Archive for June, 2010

Watch Paula Nelson’s music video for ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain,’ on METV Thursday (7/1/2010)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

 

This This is a still from the video for the song, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.

Paula Nelson’s new cd, “Little City,” is being released soon, and includes the beautiful song, ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain,’  a gorgeous cover of the famous Creedence Clearwater Revival song written by John Fogerty.  Willie Nelson and son Lukas Nelson join Paula on this song.    Luck Films (www.LuckFilms.com) filmed a music video of the song, and it will have it’s world premier tomorrow evening on Austin’s METV. 

Check the site for listings.  I can’t wait to see this.
http://www.metelevision.com

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

For tickets:  www.thebackyard.net

If you can’t make it to Texas, listen to the picnic concert on Sirius/XM Radio on Willie’s Place.  For info:  www.XMradio.com

Willie Nelson’s Picnic (7/4/1980)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010


Dallas Times Herald
7/13/1980

AUSTIN – The 8th annual – and last, according to the creator – Willie Nelson, July 4th picnic drew more than 50,000 fans who survived the sweltering heat of the Texas Hill Country last week.

There were the usual number of drunks, exhibitionists and scores of Texas and Dixie flags. Tents and huge colorful umbrellas dotted the rolling fairway where the fans sprawled out to catch several of country music’s biggest stars, and of course, the main attraction — Willie Nelson.

Nelson, basking in the triumph of a seemingly successful movie debut and the announcement that his name will be carried on a new line of designer jeans, said the picnic had gotten just a bit out of hand.

“It just takes a lot of time.  It takes six months to put together and it takes another six months to get over it.”

The night before the last picnic on his country club overlooking scenic Lake Travis, Warner Brothers premiered “Honeysuckle Rose,” Nelson’s first starring movie performance.  Earlier he had played a small part in Robert Redford’s successful “Electric Horseman.”

Hundreds of reporters and Hollywood types converged at a local theater to watch the screening.  The gala was complete with celebrities and several shiny limousines.  But in his typical unassuming laid-back tradition, Nelson chose not to use a chauffer and drove himself and his wife, Connie, in a silver Mercedes.

Nelson, in the presence of Dyan Cannon and Slim Pickens, comes off well in the movie.  But then again he played the role of a country star bandleader who travels the country in a bus with a handful of renegade musicians.  There is plenty of singing and plenty of carousing — activities Nelson is not unaccustomed to in real life.

“I don’t think I ever really get nervous about it (filming the movie), but then I was never asked to do anything that hard.  I just kind of go where they point me, really,” said Nelson.

Ms. Cannon, who did a splendid job of singing a few country songs herself, said she was impressed with Nelson, although she admitted she did not even know who Willie Nelson was before she hired on to co-star in the movie.

“Willie has a basic honesty,” she said.  “The screen just doesn’t lie.  It captured that about Willie.”

Nelson said he had two more movies to do in the next year, including one with Kris Kristofferson, but indicated music would continue to be his first livelihood.

“Honeysuckle Rose,” actulaly will do much for Nelson’s music career, make him start creating again.

Part of Nelson’s contract with Warner Brothers called for him to write several songs for the movie.  Time went by and Nelson had not written any songs.  But then, during a flight with director Jerry Schatzberg shortly before filming began in Austin last year, the director reminded Nelson of his obligations.

Nelson pulled out his plane ticket and a pencil and wrote the movie’s biggest song, “On the Road Again.”

[LL:  pictures were from Janis, of Texas, and were not of the ’80 picnic; they were from Dripping Springs 1973]

Willie Nelson Fans undaunted by sun, turn out for Picnic (7/4/1980)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010


(not the ’80 picnic; thanks to Janis from Texas for sharing the picture.)

Dallas Times Herald
July 5, 1980

AUSTIN — More than 30,000 music fans wearing everything from bikinis to beer carton hats, jammed the rolling fairways of a Central Texan country club Saturday in 100-degree heat to hear the 8th and final Willie Nelson Fourth of July picnic.

And by mid-afternoon, six of the diehard fans had been transported to Brackenridge Hospital for heat-related ailments, said Candy Pruitt, a guard for Rangers Security System.  The temperature rose to 98 by 4 p.m.

“I’ve been out in the heat all day, and I’ve been sweating, but it’s not as bad as it could have been,” said Bill Lane of the Bexar County Ambulance Co.

More than 100 medics were standing by to treat problems arising from the blazing sun, which has baked Texas for two weeks.

Fans covered several fairways of the Pedernales Country Club owned by Nelson, some making hats from emptied beer cartons, others bringing canopies or tents to get their relief from the relentless heatwave.

Some fans devised their own methods of beating the heat — dousing themselves with beer, sucking on ice cubes and lying beneath pickups. 

In the early hours of the music extravaganza, some grumbling could be heard from the crowd when it was learned that the Charlie Daniels Band would not make its scheduled appearance, but no trouble was reported.

