Jason Boland & the Stragglers stay down-to-earth with new album “Rancho Alto”
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Jason Boland & the Stragglers stay down-to-earth on “Rancho Alto”
The band, which has its roots in Stillwater’s red dirt music scene, tells stories of the common man on its earthy new album.
With their new album “Rancho Alto,” Jason Boland & the Stragglers hearken back to their days on The Farm in Stillwater.
The band’s frontman and primary songwriter hears a more earthy folk tone to their music on their sixth studio album, which takes its title from the Spanish for “High Ranch.”
“I don’t think we’re trying to have all the explosions and bells and whistles,” says Boland, who was born and raised in Harrah. “You know, we’re not really trying to emulate pop music, so it keeps getting in some ways almost more acoustic. But I would think within the songs, there’s a little bit more of a social responsibility and there’s also, I think, in a way more sweetness and more love in it.”
In some ways, the songs on “Rancho Alto,” released Tuesday on Boland’s Proud Souls Entertainment, brings the band full circle to Stillwater, where the band formed in 1998.
“That’s not to say that then it’s complete again. “You know, it may have come back around this time, but not to say that we’re not gonna go out and do anything crazy and different again,” says Boland in a recent phone interview from Austin, Texas, where he now calls home.
“I think we’ve got to a place now where we can sit back and just capture what’s happening right there, right then, and not overthink it and just let it be. And I think that’s how we sound the best. And that’s what we’ve done with this record.”
Besides his deep devotion to the kind of old-school country music Nashville hasn’t made in quite awhile, Boland says growing up, getting older and surviving life’s hardships influenced the songwriting and musicianship of “Rancho Alto.” On their last studio effort, “Comal County Blue,” Boland, 36, dealt frankly with his struggles with alcoholism on several songs. The day the 2008 album was released, the singer-songwriter underwent microsurgery to remove a potentially career-ending vocal cord polyp and then endured a long, trying recovery process.
“You’re just trying to always get better at what you do … and that’s writing songs that get to the heart of things and the heart of emotions,”and being able to contact those emotions and get ‘em out through your music,” says Boland, who will return to his home state for annual Thanksgiving weekend shows at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and the Wormy Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City.
“I think they’re all stepping points. It depends on where you draw your songs from, of course. I do most of the songwriting, so it is going to reflect a lot of times what I’m specifically going through. But you always notice at the same time it seems in so many ways, even if it’s only metaphorically, the people around you are going through the exact same thing. It may be a little different but … it seems like we’re never really alone and the music ties us all together.”
In the great red dirt tradition, “Rancho Alto” shares stories of the common man. The album’s toe-tapping opening track, “Down Here in the Hole,” centers on a miner stuck in a cave-in, while the dancehall ballad “Between 11 and 2” reminds the unlucky in love “if you think you’re all alone, there’s somebody out there right next to you that thinks they’re just as alone as you.”
With “False Accuser’s Lament,” Boland retells the 1959 country epic “Long Black Veil” from the viewpoint of a witness, a poor farmer paid off to frame the innocent man convicted of murder.
While he wrote or co-wrote eight of 11 tracks on “Rancho Alto,” Boland closes the album with Checotah singer-songwriter Greg Jacobs’ “Farmer’s Luck,” a story song about a farmer whose land is taken by eminent domain and turned into a recreational lake. Boland also pays tribute to his red dirt roots with “Woody’s Road,” an ode to Woody Guthrie penned by the late, great Bob Childers.
“Growing up in Oklahoma, you can’t help but be influenced by that spirit of the hopefulness for the plight of the common man. That’s part of what the folks in Stillwater that coined the ‘red dirt’ term had in mind.”
In concert
Jason Boland & the Stragglers Thanksgiving weekend shows
When: Nov. 25.
Where: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main, Tulsa.
Information: www.cainsballroom.com.
When: Nov. 26.
Where: Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E Sheridan.
Information: www.wormydog.com.
-BAM
New releases for Oct. 4, 2011: Jason Boland & the Stragglers, “Buck,” Rick Riordan and more
Jason Boland & the Stragglers
Red dirt band Jason Boland & the Stragglers are releasing today their sixth studio album, “Rancho Alto,” the follow-up to their excellent 2008 effort “Comal County Blue,” which made my top 10 list for that year. (In between, the Stragglers released the 2010 live album “High in the Rockies.”)
