Readin'/Livin': New York Times: Delta Dawn
There was an excellent article in yesterday's New York Times by Dave Gardetta about Mobile, Alabama and how the city is evolving. It's accompanied by some beautiful and telling photography by Katherine Wolkoff. Check it out here...
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Music/Livin': Fixin’ to Boogie
We posted this video again, 'cause the song is just undeniable. Kenny Wayne Sheppard featurin' Neal Pattman and Cootie Stark doin' a blazin' Prison Blues. Please check out our friends over at The Music Maker Foundation. And if ya purchase any Southern Brand Tees, a portion of the proceeds go to their foundation, to help keep the blues alive. We've got tees for Lil' Ones available now and we're launching our Southern Man & Southern Belle lines in a couple weeks, so check back. Kenny Wayne Sheppard is playin' down here in Florida tonight - you bet we'll be there.
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Livin': Sweet Tee: Southern Brand Launches with “Lil’ Ones” Line
The hillbillies are headin' to the big city. New York, that is.
We're takin' our wares up to the ENK Children's Club show in NYC, October 5-7. We'll be launchin' some sweet southern tees for them lil' boll weevils, followed by Southern Belle and Southern Man lines for grown folks in the next month or so.
We figured there weren't enough people out there makin' the kinda shirts we were always lookin' for. The kinda tees that feel like they been washed a thousand times with love by your mama, then hung to dry on the clothesline out back, just swayin' in the fresh summer breeze. T-shirts that are simple, bold, and uniquely southern. Not all that crazy, over the top printing on every inch including the armpit of the too-tight fashion tee. And not all that rebel flag, south's-gonna-do-it-again-southern that somehow seems to be all ya get when you google "southern t-shirts". We wanted to create a line for the Southern that we know. Small town America. Life through amber-tinted glasses. The sweet, smoky taste of some real pit BBQ. The steely sound of a slide guitar. The rumble of an old pick-up truck down a muddy dirt road. Sittin' on the front porch sippin' sweet tea, spittin' watermelon seeds and pickin' a tune. A brand built on truth, integrity and pride. Built on fillin' a need. By makin' the clothes we want to wear ourselves. Clothes we believe in. Premium quality. Classic American design. An honest product at an honest price.
We hope you enjoy wearing them as much as we do making them.
And if for some reason you don't, send 'em back, we'll wear 'em.
The skinny on Southern Brand Tees:
These T-shirts are made from sweet, soft cotton. From the dirt. Up outta the earth. They got some sun in 'em too. And some soul. We put 'em through an extensive vintage wash process which produces distinctive weathering and classic color resulting in a true vintage look and a super soft feel. They feel like your favorite shirt that you been wearing for years or one that's been passed down through all the kids in the family. 'Cept it's new outta the box. The new and improved hand-me-down, ya'll.
We're launchin' three "collections" (tryin' to bone-up on our fashion speak.) You can check 'em out by clicking the banner ad to your left. There's "Woodtype", that pays tribute to the old letter press show posters that musicians used for promoting their shows throughout the south. There's "Animal Farm", an homage to those noble critters a whole bunch of us grew up with. And there's Highway 61, full-up with sayings and imagery from the Mississippi Delta and on up the "Blues Highway". Just wholesale right now, ask your neighborhood general store to carry 'em. Retail comin' soon.
The Blues and good ol' southern music is what fuels us 'round here at Southern Brand, so we're trying to do our share to keep that great American tradition alive. We've teamed up with the fine folks at the Music Maker Foundation , and we're donating a part of our proceeds to 'em so they can do the great work that they do, gettin' Blues artists food to eat, medical care and help with the daily grind - while spreading the news of the blues and educating people in this special and poetic American art form.
It's more about where your head's at than where your feet are at.
We figure it don't matter if you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, or have never set foot near the muddy banks of the Mississippi, long as you have and appreciation for some of this stuff, you're a friend of ours. Welcome friends.
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Music/Livin': Sad Day at Southern Brand
Jerry Reed has passed on.
