Ben Weaver

As you may or may not know, April 16th is Record Store Day and we've got a boat load of activities and releases to help celebrate the existence of your local neighborhood purveyors of music.  Support them, dammit!

Anyway,  here's a few things that have popped up this week hyping it.

»A FANTASTIC and lengthy write up on Ben Weaver and his music from Hymie's Records, where Ben is doing an in store performance

»A nice posting from Chicago's own WXRT (who was one of the sponsors of our 15th Anniversary party at the Hideout, and features photos from the party and some video of Alejandro Escovedo

»A write up in Chicago's New City about our Big Star day party

»Saving Country Music's write up on the Justin Townes Earle 7" and the 15th Anniversary Live album, including a chance to hear the album on SCM radio

»An interview in the Onion AV Club with Bloodshot Rob about the day's events and the importance of local shops. Includes a video of Ha Ha Tonka performing and a photo of Rob that looks like it was taken after he woke up from a 2 week nap under a bridge.  Ladies:  try not to swoon, and don't call the office asking for a date---he's left the building to hunt down the editor who picked the photo.

Enjoy the day!

The MTV Hive gave their picks for "great twang* records for the springtime"

Quoth they:

"With temperatures rising across this great land, outdoor activities such as driving with the window down and bocce ball will soon commence once again.  And what goes well with warmth and cold suds? Twang! Here’s five great Americana-tinged records we’re excited to pair with some well-honed sunburns."

Read what they say about Ben's record HERE

*= Rob HATES the word "twang."

In this time of joy and fellowship, the blog Muzzle of Bees asked our resident lo-fi seemingly always bummed Ben Weaver about his favorite sad songs in a recurring feature of theirs called Sad Songs and Waltzes.   Check out his thoughts on the Replacements, Randy Newman, Townes Van Zandt and more HERE

Videos! Interviews!  Rather than post separately, here are the nifty bits 'o' media oddness that crossed our virtual desks today (well, maybe not TODAY, but I'm finally getting around to them.)

--HA HA TONKA:  Most people assume that life on the road is one of glamour and comfort.  Well, HHT shows just how TRUE THIS IS with THIS hilarious (yet sadly accurate) little video on Digital Tour Bus about their trusty (well, not so trusty, but that's another story) van.  SWOON ALERT: Luke Long is shirtless throughout the video.  See how REAL musicians travel...

--JON LANGFORD: While Jon girds himself of his upcoming EAST COAST tour, we thought we'd wet your musical whistle with THIS video posted on Time Out Chicago of him and band performing acoustic "Getting Used To Uselessness" from his latest fab slab Old Devils

--SCOTT H BIRAM: Someone thought it would be smart to put SHB on TV in Austin.  Check THIS out, man.  Scott's covering Don Walser, yodels his ass off in a Black Flag T and camo trucker cap after being intro'd by the squeaky clean super square TV host.

--BEN WEAVER: A fantastic feature on Aquarium Drunkard. It's called Diversions and covers artists waxing about subjects other than performing.  Ben talks about meeting the great southern author Larry Brown

--WHITEY MORGAN: Our Flint outlaw country dudes did a podcast with Taproot Radio.  Listen in HERE

WHEW!  That oughtta keep you all occupied for AT LEAST an hour at "work"

Enjoy

From time to time, the blog Mog Music Network asks its favorite artists to create personally curated playlists for our curiosity-satisfying- and audio-streaming pleasure. Themes and styles will vary, but you’ll always know your favorite bands just a little better after listening.

Recently, they asked Ben Weaver to have a go at it and he's served up a nifty audio sampler from Gil Scott-Heron to the Gun Club to Vic Chesnutt.

Have a listen HERE

Perhaps you've heard us rail about it before, but the Interweb has made it possible for a lot of BAD writing to be seen by a lot of people on equal footing with GOOD writing.  Thus, we're always giddy to see some thoughtful, interesting and, dare we say, informed critical responses to our releases, and endeavor to pass them along--and Ben Weaver's new record seems to have the scribes sharpening their pencils and putting some thought into their reviews.

