Clutch announce the release of the new studio recording of the track “Willie Nelson.” The single is the sixth in a series of new studio recordings that comprise the Weathermaker Vault Series.
“Willie Nelson is a song we wrote close to 20 years ago,” says Neil Fallon. “It started making appearances in our sets recently, so we figured now was a good time to re-record it. This time around Shawna Potter (War On Women) added back up vocals and is in the video as well. And for what it’s worth, ‘Red Headed Stranger’ gets regular play on our tour bus.” The single was recently re-recorded and remixed by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Jawbreaker, The Sword, Against Me!), and the track comes in at 3:21. “Willie Nelson” was originally released in 2003 on Clutch’s album Slow Hole To China: Rare and Unreleased “Willie Nelson.”
It’s that time of year again for me to start the countdowns of my favorite live shows, singles, and albums of the year. I’m starting with live shows. I saw close to sixty bands this year (and possibly over sixty if you add in partial sets), so here are the ones that topped the upper half.
#30 – Hoover iii – Levitation Austin – November 07th
Hoover iii were a pleasant surprise as the first band my wife and I saw at Levitation Austinthis year. They played a fun set of southern California shoegaze that was a great kick-off for our festival weekend.
#29 – Elephant Stone – Levitation Austin – November 08th
It’s always good to see Elephant Stone live, and their set at the second night of Levitation Austin was one of the heaviest sets I’ve heard them play. They threw in a lot of material from their upcoming album, Hollow, so it was cool to be among the first folks to hear that stuff live.
#28 – Bev Rage and the Drinks – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st
Queercore punk rock on a small stage with Halloween candy and pumpkin spice Oreos being handed out to the crowd? What’s not to like? I’d heard a lot of good things about Ms. Rage and the Drinks’ live shows, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were also a great opener for…
#27 – Shonen Knife – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st
You can never go wrong with a Shonen Knife show, and they put on a fun, rocking set of candy-powered rock that had the whole crowd bouncing.
#26 – Willie Nelson – Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN – August 05th
2019 ended up being a “year of legends” for us, as we saw many legendary performers this year. Among them was Willie Nelson, who played a fun set of classic hits and fun covers. His set wasn’t long due to age and what was later revealed to be some breathing issues, but it was still cool to finally see one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Who makes it into the top 25? Come back tomorrow to find out.
2019 is turning out to be a year of legends in terms of my concert viewing. First there was Sir Paul McCartney, then Jeff Lynne and his latest version of ELO, and now Willie Nelson – one of the greatest songwriters and country music legends of all time.
Opening for him were a new British country / blues husband (Chris Turpin) and wife (Stephanie Jean) duo Ida Mae, who put on a simple and effective set of dark country tunes using nothing but a foot pedal electric bass drum, a guitar, a tambourine, and matching vocals. They were elated to be on the tour and playing in the biggest venue they’ve played so far. According to Jean, the only other time they’d been in an arena was to see a hockey game.
Ida Mae playing the largest venue they’ve played so far.
Up next was none other than multiple Grammy Award-winner Alison Krauss. She’d put on a great show the first time I saw her, and I was sure she’d put on another great performance. She didn’t disappoint. Performing on a stage decorated with antique lamps, doll houses, benches, and even a bicycle, Krauss and her band played a lovely set of Americana, gospel, country, and blues that had everyone in the palm of her hand. Among the highlights were “River in the Rain,” “Forget About It,” “Ghost in This House,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and “Down to the River to Pray.”
Alison Krauss and her lovely voice hypnotizing the place.
The Red Headed Stranger was up next, and he came out belting “Whiskey River.” He had the crowd laughing and singing during his cover of Toby Keith’s “Beer for my Horses.” Nelson’s singing was a little quiet at first, but his acoustic guitar shredding made up for it. His voice was warmed up by the time he reached “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” and crowd favorites like “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “On the Road Again,” and “You Were Always on My Mind.” He also made me giddy by doing three Hank Williams covers (“Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” and “Move It on Over.”).
He ended the show with a fourth Williams cover, “I Saw the Light,” as well as the classic “I’ll Fly Away” – both sung with Ms. Krauss who came back onstage wearing a jacket because it was chilly throughout the whole coliseum. It was nice to see them having fun and you could tell Krauss was joyfully singing with one of her idols.
Nelson has since cancelled his tour due to him experiencing “breathing problems.” I hope he recovers soon and get back on the road. Don’t miss him. He’s still touring at age 86, but I can’t imagine he’ll be doing it much longer.
