minor jive

Jay Farrar to Release Woody Guthrie Album, Feat. Jim James

I’ve been excited about this news and thank twentyfourbit for making me aware of it!

One quibble: This forthcoming record probably should not be viewed as a third installment of the Mermaid Avenue series. There have been two other major releases of previously unrecorded Guthrie lyrics since the Mermaid Avenue records.

I absolutely love these records at least as much as the Mermaid Avenue recordings. The Klezmatics and Wenzel productions are just as accomplished and notable as the Mermaid Avenue records, in my opinion.

I would assume that Farrar’s record is yet another original creative endeavor, unrelated to the efforts of Wilco, Bragg and company. </quibble>

I am so excited to get more Woody Guthrie recordings from more great artists. Nora Guthrie is a genius for having opened her fathers work up to other artists like this. So many fabulous new songs and such wondrous new glimpses into Woody’s spirit and creative genius.

twentyfourbit:

I mentioned this last week, before TwentyFourBit took off on our road trip, but a story that involves Woody Guthrie, Wilco, and Jay Farrar certainly deserves its own post. In an interview with the Austin Chronicle (via The Daily Swarm), Centro-matic’s Will Johnson revealed some huge news about his involvement in the next installment of unreleased Woody Guthrie lyrics set to music composed by a living artist: Jay Farrar, of Son Volt and formerly of Uncle Tupelo, has taken the torch from Wilco and Billy Bragg, helming the recording of the third volume in the Mermaid Avenue series.

What’s more, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James is also performing on the album, according to Johnson. There’s no release date set yet, but the songs have already been put to tape and are currently in the mixing stage.

My initial reaction to this news was that Farrar trying his hand at the same Guthrie project as his former estranged band mate and songwriting partner Jeff Tweedy could permanently burn the Uncle Tupelo bridge, but now I’m thinking the promotion of Volume III could make for a pretty awesome reunion tour. I suppose it’s going to take a few more chance encounters in Mexico for that to happen though.