If you've ever been curious to see the A/V wizardry behind Austin City Limits, tech blogger Robert Scoble goes behind the scenes in this video interview with ACL audio director David Huff.

Learn about the secrets to good audio (answers: patience and a good room) and get a glimpse of the technology Huff uses to capture and mix the live tracks.

Freelance music writer Parry Gettelman and friends offer a touching tribute to the late Chris Gaffney:

Psychologists have identified seven stages of grief, but when Chris Gaffney died of liver cancer April 17, I realized there are actually eight; they forgot to count righteous indignation. That's where I'm stuck, because an unnecessarily cruel fate took one of the finest musicians on the planet at age 57, just when he was finally starting to enjoy some of the success he'd long deserved.
 
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The Oaks, just outside Austin, will host a tribute night May 25, with proceeds helping to offset medical and funeral expenses. The Gaffney family also is accepting donations through helpgaff.com.

The Hacienda Brothers' third and final studio album, Arizona Motel, will be available June 24.

I really enjoyed the Hacienda Brothers, especially Gaffney's gruff baritone and unique ability to infuse country with soul. He will be missed, and clearly already is.

It's June 2005, and my friend Jason and I arrive unfashionably early to see Bob Schneider's Texas Bluegrass Massacre. It's a beautiful if warm spring day — perfect to grab a table in front of Threadgill's outdoors stage and wait for the show. A couple Shiners later and the opening band, delayed by traffic, arrives just as it's scheduled to go on stage. As he surveys the grounds, I can tell the lead singer is disappointed with the turnout, which is me, Jason, and maybe 10 other earlybirds. Plus, he's understandably frustrated with having to stare directly into the setting sun. But all quibbles are set aside as Rodney Parker picks up his acoustic guitar and launches into an unforgettable opening set.

Obviously, Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward made quite an impression on me that night. I bought their then-new CD, Blow the Soot Out, from the merch table and played it for days on end. And I must have tested my poor wife's patience as I rambled on and on about how great these guys were. Luckily, she fell in love with the CD too, and together we've played Blow the Soot Out more than all but a small handful of albums collected over the last few years. I never reviewed the CD but should have. It's a small masterpiece of heartache, frustration, and turmoil. And boy can those guys play.

So it was with great excitement and a little trepidation that I learned of a new album a few months back. We've all fallen in love with bands based on one great album, only to be disappointed by so-so follow-ups. Could Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward's second release possibly live up to their inspired debut? Simply, yes. The Lonesome Dirge is an 11-song slice of country-rock brilliance that gets better with each and every listen.

"Firefight" starts the album with a full-bodied kick of simmering rage aimed at safe society and wasted virility (I was in the woods saying 'I don't think so' / But I don't know no more / No I don't know no more / Oh we're all so soft and clean). The emotiveness of Parker's voice renders his disappointment palpable. "10lb. Test" is a great rural idyll in the vein of "200 Acres," this time focusing on the glories and frustrations of fishing instead of farming.

The album reaches its pinnacle with "Ghost." Nearly 5 minutes long, it's a rich and multi-layered story that I must admit is difficult to decode but rewards honest effort. Returning to the theme of wasted virility, it's a tale of two men mourning the loss of their friend:

You were midstride when the bullet hit your head
I rolled you over, you were just dead
I left on you on the ground in the puddle that you bled, remember
I remember then I was alone when I made the long drive
To Troy's house to tell him you died
He quit digging ditches and he walked inside mumbling
"How did it get so bad?"

One verse later, a funereal trumpet chorus. I get goosebumps every time — simply great songwriting and delivery.

On a lighter note, another favorite is the Irish-styled drinking song "I'm Never Getting Married." It's so catchy that my kids, ages 6 and 7, join in whenever they hear it, inevitably giggling their way through the singalong refrain (So fellas just tell them when they ask you whether you'll ever get married say 'never not ever' / Go ahead set me free, go ahead cut the tether / Cuz I am a bachelor now and forever).

I can't recommend this album — or this band — strongly enough. Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward is among the best our state has to offer. And if there's justice in this universe (no given, that), they'll never have to stare into the setting sun again unless playing before a sizeable festival audience.

