Trinomial Bands: Two Cow Garage

Two Cow Garage: No Shame

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Two Cow Garage is a rock band from Columbus, Ohio, that inserts elements of punk and country into their music. My friends tell me that they are one of the best live rock bands going these days, but unfortunately, I have yet to see them in the flesh. This song is off of their 2007 album III (not surprisingly, their third album), which is one of my favorite records from the last decade.

The song "No Shame" is essentially about quitting the band and getting a 9-to-5 day job.

Well now there's a guitar that's leaning on my wall,
the instrument of my ultimate downfall.
And notebooks scattered all over my floor.
Six hundred pages all filled with regret,
and hundreds of songs that I ain't finished yet,
and a job application getting harder to ignore.

I spent the last half of 2011 and the first half of 2012 unemployed, and this song became my theme song as I pondered changing careers. Fortunately, I did not have to change careers, and neither did Two Cow Garage. They are currently working on their sixth album (not entitled VI).

(Sorry this post is so short. Heat wave + no A/C = no brainpower for Aimz.)

Trinomial Bands: Eddie From Ohio

Eddie From Ohio: Twenty Thousand Hearts

[purchase]

It's been over three years since we last saw Virginia folk foursome Eddie From Ohio on these pages, and a couple of years since they last headlined at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, a heady camping-and-more extravaganza on the NY/MA border where several of my fellow Starmakers are known to congregate the last weekend in July, and where, though they're known better, perhaps, for more wry, upbeat twirl-along tracks from a sweet series of albums, this quiet favorite, especially, has been known to echo off the hills beautifully, reminding us how well the band plays tender, too.

But Edheads, rejoice: I'm happy to announce that juliemikeeddie&robbie will once again be returning to the hills of Hillsdale, for their usual mainstage madness and - most especially - to host the Sunday Morning Gospel Workshop. I'll be there - and so, I suspect, will fellow FRFF/SMM regulars FiL and Susan. Feel free to stop in, folks; we're in the kid-friendly campsite with the white picket fence around it, with a full cooler to share.

Bonus video, taken live and on site at Falcon Ridge - can you believe it's been almost a decade since this set?

Trinomials : Young Fresh Fellows

Young Fresh Fellows : Aurora Bridge

[Purchase]

In their own humorous, self-effacing way, The Young Fresh Fellows are everything you  need to know about the Seattle music scene, which is really made up of a surprisingly small but tightly-knit group of people who are music lovers first and foremost. Nerdy types who worked in record stores just so they could use their employee discounts to buy the same records they'd been bombing customers with all day. Cellophane Square, in Seattle's University District, employed members of The Fastbacks, Modest Mouse, Kinski and many other bands including the unruly haired Scott McCaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows. 

The Fellows achieved some cult status sized fame around the country in the 80's and in the 90's but in Seattle they were the cool slightly older brothers of the rock scene, adored by most. Annoying only to bands who came up with great, clever and novel ideas for songs only to hear that The Fellows had already done that.

When The Fellows were taking time off, Scott played with his friend Peter's band. You wouldn't know the name if I said it so I won't bother. Okay it was R.E.M.

In 1999, on an afternoon before Danny DeVito hosted Saturday Night Live, Scott and members of R.E.M. were walking down a street in Manhattan when a fan from Seattle stopped them and asked what they were doing in the city. Buck said they were playing Saturday Night Live. "You're kidding!" the fan said. "That's so cool! The Young Fresh Fellows are on Saturday Night Live!"

Trinomial Bands: First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit: Emmylou
[purchase]

 So what if I told you that the best Americana you'd heard in years didn't hail from somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line, but rather from a little suburb of Stockholm called Enskede?  And what if I then told you that it was being made by two young sisters, aged 21 and 19 respectively, who despite their ages and geographical dislocation had somehow managed to tap directly into the vein of hickory-infused Blues and Soul that most modern Country acts search in vain ever to even locate, let alone access?  And on top of all that, what if I told you that they were possessed of the assurance to conjure up the image of the titular Country legend, as well as the ghosts of Gram Parsons, June Carter and the Man in Black himself, inviting them to acquiesce to their effortless ascension to a pantheon most could only dream of emulating? Kind of unlikely, no?

