandit imprint. It also includes an unreleased 1977 track with Tammy Wynette. The Bradley Barn sessions were produced by Brian Ahern during an ice storm, and originally released in 1994 by MCA. His duet partners included Vince Gill, Keith Richards, Ricky Skaggs, and Leon Russell. The studio band included Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler, and Emmylou Harris, with Nashville session greats like Mac McAnally, Jerry Douglas, Glenn Worf, Glen D. Hardin, John Hennings, and Richard Bennett. The extra and previously unreleased tracks from those sessions, slated for August 19 release, are: "Burn Your Playhouse Down" with Keith Richards "Window Up Above" with Leon Russell "Selfishness In Man" with Vince Gill "She Once Lived Here" with Ricky Skaggs "I Always Get Lucky With You" with Mark Knopfler" "You're Still On My Mind" with Marty Stuart "When The Grass Grows Over Me" with Mark Chesnutt Three additional tracks didn't make the cut for the 1991 Epic release, Friends In High Places, a collection of Billy Sherrill-produced duets. Those tracks are: "I Always Get Right With You" with Shelby Lynne "Tavern Choir" with Jim Lauderdale "Rockin' Years" with Dolly Parton The final two duets in the set include an unreleased George Jones-Tammy Wynette track from November of 1977 called "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me." Their only child, Georgette, duets on the final track, "You And Me And Time," produced by Keith Stegall in 2007.

Whiskeytown alum Mike Daly in a metal mood

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:35:49 -0500

Whiskeytown went through enough members that it's tough to track them as their creative lives evolve. But occasionally we have to try. And sometimes even we are surprised. Original steel guitarist Mike Daly has resurfaced as an author. His new book is titled Time Flies When You're In A Coma: The Wisdom Of The Metal Gods, and will be published in December by the Plume imprint. The promotional paragraph from his publisher's fall catalogue reads: "Generations of teenagers have turned to the lyrics of eighties metal anthems for guidance and support. After all, besides a haircut, a few pesky social diseases, some short jail time, heavy eyeliner, and multiple drug addictions, what separates the Metal Gods from the Deepak Chopras and Anthony Robbinses of the world? [uh, the girls?]. Songwriter-producer Mike Daly brings together their philosophical gems in a collection of Zen Questions, Daily a ffirmations, Meditations, and Words of Wisdom. This hilarious gift book is a heavy-metal banquet for the eyes and soul." It comes complete with an introduction by respected music journalist and drummer Michael Azzerad. 208 pages, 6"x6", $13. You have been warned!

2008 Americana Awards nominees announced

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:53:53 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- The Americana Music Association announced on Wednesday evening the nominees for the 2008 AMA Honors and Awards Show, which will be held September 18 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Four nominees (five for "Song of the Year") were selected in each of six categories, recognizing work release between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008. Those selected through voting by members of the AMA were: ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Raising Sand, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant; Just Us Kids, James McMurtry; Dirt Farmer, Levon Helm; Trouble In Mind, Hayes Carll. SONG OF THE YEAR: "Broken", Tift Merritt; "Cheney's Toy", James McMurtry; "She Left Me For Jesus", Hayes Carll; "Gone Gone Gone", Alison Krauss & Robert Plant; Poor Old Dirt Farmer", Levon Helm. ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Levon Helm; James McMurtry; Jim Lauderdale; Steve Earle. DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR: Alison Krauss & Robert Plant; Avett Brothers; Drive-By Truckers; Kane Welch Kaplin. NEW/EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Mike Farris; Steeldrivers; Justin Townes Earle; Ryan Bingham. INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR: Chris Thile; Sam Bush; Gurf Morlix; Buddy Miller. Also slated to be honored at the awards show are John Hiatt (Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting) and Jason & the Scorchers (Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance). Other special awards, as well as a list of performers, will be announced later. Meanwhile, the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show announced Wednesday that its annual event also will be held at the Ryman Auditorium, on October 2. Nominees will be announced on August 14.

