'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

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Tony
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Hello Diane,

I am sure you will enjoy the evening. He also has a brilliant guitarist, Max De Bernardi, accompanying him. I am going to his last show on the tour.
Diane

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Diane »

We are having some spectacular sunrises here currently, along with plenty of rain, and The Sky Above, The Mud Below whilst out with my dog earlier reminded me of a fabulous show last week in Cardiff. With humour and panache, Tom did a number of old favourites, including the gems from Blood and Candlesmoke, and one old song I don't believe I've heard before - Blue Wing - which I thought was ace. He also ran through his new album Folk Hotel, which sounds pretty good, The Last Time I Saw Hank being a winner on first listen. The album includes a Dylan cover, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

There were maybe only 150 people at the show - a lot different from his American audiences, I imagine. Clearly an admirer, he referenced Leonard Cohen a number of times (although no ToS cover). At the start he was pretending to be a Mexican support act, and had the audience guess the singer after playing a few lines of various songs (mostly Townes'), one of which was Tennessee Waltz (saying, 'someone who died in the last couple of years' to pin it to Leonard). He was plugging the new album's accompanying book from time to time, which features his artwork including a painting of Leonard Cohen.

Doubtless you enjoyed your show too, Tony. Max De Bernardi was indeed a fabulous accompanying finger-pickin' guitarist. And cheers once more, for the heads up!
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

I have yet to see the show, Diane. I am seeing his last one here at Farncombe on Saturday. I am glad you had a good time. I cannot understand why he is so underrated in the UK. There will probably be the same number of people watching him this weekend as when you saw him. Such a shame but the atmosphere is more of a folk club feeling which suits me.
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Kush
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Location: USA

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Kush »

Hi Diane and Tony,

Tom Russell is hardly a household name here and his audiences are more a cult following similar in vein to Dave Alvin (often his partner in crime), Flatlanders etc....they work their magic in the shadows and an audience of 150 sounds just about right. Plus he does not neatly fit into categories...too folk for country and too country and too western for the folk scene.
Townes Van Zandt was barely known in his lifetime even in Texas although he has achieved a degree of fame posthumously.

In darkness we do what we can,
In daylight we are oblivion

(Dougie Maclean...another of the same ilk on your side of the pond)

A long article on Blue Wing and Little Willie John ...one of them is real and the other fictional !
https://singout.org/2017/01/16/blue-win ... llie-john/


Tracy Grammer covers Blue Wing...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqK13_YNpOM
Diane

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Diane »

Hi Kush, good to 'see' you (I haven't 'seen' Steven for a while, so a wave to him, too, if he reads), and ta for the extra stuff on Blue Wing. Mr Russell did mention the story about Little Willie John, and that Johnny Cash had covered the song (I think).

Thanks for divesting me of one of my illusions, regarding his profile in the US. Remarkable! But nice for us punters, as Tony says.
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Hello Kush and Diane,

I went to see Tom Russell last night. As on previous occasions it was an enjoyable evening with about 150-200 people in attendance. It was the last show of his current tour and his engagement with the audience is infectious. Max De Bernardi was amazing with his guitar playing. It is good to listen to good music in a relaxing and relatively intimate atmosphere.
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

'Amelia's Railroad Flat'

One of Tom Russell's lesser known songs - but very evocative. We all have our own Amelia in our memory.

https://youtu.be/MwU4TUORYMc
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Tom Russell has posted a photo of Mr. Cohen's Montreal image on his Facebook page. He is performing there this weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/russelltom/
Diane

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Diane »

He had a blue wing tattooed on his shoulder
Well, it might have been a bluebird, I don't know...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgLWE-HLw1o
As a post script to the mentions of Blue Wing, recently I saw this poem by Charles Bukowski, and thought it might have been another influence:

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.

then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

"Goodnight Juarez". I had forgotten how good this is till I played it this evening.

https://youtu.be/HyQsEr0gceo
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Kush
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Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2002 1:21 am
Location: USA

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Kush »

Hi Tony,

I have not heard the Aztec Jazz album in a while and just heard this song again. It is a terrific album.
BTW I never did make it to the Dave Alvin / Jimmie Dale Gilmore....
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Hello Kush,

I am hoping Dave Alvin will get over here before too long. Talking of Juarez here is another song about it by Gene Watson whom I feel is a vastly underrated singer.

I was actually at this show.

'Carmen'

https://youtu.be/R5V9GeQcpiM
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Kush
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Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2002 1:21 am
Location: USA

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Kush »

Hi Tony,

It is interesting how one song leads to another. When I clicked on the link to 'Carmen' I had a false sense of deja vu I had heard this before. In fact the song that I was thinking of was Tonight Carmen by Marty Robbins.

Tonight Carmen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P65Zw2hGibI

another great song by Marty Robbins...

Man Walks Among Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsPKrw_TJ2U
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Hello Kush,

Thanks for the links. I had completely forgotten about Marty Robbins singing 'Tonight Carmen'. I have always enjoyed listening to him. In fact I still have 'Devil Woman' on an old 45 and I also have his 'Gunfighter Ballads' LP. The scenery shown in the second song is beautiful.

One of my favourite songs of his, apart from 'El Paso', is 'El Paso City' which came out some years later and touches on reincarnation. I am sure you are aware of it but here is the link anyway together with 'El Paso' for anyone else who might be interested, especially Diane. The arrangements on both songs are very appropriate.

'El Paso'

https://youtu.be/7UVVS5-9HvA

'El Paso City'

https://youtu.be/v1R8WxLkq9o
Tony
Posts: 522
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 11:39 am
Location: UK

Re: 'Angel of Lyon' Tom Russell

Post by Tony »

Further to my previous post I have just remembered that there is another song by Marty Robbins associated with his El Paso story. Here it is. The whole set of songs makes an interesting group.

'Feleena'

https://youtu.be/ryzIX09s2o4
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