Nashville Skyline

Heath Haynes is a singer and songwriter from Danville who for many years was a rock 'n' roller in Richmond. Before decamping for Nashville, he lead a power pop band called Heath Haynes and the Cryin' Shames. I sort of lost track of Heath after seeing him rock The Taphouse with the Cryin' Shames a few years ago, but recently caught up with him thanks to the magic of the incredible Internets.
Here's what he had to say:

"I front a band called Heath Haynes and The Four Ballers. We play the honky-tonks of Broadway in Nashville. Five to six times a week we play hardcore country and rock and roll for four hours a shot, sometimes twice in a day. On any given night we play everything from Hank Williams, George Jones, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Johnny Paycheck to the Stones, Monkees, Who, Chuck Berry, Kinks, Stooges, T Rex, and Ramones. Neil Young, Rufus Thomas, Cheap Trick, Sam Cooke, Waylon Jennings, Sex Pistols, Hendrix, Violent Femmes, Replacements, Madness, Johnny Rivers, Neil Diamond, Glenn Campbell, Link Wray, and Animals all rear their heads from time to time. We throw some of my originals in from time to time when the mood hits me. People eat it up and come back for more week after week. What can I say, it's a living!

"... You hear a lotta people talk about livin' the dream. Well here I am in Nashville and I am a full time professional recognized musician. Hell, today I sang 'Your Cheatin Heart' onstage in a packed house with the guy that played steel guitar on the FUCKIN RECORD! That shit don't happen in Richmond Virginia, cuz."

Pick your passion

(Photo from www.thejameskingband.com)
Anyone who feeling cynical about the manufactured nature of modern music should make a point of stopping by The Cabin Fever Pickin' Party in Hampton on a Saturday afternoon. I spent a few hours over there today, and the Holiday Inn where the indoor festival is held was swarming with bluegrass pickers and fans of all ages and skill levels. As always, jam sessions were happening in nearly every corner of the hotel. I saw 70-year-old fiddlers sawing away next to 20-something guitarists. I saw a white-hot Dobro player who was probably 11 years old. And I heard an pickup combo a classic-sounding tune called "Faithless Love" only to hear the mandolinist say at song's end "I wrote that with my wife." Here in Virginia, the string-band tradition is alive and well. I only wish I could have heard James King perform tonight -- I was busy watching UNC defeat Duke in basketball. (Go Tar Heels).

Quarter for a pod

(Toggle Switch photo)
Matt Thomas -- bass player, songwriter and leader of the Hampton-based band Uglyography -- is one tenacious mofo. Since his previous band the Outer Loop dissolved a few years ago, he's been steadily trying to get his new project Uglyography up and running. He single-handedly put together the band's debut CD "Love Boat" and has since worked diligently to put together a band capable of playing those quirky-but-tuneful songs live. There have been many obstacles. This week, though, he unveiled Uglyography version 2.0 at the open mic at Goody's in downtown Hampton. Thomas performed solo, singing and playing bass to prerecorded drum, guitar and keyboard tracks. That's a tough trick, but Matt pulled it off well. I'd much rather hear him with a full band -- but I know that Matt's doing what's necessary to get his music out there. Anyway, like I said, Matt is tenacious and fiercely focused. I'm looking forward to hearing some new songs from him.

Primal Screams

Last night I got to see Mas Y Mas play at The Boot in Norfolk. Wow. What an eye-opener. Compared to the scratchy, low-fi songs I'd heard on MySpace and on the "Boot Cuts" compilation, the sound was loud, tough and cohesive. It packed a punk-rock wallop I hadn't expected but was happy to hear. Playing as a trio, the band stomped through songs on an untitled CD I picked up after the set. I'm thinking of it as the "Pepsi" CD because the artwork makes a connection and there's a song on it that refers to the New Generation's fizzy drink of choice. Mas Y Mas played other tunes as well. "We're all about raising awareness," the singer and guitarist said, then introduced a song called "You Should Have That Looked At."
Anyway, I was knocked out by the band's weird energy and I can't wait to see them again. Fortunately, they're coming back to The Boot March 14. If you're brave enough, take a peek at the strange world of Mas Y Mas here.

Walkin' After Midnight

(Photo from www.patsycline-throughmyeyes.com)
The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond has planned a one-day symposium on Winchester's own country queen Patsy Cline. The event, which will last 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 4, will feature presentations by Beth Bailey, Mike Foreman, Warren F. Hofstra, Joli Jensen, Bill Malone, Kristine M. McCusker, Jocelyn Neal, Tim Timberlake and -- the only one of the names on the list that means anything to me -- country recording artist George Hamilton IV. I'm sure this will be a fascinating look into the life of a legend.

Exit Wounds

(MySpace photo, caption: James River, Lynchburg, Va., waiting on a train)
Tim Barry of the Richmond-area punk band Avail writes and performs acoustic, folk-ish tunes on his own. Great to hear that punk spirit being channeled in a new, somewhat more rootsy direction. The volume may be throttled back, but the confrontational attitude is still there in spades. I'd like to hear Tim play live, but the only local show I know he has scheduled is May 31 at the Jewish Mother.
Reading Barry's MySpace page, I see that he's lost two people close to him in 2008. He's still writing songs and trying to get back on his feet emotionally.
"I'm gonna go for it now," he posted on his MySpace blog. "I'm gonna record a few songs in April, and if I like any of them I will put them up on here. I'm gonna continue to write until I have an album I like. I'm doing all of this because it's the only thing I can do now. Just gotta keep moving and planning."

Mojo Workin'

As I write this, I'm waiting to watch "Saturday Night Live," because Wilco is the scheduled musical guest. Since I heard the band this week in Washington, D.C., I can't resist seeing them play live on TV -- It'll provide a nice chance to compare and contrast. Earlier tonight, I headed over to the Attucks Theatre to hear the legendary Pinetop Perkins play the blues. Pinetop is 94 years old, so naturally he wasn't bouncing off the historic walls of the Attucks, but he performed well, giving a pretty sizable crowd at the Attucks a taste of vintage boogie-woogie and piano blues. Guitarist Bob Margolin and his band backed Pinetop, and those guys sounded great -- nice, tasteful electric blues thankfully free from the Stevie Ray Vaughan overkill so common among modern bluesmen.
Pinetop's show ended a good live music week for me. I saw Regina Spektor play a fine, good-natured set at The NorVa on Monday. Her voice was strong and her stage demeanor was charming. I'd go see her again in a heartbeat.
It was up to the 930 Club in D.C. for Wilco on Wednesday, then tonight's blues celebration at the Attucks.
It's not often I get to see three good shows in one week, so I'm thankful.
The only downside is that I read in the Virginian-Pilot this morning that the folk singer Odetta was playing Portsmouth tonight in a concert honoring the late, great Ruth Brown. I wish I would have known about this earlier. I certainly would have given it a plug.