Tag: Emmylou Harris

Review: Red Dirt Boys’ Cayamo Edition

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

Not every backing band can make an album that stands on its own, but the Red Dirt Boys are not just any backing band. Emmylou Harris’ touring outfit – guitarist/mandolinist Will Kimbrough, bassist Chris Donohue, drummer Bryan Owings and keyboardist/guitarist Phil Madeira, with all but Owings contributing vocals – are excellent musicians on their own. But they play together with a cohesion that comes from long experience playing together, and a sense of fun that comes from being friends as well as bandmates. This collection, produced in conjunction with their appearance with Ms. Harris on this year’s Cayamo music festival at sea, is a real pleasure to listen to.

There’s no fluff among the album’s 11 tracks, just solid, well-played and well-produced music that deals with themes ranging from Creole cooking (“Cook That Down”) to love (“Plenty Enough”) to hypocrisy (“Religion”) to death (“All Saints Day”). Much of it has a New Orleans sound and vibe, possibly owing to the proximity of Kimbrough’s native Alabama to the Crescent City.

It’s hard to talk about highlights when the whole collection is this good, but “Religion” delivers a heartfelt skewering to people who deserve it; “Plenty Enough” is a realistic take on real-life romance, and “All Saints Day” is a poignant farewell song sweetened by harmony vocals by Ms. Harris herself. Closing track “Jesse” finds Kimbrough and Madeira alternating vocals on a touching tribute to singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester. Kudos to John Mark Painter, whose horns add excellent atmosphere to several tunes.

Adults deserve adult music. The Red Dirt Boys deliver.

Cayamo 2019: An All-Star music cruise

 in Festivals, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

Early spring in Florida (and Arizona) means baseball – spring training, to be specific. It’s also the appointed time for another tradition – the Cayamo music cruise, which just wrapped up its 12th sailing, returning to Tampa on the Norwegian Pearl on Feb. 17 after a week in warm Caribbean waters. Dozens of artists, mostly singer-songwriters, took part in 130-plus shows, many playing multiple sets and sitting in with other performers. Let’s take a closer look through the lens of America’s national pastime.

Buddy Miller

Veterans

Even when you’ve been around for a while and proved your bona fides, you still have to show up and bring your “A” game. This year’s cruise featured excellent performances by many veterans of previous Cayamo rosters:

  • Buddy Miller – a fixture on all but one Cayamo, Americana superstar Miller and his fine band ripped through familiar tunes including “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger?,” “Wide River to Cross” and “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go.” Fellow Americana icon Emmylou Harris joined him for duets on “Burning the Midnight Oil” and “Love Hurts.” There was also a fine rendition of “Ellis County,” which Miller’s wife Julie wrote for and about her grandparents in Texas.
  • Second-timer Mary Gauthier, accompanied by vocalist Jaimee Harris and violinist/keyboardist Michele Gazich, thrilled a morning audience with several songs from her recent Rifles and Rosary Beads album, consisting of songs co-written with combat veterans and their families, as well as older favorites such as “Another Train” and the classic “Mercy Now.”
  • Jason Isbell returned with his band, the 400 Unit, for some powerful sets drawn from his last few albums. He also hosted an excellent “Jason Isbell and Friends” songwriter round featuring his wife, Amanda Shires, Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and ace guitarist and singer Molly Tuttle.
  • Los Angeles-based rockers Dawes brought the Big Rock Show Experience to the ship’s largest venues, the Stardust Theater and the pool deck. Their Stardust set was highlighted by several singalong anthems including “When My Time Comes” and “All Your Favorite Bands.” The latter show featured a surprise appearance by Lenny Goldsmith, father of Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith and his brother, drummer Griffin Goldsmith, singing R&B that recalled his days as the lead singer of ‘70s band Tower of Power.

Other veterans of note: Harris and Shires played well-received sets with their own bands, as did iconic folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, multi-instrumentalist and multi-genre songwriter Randall Bramblett, and soul powerhouse Bonnie Bishop. Roots guitarist and singer-songwriter Keb’ Mo’ and the wild and crazy Steve Poltz played mostly solo.

