Tag: Cayamo

Cayamo day two: Lucinda Williams, Band of Heathens

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

Sunday, Jan. 18, the first full day of Cayamo 2015, kicked off fittingly with a “Gospel Show” in the Atrium of the Norwegian Pearl (it was originally scheduled for the pool deck, but rain forced its relocation inside). Despite the early (by Cayamo standards) hour, the event drew a big crowd, which was rewarded with excellent performances by three bands.

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors started things off. Your reviewer arrived late, but was able to catch part of the set’s last song and was impressed by lead singer Holcomb’s expressive vocals. Alabama-based Kristy Lee & Dirt Road Revival followed, with a rocking but spiritual set that included such standards as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “This Little Light of Mine,” as well as a fine take on Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands.” All of it featured Lee’s powerful voice and the capable backing of her band, featuring guitarist Julz Parker and singer Leesa Gentz, two Australians who also perform as the folk duo Hussy Hicks. The show concluded with an excellent set by second-time Cayamo artists The Lone Bellow. The Brooklyn-based band, which features the tight harmonies of Brian Elmquist, Zach Williams and Kanene Pipkin, performed a slow, sweet rendition of “Watch Over Us” and followed with “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” (beautifully sung by Pipkin) and, in what was said to be its first public performance, a new song that might have been titled “Let’s Go to Heaven Together.”

Skyline Motel

Skyline Motel

Noon brought a Spinnaker Lounge set by Birds of Chicago, featuring the husband-and-wife duo of J.T. Nero and Allison Russell. The group was one of five “Soundcheck Artists” chosen for Cayamo by passenger vote from among 25 acts. The Birds’ sound features the harmonized vocals of Nero and Russell, backed by Nero’s guitar and Russell’s banjo and clarinet, all in support of a sound that mixes folk, country, gospel and jazz. The set list included several current songs, such as “Nobody Wants to Be Alone Nobody Wants to Die,” “Flying Dreams” and “Barley,” as well as a new song, the country-tinged “Remember Wild Horses.” And there was some entertaining stage banter, to the effect that the usual talk about the hard life of the road might ring a little hollow on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

Again this year, Cayamo featured a taping of The Buddy and Jim Radio Show for Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country channel, featuring Nashville’s Mr. Everything, Buddy Miller, and the legendary Jim Lauderdale. Backed by a stellar band – bassist Dave Jacques, drummer Marco Giovino, fiddler Fats Kaplin and accordionist Ian Fitchuk – Miller and Lauderdale tore through a fine rendition of “Down South in New Orleans.” A series of guests then took the Stardust stage, including Elizabeth Cook (“Methadone Blues”), Doug Seegers with fiddler Barbara Lamb (“Angie’s Song”), Nikki Lane with Shelly Colvin (“You Can’t Talk to Me Like That”) and Skyline Motel, a young “supergroup” featuring Nashvillians Sarah Buxton, Tom Bukovac, Kate York and Daniel Tashian (“Skyline Motel”). The performances were interspersed with interviews between Miller and Lauderdale and the artists.

Knoxville, Tenn.-based The Black Lillies played the pool deck Sunday afternoon, closing an energetic set with Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” assisted by Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Michelle Malone (another Soundcheck artist) on harmonica, and guitarist Davis Causey from Shawn Mullins’ band.

Nashville’s Nikki Lane, accompanied by Shelly Colvin, entertained a Sunday evening Atrium crowd with her distinctive brand of offbeat country, featuring titles such as “Sleep With a Stranger” and “700,000 Rednecks,” a tribute of sorts to her hometown of Greenville, SC. Lane has attitude to burn and the musical chops to back it up.

Austin-based Band of Heathens got the pool deck crowd dancing on Sunday evening with a loud but melodious set that at times recalled The Band and the Eagles. A little later in the Atrium, second-timers Humming House drew a crowd with their high-energy blend of folk, rock and bluegrass. As often happens in that space, the vocals were a bit muddy, but the band’s enthusiasm and impressive range made the set enjoyable just the same.

Lucinda Williams played her first show of Cayamo 2015 on Sunday night, seemingly more at ease than during her Cayamo debut in 2012. This time out her band included the excellent Stuart Mathis (formerly of The Wallflowers) on lead guitar, plus her longtime rhythm section, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton. Leading off with “Blessed,” Williams moved on to a string of other favorites, including “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” “Crescent City,” “Drunken Angel” and “Changed the Locks.” She also performed several songs from her current album, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, including “Compassion” (based on a poem by her recently deceased father, poet Miller Williams), “When I Look at the World” (solo, with acoustic guitar), and the hard-rocking “Protection.” Buddy Miller joined her onstage for the week’s second rendition of J.J. Cale’s “Magnolia,” followed by an extended version of “Joy” and the joyous “Get Right with God,” featuring vocal assistance from Brandi Carlile.

The “Last Man Standing” jam, hosted by fiddler Luke Bulla, cranked up at midnight and featured a large cast of guests, including, among others, Lyle Lovett and most of his band – bassist Viktor Krauss, drummer Russ Kunkel and multi-instrumentalist Keith Sewell – plus Shawn Colvin, Elizabeth Cook, cellist Nathaniel Smith and members of The Black Lillies.

Cayamo sets sail with Lyle Lovett, John Fullbright

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

Cayamo 2015, the eighth edition of the singer-songwriter-focused festival-at-sea, got off to a bit of a bumpy start on Jan. 17. The presence of some larger ships at Norwegian Cruise Lines’ terminal in Miami meant that the Norwegian Pearl, home to the past several Cayamos, had to use a temporary terminal – a large tent – for embarkation and debarkation. There’s really no way to get more than 2,000 people onto a cruise ship quickly, and this year the process seemed to drag out a little longer than usual. As a result, the week’s first set, by Nashville-based folk/soul/bluegrass band Humming House, was over by the time many passengers got aboard.

Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett

Most hands were on deck for the sailaway show by Birmingham, Ala. soul-rock outfit St. Paul and the Broken Bones, who debuted on Cayamo in 2014. Lead singer Paul Janeway brought his familiar blend of sartorial excellence, flashy showmanship and gospel-flavored soul vocals, with the other six members providing tight instrumental backing. The band’s loud, high-energy performance earned an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Things were a little quieter in the ship’s Spinnaker Lounge for a late-afternoon set by Drew Copeland and Ken Block, of Sister Hazel. In this format the Cayamo veterans are a classic two-guys-with-acoustic-guitars-and-great-harmonies act, with songs these days focusing on “mature” topics such as relationships, family and aging. These subjects were also fodder for their funny between-songs banter. These guys have a lot of dedicated fans and the feeling is clearly mutual.

That evening in the Stardust Theater, the Pearl’s largest indoor venue, Texas singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group brought their usual impeccable musicianship to such familiar favorites as “The Truck Song,” “Give Back My Heart” and “This Old Porch.” There were also excellent renditions of the sad but powerful “She’s Already Made Up Her Mind” and the playful “Girls from Texas” (co-written with Pat Green). Most songs featured solos by band members, each of whom is a world-class musician in his own right. Lovett also yielded the spotlight to fiddler Luke Bulla and guitarist/mandolinist Keith Sewell to play a couple of their own tunes.

 

Chuck Cannon

Chuck Cannon

Sixthman tried to schedule some of the louder and/or rowdier acts for the ship’s Atrium stage, which is usually noisier than most other venues. The setting seemed well suited for a 10 p.m. set by East Nashville country bad girl Elizabeth Cook. Cook is a talented songwriter and an engaging performer, and she and her band brought an appealing blend of rock, hard-core country and hipster attitude to the stage, belting out songs like “Methadone Blues” and “Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman.” There were some nice covers as well, including Gram Parsons’ “Hot Burrito #1 (I’m Your Toy),” J.J. Cale’s “Magnolia” and the Blind Willie McTell classic “Statesboro Blues.”

Oklahoma singer-songwriter John Fullbright, a sensation in his first Cayamo appearance last year, took the Stardust stage at midnight for an “Unlikely Sit-In” show featuring Chuck Cannon, Holly Williams and Jim Lauderdale. The four took turns performing songs loosely based on a theme of “Lost and Found.” Fullbright is an excellent guitarist, but he stuck to the piano for this show, providing subtle accompaniment to the others but going full tilt when his turn came around. His prodigious playing earned him, as always, reactions ranging from admiration to near disbelief from his fellow musicians.

Standout performances included Cannon’s quietly powerful “Messes,” Williams’ tearjerker “Waiting on June,” and Lauderdale’s reverent “Like Him,” dedicated to Ralph Stanley and sung almost a capella. On the dramatic closer, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Fullbright did most of the singing, along with impressive work on the keys, but he got some able assistance with vocals from his fellow musicians.

Marcia Ball, Wayne Toups kick off Sandy Beaches

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News
Wayne Toups on the Sandy Beaches Cruise

Wayne Toups on the Sandy Beaches Cruise

By Ken Paulson 

Delbert McClinton

Delbert McClinton

The 21st edition of Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Cruise got off to a rousing start Saturday, despite blustery winds that moved the main events off the deck. This cruise, like the Cayamo cruise next week, features a wide range of Americana, blues and folk performers in often intimate seetings. Headliners on Sandy Beaches include Lyle Lovett, Paul Thorn, the McCrary Sisters, Jill Sobule, Band of Heathens, Etta Britt, Elizabeth Cook, Mingo Fishtrap, Gary Nicholson, Red Young, Teresa James, Fred Eaglesmith, Lari White and the Mavericks.

The weather hitch Saturday meant Sandy Beaches openers Marcia Ball, Wayne Toups and Delbert himself took the stage at the Stardust Theatre, the best venue on the cruise ship. The audience lost a deck party under the stars, but enjoyed superior lines of sight and much better sound. Not a bad trade under the circumstances.

Marcia Ball

Marcia Ball

Ball began the evening with a spirited set that immediately brought dancers to the front of the audience. She’s been part of McClinton’s cruises since the beginning and set the tone for the party to come. She drew heavily from her latest album The Tattooed Lady and the Alligator Man, including the title cut, “The Squeeze is On” and “Human Kindness.”

Yet for all the dance music she played, the highlight may have been her poignant performance of Randy Newman’s “Louisiana 1927.”

Wayne Toups, also a veteran of the earliest cruises, followed with a blistering set that began up-tempo and accelerated from there, just easing up for a phenomenal rendition of Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” and the Neville classic ‘Tell It Like It Is.”

Delbert McClinton closed out the evening at the Stardust with old favorites like “Old Weakness Coming on Strong” and “New York City,” reminding the faithful why this cruise has worked so well for 21 years.

(Photos by Ken Paulson)

2014 Cayamo cruise in review: The highs, lows

 in Festivals, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

Cayamo 2014, the annual Americana music festival-at-sea that focuses on singer-songwriters, returned to Miami on Valentine’s Day after a week’s voyage to and from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Days later, more than 2,000 passengers are still struggling to process the incredible quantity and quality of music they witnessed during the weeklong cruise. With dozens of artists aboard and scores of performances scattered over the cruise’s six and a half days and seven nights, the special moments were too numerous to fit into anything short of a novella. Here’s a sampling of highs and lows:

St. Paul and the Broken Bones

St. Paul and the Broken Bones

Lows: The legendary John Prine, a two-time Cayamo veteran, and the almost legendary Todd Snider, who would have been a rookie, both failed to make the boat (the Norwegian Pearl, owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines, which also owns Atlanta-based Sixthman, producer of Cayamo and several other music cruises). Prine withdrew some weeks ago, saying he needed more recovery time following cancer surgery last year. Snider notified Sixthman two days before sailing that he would not be on the cruise, citing (in Sixthman’s words) “a medical issue that requires immediate attention.”

Notwithstanding the considerable number of passengers who decided to book Cayamo primarily for the chance to see either Prine or Snider or both, the production staff was able to fill the gaps in the schedule, in no small part through the presence of Cayamo veteran Lyle Lovett, who agreed at the last minute to join the cruise with his Acoustic Band. The result was the seventh installment in what has become a very successful annual event.

Highs: Too many to count. So here are summaries of some particularly memorable moments, one for each day.

Day 1 (Friday, February 7):

Kris Kristofferson. The one and only. Yes, he’s getting older and reportedly having memory problems, and he’s never been as good a singer as he is a songwriter (how could he be?). But there was something about seeing this legendary artist commanding the stage, performing iconic songs like “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “For the Good Times” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” that left many in the audience in tears.

Day 2 (Saturday, February 8):

Buddy Miller. “Commodore” Miller, a six-time Cayamoan, greeted the audience at his “Buddy Miller and Friends” show with an emphatic, “It’s good to be home!” He wasn’t alone in feeling that way. Cayamo has been a community since its first sailing in 2008, and many participants, veterans and newbies alike, will tell you that the cruise is real life and the other 51 weeks of the year are just filler. Miller, accompanied by bassist Dave Jacques (a longtime Prine sideman), drummer Marco Giovino, guitarist/fiddler Larry Campbell (formerly of Bob Dylan’s band) and accordionist Joel Guzman, knocked out a powerful set, including Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” Mark Heard’s “Worry Too Much” and “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger?,” written by Miller and his wife, Julie. Among the friends helping him out along the way were singer and guitarist Teresa Williams , country star Lee Ann Womack and longtime Miller compadre Jim Lauderdale.

Day 3 (Sunday, February 9):

Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs, with Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder band. Who knew piano could be such a great bluegrass instrument? Or that Hornsby’s classic “The Way It Is” sounds just great in a bluegrass arrangement? The show included a tribute to jazz bassist (and former child country singer) Charlie Haden, which featuring some brilliant and beautiful work on the upright bass by the youthful but very talented Scott Mulvahill. As an encore, the band put a high-energy Appalachian twist on Rick James’ “Superfreak.”

Day 4: (Monday, February 10):

John Fullbright

John Fullbright

John Fullbright. The immensely talented, Oklahoma-born Fullbright opened this set with a solo, a capella rendition of the traditional “Am I Born to Die?” that was nothing short of thrilling. He followed that with “I Didn’t Know I Was in Love With You,” accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, and proceeded to full-band versions (with guitarist Terry Ware, bassist David Leach and drummer Giovanni Carnuccio III) of songs including “Satan and St. Paul” and “Gawd Above.” Fullbright demonstrated his unearthly piano skills on several songs, including “Fat Man” and “The Very First Time,” before closing with a long, jammy “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do.” If Cayamo awarded a Rookie of the Year trophy, Fullbright would be a strong candidate for this year’s prize.

Day 5 (Tuesday, February 11):

Tim Hanseroth, Brandi Carlile and Phil Hanseroth

Tim Hanseroth, Brandi Carlile and Phil Hanseroth

Brandi Carlile. A veteran of several Cayamos, Seattle-based Carlile has won a lot of new fans with her abundant talent and high-energy performances. For this show she was backed by her longtime collaborators, twins Tim (bass) and Phil (guitar) Hanseroth and cellist Josh Neumann. The set included a rendition of the Hank Williams hit “Lovesick Blues,” dedicated to Kristofferson; Carlile’s anthem “The Story,” and her country weeper, “Same Old You,” covered by Miranda Lambert. Carlile was joined by The Lone Bellow and Kristofferson for a lovely rendition of Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” and closed with “Amazing Grace,” performed a capella and in darkness with the Secret Sisters.

Day 6 (Wednesday, February 12):

David Bromberg. The legendary (there’s that word again) singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist was in great form in the relatively intimate confines of the Pearl’s Spinnaker Lounge. As has been true throughout his long career, he was all over the musical map, covering, among other genres, the blues (“As the Years Go Passing By”), pop (“The Holdup,” co-written with George Harrison, ) a vocal version of Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date”) and what might be called faux traditional (“The Strongest Man Alive,” which Bromberg described as “an old English drinking song that I wrote”). There was also a touching ballad about the pain of parenthood called “Watch Baby Fall.”

Day 7 (Thursday, February 13):

A grab bag of high-quality performances on the last day and night at sea:

Miller and Lauderdale produced a segment of their “Buddy and Jim Radio Hour” show for Sirius XM satellite radio. The guest list included Campbell and Williams, two sets of sisters (Laura and Lydia Rogers, the pop-soul-country duo Secret Sisters, performing “Devoted to You,” and Lennon and Maisy Stella, who also play sisters on ABC’s Nashville, doing a touching rendition of “Hard Times Come Again No More”), and a trio of young female singer-songwriters (Kate York, Erin McCarley and Lucie Silvas.) There was also a powerful, soulful performance of “Against My Will” by Sarah Fox (Joel Guzman’s wife), accompanied by Guzman and son Joel Gabriel Guzman on guitar.

Birmingham, Ala.-based R&B outfit St. Paul and the Broken Bones brought their horn-driven, high-octane sound to the Pearl’s pool deck stage, to the delight of listeners and dancers alike.

In a surprisingly intimate late-night showcase in the ship’s large Stardust auditorium, a group of fine singer-songwriters (Liz Longley, Stephen Kellogg, Bromberg and his wife, Nancy Josephson, and Campbell and Williams) took turns singing some of their most personal songs, capping the set with a collaborative rendition of “Nobody’s Fault but Mine.”

Cayamo 2014 drew to its official close only a few hours before the Pearl docked back in Miami, as fiddler Luke Bulla (who played in Lovett’s band and also with his own bluegrass outfit) led a raucous “Last Man Standing” jam on the Atrium stage in the wee hours of Valentine’s Day. Guests included vocalists Womack and Kat Edmonson and guitarist-mandolinist Keith Sewell (of Lovett’s band), among many others.

Other performers turning in fine performances on Cayamo 2014 included St. Paul and the Broken Bones, The Lone Bellow, Seth Glier, Joe Purdy, Shawn Mullins, Mallary Hope, Bronze Radio Return, Chuck Cannon, John Hiatt, Joshua Radin, Humming House, Elephant Revival, Max Gomez, Hey Marseilles and Holly Williams.

Follow Sun209:Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

 

Americana afloat: Cayamo in photos

 in Festivals, Music Cruise News

Sun209 correspondent Paul T. Mueller was on board  the floating Americana Music celebration  known as the Cayamo cruise. Among the highlights:

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Kanene Pipkin, singer and mandolinist with The Lone Bellow, performed with the band during its set on Friday, February 7.  Songs included “You Don’t Love Me Like You Used To” and “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold.”

kris_600

 

 

 

 

 

 

Songwriter and singer Kris Kristofferson played solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. The setlist included such hits as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times” and “Here Comes That Rainbow Again.”

bruce_ricky_600

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pianist and singer Bruce Hornsby (left) and mandolinist and singer Ricky Skaggs (right) acknowledged applause following their set on Sunday, February 9. They performed Hornsby’s “The Way It Is” and Rick James’ “Superfreak,” as well as traditional bluegrass tunes.

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Singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer Buddy Miller headlined a show appropriately dubbed “Buddy Miller and Friends,” featuring band members Dave Jacques (bass), Marco Giovino (drums) and Joel Guzman (accordion), plus guest appearances by Jim Lauderdale (guitar and vocals), Larry Campbell (fiddle), Teresa Williams (guitar and vocals) and Lee Ann Womack (vocals).

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Singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett smiled in appreciation of a band member’s solo during a performance by Lovett and his Acoustic Group on Monday, February 10.  The setlist included “Here I Am,” “I Will Rise Up” and “South Texas Girl,” among other Lovett songs, as well as “Head Over Heels” by band members Luke Bulla and Keith Sewell.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Richard Thompson times 3 on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

 

Richard Thompson on Cayamo

Richard Thompson was a solo artist on Cayamo this week. And a member of a duo.  And a member of  a trio.

And it was all good.

Thompson  teamed with Loudon Wainwright for a reprise of Loud and Rich, playing a few originals, but largely covers of songs ranging from Bob Dylan to Charlie Poole.

He also played two sets with power trio bandmates Taras Prodaniuk and Michael Jerome. He described  the trio as a combination of Cream and the Kingston Trio (and alternately the Jim Hendrix Experience and Peter, Paul and Mary) and played a truncated version of “Tom Dooley” to the melody of “Sunshine of Your Love.” The Cream reference was apt. The trio reminded us just how potent guitar, bass and drums can be.

But it’s probably not a surprise that the very best Richard Thompson show was his solo acoustic set. Favorites like “I Misunderstood” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” were complemented by the hard-rocking “Valerie” and a fun cover of the Who’s “Legal Matter.”

Lucinda Williams on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

Lucinda Williams on Cayamo

Lucinda Williams seemed to take a while to get accustomed to playing on a cruise ship, with her shows getting stronger throughout the week on Cayamo. She acknowledged her growing comfort level at the outset of her third and final show, saying it takes a while to get your bearings on board and that she was excited to play the 6 p.m. show because “people are fresher.”

She then launched into an excellent set, opening with “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.” Highlights included “Changed the Locks, “Still I Long For Your Kiss” and “Get Right With God,” but Lucinda seemed most tickled by her hard-rocking “Honey Bee.” “That’ll start your night out right,” she said.

The encore was the Buffalo Springfield classic, “For What It’s Worth,” written by Stephen Stills. This was a fun and vibrant take, and although the song was inspired by police clashing with teens on the Sunset Strip almost a half century ago, it still has resonance.

“This song was written in the ’60s, but it’s still very relevant today,” Lucinda said.

Cayamo Week in Tweets

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News
  • Celebrating Leo Kottkes’ debut album http://t.co/fvzY2lia #
  • Opening night on @Cayamo: Brady and Manning vs. Lovett and Hiatt. #
  • There are big names on @Cayamo – John Prine, Lucinda – but we’re also looking forward to some newcomers, particularly @thebellebrigade #
  • Monday on @Cayamo: @thecivilwars, @sarawatkins,@thebellebrigade, Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson Trio. #
  • We’ve spent a lot of time at Jammin’ Java; Luke Brindley is now with Native Run and on @Cayamo. #
  • On @Cayamo last night, Lyle Lovett said he has the room next to John Prine and has been jamming with him all week. “He doesn’t know it.” #
  • Belle Brigade dance party on @cayamo http://t.co/Z5XWKVq9 #
  • Jim Lauderdale was everywhere on @Cayamo today. He led Tai Chi, then played in Buddy Miller’s and Lucinda Williams’ bands. #
  • John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett did 3 different shows @Cayamo, all outstanding. Great music and very funny conversations. http://t.co/Q1ICrTZT #
  • The @civilwars rebound from illness on @cayamo. http://t.co/rvnRZNqD #
  • Buddy Miller dedicated his opening and closing songs last night to Ed, a passenger and Buddy fan who died just as @cayamo was leaving port. #
  • Loudon Wainwright in a rare performance of Dead Skunk tonight, says @Cayamo agreed to pay him more. #

Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale celebrate George Jones

 in Americana Music

Jim Lauderdale salutes George Jones on Cayamo

Jim Lauderdale dropped in on Buddy Miller’s first show on Cayamo, a music festival on a cruise ship.

Dressed in bright red slacks and shirt worthy of the Opry, Lauderdale apparently inspired Miller to do a three-song tribute to George Jones, a man both artists admire. Lauderdale even portrayed Jones in a production at the Ryman in Nashville a few years back.

The two performed “Why Baby Why,” “The Race Is On” and “She Thinks I Still Care.” Lauderdale followed with his own “King of Broken Hearts,” a nod to Gram Parsons.
Lauderdale also announced that he and Miller will soon be co-hosting a show on Sirius-XM’s “Outlaw Country.”

John Prine on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

John Prine on Cayamo 2012

By Ken Paulson Four of the best minutes in a week full of great music on Cayamo came as Iris DeMent joined John Prine on “in Spite of Ourselves,” their very funny duet from the album of the same name. Prine is always a professional, and his shows with Dave Jacques and Jason Wilber are well-paced, spanning his best work of the past four decades. The three shows this week were no exception. But Prine absolutely beams when there’s a shift in the routine, and he was clearly having a good time with Iris. She stayed for “Unwed Fathers” and the finale “Paradise.” Prine has been on the Cayamo cruise before, but he hasn’t quite gotten over the sensation of singing while trying to hold onto your balance. He told the audience that if they see any performers who aren’t having a problem with their footing, “they’re drunk.” One early show finished at 7 p.m. “I haven’t been done with a show this early since I played the matinee at the Earl of Old Town,” Prine recalled.

Civil Wars rebound on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

The Civil Wars had to cancel a show due to John Paul White’s seasickness, but rebounded for a pair of shows on Tuesday. Their harmonies were pristine, despite the medical setback. The set was essentially their Barton Hollow album, plus reconstructions of  the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

 

The Civil Wars on Cayamo

White thanked an onboard doctor for going “above and beyond the  call” and was visibly relieved when he finished the first set after his illness. We have a hunch this may be the Civil Wars’ last Cayamo.

Belle Brigade dance party

 in Americana Music

The Belle Brigade: Opening night on Cayamo

Americana music fans are good listeners, but it’s rare for a dance party to break out in their midst.
The best dancing on the Cayamo cruise this week has been at any show by the Belle Brigade. The young band opened the music cruise with a set on the pool deck on Sunday and then followed up with a late show in the Stardust Theatre, the largest venue and one usually reserved for the big name veterans.
Predictably, the theater was about a quarter full. Not so predictably, more than 40 audience members rushed the stage and danced to every upbeat song the band played.
Surprise cover of the night: “I Only Have Eyes For You.”

John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

 

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt on Cayamo 2012

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt left their bands behind on this Cayamo trip and instead teamed up as an acoustic duo. They’re touring together this year and are obviously comfortable with each other. Lovett is the prodder, throwing out seemingly spontaneous comments and questions, and Hiatt is his wry equal.

It’s a measure of their chemistry that you leave their show thinking as much about the conversation as the music. Highlights of the first show included covers of Chuck Berry’s “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” and Jesse Winchester’s “Brand New Tennessee Waltz.”

From there, each of their shows mixed it up, with fresh content and stories. Hiatt brought an iPad out for one show so that he could remember his songs, but instead fielded requests most of the evening, including “Angel Eyes,” which he abandoned mid-song in favor of “one I do know.”

Both talked about artists on the cruise that impress them. Hiatt said Richard Thompson makes him want to give up the guitar, and Lovett joked that his room is next to John Prine’s, and he been jamming with him all week. “He has no idea,” Lovett said.

The final show featured Sara and Sean Watkins and a stirring Lovett rendition of “Closing Time.”

Cayamo 2012: A floating music festival

 in Americana Music

By Ken Paulson

Cayamo, a  Sixthman music festival on a cruise ship, is about to launch from the Port of Miami, with a boat full of musicians and Americana music zealots.

This is a distinctly different cruise, one on which the passengers give far less thought to destinations than their seat locations at dozens of different performances.

The line-up boasts big Americana names like John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett and Jim Lauderdale, plus emerging talents like the Belle Brigade, Levi Lowrey and the Civil Wars.

We’ll be reporting from Cayamo this week, with reviews and photos.  Those on dry land should take note; the ship sells out in a matter of weeks each year and the cruise is full of people who have taken the trip several times before. You’ll find details at www.cayamo.com.

New acts added to 2012 Cayamo line-up

 in Americana Music

The bookers for Cayamo have been busy. Newly-added acts for the floating Americana music festival set for February 2012 include Joe Purdy, Bobby Long and Deep River.

They join an impressive line-up that includes Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Keb’ Mo’, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, the Civil Wars, Sara Watkins, James McMurtry, Iris Dement, Shawn Mullins, Edwin McCain, Maia Sharp, The Belle Brigade,  Works Progress Administration, Angie Aparo, Chuck Cannon, Enter the Haggis, Winterbloom, Holly Williams, Shannon McNally,Ryan Montbleau Band, Sarah Lee & Johnny Irion, Beth Wood, Aslyn, Sarah Jaffe and Levi Lowrey.

Cayamo update: Steve Earle

 in Americana Music

Steve Earle and band

Steve Earle looks like a happy man. His wife Allison Moorer has joined the band and he was spotted carrying a child booster seat in the Cayamo cruise cafeteria.
For a man who has had his share of demons, he’s making a joyful noise these days and his set at Cayamo was energetic and powerful.
Recognizing that this audience might not know his catalog, he played some of his best-known material, opening with “Copperhead Road” and later, “Guitar Town.”
Earle defies labels, but we were reminded once again – particularly on “The Revolution Starts Now” – what a fine rock ‘n’ roll band he fronts

Cayamo update: Will Hoge, Scott Miller

 in Americana Music

Will Hoge and Scott Miller confer on a song they can perform together.

Will Hoge and Scott Miller dropped in for a taping of “World Café” at Cayamo, each fielding a challenge to play four songs – one early and one new song, plus a cover and something anthemic.
The covers were particularly entertaining, with Hoge performing “Crying Time” and telling a story about blowing his chance to talk to hero Buck Owns. “What time is the show?” was the extent of his repartee, he admitted.
Miller paid tribute to the Statler Brothers, a group from his hometown.
Hoge and Miller closed the show with an impromptu take on John Prine’s “Picture Show.” It was fun, but rough, and isn’t likely to make it to NPR.