Knoxville, Tennessee, band the V-Roys, which has released two albums on E-Squared Records in the mid-late ’90s, is calling it quits, drummer Jeff Bills recently confirmed in a post to an internet mailing list. As a parting shot, the group plans to issue a live album through its website sometime in the near future (an exact release date hasn’t been set). The disc, tentatively titled Are You Through Yet?, will consist of 17 songs recorded in August at the Down Home in Johnson City, Tennessee. Primary songwriter Scott Miller is expected to turn his attentions to a solo album, while guitarist Mic Harrison has a previously recorded album of his own currently being mastered for CD release….
Blue Rodeo dismissed pedal steel guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Kim Deschamps in early October. Deschamps had played with the group since the early ’90s, following a stint with the Cowboy Junkies. He released his solo debut disc, Take Me Away, earlier this year on his own label….
A second installment of Woody Guthrie songs taken from the Wilco/Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue recording sessions is expected to be released sometime in 2000 by Elektra. Also in the works on the Woody front is a live recording of a 1996 Guthrie tribute concert in Cleveland, scheduled for release in early 2000 on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. DiFranco performed at the concert, along with such acts as Bragg, Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen and the Indigo Girls….
The PBS TV series “Austin City Limits”, which will be celebrating its silver anniversary in 2000, has released a book titled Austin City Limits: 25 Years Of American Music on Billboard Books. The 192-page volume features text by John T. Davis and photographs by Scott Newton, including a priceless shot of Lucinda Williams performing on the sidewalk across the street from the ACL studio in 1974 (shortly before the show began airing the following year).
ALL THE FIXIN’S: A handful of corrections to report from last issue. An article on Ray Mason cited Stephen Desaulniers as the guitarist in Mason’s band and Tom Shea as the bassist; it’s actually the other way around. . ..
A review of the Jim Reeves soundtrack reissue Kimberley Jim listed the disc as a Soundies/Bloodshot release, when in fact it was released solely by Soundies. The label can be reached by phone at 630-734-3044 or fax at 630-734-3045. . ..
An article on David Ball stated that Uncle Walt’s Band began playing together “on the South Carolina coast” when in fact they started in Spartanburg, which is not a coastal town.
