The Americana Music Festival, set for Nashville Sept. 11-16, has just released a new roster of performers. Additions include John Prine and friends, John Hiatt, I’me With Her, the Milk Carton Kids and Niki Bluhm.
Category: Nashville music
Podcast 17 “Outlaws and Armadillos” at the Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville has just opened “Outlaws and Armadillos,” a fascinating exploration of the fresh new music coming out of Austin and Nashville in the 1970s, courtesy of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Steve Young, Marshall Chapman, Doug Sahm and many more.
Podcast 12: Joshua Hedley and “Mr. Jukebox”
Joshua Hedley mines a traditional sound, but all but one song on his new “Mr. Jukebox” album on Third Man Records is an original.
The Rolling Stones’ “Exhibitionism” opens in Nashville
The Rolling Stones’ “Exhibitionism” is quite the spectacle, packed with memorabilia, stage costumes, vintage gear, posters and videos. It’s a full two-hour experience for the fan.
Podcast #11 Tim Easton and “Paco & the Melodic Polaroids”
Tim Easton has an intriguing new album called “Paco and the Melodic Polaroids,” a celebration of his black Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar, christened “Paco” by a Deadhead in Paris.
Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival Begins April 3
One of our favorite musical events of the year in Nashville is the annual Tin Pan South Festival, a celebration of songwriting in the world capital of that art. It begins this year on Tuesday, April 3 and continues through Saturday, April 7.
Robbie Fulks to play the Bluebird Cafe March 22
Robbie Fulks is coming to the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville this Thursday, March 22. It’s an unusual evening because the Bluebird typically features four songwriters sitting in the round, swapping songs and stories. But Robbie clearly doesn’t need any reinforcements.
Show #7: Mary Gauthier on “Rifles and Rosary Beads”
Mary Gauthier has just released a truly special album of her performing songs she wrote with veterans and their families. “Rifles and Rosary Beads” is a moving collection, drawn from “Songwriting:withSoldiers” sessions. We had the pleasure of hearing more about this important project in a conversation with Mary at the Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City.
Lisa LeBlanc in Nashville March 10
We happened upon Lisa LeBlanc at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City last weekend. For those who haven’t attended, it’s four days of great music and you end up stumbling from one showcase to another, like cruising the honky tonks on Lower Broad in Nashville. That’s the last time we’ll be so nonchalant about seeing her.
Show #5 Ashley Cleveland’s “One More Song”
Ashley Cleveland, a 3-time Grammy winner for rock gospel, has just released ‘One More Song,” a powerful and personal album that mirrors the honesty of her memoir “Little Black Sheep.” She talks about her once-tumultuous life and music in this episode of the Americana Music Podcast.
Show #4 Doyle and Debbie and the “Opry on acid”
Interview with Doyle and Debbie stars Bruce Arntson and Jenny Littleton, who embody this unusual country duo with a singular back story. It seems that Doyle, a regional country star with enormous personal baggage, is mounting his comeback with his “third Debbie.” Yes, it’s drawn from Shakespeare.
Lee Ann Womack’s “All the Trouble”
Yet another track we admire from Lee Ann Womack’s “The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone”:
Remembering Lari White
Remembering Lari White, who passed away this morning after a brief and relentless illness.
Willie Nile at Nashville’s City Winery
Willie Nile was clearly battling a respiratory bug, but he soldiered on in his show at the City Winery tonight, delivering an energetic and sometimes inspirational set.
New: Eric Brace’s “Cartes Postales”
We’ve long admired Eric Brace’s work, from Last Train Home to his solo work and collaborations with Peter Cooper, and his new “Cartes Postales” shows us a new side of his art. The album honors his father’s life and love of music and nine of the ten tracks are sung in French, his father’s home country. The music is beautiful, thanks in part to the many contributions of Rory Hoffman. A sample, taken from Eric’s appearance on Music City Roots:
Preview: Grant-Lee Phillips’ “Widdershins”
By Ken Paulson
One of my projects each year is to put together concerts that celebrate free speech. This year we had a new recruit.
Grant-Lee Phillips turned in great performances in Nashville at the Family Wash on the 4th of July and at the Bluebird Café in September, closing the latter concert with a roaring take on “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
So it makes perfect sense that Phillips’ new album “Widdershins,” set for release on Feb. 23 on Yep Roc Records, reflects his perspective on today’s free world.
“I made a commitment to myself not to sink into despair,” Phillips said in a release. “I’m tracing a longer narrative here. We’ve been through some of this before – not just our country, but the civilization as a whole.”
Here’s a preview track from the new album:
Bill Lloyd interview: “It’s Happening Now”
By Ken Paulson
Bill Lloyd of power pop and Foster and Lloyd fame has a new album out this week and it’s a musical departure. Rather than the Beatles/Byrds-infused sounds of “Set to Pop” and “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants,” “It’s Happening Now” is a refreshing collection of quieter, well-crafted compositions, long on melody and wry observations. We had the chance to catch up with Bill right before a performance in Nashville on Saturday to talk about his career, musical heroes and his new songs, including the only-in-Nashville “Pedal Tavern Girl.” As he notes in the interview, if you’ve liked Bill’s past work, you’ll enjoy “It’s Happening Now” as well. Highly recommended.
Kris Kristofferson’s “Life and Songs”
Just released is “The Life and Songs of Kris Kristofferson,” a three-disc set with guest spots from Buddy Miller, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, Alison Krauss and many more.
New: Billy Burnette’s “Crazy Like Me”
Billy Burnette has a fun new album “Crazy Like Me” that chronicles his career in music, including his years in Fleetwood Mac. We caught up with him at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville.
New: Lee Ann Womack’s “The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone”
Lee Ann Womack’s “The Way I’m Livin’ ” and her new album “The Lonely, Lonesome & The Gone” were of a kind with her debut hit “Never Again Again.” She really just came home to the genre.