The Texas 20: Our “official” songs from the Lone Star state

Some radio DJs here in Houston had an intriguing bit going a few weeks ago: they wanted listeners to nominate an official state rock song for Texas. Apparently Ohio did that recently, and its official state rock song is now “Hang On Sloopy.” Go figure.

Anyway, listeners of Dean and Rog (on KGLK-FM, “The Eagle”) could choose from a short list of a few songs each from ZZ Top, Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds … and their winner was the Top’s “La Grange.” Official rock song for the entire state of Texas? Hmmm, maybe. To make the song truly official, Dean and Rog now have to get the Texas legislature to buy into that – I’m not sure lawmakers are gonna go for a tune about a whorehouse.

But it got me to thinkin’: Texas is a pretty big place.  Its music encompasses not only rock and roll, but blues, country, Tex-Mex and even a little Cajun from our nice neighbors to the east. Why stop at just one official state rock song? Why not have an entire album of “official” songs for the big ol’ Lone Star state?

Grammy Nominations 2009

The 52nd annual Grammy nominations came out last night with one glaring omission. Green Day’s excellent 21st Century Breakdown was not nominated for Album of the Year. How is that possible? While I like the new Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King album, it’s not better than Green Day. The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. sure as hell isn’t. While I’m sure Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyonce have their moments, song for song, there is no way they compare with Green Day.

Bruce Springsteen showed up as a courtesy in a few of categories. Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song for “Working On A Dream” and for his “Sea of Heartbreak” duet with Rosanne Cash, but his Working On A Dream album was a no-show. Producer Brendan O’Brien, however, is up for Producer of the Year. U2’s weak No Line On The Horizon LP also appeared in couple of categories, but was shut out of the major ones. Steve Earle’s excellent Townes showed up in the Best Comtemporary Folk Album along with Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone and Elvis Costello’s  Secret, Profane and Sugar Cane (I love Costello, but this is a joke). Wilco, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Levon Helm were also nominated for “Best Americana Album.”

Some pleasant surprises (besides the Americana category) include Adele’s nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for “Hometown Glory,” Willie Nelson’s American Classic nominated for Best Traditional Vocal Performance, AC/DC’s Black Ice up for Best Rock Album and Megadeth’s Head Crusher being recognized in the “Best Metal Performance.”

The show airs on CBS Sunday, Jan. 31. Maybe Kanye West will steal someone’s thunder again. Maybe Lady Gaga will poor blood on herself again, or maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see Wilco, Steve Earle, Springsteen/Cash or AC/DC play live. We can only hope.

2009 Grammy Nominations

Greetings From Texas! (It’s Hot As Hell!)

The other day some TV reporter called, she was going to do a story on people seriously burning their bare feet on the sidewalk.  Sounds like a stupid story, but you have to admit it’s pretty damned hot here in Texas.  Every day they give some heat index reading, supposedly to tell you what it “feels like” outside, and it’s around 110 or so degrees. 

When it gets this hot, you know what we do in Texas?  We strip off all our clothes, fire up the barbecue, and jump in some water.  And we drink us some beer – Lone Star, of course.  Well, almost.  But we do listen to this kind of music:

MP3: “Farther Along/All Just To Get To You” (live) by Joe Ely

MP3: “Austin Night” by the Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash

MP3: “Spiritual Babe” by Ian McLagan & the Bump Band

MP3: “In The Middle Of The Night” by Jimmie Vaughan & Double Trouble w/Lou Ann Barton

MP3: “Roadhouse Blues” by Ryan Bingham

MP3: “Real Love” (alternate version) by Lucinda Williams

MP3: “Look At Little Sister” by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

MP3: “I Fought The Law” by the Freddie Steady 5

MP3: “What You Gonna Do For Love” by the Krayolas

MP3: “Guacamole” by the Texas Tornados

MP3: “Castanets” by Alejandro Escovedo w/Ian McLagan & the Bump Band

MP3: “Foxy Lady” (live) by ZZ Top

Halloween Pot Luck

OK, we have a bunch of random stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere so we’ll just throw it up … For your Halloween weekend enjoyment.  Some rough language here; discretion advised. 

MP3: “The Grand Ole Opry (Ain’t So Grand Any More)” by Hank Williams III

MP3: “Woke Up This Morning/Why Do Men Fight?” (live) by Carbon/Silicon with Alabama 3

MP3: “Dalmation” by Nils Lofgren

MP3: “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” by Rick Springfield

MP3: “I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me)” by Mick Hucknall

MP3: “Can Your Grandpa Rock and Roll Like This?” by Albert Lee

MP3: “You Better Move On” by the Levon Helm Band

MP3: “It’s A Long Way To The Top” by Lucinda Williams

Review: “Little Honey,” Lucinda Williams

Austin’s queen of alt-country rocks out on Little Honey, her most varied and joyous album yet.  Coming after last year’s doom-and-gloom fest West, the new album finds Lucinda in love (she’s engaged to her manager) and horny as hell.  “Real Love,” the catchy first track, finds our heroine telling her lover “You squeeze my peaches,” and on “Honey Bee” things get downright nasty.  Guest vocalist Elvis Costello duets on the hilarious double-wide lament “Jailhouse Tears” and Lucinda rocks out (only half successfully) on a cover of AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To the Top,” which closes the album.  In between, “Wishes Were Horses” and “Circles and Xs” sound more like the old Lucinda Williams – perhaps because these songs are leftovers from the 1980s.  She delivers a motherly sermon to fast-track poster kids Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty with the cautionary “Little Rock Star” and flirts with the blues on “Tears Of Joy” and “Heaven Blues.”  It may sound all over the map, but everything here is pretty good.  Rich and full of good tunes, the whole album rocks.  Little Honey finds Lucinda Williams celebrating her newfound love and with the great songs here, that joy is certainly infectious. 

MP3: “Real Love”

Lucinda Williams official website

Review: “Imus Ranch Record,” Various Artists

No matter what you think about radio talk show host Don Imus (I happen to like him and listen to him daily) there is one thing you can’t deny…the guy does alot for kids with cancer and their families. He and his wife, Deidre, run the Imus Ranch in New Mexico, a working cattle ranch where kids with cancer can work with animals and get away from their illness for a little while. He has raised millions of dollars for the ranch in a number of different ways throughout the years and his latest fund-raising effort is the Imus Ranch Record.