Tangleweed’s August 15th appearance on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special is available for download on our music page. It’s five songs, recorded live in Knoxville in front of a studio audience. The sound quality is quite good. Matt, the house engineer, got a good, loud mix for the radio feed.

The set, as best I can remember, was this:

1. Listen to the Mockingbird
2. California
3. Short Life of Trouble
4. The Logjam
5. The Takeup Reel/ Cold Frosty Morning/ Grey Eagle

All are tracks from our forthcoming third CD, Most Folk Heroes Started Out As Criminals. This is what we sound like the morning after an all-night drive.

You can download the whole thing in MP3 format (approx 16MB), or you can stream it in the player thingy below.

This popped up on my iPod this morning, a live recording from June, 2006, at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was shortly before our second CD, Where You Been So Long, came out, and we were playing our first real out-of-town shows.

The Ark was a good place to start–it’s a nice-sounding room, with an attentive and appreciative crowd. The show was an opening set for the Hackensaw Boys. Decent folks, they, and a good band as well.

Fun fact: the hollering you hear in the background is me yelling cues to a band member.

You can download the whole show @ Archive.org: http://www.archive.org/details/Tangleweed_The_Ark_20060623

I’ll be playing in the Madison area this Saturday (August 2), backing up Deanna Veragona at the Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival. Deanna is stepping in to fill the void left by Hazel Dickens who, sadly, has fallen ill and is unable to perform. New Lost City Rambler Mike Seeger will be performing earlier in the evening, as will several former Bluegrass Boys.

The emcees for the show are interesting as well: Tom Martin-Erickson, a Wisconsin Public Radio host who has been kind to Tangleweed in the past, and Bill Malone, author of the best comprehensive history of country music, Country Music USA.

Deanna has made a lot of interesting music over the years. In addition to her solo work, she was a founding member of Lambchop, and has collaborated with the Silos, Paul Burch, Bobby Bare Jr., and host of other notable folks.

All of us, by the way, are huge Hazel Dickens fans, and wish her a speedy recovery.

Tangleweed had a great time playing at Hideout’s A DAY IN THE COUNTRY Fest on Sunday, our fourth Chicago show in four days. Other bands included Blue Line Riders, Deanna Varagona’s Gospel Jubille (featuring our own Kip Rainey on some tasty mando work), Lawrence Peters Outfit, Gin Palace Jesters, Fulton County Line, Hoyle Brothers and more. See here for pictures from Sunday’s proceedings:

We’re very proud to be back at the ‘A Day in the Country’ shindig at the Hideout. Last year, we got things rolling with an all-acoustic set outside. This year, we’re inside, toward the end of the evening. I’ll also be assisting Deanna Varagona’s Gospel Jubilee with their special reunion set.

The complete schedule, in reverse chronological order:

9:45 Hoyle Brothers

9:00 Fulton County Line

8:15 The Lawrence Peters Outfit

7:30 Tangleweed

6:45 Gin Palace Jesters

5:45 Deanna Varagona’s Gospel Jubilee

5:00 The Blue Line Riders

4:15 Katie Belle and the Paramount Boys

3:30 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader String Band

2:45 Northside Southpaws

2:00 Possum Hollow Boys

We’re very pleased to be hosting a square dance tomorrow night in the Loop as part of the annual Looptopia celebration. Join us at Daley Plaza by the Picasso for an evening of music and dancing. Our friend Annie Coleman from the Golden Horse Ranch Square Dance Band will be calling, and we’ll have expert dancers on hand to help keep things moving. Music starts at 8pm, rain or shine.

For more information, visit Looptopia.com.