New Cory Morrow Album in 2008

Coming this Spring in April or May will be a brand new album coming out by one of my favorvite artists Cory Morrow. Cory is one of the top artists in Texas. He has yet to put out a bad album.

Here is a track listing in no set order:
- Ready To Rain (Morrow, Liz Rose)
- Said And Done (Morrow, Walt Wilkins, Lee Brice, Doug Johnson)
- I Can Wait (Morrow)
- My Baby And Me (Morrow, Gattis, Chris Hennesse)
- O Lord You Devil (Morrow, Radney Foster)
- Love Finds Everyone (Morrow, Walt Wilkins, Lee Brice, Doug Johnson)
- Ten Mile Road (Morrow, Ken Agee)
- He Carries Me (Morrow, Liz Rose)
- Worth It (Morrow, Walt Wilkins)
- Radiate (Morrow)

I can't wait this will sure to be one one of the top albums of 2008.

Check out info on Cory online at these locations:
Official Web Site
My Space Site

Bob Schneider Live At Gruene Hall

One of my favorite places to see live music is the legendary Gruene Hall in Gruene/New Braunfels, Texas. It's a combination of things from the atmosphere, the old wood floors, the history, the size, and the acoustics all combine to create a special live music experience. Now when you combine that with great talent you have something real special! Last night was no exception when I went to Gruene Hall to see Bob Schneider with Zack Walther and the Cronkites (a great up coming artist from the New Braunfels area) opening. Now let me start by saying two things if haven't been to Gruene Hall then make plans to go and second if you have not seen Bob Schneider then you have been missing out. While I have seen Bob many times, every time is a little different. Going to a Bob Schneider show you will see the most deverse show you have ever seen one minute you will hear some folk/bluegrass music the next hard rock, then a little rap, some electronic music, ragge, and funk. It's all there for your musical tastes. Check Bob Schneider's web site to see when he will be in your area. Also want to make plans to go to Gruene Hall check out their web site for the upcoming schedule.
Click here for Bob Schneider's site
Click here for Gruene Hall site

Best of 2007 Series: Live Shows

As we enter the last week of 2007, I am going to post a series of Best of 2007 lists. The first up in the series is "Live Show". If you know me, know I am a live music junkie! There is nothing like seeing live music and is one of the best ways to support musicians. With all the good shows I go to in a year, which is probably 100 plus a year, it is hard (with all the beer consumption) to remember all the show but I have complied a list of 20 shows that stand out to me. So they are.

TOP 20 LIVE SHOWS OF 2007
1. Jeff Tweedy - The Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
2. Wilco - Austin City Limits Music Festival - Austin, TX
3. Son Volt - Floores Country Store - Helotes, TX
4. Spoon - Austin City Limits Music Festival - Austin, TX
5. Reckless Kelly - Jack's Patio Bar and Grill - San Antonio, TX
6. The National - Austin City Limits Music Festival - Austin, TX
7. Robert Earl Keen - Gruene Hall - Gruene, TX
8. Rodney Crowell - County Line Bar BBQ - San Antonio, TX
9. Ryan Bingham - Rolling Oaks Sports Bar and Grill - San Antonio, TX
10. Mike McClure and Scott Miller - Gruene Hall - Gruene, TX
11. Cory Morrow - Floores Country Store - Helotes, TX
12. Mike McClure - Floores Country Store - Helotes, TX
13. Adam Hood - Rolling Oaks Sports Bar and Grill - San Antonio, TX
14. Bob Schneider - Gruene Hall - Gruene, TX
15. Ruben V - County Line Bar BBQ - San Antonio, TX
16. Band of Heathens - Sam's Burger Joint - San Antonio, TX
17. Bleu Edmondson - Holligans - San Antonio, TX
18. Two Tons of Steel - Gruene Hall - Gruene, TX
19. Zack Walther & The Cronkites - Tavern In The Gruene - Gruene, TX
20. Kenny Wayne Shepard - House Of Blues - Las Vegas, NV

Where Does R.E.M. Rank All-Time?

This morning I was scrolling through my DirecTV guide and on a DirecTV exclusive channel called the 101 they had R.E.M. live concert. Well as a long time R.E.M. fan I turned it on and while I was watching I started thinking where R.E.M. ranks on the all-time rock band list. You have the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beattles, Rolling Stones as the top of the list but who follows does R.E.M. rank in the top 10, top 20? I think after 27 years of great music R.E.M. I think they rank up near the top. I would rank them one of the top 5 bands in the last 20 years. I am going to think about this for a while and come up with a All-time Rock band list and put it in a future blog. Check out the poll on the right side and let me know what you think!

Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities Mixed Tapes

One of my new favorite bands, Okkervil River has released a live album of cover songs called "Golden Opportunities Mixtapes" These songs, all but one original are all cover songs, were recorded while on tour "at various radio stations, concerts, and empty hotel stairwells" between 2006-2007 .

Golden Opportunities Mixtape (songwriters in partntheses):
1 April Anne (John Phillips)
2 Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear (Randy Newman)
3 I Want to Know (Charles F. Olsen/Ed Sanders)
4 Do What You Gotta Do (Jimmy Webb)
5 I Can Here to Say I'm Going Away (Serge Gainsbourg)
6 The Blonde in the Bleachers (Joni Mitchell)
7 Antarctica Starts Here (John Cale)
8 Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas (Will Sheff)
9 Solo (Sandy Denny)

You can download it for free (including digital artwork and liner notes) via Okkervil River's website.

The White Stripes: 'We may never tour again'

Say it ain't so!!! The White Stripes of one of the bands I was looking forward to seeing at the ACL this past September but then they cancelled their whole 2007 tour. My one hope was eventually they would come back and make up some of those dates once Meg got better. That however looks like may never happen. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, when asked about the band's future Jack White said "I don't know, I guess it's up to Meg. The Beatles did it (quite touring but continued as a band). I'm joking, but if we didn't ever tour again it wouldn't matter to me."

Click Here for the full story

50th Grammy Nominations

The 50th Grammy Nominations were announed today! Here a few of the nominations:

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
Timebomb - Beck
Only Mama Knows - Paul McCartney - Track from: Memory Almost Full
Our Country - John Mellencamp - Track from: Freedom's Road
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen - Track from: Magic
Come On - Lucinda Williams - Track from: West

Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
Come On - Lucinda Williams, songwriter - (Lucinda Williams) - West
Icky Thump - Jack White, songwriter - (The White Stripes) - Icky Thump
It's Not Over - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters -(Daughtry)
The Pretender - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters - (FooFighters)
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen, songwriter - (Bruce Springsteen) - Magic

Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)
Daughtry - Daughtry - [RCA Records]
Revival - John Fogerty - [Fantasy]
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters - [Roswell/RCA Records]
Magic - Bruce Springsteen - [Columbia]
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco - [Nonesuch Records]

Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
Alright, Still... - Lily Allen - [Capitol Records]
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire - [Merge Records]
Volta - Bjork - [Elektra/Atlantic]
Wincing The Night Away - The Shins - [Sub Pop]
Icky Thump - The White Stripes - [Third Man/Warner Bros.]

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
The Calling - Mary Chapin Carpenter - [Zoe Records]
My Name Is Buddy - Ry Cooder - [Nonesuch Records Inc./Warner Music Group]
Washington Square Serenade - Steve Earle - [New West Records]
Children Running Through - Patty Griffin - [ATO Records]
Orphans - Tom Waits - [Anti]

Check out all Grammy nominations

New Wilco Tour Dates

The best live band in the world as well as my favorite band Wilco, has announced some new tour date for 2008. If you are within a 3 hours radius of one of these show you need to go because you will not be disappointed!

02-22 Cleveland, OH - Lakewood Civic Auditorium
02-23 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre0
2-24 New Haven, CT - Schubert Theater
03-02 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
03-03 Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center
03-04 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
03-05 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
03-07 Houston, TX - Verizon Theater
03-08 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
03-09 Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
03-18 Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
03-19 Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli0
3-20 Byron Bay, Australia - East Coast Blues Festival
03-22 Auckland, New Zealand - New Zealand Festival
03-23 Wellington, New Zealand - Front Room
03-26 Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre

Visit Wilco's web for ticket info

San Antonio Live Music Series

If you live in or around San Antonio come out on Wednesday's for some live music!!

Check out www.samsburgerjoint.com for more info.

Cool New Band

I subscribe to emusic and last month I downloaded 5 free tracks by this band called Ha Ha Tonka. After listening to them I was a new fan of this indie rock band from Springfield, Missouri. They have great four-part harmonies mixed with some alt-country and rock. I have recently downloaded there full lenghth album called "Buckle in the Bible Belt" and it rocks.

Check out their song "St. Nick On The Fourth in a Fervor"


Check them out at www.hahatonkamusic.com or www.myspace.com/hahatonka

CD Reviews

I have purchased some great CD in the last few months
Here are a few short reviews of some of my top favorites

Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade

When I saw Steve Earle at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September I was disappointed with his set and it left me wondering about this album. Was it going to suck? Would this be a bust album, another disappointment like his ACL set? Well after purchasing this album partly on intriguing interest, I have to say "WOW" and shame on me for ever doubting him! This album is an album like only few people like Steve Earle can pull off. Trying to describe this album is tough the best I can say I guess is bluegrass meet a little hip-hop/pop. Bluegrass instruments are all over this album like the banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar and harmonica but they are all mixed with the reverb and a slow beat of hip-hop. It's a very cool sound. Now as on par for Steve Earle he has political driven songs like "City of Immigrants" that I don't agree with but that is the thing I take with a gain of salt and say it is just a song and while I don't agree with the words it is still a cool song. Go buy this album I don't think you will regret it.

Bleu Edmondson - Lost Boy

Bleu Edmondson has always been one of my favorite artists on the Texas Music scene partly because his music is a little different than the rest. I have loved all the past albums he has put out but I have to say the long awaited (having been about 5 years since the last one) studio album "Lost Boy" is different but is with out a doubt Bleu's best album to date. The album's rocking and soulful sound replaces the county and soulful feel that has been on his previous albums. There is no mistake about it this is a rock n roll album. The song's on "Lost Boy" are deep, insightful and reflect some of Bleu's best lyrics ever. The co-written songs like "Resurrection", which was witten with Wade Bowen and recorded earlier by Bowen, offers in my opion more soul and feeling than Wade's version. One of the other co-write is with the great Ray Wylie Hubbard "Another Morning After (the night before)" is simple song that I think most of us can relate to. Last thing is that Bleu fans now have a studio album that reflects his live shows. If you have not heard of Bleu Edmondson go buy Lost Boy and you see what I am talking about.

Ryan Bingham - Mescalito

Ryan Bingham with the voice that sound like an older guy in which whiskey, cigarettes and hard times have taken there toll. Ryan's song-writting is much the same. Hard to believe he only 25. With hints of Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt in his voice and writting it's no wonder Mescalito is one of the top albums in the Texas and Americana Music genure. This troubadour takes from his time as a bull rider and experiences along the way. With a mix of gritty folk music and hard times, beer drinking country music. This album is sure to go down as a classic!

ACL Festival: The White Stripes

With the ACL Festival less than 2 weeks aways, I am getting more and more excited with each passing day. Now I know I am not the only one but the one band I think I am looking forward to seeing the most is The White Stripes. While it won't be my first time to see Jack White as I saw him last year when he was at ACL with the Raconteurs. However as cool as it was last year it wasn't the White Stripes! Jack and Meg together will be so cool and with there great new CD Icky Thump it is going to be the highlight of the weekend I'm sure. Here is a little taste of what to expect Saturday night at ACL!

Icky Thump (Live)



Seven Nation Army (Live)

CD Review: Zack Walther & The Cronkites "Live At Tavern in the Gruene"

While I have mixed views on live CDs mainly because they are either good or bad. Well Zack Walther & the Cronkites hit a home run on this one! If you have not heard of Zack and his band called "The Cronkites" you are missing out! Their sound is familar but unquie with a blend of country and rock mixed with the great vocals and songwritting of Zack make Zack Walther & The Cronkites (Luke Leverett on lead guitar, Mel Nolte on bass, Chris Compton on drums) one of the most talented bands in South Texas. Recorded over two nights in the cool quaint bar, Tavern in the Gruene located right down the road from Gruene Hall. As the follow up to the debut EP "Death of Rodger Vol.1", this CD contains all of the six songs from the EP plus 4 newly pinned Zack Walther songs including the great ballards "Get Up" and "Our Corner". There are also some great covers such as John Lennon's "Instant Karma", Bill Monroe's "Walls Of Time" and Radney Foster's "I'm In". This is one HELL of a Live CD and really gives you a fell that you are there live. Get your copy today!

