Robb is one of the best singers ever born. Damn fine writer, too. And picker. Makes ya sick that so much talent can reside in one mortal. Plus he's got a real cool jukebox at home. Nice shirt, too (check out the cool fringe in the picture.) Robb tells the story 'bout how they came to record "Stayin' Alive."

"Well it's been almost thirty years and some memories are a bit twisted up but the original idea came from Jim Ed Norman. I was working for his publishing company at the time and through one of his connections he got asked for some country treatments of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack songs for the Bee Gees. I did about six and Jim Ed really loved them and had an idea we might get a deal with "Stayin' Alive". We rented a studio and sort of went for a singles deal with Stayin' Alive being the 'A' side. Then I got together with Sandy Pinkard (You're the Reason God made Oklahoma) and wrote a throw away for the 'B' side called "I Can Tell By the Way You Dance." I had carte blanche' in the studio so I brought in all my friends to do the playing. We had John Ware on drums, Al Perkins on steel, Mark Record on electric guitar, Emory Gordy Jr. on Bass (if memory serves), and I played acoustic guitar and sang all the vocals. We mixed it at Soundstage and Jim proceeded to pitch it all over town. Everybody passed on it and that was that. John Ware always really liked it so whenever he got a chance he would pass off a tape. That's how KFAT got it."

And that's where I first heard this great version of the song. Listening to old, funky KFAT, back in the day. Fast-forward 25 years. I was able to track down the guilty party (that being Robb) and we got busy. Robb tracked down the original reel 2-track master, Chris Darrow made the digital transfer, we re-mastered the song using all the current space-age goodies and there ya have it, "Stayin' Alive" as interpreted by Robb Strandlund. Just goes to show... you never can tell.

www.robbstrandlund.com

A friend of mine name of Doug Jayne, along with being a fine musician, good singer and great songwriter, is the owner of one of America’s great independent record stores. It’s called The Last Record Store, located in Santa Rosa, California. A couple of years ago Doug throws this birthday show for the record store featuring BR-549 (Chris had just joined), the Paladins and The Dusty 45’s. As the 45’s were doing their damndest to burn the house down around us, I remember thinking that The Dusty 45’s are what real country music is all about. Billy Joe Huels, the 45’s frontman, tells us about bringing Seattle a healthy dose of musical rapture after it’s grunge apocalypse.

“The Dusty 45s were created in 1996, and 'Little Shack' was the perfect tune to introduce the band to a new crop of folks. I think Seattle music fans were ready for a band to take on a light-hearted style after the Grunge scene of the early 90's began to fade. 'Little Shack' became somewhat of a regional hit thanks to Leon Berman and KEXP(then KCMU) radio in Seattle. I wrote the song on the back of a torn envelope while sitting in a parking lot in the rain. I was on a break from my job, and really wanted to be anywhere but there. The words virtually wrote themselves, and to this day, I have never had an easier time creating a song. This version was recorded in Seattle at Avast Studios. The energy of this recording can be attributed to the gang that was called the Dusty 45s. My vocals were colored by drummer, Criss Crass, in a call and response that eventually led audiences to sing along. Kevin Scott laid down the perfect rockabilly bass line while Randy Lee Fader ripped through a killer guitar solo. Piano genius, Micah Hulscher brought the sound together with his golden touch. My job was just plain fun, and finally I had a song where I could sing, play guitar, and toot my own horn.”

www.dusty45s.com

Jim calls himself an Austin Geetar Player. Fair enough. I figure anybody that can sub for Ray Benson can call himself whatever he damn well pleases. I have the impression that back in the dawn of time Jim stood on a bare piece of ground in central Texas and they went ahead and built Austin up around him. He is a man with a definite point of view... here’s what I got back when I asked him about this recording session.

“By the way -- we recorded this track live... vocals and all. I play the arch-top finger pickin' stuff (intro and outro) and sing, Boomer Norman plays the tele guitar solo in the middle, T Jarrod Bonta on piano, Lee Potter on snare-drum, Scott Esbeck played bass and all the guys did the shout. I think of the false start as part of the track -- I guess it's sort of a statement in itself -- so much of today's recording is overdub and things the players can't actually play, i.e., it's become the truth as we know it. This track is the plain old truth, "p" pops and all! <grin> ”

www.jimstringer.us

One of three Southern Louisiana bands on Hand Picked, The Bluerunners are as bone-a fee-de as it gets. One of the greatest treats you’ll ever have is enjoying their music when they play at the Blue Moon on Convent Street. Or for that matter, at JazzFest or the Breux Bridge Crawfish Festival. Fingers Taylor first put me hip to these guys when he included them on an old Margaritaville release. Everyone is affected by where they grow up... Southern Louisiana is just a bit spicier than other places. Mark Meaux talked about that recently.

"I loved bands like X and The Blasters. We heard all that, growing up here, we picked up on everything that was popular nationally. Cajun music wasn't considered important in our house when I was a kid," Meaux reflects. "But at that time, nobody really gave much credence to Cajun culture, it just was there. It wasn't until a few years later when I was a teenager going out to hear live music, people like the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, and bands like The Red Beans and Rice Revue, that it started to sink in how unique this area really is. And later, when I formed the Bluerunners, we did the 'harder, faster, louder punk rock thing' but we could also hear the local musical and cultural elements that kept popping up in our music. Seventeen years later I can see that it's been a long trip of learning about ourselves, and where we come from. The greatest gift we've had is the long line of musical "teachers" that live or have lived among us."

www.bluerunners.com

Dave’s another Robb Strandlund kind of guy. It’s just not fair. The boy can write, sing and play. The radio charts love him and his band kicks ass. There really is no better value for your entertainment dollar than a Dave Insley show. Now that Austin Tele Master Dale X. Allen has been playing with him regular like they never fail to deliver an absolutely stellar performance. Bill Frater of Freight Train Boogie has this to say:

"Out of the ashes of Arizona's Trophy Husbands comes this great solo release from Dave Insley. He jumps right out of the gate with the hard tonkin' “There's Gonna Be A Few Changes” with the line “I'm expanding my vocabulary beyond the words ‘Yes dear'”. I realize this may be the only song I have to hear to love this CD. But there's quite a few more great songs bouncing around a little with some bluegrass, ragtime and even some R&B. He has a deep baritone that reminds me of Jr. Brown, only Insley's voice has more character. It's the honky tonk that carries the show with some able support from sometimes-Guilty Man Rick Shea. This guy's got the goods!"

www.daveinsley.com

Well, we call it Americana today... and it’s as good a name as any. I gotta tell ya that it sounds a lot like what me and the boys were listening to and playin’ 30 years ago. Lightnin’ and Orange Crush was the beverage of choice. That is, when we weren’t blending mushroom tea and Orange Crush. Anyway, these old boys from Oregon sound like 30 miles out of Gainesville FLA to me. I had to find out who these guys were and get ‘em on Hand Picked.  In the process of getting acquainted we swapped a few stories. Here’s one from Moonshine Hangover’s Will Johnson:

"So, yesterday morning I was driving near my home and came across one of those government work crews cleaning up the landscaping on the side of the roads. I don't with it was actual inmates, but must've been some sort of probies, because the sheriffs were present and armed, but the guys were wearing street clothes under their orange vests.  Anyhow, there was a back up at a red light, so I had to slow down and as I did, I looked over at the crew to see one of these pocks-on-society wearing a Moonshine Hangover tee. Not only was it a Moonshine Hangover shirt, but it was one of the cammo numbers that we only made about 15 of.  So, there he was working off his debt to society under the ever-warming sun wearing limited edition, Moonshine Hangover swag. Being that we're no strangers to the law ourselves, it made me smile and think of all the stupid things we've done."

