Stevie Tombstone Sings The Troubadour Blues, Along With Ralph White For The Altco Sessions

Stevie Tombstone Sings The Troubadour Blues, Along With Ralph White For The Altco Sessions

Photographer Jeff Harris has been working with Stevie Tombstone and Ralph White as of late on the Altco Sessions and has been welcomed into the crew this year. He recently followed Stevie T and Ralph White to Marfa, Texas where they kicked off a national tour / rolling recording session in September 2015. The trio gathered some candid shots during songwriting and recording breaks as well as some good dashboard scenery. The song Troubadour Blues was originally written and published almost a decade ago and finally saw light in the midst of an impromptu recording session at South Austin's Million Dollar Sound. The core session features longtime friend and bassist John Duer and Daughter of Country Music legend Shelli Coe on backing vocals. Stevie decided to track the tune on a whim and the rest of the pieces fell into place with the timely additon of ex-Bad Liver Ralph Whites classic fiddle style and Banjo tracks phoned in as they say by Buck Thrailkill. The single Troubadour Blues is available on from Altco Recordings.

Stevie Tombstone Feature Review On Punk Globe

 

Stevie Tombstone Feature Review On Punk Globe

"There is something that is raw, and lovely about a live recording, with no fluff added. Stevie Tombstone hits a great cord with this sampling. It doesn't hurt that it includes one of my favorite songs, of his 'Nuthin Sweet About 16', love this version. With hints of Cash, Bluegrass, and Steve Earle, you get the drift of the road you will go down, and you will def want to turn around and go back for more. You get the feeling that you are there at the show, in an intimate setting. 'Murder City Breakdown', has a bit of swing to it, straight out of Austin. Stevie has a gift for writing songs that hit ya in ya core, that you can relate to. 'Lucky', tells the story of how one is lucky to be alive, and lucky to not be in jail, who can't relate to that? If you love a good tune, from a good storyteller, do yourself a favor, give this cd a listen. Download a song, or two, or seven...hell save ya self a buck, and buy the whole damn thing. You will thank me, and for that, you are welcome."

 Download your copy now

Only A Few Days Left For Your Chance To Win The Custom Box Of Pine Stash Box From Black Eyed Vermillion

Our pal Stevie Tombstone, shot a series of video shorts with Black Eyed Vermillion's own, Gary Lindsey. Only a few days left folks for your entry in the drawing for the custom Box of Pine, stash box. All orders in by 11:59 pm Sunday night March 22nd 2015 are eligible. The drawing will take place next week to determine the winner. 

Stevie Tombstone and Dale Watson, On Air At WDVX 89.9, The Blue Plate Special

Stevie Tombstone and Dale Watson, On Air At WDVX 89.9, The Blue Plate Special

If you are in the Knoxville, TN area do yourself a favor and come out to a live taping at WDVX 89.9 FM tomorrow for a Blue Plate Special live radio show. On the bill is Altco's own Stevie Tombstone with Banjo Buck Thrailkill, along with Dale Watson.

Altco Music's Shelli Coe, Debuts On Itunes Country New & Noteworthy

Altco Music's Shelli Coe Debuts At Itunes Country New & Noteworthy

We are proud to announce that Shelli Coes 'A Girl Like Me"is available on Itunes and Amazon not to mention availability worldwide in the coming weeks. Shelli is a world class vocalist and write as well as performer and her music doesn't rest on the laurels or her ancestry. Classic to contemporary country she picks a great mix of covers and originals and the musicianship and production is far above other releases in the market.

Kern Richards Featured On MoonRunners

Featured Altco Recordings artist - Kern Richards

Check out the original post over on MoonRunners

“I did one-night stands in old motels; I did overnights for vagrancy; a trespasser on common ground; an exile searching for a vacancy.
 

“From L.A. streets to Illinois roads he was leaving constantly to find the road his heart could feel but his eyes just couldn’t see. He left a trail of notes behind, they all said ten more miles and you’ll be fine. Man, you can leave your past behind, just ten more miles and you’ll be fine.” – verses from Kern Richards’ song, “10 More Miles,” re-released in February by 2014 by the folks at ALTCO Recordings.

Country Music Royalty Joins ALTCO and Mastodon Gets A Special Guest, The Latest From Altco Music

Gary Lindsey OF Black Eyed Vermillion contemplates a haunted piano. Photo Joetta Velasquez

Follow all things Altco Music

ALTCO is more than happy to announce a new addition to our roster! The Rhinestone Princess Shelli Coe. Shelli and her Manager / Bass player John Duer have been a part of our extended family for nearly a decade and we are glad to have them aboard. The daughter of Country Music legend David Allan Coe has been in the business all her life performing, writing and recording. We will be re releasing her full length disc "A Girl Like Me" in the next few weeks and giving you a little more insight on her brand of real Country Music.

