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Recommended: Joey Allcorn
While I was browsing around the interwebs, an ad for an artist caught my eye and I liked the artwork, so being intrigued, I checked it out and boy am I glad I did. The ad was for an artist named Joey Allcorn and his latest album is 50 Years Too Late, but I think it’s right on time (sorry, I couldn’t resist). In the single by the same name, he goes on to list the giants of times past, like Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams, and regrets not being able to meet or shake hands with them. Although he’s only 25, Joey Allcorn seems to be acutely aware of country music’s history and the glory days of yesteryear (not to say today’s country is horrible, it’s just a different sound). He dons a suit and tie when he takes to the stage to perform and he spouts off country music history before songs.
During my research for this article, I came across this anecdote from Joey over at Take Country Back:
“I was in Macon, Georgia not too long ago doing a show and there was a travel editor from the Charlotte Observer there. I was sitting down talking to him during a break and he said ‘How far do you think you’ll get imitating a dead guy?’”
“I said ‘What do you mean?’ and he said ‘It’s obvious you’re trying to rip off Hank Williams. You do his songs, wear the white hat and you wear the suit like him.’”
“I told him ‘Hell, no! I’m trying to be like Ernest Tubb!’”
If you’re thinking that you’ve seen Joey’s name mentioned on The 9513 before, you aren’t mistaken. He agreed to let us use his album in our iPod Shuffle giveaway last month after I had expressed interest in listening to his album.
Recommended Tracks: “50 Years Too Late”, “Alabama Chain Gang”, “Here I Go Again”
I found a few videos of Joey Allcorn on YouTube, but the audio quality wasn’t that great in most of them. Here is an excerpt from an upcoming documentary, though.
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3 Comments
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February 22, 2007 at 5:55 am Permalink
I heard about Allcorn on the Hnak III board a while back. They are crazy for him over there (some are just full-on crazy, it is Hank III after all). Great find!
February 22, 2007 at 2:45 pm Permalink
I’ve listened to this album a couple of times through now and…I just don’t know. I really like his voice and love many of the cuts. On the other hand, the album seems weird to me. While I enjoy the title cut, I wouldn’t call it evidence that Allcorn is “acutely aware of country music history” (and someone should tell him that he still can see the Opry at the Ryman or go to the Midnight Jamboree). Some of my favorite songs are ruined by modern effects or recording tricks (like “Alabama Chain Gang.”) Others contain borderline gratuitous use of guitar riffs from classic country songs (I heard “Lovesick Blues”, “Honkytonk Man”, maybe a couple of others that slip my mind).
And then there are the songs that are puzzling in their contrast with the rest of the album material. I’m pretty sure Hank or ET never recorded a rocker with a lyric like “Nashville raped my music and me” and draws parallels between Hank and Kurt Cobain(”In Nashville, Tennessee”). “Graveyard Bound” is the strangest and scariest country song that I have ever heard, and considering that I’ve listened to Dwight Yoakam’s entire soundtrack for “South of Heaven, West of Hell,” that’s saying a lot.
I think fans that want a true classic country sound from a contemporary artist would be wise to check out something like the Amber Digby album that Jenna recently reviewed. I wish there were more artists like Joey Allcorn and I enjoyed his music, but I certainly don’t see him as a reincarnation of ET.
February 22, 2007 at 3:02 pm Permalink
Wow, I completely forgot about Graveyard Bound, but upon listening to it after your comment, Matt, I’d have to agree. It’s flat out weird and pretty scary. I believe Joey was into Punk before discovering classic country, so he certainly draws a lot of influences from that.
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