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[Bloomed] album reissue[Devotion + Doubt] album [Since] album[The Hill] album[Richard Buckner] album[Impasse-ette] EP[Impasse] album[Dents and Shells] album Richard Buckner & Jon Langford: [Sir Dark Invader Vs. The Fanglord] album[Meadow] album

Sunday, January 28, 2007

New and revised 2007 U.S. tour dates with Six Parts Seven 


Remember how in the last tour update I posted, there was some conflicting info? Here's a new-and-hopefully-improved list of Buckner's upcoming tour with The Six Parts Seven (label site / myspace), with new info from Ground Control Touring, Merge Records and Pollstar.

According to the Randy Bacon Gallery Sounds blog, The Six Parts Seven, aside from performing on their own, "will also pull double-duty as Buckner’s backup band." Very interesting, indeed! Looks like this tour will be one to catch if you can. Lots of new shows have been added, and you might want to recheck the dates to see if the changes affect any shows you're planning to attend.

Changes are indicated in bold:
... a plus sign (+) means an added show
... a pound sign (#) means some other change (see accompanying details).

# posted by musicaddict @ 10:01 PM # [permanent link]

Monday, January 15, 2007

Buckner circa 1994 


Recently I got an e-mail from Albert P. Pappalardo, who had a regional San Francisco variety TV series in the 1990s called Fog Town Network. Albert put up some clips from the program onto YouTube, including one from a session Richard Buckner played for the show. Watch RB performing "The Worst Way" (Bloomed) from January 1994:



[direct link to the video at YouTube]

Thanks, Albert!

# posted by musicaddict @ 4:53 AM # [permanent link]

First tour of 2007: Eastern, midwestern and southern U.S. with the Six Parts Seven 


Merge Records has a list for Richard Buckner's first shows of 2007. The tour starts next month and it looks like all of the dates will also feature The Six Parts Seven (one of my favorite current bands, by the way) on the bill. (Here's the 6p7 MySpace page -- autoplays audio.)

These are all new shows, and I'm not sure if RB will be playing by himself or with Doug Gillard again, but the website for Union Hall (where he'll start the tour) specifically says "Richard Buckner (with his band)" for the Feb. 17th date. It doesn't mention the band for the Feb. 18th date, but that doesn't necessarily mean there won't be a backing band.


# posted by musicaddict @ 3:51 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Buckner on The Current 


Back on September 13th, Richard Buckner performed a live set with Doug Gillard at Minnesota Public Radio station "The Current" before doing a show in Minneapolis that night. They played three songs, all from the latest album Meadow: "Lucky," "Spell," and "Kingdom." RB also chatted with host Steve Seel about (among other things) making the record, songwriting, and being genetically prone to travel. The session is archived at The Current site and you can listen to it in either streaming MP3 or Real Audio (it runs about 19 minutes).

(Found out from the Merge Blog)

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:17 AM # [permanent link]

Shows on first weekend of December: Eastern U.S. 


Just checked Ground Control Touring to find a couple of Buckner shows this weekend. He's not the only one on the bill for these two dates. Not sure if Doug Gillard will be with him.


# posted by musicaddict @ 5:45 AM # [permanent link]

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Buckner blogs some more 


Last month I mentioned Buckner's tour diary written for Merge's blog. He's written some new entries since then, so I've compiled them all into a running list/index, sort of like the concert dates.

"Incoherencies" - Richard Buckner's Tour Diary
(Listed by posting date, in chronological order. Entries since my last update are in bold.)
  1. Aug. 31, 2006 - Debut entry, from Missouri.
  2. Sep. 02, 2006 - From Texas.
  3. Sep. 08, 2006 - From California.
  4. Sep. 13, 2006 - From Montana.
  5. Sep. 19, 2006 - From New York.
  6. Sep. 29, 2006 - From Atlanta.

There's also some more Buckner-related content, including photos, posted by Christina at Merge.

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:49 PM # [permanent link]

November tour dates: Southeastern U.S. 


According to Ground Control Touring, there are some new shows since the last update (one's actually tonight, and one happened Sunday, but I've left them both in the list below for history's sake). These shows will again feature guitarist Doug Gillard of Guided by Voices.

Changes are indicated in bold:
... a plus sign (+) means an added show
... a pound sign (#) means some other change (see accompanying details).