Next little matter of business we have to discuss regards a certain Mr. Gary Lindsey of Black Eyed Vermillion. He will be appearing courtesy of ALTCO Recordings as guest vocalist on the upcoming Mastodon release Once more round the Sun available June 24th from Warner Bros. Gary and the guys in Mastodon share a mutual history and musical family tree from band like 4 hour Fogger and Knuckle.

As we mentioned in an earlier post the new Black Eyed Vermillion release is under production as we speak and promises to be the most creative work to date. The Box Of Pine Single is out in digital format.

Stevie Tombstone Deep In Thought While Recording New Song

Stevie Tombstone deep in thought while recording new song

Its a rarity to find someone as dedicated to their craft as Stevie Tombstone. A consummate professional on and off stage and one hell of a songwriter. Damn proud to be partners with him in Altco Music. Here is ol' Stevie on point and running shop in a mega studio in upstate New York, perfecting a single with Joshua Morningstar all the while keeping his eye on the prize.

Finding The Way Home, With Stevie Tombstone - From MoonRunners

Read more on MoonRunners

"When you spend a good portion of your life walking into darkened bars with the intention to drink some beer and listen to music, there are a few things you just expect to see: people in jeans and boots, countless walking canvasses adorned with ink and titanium jewelry, lots of patches, plenty of drunkenness, and a never-ending parade of epic beards. What you do not expect to see is a quiet, comparatively clean-shaven man in a white button up shirt, black suit, stately cane, and an understated hat, but that is exactly what will greet you with a smile when you go to see Stevie Tombstone.

New Blood, New Stories From The Road Less Traveled On Altco Music

Joshua Morningstar heads to New York to record his first single for Altco Recordings at World Class Subcat Studios.

Follow the Altco Recordings posts

Altco Recordings welcomes singer songwriter Josh Morningstar this month as he enters the studio to record his first single. He has been on the road relentlessly for the last year or so working on new songs and making new fans the old school way by playing any and everywhere and winning over new folks every day. He will be recording at Subcat Studios in Syracuse, New York under the direction of Stevie Tombstone. The multi-million dollar facility was the location of Tombstone's last release Greenwood and will be a great change for the up and comer having all the advantages of a modern facility. The "Man from Maryland" hits the road immediately afterwards before resuming pre-production and more song sessions with Mr. Tombstone. More to come about Joshua real soon to be sure and be sure to check out the backstage video clip of Joshua at a recent show in Philly,PA at the Shore Road Tavern below.

Kern Richards Feature Review On No Depression

Kern Richards of Altco Music on No Depression

Check out the original post on No Depression

"Every once in a while I get blessed with something that sticks out in a high-definition world. I personally get tired of being fed "Happy go lucky" and need that black and white fix from the high-def culture we live in. My great friend Mr. Stevie Tombstone turned me to a ALTCO label mate Kern Richards and I can't thank him enough after listening to his latest released entitled "Any where but home". Kern hails from the great state of California and is a pure singer/songwriter who has the ability to make you believe in the stories he sings.  Don't expect no "Happy go lucky" here but do expect much brutally honest lyrics and some great arrangements which I was pleasantly surprised. Anywhere but home is the perfect name for the record which tells stories of lonesome, highways, 24hr cafes,booze, lost love, injustices and everything that comes with.  Richards voice really stands out and sounds like" its been in a smoke house for several days and placed on the highway only to be hit by a semi truck" . I would describe living where  Tom Waits drawl and Lenoard Cohen's lullaby echos over lap. In the title track of the same as album name Anywhere but home the singer explains 

"Monday drunkard bar-stool...Tuesday couldn't care....Wednesday night sick with fright and headed no where....Thursday's back in rehab....Friday getting stoned....from Sunday dawn to Saturday night I'll go anywhere but home"

After hearing those lyrics the great Krisofferson is kicking his own ass for not penning such. Its safe to say that Kern won't be playing many weddings but will speak to the working man, truck driver, the outcast, the beaten down, the guy who doesn't wanna go home from the bar, the cook at the Huddle House at 3am, and such. I for one really got into and still growing into this record for much of the things he is speaking of I too have been thru it. I can respect the hell out of a man who is honest in struggles of life. Not everyone can related to beach life and eating at Applebees. Thank god for folks like Kern Richards who tell it like it is and make you feel it's heartfelt under-belly Americana. Go pick up a copy of his new release now and thank me later."

Kern Richards Feature Review On Wild American Radio

Kern Richards has seen many a mile and his songs bare witness

Dig into Wild American Radio

"Country music, like another great American institution, baseball, appears deceptively simple when you watch it. Writing and singing about one's life might appear relatively easy on the surface (just as chasing down a fly ball or driving a pitch into the alley for a double does on TV), but it's an illusion. In both cases the game is faster when you're in it--and requires absolute immersion. Whether it's Merle Haggard or Mickey Mantle, body and soul (and the stars) must be in perfect alignment to manifest something extraordinary--and the merely average fall by the wayside.

California's Kern Richards is a new name to us, but on first encountering his gravely vocals and his world-weary lyrics it's clear he's seen some miles. An admittedly brief attempt to research him on the internet didn't provide much background information, so we'll have to rely almost solely on what he communicates to us through his music (which is probably for the best).

It's impossible to fathom that his debut for upstart ALTCO Recordings, Anywhere But Home, is the first time he's walked up to the plate. There's certainly some major league level musicians backing him--including players who have served stints with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and X--but Richards performances are what drives the record. His songs inhabit a dark world where life not only throws obstacles in his path, but were forces (sometimes unseen) conspire against him--akin to Tom Waits at his ugliest, without a hint of beauty or redemption.

If Anywhere But Home is "about" anything, it's survival in world where people are as cold and immovable as the concrete fixtures that surround them. "If the bartender could read my mind/Man, he'd call the police" Richards sings with a believability that can come only from a lifetime of loneliness. These songs are not soliloquys spouted with the intention of attracting like-minded souls (or even with the intention of catharsis), they're the graffiti that's painted on the soul of a man constantly at odds with the world and himself. Projected from his gruff voice--an amalgamation of Lee Hazelwood and latter-day Leonard Cohen--each song is like a photograph that has become worn from being carried callously until it's dilapidated condition tells a separate story from the picture itself.

Kern Richards is a serious talent, and--unfortunately--one that doesn't fit in an age of plastic celebrities and disposable pop culture. Anywhere But Home leaves scars on the listener. Once it's heard, it can't be unheard--and the landscapes it travels through can't be un-experienced. It's not a good time, but it's a great record. Many of today's singers and songwriters are unwilling to travel these crooked miles--and that's fine--but to be truly great, one must dig beneath the skin, to the muscle. Richards does this, and keeps going beyond the flesh and the material world to the chasms of the soul. The best record of 2014 so far, and a tough one to beat."

Altco Music Announces New Single For Kern Richards

Kern Richards single for "10 More Miles"

Check out more info at the Altco Blog

We are happy to announce the new Kern Richards video and single "10 More Miles" is officially out of the chute. Kerns music is edgy "California Folk" at is best and I'm not talkin about Peter, Paul and Mary kinda folk either. Kern has found a way to be rough and honest all at he same time . Richards is known for surrounding himself with some heavy hitters both on and off stage , with the likes of Tony Gilkyson (X and Lone Justice), John Bazz (the Blasters) and Mike Barry . His recordings are top notch and his songwriting is nothing less than legitimate. 

He is a rare find in this day of fabricated "Outlaws" and hype-driven posers who do nothing more than look good or rest on the laurels of famous relatives. Kern is the real deal and deserves a good listen. The full release "Anywhere but Home" is slated for digital release in the coming months. This release is sure to raise the bar. The video was directed By Hiroshi Clark and Ewa Wojciak, produced By Ewa Wojciak.Shot in the desert right outside of Los Angeles California it couples great music and great imagery to kick off this release.

"Would You Die For Love" Relates How A Turn Of A Phrase Can Change Your Entire Life, By Stevie Tombstone

Stevie Tombstone video for "Would You Die For Love"

Download your copy from Itunes

"This song really means a lot to me because it symbolizes a point in my life where i needed to hear those words. They have carried me all over the country and led me to meet many more folks of a like mind. It was the Fall of 2010 and I was leaving Austin for the last time, discouraged and basically overwhelmed with my new responsibilities as a father and trying to make it in the entertainment industry. My wife Melissa in her infinite wisdom suggested we go to the Ozarks and get ourselves in a better spot and spend time with each other away from the rat race and ingenuine climate of the hipster grind. We had an invitation from some friends there and accepted, tying most of our belongings ( except our 2 year old) on the roof our car. We left Texas behind (which I still love dearly and consider my other home) and headed for solace and higher ground. I recall it being dubbed the "sour grapes of wrath era".  Just part of the journey.

One of the folks that invited us to stay was an old buddy and sometimes personal shaman of mine. Lets just call him Bill for anonymity's sake. I was in a bad space after several small failures and feeling like life had dealt me a raw deal.  I wouldn't listen to anyone... except Bill. This man had seen life on all levels. He had lived through some hard times and come out on top in a metaphysical sense. A child of the Depression, the Vietnam War, incarceration and homelessness led him to trek on foot across the country to study under a Zen master and then to settle in the Ozark Mountains. Or so the story goes. He had a way of making you see the truth in things and thus answering your own questions. That was magic in my book.

