Tuesday, July 31, 2007

TODAY'S TOP ROCK HEADLINES

Rolling Stone

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

TODAY'S TOP ROCK HEADLINES

"OUR HATS ARE OFF TO DEVO": KORN'S JONATHAN DAVIS RESPONDS TO DE-EVOLUTION DUST-UP
When Devo's Jerry Casale complained to Rock Daily about Korn borrowing his band's "de-evolution" concept for a fake film trailer called Devolution: Nature's U-Turn, the new-wave pioneer said he wouldn't hold his breath for due credit. Well, we're happy to report that Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has proven Casale wrong. "Korn never claimed to be the first to expose De-Evolution, our hats are off to Devo for that," he said in a statement to Rolling Stone. Click here for more of Davis' response, and visit RollingStone.com/korn for more Korn.

NEW MUSIC TUESDAYS: PRINCE, COMMON
In the latest episode of New Music Tuesdays, Rolling Stone Executive Editor Joe Levy reveals how much he digs Prince's Planet Earth and Common's Finding Forever and assesses how well the Purple One and the Chicago MC rap on their respective records. Click here for Rob Sheffield's primer on lesser-known Prince classics, and visit RollingStone.com/newmusictuesdays to watch Joe Levy's review.

BULLHORN: DID MARK RONSON TURN BOB DYLAN INTO AMY WINEHOUSE?
As we first reported yesterday, everyone can now listen to a taste of producer-whiz Mark Ronson's take on Bob Dylan's "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" -- the first time Dylan has approved his songs for a remix. Now Rock Daily wants to know what you think in the latest edition of Bullhorn. Click here to check out the track and submit your review, and visit RollingStone.com/bobdylan for more Bob Dylan.

ROCK ON THE BLOCK: JERRY GARCIA'S SINK COULD BE YOURS
Jerrry Garcia's toilet is long gone but you can still get your hands on his sink. David Koltys, the man who bought the late Grateful Dead leader's Marin County home ten years ago, is auctioning off the last of the house's Garcia-used fixtures, including, yes, the kitchen sink. Click here for more on the auction, and visit RollingStone.com/thegratefuldead for more on the Grateful Dead.

J. MASCIS' MEGA-JAM WITH CANDIAN INDIE-ROCK ELITE
In the spirit of the Crossroads Festival and Rolling Stone's ongoing celebration of guitar gods and the people who love them, here's a clip of six-string wonder J Mascis joining up with a dozen-plus excited Canadian indie rockers (led by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew) for a joyous impromptu post-show jam session in Toronto. Click here to check out the video, and visit RollingStone.com/jmascis for more J Mascis.

For more of the latest music news - including exclusive Guns N' Roses photos - visit RollingStone.com.

TODAY'S PICKS

DAILY TRACK: Metric - "Ending Start"
Savvy new-wave-noise quartet Metric will hit the studio in November to churn out their first new set of tracks since 2005's Live it Out. Click here to check out Live it Out's dreamy "Ending Start".

DAILY VIDEO: New Music Tuesdays - Prince, Common

DAILY REVIEW: Crossroads Backstage: Clapton, Mayer, Trucks and More Hero-Watch Backstage in Chicago
"All that was left was a pile of burning guitars," said Robbie Robertson at the end of the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. The scene backstage resembled a big family reunion as host Eric Clapton and John Mayer made themselves at home, both equipped with cameras. The Fender tent was the prime behind-the-scenes hangout, with its guitar-lined walls, velvet couches and of course, air conditioning. But most of the event's guitar heroes could be found clustered together at the side of the stage intently watching their own guitar heroes. Click here for more of the backstage scene.

