struggleville

Fringe: The Trailer

New thriller series from JJ Abrams (creator of Alias and Lost)...looks very X-Files-like...not sure when it is planned to air though...

Joost: The future of (IP)TV??

Joost has been getting quite a bit of hype lately and I was lucky enough to get in on the beta as of last Friday. I must say, that while the content is still coming online, (I was able to watch a Old Crow Medicine Show video though!) the interface looks very nice. Since this is the latest endeavors from the same guys that brought you Skype and Kazaa I am sure the features will continue to roll out nicely.  Beta invites are fairly hot now selling for around $30 on eBay, but I have yet to receive any. Sorry.

No Direction Home

Here is a trailer for the new Bob Dylan biography film from Martin Scorsese. The interview segments with Bob look great! (I know she was very close with Bob but I have never been much of a Joan Baez fan....can somebody convince me I am missing something great here?)

• No Direction Home will be broadcast on PBS on September 26 and 27.
• It was annoying to hear the same voice over guy from every Hollywood bockbuster film on this trailer as well.
• It is nearly unfathomable that Scorsese still has to be referred to as an "Academy Award NOMINEE!" Unbelievable.

Disappearing Americana

Two major sources of Americana music have either vanished or been drastically changed over the past few months....what is going on!

1. The Americana station on Music Choice (DirectTV's music only service) is gone without a trace. This was the best non-Internet source of music I knew off and the only reason I had upgraded to DirectTv's PLUS package. Bluegrass lives on but Americana offered the more diverse sound.

2. The Border on Sirius Satellite Radio was also excellent. It was replaced earlier this year by "Outlaw Country." OC is a strange and annoying beast. They do dedicate aboutr 40% of their airtime to artists like Steve Earle, Buddy and Julie Miller, Uncle Tuepelo, Old 97's etc. They also play classic country artists and original outlaws (faves seem to be George Jones, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings etc.) all these artists are great but when they take up nearly 50% of the programming the station begins to feel a bit schizophrenic. Then there are country influenced selections from the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and others and the occassional true oddball like the Stray Cats...huh?

They seem to be programming for two different demographic markets and failing both...alt.country minded folks with a healthy respect for the classics aren't offered enough of what they came to hear and those who prefer the traditional outlaw sound, most of whom are probably not interested in the more diverse sounds of alt.country at least not in large doses. The nearly 50/50 split is not working for anyone!

The truly annoying feature though is the caricatured Looney Tunes inspired roughneck cliche who does recorded promotion and song intros when there is no studio DJ. I need to get a sound file for you to truly appreciate the grating nature of this guy. Just another sign they don't know their potential audience.

UPDATE: This article is almost a year old but points to some of the issues at work here.

Rodney's "Earthbound"

I despise how country music radio ignores tradition, traditional sounding bands and pretty much anyone that relies on country influences. There are very few exceptions. (The Dixie Chicks were one, but now they want nothing to do with them either.)

In the late 60's and early 70's The Byrds, Hot Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons were ignored by country radio for being too rock and roll, now they'd probably be ignored for sounding too country.

CMT pretty much programs for the radio crowd, but a few gems do slip through the cracks.

This is the case with Rodney Crowell, close friend of songwriting legend Guy Clark and former husband of Rosanne Cash, Rodney was included in a group of artists that emerged around the mid-Eighties that relied on a more traditional sound (Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, The O'Kanes, Kevin Welch etc., a time Earle has labeled country radio's "great credibility scare."

But Rodney's new tune Earthbound and its accompanying video (link is to Yahoo Launch as CMT no longer has the full video) are getting a fair amount of airplay. It's a well written, mandolin and banjo (gasp!) driven tune. (The banjo compliments of none other than Bela Fleck, who's laying down a riff I am sure he could play in his sleep...I am 99% sure that's him in the video as well.)

Added bonus: listen among the name checks of Tom Waits, Charlie Brown, and the Dalai Lama (and others) near the end of the song for the perhaps lesser known name of Seamus Heaney. I 've long considered my Heaney favorite poet and it was a surprise to hear him mentioned here as well. (Check out his Death of a Naturalist collection for a nice introduction.) Nice job Rodney.

One last bit...I just saw the Rodney's new release Fates Right Hand at Target for $9.99....what are you waiting for!

"I hurt myself today..."

I had intended to link to this video after I first saw it several months ago. Director Mark Romanek did a fine job making a video which actually enhances the experience of the song....nearly unheard of these days. Then I thought about it again when MTV had it nominated for six Video Music Awards and rumors were swirling that it would win "Video of the Year" (which of course didn't happen.) It is all the more poignant and powerful now that he and June
are gone. If you haven't seen it yet then check it out!

Radio sucks!

If you have DirecTV it is worth the $3.99 a month for the upgrade to Total Choice Plus, sure you get several other channels but this Americana Music channel is worth the upgrade all on it's own. Coupled with the Bluegrass channel it's two great stations of commercial free tunes 24 hrs per day.

Rev. Lovejoy

Those of us living in the Portland area are well aware of The Simpsons-Portland connection and Matt's roots here, for those who wish to know more...Matt Groening's Portland (via Kottke)