The Kevn Kinney Band w/ David & Katherine of Waylandsphere at the Pour House in Raleigh. Throughout the evening Kevn evoked the names of Ryan Adams, Todd Snider, R.E.M., Jesus, Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers Band, Bob Dylan, the Georgia Satellites and the Drive-By Truckers. His music is somewhere within that template as well, and then some. He was joined on a few songs by John Teer (on fiddle and guitar) from Chatham County Line. It was a mix of solo stuff, at least one cover (Ryan Adams' Come Pick Me Up, a hint of Black Mountain Side), Drivin' n' Cryin' and some brand new material. All and all a very outstanding show.

Anyone ever seen the documentary Dancin' Outlaw that originally aired on West Virginia Public Television years ago? If not, you owe it to yourself to. For an appetizer just do a search on Dancin' Outlaw and/or Jesco White on YouTube. In fact, I believe the entire movie has even been posted online somewhere.

The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town We were bored, there was nothing going on. Might as well stay at home and drink until we pass out again. Then drink some more when the morning comes. Memphis was sinking into the Mississippi. We were doing our best just to ride it down. Till the night G.G. Allin came to town. "Honey, I dont believe this," the old man at Ferguson's Cafe kept saying to his wife. As he read aloud The Memphis Star and their account of what went down that night "It says he took a shit on the stage and started throwing it into the crowd. But he was gone before the cops could come and shut him down." Gone before the shit came down. The night G.G. Allin came to town. The night G.G. Allin came to town. Antenna Club, Memphis, 1991. Punk rockers paid $12 to be shit on! The night G.G. Allin came to town "It says he took the microphone and shoved it up his ass!" The old man and his wife were aghast The night G.G. Allin came to town. The night G.G. Allin came to town. Drive-By Truckers from the album Pizza Deliverance

This was originally posted on an L.A. area blog and then posted by Dave Rawlings' father on a music email list: Friday, July 17, 2009 Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at Largo 7-16-09 So last night the wife and I went to see Gillian Welch at the Largo. I have one of her albums and the O Brother soundtrack, so I'm familiar with her stuff but not a hardcore fan. I just figured it would be a good show, and the Largo is an awesome venue, which seats about 280 I think. She comes out with David Rawlings, her longtime partner who I also know from their work on Ryan Adams' first album. Two of the first three songs are from the album I have (Time the Revelator), and Rawlings is an unbelievable guitarist. Neither of them is plugged in, they just have their acoustic guitars (and occasional banjo) mic'd and it sounds phenomenal. He is also hysterical, and their between song banter is really funny. You can tell they're having a good time. After 45 minutes or so, Gillian says they'd like to bring out a few friends, but they're going to take a break first to figure out what to play. They come back out, play a couple more songs, then ask Benmont Tench to come out. I knew he was the keyboard player for Tom Petty, so I thought that was pretty cool. They play a song but you can't even hear the piano, which was disappointing. After the song they ask John Paul Jones to come out…and I'm floored. JPJ was the bassist for a small indie band called Led Zeppelin, he arranged the strings on R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People, and I'm sure he's done a ton of other great things (and probably some bad ones). But did I mention he was the bassist for Led Zeppelin? Anyway, here he is the mandolin player. So the four of them play a song, and after it Gillian asks if we could hear JPJ (we couldn't) and someone yells out we couldn't hear Ben either. So they fix that for the next song, they bring out Sara and Jon Watkins, who play fiddle and guitar, and Jon Brion, who's playing acoustic guitar (he also owns the Largo, is a record producer, film score composer, and puts on a phenomenal show of his own…but I digress). They run through a few songs and it sounds really great, and the wife and I are having the time of our lives. Before the end of the set, they mention that after the show a few people will be playing in the Little Room, which is a small venue in the Largo "complex." They say only 50 can get in, so we figured we would give it a shot, but we weren't overly optimistic. When the show ends, a mad rush of people head out to get in line at the LR, and my hopes are dashed. I go to get some cash (LR is cash-only and they want people to buy drinks), the wife gets in line, I meet her and count about 35-40 people in front of us in line. Feeling better about getting in but still trying not to get too excited. To make a short story long, we get in, get a beer and grab a seat. It's not even full in there, which is surprising, but we're not sure what to expect. The Watkins get up there and play a few songs and sound really good, then they ask if Jo(h)n can come up and play. Brion comes up and they ask if any other Jons want to play, so JPJ goes up there, as does Benmont. Again, this is a concert for about 40 people, and the bassist for Led Zeppelin is playing (in case I didn't make that clear). There is one microphone and a piano on a stage that is probably 10 x 10 feet, if that. They run through a few songs, and then Sara Watkins asks if Fiona is there. So Fiona Apple comes up and sings lead on a few songs, and she sounds unbelievable. Then they ask Gillian and David to come up, so now it's Sara and Jon Watkins, Benmont, Fiona, Jon Brion, John Paul Jones, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on stage playing a couple songs, including Leadbelly's "In the Pines" that Nirvana famously played on Unplugged. The show ends, we leave and walk right next to JPJ and Fiona, out the door and back into reality, not really believing what we just saw (all apologies to Jack Buck). Someone on the street asked if the Little Room just got out, but I didn't hear them and they had to repeat the question. We probably looked stoned or drunk, but we didn't care. One of the best concert experiences of my life.

I'm aware of the Shoes. In a similar vein (in both name and sound) was the Sneakers which included Mitch Easter (Let's Active) and Chris Stamey (the dB's) who also went largely unnoticed at the time. These days Mitch and Chris are probably more well known for their production work than for their own bands.

They had a hit called Our House that was nearly inescapable back in the 80s. They were part of a larger movement of twotone ska performers that also included The English Beat and The Specials. The last show I saw was The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players with Lady Blanche at the Pour House in Raleigh. They travel the country visiting estate sales, yard sales, garage sales, etc. rummaging for old slides which they then set to music as part of their show. Dad plays the guitar and keyboards, Mom runs the slide projector and their daughter Rachel plays the drums. Each also has their own sideprojects. Rachel currently stars in her own children's program which she describes as a "psychedelic Sesame Street". During the show she did a couple of numbers, one of which was a cover of a Pink Floyd song. The opener, Lady Blanche is a singer-songwriter who struck me as a cross between humorist-songwriter Todd Snider with the sexually frank lyrics of Liz Phair. If so inclined you can check out samples from both artists below (you can even download Lady Blanche's album for free from her site). Lady Blanche

I love Hothouse Flowers.

Thanks for clarifying as I had no idea what you were referring to. I'm sure some gigs go off seamlessly and others are marred by technical issues. Shit happens. I'd also say sound issues are out of the hands of the artist and are more the responsibility of those running the sound.

Really? I've been enjoying some good new stuff from Wilco, Patterson Hood, Son Volt, Drive-By Truckers, Tim Easton, the Gourds, etc. over the past few months myself.

What does McCartney performing on Letterman have to do with Plant?

I'm not offended. I guess I'm just curious about the difference between what attracts a person to an artist and what turns people off to an artist (whether it be R.E.M. or whoever). For me, they stood out like a sore thumb in the early 80s as far as what was popular on MTV and pop music in general then. Most of what was getting the attention then were the synth pop type bands such as Flock of Seagulls, the Human League, Duran Duran, etc. To my ears R.E.M. had a very earthy sound that set them apart early on. They were also critics darlings so yes, there was some hype but in this case I feel it was warranted. And yes, they railed against the system be it political or the machinations of the record industry but in the end, they did it their own way. I've always admired them for that whether or not I ever saw eye-to-eye with them from a political standpoint. For better or worse, they (along with U2 and several others such as the Cure) helped open up the airwaves to something beyond the trendy new wave of the day and in turn paved the way for other so-called "alternative" artists to follow. I often see the 80s as a whole dismissed on this board when I see it quite differently. That was a very heady time for me as far as discovering new artists. In addition to R.E.M. there was also the Replacements, the Del Fuegos, Guadalcanal Diary, the Blasters, X, Los Lobos, the Plimsouls, the Cruzados, the Long Ryders, Lone Justice and many, many more. It wasn't all skinny-tie, synth pop artists that were popular on MTV.

It's back to being a singles-driven market but as long as vinyl is back in vogue and there are sales of entire records (whether it be on CD or digital only) that means there's a few of us left out there that still enjoy the full album experience. I definitely understand about the convenience of MP3s, I just don't want them to become the only option available. And even though I do enjoy vinyl, I've never been one to do so at the audiophile level. Every once in a while I just like listening to it. That said, when I'm finally reconnected with my collection I'd like to invest in a nice turntable. Nothing fancy but not a pawnshop find either.

To each their own but I am curious as to how having Stipe as a frontman is "ridiculous". And yes, this is a Zep site but it doesn't mean all of us (myself included) worship at their feet.

You have to remember this is the same board where someone has tried to make the case that Queen are "underrated". For the life of me I'll never understand the entire underrated/overrated thing and how folks come to their conclusions for either.

If you're trying to make the case that those in the upper echelon of the record industry aren't weasels. Well, good luck with that. To clarify my point it's a proven fact that digital boils down to a series of binary code (zeros and ones) that doesn't fully or accurately capture the full spectrum of sound afforded by analog recording. Yes, great strides have been made in this area since the advent of compact discs but because of it's very nature digital will never come close to reproducing the sound of analog. Neil Young has referred to digital as a "snapshot" of sound for this very reason. As for the record companies, back in the 80s vinyl was removed from record store shelves in order to make way for a vastly inferior product known as the compact disc. As consumers we weren't even given the choice. We were forced to buy CDs. The same thing is happening now with MP3s. An inferior source of sound is once again being foisted upon us. Everyone from Neil to Lou Reed and T-Bone Burnett have pleaded with the industry for MP3s not to become the norm but since the casual music consumer doesn't give a shit (or worse yet, isn't even aware of the difference between lossless and compressed formats) and they drive the market, of course MP3s are winning out. Strange how now vinyl is being offered for sale with bonus tracks to help entice the buyer. Sound familiar? Goes to show vinyl should have never even been removed from record store shelves to start with.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts w/ The T's, the Bleeding Hearts and I Was Totally Destroying It at Raleigh's Downtown Live concert series last night. Afterwards I caught a bit of a band called Perfect Colour across the street at the Pour House.

Funny how Bono has taken on many of the same interests but unlike Lennon, he's chastised for it. I say if you can have an audience with Senators, Presidents, etc., go for it. Would Lennon be crucified for his beliefs if had lived?

From Billboard.com: Details On The Next Lynyrd Skynyrd Album New record for the "Skynyrd Nation" features tributes, Rob Zombie... Lynyrd Skynyrd will release a new studio album, God & Guns, on September 29th. Frontman Johnny Van Zant calls it "a tribute to the past and to the future of this band, too." "The old saying is if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so we didn't step out too far," Van Zant says." "We're doing what we do and singing what we know about. I can tell you it's great and there's a lot of good stuff on there, but the fans will tell us if we did the job right. Some time in October we'll know whether we did the record that we should've done." Rob Zombie guests on the album track "Floyd", and his guitarist John5 also helped the band out. The first single is "Still Unbroken", due later this month. Other songs include "Skynyrd Nation" and "Gifted Hands", a tribute to late keyboardist Billy Powell.