Frontman and primary songwriter Boland was born and raised in Harrah; the Stragglers started in 1998 in the red dirt hotbed of Stillwater. They recorded “Rancho Alto” at Yellow Dog Studios in Austin, Texas, where Boland now makes his home.
The band again joined forces with producer Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks, Flatlanders, Robert Earl Keen), who has been helming the Straggler’s albums since their 1999 debut “Pearl Snaps.”
Look for my interview with Jason Boland Wednesday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman. The Stragglers will be playing their traditional Thanksgiving weekend shows Nov. 25 at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and Nov. 26 at the Wormy Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City.
The Stragglers’ latest effort is hardly the only option out this week for country fans, who can also choose from the latest from Merle Haggard, the long-awaited new record from Rodney Atkins, “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams” and the debut from “American Idol” Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery. In other genres, new albums from Feist, Indigo Girls and Paul McCartney with the London Classical Orchestra are now available.
In the DVD section, action fans can pick up “Fast Five,” horror devotees can scare up “Scream 4,” but my recommendation for discerning film fans is the moving documentary “Buck,” about real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman. I had the chance to speak today with “Buck” director Cindy Meehl, and it was a great interview that I’ll bring to you in the coming days.
On the bookshelf, best-selling authors Rick Riordan, Michael Lewis and Ellen DeGeneres have new works in stores.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Jason Boland & the Stragglers, “Rancho Alto.”
Scotty McCreery, “Clear as Day.”
Feist, “Metals.”
Hank Williams Sr., “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams.”
Indigo Girls, “Beauty Queen Sister.”
Paul McCartney, John Wilson and the London Classical Orchestra, “Ocean’s Kingdom.”
Rodney Atkins, “Take a Back Road.”
Merle Haggard, “Working in Tennessee.”
Hayley Westenra and Ennio Morricone, “Paradiso.”
DVDs
The Bionic Woman: Season 3
Bored to Death: The Complete Second Season
Boy Meets World: The Complete Seventh Season
Buck
The Caller
Fast Five
The Heart Specialist
In Treatment: Season Three
Lie to Me: The Complete Final Season
Lion King Diamond Edition
The Presence
Scream 4
Submarine
The Undefeated
Books
Heroes of Olympus, The, Book Two: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles
The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey D. Sachs
-BAM
New releases for Sept. 27, 2011: Original “Footloose” dances onto Blu-ray, new “Footloose” soundtrack cuts loose
The promotional push for the upcoming remake of the dance drama “Footloose” is cutting loose.
The soundtrack for the remake dropped today, featuring Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton’s cover of the theme song, originally a hit for ’80s soundtrack guru Kenny Loggins.
The new album also features Hunter Hayes and Victoria Justice’s duet on “Almost Paradise (Love Theme From Footloose),” originally recorded by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno; Jana Kramer’s cut of “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” first done by Deniece Williams; and Ella Mae Bowen’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” originally cut by Bonnie Tyler. The remake soundtrack also includes new contributions from Zac Brown, Cee Lo Green with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson.
The remake stars newcomer Kenny Wormald, country singer/dancing TV personality Julianne Hough and Dennis Quaid and is written and directed by Craig Brewer, who made the music-driven movies “Hustle & Flow” and “Black Snake Moan.”
Due in theaters Oct. 14, “Footloose” follows closely to the dance steps of the 1984 original film, which made Kevin Bacon a star. For fans of the ’84 version, it debuted today on Blu-ray in a deluxe edition also available on DVD.
The original film was loosely based on real-life events that happened in 1980 in Elmore City, where students convinced the school board to let them organize the school’s first prom, despite an 80-year-old city ordinance banning public dancing. The Oklahoma farming community marked the 30th anniversary of the first prom last year.
In music, other notable releases include new albums from Wilco, Blink 182 and Chickenfoot, while other big movie drops include today’s release of the 50th anniversary edition of “Ben-Hur” and Friday’s bow of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Various artists, “Footloose: Music From the Motion Picture.”
Wilco, “The Whole Love.”
Blink 182, “Neighborhoods.”
Chickenfoot, “Chickenfoot III.”
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story.”
Pink Floyd, “The Dark Side of the Moon – Immersion Box Set.”
Johnny Winter, “Roots.”
Mastodon, “The Hunter.”
Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, “Don’t Explain.”
DVDs
Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People
Army Wives: The Complete Fifth Season
Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Carlos
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Eleventh Season
CSI: Miami – The Ninth Season
CSI: New York – The Seventh Season
Footloose
Go For It!
Good Neighbors
How I Met Your Mother: Season Six
How to Make It in America: The Complete First Season
Hung: The Complete Second Season
Law & Order Special Victims Unit: Year 12
The Ledge
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Friday)
Treasure Island
Without Men
Books
The Affair: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child
Aleph by Paulo Coelho
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard
Sweet Land of Liberty by Callista Gingrich, Susan Acriero
10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children–and Ourselves–the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives by Goldie Hawn
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married by Iris Krasnow
-BAM
New releases for Sept. 20, 2011: Tony Bennett, Gungor, “Bridesmaids,” Shel Silverstein
Legendary crooner Tony Bennett releases today his anticipated album “Duets II,” featuring collaborations with Checotah native Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Faith Hill, John Mayer, Michael Buble, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Sheryl Crow, Andrea Bocelli, the late Amy Winehouse and more.
Bennett and Underwood will be featured singing “It Had to Be You,” their duet from the album, on the second season premiere of the police drama “Blue Bloods,” airing at 9 p.m. Friday on CBS.
Also, Christian band Gungor, featuring singer-songwriter Michael Gungor, is releasing today its new album “Ghosts Upon the Earth,” the follow-up to the group’s Grammy-nominated 2010 record “Beautiful Things.” Michael Gungor family moved to Tulsa when he was 16, and he graduated from Victory Christian School. He attended Oral Roberts University for a year before moving on to study jazz at the University of North Texas and then Western Michigan University.
In the DVD section, several TV shows are again releasing their latest seasons on DVD as the fall premieres begin dropping like leaves. And the surprise smash summer movie “Bridesmaids” also is new for home viewing.
On the bookshelf, “Every Thing on It,” the second posthumous book from the late, great Shel Silverstein, who died in 1999, is out today. Also, common-sense financial guru Dave Ramsey has a new guidebook for entrepreneurs available.
Here is a list of the new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Tony Bennett, “Duets II.”
Gungor, “Ghosts Upon the Earth.”
Pearl Jam, “Pearl Jam Twenty (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).”
Tori Amos, “Night of Hunters.”
Grateful Dead, “Europe 72 Vol. 2.”
Miles Davis, “Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1.”
Celtic Thunder, “Storm.”
The Jayhawks, “Mockingbird Time.”
Demi Lovato, “Unbroken.”
DVDs
Area 51
Body of Proof: The Complete First Season
Bridesmaids
Castle: The Complete Third Season
Happy Endings: The Complete First Season
Hawaii Five-O (2010): The First Season
Hawaii Five-O: The Eleventh Season
The Kennedys Mini-Series
Law & Order Los Angeles: The Complete Series
The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season
Mike & Molly: The Complete First Season
Raising Hope: The Complete First Season
Set Up
Spooky Buddies
[Rec] 2
Books
Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein
EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey
Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo
Heat Rises (Nikki Heat) by Richard Castle
Reamde: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
-BAM
New releases for Sept. 6, 2011: Lindsey Buckingham, George Strait, “X-Men: First Class,” “Hanna,” Christine Feehan
A pair of music legends are releasing new albums this week.
Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham is releasing his latest solo album, “Seeds We Sow,” the follow-up to his 2008 effort “Gift of Screws.” “Gift of Screws” was my top album of 2008, and Buckingham’s show that fall at Tulsa’s Brady Theater remains one of my all-time favorites.
Also, George Strait, the reigning King of Country Music, is dropping his new album “Here for a Good Time.”
In other music news, Hank Williams III, AKA Hank3, is releasing three very different new albums: the country double album “Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown,” the doom-rock “Attention Deficient Domination,” and the speed-metal “Cattle Callin.”
Among this week’s new DVD releases are the superhero prequel “X-Men: First Class,” the crime-drama “Hanna” and several TV series.
