back





Date: 25.10.2004 21:41
From: Lee Gutowski
Hey everybody --

Announcing the release of Bloodshot's last offering in 2004 -- HARD HEADED
WOMAN: A CELEBRATION OF WANDA JACKSON. Featuring fiery and unique
contributions by a variety of musically gifted admirers and devotees of the
Queen of Rockabilly, including Neko Case, Wayne Hancock, Jesse Sykes, the
Bottle Rockets, Kelly Hogan, Robbie Fulks ... It's a great listen, and a
wonderful paying of respects to one of rock n roll's original bad-asses!

Wanda's still out there doin' it, playing shows around the country and
newly invigorating music fans with her rebellious spirit and songs that she
still delivers with a hiccup and a growl. Ms. Jackson has been nominated
for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's "Class of 2005," and the list of
inductees will be announced in November -- so stay tuned!

Take a gander at the press release for more info about the Bloodshot release:

HARD-HEADED WOMAN:
A CELEBRATION OF WANDA JACKSON
Various artists

Release date: October 26, 2004

"There's nothing like a bunch of renegades paying tribute to a renegade -
and that's what you've got on Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda
Jackson." And that's how writer (and co-producer of this cd) Holly-George
Warren begins the liner notes for this outing, a collection of songs
associated with Ms. Jackson and performed by both Bloodshotters and notable
off-label cronies.

Known to many as the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson is a maverick
performer whose influence has reached far beyond the genre and cast a long
shadow on the history of music, both sonically and in her performance
style; she is one of rock & roll's original bad-asses. Wanda helped stake
out a direct route from the feral origins of rock to the punks, riot
grrrls, and psychobilly boundary-busters 50 years later. She kicked down
the door to the good ol' boys club that told us women couldn't (or
shouldn't) bring the ferocity and attitude necessary for a truly liberating
brand of music. She's sang at the Opry, dated Elvis Presley, inspired
Elvis Costello, and been covered by the Cramps. Hers is a powerful,
genre-transcending legacy, and props are long overdue.

To quote Leonard "Motorcyclist of the Apocalypse" Smalls in Raising
Arizona, "In order to catch an outlaw, you've got to hire an outlaw." In
that spirit, we've gone and hired a bunch of rebels to pay tribute to this
rebellious performer. Showcasing songs that Wanda Jackson recorded and
performed, the artists here cover the gamut. Rosie Flores, the
guitar-slinging firebrand who asked Wanda in 1995 to record a duet with her
on Rosie's "Rockabilly Filly" release, contributes a swingin' version of
"Middle of a Heartache." Neko Case's rendering of "Brown Eyed Handsome
Man" evokes the saucy, spirited attack that Wanda's brought to her
performances since the '50s. Trailer Bride's dark take on "Fujiyama Mama"
thoroughly recasts the song, and in doing so refocuses the listener's ear
on its twistedly clever lyrics. And Wayne "the Train" Hancock's turn at
"Let's Have a Party" enthusiastically echoes Wanda's penchant for mixing a
little wildness into the fun. Robbie Fulks, Anna Fermin, Jesse Sykes, the
Bottle Rockets, Nora O'Connor, Candye Kane and more - guys and gals alike -
chime in here as well.

Wanda Jackson's mighty ways with a song enable her to lay claim to the
material she performs, be it country, blues, rock & roll, gospel,
honkytonk, rockabilly or swing. The dynamic performances delivered here --
on the barn-burners and raveups as well as the songs of heartbreak and
pathos - are a celebration of the gutsy talent of an artist too long
overlooked. Wanda Jackson's fiercely independent spirit is given fresh new
life in the voices and attitudes of these 21 descendants of the Hard-Headed
Woman.


A bit about the contributors:

Carolyn Mark & the Room-Mates (Victoria BC) -- Partner with Neko Case in
the Corn Sisters. Released
Pros and Cons of Collaboration this summer with her New Best Friends.

Nora O'Connor (Chicago) -- Former member of the Blacks and Andrew Bird's
Bowl of Fire. Released her
debut CD, Til the Dawn, on Bloodshot this summer.

Asylum Street Spankers (Austin TX) -- Foremost progenitors of music
eschewing "the demon electricity."

Anna Fermin & Trigger Gospel (Chicago) -- Frequent contributor to Bloodshot
compilations.

