The Will Hoge Band rolled into sleepy St. Simon's Island, Georgia last night and promptly kept the neighbors up. Will's electric blend of musical styles from the last half century put an exclamation point on the statement that they are a rock band!

Hoge himself is reminscent of a big band leader, leading his capable cohorts through a variety of off-the-cuff songs. On a whim and without a setlist, he can work his way from originals to the Beatles to Ray Charles without missing a beat and having fun along the way. His strength of vocal ability is only paralleled by his band's ability to produce unabashed rock music on as simple a cue as a smile or flip of the wrist from their quite charismatic leader.

Last night was certainly a fantastic demonstration of this eclectic group's tendency to flat out rock. What started off as a weak crowd quickly filled the dance floor as Hoge and company packed the joint. With a relentless attack on mainstream music's inability to be honest, they put on a show that may be the best secret in rock--straight-ahead music that comes from true passion for what they do. At the end of the night they had amassed new fans, me included.

After the show the guys very graciously spent some time with me talking about among other things coming back to the region. Let's hope that the next time Will and friends roll into town it's for a longer engagement.

Oh and pick up Will Hoge's music at the always reliable IndieCity.net

Pawless Guitars are hot right now. Jack Ingram beats on one every night. Billy Joe Shaver played one on the stage of the Opry. Todd Snider is the latest proud owner of a Pawless.

Those guys are heroes of mine and in a few weeks we're going to have something in common: I'm getting a new custom Pawless. Designed by Vince as his first mesquite OM with lots of new innovations like an advanced bracing concept using multiple tonewoods and deep body.

Aside from being a fantastic luthier, Vince provides a nice service documenting each guitar he builds on his website. He posts updates regularly so his customers can interact with him and enjoy seeing the process of their guitar being built. Little details come to life as each piece is lovingly crafted and finished that you would otherwise never see. Customers can see the painstaking care that goes inside their guitar and that gives it the unique characteristics that make a customer guitar special. It brings the customer exceptionally close to the builder, something few other luthiers can do and separates Vince as a top-level luthier in my book.

If you'd like to follow along with the construction of my beauty and see a real American luthier in action you can watch here.

You can also get a cool new desktop featuring my little guitar.

For those of you with free time tonight and reliable wheels, Will Hoge is playing at Rafters in Saint Simons Island, Georgia. Aside from being one of the best up-and-coming bands on the alt.country scene, these guys are working about as hard as anyone to make it. Their music is best described as southern rock with an R&B influence mixed with traditional...well you know how this is going to end up. They're pretty damn good and if you can make it for the 10 PM show you'll walk away impressed.

You can find more info at their website: WillHoge.com.

Also, check out their music on the iTunes Music Store.

We are entering prime political season and as such the musical world has once again entwined itself in the process. Jibjab has taken the media by storm with its parody of the political divisiveness that election years bring. Set to Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Our Land", JibJab's poke at partisan politics is witty, catchy, and well-timed with one exception: those who own the rights to the original song.

The Richmond Organization owns the copyright on the song and they see no laughing matter. They want the publishers of the cartoon to cease use of the song. The publishers are seeking protection since their cartoon is their opinion a parody.

While most Americans may know the song as a patriotic number its roots are actually closer to JibJab than they are to flag-waving pride. The original song has many verses that are virtually unknown to the public-at-large that tell the tale of a divided country. It was and is a protest song, albeit much more serious than JibJab's comedic dive, that was about the very same topic that the cartoon depicts.

Guthrie himself has always been a lightening rod for political-minded musicians. Last year John Mellencamp remade Guthrie's "To Washington" with updated lyrics as a critique of the Bush administration. Steve Earle routinely invokes Guthrie including "Christmastime in Washington" from El Corazon on which he longs for Guthrie's return. Billy Bragg has covered "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos" while Springsteen and countless others have done "This Land." Bob Dylan even wrote a song to Woody entitled "Song to Woody" in which he speaks of paupers and the world of which Guthrie sang. While none of those were parodies, they each were part of the protest tradition that Guthrie helped create.

So would Guthrie be opposed to this use of his music? I doubt it--he would probably even laugh when he heard about it.

Last night I heard repeatedly during the Democratic National Convention that Bill Clinton is the Democratic "rock star." Rock star? An aging politician? Then it hit me...Bill Clinton is a stereotypical rock star:

• He loves junk food piled on in binges
• He's known for his rampant sexual lifestyle
• When he got famous he left his small town roots for NYC
• His bus rolls into town with fanfare and leaves 'em wanting more
• He loves being loved by many
• He can work a crowd into a frenzy in less than an hour and get paid for that hour more than most Americans make in a month
• He really cares about his hair

Do I love Bill? I do and while I certainly don't approve of the way he handles his personal life I always get caught up in the rock star speeches and fanfare that he brings. Rock on Bill!

Jimmy Buffett has after over 30 years in the music business scored his first number one album on the Billboard charts. License to Chill, Buffett's latest go-round and his first real country album in years has debuted at the top spot in this week's album chart.

I don't like to toot my own horn here but I do recall mentioning on a few occasions that I thought this album could rock the country world...

By the way, in case I haven't mentioned Will Kimbrough today, he plays on License to Chill and wrote the track "Piece of Work." He's a native of Alabama like Jimmy and is up for instrumentalist of the year at the Americana Music Awards. Given his success and Jimmy's hit I think we may see more of this combination.

Deregulation of broadcasting has been a horrific act forcing most of us to listen to corporate radio from one of a handful of stations in the country with each of our hometown's name inserted into some prerecorded show. That travesty has made a mockery out of consumer choice and turned music into an oligopoly. At least today there is some comfort in knowing that small labels have a chance to find distribution and get some decent music in our hands.

All that could change with the INDUCE Act. The Senate has before them the task of deciding if technology that allows sharing of information is illegal because it induces people to violate copyright law. Among the technologies included are peer-to-peer networks, VCRs, and iPods. The law could make acquiring CD burners or home video cameras difficult.

Here's my first beef with the bill: there are plenty of legal activities that this technology enables. For instance, Apple's iTunes Music Store distributes both independent music as well as music from the major labels. We put that music on our iPods or burn them to CD. The entire chain in this case could be deemed illegal under the INDUCE Act leaving scrappy indie labels to fight for shelf space in our lovely mega music stores, some of which are ironically owned by the labels. Any technology can be perverted for something else and copyrights should be protected. Still crippling the good use of technology for no reason other than fear of falling profits is a poor choice.

The second problem I would like to bring to your attention is that this contrary to capitalist ideals. Capitalist ideals? Yes, capitalist ideals. Capitalism, despite its flaws, dictates that the consumer make the choice about success and failure. We don't have a perfect capitalist economy in America because there are some things that the government simply must regulate to ensure we do not devolve into a society of class warfare. Still, the more that government stays out of consumer choice decisions the better we are--especially if it doesn't involve life-altering decisions like which CD I want to listen to in the car. The government is simply protecting poor decisions by labels here which will lead to poor competition in the music industry--something already fairly woeful. So further regulation and protection of the industry is going to hurt consumer choice.

So boys and girls please write or call your Senator and tell them to vote against the INDUCE Act for the sake of entertainment.

It's been a crazy few days here and in the world of Americana music. Here's a few quick notes to hold back the water:

• The fine folks at the Americana Music Association are preparing for their third conference and awards show. The lineup includes some of the best of Americana: Jay Farrar, Billy Joe Shaver, and Todd Snider to name a few.
• Speaking of Todd Snider, last night he unveiled his new album, East Nashville Skyline, at Tower Records in Nashville. Aside from setting a new in-store attendance record the show was a hit among fans. To celebrate his triumphant return from a battle with painkillers his fans presented him with a custom Pawless jumbo guitar!
• Snider's talented wife Melita is headlining an art show at the Gallery Cui-ui in Reno this weekend--Todd is opening for her for a change. If you don't know her work it has a folk-spin set to the eyes and faces of her portrait subjects. Lovely and lively the paintings often express a wide range of emotions in the subtle details that she captures.
• I just learned I have a neighbor who plays mandolin. Together we have decided to conquer the world--but only after dinner.

Have a great week!

CNN reports that MagRack is convening a "Guitar Face" contest.

Mag Rack's Guitar Face Contest enables six-string fanatics to send in a photo of their best "guitar face" for judging by a panel of professionals. The most original, most outrageous image selected wins a Les Paul "Black Beauty" electric guitar and hard case from Epiphone.