David Anderson, organizer of the picnic, said a plane carrying the Daniels band had landed in the wrong airport in Spicewood, Texas about 40 miles away, and would be unable to make the date because of a scheduled performance tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

At high noon, Nelson, sporting braided pigtails, appeared on stage to play an hour of his progressive country for the cheering, stomping crowd. 

Promoters expected up to 60,000 people to attend the extravganza on the fairways at Nelson’s Pedernales Country Club, 27 miles west of here. 

Several hours before the bash began, a long line of cars jammed the turnoff to the picnic site.  State troopers told frustrated fans it would take two hours to reach the country club, just a few miles down the road.

“Willie’s or Bust,” was painted boldly across the rear window of a car bearing South Dakota license plates.

Stranted in the traffic for four hours, Chuck Michalik said his family from Austin had second thoughts about attending the affair.

“It’s the first concert I’ve been in,” said Michalick, who sported a safari like sun helmet.  “I can understand why kids get mad and riot.”

Many fans paid up to $20.00 for the privilege of parking within a mile of the golf course.  One man directing cars to an acre lot was charging $10.00 a car and expected to gross $10,000. 

“The streamed in all last night,” said Medical Technician Thomas Dietz.  Other than excessive alcoholic consumption, he said, there had been few medical problems, other than a possible drug overdose.

“There’s one guy in there saying people are trying to kill him,” said Dietz.  “I think he’s tripping on acid.”

Nelson’s newest movie, “Honeysuckle Rose” with Dyan Cannon and Slim Pickins, premiered Friday night in Austin.

The picnics, which have become an annual summer event in Central Texas, are ending because Nelson says preparation for the country and western music get-togethers is a year-round task that has become too time consuming.

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Four Days to Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic!

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

picpost

Yeah, it’s all I can think about, and all I can post about.  I’m excited, not about being in that heat, but about seeing Willie Nelson & Family, seeing friends, hearing some great music, seeing Willie Nelson & Family, seeing Micah’s band the Reflectacles, getting to hear Paula and her band sing from their new album, Kris Kristofferson!  Jamey Johnson!  and did I mention I was excited about getting to see Willie?

Willie Nelson, Bee Spears (July 4, 2009, South Bend, Indiana)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

DSC_0822 by you.

Willie Nelson fans on the 4th of July in South Bend (2009)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010




Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic 1974 (Intro to movie)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From IMDB*COM

Author: jkrisvoy from Los Angeles

In 1974, I was a member of the MIDNIGHT SPECIAL production staff, and one of the shows that was taped (originally as a 2 parter) was the WILLIE NELSON 4th OF JULY PICNIC at College Station, Texas. The camera crew was supplied by Leon Russell’s organization, but everything else, as I recall, was up to the show with the exception of the 3D production, which got 2nd rights access to preferred camera locations.

The TV show ran, however, the film was unheard of until about 1982, when I was with a company called Astralvision, ie Astralvision 3D -which operated the Beverly Hills Screening Room on the Sunset strip, which was equipped to run 35mm 3D, including Spacevision, which was the system employed for the film.

On/about 1982 the film’s producer, Joseph Kaufman, brought a rough cut of the 3D version to screen and our group subsequently tried to get involved, to the extent to try to unravel a number of legal issues to help get the film into release. Joe claimed exclusive ownership to the rights. However, there was also another group who was cutting the film in a flat version (which ultimately got among the worst trade reviews of any concert film – one critic noting that it looked like it was “edited by a monkey”

After months of trying to help, the legal costs went up too high and we had to bail. I did see the entire 3D rough cut and the footage actually looked pretty good. In fact, it was kinda mind-blowing to see the staff I worked with staring back at me in one shot from the film in very lifelike 3D. With the 3D trend now on the upswing, it may be prudent for whoever owns it, to try to bring it out for 3D Blue Ray release next year (2010) or even on any of the cable systems planning to go with some 3D programming sometime that same year.

Least I forget, that streaker made it into the unviewable portion of the show that was broadcast, but viewers really couldn’t see her.

Missing Willie? There’s an App for that (Review of Willie Nelson Iphone App)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

 

by Dan Kricke
http://www.appolicious.com  

Taken individually, Willie Nelson Live has much of what you’d expect out of a good music iPhone app. Links to mentions of Willie in the news, Willie’s Twitter updates, tour dates, and even a discography displayed using cover flow. Unfortunately, the design of the app overcompensates in such a way that you can feel overwhelmed by information.

Things start off innocently enough. The main screen of the app is a slideshow of some Willie Nelson photos. Even the tour dates page is spaced well, with different pages for upcoming and past tour dates.

But when you get to the “Live News” feed, there’s just too much to digest. The “Live News” tab has three buttons, one for “Official News,” another for Tweets, and a third for “Buzz.” From what I can gather, “Official News” is a “Willie blog” of sorts, while “Buzz” is more concerned with articles about, or which mention, Willie. The “Tweets” page, also splits off into “Mentions” and “Official” tweets. While I do appreciate all of that information, throwing it under one “Live News” banner, even with the individual tabbed out sections, seems like overkill.

