Reviews of HonkyTonk

sturgeongeneral
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Post by sturgeongeneral »

saw this somewhere; kinda funny---->
"boring adult music. He's always been on that path.
My best friend was the "altcountry gun for hire" for quite a number of years and he always said of the audiences, "It's great. Night after night of balding middle aged guys with beards" "


thank gawd this geezer has no beard, a headful of hair and ponytail to boot!? but then again, my last two shows were the monkees while wearing a black sabbath t and a black sabbath show while wearing a monkees t. what, me worry?

thatbeat
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Post by thatbeat »

http://www.smliv.com/departments/1481-m ... inger.html

a short interview on here as well...


OldSchoolDropout
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Post by OldSchoolDropout »

Deusner - pronounced "Douchener"

el caballo loco
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Post by el caballo loco »


el caballo loco
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Post by el caballo loco »

Terraplane wrote:That guy at Pitchfork, Stephen Deusner, has been killing Jay & SV for years. His review of Honky Tonk just recycles his reviews of ACD and, for that matter, the One Fast Move project. I'd add links to those but hate to promote the guy. He really ought to fess up & recuse himself.
Image
Stephen Deusner

Picture = 1,000 words

Terraplane
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Post by Terraplane »

That guy at Pitchfork, Stephen Deusner, has been killing Jay & SV for years. His review of Honky Tonk just recycles his reviews of ACD and, for that matter, the One Fast Move project. I'd add links to those but hate to promote the guy. He really ought to fess up & recuse himself.

thatbeat
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Post by thatbeat »


Bozeman
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Post by Bozeman »

gdavis5446 wrote:The Falling Cars book got a awful review over at the AV Club. Usually they are spot on with a lot of their reviews. The comments there are always fantastic too. I will still read this book either way.
I wanted to kick the reviewer in the head. He was almost perfectly wrong. I learned a huge amount about Farrar's song writing process from that book. I enjoyed it immensely. Also, the reviewer and commenters all swinging from Tweedy's ballsack was pleasant to read as well.

thatbeat
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Post by thatbeat »

i loved the book, as a fan and as a casual reader....

i think Jay calls it "folk-writing" so there's more to the style and method than just putting out some stories, i thought the decaying nostalgia line in the story "Falling Cars" was well placed... "so it goes for worn out cars and old bands". Indeed.

Interesting that he's sorta taking stock in his young age... the album has more optimism than anything he's ever done, maybe that was on purpose- i sure hope so.

Antelope850
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Post by Antelope850 »

gdavis5446 wrote:The Falling Cars book got a awful review over at the AV Club. Usually they are spot on with a lot of their reviews. The comments there are always fantastic too. I will still read this book either way.
I read that too. They are not spot on with this one. In fact, they got it embarrasingly wrong in my opinion. There IS great insight into his music, career, history, etc. They just happen to be in the form of short vignettes, and not a Behind The Music style autobiography. He gives insight into his stage persona, his influences, his home life, his heroes, how his life and music have been shaped by his family, and the towns and cities he's lived in, about things and people he cares about - all without hitting you over the head with it. It's subtle, not skimpy. It's all in there, you just have to dig a little deeper to get at it. It's unlike any other non-fiction book I've read in a good way. I don't expect it to win a Pulitzer prize, but AV missed the boat on this one with their snark.

gdavis5446
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Post by gdavis5446 »

The Falling Cars book got a awful review over at the AV Club. Usually they are spot on with a lot of their reviews. The comments there are always fantastic too. I will still read this book either way.

Antelope850
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Post by Antelope850 »

http://www.twangnation.com/2013/03/05/a ... r-records/

From the ashes of one of the pivotal harbingers of the late 80′s alt.country movement, Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar’s Son Volt has continued to carry the torch of classic country and rock music for seven albums now. Each album blending, progressing, and sometime faltering, but always staying true to course. This time around, Farrar seems content to ease off of the rock influence and focus in classic country nuance. Picking up the pedal steel in his spare time he’s uses ot deftly spanning 11 songs that display economy (clocking in at just over 36 minutes) as well as expansiveness in influence.

This incarnation of Son Volt appears well suited to provide the Honky Tonk of the album title and theme. The band sets a welcome tone with the 3/4 Waltz of “Hearts and Minds.” Brick Walls is straight from the Lefty Frizzell book of song-craft and heartache. The nightlife lament of “Wild Side” is Farrar’s subtler and more tender take on a theme Hank Thompson tackled with “Wild Side Of Life.”

“Every road is a story to tell, of dreams that have soared and dreams that have fell.” starts off the lovely Celtic-tinged “Down the Highway” that blends the road with life, or perhaps it’s all just life on the road. “Bakersfield” flirts with jukebox fair to compel a dust-bowl migrant to drop a dime to hear it. Languidly paced atmospheric and shimmery electric guitars makes Angel of the Blues’ and “Shine On” gives the album a contemporary conclusion.

Honky Tonk doesn’t slap you in the face with some aural revelation. it’s not a furious album or one trying to prove itself. It lays it out and really couldn’t care what the world thinks. That’s the beauty in it. There is no overt commercial aspirations, just love of music and a celebration of it’s timeless nature. Farrar has always been true to his vision never chasing stylistic trends to broaden his demographic appeal. He’s cultivated and harvesting country music gold throughout his career and with the excellent Honky Tonk, he sounds right at home.

bellevillemusic
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Post by bellevillemusic »

Dear Pitchfork,
You need to listen to the record 5 or 6 more times. Then enroll in a course on non-fiction writing. Then punch a clock for a few years to gain life experience. Then scam free records from your day job. Then consider writing for a jerkwater music website. Then think better of it and slink off into the night.

Megaballs6
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Post by Megaballs6 »

Some truths said there, but the biggest problem with the Pasties and Pitchforks is that they have no sense of what it takes to create from nothing.

I've always suspected the great songwriters hear bits and pieces or more of new music. They have to take them wherever they go. Thats why the chords may be the same, but its all new nonetheless. Songwriters like McCartney or Neil say the songs just gush out...I imagine Jay is the same.

Critics are the worst...useless...let the music find its audience...it resonates with some, and thats all it takes.

The rhythm, the pedal steel or violin, thats all makeup on the face or the wrapping on a present.
What looks structured is actually original to the artist and played by a band of very capable friends

And I personally always dig the voice of the modest star that is Farrar. Jay's audience, or Neil's or Bobby's or John's for that matter, respond to the person and the truth, having no interest in Tony Bennett or whatnot.

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