Soaps, Powder, and All That Other Shit

The Last Waltz, one of my all-time favorite movies was on tv this morning when I woke up. I really can't think of anything more pleasant when waking up than the pairing of The Band and The Staples Singers on the song, "The Weight." I had the pleasure of seeing Mavis Staples sing "The Weight" on the Sunday of Bonnaroo, and I was blown away by the power of her voice.

Neil Young's performance of the song "Helpless" with Joni Mitchell and The Band reminded me of a Whiskeytown cover of the song that I love. Whiskeytown opened up a 1998 show in Eugene, Oregon with a hilarious cover of "Helpless," but the lyrics of the song were changed so that the whole song was about a laundromat in North Ontario and doing laundry. Ryan Adams fucking around doesn't always yield great results, but Whiskeytown's cover of "Helpess" is excellent.

Neil Young with The Band and Joni Mitchell- Helpless
Whiskeytown- Helpless

The Summers Here Are Hot

It wasn't until last summer that I really jumped into alt-country/Americana/whatever. I had been a fan of Wilco for a few years, but besides A.M., I had never went back into Jeff Tweedy's past songwriting. At the beginning of last summer though, alt-country really clicked for me. Immediately I ate up as much Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, and Jayhawks as I could.

Last summer I worked in the kitchen of a local restaurant, and for the most part the radio in the back was playing either classic rock or club rap. Now classic rock was cool with me, that's what I had cut my teeth on, but the club shit annoyed the fuck out of me. When the nights were closing down though, or when the afternoon came and business slowed down, I took over the radio.

For me closing time always meant playing "The Long Cut," "Gun," and "Chickamauga" as loud as was tolerable. At the end of the night I wanted something to push me all the way to the end (a 12-14 hour day was not uncommon). The afternoons were sleepy time though.

My co-workers always hated my afternoon stuff. Sometimes it was folky acoustic Dylan, but most of the time it was Whiskeytown. The kitchen manager once complained "I feel like I'm in the high hills of Tennessee" as Faithless Street played in the background. The days were long, and incredibly hot, and became increasingly defined by Whiskeytown songs. When "16 Days" came on I would sing the number of days of work I had left in place of 16, and I always felt Ryan Adams's loneliness in "Black Arrow, Bleeding Heart" and "Desperate Ain't Lonely." For whatever reason though, it was the Ryan Adams-Phil Wandscher collaboration "Factory Girl" that became my defining song for the long afternoons. "O the summers here are hot, and all she seems to do is work and sleep and wish that she was still with you."

Man, that was my summer, and it sucked. Thankfully this summer was a lot easier. Today was my last Monday of work, and Friday is my last day until I move back.

The songs below can be found on the Faithless Street reissue. For more Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown info check out Answering Bell.

Whiskeytown- 16 Days
Whiskeytown- Factory Girl

I've Got a Halloweenhead

I've had a month now to sort out my thoughts on Easy Tiger, the new release from Ryan Adams. Easy Tiger is probably the safest record Adams has ever made, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you don't want Dead-soaked jams as in Cold Roses or throwbacks to vintage country like in Jacksonville City Nights.

Anybody who listens to Ryan Adams is distinctly aware of how much talent is just oozing from him. The man is beyond prolific. This is why its so disappointing when you stumble on songs that are just plain mediocre. Easy Tiger has a few "bleh" moments, but no real duds, and of course a few gems that remind you how talented Adams is.

On a related note, I put this cd on at home one day, and my Mom happened to be around and asked who it was. When I told her it was Ryan Adams she said, "Oh yeah, I saw they were selling his cd in Starbucks."

Dig the video for "Halloweenhead" and listen to two of my favorites, the folky "Pearls On a String" and Heartbreaker-esque "Two Hearts."

Ryan Adams- Pearls On a String
Ryan Adams- Two Hearts