Raul Malo

Rookies

Festivals on cruise ships aren’t exactly the norm for most musicians, so some first-timers bring with them a bit of uncertainty about the experience. Most quickly adapt, heartened by enthusiastic audiences and the support of fellow performers. Standout newcomers this year included;

  • Raul Malo, who thrilled a full house in the Stardust Theater with powerful, emotional renditions of a wide variety of songs from various genres, including a couple recorded by his band, the Mavericks. Extra points for closing with what he called his favorite song ever, “Stardust.”
  • Virginia-based singer-songwriter Dori Freeman, accompanied by husband Nicholas Falk on drums and banjo, who charmed fans with bluegrass-tinged originals and classic country and gospel songs.
  • Nashville-based singer-songwriter and keyboardist Phil Madeira, who’s also a member of Emmylou Harris’ band, the Red Dirt Boys. Backed by fellow members of that outfit – Will Kimbrough on guitar, Bryan Owings on drums and Chris Donohue on bass – Madeira played a terrific set in the Atrium that drew heavily on his recent album Providence, a musical memoir of his Rhode Island upbringing. A lot of music, especially pop, is aimed at the young, but this was grown-up music for grown-up people.
  • Australian guitar wizard Tommy Emmanuel wowed the crowds with his mastery of the acoustic guitar, playing with speed, precision and soul in a variety of styles, and also using the instrument as a platform for percussion. In addition to playing several sets of his own, Emmanuel seemed to be everywhere on the boat, popping up as a guest at any number of other artists’ shows and mixing freely with fans.
  • Maggie Rose, a Nashville-based singer with a powerful, soulful voice well suited to her own material and well-chosen covers. She said she usually plays with an eight-member band, but on the Pearl she was backed by her husband and manager, Austin Marshall, and guitarist Tom Maxwell, also a singer-songwriter.

Other rookies with strong showings: Georgia singer-songwriter Eliot Bronson; English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg; female vocal trio Red Molly, augmented by a bassist and a drummer; all-male vocal quartet Darlingside, and Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers, accompanied by her father Bill Chambers and her three children.

Maggie Rose

All-Star Games
The week featured several large collaborative shows:

  • The Shawn Mullins Variety Show, hosted by the Georgia singer-songwriter who’s been part of every Cayamo, featured pirate costumes and appearances by Nashville singer-songwriter Chuck Cannon, the funny and endearing Paul Thorn, Bonnie Bishop, Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, the spiritual soul of Liz Vice, and the sweet but powerful harmonies of Red Molly.
  • A pool-deck tribute to Woodstock that kicked off with a Hendrixian take on the National Anthem by steel guitar ace Jerry Douglas and continued with a lovely take on “Helplessly Hoping” by Red Molly, a microphone-swinging performance of “Pinball Wizard” by Billy Bragg, and a nice take on “The Weight” by Maine-based The Ghost of Paul Revere, among many other highlights. The show closed with an all-hands singalong on “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
  • A “Cayamo After Hours” late-night show hosted by Amanda Shires and drummer Jerry Pentecost, featuring novel interpretations of classic songs written or performed by women. Among the entries: Maggie Rose with Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” Tommy Emmanuel with Carly Simon’s “It’s Too Late,” Paul Thorn with Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Shires with Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy,” and Bishop’s mesmerizing take on Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
  • A second after-hours show, dubbed “Sadler’s Garage” by its host, 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden, who led off with a couple of rocking originals before covering The Band’s “Ophelia” and Joe Walsh’s “Life of Illusion.” Jason Isbell joined in on Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” which led into a full-length cover of the Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” featuring keyboardist Peter Levin. The show closed with joyous singalongs on Tom Petty’s “Even the Losers” and “American Girl.”
  • The final-day gospel show, enthusiastically led by Michael and Tanya Trotter, making a return appearance as The War and Treaty. Contributing artists included Tommy Emmanuel (“Amazing Grace”), Dori Freeman (“Heavenly Sunlight”), Phil Madeira (“Give God the Blues”), Carlene Carter (“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”) and Buddy Miller (“Shelter Me”), among others.
Phil Madeira and Will Kimbrough

Utility Players

Cayamo is well-known for collaborations between artists who might not otherwise share stages. Several players seemed to pop up with great regularity for guest appearances at others’ shows: guitarists Tommy Emmanuel and Will Kimbrough, keyboardists Phil Madeira and Niji Adeleye, and fiddlers Eamon McLoughlin and Amanda Shires, to name a few.

