The Bad Penny (beta)

We like country too. Yes, really. Well, sometimes. When it’s good. Because a lot of it isn’t. Then again, a lot of music in a lot of genres isn’t good. On the other hand, a lot of music in a lot of genres is good. Weird how that works.

Moving on.

We’re having a kanipshin after hearing the new project by Alex Maas of the Black Angels and self-described Heartless Bastard Erika Wennerstrom. It’s called Sweet Tea and sounds sweet as can be: Get converted by this touching live cover of Tim Harden’s “If I Were a Carpenter”:

On it, Maas and Wennerstrom do justice to Johnny and June Carter Cash’s immortal rendition: Sweet Tea’s is more haunting, but their stated affections for each other are no less convincing (“I’d have your ba-by,” Wennerstrom coos). M+W are just good friends, as far as we know, but how coy of them to get us wondering with this suggestive, sultry cover.

Look for the Fat Possum band’s first release – comprising a studio version of the above song and a cover of Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms” – in digital form later this month. It’ll be followed by a limited-edition white 7-inch version available on the Black Angels’ and Heartless Bastards’ Web sites, and at their shows. And if you still can’t seem to find it, dumbass, the vinyl will be in stores September 1.

Wennerstrom has her calendar fully marked up, what with her Bastards opening for Jenny Lewis, Andrew Bird and the Decemberists in the coming weeks. And in the fall, the Bastards will be on the boob tube as part of the Austin City Limits series; the ep will feature them alongside Sonic Youth and will also showcase the above performance of “If I Were a Carpenter.”

And since we happen to be talking about alt-country today, weirdly, we can’t help but mention some news about the magazine that epitomized the genre, No Depression. Yeah, it’s still a corpse, but all its bones – from 1995-2008 – have been fossilized in the archives section of NoDepression.com. The vault has 99 percent of what was printed in the mag’s 75 issues, including interviews with My Morning Jacket and Bright Eyes.

Finally, speaking of those well-lit peepers, Mr. Conor Oberst, Esq., and his Mystic Valley Band twanged it up on Letterman last night with a flawless, soulful send-up of “Spoiled.” Presumably much to the delight of Letterman, Oberst tweaked the lyric, “And every time I fucked her mind” to “And every time I tricked her mind.” The host called the song “beautiful” at the end of the performance – and from the look of it, he and Oberst are buds:

(Originally published on Indiepit in 2009.)

This entry was posted on 09/19/2025 at 12:59 pm and is filed under Essays, Videos with tags Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Heartless Bastards, Mystic Valley Band, Sweet Tea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.