From the Minneapolis City Pages is a lovely review and conversation with Ben about food, music, nature and how they relate to his creative process:

"Pure pastoral, a melodic and meditative acoustic collection that finds his gravelly, Tom-Waits-indebted croak now complemented by a heretofore hidden and lovely upper register on tracks like the album-opening "Grass Doe."  Deftly mixing confessional balladry ("Drag the Hills") with acute  character sketches ("City Girl") and impressionistic nature journal  jottings ("The Rooster's Wife"), it's a new high-water mark."   Read it all HERE.

Then there's the NPR station KCMP's webstream of an in studio performance. Listen to it HERE.

And the kicker...from the blog Minnpost.com, HERE'S a review that is rather effusive in its praise....even if we sheepishly agree.

"The temptation here is to compare it to Springsteen’s “Nebraska” or any of Greg Brown’s similarly stark beauties. But a more apt reference is Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks,” that epic break-up record that sounds fussy in comparison."

The new album is available on Tuesday, but you can pre-order now and get a free hand drawn hang tag from Ben, as well as our 2010 edition PROMO SAMPLER.

Our October releases are right around the corner.   We've put the Whitey Morgan & the 78s self-titled album and Ben Weaver's Mirepoix and Smoke up for pre-sale.

They are both at sale-priced AND receive the 2010 edition of the Bloodshot Sampler gratis (as in, FOR FREE!)  This year's sampler has 21 tracks of brand new music from the likes of Justin Townes Earle, Jon Langford and The Blacks, as well as other catalog faves like Graham Parker, Detroit Cobras, Ryan Adams, Wayne Hancock, Bottle Rockets, Bobby Bare Jr and more.

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!  We press these up every fall and they go like the proverbial hotcakes.

Check out this preview of Ben's residency, where he and a load of other performers will explore the confluence of music, food and literature.

It's all a warm up for his new album Mirepoix and Smoke that is being released in October.

Down here in the BS dungeon, the one thing we probably love just as music around here is food (we also consider beer a food, by the way). Our resident neo-folkie, Ben Weaver, entered an essay challenge to be included in Anthony Bourdain's book, "Medium Raw."

Feel free to read and vote for his essay "Kitchen Bestiary" HERE.

Check back in October when we release Ben's new album, Mirepoix and Smoke-- songs inspired by his time spent in a Minneapolis restaurant's kitchen.

Bloodshot Digest: The "Short and Sweet" Edition

• My Old Kentucky Blog gives Charlie Pickett some love calling Bar Band Americanus one of "4 You Mighta Missed" -- hey, better late than never! You can read MOKB's review here. The cool blog Lost Forest After Dark also discussed Charlie's ouevre recently, and some of the commenters share early Charlie/Eggs memories and stories ...

• Ha Ha Tonka recorded a live session with Palestra, and they just posted three videos from the session for yr lunch break entertainment: "Hold My Feet To The Fire," "Walking on the Devils Backbone" and "So Quiet, They're Loud".

• SCOTT RECOMMENDS: In light of the the forthcoming celebratory events and contingent art shows, we thought it’d be timely to spotlight the fact that some in the Bloodshot family are purveyors and creators of more than merely timeless music: some create fine art as well. We invite you to visit them on-line, to revel in their visual musings, and to appreciate the breadth of their creativity and vision. If you've already completed collecting these artists' discography, consider supporting them with purchasing art!

• Exene Cervenka: Exhibit information
• Walter Salas-Humara (Silos, I’m Not Jim): Walter's Dogs
• Ben Weaver: Books and art prints
• Jon Langford (Waco Brothers, Pine Valley Cosmonauts): Yard Dog Gallery
• Rico Bell (Mekons): Yard Dog Gallery