Kinky Friedman is an artist, writer, politician, but first of all Texan, even if he is born in Chicago. His songs and one-liners are witty, very politically incorrect, and sometimes quite provocative – specially to people of the republican persuasion. Yesterday night he played live at Café Mono in Oslo to an audience who knew their Kinkster history.
One of the good things about festivals like SXSW is that you both get to see artists you have never heard of, and also that you get too see artists you have heard on CD, but never seen live. James Hunter is one of these, with some critically acclaimed CDs, plus one of the best songs after 2000, People Gonna Talk. I saw him at the Americana Association night at Antone’s.
You have to be short-sighted and with bad hearing to say that Norway have a broad bluegrass tradition. There are a few bluegrass bands and there is actually one bluegrass festival in Norway. But one band have made waves, and that is Lucky Lips. Last night they played at the Continental Club in Austin with their good friends the Carper Family and Brennan Leigh.
Richard Thompson has been named one of the best guitarists in the music world, and also the one with the most characteristic sound. It is not that he plays everything very fast or loud, but more that his style is so personally unique and with influences from an eclectic range of sources.
I have written about Carolyn Wonderland before, and will probably do it again. During SXSW she played two official gigs, and I saw one of them, the closing act on the Continental Club Friday March 15th. Carolyn is playing the Blues in Hell festival in Norway in September, and for my Norwegian readers who are going there, look forward to it and be prepared for an even better show than the last time.
A musician’s musician is someone who every other musician and artists wants to play with, but who isn’t always known to the general audience. Buddy Miller is a musician’s musician, but fortunately he has been acknowledged and gained more popularity during the years. Jim Lauderdale is a great singer songwriter who has written songs for artists like Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and other artists, but who also has got more and more recognition for his own work the later years. Now the two have released a CD together, and they played Antone’s during SXSW.
Every year I have been in Austin for SXSW, I have attended Leeann Atherton’s Barn Dance the day after SXSW is finished. This year the weather was perfect with sun an temperatures in the 80’s, there were more people than I have ever seen there, and everyone were friendly and seemed to have a great time. (Picture above: Leeann with Karpe Diem.)
Sometimes I see bands that I have never heard about, and because of that, my expectations are usually quite low. And often the expectations equals the experience. But not in the case of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. Their concert at the Continental Club during SXSW was far above my expectations.
Argentinian tango orchestras aren’t my strongest subject, and I have avoided – not consciously – hearing an electrotango band, until the very last act on the closing day of SXSW. I came with my son from Red 7 and real hard and dark swamp metal with Black Tusk, and he recommended we stop by Bajofondo on the Stage on Sixth before going home. I didn’t regret that at all!
In the 70’s, Rodney Crowell was a member of Emmylou Harris’ band, The Hot Band, playing rhythm guitar and sung duets with her. He also wrote Blueberry Wine that she sung on her first LP, Pieces of the Sky. Crowell quit in 1977 to pursue his own solo career, but Harris still recorded his songs. Recently they released the duet CD, Old Yellow Moon. During SXSW they performed songs from the CD and also older songs at the Antone’s in Austin.
Artist Pictures Blog 