Lydia Loveless and the Machine

An interview at Interview:

Lydia Loveless is a spitfire. Since moving with her family from the farm in Coshocton, Ohio where she grew up, to the big city of Columbus, Ohio at 14 years old, Loveless has been on a path to spread her particular brand of country-punk music to the masses. Song has always been in her blood. Her father, a pastor, drummer, and later bar owner, surrounded Loveless with the sounds of New Wave artists like Devo and Talking Heads during her formative years. Upon moving to the big city, Loveless played in a band called Carson Drew with her father and siblings, and immersed herself in both punk and country music. She released her first album, The Only Man, in 2010, and its follow-up, the excellent Indestructible Machine a year later.

Indestructible Machine finds Loveless mixing traditional country themes of loving, leaving, and, of course, drink, with a visceral punk-rock energy; live, she comes off as something like Hank Williams crossed with Kathleen Hanna. Currently 22, Loveless is preparing an EP of new songs for the fall, with a new album to follow in spring 2014. We chatted with her in anticipation of her show at Hill Country in New York City tomorrow night...

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You Can Feel It All Over

My wife was tripping on the Academy of Country Music Awards. The show was broadcast from the Arena at the MGM Grand, where we just saw the Eagles a couple of weeks ago. I was watching Mad Men, but when I went down to get something to drink I see Stevie Wonder playing "Sir Duke" and hung out to watch for a minute. I don't see a video from the show but here's an old clip. Everyone can really feel it.

And Eddie at My World live blogged it:

They are rushing things at this point, they must be behind. Hunter Hayes, aka the 12 year old looking kid is performing. Apparently Stevie Wonder is singing with him. That's, um, an interesting collaboration. He's a pretty good performer, I have to give him that. He plays guitar & piano. He's like Bieber with an accent, musical talent, and no punk attitude. Ooh, a horn section, cool! And the Hunter & Stevie on Sir Duke (You Can Feel It All Over) was actually pretty decent.

And at the Los Angeles Times, "Miranda Lambert is Academy of Country Music Awards' top winner."

'Take It Easy'

My wife and I caught Showtime's "History of the Eagles" last night. It's worth your time if you get the chance. And it was even more fun since my wife just got an invitation from the MGM Grand to see the Eagles live in Las Vegas on March 23rd. We saw the Eagles at the Honda Center in Anaheim in 2010 and Don Henley at Harrah's Rincon in 2011. But this time we'll be talking our two sons to the show.

In any case, when Travis Tritt made this video for his cover of the Eagles' "Taking It Easy," he asked the original band members to appear, and it turns out that they enjoyed being together again and decided to make their comeback. The Showtime documentary covers all of that and more. A great American band.

'History of the Eagles'

As regular readers will recall, my wife and I saw the Eagles at the Honda Center in Anaheim a fews years back, and also Don Henley at Harrah's Rincon in 2011. They are  ---- without any doubt ---- one of the greatest American rock bands. Showtime's broadcasting the new Eagles documentary on February 15 and 16th, and here's the teaser trailer:

There's a longer trailer here, and at the Hollywood Reporter, "History of the Eagles Part 1: Sundance Review." And at Rock Cellar Magazine, "The ‘History of the Eagles’ Documentaries to Premiere on Showtime in February (Video)."

More at Rolling Stone, "Q&A: Don Henley Opens Up About 'The History of the Eagles' at Sundance."