www.moonshinehangover.com

Pickin’ and a-grinnin‘, from the fertile hemp fields of Northern California come Poor Man’s Whiskey. Don’t let the irreverent themes or peculiar costuming throw ya - these boys can flat-out play. And ya oughtta here the girls talk about how good looking that Jason Beard is. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen was up in this cave one Sunday. It was raining outside while PMW was playing inside. That was some kind of cave - you could here every single mando, fiddle, geetar and banjo note like it was in your head. They’ve got 2 songs on this CD: “Lake County Lady” is an ode to moderation in modern times and “Intermission” would be funny if it wasn’t so perfectly executed. Maybe it’s funny anyway. Here's what a fan wrote in after seeing Poor Man's Whiskey supporting Phil Lesh and Friends on New Years Eve 2005 in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium:

"Poor Man's Whiskey hit the spot on New Years Eve. Hysterical bluegrass that tickled my funny bone and just made me want to dance. You guys are to music what the Flying Karamazov Brothers are to juggling."

www.poormanswhiskey.com

“My Heart’s In Denial” is also known as “The 12-Step 2-Step.” And the Cowboys have also been called a “Supergroup.” Ole Gram’s pal Walter Egan, New Rider Buddy Cage, Shinola’s Brian Waldschlager, Aces bass player “Stick” Davis, Nashville utility star Michael Webb and the consistently prolific Fredro Perry. “My Heart’s” is off a Brooklyn Cowboys CD called Dodgin’ Bullets - and it just might be one of those all too few perfect albums. I suggest you go buy it. Be sure to buy Hand Picked, too. Here’s Walter Egan hisself talking to us about recording “My Heart’s In Denial”:

"The sessions for that CD were in two stages, first the tracks were cut at Masterlink Studio with the whole band playing live, then the overdubs came at a studio called the Cove at Treasure Isle (both here in Nashville). The Brooklynaires were Michael, Brian and me...as to the Countrypolitan Clappers, well that's the Brooklynaires plus Fredro)...the song was a by-product of my (now ex-) wife's joining Alcoholics Anonymous, and our subsequent separation. The lyrics are a tongue-in-cheek send up of the argot of the program: "in denial", "took steps", "one day at a time", "Live and let live", "Bill" (the founder of the program Bill W), "in the rooms", "recovery", "higher power"...I felt like though I had written it it would be better served by Brian's excellent voice. I do remember that the overdub session was on a winter's evening and we all tried to get at least a little drunk to serve the spirit of the song. And you know what they say: AA is for quitters."

www.brooklyncowboys.com

Classic honky-tonk from one of today’s great cajun bands, “Get Away Close” is what you would get if Merle Haggard had been raised in south Louisiana. Here’s some more about Cedric Hebert and Moe-D from ZydE-Zine reviewer Dan Willging: “Bolt the windows, lock the doors, the aptly named MOE-D band is back for another round of terror or rowdiness depending if your outlook is bottle empty or bottle full. As their phonetically spelled name implies ('maudit' in French means fun-loving rascal), these beer-burping yahoos would be just the crew to hang out with as long as ya don't need a bail bondsman and could crawl safely home if necessary. The point is this Gulf Coast sextet is so talented and well versed, they can switch idioms quicker than you can guzzle another cold one. Their party-time roadhouse rock, the original "Get Away Close" and the more familiar "See Ya Later Alligator" twists, burns and boogies. Like the gumbos they sing about, MOE-D is a gumbo of a band. And it’s a mighty tasty gumbo too.”

Here’s what a reviewer named Fydeaux in Milwaukee has to say:

"I heard a cut from this CD on KBON's internet service, and had to find it! What a lot of fun! So many Cajun/Creole/Zydeco band are trying to make "O Boudreaux, Where Art Thou?" This band proves that Cajun music is alive and vital, keeping an eye on tradition but not atrophied by it. These guys know Dewey Balfa and "Jole Blon", but they also know "Margaritaville", and BB King."

