please do us a favor and contact the club. We get 1-2 emails a day from bands asking if they can open for us and we would love you to open for us (probably), but we do not have time to coordiate all of this, so it is best if you just contact the venues direclty. xoxox.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/top-10-alt-country-guitarists/

 

5. Cary Hudson (Blue Mountain and solo)

 

 

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For bringing a rollicking, Southern-mountain energy to the guitar-driven music of Blue Mountain, Cary Hudson earns a place in the Top 10. For definitive moments, check out the rolling, infectious riffing on "Poppa" from 1999's Tales of a Traveler, or the fuzzed-out neo-Southern-rock of "Room 829" from the same album. This is the kind of playing that offers a one-hit definition of alt-country guitar; the twang is there, for sure, but it dwells amid equal helpings of amped-up dirt and devil-may-care punk energy. The good news: after breaking up in 2002 following the divorce of Hudson and Blue Mountain bassist Laurie Stirratt (twin sister of Wilco bassist John Stirratt), Blue Mountain reformed last year to play some live dates, and a new CD is reportedly in the works.

We are very excited about the upcoming releases.  In July 2008 we will release TWO albums, one titled Midnight In Mississippi, of new material recorded with Stuart Sykes, and one of hand picked re-recorded Blue Mountain originals!

Meanwhile, we are heading to Texas for the SXSW music festival this month in Austin.  Here is some info on our SXSW showcases:

March 12- SXSW Guitartown/Conqueroo Showcase

6 pm Mother Egans 715 W. 6th St 512 478-7747

 

March 12 – Official SXSW No Depression Showcase

8pm     Pangaea 409 Colorado St  (512) 472-8882

March 15 – SXSW Twangfest showcase

4 pm    Venue:  Jovita's 1619 South First 512-447-7825

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SEMINAL AMERICANA BAND BLUE MOUNTAIN TO RELEASE TWO FULL LENGTH CDS IN JUNE 2008 ..> ..> Blue Mountain On the heels of their successful reunion tour that commenced in the summer and fall of 2007 and fifteen years after their first release, seminal Americana band Blue Mountain will go into Elmwood Recording in Dallas, TX, with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, White Stripes, Loretta Lynn) to record a full-length CD of new material tentatively scheduled for release in June of 2008. The band will also release at that same time a self-produced CD of new recordings of their old material that was recorded by Andrew Ratcliff at Tweed Recording in Oxford, MS. Blue Mountain was formed in 1993 in Oxford, MS, by former husband and wife Laurie Stirratt (bass, vocals) and Cary Hudson (guitar, vocals) with Matt Brennan on drums, later replaced by Frank Coutch. Coutch accompanied Stirratt and Hudson the recent tour and will join them in the studio next month. Blue Mountain's music is a unique blend of twang, rock, gospel, country and bluegrass; original songs written in a traditional spirit, but with the hard edge of rock 'n' roll. They quickly developed a reputation for emotionally charged, energetic, raw live performances as they toured the country relentlessly. Blue Mountain was on the forefront of an entire movement now considered "alt-country" or "Americana" and included bands such as Uncle Tupelo and The Jayhawks. In fact, the band graced the second cover for the magazine No Depression, the definitive journal for roots music. Their tour last summer and fall found them in front of ecstatic crowds, receiving rave reviews, including a performance to a packed house at the Americana Music Convention in October of 2007, proving that not only is the band tighter than ever, but they are still a vital force in a world of music they helped create. The band will tour heavily this spring as they gear up for both releases, including several performances at this year's South-By-Southwest music conference. Confirmed dates thus far include: 02/01/08 Fri Two Stick Oxford, MS 02/02/08 Sat Continental Club Houston, TX 02/07/08 Thu Dan's Silverleaf Denton, TX 02/08/08 Fri All Good Cafe Dallas, TX 02/09/08 Sat Momo's Austin, TX 02/15/08 Fri Hi Tone Memphis, TN 02/16/08 Sat Government Street Grocery Ocean Springs, MS 02/23/08 Sat Smith's Olde Bar Atlanta, GA 02/28/08 Thu The Pour House Charleston, SC 03/01/08 Sat The Corner Lounge Knoxville, TN 03/21/08 Fri Chelsea's Baton Rouge, LA 03/29/08 Sat Hub Fest Hattiesburg, MS 04/05/08 Sat Crawdad Hole Jackson, MS 04/12/08 Sat Dave's Darkhorse Tavern Starkville, MS 04/17/08 Thu Lucas School House Music Hall St. Louis, MO 04/19/08 Sat Bottleneck Lawrence, KS 04/26/08 Sat Double Decker Festival Oxford, MS 04/30/08 Wed Howler's Coyote Cafe Bloomfield, PA 05/01/08 Thu The Hideout Chicago, IL 05/02/08 Fri 400 Club Minneapolis, MN 05/06/08 Tue Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI 05/07/08 Wed Lager House Detroit, MI 05/08/08 Thu Casa Nueva Athens, OH 05/09/08 Fri Beachland Ballroom/Tavern Cleveland, OH Check out JamBase's exclusive feature on Blue Mountain here...

