Legendary alt-country originals Uncle Tupelo left behind two bands--Wilco and Son Volt. Son Volt, after three acclaimed albums, broke up leaving front-man Jay Farrar to his own vices. According to Jay's website the band is back together. The only hitch is that he is the only member still in the band. The others, Dave Boquist, Jim Boquist and Mike Heidorn, reportedly could not "reach acceptable business terms" with Farrar. Farrar's new bandmates have finished a new studio effort.

So those of you pining for the old days, keep waiting! At least we can say that unlike Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams, Jay seems to still have a desire to play alt-country.

It may be hard to believe but being a major country music outlet doesn't mean a strict diet of Toby, Tim, and Shania. Great American Country clearly believes that three balanced meals of southern rock, bluegrass, and folk can help ward off Brooks and Dunn through creative programming like The Edge of Country and GAC Classic.

Hestiant to tune into another show that in the spirit of Crossroads which largely played the Eagles non-stop as an example of music that crosses the boundaries, I was skeptical of The Edge of Country. GAC has slowly won my approval by keeping the audience well stocked with Texas country, bluegrass-infused acts, and innovative young artists like Old Crow Medicine Show. The host, Kylie Harris, is well-versed in the indie acts that line the border between genres and dispenses of the usual host-swag in lieu of providing real information about those artists.

GAC Classic is a new show hosted by Bill Cody but looks to be headed in the right direction. It will focus on classic country artists and videos. While it appears they will rotate 80s and 90s material primarily, their guest list suggests a strong 70s influence as well. It debuts on February 2, 2005.

Be warned that these two shows do not dominate GAC's schedule. You'll still find the usual hat acts littering most of the time but it sure makes it more tolerable to know something better is coming.

Florida fans should mark their calendars for February as songwriting legend Billy Joe Shaver makes a long-awaited swing through the Sunshine state. Shaver has shaped country music as we knew it and wish to know it again through his influence on Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Todd Snider, Robert Earl Keen, and Jack Ingram.

The dates include stops in Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Tampa and Lake Worth. For more information visit Billy's website.

Greg Shaw would have argued that Rolling Stone sold out long ago, but the magazine has confirmed the point by backing down from its decision to refuse an ad for a new version of the Bible aimed at young people. The initial decision to not accept the ad caused an uproar among the religious community and drew the cautious attention of the national media. Now the magazine has agreed to run the ad and chalked the fuss up to an "internal communication error."

What's wrong with running a Bible ad anyway? Nothing really except that this series of backtracks and corporate suit in-fighting really betrays what it is that Rolling Stone is supposed to be: the voice of the music scene. Just as Nashville is now ruled by Armani suits instead of Tony Llama boots, Rolling Stone has become an extension of corporate America. For a magazine quite accustomed to publishing articles critical of the hypocrisy of the current administration, it seems that ethics are indeed a double-edged sword.

Rolling Stone's emerging image problem isn't the only challenge to overcome. Increasingly there are wonderful alternatives to the music rag. The racks of most bookstores today are crowded with publications like Tracks, No Depression, and a variety of indie imprints that offer sharp writing and an informed opinion. Further, today's music fan can get their news and views from a variety of online outlets often writing from a much edgier point of view.

Can Rolling Stone find its mortal soul or has the music world lost another to corporate greed?

I try to listen to each of the stations on the Americana Radio Directory at least once. I've found one that I'm stuck on and I think you will be as well--WUMB from Boston. Boston has a great history of supporting music, especially roots music like the blues, country, and jazz as well as the genres that have been spawned from their infusion. WUMB is a service of the University of Massachusetts-Boston and extends that tradition to their local audience and the world via their stream.

The station is among the finest public stations I've heard...tune in!

Woody Guthrie had live a life of near mythical status by the time he reached Stetson Kennedy's little house on Lake Beluthahatchee in northeast Florida. Guthrie arrived and wrote his final draft of "Seeds of Man," his autobiography while staying at the picturesque house with the historian.

Kennedy himself was no stranger to fighting the good fight--something that made Guthrie a fast friend. Kennedy, a Florida native, worked in folk studies during the WPA projects. His work would gain the attention of Jean Paul Sartre and W.B. DuBois among others. His investigative books The Jim Crow Guide and The Klan Unmasked would be heralded for their confrontational attack on the problem of discrimination and racism.

