Hiss Golden Messenger

It’s almost May Day, with Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day hot on the heels of love, so if you’ve got a barge or dock, and you’re like Merle Haggard, you should consider making a record on that barge or dock while floating around Lake Shasta, as documented in this timeless photo. For obvious reasons, that picture is an avowed favorite of Hiss Golden Messenger chief M.C. Taylor, whose Poor Moon LP continues to garner a lot of attention and critical acclaim.

Spring is finally showering North Carolina with redbuds, jasmine blossoms, and pawpaw sprouts, and folks are out on their porches. So what a happy coincidence that the second vinyl edition of Hiss Golden Messenger’s Poor Moon is now available for purchase. (The first pressing is now completely, indubitably sold out.)

We have been able to free up a handful of copies of the first pressing of Hiss Golden Messenger’s critically acclaimed Poor Moon LP. This is your last chance to own the original, hand-numbered edition with tip-on sleeves. Email us if you’re interested. Look for a second vinyl edition this spring, as well as a CD reissue on the fine Tompkins Square label, available in April.

Happy New Year, folks. Thanks to Stephen Deusner for including Poor Moon among his “Most Underrated Albums of 2011” list on Salon.com. Says he: “Poor Moon represents a personal, very expansive view of America and Americana music, alternately recalling Dylan, Hank Williams and any back-porch pickup band, yet the superlatively breezy country-rock vibe conceals bleak implications about morality, fatherhood, and country. Taylor sees a darkness, and to his considerable credit, he never flinches.”

The past few weeks have brought a rush of recognition for Hiss Golden Messenger, Poor Moon, and Paradise of Bachelors, for which we’re grateful and humbled. In the wake of the epic release party concert (see the previous post for photos; stay tuned here for recordings), below is our accounting of the recent slew of very positive views, reviews, and interviews.

Happy Thanksgiving! The Bachelors would like to share some holiday cheer with Hiss Golden Messenger fans. First, please consider taking a few minutes to read this righteous, and heavy duty, profile of Hiss Golden Messenger in the Independent Weekly, which plumbs the spiritual and paternal perspectives articulated in Poor Moon and spares some kind words for yours truly at PoB as well.

Interview Magazine–as in Andy Warhol’s Crystal Ball of Pop–has just published an interview with M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger about songwriting, his new Poor Moon album, and what it means to be a professional folklorist.