Archive for May, 2009

“Willie Nelson is Bringing Sexy Back, ” said Dave Matthews

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

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Ruth Boggs went to Boston to see Willie Nelson & Family and the Dave Matthews Band on Friday and Saturday nights, and she shared these pictures at her FaceBook Page (and kindly said I could put a couple up here.)  Thanks, Ruth!

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Ruth reports that Dave introduced Willie Nelson & Family both nights, and that Willie came out sang ‘Grave Digger’ on both nights.  Also, she said Dave coined the phrase, “Willie Nelson is bringing sexy back.” 

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photo credit:  Ruth Boggs

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Willie Nelson & Family

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

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Credit:Photos by Amber Sigman

So far, no one has sent me any pictures from the Fenway shows of Willie Nelson & Family show, opening for Dave Matthews Band Friday and Saturday.  So, here we’ll make do with a couple pictures from Slugger Field, last August in Louisville.

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Credit:Photos by Amber Sigman

Gibby Haynes interviews Willie Nelson

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

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Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, Willie Nelson and Roky Erickson
by Scott Newton

www.gibbynme.blogspot.com posted interview by Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, of Willie Nelson, originally posted at www.obsrvr.tripod.com:

Willie: Hi, I’m Waylon Jennings.

Gibby: And I’m Bonnie Raitt. I don’t know, I just want to say that it’s an honor to meet you.

Willie:
Well, thank you.


Gibby:
My father kissed Jessica Lange. He played a producer in the Patsy Cline Story. You wrote that really great song, “Crazy.” I was sitting with some record executives and we were trying to get a deal in some restaurant on I-35 and they said, “Why do you want to live in Texas? Why do you live here?” So I said, “Because Willie Nelson lives here.” So they said, “Well, he’s never written anything.” I’m not going to say what label it was. You might even have been on it.


Willie:
It wouldn’t surprise me.


Gibby:
Willie, you wrote a song called “Crazy” and they denied it. One was German so I couldn’t really blame him that much and as it turned out he had signed three bands and all the singers of these three bands had died. So it’s lucky that he didn’t know that you wrote “Crazy” (Both Laugh) There’s also another one I’d love to hear something about, “The Red-Headed Stranger.” Is that a song about a man that shoots a woman for touching his horse?


Willie:
Yeah, it was originally a song called Red Headed Stranger and it was a record written by Arthur “Guitar Ruby” Smith and I used to be a disc jockey up in Fort Worth at KCNC and I had a children’s program each day. My show ran from noon until 3pm, but I had a fifteen minute program each day from o1:00 until 1:15 where I played children’s music so the mothers could get their little kids to take a nap you know. That was back in the radio of the 50’s. There was this song called “The Red Headed Stranger” and I played it every day on my show and it was one of the most requested songs. I sang it to my kids at night with the first family that I had and so everyone just associated me and that song.  “The Red Headed Stranger.” And then, I had a chance to do my first album and I had artistic control (so they say), so I did the Red Headed Stranger Album. I did it in about 12 or 15 hours and it cost like ten or twelve thousand dollars to complete.


Gibby:
That was a lot of money.


Willie:
Well, back then it was really a little because there were people eatin’ up one-hundred thousand dollars in the studio pretty quick, you know. So they felt like if you didn’t spend that much on it, it wasn’t worth a shit. That’s kind of the way they looked at it. I built this town (Willie World) after the album came out. It did pretty well. “Blue Eyes Cryin’ In The Rain” came out of it. …And I built this town because I always had in the back of my mind that it would make great music.


Gibby:
What was it back in the 50’s, it seemed like these murder ballads were a thing that was going back then.


Willie:
Oh, there was a few going around. … one called the “Knoxville Girl.”


Gibby:
Everything was dark back then. There was a song (a husband and a wife wrote it) about moonshine and goin’ up on a hill and like strangers don’t come around here because you won’t come down. There’s some dark shit that came around during that period. I don’t know. I look back at the high school yearbooks from back in the 50’s and I don’t know, maybe I’m queer but the women look ugly and men look good-looking. Maybe it’s just the current style. What are you working on now?


