The Tao of Willie

Mr. Nelson works his magic at Newport

by Bob Gulla

Most of you have probably heard all the unsavory tales about Willie Nelson. How he got hammered by the taxman, how a few of his houses have burned down, how he always seems to come up with those cheeseball radio hits just when he needs them most.

But in reality, Willie's a lot more than all that. First, most -- if not all -- of his best records have been virtually ignored by the consuming public. For that reason, most hardcore music fans, even hardcore country music fans, have never even heard his best stuff. Second, contrary to popular assumption, Willie's never been big on (or in) Nashville. He's a Texas cowboy, a classic Austin space cowboy, in fact, who's always had a severe and rightful disdain for the polished commercial mechanism of Music City. His grizzly beard, craggy face, silver ponytail, and threadbare jeans tell you that Willie never cared much for conformity, let alone fashion. A while back (and occasionally today), Willie plays Nashville like a gigolo plays an old woman, as a game, a means to his own end. Unfortunately, gigolos occasionally get caught, and Willie went back to the well a little too often. The money and drugs and marital problems bit him in a big way and he finally got the press he had always deserved -- only it wasn't for one of his great records.

But anybody who knows Willie knows that he transcends all the bullshit. We know that he ranks right up there as one of the finest roots and country songwriters the genre has ever produced, shoulder to shoulder with Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. That's why I write this. Because in Newport this past weekend, where Willie closed the show on Saturday at the Newport Creamery Folk Festival, Willie dug into some of those songs with the kind of casual aplomb that would have made his biggest fans proud.

Willie Nelson has very obviously emerged from that aforementioned social morass to embrace his music like never before. If his performance at the festival was any indication, Nelson's focus on new and vibrant ways of communicating old ideas feels unshakable; his relentless love for his own and others' great material is unquestionable. He played his greatest songs -- "Georgia On My Mind," "Whiskey River," "Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain" -- a sublime parade of hits wafting out into Newport Harbor, a torrent of tunes unlocking memories of times and places past.

Nelson and his band took classics like "Mountain Dew," "Blue Skies," and "City of New Orleans" and turned them into Grateful Dead-like jams, sans unnecessary extrapolations, of course. The mood was as loose as the strings on Willie's guitar -- which, by the way, got a few little guitar hero workouts throughout the afternoon.

Yeah, his own playing and singing may not be what it was in the early '70s. He cuts his phrasing lazily short, he sometimes overindulges instrumentally, and he never allows his personable demeanor to come through to an audience for more than a few seconds at a time. (Imagine the stories he could tell if given the chance.) But his exuberance, his newfound vitality at this point in his career is impressive, not just for what it says about his stamina, but what it says about his dedication to great music.

He certainly wasn't a likely candidate to close the storied Folk Festival. But he delivered in ways that so many unfamiliar with him could not have imagined. Willie works his magic these days in more subtle ways than he used to. But whether he's strumming at Stubb's just off 6th Street in Austin, or he's singing to the traffic on the Newport Bridge just off Fort Adams, we can only hope many of the unconverted caught some of the tricks behind that magic.

MUSICUNSIGNED.COM. The site's name pretty much says it all. The UK-based Musicunsigned.com provides a stepping stone for unsigned music artists to be heard and get signed by a record label. According to founder James Sandom, the site operates like any record company, only with a worldwide A&R focus.

Musicunsigned features a weekly jukebox highlighting top tracks from new talents. Artists featured on the site are given three tracks streamed directly to users with RealAudio accompanied by a biography, photos, and video footage. There's up-to-date music news and reports from international events.

Musicunsigned's A&R section brings artists and bands closer to deals with MP3 technology. All you gotta do is fill out the online form and mail in a music demo, either in CD, mini disc or DAT format. A London-based A&R team, composed of former record label managers, will then listen to the tracks. If the idea of the company being in London seems daunting, don't let it psyche you out. It's an open-minded operation, at least for right now.

There is no set criteria, although they admit they're looking for commercial sounds and charisma, two things a lot of Providence outfits can offer. Once an artist is selected there's some business about a (non-exclusive) contract confirming that they'll put up to three tracks on their site. You then send along a bio, photos, and a list of upcoming shows. The A&R team then meets with a record label and plays them a selection of artists. The site also aids new talent by holding promotional events so record labels can watch the artists perform. Musicunsigned even has its own publishing company, Massive Music.

DreamWorks.com also has the same intention, with an A&R branch on their site. The only difference is that DreamWorks caters solely to US artists, while Musicunsigned reaches out to a global repertoire.

WANDERING EYE. It's a big weekend down at the sharply renovated Green Room, with rising Boston stars the Sheila Divine back in action on Friday, this time with L'Aventure. The following night, they'll celebrate their big-ass fifth anniversary with some kick-ass bands: the Sinners Club, Tokyo Texas, and South of Providence.

Also on Saturday, over at the Century Lounge, you can get fiendishly funky with Joe Bartone as he leads Fat Buddah in a bill with Xamichee, who might think about getting a new name as handles beginning with "X" are generally unpronounceable. Just a suggestion.

Stop the madness! With live bands dedicated to the music of Creed, STP, Metallica, and Pink Floyd all getting prime gigs this week, it might be easy for genuine local musicians and their friends to hang their heads despondently. Don't let it get you down. They'll get theirs. I'm not sure how, but they will.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.