North Carolina Posts
New GRITZ List: Top Vocalists of the Southern Rock Era
"Way down in Alabama/Shoutin' Bamalama..." What a rocking song. What a great singer. I never get read more...
New Features, Capricorn Records, Southern Rock Lists
We are happy to add a couple of new ongoing features here at GRITZ. The first is our
The Legends of Southern Rock, a Guide
Greetings from Carolina. We are happy to present our new
Music Maker Relief Foundation & Dust-To-Digital
Music Maker Relief Foundation & Dust-To-Digital Preserve The Oldest Traditions 5/2/08
Why Swampland Sports Loves the BCS
Despite winning back to back national titles in football, the SEC susre seems to hate the BCS. Lately, this hatred has been read more...
Post - NFL Draft Newspaper Wrap Up
We found this article from a week or so back that is about NFL Network being
SPF's NFL Draft First Round Log (Live All Day!!)
read more...
Merlefest Streaming Live Online Right Now
The South's premier country-bluegrass-Americana get together
Vintage GRITZ Articles Unearthed; Hatchet, Skynyrd, Tucker, Ricky Skaggs and More
It's time once again to add a few more Vintage Gritz articles to the archives, and I hope you'll check 'em out for a "blast from read more...
Football Film "Leatherheads" Brings Hollywood to Carolina
There’s been quite a lot of anticipation here in Greenville, SC over the past few months. I mean, everywhere you go you read more...
Allmans Postpone Beacon Run as Gregg Allman Heals
The Allman Brothers Band have announced that they read more...
Snowflakes: Southern Sweet 16
Here a quick primer for our teams in this weekend’s NCAA Tournament. East – This is read more...
Merlefest is Coming Back Home in April
One of our favorite music festivals returns in April. The massive
Season Summary: Charlotte Panthers
Quick Summary: The Carolina Panthers entered the 2007 season as a Super Bowl contender. They started out strong, read more...
Snowflakes: Tar Heels are the Tourney's Favorite
The best postseason in sports is upon us with the NCAA Tournament beginning. Brackets will soon be ruined as productivity takes a read more...
Alabama's Going Green: "Let's Get Dirty"
Huntsville, Alabama, has chosen
Thinking About Jakson, Three Years Later
Exactly three years ago today, on March 16, 2005, my world was rocked like it hadn’t been rocked in quite some time. read more...
Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops Does the Footprint Proud
It’s the most exciting time of the year for many of the smaller schools around our region. Their conferences tournaments have read more...
Snowflakes: Conference USA's Mediocrity is True Source of Calipari's Frustration
Memphis has their sights set on the Big Dance and the Final Four as they cruise through another C-USA Tournament at home. When the read more...
Snowflakes: UNC vs. Duke defines ACC Hoops
* Is there any better theater in college basketball than North Carolina at Duke? It was another great scene at Cameron Indoor Stadium read more...
The Southern Rock of SwampdaWamp
Say you love Southern rock? Well, you’re gonna love SwampdaWamp. The Charlotte, NC based band that is on their way to very top read more...
Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops
* It will be quite a battle this weekend in the Big South for the coveted automatic berth to the Big Dance. North Carolina-Asheville read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
* Mike Krzyzewski got his 800th career read more...
When Nantucket Ruled The Earth
I was talking to my friend Dewayne “aka: Rebyll” this afternoon when the conversation shifted to his first live concert read more...
Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops
* We still have a great two-horse race in the Sun Belt Conference as both South Alabama and Western Kentucky try to prove they are read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
* Miami seems to have played themselves back in to the NCAA Tournament picture. Just two weeks ago, the Hurricanes were 2-6 in ACC read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
* What a great win for Wake Forest Sunday night. The Demon Deacons topped #2 Duke 86-73 to provide the fans in Winston-Salem and read more...
Blackfoot is Our Latest "Legends of Southern Rock" Entry
"Highway Song" and "Train, Train," "Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie" and "Wishing Well"- all of these read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
* What a game in Chapel Hill on Sunday. Still without star point guard Ty Lawson, North Carolina rallied from a double-digit deficit read more...
Snowflakes: Smaller Conference Hoops
One mid-major club that higher seeded teams will not want to see in the Big Dance is Davidson from the Southern Conference. The read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
* The best rivalry in college hoops takes place Wednesday night when #2 ranked Duke invades Chapel Hill to battle #3 North Carolina. read more...
Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops
by Patrick Snow The regular season seems to get a little overlooked in many of the smaller or “1-bid” leagues in read more...
Snowflakes: C-USA/Big East Hoops
by Patrick Snow * Could this week finally bring the contest where #1 Memphis actually loses a conference game? The read more...
Snowflakes: ACC Hoops
by Patrick Snow * As Duke put the finishing touches on their 93-84 victory at Maryland Sunday night, it became increasingly read more...
My Favorite Southern Rock Song?
I was talking to one of my pals down Florida way the other day when the conversation shifted to great Southern Rock songs.We started read more...
Six Degrees of Separation
In the south we not only claim kin we also claim friends. I have learned that behind every new acquaintance there lies the read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 4): Down By The River
12. Cincinnati Bengals and 13. St. Louis Rams - Our final Poll spots are held by two teams that have a connection read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 3): Teams at the Crossroads (aka the NFC South)
We've now gone through the first 7 teams in the T.I. Poll. So far, the entire AFC South has been covered as well as the read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 2): Teams "On the Verge"
This is SPF's group of teams that are "On The Verge" of reaching elite status. They all have challenges, but they are read more...
SPF's Divisional Playoffs Pre-Pregame Show (or T.I. Poll Week 19)
There are three SPF teams left in the Super Bowl hunt, but the news doesn't stop with them. Of the 4 current coaching read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Wild Card Weekend Edition)
We're mixing it up again going into the playoffs. In an up and down year, six of the 13 SPF teams made the playoffs. Two, read more...
SPF's Week Seventeen Pre-Pregame Show
Playoffs and draft slots. It's all on the line in a strange season-ending weekend in the Footprint.
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Seventeen)
It's the last week of the NFL season. There isn't much left to be decided. Two SPF teams (Washington and Tennessee) can read more...
GRITZ Best Albums of The Year
Lots of great music rocked my world in 2007. Here are my choices for the 15 best of the best. Feel free to log on and comment. Let me read more...
SPF's Week Sixteen Pre-Pregame Show
SATURDAY NIGHT Dallas (12-2, 6-0 away) Carolina (6-8, 2-5 read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Sixteen)
SPF laid down the gauntlet before last weekend's games. Many teams answered the bell. With two games left in the regular read more...
SPF's Week Fifteen Pre-Pregame Show
It has been a largely disappointing season for SPF, but these final weeks can redeem or further decimate a team's momentum for read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fifteen)
SPF will say it - this has been a very tough year for pro football in the Swampland Footprint. Of our 13 teams, more than half read more...
Brothers of the Southland Advance CD Download Available Now
The Brothers of the Southland with Bo Bice CD is now available for a limited time as an advance download of the CD. The read more...
SPF's Week Fourteen Pre-Pregame Show
SPF has been beating a few drums this year, but one is about letting players play. Coaches coach systems. read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fourteen)
SPF has looked at the coach/QB relationship. Now, it's time to look at the owner/coach relationship. When this read more...
Artimus Pyle Arrested a Second Time On Same Charges
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle has read more...
SPF's Week Thirteen Pre-Pregame Show
While Tribal Fever nation witnessed their conference championships this weekend, SPF has found a few of their own. There are read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Thirteen)
Coaching changes. They happen every year even though it seems as though jobs are more than safe. Changes are usually made read more...
SPF's Week Twelve Pre-Pregame Show
Leadership. Is it there? The leader(s) of each SPF team define that team to their fans. Already, Thanksgiving read more...
Ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer Artimus Pyle Jailed
Artimus Pyle, a former drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, has been jailed in Florida on charges that he failed to properly register read more...
TF Rivalry Week Preview
Rivalry games define college football. More than bowl games or even conference championships, a win against your rival means read more...
The Cowboy Diaries: Part One
by Michael Buffalo Smith GRITZ went into the studio with Cowboy for the recording of their all new album, their first in 36 read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Twelve)
SPF often talks a team's style when it comes to identity. Style, though, is kind of a catch all. Dig a little deeper and read more...
SPF's Week Eleven Pre-Pregame Show
This week, more than any other this NFL season, the fan will find out who their teams are. Are teams going to the read more...
TF Saturday Preview: The Year of Transition Nears An End
The wild year continues. In many ways this was just a sign of the transition college football around the Footprint has read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Eleven)
Week Ten was a very weird football weekend. Many of the SPF teams lost games. Few had important wins. It just seems read more...
Music Maker Relief Foundation's Latest Project
Music Maker's Built For The Blues 11/13/07
SPF's Week Ten Pre-Pregame Show
SPF will stick by this point - no team set the NFL back more than the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. This read more...
TF Saturday Preview: Everything's Still To Be Decided
Patrick Snow has it right. This year's
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Ten)
Everyone knows that football is the dominant sport in the Footprint, but it has always been college dominating the pro variety. read more...
Warren Haynes Xmas Jam to Feature Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby
Warren Haynes Presents: The 19th Annual Christmas Jam will take place this year on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at the Asheville Civic read more...
Tribal Fever's Weekend Observations
1. That enormous exhale coming from the Oxford, Mississippi area would be the sigh of relief of Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron. His Rebels read more...
SPF's Week Nine Pre-Pregame Show
It's it the "Clash of the Titans!" The Colts-Pats game deserves the hype that it is getting. Both teams read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Eight)
Things continue to settle out in the SPF Footprint. This week's big question is whether the South's best is the NFL's read more...
SPF's Week Eight Pre-Pregame Show
Much like yesterday's college slate, this week's SPF schedule features teams looking towards the season's end and where they want to read more...
TF Saturday Preview: Pole, er.. Bowl Position
If you aren't a Florida or Georgia fan, this weekend might be a good one to spend with the kids. This is a pretty thin weekend read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Seven)
SPF's season previews are looking pretty good so far. The teams we singled out like the Jags, the Texans, and the Dolphins have read more...
SPF's Week Seven Pre-Pregame Show
Getting on the same page. Coaches and players that have the same sense of urgency signify teams that are winning. The NFL read more...
TF's Saturday Preview: Act Like You've Been There Before!
It's the old saying when a player celebrates a little too much - act like you've been there before. This rules seems to also read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Six)
Here we are again for SPF's weekly Team Identity Poll. Things have shaken up a bit. We are much closer to how we saw read more...
On the Road Again
Sorry I have been incommunicado lately. I am still struggling with allergies that seem to get worse rather than better. Ah, fall in read more...
SPF's Week Six Pre-Pregame Show
It's week 6 for the SPF teams. Four teams are basically done, but the rest have critical games that will go a long way to read more...
TF's Saturday Preview: The History Behind SEC Dominance
Tribal Fever would like to start this weekend's festivities by directing everyone to a fantastic series on
Thelonious Monk's North Carolina Roots
Thelonious Monk's North Carolina Roots 10/11/07
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Five)
The rich seem to be getting richer (and the poor, poorer) in the SPF Footprint. There is happiness at the top, confusion in the read more...
SPF's Week Five Pre-Pregame Show
It's week five in the NFL season. Overall, the SPF Footprint is shaping up to be a year of the haves and have-nots. The read more...
Warren Haynes Christmas Jam Returns in December
News just in from mule.net. Warren Haynes Presents: The 19th Annual read more...
Tribal Fever's Weekend Slate (10/6/2007)
Let's start with this week's College Football Preview from Athlon. Swampland's own Patrick Snow hosts each read more...
SPF T.I. Poll (Week Four)
Just like in the college ranks, it was a bit of a crazy week in the SPF Footprint. Right now, there are more bad teams than read more...
Buffalo's Book Club: "Dixie Lullaby"
Welcome to the first installment of Buffalo's Book Club. I figured, if Oprah can have one, so can I. The only thing is, I read more...
Upset Saturday, or not?
Patrick Snow mentioned in his last column read more...
SPF's Week Four Pre-Pregame Show
Welcome SPF fans! Here's today's slate. (SPF teams in BOLD) Early read more...
People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Tompkins Square Releases Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs This Week 9/29/07
Swampland welcomes Tribal Fever!
It was only a matter of time before Swampland Sports starting covering the colleges in earnest. Today marks the start of Tribal read more...
SPF T. I. Poll (Week Three)
Back to our weekly gauge of how each SPF team is resonating with its fans. First, let's take a look back at last week's Team read more...
SPF 's Week Three Pre-Pregame Show
Here we are again. Let Week Three begin! SPF Teams in BOLD Early read more...
SPF Friday Fishwrap-up: the Cowboy/Redskin paradigm
We've just posted a new analysis of the Wayne issue in read more...
CD and DVD releases for week of September 18, 2007
New Releases Doyle Bramhall
The Shadow And the Truth
9/19/07 ...THE SHADOW AND THE TRUTH...
SPF T. I. Poll (Week Two)
Time for our Week Two "Team Identity" Poll. Things keep getting interesting, and that's how we like read more...
SPF's Week Two Monday: Playmakers making plays
THE "BEATING THE DEAD HORSE" THEME Our theme for this week is similar to last read more...
SPF 's Week Two Pre-Pregame Show
Each week, it will be SPF's pleasure to bring you the best pregame show on the Net. We provide our audience with clips from read more...
SPF Friday Fishwrap-up: LeBatard vs. Galloway
Another great southern tradition is writing. We have a whole section called Discourse that is dedicated to this read more...
SPF's T. I. Poll (Week One)
Team Identity. This is our constant gauge for the success or failure of NFL teams in the South. College football reigns read more...
SPF Week One Game Log
Thursday's game didn't do nearly what yesterday's college slate did to pump us up here at SPF. Our own James Calemine is
Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 9/2/07
Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. Our biggest story of the week was the read more...
New "Legends" Feature: The Allman Brothers Band
Dear Y'all, Swampland and Gritz are proud to present the latest in our series of Legends of Southern Rock. The one, the only read more...
Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 8/19/07
Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. Although college athletics has become read more...
Welcome Back!
Greetings to all you football fans around the Swampland footprint! Southern Pro Football is back to cover another NFL read more...
Look Homeward, Angel: In Memoriam Doug Marlette
On Tuesday, July 10, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug read more...
CD and DVD releases for week of July 10, 2007
New Releases Chris & Rich Robinson
CD and DVD releases for week of July 3, 2007
Reissues Asleep At The
CD and DVD releases for week of June 26, 2007
CDs New Releases Charlie Daniels
Fire On The Mountain
6/25/07
Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs to Appear On New Gospel Album
Charlie Daniels is participating is in a religious-themed CD of contemporary Christian songs done country-style. Time Life is slated read more...
Looking Ahead to Merlefest
It's getting close to that time again. Time for Merlefest, the biggest and best Americana music festival of all. Every year around this read more...
New Carter Family Documentary Released
3/25/07 A new hour long documentary on the Carter Family--Will The Circle Be Unbroken--highlights the career of the legendary read more...
Appalachian Culture: Shaped-note Singing
3/20/07 In this Asheville, North Carolina, news article, old vocal traditions are highlighted and how they integrate with read more...
J.D. Crowe & The New South Announce Spring Tour
Bluegrass Hall of Honor inductee J.D. Crowe and his band The New South are hitting the road this spring in support read more...
Music Maker Relief Foundation: A Treasure Trove of American Music
'Blues will never die because it is a spirit. It is an uplift and the way you feel it, that is the way it is. And it brings a lot of read more...
DETILLIER REPORT - North Carolina NFL Draft prospects
North Carolina's top college prospects: NC State - Even after losing Mario read more...
Merle Haggard Sings For Biodiesel
2/2/07 Now a spokesman for the National Biodiesel Board, Merle Haggard intends to spread the word on the energy crisis by read more...
Willie Nelson On The Road Again
1/21/07 Willie Nelson takes his show on the road to the British Isles this week. Nelson prepares to tour in the states in the read more...
Willie Nelson On The Road Again
1/21/07 Willie Nelson takes his show on the road to the British Isles this week. Nelson prepares to tour in the states in the read more...
...5th Annual Music Maker Relief Foundation Fishing Tournament Approaching...
1/14/07 Music Maker Relief Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting musicians rooted in southern read more...
...5th Annual Music Maker Relief Foundation Fishing Tournament Approaching...
1/14/07 Music Maker Relief Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting musicians rooted in southern read more...
...5th Annual Music Maker Relief Foundation Fishing Tournament Approaching...
1/14/07 Music Maker Relief Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting musicians rooted in southern read more...
Del Reeves RIP
Del Reeves, a Grand Ole Opry star who sprinkled his performances with humor and hit No. 1 on the country charts in read more...
Townes Van Zandt & Eddie Hinton on Film
12/11/06 The work of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt is now available on DVD. Be Here To Love Me can be found at
Porter Wagoner Signs New Deal, Marty Stuart to Produce
Los Angeles based Anti Records announces the signing of Country Music Hall of Famer, Porter Wagoner in celebration of his read more...
North Carolina Reviews
American Hearts
A.A. Bondy American Hearts Fat Possum Records The South is one of the last places as far as I know where read more...
Another Country
Tift Merritt
The Very Best of Outlaw Country
(Legacy) The thing that sets this compilation apart from the plethora of others that are always being flooded into the read more...
Third And A Mile
Third And A Mile by William C. Rhoden ESPN Books
Honey Songs
Honey Songs Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players Yep Roc Records By James Calemine North read more...
Vagabonds
Vagabonds Gary Louris Rykodisc By James Calemine Gary Louris, co-founder of the read more...
Brothers of the Southland
Brothers of The Southland is one of the best of the plethora of “all star” bands playing today, and their debut CD is a read more...
A Tail of Two Cities
(ATO) All I can say is “wow!” The Mule is burning white hot on both of the two live shows in this read more...
Frankie Ray
Frankie Ray Jonathan Wilson Pretty And Black By James Calemine North Carolina native Jonathan read more...
Desperate Man Blues
Desperate Man Blues: Discovering The Roots of American Music The Story of Joe Bussard
Blues Sweet Blues
Blues Sweet Blues Various Music Maker Artists Music Maker Series #91 & #92 By James Calemine
Song of America
Song of America Various Artists 31 Tigers Records By James Calemine This 50-song, 3 CD read more...
KELBRN
Coltrane:The Story of a Sound
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound Ben Ratliff FSG Books By James Calemine Ben Ratliff wastes no words in read more...
Lovin’ Pretty Women
(Rebel Records) The Steep Canyon Rangers are one of the finest bluegrass bands playing today. They read more...
Black Snake Moan
Driving With The Devil
A Love Supreme
Straight No Chaser
Atlanta Twelve String
Atlanta Twelve String Blind Willie McTell Atlantic Records By James Calemine Perhaps the most gifted of read more...
Criss-Cross
Criss-Cross Thelonious Monk Columbia Records By James Calemine Born October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount, read more...
Fruit Tramp Ballads of the Great Northwest
Dave McGrew’s Fruit Tramp Ballads of the Great Northwest preserves a testimony to those hardworking folks who may read more...
Portraits and Songs From the Roots of America
Enclosed within the new Music Maker book titled Portraits and Songs From the Roots of America rests a CD featuring 22 read more...
Govt Mule - Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY 4/27/06
Gov't Mule Town Ballroom Buffalo NY April 27, 2006 Well a week later and we are still read more...
Follow Your Heart's Desire
Pura Fe is her birth name. In Spanish it translates, “Pure Faith”. Born in 1959, Pura Fe was named by her Puerto Rican read more...
Etta Baker with Taj Mahal
Etta Baker was born in 1913 amid the hills of Morganton, North Carolina. She began playing guitar at age four. Baker remains the read more...
Toot Blues
Guitar Gabriel’s Toot Blues originally existed as a cassette in 1991. That same year, Tim Duffy discovered Gabe, one read more...
High Steppin' Mama
Clyde Langford learned guitar from Texas blues great Sam “Lightning” Hopkins’ older brother Joe read more...
Side Street Pizza, Tryon, N.C.
Side Street Pizza Tryon, North Carolina Mon.-Thurs. 11-9 Fri. and Sat. 11-10 Sun 3-9 Tel: read more...
The Pilot House Restaurant, Wilmington, N.C.
The Pilot House Restaurant Chandler's Wharf Wilmington, N. C. Our Sunday lunch visit to the read more...
Sisters of the South
Sisters of the South contains 13 songs performed by 12 different female Music Maker artists. Every song on this amazing read more...
CDB-DVD-Live
(Koch) I could not have imagined a better DVD from our old friends The Charlie Daniels Band. In this, their read more...
Live At Bonnaroo
Warren Haynes Live At Bonnaroo (ATO) Around these parts, we all agree on one thing. read more...
Deja Voodoo
Gov’t Mule Deja Voodoo (ATO) The Mule is back! On this, the band’s first read more...
Double Wide & Live
Southern Culture On The Skids Double Wide & Live (Yep Roc) The South’s #1 read more...
Live & Lost
Copperhead Live & Lost (Eastwinds) According to the liner notes, this is “the read more...
Guitar Heaven
Cool John Ferguson’s Guitar Heaven stands as his second Music Maker album. Born on Saint Helena read more...
The Best Kept Secret
Jerry Douglas The Best Kept Secret (Koch) Hands down, Jerry Douglas is the read more...
A Hot Piece of Grass
Hayseed Dixie A Hot Piece of Grass (CKV) I have been a fan of Hayseed Dixie read more...
Sugar Hill Records: A Retrospective
Sugar Hill Records A Retrospective (Sugar Hill) Sugar Hill has assembled a 25 -year read more...
High and Mighty
Gov’t Mule High and Mighty (ATO) What can be written about Asheville, NC native read more...
Friends Of Old Time Music
Friends Of Old Time Music The Folk Arrival 1961-1965 (Smithsonian Folkways) Between read more...
North Carolina ArticlesThe Greatest Vocalists of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1.
GRITZ Southern Rock Lists
SWAMPLAND'S SOUTHERN ROCK LISTS We love lists! This is your one-stop index page for all of our lists. read more...
Driving With The Devil
An excerpt from DRIVING WITH THE DEVIL: Southern Moonshiners, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR By Neal Thompson Crown read more...
Southern Sporting "Events"
by Patrick Snow As I attended a Kentucky Derby function this past Saturday, it was never more evident that Southerners must throw a pretty good party. We are probably more known nationally for our college football crowds and pageantry, but the spring read more...
Gritz Legends of Southern Rock
A handful of bands from the Southern Rock Era have earned the title of "Legend." These are the bands that defined the genre and set the bar for all other bands in their wake. These are the few, the originals, the Legends of Southern Rock.
The BCS: A Friend to the SEC (and the Rest of the Footprint)
We at Tribal Fever find it odd that it would be the SEC who would call for a playoff system. We wonder how the SEC can be so blind to the fact that the BCS has been great for that conference. For those that love the idea of a playoff, we will list the reasons why most every proposal for a college playoff is a horrible idea for college football at large and especially read more...
Snowman's 2008 Draft Wrap Up
The annual NFL Draft is now over, and the critics will have a field day with opinions on who did well and who faltered with their choices. I thought I would take a look at the Draft from the collegiate view and see who from our region will have the biggest impact on their new read more...
SPF's 2008 NFL Draft Awards
Although the NFL Draft still have rounds 3-7 to go, we at SPF think it is time to hand out some awards. Except in very rare cases, team's drafts are defined by their day one picks, and we learned a lot about how the SPF slate of teams are approaching the coming season - for better or worse. Let the cermony begin! THE "DAMN THE TORPEDOES read more...
Record Stores of the Swampland Footprint
ALABAMA CD Cellar Anniston AL Oz Music Tuscaloosa AL ARKANSAS Sound Warehouse Fayetteville read more...
The Top Ten Albums of Southern Rock
Southern Rock’s Top Ten Welcome to a new feature at GRITZ called Southern Rock’s Top Ten, where we will be asking the stars an journalists associated with the genre, as well as some of today’s country music stars, to share their Top Ten all time favorite read more...
The Top Ten Albums of Southern Rock According to...
On the heels of my own Top Twenty Five Southern Rock albums, we asked a few of our friends to share their own lists of Favorite Southern Rock albums, and we got a few real surprises, but one fact remains, The Allman Brothers Band Fillmore East album has a heck of a lot of fans read more...
Merlefest at 21, Doc Watson at 85: Festival Notes
A Great American Music Festival And Its Host At The Crossroads by Derek Halsey "In 1934, Dad made me a little home-made banjo,” remembers Doc Watson, on the historic three-CD album of performances and conversation recorded with
Legends of Southern Rock: Blackfoot
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1969, Jacksonville, Florida: Charlie Hargrett, Rick Medlocke and Greg T. Walker form the band read more...
SEC: Conference King Once Again
By Patrick Snow It’s an argument that will never end-whose Conference is better? Fans will debate this topic vociferously every season, and the answer always tends to lie close to your address. I’m not sure that the Bowl games are the best way to evaluate league strength across college football, but it is basically all we have. Here’s my opinion read more...
The Appalachian Sounds of Fonotone Records
The Appalachian Sounds of Fonotone Records By James Calemine “I went out in the open field/Black snake bit me on the heel, I’ve stood around and done my best/Shoved my head in a hornet’s read more...
Anarchy in the ATL
By Patrick Snow The current Atlanta Falcons mess brings up so many thoughts and issues. I thought I would try to answer some of the questions that are plaguing this moribund franchise. How did everything go so wrong? The forecast for the Falcons never looked brighter than just five years ago. They had a charismatic new owner in Arthur Blank, an read more...
Goodbye, Babylon: A Patchwork Quilt of American Music
GOODBYE, BABYLON A Patchwork Quilt of American Music By James Calemine
Coaching Carousel
By Patrick Snow The end of the college football season always brings with it unfulfilled goals which translates into coaching changes. There has been quite a bit of movement in our region. Some of the firings were inevitable while others showed us just how unrealistic certain fan bases are with their expectations. I thought I would examine each job, and how it matches up read more...
Colts and Patriots: Providing the Blueprint?
By Patrick Snow The NFL has historically been a ‘copycat’ league and here’s to hoping that the success of the Colts and Patriots influences more teams to build up their offense. When clubs had to adjust to the salary cap in the ‘90s, the theory of finding a quarterback to “just not lose the game” seemed to become very popular. read more...
The Great Southern Sportswriters Series
Writing and storytelling have always been deeply ingrained in Southern culture. The people that combined that art with the Swampland Footprint's passion for sports make the whole experience more special and unique. Swampland Sports is proud to offer this series of profiles of the best sportswriters our Footprint has to offer. You've already probably read them read more...
Truck Driving Man (An American Roadsong)
Truck Driving Man (An American Roadsong)
Enjoy the Season
By Patrick Snow Another college football season--another initial release of the BCS standings. This annual ritual seems to send everyone running to call a local talk show to scream about a Playoff system and how the middle letter should be removed from ‘BCS’. Enough already. If all that you’re worried about is how January turns out, you’re read more...
SEC: Top Level for Coaches?
By Patrick Snow Many of us who grew up in the South have always believed that the SEC was King when it came to sports and our allegiances. We watched and cheered for professional teams, but our passion was always at the collegiate level. For many years, coaches have moved from the Amateurs to the ‘Pros’ mainly for monetary reasons, but you read more...
A Modest Proposal: Southern College Conference Realignment
Now that Swampland Sports has launched Tribal Fever (TF), our dispatch dedicated to college sports in the South, we figured it was time to do weigh in on the current state of college football conferences. The college football conference landscape in the Footprint has become downright confusing. It used to be that there were three main conferences, the read more...
Athletic Directors: Be Ready To Ante Up
Southern college football-we live it and breathe it year-round, and it has become abundantly clear that the stakes of the game have been raised with some of the recent coaching hires. The ‘price of poker’ is increasing steadily, and if your school is not ready to ante up, your team will be left behind. We’re witnessing a changing of the guard when it comes to read more...
SPF 2007 Team Previews
As promised, we have our 2007 Team Previews! Since fans can go to numerous places to read about rosters, statistics, etc, we at Southern Pro Football want to focus our 2007 previews on the teams and their connection to their area of the South. We will examine four categories: Background: Covering the past and recent history of the read more...
Sunshine State Swoon
Sunshine State Swoon By Patrick Snow Has professional football hit its lowest point in the state of Florida? I’m not trying to overreact to three Week 1 losses, but one has to wonder what direction the franchises in the Sunshine State are going. None of the three squads ran for over 90 yards as a team in Week 1, and it’s hard to see much read more...
Legends of Southern Rock: The Allman Brothers Band
by Michael Buffalo Smith The Allman Brothers Band is pretty much universally accepted as the premier Southern Rock band, the first, the founding fathers.
MerleFest 2007: A Preview
By Michael Buffalo Smith MerleFest 2007, the Americana Music Celebration Presented by Lowe’s, (the 20th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson) will be presented on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC on April 26 - 29, 2007. Those joining Doc Watson and Merle’s son Richard read more...
Tim Duffy: Music Maker Relief Foundation
Tim Duffy Swampland Interview Music Maker Relief Foundation A Treasure Trove of American Music by James Calemine March, 2007 Music Maker Relief foundation, a non-profit organization, assists neglected southern musicians with daily expenses, instrument acquisition, recording, tour read more...
Jim Van Cleve
Jim Van Cleve Taking Bluegrass Music In His Own Direction By Derek Halsey July 2006 Still in his 20’s, Jim VanCleve is a young fiddler that is what bluegrass radio show host Wayne Clyburn would call ‘ate up with music.’ VanCleve’s main job is playing fiddle with the read more...
Bryan Sutton
BRYAN SUTTON: A Great Guitarist Digs Deep With The Legends By Derek Halsey July 2006 Bryan Sutton’s resume speaks for itself. He came out of a musically inclined family in North Carolina with the intent of becoming a first rate recording session musician. Along the way, many of the world’s top musicians heard him read more...
One County Over: Ralph Stanley Sings the Music of the Carter Family
by Derek Halsey May, 2006 AP, Sara, and Maybelle Carter did not invent country music. The music had been evolving in the Appalachian Mountains for generations before the trio made their fateful trip to Bristol, Tennessee in 1927 to record their first sides. While there had been recordings made of country and string band music earlier, Charlie read more...
Rodney Moag
Austin's own western swingin', yodel singin', morse-codin', on the roadin', book writin', out-of sightin', college teachin', language speakin', fiddle playin', radio deejayin', pickin' singin', always grinnin', college professor by Rush Evans November, 2005 When I arrive at Rod Moag's read more...
The World Comes Out To Merlefest
THE WORLD COMES OUT TO MERLEFEST By Derek Halsey June 2004 Merlefest Music Festival April 29-May 2, 2004 I am sitting in a school bus. It is not your normal bus, but a short yellow school bus that read more...
Charlie Daniels 2003
The Heart & Soul of Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2003 For the cover story of our third print issue in 2003 I called on our old friend Charlie Daniels. Having interviewed him numerous times in the past, I was looking for a new angle. It didn’t take much looking. read more...
Del McCoury
MAN OF THE YEAR: DEL McCOURY By Derek Halsey September 2003 The story of the rise of the Del McCoury Band is an impressive one. These days they are playing before large crowds of young and old folks alike. Their roots are firmly planted in the traditions of bluegrass music, yet their read more...
Jupiter Coyote
Deep Inside The Cosmos Factory Jupiter Coyote Jams by Scott Greene Summer 2002 In our neverending quest to bring you the best the music world has to offer, we are always looking for new and fresh acts to feature. When a reader wrote (thanks, Philip) and asked if we had done anything on Jupiter Coyote, I had read more...
George Lindsey
GEORGE LINDSEY A Chat with Mayberry’s Goober Pyle by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2002 There’s no doubt about it. George Lindsey will always been remembered first and foremost as the loveable goof known as Goober Pyle, whom he made famous read more...
Barry Lee Harwood (Rossington Collins Band)
DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME Barry Lee Harwood On Life After The Rossington Collins Band by Scott Greene May 2002 When the Skynyrd plane went down in the swamps of Mississippi, like so many of you, I thought the music had died along with those we all loved and respected. But when the surviving members read more...
David Holt
David Holt's Folkways and Riverwalk And Working with Doc Watson by Derek Halsey April 2002 David Holt has been a musician, storyteller, and television show host for about thirty years or so. He has put out quite a few albums that dig deep into the nearly lost music of the mountains of the Carolinas. He is read more...
Warren Haynes 2002
Goin' Off the Deep End with Warren Haynes by Michael Buffalo Smith February 2002 From his massive body of work with Gov’t Mule and The Allman Brothers Band, to his unforgettable jams as a member of Phil Lesh & Friends and his days with The Dickey Betts Band and David Allan Coe’s ensemble, read more...
Artimus Pyle 2001
Street Survivor: Artimus Pyle on his friend Allen Woody, the new APB album and life in general by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2001 Hi Artimus. I’d like to begin this second interview by asking you to share with your fans a little about how you knew the late Allen Woody, read more...
Charlie Daniels 2000
Back to Tennessee: Catching Up with Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith October 2000 What inspired you to record the songs you recorded for your new album Tailgate Party?
Farther Down The Road with Taj Mahal
Farther Down The Road with Taj Mahal By James Calemine Taj Mahal remains a craftsman of many musical styles. His career reveals a vast scope submerged within traditions of roots music. This year Columbia released four Taj Mahal classics: Taj Mahal, The Nach’l Blues, The Real Thing, and The Best of Taj Mahal.
In Memory of Allen Woody
In Memory of Allen Woody October 2, 1956 - August 25, 2000 This is the poem Warren read at the funeral. SMILE AT HALF MAST by read more...
Mojo Collins
by Michael B. Smith Summer 2000 North Carolina's own Rock, Folk and Blues Legend & Premier Songwriter-Performer and recipient of 1999-2000 North Carolina Arts Council Music Fellowship in Songwriting, Mojo Collins has honed a unique musical talent during five decades of performance and experience. A renowned guitarist, often compared to Jimi read more...
Gov't Mule
BAD LITTLE DONKEY Gov’t Mule Conquers the World by Michael Buffalo Smith February 2000 Following in the footsteps of bands like The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band, but with heavy influences ranging from Cream to Hendrix to Pink read more...
Artimus Pyle 1999
His Tonka Toys Were Real An Exclusive Interview with Artimus Pyle by Michael Buffalo Smith November 1999 He was the second drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd but most fans know him as THE drummer for the South’s most popular band. Artimus Pyle played on the band’s best-loved albums, read more...