Author: Americana Music News

Americana music awards nominees Civil Wars book fall tour

 in Americana Music

The Civil Wars, Americana Music Association Awards nominees in both the duo and emerging artist categories, have scheduled a fall tour of the U.S. that begins in Birmingham, Alabama on Oct. 7. (They’re scheduled to appear Oct. 12 and 13 at the Americana Music Festival.)
Joy Williams and John Paul White are an extraordinary success story. with “Barton Hollow” selling more than 150,000 copies so far.

According to Entertainment Weekly, here are the fall dates:

October 7  Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre
October 8  Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
October 9  Atlanta, GA Presser Hall at Agnes Scott College
October 10 Atlanta, GA Presser Hall at Agnes Scott College
October 12-13  Nashville, TN Americana Music Festival & Awards
October 19  Charlotte, NC McGlohan Theatre
October 20 Durham, NC Page Auditorium
October 21 Norfolk, VA NorVa Theatre
October 22 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
October 23 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre
October 25 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero
October 27 New York, NY Town Hall
October 28 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
October 29 Montreal, QC Gesu
November 1 Toronto, ON The Phoenix
November 2 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater
November 3 Columbus, OH Lincoln Theatre
November 4 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
November 6 Chicago, IL The Vic
November 8 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall
November 9 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
November 13 Vancouver, BC The Vogue
Npvember 14 Seattle, WA The Neptune
November 15  Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
November 17  San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
November 18  Santa Barbara, CA Lobero Theatre
November 19  Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
November 20  Tempe, AZ The Marquee

The Civil Wars are also booked to perform on Cayamo 2012 in February.

Marshall Grant of Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Two 1928-2011

 in Americana Music

The pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll and what we now call American Music are in their eighties now. It’s remarkable that Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino are still playing, but we’ve lost many other legends of that generation.
Marshall Grant, the last living member of Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, died on Sunday. His bass playing was basic, but essential to Johnny Cash’s sound.
Peter Cooper of the Tennessean wrote an excellent piece on Grant’s passing, including this quote from Rosanne Cash:
“I was thinking yesterday that there would be no me without Marshall,” said
Cash’s daughter, the singer, songwriter and author on Sunday morning. “Had Dad not had Marshall, he wouldn’t have had the ‘Johnny Cash Sound,’ and he wouldn’t have become all that he was, in his fullness. And I wouldn’t have become a songwriter or a musician. There’s a whole lineage that wouldn’t have happened.”
You’ll find Cooper’s story here.

Jimmie Fadden on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Americana music

 in Americana Music

Jimmie Fadden reflected on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s many influences and how they helped shape the band’s own brand of Americana music in an interview with Timesdaily.com: “We have a lot of different interests in the band. It’s kind of what propelled us from rather obscure mountain music to Delta blues artists to more contemporary players. Just a variety of people and musical types. Just like any other young person that likes music, you just start soaking it up. We were 18 and 19 when we started doing this.
Roots music has always been outsider music. I think for a lot of people, they feel socially outside the norm. They don’t feel comfortable in what is termed currently pop. Therefore they look for something that’s a little more authentic. And I think that’s why we have a support for this kind of music like we did then, albeit much larger now than it was then.”
You’ll find more of Fadden’s comments on Timesdaily.com, including his namechecking the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Cayamo road trip scheduled

 in Americana Music

Sixthman, the company that stages the annual Cayamo music cruise, has announced a landlocked tour featuring performances by Cayamo artists. Chuck Cannon, Tim Brantley, Bronze Radio Return and Trailer Park Ninjas will play in various combinations over the month of August
The schedule:
Wednesday, Aug 3 – Miami, FL – Transit Lounge
Thursday, Aug 4 – Orlando, FL – The Social
Friday, Aug 5 – Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar
Saturday, Aug 6 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
Sunday, Aug 7 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
Tuesday, Aug 9 – Boston, MA – Johnny D’s
Wednesday, Aug 10 – New York, NY – City Winery
Thursday, Aug 11 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar
Friday, Aug 12 – Pittsburgh – The Altar Bar
Sunday, Aug 14 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
Tuesday, Aug. 16 Birdy’s Bar & Grill – Indianapolis, IN
Wednesday, Aug. 17 Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
Thursday, Aug. 18 3rd & Lindsley – Nashville, TN

Aretha Franklin returns to the Ryman

 in Americana Music

Tickets are now available for Aretha Franklin’s return to the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30 pm. Franklin’s recent illness led many to wonder if she would ever grace this stage again; her booking is great news. As we wrote on Sun209 in November 2010, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a crowd at the Ryman as excited as they were tonight. Sure, there are great shows there all the time, but the place was packed with people who had been waiting for four decades to see her. When she walked onstage, people were screaming and shouting and kept that up until their (and Aretha’s) energy flagged. Like B.B. King, Johnny Cash and Elvis, she’s one of those performers you’re just glad you had the chance to see.”

