Callahan, Bill

***Finally! THE SMOG live album everyone always wanted for years and years has finally reached the public just in time to be a BILL CALLAHAN record instead. Doesn’t make a bit of difference—Smog classics ride alongside Callahan hits with the same unforgettable gait. Rough Travel for a Rare Thing was recorded in Melbourne, Australia on November 8, 2007. For the sold-out tour all across Australia that this recording was taken from, the lineup was: three fiddle players who also sang back up, a drummer without cymbals and a bass player who also played harmonica. The idea was to have a strong, simple foundation with a lot of space left on top to be filled by the mystical strings and voice. And that’s what came to pass. Rough Travel For a Rare Thing features KATE CONNOR, LARA GOODRIDGE, PRIA SCHWALL, TIM ROGERS and LAWRENCE PIKE and an audience of probably a hundred. But they were packed in there. And there were lots more out on the sidewalk in front. (STREET DATE - 3/23/2010)