ARTIST OF THE DAY: PRINCE

The complete ROLLINGSTONE.COM archive includes videos, photos, interviews, reviews, and more.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Bill Berry of R.E.M., 49
Will Champion of Coldplay, 29


TODAY'S ROCK ON TV (ALL TIMES EST)

NBC
11:35pm - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO
12:35am - Late Night with Conan O'Brien: TEGAN & SARA
1:35am - Last Call with Carson Daly: LILY ALLEN

CBS
11:35pm - The Late Show with David Letterman: GOGOL BORDELLO
12:35am - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: WILL MARFORI

ABC
12:05am - Jimmy Kimmel Live: COMMON

Puddle Of Mudd Presents "Famous"

Url: http://www.geffen.com/artist/player/default.aspx/mid/3214/aid/284[...]
Sound: http://www.geffen.com/artist/player/default.aspx/mid/3214/aid/284[...]
“It’s about passion and writing music that connects with other people and somehow heals them. I really want to try to crawl under peoples’ skin and at the same time make some kick-ass rock ‘n roll music,” says Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wesley Scantlin about his band’s imminent third album, Famous.

After their 2001 debut, Come Clean, sold over 5 million copies and spawned no less than 4 radio hits (including “Blurry”, the most played song of 2002); and their gold-certified follow-up Life On Display, Puddle Of Mudd were able to step back a little to create Famous.

“We had a lot of time to write and then make the record, as opposed to our second record where we were writing while we were recording,” explains bassist Douglas Ardito. “This time we had time to live life and have experiences to talk about.”

After demo-ing songs “in some crazy little apartment with an isolation booth in the middle of Hollywood”, Famous was recorded in Los Angeles and Colorado with former Black Flag drummer Bill Stevenson (Rise Against, MXPX etc.) producing.

For all their platinum albums, awards and sold-out shows, Puddle Of Mudd have retained their organic approach to songwriting, usually starting with Wesley at home with an acoustic guitar. “If it sounds good and it makes your skin goose bump-up then you’re probably onto something,” he mulls.

“Have you ever heard those lyrics by Nine Inch Nails: ‘I just made you up to hurt myself’?” he continues, laughing. “That’s kinda how it is for songwriters I think: you almost create drama in your life just to get some good inspiration! Anything that irks you a little bit, for some weird and unknown reason, is good for really passionate songs. I write a lot of the stuff, but it’s like a team – everybody’s got their inspiration that they put into it.”

And Puddle Of Mudd now have fresh inspiration from new members Christian Stone (ex-Campfire Girls) and Ryan Yerdon. It was a collaboration between Wesley and Christian that, in bizarre fashion, produced the album’s title, Famous - the name of a song they’d written together.

“Christian went home to Massachusetts to visit his family for Christmas and someone showed him a picture of his [soldier] brother in Iraq with this tattoo - he had got ‘Livin’ On Borrowed Time’ tattooed on him,” Douglas explains. “So, unbeknownst to either brother, one had written a song with Wes called ‘Living On Borrowed Time’ and then the other had tattooed ‘Living On Borrowed Time’ on his chest! So it was kind of a freaky coincidence.”

“Livin’ On Borrowed Time” once again displays Puddle Of Mudd’s sixth sense for creating anthemic songs that are at once optimistic and uneasy, uplifting yet contemplative, dramatic but never without humor. Wesley’s voice retains its serrated charm but is more versatile than ever, able to shift a song’s mood with sometimes unexpected inflections.

As ever, Puddle Of Mudd are single-minded in focusing on unpretentious songcraft and accessible lyrical authenticity over fashion’s fickle demands or artsy affectations. “We’re not using DJ turntables and synths and all that stuff,” Douglas confirms. “We’re just trying to pull out the honesty and make another batch of great songs for people to listen to.”

