Billy Kelly on Soundcloud

It’s been a while since I posted anything here. Of course, Billy Kelly has been busy during that time.

Here’s a bunch of songs he posted to Soundcloud…

What's Wrong, Baby?

I Don't Trust Myself (When I'm with You)

Meanin' to Say G'bye

On and On and On

Pretty Drunken Thing

If You're Trying To Break My Heart

A Girl I Used To Know

Sunny Side Of The Street

Beyond Da Sea

If You're Trying To Break My Heart

Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder (Sept. 2014)

Not sure if Earl ever officially released this album. I can’t find a link to buy the music anywhere. But you can download the lead-off track, "Love Theme From Earl Pickens and The Band Named Thunder", over at their bandcamp page for free (or name your own price).

Here it is…

As for the album itself…I got a copy in the mail from the man himself. If you’ve been following Earl from the beginning you’ll recognize many songs from his live repertoire that he never officially recorded in the studio. There’s also a couple from his stripped-down acoustic solo album (Country Music Jukebox) that have been given the full-band treatment. I'm personally happy he finally recorded “The Devil’s Convoy”.

Here’s the tracklist…

1- Love Theme From Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder

2- Wonderin' Where You Are

3- Moon, You Know Why

4- Evylina, I'm Dyin'

5- Barrel Of Chains

6- You Can't Make Me Say It

7- The Devil's Convoy

8- You Can Always Try Cryin'

9- High Wind

10- New York Woman

11- Annie Say The Word

12- (They Were Just) The Opening Band

13- Midnight, High Noon

If you’d like to hear/buy this album go on over to the Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder Facebook page (here) and send Earl a message.

Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder

Earl Pickens: guitar, vocals

Rick Buck: lead guitar 

Steve Adams: piano, Hammond organ 

Mark Tomeo: pedal steel 

Bill Stetz: bass, harmony vocals 

Jake Kline: drums 

Kimbo Reichley: harmony vocals

Derek Scott: lead vocal on "Love Theme From Earl Pickens & The Band Named Thunder"

Earl Pickens on SoundCloud

Here's a few recent songs Earl Pickens uploaded to SoundCloud.

"You Can Always Try Cryin' (RoughMix)"


"When I Leave That Woman I'm Going Riding on a Train"


"How Could It Be Wrong?"


"Might As Well Write You A Song"

Earl Pickens & Family perform The Beatles album Revolver (May 2013)

Earl Pickens & Family performed The Beatles album Revolver at Elk Creek Cafe in Millheim PA. (They did a similar thing with U2's The Joshua Tree.)

"I'm Only Sleeping"


part of "Yellow Submarine"


"She Said She Said" / "Good Day Sunshine"


"Tomorrow Never Knows" / "All You Need Is Love"


Earl Pickens, Jessie Yamas, Bill Stetz, Evan Dresser, Steve Adams and Jake Kline.
earlpickens.com

Earl Pickens & Family - Rain Cloud, Hang Around (2013)

Earl's come a long way since playing the Astrodome. His latest release Rain Cloud, Hang Around is a 10-song album full of mid-60s folk pop. Seems he hung up his Star-Spangled boxers…at least for now. Here's a few of my favorite tracks…

"Rain Cloud, Hang Around"


"A Dream Come True"


"Kiss It All Goodbye"

www.earlpickens.com

The Sweetbriars - "A Face I Can Borrow" (12/4/12)

Here's a new song by The Sweetbriars…

Earl Pickens - "Rain Cloud, Hang Around" (10/24/12)

Earl Pickens says…

"Here's a sad little song from an album I've been working on for a while. This was recorded at Bruce W. Derr's downtown Lewisburg studio. The album is tentatively titled "I dreamed of me and you and everything went wrong". It'll be out eventually if not sooner. If you are in a happy, stable relationship I advise you to begin the breakup process now to put yourself in the right frame of mind to listen to these songs. Enjoy!"

Earl Pickens - "The World Turned Inside Out" (2/15/12)

Earl Pickens gets political on y'all...

"End hydrofracking now! Raise your voice at ‪http://www.marcellusprotest.org‬ and ‪http://responsibledrillingalliance.org‬. "The World Turned Upside Down" is an amazing song written by Leon Rosselson, and famously covered by Billy Bragg. You should buy it. Leon Rosselson has given his kind permission for me to add my new lyrics to his song. Again, let's end insane fracking now, together!

"

Here's the lyrics. The last verse is from the original song:



In Pennsylvania's green rolling hills,

the peaceful so-called public forest falls to hydrofracking drills.

The trees come crashing down, the wells grows tall

as if to say this land's not our land after all.



Meanwhile in Harrisburg, behind closed doors,

gas comp'ny lobbyists show congress how to write the fracking laws

to make sure people's rights do not impede

in any way the flow of politics and greed.



Through legal bribery, they buy the votes

to guarantee their legislation gets rammed down the people's throats.

And while our commonwealth goes up for sale,

there's a clusterfrack in the Marcellus shale.



Down go the chemicals, up comes the gas.

Up goes another politician's empty head into his ass.

Down come the regulations, meant to protect.

Here come exactly the results you would expect.



Eleven earthquakes, Youngstown last year.

It doesn't take a fracking scientist to spot a bad idea.

Their propaganda calls fracking "safe".

The BP oil spill reminds us what's at stake.



From the Gulf of Mexico, to Prince William Sound,

we've seen the consequences when the ship of fools has run aground.

And if you don't believe we'll have our turn,

might I remind you that tonight Centralia burns.



So make your choice now, and do think twice

but please remember Pennsylvania isn't ours to sacrifice

to corporate profits, and short-term gain

at the expense of those unborn and yet unnamed. 



I choose clean energy, I choose clean air

I choose a future for my children and a government that's fair.

I choose the common good for our commonwealth.

I choose the gas companies can go and frack themselves.



Let us take courage, let them take care.

This Earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share,

all things in common, all people one.

now let's take back our government and shut them down.

Mud, Blood & Beer (2009)

I missed this one back when I was posting for 2009. In 2003, Jess Hoeffner (aka Merle Twang) left Earl Pickens and The Black Mountain Marauders to pursue his own musical interests. After a short hiatus he returned with a new alt-country band, Mud, Blood & Beer. In 2009, they released their first self-titled album.

Here's a couple of tracks to get a taste…

"Lucy"


"Restless Soul"


[DOWNLOAD] Mud, Blood & Beer (2009)
1 – Lucy
2 – I Am Not the Road

3 – Charlotte, North Carolina

4 – Restless Soul

5 – Fields & Factories

6 – My Undertow

7 – Sleepyhead

8 – 4 A.M. Lights

9 – Shiny Black

10 – Country Mile

11 – Wynona

12 – Hindrance

13 – Marauders

Jess Hoeffner (guitar, vocals)
Stephen Swalsky (bass)
Jon Glover (guitar, vocals)
Stephen Sperber (drums)

For band info and live dates check out the Mud, Blood & Beer website (here).

Earl Pickens - "Kiss It All Goodbye" (3/12/11)

Earl, his guitar, and a barn with a broken window pane.

The Sweetbriars - "Virginia This X-Mas (Please get Your Sh!t Together)" (11/28/10)

Here's a Christmas song (of sorts) from Earl Pickens' side band, The Sweetbriars. Billy Kelly created the type driven music video.

You can purchase the song on iTunes (here).

Earl Pickens & Family - Gathering (2010)

Gathering features 10 original alt-country/bluegrass-tinged songs by Earl Pickens & Family (Earl Pickens - vocals, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, keyboards. Bruce W. Derr - vocals, guitar. Jessie Yamas - vocals, guitar. Michael Chevallier - fiddle. Bob Albin - upright bass. Jake Kline - drums).

Check out a few songs from the album…

"True Too"


"Do You Have A Secret?"


"Except For You"

To purchase Gathering, check out Amazon or iTunes.

www.earlpickens.com

Earl Pickens & Family - "The Sweetest Thing" (6/11/10)

Earl Pickens & Family promoting their version of U2's The Joshua Tree on Open Tunings with Scott Regan, WRUR Rochester NY.

Earl Pickens & Family - "Bullet the Blue Sky" (1/15/10)

Earl Pickens & Family play U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" on Open Tunings, WRUR Rochester.

Earl Pickens and Family @ Rodeo Bar, NYC (9/19/09)

Above is Earl Pickens and Family playing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and below they play one of Earl's songs, "New York Woman"…

Earl Pickens & Family @ Philadelphia Museum of Art (8/7/09)

Earl Pickens & Family celebrated the official release of their acoustic/country version of The Joshua Tree in high style with a live performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Earl Pickens and Family @ The Living Room, NYC (6/9/09)

Earl Pickens & Family - The Joshua Tree (1/11/09)

On January 1st, 2009, Earl Pickens & Family recorded their country-music interpretation of the classic U2 album, The Joshua Tree.
Performed and recorded live in Earl's living room, this song-by-song rendition of the original album dismantles and reconstructs each song with upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, snare drum and haunting vocal harmonies.

In support of the album, Earl Pickens & Family made a couple of music videos. Here's "With or Without You", directed by Brianna Healey and Steve Gibson…

"With or Without You"

And here's a home-made video for "One Tree Hill", featuring the New Jersey Turnpike…

"One Tree Hill"


Earl Pickens & Family, The Joshua Tree, can be bought at amazon, itunes and the like.

Earl Pickens & Family - "Country-Fried Joshua Tree" @ Cherry Alley Café, PA (11/1/08)

The above video, "Where The Streets Have No Name", is a teaser/ad Earl Pickens & Family made for their November 1st, 2008 "Country-Fried Joshua Tree" show at Cherry Alley Café in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Earl & Family were also working on recording their country interpretation of the classic U2 album as well. I suppose this was a warm up.

Below is a song from the show...

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"


Earl Pickens: banjo, vocals

Jessie Yamas: harmony vocals

Bruce W. Derr: guitar

Bob Albin: bass

Jake Kline: percussion

Steve Buckalew: Fiddle



Music & Lyrics by U2

Earl Pickens - "Untitled America Song" (9/22/08)

"Just a guy in a cowboy hat and a hot dog shirt singing his untitled song about America. You got a problem with that? Move to Canada, where there are no hot dog shirts, pal!"

– Earl Pickens