Tarheel Roots Troubadour David Childers Calls It A Day

http://www.harpmagazine.com/news/detail.cfm?article=11928

John Schacht
November 16, 2007

David Childers & the Modern Don Juans, one of the Southeast’s strongest roots rock outfits – even if Americana radio never figured that out – have amicably decided to disband after four years.

Childers, 57, cited his growing Social Security disability law firm that he runs with his wife and other creative interests as two reasons why he has no plans to perform any more. He also said the grind of touring was another key factor. He says he plans to continue writing songs and recording with the band’s guitarist, Randy Saxon. Drummer Robert Childers, his son, is now playing with Charlotte bands 2013 Wolves and the Trouble Walkers, where bassist Mark Lynch joins him (Lynch also plays bass with rural rockers Lou Ford).

If you’ve not heard of Childers & the Modern Don Juans, well, that’s another reason why he’s decided to pull the plug. In Harp’s March, 2006 review of Jailhouse Religion we wrote:

“North Carolinian Childers and his gut-punching Don Juans transcend the yawns and poses of most alt-country to recall the early-’80s heyday of country punk with their guitar-seared bar-band country rocking.”

But despite three No. 1 records on the Euro-Americana charts (2003’s Room #23, Jailhouse Religion and this year’s Burning In Hell); opening slots on several tours with the Gourds; a 2005 Mountain Stage appearance; and successful festival appearances in Europe the last two years, the band’s roots-punk was too rock ‘n’ roll for the staid and stale Americana machine.

“It’s been very rewarding, but I just don’t feel like there’s any place else left for us to go,” he said. “The reality is that we’re playing traditional-based roots rock ‘n’ roll in a time when they’re just isn’t a lot of interest in that.”

If you’re in the Carolinas, you can catch a final string of regional dates beginning tonight in Charlotte at Snug Harbor, or an in-studio appearance on WNCW-FM (www.wncw.org) on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 3 pm:

Saturday 11/17/07 The Purple Onion – Saluda NC

Wednesday 11/21/07 The Grey Eagle (Thanksgiving Eve) w/ Pierce Edens and the Dirty Work – Asheville NC

Friday 12/14/07 Bohemian Cafe – Greenville SC

Thursday 12/20/07 The Americana – Pineville NC

Saturday 12/22/07 The Comet Grill – Charlotte NC

Saturday 12/29/07 The Loft at Rodi w/ Bill Noonan Band – Gastonia NC

Jack White, Bob Dylan Rework Hank Williams Lyrics

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/47167-jack-white-bob-dylan-rework-hank-williams-lyrics

If Steppin’ in It bassist Dominic Suchyta is to be believed, he’s right in the middle of quite a bit of music history. Speaking with Paste Magazine, Suchyta explained that that Mr. Bob Dylan is spearheading an initiative to set some of country legend Hank Williams‘ “lost” lyrics to music. (By “lost” he means “essentially, the lyric sheets Hank died with in his briefcase.”) And Jack White of the White Stripes is involved.

So how does Suchyta know all this? Apparently, Jack is his “oldest friend”, and asked him to play upright bass on his contribution to the project, a take on the unheard Williams tune “You Know That I Know”. Suchyta told Paste that “no one has heard” the song, “as it was a Hank Williams lyric sheet that Jack put to music and edited a bit. Jack was sent most of or all of the unfinished tunes and picked this one to finish. We listened to quite a bit of Hank while I was down there and sat around the two of us playing our favorite Hank tunes, but the song was done when I got there. I think Jack just ingested a bunch of Hank Williams and this is what came out of him.” Figuratively, he means.

White and Suchyta were joined in the studio by engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Stars, the Shins), Raconteur Dean Fertita and Dylan band member Donny Herron on guitar and Autolux’s Carla Azar on drums. “We did the session in one long day, live in a circle with some mics around-much like Hank would have,” Suchyta said. Mr. Robert Zimmerman didn’t take part in the session, though Suchyta “wouldn’t put it past” Dylan and White to be cooking up something together. He added that Dylan and White “seem to be cut from the same cloth, sort of misplaced Midwestern brothers.”

Deep in blabbin’ mood, Suchyta hinted that Willie Nelson and Norah Jones may very well also contribute songs, and that Dylan “no doubt” recorded a tune for the project during the sessions for last year’s excellent Modern Times. No word on just what the end result of all this will look like, but it’s probably safe to assume it’ll be wearing a bolo tie.

In other White Stripes news, they took time away from hanging out with Bob friggin’ Dylan to go palling around with Beck and some bull fighters. You know, no big thing. The Stripes posted a couple photos from the forthcoming “Conquest” video on their website today, taken by photographer Erik Ian Schaetzke. And here they are: