New Lucero Song...

...or perhaps a new Ben Nichols solo album is coming out??? Either way this is a winner.



Here's Hello Sadness and Last Pale Light in the West from the same performance.

The Jayhawks - Webster Hall 1/20/11

I've been waiting to see the Jayhawks for years.  Back when Hollywood Town Hall came out the kids were really young and I wasn't going to many shows.  However that album has become one of my all-time favorites.  So when I saw that they were playing it in its entirety at Webster Hall I jumped on tickets.

A word about Webster Hall.  It has to be one of my least favorite venues.  Way oversold which is a shame.  This would have been such a great show at the Beacon or one of the smaller theaters.  Maybe it's just me. I think I am done with club shows.  That said, the band was very good if not great most of the night with some moments of greatness.

Hollywood Town Hall kicked things off right around 8PM.  At times the performance felt a bit awkward to me and there seemed to be little interaction between Gary Louris and Mark Olson.  The harmonies didn't quite mesh at times and the years appear to have worn a bit on them both.  Was it awful?  Far from it.  It just wasn't what I had hoped, something which probably could not have been attained given the years.

It appeared that there was supposed to be an intermission but Gary led the band right into the second half of the show.  You got some unreleased tracks (both new and old) and a good chunk of Tomorrow The Green Grass which they will be playing tonight.  I suspect tonight's show will be a bit of a reverse.  All of TTGG and some of HTH.

I plan on running out to my local indie today and grab the new 180 gram vinyl editions of both albums, settle down on the couch with the wife and enjoy them both.  Perhaps even with a few cold ones.  Should be a nice afternoon.

Setlist and pics from the Village Voice...

Set List
Waiting for the Sun

Crowded in the Wings

Clouds
Two Angels

Take Me with You (When You Go)

Sister Cry

Settled Down Like Rain

Wichita

Nevada, California
Martin's Song
I'd Run Away
Warm River
Tomorrow In The Green Grass
Nothing Left To Borrow
There's No Place For People Like Him
She Walks In So Many Ways

Miss Williams' Guitar
Black Eyed Susan
Reason To Believe
Blue
(encore)
Tampa To Tulsa
Up Above My Head
Lights

Check out a few of the videos below if you are unfamiliar with the Jayhawks. One of the most important acts in shaping what has become known as Americana (or alt-country, or whatever the hell it's called now).

Elton John - 1973 Christmas Show

D & P's Bootleg Tunz World: Elton John - Christmas Show 12.22.1973:

Very nice pre-FM recording from back in Sir Elton's heyday. Well worth the download.

Former Charlie Daniels Band Guitarist Tommy Crain Passes Away

Nightwatcher's House Of Rock: Former Charlie Daniels Band Guitarist Tommy Crain ...: "John Thomas “Tommy” Crain, Jr., who played guitar in the Charlie Daniels Band (the CDB) for more than a decade and became one of the most pr..."

Bluestock

Three days of blues at Hunter Mountain August 26th to the 28th.  No official lineup yet but Pollstar has Buddy Guy on Sunday.  I expect this to be a good one and I have already booked my room at the Lodge at Hunter!  Gonna be a whole OldRockr family event!

Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues

I've been checking out a copy of Gregg Allman's new album "Low Country Blues". Folks this one is a keeper.  I'll be writing a more detailed review in the near future but on first listen I am very, very impressed.  Old school blues that fits his voice better than anything he's done in years.  CD/Digital/Vinyl drops on January 18th.

The Top-Selling Vinyl Records of 2010

The Top-Selling Vinyl Records of 2010

Sad to say (well maybe not sad) but I think the end is near for CD's. Everyone under 30 is all digital and those of us of an advanced age can even go digital as well as analog. Aside from a short car trip I almost never play CD's anymore. It's either iPod or good 'ol vinyl. Almost every new release on vinyl also comes with a free download or even the entire CD as a throw in. CD's? I won't miss 'em when they are...

Happy New Year!