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:05 PM # [permanent link]

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Buckner blogs 'Incoherencies'; Meadow-rise today 


I was surfing around the Merge Records website and found a link to an official Merge blog, Oh Merge. So I clicked on it, and the very top entry (as of now) is by none other than Buckner. Apparently it's already the third entry of a tour diary he's calling "Incoherencies." It looks as though someone at Merge posts on his behalf after he writes them. Here are the previous two entries: his second update from September 2nd in Texas and his debut entry from August 31st in Missouri.

I'm not sure if I'll keep blogging about his new posts, so if you're interested in reading his future tour diary entries, I recommend going over and subscribing to the Oh Merge RSS feed to be up-to-date.

Don't forget: the new album, Meadow, hits store shelves today. Buy it from your local favorite store or order online from Amazon or from Merge, or best of all, buy directly from Buckner himself at one of his shows this fall (which is what I did). I've had the CD spinning for a week now and the songs sound great. My initial reaction is that it sounds like a natural extension of Dents and Shells combined with a bit of the sound from Impasse, and yet, Meadow still has its own sound. He definitely rocks out a number of tunes on this record.

# posted by musicaddict @ 12:17 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, August 26, 2006

New album release; fall tour dates: U.S. and Canada 


Meadow, Buckner's newest album (produced by J.D. Foster), will be out September 12th. Track listing and more details are at Merge and you can also pre-order the CD from Amazon.

In support of the new release, there'll be lots of new concerts all across the U.S. and to a few major Canadian cities. As announced last time, most of the shows will be with Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers [warning, music auto-loads]. Some of the later autumn shows will once again feature Doug Gillard of Guided by Voices. Gillard toured with RB earlier in the year and also played guitar on the new record. Tour date sources: Ground Control Touring (Buckner's new booking agent), Merge Records and the MusicFestNW site.

Concert list

Changes are indicated in bold:
... a plus sign (+) means an added show
... a pound sign (#) means some other change (see accompanying details).

# posted by musicaddict @ 10:26 PM # [permanent link]

Monday, June 26, 2006

More shows, September tour with Eric Bachmann 


Most of the new concerts are with Eric Bachmann of Crooked Fingers [warning, music auto-loads]. Source: Merge Records and the MusicFestNW site.

Changes since last time are indicated in bold. A plus sign (+) means an added show.

# posted by musicaddict @ 9:17 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Summer tour: Midwest, eastern U.S. 


Thanks to the prod from Rain Dog, here's an update of upcoming shows. These dates are from Merge Records as well as Pollstar.

# posted by musicaddict @ 11:12 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Spring U.S. shows w/ Doug Gillard: New York, Tennessee, California 


According to Merge Records, Buckner will team up again with Doug Gillard (guitarist for Guided By Voices) for a show tomorrow night; they will then head out on the road again later this spring. Here are the new shows so far:

# posted by musicaddict @ 7:50 PM # [permanent link]

Saturday, January 28, 2006

A few February tour changes 


Merge Records has added a show and updated the Orlando show for Buckner's February tour with Doug Gillard* sitting in on guitar.

Changes are indicated in bold:
... a plus sign (+) means an added show
... a pound sign (#) means some other change (see accompanying details).*As mentioned before, Doug Gillard played guitar for the band Guided By Voices. Here's a bit of information from his official site's tour page:
Doug is going on the road with the now Brooklyn-based songwriter Richard Buckner in Feb., in part to preview some of his not-yet-finished lp which DG plays on. This is Richard's set, with just the two of them on stage.
(BTW, that page still lists Hard Rock Live for Feb. 17th, but it looks like it was last updated on Jan. 15th, so it's probably out of date.)

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:25 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, January 12, 2006

More February tour dates: Midwest, southeastern U.S. 


A few more dates, according to Merge Records. Again, Doug Gillard -- the guitarist from the band Guided By Voices -- will accompany Buckner for the following shows.

Changes are indicated in bold. A plus sign (+) means an added show.

# posted by musicaddict @ 1:43 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, January 07, 2006

February tour dates: Midwest, eastern U.S. 


More concerts as Richard Buckner works his way back east. According to the Merge Records site, Doug Gillard -- the guitarist from the band Guided By Voices -- will accompany Buckner on all of the following shows. (I'm not sure if Gillard will have his own act, but the site says, "w/ Doug Gilliard (from Guided by Voices) on Guitar!" (BTW, his name is actually Gillard, not Gilliard). In any case, here are the dates: I linked the venues to their sites this time. Hope you find it useful. I probably won't link them every time I post a list of new shows, but I ended up searching for the church venue on the list to find out more about it, and so I figured I'd link it...then I linked the rest, as well...

# posted by musicaddict @ 8:29 AM # [permanent link]

Friday, December 16, 2005

Early January 2006 tour dates: Western U.S. 


More from Merge Records!

# posted by musicaddict @ 7:51 PM # [permanent link]

Sunday, November 20, 2005

November and December tour dates: Eastern U.S. 


The Merge Records site lists a few upcoming shows -- perhaps there will be more later.

# posted by musicaddict @ 5:04 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, September 22, 2005

October tour dates: Southeast U.S. 


Those of you near Florida and North Carolina, Buckner is headed your way! (So sayeth Merge Records.) At this point, they look like they'll be solo shows.

# posted by musicaddict @ 9:37 PM # [permanent link]

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Updated U.S. concert schedule 


Here's an updated list of scheduled Buckner concerts, thanks to new data from Pollstar. It appears that most -- if not all -- of the shows will be with Anders Parker. Check the venue to make sure (I haven't linked to the venues, but they should be easy enough to find via Google).

Changes are indicated in front of the date with the following code:
... a plus sign (+) means an added show
... a pound sign (#) means some other change (see accompanying details).



I was curious about Tim Easton, who's billed with RB for the August 3rd show, so I just checked out his site. He has a number of free MP3s available for download, and according to his News page, he recently recorded some songs with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks. I haven't downloaded any of his tunes yet, but it's on my To Do list.

# posted by musicaddict @ 7:10 PM # [permanent link]

Friday, June 03, 2005

Summer tour: Europe and U.S. 


[July 9, 2005: In case anyone has this page bookmarked, I've just added a new post with an updated concert list that supercedes the data in this list. (Why didn't I just update this post? It's because I prefer to keep a changelog of the concerts, instead of replacing the old info. It gives a better sense of the show history.]

I've been checking the Merge Records site every couple of days this week, and it finally paid off. Scads of new Buckner concerts! Some of these have already passed, but I'll leave them in for reference's sake. Go get your tickets...looks like the shows with Anders Parker have come to a close, but interestingly, RB is playing (supporting?) Clem Snide for a couple of Dutch concerts.

A belated but sincere thanks to Randy in S.C. for clearing up the mystery about RB's booking agent. Here's what Randy said in a post to the Doubters list in April (reprinted here with permission):
I just saw Magnolia Electric Co. in Asheville at the Grey Eagle Tavern and spoke with the guys there about the upcoming Buckner show(s). It seems like Rick is without a booking agent and is setting up this tour himself....
All I can say is, way to go, Rick...although, on the downside of things, it looks like Pollstar is a little slow picking up the new dates. So check the Merge site for his latest tour info.

# posted by musicaddict @ 9:34 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, April 23, 2005

May tour dates 


I was looking at Aero Booking's site to check on the latest Buckner shows, but to my surprise, Richard Buckner's name isn't even listed there anymore. Hmm. According to his section at Merge Records, he has a few shows soon, starting in Brooklyn on May 4th, and a few others in NJ, NC and VA. Some of them are with Anders Parker.

Anyone know RB's new booking agent?


# posted by musicaddict @ 2:20 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, November 06, 2004

Buckner to perform on KCRW's 'Morning Becomes Eclectic' 


Richard Buckner is the in-studio guest scheduled for this Monday, Nov. 8th on Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt on KCRW. He's scheduled to perform in the 11 o'clock hour, so try to tune in at or before 11 a.m. Pacific time / 2 p.m. Eastern. You can listen online (there may also be streaming video), just head over to the KCRW site.

For folks in and around Southern California, the station is at 89.9 FM -- check the site, though, for the other frequencies for Ventura, Ohai, Palm Springs and more areas...

If you miss the broadcast, there should be a streaming audio file of the show added to the KCRW archives, so be sure to check it out when it's available.

Also, live MBE sessions are often edited and re-packaged into the nationally syndicated companion music show Sounds Eclectic, also hosted by Nic Harcourt. I'll post an update if/when the Buckner performance gets into the queue for the national show.