Willie:
I’m writing a movie.


Gibby:
That’s bad ass! So am I.


Willie:
And I’m touring: I’m going to St. Louis, Mississippi, Kansas City. I’ve been in the studio doing some work. I used to have a band called the Offenders.


Gibby:
Wow! Funny you should mention that. A friend of mine that I saw yesterday sand in a band called the Offenders. His name is JJ and he just got out of jail. He had been out of jail for an hour and a half and I saw him walking down the street and I went over to his house and bought him a twelve-pack of Shiner Bock. He went in for 71 days on parole violation for some misunderstanding about moving a block away and he had no legal representation. I gave him one of those childproof lighters to light his cigarette with and he stood there for a long time because he had been in longer, well seven months is longer than childproof lighters.


Willie:
I still can’t make ’em work.


Gibby:
Yeah, only the little ones survived.


Willie:
Anyway, I went in the studio with this other band the other day and we did another album and we called it the Repeat Offenders.


Gibby:
What did ya’ll do?


Willie:
Mostly original stuff. Stuff I’ve written over the years. There was a song that came out, one of my songs, and I had the songbook in the studio and we just went from page one. I think we did 36 songs.


Gibby:
Wow! Shit man. How many of them are brand new?

Willie:
The songs themselves? It’s mainly stuff that I’ve had around for a long time.


Gibby:
Are these mainly shit you’ve written? [mocking himself:] “Shit you’ve written,” excuse me.


Willie:
Shit. Old crap.


Gibby:
Embarrassed? [Both laugh.]


Willie:
Some old rehash stuff.


Gibby:
What was it like in the early 70’s, mid 70’s, 1973, 1974 when the picnic shit began? How did that start? You know, my folks wouldn’t let me go to that. All of a sudden, I don’t know, I grew up in Dallas which isn’t really part of Texas.


Willie:
Well you remember when the first Woodstock came along?


Gibby:
Yeah yeah, Dallas International Motor Speedway or whatever.


Willie:
A little bit after that I moved back to Texas and did the Red Headed Stranger album and things kinda started happening. I decided to put together a Woodstock in Texas and someone had beat me to it. It was called the First Dripping Springs Reunion, do you remember that one?


Gibby:
Sure!


Willie:
All these promoters got together and put on this huge show with a whole lot of great country acts in it.


Gibby:
What city were they from?


Willie:
All the bands were from Austin and the promoters were from Dallas. They lost a lot of money on it, but it sure was a great time.


Gibby:
Good for them. [Both laugh]


Willie:
It was a great idea,, so I stole or picked up on their ideas. They had it in March and the weather and kind of windy, so I moved it to the 4th of July when it would be hot. I figured that with all the marijuana and the beer, it would cool everybody out. So that was the first 4th of July picnic.


Gibby:
You’re the Perry Farrell of country music. I don’t know if you’ll get that one.


Willie:
No, I don’t know who that is.


Gibby:
That’s OK, don’t worry about it, he looks like the devil without a tail. He’s one of those weird guys. But that period, that was a weird period. It was in that transitional period. It kinda went from LSD to methamphetamines, you know what I mean? Shit got weird. There was a lot of dangerous people running around. These rumrunners and shit, but you had one of the picnics out on MoPac [Missouri Pacific Highway] didn’t you, when MoPac was being built?


Willie:
We had one in Liberty Hill, we had one in South Meadows Parkway, one over at Manor Downs, one over in Dripping Springs, and a three-day one in College Station.


Gibby:
I’ll bet they sold out of beer at all the convenience stores for 100 miles around.


Willie:
We’re going to do one this year in Luckenbach.


Gibby:
Oh really? That place was up for sale a while back.


Willie:
Well I hope they don’t sell it before the 4th of July.


Gibby:
You know what? It was almost affordable to us at the time for the Butthole Surfers, and we figured we’d hold Luckenbach, Texas for ransom and take it hostage. [Both Laugh.]