Trinomial Bands: Janne Da Arc

Janne Da Arc: Gaia
[purchase]

Acid Black Cherry: Ai no Baka! (Stupid Love)
[purchase]

It's been a month since I lost every song and image I've ever posted here. While part of me expected the hammer to fall, internet times being what they are, part of me is still in mourning the loss. What's worse is that I now lack the tools to continue a streamlined method of posting here. I'm going to try this post; you may see an image, and you may get the songs but not the "play" links (kkafa, my co-blogger, has fixed this problem for me; thanks!) And because I'm posting J-Rock, I'm not sure if this is going to be a pressing issue, really. Still, I'd like to try one last time to reach out with music that makes me hum.

Janne Da Arc was not actually named after Joan of Arc but rather a Devilman manga character. Janne da Arc is a visual kei band from Osaka that formed in 1996, and they're still going strong. The lead singer, Yasu, has also spun off a successful solo band, Acid Black Cherry (hey, another trinomial name I've linked, w00t!)

Trinomial Bands: Change Of Pace

Change of Pace: Bring My Buddies Back
[purchase]
In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Freda Payne sang one of the great anti-war songs, “Bring The Boys Home” and had a surprise hit with it, taking the composition by General Johnson, Gregory S Perry and Angelo Bond to #12 in the US charts.

Soon after, a little known soul band called Change of Pace reworked the song, presenting it from a whole new perspective. Where Payne stated her request as an observer, Change of Pace framed their case from the point of view of the soldiers who have done their tour, and accordingly are much more invested in the fate of their comrades left in ’Nam.

The sweet soul of the original is now accompanied by the martial counting rhythm, and the lyrics are changed to account for the new perspective.

In one of those cruel quirks of musical fate, Change Of Pace did not enjoy the success they merited on account of their Bring My Buddies Back LP, an album of fine soul music, perceptive lyrics and a couple of very good covers, including a great one of Conway Twitty’s hit “Hello Darling”.

Trinomial Bands: Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra: Sweet Talking Woman

[purchase]

I’m sure it shows my  age: there can’t be too many of you out there who listened to or even remember Electric Light Orchestra back in the '70s. And I confess that when the name of the band came to mind as a “Trinomial Band”, it didn’t take long for me to dredge up the name “Jeff Lynne” in association. Lynne had an inclination toward the classics: note the use of the strings in several places.

The music has shades of late Beatles, Bee Gees and Genesis. Genesis (to me) because of the changes/extended/compository nature. Bee Gees/Beatles: I think that’s obvious enough in the vocal harmonies. Seems to me that you’ll likely  also notice the roots of The Travelling Wilburys in this tune. No surprise: Jeff Lynne later went on to help found the Travelling Wilburys along with George Harrison.

Trinomial Bands: Dead Men’s Hollow

Dead Men’s Hollow: Grandma was a Cropduster

[purchase]

I was first introduced to Dead Men’s Hollow in 2005 with their debut album called “Forever True.” About a year later, they released their album called “Two-Timin’.” The band from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. plays Acoustic Americana, roughly defined as old-time, bluegrass, southern gospel and country blues fronted by three-part female harmony vocals and backed by acoustic stringed instruments.

Founded in Arlington, Va., they take their name from an area near there that was dominated by saloons, pawn shops and houses of ill repute in the aftermath of the Civil War. Today, that area is known as Rosslyn, but back then it was called “Dead Men’s Hollow.” To pass through safely, law-abiding citizens traveled in well-armed groups.

On a hot, humid summer day in 2001, Dead Men’s Hollow began as an impromptu backyard jam session. Upon hearing some real potential with their three-part harmonies, the friends decided to form a band.  Original members Belinda Hardesty, Caryn Fox and Mike Clayberg enlisted bass-player Bob Peirce in the fall of 2003. Amy Nazarov (vocals) and Marcy Cochran (fiddle) joined in late-2003, and the band then began seriously gigging.