To me Jerry Reed's music has a joy and energy that's rarely been matched. And he seemed like such a fun lovin' fella, I couldn't help but smile every time I'd come across a clip of the "hairy-legged, guitar-pickin' man." To this day, I start bouncin' and kickin' and gigglin' whenever "Amos Moses" or "She got the goldmine, I got the shaft" comes on.
Mentored and urged to play more guitar in his unique finger-picking style by the great Chet Atkins, Jerry was that rare cat who could do it all and seemed to make everything seem effortless, from acting to great guitar to writing great songs, Jerry's magic came at you like it was the most natural thing in the world. A redneck renaissance man.
I remember watching him act with Burt Reynolds in W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings, and get directed by Burt as a real bad guy in Gator. He was a laugh riot in The Waterboy with Adam Sandler. And he was great in a flick Dom Deluise directed where he played a cop (Hot Stuff - theme song by who else? Jerry Reed), and I loved him with Robin Williams in the comedy The Survivors as a crook.
Musically, just like with acting, he made it all look easy. From the funk-country-- (did he invent that? I think he did!) that drives When You're Hot You're Hot, to the country boogie jump of East Bound & Down (From Smokey and the Bandit where he was redneck-unforgetable as Cletus Snow - The Snowman)
He wrote Guitar Man and then played on it when it was recorded by the King, as well as U.S. Male at the same session.
Amos Moses is swamp-boggie-country-glam - I mean this cat from Alabama could do it all. The wiki entry is linked here. This man was more than just a sum of his achievements, wide and varied. He was 100 percent an American Original. Got a long way to go but a short time to get there. RIP wild man.
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Music/Livin': Been Caught Surfin’ - Checkin’ out the websites of the Country Music Legends
Waylon.Dot Com - Say it out loud. Kinda rolls off yer lips don't it? Waylon's website is real good. Seems like they dug out the ol' family album, raiding it for pictures and puttin' 'em on the website, saying: "come on in friends - this way into our lives". The galleries alone are incredible. Album Covers, Showbills, every single album Waylon ever made -- (and that's alotta albums) plus a gallery of his Backstage Passes (just about the best darn backstage passes ever made.)
The site is goooood loooookin'. It feels like it was made by yer techie redneck uncle, the one who storms into Radio Shack and doesn't wanna be bothered by them guys in the knit ties with the cross pens and - he just goes right to the transistors and the radar detectors.
The best thing about it is the 'family' feel to it. You can click over to home-style info on Shooter. You can check out every darn record cover Jessi Colter ever made (Further proof that she is the foxiest woman ever to grace country music). There's a link over to the WaylonPedia, which is like a wiki but with a beard, if you can imagine such a thing. It gets a 'lil confusing there, with links to waylonandwillie.com that actually lead to Waylon's old site-- but no worries, ya'll can figure it out. The 'Outlaw Connection' link takes you to Waylon friendly sites and in the 'Store' section you can buy a Waylon flyin' W guitar pick and bumper sticker (but not a Flyin W T-shirt -- what's goin' on with that?). The Waylon dubya is waayy cooler than the Van Halen logo (obviously Weezer thought it was great as well). But hands down, my favorite thing on the site is the shot of Waylon and Buddy Holly from one of those old photo booths. Waylon was in Buddy's second group of Crickets after the original guys left. He took Waylon under his wing and showed him the ropes. That pic is priceless.
Another outlaw's site worth it's weight in whiskey is Willie's, willienelson.com. Willie is selling live music wristbands. You can carry the whole concert he did in Monroe LA, on 10.25.07 or Huntsvillie Al from 11/01/07 in a wristband that houses a USB memory stick containing a whole Willie show. Say you go to a concert and you liked it so much you wanna take it home with ya? Well straight off the soundboard here comes the show on one of them 'lil cause-y rubber wrist bands, like Lance Armstrong or Bono wear, 'cept this money goes to the charity known as the Redheaded Stranger (a worthy cause). The wristband is full up with the show you just saw (or the show you missed--- there's a bunch of dates available on the site). Very interesting item and very weird too.