New on the bookshelf is the 22nd installment in Christine Feehan’s Dark Carpathian series, “Dark Predator.”
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
George Strait, “Here for a Good Time.”
Lindsey Buckingham, “Seeds We Sow.”
Hugh Laurie, “Let Them Talk.”
Various Artists, “Listen to Me: Buddy Holly.”
Hank3, “Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown.”
Hank3, “Attention Deficient Domination.”
Hank3, “Cattle Callin.”
Le’Andria Johnson, “Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson.”
Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, “The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings” (Original recording remastered).
Grand Funk Railroad, “Mark Don & Mel 1969-71.”
Mormon Tabernacle Choir and David Archuleta, “Glad Christmas Tidings.”
Tom Russell, “Mesabi.”
DVDs
X-Men: First Class (Friday)
Hanna
Everything Must Go
Community: The Complete Second Season
Criminal Minds: Season 6
The Entitled
Fringe: The Complete Third Season
National Geographic: Remembering 9/11: 10 Year Commemorative Collection
No Ordinary Family: The Complete First Season
Parks & Recreation: Season Three
Team Umizoomi: Journey to Numberland
Two and a Half Men: The Complete Eighth Season
Books
Dark Predator (Dark Series #22) by Christine Feehan
The Race by Clive Cussler
The Mercy (Rose Trilogy Series #3) by Beverly Lewis
The Dog Who Knew Too Much (Chet and Bernie Series #4) by Spencer Quinn
Shelter: A Mickey Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
-BAM
New releases for Aug. 30, 2011: Stoney LaRue releases new album “Velvet”; Ryan Merriman stars in “The 5th Quarter”
Stoney LaRue
Red dirt music star Stoney LaRue, who lives in Edmond, is releasing today his long-awaited new studio album “Velvet,” the follow-up to his debut studio effort, 2005′s “The Red Dirt Album.”
“Everybody wants a reason. I’ve been getting that a lot, like ‘why did it take so long?’ Well, I don’t know, but it’s like so the art doesn’t suffer,” LaRue told me in a recent phone interview from the road in Montana.
“We recorded (2007′s) ‘Live at Billy Bob’s’ two weeks after I put my band together, which is kind of unheard of. So then after that we released the album and it kind of took off from there. And I spend a lot of time touring, and what I mean (by) a lot of time is 262 days … a year, and when you’re traveling that much, it’s hard to find time for other things. It became a priority that I put out another album and that I start writing a lot more. I never stopped writing, but I started collaborating a little bit more and really focusing on it.”
“As far as the reason, I would just say that art kind of produces itself when it’s supposed to. I don’t want to make excuses; I’m no good at it,” he added with a laugh.
Although he has been honing his craft onstage for 12 years, the indie musician considers “Velvet” his first truly professional recording experience, and he was able to line up top-notch talents to help him. Frank Liddell, who has helmed projects by Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Lee Ann Womack, signed on to produce “Velvet.” Along with connecting him with renowned session musicians and backing vocalists — including Liddell’s wife Womack and Sarah Buxton — the producer also paired LaRue with Nashville, Tenn.-based singer-songwriter Mando Saenz, who co-wrote nine of the album’s 10 tracks.
To read more of my recent interview with Stoney, click here. And look for my review of “Velvet” in the coming days.
Ryan Merriman appears in a scene from "The 5th Quarter."
Among new DVDs, Choctaw-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman stars in the indie inspirational sports drama “The 5th Quarter.”
“The 5th Quarter” is based on the true story of Wake Forest linebacker Jon Abbate (Merriman), whose younger brother Luke was killed in a February 2006 car accident. After the devastating loss, Jon struggles to cope and ultimately decides to honor his brother’s love for the game by “playing for two” during the 2006 football season. Jon switches his jersey number to Luke’s No. 5, and he and his family begin holding up five fingers during the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. Before long, the rest of the crowd and even rival teams adopt the practice.
With Jon and his teammates playing inspired football, the Demon Deacons, predicted to finish last in their division, embark on a record-setting winning season, culminating in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, and there’s several promising new albums out for music fans. The list is compiled from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Stoney LaRue, “Velvet.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “I’m With You.”
Lil Wayne, “Tha Carter IV.”
Robert Earl Keen, “Ready for Confetti.”
Glen Campbell, “Ghost On The Canvas.”
Lenny Kravitz, “Black and White America.”
Ry Cooder, “Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down.”
Jake Owen, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.”
Puddle Of Mudd, “Re:(disc)overed.”
David Guetta, “Nothing But the Beat.”
Edwin McCain, “Mercy Bound.”
DVDs
The 5th Quarter
Bereavement
Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season
Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season
Forks Over Knives
House: Season 7
Nikita: The Complete First Season
Prom
Skateland
Sons of Anarchy: Season Three
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family
The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season
Wrecked
Books
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield
Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson, Marshall Karp
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir by Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney
The Cut by George Pelecanos
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman
Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer
1105 Yakima Street (Cedar Cove) by Debbie Macomber
A Trick of the Light: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novels) by Louise Penny
One Grave at a Time: A Night Huntress Novel by Jeaniene Frost
-BAM
New releases for Aug. 23, 2011: Pistol Annies release their debut album
The Pistol Annies, from left, Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert perform "Hell on Heels" on the April TV special "Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country." (AP file)
The Pistol Annies – the all-girl country trio featuring Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and like-minded singer-songwriters Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe – are releasing today their debut album, “Hell on Heels.”
Lambert introduced us to the group in April when she invited them to perform along with her on the Academy of Country Music’s TV special “Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country.” The trio crooned its seductive first single “Hell on Heels,” which also is the band’s first music video.
Lambert fielded a question or two about the Annies in my interview with her earlier this summer, and last week, I got the chance to chat with Presley about the fledgling group. Look for my column about the Pistol Annies and my review of “Hell on Heels” in the coming days.
Also, look for my review of “NCIS: The Eighth Season” in the very near future.
Here is a list of the new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Pistol Annies, “Hell on Heels.”
Barbra Streisand, “What Matters Most – Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics of Alan And Marilyn Bergman.”
The Game, “The R.E.D. Album.”
Various Artists, “Muppets: The Green Album.”
Sunny Sweeney, “Concrete.”
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, “Mirror Traffic.”
Selah, “Hope of the Broken World.”
DVDs
The Beaver
Blitz
Brothers & Sisters: The Complete Fifth Season
Citizen Jane
The Event: The Complete Series
Gossip Girl: The Complete Fourth Season
Henry’s Crime
NCIS: Los Angeles – The Second Season
NCIS: The Eighth Season
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Road to Nowhere
Sympathy for Delicious
Troll Hunter
Win Win
Books
The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller
The Power of Six (I Am Number Four) by Pittacus Lore
The Measure of the Magic: Legends of Shannara by Terry Brooks
The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
Flash and Bones: A Novel by Kathy Reichs
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney
-BAM
New releases for Aug. 16, 2011: Jeff Bridges self-titled album, Eli Young Band’s “Life at Best,” “The Big Lebowski” on Blu-ray, “Jane Eyre” on DVD
Jeff Bridges, who won a best actor Oscar for playing a country singer in 2009′s “Crazy Heart,” is releasing his self-titled major-label debut album today on EMI’s Blue Note label, although “Jeff Bridges” actually is the follow-up to his 2000 indie release “Be Here Soon.”
It’s a big day for country fans: Along with Bridges’ sophomore effort, country legends Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker have albums out today. Also, Texas country stars Eli Young Band, who are playing Sept. 2 at Choctaw Casino in Grant, Sept. 15 at the Oklahoma State Fair in OKC and Oct. 4 at the Tulsa State Fair, are releasing their latest, “Life at Best,” today. Look for my new EYB interview closer to their Oklahoma State Fair show.
In movies, Bridges is again making news as his cult classic with the Coen brothers “The Big Lebowski” makes its debut on Blu-ray. In honor of the occasion, cast members Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro and the movie’s music archivist T Bone Burnett are reuniting tonight at Lebowski Fest New York, reports EW.com.
Also, Director Cary Fukunaga, who broke out with the acclaimed and electrifying 2009 Spanish-language immigration saga “Sin Nombre,” brings a fresh, thrilling energy to his version of the often-adapted gothic tale “Jane Eyre,” starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender and Jamie Bell. To read my review of “Jane Eyre,” click here.
Here is a list of this week’s new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Jeff Bridges, “Jeff Bridges.”
Guy Clark, “Songs & Stories.”
Eli Young Band, “Life at Best.”
Blue October, “Any Man in America.”
Ana Popovic, “Unconditional.”
Jerry Jeff Walker, “Jerry Jeff Walker Plus.”
Sly Stone, “I’m Back! Family & Friends.”
The Cool Kids, “When Fish Ride Bicycles.”
DVDs
The Bang Bang Club
The Best and the Brightest
The Big Lebowski (on Blu-ray)
The Conspirator
Dexter: The Fifth Season
The Grace Card
Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil
Jane Eyre
John Carpenter’s The Ward
Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf
Meet Monica Velour
Priest
Queen to Play
Something Borrowed
Books
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick with William L. Simon (and foreword by Steve Wozniak)
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind
The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story by Mark Tabb (with foreword by Tony Dungy)
I Have Nothing To Wear!: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life So You Never Have to Say This Again!* by Jill Martin, Dana Ravich
-BAM
New releases for Aug. 9, 2011: Leon Russell “Live in Japan,” “Mars Needs Moms,” “Paul”
Leon Russell
The comeback continues for Oklahoma music icon and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell. Since the success last year of Russell’s collaborative album “The Union” with Sir Elton John, labels have been mining the Tulsa Sound pioneer’s deep back catalog for rare and previously unreleased material.
The latest of these flashback releases is “Live in Japan,” out today on Omnivore Recordings. The first nine tracks were recorded at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall in November 1973. These were previously released on a Japanese-only LP and have never before been released on CD. The other seven tracks were recorded at a concert in Houston in April 1971 and have never been released before in any form.
Russell will play Friday, Sept. 16 at the Oklahoma State Fair. For more information, go to www.okstatefair.com.
Country up-and-comer Luke Bryan is releasing his new album “Tailgates & Tanlines” today. Look for my review in the coming days.
Also, contemporary metal band Trivium releases its fifth studio album today. The band is part of the lineup at the Mayhem Festival, featuring Disturbed, Godsmack and Megadeath, today at the Zoo Amphitheatre. For more information, click here.
Aliens are big today on DVD. Disney releases today the family film “Mars Needs Moms,” based on the children’s book by “Bloom County” cartoonist Berkley Breathed. To read my review of “Mars Needs Moms” on Blu-ray+DVD, click here. And a much less family-friendly alien appears in “Paul,” the latest comedy from writer-actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Leon Russell, “Live In Japan.”
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines.”
Jay-Z and Kanye West, “Watch the Throne.” – Friday
Steve Cropper, “Dedicated.”
“Glee Cast”, “Glee The 3D Concert Movie” (soundtrack).
Barenaked Ladies, “Snacktime.”
Steven Curtis Chapman, “Re:Creation.”
Neil Young, “Live On Air/The Lost Tapes.”
Trivium, “In Waves.”
DVDs
Camp Hell
Choose
The Fox and the Hound/The Fox and the Hound II
Jumping the Broom
The Last Godfather
M.A.S.K.: The Complete Series
Mars Needs Moms
Paul
Secret Diary of a Call Girl: The Final Season
Super
Tactical Force
Your Highness
Books
The Magician King: A Novel by Lev Grossman
Prime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit–making the most of all of your life by Jane Fonda
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann
Victory and Honor (Honor Bound) by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV
House of Holes: A Book of Raunch by Nicholson Baker
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Ascension by Christie Golden
After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn
-BAM
New releases for Aug. 2, 2011: Greyson Chance’s debut album, “Soul Surfer,” “Pure Country 2″ and “Stormchasers: Season 3″ on DVD
Greyson Chance
Greyson Chance, the 13-year-old Internet music sensation from Edmond, releases his hotly anticipated debut album “Hold on ‘Til the Night” today on Ellen DeGeneres’ new eleveneleven record label.
A former student at Edmond’s Cheyenne Middle School, Greyson skyrocketed to fame a little more than a year ago when a YouTube video of his piano-and-voice cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” went viral with the help of DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest and Ashton Kutcher.