Listen:

"Firefight"

"10lb. Test"

"Ghost"

"I'm Never Getting Married"

Buy:

Lone Star Music, Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby

The Austin City Limits Festival lineup was announced this morning. The Statesman's Joe Gross has a nice recap:

Instead of a somnolent, controversial set from last year's closer Bob Dylan, high-octane alt-rock veterans Foo Fighters are likely to headline the coveted last slot on Sunday.
 
KGSR fans will look forward to singing along with the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss duo, as well as John Fogerty and Beck.
 
None of these acts has played ACL Fest before.
 
Along with Manu Chao, David Byrne, the Mars Volta and Gnarls Barkley, all the above plan to throw down at the seventh annual festival, which is scheduled to once again occupy Zilker Park for three days.
 
"Every year we try to keep it as eclectic as possible and true to what the TV show is all about," ACL Fest producer Charles Attal said.
 
This means a titrated mix of big names (see above), Austin favorites (Drive-By Truckers, G. Love and Special Sauce), Austin-based acts (Patty Griffin, Alejandro Escovedo, White Denim, Asleep at the Wheel, the last of whom have played all seven ACL fests), hipster buzz acts (Vampire Weekend, Duffy, Man Man) and vets with new albums out (Spiritualized, Beck). Yes, the recently released 10th anniversary version of Beck's "Odelay" means he fits into this last category. You are that old.
 
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I have to admit the top-of-the-line names didn't excite me much, but looking a little further down the list I still found plenty to pique my interest:

• Iron & Wine (great at 2006 ACL Fest)
• Ryan Bingham
• M. Ward (hopefully Zooey Deschanel will make an appearance, too)
• The Swell Season
• Eli Young Band (wonder if a new album is on the way?)
• Band of Heathens
• The Kills (missed them at SXSW)
• Nakia & His Southern Cousins

Now it's decision time: buy tickets, or stay at home? This year's festival runs Sept. 26–28.

At last, Texas Music magazine has launched a limited online edition:

Our quarterly magazine will continue to provide readers with great feature stories, an events calendar and music news. Over time, we've realized that there's much more content that we haven't been able to cover due to space constraints, and we're bringing you this newsletter to assist us in covering more of Texas' music scene. And, I probably need to mention … it's free!

Select print and online exclusive content is now available at txmusic.com. Currently that includes reviews of James McMurtry's Just Us Kids, Ghostalnd Observatory's Robotique Majestique, the Old 97's Blame It on Gravity, and Willie Nelson's Moment of Forever. Plus, there's a few small features that also come from the new Spring 2008 issue.

You can also sign up for the email newsletter to get the latest updates delivered to your inbox. The PDF version adds an events calendar, new release schedule, and MySpace charts.

Legacy Recordings kicks off Willie Nelson's semisesquicentennial month (he turns 75 on April 30) with the 4-CD, 100-song One Hell of a Ride. The mammoth box set spans more than a half-century of recordings, delivering everything from early demos ("when I've Sang My Last Hillbilly Song" bookends the collection with versions from 1954 and 2007) to the hits that transformed the scruffy outlaw into a revered icon — they're all here, most in original album form and generally sequenced in chronological order.

With dozens of worthy compilations already on the market, sheer breadth is what makes this set stand out. Plus, for an artist with more albums to his credit than years in his age, it's virtually impossible for even the most ardent fans to absorb his entire catalog. So expect to find at least a few surprises along with the songs you know by heart.

The full-color liner notes include an extensive biographical essay penned by Joe Nick Patoski, author of the forthcoming Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, plus a detailed track listing with full discographical information.

One Hell of a Ride is indeed one hell of a way to join in the celebration.

(5 out of 5)

"When I've Sang My Last Hillbilly Song" (1954, from KBOP radio in Pasadena, Texas)

"No Place for Me" (1957, recorded in Portland, Oregon)

"Man With the Blues" (1959, recorded in Fort Worth, Texas)

Buy: Lone Star Music, Amazon