An Update with Austin Lucas

 

NTSIB’s good friend Michelle Evans checks in with road report on Austin Lucas. Midwestern Ohio NOTE: Austin is playing Zanesfield TONIGHT. More details below.

 


 

 

I was able to catch up with Bloomington, Indiana musician Austin Lucas this past weekend before his set at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, where he and his back-up band for the past couple of weeks, Glossary, opened for alt-country Tennessee rockers Lucero. It was a line-up made in heaven, for which people from all over the country drove and flew in. We talked about what it was like for him touring with Glossary, his European fan base, and what’s ahead.

You can catch him with his family band in Zanesfield, Ohio this Friday, November 25th at 7 p.m. at the Mad River Theater Works Studio, and/or next Friday, December 2nd at The Bishop with Murder by Death in Bloomington, IN. I don’t recommend missing these shows; he won’t be touring the U.S. again till next year.

How’s it been touring with Glossary?

Amazing. It’s like being on tour with five stand-up comedians. We just laugh a lot, and I mean a lot. Usually, I laugh a lot on tour, but it’s not often I go on tour with a band that’s been together 15 years and really knows each other and really gets along and also has so much camaraderie between them, and they’re dynamic is really good. They’re all really funny people and all really sweet people. Fitting in with them could’ve been really daunting, ya know, like a 6th wheel, but in this case, the 6th wheel runs real smoothly. It was the most natural tour experience I’ve had with another band.

How long have you been on tour with them now?

Two weeks. It was a short little tour.

How did y’all mesh musically, like with them playing your songs?

For me, great. In my way of thinking, really great. A lot of people at the shows were like, “Holy shit, I wish they were your band all the time.” At least the people who said anything to me felt that way. I’m sure there were people who thought, “He didn’t play any of his old songs,” or “He didn’t play very much acoustic,” but that happens.

Now, Todd Beene was with you that entire time, correct?

Yeah, of course. He was with Lucero up until our tour and then with us, and now these two shows with both of us. He prioritized Glossary and Austin Lucas. It was very sweet of him.

What’s ahead?

A lot of resting. I’m going home. I don’t have any dates, really, until I go to Mexico and then Europe, so I don’t have anything going on till then. I’m going to write songs, get in the studio maybe around January, something like that. We’ll see.

And you’re bigger in Europe, right?

Definitely.

How does Europe generally treat you? Like what are your favorite spots?

Finland’s my most favorite place to play in the world, without a doubt. Finland, the UK, and Germany are my three biggest markets, and in the UK, it’s really the south where I do well, like in London, Brighton, and pretty well in Leeds, but I haven’t really broke in the west and the north as well. In Europe, I sell out quite a few venues. At least I have on my other tours.

Which folks do you or have you toured in Europe with? Anyone we would know?

In the past, usually, I’ve packaged up, like with Chuck Ragan, Mike Hale, and Josh Small. Also Drag the River and Cory Branan. The last tour was with Digger Barnes. He’s a German guy, and he was Chuck’s bassist for a while. He was originally my bass player in my band Austin Lucas and The Pressmen, my back-up musicians. Then he met Chuck, and he played with us on Bristle Ridge and was on the first several tours. He’s awesome. He’s amazing, and he’s got his own solo stuff. We did a tour together last year.

So who’s playing with you on this upcoming European tour?

I’m just going to bring my back-up band, The Bold Party. We don’t have anybody supporting. It’ll be the first tour I’ve done over there in a long time where I wasn’t packaged up and ensured that the music quality was really good every night. There aren’t a lot of acts over that that play what we play or Americana or alt-country or whatever, so we’ll see. Should be a great time no matter what.

James Leg is Coming to Cleveland (and Other Cities, Too)

 

Solitary Pleasure is ingrained with James Leg’s extensive knowledge of the rock and roll canon and the album displays his passion and originality to full effect. Granted, Leg’s gargled-with-goat vocal style could be an acquired taste, but it’s also a quality instrument that, like his keyboard work, will prove powerful, yet supple and dextrous over the course of the album. Imagine Tom Waits doing Bobby “Blue” Bland covers.
– DEEP BLUES

“Long live rock and soul and pianos and devil horns.”
– POPMATTERS

If you’ve been reading NTSIB for a while, you know that I freaking love James Leg (a.k.a. John Wesley Myers of the Black Diamond Heavies) and that his album, Solitary Pleasure, is probably my favorite album of 2011. If not, here’s a little memory refresher.