Blue Mountain or bust

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A re-formed Blue Mountain finds its musical chemistry of the 1990s is as potent as ever

By Bob Mehr (Contact)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007

BLUE MOUNTAIN Schubas (Chicago, IL)
June 24, 2007

OF ALL THE reunions announced these recent years, none was more unexpected than the second coming of Blue Mountain. During the glory years of alt-country — after Uncle Tupelo and before, say, Jenny Lewis — Blue Mountain released five studio albums. Being Mississippians, their tough country punk pollinated with rough-and-tumble country blues, resulting in a sound not just loud and thick, but with a rich folk sensibility, too.

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At first blush, Blue Mountain's sudden summer reunion carries the hallmarks of any band resurrecting the brand with no new album or special aaniversary to celebrate, other than it's a sure- fire way to pay some bills that accumulated in their absence. But that notion disappeared midway through their show on this night. With a set that lasted over two hours, Blue Mountain played to the near-capacity crowd as if chasing after the unfinished business left to dry in their breakup.

Consider it a bookend to March 11, 2001, a show at this same venue that was captured on a posthumous live album. The trio — guitarist Cary Hudson and bassist Laurie Stirratt (a former couple by marriage) plus drummer Frank Coutch — more or less staked a defiant claim on one of music's most incongruous genres: indie-rock from the south, where the guitar jams in the songs are compounded by their literary worth.
There was a ghost in the house and it was Crazy Horse. Huddled together rather than set apart, Hudson and Stirratt opened with "Bloody 98", a speed-punk workout that was sinewy but muscular, as was "Black Dog". Maybe it's because he's been drawing from a tamer form of folk music in recent years, but Hudson played as if rediscovering the dynamics

and wide vocabulary of his electric guitar, using the material as a means to push through glory-bound solos, drenched in the blues but accelerated by a small arsenal of effects. Stirratt and Coutch rarely lightened their combined crunch, providing a bedrock for songs that did not relax.

Blue Mountain drew heavily from Dog Days, their second album, the one that took them out of Mississippi for the first time. A highlight was "ABand Called Bud", with its buzzsaw guitar lead, stomping beat and shout-along chorus. Given the excessive nature of their lengthy set, they also demonstrated a sweet versatility, from the catchy country-pop of "Blue Canoe" to the speed-bluegrass anthem "Jimmy Carter."

Like everything played that night, Blue Mountain performed those songs as if stakes were high and this was the last opportunity to make things right. Such a double-shot of urgency is hard to come by — a sensation made true by the lump hitting your throat. — MARK GUARINO

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A tour diary by Derek Schleelein

6/21/07 Café Montmartre, Madison, WI
This is my first real tour with a working band, and so far the first twelve hours have been good: it's the first Blue Mountain show of the tour, and the first one I've ever seen. Café Montmarte is an intimate venue and the band is not quite as loud as they are accustomed to playing, but the sound is good and everyone is very accommodating. The café hooked us up with some good free food, one of the main perks I find being with the band. We also got a case of Blatz beer (named for what happens if you drink too many), a Wisconsin staple from the Heileman brewery, the geniuses behind Old Style and Colt 45 malt liquor. The crowd is small but enthusiastic; a big thunderstorm is keeping away the crowd, but the band deliver their first of many hour plus sets of the tour to a handful of dedicated fans. It's actually almost cold outside, something that I will come to miss being in Mississippi for 10 days in the middle of summer.