Tracks
1. Intro
2. So Easy
3. Which Way To Run
4. What A Day
5. I'm In
6. With You In Rome
7. Get Up
8. Instant Karma
9. To Get To You
10. Middle of July
11. Walls of Time
12. Spinning Away
13. Can You Hear Me
14. Wrapped For Me
15. Our Corner
16. Wrapped For Me (Studio)
17. Our Corner (Studio)

For more on Zack Walther & the Cronkites visit www.zackwalther.com or www.myspace.com/zackwalthermusic

ACL Artist Countdown: Trent Summar & The New Row Mob

With the ACL Festival right around the corner, I decided to post some of the artists I will be checking out.


Next Up Trent Summar & The New Row Mob


Trent Summar brings his self proclaimed Farm Rock to the ACL. His music is country but when I say country don't think of main stream country, it's hard driven country with a little rock n roll mixed in. Trent has in the last few years really made a name for him self as a songwriter having some big names cover his songs like: Billy Currington’s popular sophomore album, Doin’ Something Right (“She Knows What to Do With a Saturday Night”), and Gary Allan’s 2003 release See If I Care (“Guys Like Me”). His latest hit “Love You,” which Summar co-wrote with pal Jay Knowles, was recorded Jack Ingram.


Check Out Trent's video for his song "New Money"





Check out Trent's sites MySpace and his web site.
Purchase some of his stuff at LoneStarMusic - and eMusic

Trent Summar & The New Row Mob play on Saturday on the BMI stage from 4:40-5:20 go by and check him out you !

ACL Artist Countdown: Adam Hood

With the ACL Festival right around the corner, I decided to post some of the artists I will be checking out.

The first artist on the list is Adam Hood.



Adam is from Alabama and is one of the hottest upcoming artist in the Texas/ Red Dirt Music scene. His current single "22 Days Too Long" is currently number 15 (and rising) on the Texas Music Chart and his album Different Groove is one of the top sellers on LoneStarMusic.com. While I don't put a lot of stock in the Texas Music Chart, I here it all the time when I turn on the radio. I also as most of you know DJ at the County Line on Wednesday nights and Adam Hood is one of the top request we get.

Check out this Live performance of "22 Days Too Long"




Check out Adam's sites MySpace and his web site.
Purchase his stuff at LoneStarMusic - OurTracks and eMusic

Adam Hood plays Friday on the BMI stage from 12:40-1:20 go by and check him out you won't be disappointed!

The Best of the 1st Half of 2007

With half of 2007 alredy over, I must say it is already been an unbelievable year for new albums. Albums by Wilco, The White Stripes, The Shins, Son Volt, Ryan Adams, Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon, and many more. With all these great bands releasing albums this year it has been hard for me to rank the albums because they have all been really good. How ever here is what I have come up with.

Top 10 Albums
1. Wilco- Sky Blue Sky
2. Paul McCartney- Memory Almost Full
3. The White Stripes- Ickey Thump
4. The Shins- Wincing The Night Away
5. Bright Eyes- Cassadaga/Four Winds EP
6. Son Volt- The Search
7. Nathan Hamilton- Six Black Birds
8. Ryan Adams- Easy Tiger
9. Kings Of Leon- Because of The Times
10. Modest Mouse- Dashboard

Best Songs
"Four Winds" Bright Eyes- Cassadaga
"Charmer" Kings Of Leon- Because Of The Times
"House Of Wax" Paul McCartney- Memory Almost Full
"Walken" Wilco- Sky Blue Sky
"Rag & Bones" The White Stripes- Ickey Thump
"Methamphetamine" Son Volt- The Search
"Six Black Birds" Nathan Hamilton- Six Black Birds
"Australia" The Shins- Wincing The Night Away

I look forward to the rest of the year with releases from The New Pornographers, Josh Ritter, Owen Temple, Ryan Adams (Box Set), Band of Horses, Bleu Edmondson, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett.