Archive for September, 2013

Those handsome Nelson guys: Micah, Willie, Lukas

Monday, September 30th, 2013

varvatos10
www.blazerformen.com

Rock ‘n’ roll-loving menswear designer John Varvatos is apparently going a little bit country, tapping Willie Nelson and the singer’s two youngest sons, Lukas and Micah Nelson, to be the face of the brand’s fall 2013 advertising campaign.

Shot by photographer Danny Clinch, the campaign images capture the troika of Nelsons in full family portrait mode at the Salisbury House in Des Moines (a ’20s-era Tudor Revival manse built for cosmetics magnate Carl Weeks). Willie is wearing a black, two-button, notch lapel JV “Hampton” tuxedo, a white dress shirt with a wing collar and French cuffs (paired with his own boots, we’re told).

Son Lukas Nelson (in the middle in the above photo) wears a black, one-button, peak lapel “Austin” tuxedo, black, double-breasted vest, a silk, micro-polka-dot scarf and blue velvet boots. Micah Nelson rounds out the sharp-dressed trio in a black, two-button notch lapel “Hampton” suit, black dress shirt, pinstripe vest, silver skinny tie with black and white “Fleetwood” boots.

Varvatos has a long track record of tapping musical talent for his seasonal advertising campaigns (this one, like the last 18, conceived with advertising and branding agency Yard and shot by Clinch), most recently Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and blues singer Gary Clark Jr. (spring 2013), Paul Weller and Miles Kane (fall 2012), Green Day (spring 2012) and the Roots (fall 2011).

The younger Nelsons (whose mother is Willie’s current wife, Annie D’Angelo) have apparently followed their 80-year-old father’s footsteps into the music business, 24-year-old Lukas Nelson with the rock band Promise of the Real and 23-year-old Micah Nelson with the band Insects vs. Robots. (According to Willie Nelson’s official website, Micah also contributed percussion to select tracks on the country star’s latest album, “Let’s Face the Music And Dance.”)

Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow, “Far Away Places”

Monday, September 30th, 2013

fresh noise
http://teamcoco.com

Here’s something you must put in your ears now: the premiere of Willie Nelson’s “Far Away Places,” featuring Sheryl Crow. This heartfelt ditty is featured on To All The Girls…, Willie’s new album of duets with a dream team of pop-country singers including Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, and more.

You can pre-order To All The Girls… on WillieNelson.com.

Willie Nelson & Warren Haynes (9/28/13)

Monday, September 30th, 2013

williewarren
www.jambands.com

Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Nashville seems to be a breeding ground for collaborations. A night after ZBB brought out Kenny Rogers, Jason Mraz, Kenny Chesney, Amos Lee and more, Willie Nelson and Warren Haynes played a set together. Nelson, celebrating the return of his armadillo, and the Gov’t Mule guitarist shared the stage as well as the singing duties. Warren Haynes sang lead vocals on “Two of a Kind Blues,” “Soulshine,” and a cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man.”

Initially, Willie Nelson broke the news that he was canceling a select number of tour dates to rehab an injured shoulder, but reversed that decision upon further review.

Buy a Farm Aid Tee-Shirt; support family farmers

Monday, September 30th, 2013

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www.FarmAid.org
Tomorrow, we’re sending in orders for sold-out #FarmAid2013 t-shirts to be reprinted, so order by tonight to make sure you get the design you want. If your walls could use a little Farm Aid love, we’ve also got posters from this year’s concert. http://j.mp/FarmAidShop

Thank you for your support! Every shirt we sell and donation we receive helps our mission of keeping family farmers on the land growing good food for all of us.

“Every time we eat, we determine the direction of our food system. Farmers are doing their part. When we all stand with them and do our part, we can bring about change that’s good for all of us.” — Willie Nelson
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Lukas Nelson, Farm Aid 2013 (photos: Mary Francis Andrews)

Monday, September 30th, 2013

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

Armadillo returns to Willie Nelson’s & Family

Monday, September 30th, 2013

armadillo
www.theadvertiser.com

by: Ned P. RauchThe mounted armadillo that was stolen from Willie Nelson’s road crew after a Sept. 19 concert at the Capitol Theatre was returned unharmed Friday morning, the theater happily reported.

“The artists who play at the Capitol Theatre, we try to treat them like family, and no one messes with our family,” said Tom Bailey, the Capitol’s manager.

Shortly before noon, someone (Bailey did not describe the person, but said it was not the suspected thief) walked up to the theater and handed a sealed box to the attendant working at the box office. Inside — his signature blue-glitter hat still fixed to his leathery head — was Ol’ Dillo.

“Everyone is relieved and delighted to be able to get the thing back to Mr. Nelson,” Bailey said.

The armadillo’s abduction launched a nationwide ‘dillo-hunt. Texas Roadhouse, a chain of barbecue restaurants, offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the critter’s return. More than 1,500 fans posted condolences (and unprintable threats against the thief) on Nelson’s Facebook page. The Port Chester Police Department opened an investigation.

Ol’ Dillo had last been seen at his usual stage-side perch, standing atop a mixing console as crew members packed up equipment after the show. Footage from the Capitol’s security cameras showed a woman walking onto the stage, grabbing Dillo by his back and slipping away into the crowd.

Bailey said he and his co-workers have identified the woman involved and have banned her from future performances at the Capitol. He also said Nelson had decided not to press charges; fans had called for much worse.

Ol’ Dillo, a gift from a fan at a show in Jackson, Wyo., has been traveling with the band for three or four years, Nelson’s publicist, Elaine Schock, said.

After a long week apart, the band and its mascot will be reunited shortly: The armadillo, safe inside a Fed-Ex box, is en route to Texas.

“I’m sure (Willie’s) overjoyed to have Dillo back,” Schock said.

Late Friday afternoon, a post attributed to Nelson appeared on his Facebook page:

“Ol’ Dillo is on his way home! Thank you to all of our friends and family for helping track him down. Thank you Capital Theater (sic) for having an amazing staff and hunting down clues. Lesson of the week: Only cowards steal from another person, don’t be a coward!”

That admonition is followed by a statement more in line with Nelson’s good-time image. Quoting the Dalai Lama, he wrote, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

Willie Nelson and Paula Nelson, ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’

Monday, September 30th, 2013

Willie Nelson loves his duets and loves the ladies. But as with many of his collaborations, the results on his latest, “To All the Girls” are a very mixed bag. The most satisfying surprise among the 18 tracks here is the meditative reading of the John Fogerty classic, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” In which Willie’s daughter Paula delivers her verses and counterpoints her father on the choruses with skillful aplomb. That highlight is mtched in quality and musical interest by the bluesy embers of “Grandma’s hands,” with Mavis Stables, as well as the spritely, honky-tonk of “After the Fire is Gone,” on which Tina Rose (Leon Russell’s daughter) stirs Willies singing with her sexy strut. The Texicali lilt of “No Mas Amor” is another keeper, thanks to Alison Kraus’ soaring, multi-tracked vocals, and the duets with Roseann Cash, Emmylou Hrris and Norah Jones are all predicably good.”

Lone Star Music Magazine
by: Rob Pattersonpaulaalbum

“My very first interview here in Austin TX was many years ago with Rob Patterson. He has definitely seen me from the beginning of my music career up until now.. A friend of mine sent me this review in Lone Star Music Magazine.. Thanks Rob for your kind words it means a lot to me, as does being included on this amazing CD with my dad and these incredible women of music..”