I am impressed by Blue Mountain's on stage stamina and the fact that they rarely mess up (or just hide it well). The show winds down and I do my first equipment load out as the band's official roadie/driver/merch lackey. I am also impressed by the band's ability to keep their gear to a minimum. The drive back to Chicago is uneventful, but I warm up to the idea of traveling with Blue Mountain for the remainder of the summer shows. Big thanks to the Café Montmartre and the Planet Propaganda folks for the kick ass show posters.


6/22/07- Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Shank Hall is one of the coolest venues I've ever seen, doubly so for being named after a fictitious venue from the movie This is Spinal Tap. The guy who founded the club actually booked the touring version of Spinal Tap in the 80's, and promised that if he ever opened a club he would name it Shank Hall in honor of the best rock comedy movie ever made. The place is littered with great memorabilia and press stuff from the movie and band (including a show guarantee for the touring Spinal Tap from 1984, for just $3,000!), they even have a replica mini-Stonehenge above the stage, I guess for good luck. The place is very clean, they even mop the stage for the band, and they have a great backstage area and merch table set up. On top of that, they have an impressive collection of signed press photos from almost any band that's toured in the past 20 years. Blue Mountain's is just underneath Richard Thompson, and they haven't changed all that much from what I can see (they might disagree).

We unload on a beautifully sunny afternoon, and gorge on Indian food from the place down the street. Milwaukee is actually much nicer than I would have thought, they have a nice bike/walking path and I spend a good hour walking by the lake. I get back in time for the show, and man the merch table while Blue Mountain does their thing again. Some yahoos from the Madison show are here again, and the crowd is slightly bigger than the night before. The crowd is very appreciative and there's much more audience interaction, even though the band has forgotten some of the songs that the audience requests (hey they've only been back together for a month). Big props to the people who came to both shows, (and debated coming to the Chicago show). After another easy load out, and getting paid for it (and feeling like I am definitely pulling one over on the band), I man the van back to Chicago.


6/24/07- Schuba's, Chicago, IL
Tonight's show is almost sold out and the place is packed, especially for a Sunday. With competition for audience from a big Gay Pride parade and a few other rock shows around the North side. I am impressed at the turnout (don't tell the band). The drive to the venue takes about 15 mintues, playing where you live is nice. We load in and take it easy for a few hours before the show. We get another comp meal (maybe the best part for me at these shows) and hang around one of the best venues in Chicago catching up with friends and killing time before the rockin' goes on.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=178290914&albumID=0&imageID=5866398
Frank Coutch, Cary 'pained rock face' Hudson, and Laurie Stirratt, rockin at Schuba's

The show is the best so far. The band plays for over two hours, and even though I am pinned standing up at the merch stand, the show seems like it goes quickly and sounds great. Watch for live video of this show (maybe even of some new songs) on the Broadmoor and/or Blue Mountain MySpace page(s). So far it's not the glamorous cliché of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but we still have five shows left. The ride home is a snap and I look forward to sleeping in tomorrow.


6/25/07-
We drive to Oxford, MS today, it's basically a straight shot south on I-55, and it takes about 8 hours. The southern heat for a Yankee like myself is a whole new world of unpleasantness, basically humidity that makes you sweat once you start moving. We stay at a shotgun cabin about ten minutes away from Oxford in the town of Tayor, MS. The downtown area consists of a post office and three connected stores, it's something you'd see in a move trying to portray a small southern town. One of the stores is a general store/grocery that also serves the best catfish in town. I assume this includes the greater Oxford area, since it's the only place in Taylor that serves any food at all. Apparently they also have live concerts from the front porch, something that Blue Mountain has done in the past.

The cabin hasn't had the gas turned on, so we have no stove to cook with or hot water in the shower. I get used to cooking everything on the grill and don't mind the cold showers, especially after being outside for more than ten minutes or so. When it starts getting dark, Laurie and I take a ride around the county, and I am introduced to the fine tradition of "low ridin'", drinking beer from a to-go cup while someone else drives. There's a particular color of light at dusk in the south that various authors have described as "gloam", and I am glad to get a chance to experience it. The pace of Oxford compared to Chicago is like a donkey cart compared to a subway train, but I am starting to like it.

