Robert Earl Keen’s fine new album (reviewed here this week) “Ready for Confetti” moved into sixth on this week’s Americana Music Chart, while the top five places were unchanged, with John Hiatt, Gillian Welch, the Jayhawks, Kasey Chambers and Joe Ely in the top five spots. New to the chart: The Bottle Rockets’ “Not So Loud” at 40. (Pictured)
Review: The 1861 Project
You can’t put “The 1861 Project” on shuffle. This ambitious, engaging and yes, educational project chronicles the Civil War through the perspectives of those who fought it. The stirring John Anderson performance on “The Turning of a Field” foreshadows the events of the next four years, culiminating in the surrender at Appomattox and the soldiers’ return home. There are inherent…
Austin City Limits to showcase Americana Music Festival
The Americana Music Festival has finally found a home on television. In their efforts to build awareness of Americana music, Americana Music Association Executive Director Jed Hilly and his staff have long sought a way to showcase the genre and its stars to a national audience. The Tennesseean reports today that the festival awards show will be broadcast live on…
Jeff Bridges: High profile and low-key music
You don’t hire T Bone Burnett to produce a vanity project. Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for playing a ragged country singer in “Crazy Heart”, but his aspiration to do it for real is more than fantasy. His new album is credible, distinguished by talented players and songs from fine Americana music writers. It’s also uneven and not particularly interesting.…
Americana music by the book
I’ve never seen Americana Music Association Executive Director Jed Hilly so excited about a reference book. From the Americana Music Assocation website: “Merriam-Webster announced today, as reported by the Associated Press, the inclusion of the musical definition of the word Americana to its Collegiate Dictionary. Americana joins Tweet, m-commerce and around 100 other words whose use is now widely recognized…
Hiatt remains at number one; “Eleven Eleven” enters Americana Music top ten
John Hiatt stays on top of the Americana Music Association chart for another week, with Gillian Welch and “The Harrow and the Harvest” remaining at number two. The Jayhawks move up to number three with Mocking Bird Time. New to the Top 10: Dave Alvin’s “Eleven Eleven,” reviewed here. New to the chart: Slaid Cleaves’ “Sorrow & Smoke –…
Schuyler, Shamblin, Bettis, Brooks and Jackson to enter Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation announced today that Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, John Bettis, Tom Schuyler (pictured) and Allen Shamblin are its newest inductees. (Full disclosure: Sun209: Americana Music Journal editor Ken Paulson is on the hall’s board and cast a ballot for nominees.) The hall’s press release: The five new inductees will be welcomed into the elite…
Nick Lowe at Country Music Hall of Fame
Nick Lowe is no longer the “Jesus of Cool” his first album touted, but he still strives to be all things to all people. In an interview with Michael McCall at the Country Music Hall of Fame this morning, Lowe said his goal as a performer is to be cool enough to attract both young and old. “You get different…
David Olney dons his “Boots”
OK, it’s the least likely music video ever, but the sight of David Olney surrounded by mini-skirted dancers while he sings a Nancy Sinatra hit is pretty irresistible. Lee Hazelwood wrote “Boots,” so it’s not a stretch for Olney to channel Hazelwood’s rough-hewn voice here. It’s goofy and we like it. In other Olney news, the fine singer-songwriter did an interesting…
Americana Music Festival announces artists
The Americana Music Festival, scheduled for Oct.12-15, 2011 in Nashville, is unveiling more details about the performances: From the AMA’s press release: “More than 100 of the genres’ trailblazers and rising stars will perform in the talent packed showcases that draw music lovers from all over the world. Among the first round of artists announced are: Gurf Morlix, Foster &…
Band Perry to headline the Ryman Auditorium
That was fast. The Band Perry, a very young band with a very popular album, has been booked to headline the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Feb. 20, 2012. Tcikets will go on sale on Aug.26. From the Ryman website: “While TBP has previously graced the Ryman stage during the Grand Ole Opry and other multi-artist events, this will be…
Cayamo Road Trip wraps up
Cayamo is an Americana music festival on a cruise ship, and we’re fans. That’s why we were intrigued with its current road show promotion, traveling by bus to a number of markets to promote Sixthman cruises. Chuck Cannon was the headliner on the final show of the tour, closing things out in his hometown of Nashville. Cannon has always been…
John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns”
John Hiatt’s 20th album “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” continues his remarkable streak of consistently solid recordings. It feels like an extension of last year’s “The Open Road,” with a few more songs about regrets and a couple of compelling compositions about transportation. The album opens with “Damn This Town,” a vow to leave everything and everyone behind. The arrangement echoes…
All Things Considered visits Fox Hollow
NPR’s “All Things Considered” recently featured “I Love: Songs of Fox Hollow,” the Red Beet tribute to Tom T. Hall and his classic kids’ record. You’ll find the audio report here and the Sun209: Americana Music Journal review in our archives.
Dave Alvin: Eleven Eleven
What’s the deal with Johnny Ace? A modest figure in R&B history (“Pledging My Love”), Ace achieved some level of pop immortality due to his untimely death in a gun accident on Christmas Day 1954. Nonetheless, he’s inspired two outstanding songs about his demise: Paul Simon’s “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and now Dave Alvin’s “Johnny Ace is Dead.” Alvin’s…
Nick Lowe at the Country Music Hall of Fame
Nick Lowe, a remarkable songwriter and performer who rose to fame as a member of Brinsley Schwarz and as a New Wave artist and producer, will appear at the Country Music Hall of Fame at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, in an interview setting. It’s a treat to see him in any format, but the Country Music Hall of…
Hiatt tops Americana Music charts again, Jeff Bridges makes debut
John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” topped the Americana Music Association chart for a second week, with Gillian Welch and Kasey Chambers remaining in the second and third slots. The Jayhawks and Joe Ely round out the top five. New to the chart this week: Guy Clark’s “Songs and Stories” (28), Jeff Bridge’s solo debut (34) and Pokey LaFarge…
Americana music awards nominees Civil Wars book fall tour
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…
Jonell Mosser: Great Fortune
Jonell Mosser is one of Nashville’s best vocalists and most vibrant performers – and maybe the most under-recognized. She’s well-known and loved in Nashville, but has never caught the national break she deserved. When Ringo Starr, Don Was and Benmont Tench formed a new band in the ’90s called the New Maroons, Jonell was their choice for lead singer. When…
New Chet Atkins exhibit open
The new Chet Atkins exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame will is now open. It’s a treat for fans of his music, as well as guitar buffs. The heart of the exhibit is the battered Sears Silvertone guitar Atkins learned to play on. From there, the guitars and career get considerably more impressive. The exhibit occupies the space…