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Susan Tedeschi - Back to the River - CD Pre-Sale!
Hittin' the Note is proud to offer a special pre-sale for one of our favorite singers, guitarist and songwriters - Ms. Susan Tedeschi Trucks! This CD is scheduled to be released on October 28th and all pre-orders will be entered into a raffle to win 2 premium seats to the Soul Stew Revival's New Year's Eve show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia! In addition to this first raffle prize we will also be offering signed posters and other goodies as additional rewards - stay tuned for more details! Please click here for song samples and to order!
Hittin' the Note #58
Summer may be winding down, but the music never stops at Hittin' the Note. We are very pleased to bring you another issue chock-full of articles and information about the artists who make music matter to all of us.
Singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne created a huge sensation four years ago with his debut album, Trouble. With his probing lyrics and visceral delivery, Ray has carved out quite a niche for himself among his contemporaries, and has earned great praise from fans and critics alike. Usually quiet and reserved, Ray really opened up for HTN's Terry Adams while discussing his latest CD, Gossip in the Grain. This is a revealing look at a very private artist, so please enjoy it. In addition, Gov't Mule/Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes, a true Ray LaMontagne advocate, offers his thoughts on this singular talent.
With a distinctive blend of bluegrass and rock, Railroad Earth is an emerging force on the jam scene today, a position that will be accentuated by the quality of music on their new album, Amen Corner. Rob Johnson caught up with the RRE guys before a show at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, and you'll find their comments as forthcoming as their playing.
Over the past 35 years, Randall Bramblett has become known as the preeminent singer/songwriter of the South. With Now It's Tomorrow, Randall further justifies that title, producing an album full of songs that are brilliant in their introspective nature and performed flawlessly. Read more...
ABB 2008 Live Concert CD's
We are happy to announce that we have the entire Allman Brothers Band August 2008 tour currently in stock! After an 11-month hiatus, the band came back firing on all cylinders and hittin' the note as only they can. Where some bands might be hesitant after such a long layoff, the ABB didn't have any training wheels on this tour, breaking out new songs and rearranging old ones to keep the music fresh and alive.
Willie Dixon's blues classic "I Ain't Superstitious" was given the full ABB treatment, with Warren's gruff vocals and Derek's stinging slide taking the song to new heights. Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" was reinvented as a hard-hitting rocker, with Gregg Allman belting out the lyrics with soulful, bluesy power.
Of course, there are also new and interesting interpretations of the timeless ABB catalog, proving once again that songs like "Whipping Post" and "Jessica" are inexhaustible vehicles for improvisation. A new jam was added to "Rocking Horse," with amazing results, and the extended version of "Revival" they played on 8/15 is unlike any you've heard before – it was a good tour for long jams! The "Afro Blue" excursion with Roy Haynes at Jones Beach was absolutely mesmerizing, the extended "Done Somebody Wrong" in Chicago exemplifies the magical improvisation of the ABB, the 8/30 Red Rocks show features the longest "Dreams" of the decade, clocking in at 15:37, and the 8/20 Hartford show featured a 40-minute "Mountain Jam" that stands up proudly to any other version.
Baltimore's ritzy Meyerhoff Symphony Hall seemed more like a rock concert for the world premiere of composer Lee Johnson's "Dead Symphony No. 6" on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008 – which would have been Jerry Garcia's 66th birthday. Johnson's symphony, which was released on disc in 2007, recast ten Grateful Dead tunes into a classical suite with nary an electric guitar. Click Here!
Live Show Review
Over the past two years, Atlanta fans had grown accustomed to a mid-summer concert series, featuring the well-established touring act Umphrey's McGee. Each year Umphrey's has chosen a worthy band to join them on tour and accompany them to Atlanta for two shows at the Masquerade...
Click here to read the entire review!
MOUNTAIN JAM 2008
The long drive up to the Catskills for Mountain Jam set the perfect tone for what would end up being a perfect weekend. Location means a lot to an outdoor festival, and Hunter Mountain is nothing short of spectacular. Add in the incredible lineup, and you have a recipe for an incredible weekend of music. Read more...
CD REVIEW
Scrapomatic: Sidewalk Caesars
review by Allison Hersh
Long before he joined the Derek Trucks Band in 2002, Mike Mattison launched his career as the lead singer for Scrapomatic, a two-man, roots music-inspired group rounded out by award-wining guitarist, songwriter and singer Paul Olsen. Although Mattison stays busy with a full touring schedule with the dTb, he still makes time to record and tour with Olsen.
On Sidewalk Caesars, Scrapomatic's much-anticipated follow-up to 2006's Alligator Love Cry, this talented duo perfects a lean, mean sound born of the blues, nurtured by American roots music and given shape by Mattison's soulful growl and Olsen's propulsive guitar. Read more...
