What Will The New Year Bring?

We are not taking orders on any of these yet but we thought you might enjoy seeing some things that are coming down the road in 2009.

Justin Townes Earle finishes /Midnight at the Movies/
Justin finished up his follow-up to /The Good Life/ for us and it has all of us in the compound walking around all bug-eyed. How a guy that did such an amazing job on his first record could take an even GREATER leap forward is pretty exciting. The album is called /Midnight at the Movies/ and it will hit the street in March 09 on CD and LP. Justin continues to tour his ass off, both domestically and internationally. Between US shows, he hits Australia soon and revisits the UK in January. Here's the video for "The Good Life" http://www.vimeo.com/1485978

Ha Ha Tonka Hitting Studio for 2nd Bloodshot album
Ha Ha Tonka are starting work on their 2nd Bloodshot album very shortly in St. Louis at Sawhorse Studios. Jason McIntire is at the helm; his most recent success was producing the St. Louis buzz band, Ludo. Ha Ha Tonka's incredible animated video for Caney Mountain is here: http://www.vimeo.com/1429884

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Recording Now
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir are in the studio currently working on their new album, titled "And The Horse You Rode in On". Expect the follow up to their critically acclaimed self titled album in stores in mid-2009. Elia wrote the majority of the album in Wales, and calls it "An angry, comically heart wrenching record, alternately venting spleen and touching on the poignancy of betrayal and loss."

Bottle Rockets Record with Eric "Roscoe" Ambel
The Bottle Rockets celebrated their 15^th anniversary by recording a spanking new album with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, producer of their renowned album, /The Brooklyn Side/. The new album will be released in spring 2009.

Scott Biram zeros in on completion of new album
The one band destruction machine, Scott Biram, is closing in on the completion of his next album. Highlights include a cover of "I Feel So Good" by Muddy Waters with The Black Diamond Heavies guesting. John Meyers from the Heavies also contributed some keyboards on one of Scott's tunes, titled "Why You Give Me Such a Hard Time?" Album art is slated to be by Mark Todd, known for his work for Scratch Acid and Jesus Lizard.

Bobby Bare Jr & Sr Producing Tribute to Shel Silverstein
Bobby and his dad are executive-producing a tribute to Shel Silverstein that will be released on Sugar Hill/Vanguard in mid 2009. The two of them have the following bands slated to contribute (and quite a few are already recorded):
Emmylou Harris
Black Keys
George Jones & Ray Price
Allison Krauss
Band of Horses
Dr. Dog
Andrew Bird
Kris Kristofferson (backed by members of the Silver Jews)
My Morning Jacket

And last but certainly not least, available March 3, 2009
Buddy & Julie Miller's Written In Chalk
Album Features Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and more
Track List:
1 Ellis County/(Julie Miller)
2 Gasoline and Matches/(Julie and Buddy Miller)
3 Don't Say Goodbye/(Julie Miller)
4 What You Gonna Do, Leroy/(Mel Tillis)
5 A Long, Long Time/(Julie Miller)
6 One Part, Two Part/(Dee Ervin)
7 Chalk/(Julie Miller)
8 Everytime We Say Goodbye/(Julie Miller)
9 Hush, Sorrow/(Julie Miller)
10 Smooth/(Julie Miller)
11 June /(Julie Miller)
12 The Selfishness In Man/(Leon Payne)

December Mailer : First Look

Your Early Christmas Present

Due to just about anything you can name (they don't call it stuffing for nothing) we're a bit behind finishing the December mailer. Most, but not all, of the titles have been input at the website, however they lack reviews and information. Due to the limited nature of some titles, and the fact that it's December and restocking will get more difficult with each passing day we're offering blog subscribers first shot at these titles.

That's not to say that we won't be able to get these again, it's just that it will take longer this time of year on some titles and we know some of these will make great presents. Things usually slow down in December, but for some reason there are lots of essential titles and some hard to find ones that we've been trying for months to offer finally showing up at our tree.

This link will take you to the work in progress mailer. Non blog subscribers will not get this opportunity. (Membership still has its privilege's even in these tough times) You will still eventually get a complete email version just like always, but when you see some of the titles you'll not want to be left out while we wait for additional stock.

Thanks for another wonderful year, and keep checking the site for more great titles.

A Long Lost Friend

There aren’t many songs that deal directly with Thanksgiving, (no shortage of movies though) but the sentiment of family, turkey and home has been the mainstay of countless songs throughout the centuries.

This is one of our favorites that has stood the test of time. It hits all of the bases, and unlike a lot of songs from the seventies this one has endured and gets better with each passing season. He may have come off square, but never less than sincere in our book. (Watch for James Burton on guitar)

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us, to all of you.

Hard Travelin'

Ry Cooder's America

Will Rogers, Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, Studs Turkel, Will Eisner, and Jack Kerouac to name just a few, all had "their" America that they shared with the world through their works and deeds. Ry Cooder has been fashioning his version one album at a time for over forty years. The following story is the latest chapter in his saga.

Ry Cooder's American West

Dave Alvin Answers The Hard Questions

Here is a nice short inteview with one of my all time favorites. Dave Alvin, past, present, and future. He discusses his years with Hightone and the new collection, the lyrics to Fourth Of July, and his upcoming Chris Gaffney project. That is one that will be on my want list next year.

Cover Me

It’s a debatable argument as to how much music has gone downhill since the demise of vinyl. However, it’s not much of an argument that album art has been on life support since the advent of the disc. The reasons are obvious owing to the size of the booklets versus the album covers.

I discovered this site that celebrates the heretofore unknown interactive aspect of album art. It lets you (with some effort on your part) become part of your favorite album if you take the notion. If you think we have too much time on our hands by surfing a site like this, think about those who actually put out the effort to collect the content for it.

If you enjoy this site bookmark it because it updates often and the content gets more creative as time goes on.

Enjoy!

Three Girls And Their Buddy

Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller Announce A Second Run Of Their Collaborative Shows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 11, 2008) — Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller have announced they will again join forces for a series of collaborative shows in 2008. The “Three Girls and Their Buddy” tour will perform in the Northeast U.S., beginning in Alexandria, VA. on February 3, 2009 at The Birchmere and concluding in Boston, MA. on February 22 at The Orpheum. A New York City show at the newly reopened and remodeled Beacon Theater will take place on February 20th. The “Three Girls and Their Buddy” shows feature all four artists performing onstage together, sharing the songs and stories that have defined their venerated careers.
The four have a long-established history of musical associations, having been in each other’s bands, produced and played on each other’s albums, covered each other’s songs, and guested on each other’s shows many times over the years. Buddy Miller was Emmylou’s band leader in the outfit Spyboy and produced her live album by that name. Patty Griffin’s song “One Big Love” was recorded by Emmylou, who has made appearances on Patty’s last two studio albums. Emmylou, Patty and Buddy – with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings – toured together as Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue, a special run of collaborative shows. Buddy has performed many times over the years with Shawn Colvin, beginning with her inclusion in The Buddy Miller Band in the 80s in New York City and leading up to the These Four Walls tour in the fall of 2006. The group was recently reunited in October for a spirited performance at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
Tickets for all shows on the Three Girls and their Buddy tour will go on sale starting 11/21.
Fans can take advantage of a special pre-sale beginning November 14th at 10 am EST. Presale participants will have access to the best seats available, plus the opportunity to pre-purchase a limited edition tour poster signed by all four artists. Anyone who purchases a ticket via the presale will also be entered to win a meet and greet with the artists, with four lucky winners per show.

To purchase tickets via the presale, click here.

Three Girls and their Buddy 2009:
Date City/State Venue Onsale
February 3-4 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Nov 21, 2008
February 5 Harrisburg, PA Whitaker Center at the Forum Nov 21, 2008
February 6 Glenside, PA The Keswick Nov 20, 2008
February 8 Portsmouth, NH Music Hall TBD
February 9 Ithaca, NY State Theatre Nov 21, 2008
February 10 Torrington, CT The Warner Theater Nov 21, 2008
February 20 New York, NY Beacon Theatre Nov 22, 2008
February 21 Kingston, NY Bardavon 1869 Opera House Nov 24, 2008
February 22 Boston, MA The Orpheum

Please Vote Today

No matter how long the lines might be today please stay there. This is important. You can make a difference.

-Lyrics-

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

Celebrities featured include: Jesse Dylan, Will.i.am, Common, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Amber Valetta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger and Nick Cannon

Hold On, It's Coming

NEW MAILER IS ON THE WAY

Special Election Issue

We're getting some nervous emails and calls about the November mailer. Not to worry we're almost done with it. It would have been out on time except for the fact that we've been standing in line for two days to vote. The owners have voted, but some of the mail room and graphics people are still in line. Exit polls point to a really strong mailer for this late in the year. In this election it's you the customer that will be declared the winner.

A New Robert Johnson Photo Found?

We found this article from Vanity Fair to be very interesting. Maybe you will too.

Ray Wylie Hubbard And Grounded In Music

Ray Wylie Hubbard is involved in two upcoming events to raise money for a very worthwhile cause and we at Village Records are very happy to help promote these.

All proceeds from both the October 25th Songwriting Workshop and the Epiphone Guitar Raffle will be donated to the Grounded In Music Organization. You still have time to sign up for either one of these or both. Who knows you may even win a guitar and learn to write a great song! We hope you will join them.

Grounded In Music works with the Boys & Girls Clubs to expose kids to music starting in grades 4-12. Professional musicians come to the Clubs and give kids lessons on a variety of instruments, many of which have been generously donated. But not only will kids learn to play, they'll learn about other aspects of the music business through visits backstage and to recording studios. As the program develops there will be scholarships available for the study of music beyond high school.

Tom Russell and Ian Tyson DVD

We were not expecting this DVD to arrive until November but it will be in stock Monday and start shipping Tuesday, 14th October!

Ian Tyson and Tom Russell: Mano a Mano!

For two days in 2008, Russell and Tyson held court, "mano a mano," at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko,Nevada, and offered a rare glimpse into the creative process of songwriting, plus a friendship and collaboration that spans decades. Tyson speaks of the Dylan days, and both writers cut to the core of their art. This songwriting workshop forms the basis for this DVD which also includes performances by Tyson and Russell and an exclusive interview with Ian Tyson which is included in it’s entirity as a bonus feature. 90 minutes.
Produced by Tom Russell and Eric Temple