Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown

There's a great new book on Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown on the way. David Menconi has written a bunch of excellent articles on Ryan, and in September presents us with the definitive book on Adams.

Pre-Order and check out excerpts from the book at:
http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/menrya.html

European Tour Wrap-Up (4/19-5/11)

Ryan Adams closed out his very successful Ashes and Fire world tour during this European leg of shows. Compared with previous shows from this year and last, Ryan seemed to settle into a fairly standard setlist each night. Playing a wide mix of tunes from all of his albums (but mainly Ashes and Fire and Heartbreaker), he seemed to find a perfect flow to his set that worked for both old and new fans. Fans who got the chance to see him months apart on this tour almost unanimously agreed that his singing and playing was better than ever during this European leg.

In 14 Shows, Ryan played 30 different songs. The shows usually clocked in right around 2 hours long and went in this order: "Oh My Sweet Carolina -> Ashes and Fire ->If I Am a Stranger ->Dirty Rain ->Winding Wheel->Rescue Blues ->Please Do Not Let Me Go ->Do I Wait ->Firecracker ->Eveybody Knows ->Sweet Lil Gal ->Why Do They Leave ->English Girls Approximately -->Chains of Love ->16 Days->New York New York......(The End, Lucky Now, Let it Ride, and/or Jacksonville Skyline would make an appearance).... then closing with Come Pick Me Up ->Cover Song for the Encore". "Sylvia Plath" and "Two" were dropped from the set during this leg after being regulars.

Jason Isbell opened most nights and was excellent as usual. At the merch table, Ryan Adams was selling signed copies of his books and the two cassettes tapes of his old side project - The Shit. As with the other legs of the tour, no taping or pictures were allowed.

Other Notables


Ryan debuted his cover of Danzig's "Mother" at the Palladium in London on April 30th. "Damn Sam" and "Jacksonville Skyline" made a rare appearance in Amsterdam on May 6th. On the following night in Copenhagen, "Wonderwall" and "Invisible Riverside" also made unexpected appearances in the set.

Song Stats

Ashes and Fire

Ashes and Fire 14

Dirty Rain 14

Lucky Now 14

Chains of Love 13

Do I Wait 14

Invisible Riverside 1

Easy Tiger

Everybody Knows 13

Jacksonville City Nights

The End 6

Cold Roses

If I Am a Stranger 14

Let it Ride 11

When Will You Come Back Home 2

Love is Hell

Please Do Not Let Me Go 14

English Girls Approximately 14

Wonderwall (Oasis) 1

Gold

The Rescue Blues 14

Firecracker 14

New York New York 14

Heartbreaker

Oh My Sweet Carolina  14

My Winding Wheel 14

Sweet Lil' Gal 14

Come Pick Me Up 14

Why Do They Leave 10

Damn Sam 1

Whiskeytown

16 Days 14

Jacksonville Skyline 2

Covers

Holy Diver (Dio) 3

Round and Round (Ratt) 2

Nutshell (Alice in Chains) 5

Black Sheets of Rain (Bob Mould) 1

Mother (Danzig) 3

Song Debuts (1)

Mother (Danzig)

Europe Solo Tour Notes and Set Lists (4/19-5/11/12)

4/19 - The Olympia Theater, Dublin, IR

18 Songs, 2 hour set. Lots of positive reviews. Ryan remarked about how much he loves Ireland. He also played by now what is his legendary improv song - "Mr. Cat". Fans also said that there were cassette tapes available of the first 2 Shit albums being sold at the merch table.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/If I am a Stranger/Ashes and Fire/My Winding Wheel/Dirty Rain/Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Let It Ride/Sweet Lil Gal/English Girls Approximately/Lucky Now/Chains of Love/Firecracker/16 Days/New York, New York/Do I Wait/Come Pick Me Up
Encore: Holy Diver (Dio)

4/20 - Waterfront Auditorium, Belfast, IR

19 Songs . Ryan's voice was in top form but had some tuning issues with the guitars at this show. Fans said he didn't talk to the crowd as much as in Dublin but was still great.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes & Fire/If I Am A Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Let It Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York, New York/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up
Encore: Round and Round (Ratt)

4/22 - The Sage Theatre, Newcastle, UK

19 Songs. 1 hour and 40 minutes. Fans said this was another great show but almost identical set to the first 2 nights. One fan mentioned his playing is even quieter than previous tours.. Also during the set, he mentioned plans to release 8 or 9 cassettes of albums his old label wouldn't let him release. Ryan made a funny comment comparing the venue to the DeathStar.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes & Fire/If I Am A Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Let It Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains Of Love/16 Days/New York, New York/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up
Encore: Nutshell (Alice in Chains)

4/23 - London Palladium, London, UK

20 Songs. 1 hour 45 minutes. Lots of positive reviews and a few changes in the set list. Ryan played his "Mr. Cat" improv. One fan mentioned "Firecracker" was played like the solo versions from 2002.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave?/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York, New York//When Will You Come Back Home/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up
Encore: Black Sheets of Rain (Bob Mould)

4/25 - Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK

20 Songs. Lots of great reviews. Fans in England who have seen him multiple times over the last year seem to be in agreement, that he is playing and singing better than ever at these shows. "The End" made an appearance tonight. Not a lot of banter, Ryan introduced "Please Do Not Let Me Go" as "here's another bucket of sunshine". Jason Isbell opened the show

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York, New York/The End/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up

Encore - Holy Diver (Dio)

4/26 - Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland

20 Songs. 1 hour, 45 minutes. Jason Isbell opened. Ryan declaired on Twitter that this was his favorite show of the tour. The crowd was great. Ryan played perfectly. The "Mr Cat" improv was played.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/The End/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Round and Round (Ratt)

4/27 - Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield, UK

20 Songs. "Mr Cat" was played again. Jason Isbell opened. Some fans mentioned Ryan seemed a little grouchy and the beginning of the gig. One fan who caught 3 shows during the week said this was the favorite. Ryan mentioned that this was "The Rainy Tour" and also said that he wrote "Winding Wheel" in Sheffield.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Lucky Now/The End/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Nutshell (Alice in Chains) 

4/30 - London Palladium, London, UK

21 Songs including the debut of "Mother" (Danzig)! 2 hour show. A few who saw the London show a week prior to this said this was the better of the two. Ryan played his "Mr. Cat" improv

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Let it Ride/Lucky Now/Jacksonville Skyline/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Mother (Danzig)

5/2 - Queen Elizabeth Hall, Antwerp, Belgium

21 Songs. Not a lot of banter

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Lucky Now/The End/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Nutshell (Alice in Chains)

5/4 - La Cigale, Paris, FR
21 Songs. Ryan was once again in great form. Some complaints from fans of a fairly chatty crowd and a squeeky entrance door, but it didn't seem to bug Ryan. Jason Isbell opened

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/When Will You Come Back Home/Why Do They Leave/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Let it Ride/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Mother (Danzig)

5/6 - Carre Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

22 Songs. Jason Isbell opened. Ryan was very focused and played great as usual. He also did a funny impersonation of Jason Isbell and his "Mr Cat" improv. "Damn Sam" made a rare appearance tonight. Quite a few fans who saw this and the Antwerp gig said this show had a much better flow to it and was the better of the two.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Damn Sam/Jacksonville Skyline/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Holy Diver (Dio)

5/7 - Falconer Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark

22 Songs. "Invisible Riverside" and "Wonderwall" made a rare performance tonight. The "Mr Cat" improv was played as usual. Ryan was in fine form. Jason Isbell opened.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Lucky Now/16 Days/New York New York/The End/Invisible Riverside/Wonderwall (Oasis)/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Nutshell (Alice in Chains)

5/9 - Folketeatret, Oslo, Norway

20 Songs. Ryan played a few improv songs and joked a lot between songs. Jason Isbell opened.

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Lucky Now/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Mother (Danzig)

5/11 - Waterfront, Stockholm, Sweden

21 Songs. The Final Show of the leg and of the "Ashes and Fire" tour. Jason Isbell opened

Oh My Sweet Carolina/Ashes and Fire/If I Am a Stranger/Dirty Rain/Winding Wheel/The Rescue Blues/Please Do Not Let Me Go/Do I Wait/Firecracker/Everybody Knows/Sweet Lil Gal/Why Do They Leave/Let it Ride/English Girls Approximately/Chains of Love/16 Days/New York New York/Lucky Now/The End/Come Pick Me Up

Encore: Nutshell (Alice in Chains)

Ryan covers Danzig!

Ryan has been covering one of my favorite songs from my childhood on his recent tour of Europe. Listen below to "Mother" by Danzig. Recorded 4/30/12 in London.

The Shit Hits the Fan!! (Yet More New Releases)

Ryan Adams (with help from Burger Records) has snuck out another couple releases this week. The Shit is one of Ryan's side projects from 2007 featuring Johnny T on drums and full of lo-fi/bluegrass/goofiness. Unfortunately, Burger Records (www.burgerrecords.com) sold out of these limited edition cassettes in a day. Ryan is selling them at the merch table at his recent European shows though. SO PLEASE, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO PICK UP SOME EXTRAS, LET ME KNOW!!

According to Twitter posts, there are 7 more Shit tapes on the way!!!

iTunes Session Coming April 24th!!

Yet another new Ryan Adams release is on the way and only a few days after a new 7" single! This marks Ryan's first session for iTunes, and was recorded at Hollywood's famous Capital Studios. See the track listing below


1. Dirty Rain
2. Oh My Sweet Carolina
3. Lucky Now
4. Houses on the Hill
5. Black Sheets of Rain (Bob Mould)
6. Chains of Love
7. Ashes and Fire
8. My Winding Wheel


Pre-Order here.

New Release on the Way

On Record Store Day (April 21st), Ryan Adams is releasing a new limited edition 7" single. They'll be sold exclusively at record stores across the US and UK and limited to 2500 copies (500 in the UK/2000 in the US). Both songs are solo acoustic and were recorded last November at the "See a Little Light" Bob Mould tribute show in Los Angeles. They're coming out on sweet red vinyl and will likely sell out pretty quick.

There is a website which is taking pre-orders for the vinyl. So if they have any extras on record store day, they'll ship out to you for $5.99 + shipping: https://www.strictlydiscs.com/

Besides the Ryan Adams single, there are a ton of other great limited edition releases coming out that same day. So make sure you get out and support your local record store! I'm planning to pick up new ones from the Black Angels, Billy Bragg/Wilco, and the Flaming Lips. See the complete listing at : http://www.recordstoreday.com .

What are you all planning to get?