Dwight Yoakam - Live on KPFK FM 1985

Another fantastic boot. This one is an early Dwight radio appearance on KPFK 90.7 in LA. Lots of great music and interesting interviews on here (check out when Dwight talks about his early punk fans). Dwight is plugging his first album "Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc..." prior to it's pickup by the majors. That's right, back when Dwight was on an indy label called Oak records. He is anxious, eager, full of piss and vinegar and raw country talent. If you're a fan of country music surely you won't want to pass this up, and pick up his excellent first album too (if you don't have it of course). A couple years ago a 2-disc reissue of it was put out complete with early demos and a killer 1986 live show.

MP3 @ 192

Dwight Yoakam - Live on KPFK

Songwriter's Circle, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 10-2-05 (Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Joe Ely, Dave Alvin, Verlon Thompson)

Hot damn! This is a good one folks. Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Joe Ely, Dave Alvin, and Verlon Thompson just sitting around on stage trading songs and stories. Only thing that tarnishes this show a little is when Steve Earle dares to play a song of his then new album "The Revolution Starts...Now!", but hey that can be excused....I mean how was he supposed to follow "Desperados"??? Put this one on, turn it up loud, and wish you were there. Shows like these make me really appreciate all the tapers out there. I probably don't say it enough.....actually I don't think I ever have on here....but thanks guys....thanks to all the tapers out there who capture these glorious shows. Especially thanks to the ones who know how to do it right.

MP3 @ 256

Songwriters Circle, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2005

Everybody else is doing it, so why can't me?

So usually I refrain from such things as year end lists and such on this blog, but I just couldn't help myself this year. So here are my personal favorite albums of 2008, unranked, unorganized, and unsolicited.

Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life
Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
The Wood Brothers - Loaded
Matthew Ryan - Vs. The Silver State
NQ Arbuckle - XOK
Blue Mountain - Midnight in Mississippi
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones
JJ Grey and Mofro - Orange Blossoms
Scott Miller - Appalachian Refugee
Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind
Chris Knight - Heart of Stone

The results, they are in....

Well, looks like the readers have spoken, with 120 votes talleyed, we have a clear winner here with DBT's Brighter Than Creation's Dark. Here is the top 10 as voted on by you...the readers of A Truer Sound

#1 with 30% of the vote
Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

#2 with 23% of the vote
Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind

#3 tied with 15% of the vote
James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey

#4 tied with 13% of the vote
Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Calexico - Carried To Dust

#5 tied with 12% of the vote
Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher
Felice Brothers - Felice Brothers

#6 with 11% of the vote
Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life

#7 tied with 10% of the vote
Chris Knight - Heart of Stone
Todd Snider - Peace Queer
Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

#8 tied with 9% of the vote
The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

#9 tied with 8% of the vote
Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
Fred Eaglesmith - Tenderbox

#10 tied with 7% of the vote
Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof
Sun Kil Moon - April
Gary Louris - Vagabonds

In 2009 I resolve to.....

Buy more Neil Young of course (hope you guys got the blu-rays from santa :P)




Neil Young Archives, potentially the greatest box set in the history of box sets (yes, could be better than Sojourner), is set to be released in less than 2 months....on Feb. 24th, 2009. And buddy, it ain't cheap either, here's the listing here http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Young-Archives-Vol-1963-1972/dp/B001B8PV4U (make sure to watch the video)

Now Neil has always been pretty vocal about his disdain for the compact disc, and he thinks he has finally found a media that it better than oh so sweet vinyl.....that's right, Neil is going out of the black and into the blu (oh God....sorry about that people....). I'm pretty excited about this myself as it is uncharted water for any artist and a HUGE.....I mean GRANDIOSE project. I am not however excited about the price tag, but if this thing delivers....it just might be worth it. One of the coolest aspects I think is the ability to update the data on the Blu-Rays much like one would update software or a video game. Hopefully with such a hefty price tag, the updates and extra material will not incur additional fees.

Now for those worried about this being a blu-ray only release, I wouldn't worry too much about it. First off I'm sure some of the music is bound to see CD release....if not, you know it won't be a week before someone has ripped the audio and leaked it to the internets. So don't fret folks....I for one am going to start saving....

David Rawlings Machine - Tangiers Restaurant (Los Angeles, CA 10/4/07)

If there is one thing that needs to happen in 2009, it's that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings need to make a new album. Sure they have been busy producing killer album after killer album, and guesting on killer album after killer album...but c'mon....we sometimes we need to drink straight from the well. It's been almost 6 years since Soul Journey....in that time they have given us Old Crow Medicine Show to fill the gap, they have toured with Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin, indie darlings Rilo Kiley, recorded a song with Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) for the movie Bolt, made surprise appearences with She & Him (actress Zooey Daschenel and M. Ward), with the Decemberists, guested on Del McCoury, even Bright Eye's albums, and toured themselves under the name David Rawlings Machine....hell seems like they have been doing everything but making a new album. Well rumor is we may be graced with a 2009 Gillian Welch album...until that time, here be the most recent show of theirs I have to keep us occupied and remind us of their genius. Sound is a little iffy on this one, but a great boot none the less.

