'Elvis in Stephen King's "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County"

[Man out of Time]

Short interview section where Lynn Hoffman talks with John Mellencamp about the soundtrack album. Taken from A&E "Private Sessions" circa May 2011. Mention of EC who "plays the devil". Mellencamp and Stephen King are financing the musical and show themselves, which may tell us something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL4H7VI6Qc0

A poster for the Alliance Theatre production in Atlanta which opens on April 4 2012



MOOT

[johnfoyle]

http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/dc-mu ... pring.html

January 28, 2012

(extract)

The long-awaited Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a dramatic "roots musical" collaboration between novelist Stephen King and veteran performer John Mellencamp, will finally be launched this spring via a theatrical run in Atlanta beginning April 4 and the release of a star-studded studio concept album on May 22. Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Taj Mahal and Neko Case taking are among those taking the singing roles.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.turnupyourcity.com/news/mell ... tanta-4412

[johnfoyle]

http://encoreatlanta.com/alliance/2012/ ... nty-2.html

‘Ghost Brothers of Darkland County’ runs April 4-May 13 at the Allliance Theatre. Tickets: www.alliancetheatre.com or 404.733.5000.

[Man out of Time]

The show has opened in Atlanta. There is a positive review here:

http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2012/ ... -alliance/

and here:

http://www.purepolitics.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=60

and another here:

http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-mu ... 15099.html

and a piece that is not really much of a review here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/thea ... -play.html

The soundtrack is released on CD on 22 May.

MOOT

[Man out of Time]

The release date for this may be slipping. This article:

http://www.starpulse.com/Notables/King, ... /R2406690/

gives a release date of 12 June. No one seems to be listing this item for sale, except a stray e-bayer, also suggesting a June release date. Don't hold your breath.

MOOT

[Man out of Time]

Definitely no release yet. Hear Music website does not mention this CD at all. This site

http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/bitter ... w-releases

also suggests a release in the week commencing 12 June, so that is now looking favourite. The record label does not appear to be bothering itself at all with promoting this release.

The release now coincides neatly with the end of the Revolver Tour, just in case there was any danger of EC using the tour to promote a new release (albeit not his songs). I do wonder how record companies justify their existence these days.


MOOT

[Man out of Time]

Allmusic.com now also lists this for 12 June release.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ghost-bro ... 0002311483

Not yet listed on Amazon, or anywhere else not even on the record company's website here:

http://www2.concordmusicgroup.com/relea ... upcoming/#

MOOT

[johnfoyle]

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/162889/ste ... sentation/

Stephen King and John Mellencamp's Ghost Brothers of Darkland County to Hold New York Presentation
News By Broadway.com Staff
July 12, 2012 - 1:31PM

Rocker John Mellencamp and horror master Stephen King hope to bring their musical, The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, to New York, according to ShowBiz411.com. Directed by Susan V. Booth and featuring musical direction by T. Bone Burnett, the musical will hold a 10-day presentation in New York in September. After years in development, the show recently made its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theater in April.

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County features music and lyrics by Mellencamp and a book by King, and centers on the story of a 1957 tragedy that haunts a small Mississippi town. The show is billed as "a Southern gothic tale fraught with mystery, tragedy and ghosts of the past."

There is no word yet whether the Atlanta production's stars Emily Skinner, Tony winner Shuler Hensley, American Idol vet Justin Guarini and musician Jake La Botz will reprise their roles. The cast also featured Lucas Kavner, Kate Ferber, Christopher Morgan and country musician Dale Watson, as well as Peter Albrink, Kylie Brown, Lori Beth Edgeman, Gwen Hughes, Joe Jung, Joe Knezevich, Rob Lawhon, Royce Mann and Travis Smith.



The show, which was first announced in 2001, was originally slated to be part of Atlanta’s Alliance Theater’s 2008-2009 season. Liv Ullmann had previously been attached as director. A recording of the musical featuring Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow and Mellencamp was also announced for release in 2010, but never came to fruition.

[bronxapostle]

TEN DAYS??? woo-hooooo. who thinks it will be BEFORE EC solo California tour???

[Man out of Time]

Still no sign of this release. Wikipedia is saying that this is due for release in Spring 2013

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Brot ... um_release

This might be to coincide with a future theatre production, although there are no details available yet. That will be at least three years since the CD was recorded, so don't hold your breath.

MOOT

[Man out of Time]

A new announcement regarding the release date:

"The all-star recording of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a southern gothic supernatural musical from co-conspirators Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, will be released March 19 via Concord Recordings/Hear Music. As we first announced last January, the oft-delayed project will be released in a variety of formats including a Deluxe CD/DVD collection featuring a "mini documentary" on the making of the musical.

From the Press Release: This extraordinary collaboration features original music and lyrics plus key dialog excerpts performed by a stellar cast of guest artists including Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Taj Mahal, Ryan Bingham and Kris Kristofferson, along with actors Matthew McConaughey, Samantha Mathis and Meg Ryan. This special release also includes the musical's complete libretto, penned by Stephen King. A haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge 13 years in the making, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will be released on March 19th, 2013.

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County saga began when Mellencamp told King about a cabin on his land in Indiana where two brothers had gotten in a fight over a girl; one brother accidentally killing the other, only to die along with the girl in a car crash a short time later. King came up with an outline for a play in a matter of days. And then off and on, back and forth, they began to develop it into a full-length musical.

The superb blues 'n' roots music of Ghost Brothers reflects the wide range of styles and influences needed for a work that jumps back and forth across decades. Rather than use the songs to propel the play's narrative, as in a conventional musical, Mellencamp chose to make them a way to reveal the emotions and inner workings of the characters -- like Neko Case's exquisite, unapologetic delivery of "That's Who I Am;" the intense passion of Kristofferson's "How Many Days;" or Costello's cunning "That's Me," which establishes the persona of "The Shape," the Puck-like devil figure at the heart of Ghost Brothers who floats between the worlds of the living and the spirits. Numerous other highlights include the thunderous, dramatic ensemble piece "Tear This Cabin Down" and "Jukin,'" a grease-laden delta-rocker performed by Sheryl Crow. Mellencamp himself delivers the closing "Truth," a sublime meditation on the moral issues underpinning the action.

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County will be available across a variety of formats. The (enhanced CD) Standard Edition features the complete soundtrack, dialog excerpts and digital libretto. The (2CD/1DVD) Deluxe Edition contains the complete soundtrack (with and without dialog), deluxe art work, handwritten lyrics, specially printed libretto and the "Making of Ghost Brothers" mini-documentary DVD featuring in-depth interviews with King, Mellencamp and Burnett along with other bonus material. Ghost Brothers of Darkland County digital editions for tablets, smartphones and e-readers will allow users to interact in unprecedented ways with the complete soundtrack + digital libretto, as well as exclusive video and graphic materials.

Set in the tiny town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi, the Ghost Brothers' story centers on two sets of brothers: the ghosts of Jack and Andy, dead in an apparent murder/suicide, and their nephews, the living Frank and Drake, who seem to be headed toward the same downward spiral as their uncles. Joe, younger brother of Jack and Andy, father of Frank and Drake, has decided it's time to reveal his own terrible secret at the site of the tragedy, before it's too late.

Though some of the songs were written without knowing where they would fit in the script, most were the result of specific assignments. "Steve would call me up and go, 'We need a song like this to fill this place,'" Mellencamp says. "To be able to go, 'OK, now you're a 10-year-old boy, what would he say? Now you're a 19-year-old girl trying to attract the attention of a barroom of fellas'...that was just fun to do."

Once a working show had been assembled, producer Burnett-acclaimed for his work on such albums as Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack-was brought in to help unify the flow and feel of the music on stage. Burnett would also prove crucial when it came time to cast and record the Ghost Brothers album.

He started with the voice of "The Shape" -- "immediately, Elvis Costello came up," says Burnett, "who could be better playing the devil?" Rosanne Cash struck the producer as a match for Monique, Joe's troubled wife, as did Kris Kristofferson's unmistakable scratchy baritone to play the patriarch himself.

As the story emerged, it became clear to the collaborators that Ghost Brothers had taken them into unfamiliar territory -- and they liked it that way. "John can make rock & roll records and I can write books for the rest of our lives," says King, "but that's the safe way to do it, and that's no way to live if you want to stay creative. We were willing to be educated, and at our age, that's an accomplishment."

The highly successful original production of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, staged by Atlanta's well-regarded Alliance Theatre, premiered in the spring of 2012. Additional productions of the musical will be mounted in the coming year.

Credits: GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY

- Libretto by Stephen King
- Music & Lyrics by John Mellencamp
- Musical Direction by T Bone Burnett
- Featured cast: Kris Kristofferson, Meg Ryan, Matthew McConaughey, Samantha Mathis, Elvis Costello
- Featured musicians: Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Phil Alvin, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal, Neko Case, Dave Alvin, Rosanne Cash, John Mellencamp

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County track listing:

That's Me - Elvis Costello
That's Who I Am - Neko Case
So Goddamn Smart - Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Sheryl Crow
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me - Elvis Costello
Brotherly Love - Ryan Bingham and Will Dailey
How Many Days - Kris Kristofferson
You Are Blind - Ryan Bingham
Home Again - Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Taj Mahal
What's Going On Here - Rosanne Cash
My Name Is Joe - Clyde Mulroney
Tear This Cabin Down - Taj Mahal
And Your Days Are Gone - Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin
Jukin' - Sheryl Crow
What Kind Of Man Am I - Kris Kristofferson, Phil Alvin, Sheryl Crow Dave Alvin, Taj Mahal
So Goddamn Good - Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, Sheryl Crow
Away From This World - Sheryl Crow
Truth - John Mellencamp

http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/dc-mu ... tream.html

On that page there is a link to a stream of the first track "That's me" which is credited to EC, but the vocals sound nothing like him, so who it is, is anyone's guess....

MOOT

[John]

How bizarre!

That's Elvis!

[Jeremy Dylan]

That's Costello for sure, doing a brilliant kind of James Mason turn.

[MOJO]

"southern gothic supernatural musical". Wow, fully loaded.

[bronxapostle]

THAT'S HIM!!!


and hope this still happens...

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/162889/ste ... sentation/

Stephen King and John Mellencamp's Ghost Brothers of Darkland County to Hold New York Presentation
News By Broadway.com Staff
July 12, 2012 - 1:31PM

Rocker John Mellencamp and horror master Stephen King hope to bring their musical, The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, to New York, according to ShowBiz411.com. Directed by Susan V. Booth and featuring musical direction by T. Bone Burnett, the musical will hold a 10-day presentation in New York in September. After years in development, the show recently made its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theater in April.

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County features music and lyrics by Mellencamp and a book by King, and centers on the story of a 1957 tragedy that haunts a small Mississippi town. The show is billed as "a Southern gothic tale fraught with mystery, tragedy and ghosts of the past."

There is no word yet whether the Atlanta production's stars Emily Skinner, Tony winner Shuler Hensley, American Idol vet Justin Guarini and musician Jake La Botz will reprise their roles. The cast also featured Lucas Kavner, Kate Ferber, Christopher Morgan and country musician Dale Watson, as well as Peter Albrink, Kylie Brown, Lori Beth Edgeman, Gwen Hughes, Joe Jung, Joe Knezevich, Rob Lawhon, Royce Mann and Travis Smith.



The show, which was first announced in 2001, was originally slated to be part of Atlanta’s Alliance Theater’s 2008-2009 season. Liv Ullmann had previously been attached as director. A recording of the musical featuring Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow and Mellencamp was also announced for release in 2010, but never came to fruition.

[Jocko Wainwright]

Love it. The original hotty, indeed.

[Neil.]

LOL, wow - that's hilarious. It's like a laid-back, Rex Harrison version of 'Sympathy for the Devil'!

[sweetest punch]

The album will be released on June 4: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/musi ... y/2005679/ (this website has a trailer for this project).

King, Mellencamp 'Darkland County' album coming June 4

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, an all-star compilation of songs from a musical written by Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, will come out June 4.

The album features performances from Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Roseanne Cash, Ryan Bingham, The Blasters' Phil and Dave Alvin and others.

In a video trailer for the project, Burnett describes Ghost Brothers as "a ghost story, set to music." The musical, a collaboration that took 13 years, premiered last spring in Atlanta.

The album will come in multiple configurations, including an iBook, a two-CD/one-DVD set that contains the songs with and without dialogue excerpts, a libretto, liner notes written by journalist Alan Light and a Making of Ghost Brothers mini-documentary DVD, featuring interviews with King, Mellencamp and Burnett.

"We wanted to create a world of sound for a ghost story to be told, and it would be deep, it would be dark and have some kind of thread in it," Burnett says.

[sweetest punch]

The official website confirms the releasedate of June 4, 2013: http://www.elviscostello.com/#/news/im- ... hottie/380

[sweetest punch]

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Brothers-Da ... lencamp%22

[johnfoyle]

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/05/ ... um=twitter

[docinwestchester]

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/05/ ... um=twitter

Nice vocals on Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me. And some good signature sounding EC guitar work as well.

[charliestumpy]

Nice link/lovely EC sounds, ta.

[bambooneedle]

Stephen King & John Mellencamp on Letterman June 5th, 2013 - http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html