6/26/07-6/29/07
Another day off, and this time we go to the Hill Country Picnic in Pott's Camp, MS where Blue Mountain will play tomorrow. I get a backstage pass, free access to the beer cooler, and I get to see Duwayne Burnside and the Mississippi Mafia, and T-Model Ford. Cold beer is non-existant in and around Oxford. Local laws prohibit the sale of any beer from a cooler, so most stores sock Styrofoam ice chests and bags of ice next to their beer selection. Some ingenious Oxford resident figured out that if you put a can of beer in a chest of ice (some partially melted) and actually spin the can for 83 full rotations, the can will be cold. It works. No one knows who invented this technique, but if you ask me, this anonymous hero should at least have a plaque in the town square dedicated to him.

T-Model Ford is one of the few surviving blues men from the Mississippi Hill Country, I definitely recognize how rare a privilege it is to see a guy like T-Model on his home turf. Thanks to the folks at Fat Possum records, T- Model, and fellow hill country musicians (and now sadly departed) R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough got some recognition as authentic voices in blues music. T-Model took charge of the stage with a pawn shop guitar and his 9-year-old grandson, Stud, on the drums. Between songs he would pause for "Jack Daniel's Time," then go right back in to playing. Everything about the Hill Country blues players is gritty and raw, and it just blows every sports-bar, leather-vest-and-cowboy-boots blues band out of the water. It's impressive to see because you can tell that these guys have seen hard times, but carry on because they live for playing music.

http://www.maxshores.com/photos/hill_country_picnic_2007/c4.jpg
T-Model Ford and Stud at the 2007 Hill Country Picnic, photo courtesy of MaxShores.com


6/30/07- The Hill Country Picnic, Pott's Camp, MS/ Hal and Mal's, Jackson MS.
This was the busiest day of the tour, but also the best. I stumble out of bed at 10:30 am (after being up til 4am the night before), and we have to get to the show for a prompt load in at noon. The rest of the day is alternately fast and slow; some hours feel like five minutes, some minutes feel like five hours. There is a weird dimension of time that anyone who travels a lot knows, and I really feel it on this trip. A day goes by and you can't remember if the place you played yesterday was actually a week ago, then you get ready all day for a show that if it goes right makes 2 hours feel like it was an enjoyable ten minutes.

http://www.maxshores.com/photos/hill_country_picnic_2007/e2.jpg
Cary 'pained rock face/questionable safari hat' Hudson doing more rockin' at Potts Camp
Photo courtesy of MaxShores.com

I scarcely get the merch set up when it starts to rain, which is welcome in the heat. Blue Mountain does a half-hour set in the rain, and when they clear the stage the rain stops. Lucky for me I don't have to haul gear in the rain. I pack up the merchandise and the gear and we leave for Jackson, about a two and a half hour drive and a load in of 8pm. I sleep a little on the way there and we get to the venue on time. Hal and Mal's in Jackson is a really nice venue, it's got a full restaurant and bar and a huge performance space. We get another free meal, and I get to try real southern red rice and beans for the first time.

It's Friday and the place is packed. All told there are over 600 people at the show, and I am really excited that the band is doing this well. The only drawbacks of the evening are the fact that everyone in the place is drunk and it's overwhelmingly hot. And even though I field the majority of the foolish drunk questions at the merch table (And please don't get me wrong, Blue Mountain fans, we love you), the band has a much more difficult time in the humidity and certainly over 100 degree heat (I regret that through the whole trip I am unable to once check a thermostat, even though it probably would have just upset me). Even after a break, Frank looks like he is about to drop dead from heat exhaustion.


http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=178290914&albumID=0&imageID=6257298
http://a603.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/118/m_b2e592b3f584af26603443ce38ce9a22.jpg
An overheated Frank Coutch and Laurie Stirratt at Hal and Mal's
Photo by Meredith Martin

Everyone in the crowd seems to be having the time of their lives. Something I have noticed about crowds in the south, especially at Blue Mountain shows, is that they are always loose and ready for a good time. It's a nice change from the posing and "making-the-scene" that I am used to in Chicago and other cities in the North East. The night is probably the best of the tour, all things considered, and I am ready to sleep anywhere I can. A friend of the band from Jackson spares us the drive back to Oxford, and I sleep better than I have in months.


