Jason Jack Miller's Blog, page 9

John Lennon Cover Project!

In an effort to try to stay positive this weekend, I'm spending it listening to all of the music Lennon gave us. I've written other posts about what his music means to me, and what he means to me, so I figured I'd do something a little different and compile my favorite Lennon covers. Here are just a few from his time with The Beatles and from his solo stuff, played by people who are also very important to me.

Hope you enjoy them!

Gruß vom Krampus! Krampusnacht 2013.

 
It'll all be over tomorrow. 

KRAMPUS APPROVES OF KRASS KOMMERCIALISM!

Otherwise, he would've been more careful with licensing his image.
Trade paperback at http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/devil-and-preston-black/eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Preston-Murder-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B004SURM0O 

Trade paperback athttp://rawdogscreaming.com/books/hellbender/eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Hellbender-Murder-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B006AHKFRU/
Trade paperback at http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/the-revelations-of-preston-black/eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Preston-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B00DLJPZLG/ 

More than happy to share my contribution to crass commercialization!

And y'all are acting like this is something new. 

Buy my books for a loved one! (Or a hated one!)

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/devil-and-preston-black/

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/hellbender/

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/the-revelations-of-preston-black/

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (After my birthday.)

These kids were either really, really good this year, or really bad. Comment when you see it.
It's time for this year's A Very Special Jason Jack Miller Christmas Playlist. Now you don't have to ask Santa for it.

Beatles on Ready Steady Go, November 23, 1964.

So I'm watching this Beatles vid from this day in 1964, and I'm trying to draw parallels to my own career. Which is stupid, because I'm not a Beatle. But I figure THIS is still their infancy. THIS is the band before the alternate personas and transcendental meditation.

I know, I know... These are The Beatles and you're just writing books about a guitar player and a woman who may or may not be the devil. But I love the idea of a young band, playing just to play. Smiling at the camera like nobody's watching. And that's how I write on a good day. Like nobody's reading. And that's why I'm going to continue to look at The Beatles as role models in 2014. And the haters can just keep hating.

 

THE BOOTSTRAPPER BIBLE

  I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed, and I will gratefully accept their help when offered. I also understand the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can.                                                    -Seth Godin, THE BOOTSTRAPPER BIBLE
In my experience, a lot of writers feel like it's a little crass to sell yourself. I always thought this was silly for two big reasons:Fiction is selling. Whether it be a world, a character, or an idea, you are trying to convince the reader to believe you and your BS.Writers want to be read.  Maybe it's crass that I'm not ashamed to admit it, I don't know. But I'm grateful for guys like Godin, who have done a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to providing a framework for guys like me.   
Read the rest, or download the PDF at SethGodin.com.

ACTION NEEDED! Just takes a minute. (Seriously.)

You just need to click the link and provide some info. You can add additional comments if you'd like. Please take a minute to comment-- http://www.saveblackwater.org/action_easternlongearedbat.html  Hard to find 'cute' bat pics. Sorry.  White-Nose Syndrome Pushing Bats to Extinction!Of the six species of bats known to be impacted by this disease, the northern long-eared bat is among the hardest hit, dropping by a staggering 99 percent since symptoms of white-nose syndrome were first observed in 2006.  The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is now considering protecting the northern long-eared bat under the Endangered Species Act, a needed action to begin to respond to this dramatic decline.
WNS has caused "the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America," according to biologists and has killed more than 5.7 million bats to date.   Thanks to all of you who have commented!  The FWS is accepting public comments on this proposal until December 3rd, please take action today.

Additional info:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/northern_long-eared_bat/index.html

http://www.saveblackwater.org/

THE WAYBACK MACHINE: Americana Music – The Roots of Some (But Not All) Evil?

 For THE WAYBACK MACHINE I'm reclaiming posts that have appeared elsewhere on the internets. Maybe, for the sake of keeping things interesting, I'll update the post with additional commentary or a summary of some of the reactions it generated. Americana Music – The Roots of Some (But Not All) Evil? Do you want to know how to make somebody from New York City really mad?

A very happy ?uestlove.Just accuse them of not having the best museum or delis or pizza, or not being at the center of something. I had this unfortunate experience with a tongue-in-cheek piece I posted on my blog a while back. (It was way more ‘tongue’ than ‘cheek.’) I accused New York City (I’m told you can just say ‘New York’) of not being at the center of the New Wave of Americana. (Sorry if you thought this was an article about THE ROOTS. I don’t want to make ?uestlove mad too.)