Johnnycash.com has got a little more of a commercial vibe to it. But it's nice, very nice. The merchandise is top notch. They've got a onesie with "I Crawl the Line" written on it. C'mon! That's great stuff. For those of ya'll without rugrats, a onesie is one of those tiny wraslin' outfits they make for babies. Like the ones Jerry "The King" Lawler wore, but without them Lane Bryant-style leggings. They also got Johnny Cash radio which pops up the second you get on the site. Bill Miller hosts it and does a fine job of taking you through the career of the Man in Black. It's deep in content, it's got tons of design and thought to it and my favorite part of it is the Bio section. The site keeps opening windows, which is a little inconvenient, but it's worth it for stuff like this. Just click on the 60s or the 70s and you'll dive into the most detailed description of Cash's career imaginable. The site uses real pretty fonts and the "Cash" typefaces are top notch although it's a lil bit difficult to navigate through.
George Jones? That's next week. What's that? Merle Haggard? Ol' Merle's site is under construction. But when it's read, I'm ready too.
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Livin': Helter Skeletons
We wandered across what might just be the coolest way ever to mount that 'ol five pound bass you been stalkin'. That is of course if ya ever land him. Grant, Eric and Brian over at Helter Skeletons will "skeletonize" your catch and mount it in glass with a nice mahogany shadowbox. They also have a bunch you can choose from if you're the kind of fisherman that I am, and only bring home a sunburn and a hangover.
Here's the lowdown from their site:
"Helter Skeletons Limited specializes in marine skeletal art work. We travel the globe in search of innovative art and new techniques to present the skeletons to our customers. Not only do we create skeletal mounts of our customers' fish, but we can also create a range of products and designs to meet their every need. Our work may be found in galleries, museums, logos, clothing designs, movies, tattoos, boats, and vehicle wraps. Bring us your idea and we will deliver you custom skeletal art to benefit your lifestyle or business." Continue Reading...
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Eatin'/Livin': Coop’s Favorite NYC Waterin’ Holes
The clip above is the promo for a new reality series in development by Jake Catchpole.
It's easy to get lonesome and lovesick in our nation's big bad cities. And every time I step out to New York City for a bit of big city bidness, I get a lil homesick and wind up walkin' after midnight like a ghost from a Patsy Cline song. They say you're never really in a city till you've had a drink there, but NYC is so full of uptight waterin' holes with doormen givin' you the stink eye, it's not easy for a country boy to know where to drown his sorrows.
So consider this a Southern Brand primer on a few joints that put a bit of country back in the city, in a genuine and heartfelt way. No corporate rat traps here, just rowdy people, cold beer and JD on ice. I'll name 6 joints. Good and bad. Half I tried and half I heard about and aim on visitin' next time around. Feel free to chime in buckaroos. Ready? Saddle up.
Red Rock West Saloon
457 W. 17th St., New York, NY 10011
www.redrockwestsaloon.com
On NYmag.com, Henry Tenney wrote, "When you walk into Red Rock West you think, 'I might get my ass kicked in this place' "— and went on about how it becomes a hillbilly burlesque show with dancing barmaids spitting shots into customers' mouths. And sure enough, smack dab in the middle of fancy pants Chelsea is what The New York City Bartenders & Patron Guide's says is consistently the wildest bar to make it onto nycbp.com.
Now, me, having had my shirt torn off by the bartenders in there, having had shots poured straight in my mouth there, having met quite a few darlin's there, having seen every single gal in the place - including wall street lawyers, lady cops and female Harley riders - all clog dancing on the flaming bar to the sounds of the Charlie Daniels Band, I can honestly say it's like nothing else in New York City, and like no place I (and in all likelihood, you) ever been.
