Country Music Blog: Albums

Is there a better way to celebrate International Bluegrass Month than by getting really international? None that I can think of, which is one reason I'm happy to be winging my way across the Atlantic to spend two weeks on tour with Sally Jones. It's a cool gig on its own, but it's also a great way to check out the European bluegrass scene during its busiest month -- and to see some good friends and neighbors along the way, since we'll be crossing paths with the likes of Tim O'Brien and the Infamous Stringdusters.Of course, if you haven't already made plans to visit the Continent during May, it's probably a little late. Fortunately, thanks to two recent releases, you can get a couple of good tastes of European bluegrass anyhow.

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5:30 a.m. That's a hard hour to get up when you know a long day at school lies just beyond your rising! Especially when you've just spent the last three days at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, N.C. -- one of the most exciting festivals I get to attend all year. This year's Merlefest was indeed a very busy one, but a total blast of many sorts!

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Last week, I had the privilege of attending a performance by folk singer Maura O'Connell. I have to say, compared to the average mainstream, large-scale, multi-media music extravaganza, this singer just didn't do a lot of things.

Ms. O'Connell did not have an extravagant stage show. The concert took place at an old theater. The stage set included microphone stands and monitors.

Ms. O'Connell did not keep it light, feel-good and fluffy. She talked about politics and homeless people and extolled the virtues of guilt.

She did not perform rehearsed choreography where she straddled a chair and swung the mike around like a rodeo champ or stripper.

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Apparently, the sweet lifestyle of a rock star comes later. Because when I woke up with Lady Antebellum a few days ago, there was none of that sleep-‘til-noon sense of entitlement. Their work ethic was being put to the test, starting at 6 a.m.

That's what time they woke up in Chicago to get the WGN-TV morning news show for their 7 a.m. load-in and then their 8 a.m. start time. All for a little media attention during their multi-city tour to promote their debut album. With the project entering Billboard's country chart in the top position and their first single already in the Top 10, it's apparently working. Read more...

Hayes Carll evokes a long tradition going back to many years in clubs like Houston's Old Quarter, of seeing the likes of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt and Ray Wylie Hubbard for the first time. Being blown away by the sense of kinship with these ragged, eloquent poets of the backstreets. Galveston and Houston, especially, with their weather-beaten and rundown boozy clubs, have nurtured these rangy singer-songwriters for years.

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For the last four months, I've seen runners on nearly every major street in Nashville, getting in their miles for the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon. Finally, the race is this Saturday, and when it's all over, the athletes will be rewarded with a free concert by new country band, Lady Antebellum, as well as rock ‘n' roll legend, Steve Cropper.

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Imagine how absurd it would be if every American singer sang with an English accent -- on the radio, in concerts and even in your local venue. Pretty bizarre, right? That's similar to how it felt when I lived back in the UK; the American accent has become the near-universal accent of popular song. But as my ears have searched for artists under the wire, I've found some great British artists who sing in their own accents, and it's a lot rarer than you might think...

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Of all the bands I saw at South by Southwest last month, I have to say that Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers put on the most energetic show. I already liked their album before I got to Austin, so I figured I'd go and give them a good write-up - only to find the bar so crowded up front that I could barely get in. Here's a video that they just put out too, called "Sweetest Goodbye."

I caught up with the band the next day at Whole Foods for an afternoon interview. Asked how the band has built up its loyal following, Kellogg cited some great opening slots for bands like O.A.R., as well as a lot of festivals. They're currently on the road with the all-grown-up pop band, Hanson, and their album, Glassjaw Boxer, surfaced on a best-of-the-year Top 5 list in USA Today in 2007. Cool points for bringing in Caitlin Cary on harmony.

The band's goals for 2008 are very specific -- to make their career album, and to get involved with performing for the troops overseas. Incidentally, band member Kyle Riabko (who also has a fine solo album) has recently departed to join the cast of Spring Awakening on Broadway, but the Sixers are nonetheless forging ahead.

"For years and years, we were always trying to get support slots, trying to get your chance to go out because that's a huge thing," Kellogg says. "You go out and play to 10,000 people, and if you draw 5 percent of that crowd, your next time in the market is 500 people," he says. "The good thing is, I think it's made us get clear on the type of music we're playing and it's helped us to really build a loyal batch of people."

A trip back home to Ireland recently brought me face to face with my old CD collection and I remembered how much I used to love mainstream country music. I grabbed a few CDs for the trip back to Tennessee, and found a few albums that really formed the basis of my musical education as a teenager.

I remember my brother coming home one Saturday afternoon with an album by a guy in a cowboy hat looking out over a desert - Ocean Front Property by George Strait. After a few listens we were both hooked, and tracks like "All My Ex's Live in Texas" and "Second Chances" have been burned into my musical hard drive. When I listen to those songs again, I'm transported back to London, specifically sitting in my Dad's van as we drive to a gig on a dark evening.

Dwight Yoakam's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. was unashamedly hillbilly honky-tonk, and it's only dated by the fact it probably wouldn't work in today's market. Listen to "Honky Tonk Man" and tell me it doesn't make you do a Dwight dance across the kitchen floor! Meanwhile, "South of Cincinnati" is full of and remorse and longing - heartbreaking stuff. There's also great fiddling on this record and of course outstanding guitar playing, providing an education for any country musician.

Country music evolves over time and speaks to a lot of people today, but rarely to me. In my early 30s, I feel a little rejected by the country mainstream, but I'm thankful that it did speak to me when I was younger. Maybe in years to come I'll be talking about the 1980s as the golden era of country music in the same way some folks now talk about the ‘40s and ‘50s, and when I do I'll pulling out these two albums as evidence.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Christian Kane...name sounds familiar." Think back to a music video that surged onto the music scene and basically took over your TV. Carrie Underwood's "So Small" not only earned her a 2008 CMT Music Awards nomination, but Kane, who acted in the video, was also nominated for a Supporting Character of the Year award.

"I just remember being on the open road when she's singing and the lights are coming down and how beautiful Roman White made everything look," said Kane, who also appeared in the film, Friday Night Lights. "He really honestly used the background as another character and I really think that he connected with the viewers, which is why it's been nominated for Female Video of the Year."

When he's not acting, Kane is pursuing his other career -- singing. He grew up listening to country music and always wanted to make an album. After a long haul, he's finally getting his chance. "More Than I Deserve," his first single, will be officially released in the fall.

"I've been doing music for over eight years and finally I've got something I'm ready to give to the entire world instead of just my fans," he says. "This album touches on pretty much every emotion that you can have. I think that whatever emotion that you feel there's a song on there for you."

With an album in the works and a television series in the near future, Kane remains busy and wouldn't want things any other way.

"There's an old saying that says be careful what you wish for. Well, I asked for this, so I'm never going to look at it as a problem," Kane says.