Holiday shows abound in Nashville, including the annual Ryman residency of Amy Grant and Vince Gill. We particularly enjoyed shows by Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss at the Franklin Theater. Both artists offered a mix of holiday songs and their own hits. Entertaining and often moving.
Category: Nashville music
Cimarron 615: A new band with Poco roots
By Ken Paulson – A tribute to the late Rusty Young of Poco has paid a welcome dividend: the birth of a new band. Five artists, all with significant ties to Young and Poco, teamed up late last year for My Friend: A Tribute to Rusty Young on Blue Elan Records. The quintet, dubbed Cimarron 615 for the recording, contributed…
Steve Forbert is “Moving Through America” with stop in Nashville
By Ken Paulson – Words never spoken after a Steve Forbert concert: “I’m just so tired of him playing the same set on every tour.” Forbert, a former Nashville resident, returned to the town’s City Winery tonight with a performance that promoted his new album Moving Through America, but seemed to be largely fueled by whim. I was just telling…
Review: Will Kimbrough’s fine “Spring Break”
By Paul T. Mueller –“Spring break” took on some added meaning early this year, when the pandemic shut down normal life and most people had to adjust to a strange new reality. For Nashville-based singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, Spring Break turned out to be a good title for an album recorded during a forced hiatus from touring and other activities. It’s…
Review: Eliot Bronson’s “Empty Spaces”
Empty Spaces is one fine breakup album – written, as Eliot Bronson says, as therapy in the wake of painful breakup and a move to a new city.
Americana and country artists take a stand for the First Amendment
Jason Isbell, Loretta Lynn, Ketch Secor and more are supporting our core freedoms.
John Prine’s “Bruised Orange” from his friends in Nashville
Here’s a terrific tribute to John Prine and “Bruised Orange” from a great group of Nashville musicians, all friends and colleagues of John’s.
Bill Lloyd on his new live album 2GTRSBSDRMS
The prolific Bill Lloyd talks about his new live album cryptically called “2GTRSBSDRMS.” It’s full-throttle back-to-basics rock.
Missing John Prine
There was a truly special night when John Prine took the stage to perform his first album from start to finish, as a full and incandescent moon was reflected in the waves. For the rest of my life, when I think of John, I’ll think of that moment and those songs.
The Quarantine Playlist: Nashville
Quarantine Playlist of the Day: Nashville (the TV series). This show ran 6 seasons from 2012-18, starting on ABC and ending on CMT.
A new song and some inspiration from Marshall Chapman
Marshall Chapman’s upcoming album features this stirring performance of “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands,” a #1 hit in America 42 years ago this week by 13-year-old Laurie London.
Jim Lauderdale celebrates North Carolina
The incredibly prolific Jim Lauderdale has a new album celebrating his home state of North Carolina, with a little help from the North Carolina Arts Council.
Sara Peacock concert streaming tonight
Sara Peacock will be doing a live concert at 7 p.m. Central via Facebook Live and Instagram tonight to promote her new album “Burn the Witch.” Highly recommended.
Show #39 Raul Malo on “The Mavericks Play the Hits”
In this edition of the Americana One Podcast, Raul Malo tells us why the Mavericks decided to cover songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – all with new arrangements and in delightfully tacky packaging.
Review: Marty Stuart, John Prine and “Songs That Tell A Story”
By Ken Paulson – Throughout his performance last night at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Marty Stuart emphasized the unique nature of the concert, saying “This is never going to happen again.” That’s true of course, because this was the final evening of Stuart’s Artist-in-Residence series, but it would be a shame if the Country Music Hall of Fame…
Review: Marty Stuart’s “Psychedelic Jam-Bo-Ree” takes a musical trip to the ’60s
By Ken Paulson – You know you’re in for a particularly spirited evening at the Country Music Hall of Fame when Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives tackle the Surfaris’ classic “Wipeout” and drummer Harry Stinson plays a solo on his face. That was just one example of a night full of surprising and highly entertaining performances on the second…
Review: Amy Speace’s “Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne”
By Paul T. Mueller – Amy Speace is a keen observer of humanity, and of all the good and bad humans are capable of. She’s also a gifted songwriter and performer, able to translate her observations into beautiful and moving songs. Speace’s latest collection is titled Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne, and it’s full of the excellent writing and singing…
Show #38 Mandy Barnett and her “Strange Conversation”
We recently enjoyed a not-so-strange chat with the engaging Mandy Barnett about her new album Strange Conversation. The setting was WMOT’s 895 Fest on the fields of the Hop Spring Beer Park, a distinctly different venue than her upcoming “Nashville Songbook” concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below on Broadway on August 13. But that’s no surprise. Mandy Barnett’s career has always been…
At last: Buddy and Julie Miller return with memorable show
Julie Miller makes a rare concert appearance in Nashville.
New Steve Poltz video: “Ballin’ On a Wednesday”
Steve Poltz has a new video taken from his current album Shine On and it’s unsurprisingly goofy. Best of all, he recreates the incident that inspired the song, a tale he shared in his Americana One podcast interview.