Wunderschöne Nachrichten gibt es für alle metallischen Country-Fans. Nach dem durchschlagenden Erfolg der ersten Tribute-Platte für Townes Van Zandt, "Songs of Townes Van Zandt", auf welcher sich Steve von Till, Scott Kelly (Neurosis) und Scott Weinrich (Saint Vitus, Shrinebuilder) die Ehre gaben, wird nun demnächst dessen Nachfolger, "Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol II", erscheinen. Diesmal sind Mike Scheidt (YOB, VHÖL), John Baizley (Baroness) und Nate Hall (USX) die Hauptprotagonisten, die jedoch auch von Bekanntheiten wie Katie Jones, Stevie Floyd (Dark Castle, Taurus) und Dorthia Cottrell (Windhand) unterstützt werden. Erscheinen soll die Platte am 14. März 2014.
Das ist alles schön und gut, wir wollen aber nicht nur labern, denn es gibt auch etwas für die Ohren. Der Opening-Track "To Live Is To Fly", welcher von Mike Scheidt dargeboten wir, kann nun auf Stereogum gehört werden! Wie dieser Mike überhaupt zu dem Country-Helden gekommen ist, erklärt er hier:
"I worked in a fantastic guitar shop called Mckenzie River Music in Eugene Oregon from 1996-2003. This dusty, cluttered guitar shop was no ordinary shop. We had the best of the best. Pre-World War II Martin and Gibson acoustic and electric guitars, vintage 50s/60s Fender guitars and amps, the most valuable and collectable gear you could buy, along with player's priced quality gear. It was Dick Gunn, the shop's senior salesman and RIPPING country picker, who first turned me on to Townes. It was a gift for Christmas, a CD with both "High Low And In Between", and "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt". Upon first listen, I knew I was listening to something that wasn't just great. It smacked of Truth, capital T. Whether that truth be tender and lighthearted, or take you to places so low that you could hardly pick yourself back up, it was so heavy. The way he combined language and guitar chords is one of a kind. Untouchable. Dick Gunn passed away in 2007, and I have yet to still reconcile his loss inside of myself. He taught me so much, gave me everything he had to teach as a player and a human. Listening to Townes functions on multiple levels for me. One of the most treasured experiences of listening to Townes is remembering my friend Dick Gunn, how we picked together, how we talked about Townes and knew that we knew that we knew he was THE BEST. Through and through."
Darüber hinaus kann auch "If I Needed You" in der Version von John Baizley und Katie Jones gehört werden. Die Tracklist zu "Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol II" sieht wie folgt aus:
01 Mike Scheidt – “To Live Is To Fly”
02 Nate Hall – “Pancho & Lefty”
03 John Baizley & Katie Jones – “St. John The Gambler”
04 Mike Scheidt – “Rake”
05 Nate Hall & Stevie Floyd – “Waitin’ Around To Die”
06 John Baizley & Katie Jones – “For The Sake Of The Song”
07 Mike Scheidt – Highway Kind”
08 Nate Hall & Dorthia Cottrell – “Our Mother The Mountain”
09 John Baizley & Katie Jones – “If I Needed You”
Enjoy.