It's no secret that Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are one of Earvolution's favorite bands. So, it was a great personal thrill for the band to agree to appear as the first act to tape a performance for the Sun Studio Sessions, a project I've been working on for the past few months.

In case you don't know, Sun Studio is the legendary room where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin' Wolf and many others recorded their very first hits. U2 fans will remember Bono and crew going there to record Angel of Harlem

As expected, the Nocturnals were fantastic. They played several tunes that are not on their normal set list and even finished a new song there and wrote a brand new one during the taping. All of that is on camera so you'll get to see some very cool exclusive footage from the band very soon.

The Sessions will begin airing regular "webisodes" on Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting next week, April 7th. But, you can check out a sample webisode here now.

Labels: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Johnny Cash, SunStudioSessions

It has been four years since the world lost Johnny Cash. His legend and songs will live forever, but he's a guy we could really still use around in these trying times when a lot of the people he stood up for are being overlooked. As an attempted homage, I've assembled various artists covering Johnny's songs. There are scores more on Youtube, and other forms of tribute including dozens of duets with Johnny and artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong, and, of course, the love of his life June Carter.

Bruce Springsteen: "I Walk The Line"


U2: "Don't Take Your Guns To Town"


Pearl Jam: "25 Minutes To Go"


Social Distortion: "Ring of Fire"


Norah Jones and Kris Kristofferson: "Guess Things Happen That Way"


Kid Rock: "What is Truth"


Norah Jones: "Home of the Blues"


Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon: "Jackson"


George Jones, Willie Nelson & Kris Kristofferson: "Big River"


This tribute is not exactly a cover, but truer words have never been spoken:

Labels: Johnny Cash

The Trainwreck Riders, who in addition to having a great band name, have a very well done video for a "holiday" track called "Christmas Blues" - check it out on YouTube and you can listen all you like to the mp3 here.

Aberdeen City is also in the holiday spirit. They've put together their own Christmas diddy "Just Like Christmas," which you can download here, along with what they say is a "never-released late night driving version of 'God is Going To Get Sick of Me'".

Barry Gibb has bought Johnny Cash's old house and has decided he's a country singer. Not sure that disco polyester is actually country...just sayin.

After a year in Memphis, the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp music festival returns home to New Orleans.

The Kaiser Chiefs announced a North American tour for 2007 with the first stop at NYC's Roseland Ballroom. Hey, its never too early to begin promotion!

Speaking of early promotion, Grant Lee Phillips will release his latest record, Strangelet, on March 27th for Zoë / Rounder Records. R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck helps out a bit on the project.

Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Ft. Wave fame adds another record to her solo discography with Learn to Sing Like a Star - you can download "In Shock" here.

Brooklyn's Ranier Maria, depsite naming their last record Catastrophe Keeps Us Together, has apparently broken up. I had the please of catching their show and briefly meeting Caithlin and crew this summer in Philadephia. Good band, I hope they stay in music in some form or another.

The American Beauty Project lineup is set and Jen Chapin, Railroad Earth, Jay Farrar and a host of others will celebrate and perform the Dead's American Beauty and Workingman's Dead at a during a free set of shows in NYC on January 20th and 21st.

Pete Doherty reportedly says he misses Carl Barat - but but not for the music. Meanwhile, his lady love Kate Moss may have "banned" Doherty's duets with another woman.

Labels: Aberdeen City, Dead, Doherty, Johnny Cash, Kaiser Chiefs, Mp3s

DJRadiohead has a review of the latest Johnny Cash release American V: A Hundred Highways that includes this particularly poignant passage:

"Cash proves that what is left can be nearly as revealing as the whole. Hearing him sing these songs in the weeks prior to his passing, age having robbed him of much of his vocal power, tells an incredible story. He does not need to say a word. We understand as soon as we hear him sing the first note. Any number of aging artists could give us that much but everyone knows 'TheVoice.' We have all heard the mythic 'Man in Black.' Hearing what is left of that voice and knowing what it was communicates more powerfully than the words of any poet or lyricist. He could have easily stopped recording when his health and voice began to fail him and no one would have blamed him. Instead, he left us one more gift. Listen to 'Cry, Cry, Cry' and 'Like the 309.' 'Like the 309' is, according to Rubin, the last song Cash ever wrote and likely one of the last he ever recorded. The distance from life to death is more tangible. There is now a measure of just how much is lost."