Welch, Rawlings crash a couple of Rilo Kiley shows

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:54:57 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Wondering what Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have been up to lately? Us too; it's now been a rather alarming five years since their last record, Soul Journey, was released in June 2003. They've toured off-and-on during that stretch, occasionally unveiling new numbers from what would presumably be their next album. At least one of those, "Throw Me A Rope", has already taken its deserved place among the duo's classics, even without having been released yet. They've been playing it at least since 2004, when it appeared on an Austin City Limits episode: Sometime around 2005 they did release a digital-only single (available on eMusic and elsewhere) featuring their resplendent cover of Radiohead's "Black Star" (from a 2004 live show in Minneapolis). But in terms of a new record of Welch/Rawlings originals, well, we're still waiting. Events of this past weekend might suggest they're pretty close to being ready, though. Saturday night, they turned up unannounced in the middle slot of a bill at the Ram's Head in Annapolis, Maryland, featuring headliner Rilo Kiley and opener Thao With The Get Down Stay Down. Welch and Rawlings played half a dozen new songs, explaining that they were working on a new record and wanted to try out some new material on the audience. The following night, they repeated the stealth-act on the same bill at Toad's Place in Richmond, Virginia, where some enterprising camera-carrier took this video (of marginal sound quality but solid documentary value): We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything about an actual completed album and release date. AN UPDATE: Apparently Welch & Rawlings also turned up at Rilo Kiley's show in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday evening (June 11), and joined Rilo Kiley leader Jenny Lewis for a cover of the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks chestnut "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around".

Bo Diddley, RIP

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:56 -0500

Ellas Otha Bates -- better-known as Bo Diddley -- passed away today at age 79. His publicist passed along the following obituary, penned by Gene Sculatti, for general release: One of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll has left the building he helped construct. Bo Diddley, aged 79, died of heart failure today at his home in Archer, Fl where he resided for over 20 years. With Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, Diddley (born Ellas Otha Bates) was one of music's principal architects in the mid-1950s. The guitarist-singer-songwriter scored major pop hits with "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man" in 1955 and "Say Man" (1959) and made an almost incalculable impact on rock from the Fifties onward. His music influenced artists working in such disparate styles as rockabilly, British Invasion pop, surf, psychedelic, hip-hop and punk rock. Diddley is most often cited for his signature "Bo Diddley beat," a syncopated 5/4 pattern similar to the West African-derived "hambone" rhythm or "Shave and a haircut two-bits" couplet. Over the years, Diddley variously claimed to have adapted the beat from music he heard in church, from trying to play the Gene Autry song "Jingle Jangle" and from attempting to play his guitar like a drum. Whatever its origins, the taut, rumba-like beat has powered literally hundreds of rock and pop records, everything from Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and the Who's "Magic Bus" to Tom Petty's "American Girl," George Michael's "Faith" and Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One." A half dozen key Diddley compositions have held down prized spots in the repertoire of thousands of performing artists for decades. One of Diddley's first hits was the rock ballad "Love Is Strange," recorded by New York duo Mickey & Sylvia in 1957 and immortalized in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. Equally as durable are the classics "I'm a Man" and "Who Do You Love." The former, a boasting blues in the mode of Willie Dixon's "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," has been covered by, among others, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Yardbirds, Iggy & the Stooges and British garage-punk icons the Pretty Things (who took their name from another Bo Diddley tune), while the latter has found its way onto albums by The Band, the Doors, Bob Seger, Patti Smith and George Thorogood. Mojo magazine credited Quicksilver Messenger Service's 1969 album Happy Trails with "defining acid-rock" by "taking two simple Bo Diddley songs -- 'Who Do You Love' and 'Mona' -- and stretching them into every possible permutation." Diddley's music, particularly hard-driving numbers like "Who Do You Love," "Roadrunner" and "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," provided the foundation for the blues wing of the 1964-65 British Invasion. Diddley was frequently cited as a hero by Mick Jagger and others, and his songs were cut by the Rolling Stones, Kinks, Manfred Mann and the Nashville Teens. In the Animals' song "Story of Bo Diddley," Eric Burdon describes the young Newcastle combo's first meeting with their hero, who, when asked his opinion of their music, answers, "Man, that sure is the biggest load of rubbish I ever heard in my life!" Indeed, the case could be made that Diddley's attitude -- proud and defiant, but always laced with sly humor-- was as much a draw for young rockers as his sturdy guitar riffs were. Elements of this aspect of his style, articulated as far back as 1959's "Say Man," in which Diddley traded insults with maracas player Jerome Green, can be found in the braggadocio and "ranking" of latter-day hip-hop artists as well. Indeed, some pop observers have credited "Say Man" as the first rap record. Diddley's influence also extended to soul music (his last charting single was the Top-20 R&B hit "Ooh Baby"), Seventies punk-rock (he toured internationally with the Clash in 1979), teen pop (he wrote 1959's "Mama, Can I Go Out Tonight" for Jo-Ann Campbell) and even surf music (tremolo-laden instrumentals like 1961's "Aztec" predated the form's exotic ballad side). Bo Diddley was born Ellas Otha Bates, Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Mississippi. He was raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel, with whom he moved to Chicago at the age of seven and whose surname he took, becoming Ellas McDaniel. Sources differ on where the stage name Bo Diddley originated, but McDaniel was using it professionally by 1954, when he recorded "I'm a Man" and his namesake song at Chess Records' studios. Issued as a single, "Bo Diddley" topped Billboard's R&B Singles chart in 1955 (its flipside, "I'm a Man," charted for 11 weeks in its own right) and was followed by Top-20 hits "Diddley Daddy," "Pretty Thing," "I'm Sorry," "Crackin' Up" and "Say Man." He cut 11 albums for Chess between 1958 and 1963, a number of which are now highly collectable. In '63 he co-headlined a U.K. tour with the Everly Brothers; opening the bill were the as-yet-unheralded Rolling Stones. "Watching Bo Diddley was university for me," Keith Richards recently told Rolling Stone, referring to that tour. "Every set was 20 minutes long. When he came off, if he had two strings left on his guitar it was a fuckin' miracle." Diddley's last recording was the 1997 Grammy nominated LP, "A Man Amongst Men (Code Blue/Atlantic). He was inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. His music was ever present-- on the soundtracks to movies like Boys Don't Cry, The Color of Money, Dirty Dancing and La Bamba, on television (The Cosby Show, Sesame Street), in a 1989 series of Nike ads, in which Diddley appeared with football/baseball star Bo Jackson. In 1997, Diddley performed at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton. The following year his "Bo Diddley" was inducted into the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame as a recording of lasting historical significance by the Recording Academy at the 40th annual Grammy Awards ceremony. Diddley's music and presence has been little absent in the new millennium. Diddley rang the Opening Bell at the American Stock Exchange in New York in a ceremony held in his honor, and starred (with Jerry Lewis, Darlene Love and others) in the PBS special Rock & Roll at 50. His "Roadrunner" was used in a series of commercials for Chase Bank, and Paul McCartney's recording of "Love Is Strange" was featured in the UK documentary Wingspan. More recently, Diddley joined with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons in developing the Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird guitar for Gretsch, a model whose form and function Gibbons described as "very nasty pieces of pure rock 'n' roll." The guitar, together with his instantly recognizable cigar box shaped square guitar, is featured prominently in the soon to be released video game Rock Band 2. Throughout his career, Diddley lent his support to a variety of national charities and non-profit organizations, including the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, as well as numerous local organizations in Florida and Illinois, including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, for whom he performed an annual fundraiser. He had continued performing well into 2007, until he suffered a stroke in May 2007 in Council Bluffs, Iowa followed by a heart attack in August. Diddley is survived by his brother, the Reverend Kenneth Haynes of Biloxi, MS; his children, Evelyn Kelly, Ellas A. McDaniel, Tammi D. McDaniel and Terri Lynn Foster; as well as 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Private and public services are planned for this weekend. --Gene Sculatti Funeral arrangements follow, per his publicist: The following services for Bo Diddley will take place this weekend. Friday, June 6 Wake - 2:00-8:00PM (Family & Invited Friends - Only) Saturday, June 7 Funeral Service - 2:00PM (Open To the Public) Showers of Blessing Harvest Center 2615 SE 15th Street/Gainesville, FL Pastor Willie King, Pastor Memorial - Non-Religious - 6 - 9 PM A celebration of Bo Diddley's life featuring members of his touring band and guest musicians. Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-Purpose Center 1028 NE 14th St Gainesville, FL 32601 (352) 334-5053 Sunday, June 8 Service & Interment (Private) Arrangements are entrusted to DUNCAN BROTHERS' FUNERAL HOME, 428 NW 8th Street, Gainesville, FL.

