Recommended Gigs:
See the What's On post in main page
Links:
Sydney Services
Country Music
Monday, February 21, 2005
Willie Nelson Pulls Out Of Australian Tour
Country icon Willie Nelson has cancelled his tour of Australia after being diagnosed with acute laryngitis. The singer has been advised by doctors to avoid singing after contracting the throat problem associated with an upper respiratory infection. The 71-year-old had been booked to play concerts in Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle this month as well as appearances at Perth's Moonlight Music And Wine Festival and the Melbourne International Music Festival.
Musicians Remember Songwriter Merle Kilgore
Travis Tritt, Hank Williams Jr, Kid Rock and a host of other entertainers honored songwriter and promoter Merle Kilgore, recalling his friendship and his way with a quip and funny story. "Merle Kilgore - I can't say that name without smiling," said Tritt, who hosted Tuesday's service with Marty Stuart at the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Kilgore died February 6 from complications related to lung cancer. He was 70. In a wide-ranging career, Kilgore wrote the hit song "Wolverton Mountain" and co-wrote "Ring of Fire" with June Carter, which became a hit in 1963 for Carter's future husband, Johnny Cash. He also managed the career of Hank Williams Jr. and worked with Hank Williams Sr. But it was Kilgore's humor that people seemed to remember most. "He brought laughter to every room he entered," singer Brenda Lee said.
Tritt said he often would call Kilgore during tedious recording sessions. "He would come out and spend hours with us telling stories that went all the way back to Hank Williams Sr. and before," Tritt recalled. "And by the end of the day I couldn't hardly even talk because my jaws were so sore from laughing." During his career, Kilgore was a singer, songwriter, disc jockey, radio program director, actor and manager. Detroit-area resident Kid Rock strummed a guitar and sang "I Saw the Light."
Other performers included Big & Rich; Holly Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr.; and Stuart and his wife, Connie Smith.
Tritt said he often would call Kilgore during tedious recording sessions. "He would come out and spend hours with us telling stories that went all the way back to Hank Williams Sr. and before," Tritt recalled. "And by the end of the day I couldn't hardly even talk because my jaws were so sore from laughing." During his career, Kilgore was a singer, songwriter, disc jockey, radio program director, actor and manager. Detroit-area resident Kid Rock strummed a guitar and sang "I Saw the Light."
Other performers included Big & Rich; Holly Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr.; and Stuart and his wife, Connie Smith.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
The amazing Alicia Evelyn - Music - ithacajournal.com
The amazing Alicia Evelyn - Music - ithacajournal.com
What happens to songwriters of old who suffered through years of non-payment for their songs? In the US - and it took until 1992 to have it legislated - there is a system whereby people can apply to recover past royalties for their songs. This is one such story. I might not have noticed it except for the mention on the wonderful P2 list and the Australian Johnny O'Keefe connection. She sounds like a wonderful person and would be a delight to see at an open mic night.
The Tonker. Link
What happens to songwriters of old who suffered through years of non-payment for their songs? In the US - and it took until 1992 to have it legislated - there is a system whereby people can apply to recover past royalties for their songs. This is one such story. I might not have noticed it except for the mention on the wonderful P2 list and the Australian Johnny O'Keefe connection. She sounds like a wonderful person and would be a delight to see at an open mic night.
The Tonker. Link
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Bill & Audrey
100_0159 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
This is a fun pic of Bill & Audrey when they were doing their show at the Bridge Hotel a few weeks back. I like to think Bill's telling Audrey is she presses that button, another guitar neck "Just like mine!" will pop out!
I'm linking to flickr just to see how this all works. Not sure how many pics I can have there at one time or whether the pics I've embedded on the blog page (eg: the rusty utes) will stay there if I remove them from flickr to make way for other pics. It's all fun and discovery on blogger.com! Link
This is a fun pic of Bill & Audrey when they were doing their show at the Bridge Hotel a few weeks back. I like to think Bill's telling Audrey is she presses that button, another guitar neck "Just like mine!" will pop out!
I'm linking to flickr just to see how this all works. Not sure how many pics I can have there at one time or whether the pics I've embedded on the blog page (eg: the rusty utes) will stay there if I remove them from flickr to make way for other pics. It's all fun and discovery on blogger.com! Link
Suggestions and salutations
Wow! That thursday late-night intro to get this up and running certainly looks a little sparse. Truth is, I wanted to get it on the page so I could determine if I could work on the page from one of the computers at work. Well, yes I can but, eventually, I didn't have the opportunity because of what might be called in the management corridors as "work commitments". Things will improve. I haven't filled in all of my profile and favourites but will get around to it as time progresses. I might mention here and now - and you'll be hearing quite a bit about it - I have a passion for Mac computers and all associated operating systems. I don't run anything like the best, with all the bells and whistles, but what I do have is more than sufficient for what I need to do. My big baby is a G4 with a G3 sitting alongside as a back-up or to use as a graphics work station while its big brother does the serious browsing and the inevitable downloading of whatever in the fields of research I'm interested in: music, movies, Australian political threads and groups and forums discussing all of the above and more.
