Johnny Cash is still cool. Like Elvis or Hank Williams, Cash retains a certain cachet in current popular culture even in death. More proof of his enduring legend is on the way as plans to celebrate what would have been the American icon's 80th birthday unfold later this month and year. http://www.hitfix.com

Stonewall Jackson is one of the reasons why honky-tonk country music exists to this day. Alongside Ray Price, Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams, Mr. Jackson helped define the hard-driving sound that became so popular in the 50s and 60s. I stumbled across Mr. Jackson on some patched together best of country tape, and was blown [...]

Enigmatic longhair John Anthony “Jack White” Gillis set the internet ablaze this past Tuesday with the digital release of his new single, “Love Interruption.” White is set to release an LP of solo recordings on Third Man Records, an exclusive deal that he secured by being said record company’s owner and only employee. The album, titled Blunderbuss , will mark his debut as a solo artist, unless one chooses to consider White’s contributions to the Cold Mountain soundtrack, the single “Fly Farm Blues,” his recording of the unfinished Hank Williams song “You Know That I Know,” and all six ...

Here's the Smoke Benders , folks. We took Hank Williams' lamentation of an unlucky prisoner from its original waltz time and put a NOLA second line feel under it. Cause, hey, who doesn't like a NOLA second line feel, right? Video at YouTube and Vimeo .

Muted tones, rustic texture. Heart. Earnestness. Organic. Honest. Effective. Americana comes to Parramatta. With grace, charm and class. There is no doubt that Friday night in the company of A.A. Bondy exceeded all of my expectations to become what will undoubtedly be one of the shows of 2012. Firstly it was a trip to Prince Alfred Park in Parramatta and a first visit to the Idolize Spiegeltent as part of the Sydney Festival . I think it's great that events like this are brought to the geographical heart of Sydney. May there be many more if they are of ...

Mt. Desolation est le nouveau groupe de Tim Rice-Oxley et Jesse Quin (Keane). Le groupe sort leur 1er album éponyme. Mt. Desolation – State Of Our Affairs Mt. Desolation a des sonorités country et pour deux anglais qui souhaite chanter comme Hank Williams, c’est un peu courir à la catastrophe ! Une démo de Departure [...]

Hank Williams - I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry Hank Williams was already a legend when he died at just 29. His style has been called “white man’s blues” which sounds to me like a mix of country/western, blues and honky tonk. Hank Sr. appears on nearly every major “Best of All Time” list out there and is a member of the Country Music and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. This is, of course, one of his best known songs.  Wouldn’t you love to know what he’d think of Hank III ?

The Little Willies For the Good Times After having first formed in 2003, The Little Willies released their self-titled debut album in 2006, four years after pianist and vocalist Norah Jones had found success with her jazz and pop flavored solo album Come Away With Me. Six years later, a second Little Willies album finally comes to light, following in the tradition of the first by featuring covers of country classics. For the Good Times finds The Little Willies covering classics songs by some of country music's most revered (and most covered) artists, including nods to Willie Nelson, Johnny ...

Drei Jahre lang war es ruhig um Chan Marshall alias Cat Power, doch jüngst überraschte uns die amerikanische Singer/Songwriterin mit ihrer Charity-Single "The King Rides By". Gegen eine selbstgewählte Spende kann man den neuen Song von ihrer Homepage herunterladen. Hierbei kommt der Erlös den beiden wohltätigen Organisationen Festival of Children Foundation und The Ali Forney Center zugute. Das Ausgangsmaterial für die Single lieferte der 1996 erschienene Song "King Rides By", in den ihr im Folgenden reinhören könnt: Cat Power – "King Rides By" Zuletzt veröffentlichte Cat Power das Coveralbum "Jukebox" via Matador, auf dem sich mitunter Neu-Interpretationen von Bob Dylan ...

Earlier this fall, the original lineup of X regrouped for a limited run of shows where they played the entirety of their 1980 debut Los Angeles and screened their little-seen 1986 bio-pic The Unheard Music prior to the show. While similar minded bio-pics like Decline of Western Civilization (1981) achieved cult status, The Unheard Music seemed to slip under the radar of most people at the time of its original release. The Unheard Music was filmed between 1980 and 1985 by Angel City Productions – a group of first-time film makers. The film captures the evolution of X over the course ...

SPIN has unveiled their expansive year-end coverage at a more proper time than most—you know, the actual end of the year. For your convenience, we’ve rounded them up below… First, an editorial : Kim and Thurston broke up, Lulu happened, and somewhere in between everybody got pepper-sprayed: 2011 has been a fucked up year all around, but SPIN is proud to at least end it all on a Fucked Up high note… SPIN ‘s 50 Best Albums of 2011 : Everywhere you looked this year there was an absurd or chaotic or turbulent situation that made absolutely no sense whatsoever ...

We last heard from Cat Power back in early 2008, when Chan Marshall released Jukebox , her second collection of radically rearranged cover tunes from a diverse group of artists such as Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams and Joni Mitchell. Last week the singer-songwriter posted a message to her Facebook page to alert her fans that not only was her new studio album nearly complete, but that she would have a new song available as a holiday charity download. On Christmas Eve, Marshall posted the seven-plus minute single King Rides By, as well as this Giovanni Ribisi-directed music video that features boxer ...

Jack White and Bob Dylan were the No 9 Unexpected Musical Pairings of 11.

As 2011 quietly and quickly comes to a close it is a good time to reflect on the year just past. A year of exploration and discovery, fun and enjoyment. Pain and beauty. Joy and ragged edges. Trends and movements. Disappointment and surprise. Elation. Sometimes. Many albums were purchased, yes I still do that, and some exceeded expectations. Some didn't. One album though met and exceeded all expecations. The cover told a story. Through faces, homes, planes and mountains we peered into the depth of humanity. From within voices glistened and instruments sounded the memory lines of music. Foxes ...

Nashville insiders vs. Nashville "outsiders." Curtain calls for all-time legends vs. exhilarating breakthroughs from possible new ones. Alt-country louts seeking contentment vs. rehabilitated alt-country louts finding contentment. Vivid homages to everyone from Hank Williams to Loretta Lynn to Alabama to Steve Earle to Tom Petty. A bizarre year for whatever you think country is, or isn't. And a great one too. Here are some of the album-length highlights. SPIN's Best of 2011: • One Fucked Up Year: SPIN's Best of 2011 Issue • SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2011 • SPIN's 20 Best Songs of 2011 • SPIN's ...