Updated Cayamo line-up: Lucinda Williams on board

 in Americana Music

Lucinda Williams  has been added to the roster of the 2012 Cayamo cruise, a music festival on the ocean set for Feb. 5-12. Williams, whose most recent album is Blessed, joins a roster that includes Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Keb’ Mo’, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, the Civil Wars, Sara Watkins, James McMurtry, Iris Dement, Shawn Mullins, Edwin McCain, Maia Sharp, The Belle Brigade,  Works Progress Administration, Angie Aparo, Chuck Cannon, Enter the Haggis, Winterbloom, Holly Williams, Shannon McNally,Ryan Montbleau Band, Sarah Lee & Johnny Irion, Beth Wood, Aslyn, Sarah Jaffe and Levi Lowrey.

John Hiatt album, Ryman concert scheduled

 in Americana Music

John Hiatt’s new album Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns is due for release on August 2.
Details from Hiatt’s website:
“As an added bonus, a deluxe version of the album will be made available, which will include a special behind-the-scenes DVD, The Making of Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns and 24/96 High Resolution audio mix of the entire album…
Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns was recorded at Ben’s Studio in Nashville and was produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes). In addition to Hiatt, the album features Kenneth Blevins on drums and percussion, Doug Lancio on electric guitars, mandolin and Hammertone and Patrick O’Hearn on bass guitar. As a preview to fans, the album’s opening track and first single, “Damn This Town,” is currently available to stream on Hiatt’s Facebook page.”
Hiatt will play his hometown of Nashville on Sept. 10, with opening act Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 22 at 10 a.m.

Connie Smith to be Country Music Hall of Fame artist in residence

 in Americana Music

Connie Smith has been named the 2011 resident artist at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, and will be performing and hosting shows there on Aug. 22 and 29 and Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
Past honorees have included Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Vince Gill, Guy Clark, Jerry Douglas, Kris Kristofferson and my favorite to date, Cowboy Jack Clement.
Here’s a video of the 23-year-old Connie Smith just starting her career.
http://youtu.be/A_kkA0Zb6BY

James Burton at the Country Music Hall of Fame

 in Americana Music

The legendary James Burton will be Bill Lloyd’s guest on the July 23 installment of “Nashville Cats” at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Burton drove Ricky Nelson’s early recordings and later was a pivotal member of Elvis Presley’s band. He also played on Dale Hawkins’ classic “Suzy Q” and Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” That’s as good a resume as a guitar player can have.
Admission is free with a Hall of Fame membership. Burton’s conversation with Lloyd begins at 1:30 and will be streamed live on the hall’s site.

New live set from Guy Clark

 in Americana Music

Peter Cooper of the Tennessean reports that Guy Clark will release a live CD recorded at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. Songs and Stories is scheduled for Aug. 16.
Two other Guy Clark live CDs are currently available:Together at the Bluebird Cafe with Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt, and an Austin City Limits performance (also on DVD.)

U2 salutes Johnny Cash at Nashville show

 in Americana Music

U2 surprised its Nashville audience last night with a performance of “The Wanderer,” a Zooropa song featuring Johnny Cash that had never before appeared in the band’s setlists. Bono spoke of his admiration for Johnny and June, promised to visit their hometown of Hendersonville on his next visit and did a pretty fair job of channeling Cash’s voice on the song.

Philip Gibbs: Petroleum Age

 in Reviews

Philip Gibbs is a topical singer-songwriter, although his topics come from past and present.
He clearly loves his Texas heritage, as evidenced by songs like “Stephen F. Austin’s Blues” and “Sam Houston’s Blues.”
But the highlight of his new album is the title song, “The Petroleum Age,” a jaunty protest song about the era of oil dependency. It’s written in the spirit of Phil Ochs, a fellow Texan. I think Phil would approve.

Philip Gibbs “Petroleum Age” from Possum Den Productions on Vimeo.

Keep Austin Weird

 in Reviews

Sun209 is based in Nashville, so we’re taking Austin’s claim of being the “”Live Music Capital of the World” with a grain of salt. That said, the line-up at the Keep Austin Weird Festival was truly impressive, particularly the bands that hit the stage in the late afternoon and early evening. There’s some of the Band in Deadman and Motown/Stax in Suite 709, but both build on those Old School roots in fresh and vibrant ways. The new Suite 709 CD “Keys” is due shortly.

Shawn Mullins lights up Portland

 in Reviews

By Lou Brancaccio

— Folk rock singer Shawn Mullins played to a sold out crowd Saturday night at Portland’s historic Aladdin Theater on Milwaukie Avenue. He then headed to Seattle for what he thought would be the end of his West Coast tour swing.

Not so fast.

Mullins opted to come back to Portland on Monday night to the cheers of those who couldn’t get into the Saturday show. We opted to attend the Monday performance to see what the buzz was about. And it sure was worth it.

The Aladdin Theater is perfect for this down-to-earth singer. It’s also one of the reasons why Couv residents love to travel across the river to the den of diversions. This joint began as a vaudeville house in the late 20s and played host to the likes of guys likes Jack Benny. Today the 620-capacity venue hosts an eclectic array of musicians.

Mullins lit up the crowd early with one of his more famous songs, “I just want to light you up.” And throughout the performance his soulful voice made the experience a keeper.

Mullins — who is a storyteller by trade — also entertained the crowd with stories from his life. Our favorite? He was playing in an L.A. Chinese restaurant in the ’90s and struck up a conversation with a woman who said she was getting tired of the boy bands and wished she could hear him on the radio. He said he told her he didn’t think that was in the cards. But not long afterward, he made it on the radio.

Mullins also mentioned to the crowd that he’s not sure he’d like to be any bigger than he is now. He likes his life and amount of fame just about like it is.

Mullins closed with a stirring rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.” This guy is a southern boy but appears to feel right at home in the Pacific Northwest.

(Lou Brancaccio is the editor of the Columbian. This article originally appeared in the Columbian and is republished with permission.)

Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Martina McBride honor CMA

 in Americana Music

The Country Music Association was honored with the Dale Franklin Award by Leadership Music tonight, and some of the biggest names in classic and contemporary country music performed. Loretta Lynn kicked things off with “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Keith Urban covered Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman,” Brad Paisley performed Buck Owens’ “Tiger by the Tail” and Martina McBride did her own hit “Independence Day.” Ronnie Milsap also did a short set, including a tribute to Ray Charles.

Pam Tillis, Lari White, Danielle Peck and Gretchen Peters in the round

 in Americana Music

Pam Tillis

Pam Tillis, Lari White, Gretchen Peters and Danielle Peck played in the round at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville tonight, a fundraiser for the Downtown YMCA.
The highlight was a Tillis and Peters duet on “Let That Pony Run.” Gretchen wrote the song, which Pam made a top five country hit in 1993.
Peters revealed that the cut led to a songwriting appointment with Tillis at her home. Tillis was at the peak of her career at the time, and apparently a little consumed by her busy schedule.
Tillis excused herself at one point and Peters waited. And waited.
“She never came back,” Peters laughed.

Grammy Block Party 2011

 in Americana Music

Laura Bell Bundy

The Recording Academy held its 13th Annual block party in Nashville, and booked an amazingly diverse line-up, including the Civil Wars, Laura Bell Bundy, Old Crow Medicine Show, Chancellor Warhol and Royal Tailor. Industry crowds are not always the most attentive audiences, but the music was outstanding.

Celebrating protest music

 in Americana Music

I’m pretty sure the first “protest song” I ever bought was the Hedgehoppers Anonymous single “Good News Week,” a 1965 project by Jonathan King that sold surprisingly well in the Chicago area and not so well elsewhere. Of course, it wasn’t really a protest song. It was just a calculated effort to make a buck when topicality was in vogue. See “Eve of Destruction.”
The real stuff came from people like Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
There hasn’t been much protest music in recent years, real or otherwise. And little wonder. A flip remark from Natalie Maines was all it took to get the Dixie Chicks bounced off country radio.
Adam McKay, co-founder of Funny or Die thinks this is a problem:

“Music is an entertainment slash art form that doesn’t suffer B.S. well. Sure you can sing songs about benign subjects like having a crush or wanting a Benz but try and sing a song about how the Koch Brothers need more tax breaks or how teacher’s unions are overpaid and it’s going to sound really, really F’d up. But other than Green Day we haven’t had a lot of protest music over the past few decades. Sure Rage Against the Machine was amazing and Neil Young had his say about Bush, but I’m always amazed how even small local bands stay away from the fact that our country is being ripped off, polarized and lied to by huge corporations that don’t pay taxes and weirdo billionaires who inherited all their money. ”

So McKay has a plan. He’s encouraging the writing of public domain protest songs. His site invites all comers and all viewpoints to share free speech set to music.
Predictably, the musical results are all over the board, but you have to admire the spirit.

“I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive”

 in Americana Music

Steve Earle tells USA Today’s Jerry Shriver that the songs on his new album, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” focus on mortality:
“They’re about mortality in the sense that, this is the one thing we all have to do. You know what they say about death and taxes. But you have the option to not pay taxes. I have done that. And paid the penalty and interest and survived. You have no choice about death whatsoever.”
The new album will be released April 26.