Live music is, by far, the main interest I have in life. It's the indulgence of all indulgences, beginning way back when I was a kid crawling around under the tables at the local Sunday afternoon pub gig by unknown country/pop bands. My mother would rarely miss these and I'm grateful she took me along. I remember Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers' covers, Frank Sinatra-style crooners, Pat Boone sound-alikes, Bing Crosby warblers, Burl Ives, early bluegrass and swing numbers along the lines of of Bill Monroe and Bob Wills. We weren't a rich family by any means but those Sundays were like a million dollars to me. Eventually cutting the apron strings I began to hang out at the local milk bars as a weedy young rocker where the "hip" kids around town would gather on weekends to rock 'n roll through the hours to the well-stocked juke boxes of 50s rock songs of Elvis, Little Richard, Richie Valens, Carl Perkins and on and on . . .
Last night, after getting home from a particularly harrowing working week, I considered a drink or three and some live music was what was required - what else is there? Nothing country or rockabilly in the gig guide so I took a gamble on dropping into a local watering hole in Leichhardt, The Bald Faced Stag, where last Saturday night we were graced with the presence of Sydney's most authentic roots country band, The Murray Hillbillies (more on them in the future). The advertised artist was someone I associated with, for some reason or other, Corb Lund, a Canadian country/folk performer in the same ilk as Fred Eaglesmith. It's gotta be good, I thought to myself. WRONG! The "act" was nothing other than a bloody karaoke night, complete with swirling coloured balls flashing their absurdities all over the room. What a contrast! Last week the best danged country music and this week a bunch of (almost) no-talents as you could get into one room. I say almost because there was one young woman who could even hold a note and in the correct key for longer than ten seconds. The others: hopeless and embarrassing to music! Too late. I was into a few cheap beers before I ventured off to the second preference for the night - a line-up of punk bands at the Empire at Annandale. I'm not a lover of the antics and whatever of the punk style (if you can call it that!) but I have to admit many of the punksters I've seen perform do something with a beat and a rhthym you wouldn't always see or hear. As I walk into the back bar I hear the unmistakeable drone of a bagpipe. Holy shit! I thought this was punk night! Pushing closer to the action I see the four-piece outfit (sans shirts by now) doing their "rumble" with this skinny kid jumpin' around playin' hell out of a set of pipes! The more I heard, the better it sounded and it soon became evident he was playing the role of a second lead guitar. Brilliant! The line-up consisted of The Turbo ACs, The Go Set and Stereo City. I'm assuming I missed the first band, Stereo City, so this would have been The Go Set - not bad at all!
Karaoke to punk. How far away from genre structures can you get? Both have their places in the realms of music but I'd prefer to have some good country or rockabilly anytime. After the break and a visit to the nearby Jazz club venue, the Side On Cafe, where the afore-mentioned Corb Lund was to appear the next night (Saturday Feb 18 if you're at all interested). Thought I'd check out the cover charge and was amazed and delighted there would be no cover charge. Immediately put it in the black book as a "certainty". But back to the punkers at the Empire and the main act from America, The Turbo ACs, were about to strut their stuff. They began steadily enough but didn't seem to advance very far from steady. I think they realised it wasn't going down as well as they would have hoped - the Aussie kids were red hot in comparison - and the obligatory shirts off (the flabby bass player maybe should think again about doing this as part of HIS act!) brought about an increase in tempo and stage antics but I think they'd already gone too far with the "ordinary" and the crowd was well lost. A mate, who knows much more of the punk scene than I, said they were: ". . . boring and predictable". I was happy but my brain had been assisted with a cocktail of refreshments of choice so I was far from being objective by then. My feet were still tappin' and movin'. I guess I'm just too easy to please. I managed to see his point as the set ground down into a nothingless pit of loud, loud, crumbling chords. Good try guys - hope you bought some of the local music to take back!
Should have called it a night then but just had to get home and continue the musical rampage with a variety of music, the highlight maybe being one of the few good Nashville bands I've heard, BR-549. You can't go wrong with any of their stuff.
If you're interested in seeing Corb Lund, the Side On Cafe is just a few doors down Parramatta Road from the Empire at Annandale - on the city side. Start from 8pm I'd assume.
Nuff for now. Happy honkin'.
The Tonker.
Live music is, by far, the main interest I have in life. It's the indulgence of all indulgences, beginning way back when I was a kid crawling around under the tables at the local Sunday afternoon pub gig by unknown country/pop bands. My mother would rarely miss these and I'm grateful she took me along. I remember Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers' covers, Frank Sinatra-style crooners, Pat Boone sound-alikes, Bing Crosby warblers, Burl Ives, early bluegrass and swing numbers along the lines of of Bill Monroe and Bob Wills. We weren't a rich family by any means but those Sundays were like a million dollars to me. Eventually cutting the apron strings I began to hang out at the local milk bars as a weedy young rocker where the "hip" kids around town would gather on weekends to rock 'n roll through the hours to the well-stocked juke boxes of 50s rock songs of Elvis, Little Richard, Richie Valens, Carl Perkins and on and on . . .