I already have two James Leg shows under my belt this year, and I’m excited for a third. Sitting down at the keys, Leg generates more energy on stage than most of his more mobile counterparts, leg flailing to the beat and hair flying in his face as he pushes his foghorn howl through the microphone to blast you out and then settle down in the center of your pelvis. But he doesn’t stop there, setting that pelvis to sway, shake and grind as he makes his trusty Fender Rhodes talk like a guitar and growl like a junkyard Rottweiler. The man puts so much effort into making you move your ass that he’s usually sweated through his shirt by the 2nd or 3rd song.

James Leg will be turning Cleveland’s Now That’s Class into a sweatbox on December 5th at 9 PM for $5 a head. Openers will be northeastern Ohio bands White Buffalo Woman and the Buffalo Ryders, as apparently, buffalo are the new indie band animal of choice. Please grab your free copy of the sleazy-in-all-the-best-ways “Do How You Wanna” below and join me on the 5th.

 

James Leg – Do How You Wanna

 

And if you don’t live in the CLE, do what you can to catch James Leg at one of the stops below.

Dec 01: Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot w/ Blackfaces (members of Immortal Lee County Killers, Soledad Brothers and Be Your Own Pet) and D.Watusi
Dec 02: Huntington, WV @ The V Club
Dec 03: Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Dec 04: Cincinnati, OH @ Junkers Tavern
Dec 05: Cleveland, OH @ Now Thats Class
Dec 06: Detroit, MI @ PJ’s Lager House
Dec 07: Ft. Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail w/ Left Lane Cruiser
Dec 08: Lafayette, IN @ Lafayette Brewing Co.
Dec 09: Chicago, IL @ Morseland
Dec 10: Columbia, MO @ The Bridge
Dec 11: St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Dec 12: TBA
Dec 13: Kansas City, MO @ Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club
Dec 15: Omaha, NE @ O’Leaver’s Pub
Dec 16: Bayport, MN (Minneapolis) @ Bayport BBQ w/ Molly Gene’s One Whoaman Band
Dec 17: Bayport, MN (Minneapolis) @ Bayport BBQ w/ Molly Gene’s One Whoaman Band
Dec 18: Green Bay, WI @ Phatheads
Dec 19: Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Dec 20: Dubuque, IA @ Off Minor

[West Coast March 2012 tour dates to be announced soon]

Postcards from the Pit: Patrick Stump, Starland Ballroom, NJ, 11/4/11

To the left, in the snazzy teal suit: Patrick Stump, formerly of Fall Out Boy. To the right, on the bass, Matthew Rubano, formerly of Taking Back Sunday. Also present are Michael Day on guitar, and Casey Benjamin (HEAVy) on keys and saxophone. (Skoota Warner of Ra is playing drums on the tour, he’s just not in this picture.)

Patrick Stump and friends – technically this is a solo tour for him – were the second of three acts in the show I went to last Friday. The  first opener was Foxy Shazam, the headliner was Panic! at the Disco, and I’ll get to back to them later. First I have to tell you that how Mr. Stump and his merry crew put on a defiant, triumphant, raucous roller-coaster ride of a show. I was actually really surprised at some of the pictures I was able to get, given the way the pit was heaving.

Like this one, for example:

IMG_2808

The set started with a snippet of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, which essentially set the tone from the evening. (We were jammed in too tight to really dance, but there was definitely a great deal of enthusiastic jumping up and down.) The rest of the songs, with the exception of a cover of “In the Air Tonight”, were drawn from Stump’s solo work, including both the Truant Wave EP and the more recent full length  Soul Punk.

His new, post-FOB sound is different than FOB – more synths, less thundering drums – and has soul, funk, and dance-pop elements. The  lyrics with sharp, sharp edges are the same though. For example, on Soul Punk there is Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers) a bouncy up-tempo number that is at least in part about hitting an alcohol-fueled rock bottom, and The “I” in Lie, a soulful meditation on infidelity.