MP3 @ 192 (144MB)

David Rawlings Machine - Tangiers Restaurant

Magnolia Electric Co. - The Abbey Pub (Chicago, IL 11/3/08)

Jason Molina & company are hard at work getting their latest masterpiece ready for release sometime next year. The new album is tentatively titled "A Map of The Falling Stars" and is being produced by Steve Albini. I for one can not wait for this one to hit the shelves, and if you are like me, you probably want to hear some of those new songs....well you can either go see them live (this is the recommended way), or download this show. New songs sound like classic Molina, and old favorites sound better than ever. At the end he plays a song he says he wrote for Willie Nelson....which I have never heard of, so I looked it up.....and found nothing...hmmm. If anybody has any info on that would love to know about it.

Here's a short review of the show
Buy MECo & Songs: Ohia albums here, free downloads available here

MP3 @ 192
Magnolia Electric Co. - The Abbey Pub

A Truer Christmas 2

By popular demand (well, one guy) we have another fricken Christmas comp (I know, I know...just what the blog world needs right now). What's amazing to me is the fact that I was able to compile not one, but TWO half decent christmas comps in a fairly niche genre.

Now first off a little warning....if there is is one time of year a person should be allowed to listen to cheesey songs it is Christmas. Keep that in mind while spinning this....cause some of these would be right at home at your christmas party on a little tray with ritz crackers. But I tried to keep it a fairly even mix (believe me, I could have made it MUCH cheesier). Features one of my absolute favorite Merle Haggard songs of all time, which of course is "If We Make It Through December". I was also VERY surprised when I found a Scott Miller Christmas tune. Thanks to Payton at This Morning I Am Born Again for a few of these tracks that really helped fill out this collection.

Oh and about that Unknown Hinson track.....well nothing quite says Christmas like wifebeating (to quote one Axle Rose, take it for what it is people).

Now download this and get to singing Ho-Ho-Ho we was po po po :)


1 Hank Snow - Reindeer Boogie
2 Buck Owens - Christmas Time's A-Comin'
3 Michael Reno Harrell - More Than I Deserve
4 Commander Cody -Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas
5 Merle Haggard -If We Make It Through December
6 Scott Miller - Skeptical Christmas
7 Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison - A Winter's Tale
8 Doc Watson - Snowbird
9 Bill Anderson - 'Po Folks Christmas
10 Willie Nelson - Pretty Paper
11 Hank Thompson - Gonna Wrap My Heart in Ribbons
12 Jim Lauderdale - Holly And Her Mistletoe
13 George Jones - My Mom and Santa Claus
14 Tennessee Ernie Ford - Christmas Dinner
15 Old 97's - Here It Is Christmas
16 The Long Ryders - Christmas In New Zealand
17 Chuck Berry - Christmas
18 Mojo Nixon - Christmas, Christmas
19 Unknown Hinson - Black and Blue Christmas
20 The Gougers - Just Because It's Christmas
21 Dale Watson - Honky Tonk Christmas
22 Loretta Lynn - To Heck With Ole Santa Claus
23 Ernest Tubb - I'll Be Walkin' the Floor This Christmas
24 Bobby Bare - Christmas Train
25 Frontier Ruckus - Driving Home, Christmas Eve
26 Felice Brothers - Christmas Song
27 Johnny Cash - The Ballad of Harp Weaver

MP3 @ 192 (111MB)
A Truer Christmas 2

Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bobby Rambo - Live At The Three Teardrops Tavern 5-8-92

Someone left a comment asking where to start with Townes Van Zandt and if I have any shows of his....well of course I have some shows, and here's a brand spankin' new one. All I have to say about this one is DAMN!! The sound on this one....EXCELLENT, the performances on this....EXCELLENT!!
This is basically a Townes and Guy show with Ray Wylie and Bobby Rambo thrown as a bonus. After listening to this a couple times, I'm honestly surprised this hasn't seen official release yet....it's that good. The version of Townes' "Marie" on here kills me. Other bonuses on here....learn a little back story to Guy's L.A. Freeway, learn why they call it the Three Teardrops Tavern (now a Duccati dealership). Highlight is by far the Townes and Guy singing trading songs off and singing together at the end.
This is the first I've ever heard of Bobby Rambo, but I'm very impressed by what's on here, an artist I will have to find more about. Oh and if you still want to know where to start with Townes, get Live at The Old Quarter (especially if you like this)

MP3 @ 192 (206MB)
Download Three Drops Tavern here

My latest musical obsession...

This is NQ Arbuckle out of Toronto, Ontario. Pick up their newest album XOK (the above is the title cut), you will thank me later.