All those girls that ran away from your hometown cause they were too great too be contained wind up here, as redneck bartender superheroes. Whatever you do, don't mention Coyote Ugly, unless you want a beer bottle broken over your head. They hate that corporate evil thing there. And DON'T touch the girls, the place has some mean-ass bouncers. I know about them too. Don't ask.
Doc Holiday's
Manhattan/East Village
141 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
Alphabet City ain't no joke boy, you got about a hundred different people that look like they've completly lost their way, and they're on every corner, intermingling with all the pretty folk making the New York scene. And in the middle of all that is a bar pumping David Allen Coe and Billy Joe Shaver with that familiar aroma of dirt, sweat and Natty light. Cowboy boots and western ephemera everywhere it looks like a joint lifted straight outta Southwest Texas. You got your college kids in there lookin' to get their hurt on them $5 dollar 'all the beer you can drink' Tuesday nights. You got your $2 PBR's and at Happy Hour you got your 2 for 1. Way I figure it, that's a buck a Pabst. C'mon now New York.
Standing at the bar and by the pure country jukebox are the regulars. Ornery, down on their luck, out-for-kicks-or-thrills, outlaws lookin' for a dust-up, who could give a hoot 'bout the frat kids who find this "quaint" and "invigoratin". If yer young and fulla piss and vinegar, it's a blast. If you're older and you been around some, you can probably sense there's danger in the air. 'Cause there is. But it's worth doin'. A drink or two and then travel on, cause ain't much good gonna come out of this. Still gotta be done at least once. If you're fearless and don't mind throwin' the bones, hang out all night. You'll get a story or two outta it.
Rodeo Bar
375 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
www.rodeobar.com
Now I don't know nuthin' firsthand about Rodeo Bar - I think I was there one time to see Lee Rocker (fella that used to be in Stray Cats, helluva rockabilly wildman) bang the heck out a standup bass and rock the place like a real memphis hillbilly - but truth be told, I was more than a few Lone Stars into the night when I arrived or as I heard a city boy from Boston once say, ' was half in the bag, man, wicked pissed.'
But I remember tryin' to text message to Ray Ray to the rockabilly beat. I remember it was a country-ass place in the middle of the world capitol of city-ass slick. Now according to Drew Pisarra at citysearch NYC Rodeo Bar is a roots enthusiast's dream, featuring local and national honky-tonk, alt-country, bluegrass and rockabilly acts every night of the week and "real Texas BBQ". Yes, the Tex-Mex decor is fetchin'. The bar, built into a converted horse trailer, serves Lone Star and Negra Modelo in bottles. A good time, but best when a band is playin'. Which is every night at some point I guess.
Trailer Park Lounge NYC
Trailer Park Lounge
www.trailerparklounge.com
271 W 23rd St
New York, NY 10011
Waitresses that look like that sexy 'ol Bettie Page (or was that Patti Page?) I'm not sure if this place is celebrating us or makin' fun of us. But they got Champagne in a Can and Tator Tots. The menu also had moonpies and mac and cheese on it as well as a veggie burger (?). It's across the street from the Chelsea Hotel. Which is historic all right, but best of all it's next to Rub BBQ.
Rub BBQ
208 W 23rd St
New York, NY 10011
Yup across the street from Trailor Park, more or less, is some of the best BBQ in NYC. Here's tha Rub. (sorry) There's this fella, lives in Brooklyn - goes by the handle WhitetrashBBQ on blogger and he writes real good bout BBQ in NYC (and BBQ elsewhere too). He laid it down on what he calls the BBQ triangle:
"The other night me and old friend, Peter Vermaelen, and corporate chef Mark Slutsky, both of McCain Foods, went to RUB for part of our grazing through New York City's downtown barbecue triangle. What's the downtown barbecue triangle? Well, it's the triangle formed by RUB, Hill Country NY and Blue Smoke. All three are within walking distance and make a great BBQ crawl. (More on that later!) And yes, there are other BBQ triangles in NYC." Further readin' is on his blog, just click here.