Last night, after getting home from a particularly harrowing working week, I considered a drink or three and some live music was what was required - what else is there? Nothing country or rockabilly in the gig guide so I took a gamble on dropping into a local watering hole in Leichhardt, The Bald Faced Stag, where last Saturday night we were graced with the presence of Sydney's most authentic roots country band, The Murray Hillbillies (more on them in the future). The advertised artist was someone I associated with, for some reason or other, Corb Lund, a Canadian country/folk performer in the same ilk as Fred Eaglesmith. It's gotta be good, I thought to myself. WRONG! The "act" was nothing other than a bloody karaoke night, complete with swirling coloured balls flashing their absurdities all over the room. What a contrast! Last week the best danged country music and this week a bunch of (almost) no-talents as you could get into one room. I say almost because there was one young woman who could even hold a note and in the correct key for longer than ten seconds. The others: hopeless and embarrassing to music! Too late. I was into a few cheap beers before I ventured off to the second preference for the night - a line-up of punk bands at the Empire at Annandale. I'm not a lover of the antics and whatever of the punk style (if you can call it that!) but I have to admit many of the punksters I've seen perform do something with a beat and a rhthym you wouldn't always see or hear. As I walk into the back bar I hear the unmistakeable drone of a bagpipe. Holy shit! I thought this was punk night! Pushing closer to the action I see the four-piece outfit (sans shirts by now) doing their "rumble" with this skinny kid jumpin' around playin' hell out of a set of pipes! The more I heard, the better it sounded and it soon became evident he was playing the role of a second lead guitar. Brilliant! The line-up consisted of The Turbo ACs, The Go Set and Stereo City. I'm assuming I missed the first band, Stereo City, so this would have been The Go Set - not bad at all!
Karaoke to punk. How far away from genre structures can you get? Both have their places in the realms of music but I'd prefer to have some good country or rockabilly anytime. After the break and a visit to the nearby Jazz club venue, the Side On Cafe, where the afore-mentioned Corb Lund was to appear the next night (Saturday Feb 18 if you're at all interested). Thought I'd check out the cover charge and was amazed and delighted there would be no cover charge. Immediately put it in the black book as a "certainty". But back to the punkers at the Empire and the main act from America, The Turbo ACs, were about to strut their stuff. They began steadily enough but didn't seem to advance very far from steady. I think they realised it wasn't going down as well as they would have hoped - the Aussie kids were red hot in comparison - and the obligatory shirts off (the flabby bass player maybe should think again about doing this as part of HIS act!) brought about an increase in tempo and stage antics but I think they'd already gone too far with the "ordinary" and the crowd was well lost. A mate, who knows much more of the punk scene than I, said they were: ". . . boring and predictable". I was happy but my brain had been assisted with a cocktail of refreshments of choice so I was far from being objective by then. My feet were still tappin' and movin'. I guess I'm just too easy to please. I managed to see his point as the set ground down into a nothingless pit of loud, loud, crumbling chords. Good try guys - hope you bought some of the local music to take back!
Should have called it a night then but just had to get home and continue the musical rampage with a variety of music, the highlight maybe being one of the few good Nashville bands I've heard, BR-549. You can't go wrong with any of their stuff.
If you're interested in seeing Corb Lund, the Side On Cafe is just a few doors down Parramatta Road from the Empire at Annandale - on the city side. Start from 8pm I'd assume.
Nuff for now. Happy honkin'.
The Tonker.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Howdy!
Welcome to the 2005 version of Honky Tonk Highway! The image above might lead some to think this is a site about rusty old utes (pick-ups in Amerilingo) but it's more than that. I'm hoping to surpass the vision I had for the original Honky Tonk Highway blog (affectionately known, then, as now, mostly, as HTH). That vision was to bring to light all that was good (and sometimes bad) about music which could be loosely gathered around the "honky tonk" genre (argh! - I hate that word but it will have to do for now!). "Loosely", in this case, would allow me to find and link to stories and events in the country, bluegrass, rockabilly, folk, alt country styles of music and to promote discussion of same from all and sundry. However, the stultifying effects of waiting for discussion from readers (nil) led me to think it wasn't worthwhile running a blog to please only myself. Possibly not so silly! This time I'm going to do EXACTLY THAT! And I'm going to be as political as I like and as cranky as I like and as irreverent as i like. Maybe I should have named this blog "As I Like!" Whatever, this thing's on the road (er, highway!) and it's open slather from now on. If anyone knows the owner of the image of rusty old trucks, could you let me know. I'm prepared to remove it or acknowledge copyright whenever the rightful owner deems it necessary. I've taken up so much time getting this page up it's already past sleep time so I'll say farewell until the next day and some new and adventurous posting in the future.