And, we might add, Merle.

www.flattownmusic.com/Moe-D_-_Too_P153.cfm

On this song Chris starts out pickin’ his banjo in a sweet old school approach, more reminiscent of Stephen Foster than Earl Scruggs. But that’s just setting his target up as the first verse rolls in... “I wish the church would keep its dirty little nose out of my religion.” And off we go as Chris and his pal Haysoos sit around and watch Sunday morning football. This is a song of eloquent restraint and incisive elegance... just the way we like it sitting around the Americana campfire. Joe Ross, a Contributing writer for Bluegrass Now Magazine liked it too:

"Chris is a very technically adroit banjo player. ... His songwriting is also commendable in that he is able to melodically turn some nice phrases to tell his stories. ... Chris’ best penmanship is actually apparent on some of his gospel songs, “Let Me In” and a rawboned arrangement of his humorous tongue-in-cheek “Then I Know We’ll Be Alright.” ... Keep your eye on Chris Cairns."

www.chriscairnsband.com

Sheeeewe! Ladies and Gentlemen, from Chandler, Oklahoma, it’s the Bays Brothers coming out of shoot #5 riding on a bull called TOO MUCH! Damn straight, Amigo! Jeff and Tim are the Gen-u-ine Article. The boys are currently working on a new CD, and their last CD, Honky Tonk Daddy, will knock your hat in the Americana creek, but their song on this CD, “Lovin‘ Drinkin’ & Gunplay” is the title song off their first one. I caught up wit da Bros just after they made bail and just before they had to go on stage so there wasn’t much time for a formal interview. Here’s what I got:

"Hello all, we are the Bays Brothers out of beautiful Chandler, Oklahoma. We play Honky Tonk Hillbilly and Cosmic Cowboy music.. We drink too much beer; we like old Cadillacs and smoky dive bars. Our Mamma loves us and we own one of Willie Nelson’s old Tour Bus’.We think that weed should be legal and pop country outlawed. Peace, Love and Honky Tonk, Jeff & Tim Bays"

www.baysbrothers.com

Alright y’all.  Gather ‘round while Unka Dave puts ya hip to the hick. So in Indiana they got this town called Bloomfield. It’s kinda of a Haight Ashbury/Hawthorne Ave SE kind of place in Indianapolis. Well maybe more a King’s Cross vibe. Anywho, like all the aforementioned locales Bloomfield is a musical hotbed. In this case, for post-punk, post-grunge rock ‘n roll. And in the fair confines of Bloomfield are 2 bands that are swinging for the rock bleachers - Chamberlain and Old Pike. So members of each of these worthy ensembles get in the habit of kickin’ back on the porch with a puff and a pint and a banjo. Now all you country boys know what’s coming next having been there and done that. They send Hooter down to get more beer and damn of he don’t come back with a taping machine. So they make a CD. And some folks take to calling ’em an Americana Supergroup (there’s that word again.) Their debut album, “All the Landlord’s Children,” blazes across the Americana firmament and Twang Brand is proud to have this song on our CD. To quote the band :  

"We stay under all influences...and we're sorry that we're not sorry."

www.myspace.com/chevydownsband

I got a pal down in Ville Platte, Louisiana name of Chris Soileau. He produces records along with home improving and raising kids. Now me and mon cher ami both love us some accordion, and steel and fiddle. So, I was just finishing getting Hand Picked together and I realized I needed one of them kind of songs. So I give ole Chris a holler and he says “You know that Cajun band The Lost Bayou Ramblers? I say ”Sure, they hot, hot, them.” He says that’s right, and they are also recording cajun swing music from the 40’s as The Mello Joy Boys.  So I give it a listen and Hot Gawd Damn! (pardon my French) Sell my clothes Ma, I’ve gone to roots country Heaven! Oooooooh, Josephine! Here’s what they had to say when they got interviewed by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser:

"People will ask us, ‘Is this y'all?' and we'll show them the little sticker that says Lost Bayou Ramblers ,” said Louis Michot, fiddler and a founder of the Ramblers with his brother, Andre. “But the only place we perform as them (Mello Joy Boys) is the café (in Lafayette). We play that same music during our Lost Bayou Ramblers sets. (Mello Joy is) a concept album for us. Since the '20s and '30s, no one has made a pure Cajun swing album. A lot of bands have a little bit, but no one has done a full album. So we wanted to go for that.”