Alton Kelley, RIP

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:57:58 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Only viewers of a certain age will recognize Alton Kelley's name, and perhaps a few more when his life-long collaborator's name, Stanley Mouse, is added to the mix. Regardless, Kelly, one of the seminal voices in the West Coast psychedelic poster scene of the 1960s and early 1970s, died after a long illness on Sunday, June 1. He was a few weeks shy of his 68th birthday. Mouse & Kelley pioneered the San Francisco school of dance concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium, Winterland, the Fillmore West, and the Avalon Ballroom. The famous posters, the ones for the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller, Jimi Hendrix, and dozens of less-remembered acts. The two artists typically worked as a team, a comparatively rare approach to poster art, in their words "riffing off each other's giggle." They borrowed and appropriated from a variety of historical sources, reworking a nineteenth century etching into the Dead's skeleton and roses design. They combined 1960s dayglo colors with French art nouveau enthusiasm, and went from there. Far from there. In his later years, Kelley turned to illustrating hot rodes and custom cars (returning to the deep tradition of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Von Dutch, who started it all), painting fine art, and designing t-shirts. A few days before Kelley's passing, Rhino Records announced that it had acquired -- from the estate of Chet Helms -- all the copyrights and logos to all graphic works presented by The Family Dog Presents, another icon of the West Coast poster world. Their signature pieces included posters celebrating the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Helms came from Texas; Kelley from Maine, and Mouse from Detroit. They all ended up San Francisco. And if they didn't change the world, at least they changed the art world.