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:57 PM # [permanent link]

Thursday, October 28, 2004

From a camping cup on some missing night 


Yeah, most of you know this, but the latest album Dents and Shells was released on the Merge label on October 12th. I haven't been able to listen to the entire CD yet, but I've heard two tracks ("Her" and "A Chance Counsel") played often on KCRW and so far I like what I hear. You can pick up the album on CD at good music stores everywhere or directly from Merge Records or download it from iTunes.

The site that richardbuckner.com points to has finally been updated with the release of Dents and Shells.

RB is still on tour promoting the album, so check him out if you can. He also changed booking agents, switching from longtime representation of the Davis McLarty Agency in Austin to Aero Booking in Seattle.

* "From a camping cup on some missing night" is a line from the song "Her."

# posted by musicaddict @ 12:50 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Buckner's 'Ariel Ramirez' in a VW (commercial) 


That's right, an edited version of Richard Buckner's song "Ariel Ramirez" is featured in one of the latest television ads for Volkswagen's Touareg (a.k.a. the VW SUV). (Thanks to Lauren from the Doubters list for making the original post.) About the first half of the song is used. If you're curious as to how the VW commercial version is different from the original song, I'll explain that in a bit...

For people unfamiliar with the song, "Ariel Ramirez" is from Richard Buckner's album Since (1998). Music and lyrics by Richard Buckner (BMI). The album should be available at any fine music store. Better yet, catch Buckner on tour (choose one of the links to the left for concert dates) and buy directly from him! (Well, he was still selling Since the last time I saw him, but I can't guarantee that he'll have copies for each show.)

Back to the commercial: it's been airing on U.S. network television, specifically on NBC during the Olympics, but don't be surprised if you see it elsewhere. You can watch a Quicktime version of the ad at the VW site: select the commercials section under "VW etc." The ad with Buckner's music is called "Picture."

I think I saw a shorter version of the ad a couple of days ago while tuned in to the Olympics -- I still haven't seen the one featured on the site, but then again I don't really watch much television these days.

AFAIK, this is the first time Buckner's music has been featured in an advertisement or on the screen. I don't think he's ever had music in TV or film soundtracks, either. "Ariel Ramirez" is one of my favorite Buckner songs, but it's still strange to hear it cut up/edited and in effect, changing the lyrics around. It's also strange to hear such a lonely song being played during what seems to be a happy couple appreciating the great outdoors (and taking a photo for someone); especially since the edited version of the song emphasizes the line "and close on down."

Here are the first of the lyrics from the original album version; I'll take it verse by verse and note what edits were made for the VW version:

O, where you lay
your head tonight,
I'll roll away alone
& close on down.

No changes in the VW version. So far, so good! (When I first heard this part in the commercial, I couldn't believe it: "Is it possible that they're using a Buckner song, in all its glory, in an ad seen by millions??" It turns out, well, not quite...) Next verse:

Take up your ring
& fly back out
& we'll pretend;
forget we're dead.

(my emphasis).... in the commercial, "forget we're dead" is replaced with a repeat of "& close on down" (!) Okay, last section:

Yeah! We'll lay it down
when we're all through:
when we're killed or cured
& barely heard.

(my emphasis) .... in the commercial, "when we're killed or cured and barely heard" is replaced with a repeat of "I'll roll away alone & close on down" -- which is strange for those familiar with the song, because this section is actually a sort of bridge or "B" theme, and the "I'll roll away alone & close on down" line is the end of the dominant verse or "A" theme. In other words, not only do the lyrics get changed in this section, but the music is altered too!

That's where the song in the commercial ends, so no more verses. It was a little jarring to hear the voice-over guy then give the tag line for VW, but that's advertising.

In any case, I hope this new exposure to Buckner's music will kick off many more sales of his CDs. If you happened to have found this site by hearing his music in the commercial, and want to pick up one of Buckner's albums, I recommend starting with either Since (after all, it does have "Ariel Ramirez") or Devotion + Doubt (or buying both is even better!).

# posted by musicaddict @ 3:25 AM # [permanent link]

Monday, August 09, 2004

Buckner's gear 


Okay, so in lieu of a comprehensive page of Richard Buckner's gear, here's a post to help get the ball rolling.

Things to keep in mind as you read the list:
  1. In terms of how stuff got included in the list: Basically, I made notes (either mental or on paper) when I attended his shows, and I gleaned much information from photographs, various Buckner interviews/press/media I've seen, and of course from the contributions of other concert-goers (like Jason -- see previous blog entry). Some of this info may not be current -- that is, although Buckner used the gear listed at some point, he may not use it anymore. Some day I'll try to indicate the years he used the equipment, if I get enough info to establish the dates.