Dinosaur Barbecue
www.dinosaurbarbque.com
646 W 131st St
New York, NY 10027
Now, I been in New York City a whole gaggle of times but I ain't always made it to the best BBQ joints. I've stared dumbfounded as my city friends went to town on BBQ'd eel, while I fumbled with those fiddle sticks. I've sipped cold-ass rice wine and puked on those damn Cosmos tryin' to pick up a Sara Jessica type gal (She said my boots didn't "make it for her", whatever that means). Most of the time I'm eatin' in NY, I get a hotdog, or I get an apple and a Coffee - Regular while I walk down the street. I feel like McCloud when I'm out there. But even a lost cowboy has heard about Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. I never been there, like I said, big city friends would rather take me out to "arty shows" where some dude with only one name (usually a name like Gotan or somethin' who is actually a refugee from Missouri) has cut up a cow and called it art. Which, hell, it might be if it was smoked for 14 hours and served up with some cheddar cheese, pickle slices, raw onion and white bread. But anyway, Ray Ray lived off of the grub at the original Dinosaur BBQ up in Syracuse in the early 90's. Says he went in 170 lbs. soakin' wet, came out four years later, 205 sweatin' sauce. He still orders the "slatherin' sauce" from their site.
Well that's my take on the Southern side of NYC, if you got any tips for me, gimme a holler.
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Livin': Mabe In America - Tom Mabe’s New Show on CMT
If ya don't already know about Tom Mabe, well it's about time ya did - his CDs, where he pranks telemarketers, are damn-near workin' man classics. But he's more than a prank phone call guy, he's a workin' comedian. He's got a blog on CMT.com, and he's got a new TV show fixin' to air on CMT as well. The clip above has been viewed over two and a hlaf million times on youtube. It's classic! (except for the goobers laughin' it up over the tape!) Here's a bit from his blog:
"Wow, I almost gave up! I’ve been in this industry since I was a teenager. I’ve been paying my dues for so long I was about ready to ask for a refund! Finally a show. And a good one at that! Here’s the journey, a lot of people know my work butdon’t know it was me that did it. I have several prank phone call CDs, Revenge on the Telemarketers round one and two, A Wake Up Call For Telemarketers and my latest CD that shares the same name as the show Mabe In America.
I guess the most famous call would be the Murder Scene Call, where I tell a telemarketer from Littleton, Co. that I was homicide detective and he was a suspect. Me and my best friend Jimbo have been producing CDs and video pranks since we were teens (4 years ago). After about 20 million views on youtube and 12 years of doing radio, networks started to pay attention again. I had two other pilots on other networks but had people from out west telling me how a guy from Kentucky should talk. “I’m from Kentucky, let me just talk!!!” OK, I was younger and just didn’t have the skills to deal with those Hollywood types." Read on here...
CMT has a contest goin' on where they're givin' away $10 Gas Cards to folks who watch his new show but don't laugh. They're callin' it "The $10,000 Laugh Guarantee. According to Andy Holeman over at CMT, “I think we will be hard pressed to find 1,000 people who don’t agree this show is hilarious, but considering the cost of gas, I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding people who overlook the ‘honor system’ for a little help at the gas pump.”
“It’s a sad day when your car’s Blue Book value doubles with a full tank of super unleaded,” says host Tom Mabe, commenting on the rising cost of gasoline. “Won’t be long before NASCAR adds a carpool lane!”
The show, Mabe in America, which gets started on the 4th of July at 9:30 pm and runs again throughout the weekend, has Tom and his gang wreaking havoc on loud cell-phone talkers and blue-tooth users, as well as reactions to incompetent doctors and lazy-ass ambulance drivers.
Mabe's a Southern guy who makes a livin' delivering jokes about junk-email, bad customer service, high gas prices and anything else that ticks off Americans. They've called him the “troubleshooter-troublemaker”.
You wanna split a gut - take a listen to this bit below - Tom gives a guy selling cemetary plots a hard time, and this fella --- well, you gotta hear it for yourself.
He's over at www.MabeinAmerica.cmt.com.
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