Full review is here.

Labels: Johnny Cash

Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, did not receive a best picture Oscar Nomination, clearing the way for the expected win for Brokeback Mountain. The nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year are:

Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features)
A River Road Entertainment Production
Diana Ossana and James Schamus, Producers

Capote (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
An A-Line Pictures/Cooper’s Town/ Infinity Media Production
Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven, Producers

Crash (Lions Gate)
A Bob Yari/DEJ/Blackfriar’s Bridge/ Harris Company/ApolloProscreen GmbH & Co./Bull’s Eye Entertainment Production
Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, Producers

Good Night, and Good Luck. (Warner Independent Pictures)
A Good Night Good Luck LLC Production
Grant Heslov, Producer

Munich (Universal and DreamWorks)
A Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures Production
Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel, Producers

Despite the snub in the best picture category, Walk the Line's Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are nominated for Best Actor and Actress in a lead role.

Labels: Johnny Cash

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both took home Golden Globe awards for their portrayal of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in the film "Walk the Line."

Both were terrific in capturing the love affair of the country greats. Remarkably, both also did their own singing in the film and pull it off quite well. Duets like "Jackson" are particularly well done. Witherspoon is clearly a favorite now for the Best Actress Oscar and don't be surprised if Joaquin wins for Best Actor there too.

The film itself also took home a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy. While their is plenty of music and some comedy in the film, neither dominates and the film is more of a drama than either of the former. Of course, if Walk the Line were nominated as a drama, that would have made it more difficult for insider favorite Brokeback Mountain to win in that category.

Labels: Johnny Cash

Don't Call It A Comeback – Even If It Is Appropriate
By: David Schultz

Just over a year ago, the Boston Red Sox impossibly overcame a 3-0 deficit by winning four straight games against the New York Yankees, completing the most improbable comeback in the history of sports. New Yorkers were on the happier end of a comeback this year, as late October saw Cream reuniting after a 38 year absence for a three night stand at Madison Square Garden. To honor the tradition of the extraordinary comeback, Earvolution presents the top 10 unpredictable, unlikely, implausible comebacks in music history.

10. Velvet Underground (1993)

In 1968, shortly after the release of their second album White Light, White Heat, John Cale walked away from the Velvet Underground, effectively ending the power struggles between himself and Lou Reed over the musical direction of the seminal band. In the 25 years that followed, Cale and Reed stubbornly refused to acknowledge each other's contributions to one of the most influential bands in rock history. When Andy Warhol died in 1988, Cale and Reed found common ground to work upon and recorded Songs For Drella, a tribute to their friend and mentor. Their renewed ability to work together laid the groundwork for the 1993 reformation of the original Velvet Underground with bassist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker. Sadly, the comeback lasted no longer then a few European shows. While most bands save the crowd favorites for the encores, the reunited Velvet Underground inverted the traditional scenario, using the encore slot to debut a new song "Coyote." Coming to bitter disagreements over the production of the band, Reed and Cale’s egos once again consumed their ability to work together. Just as quickly as they came back, the Velvet Underground disappeared.

The VU comeback is an example of the "Hell Freezes Over" comeback. As named and evidenced by The Eagles, this occurs when band members are able to put aside the differences that have kept them apart for years and reunite with a common purpose. Depending on the motivations of the band, that purpose may or may not include the desire to make obscene amounts of money.

9. Pink Floyd @ Live 8 (2005)

The animosity between Roger Waters and his former Pink Floyd band mates grew so great that Waters took David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Nick Wright to court to prevent them from touring and recording as Pink Floyd. Waters lost the suit resulting in two competing tours that begged the question of "Which one's Pink?" But yesterday's litigation can be resolved as tomorrow's reunion. Finding time during the preparations for this summer's worldwide Live 8 concerts, the ever-persuasive Bob Geldof convinced the most successful lineup of Pink Floyd to make an eagerly awaited and desired comeback. Unlike most "Hell Freezes Over" comebacks, Waters one-off set with Pink Floyd at the free Hyde Park show fell more in line with the event's message of compassion and brotherhood than the usual money-making motivations underlying most classic rock comebacks. Though all smiles on stage, Gilmour's seemingly forced smiles while sharing the stage with his former tormentor showed that while the hatchet may have buried, the grave may be shallow.

8. Gang Of Four (2005)

The Gang of Four's anti-establishment, anti-materialistic, proto-punk rock provided a perfect contrast to the overproduced stereo creations of the late seventies. Peaking with their second album, 1980s Entertainment, the Gang of Four burned bright, but burned quickly. Time has been kind to the Gang Of Four's reputation, cited as an influence by numerous bands the GO4 legend has grown to mythic proportions over the last two decades. Surprisingly, the stridently anti-materialistic rockers all managed to find success in the corporate world after leaving the band. Drummer Hugo Burnham founded his own management company, bassist Dave Allen found a career in digital audio services and lead singer Jon King became CEO of a corporate event management company. The surprising fact about a GO4 comeback is that all of the members left successful day jobs to return to their first love which made them little money the first time around. In 2005, the original lineup returned to the studio and rather than cut a series of new tracks, simply re-recorded the old. While unclear whether this makes a sly ironic comment on the unoriginality of new music or simply illustrates the band's newfound bourgeois laziness, the incredible success of the quartet's 2005 comeback leaves no such ambiguity.

7. Fleetwood Mac (1997)

A human resources manager's nightmare, the Rumours era lineup of Fleetwood Mac flagrantly flaunted the absence of a non-fraternization policy amongst rock bands. With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks progressing through the death throes of their relationship and John and Christine McVie's marriage dissolving, the band channeled their angst into the music and produced one of the defining albums of the seventies. By the time Buckingham left the band in 1987, relationships had mended but without the sexual tension and Fleetwood Mac's magic had long expired. However, it didn't stop them from recording well into the 90s. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rumours (and to make gobs and gobs of cash), Buckingham and Nick rejoined the McVies and steadfast drummer Mick Fleetwood for an MTV reunion that paved the way for a successful US tour. The 1997 comeback didn't yield much new music, however, it did solidify Fleetwood Mac's position as one of the most successful bands of the baby boomer generation.

Fleetwood Mac's comeback typifies the "Return From Obscurity" comeback which could be best summed up by L.L. Cool J's quip "don't call it a comeback, I been here for years." L.L.'s quote bears much truth. The artist usually hadn't gone anywhere, the audiences just didn't care.

6. Loretta Lynn (2004)

Outside of country music circles, Loretta Lynn's career peaked in 1980 when Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her portrayal of her in Coal Miner's Daughter. Even those in the know about country music would concede that her best music came during the sixties and seventies. Lynn's career would likely have remained stagnant were it not for Jack White and his contributions to her 2004 album Van Lear Rose. Bringing his own modern perspective to the mix, White produced, arranged and lent his voice to the outstanding "Portland, Oregon," bringing Lynn one of her greatest commercial and critical successes while resurrecting her career in the process. White Stripes fanatics and curious listeners received a pleasant surprise as the combination of White and Lynn produced either the most revved-up county album or the most countrified rock album in years. The bizarre sight of Lynn and White accepting their well-deserved Grammy award for Best Country Album provided the coup-de-grace for her "Return From Obscurity" comeback.

5. Roy Orbison (1987)

Roy Orbison had his greatest success in the early sixties. By the mid-eighties, Orbison's considerable influence could still be felt but his career remained at a standstill. However, a strange combination of events reinvigorated Orbison's career and regenerated interest in his considerable accomplishments. In 1986, against Orbison's wishes, David Lynch had Dean Stockwell creepily lip-synch the haunting "In Dreams" into a worklight in one of the films most memorable scenes. After seeing the movie, Orbison and Lynch produced a video to promote the film that gave Orbison his first exposure on MTV. Soon thereafter, Orbison joined up with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to form The Traveling Wilburys, giving him the biggest mainstream exposure he'd enjoyed in decades. With his Wilbury mates lending a hand, Orbison recorded his final album Mystery Girl. Although released posthumously, Mystery Girl contributed to Orbison's "Return From Obscurity," allowing him to enjoy a deserved career renaissance before his death.