Nazarov grew up singing madrigals with her folks, on stage and in church choirs, and supplying backup vocals for friends. Peirce has played for 30 years, including stints in classic rock and blues bands. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Hardesty holds a music degree and teaches school.  Cochran is a longtime folk music fan. From New York, Fox is a classically-trained soprano who writes and sings country heartbreakers. Clayberg (guitar, Dobro, mandolin, tenor banjo) played punk rock for 20 years before returning to his Virginia old-time country roots. In true collaborative fashion, each member brings things to the table that make for a convincing, cohesive musical presentation. Their instrumental work isn't flashy, but it has whimsical and expressive folksy charm.

Besides their spirited instrumentation, Dead Men’s Hollow has a harmony-laden signature sound that has built them a legion of fans. They emphasize their charm, effort and playfulness. The band’s vocal harmonies are of special note -- warm, friendly, and a perfect showcase for their earthier side. No doubt influenced by the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” phenomenon, the band clearly has a lot of fun.

On the sampled 2006 album, guest banjo-player Dan Mazer joins them on "Grandma was a Cropduster," "A Tale of the Week," and "Glory Land." The former, written by Bob Peirce, is an imaginative fictional account of a high-flying woman. It enlists the support of Ron Goad on backing vocals.

Since the release of their “Two-Timin’” album, Peirce has apparently moved on to other endeavors, and Jared Creason now fills the shoes on bass. He holds a B.A. with a minor in music from Indiana State University. In September 2010, Dead Men’s Hollow released a new album called “Angels’ Share.”

Trinomial Bands: Flat Earth Society

Flat Earth Society : Feelin' Much Better

[Purchase]

A group of talented teens from suburban Lynn, Massachusetts, Flat Earth Society won a contest by writing a radio jingle for the F.B. Washburn Candy Company's new Waleeco candy bar. Their prize: an opportunity to cut an album. The band only had half an album's worth of material but desperation provided fine inspiration. Among the inspired moments on the 1968 album : getting the cool phasing sound on "Feelin' Much Better" by spraying a can into a bucket.

Once they finished the album, they had one more obstacle in their way. This time it was one that proved far too great to overcome. Anyone who wanted to hear the album, unfortunately titled Waleeco,  had to send $1.50 plus six candy bar wrappers. Yeah, that didn't happen much. But today you can get your own copy of the album by sending just $19.60 plus shipping to Amazon.com. 

Trinomial Bands: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bad Moon Rising

[purchase]

Trinomial Bands: Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night: Shambala


[purchase]

Shamb(h)ala is the Buddhist “Pure Land” (Wikipedia). In the 1960s and 70s, the West adopted it as a mythical spiritual land of perfection and peace. Like many beliefs and concepts from the hippie 1960s and 70s, knowledge about the philosophy/concept was based on “fragmented accounts” and uninformed stories.  It was a land somewhere around Tibet.

What was important for the “peace/love” hippies was its mythical value as a land of inspiration and promise. In many ways, it was nearly a synonym for Shangri-la: a hidden, mystic land in the Himalayas  where everyone lived and worked for the good of mankind: a lot like the American (hippe) commune.

Three Dog Night – still touring today – hit their prime in the late 60s and early 70s. The Internet tells us that Shambala – typical of most Three Dog Night songs – was not of their creation. It did, however, rise pretty high on the charts in 1973. They sang:

Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambhala

Three Dog Night is credited with 7 Gold records. Among their hits that you ought to/are probably familiar with are:
One (written by Harry Nilsson),
Momma Told Me Not to Come
Joy to the World
Easy to be Hard

Trinomial Bands: Go Betty Go

Go Betty Go: You're Your Worst Enemy
[purchase]

Since I’ve started contributing to this blog, I seem to have written a great deal about my son, and not so much about my daughter. That is probably in part because my son and I have more similar tastes, and in part because by the time she was interested in going to concerts, her older brother could chaperone her. But we do have some good stories.

In 2004, my son wanted to go to Warped Tour. He was 14 and was in a punky phase. If you don’t know what Warped Tour is, it is a full day, multi-stage outdoor festival that is targeted at teens, and usually focused on punk, emo and other permutations of the style (screamo, ska, metal, etc.). It is also a great marketing event, with tons of sponsors and merch booths. I agreed to take him and a few of his friends to the show, which was held at Randall’s Island off of Manhattan. As it turned out, it was a great day. A rare August day that was warm, but not hot, with no humidity. We saw some great bands, including NOFX, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Coheed & Cambria, Bad Religion, Sugarcult and Tiger Army. Because so many of the kids were in their early and mid-teens, there were lots of parents and there was a dedicated parents’ tent for all of the chaperones who wanted some air conditioning and a place to sit, but I never needed it. I had a blast.

Flash forward a year. My daughter is now almost 12, and she wants to go to Warped Tour. The lineup isn’t as good, but I had so much fun, I agree to take her, my son and a friend of his. This year, however, it is 100+ degrees. The hottest day in New York in years. Something that didn’t really register the year before is that there is almost no shade, and whatever shade there is, is filled with people and their trash. We do see some good bands, including The Transplants, Dropkick Murphys, My Chemical Romance, the Fear Nuttin’ Band and Motion City Soundtrack, but there are too many damned emo bands that sound alike. It is so hot, that I, a 44 year old lawyer with two kids, find myself lying in the dirt trying to stay cool. Luckily, the promoters provide free water trucks, or there would have been even more people passing out than we saw (they did have good medical support, though). And the line to the parents’ tent is incredibly long, so I don’t even try to get in.

At one point, my daughter and I are not interested in the bands playing on the main stages and head off to check out the smaller stages. Although there are girls at Warped Tour, the audience is mostly boys, and the bands are mostly male. We stumble upon a stage featuring an all-female band, rocking out. They are Go Betty Go, and they are great. The singer, Nicolette Vilar, has an incredible punk voice. Her sister Aixa is a muscular, powerful drummer, Michelle Rangel is a strong bass player, and the guitarist, Betty Cisneros, rocks. We enjoy the hell out of the set, and we buy their CD at the merch table. I was glad that there was at least one female role model for my daughter, who is a singer. Although her repertoire skews more toward singer/songwriter and soul these days, I’d like to think that seeing Go Betty Go reinforced to her that girls can rock.

At about 4, there is a brief rain shower that is welcome because it cooled everything down and kept some of the dust out of the air. Although Warped Tour 2 wasn’t the great experience of Warped Tour 1, I still had a great time, got some great stories, and shared some musical memories with my daughter.

In 2006, Warped Tour moved to The Nassau Coliseum parking lot, and we didn’t follow.

This song, “You're Your Worst Enemy,” is from the EP that we bought at the show. It is the first track, and is pretty much what you will get from the band. Tight playing, some harmonies and great hooks. The next year, Go Betty Go released a very good full length album, but canceled the end of the supporting tour apparently due to dissention in the band. Singer Nicolette Vilar left and ultimately was replaced by a singer who later was on American Idol. From all reports, the band is basically defunct, which is too bad.

Trinomials: Robert Earl Keen

Robert Earl Keen: The Road Goes On Forever

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Since the world of Country music is rife with trinomials, and since it's been all of two months since we posted anything from one of our most beloved favorites here on Planet Starmaker, here's an eleventh-hour dance hall kicker from true-blue Texan cowboy country artist Robert Earl Keen, on longplay from his utterly incredible 1996 live cassette, released with some fanfare in the usual digital formats in 2004. The lyrics alone show what this man's worth: true folk fans will recognize the cadence, the lyrical structure, and most notably the fine narrative turn in the final verse as picture-perfect use of the ballad form, though the audience seems content to merely holler along.

Trinomials: Ray Wylie Hubbard

Ray Wylie Hubbard: Conversation with the Devil

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While we are on the topic of progressive country songwriters from Texas with three names, I present Ray Wylie Hubbard, who collaborated extensively with Jerry Jeff Walker in the 1970s. You all can google up Mr. Hubbard's biography, so I am going to tell you how I discovered his music.

