As previously talked about,

"The long-anticipated brainchild of producer-composer Danger Mouse and Italian composer Daniele Luppi, Rome benefits from a bit of context. More than five years in the making, the project assembles many of the surviving performers of classic '60s and '70s Ennio Morricone scores -- and, in half a dozen memorable cases, pairs them up with the vocals of Norah Jones or The White Stripes' Jack White."
[stream the whole new album @ NPR]

In related news, "Jack White has contributed to a new project spearheaded by Bob Dylan that pays tribute to Hank Williams."

"I did a project with Bob Dylan: he put together 20 or 25 people to finish writing Hank Williams songs that only had lyrics and didn't have music ... I had to write music for Hank Williams' lyrics," White said. "I looked through all the piles of lyrics, and one of 'em just kept speaking to me. Sometimes you think it's gonna be really hard to find my spot, and then it picks it for you. You don't even have to choose it; it just picks it for you."

In related to that news, Steve Earle's new album also pays tribute to Hank Williams. He played Leno last night, but that video is a pain to get to work, but you can watch one of him covering "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" recently in Seattle, below...

Continue reading "Danger Mouse+Daniele Luppi+Ennio Morricone+Jack White+Norah Jones = 'Rome' (listen) ++++ Jack White & Bob Dylan & Steve Earle pay tribute to Hank Williams too"

Steve Earle at Beacon (more by Matthew Eisman)

Steve Earle will head out with his electric band, The Dukes (and Duchesses) featuring Alison Moorer, for a string of tour dates in support of his new LP/novel I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. Kicking off in June, the dates include NYC twice: 9/12 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and 9/13 at Town Hall. Town Hall tickets go on sale on Friday 4/22 at 11AM, while MHoW tickets go on AmEx presale on 4/20 before going on general sale on Friday. All tour dates are listed below.

I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive the album is due in 4/26, but the novel is due on 5/12 and "imagines the troubled life of Doc Ebersole as he is haunted by the ghost of his former patient and friend, Hank Williams". Earle is currently offering the first chapter from his new book as well as a download of the new song "Waitin' On The Sky" if you "like" him on Facebook.

More imminently, Steve Earle and Alison Moorer will also appear at the Beacon Theater on May 27th in celebration of Wavy Gravy's 75th birthday alongside Ani DiFranco, Jackson Browne, Dr.John, and many others. Tickets are still available.

Steve released a limited edition 7" on Record Store Day. Did you pick one up?

The A-Side is Earle's version of the Hank Williams song that is the title of both Earle's new studio album and debut novel, I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. The song was the last single released during Hank Williams' lifetime in December of 1952. The B-Side is Earle's celebrated original "This City" which has garnered both Emmy and Grammy Award nominations as it was written for HBO's Original Series Treme (in which Earle appears as a cast member). "This City" also closes Earle's T Bone Burnett-produced new album released by New West Records on April 26th. The 7 inch single is a hand-numbered edition of 2,600 copies on translucent red vinyl with black swirl. The cover of "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" will be available digitally as a bonus track, and is exclusive in physical form to this 7 inch release.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Steve Earle releasing an LP & novel, touring (dates) "

photos by Justina Villanueva, words by Black Bubblegum

one of the tamer pictures in this set

"There are many artists clamoring for the now-vacant title of Hardest Working Man in Show Business, but my vote goes unquestionably to Hank Williams III. The reason is simple: I've never seen another performer play three completely different (yet equally raucous) sets without taking a break in between... Starting off with a traditional country set, ...Williams took the audience on a musical tour of the American South, churning out both original and classic yarns based on tales from West Virginia, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee. ...From there, he [went] into the Hellbilly part of the night with Assjack, bringing out singer Gary Lindsay to help belt out rockers like "Six-Pack of Beer," "Country Heroes" and "Life of Sin."... [and] It really wouldn't be a Hank III show without a final punk rock set, paying particular homage to GG Allin and the Murder Junkies (GG's brother Merle and drummer Dino took the stage for a song), the band went through several hellacious, industrial-strength tracks and... after much sound and fury--not to mention equal parts spilled beer and blood--the show came to a frenzied, sweaty end." - [Zena Metal]

Those who don't know have probably guessed by now... yes, Hank III is the grandson of Hank Williams and son of Hank Jr. Interestingly enough, Hank was not the only kin to country royalty at Music Hall of Williamsburg that night (6/24). Lucky Tubb, who is serving as the opener on the Hank III/Assjack tour, is the great nephew of Ernest Tubb, considered a pioneer of country music.

The Hank III tour soldiers on, with a couple weeks left in the US, and a European tour after that. All tour dates and more pics from MHOW show (some NSFW?) on 6/24 are below. And, yes, that is real blood. And yes, vocalist Gary Lindsay did wash off the gushing blood (which gushed heavier while he choked himself with a mic cord) with cans of Guinness...

Continue reading "Hank III & Assjack & Lucky Tubb @ MHOW - (bloody) pics "

I actually started this post thinking how weird it was that Hank Williams' grandson was playing the Charleston, Maxwell's and Cake Shop, but then I went to Hank IV's website and read, "No relation whatsoever to the Hank Williams clan, San Francisco quintet Hank IV's hard-charging and visceral dual-guitar rock punk...", and realized that this is a band calling themselves Hank FOUR, and not Hank III. WFMU has a whole bunch of Hank IV live MP3's from SXSW. Dusted points out that "singer Bob McDonald was in the hardcore band Bum Kon, whose entire body of work was just unleashed on the public." All dates below...

Continue reading "Hank IV - 2008 Tour Dates (a few NYC shows this week) "