This year's hurricanes wiped out the beauty of Lake Beluthahatchee leaving behind a dry mire according to the St. Augustine Record. The residents of the lake are attempting to raise the $200,000 to $400,000 needed to restore their dam and preserve a historic and special body of water. I can't think of a more worthy spot to preserve.

Sometimes we simply get it wrong. Today various web outlets are reporting on the supposed satanic symbol flashed by Jenna Bush on the eve of her father's inaugural. Quickly people pointed out perhaps Jenna was a disciple of the dark one or more likely and more dasterdly--gasp--she likes Metallica. The two-finger salute extended by long-haired thrashers for years certainly could explain the first daughter's smile right? It certainly wouldn't be a sign of loyalty to the devil unless she took all that non-sense about metal being the devil's music. Then again, she was hosting the concert that cancelled Kid Rock who certainly has plenty of fans throwing up the forefinger and pinky rock-on symbol. Perhaps she is darker than we think.

Wrong! Jenna is a graduate of the University of Texas--the Longhorns to be exact. Anyone who has been graced by the presence of a UT fan knows their salute to mean "Hook 'em Horns!" Jenna, despite perhaps having bad taste in music, is not satanic--just a proud Texan.

Tommy Womack (guitar genius, author, father, and one of my personal heroes) has a little news that arrived in my inbox via a mutual friend.

My dear fellow travelers of this perplexing and awesome planet,

I greet you in peace and pleasant thoughts. I have good news. My website will be updated soon. A key server issue is getting resolved and I will soon be able to have new rantage uploaded for your workday perusal. There is much to tell - of upcoming recording sessions, writings, and of course, much weeping and gnashing of teeth over the state of the world. In the meantime, I entreat you to patronize any of the following:

UPCOMING TOMMY WOMACK PERFORMANCES. COME BASK IN HIS GLORY. COME FEEL THE TAUT SEXUAL ENERGY POURING OFF THE STAGE LIKE FROST OFF A FRESH ESKIMO PIE.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21st,
Uncle Pleasant's, Louisville, KY
2126 S. Preston St., just north of Eastern Parkway. 502-634-4147
(with Stoll Vaughan, who has been compared favorably to Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. stollvaughan.com/ I'm playing an acoustic set at 9 before him and another after him. I'm the troubadour donut, he's the electric cream filling.)

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, FEB. 4th & 5th
The Celebrity Showroom, Sparks , Nevada.
(Playing bass with Todd Snider and the Nervous Wrecks. A fantastic band it is, with the always amazing Will Kimbrough, the magnanimous Paul Buchigniani and iconic David Zollo. Todd's "East Nashville Skyline" is a masterpiece. "The Ballad of the Kingsmen" is the song of the year. toddsnider.net for the truth, my brother. It will set you free.)

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11th,
Eakin Onstage. The Belcourt Theater. Nashville. 2102 Belcourt Avenue
Nashville TN Box Office: (615) 383- 9140
A Benefit for Eakin Elementary School, with Mary Beth Cysewski, Will Kimbrough, Adrienne Young, Gil Gann and the Guilty Pleasures. (go to willkimbrough.com for all that is righteous and good.)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12th,
The Basement, Nashville, TN, 1604 8th Avenue South, 615-524-1604
The Premier of DADDY!!!
(Featuring the aforementioned Mr. Kimbrough and me, with Paul Griffith on drums, Dave Jacques on bass and John Deaderick on keys. Come out for this. This is going to be cool. We're making a record - the following week - and this is our world premiere as a band. It's swampy, bluesy, gospel and more Keith and Ronnie than Keith and Ronnie have been lately. I'm excited about this. Come dig. Much guitar will be gave.)

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18th & 19th
The Frankfort Women¹s Hall. 200 Washington St, Frankfort, Ky.
The DADDY Recording Sessions. Live in Concerto¹!
(Featuring the same stellar lineup as listed above in the beautiful capital of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to record a debut album live in four sets over two nights. Why Frankfort? Because the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home! By God! For ticket information, e-mail russriddle@hotmail.com)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25th.
The Oasis, Birmingham, AL. 2807 7th Avenue South - Birmingham, AL - (205)
323-5538
(Full band show with Jay Johnson on bass and Tommy Pruitt on drums)

SATURDAY, FEBRAURY 26th.
The KaffeKlatsch, 103 Jefferson, St., Huntsville, AL. (Acoustic show.)