The Sandlot

Cayamo 2019 featured, for the first time, a showcase for bands made up of amateurs – passengers who sent in audition tapes, were grouped into bands at the beginning of the week, and played a show in the Atrium on the last day. Each band performed one song by a Cayamo artist – selections included Buddy Miller’s “Gasoline and Matches” by Miller Time; Shawn Mullins’ “Beautiful Wreck” by Pipe Dreams (guest vocals by Mullins); the classic “Love Hurts” by The Emmys; Josh Ritter’s “Monster Ballads” by Monsters of Cayamo; Keb’ Mo’ ’s “Old Me Better” by Mo Betta (featuring a guest appearance by Keb’ Mo’ on kazoo), Claire and the 4 Units performing Jason Isbell’s “Something to Love,” and the unofficial winner of the band name contest, Flawes’ version of Dawes’ “All Your Favorite Bands.” You could have found more polished performances elsewhere on the boat; you could not have found more fun and enthusiasm anywhere.

Management

Kudos as always to Sixthman, the Atlanta-based company that produces Cayamo and several other music cruises (and, beginning this year, the land-based All the Best, scheduled for November in the Dominican Republic). Sound at the Pearl’s several venues was almost without exception excellent, and the company did a good job of programming to balance the crowds among the various shows on offer at any given time. Interactions with Norwegian Cruise Lines, which operates the Pearl, were smooth.

Errors

Few and far between. One of the big ones, this year and for the past few Cayamos, was the fact that a fair number of seats in the large Stardust Theater were broken and uncomfortable. No one has provided a satisfactory explanation as to why that issue hasn’t been addressed. The occasional sound glitch was usually fixed in a hurry. A beach excursion in Jamaica didn’t go as smoothly as planned – but Sixthman was quick to offer full refunds of the excursion charge to anyone left disappointed. There were the usual gripes about things like food quality and the balance between “seated” acts and “dancing” acts. Some differences of opinion are a given whenever 2,000-plus music fans gather, but the consensus among fans and artists alike is this is a very well-run festival that’s worth its substantial ticket price.

Previewing 2019 Cayamo Cruise

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

2019 marks an even dozen for the Cayamo music cruise. The 12th edition of the festival at sea, produced by Atlanta-based Sixthman aboard the Norwegian Pearl, will head south from Tampa for a week of music – and what many passengers surely hope will be warmer weather than they’ve been enduring lately.

As always, the event will feature a full – not to say intimidating – lineup of musicians and bands. Returning notables this year include Emmylou Harris, Keb’ Mo’, Indigo Girls, Buddy Miller, Paul Thorn, Mary Gauthier, Shawn Mullins, Justin Townes Earle, Amanda Shires, Chuck Cannon, The War and Treaty, Steve Poltz and Bonnie Bishop. Newcomers include Will Kimbrough, Carlene Carter, Raul Malo, Billy Bragg, Josh Ritter, Tommy Emmanuel, Brett Dennen, Molly Tuttle and Phil Madeira.

  • Keb’ Mo’
  • Mary Gauthier (All photos Paul T. Mueller)
  • Jason Isbell

As is typical of Cayamo, the lineup is heavily tilted toward the quieter fare of solo singer-songwriters and duos, but a few larger outfits will also make the trip. Bands on board include Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Dawes, the Jerry Douglas Trio, The Wood Brothers, Kasey Chambers and the Fireside Disciples, Darlingside, Red Molly, Red Dirt Boys and The Ghost of Paul Revere. The complete lineup can be seen here.

Themed shows scheduled this year include the Shawn Mullins Variety Show, Buddy Miller’s Sirius XM radio show featuring The War and Treaty, Billy Bragg’s Woody Guthrie tribute show, and the mysteriously named “Buddy’s Musical Genius Bar,” presumably hosted by Cayamo mainstay Miller. And while the concept of “after hours” is a bit hazy given that scheduled performances and informal jams routinely stretch into the small hours, there is nonetheless a “Cayamo After Hours with Sadler Vaden and Friends” show, featuring the 400 Unit guitarist, scheduled for very early Friday morning.

Given a lineup this large, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to see every performer, but there will be a few other events thrown in to make scheduling even tougher. These include yoga sessions led by Bonnie Bishop, a couple of open jam sessions, a 10 a.m. “Bloodies, Bacon and Bingo” event, a “Conversation About Songwriting” with Will Kimbrough and Phil Madeira, a “Tales & Ales” beer tasting hosted by Paul Thorn, and a drum workshop with Brady Blade.