www.lostbayouramblers.com

Brian is one of America’s great singers. And he is a hell of a performer. Brian is the real damn deal, Lucille. Here’s a recording from his Shinola days back in Knoxville. “You Must Be From Nashville” was written by K-ville’s perennial Todd Steed. Now, Todd can write ‘em as good as Brian can sing ’em. And that’s the amazing Mr. Richie Owens on the geetar. And this song is my vote for the Americana National Anthem. If you don’t agree... then Hell, Son - YOU must be from Nashville. Shannon Stanfield writes for the Knoxville News-Sentinel:

"It would be nice if they could save a little space somewhere for Brian Waldschlager on that new Old City mural commemorating Knoxville's music history. The former frontman for bands including Boogie Disease and the Dirt Clods helped create the Old City's first and best original music scene with his Knoxville-bred roots-rocking sound..."

www.waldschlager.com

Used to be that if the bad hombres were doing bad things to your cows you hired the quiet man from the Salt Fork of the Brazos to come set things right. He’d come riding out of the Llano Estacado, shoot the bad guys, shake hands with the good guys, and as he rode out again at least one of the women would unaccountably take to quietly crying watching him fade into the Texas horizon. Expect the same thing today if you need to hire a tall, quiet, lean Telecaster B-Bender slinger name of Dale X. Allen. When Dale ain’t riding the range with Lonesome Dave, or producing worthy bands from across the pond, you can find at home in Austin working his own spread with Genuine Cowhide. One of Dale’s passions is putting the “western” back into country and western. Think BR-549 meets the Sons of the Pioneers in a dusty cowtown on Saturday night--after a Sergio Leone triple feature. The Llano Estacado is a barren stretch of high desert covering some 37,000 square miles in Western Texas. To cross it they used to drive stakes in the sand so as to not get hopelessly lost. Something about that really appeals to Dale:

"I kept hearing this melody constantly...almost maddening...I managed to retain it until I got down to the trailhead to a flattop I had in the truck...and I worked it out while sitting next to a teepee... moving ahead some- a friend named Wammo overheard my 15 minute instrumental spaghetti western demo and had just gotten signed to Mercury/PolyGram and was finishing a spoken word CD and needed some backing music... so in 1997 the music was released on the majors. Several years later I woke up in the middle of the night with a set of lyrics for the melody and arranged it into some kind of gothic spaghetti western pop love song in the direction of what would become the concept for Genuine Cowhide. Your basic desert goth western pop thing ... "

www.genuinecowhide.com

Blues guys make the trip to the crossroads where they make the deal with the devil. Cool country bands make the same deal with the same entity... but the go to Austin to do it. The Morts have a strange way of taking your country themes and instrumentations and running ‘em through some hi-test beverages and amplifiers. What comes out the other end is country music that celebrates the fact that the Scorchers and Hank III are out there as well as Merle and Waylon. Out in Tucson a couple of weeks ago, the Little Morts burned a hole in the stage one last time by way of saying Adios to Arizona and Hello, Austin. Their pal Swede has this account:

"I never saw anybody smash a banjo before. But neither could I have dreamt of a better description of the drunken punk-country of the Little Morts, or a more fitting moment as their final show (in Tucson) spun out of control and crashed in sweat, smiles and tears. Irish and proud, Daniel Long is a red-headed growler, not so much a stranger as a friend as he writes of booze, jail, travelin and the last moments of reason in a day, the strange, uncomfortable, curious sobriety of a bright noon. Just wonder. I'll leave it to someone down the line to write the history of the Little Morts, because they sure as shit aint done yet. Bigger stages are waiting out in the Texas night. But I will say that as I stood in front for their final show, head bobbing in a corduroy cowboy hat, ears open and joyous and mind swimming in a whiskey river, the Little Morts couldn’t have been better. It was a good-bye full of swagger and joy and 20 songs that weren’t nearly enough."

www.thelittlemorts.com