Saturday, December 12, 2009

Armin's Favorite alt country/Americana Releases of '09

There is so much wonderful music being released all the time that I'm reluctant to call this a best-of list. These twelve albums are some of the releases that really stood out to me this year, anyway. The artist that undoubtedly moved me the most this year is Ben Nichols (also the lead singer for Lucero). What a gritty and soulful voice, and such great songwriting. The Last Pale Light in the West is an EP, and all songs are about characters in Cormac McCarthy's brutal and brilliant novel Blood Meridian. Loudon Wainright's Charlie Poole project was a wonderful and fitting tribute to on of the early wild men of country before it had a name. New Son Volt certainly did not disappoint, with a terrific tribute to Keith Richards and Rosie Flores with the PVC on Bloodshot is filled with joy proves the value of great collaboration. Oh, and Chicken Tractor Deluxe's album (from Millstein, PA, featuring Kai Schafft, former Salt Creek host and Emelie Peine, former drummer for El Caminos) is a real boot stompin' joy ride.

Hopefully this will help if you're looking for holiday gift ideas!

  • Ben Nichols—The Last Pale Light in the West
  • Rosie Flores and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts—Girl of the Century
  • Lucero—1372 Overton Park
  • Son Volt—American Central Dust
  • Loudon Wainright III—High Wide & Handsome - The Charlie Poole Project
  • Handsome Family—Honey Moon
  • Rhett Miller—Rhett Miller
  • Exene Cervenka—Somewhere Gone
  • Wayne Hancock—Viper of Melody
  • John Doe & The Sadies—Country Club
  • Chicken Tractor Deluxe—Tin Can Holler
  • Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers—Songs in the Night
If your favorites don't appear, please comment! I'm always in search of new music.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Country Music is Dead?

Country music is dead! Long Live Country!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Ben Nichols—Last Pale Light in the West



This year Ben Nichols, the singer and songwriter at the helm of the alt country band Lucero, released a stunning solo EP called Last Pale Light in the West. Chuck Donovan and I were both pretty wowed by this recording, and it only continued to grow on us. (Chuck and I compare notes quite a bit!) Without a doubt my favorite recording of the year. Nichols wrote all of the songs based on the characters that appear in Cormac McCarthy's bleak and blood-soaked novel Blood Meridian about a group of scalp hunters responsible for massacres along the Mexico border in 1849 and 1850.

The songs are haunting mini-masterpieces, and Ben Nichols' gravelly voice along with the sparse accompaniment of pedal steel are the perfect match for the material.

Featured Artist - Band of Heathens



Just this past Sunday, I featured the new release by the Band of Heathens - "One Foot in the Ether". The BOH is a group I have been following for some time now, and have recently become the first Indie group to have two albums reach #1 on the Americana Charts. The group hails from Austin, TX, and has been compared to The Band, among others. I'm a big fan, and their new album is really terrific. Check them out at http://www.bandofheathens.com/ !





I will be posting a complete playlist from Sunday's show either tonight or tomorrow, for those interested. Thanks for listening!





Phonograph

I just read about a group called Phonograph out of Brooklyn in No Depression. Very compelling indie rock-meets-americana with an element of experimentation. I want to hear more! Check out the video:

Phonograph "In Your Mind" live at Union Pool Brooklyn from PHONOGRAPH VIDS on Vimeo.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

New Blog for Salt Creek Show

I've been hosting The Salt Creek Show on 93.5, WVBR-FM Ithaca since 2003, along with Peter Fraissinet, Brad Edmondson, Annie Keville and Chuck Donovan. The show runs for 4 hours from 6-10 am on Sundays, and is the longest running specialty radio show in Ithaca, on the air continuously since 1964. The show features music in the country/Americana realm, largely outside the country music mainstream. We all have a slightly perspective, but one thing we all have in common is the love of a wide range of music in the country/roots/blues/folk tradition.

I've been starting to think about my upcoming December Salt Creek Show, and I decided to start this blog to post further information about artists that I feature on the show, as well as favorite artists of the year. The December show is my year-end recap, in which I feature my favorite recordings of the year, so this year I'll post all of the albums and artists to help people out who are shopping for holiday gifts.