— Paula Nelson

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To All The Girls Track Listing:

1. Dolly Parton – From Here To The Moon And Back
2. Miranda Lambert – She Was No Good For Me
3. Secret Sisters – It Won’t Be Very Long
4. Rosanne Cash – Please Don’t Tell Me
5. Sheryl Crow – Far Away Places
6. Wynonna Judd – Bloody Mary Morning
7. Carrie Underwood – Always On My Mind
8. Loretta Lynn – Somewhere Between
9. Alison Krauss – No Mas Amor
10. Melonie Cannon – Back On Earth
11. Mavis Staples – Grandma’s Hands
12. Norah Jones – Walkin’
13. Shelby Lynne – Til The End Of The World
14. Lily Meola – Will You Remember Mine
15. Emmylou Harris – Dry Lightning
16. Brandi Carlile – Making Believe
17. Paula Nelson – Have You Ever Seen The Rain
18. Tina Rose – After The Fire Is Gone

This day in Willie Nelson History: Glen Autry 100th Birthday Celebration (9/29/07)

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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On September 29, 2007, Willie Nelson joined Glen Campbell and other to celebrate Gene Autry’s 100th Birthday, in L.A.

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www.GeneAutry.com

Actor and singer Gene Autry was born on September 29, 1907, in Tioga, Texas, to a horse trader who also worked as a Baptist minister.

During his boyhood, Gene’s family moved from Texas to Oklahoma. In high school, Autry worked as a railway telegrapher at the local railroad depot, where he spent slow moments strumming his $8 guitar and singing. Passing through the depot one day, a stranger-who turned out to be Will Rogers-suggested that Autry try singing on the radio. Inspired, Autry traveled to New York City to look for a singing job but had no luck. Back home, he began working for a local radio station and found success as “Oklahoma’s Yodeling Cowboy.”

Eventually, Autry and railroad dispatcher Jim Long wrote several country songs, including the world’s first gold record, “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine.” Autry became a regular on Sears Roebuck’s National Barn Dance, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1934, producer Nat Levine was looking for an actor who could sing and ride a horse. Autry wasn’t an actor but had already established a loyal radio audience, so Levine put him in numerous B-grade westerns. Playing the lead role in a long-running series of Saturday matinee films, Autry became America’s favorite singing cowboy.

In 1940, his musical-variety radio show, Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, debuted; it ran until 1956. He became America’s favorite television cowboy in 1950 when he debuted The Gene Autry Show, which ran through 1956. In each episode, he and his sidekick, Pat Buttram, rode from town to town, maintaining law and order.

From “Back in the Saddle Again” to yuletide mainstays like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” Autry’s music became part of American life. He was also an entrepreneur, owning hotels, gas stations, and the California Angels baseball team, among other ventures. He also owned a television production company and was proud of discovering “Annie Oakley” star Gail Davis, whom he featured in dozens of his movies and television program episodes. Her appearances spun off into her own series, which Autry’s company produced. Autry was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969. He died in 1998.

Warren Haynes joins Willie Nelson & Family, Southern Ground Festival (Nashville) (9/28/13)

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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Thanks to Government Mule’s Facebook Page for sharing this great photo.

Willie Nelson Corn Maze Opens in Bastrop

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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Fall Festival & Corn Maze.

Barton Hill Farms in Bastrop opened its Willie Nelson-themed corn maze on Saturday for the season. It will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 10. You’ll find a pumpkin patch, farm animals, face painting, a 2,000-square-foot jumping pillow, a train and food from Cindy’s Gone Hog Wild restaurant. Tickets are $10 for ages 11 and older, $7 for ages 3-10, and free for children 2 and younger. 1115 FM 969. bartonhillfarms.com.

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Farm Aid Heroes

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

dennisdennis
Photo by Dennis Dennis

Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Carolyn Mugar, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson

Support Farm Aid, support family farmers
www.FarmAid.org

Willie Nelson, Farm Aid 2013

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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LB

Trigger University

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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Order your Trigger University shirt here. 

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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Thanks to Phil Weisman for sending that photo my way.

Pete Seeger and friends, Farm Aid 2013 “This Land is Your Land” (Saratoga Springs, NY) (9/21/13)

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

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photo:  Mary Francis Andrews

Pete Seeger made a surprise visit to Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs, and invited the Farm Aid Board Members on stage to sing “This Land is Your Land”, including a new verse (“New York is meant to be frack  free”).

Thanks to photographer and friend Mary Francis Andrews for sharing her great photos with us here.

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

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