7/1/07-7/3/07
A welcome few days off, and Laurie and I decide to check out Rowan Oak, William Faulkner's home in Oxford. We get the VIP treatment from a friend of Laurie's who works there, (getting backstage is fun, even at a museum). I have a renewed appreciation for Faulkner, and I have some better perspective on the books that I struggled with before and resolve to give Faulkner another try when I get the chance. We take it easy out at the cabin for the rest of the day and prepare for the next few days.

7/4/07- Government Grocery, Ocean Springs, MS.
Ocean Springs has the feel of a beach town; the strip into town reminds me of summer vacations I took as a child in Cape Cod. I take a walk with Cary before the show and we go to the beach where people are shooting off fireworks and it's general chaos.

Ocean Springs suffered damage during Hurricane Katrina; nearby Deer Island lost a significant portion of land mass and the bridge to Biloxi was blown apart. Mississippi as a whole suffered serious damage along with other places on the Gulf Coast, and it's still upsetting to see what happened (not to mention what's not happening in terms of help from the government, but I'll leave politics out of this). I get a small sense of how devastating the storm was when I see abandoned beachfront property with front stairways to nowhere, when they previously led to houses.

Back at the show, the crowd is packed in and excited. I know a lot of Blue Mountain songs by heart now, whereas before I had heard only a handful. It's funny to think how fast you can absorb information when you are around something consistently. The show is another two hour extravaganza. I guess after not playing together for so long, the band wants to give people what they've been missing.

After the show we scope out a few sketchy motels, and decide on the Quality Inn, which is worth it. It's funny how a simple thing like clean sheets and a shower can make all the difference after a long day of traveling. I watch TV for the first time in weeks, even though I haven't even missed it.

7/5/07- Bottletree Café, Birmingham, AL
The Bottletree is by far the nicest, most band friendly venue that I have ever seen. As soon as we arrive, Brian the show booker, helps us unload the equipment and sets us up in the backstage area which has couches, a beer cooler, wireless internet, free food and a trailer(!) for bands to sleep in (and, I imagine, carry on other band related indiscretions). The stage area is great, and the bar is showing old movies on a giant pull down movie screen. The band sounds as good as they have all tour and their old drummer, Matt Brennan, even jumps on stage for a song. I sit with the opening band at the community merch table, they are thoroughly impressed by the fact that Frank was an extra in the movie Big Bad Love, adapted from the novel by late Oxford writer and friend of Blue Mountain, Larry Brown.

It's funny the way that being in a transitory situation helps you get to know people, it's easier (for me at least) to talk to people you know you probably won't ever see again. You relate to people more quickly than normal, and try to get as much out of interactions that you can. It's fun to be on the move, but it does wear you out as the band can attest.

We stay in the nicest hotel of the whole tour, courtesy of the venue, one more way they went above and beyond their obligation to the band. Sincere thanks to Brian and the whole staff at the Bottletree, keep up the good work.


7/6/07- The Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS
Tonight's the last show of the tour, and it's sold out. The doorman has to turn away several unfortunate fans, some who traveled to see the band. The show is typically great, the crowd is rabid, and the club is very nice to us.

After we pack up I feel a little sad, knowing that we don't have anywhere to be tomorrow, but I am relieved as well.

I can't think of a better way for me to have spent a good chunk of my summer than touring with a band that I have come to respect so much. It's inspiring to see the dedication that people can have to their music and I'll remember this tour for a while.

Overall the tour was way more successful than the band could have anticipated and I know that they are grateful to everyone who came to the shows or let us stay at their house. Til next time, thanks everyone and keep an eye out for future Blue Mountain news and shows,

Derek

Please submitt your photos of blue mountain, both old and new, to carymanage@gmail.com

 

Thanks a bunch amigos!

Carrie