Every Americana album has at its core a reference to things that have come before whether it be other artists, other genres or other eras. This isn't unique to Americana music but the manner in which the genre's artists select their influences is certainly more daring than most mainstream artists.

Amy Loftus is no different and her latest release Straight to Amy bends even the rather liberal rules of Americana influences much to my delight. The album, produced by Will Kimbrough, is an airy, warm album which emanates a vintage 70s country vibe with an infusion of 80s pop which perfectly compliments Amy's practiced voice. Complete with a healthy dose of organs, steel guitars, and a steady backing band, Amy steers the way through an album that crosses borders into new territory without making you feel as if you've left the comforts of your own hometown.

Of course those who know Amy find this crossover success to be quite in keeping with her past. She's been a painter, actress, and a member of a professional dance company before. Also, a practicing yogini, Loftus has proven flexible and willing to cultivate her talents after getting advice from songwriting legend Jerry Leiber. While working as his chauffeur he told her to pick the one thing she loved and pursue it relentlessly--something that has come to fruition with this album.

That pursuit shows her well-rounded past with everything from Natalie Merchant-esque vocals on Artifical Glare to straight country on "Work to Do" featuring Kimbrough as duet partner. Ambitious but not threatening, "Red River" begins with a disarming conversation between children about peace and ends as one of the album's real highlights. "Nashville Doesn't Sleep Here Tonight" and "Bad Neighborhood" sound like Lucinda Williams or Allison Moorer at their best. We even take a slow ride through another highlight on the R&B/jazz mashup called "Lonesome Call." Overall it's Amy's uniquely strong, smart songwriting that coalesces a vintage country vibe with an airy romp through contemporary alt-rock that makes her one of the best new voices in this burgeoning genre.

Straight to Amy will be available March 18 from her website. Of course I'd advise to pick up a copy to catch what's sure to be one of the genre's up-and-coming stars.

The LA Times believes outgoing World Bank head James Wolfensohn should be replaced by someone less conventional--say Bono for instance (pictured left with propsed Vice President Axl Rose). Proposing the Irish icon and political activist may be part of the Times attempt to spice up their pub, but they insist their stance is serious.

In the past I've been more than tough on Bono due to his outspoken political nature. I've ranted that musicians have no place discussing politics--I was wrong and readily admit it. After doing a little more research on his work I have to say he's actually done quite well by any standard with his celebrity.

So this year I say we vote Kinky Friedman for Governor and Bono for World Bank President. I can't really vote in either election but I'm mailing my cardboard cutout ballots today.

Todd Snider fans in Florida should block their calendars on April 16, 2005. Todd once again will be playing Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa. Todd's last visit to Florida was in November 2003 so his journey is sure to be well-received.

For those of you keeping score, Florida has been a hotbed of Americana activity recently with tour stops by Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver, The Yonder Moutain String Band, Wilco, Will Hoge, and Jack Ingram. Add Todd to the upcoming calendar as well as Jim Lauderdale and Rhonda Vincent and it makes for a pretty exciting six weeks.

Hunter S. Thompson was indeed a great writer and someone who clearly either inhabited or created a world a world in which truth was flexible and many things misunderstood. Heck, the first time I read his work I simply didn't get it--something Thompson would surely scorn or mock me for readily admitting. His passing like his work confused me momentarily.

My pal Tommy Womack made things much more clear for me today while pondering a wrecked van he's had in his yard for six months. While he'd like to cast it off as an eclectic artist thing it's clear there's something else rumbling in Tommy's mind:

I wonder if Hunter Thompson ever left a wreck in front of his house that long? I wonder what unattended wreckage he had that may have disturbed him. We all have unattended wreckage, except for you people with your lives together. I envy you people. Me, I'm a wreck in human form. But I made some great music this weekend, in a little while I'll take out the garbage, then I'll burn a CD, then I'll go to bed, all the while knowing that if cops could read my thoughts, they'd put me in jail, knowing I've got to get up damn early and go to work all day tomorrow. I'm a crazy man in a vicously sane world, just doing my best to get by. I've been stoned and drunk. I've had a flat tire in Manhattan at 3 in the morning. I've been chased down the street in Hoboken by a guy banging a car bumper with one hand. I know better than most folks what fear and loathing is up close. The world of Gonzo is a nice place to visit, but you don't want to live there. I want to be neat and orderly in my life so that I might be violent and original in my work. I want that wrecked van gone.

Tommy of course is a famed author and musician and you can read his little slice of attempted sanity here.

There are so many little things going on these days that I can barely keep up! Luckily the news is mostly happy this morning:

• Jack Ingram's appearance in Florida this weekend went well. I think we can expect to see Jack back in the Sunshine state more often. With an album in the can and a label deal in the works, Jack's headed for big-time success. The new songs are killer and there's no reason every country station in the nation shouldn't have him in heavy rotation.
• Speaking of Jack, go buy an XM radio and tune into "Jack's Tracks." Each week you'll be able to hear the artists that Ingram digs and I can tell you he's got great taste.
• Tommy Womack and Will Kimbrough's new project "Daddy" recorded their first album last weekend. Those who witnessed the event say that this is going to be a breakthrough album for these guys. I've seen some pictures of Tommy Womack sporting a Sharkbitten t-shirt during the first night's recording. I don't know if the shirt helped but I can tell you their new material is amazing.
• Will Kimbrough laid down five new tracks yesterday as he prepares for a new solo disc as well. Will's at the top of his game these days so I'm looking forward to big things.
• Amy Therese Loftus. Those three words may make your day. Amy has a new disc, "Straight To Amy" which we'll feature here later this week. It's as good as Mindy Smith's debut and does away with all the marketing hype that diluted that release. I think this one will grow to be a favorite around town much like Adrienne Young's album.
• Bob Brown sadly passed away this weekend here in Florida. Bob was out on tour with Billy Joe Shaver playing nearly every instrument on stage. I saw the band a couple of weeks ago on their first Florida date and Bob surprised me. After Billy's son and guitarist Eddy died there was only one other guitarist I thought could fill the shoes and that was Will Kimbrough who appeared on Freedom's Child. After seeing Bob on stage I can tell you that I was wrong--he appeared to be the perfect accomplice to Billy's honky tonk attack. What a tremendous loss we've been dealt with Bob's passing.

I sauntered up to the desk and asked the man in the flowing robe for a room. After explaining that I had reserved a king suite with a minibar in the name of Felipe Jimenez, it was clear the result would be as I expected. Despite the denial, I offered the man a snort from my flask. His beard swished around like a vulture's chin as he nervously glanced around--perhaps he too had meth for breakfast. He cautiously accepted my invitation and offered, "It's a good thing I can't let you in. This place is dead!"

Hunter S. Thompson was one of my favorites, known mostly to me by his acerbic writings in Rolling Stone and ESPN. His passing saddened the morning, but only briefly as I could only imagine the preceding scene playing out. I smiled as the words came to me hoping that somewhere Hunter has found peace.

Legendary New York club CBGB is reported facing the end of the line due to rising rent according to The NY Times via the Village Voice. Country, Bluegrass, and Blues, or CBGB as it is better known, has been in business since 1973 and has hosted some of music's most influential acts including Driving-n-Cryin, Everclear, Yo La Tengo, and most famously The Ramones. Surviving the disco era, CBGB became known as the source for edgy rock. Without a change in the current real estate landscape, the venue will most likely close it's doors after 30 years.

Texas doesn't often come to Florida but this Friday night Jack Ingram will be opening for Pat Green at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach, FL. Jack is a legendary live performer in his home state and among today's most appreciated songwriters. He also appears in Lee Ann Womack's latest video "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" playing the role of country beefcake. Fresh off two live releases last year, this is your chance to see Jack in concert--a night you won't forget.

In his own right, Pat is another fine Texas performer in the vein of Todd Snider, Robert Earl Keen, and Jack Ingram. Pat had a huge radio hit last year with "Wave on Wave."

Also, Jack will be a guest on "Good Morning Americana" Saturday morning. Details of his visit will be released in the next few days. You can listen live online.

There are a million things happening in the Americana world right now--if I wrote as much as I'd like about all of them I'd need a week. But until I can do the topics justice here are some highlights for your weekend:

• Billy Joe Shaver was in Jacksonville last night, the first night of his four show Florida tour. If you have never seen Billy live you really have missed what can only be described as the original honky tonk hero. Lively, funny, sweet and the very definition of "hellraiser," Shaver is the first and perhaps the last real country outlaw. He's a classy gentleman too.
• If you can hock something to get to Nashville this weekend you can catch Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack's new band Daddy at the Basement. It's guaranteed to rock.
• For those of you in the midwest look for Todd Snider in Minnesota. He doesn't get there often enough so take advantage of the opportunity.
• On the other hand, Georgia fans are graced with two Will Hoge dates. He has Marc Broussard in tow starting in March, but for now catch the original rock act doing the way few can today.
• Florida fans also can catch The Yonder Mountain String Band in Jacksonville Saturday night. They're fun and unlike anything else you'll hear in Florida.
• Amy Loftus has a new album that's nearing delivery. I'm looking forward to hearing her work but my guess is that the folks who helped make this album will give Amy a great foundation on which to build her career.
• Jackie Greene? Not heard of him? Well you will because this guy has a lot of the same things that Will Hoge has--charisma, killer vocals, great songwriting, and a sound that makes today's mainstream rock look pale.
• Seems like Florida is getting the best of things these days. Jack Ingram rolls into Jacksonville next Friday night. He opens for Pat Green. For my money, there's no one in country music who can even carry Jack's boots. He's as close as our generation has to a Billy Joe Shaver.
• Finally, but not least by any means, go buy the late Roscoe Gordon's No Dark in America. I owe this guy a review but I can't do him justice. He's a legend and the work that Lij did with him just before his death ranks among the most interesting I've heard this year. We played some of this on Good Morning Americana and the phones rang off the hook. I know he was looking for it just before he passed, but I sure think Gordon sure had his mojo until the end.