Similarly, using a whole button for a mailing list, but then relegating live photos, videos, discography and a store to a “More” button seems ill conceived. Shouldn’t the mailing list be thrown into that, while something more multimedia friendly, like the videos, are thrown to the front of the app?

About those videos — some of them are pretty cool, showing Willie playing in various places, sometimes accompanying other bands and other times playing his own tunes. But for an app called Willie Nelson Live, there’s a distinct lack of a live music feel to this app.

If you’re a fan of Willie Nelson, you’ll find this an adequate way to get closer to one of your favorite musicians; it seems to me that with a little time and polish, this app would make a lot more sense.

Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Arthur Magazine invites you to screening of movie about Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Co-presented by Arthur Magazine

Thanks to friend, Willie Nelson fan, sports affectionado, buzz-maker, promotor and internet marketing maven — John Rosenfelder for sending along Arthur Magazine’s invitation to see Willie Nelson’s ’74 picnic movie.  The celebration and film screening will be on Sunday, 7/4 and starts at 5:00 p.m., with the lighting of the grill, at the Cinefamily, in Los Angeles.  For more information, visit
http://www.arthurmag.com/.

And I invite you to visit John’s blog at www.earbender.com.  There is so much information there, and it’s entertaining, too.  He is a teacher, and I always learn something when I visit.

www.ArthurMag.com:

“We’d like to invite you all to the best 4th of July party since the Capitol Celebration of 1778, when George Washington gave the United States Army an artillery salute and a double ration of rum!

Well, we’re gonna give you a quintuple ration of cinema with one of our signature Cinefamily “Mondo” nights. It’s all planned out: an open door to our sweet back patio, good music, friends, and that most American of traditions — a BBQ, so bring something to grill!

And if it gets too hot, just step inside our nice air-conditioned theatre, and catch our marathon film festival. “Mondo” means a world of weirdness built around a theme, and tonight’s theme is America, so it’s a patriotic free-for-all of film formats, from DVDs to 16mm industrials, to 35mm features. We’ll be keeping the fest alive all night long, just like our grill! Check out the highlights: ….

(more…)

Willie Nelson, Blackwood Quartet with Ron Blackwood will open 4th of July Picnic

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010


Willie Nelson and Ron B lackwood, Luck, Texas (12/17/09

Today Ron Blackwood called into Willie’s Place, on Sirius/XM Radio, and talked with Bill and Cindy about Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic.  He told Bill and Cindy that he and the Blackwood Quartet that they would open up the Picnic, at 11:00 a.m.  He said Willie told him he would perform a few songs with him. 

So, don’t plan on coming late to the picnic, you will miss seeingWillie Nelson perform with other acts.

Willie’s Place on Sirius/XM Radio will broadcast the concert live, and have announced today that they will start at 10:00 Eastern Time, an hour earlier than previously announced.

Willie Nelson, Luck, Texas

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Drink SilkSoy Milk; Support Farm Aid

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Silk SoyMilk is continuing their campaign to raise funds for Farm Aid and Wind Energy, through the sale of 1/2 gallon cartons of Silk SoyMilk.    You can purchase special cartons of SilkSoyMilk with Green Caps, then you log into www.soysilk.com, and submit the UPC from your carton.  They make it easy, and tell you where to find the UPC.  

For every cap, they donate money to the cause you pick — either Farm Aid, or Wind Energy.  They are trying to raise $200,000.  Also, when you do this, you are entered in a contest to win a Grand Prize which is $25,000 green makeover from Home Depot, and a fortwo smart car; or  First Prize which is is a fortwo smart car and then there are 1,000’s of other instant prizes.

I love SoySilk milk, and I drink it every day.  And I know I am attached to SoySilk because it was first produced by Boulder’s own White Wave Tofu Company, which was started by Bouder Hippie Steve Demos 1977.  Demos used to make tofu by hand in a bucket and deliver it to health-food stores  in a wagon.   In the early days you could walk in their store on Pearl Street and buy tofu.  The front part of the store was like a tofu deli; and in the back they made the tofu. 

He struggled in the beginning, but then  in the ’90’s when soy was starting to catch on around the country, and people were looking to soy as alternative, Demos jumped on it and his soy milk started taking off.   They did so well that they caught the attention of Dean Foods, who bought a minority share, and then eventually bought them out.  Dean Foods had the distribution experience, and now SilkSoy milk is considered the best tasting soy milk, or alternative to cow milk in the US.   

Then the Dean Foods made everyone mad when they sold the tofu, meat-alternative part of their business to Hains.  They held on to SoySilk, of course, it is such a money maker.

I do love their SilkSoy Milk.  I drink it every day.  I haven’t won any prizes yet, but I’ll let you know when I win that big makover and the fortwo car.

And SoySilk  are big financial supporters of  Farm Aid.