We were working together outside in the garden one day, speaking of parenthood, personal failures and what a full life we'd both led up to this point. Despite all, I was still in a negative fog of self defeat. He looked at me from beneath his coolie hat under the Ozark sky and said one simple phrase that knocked me off my feet and changed my whole perspective. Would you die for Love?

My immediate answer was yes, but the multitude of thoughts that ran through my mind took me to the same answer on so many levels.Sometimes we just don't see the truth even when its right there in plain view. It was a hazy moment of self realization in the midday sunshine.

Self sacrifice, honesty, and the inevitable peace of having it. Verbal Manna. That phrase stuck in my head for quite a while and shaped my outlook for some time to come,that we really can make a difference by putting others before ourselves. Realizing that's the best thing we can do, and being honest about whether we can or not is a great barometer at the very least.

Stevie Tombstone zoned out after the video shoot for "Would You Die For Love"

I wrote this tune about two months later. It was a country-blues narrative with an Ozark beat. I wanted it to be reminiscent of early buck dancing and appalachian folk music fused with Delta blues from our mutual childhood and parallel existence in the Deep South.

Jerry Jones added the most soulful harmonica lines I've heard in some time, capping the recording off. I mixed the track down with some percussion down from a single microphone recording I had done a few months earlier in my mobile home near Devils Dive, nearly in Missouri.This tune ended up on the Slow Drunken Waltz EP and was released in 2011 on the Farmageddon label. Now under my new label ALTCO, we decide it merited another push and video treatment. Ralph Miller shot this video with an iphone during an east coast tour in the swamps near Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tombstone Tales From Milledgeville Mental Institution

Stevie Tombstone at the Milledgeville Mental Hospital cemetery in Georgia

The Deep South holds many secrets,if you are willing to look in the right places. Sometimes all I have to do is travel back to my childhood in Georgia.

When I was a kid they used to say “watch out or they’ll send you to Milledgeville". We were told that they sent “crazy folks” there and the criminally insane and we would never come back if we didn’t straighten up our behavior. Little did I know I would find myself there almost 40 plus years later the morning after a show and late night (3 am) trip to the Golden Pantry (the best chicken biscuits I've had in my life, sorry Bojangles). As for Milledgeville Mental Hospital (as Granny called it) I soon found that what started out as a therapeutic facility turned into a dark cloud on Georgia history and the mental intuitions of the day as well.

Grand entrance to the Milledgeville Mental Institution

It is said that well over 25,000 folks were buried on the grounds at Central State Hospital, many unceremoniously and perhaps many more unaccounted for. It was originally called the Georgia Lunatic Asylum. The grounds and buildings reflect the dark but beautiful heritage of “Southern Gothic”. Many of the structures are in great disrepair with vines growing over the burned out windows and dark empty halls that once housed the unwanted from society and those who spoke against the status quo from time to time. Medical experimentation / shock treatment went pre-dominantly unsupervised at the discretion of staff members and the steady influx of "patients" created a large population that became the workforce on the grounds, as well building and farming among other things to make the Asylum self sustaining hell on earth to some. 

The grounds contain six neglected cemeteries and the interred were marked only by small metal posts with numbers inscribed if anything to mark the spot. These graves were moved, lost or forgotten about along with many of the markers. Today, Cedar Hill Cemetery is the site for the installation of markers in remembrance of the unhonored dead and to mark the past of Central State. 

The facility is still partially in operation on a much smaller scale and in adherence to modern out-patient procedures and treatments. Sprawling over 17,000 acres many come to explore, ghost hunt, photograph the architecture or just pay their respects.

One of the fringe benefits of my job is getting to enjoy a little weird history lesson from time to time as well as soak up the local flavor. Milledgeville, Georgia is a beautiful city to visit and has a rich history steeped in southern tradition. I’m lucky to have had the time to get to know folks there and see the rest of the sights during my travels.

Here are some more links to check out on the Asylum and if you are in the market for some late night culinary delights visit the Golden Pantry and tell em I sent ya.

Thanks to Matt McGee for photos, biscuits and real Southern Hospitality.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-pantry-store-no-96-milledgeville

http://themoonlitroad.com/central-state-hospital-milledgeville-georgia/

http://cdm.georgiaarchives.org:2011/cdm/search/searchterm/Asylums—Georgia—Milledgeville

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_State_Hospital_(Milledgeville,_Georgia)

Visit my website to listen to my music and catch live performances, My new single Kevlar Heart is out now on Itunes , you can check it out right here on SoundCloud.

Stevie Tombstone venturing through the grounds at Milledgeville Mental Institution