Willie:
We’ll kidnap ’em.


Gibby:
No shit. Butthole Surfers almost bought Luckenbach, and it comes with a fuckin’ post office and a bunch of mud. Yeah, speaking of which, that was a wild guy, that Hondo Crouch.

[Hondo Crouch was the owner/mayor of Luckenbach who was also a poet and artist. Basically he is a part of Texas Folklore.]

Willie: He was a good guy: a poet, a romantic, and he loved Luckenbach.


Gibby: I heard he could hold his breath underwater for a long time.


Willie: Yeah, I never did see him do it. That’s a good thing to know how to do.


Gibby: He was a great swimmer, wasn’t he?


Willie: I think that’s what he did in his younger days. I didn’t know him until Luckenbach was almost happening. Jerry Jeff [Walker] went out there and did his thing kin Luckenbach and it kinda got to be the spot. Then the song, “Luckenbach,” came long and we had a world championship domino tournament. Actually, it was a match. Me and one of my friends, Zeke Marlon, against these three old timers form Luckenbach who conveniently kicked our ass.


Gibby: Oh did they? Those motherfuckers.


Willie: I asked one of them, he was about eighty years old. I said, “How long have you been playing dominoes?” And he said, “I ain’t ever stopped.”
Do you remember Beech Cook?

Gibby: That was a crew, man. Tell me a story about Hondo. Do you know a good story about him?

Willie: What is this for by the way?

Gibby [accentuates voice]: These little fucking twerp kids from Houston having this fucking magazine called Thora-Zine.


Willie: It will never last. [Both Laugh.]


Gibby: Not with assholes like us involved in it.


http://ngro_obsrvr.tripod.com/articles/gibbyvswillie.html

The Honeysuckle Rose at Fenway Park, Boston, MASS

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

 Thanks to www.adventurousbeader.blogspot.com for sharing their picture of Willie’s bus taken at Fenway Park, Boston.  Willie Nelson and Family opened for the Dave Matthews Band last night and tonight.

Farm Aid: Family farmers, good food, a better America

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

 

www.FarmAid.org

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $33 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land. Farm Aid accomplishes this mission by:

Promoting Food from Family Farms

Farm Aid stages America’s longest running annual concert event that unites farmers, artists, consumers, and concerned citizens to build a powerful movement for good food from family farms. Throughout the year, Farm Aid promotes food from family farms through inspiring and informative television, radio, mail, and web campaigns.

Growing the Good Food Movement

The Good Food Movement is growing the number of Americans reaching for and demanding family farm-identified, local, organic or humanely-raised food. Farm Aid grants build connections between farmers and consumers creating new markets for family farmers.

Helping Farmers Thrive

Through 1-800-FARM-AID and www.farmaid.org, Farm Aid staff refers farmers to an extensive resource network of family farm organizations across the country. The referrals support farmers seeking to make transitions to more sustainable and profitable farming practices, and also provide immediate and effective support services to farm families in crisis. Farm Aid makes grants to farm and rural service organizations to strengthen this network of resources for farmers.

Taking Action to Change the System

Farm Aid works with and provides grants to local, regional and national organizations to promote fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns to defend and bolster family farm centered agriculture. By strengthening the voices of family farmers themselves, Farm Aid stands up for the most resourceful, heroic Americans–the family farmers who work the land.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter, to stay informed about Farm Aid’s activities, the annual concert, and current food and farm issues.

Poodies No Bad Days Benefit at the Hilltop (8/9/09)

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

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Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

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Photo credit:  Brandon Dill

Willie Nelson and Family will open again tonight for the Dave Matthews Band at Fenway Park in Boston.  I heard willie sang Grave Digger with the band last night, but can’t confirm. 

Thanks to Budrock, Willie Nelson & Family’s Lighting Director (www.Budrock.com) for sending me this video of Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews singing Gravedigger at the show in Memphis last year. And a second video I found.


Saturday Night Special: The Geezinslaws’ at Willie’s Night Life Theater Rebroadcast on Sirius/XM Radio TONIGHT!

