City Stages Preview !!!!

For my local Birmingham readers it is City Stages time. Also, it is time to eat some crow. Last year I predicted the death of the festival. I was so wrong. With a new booking agency helping out, this is the best lineup in years! In fact, on Saturday there are multiple times where acts are playing simultaneously and I am going to need to miss some good acts.

The folks at al.com and The Birmingham News have asked me for my recommendations. Many of the acts playing this year are already familiar to Birmingham. Will Hoge, North Mississippi All-Stars, Marc Broussard, Ben Harper and Robert Earl Keen do not require an introduction from anyone. What about the best of the rest? Here are some other bands that I am most excited about:

Friday:
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Three African-American musicians taking Appalachian music and mixing it with gospel and other traditional styles. Their set will be a musical melting pot. I have a feeling they will be the surprise hit of the festival.

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Many are familiar with his work with Drive-By-Truckers, but he has his own band now. His song "Dress Blues" is powerful live.

Old Crow Medicine Show - They have a high energy set of traditional tunes played with Rock n' Roll angst.

Saturday:
Act of Congress - This is a local New Grass band that is not getting the recognition they deserve. Their musicianship is excellent and they put on a really good live show. I hope It will be worth coming out early to see them on Saturday.

The Dexateens - This Tuscaloosa based band boasts an album produced by Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood of Drive-By-Truckers.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - This will be show stealer no doubt. A mixture of Blues and Soul delivered with an attitude.

Griffin House - His new album is one of the best singer-songwriter releases of the year.

Sunday:
Elizabeth Cook - Authentic country. She has great personality and a voice as real as Loretta. Her song "It Takes Balls to be a Woman" will be a crowd favorite.

Hackensaw Boys - This bluegrass act is eclectic enough to have shared the stage with Modest Mouse. If you like OCMS on Friday, come see these guys on Sunday.

Shooter Jennings - If you think he is coasting on daddy's name. Think again.

Top New Releases of 2007... So Far

This is shaping up early to be a good year in music. So I decided to highlight my favorites. It was hard enough to make my selections. Ranking them is even harder. However, I did it just for fun and to create controversy. So Here goes...

1) Patty Griffin - "Children Running Through"

2) Assembly of Dust - "Recollection"

3) The Broken West - "I Can't Go on I'll Go on"

4) The Shins - "Wincing the Night Away"

5) Son Volt - "The Search"

6) Charlie Louvin - "Charlie Louvin"

7) Modest Mouse - "We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank"

8) The Greencards - "Viridian"

9) Joe Ely - "Happy Song from Rattlesnake Gulch"

10) Bill Kirchen - "Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods"

11) Norah Jones - "Not Too Late"

12) Martin Sexton - "Seeds"

13) Don Rigsby - "Hillbilly Heartache"

14) Two Cow Garage - "Three"

15) The Dexateens - "Hardwire Healing"

Notably Left off was Lucinda Williams new album. Admittedly, a dispassionate review would easily put this album in the top 10. Some of the songs on "West" are classics. However, lyrically some of the songs on this album are so depressing and dark that I would need Xanax just to listen to them more than a few times. So I just can't put it on "My" list. (Maybe a few sessions with a therapist will allow me to put it on my year end list.)

Another great album I hated to leave off was Tommy Womack's "There I said it." Oh well, I had to end the list somewhere and 15 seemed like a good number.

The Broken West

This has been a real favorite of mine this year. I first read about this great indie pop band on Miles of Music. (see my links) This album is full of great hooks that sound both vintage and current. These songs could have been cut any time from about 1965 until this year and still be relevent. Plus you can dance to it, though I will refrain. Why? Ask anyone who has seen me dance. It is not a pretty sight.

Merlefest Weekend

For my inaugural post on my Blog it is only appropriate to to talk about Merlfest, taking place this weekend in Wilkesboro, NC.

I wish I was there, but alas not this year. For those who have never been. This is not just a Bluegrass festival. It truly explores the history future and depth of American music. For example one of the headliners this year is Elvis Costello. They also have the big names in the Genre. Alison Krauss, Sam Bush etc., all of which will put on great shows in there own right. However two things set Merlefest apart. First is the young up and coming artists that are the future of Americana. This year's crop includes, Crooked Still, Infamous Stringdusters, Uncle Earl, The Cherryholmes and The Worthless Son-in Laws. The second thing that makes Merlefest so great is Side stages and guest appearances that get these grest artisits jamming together. Other festivals like Telluride have a similar vibe, but the variety of stages and the midnight jam on Saturday provide more opportunities for such improvisation.

One other thing makes Merlefest so great, the incomparable Doc Watson