I was walking home from work one evening in the mid-2000s, when I was living in Toronto. I always cut through Grange Park on my way to/from work. The park is located behind an art school, and on a nice day the park would be filled with students and other harmless slackers who had nothing better to do than smoke dope. On really nice spring and fall days this park would contain so many weed smokers that there would be a giant mushroom cloud of smoke above the park, and you would get high from second hand smoke by just walking through the park. I miss Canada.

Anyhoo, as I was meandering home through the dope smokers, the song "Conversation with the Devil" popped up on my Zune (stop laughing). This song was my introduction to Hubbard. The song describes the narrator finding himself in hell, and trying to sweet-talk the devil into letting him out. As the devil is giving the narrator a tour of hell, the devil points out the murderers, rapists, and politicians serving their time in eternal damnation. My favorite lines: "What you won't find up in Heaven are Christian Coalition Right Wing Conservatives, country program directors, and Nashville record executives." I literally giggled to myself as I made my way through the fog of marijuana smoke. This song is brilliant!

Hubbard's albums of the last 20 years are some of the best alternative country records you will ever hear. They contain masterful storytelling, insightful observations on daily life, and lessons for the road-weary. That last sentence was pretentious blogger-speak for, "makes ya think." Especially when walking through a park full of stoners.

Trinomials: Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker: Dear John Letter Lounge

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The progressive country music movement of the 1970s spawned many three-name acts, among them Ray Wylie Hubbard, Willis Alan Ramsey, Michael Martin Murphey, David Allan Coe, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, B. W. Stevenson and Billy Joe Shaver. Even Johnny Paycheck, trying to establish his '70s outlaw creds, added a third name and briefly recorded as "John 'Austin' Paycheck."

But, the archetypal trinomial progressive country singer is Jerry Jeff Walker. The name Jerry Jeff Walker seems to fit the man. He sings and write like someone who should be named "Jerry Jeff." Indeed, it's such a perfect name, it almost seems like it couldn't be real. It isn't. He was born 70 years ago in New York with the name Ronald Clyde Crosby.

So from where did the "Jerry Jeff Walker" sobriquet come? I found a zillion sources stating with great authority that Ronald Clyde Crosby adopted the stage name Jerry Jeff Walker in 1966, just as he was establishing himself as a part of the Greenwich Village folk scene. None of these citations offered details on the origins of the name. Finally, thanks to Google Books, I came across a Texas Monthly profile of Jerry Jeff Walker from 1979, written by humorist Roy Blount Jr. Humorist Roy Blount Jr. Not noted biographer Roy Blount Jr. So, who knows if this is true: "Jerry came from his drinking ID; Jeff came from (he thinks maybe) the movie star Jeff Chandler and Walker either from a musician named Kirby Walker or the movie star Robert Walker."

Regardless of its origins, the man with those three names put out some great music over the years. "Dear John Letter Lounge" is ripped from one of his best records, It's a Good Night for Singing. Neither the album, nor this song, has never been put out on CD.

Bonus track: The trinomial Jerry Jeff Walker spawned a trinomial band: (the) Lost Gonzo Band. The Gonzos backed Jerry Jeff during his glory years. Here the Gonzos offer up the original version of bandmember Gary P. Nunn's "The Last Thing I Needed," later made famous by Willie Nelson.

Lost Gonzo Band: The Last Thing I Needed

[purchase (vinyl only)]

Trinomials: Hank Williams Junior

Hank Williams Jr.: Mobile Boogie

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What a difference a single word can make. Hank Williams: The architect of all that is right with country music, the tortured soul who grabbed listeners with his songs of pain and sorrow, good times and wild times, with an aching voice and a poet's gift for language. Hank Williams Junior....well, not quite in that league.

That's the paradox of the "Junior" suffix. Your dad's name may kick open a few doors for you. But, it dooms you to a life of being measured against your forbearer's legend -- and usually not favorably.