Kelly Hogan (Chicago via Atlanta) -- Many solo CDs, member of Rock*A*Teens
and the Jody Grind, contributor
to CDs by Neko Case, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, and current jazz project The
Wooden Leg.

Neko Case (North America) -- After releasing three CDs on Bloodshot, new CD
on Anti released this fall.

Robbie Fulks (Chicago) -- Honky-tonk/pop gadfly with several Bloodshot CDs
and compilation appearances.
Recently produced Johnny Paycheck tribute album, Touch My Heart.

Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter (Seattle) -- Recent CD on Barsuk Records,
Oh, My Girl, released this spring.

The Cornell Hurd Band (Austin) -- The pride of South Austin, their recent
CD is on Behemoth Records. Veterans
of several Bloodshot compilations and one of the highlights of the SXSW
festival.

Rosie Flores (Nashville) -- The Rockabilly Filly. Need we say more?
Check out her website:
http://www.rosieflores.com/main.html. Rosie's new live cd, Single Rose, is
hot off the presses now.

Candye Kane (San Diego) -- Described by Rolling Stone as "equal parts Etta
James and Patsy Cline," blues diva Kane tours
the world and has released 7 cds on labels as diverse as Antone's,
Rounder, Discovery and Sire. (www.candyekane.com)

Trailer Bride (Chapel Hill, NC) -- Jittery hillbilly noir with four CDs on
Bloodshot, most recent being Hope is a Thing
With Feathers.

Jane Baxter Miller (Chicago) -- Member of the Texas Rubies and contributor
to the Pine Valley Cosmonauts and a
few Bloodshot compilations.

Wayne "The Train" Hancock (Austin) -- The undisputed king of roadhouse
swing. Two CDs on Bloodshot; the
most recent, Swing Time, released in the fall of 2003.

Kristi Rose (Nashville) -- This showgal can sing her way into your heart
and drag you into her noir vision of a
postmodern, tobacco-road, barely-hanging-on by-your-fingernails life. Her
most recent U.S. release is Pulp Country.

Laura Cantrell (New York) -- Recording artist and "proprietress" of the
long-running "Radio Thrift Shop" on WFMU.
In the past year, Laura has performed at the Library of Congress, Newport
Folk Festival, and the Grand Ole Opry.

Kim Lenz (Dallas) -- Records for High Tone. Contributed the track "Down on
the Farm" to the Bloodshot kids'
music compilation, The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs For Bumpy Wagon Rides.

Bottle Rockets w/ Sheri Hurst (Festus MO) -- One of the most critically
lauded rock bands out there. Recorded
a tribute to Doug Sahm, Songs of Sahm, on Bloodshot in 2002. Released Blue
Sky on Sanctuary this spring.

The Ranch Girls & Ragtime Wranglers (Netherlands) -- Appeared at a festival
at the legendary Chicago club
Fitzgerald's, and we fell in love with them. Record for Home Brew Records
in Europe.

Gina Lee & the Brisket Boys (Austin) -- The Queen of Western Swing; her
domain is the Broken Spoke,
South Austin.

Jesse Dayton (Houston) -- Long time Bloodshot fave and frequent tour mate
of the Supersuckers.

Thanks for your interest in Bloodshot, folks, and lot me know what you need
...

Best,
Lee



Lee Gutowski
"Pressie Galore"
Bloodshot Records
3039 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago IL 60618
773 604 5300

lee@bloodshotrecords.com
www.bloodshotrecords.com

Latest releases:
Split Lip Rayfield, SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING, Sept. 28
Nora O'Connor, TIL THE DAWN, Aug. 24
The Meat Purveyors, PAIN BY NUMBERS, July 27
Bobby Bare, Jr., FROM THE END OF YOUR LEASH, June 22
Jon Langford, ALL THE FAME OF LOFTY DEEDS, April 20
Jon Rauhouse, STEEL GUITAR RODEO, March 23
Graham Parker, YOUR COUNTRY, March 9
Dollar Store, DOLLAR STORE, Feb. 3

Still to come in 2004:
Various artists, HARD-HEADED WOMAN: A CELEBRATION OF WANDA JACKSON, Oct. 26
Featuring stellar performances by the Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Rosie Flores,
Candye Kane, Wayne Hancock, Kim Lenz, Robbie Fulks, Jesse Sykes and more!