One month after “Paparazzi,” Greyson Chance was one of the most famous 12-year-olds in the world. Two months after his take on Gaga’s song hit the Internet, Greyson and his family were making a second home in California so he could record “Hold on ‘Til the Night.”
“I had some bad experiences in the studio with some of the producers when I started,” Greyson told The Oklahoman’s Gene Triplett in a recent interview. “I think a lot of people didn’t understand what I was trying to do. I was trying to make this really open album, and I wanted a pop-rock record. And so when I first started it was really hard. But then I found some producers that I really loved, and they really respect me, musically and creatively.
“I really put my creative opinion and thought into this record, and that’s why I think it turned out so well, is it’s real. It’s not a fake record.”
To read more of Gene’s interview with Greyson, click here.
Greyson will play a home state show on Friday, Aug. 19 at Frontier City theme park. The show is set for three days after his 14th birthday. For more information, go to www.frontiercity.com.
For Oklahoma country music fans, two DVDs coming out today should be of interest. Superstar Carrie Underwood, who hails from Checotah, makes her feature film debut in the inspirational biopic “Soul Surfer,” which is based on the true story of teen surf champ Bethany Hamilton, who in 2003 lost her left arm in a shark attack off Kauai, Hawaii. In a stunning comeback, the 13-year-old returned to the ocean less than a month after the attack and went on to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a professional surfer.
Underwood plays Sarah Hill, a youth leader at the church the Hamilton family attends. Sarah serves as a sympathetic sounding board for Bethany as the teen struggles to cope with her drastically altered life. She also gives Bethany a chance to gain a new perspective when she takes the girl on a mission trip to tsunami-ravaged Thailand.
To read my column in which Underwood talks about her movie debut in “Soul Surfer,” click here. To read my “Soul Surfer” movie review, click here.
Country singer-songwriter Katrina Elam, a native of Bray, makes her acting debut in “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” a spinoff of George Strait’s 1992 hit musical. Elam stars as Bobbie Thomas, who as a baby receives the gift of a divine voice from a trio of angels. But the angels (Cheech Marin, Michael McKean and Bronson Pinchot) also require her to follow three rules — never lie, always be fair and never break a promise — in order to keep her heavenly talent. When Bobbie leaves her tiny Kentucky hometown to seek her fortune in Nashville, the aspiring country singer learns the path to stardom is riddled with obstacles, including the temptation to compromise her values for wealth and fame. Strait makes a brief appearance in the film playing himself.
To read my interview with Elam about the movie, click here. To read my “Pure Country 2″ movie review, click here.
Also, Oklahoma is one of the states highlighted as Discovery Channel’s “Stormchasers: Season 3 – Let Chaos Ensue” debuts on DVD today. Viewers can journey with a group of adventurers, filmmakers and scientists as they drive through Oklahoma, Nebraska and New Mexico – Tornado Alley – in during the show’s third season. Riding in an armored research vehicle, the teams risk their lives as they get up close to tornadoes and ultimately run out of places to hide.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Greyson Chance, “Hold on ‘Til the Night.”
John Hiatt, “Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns.”
Trace Adkins, “Proud to Be Here.”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “How I Go.”
Keb Mo, “The Reflection.”
Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs – Deluxe Edition (Scenes From The Suburbs)”
“Victorious” cast, “Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show.”
Drive-By Truckers, “Greatest Hits 1998-2009.”
Mat Kearney, “Young Love.”
DVDs
Cold Weather
Eastbound & Down: The Complete Second Season
Everwood: The Complete Fourth Season
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
Last Night
The Music Never Stopped
The Perfect Game
Pure Country 2: The Gift
Quarantine 2: Terminal
Rio
Soul Surfer
Stake Land
Stormchasers: Season 3 – Let Chaos Ensue
United States of Tara: The Third Season
YellowBrickRoad
Books
Cold Vengeance (Special Agent Pendergast) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Retribution (Dark-Hunter) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Back of Beyond by C.J. Box
Joy Bauer’s Food Cures: Eat Right to Get Healthier, Look Younger, and Add Years to Your Life by Joy Bauer, Carol Svec
Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown by David Wiedemer, Robert A. Wiedemer, Cindy S. Spitzer
Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur by Ryan Blair
-BAM