On the other hand, there is also This City, a mostly-sweet pop hymn to both the bright and dark sides of Chicago, Stump’s home town, and Coast (It’s Gonna Get Better) the theme of which is “you may think things are screwed up now, but hang in there, it’s going to get better.” (My favorite, to my own bittersweet bemusement, is Bad Side of 25, because I do actually remember Chernobyl and a time when there were two Germanys.)

Anyway, here are some more pictures from his set:
 

IMG_2833Conducting the pit

 

IMG_2867The photopit in front of me suddenly (and briefly) cleared . . .

 

IMG_2878Drum solo! (I promise he’s in there.)

 

IMG_2890Matthew Rubano and the double-bass keytar.

 

The Panic! tour is winding down now, but Stump will be playing more shows this winter, and if you can catch him, you should. Now, as for the rest of the evening: Foxy Shazam and Panic! at the Disco were as fabulous as ever.  I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures from their set(s):

 

IMG_2746Eric Nally and Sky White

 

IMG_2773Alex Nauth; sadly, his fabulous furry boots are hidden behind the monitor.

 

IMG_2785Eric Nally, Loren Turner (guitar), and Eric Nally’s light-up cowboy hat.

 

IMG_2797Sky White, with Daisy and his bass in the background.

 

IMG_2983Brendon Urie, during Always.

 

IMG_2941Fierce Brendon Urie is fierce!

 

IMG_2925Dallon Weekes on the keyboard

 

IMG_2959My attempt at getting both the still-pogoing pit and the band at the same time. I promise there are many many arms waving in that inky darkness on the left.

 

IMG_2998A good whole-band shot, as they were winding down.

An Evening At: The Grand Ole Echo, The Echo, Los Angeles, with Welldiggers Banquet, Grant Langston and the Ruby Friedman Orchestra

On my very last night in Los Angeles I ventured out to Echo Park to check out the Grand Ole Echo, a weekly Americana/country/roots music event held at The Echo. Once again I had no idea what to expect, this time because I was mainly going to check out the event as a concept.

It turned out to be an excellent evening, the kind of thing that I decided if I lived in town I would totally go over every Sunday. (In fact I really wish there was something like it in New York.) If you’re in the Los Angeles area, drop in on them sometime – it’s free, all ages, 5-9 PM on Sundays, April through September. Plus there’s BBQ and more music on the porch!

Confession: I did not manage to sample either the BBQ or the bluegrass band that was playing on the evening that I went. I spent all of my time indoors, absorbing the musical stylings of the following bands:

1. Welldiggers Banquet

IMG_0534

My post-set notes on this band were “country with rockabilly swing, great stuff.” They have been a band since 2004, and their self-titled CD was released in 2007, though evidently a new record is expected shortly. I’ve been carrying their tunes around with me since I got back, and enjoying pretty much the entire record, though I do have a special fondness for Frio, White River and Charms of the City. If you enjoy a foot-stomping good time as well as the occasional ballad, check them out.

2. Grant Langston and the Supermodels

IMG_0542

Mr. Langston and his merry crew are more rock than rockabilly, but still have a strong country core. And some seriously entertaining song titles, such as Burt Reynolds Movie Brawl which is “get me OUT of here” account of an oncoming barfight. If you enjoy the Bakersfield sound, you will enjoy them.

3. Ruby Friedman Orchestra

IMG_0569

This band was perhaps more bluesy soul with hard rock underpinnings than Americana or country, but that didn’t bother me a bit, as they were absolutely amazing. Seriously, y’all, if they roll through your town, get out and see them. They sound like a force of nature given a voice, sometimes howling, sometimes crooning, but always bigger than life. Recommended tracks: Montmartre and It Makes Me Want To Hold Your Hand (A Little Tighter).

 

Barnstormer 5 is coming to Akron!

