by Rachel Roch ("Rascalita")

Saturday afternoon, July 14, 2007, 15 miles east of Midland, Texas... Jim Raby, Ol'Steel and I were on our way to a gig in Midland when we decided to take a break from the highway and do an interview. For the past dozen or so years, Jim has been working the Texas club and dance hall circuit, steadily gaining in notoriety and popularity, selling CDs and drawing crowds of people who love to hear and dance to the hard-drivin' music Jim calls Texas swing. This is what Jim had to say about it all.

Rascalita: How long have you been playing, Jim?

Jim Raby: Actually, with a band, I think it’s been since ‘94. You know, just playing with various bands, pick up bands, being a singer for them. I guess it wasn’t until around 2000 whenever I decided I needed to leave bands, and go out on my own, and start doing my own thing.

R: When did you decide that you wanted to sing?

JR: It was one night at the Coachman Club in San Angelo, Texas. I’d come home on leave from the Marine Corps, and I was rather intoxicated. I had been dancing with this girl, and she had been telling me I needed to get up there and sing onstage because I was a good singer. I got up onstage; I kinda got the bug and have been singing since then.

Back then I felt really funny just being up onstage and holding a microphone so I figured I’d better go get a guitar and learn how to play it. That’s the only reason I learned to play guitar. That and I had started to writing songs not long after that, and I was really tired of trying to explain to other people how I was hearing the song in my head. I had all the words, but I didn’t have the ability to put the music to it, so I went to a pawn shop and bought a chord book and a guitar and started teaching myself to play. That’s when I started to really getting into songwriting.

R: One good thing and one bad thing about being on the road?

JR: For me, the good thing about being on the road is getting to be with the guys in the band because, to me, every time I go out on a job it’s like a family reunion. And I also enjoy meeting new people at the shows.

The thing that I hate the worst about being on the road is having to do business with the promoters and club owners; I think dealing with the money part of it is what I dislike the most. It’s more important to me to go out and make good music and make people happy. It takes you to a different place, and that’s what I’m out there trying to do -- make people forget about their problems and not think about anything but going out and having a good time that one night.

Jim and the guys. L-R: Emmett Roch, Jim Raby, Johnny Beck, Zack Casey and Mike Williams

by Janice Brooks ("busgaljan")

Janis Martin, rockabilly legend, age 67, died September 3, 2007 in Danville, VA, from cancer. She started singing as a youngster and in the late 50's and earned the nickname “The Female Elvis.” She had retired from music in 1960, but Chet Atkins encouraged her to join the rockabilly revival with performances in the U.S. and Europe until recently.

Lee Hazelwood, singer/songwriter and producer, age 78, died of cancer on August 4, 2007, in Las Vegas, NV. In 1958 he developed the echo chamber twang for Duane Eddy. He's probably best known for his work with Nancy Sinatra from the mid 1960's.

Photo courtesy of Mark Crawford

Tracy Byrd Concert
September 27, 2007
Haywood County Fairgrounds, Waynesville, NC

by Janice Justice ("Smokey")

It was a cool crisp autumn evening and there was “something in the air!” It was a Byrd... Tracy Byrd! This was the first time a “big name” act has ever been booked at our little county fair. They expected 2,000 to be in attendance, but unfortunately, there were probably only about 500-600. But it was still an enjoyable evening... once the show started. Tracy was about 40 minutes late getting to the stage. I don’t know if this was some kind of miscommunication about the time or what. We were told the show started at 7 PM; it didn’t start until 7:40 PM.

As he came out, you could hear a train approaching; this sound effect continued until Tracy was on stage and ready to start his show. He kicked the show off with his big hit, “I’m From the Country,” and then he went into “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich And Famous.” He did a few more songs, and then he did us three songs from his latest album. He then did “Big Love” and “Love Lessons” among others.

At this point he told us about going out that day and playing golf. He admitted this was the first time to ever play anywhere in our area. I believe the closest he has ever been is “Dollywood,” about 80 miles away, and that was several years ago. Then he told us that there was a young man in the audience who had been a member of his fan club since the age of three! The young man is now 14, which Tracy said meant that Tracy was 19 when the boy joined the fan club! (Tracy is actually 40.) I believe this was the first time they had ever met, but Tracy seemed to know who he was. Tracy said that the young man was a musician and wanted to know if it would be alright with us to let him come up and play for us. We all applauded our approval. The young man was named Seth, and he was from Bryson City. When Tracy was trying to learn where he was from everyone was laughing because we understood where he was talking about, but Tracy wasn’t sure he was saying it right. Seth came up on the stage and Tracy gave him his guitar to play. He played an instrumental that I didn’t recognize. After that, Tracy suggested Seth play one of his songs. So Seth started playing “Keeper of the Stars.” After a verse and part of the chorus, Tracy stopped him, and asked him to start over and he was going to go ahead and sing it. It wasn’t the normal point in the show to do it, but he decided to go ahead. Then Tracy said that he had a request from a man named Caleb Rathbone to dedicate this song to his wife Monica. (This writer knows Caleb and Monica!) Caleb was the one responsible for getting Tracy booked here. He did the song with Seth still playing.

After that Tracy looked at the audience and told us “Texans are PRIDEFUL, bordering on arrogance!” This brought a lot of laughter from the audience. Then he sang us another song from his latest album, his current single, called “Pride is the Biggest Thing in Texas.”

Later in the show he did his hit “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Then he followed that up by telling us that after “Ten Rounds” you gotta do “The Watermelon Crawl”!

For an encore he came back out and did a song that was never released as a single, but a favorite of mine, called “With Calves Like That You Gotta Be a Cowgirl.”

The show was good, and it was the first time I have ever been able to see him live, so I enjoyed that. The show lasted about one hour.

by Rachel Roch ("Rascalita")

Roger Wallace’s latest album, It’s About Time could be described as a work full of soul and grit. It represents the “inner Roger” extremely well and it has a great, old-timey sound that I love. Doghouse bass, lap steel, fiddle and honky-tonk piano are the perfect choices for this CD.

“It‘s About Time” is a great up-tempo, catchy tune that will have you hummin’ along in no time.

“Give Me A Reason” is a pretty dark and threatening song about a man revealing to his mate that he not only knows she’s been cheating on him, but also who she’s been cheating with, and he’s considering murder to put a stop to the cheating.

“If It Wasn‘t For Me” shows us Roger’s humorous, hillbilly side and seems to be a respectful nod to one of his all-time heroes, Roger Miller.

“I Want That Water” features outstanding doghouse bass by Brad Fordham, wonderful background vocals by The Lowells, and other acoustic instrumentation for a down-home, hillbilly, gospel feel.

Two years ago, when they banned smoking in Austin’s restaurants and bars, Roger (who was not alone) didn’t like the idea at all, so he wrote “Smoke ‘Em If You got ‘Em” to give Austin a piece of his mind.

Roger shows us his romantic side with “Everloving Sunday”, a song I suspect he wrote with sweet Mrs. Wallace in mind; I got the same feeling about “Alone At Last”, which features some great honky-tonk piano.

“Frantic“ is a song for fast dancers who love to show off on the dance floor, the kind I love to watch. Austin legend Erik Hokkanen’s fiddle work will make your jaw drop in awe.

“All By My Lonesome” is the perfect country song. Roger’s voice is perfectly capable of making us feel the loneliness in his heart when he’s singing this song, and Jim Stringer adds a nice touch with the lap steel.

One of my favorite singers in Austin, and a great person, Dallas Wayne co-wrote “Prodigal Daughter, Favorite Son” with Roger, and I hope they write more songs together. The song almost makes you feel like you’re watching a western movie.

I can’t help but think Jimmie Rodgers would have recorded “My Way‘s The Highway” if he was still alive. It’s a you-done-me-wrong song that doesn’t need anything but Roger’s voice and his beat-up old Gibson acoustic guitar.

“The Confession” is the only song on the album that Roger didn’t write. Jim Stringer wrote this really dark song of loss, suffering and resentment that somehow balances out the CD.

Roger Wallace is, in my opinion, the best singer Austinites can enjoy nowadays. His powerful voice and intelligent lyrics make the perfect combination, and it’s always a treat when hubby and I can go to Ginny’s Little Longhorn or The Hole In The Wall to listen to him. If you haven’t seen him live yet, don’t miss the chance; but if you can’t catch his live show, buy a copy of It‘s About Time, and you won’t regret it. It’s no doubt one of the top five albums of 2007.

Check out his schedule at http://www.myspace.com/rogerwallace.

by Nancy ("ccf")

Volatile Baby is consists of Gina Stewart on guitar, banjo, autoharp, and vocals; Allison Modafferi on piano, accordion, guitar, and vocals; and Brenda Gambill on violin, percussion, harmonica, and vocals.

I first heard Volatile Baby on Ram Radio; the song was “50 Miles of Elbow Room.” I instantly heard a Carter Sisters sound of sisterly harmonies. In fact, the song was written by AP Carter. When I heard their next CD would be a collection of Carter Family songs, I waited with much anticipation for the CD.

Volatile baby is a talented female trio from North Carolina. Between them they play nine different instruments, and play them well. They are heard throughout their latest release, which has them paying tribute to the Carter Family and other classic roots songs. The songs are lively and should have you tapping your toes and singing along. The sounds of the Carter Family influence reverberate throughout the 11 song collection, [but] they make each tune their own unique version. I’m sure Mother Maybelle, Sarah, and AP are smiling down on them. As is June Carter on their warm cover of her classic, “Ring Of Fire”

The vocals are strong and blend well. The harmonies are rich and full. You can hear an autoharp on their lively Carter Family staple, “Wildwood Flower.” What would a collection of Carter Family songs be without “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”? The gals deliver with their version.

They also pay tribute to Leadbelly on “Cotton Fields,” another toe-tapper that may even have you clapping your hands. The CD kicks off with “Gold Watch and Chain,” another Carter classic and ends with a near acoustic “Give Me the Flowers While I Live.” The gals aren’t only musicians – but Gina Stewart took a hand as the recording engineer and producer.

The back of the CD is quaint – it is a guest check from a fictional dinner called “Ethel’s Country Cookin’” with the tracks listed one by one. This a great listen and a must for any music fan. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

by Cindy Dong ("TwangThang")

Here’s an upcoming new release you won’t want to miss. If you don’t already have any Claire Lynch in your bluegrass library, now is your chance to get the best of the best of Claire: Crowd Favorites. You’ll find ten of Claire’s best cuts from previous albums PLUS four new Claire Lynch Band recordings, songs brought back from her string band days:

• Train Long Gone
  
• The Day That Lester Died (new cut!)
  
• Fallin' in Love
  
• Hills of Alabam' (new cut!)
  
• If Wishes Were Horses
  
• Your Presence Is My Favorite Gift
  
• Jealousy
  
• Silver and Gold
  
• Sweetheart Darlin' of Mine
  
• Kennesaw Line (new cut!)
  
• Thibodaux
  
• Wabash Cannonball (new cut!)
  
• He Don't Like to Talk About It
  
• Friends for a Lifetime

Claire Lynch has a pure, hill country voice; she does a little “newgrass,” but most of her stuff is bluegrass. She cut two albums with The Front Porch String Band earlier in her career. In addition to Claire, the CLB includes Jim Hurst (guitar and vocals), Missy Raines (bass and vocals) and Jason Thomas (fiddle, mandolin and vocals).

And for those of us “live bluegrass-starved” due to the misfortune of living WEST of the Mississippi, Claire and band will be including four stops in California on the current tour:

December 5, 2007 – Tuolumne, CA, Black Oak Casino; http://www.blackoakcasino.com
December 6, 2007 – Berkeley, CA, The Freight and Salvage; http://www.freightandsalvage.org
December 7, 2007 – Winters, CA, The Palms @ Winters Opera House; http://www.palmsplayhouse.com
December 8, 2007 – Mountain View, CA, First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View; http://www.rba.org

I pre-ordered my copy at www.clairelynch.com. The CD is due out on October 9th. Complete tour schedule available at http://www.clairelynch.com/schedule/index.html.