Topanga Canyon resident and longtime When You Awake fave and friend Susan James has a brand new video for the lead-off track from her new album, “Driving Toward The Sun,” which includes a special appearance by her longtime friend, actor Peter Stormare. The track features Susan on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and mandolin, Jason Chesney (of Old California and lots of other bands) on bass, Walfredo Reyes, Jr. on drums, Neal Casal on acoustic guitar and John McDuffie on acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string, dobro, mando and electric guitar. More exclusive photos from the Topanga location shoot after the jump.
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CSNY- Pushed It Over The End
Neil Young performing his unreleased song “Pushed It Over The End” with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at Wembley Stadium in 1974. Hopefully this one turns up on the CSNY live box set that Graham Nash is currently working on, or maybe it’ll be on Volume 2 of Neil’s Archives series.
Larry Jon Wilson- Ohoopee River Bottomland
Have a look and a listen to Larry Jon Wilson recording “Ohoopee River Bottomland,” from the 1981 documentary Heartworn Highways, one of When You Awake‘s favorites! The track, recording in 1975 for Larry Jon’s album New Beginnings, is also one of sixteen featured on an awesome compilation that came out last summer on Light In The Attic, called Country Funk: 1969-1975, which also features tracks by Dale Hawkins, Jim Ford, Link Wray, Bobby Charles Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentry and more. It’s pretty unusual these days when a new collection of archival tracks are released — tunes that weren’t hits to begin with! – on a lavish CD packaging like this LITA release. And what the hell is “Country Funk” you ask? Jessica Hundley offers up an explanation in the liner notes: “The style encompasses the elation of gospel with the sexual thrust of the blues, country hoedown harmony with inner city grit. It is alternately playful and melancholic, slow jammin’ and booty shakin’. It is both studio slick and barroom raw. And while these all may seem unlikely combinations at first glance, upon close listen, it all makes sweet sense.” Amen!
Bobbie Gentry- Morning Glory
Here’s a lovely song to wake up to! Bing Crosby introduces Bobbie Gentry on “The Hollywood Palace,” from January 1969, and she performs this song, “Morning Glory,” from her second album, The Delta Sweete, which was released in 1968. By this time she had also recorded the song as a duet with Glen Campbell. Later on the same show Bobbie and Bing sing one of Ms. Gentry’s hits about the Delta, “Okolona River Bottom Band.”
Remembering Richard Manuel, who died on March 4, 1986. More photos are after the jump.
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Billy Joe Shaver- Black Rose
Here’s Texas country music legend Billy Joe Shaver performing “Black Rose” on Austin City Limits, on August 14, 1984.
Steve Young, from the cover of Blue Canyon’s Seven Bridges Road re-issue LP.
The Eagles- Take It Easy
Tonight , Friday, February 15th, 2013, at 8pm ET/PT, the Showtime cable network will debut the first of a two-part documentary on the Eagles, called History Of The Eagles – The Story Of An American Band (the documentary will conclude tomorrow night, Saturday, February 16th, 8pm ET/PT). Produced by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), and directed by Alison Ellwood, this new documentary apparently will feature an “intimate, meticulously crafted patchwork of rare archival material, concert footage and never-before-seen home movies.” The filmmakers were given the equivalent of an all-access backstage pass to the band’s past and present membership.
Meanwhile, here’s a live clip from the California Jam ’74 of their oft-played FM classic, “Take It Easy,” featuring the original Eagles lineup of Glenn Frey (on lead vocals and rhythm guitar), bassist Randy Meisner, lead guitarist Bernie Leadon (he also plays the distinctive banjo parts on the studio version) and Don Henley on drums. There’s more about the song’s origin, which you may not know, after the jump. (more…)