CD REVIEW
Tommy Talton in Europe Someone Else's Shoes
Hittin' the Note Records is honored to announce our very first CD release featuring former Cowboy (and current CRS) guitarist, songwriter and vocalist, Tommy Talton. For those of you already familiar with the work of this insightful artist, Tommy Talton in Europe will be as comfortable and memorable as the records you've worn out by now. For those of you not familiar with Tommy, he was the lead guitarist on Gregg Allman's legendary Laid Back CD and The Gregg Allman Tour release along with many other recordings with other artist.
HTW's own Bill Thames wrote that "The 13 tracks assembled for Tommy Talton in Europe offer an insightful strut through material as complicated and sundry as the man himself, culminating near the dusty intersection of soul, blues and Southern-tinged roots rock. Throughout the CD, Talton delivers a cool, genuine old school aura that is both natural and refreshing. Talton does his own thing in his own way and at his own pace, which has been this old Cowboy's stock-in-trade all along." Trust us when we say you need this CD! Read more...
ABB ARCHIVAL CDs
We are also proud to present the Allman Brothers Band Archive series, a collection of exceptional live shows from the early days of the band. American University 12/13/70 features a rare live version of "Leave My Blues At Home," plus scorching jams in "Whipping Post" and "You Don't Love Me." Stonybrook 9/19/71 has a very rare live version of "Blue Sky" with Duane Allman that is sure to become one of your favorites, and a "Dreams" that some say is the best ever! Macon 2/11/72 shows the band rebounding from Duane's death with some of their most passionate playing. Eat A Peach classics like "Ain't Wastin' Time No More" prove that the band could survive Duane's demise, and the great Berry Oakley never sounded better. Nassau 5/1/73 shows the Brothers and Sisters lineup at their peak, including amazing versions of "Jessica" and "Les Brers in A Minor," not to mention a rare "Mountain Jam" that is unlike any other you've heard. For the 5th Allman Brothers Band Archival Series CD, we are glad to present Boston Common 8/17/71 for your listening enjoyment. The ABB played Boston many times in their early days, and it continues to be one of their favorite places to perform. This exciting single-disc release captures the original lineup at its best, with some cool stage banter to go along with the music. Of particular note are amazing versions of "You Don't Love Me," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and a riveting and unusual "Whipping Post" that closes out the set grandly. 1971 was truly the year that the ABB reached its first big peak, so sit back and enjoy the music these six musicians shared with the world on Boston Common during that heady summer. It doesn't get better than this! Click here to order these historic shows!
We went way, way back into the vaults of Hittin' the Note to bring you this Archival Feature, reaching deep to find Issue #12 and our first cover story on the then brand-new Gov't Mule. Reading this great piece reminds one of how much time has elapsed since HTN's Joe Bell sat down with Warren Haynes, Matt Abts and the late Allen Woody, so take a journey through the past with Gov't Mule.
Baltimore's ritzy Meyerhoff Symphony Hall seemed more like a rock concert for the world premiere of composer Lee Johnson's "Dead Symphony No. 6" on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008 – which would have been Jerry Garcia's 66th birthday. Johnson's symphony, which was released on disc in 2007, recast ten Grateful Dead tunes into a classical suite with nary an electric guitar. 
Over the past two years, Atlanta fans had grown accustomed to a mid-summer concert series, featuring the well-established touring act Umphrey's McGee. Each year Umphrey's has chosen a worthy band to join them on tour and accompany them to Atlanta for two shows at the Masquerade...
The long drive up to the Catskills for Mountain Jam set the perfect tone for what would end up being a perfect weekend. Location means a lot to an outdoor festival, and Hunter Mountain is nothing short of spectacular. Add in the incredible lineup, and you have a recipe for an incredible weekend of music. 
Long before he joined the Derek Trucks Band in 2002, Mike Mattison launched his career as the lead singer for Scrapomatic, a two-man, roots music-inspired group rounded out by award-wining guitarist, songwriter and singer Paul Olsen. Although Mattison stays busy with a full touring schedule with the dTb, he still makes time to record and tour with Olsen.
Hittin' the Note Records is honored to announce our very first CD release featuring former Cowboy (and current CRS) guitarist, songwriter and vocalist, Tommy Talton. For those of you already familiar with the work of this insightful artist, Tommy Talton in Europe will be as comfortable and memorable as the records you've worn out by now. For those of you not familiar with Tommy, he was the lead guitarist on Gregg Allman's legendary Laid Back CD and The Gregg Allman Tour release along with many other recordings with other artist. 
We are also proud to present the Allman Brothers Band Archive series, a collection of exceptional live shows from the early days of the band. 
We went way, way back into the vaults of Hittin' the Note to bring you this Archival Feature, reaching deep to find Issue #12 and our first cover story on the then brand-new Gov't Mule. Reading this great piece reminds one of how much time has elapsed since HTN's Joe Bell sat down with Warren Haynes, Matt Abts and the late Allen Woody, so take a journey through the past with Gov't Mule. 
