The Pitfalls of the City are Extremely Real

Posted by Lance Davis - February 20, 2011 - Backsliders, Bicycle Thief, Bob Forrest, Chris Hillman, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Flaco Jimenez, Gram Parsons, Iris Dement, Merle Haggard, Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson

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Like California, Los Angeles has been rebuked and scorned in book, film, song, musical, vaudeville, pretty much every medium dating back to protozoan wall art. It’s easy to hate LA. I don’t have much of a problem with the city, beyond traffic, but the entertainment-industrial complex is a whoremaker chewing up everything in its […]

Clarence White + Chris Hillman = 1966 Gold

Posted by Lance Davis - June 24, 2010 - Byrds, Chris Hillman, Clarence White

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As 1966 came to a close, The Byrds were in the studio recording songs for Younger Than Yesterday. Chris Hillman, inspired by his recent session work with Letta Mbulu and Hugh Masekela, brought his first songwriting efforts to the studio. I don’t think there’s enough critical appreciation of Hillman’s artistic leap from Fifth Dimension to […]

Just as Long as the Guitar Plays

Posted by Lance Davis - May 23, 2010 - Bill Monroe, Chris Hillman, Country Gazette, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Manassas, Rolling Stones

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A few days ago, the Rolling Stones released a remastered version of Exile On Main Street. I’m supposed to be excited about this, what with my lifelong membership in the “Exile Might Be The Greatest Album Ever” fan club. Meh. Financially, it makes perfect sense. I’m actually surprised its taken this long for the […]

Willin’: LA’s Country-Rock Origins

Posted by Lance Davis - December 22, 2008 - Byrds, Chris Hillman, Clarence White, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Linda Ronstadt

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Through a fortuitous set of circumstances, this morning I happened upon a 2007 BBC documentary called, Hotel California: From The Byrds To The Eagles. While the title was promising and the documentary well-made, it covered the SoCal folk scene I’ve never much cared for (Neil Young excepted), it seemed to talk around, rather than […]

Clarence White: Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Men: 1968-69

Posted by Lance Davis - October 23, 2008 - Byrds, Chris Hillman, Clarence White, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gary S. Paxton, Gene Parsons, Gram Parsons, Jimi Hendrix, Wynn Stewart

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In July 1968, The Byrds played South Africa without Gram Parsons, who decided that shooting smack with Keith Richards was better than playing segregated Johannesburg, so he essentially fired himself. While GP’s political motives were as much expedient as heartfelt, to his credit he flew the coop on a tour that was by all […]