Billy Joe Shaver is a living tall tale in the truest sense of the word. The legendary Texan songwriter was born poor in Corsicana, raised by his grandmother, found a love for poetry, and got his start singing on street corners. That meager beginning grounded firmly in hardship would be the mold for the rest of Billy's life.

By twenty-one he was married to a girl of seventeen as the result of an unexpected pregnancy. His job at the local sawmill would claim two fingers on his right hand, but not his will to succeed in music. At various times he hitchiked toward stardom, succeeding in breaking in but failing to profit. It wasn't until the 70s when his partnership with Waylon Jennings and close friendships with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash would yield lasting fame. That success took it's toll on his marriage however and Brenda and Billy divorced and remarried three times over the years. Billy's son, Eddy, had grown to be a talented musician while his father's legend grew. In the late 80s and 90s Eddy would become Billy's chief collaborator and musical soulmate--their edgy brand of country blitzed CMT and gave Billy a new lease on an already prolific career. All that would come to an end when Brenda lost a battle with cancer in 1999. Just a year later Eddy died of an overdose amidst suspicious conditions leaving Billy alone.

The tale doesn't end there however. Billy's next two studio albums would be the best of his career and earn him an Americana Music Association honor for his brave voice. Freedom's Child addressed Billy's losses in what is easily his most personal album of his career while Billy and the Kid helped bring some closure to the brief but promising career Eddy lost upon his death. It was all summed up in a documentary that garnered critical praise called "Portrait of Billy Joe" as well as in an upcoming autobiography entitled "Honky Tonk Hero."

Billy recently sat down to tell us about the recent past and his future.

SB: You've had what is typically referred to as a "tough life" yet you're always smiling. What's the secret?
BJS: The secret? I'm just happy I guess. I'm a Christian you know. I'm alright.

SB: Your life is quite a story. At any point did you stop and think that the life you were leading was big-screen material?
BJS: Not really. I never really thought of it that way. I felt real good about the film. I didn't even see it until everyone else did.

SB: Your story covers many years and phases. In the 70s you gave outlaw country its swagger yet didn't win an award of any kind until three years ago. Do people appreciate your work more now?
BJS: Waylon used to try to give me his awards. I think they appreciated it then but were afraid of me.

SB: What were they afraid of?
BJS: I was erratic. That might have been it. What ever happened happened. I'm so glad to get the awards now because it means they care.

SB: The last two studio albums you've recorded were heavily bent by two untimely losses in your life. I think they're the best of your career, certainly the most personal. How hard was it to record these albums?
BJS: It was hard but Billy and the Kid we did real quickly. We didn't even overdub--just sang it once. My producer said we shouldn't do any of that stuff.

SB: I heard a similar story about the recording of "Day by Day" from Freedom's Child. It was just you and Will Kimbrough in a room right?
BJS: Yeah. I love Will. I kind of wrote that song as we were recording it. It just came.

SB: Billy and the Kid was unfinished work by your son Eddy. He's still very much with you spiritually still isn't he?
BJS: I have a theory about that. I think when people pass away, the good parts melt into the ones they leave behind. It's alot like the words that Jesus Christ said--they live forever.

SB: Last year you were honored by some of the people that list you as an influence on your birthday. What was it like to be the focus of a tribute?
BJS: (Laughs) It's going to be an album in May. It's a good one. It's great because it benefits cancer research too. On top of it I got to see everyone.

SB: You've said that songwriting is a hobby, a form of therapy. At heart you're a poet aren't you?
BJS: Other people could call me that. I've often said that writing is the cheapest form of therapy.

SB: Have you given any though to the proposal to make you the Texas Poet Laureate?
BJS: (Laughs) Kinky Friedman's running for governor of Texas you know. I guess could be poet laureate.

SB: Think he'll win?
BJS: If I have anything to do with it he will.

SB: What do you want to be the lasting legacy of Billy Joe Shaver? Father, husband, songwriter?
BJS: Everybody's brother. That could be the name of my next album. I'm working on it right now.

You can find more info about Billy Joe, his tour dates, and upcoming book at his website or Compadre Records.

Jimmy Buffett is releasing fellow Alabama-native Will Kimbrough's "Piece of Work" minus Toby Keith. Keith, who originally performed on the album version of the song, is absent from the radio version. Kimbrough's version appears on his highly-touted Home Away which caught Buffett's attention after his sister gave him the disc.

You can listen to the new version on AOL's Music Channel.