Technically, he's not even "Hank Williams Jr." His real name is Randall Hank Williams (as you may know from the many times he proclaimed "this is rockin' Randall Hank" during the musical introductions to Monday Night Football), dad was born Hiram King Williams.

While Hank Williams Jr. is no Hank Williams, I would argue with anyone claiming that Junior made it solely on his father's name. Certainly, the father's legend helped the son land a recording contract while he was still young. Hank Jr. released his first record at age 15. Throughout the '60s and early '70s, he put together a string of mid-charting hits. Williams the younger's voice doesn't much resemble his father's, nor did his records from this period, which were pure Nashville countrypolitan. But, countrypolitan has its place, and Williams's output compares favorably to what was played on country radio at the time.

Then, in 1975, he suffered a near-fatal mountain-climbing accident in Montana. Williams emerged not only with a new face (replacing the one smashed against the rocks of Ajax Mountain), but a new sound -- influenced by Waylon Jennings, the Charlie Daniels Band and southern blues. As he healed, he recorded sporadically. Those albums were impressive, particularly Hank and Friends -- featuring musicians from CDB and Marshall Tucker -- The New South and One Night Stands. ("Mobile Boogie" is taken from that latter release.)

As Williams recovered and returned to a frenetic pace of recording and touring, that level couldn't be maintained. His records became predictable and, well, dumb. The right-wing form of political correctness seeped into his writing, and he also displayed a predilection for singing songs about himself and the challenges of being Hank Sr.'s son. Hank Williams Jr. still occasionally puts out interesting material -- 2002's Almeria Club Recordings is a fine amalgam of country and blues. But mostly his output for the past three decades is forgettable good ol' boy stuff.

Maybe Hank Sr. would have faced a similar decline had he survived into his 30s and beyond. Or maybe it's a trinomial jinx. The offspring who have followed in the footsteps of Hank Williams Jr. -- Hank III and Holly Williams -- perform with only one space in their names and have put out great music.

Trinomials: Tony Joe White

Tony Joe White: Did Somebody Make A Fool Out Of You?
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You take another shot, but the bourbon has no taste anymore and sure as shit ain't keeping the cold out.  The cluttered, empty room's a mess but you'll be damned if you touch a thing.  A toast, then: to endings.  At least you know where you are with them.  Beginnings are more obtuse: you'll never guess which road they're gonna take you down, sometimes not even while you're walking them.  Endings are concrete.  You can count on them.  So why is it so damn cold?

To endings, then.  And to hope: the hope that you're through with beginnings.  A voice in your head tells you this will pass.  One more ending.  Because you know where you are with endings: at the beginning.  The sun will come out and the cold will be gone.  But not tonight.  You take another shot, and damn if the bourbon doesn't taste just fine.

Trinomials: Andy Fairweather Low

Andy Fairweather Low : Dancing In The Dark

[Purchase]

Welsh guitar wizard Andy Fairweather Low is one of the great Zeligs of British Rock And Roll and apparently not a bad tennis player either. Andy has played with just about everybody--from Eric Clapton on his seven million selling Unplugged album to Roger Waters on his 2007 Dark Side of the Moon Tour. Then there's Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, George Harrison, Gerry Rafferty and hundreds more.

Andy came to fame as lead vocalist ( somewhat Sting like) and teen pin-up with the pop band Amen Corner and hit #1 in 1969 with a song called "(If Paradise Is)" Half As Nice".  When Amen Corner split Andy retired for a few years before returning with his 1974 album Spider Jiving, featuring his wah wah driven Top 10 hit "Reggae Tune". From that album we present "Dancing In The Dark" a song championed as "slyly hermeneutic" by critic Robert Christgau. Nearly 40 years later, I don't know what Christgau means by that.

There's still no quit in Mr Low ( and not much in the way of hair these days). He still tours as a solo artist and just last year contributed vocals to a Kate Bush album.

