Our brand-new studio album
David Horton, the man behind New Jersey-based music blog Popa’s Tunes, has been a great friend to independent musicians in general, and Uncle Leon and the Alibis in particular.
As the Honorary Mayor of the Couch By Couchwest Festival, he brought a lot of attention for our “Beer Train” subway video, calling us one of New York’s “must-see attractions”. And in his review of our album Wild Ways, he deemed us “Essential listening for every roots revival enthusiast”.
Now, he has included our live version of “Beer Train” (from the concert album That’s My Shit!) on the latest installment of his podcast: Popa Podcasts #5 – Twangled Up In Booze.
In this special alcohol-themed episode, we join such esteemed boozehounds as Jason and the Scorchers, The Barstool Romeos, and Bob Wayne, among many others.
As we’ve mentioned previously, the folks down at NineBullets.net have one of the best roots-music blogs going right now.
So we were more than a little thrilled to discover that John Allman had not only reviewed our album, Wild Ways, for NineBullets—He added it to their coveted Essential Listening list.
“This isn’t so much an album as a dog-eared, dusty map spanning the entire soundscape that defines Americana music and distinguishes it (thankfully) from pop-oriented new country.”
As far as we’re concerned, you can’t ask for a better review than that.
We are proud to announce that Uncle Leon’s “Beer Train” video—shot live, in one take, on a moving subway train—just won two awards from the 2013 Couch By Couchwest Festival: Winner of Most Creative Location, and Runner-up (just behind the inimitable Josie Little) for People’s Choice.
Couch By Couchwest is an annual online music festival, intended as a lazier, cost-effective alternative to its more famous Texas counterpart. Or, as the organizers like to put it, “The beer is cheaper. And the only hipster is you.”
We’d like say a HUGE thank-you to the people who dragged their asses out on a Sunday morning to make this whole thing happen: Diego Britt, Jonathan Britt, Ashlie Atkinson, Lea Barrie, Jamie Crockett, Emma Gordon, Dee Byrd-Molnar, Jennifer Szapiro, Noa Yachot, Andy Zig, and of course Neil Magnuson.
Without you all, Leon would have been just another jackass with a guitar on the subway.
Special thanks to The Girl with the Book, wherever you are.
In other awards-related news, our fellow New Yorkers (and frequent partners in crime) Dead Amble walked away with Runner-Up for the “People We Most Want to Party With” award, for their rooftop rendition of “Tennessee Honey”. And it took the entire state of Alabama to beat them. Nice work, fellas.
More importantly: In one week, some of the best unknown musicians in the country came together and put on some truly amazing (and entertaining) performances. Thanks, Couch By Couchwest, for having such a great idea and making it happen. Be sure to drop by the Couch By Couchwest site and check out all the rest of the videos.
If you still don’t own “Beer Train” yet, download it FREE here.
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