4. Meat Loaf (1993)

The mid-seventies saw Meat Loaf atop the rock world, riding the unparalleled success of his debut album Bat Out Of Hell. By the mid-eighties, with such spectacular flops as Midnight At The Lost And Found and Blind Before I Stop, Meat Loaf was well on his way to starring in his own Behind The Music special, that is if he could have found his way off of the “Where Are They Now” list. Though he remained a solid concert draw in England, in America Meat Loaf could only fill college gyms in cities where he once sold out arenas. Greeted with slight derision, Meat Loaf’s announced reunion with Jim Steinman on the creation of Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell barely registered outside of his loyal fans. That is, until he released it. The first single, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" marked a return to the operatic, Broadway style songs that marked his earlier success and became Meat Loaf's first number one hit. Meat Loaf persevered for 16 years between the two Bat Out Of Hells, survived becoming a rock and roll punch line and avoided the label of one hit wonder.

Meat Loaf's comeback exemplifies the "Return To Credibility" comeback. This occurs when the artist avoids a spot in The Surreal Life house and rescues his career from becoming a joke. The best example of which came in 1989, when . . .

3. Donny Osmond (1989)

From 1975 through 1978, Donny Osmond and his sister Marie co-hosted the Donny & Marie Show, a show that ultimately came to singularly represent the absurdity and ridiculousness of the seventies style variety show. Once cancelled, Donny Osmond lost all credibility as a musical artist and his career was left in shambles. Osmond attempted a move to the Broadway stage; only to have his initial effort, Little Johnny Jones, close immediately after opening. By the late eighties, a Donny Osmond album had just as much chance of being a success as a Kevin Federline rap album. To no one's surprise, Osmond's 1988 self-titled album, his first in over 12 years, received absolutely no fanfare upon its release and went absolutely nowhere. However, radio stations started playing its lead single "Soldier Of Love," smartly withholding the identity of the artist. Only when the song had become a certifiable hit was it announced that the singer was in fact Donny Osmond. Osmond's renewed popularity lasted for about a year but during that time, Osmond's comeback gave music historians something to write about other than his dreadful variety show.

2. Nick Drake (2001)

Between 1969 and 1972, Nick Drake recorded three sparse emotional albums reminiscent of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. Possessing little commercial appeal, Drake's albums were released to little acclaim and even scarcer sales. Over the next two decades, if Drake had any following at all, it could best be termed a cult following. In 2000, Volkswagen produced a beautifully riveting commercial featuring two couples more interested in driving under the stars than attending a party. Drake's "Pink Moon" provided the soundtrack for the commercial, which transcended mere advertising. Charmed and transfixed viewers sought out Drake's 1972 album Pink Moon, vaulting it back onto the charts with surprisingly brisk sales. Drake's implausible comeback is even more remarkable as Drake died more than 25 years before it occurred, having committed suicide in 1974. The sad lyrics that may have foretold his death provided a gorgeous, if not long overdue, epitaph to his unfortunately brief career.

Drake's "Return From The Dead" comeback is the toughest one of them all. It involves a career resuscitation of such proportion that it recalls Lazarus emerging from the grave to once again walk amongst the living.

1. Johnny Cash (2000)

Johnny Cash's improbable comeback involved much more than a reinventing of his persona. It quite literally involved a rise from his deathbed. In 1997, Johnny Cash was diagnosed with a Parkinson's syndrome-like debilitating degenerative nerve disorder. For the next three years, news of his deteriorating health brought on a death watch complete with tributes honoring the country legend and his musical legacy. However, news of Cash's impending death was exaggerated. Learning that his condition was misdiagnosed and consequently mistreated, Cash made a resurrection apropos to his lyrics. Returning to the studio under the watchful auspices of Rick Rubin, Cash emerged with a number of haunting and inspired recordings, including sparse but emotional covers of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," U2's "One" and Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." Cash's almost literal return from the dead culminated with numerous MTV Video Award nominations for "Hurt." Just before his death, Cash remarkably saw the greatest success of his career since the late sixties.

Labels: Gang Of Four, Johnny Cash, Meat Loaf, Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground