This Friday is going to be about Avi Buffalo.
If you got the chance to see them recently then I congratulate you; I missed it. However Avi himself (real name Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg…and sometimes you need a snappier title) came into our wee studio in Edinburgh and cut 3 session tracks on a borrowed acoustic guitar. (Richard Murdoch brought it all the way from Glasgow!)
Avi’s influences include Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young and The Beach Boys. He’s got all these going on and way more. He’s only 19. To my particular delight he comes on the show a week after the septuagenarian Kris Kristofferson. It’s my considered opinion that we’re playing music that’s great whatever age you are playing or listening to it.
We’re not going to go too far into the show without talking about Robert Plant and Buddy Miller.
I haven’t heard all the album yet and I love it! What I’m saying is that I love the fact that someone who could be sitting back and organising polo matches is out there making great music and listening to new cool bands…and cutting their songs!
But this picture is what I really love. For his producer, Robert has picked THE man to do the job…yes, my friends there will be many ‘Where’s Buddy?’ moments this week.
The big news about the album is Robert’s choice of Low‘s songs.
I didn’t know much about Low, and you will no doubt fill me in on this but I gather they are a 3 piece band from Duluth who are part of the ‘slowcore’ thing. You can find out more yourselves but the lovely thing about old Percy is he’s already got me finding their music. What a guy….and me never a Zep fan! What was I thinking??
In the past week I have been to see Sam Baker at the The Fallen Angels Club, I’m hoping to see Wilco and I’m aware of missing Steve Earle and Dave Rawlings Machine. On the Facebook site I suggest that you could let us know about what you thought of these gigs here or there and tell us what we missed. There must be gigs in other parts of Scotland we’re missing, so let us know all about them.
There will be lots of all the usual stuff. Look out for new releases from Ray Lamontagne and Justin Townes Earle and some lovely things from Furnace Mountain, Frazey Ford, Tift Merritt, Deer Tick and Caitlin Rose.
We won’t forget about Hank Williams or Bill Monroe in all of this and remember to tell us about your thoughts on our Another Country Movie Club film of the month, ‘Walk The Line.’
If you still have some radio time left in you I’ll be sitting in for the great Bob Harris on his weekend Radio 2 shows for the next couple of Sauturday/Sundays. This Saturday we have Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire in session.
Hello everyone,
Really looking forward to the show. The Band Of Joy lp is just superb and I think it does have Buddys signature all over it. Standouts for me are You Cant Buy My Love, Silver Rider and Harms Swift Way. The Low tracks are off the Great Destroyer lp and that is an excellent album well worth seeking out.
Next gig for me is Josh Ritter and Dawn Landes at Oran Mor on Saturday and then a few gigs for The Americana Festival.
I love Walk The Line, the performaces from Witherspoon & Phoenix are just superb and the fact that the movie does not gloss over the complications in Cash’s life makes it all the better. I bought a box set of the DVD with soundtrack CD and thats great value if you can get your hand on it.
Hi Norrie (good to hear your voice back here) et al. Indeed, there’s a veritable box of delights on offer in this week’s show, by all accounts. Although that’s pretty much become the norm!
I see that “Walk the Line” is a steal over on Amazon at the minute, but for now I’ve just gone and rented it again – for the second time, no less, so I may as well have bought it! Still, it’s been a good few years since I’ve seen it – I’ll get to it this weekend at some point.
If and only if, that is, I can find the time to do so in between your radio appearances, Ricky! (Whispering) Bob Harris was my way in to a lot of music, as I mentioned last week, and I’m very much looking forward to several more hours of great radio and some late nights this weekend as you keep his seat warm…
Thanks Adam – very kind of you. Been a couple of difficult weeks!
Hi Ricky….
I’d never heard you presenting radio before…I tuned in to Bob Harris last night…and heard the finest music show in years!!!…superb understated, but well informed, presentation and such taste!!!!!
Now the proud owner of the Dylan Leblanc album!
Thanks Fella
I really value all you guys and gals input on the show. It is very encouraging and great for Richard M. and myself to imagine our listening community.
Going to have a meeting this week that may lead to a public space for our movie club. It’s not a matter of life and death…..but what is?
Thanks,
Ricky
Dear Ricky
This is totally off topic and so I’ll get my apologies in straight away.
Two things!
Are you aware of “Newsnet Scotland”? It’s an online newspaper run entirely by volunteers. (Perhaps you might like to check it out before you respond to my second comment?)
Is there any possibility that you might consider raising the profile of the site through your media contacts / appearances?
If, however, you feel it might compromise your position I would entirely understand.
All the best.
John
Pete – welcome to Rickys Blog (if I may be so bold) – make sure you tune in to or “listen again” to Another Country, great show.
Ricky – nice comment.
Good to hear from you, Ricky, and to have the blog at all from which to provide feedback. Without gushing pathetically, I do listen to a lot of radio but Another Country is for me the highlight of my listening week! A public space for the Movie Club would be most welcome also if that proves possible.
Avi Buffalo was amazing. And he’s really only nineteen?! I’m stunned.
I’ve tried to keep my Mary Chapin Carpenter fandom muted this series to date, but I would certainly welcome hearing more of her on the show. There are some stunning tracks on “The Age of Miracles” that I think would fit right in. (“Mrs Hemingway” is as beautiful a song as I’ve heard all year.) Above all, though, I am utterly GUTTED that I can’t make it to any of her and Tift’s UK tour dates. This was the indisputable Gig of the Year for me, and I was planning to head up from London to Glasgow as it was the only date I could do, but that’s not looking possible either now. I’ll be out of the country and celebrating an important calendar date in Spain, but it still smarts! (I’m settling with Placebo next week at Brixton Academy and Martyn Joseph in November as my next planned gigs, but neither hardly classifies as Another Country fare!)
So, thanks for the previous offer to meet up if I did make it to the Old Fruitmarket, Norrie, but it’ll have to be a case of “next time”, sadly. And maybe hearing a little more of Mary Chapin or Tift would ease my pain. I did wonder if either or both might be invited onto the show as guests?
That really is a pity Adam. I’ll need to check out Martyn Joseph dates.
It really is, Norrie. Maybe I’ll try to make it up for something else, though. I don’t know Glasgow very well, but what I have seen I like very much.
Martyn Joseph is in Glasgow on 5th December at City Halls Recital Room, and there’s a new album – the whimsically titled “Under Lemonade Skies” – due out next month too!