  2. This list is not complete, by any means. There's probably a lot of missing details. So, any help filling in the blanks is appreciated! Even if you don't know anything about guitars or other gear, if you have photos you can share, I'll try to identify them. In fact, if you have Buckner photos, send me e-mail and I'll link to them (or if you don't have a web site, I can post them with your name).

Acoustic guitars:
AFAIK, all of his stage guitars are modded with pickups.

* According to Greg on the Doubters list (from a post in July), these guitars got stolen! Yikes.


Electric guitars:
Amps:
Acoustic guitar pickups and preamps:
Effects: Pedals:

Effects: Other:

Cables:
Seems to be mix-and-match/whatever's available. At one show, I saw a Mars Music-branded patch cable linking a couple of pedals. (Mars Music went out of business in September 2002.)

Strings:
Capos:
Picks:
Dunlop .73 gauge (probably the yellow Tortex picks, but possibly the gray nylon picks)

Acoustic Guitar Magazine did a profile on Buckner in April 1999, and featured info on his gear in the "What They Play" section. Many of the details mentioned there have been added here. Info for this list also contributed by Jason Leonard. Thanks!

# posted by musicaddict @ 11:00 PM # [permanent link]

Always on the road? ... and site feeds 


At least, it seems as though Buckner has a tour going all the time, especially these days before the new album arrives in a few months. So remember to check tour dates! Pollstar can be behind sometimes, and sometimes not. So don't just rely on Pollstar...to be thorough, check Davis McLarty and the Merge site too. Links are in the 'Recommended' sidebar.

Thanks to Jason, who provided some info on Buckner's guitar gear for the August 6th performance at the Mermaid Lounge in New Orleans (he included the info in a message to the Doubters list, but also sent me a copy). People (like Brad, who e-mailed me a few months back) who wanted to know what RB was using lately for his loops -- now you finally can find out!

Jason wrote:
«
1 elec, 1 acoustic.

Each runs into a Boss chromatic tuner. The elec. runs into a Boss Digital Delay pedal, and a compression pedal. They both run into a Boss Loop Station (which I was excited to see because I use it with my band). He also uses an Ebow.
»

I suppose I'll start a separate page with Buckner gear whenever I have time to put it together.

In other news, you can now subscribe/syndicate this site. It makes it handy, so that you don't have to keep checking back manually to see if there's a new post. I've added site feeds to the sidebar at the left. You can add it in Bloglines, or to your My Yahoo! page, or to any other program or XML feed aggregator that is Atom-enabled.

And yes, I know that the CSS still doesn't make the page look right when there's only a short post (like in the archives). I'll try to look at it/fix it when I have some time to do it, but that won't happen until later.

# posted by musicaddict @ 10:13 PM # [permanent link]

Thursday, June 03, 2004

More links 


In reply to a message I wrote to the Doubters list, I received messages from Stephen, letting me knowing about his articles about Buckner; and Randy, letting me know about the Buckner group on Yahoo. I've added the links to the articles in a new section of the Recommended Links, called "Media Coverage" (I'll probably be splitting up the coverage into various sub-sections as I collect more links). And I've added the link to the Yahoo group under the Doubters subscription info.

Thanks, guys! Any other contributions welcome.

# posted by musicaddict @ 12:20 AM # [permanent link]

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

More tour dates; welcome back altcountrytab.com 


Well, after my last post, altcountrytab.com came back online. It's been written from scratch, so not all of the previous content is available (I'm not sure if the current incarnation will allow artist links again), but I've included the new link to the left again.

More tour dates this spring/summer! I was really hoping he'd be back at McCabe's, but it looks like he'll be playing at the Fold instead (this is re: L.A. area).

# posted by musicaddict @ 5:30 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, April 10, 2004

Another tour, a new album! and goodbye altcountrytab.com 


Buckner is on another round of tours: look for dates all throughout the country (and even in Europe in June) on his Pollstar page. I don't know if it will be true of the entire tour, but lately he's been playing rocking electric sets with a band.

His next album, called Dents and Shells, is due out October 2004! It will be released by Merge Records. I've added the label link to the left. There isn't much RB content there now, but keep checking back.

