Nashville, Tenn. – Area songwriter/guitarist, entrepreneur, Jack White, released copies of his latest album,
NO NAME
, Friday, July 19, out of Third Man Records, and only found at White’s three Third Man Records brick-and-mortar locations located in Nashville, Detroit, and London.
The white vinyl pressed, 33 rpm record with only a deep blue-stamped, “NO NAME” on what is interpreted to be the A-side, came in a blank white sleeve and already in the black paper bag a helpful, quiet Third Man Records clerk pulled from behind the counter in which to help the other quiet register clerk bag any purchase. The album was included, for free, and by surprise, Friday, July 19, 2024.
It was an eerily quiet setting in Nashville’s Third Man Records store, a somewhat gothic, yellow/black and white color-schemed, possibly 1000 sq. ft. because of the high ceilings-type interior, with little spoken by “the longest line I’ve ever seen in here,” according to the whisper of an in-line patron.
The line was about twenty people from the register back to the listening booth, at the far corner in the back room, around the wall.
It was assessed later in the day the release is pressed onto a variety of wax stylings, seemingly geographically-based/store location-based, or means of receiving it-determined, as pre-issues were mailed to Third Man Records Vault Member subscribers, as well, (Vault issue #59?) with some rough comments from subscribers who hadn’t received there’s yet as others had, posted (but Third Man was quick to respond/correct the error. It was pretty cool seeing them on it, in real time).
As social media buzzes, however, around 3 pm, central standard time, July 19th, Nashville’s WNXP, 91.1fm disk jockey, Jason Moon Wilkins, on his/WNXP’s weekly (Friday) show, New Music Experience, seemed to be discovering some of the buzz, live and on air, to piece together what was going on in the area, to the effect of:
“…Jack White has released a new record today …it’s only available at Third Man Records …there’s no album art. It’s blank…….and they’ve got it today, but …don’t know… so, might not have any more tomorrow …. and… it could be free?”
Folk & Proper, already in-motion going to see Swamp Dogg’s 5 o’clock show at Grimey’s New and Preloved Music, that day, but busted a hard left on 40 over to Third Man, on 7th S, 37203 to see if what was happening was true.
–WNXP had not played the record, at this time, and nothing more was said about it on the immediate trip from Murfreesboro to Third Man, up 24.
It was a quiet setting.
A little was spoken at “the longest line I’ve ever seen in here,” according to the whisper of an in-line patron of about twenty people long from the register back to the listening booth, at the back, far corner behind the shop’s center wall in Jack’s quaint and slightly gothic, yellow/black/white-schemed, possibly 1000 sq. ft, three-room shop (high ceilings). All quiet, with somewhat dead eyes that were undetermined if the generation or due to a “Nashville cool,” forced upon them to play this release, in such an exciting time.
Folk & Proper: “Is this it?”
F&P picked up the blankest album found, walking back to the back of the line in such a dead silent excitement.
“I think you have to buy something,” someone whispered.
A new, up-and-coming band, Bleach’s t-shirt was right beside me as a quick pick, but looking around, waiting in line, the OCMS album recorded at Third Man quickly became another.
At the time, The White Stripes’ Elephant’s “Little Ghost,” came on the overhead, playing to the slowed-strum bridge, in which leading up to, Folk & Proper inquired, “Everybody?” before proceeding to belt out No one else can see this apparition/but because of my condition, to no patrons joining in, or even acknowledgement.
Folk & Proper thanked the crowd.
The two lady clerks were nice, and polite, yet quiet during the whole process, only mono-syllabic in response to a reporter, as well as anyone before or after him in line; if not simply unresponsive, at all, to any unresponsive -baffled- guests in the shop that day.
It was assessed later in the day other locations took a hushed distribution, as well.
And that was it.
Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams @ Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, Trinity Ln, 37216
Folk & Proper attended early contributor, blues/soul/bluegrass musician, Swamp Dogg’s record signing performance at East Nashville’s Grimey’s New and Preloved Music Record Shop on Trinity Lane just moments after, and as originally intended before being side-tracked by Jack White being Nashville Jack White.
(On Waze, from 7th S, 37203 to Trinity Lane was determined to be 21 minutes, but trust traffic, and have faith around Lafayette and Rosa Parks, and it’s about 15🤘)
“Not a lot of people talk about the true origins of bluegrass music,” says Swamp Dogg, “but it came from Black people. The banjo, the washtub, all that stuff started with African Americans. We were playing it before it even had a name.”
“Swamp Dogg’s remarkable new album, Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St., is no history lesson, though,” a section by The Grand Ole Opry on Swamp Dogg, continues.
“Produced by Ryan Olson (Bon Iver, Poliça) and recorded with an all-star band including Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan, the collection is a riotous blend of past and present, mixing the sacred and the profane in typical Swamp Dogg fashion as it blurs the lines between folk, roots, country, blues, and soul. The tracklist is an eclectic one—brand new originals and vintage Swamp Dogg classics sit side by side with reimaginings of ’70s R&B hits and timeless ’50s pop tunes—but the performances here are thoroughly cohesive, filtering everything through a progressive Appalachian lens that nods to tradition without ever being bound by it. Special guests like Margo Price, Vernon Reid, Jenny Lewis, Justin Vernon, and The Cactus Blossoms all add to the excitement, but it’s ultimately the 81-year-old Swamp Dogg’s delivery—sly and playful and full of genuine joy and ache—that steals the show. The result is a record that’s as reverent as it is raunchy, a collection that challenges conventional notions of genre and race while at the same time celebrating the music that helped make Swamp Dogg the beloved iconoclast he’s known as today.”
“I’m trying to touch on every kind of music I grew up loving and listening to,” he explains. “This is my way of letting people know that I’m not just a soul singer or whatever they think I am. I’m so much more.” (www.opry.com/artists/swamp-dogg).
At Swamp Dogg’s release signing, Friday, July 19, when Folk & Proper told the story about the first time OG author of “Sam Stone,” and friend of Dogg’s, John Prine, played “Sam Stone” in Nashville opening for Kris Kristofferson, Swamp Dogg accidentally signed his real name, Jerry Williams, as he was listening.
(Swamp Dogg was in town playing the opry, the following Saturday, July 20th.)
And that’s what Jack’s new album is about. He’s been on about reverence for some time (White’s ’22 album and interviews about reverence, NPR, Late Show, etc.), and this is his latest edition, with a rally call to the ones who would want to hear it, first, doing the work to get to.
Check out WNXP’s map of Nashville, through their T. Bone Burnett “Artist of the Month,” in June, here: T Bone Burnett’s Nashville | WNXP 91.1 FM
message to Country Punks, Ty Gang, 7/20/24.
-NOW
Jack White just announced a pop-up show at Inglewood’s American Legion Post 82, in Nashville’s Inglewood neighborhood, where Cow Poke is just now moving Honky Tonk Tuesdays from (last Tonk, 7/30/24), and to Madison’s Eastside Bowl, starting in September. Visit CowPoke, and Eastside Bowl, located at 1508A Gallatin Pike, 37115, for more information.
The American Legion is located at 3204 Gallatin Pike, 37216.
Mentioning the way White talks in interviews during past record releases, about 12 years ago, when White played one of the first complete Jack White sets, but in a minor key, at a Ryman gig, summer of 2012, I think, with the Alabama Shakes -during the press for the new album that was coming out, he’d go on late night shows, like the Late Show, and mention how “LOUD,” it’s is/gonna be. Jack White gets a hard-on for “loud af” music. We all do. He makes it.
Pairing those sentiments with the mystery/mystique maesltroming around Whit’es newest release, there’s a possiblilty White isn’t throwing a benefit for Legion Post 82, he’s just gonna leave the third man sound system there after he destroys it.
-And we might get to see who played on the album.
Jack White will throw a surprise, benefit concert to get Inglewood’s Legion Post 82 a new sound system, Saturday, July 27, with an RSVP sign up found through the link in thirdmandrecords instagram page in order to receive a code via text to get in the presale at 10 am tomorrow morning.
The radio route to get music heard was crucial back in the day, and still exists as members of the area music society do their parts in the old-school process. Take The Protomen’s 20th anniversary show at the Eastside Bowl, a few months ago on April 27, 2024, with their ticket hunt that ultimately wound up having to go to the physical venue to buy your paper tickets, as God intended.
The shit you didn’t realize you’d get into even on the ride up to do that –something that seems inconvenient, nowadays- is part of the experience.
In the past (the last two, Fear of the Dawn, and Entering Heaven Alive, –Entering… specifically), Jack White has referred to reverence. His newest album, NO NAME, is a continuance of the suite in that notion. No Name is an update, and a pretty crafty way to release the latest word, which came in the form of actual solutions via track 1, and so on…
Jack White’s latest record, NO NAME, can be found on the radio at Nashville Public Radio’s 91.1 fm WXNP. “Track 3,” and “Track 8” are active singles out on the radio, now (That’s how DJs are calling the song titles). It’s probably reverent.
Swamp Dogg’s latest record, From West Virginia to 125th St., can be found across the icons, as well as East Nashville’s Grimey’s New & Preloved record shop, 1060 E. Trinity Ln., 37216.
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