In March 2002, Widespread Panic’s original guitarist Michael Houser was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He passed away on August 10. The instrumental Door Harp was released posthumously on September 24, 2002. Houser began recording these instrumental songs at John...
Storytelling Posts
The Mark of Cain by Tyler Keith
In Holmes County, Florida, the number one law is “mind your own business”. Tyler Keith’s debut novel, The Mark of Cain, revolves around Ronnie Harrison who was just released from prison in Pensacola after six years. Harrison only wants to reconnect with his daughter,...
King Curtis: Live at Fillmore West
King Curtis, born Curtis Montgomery, was a seminal saxophonist from Fort Worth, Texas. Curtis turned down scholarships to join the great Lionel Hampton’s jazz band. Curtis later became a session musician in New York where he recorded with Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings,...
The Drive By Truckers’ Dirty South
The Dirty South contends as The Drive By Truckers’ strongest album. This collection of songs contains some of the most ruthless moxie you’ll ever hear on a rock and roll record. As a chronological follow up to Decoration Day, The Dirty South (another David Barbe...
The Black Crowes & The Allman Brothers Smoke Up Telstar Studios: April 6, 1995
"I got a girl just as fine as she can be..." --Elmore James On April 6, 1995, while enjoying a day off in Pensacola, Florida, the Black Crowes left Duck Dunn’s (Booker T. & The MGs) house after an old-fashioned barbecue and headed to a local recording studio for...
Mysteries and Legends of Georgia: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained by Don Rhodes
“I’ve been to Georgia on a fast train, honey…” –Billy Joe Shaver Don Rhodes ranks as a first-rate storyteller. I called him on Tuesday January 24, 2023, at his office on Broad Street in Augusta, Georgia. His music column “Ramblin Rhodes” has been published every week...
John Hiatt’s Vegetable Senegalese Stew
"You think you've come so far In this one horse town Then she's laughin' that crazy laugh 'Cause you haven't left the parking lot." --John Hiatt For today’s Sunday Dispatch we dip back into Don Nix’s timeless book Road Stories and Recipes. Two years ago Elizabeth...
David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby died yesterday. By my standards I arrived late to the party. In college I lived with a total CSNY freak, but I always leaned towards the Stills/Young material. I heard Deja Vu more times than I could count. I loved the Byrds, in which Crosby played an...
Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation
Quentin Tarantino's films speak for themselves... Cinema Speculation counts as Tarantino’s first non-fiction book, which revolves around his love for movies, storytelling and filmmaking. It’s interesting to read about Tarantino’s early exposure to movies. Born in...
James Calemine “Author on the Porch” at Sundog Books in Conjunction with the 30A Songwriters Festival January 14, 2023
Hello, Everybody! On Saturday, January 14, 2023, I’ll serve as the “Author on the Porch” at Sundog Books in conjunction with the 30A Songrwriters Festival in Seaside, Florida. The venerable Sundog Books is located right next to Central Square Records. I’ll be there...