Pop Quiz

1. Why did The Milk Carton Kids decide to make their live album, Retrospect, available as a free download?
a. Mercury was in retrograde.
b. Their focus group suggested a price of .09 and they rounded down.
c. They believe in “try before you buy.”
d. It was actually an accident by their (ex) publicist.

2. How did the Milk Carton Kids decide on their name?
a. Both band members were kidnapped as children.
b. They love those “Got Milk?” ads.
c. It’s ironic — they’re both lactose intolerant.
d. It’s a metaphor for the vanishing insecurities and uncertainties of youth.

3. What reason did Mark Olson give for leaving The Jayhawks in 1995 after the release of Tomorrow the Green Grass, which is considered an Americana classic and the band’s finest record?
a. A pretty simple case of “Been there, done that.”
b. He and then girlfriend Victoria Williams wanted to be Americana’s version of John and Yoko
c. Seven Year Itch.
d. None of Your Beeswax.

4. Which of the following statements about the Jayhawks’ September release, Mockingbird Time, is NOT true?
a. It’s the first Jayhawks album since Tomorrow the Green Grass to feature Gary Louris and Mark Olson together.
b. It contains 13 versions of the James Taylor song “Mockingbird.”
c. It inspired All Music Guide to call them one of the finest American bands of its time.
d. It’s equal parts Byrds, Beatles and the Flying Burrito Brothers (according to The Independent UK).

5. Which of the following causes has Willie Nelson not championed?
a. National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.
b. Farm Aid.
c. Polygamy.
d. Habitat for Horses.

6. What prompted Willie Nelson to cut off his legendary braids in 2010?
a. He read an article in Style magazine about the best hair cut for your face shape
b. An escalator accident in the Atlanta airport
c. The high maintenance starting getting to him.
d. Tequila, and lots of it.

The Milk Carton Kids are two respected solo artists, Kenneth Pattengale and Joe Ryan. The band released its first studio album, Prologue, in July. NPR called it “Feel better music … and who doesn’t want to feel better?” The duo plays The Grey Eagle on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.

The Jayhawks perform at The Orange Peel on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. with Tift Merritt opening. The Jayhawks began playing in the mid-’80s in Minnesota, and their influence in the alt-country scene is equal to bands such as Wilco or Son Volt.  The band released its latest album, Mockingbird Time, a few weeks ago, and the lineup (except for the drummer) is that of the Green Grass era.

Willie Nelson began his music career in the ‘50s as a songwriter writing hits like “Crazy” for Patsy Cline and “Pretty Paper,” for Roy Orbison. He went on to have many country hits in each decade. His last album, Country Music, was released in 2010 and produced by T Bone Burnett. He performs at Harrah’s in Cherokee on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Answers:
1. c – They believe that letting people hear what they sound like live for free will compel more people to come out and pay to see them. Download it at themilkcartonkids.com.
2. d – yep, they really did come up with that.
3. a – He told Steve McLean in an interview earlier this year, “I’d reached a point in my life where I knew deep inside that I had to do something different.”
4. b – You’re going to have to wait for a James Taylor/Carly Simon reunion for that one.
5. c – He prefers to keep marrying one woman at a time until he gets it right.
6. c – CBS News called it “The Haircut Heard Round the World. According to his publicist, there was “A lot of maintenance.”