Thursday, May 11, 2006

Will Burn For Twang




Help. The missus and I are going to be hopping on the Amtrak in a little over a week to spend some quality (gulp) time in Lincoln, Nebraska (for a wedding and assorted in-law visitin', in case you were wonderin'). Anybody got any recommendations for quality evening activity places to go? Food, booze and music venues? Dives are always welcome. Local bands I should check out? Does anyone from Lincoln even read here? We'll be there from May 20-27th. Save me.

I will not be posting any songs by Barbara Mandrell here, by the way. Just in case you were wondering. That has nothing to do with Lincoln. I just wanted to get it off my chest.

I will post songs by The Wilburn Brothers, though.

Born Virgil Doyle and Thurman Theodore, the Wilburn Brothers led what seems to be a typical life for quite a few pre-50's country music types. Father buys instruments for the young'uns, the lads take right to pickin' and grinnin', and eventually find themselves(along with other members of their family as The Wilburn Family) entertaining folks around the area with performances on local radio and music venues. Eventually catching the ear of a famous producer or musician (Roy Acuff in this case), it's on to the Grand Ole Opry and stardom. Well, not quite yet. Teddy and Doyle were eventually shipped off to Korea. Upon their return, the rest of the family found other pressing needs to attend, and Teddy and Doyle continued on as The Wilburn Brothers. Again, typical career path for young men from the "golden age" of country music. Right?

I still get a giggle about the running "old timey music" joke in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, and The Wilburn Brothers could easily have been a model for the Soggy Bottom Boys (as it turns out, the Brothers sang backup on Webb Pierce's "In the Jailhouse Now"). Steeped in a vintage aura, to modern ears, the Brothers ran the mountain and burned the little roadhouse down, slowing down for some of the sweetest harmonies this side of the Everly's. As ever, sin and salvation played a major role in lyrical matters, a quaint tradition in these times often visited with an ironic nudge, but in the Wilburn's time, a serious contradiction, backslidin' and repentin' from one song to the next. Things we like here at the Mountain. We like The Wilburn Brothers.

Enjoy some hot, twangy country music.


The Wilburn Brothers: Barred From Every Honky Tonk (mp3)

The Wilburn Brothers: I'm Gonna Tie One On Tonight (mp3)

The Wilburn Brothers: Roll Muddy River (mp3)

The Wilburn Brothers: It's Another World (mp3)

Please support your local, independent Honky Tonk.

5 comments:

Joel T. Luber said...

There's a great honky-tonkin' country band from lincoln called Forty Twenty. Doesn't look like they're playing there while you'll be there.

www.fortytwenty.com

Joel T. Luber said...

Also, Wanda Jackson at the Zoo Bar on May 21.

Dylan Gaughan said...

I've got a great place for you to go if you're visiting Lincoln:

Omaha.

Go to the 49er or Brothers if you're looking for 2 of the gretest dive bars in the state.

Happy In Bag said...

All Midwestern college towns have plenty to offer, and I've always enjoyed my visits to Lincoln. The friendly folks at the Zoo Bar and at Homer's Music will be happy to point you in the right direction. If all else fails, Omaha's just a country mile or two down the road. -There Stands the Glass

AG said...

Dylan's jokin' you, sir, unless you're looking to bore yourself silly and waste a lot of gas driving from Point A to Point Less. The Forty Twenty, check; the Highlander up on the north end of town, check if you want the real home experience; loose-meat sandwiches at Tastee Inn, very check; get the urge for a decent non-Bucks cup of coffee, Haymarket's got two places side by side on P Street, one of which is Crescent Moon Coffee. Need a slab of meat, head north up 34 to Garland and see about the Outlaw. Side of those potatoes they do = mandatory. Have a good trip.