Bluegrass, old Willie don't mix

It’s springtime in Texas, and that means more and more country music fans will want to get outside, and many will want to take their music with them.

One of the most portable forms of country music is the woody acoustic sound of bluegrass. I’ve mentioned before that not all country music fans care for bluegrass, and even for most bluegrass fans, a little of it can go a long way. But there’s no denying the enduring impact of the unique dirt road, banjo-and-fiddle sound, since most successful country chart-toppers list bluegrass among their primary influences.

So let’s talk about some new bluegrass music just coming out.

“Country Music” by Willie Nelson

Always on the lookout for something new and different to play, Willie Nelson teamed with Oscar-winning music wizard T-Bone Burnett for his new bluegrass-flavored collection, “Country Music.” Together, the two tapped the talents of the acoustic super-picking crew that made the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant gem “Raising Sand” the hottest set in recorded music a few years back.

But, even as a Willie fan and an acoustic Americana fan, I can’t say I’m impressed with the results.

Oh, the music is absolutely superb on longtime favorites like “Dark as a Dungeon,” “I Am a Pilgrim,” “Seaman’s Blues” and “Freight Train Boogie,” and Nelson’s aging vocal approach is just getting more and more expressive as time goes by. Also, Nelson’s new song for the album, “Man With the Blues,” could easily become one of those nonhit classics that everyone knows and likes, even if they don’t know why.

The problem is, even as good as both are, Willie’s voice just doesn’t fit with the earthy backup music. I don’t know if it’s because we’re just so used to hearing him in his own band setting or what, but there’s a stylistic clash here that I just can’t get past.

Good songs, good playing, good singing, but “Country Music” just doesn’t quite jell.

More reviews.

A New Chapman

From The Chapmans-No mom and dad, you're not new grandparents; I'm talking about a new Chapmans band member. That's right, after twenty years as a four piece; The Chapmans will be adding a new fiddle player to the show. Who is this new Chapman? His name is Tyler Beckett and he's Canadian. NAFTA’s had its impact on bluegrass. We met Tyler last November in Huntsville, ONT, where he was playing with a couple of Canadian bands, Hard Ryde, and Traditionally Wound Bluegrass. We got into a late night jam with him on our last night there, and told him if he ever wanted to relocate to the Ozarks to play fulltime, to give us a call. In April he made a trip down to Springfield to rehearse, and we all agreed it was a good fit. So July 11th Tyler will be joining The Chapmans on stage for the first time in St. Louis, New Brunswick, then relocating to Springfield to join the band full time.

After twenty years playing together, we’re all very excited about the new sound that a fiddle in the band is adding, which is forcing us to rethink the way we play the same old songs with a new instrument in the mix. It also expands our possibilities when writing and arranging new material. We’ll be recording the show in New Brunswick and posting a few songs on Chap-TV when it’s done so you can all hear the new sound.

We’ll keep you all updated with any news that comes along before then. If you get the chance, come out to a show this summer and check out the new lineup.
-The Chapmanshttp://www.reverbnation.com/thechapmans?eid=2023078_270111

The Chapmans Economic Stimulus Package

A message from Jeremy Chapman:

Hey ChapFans, as fans of the Chaps, we thought we would fill you in on The Chapmans official Economic Stimulus Package.

We hope that with your help this plan will create a crazy amount of new jobs somewhere or at least buy me another month’s supply of Ramen Noodles. What is this plan? Well it’s really not all that exciting to the non-economists among you I’m sure. I’ll try to keep it simple and straight ahead. Basically, in laymen’s terms we added a link on the Chap-TV website to our online store. I guess that’s pretty much it in technical terms too.

How does that fix the economy? Think about it… for each CD, T-shirt, Photo, or glowing stick you buy, someone gets a job making a new one. Then there are the Postal workers that bring it to your door. And most importantly I get paid which means I get to buy more Ramen Noodles. Yay! Plus, someone has got to be folding those noodles into a delicious dried square which I just add water to. I make it possible for him to eat Tortino’s pizza.

What do you get? Well, on top of the Notes From Home, Follow Me, and Simple Man CD, we have a very limited number of the Live! From New Brunswick limited edition CD featuring:
1. Losing Again 2. Ode To The Simple Man 3. The Photograph 4. Old Kentucky 5. Out Among The Stars 6. Willow Garden 7. Old Man In The Shanty 8. Sometime You Just Can't Win 9. You Can Run (But You Can't Hide) 10. Long Black Limousine 11. You Send Me plus 3 never before release studio recordings: 12. Redwood Hill 13. River Of Sorrow 14. I Wanna Be Loved Like That
We also have a limited number of really cool ladies T-Shirts available. If that doesn’t excite you, than I don’t know what will. Be sure to check out the new store even if you’re not in the market for anything. This will be the spot where you can pre-order the new CD that we’re currently tracking, and let me tell you I played some of my best notes on this new CD, so you’re gonna want to pre-order so you can hear them. I put a lot of thought into their selection and I think it paid off. We’ll be getting some new video’s on Chap-TV soon to fill you all in on how that’s coming. So check out the store, and prepare yourself for new videos coming soon.

Thanks,
Jeremy (Fingers) Chapman
www.chap-tv.com
-The Chapmanshttp://www.reverbnation.com/thechapmans