With the departures of David Letterman and Craig Ferguson from late-night television, the odds of catching an intelligent discussion on a late-night talk show decreased significantly. That is one reason why it was refreshing to see Stephen Colbert finally take over for Letterman, and his first week did not disappoint, with highlights that included a thoughtful conversation about grief and loss with Vice President Joe Biden.
Of course, we want to laugh and dance too. And the first week of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert did not disappoint in that category either.
For example, at the beginning of one episode the announcer (Colbert) exclaimed that one of the guests would be Troubled Waters, a Paul Simon tribute band. For those who stayed awake for the end, the “tribute band” did not disappoint, turning out to be made up of Paul Simon. Troubled Waters then performed “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” from Simon’s 1972 self-titled album.
On the performance of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” Simon also received a little help from Colbert, who proved he not only can be thoughtful, he can sing, dance, and whistle. Check it out.
What do you think of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert so far? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Although some thought Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki in the Marvel movies, was an unusual choice to play country music’s Hank Williams in a new biopic, you cannot argue that the actor strikes a similar look to the great country singer. Now, we get our first peak at the English actor as Williams in a clip from the upcoming movie I Saw the Light.
In the short clip below, we get Hiddleston singing “Move It On Over” as Hank Williams in the studio, as well as some additional footage of his portrayal. From one short clip, it is difficult to tell whether the movie is able to immerse us into believing Hank Williams is on the screen. But the clip is enough to make me want to see the movie. Check it out.
Among those who have been critical of the movie, including the choice of Hiddleston as the lead and of Marc Abraham as director, is Hank III. HitFlix liked Hiddleston, but not the movie, which is scheduled to open in limited release on November 27.
What do you think of Hiddleston as Hank Williams? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1995, Jay Farrar — fresh off the dissolution of Uncle Tupelo — released the album Trace with his new band Son Volt. The album was an instant classic, and I still maintain that the album as two of the greatest alt-country songs ever released, “Windfall” and “Tear-Stained Eye.” Now, Son Volt is releasing a twentieth anniversary edition of the album with bonus tracks in a 2-CD set.
The original album also remains as one of the great modern meditations on themes of alienation and rural living, with lyrics touched by Farrar’s efforts to come to terms with the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. As Richard Byrne wrote at the time of the original release in Riverfront Times (St. Louis): ” Trace is a long love poem to the Mississippi River, with passages of sheer poetic intensity. It’s also an emotional chronicle of the breakup of Farrar’s former band. . . . Much of Trace has a spirit and a substance that many of the great American novels of this century have.”
Rhino Records and Warner Brothers Records are working together to release the expanded and remastered deluxe edition of Trace, which in addition to the album will include eight demos of album tracks. Also, the second CD will feature a 15-track live set from a February 12, 1996 show at The Bottom Line. There also will be an LP version, downloadable tracks, and an expanded booklet.
Jay Farrar will also be hitting the road to perform songs from the classic album, billing the tour as “Jay Farrar Performs Songs of Trace.” He will be joined by original pedal steel player, Eric Heywood, along with Gary Hunt, who plays a number of instruments. May the new release and tour take your troubles away, as in this 1996 Austin City Limits performance of “Windfall.”
The new remastered and deluxe version of Trace hits stores on October 30.
What is your favorite Son Volt song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1957, Tex Ritter’s Ranch Party television show featured a number of guests, including a young Johnny Cash playing his new hit song “I Walk the Line.” Also, Ritter introduced another young artist, Patsy Cline, who was born on September 8, 1932 as Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia. Here, Ritter introduces her as “a little lady that great things have been happening to here in the past year or so.”
So, go back to the 1950s and remember from before Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash became legends. The show featured several other talented country and rockabilly artists too. Check it out.
On September 5, 1877, Crazy Horse (Tashunca-uitco) was killed while resisting his captivity in a guardhouse at Fort Robinson in Nebraska. During a struggle, a U.S. soldier stabbed Crazy Horse with a bayonet. Many things are still debated about that day, including the name of the soldier and how Crazy Horse resisted. But it was the end of the great military leader of the Oglala Lakota.
Crazy Horse was one of the Sioux leaders who defeated George Armstrong Custer’s Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana Territory in 1876. After the infamous battle, U.S. soldiers had pursued Crazy Horse and his followers until the Native Americans, suffering cold and starvation, surrendered in May 1877.
Disputed photo that some claim is of Crazy Horse.
In 2005, singer-songwriter Marty Stuart released Badlands: Ballads Of The Lakota. The concept album recounts Native American history and struggle. Stuart brought his outstanding musical and storytelling skills to the music. He has created other wonderful concept albums too, including his excellent The Pilgrim (1999).
On the epic song “Three Chiefs” on Badlands, Stuart sings from the point of view of Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse. He recounts what they might have said after their deaths when they went to another world.
In the segment in the song about Crazy Horse, the song recounts his death: “In a jailhouse in Nebraska, it was on September 5,/ Crazy Horse was fighting hard to keep himself alive.” After his death, he meets God, who asks what Crazy Horse has to say. Crazy Horse responds:
“Upon suffering. Beyond suffering. The Red Nation shall rise again. And it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises. Selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again.”
Crazy Horse foretells that the Native Americans will bring healing to the land of suffering.
“I see a time of seven generations when all of the colors of mankind Will gather under the sacred tree of life. And the whole earth will become one circle again. And that day, there will be those among The Lakota, Who will carry knowledge and understanding of unity among all living things. And the young white ones will come to those of my people and ask for this wisdom.”
After Crazy Horse’s death, his body was placed on a burial scaffold, and later his parents took his remains to an undisclosed location. Experts suspect the remains are in an area around Wounded Knee, South Dakota, but no one is sure of the exact location.
As Stuart sings, “Touch the Clouds took his body, back home to his family,/ Nobody knows where they laid him down, to set his spirit free.” In the video below, two of Crazy Horse’s great grandsons talk about Crazy horse’s death and burial.
Photo via public domain. Leave your two cents in the comments.
In 1995, 
with his new band 