Mag Rack's panel of celebrity judges includes: Surf music pioneer Dick Dale, Heavy metalist Steve Vai, Roger McGuinn from The Byrds, Country star Hank Williams Jr., Billy Idol/Michael Jackson guitarist Steve Stevens, Twisted Sister's J.J. French, David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick, members of up-and-coming bands The Rosenbergs and pinkeye d' gecko, rock photographer Henry Diltz-plus many, many more.

Holy cow! I've seen some good guitar faces over the years but none match the veracity that Joe Cocker displays while singing. He doesn't even need a guitar to have a great guitar face.

Like many songwriters, I attempt to write daily. Sometimes I get little bits on napkins or a riff that I can later use but mostly I get throw-aways. When the moon is just right and if the creek doesn't rise I might get something worth keeping. Regardless, every day I get something even if it is virtually worthless.

These days that creek isn't even a trickle--I'm in a full-fledged drought. I've written useless bits for the last few months with only one song completed. My efforts haven't as much as contributed a verse worth keeping or a riff worth playing in weeks. Boys and girls, I've got writer's block.

What could be to blame? There's joy in my life, success in my endeavors, and rife in my politics. The headlines are adrift in a sea of anger and hostility--good fodder for protest songs. My personal life couldn't be better-perfect for some whispy rolls through bluegrass. I have more passion and emotion than at any other point in my songwriting life yet nothing comes.

That my friends is what I call the writer's block blues...

This week's chart has some interesting developments:

• Todd Snider's new album East Nashville Skyline has climbed to the eleventh spot on the charts. It is available in stores today!
• The Notorious Cherry Bombs, alt-country's version of a supergroup, have climbed into the top 5. The Bombs feature Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, and Tony Brown among others.
• The Old 97s have the biggest mover of the week, jumping from #48 to #24.
• Loretta Lynn continues to top the charts with Van Lear Rose. Loretta may just follow Johnny Cash's lead to alt-country's biggest honors at the Americana Music Awards too.
• Caitlin Gary of Whiskeytown fame has her new band, Tres Chicas, firmly entrenched in Americana's mind jumping 10 spots to #29. Their recent appearance on NPR caught my attention.

A couple of quick tidbits for your coffee-laced morning:

• Todd Snider's East Nashville Skyline hits shelves tomorrow. It's fantastic and you need it to be considered part of the human race. Read my review here.
• A few of my favorites are up for Americana Music Awards this year. First, Will Kimbrough is up for instrumentalist of the year. This year he toured with Rodney Crowell who is up for song and album of the year and recorded and wrote for Jimmy Buffett. As if that weren't enough he produced and played on Adrienne Young's breakthrough album which has earned her a nod for best emerging artist. Also, he played on Mindy Smith's album which garnered nominations for song and album of the year and puts her up against Young for best emerging artist. The awards are September 24 and are hosted by Jim Lauderdale in Nashville.
• For you aspiring artists out there, I've received a catalog from DiscMakers. I'm not a customer nor paid to say this but it seems like a heck of a deal. For less than $1,000 you can get 1,000 copies of your album with submission to iTunes Music Store and CD Baby as well as a UPS bar code. The discs are printed professionally in three colors as are the sleeves. I'd say it's a great way to get started.
• I've got an interview coming with the producers of Beautiful Dreamer, the Stephen Foster tribute from American Roots Publishing due in August. Both the album and the interview are worth a look!

Have a great Monday!

Since the 1970s Jimmy Buffett has been, for better or worse, held to a standard that his earliest music set. Despite having a mere three top ten hits, legions of fans have placed the Mobile-born Buffett's early work in the same esteem as the Bible in some cases while nearly ignoring his more recent, but in most cases more inventive work. They flock, literally, to his endless-summer tours hoping to sing a few bars of his most famous songs. Still, the ever-changing Buffett has continually recorded since the 1970s.

Last year Jimmy Buffett rose to the top of the country music genre with a surprise hit "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", a duet with Alan Jackson. It was Buffett's first chart-topper and earned him a Grammy as well as numerous other industry awards.

It wasn't his first foray into country music however. His earliest efforts at recording were actually country sessions in Nashville while he was a Billboard journalist. Largely ignored, those sessions included "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw" which became a jukebox sensation but still did not earn Buffett the respect he would later garner. After several unfortuante events he moved to Key West and became poet-laureate for several generation of fun-seeking lost souls.