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

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www.geezinslaws.com

The Geezinslaws brought their 2009 World Tour to Willie’s Night Life Theater at Carl’s Corner Texas earlier this month, and lucky for those of us who weren’t there — they are rebroadcasting the concert tonight on Sirius 64/XM 13 Radio.

The Geezinslaws performed a free concert on May 16th, 2009, and it was recorded for posterity.  Tonight you can enjoy the irrepressible and incorrigible Sammy Allred, Dewayne “Son” Smith and their band performed a free concert of their notorious brand of musical comedy. The show will be broadcast in its entirety on the Willie’s Place channel tonight from 9:00 – 11:00 Eastern Time, on Sirius 64/XM 13 radio.

For your chance to experience their World Tour, you can see the ‘Slaws live next Saturday, June 6, 2009, at  The Old Coupland Inn & Dancehall,101-103 Hoxie Street, Coupland, TX 78615 .  For more information, visit their website at www.geezinslaws.com.

For information on this show, other great programming, and how to subscribe to Sirius/XM radio:
www.siriusxm.com.

Willie Nelson at Summer Camp, Chillocothe, IL (5/24/09)

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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 Photographer Michael Vujovich shared pictures from the  Music Festival at at Chillocothe, IL last weekend at his Flickr account.

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“While I am more of a passive than an active Willie fan, I will have to say for my first Willie show, it was impressive. I didn’t realize how much guitar playing Willie actually does. He was blasting out solos and shredding riffs on that small guitar.”

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See more pictures of Willie, and all his great photos from the festival at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vujiphotos/3576208274/in/set-72157618879428955/

Please visit Michael’s site and enjoy his other photos.

Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Double Header Concert at Fenway (Friday and Saturday)

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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Willie Nelson and Family will open for the Dave Matthews band at Fenway Park in Boston tonight and tomorrow night.

Willie Nelson & Family, in Concert: Harrah’s

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp in Lubbock, TX (8/8/09)

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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http://www.kcbd.com 

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – Some of the biggest names in the rock and country music world are heading to the Hub City.

“Today (Thursday), we are delighted to announce that Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp are gonna perform right here in Jones Stadium,” said Randy Sanders, spokesman for Llano Estacado Music.

The company sealed the deal to get the Bob Dylan show in Lubbock. It will be held at Jones AT&T Stadium but, because of the construction projects, the concert will only allow seating for 16,000 people.

“Here’s the thing,” says Jodey Arrington, Texas Tech Chief of Staff to the Chancellor. “The chancellor’s plans are to be more aggressive in getting more entertainment here to Texas Tech and utilizing our great assets like Jones Stadium and United Spirit Arena, and other venues on campus to get more entertainment here.”

The concert will be August 8th, sometime in the evening. The exact time has yet to be determined. Tickets go on sale June 13th through Select-A-Seat.

http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=10441368&nav=menu69_3

Willie Nelson: American Classic (New Album Release 8/25/09)

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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Photograph by Ian Gittler / Used With Permission
www.iangittler.com

Mark your calendars, Blue Note Records announced that they will release Willie Nelson’s ‘American Classic’ next August 25, 2009. 

“With his new standards album, Willie Nelson proves yet again that he is an American Classic.” — album notes

  1. The Nearness of You
  2. Fly Me to the Moon
  3. Come Rain or Come Shine
  4. If I Had You (with Diana Krall)
  5. Ain’t Misbehaving
  6. I Miss You So
  7. Because of You
  8. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (with Norah Jones)
  9. Angel Eyes
  10. On the Street Where You Live
  11. Since I Fell For You
  12. You Were Always on My Mind

Willie Nelson, National Treasure

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

This shirt was sold by the Frank Brothers, at Scooterville, their official travelling Willie Nelson store.  They always have great shirts, maybe not this design anymore, but check them out at the next show.  And say hi to Ruth, Scooter and Keith for me.

I found it on ebay: Willie Nelson Pick Necklace

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

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