In the past month or so, AltCountryTab.com had to close. I'm sure all guitarists out there know it well, and I certainly will miss it. I've removed the RB AltCountryTab page from the menu on the left.

# posted by musicaddict @ 6:42 AM # [permanent link]

Saturday, February 07, 2004

More tour dates (including 4 Tuesdays in March in Arlington, VA) 


That's right, he's touring all over again. Unfortunately, I missed him when he swung by L.A. and performed at the Silverlake Lounge a few weeks ago. He's playing four Tuesday nights at the IOTA in Arlington, VA in March. He'll also be at the SXSW Convention in Austin in mid-March. Check out the latest tour dates, which also include shows at the Knitting Factory in NYC, the Turf Club in St. Paul, Schubas in Chicago, some stops in Iowa. Currently he's probably in Texas.

Check out Pollstar.

BTW Buckner's booking agency, Davis Mclarty, updated its web site so if you had RB's page there bookmarked, here's the new link.

I got an e-mail from Brad asking about what Buckner uses to loop his sounds. If anyone knows/can keep an eye out/ask Richard sometime, send me a message. A while back I know he used a couple of Boss delay pedals (maybe DD-5?) but he might use something else for the longer loops.


# posted by musicaddict @ 8:35 PM # [permanent link]

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

More tour dates 


Specifically, more East Coast dates...and he's heading to the West Coast in January 2004! He's again back in Austin later this month before heading out on the road. Current future dates are set for within NY, VA, MA, PA, continuing through Christmastime and New Year's. The earliest West Coast date now is Jan. 21 in the L.A. area, and then SF and Seattle. As always, check Pollstar.

Looks like Google finally got rid of including obvious blogs in search results, because now, typing "backyard dusk" does not produce this page at all, as far as I can tell.

# posted by musicaddict @ 4:33 PM # [permanent link]

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Buckner on tour again 


He's been playing with a band in Austin, and next week heads out on another tour of the East Coast and some Southern states until November. Not sure yet whether the band will be with him for all of these shows. Currently there are dates in TX, LA, FL, GA, the Carolinas, VA, NY, MA and Ontario. Check Pollstar's list for details. He's back in Austin on November 1st, but based on past tour schedules, I'm guessing that he'll swing over to the Midwest and West Coast fairly soon.

In other news, albeit not as exciting, AltCountryTab's Buckner page now has a link to The Backyard Dusk. This site also shows up on Google now -- if you type "backyard dusk" it's the first result.

# posted by musicaddict @ 5:37 AM # [permanent link]

Thursday, July 31, 2003

Buckner at McCabe's 


So I did go to the RB show at McCabe's in Santa Monica (July 11th) -- all acoustic; Buckner solo; no opening act. I'll try and put up a set list soon. It was a riveting show as usual, and RB seemed to be in very good spirits and smiled more than ever. He played a number of new songs, all of which sounded like they could be from D+D or Since. A couple of them were particularly stunning. After the show I asked him when he'd record them, and he said he'd work on them in Austin over the fall/winter with some different musicians sitting in as well. If he finishes it early, we could see a new album in the spring of 2004!

# posted by musicaddict @ 2:48 AM # [permanent link]

Travelling well 


I read the following captivating story on the Doubters list, and Nate Woodard was kind enough to give me permission to post it here! So if you like it, take a moment to thank him for sharing his story. :-)

My Buckner summer vacation

So a couple weeks ago a buddy and I spent 8 days roaming around the vast American west in a rental car with an "unlimited miles" provision. We returned the car with 5,400 more miles than it had when we left. Yes, 5,400 miles . . .in 8 days.

We brought an absurd amount of music with us, and it was a good thing because, well, there's lots of time to listen to music when you're driving 5,400 miles.

Anyway, thought y'all might enjoy this story:The first day we drove from St. Louis to Casper, Wyoming (approx. 1,100 miles). As you might imagine, this was a loooong day of driving, and as we hit midnight, we were both exhausted (the endless prairies of Nebraska will suck the energy right of out you after a few hours in their vortex). But we plowed onward north to Casper on I-25. Perhaps out of subconscious instinct, or maybe destiny, we threw on Buckner's Since.

From the first note of "Believer," this record held us in rapture -- we were awake and alert again. Some records have places and times in which they sound utterly and completely PERFECT. Apparently for Since, it is I-25 at 1:30am on the road to Casper, with its giant Wyoming plains, foothills, and gulleys being lit up occasionally by thunderheads off in the distance on either side of the lonely interstate.

So it was a thing of transcendent beauty when "Ocean Cliff Clearing" came on and we heard the following lyrics: "Showboat Motel, Casper night, the river was high and losing . . . " The Showboat Motel! If such a place existed, THIS is where we would finally stop for the night. As the last notes of "Once" played at the end of this gorgeous album, we pulled into Casper, as empty a city as you will find in America late at night. We rounded hills and corners of the interstate hoping to catch some sign of this mysterious, legendary Showboat Motel.

We had all but given up as we came around the last bend in the interstate through Casper, when there it was with its beautifully kitschy neon paddlewheel gleaming in the night -- the Showboat Motel! Right on the banks of the lovely North Platte River (which was not high or losing, by the way).

We got ourselves a room for the night (unsurprisingly, the night attendant had never heard of Richard Buckner or "Ocean Cliff Clearing," but he did offer us free coffee in the morning). We asked for the "sick room suite" (referenced in the beginning of the song), but he said he'd never heard of such a thing. The room was quite comfortable and we enjoyed our stay so much that we considered making it a "10-Day Room," but alas, the road beckoned, so on we went up I-25 to Montana and beyond.

We decided to dedicate our daily "Mad Lib" ritual to Buckner (all blanks would be filled with Buckner lyrics and phrases), and here's what we came up with (blanks are in all caps):

"Specialty of the House"
Here is chef MR. KESSLER's award-BOBBING recipe for roast BIG BLUE of MONSTER: Choose a BIG BLUE weighing about 27 KNOCKANDO ROLLERS. Remove excess HOOKER OAK TREES. Add 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and JEWEL-BOMBED. Season with 2 tablespoons of chopped HALF SHELL BBQ. Add a tablespoon of RAINSQUALL. Sprinkle with a touch of LIL salt. Add a pinch of ground TOOLEY MUNI ISLAND NIGHT. Cook at 350 SOMA ROOMS for 22 minutes. Remove from the oven when the skin is BLUE AND WONDER. Serve with mashed FATERS and a SHOWBOAT MOTEL CASPER NIGHT.

There were, of course, other transcendent album moments on the trip (like listening to "California" on Farrar's Terroir Blues after we spent the day walking around Mission Street and Chinatown in San Francisco), but none quite as sublime as the Showboat Motel.

-- Nate "even after extensive driving in the Pacific Northwest, I am sad to report that there were no Sasquatch sightings" Woodard
(nate_woodard [a t] msn.com)
July 29, 2003


# posted by musicaddict @ 2:11 AM # [permanent link]

Sunday, July 06, 2003


I'm still going to be working on fiddling with colors/layout/design/etc. so what you see now most likely is going to be temporary. And yes, I know for a fact that the left column looks wrong when using Mozilla.

Latest tour news: RB is almost at the end of his current U.S. tour. Check both the Davis McLarty site and Pollstar for the latest dates, as Overcoat's site hasn't been updated since last fall. Currently the McLarty site has more upcoming dates listed that aren't showing up on Pollstar. But sometimes Pollstar has dates that aren't on the McLarty site.

In any case, the McLarty site has RB playing in these cities from now - September '03: Santa Monica, CA; Austin TX; Nashville TN; Louisville KY; Springfield IL; Chicago IL (yes, it's a Schubas show); Indianapolis IN; Austin TX. For more details on venues etc. be sure to check the McLarty site.

BTW I neglected to mention that I'd like to also include a list of RB's concert history here. Pollstar and the other sites keep deleting past dates so I only have the most current ones. If you've kept track of his tour dates, I'd love to get a copy. Of course I'll always give credit where credit is due.

# posted by musicaddict @ 10:09 PM # [permanent link]

The Backyard Dusk premieres 


So with the absence of the wolf-eyes Buckner fan pages, I've noticed no real alternative Buckner-related info pages, aside from the standard official site (still promoting The Hill). I've been wanting to create a good, detailed Web discography of his stuff for a long time now...while that's not ready as of yet, I've started this space for other reasons as well: tour date links, latest news, recommended links and of course instructions on how to subscribe to the Doubters list.

I've only just started, but I hope to add more as time passes. Maybe later on I can add concert reviews, images (when I get the web space) and other good material.

Thanks for visiting. Ideas and contributions welcome.

# posted by musicaddict @ 8:30 PM # [permanent link]

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