 

There are still music-loving, internet-connected people in the world who don’t know about Daytrotter. That’s amazing to me. Since 2006, Sean Moeller and crew have been recording sessions by touring bands and throwing the results of those sessions up on the internet for anyone and everyone to download and enjoy for free, and since I learned about the site a few years ago, I have felt it a wonderful example of what the internet can be used for. The Horseshack – the studio in Rock Island, Illinois, that sees most of the recording activity you find at Daytrotter – has welcomed everyone from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Dinosaur Jr. to Kris Kristofferson to Andrew W.K. to Charlie Louvin to that new indie band you keep hearing people talk about. NTSIB favorites A.A. Bondy, the Felice Brothers and Local Natives all have sessions up, and the amazing Mr. Patrick Sweany has a session forthcoming. And those good Daytrotter people post at least one of these free sessions every day, sometimes posting two sessions in one day.

In addition to all that goodness, since the summer of 2009, the Daytrotter crew have been putting together the Barnstormer tours. These tours gather a gang of Daytrotter alumni and send them out to play at various barns around the midwestern United States. Real barns. Past Barnstormer artists have included Justin Townes Earle, Dawes, Local Natives, Suckers, the Walkmen, Ra Ra Riot, Delta Spirit… you get the idea. Good stuff.

This year, Barnstormer will be hitting Ohio for the first time, and we’re freaking excited. On August 31, the Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn in Akron will be the place to see White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Princeton, and, one of my favorite live bands, Hacienda (who just recorded their third album in Nashville with their old friend Dan Auerbach). All of that for just $20.

We highly recommend buying your tickets now. No, now. Right now. Because not only does that ticket price kick up five dollars on the day of the show, but if you purchase your tickets by August 20, you get a Barnstormer poster and 40% off Daytrotter merch. Plus, you help the Daytrotter crew relax, knowing they can actually fund this fantastic undertaking.

And if you’re not in travelling distance of Akron, Ohio, don’t feel left out. Barnstormer 5 is also stopping at North Hampton, NH, Ghent, NY (UPDATE: the Ghent show has been moved to the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY), Charlotte, VT, New York, NY, New Wilmington, PA, Dexter, MI, Monticello, IL, and Maquoketa, IA. (Band line-ups vary between cities, so check Daytrotter for your local bill.)

Akron details:
Wednesday, August 31, doors at 5:30 PM, show at 6:30 PM.
White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Princeton, and Hacienda
Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn (3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH 44333)
$20 advance / $25 day of show

 

Daytrotter

White Rabbits @ Daytrotter

Doug Paisley @ Daytrotter

Princeton @ Daytrotter

Hacienda @ Daytrotter

Deep Blues Focus: Old Gray Mule featuring CW Ayon, Cashman

The Deep Blues Festival is tomorrow! I’m freaking excited. There will be great artists on stage, cool people in the audience, and it’s all going down at one of my favorite places in Cleveland. Come along and buy your favorite blogger a drink. And if your favorite blogger isn’t there, you can buy me a whiskey.

One more time, those details are: Deep Blues Festival, Beachland Ballroom, Saturday, July 16, doors at 4 PM.

 

Name:Old Gray Mule featuring CW AYON
Homebase: Austin, Texas/Las Cruces, New Mexico

 


Old Gray Mule with CW Ayon – My Girl

Old Gray Mule Official Website

CW Ayon @ Reverbnation

 

Name: Cashman
Homebase: Nashville, Tennessee

 


Cashman – Pistol Blues

Cashman @ Reverbnation

 

DBF Alumnus
T-Model Ford & GravelRoad

 


T-Model Ford & GravelRoad – Hip Shakin’ Woman – DBF08

Deep Blues Focus: Mississippi Gabe Carter, The Misery Jackals

Going in to the homestretch with a gentlemen how embraces the sound of the bluesmen from Bentonia, Mississippi, (which was the birthplace of my favorite blues musician, Skip James) and the other Ohio band on Saturday’s ticket. (And if you can listen to Pearlene without wanting to sigh or writhe around on the floor or something to that effect, then… well, you’re clearly not having as much fun as I am.)

Deep Blues Festival, Beachland Ballroom, Saturday, July 16, doors at 4 PM.

