The national television debut of the Americana Music Festival is scheduled for Nov. 19 on Austin City Limits, which has released this show setlist, beginning with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Buddy Miller, Jerry Douglas and Don Was singing “I’ll Fly Away.” The Avett Brothers – The Once and Future Carpenter Lucinda Williams – Blessed Amos Lee – Cup of Sorrow Elizabeth…
Let Us In: A Tribute to Linda McCartney
The “Let Us In” concert at the Ryman Auditorium tonight was billed as a fundraiser for the Women and Cancer Fund, so let’s begin with a link to their site and a way to donate to the cause. I’m sure it was a good cause, but it was also an odd evening. This was marketed as a tribute to Linda…
Reviews: Chris Altmann, Mary Johnson Rockers, Jill Jack
Over four days at the Americana Music Festival, review copies of albums can be as ubiquitous as business cards. A sampling of some of the most intriguing artists we came across: Australian artists were well-represented at the Americana Music Festival. Chris Pickering’s “Work of Fiction,” produced by Don Nix, was a dazzling collection of jangly pop and his fellow countryman…
New to chart: Billy Burnette, Red Molly and Kenny Vaughan
Nashville is well-represented on this week’s Americana Music Chart, as Music City guitarists Billy Burnette and Kenny Vaughan enter the list. Burnette, the son of rockabilly legend Dorsey Burnette, and most recently a member of John Fogerty’s band, breaks in at #30 with “Rock ‘n’ Roll With It.” Vaughan, a mainstay of Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives, is at #37 with…
Good health news from Jesse Winchester
by Terry Roland Several months ago singer-songwriter, Jesse Winchester was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. Jesse is best known for his skilled songwriting and solo live performances. His debut 1970 self-titled album, produced by The Band’s Robbie Robertson, is widely regarded a classic today. His best known songs are “Yankee Lady”, “The Brand New Tennessee Waltz”, “Mississippi, You’re on…
Review: Ry Cooder’s “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down”
by Terry Roland – Ry Cooder’s latest release, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, hearkens back to the salad days of his breakthrough album, 1972’s Into The Purple Valley, an ironically nostalgic ode to Central California during the Great Depression. While that album was a wink and a grin about America’s past, an attempt to escape the political insanity…
Review: Jason Boland & the Stragglers
Rancho Alto, the new album from Jason Boland and the Stragglers, offers up traditional country music with a contemporary perspective. Although comparisons to George Strait and Merle Haggard are inevitable and appropriate, Boland also brings to mind a young Gordon Lightfoot, combining traditional sounds with a resonant voice and a strong sense of narrative. There are stories laced throughout Rancho…
Jonell Mosser breaks into Americana music chart
Jonell Mosser, one of our favorites, breaks into the Americana Music Association chart at #38 this week with “Fortunes Lost, Fortunes Told,” As we noted in our review of the album, Jonell is a stirring and soulful singer who has never had the break she deserves. Maybe that’s changing. With the Jayhawks still at #1 with “Mocking Bird Time,” the…
Tommy Womack on “a very special voice”
By Tommy Womack I was playing a gig in Florida three or four years ago. A fan asked me to play that song from my new record, “the one with Emmylou Harris on it.” I said I’d never done a duet with Emmylou. My new friend was quizzical. Surely I had done so! No, I countered. You mean the other…
D.J. Fontana at the Country Music Hall of Fame
Bill Lloyd hosted another remarkable “Nashville Cats” session at the Country Music Hall of Fame this afternoon, interviewing pioneering rock ‘n’ roll drummer D.J. Fontana. Fontana, Scotty Moore and Bill Black were Elvis Presley’s first band, playing such classics as”Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” Over time, Fontana drummed on almost 500 Presley recordings. Some snippets…
TV holds key to growth of Americana music
By Ken Paulson Television is a very big deal to the Americana music community. For years, the Americana Music Association has worked to establish the genre with the general public, and TV is the key. Any medium that can make Snooki a household name should do wonders for Buddy Miller. That’s why news that WNPT, Nashville’s public television station, would…
Photo gallery: 2011 Americana Music Festival
The 2011 Americana Music Festival and Conference featured four full days of performances. Here’s a sampling of photos from the Honors and Awards show at the Ryman, showcase events and some special events at other Nashville venues. (Photos copyright Ken Paulson, 2011) [cincopa AoFANtKecH2B]
Hank Williams’ “Notebooks” enters Americana chart
The highest entry on this week’s Americana music chart (# 17) is “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams,” a collection of songs built around handwritten lyrics found on the day he died. The mix of artists is remarkable, and includes Bob Dylan, Alan Jackson, Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Norah Jones, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Levon Helm, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow,…
Americana party: Chuck Mead, Garland Jeffreys, Nikki Lane, Amy Speace
Thirty Tigers threw a closing night party at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, showcasing a remarkable line-up. After a strong opening set by Amy Speace, Nikki Lane, a retro country singer with a rock edge, followed, previewing songs from her new “Walk of Shame” album. You just know Lee Hazelwood would have loved to produce her. Then came the…
Americana Mojo: Bottle Rockets, Kenny Vaughan, Luther Dickinson
One of the least heralded Americana Music Festival events was also one of the coolest. This afternoon, SiriusXM recorded a Mojo Nixon show in Nashville, with live performances from the Bottle Rockets, Kenny Vaughan and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars. Mojo was his usual crude self, and the performers delivered impeccable mini-sets, dialed down to a studio seating…
Americana Music Awards: Buddy Miller’s big night (again)
Tonight’s Americana Music Awards show sent two clear messages about the Americana Music Association: 1. The genre is inclusive, embracing young and old, rock, folk and country. 2. Forget all that. We love Buddy Miller. Miller, an extraordinary guitar player and tonight’s awards show bandleader, won both the artist of the year and instrumentalist awards, and is a member of…
Will Kimbrough at the Rutledge
Tonight’s Americana Music Festival midnight show at the Rutledge features Will Kimbrough, voted 2004 Instrumentalist of the Year by the AMA and a repeat nominee in the same category in subsequent years. Kimbrough is also a fine singer-songwriter and this is a great opportunity to see his solo set. Kimbrough is just off the road with Emmylou Harris and earlier toured…
Celebrating the music of Muscle Shoals
The 2011 Americana Music Festival began last night with an event that illustrates the genre’s greatest strengths: outstanding performances and a respect for what has come before. The 90-minute concert celebrating the Muscle Shoals sound was equal parts energy and nostalgia, with legendary figures like Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Jimmy Johnson and David Briggs sharing the stage with some of…
Jayhawks, Will Hoge headline Americana Music Showcases
Tonight’s Americana Music Festival in Nashville kicks off with the week’s highlight, the 10th Annual Americana Honors and Awards show. Performers include Lucinda Williams, the Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook and Buddy Miller, plus many more. Club showcases begin at 10 p.m., with the reunited Jayhawks (currently in the top spot in Americana radio with “Mocking Bird Hill”,) headlining the Cannery Ballroom…
Americana Music Festival opening night: Spanning the decades
There’s plenty of time-tripping to be done tonight as the Americana Music Festival opens in Nashville. It’s a measure of the genre’s wide embrace that performers who first hit their stride in every decade since the ’60s – and songs that were written years before that – are in the mix of showcase performances. At the Rutledge at 9 p.m.,…