This week’s mail contained a pleasant surprise – the new Jenny Van West album “Happiness to Burn” due for release in April . We love this Maine-based artist’s voice and admire the sentiment of “Live in a New Way,” inspired by the protests surrounding the death of Freddie Gray.
Detroit bluegrass: Escaping Pavement at the Americana in Houston
Escaping Pavement – Emily Burns and guitarist-mandolinist Aaron Markovitz, – both veterans of what they described as a thriving Detroit bluegrass scene, were undeterred by the sparse turnout, playing three enthusiastic sets that showcased their strong vocals and instrumental skills.
Reissues: The Choir’s “Artifact – The Unreleased Album”
I’ve always loved the near-perfect power pop of the Raspberries, and I knew their roots were in the Choir, where band members Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti and Dave Smalley honed their skills.
There have been re-issues of this Cleveland band’s early stuff, most notably “Choir Practice” and their single “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
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.
New release: Maggie Valley Band’s “The Hardest Thing”
The Maggie Valley Band, hailing from Maggie Valley, NC, features the harmonies and musicianship of sisters Whitney and Caroline Miller. Here’s the title track from their folk and bluegrass-laden new album.
Ruby Boots in Nashville this Saturday
One of the most intriguing artists we saw at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City last weekend was Ruby Boots, a West Australian singer-songwriter with a real rock edge. We’re confident she was the only performer at this folk music conference who led people to say “Does that sound like T.Rex?”
The Mastersons’ “Don’t Tell Me to Smile”
You couldn’t walk more than a few steps at last weekend’s Folk Alliance International Conference without seeing someone wearing a “Don’t Tell Me to Smile” button. It’s a statement for the times, but also doubled as a bit of promotion for the new Mastersons video of the same name. From “Transient Lullaby:”
Cayamo 2018 review – A week of high points
Any weeklong music festival tends to turn into a blur of overlapping shows, and this year’s Cayamo festival-at-sea was no exception. The annual charter cruise, held aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pearl and produced by NCL subsidiary Sixthman, featured 40-plus performers and something like 100 shows over the course of six days and seven nights.
Quotable Cayamo
Some of the most memorable onstage comments on the Cayamo 2018 cruise:
“Good God, you are a morose bunch.” – John Prine, commenting on some of the songs suggested by passengers for his all-request show
Show #6 Bill Lloyd’s new “It’s Happening Now”
Bill Lloyd, along with partner Radney Foster, were fresh voices in country music as the duo Foster and Lloyd. Today Bill skews more pop and rock than country, as evidenced by his ambitious new album “What’s Happening Now,” Bill talks about the Foster and Lloyd years and his career since then in this Americana Music News podcast.
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.
Folk Alliance International 2018 set for Feb. 14-18
One of our favorite events of the year is the annual Folk Alliance International conference. There can’t be any place on the planet with more talent per square foot.
Lee Ann Womack’s “All the Trouble”
Yet another track we admire from Lee Ann Womack’s “The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone”:
Show #3 Chip Taylor and his new release “Fix Your Words”
There’s a good case to make that Chip Taylor is a godfather of Americana music. His ’70 albums – particularly “Chip Taylor’s Last Chance” – foreshadowed the genre to come. Chip has had an astonishing career as a Hall of Fame songwriter (“Wild Thing,” “Angel of the Morning”), as a partner with Carrie Rodriguez and as a solo artist of great integrity. In this conversation on Grammys weekend in New York, Chip tells us about his latest album “Fix Your Words.”
Show #2 Band of Heathens and the inspiration of Ray Charles
Episode 2 of the Americana Music News podcast featuring Gordy Quist of the Band of Heathens. Recorded on board Sandy Beaches cruise 2018. Subscribe on iTunes.
Podcast 1 Raul Malo of the Mavericks
A conversation on board the Sandy Beaches Cruise with Raul Malo of the Mavericks about the band’s new label and projects.
Cayamo Music Cruise 2018 preview
Cayamo 2018, a “festival at sea” focused on singer-songwriters, celebrates its 10th anniversary (and 11th sailing) beginning Feb. 4. More than 40 performers – some solo, some with bands – will provide the entertainment, which at times will span more than 12 hours a day of continuous shows.
Joe Ely and Terry Allen, with Jo Harvey Allen at the Heights Theater
Fans who bought tickets to the Jan. 26 show by Joe Ely and Terry Allen at Houston’s Heights Theater might have expected an entertaining song swap. They got that, and so much more
Best Americana Album: Jason Isbell’s Nashville Sound
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit win the Grammy for Americana Album of the Year