Friday, August 10, 2007

My reaction to Hayseed Dixie: The first time I heard them, I thought they were hilarious. The second time, I noticed they were really a pretty good bluegrass band. The third time, I started to get a little tired of the whole thing. Nonetheless, check these videos out. Here's their website.

"Highway to Hell," promotional videoclip.

"Walk This Way," promotional videoclip.

"Ace of Spades," live on some British TV show.

"Holidays in the Sun," promotional videoclip. I like the way they did this one.

"You Shook Me All Night Long," the Hayseed Dixie version synched to the original AC/DC video.

"She Was Skinny When I Met Her," promo videoclip for a Hayseed Dixie original, which is really not very good at all. Unfunny and obvious. Stick to the cover versions, fellas.

"War Pigs," live. Either it's a good camera-phone recording or a bad semi-professional job.

"Fat Bottomed Girls," good camera-phone recording live in Lincoln. The one in England, not the one in Nebraska.

"Black Dog," live in Liverpool. OK camera-phone recording, decent sound, lousy visually.

There are a whole lot of bad camera-phone recordings of Hayseed Dixie shows in England, which you can check out on YouTube if you're a big fan.
Junior Brown kicks ass. He does good songs, he has one of those deep country voices, and he's a virtuoso on his guitar, which he designed himself. Here's his website. And here's a set of Junior's songs, all videos from YouTube. By the way, the woman playing acoustic guitar is his wife.

"Highway Patrol," promotional video.

"I Hung It Up," live. Great phrasal verb exercise for English class, by the way. These next few were all from what looks like Austin City Limits, and were posted by the same guy, named ApeHouse.

"Free Born Man," live.

"Broke Down South of Dallas," live.

"Party Lights," live.

"Girl from Oklahoma," live.

"Sugarfoot Rag," live eight-minute extended guitar jam.

Surf instrumental. I recognize the song, but just can't think of the name.

"409," a recording session with the Beach Boys.

"Folsom Prison Blues," good camera-phone recording. Junior improvises the words and the crowd sings along. Great fun.

"My Wife Thinks You're Dead," good camera-phone recording from April 2007, posted by a guy called trainarollin. This one is probably Junior's bess-known song.

"Long Walk Back to San Antone," from the same show.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Time for a set of videos from classic Seventies country acts.

Hank Williams Jr.: "A Country Boy Can Survive," live.

David Allan Coe: "You Never Even Called Me By My Name," live in Austin in 1983.

Waylon Jennings: "Luckenbach, Texas," live.

Jerry Jeff Walker: "LA Freeway," live in Austin in 1984.

Guy Clark: "Dublin Blues," with Karen Matheson.

Townes Van Zandt: "Pancho and Lefty," live on TV in 1993.

Merle Haggard: "Okie from Muskogee," 1969 TV show. Note hound dog. Watch till the very end.

David Allan Coe: "If That Ain't Country," with completely different words. Live at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth.

Willie Nelson, "Always on My Mind," live in 1982.

George Jones: "He Stopped Loving Her Today," live.

The Highwaymen (Jennings, Nelson, Cash, Kristofferson): "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," live.

Jerry Jeff Walker and Ray Wylie Hubbard, along with a bunch of stoned hippies: "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," live at Willie Nelson's picnic in 1974. Not great sound, but obviously great fun.

George Jones, "If Drinking Don't Kill Me," live on an awards show in 1982.

Guy Clark, "Magdalene," live at UT-Austin in 2007.

Merle Haggard with Johnny Cash, "Sing Me Back Home," from Cash's TV show in 1969.