Public Enemy Mark 20th Anniversary With New Album

20 years after the release of their astonishing debut album, Public Enemy returns with the provocative How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul (in stores August 7th). The group reunited with Bomb Squad member Gary G-Wiz to produce the album, who effortlessly built it out of vintage roots and new fervor. How You Sell... features KRS-ONE on "Sex, Drugs and Violence" and Redman as special guest producer on "Can You Hear Me Now." Public Enemy will kick off a national festival tour this summer at the Rock The Bells concerts in New York City on July 28th and 29th. The group will also appear at two more Rock The Bells events, one in San Bernardino (Los Angeles), CA on August 11th and another in San Francisco, CA on August 18th as well make an appearance at the Santa Fe Music Festival on August 10th. Additional concerts will be announced in the coming weeks.Perhaps no other song on the album marks the 20th anniversary of PE better than the first single, "Harder Than You Think." "It's symbolic of the first PE release 20 years ago," says frontman Chuck D. "Flav pays homage to his "Public Enemy Number One" vocals and the song welds two eras together with uncanny precision." The second single, "Amerikan Gangster," introduces Texas rapper E. Infinite (who also goes by EDOT) joining Chuck D in dissecting the "overplayed phenomenon about what gangster really is." Even more philosophical is "Sex, Drugs and Violence," where KRS-ONE, Chuck D and Flavor Flav advocate young fans to still enjoy their favorite songs without taking lyrics literally. "Sex, Drugs and Violence is blessed by the most feared rapper and MC of all time, blastmaster KRS-One," says Chuck D. "To call him the greatest MC is an understatement. The song is a testament to his commitment and opinionated consistency."One of the most critically acclaimed acts in contemporary music, Public Enemy's messages remain as urgent and compelling as ever, with performances that are nothing short of electrifying. To date, the band has embarked on over 58 tours, performing over 1500 concerts to fans in 55 countries. Earlier this year, they performed to a crowd of 25,000 at the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX and closed last month's BET Awards with their show-stopping tribute to James Brown.A group whose musical style and incendiary delivery have earned them sweeping acclaim and millions of fans worldwide throughout their career, Public Enemy continues to blaze musical and technological trails with new songs and new media, pulling rap music into the future all while keeping its musical roots firmly intact. At the same time, PE transcends the boundaries of rap and pop music, remaining one of the Black community's most important messengers, digital music's greatest champions, and a rare rap group whose lyrics are dedicated to analyzing, uplifting and empowering all of humanity.The group burst onto both the rap and pop music world in 1987 with their first single, "Public Enemy #1," a startling combination of Chuck D's commanding orations and Flavor Flav's show-stopping antics to keep the message entertaining. The song is not only known for introducing a whole new sound to the rap genre, but for giving the group their name. At the close of 1999, The New York Times named Public Enemy's music to their list of the "25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century" and in May 2005 The US government's Library of Congress included Fear of a Black Planet in a list of 50 recordings worthy of preserving in the National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone magazine called the group one of the fifty greatest artists of all time, and in 1999 Vanity Fair profiled the group in their Icons of Rock special section while Spin magazine chose two PE albums for their "100 Greatest Albums (1985-2005)" list, with It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back coming in at #2 and Fear of a Black Planet at #21.

Legendary Texas Blues Drummer Dies At 62

Legendary Texas Blues Drummer Dies At 62

Legendary Texas blues drummer "Uncle John" Turner died Thursday, July 26th, in Austin, Texas from complications related to hepatitis C. He was 62 years old.

Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Uncle John was a childhood friend and bandmate of legendary southeast Texas blues and rock guitarist, Johnny Winter. While playing drums with Winter in 1968, Turner convinced him to try a full-blown blues band format and sent for his friend Tommy Shannon to play bass. Success quickly followed, and the trio went on to record what many consider to be three of Johnny Winter's finest albums: "The Progressive Blues Experiment," "Johnny Winter," and "Second Winter." With fourth member Edgar Winter, they played Woodstock in 1969, as well as numerous other festivals and shows around the world.

After splitting with Johnny Winter in 1970, Uncle John moved to Austin, where he and Shannon formed Krackerjack, a band featuring a young Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar. Throughout his long career, Turner played or recorded with many great artists, including B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, and Lightnin' Hopkins.

Turner grew up in Port Arthur listening to Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Lazy Lester, and Jimmy Reed on the jukebox at the local hamburger juke joint. He started his musical career on guitar in 1957, switched to bass, and had evolved to playing drums in a band called the Nightlights when he met Johnny Winter. It was 1960 and both of their bands were playing at an OCAW (Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers) union children's Christmas party.

They hooked up again in Houston in 1968, when Turner replaced drummer Jimmy Gillan in Winter's soul music band at the ACT III. Turner convinced Winter to follow his heart and play the blues.

"Johnny wanted to play blues; he just had never been in a position to be able to," Turner told Winter's biographer. "We were the first guys that would go out on a limb with him and gamble for the future."

During the 80's and 90's, Turner continued to shape Austin's blues scene, playing with guitarist Alan Haynes and with Appa Perry's Blues Power. A great friend and mentor to young blues artists during this time, Turner helped launch the careers of many Austin musicians, including Gary Clark, Jr., Erin Jaimes, Mike Keller, Eve Monsees, and Carolyn Wonderland.

In November of 2006, Uncle John Turner was reunited with Johnny Winter and Tommy Shannon during Winter's show at Austin's La Zona Rosa nightclub. It was the trio's first live performance together in more than 20 years, and it proved to be a very special night for everyone lucky enough to witness the sold-out event.

A benefit concert planned for Uncle John Turner at Antone's nightclub in Austin on August 1st will go on as scheduled. Johnny Winter, Tommy Shannon, and other friends and former band mates are among the performers scheduled to appear. Event profits will be used to offset medical bills and final arrangements, as well as to assist talented young blues artists. Additional information is posted online at www.uncathon.com.

Along with a guestbook for messages for Uncle John's friends and family, information regarding donations and other pertinent details may also be found there. An additional memorial event is being planned; details are forthcoming.

Uncle John Turner is survived by his loving wife, Morgan.

Texas Biker Band Rocks "Going Back To Memphis: A Biker Band Tribute To Elvis"

Texas Biker Band Rocks "Going Back To Memphis: A Biker Band Tribute To Elvis"
Posted by aubhall on Friday, July 27, 2007 (06:04:11)

Texas Biker Band Rocks Music World With "Going Back To Memphis: A Biker Band Tribute To Elvis" Band To Donate Royalty to BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) and St. Jude's Children's Hospital

Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Elvis' death, Texas' #1 Biker Rally Band, Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards have recorded a new Jambone Records CD, "Going Back To Memphis: A Biker Band Tribute To Elvis" at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Since the early nineties, Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards' high-energy Texas Blues and southern-fried rock 'n roll have made them one of the top biker bands, performing at major rallies, dealerships and swap meets across the country along with David Allan Coe, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Bad Company, Mark Farner (Grand Funk) and others. They have earned many awards and garnered seven # 1 songs on Bluesrock charts.
In 2003, the band was recruited to perform at the former Elvis Presley's Club on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. After seeing the audience's overwhelming response to Kelton's own interpretations of Elvis songs, Graceland insisted that Kelton perform 90% Elvis songs in his nightly show. The tourists loved the versions, and the reps from Elvis Presley Fan Clubs gave the band "two thumbs up!"
Whenever the band was on break from Elvis Presley's Club, they toured the country performing at bike rallies, where their high-energy southern rock versions of Elvis songs were enthusiastically accepted by legions of rowdy rebels in black leather.
"We changed some arrangements, added guitar and harmonica solos giving those songs a whole new, grittier feel. We even added a bass guitar solo on Hound Dog, and it rocks!" says Kelton. "Bikers always request our versions of Elvis songs", says Kelton. "There's nothing like having a dozen Biker Babes up on stage with us bumping and grinding to one of our Elvis songs!"
With 2007 commemorating the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death, and Graceland Harley-Davidson unveiling the official "Elvis Harley" during Elvis week in Memphis, it is only natural that Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards be the ultimate band to record the ultimate Biker Band Tribute to Elvis.
"We are honored that Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises loved our Southern rock Biker Band Tribute to Elvis idea, and gave us their official blessings to 'TCB'!" says Kelton.
"Recording at Sun Studio in Memphis was a dream come true! We were treated like movie stars. We stood in the same spot where Elvis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash once stood."
"We set up our gear and performed all thirteen songs, live and raw, just like we'd play them at a bike rally," says Kelton. "I refused to use click tracks or scratch vocal tracks. We did very minimal over-dubbing. I wanted to capture the band's live, raw, unpolished feel and unbridled enthusiasm for this project. It kicked a**!"
Kelton is donating a special royalty from the sale of each CD to two separate charities, one being B.A.C.A.,(Bikers Against Child Abuse). "I truly believe in their cause," says Kelton. "Little children shouldn't have to live in fear and they need someone who will look out for them the way BACA does."
"We are also donating a royalty to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. When I told my Mother we were donating a royalty to St. Jude's," says Kelton, "her voice cracked as she reminded me that we lived in Memphis when I was eight years old and almost died of pneumonia. St. Jude's saved my life and did not charge her a dime! I am very proud to have reached a point in my life and career where I can give back something to these great organizations so they can help other families the way we were helped."
"Going Back To Memphis" showcases Kelton's own, unique houserockin' Texas blues and southern rock interpretations of songs previously recorded by Elvis, including Jailhouse Rock, Polk Salad Annie, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, Steamroller and others. The title track, "Going back To Memphis" is a Kelton original about the second coming of Elvis that hit #1 on internet Rockabilly Charts.
"Elvis' music is all about having fun", says Kelton. "We want people to forget about their troubles, crank up the volume, jump up and dance and just have fun listening to the CD."
There will be a lot of fun to be had at the wild and crazy CD release party planned for Friday, August 17th, 2007, at Coyote Ugly on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Other CD release parties are planned for Biker friendly locations in Texas and across the country shortly thereafter.
Tour dates, booking info and the new CD "Going Back To Memphis: A Biker Band Tribute To Elvis" is available at http://www.meangenerocks.com and http://www.jambonerecords.com/
Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission

PJ Moore sends this note along.... STIR benefit CD released

Can you pick up trash on the river today? NO. Yet, you want to help out some other way? GREAT! Just because you always have another project on your agenda and can not help pick trash or research this or that water. Don’t feel left out any MORE. Here is a way for you to STIR and enjoy some great music too! Purchase a CD!

A benefit CD for Save The Illinois River, an organization dedicated to doing just that – protecting and preserving the river, its tributaries, and Lake Tenkiller features Randy Crouch, Dan Garber, Badwater, Mike Allen, and a host of other regional musicians, with styles ranging from jazz to celtic to country to blues to rock’n’roll.

“Songs for the Illinois River” can be purchased for $15.95 at the Iguana Cafée, Jacob-Duvall Studio, the Copy Shop, Oasis Health Foods, N’Tune Music, Tenkiller Trading Company in Gore, and Short Stop in Gore. It can also be purchased online at http://www.songsfortheillinoisriver.com/.Contact Eddie Glenn at mailto:eglenn@tahlequahdailypress.com.

A little birdie from the river area told me, a 2nd CD is possible! Why not? Tahlequah musicians range from a wide variety of talent. The fans, friends and family members will help make this CD project a successful fundraiser. SO, BE SURE YOU GET A COPY TODAY!

PJ Moore or email: PJ-Moore@cherokee.org for more information

from lonestarmusic.com - Bleu Edmondson Interview by Michael Devers

Bleu Edmondson
Q&A
By Michael Devers
August 2007

Bleu Edmondson has always been something of an enigma in the Texas Music scene, a fact that even he acknowledges with the very first line of a recent bio – “You really can't tell what you just saw after seeing The Bleu Edmondson Band perform live.” Bleu burst onto the Texas Music scene with his debut CD Southland in 2001 and very quickly recorded his second CD, The Band Plays On . The disc would hint at Bleu's willingness to take chances with a title track that became a Texas radio staple despite clocking in at six plus minutes (daring), a lead track, “Southland”, that should have been the title track of his first record (confusing), and whereas most Texas artists will throw on a Guy Clark or Townes tune, Bleu chose to cover a Harry Connick Jr. song (unpredictable).

Despite the success of his first two CDs and a tremendous live following it would be another four and a half years before Bleu would return to the studio to start work on his third album of all new material. In between he released a live recording ( One Voice ) and did so in true Bleu style. The disc is raw and full of energy, with none of the overdubs or studio-sweetening of so many “live” recordings these days.

Bleu would take that “here I am for better or worse” spirit with him into the studio for Lost Boy , by far his most daring and introspective work to date and in this writer's opinion the best work he's done period. Bleu took some time from a rare weekend off to speak with LoneStarMusic.com about Lost Boy and what the future may hold for Bleu and the band.

Where does this weekend find the Bleu Edmondson Band?

The band has the weekend off. I did three acoustic shows and now I'm taking the weekend off and spending some time with my family.

Good time to take a break. I'm sure you're about to get really busy again.

Yeah, it hasn't really slowed down much and the next two or three weeks we're going to be rehearsing a lot and then it really ramps up.

When Lost Boy comes out on Sept. 18 th , it will be one week short of five years since your last studio record. Were you working towards this record the entire time?

Ultimately, yeah probably. The last four and a half years it took me to get back into the studio, a lot has gone on in my life that did lead up to the songs that are on the record. The reason why it took so long, we were just going and going so hard, touring relentlessly trying to get people interested in what we do. And being on the road is something we love. It just kind of happened that way. I have a real problem forcing myself to write. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you want to look at it, when I finally said, “Okay I need to write this record”, there's a lot of stuff I had written down in all of these notebooks and it came out pretty easily.

You reveal a little more of yourself with each CD you put out and it seems that's even more true with this one.

It's a real personal record. There's a lot of stuff that if you read between the lines, I'd be embarrassed to just sit down and talk about. I'm a real, real private guy. Not a whole lot of people know a lot of stuff about me and because of that sometimes things get made up or stories are told that are not true just for no other reason than a lack of information. So all I can do is be honest. I figure that our fans and any potential fans deserve nothing less.

This record seems to find you contemplating spirituality more than in the past. Is that a theme that underlies the record?

It turned out to be the case, yeah. It didn't start out like that at all. I didn't even notice it until the entire album was put together. The connection was never there until I looked at it as a whole picture. I don't know that I'm necessarily contemplating spirituality, it's just the last four years of ups and downs of life, you know just living day to day, found me, probably like everyone else out there, questioning some things. I got in my fair share of fights with who I call God, and I apologized my fair share of times for things I did. Because it is personal, this record, there really was no way to separate the two. But it wasn't really a goal of mine when I was writing any of these songs.

It just happened naturally?

Pretty much so. I didn't realize half this stuff I was writing would bring people to that conclusion. But a few close friends and family that have heard the whole thing have mentioned that too. I've listened to it and I can see that also. I don't think it comes off as preachy at all. I don't think any one song sounds like a validation of faith or a condemnation of spirituality in any way.

For a while now your live shows have been a little more rockin' than your records. It seems with Lost Boy , the CDs have finally caught up.

That was a major goal of this one. The last two studio albums that we did with Lloyd Maines – I loved them. The first one especially turned out exactly like I wanted. But I was also twenty-one when I wrote those songs and I was coming from an entirely different place. It was a Texas country record in the vein of all the things I'd been listening to at that point. The Band Plays On was supposed to be more of a rock record. In 2002 we started coming into more of our definition of what we thought we should be doing. And it just didn't turn out that way. I think the record is good. I think some of the material on my part was rushed because the first record was selling so well and there were so many people coming to the shows and I thought that's just what you did. I thought every year you come out with another record. I didn't have a guide to any of it. So I think I rushed it. I think there's definitely some really good stuff on there, but I also think there's some incomplete stuff. Lloyd being Lloyd… he's a country guy. I think that's his strength and, lay most of the blame on me, that's the way that record came out.

And with Lost Boy ?

With Lost Boy we had Dwight Baker, who's a rock drummer, produce it. He's a great guy, an Austin cat, and he and I hit it off immediately. He knew exactly what I wanted to do. I think a lot of fans would go, “Man your live show is so different from your record”, and for the most part that was a positive statement, but I know that some people also felt misled in some way. I think with this record if you listen to it and like it and you come out to a live show I think you're definitely going to know what you're in for.

How did you and Dwight hook up?

Through my manager, Paul. He's been an Austin musician for years and years. He and Dwight had worked on some projects together. His forte is songwriting for major acts and producing some of the smaller acts on major labels. Dwight is also the touring drummer for a lot of big acts and was back in Austin. We just sat down for dinner one night and we're both huge Springsteen fans so we hit it off on that front. Our sense of humor is almost exactly alike and we just got along real well. After talking about goals and stuff and where we were coming from and after talking to a few other people, it just felt like the right fit and I couldn't be happier.

How long did you guys spend working on the record?

I think the record was done around mid-March, but the mastering hadn't been done until this week. Overall the tracking of the record was done in about six weeks.

In the past you've released all of your CDs yourself, but Lost Boy will be coming out on Smith Music. Are you looking forward to having a team of label folks working the record to radio, retail, and everywhere else?

It's going to be an interesting ride. Everything we've done up to this point was very do-it-yourself and you hope the decision you're making is a good one. Sometime it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it's neat to have a team of people who've been doing this for a long time and know what they're doing when it comes to records and pushing them. But at the same time, it's a little over-whelming. In addition to the Smith stuff we've got other people working on this record in terms of pushing it to films, tv shows, and all this other stuff that goes along with releasing a CD. This is our biggest record to date and it's long overdue and it's the material I'm most proud of, period. It's a big deal, you know. Having a team behind it and people who know what they're doing, it's gratifying. Very much so.

There are a couple of tracks on the new CD that fans of Texas music might already be familiar with (“Resurrection” also appears on Wade Bowen's Lost Hotel and the Brandon Jenkins song “Finger on the Trigger”). Are you doing more co-writing these days?

I never did much co-writing because I look at writing as such a personal thing. I think it's kind of strange to just generically sit down and go, “Hey! Let's have lunch. This is what I went through” and the other guy says, “Yeah, me too” and then it's “Let's write a song about it”. It just doesn't jive with me. When it comes to “Resurrection”, we wrote that years ago. I had the idea for it and had a lot of it written and I asked Wade to come over and help me finish it up. He came over and we knocked it out and it turned out real well. Our version of it is quite a bit different from his. With Brandon Jenkins, that's just a song we started doing live a couple of years ago and people really responded to it. It's a great song. I know it's a very personal song to Brandon and it's a true song and it's pretty desperate. I like it a lot. We put it on our live record and I just wanted to get into the studio with me and Dwight and the guys and see what we could do in the studio setting with it.

And on the co-writes?

I don't know exactly, but on this record there are maybe five co-writes and a lot of that was… I'd be working on a lyric and Dwight was a huge help. He'd help me out with a line here or there or he'd help me out with a melody. I'd bounce ideas off of him. Dwight co-writes a lot, but I've never been real comfortable with it so that was a good way for me to get into co-writing. It was fun and I'd do it again, especially with Dwight, but I don't know if I could meet someone cold and the next day sit down and write with them. I know a lot of people do that in L.A., New York, and Nashville, and everywhere else for that matter, but I find it a little intrusive.

How was it teaming up with Ray Wylie for “Another Morning After (the Night Before)”?

It's funny how that song turned out. Three years ago, me and Ray got together out at his place in Wimberely. I had this idea for this song and we wrote it in an afternoon and it was Ray, man, he's a spiritual guru. He's just a neat guy all the way around and a legend. For me to even be at his house was cool. It was great and he was nothing but gracious. We knocked it out and it was dramatically different, the way it was written before, music-wise. This is a great example of a song I went into Dwight with and I said, “I'm not really digging on the music. What do you think?”. Dwight was very instrumental in getting the mood set for that song, which I think captures it. Really nails it. Writing with Ray Wylie is, once you get over the initial “Wow! I'm writing with Ray Wylie Hubbard”, is pretty cool. It's pretty easy and real laid-back. And the way that song turned out I couldn't ask for anything better.

You've had some great guitarists in your band in the past. Who's playing for you these days?

We have Devon Lee playing lead guitar. He's been with me about two years now. He's a stud, man, he knows what he's doing for sure. The thing I love about Devon is he plays a much different style of guitar depending on what the song calls for. And he did all of the lead guitar work on Lost Boy and really knocked it out of the park. He's so diverse in what he listens to and he soaks it all up so if we need a real rockin' 80's vibe guitar at a show he'll play that. If we need a real country pickin' kind of thing, he'll do that. And he plays a lot of slide and different kinds of guitars – sounds and tones – he's very adaptable that way.

How influential is your immediate family on your music?

Subconsciously, very influential, but I don't necessarily write about them or write about my interaction with them. I don't know why that is. I've never really thought about it actually until you asked the question.

I know your mom is very engaged with your fan base.

She's definitely a trooper. She loves every bit of it. She's our biggest fan. A lot of people know her and she gets the word out there pretty good, I've got to say.

I hear you have some exciting things lined up for the near future. Want to give the LoneStarMusic audience a quick preview?

There's definitely some stuff that could be coming down the pike. There's some artists that I really like maybe cutting a few of my tracks. Even though I'm not really a fan of top 40 country at all, there's a couple of artists that are in that scene that I really enjoy and that I really believe when they sing. And we're waiting for word on a few films and tv projects concerning songs from the new album. Then there's all of the trips in the next year we're going to be taking to promote Lost Boy . We're going to make it out to California for the first time and Seattle for the first time. We're going back to New York. We'll hit Minnesota and Milwaukee for the first time. We'll also be touring through the southeast a little more regular than we have. To be totally honest the success of this record is what's going to set the agenda.

What you mentioned before about other artists cutting your songs and film or tv placement, that really raises the profile and helps with everything.

Absolutely it does. And if radio gets a hold of it, who the hell knows. I think this record could go either way – it's either going to tank or people are going to really like it. I don't think it's going to be a middle of the road record. I don't know if I'd have it any other way. I don't want people to be just kind of “bleh” about it. I want people to either really love it, or as you can tell by reading the reviews of almost every artist on LoneStarMusic.com, some people really hate it too. I definitely get my fair share of trash talking and so does Ragweed and Pat, Cory and Randy and whoever else.

I try to tell any band that starts experiencing that for the first time, “Congratulations! You've made it to the next level”.

Exactly. When people give a damn enough to sit at their computer and trash you, I guess you're getting through. But I look for this album to do something different. I think it sounds, not only sonically, but the things we used and the kind of songs we put down, different than anything that's come out in this scene, ever. And because I think that way, people are going to go “Oh, this is shit” or they're going to go, “Wow, this is interesting, it's cool, I dig it, I can roll with it.” I don't know, I'm anxious to find out. So September is a big month.

One last question for you – Are you tired of hearing “You're my boy, Bleu”?

(Laughs) Every single night I get that. But no, to answer your question. I just want people to have a good time and forget about life for the two or three hours that we're together in some honky-tonk. If they get excited enough to scream something like that when they know, coming out of their mouths they know it's probably been said fifty thousand times, then fine by me. Bring it on.

Pre-orders will receive
an autographed booklet
-while supplies last-

Bleu Edmondson
Lost Boy
*ship 9/18*
(buy) - $14.99

Saturday, July 28, 2007

KLIPSPRINGER

KLIPSPRINGER

@ Dfest in Tulsa

Saturday, July 28th
@ McNellie's Public House
409 E. 1st St.

Come see over 130 amazing artists!
You can buy a two day festival wristband for only $20.00 online @ www.dfest.com
With your purchase you will receive FREE a Two Disc Compilation of showcasing artists.
Over 130+ Showcasing Artists
Over 20+ Genres
FREE Two Disc Compilation CD
3 Festival Stages and 11 Clubs
Commemorative Merchandise
Food & Beverage Vendors
Best Damn Time for $20.00

Friday July 27-
The Flaming Lips
Shiny Toy Guns
Ghost of Monks Hood
Black Stone Cherry
:40 of Hell
Dios (dios malos)
Stevedore
Seis Pistos
Stars of Track and Field
Starkweather Boys
Colourmusic
Green Lemon
The Rounders
Billy Joe Winghead
The Stock Market Crash

Saturday July 28-
Klipspringer
Leon Russell
Crocodile
El Paso Hot Button
Evangelicals
Dorian Small
Student Film
Amos Lee
The Format
The Honorary Title
Limbeck
Steel Train
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
The Starlight Mints
MC Chris
Ludo

and many more!
We'd love to see you there.