 

Name: Mississippi Gabe Carter
Homebase: Chicago, Illinois
Related artists: Duck Holmes

 


Mississippi Gabe Carter – Leavin’ – DBF09

Mississippi Gabe Carter @ MySpace

Rick Saunders’ interview with Mississippi Gabe Carter

 

Name: The Misery Jackals
Homebase: Akron, Ohio
Related artists: The Goddamn Gallows

 


The Misery Jackals – Trapper Jack

The Misery Jackals Official Website

 

DBF Alumnus
Pearlene

 


Pearlene – All Fears (Have Faces) – DBF08

Deep Blues Focus: Ten Foot Polecats, Boom Chick

Deep Blue Focus, part three, and halfway to showtime, folks. Check out Rick Saunders’ DBF11 profile for a little mo’ somethin’.

Deep Blues Festival, Beachland Ballroom, Saturday, July 16, doors at 4 PM.

 

Name: Ten Foot Polecats
Homebase: Boston, Massachusetts
Organizer

 


Ten Foot Polecats – Goin’ Crazy – DBF09

Ten Foot Polecats Official Website

 

Name: Boom Chick
Homebase: New York, New York

 


Boom Chick – The Ghost of Bo Diddley

Boom Chick Official Website

 

DBF Alumnus
Scott H. Biram

 


Scott H. Biram – Get Me Religion – DBF08

Deep Blues Focus: Scissormen, The Staving Chain, Molly Gene One Whoaman Band

The second installment of our Deep Blues Focus series includes one of two Ohio bands on the bill and a one-woman band who has me pretty jacked up.

Remember: Deep Blues Festival, Beachland Ballroom, Saturday, July 16, doors at 4 PM.

 

Name: Molly Gene One Whoaman Band
Homebase: Kansas City, Missouri
Related artists: Bob Log III, The Reverend Deadeye, The Goddamn Gallows

 


Molly Gene One Whoaman Band – Bumble Bee

Molly Gene One Whoaman Band Official Website

 

Name: Scissormen
Homebase: Nashville, Tennessee
Organizer

 


Scissormen – Do Wrong Man – DBF08

Scissormen Official Website

 

Name: The Staving Chain
Homebase: Toledo, Ohio
Related artists: Henry & June, Johnny Walker (Soledad Brothers, Cut in the Hill Gang), Black Diamond Heavies, Mark Porkchop Holder

 


The Staving Chain – various

The Staving Chain @ Danger Limited Recording Company

The Staving Chain @ Facebook

 

DBF Alumnus
Patrick Sweany

 


The Patrick Sweany Band – After Awhile – DBF08

Deep Blues Focus: Left Lane Cruiser, Mark Porkchop Holder, Javier & the Innocent Sons

The Deep Blues Festival, an annual celebration of “outsider blues”, will be reborn this Saturday, July 16, at the Beachland Ballroom in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. The original incarnation of DBF – which featured some NTSIB favorites like Patrick Sweany, the Black Diamond Heavies, Scott H. Biram and T-Model Ford with GravelRoad – saw it’s end with an announcement from founder Chris Johnson in February of 2010. (Check out this interview with Johnson for a brief history of the fest.)

Unwilling to let DBF die, Ted Drozdowski of Scissormen and Jim Chilson of the Ten Foot Polecats took over the name and the spirit – with Chris Johnson’s blessing – and moved the fest from Minnesota to Ohio. And we are freaking excited about it.

In this week leading up to DBF11, we’re going to spotlight a few of this year’s artists each day, along with some DBF alumni.

 

Name: Left Lane Cruiser
Homebase: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Related artists: The Black Diamond Heavies, James Leg, Scott H. Biram

 


Left Lane Cruiser – Set Me Down – DBF08

Left Lane Cruiser @ Alive Records

Left Lane Cruiser @ MySpace

 

Name: Mark Porkchop Holder
Homebase: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Related artists: The Black Diamond Heavies

 


Mark Porkchop Holder – My Black Name – DBF09

Mark Porkchop Holder @ MySpace

 

Name: Javier & the Innocent Sons
Homebase: Minneapolis, Minnesota

 


Javier & the Innocent Sons – Poor Boy Blues

Javier & the Innocent Sons @ MySpace

 

DBF Alumnus
The Black Diamond Heavies

 


The Black Diamond Heavies with Mark Porkchop Holder, Andy Jody and U.S. Justin – Nutbush City Limits – DBF09