Thirty years later, he's returned to his roots and in many ways is ushering country back to its own humble start. License to Chill is Buffett's latest brainchild: an attempt to capitalize on the bland, unimaginative scene of country music by smacking the industry between the eyes with something they've never heard or at least never bothered to listen to. With the country music charts dominated by knockoff rock Buffett's new record is a romp that has a smattering of traditional honky tonk as well as a smooth groove about a mile deep. To be careful however, I'm not sure that country radio is going to love this album because it's doesn't have a ramped-up drum track or standard country radio leanings. In fact it's more of a swift kick in the nuts for those leather-clad wannabe rockstars than an homage to modern country--in every sense of the word it is alternative.

The album features some of the biggest stars of country music like George Strait, Toby Keith, and Clint Black but its real showstoppers are the lesser-known country and alt-country stars. Despite the fact that the big names get dual-billing on several duets the songwriters and musicians on these tracks are the real backbone of a new Buffett sound. The songwriting is the best I've heard on any album this year and includes tracks from Guy Clark, Will Kimbrough, Hank Williams, and John Hiatt--it must have been a dream come true to record such great songs on a major label release. Further the band Buffett assembled is like an all-star team. Doyle Grisham's steel tempered with Sonny Landreth's slide guitar is an killer one-two punch. Throw in Mac McAnally and Will Kimbrough on guitar and you have a string attack unmatched today. Of course you can find Coral Reefer mainstays Mike Utley and Nadira Shakoor joining in for a hell of a party. I think he even talked the infamous Tony Brown into getting out from behind his desk to play keyboard.

In the end it is superb songwriting along with fantastic performances from some of country music's best but unknown that make this an album that even non-Parrotheads will love.

With many irons in the fire I thought I might give you a few little tidbits on my mind these days:

• Grey DeLisle may have the finest new voice this year. There's such uniqueness in her delivery--it is haunting. Mindy Smith is a close second with but over the course of each of their careers I think they both will be heralded for their sound.
• The new Stephen Foster tribute from American Roots Publishing called Beautiful Dreamer is fantastic in its early stages. I doubt I've heard an album that really encompasses so much of our musical past so perfectly. I'll have a review in a month or so--if I can stand to wait that long.
• Jimmy Buffett seems to be everywhere. His new record arrives July 13 and his single "Hey Good Looking" is climbing up to the rare air of the top ten. Early reviews have Will Kimbrough's "Piece of Work" as the runaway favorite on the album. Let's hope it brings more light to the underappreciated Kimbrough.
• Todd Snider's new album arrives July 20 and he's throwing an in-store party at Tower Records in Nashville to celebrate the release. Following the party Todd will be heading over to the Exit/In to see Billy Block perform and mingle with friends and fans.
• Some of you have noticed my critique of Chet Flippo's recent column at CMT.com. First let me say that few music critics are as accomplished as Chet and I respect all he's done. Let me also say that all journalists have a bias or three. In this case I simply think that Chet works for the most important television station in country music (CMT) as well as the most important conglomerate in music (MTV) which inevitably introduces bias toward the musicians his company is pushing. Sellout? Maybe...
• Indie PR people are among my favorite bunch. I've been lucky to have worked with some great folks in this industry but I've yet to have a negative experience with indie PR people--major label PR people treat me like I'm not worth their time while indie's always treat me well. Go indie!
• I've been looking in my local stores for the Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack to no avail. Of course IndieCity had it and I even got free shipping. Every experience with those people is good.

If you're in the Northeast Florida region you have a chance to hear some great music this week as well as help build a new skate park for local skaters.

Cafe Eleven in Saint Augustine Beach is hosting over 40 local acts this week with a different focus each night in an attempt to help raise money to build a skate park.

Read more details at the Saint Augustine Record's website.

There's a growing number of headlining acts cancelling summer tours this year. From the big bust of Lollapalooza to David Bowie's recent bow-out due to shoulder pain, major acts are deciding to avoid the potential disaster of low ticket sales.

What's to blame for poor sales? The industry would like to blame the economy or downloading causing general disinterest in paying for musical entertainment. Certainly the general music industry is not performing as well as they would like but the real cause may be something much more difficult to swallow--poor decisions.

