The title says it all. Willie was born on April 30, 1933 (too bad it wasn't 10 days earlier) and with his 80th birthday approaching he's not taking any chances with his final wishes. If you want to know the history of Willie and his music there are better books out there. Willie: An Autobiography (2000) and Willie Nelson: An Epic Life by Joe Nick Patoski (2009) will tell you just about everything you want to know about his music and incredible life.
Roll Me Up… is more of a companion piece to those books. You won't get too many insights but there are some good laughs and words of wisdom. If you're looking for secrets on how to become a good songwriter here's what he has to say - "I will never say anything to discourage a songwriter but if you're a real songwriter, nothing I could say would discourage you, anyway. If my opinion could change your mind about being a songwriter, then you weren't really a songwriter to begin with and I would have done you a favor by making you look for a different career. If a real songwriter happened to hear that I didn't like his work, he'd say 'What the hell does Willie Nelson know?'" You can apply that lesson to just about anything in life. The book is full of lessons like that plus some interesting stories from sister Bobbie. There are some lyrics and some old jokes that probably sound a lot funnier if you're burning one with Willie on his bus but it would be impolite not to chuckle at them while reading at home. Hopefully an audiobook version is coming out, it would be a great listen on a road trip.
Keep it next to your nightstand for a quick, easy read before bed or in the bathroom if you need inspiration.
Some news that may be of interest to you bluegrass fans. I know Old School's ears may perk up a bit.
Tommy Shaw, guitarist of Styx, is set to release his debut Bluegrass album, “The Great Divide” on March 22nd, 2011, through Pazzo Music/Fontana Distribution. The album features an impressive roster of guest musicians, including: Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakam, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Byron House, Gary Burr and many more.
With this album, Shaw, a Montgomery, Alabama native, establishes himself as an authentic addition to the Bluegrass community. Born with a unique gift for music, a passion quickly recognized by his parents, he picked up his first guitar at the age of ten. From what his brothers remember, after Tommy’s introduction to the guitar; “We never saw him again...”, as he would stay in his room for hours practicing day and night. His tenacity and intrinsic passion for Bluegrass at an early age implies that this new release isn’t a casual endeavor, but a return to the music on which he was raised. Shaw wrote or co-wrote every song on the album in addition to playing acoustic guitar, dobro/resonator and mandolin.
A perennial part of the rock scene since the mid-70s as a member of STYX, Damn Yankees and Shaw/Blades, Bluegrass may at first seem like a stretch for Shaw, but his transition to Bluegrass is seamless. Having been raised on the genre, Shaw has always been deeply enamored with Bluegrass’ ability to connect to the listener through storytelling. “These are story songs,” says Shaw, an Alabama Music Hall of Fame Inductee. “I think songs that take you on a little journey are the best ones.”
This is the story of a Southern boy who made it “big,” but always held tight to his roots. “The Great Divide is a story of love and life; of happiness and hope; of loss and discovery,” says Shaw. “It’s the story of a journey that spans generations and is ultimately about trying to find your way home. And I’m as proud of this story as any I’ve ever told.”
The legendary rocker proves to his listeners that although this may be his first Bluegrass venture, it certainly won’t be his last.
“The Great Divide” was produced by Tommy Shaw, Brad Davis and Will Evankovich. It will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on March 22, 2011.
This is shit kicker music. Country western, beer-drinkin’, cowboy-boot clankin’ music. Pull on those Tony Lamas and dust off those Lee Jeans. You’ll be hittin' the honky-tonks, cryin’ in your beer, hee-hawin’ with your horse, and all the time there will be guitars, bass, drums, mandolins, piano, dobro, pedal steel, even a trombone, a-playin’ to entertain you.
You see, these boys can really get down. Leslie can sing a touch or two - so can George, Matt, Neil and Frank. You’ll be two-steppin’, a-waltzin’, box steppin’ and country swingin’. You will also be wantin’ to listen. So get yourself a cold one.
Matt and Leslie Bosson sang together in the Mt. Greylock Regional High School choir. Later on they married and came up with this here band, Running Kind, named after an old Merle Haggard tune. They got George Alexander to break out his Telecaster, Mitsuru “Neil” Fukusawa to bang on the drums and pick a bit of mandolin, Frank San Filippo to thump the stand-up bass and play an electric Fender, and Kevin Smith to tickle the ivories. Darlin' Jim D'Damery adds a bit of dobro to Running Kind’s song “Don’t That Make No Sense” and John Groover McDuffie, from Rita Coolidge’s band, dropped in and played pedal steel on the songs “Two Roads,” “A Okay,” “Seemed Like A Good Idea,” “I Still Love You (Like I Loved You Before),” “Return of the Grievous Angel,” and on “Don’t Cry No Tears.”
Here in the US of A country music outsells metal, rap, latin, jazz, new age, classical, Christian and soundtrack music. It has a long domestic history - it is a true American art form. Generally, it consists of silly lyrics, story-telling and “woe is me” love songs. The twang-tinged musicianship can be awe-inspiring like a Doc Watson guitar pickin’ instrumental or a Flatt and Scruggs duet. All these ingredients are combined on Running Kind’s album - The Girl For All The World.
Throughout this collection Running Kind taps into the various sub-genres of country. The song “Life To Go,” is a George Jones classic about a jailed woman doing a life sentence that tells her tale of woe and remorse. It is a ballad played in a style reminiscent of Marty Robbins’ hit song “The Chair.” The album’s title song “The Girl For All The World” is a story, unusual for country in that it could be interpreted as a lesbian love song, delivered in a mournful style akin to an Emmylou Harris slow ballad.
The next track, “Two Roads,” is the only song on the album written jointly by Matt and Leslie. Acoustic, electric and slide guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals all come together to form an excellent two-steppin’, twangy fandango about separation and reunion. It is followed by “A Okay” a warm, honky-tonk, love song featuring some stellar slide guitar work. Leslie’s voice on the track called to mind the vocal style of the late Nicolette Larson.
A bluegrass lilt permeates “Don’t That Make No Sense,” a song about life and how it changes us. The music, not the words, harken to Mungo Jerry’s 1970’s hit “In The Summertime.” Running Kind follows “Don’t That Make No Sense” with “Seemed Like A Good Idea,” a comedic ballad, complete with trombone, that is in the tongue in cheek style of Buck Owens. In fact, it reminded me of Buck’s classic “Pfft, She Was Gone.”
The album slows down for “I Still Love You (Like I Loved You Before)” a “somebody done done somebody wrong” song. The lyrics are typical country western fare over music that echos the song “Anna (Go With Him),” written by the great Arthur Alexander, but, probably better known from the hit cover version by The Beatles on their 1963 album Please, Please Me. After “I Still Love You (Like I Loved You Before)” the band plays “Old Girl,” a blockbuster of a country/folk/rock/alternative crossover tune that has more of a relationship to an Outlaws or Marshall Tucker Band song than it does to traditional country western. This one could play, and become a hit, on country, rock, alternative and folk radio stations.
The last two songs on the album are covers. Gram Parson’s “Return of the Grievous Angel” is about as country a country ballad as you can get. Running Kind gives it an even greater yee-haw treatment, and a slightly more upbeat tempo, than Gram Parsons did on his album Grievous Angel. The song is about coming back to one’s love after time on the road. The album culminates with a cover of Neil Young’s “Don’t Cry No Tears” a short ballad about lost love. It is played in a more polished manner and in a traditional country style rather than in the folk-rock style of Neil Young & Crazy Horse on their album Zuma.
Any old cowpoke worth their boots will tell you that there are two types of shit-kicker music - good and bad. Partner, this is the good shit.