Trinomials: June Carter Cash

June Carter Cash (and Johnny Cash): Jackson

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June Carter Cash’s success story actually began two years before she was even born. It was a hot day in August 1927 when two women and a man (A.P. Carter, his wife Sara, and her cousin Maybelle) appeared at the New York studio door of a big-time talent scout for Victor Records. To audition, they’d spent the entire day before driving an old Model A Ford down mountain roads from the small hamlet of Bristol on the Virginia/Tennessee state line. Three flat tires later, they’d “arrived” in the big city. Impressed by their emotion, rusticity, charm and soul, Victor Records launched their career. It wasn’t long before The Carter Family’s music was playing from radios across the U.S. As country music hadn’t even been named yet, Victor simply called its brand “Old-Time Melodies of the Sunny South.”            

Maybelle gave birth to June in 1929, and by 1939 she was appearing on the radio too, playing autoharp and guitar. In fact, all three of Maybelle’s children would sing together as an act. At the time, June didn’t really want to sing, and her mother wasn’t even sure if she could carry a tune. Maybelle told the ten-year-old, “If you’re gonna be on the world’s largest radio station with us, we’ll need some kind of miracle.” The dream materialized, and all the kids found parts on the show that always opened with the upbeat theme song, “Keep on the Sunny Side.”    

The 2-disc album (linked above) comes with a hard cover CD book full of liner notes, historical perspectives, song credits and photographs. After the opening theme, we hear ten-year-old June Carter singing “Oh! Susannah” in 1939. The 1949 cut of “Root Hog or Die” includes her trademark “growl,” and her comic routines until 1948 as Aunt Polly might’ve even included buck-dancing. Onstage, she simply became “Little Junie Carter” when they came to the Grand Ole Opry in 1950.

Just from her tone and inflection, it's readily apparent that June was a good-time fun-loving gal who always kept on the sunny side of life. Although a true entertainer, her success was slow in coming in an era when female vocalists were more of a novelty in country music. June's various antics and hillbilly humor became part of her act presumably as a result of her own lack of self-confidence as a vocalist. After she and Carl Smith divorced in 1956, she studied acting in New York. In 1961, Johnny Cash invited Maybelle and the Carter Sisters to tour with him. June co-authored “Ring of Fire” with Johnny Cash. June and Johnny married in 1968. “Jackson” and “If I Were a Carpenter” both became top 40 hits for them. They toured widely and had a highly-rated television show in the late 1960s and 70s.

June Carter Cash’s music developed with experience, maturity, comedic verve and dramatic aptitude. She also never forgot her mountain soul and roots. She put out a successful album in 1999 called “Press On.” Shortly after she finished recording the album “Wildwood Flower,” June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003. Check out the 2-CD compilation as a documentation of “her life in music.” Earl Scruggs once stated, “She was always full of energy and a really great show-gal.” And as Johnny Cash once said, “June’s work will live on and on.”

Trinomials: Mary Lou Lord

Mary Lou Lord: I Figured You Out

[purchase]

Mary Lou Lord's rise to semi-fame in the Boston-based grunge scene of the mid-nineties never flagged as high as Juliana Hatfield or the Lemonheads, other-coast Kill Rock Stars labelmates Sleater-Kinney and The Decemberists, or other of her performing peers from that era, but she's always been my favorite anti-folker, whose coverage of Richard Thompson and Shawn Colvin finds periodic placement on my coverblog. This song is not technically a cover, but it is an Elliott Smith composition, one which he decided not to record himself; its bitter cynicism reflects the lyrical sensibility they shared, and her shattered innocence is perfect for the part, even as the strum and production call directly to his studio work.

Hers may nonetheless be a well-recognized name in the indie world, in no small part for collaborations with doomed musicians Kurt Cobain and Smith himself, for her inclusion on several mid-nineties covers albums paying tribute to John Lennon, Van Halen, and Saturday Morning Cartoons, and for the use of her Daniel Johnston cover in a Target ad campaign. But to me, this particular trinomial will always be the girl in the Park St. Station, her delicate busker's voice and gentle punk rocker's attitude echoing through the brick caverns as the trains rush through.