Farce the Music

New Steve Earle Video: "Invisible"

From his forthcoming album The Low Highway, here's Steve Earle's new video, "Invisible."

John Rich's Songwriting Tips #65

I've already told you before that me and my boy Big Kenny were the originators and the innovators of hick-hop along with our big black cowboy compadre, Mr. Cowboy Troy. What you may not know, as a white-bread honky from whatever shit town you came to Nashvegas from, is how to write a hick-hop song. Big & Rich were before their time getting crunk son, so I know how to make them Benjies, yo. Get on this new trend and make that bankroll while it's hot, dawg! What you do is to tune in to the urban station for at least an hour a day. Pick up some slang and some swagga for your lyrics. Next, you get yourself a black friend. Maybe you could meet one at the Starbucks and be like "'Sup homey, you wanna chill?" As you converse with your new bro, listen to his or her cadence and how they put phrases together. Ask them about their culture and home life and act interested so you can gain their trust. Maybe even say something like "Hey bru-main, if you was to talk about a girl wearing cut-offs in a pickup truck in a field, how would you say it?" This is a sneaky way to get them to write lyrics for you... just make sure to have the voice recorder going on your phone when you do this research. Next up is actually writing the song. Get yourself some dank ganja and blaze up a spliff. Pour you a glass of Courvoisier and kick back in your full leather recliner with a generic beat track you stole off the internet playing on your iPad and get to laying down 16 bars! It really is that easy. Between the verses, make sure to place a catchy chorus with rearranged lyrics from a Florida-Georgia Line song and BAM. Next thing you know, you'll be the baddest cracka in the gated community! Put some extra 'Ohs' in yo bank account, kid. MAKE IT RAIN ON DEM COUNTRY HOEZ!!!!

*Not actually written by John Rich

Album Review: Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck - Eden

Expert musicianship and a keen ear for melody propel Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck on this epic-sounding collection of bluegrass and jam-band tinged Americana. Eden crackles with energy whether winding its way through "Blackstone Valley," cranking up the horns and banjo on "Inside Joke" or indulging in some tension and release on the lengthy "Parallel Lives" (Seriously, I haven't heard as satisfying a kick in a long time as when the coda drops in on this song).

Think early Wilco with a broader sound or a modernized version of The Band and you've got an idea of Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck's M.O., but they definitely have their own distinct approach and delivery. It's full of vitality and soul. "Modern backwoods music" (as someone labeled them) describes it pretty well.

"Inside Joke" is an early pick for my favorite songs of the year. The ring of an electric banjo and blare of a trumpet(?) alongside biting lyrics about a faltering relationship make this a bittersweet but uplifting gem. "Happy Ending" might sound like a too on-the-nose title for an album closer, but it's a lilting number with an earworm chorus that leaves you with the desire to hit "play" on track one again.

Eden was my introduction to these guys, who've released a whole album with Levon Helm on drums before(!), but it won't be my only experience with the band. It's an album as easy to listen to as it is difficult to take in on just a few listens. Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck's art is an addictive sound, essential to the genre and worthy of your time.

---------------------

Eden will be released next Tuesday, March 5. You can get your grubby hands on it (and a cool t-shirt) here: http://music.bowthayer.com/