Take a second to pick up your hats and calm your womenfolk down.

So what had me so riled up? It was this little article in SPIN magazine. Something about somebody giving washboard lessons in Red Hook for $20 a pop. (I know, right? I laughed when I read it too.)
I’m going to blame Mumford and Sons for this phenomenon. Not because they’re disingenuous or making crappy music, but because they made it acceptable for Blue States to like banjos. Almost overnight those five-stringed nightmares went from being an instrument of ridicule (How many banjo players does it take to eat a possum? Two, one to eat it and one to watch for cars.) to a symbol of tolerance and understanding. Like white people had been given their very own pan flute or bongos or didjeridu. And Mumford gave them a way to do it without having to acknowledge Skoal or NASCAR.

Johnny and friend.To be fair, Nashville may have inadvertently shoved a lot of listeners into Americana when Columbia Records let Johnny Cash out of his contract, which forced Rick Rubin to record Johnny’s version of “Hurt.” A bunch of folks probably ran out and bought the record expecting to hear Cash’s take on other modern things, and instead got “Sam Hall,” a traditional English ballad about an old school death row prisoner, “Streets of Laredo” which recounts a dying cowboy’s last words, and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” which, of course, is a Hank Williams’ number about being lonely and crying.

So, besides Johnny Cash and Mumford and Sons, who should you all be listening to if you want to make it in the New Wave of Americana? Here’s a primer:

MIDDLE BROTHER combines jangly Nashville guitars with songs about booze and curse words. But the trio of Deer Tick’s John J. McCauley III, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez know how to turn a phrase. “…regrets, Tourette’s, I guess it’s the same.” And there’s a song about Portland.

MIDDLE BROTHER “Middle Brother”:



AVETT BROTHERS is a guitar/banjo/bass trio for the traditionalists in the group. They even come from North Carolina. How’s that for cred? But they aren’t really all that traditional. Check out “Kick Drum Heart” if you want to hear what I’m talking about. And hooking up with Rick Rubin isn’t really a traditional move either.

AVETT BROTHERS “Matrimony”:



GILLIAN WELCH and DAVE RAWLINGS Gillian Welch is the Fairy Godmother of Roots music. Her appearance in O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? pretty much confirms it. As a revivalist, Gillian has done as much as anybody to keep Roots and Americana alive during the pre-O BROTHER, pre-Johnny Cash HURT, Nineties. Bleak times for a revival.

GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID RAWLINGS “Caleb Meyer”:



WILCO’s inclusion on this list doesn’t come easy, considering Wilco is a little more Radiohead than Hank Williams nowadays. But there’s no denying Jeff Tweedy’s contributions to Americana. No Depression, the now-defunct Americana, Roots and Alt-country magazine– took its name from Tweedy’s previous band’s first album (and a Carter Family song, “No Depression in Heaven.”) Don’t let the robonoise fool you, Tweedy still keeps it real.

WILCO NPR Tiny Desk Concert:



Here's some old school Uncle Tupelo for contrast AND because one day somebody will want to know exactly what 1989 looked like:



This list should be just enough to get you started. Talk to twenty different people and you’ll get as many different definitions of Americana and Roots. After all, it is the music of the people…

Whatever that means. Even the term ‘Americana’ suggests a hodgepodge of styles and influences. So consider this an apology, New York (City). As long as you’re part of America, you’re part of Americana.

Extra credit:

DR. RALPH STANLEY AND HIS CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS because he has a doctorate in BANJO.



THE CIVIL WARS. Remember that post-Grammy bump I told you about? (Is that a HATCH SHOW PRINT poster in the background? Why, yes it is.)




CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS because nothing says ‘Americana’ like resonators and pork pie hats.



TIM O’BRIEN Best Virginia represent!



Yonder Mountain String Band! These are the guys that started it all for me. Yonder showed me how  The Beatles, The Misfits, Pink Floyd and guys like Ralph Stanley could all get along in the same setlist. (All videos were filmed on either February 24 or 25 at the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio. Heidi and I attended both shows, but none of the videos belong to us.)

Preview of 'The Beatles Live at The BBC: Volume 2' album streams online – listen

Thought the idea of an embed was a great way to promote the new release.