Lollapalooza is a good example of such decision-making. Once the pride of alt-rockers and metalheads alike, the tour featured up-and-coming and legendary acts side-by-side on several stages. It played upon the audience's desire to be an outsider, like those acts it booked. Now however, the aging alt-rockers have been replaced by attention-deprived crowds that value quick-hit entertainment instead of full-day marathons of music. Futher, the tour has become the dinosaur of megatours booking uninspiring acts as well as being widely-viewed as selling out to corporate interests. Perhaps a simple lesson in knowing one's audience would have solved this situation.

Likewise, Christina Aguilera has cancelled summer tour dates to rest her voice. Widely-spread rumors say the real cause was a decided lack of sales for those dates. Perhaps the bad girl of pop music simply didn't inspire enough people to fork over hard-earned money for a song-and-dance routine.

Rather than blaming the economy, downloading, or even injuries perhaps it is time for the industry to simply face the facts: they are not providing a compelling reason for people to pay for poor entertainment.

Key Lime Lee at Key Lime Cafe has a nice review of Jimmy Buffett's new disc License to Chill which hits store shelves on July 13, 2004.

Another highlight is Toby Keith joining Jimmy on the Will Kimbrough penned tune “Piece of Work”. Love him or hate him, Keith is the perfect companion to join Buffett in singing lines like “I'm a piece of work, I'm iron and lace / I'm shy, I'm right up in your face / I'm all dumbfounded, stubborn as an ass / Sharp as an arrow in a pile of glass.” The song is a dysfunctional romp, an anthem to anti-establishment, and just plain fun.

Aside from featuring my favorite guitarist and pal, Will Kimbrough, this album should be one worth picking up.

I don't often get nice letters let alone from one from an Americana artist. Recently however, I received a very nice letter from Mark Brine. After a little listening and research I can attest to have found one of Americana's hidden gems.

For those, like me prior to receiving his note, who do not know Brine you certainly should get to know his work. Writing roots music since the 1960s, he brings John Prine's wit to Dylan's somberness. He left Nashville in the 80s to avoid the commercial mess in which we find ourselves today intent instead upon producing true Americana music. He's played the Opry and been nominated for a Grammy--not bad for a guy whose name is generally not well-known.

His work itself is a patchwork quilt of genres and styles that make up roots music. He plays on historical musical references like Stephen Foster while telling modern tales. His nose for making music of the past relevant today is both eerie and enlightening. Futher, his scratchy vocals are authentic as is his rhythmic guitar work and both weave a pattern of proof that roots music is alive and well.

So go check out Mark's website and his music to learn about this wonderful artist.

The mainstream country music industry has reached a new low today with CMT Books' release of Music Row Dogs and Nashville Cats.

I love animals and respect animal lovers but this is about the saddest thing I've seen in this twisted industry. Jack Ingram cannot get the time of day on CMT but Blake Shelton's dog gets a book? Billy Joe Shaver helped build this industry and we're instead reading about country music's pets!

Anyway, the good thing is that a portion of the proceeds will benefit animal rights organizations. You could of course do the right thing and turn off CMT, go adopt an animal from your local shelter, and teach it to love Todd Snider's music.

Somehow I managed to celebrate this fantastic holiday weekend without having Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" foisted upon me once. To take the cake, I also didn't have to listen to any of Toby Keith's pandering crap on the radio. Of course I heard that Clay Aiken was performing the aforementioned Lee Greenwood song somewhere this weekend--thankfully missed that trainwreck.

I did however hear plenty of patriotic music this weekend that was not a ploy to sell more records and that was a joy.

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Enacting noticeable change in our world is a tireless task left only to the most dedicated groups and individuals. The stewards of such work give so much of themselves, often without notice or expectation of such accolades.

Among these tasks is the effort to preserve the artistic heritage that flows through various regions of our country. Helping our rich traditions persevere in a changing world while feeding promising artists from multiple disciplines to ensure future generations a meaningful link to our common roots is the work of American Roots Publishing.

The dedicated organization, lead by founder and industry luminary Tamara Saviano and a capable board of directors, has five projects underway including the upcoming tribute to the songs of folk pioneer Stephen Foster. Each project aims to help educate and preserve an important part of America's artistic life.

Take a few minutes to visit their website and read about their work!