COMING IN MARCH
The Quake 10th Anniversary Party in Russellville, KY, a return to Bowling
Green and a return to Nashville's neatest place for music and shepherd's pie, the Family Wash.

If you've read this far, ten good things will happen to you today. I promise. Start counting. Please post this to all various and sundry alt.country/americana/historical Jesus message boards you might frequent, and by all means please forward this to everyone who forwards YOU crap all the time. If you'd like to be removed from this list, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that. Like I said, look for an update to the site soon.I am alive. I am Womack. Hear me roar.

God bless,

Tommy Womack dot com

North Florida Parrotheads should rejoice! Just last month Jimmy Buffett day was declared in Jacksonville and the honor has been rewarded with a tour date on February 21. Tickets go on sale January 22 for the show at the new Veteran's Memorial Arena.

Check out other Buffett tour dates at margaritaville.com.

I'm not the most gear-oriented musician on the planet, but I've got a collection of things I depend upon and vendors I trust. As always I try to use my local shops including my friends at Grampa's Music, The Garage Skateshop (who has killer boutique amps), and Global Rocker but some things are just too obscure for anyone to carry.

When those things happen I turn to two places that are rock solid. Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan have come through in a crunch for me several times. They have everything new you could want from instruments to accessories, often at very good prices. Second, the guys at Stewart-MacDonald in Athens, Ohio are about as good at customer service as anyone I've used. They carry most luthier supplies and replacement parts and as such have become my go-to guys when something breaks. Just today they fixed a shipping error for me on the phone in less than three minutes--I've never had a problem before this and now I know I can count on them to deliver when something gets awry. Try to get Musician's Friend to do that...

So if you're looking for help trust those guys. They somehow manage to keep all the moving parts going with my guitar rig.

There's not much news floating around these days aside from a few tidbits:

• Todd Snider will be reuniting with his band the Nervous Wrecks for shows in Sparks, Nevada as well as Austin and Houston. Rumor has it that the Nevada show will be recorded as the first Nervous Wrecks album since the mid-nineties. I've also heard that Tommy Womack will be playing dueling guitars with Will Kimbrough for the Texas gigs. Those same gigs will feature The Devil Makes Three as special guests.
• Speaking of Tommy and Will, they will be recording their own live album in February under the new band guise of "Daddy."
• Also of note is David Cole who won Todd Snider's famous Epiphone J-200 in a fundraiser for Kent Finlay, the owner of the legendary Cheatham Street in San Marcos, TX. Over $10,000 was raised for Kent in the course of 2004.
• Jimmy Buffett has plans to release Will Kimbrough's "Piece of Work" as the next single from License to Chill. Toby Keith, who appears on the album version of the song, may not necessarily appear on the released version.
• Amy Loftus is prepping a new Will Kimbrough produced album. Look for a review soon!

The great state of Texas has never, despite its abundant supply, named a songwriter to be poet laureate. John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press thinks that it's time for a change.

Lomax makes the case that Billy Joe Shaver should be the first songwriter to hold such an honor:

Right now, the reigning poet laureate is Cleatus Rattan of Cisco, and he seems a worthy enough choice as the parameters of the selection have it now, which are that the winner be "an outstanding and recognized poet, who is also a citizen of the state of Texas." Some of Rattan's work is very good, and he is indubitably recognized in poetry circles. But what if we put forth someone who is familiar to much more of the public? Someone whose poetry takes the form of song lyrics about life, love and death expressed in the plain-spoken Corsicana vernacular of his raising? Yes, just as much as the Sacramento Bee writer would love to see Merle Haggard as his state's poet laureate, I would love to see Texas crown Billy Joe Shaver. After all, as Texans we associate poetry with dreary Mondays in school. Music, on the other hand, is the heart of our Saturday nights, the medium by which we collectively lament our tragedies and celebrate our triumphs and just plain have a good time.