Utah Phillips, RIP

Mon, 26 May 2008 15:39:25 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Utah Phillips, a prominent American folk singer, songwriter, storyteller and political/social activist for five decades, died Friday of congestive heart failure at his home in Nevada City, California. He was 73. Born Bruce Phillips in 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, he served in the military during the late 1950s, after which he became active in labor organizing and politics, as well as music, while living in Salt Lake City during the 1960s. His adopted moniker of "U. Utah Phillips" was a reverential reference to the country singer and sonwgriter T. Texas Tyler. Among the first artists who picked up on Phillips' songwriting was noted folk singer Rosalie Sorrels, who recorded six of his songs on her 1967 Folk Legacy Records album If I Could Be The Rain and many others over the course of her career (including three on her 2004 Red House Records disc My Last Go Round). Phillips' best-known tune, "Rock Salt And Nails", has been recorded by quite a few prominent artists, including Waylon Jennings, Earl Scruggs, Joan Baez, Levon Helm, Steve Young, and Buddy & Julie Miller. Others who covered Phillips' songs over the years included Emmylou Harris, the Flatlanders, Kate Wolf, Chris LeDoux, John Martyn, and Uncle Earl. Fellow Workers, the second of Phillips' two 1990s collaborations with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, was nominated for a Grammy in the contemporary folk category. Also receiving a Grammy nomination, for traditional folk, was the 1997 disc Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs Of Utah Phillips, by Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin. Among the reissues and collections of Phillips' works currently in-print are Starlight On The Rails: A Songbook, a four-disc box on Daemon Records; his 1973 Philo Records release Good Though!; a latter-day Philo outing titled The Telling Takes Me Home (1997); and his two discs with DiFranco, 1996's The Past Didn't Go Anywhere and 1999's Fellow Workers (both on DiFranco's label Righteous Babe). According to an entry by his son Duncan on Phillips' blog page, tentative funeral plans are for Thursday, with a memorial service on Sunday,

Candye Kane benefit May 29

Sat, 24 May 2008 08:38:26 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- A stellar Austin line-up, headlined by Kim Wilson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Billy Joe Shaver, Paula Nelson, and Rosie Flores will headline a benefit for longtime blues singer Candye Kane on Thursday, May 29, at Antone's in Austin, TX. Kane recently emerged from a nine-hour "whipple" surgery for pancreatic cancer and is, as they say, happy to be moving around. Over the years Kane has recorded several albums for the Antone's label, including Home Cookin' and Knockout, appeared on "The Gong Show", worked in the adult entertainment industry, served as a spokesperson for women's and gay/lesbian rights, and labored as the single mother of two children. And, of course, she's a musician, and so health insurance is an ongoing issue.

Twangfest 2008 Lineup

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:05:08 -0500

(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- For the 12th year, our pals in St. Louis (and beyond) are putting on the big musical shindig known as Twangfest, a four-day festival of Americana and rock 'n' roll. Twangfest's roots run back to the early days of No Depression, when an AOL discussion board (No Depression/Alt.Country) helped to inspire a print magazine and a similarly-styled internet mailing-list (Postcard2) helped to inspire Twangfest's creation. We've been fans ever since. They recently announced the lineup for this year's event, presented in conjunction with St. Louis community radio station KDHX-FM. Here's who's playing, and where (all venues in St. Louis): WEDNESDAY JUNE 4 SCHLAFLY TAP ROOM Schlafly Tap Room Chuck Prophet (San Francisco, CA) Centro-matic (Denton, TX) The Builders & The Butchers (Portland, OR) THURSDAY JUNE 5 DUCK ROOM AT BLUEBERRY HILL Gourds (Austin, TX) Charles Walker & The Dynamites (Nashville, TN) Deadstring Brothers (Detroit, MI) FRIDAY JUNE 6 PAGEANT Old 97's (Dallas, TX) Hayes Carll (Houston, TX Miles Of Wire (St. Louis, MO) SATURDAY, JUNE 7 OFF BROADWAY Waco Brothers (Chicago, IL) Ha Ha Tonka (Springfield, MO) Everybodyfields (Johnson City, TN) Caleb Travers (St. Louis, MO) Saturday's agenda will also inclued Twangpin, a bowling tournament at Saratoga Lanes in the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood, from noon to 5 p.m., with live music from Americana band Rough Shop. There's also an online auction that began this week on eBay, with CDs, vinyl records, posters and other collectibles, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit KDHX and the all-volunteer Twangfest. More details at: www.twangfest.com