06.29.06 (MusicPortal.com) Bluegrass favorites CHATHAM COUNTY LINE are currently on tour in support of their current release from Yep Roc Records, "Speed Of The Whippoorwill." It is through touring that the band has perfected their blend of instrumental prowess, harmonic singing, and original composition. Evident is a sense of self-awareness in their musical vision, as the band are not afraid to follow a raucous 12-bar fingernail chipper with a beautiful lilting ballad. It's that combination of songs for the drinking man and songs for the thinking man that drives the originality of this four piece acoustic band. 06/30 Benton Harbor, MI [The Livery] • 07/01 Chicago, IL [Chicago Country Music Festival - Taste Stage] • 07/02 Berwyn, IL [Fitzgerald's American Music Festival] • 07/06 Denver, CO [Bluebird Theater] • 07/08 Winter Park, CO [Hideaway Park] (Winter Park Folk Festival) • 07/09 Aspen, CO [Aspen Mountain Bluegrass Sundays] • 07/13 Ancramdale, NY [Rothvoss Farm] (Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival) • 07/14 Ancramdale, NY [Rothvoss Farm] (Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival) • 07/14 New York City, [NY Pier 17 - South Street Seaport] (Seaport Music Festival) • 07/15 Glen Moore, PA [Wagenseller Park] (Community Bluegrass Concert) • 07/16 Clinton, NJ [Black Potatoe Music Festival] • 07/21 Ashland, VA [Ashland Coffee & Tea] • 07/26 Northampton, MA [Iron Horse] • 07/27 Ellsworth, ME [The Grand Auditorium] • 07/28 Cornish, ME [Ossipee Valley Bluegrass And Acoustic Music Festival] • 07/29 Cornish, ME [Ossipee Valley Bluegrass And Acoustic Music Festival] • 08/10 Atlanta, GA [Red Light Cafe] • 08/11 Thomson, GA [Gardens At Watson-Brown] • 08/12 St. Simons Island, GA [Rafters] • 08/18 Norfolk, VA [Taphouse] • 08/19 Garner, NC [Lake Benson Park] • 09/08 Bowling Green, OH [Black Swamp Arts Festival] • 09/09 Bowling Green, OH [Black Swamp Arts Festival] • 09/15 Carrboro, NC [Cat's Cradle] • 09/16 Bristol, TN [Rhythm And Roots Reunion] • 10/04 Cincinnati, OH [Tall Stacks Music] (Arts & Heritage Festival) • 10/07 San Francisco, CA [Golden Gate Park] (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival) • 10/13 Apex, NC [Old Train Depot - Chamber Of Commerce] (Concerts At The Depot) • 10/14 Charlotte, NC [Dana Auditorium @ Queens University Of Charlotte]
[LISTEN]

06.28.06 (MusicPortal.com) Lost Highway Records has just released "Tim O'Reagan," the self-titled solo debut from the long-time member of The Jayhawks. The new offering showcases the many sides of the multi-talented TIM O'REAGAN, which are seeing the light of day for the first time as he steps out from around the drum kit and moves into the spotlight. "Tim O'Reagan" features 11 songs written by and mostly performed by O'Reagan. While he handles much of the guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, the album was made with the help of some good friends - Jayhawks Gary Louris, Mark Olson, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg, Son Volt bassist Jim Boquist and even his mom and dad, who add some violin and whistle to the mix. The album opens with the infectiously catchy 'These Things' and follows with the melodious 'Black & Blue.' The sweeping 'Highway Flowers' is beautiful acknowledgement to the roadside memorials we see too often, while 'Play Thing' features classic Monkees/Beatles-esque Pop. Not bad for a guy who used to hear music in terms of locking the kick drum to the bass line. But judging from Tim O'Reagan, something deeper was stirring even as he was breaking into music on the R&B circuit in Kansas City. Eventually he and his friend Todd Newman put a band together called the Leatherwoods and headed to the Twin Cities. They cut one album, "Topeka Oratorio," (co-produced by Paul Westerberg), with O'Reagan quickly finding a foothold in the lively scene that centered on Minneapolis. After four years of playing with the Leatherwoods and others there, Joe Henry recruited him for shows and sessions. Then in 1996, O'Reagan joined The Jayhawks. For more than ten years, that band built its success on a foundation of wisely crafted original material. Their standards, in other words, were high, which made it especially impressive that they would include 'Bottomless Cup' on O'Reagan's first CD with the band, "Sound Of Lies." He started singing around that same time too, all of which got him thinking about doing a project of original music, on his own. "I got a rehearsal space lined up," he remembers. "I got a little more time in my schedule. I got married to a great woman with great health insurance ... and that's what allowed me to finally get to work on this."
[LISTEN]

06.09.06 (AP) Rock stars, Country stars and even songwriters have their own halls of fame. Now their backing musicians are getting into the act, too. The Musicians Hall Of Fame And Museum opened Friday in Nashville, Tennessee - honoring those who have played and recorded with stars of all stripes, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Stevie Wonder to Hank Williams. Located in an old warehouse just south of the city's honky-tonk district, the hall is the brainchild of Joe Chambers, a Nashville songwriter and guitar store owner. Chambers said the musicians who help create some of the most memorable recordings in popular music often get overlooked. "I think the public hasn't been given the information or the opportunity to know who is playing on a lot of those records," Chambers said. They certainly have it now. Instruments, photos, movies, recordings and other artifacts tell the story of session players and touring musicians, whether in Detroit, New York, Memphis, Los Angeles, Nashville or Muscle Shoals, Ala. That weepy steel guitar on Bob Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay'? The late session ace Pete Drake. The funky beat on Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Give It Away'? The band's drummer Chad Smith, who has worked with many other acts in the studio. The alternating bass line on Hank Williams' 'Your Cheatin' Heart'? Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance. The list goes on and on. There are displays dedicated to legendary producers such as Owen Bradley (Patsy Cline's 'Crazy,' Loretta Lynn's 'Coal Miner's Daughter') and Billy Sherrill (Tammy Wynette's 'Stand By Your Man,' Charlie Rich's 'Behind Closed Doors') and to the studios where many of these classic song were recorded. "It means a lot obviously to the families and to anyone who stood in the shadow for so long," Chamber said of the opening. "The way the museum is set up, everyone from grandparents to their grandkids can come and find somebody they're interested in." Several new members will be inducted into the hall each year, with other musicians - rather than industry executives - voting on the nominees. Besides the museum, the 30,000-square-foot complex also includes a performance hall where a jam session was scheduled for Friday evening and a screening theater where a film with Jimi Hendrix was playing. A fully operational recording studio is in the works. A music school associated with the museum is already open, as well as a gift shop. A promotional video features remarks by performers such as Neil Young and Garth Brooks, with Young perhaps putting it best: "You can see the hood ornament on the car if you go to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but if you want to look at the engine and see what's making it go, then you go to the Musicians Hall Of Fame & Museum."

06.01.06 (MusicPortal.com) Fantasy Records is releasing JOHN FOGERTY's Live Concert DVD "The Long Road Home: The Concert" on June 13th. Recorded live in concert in September 2005 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, the new DVD -- directed by Martyn Atkins ("Cream - Live At The Royal Albert Hall"), recorded in high definition video, and mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound -- features 26 electrifying versions of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival classics. The package also features a bonus exclusive video for the song 'Deja Vu All Over Again.' John Fogerty is one of America's most celebrated, influential and treasured singer/songwriters, with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer having established one of the most important catalogs of songs in all of Rock history. Fogerty has been booked to perform on the Tonight Show's special "Outdoor" stage next Wednesday, June 7th, when he will perform a medley of 'Rockin' All Over The World,' 'Travelin' Band' and 'Fortunate Son,' and will also play 'Keep On Chooglin',' which will be streamed on the Tonight Show website. John Fogerty will also hit the road this Summer with Willie Nelson for a 30-city tour starting July 22nd. Tour Dates: 07/22 West Palm Beach, FL [Sound Advice Amphitheatre] • 07/23 Tampa, FL [Ford Amphitheatre] • 07/25 Nashville, TN [Starwood Amphitheatre] • 07/26 Birmingham, AL [Verizon Wireless Music Center] • 07/28 Charlotte, NC [Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre] • 07/29 Raleigh, NC [ALLTEL Pavilion] • 07/30 Virginia Beach, VA [Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre] • 08/01 Bristow, VA [Nissan Pavilion At Stone Ridge] • 08/02 Burgettstown, PA [Post Gazette Pavilion] • 08/04 Mansfield, MA [Tweeter Center] • 08/05 Holmdel, NJ [PNC Bank Arts Center] • 08/06 Saratoga Springs, NY [Saratoga Performing Arts Center] • 08/08 Hampton Beach, NH [Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom] • 08/09 Scranton, PA [Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain] • 08/11 Wantagh, NY [Nikon Jones Beach Theater] • 08/12 Atlantic City, NJ [Borgata Resort Spa & Casino] • 08/13 Darien Center, NY [Darien Lake PAC] • 08/15 Columbus, OH [Germain Amphitheatre] • 08/16 Cincinnati, OH [Riverbend Music Center] • 08/18 Clarkston, MI [DTE Energy Music Center] • 08/19 Indianapolis, IN [Verizon Wireless Music Center] • 08/20 Chicago, IL [Charter One Pavilion Northerly Island] • 08/22 St. Louis, MO [UMB Bank Pavilion] • 08/23 Kansas City, MO [Starlight Theatre] • 08/25 Denver, CO [City Lights Pavilion] • 08/26 Albuquerque, NM [Journal Pavilion] • 08/27 Phoenix, AZ [Cricket Pavilion] • 08/29 Alpine, CA [Viejas Concerts In The Park] • 08/30 Lemoore, CA [Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino] • 09/01 Hemet, CA [Soboba Casino] • 09/02 Los Angeles, CA [Greek Theatre] • 09/03 Santa Barbara, CA [County Bowl]
[WATCH]

[Country News: May 2006]
[Top]