For many Cayamoans, the music is all that matters and it’s of little interest where the cruise stops along the way. But for the record, this year’s ports of call are Montego Bay, Jamaica, and the Costa Maya on Mexico’s southern Caribbean coast. The Jamaica stop will feature a beach excursion and show by Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance.

Kris Kristofferson’s “Life and Songs”

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson – 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. Recorded in Nashville on March 16, 2016, the collection contains two CDs and a DVD of the concert.
Kristofferson’s voice is singular, but his songs work for just about everybody and there’s a surprisingly consistent level of quality, despite more than 20 artists coming to the stage.
There are deeply touching moments here, with Reba McEntire beckoning Kristofferson onstage to wrap up “Me and Bobby McGee” and Highwaymen family members Jessi Colter and Rosanne Cash delivering their own memorable performances. Jennifer Nettles nails “Worth Fighting For,” as do Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss on “For the Good Times.”
It’s a must-have for Kris Kristofferson fans.
On the topic of Kris’ life and career, we had the opportunity a while back to interview him for our “Speaking Freely TV show:







			    

			    
						

			

		

			
	
	

				

			

				

						
	
Quotable Cayamo 2017

	

		 in Americana Music, Music Cruise News	

			    

				    
By Paul T. Mueller


Things musicians say between songs are sometimes funny, sometimes profound, sometimes both. Here are some notable quotes from the stages of Cayamo 2017.


“I don’t have any songs about boats. I do have a lot of songs about death, so we’ll just do those.” – Gretchen Peters


Lee Ann Womack


“I’m here to do country music!” – Lee Ann Womack


“Are you often told you’re too young to be writing that well?” – Glen Phillips to 21-year-old Christian Lopez after the latter presented a new song in their songwriters-in-the-round show with Will Hoge


“Glen and I were 21 when Pearl Harbor happened.” – Will Hoge (who’s actually 44) to Lopez after Lopez described singing on an aircraft carrier


“Damn, I’m having a good time! Resistance is fun!” – Gretchen Peters, in the “Songs of Protest” show she hosted


“The dues-paying in Nashville is never-ending.” – Angaleena Presley


“There’s a responsibility to protect the repertoire.” – Luther Dickinson, on the North Mississippi Allstars’ approach to playing the blues.


“Cayamo, I just found out, is an old Spanish word for ‘We printed the lineups too small.’ “ – Will Hoge, on the tiny type used on the show schedules provided to passengers


“Y’all just sit there and judge us? If we make you cry, do we get a prize?” – Aoife O’Donovan, a guest performer in the Secret Sisters’ “All the Girls Who Cry” show, to the Sisters, Lydia and Laura Rogers (who were in fact sitting, judge-like, at the side of the stage)


“How cliché are we, crying at our own show?” – Lydia Rogers, after a particularly sad song


“Oh, my god! Holy sh*t! I was worried! Thanks for voting for me! I never win anything!” – Sarah Potenza, who earned her spot in the lineup partly through passengers’ votes in the “Soundcheck” competition


“We’re songwriters. You can’t hurt our feelings.” – Lori McKenna, in a Love Junkies show


BJ Barham


“Thank you so much for cultivating this kind of community… It’s just as much fun as everyone told us. It’s a family reunion!” – BJ Barham of American Aquarium.


“We went from a latte president to an Orange Julius president.” – “stowaway” Chuck Cannon, on his new song “Tangerine Jesus,” sung to the tune of “Paperback Writer”


“It’s ‘Skunk’ time all over again!” – Loudon Wainwright III of “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” fame, on the expected success of “Meet the Wainwrights,” a musical introduction to his extended family


“If Elton John had had a baby with Tom Petty…” – Patty Griffin, introducing guest Aaron Lee Tasjan, before a lovely duet on Petty’s “Insider”


“You will always have my heart.” – Rodney Crowell to Emmylou Harris in their duet show


“Same back atcha!” – Harris to Crowell


“I’m going to keep singing this song until I die or it comes true, whichever happens first.” – Steve Earle on his optimistic “Jerusalem”


 


 


 


 


 

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Cayamo music cruise review: An astounding line-up

	

		 in Americana Music, Music Cruise News	

			    

				    
By Paul Mueller


The 10th edition of the Cayamo music cruise enjoyed sunny skies, smooth seas and a fairly astounding musical lineup. The festival at sea, aboard the Norwegian Jade, left Tampa on Feb. 19, and returned a week later, after stops at the islands of Cozumel, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras. As always, it was billed as “A Journey Through Song,” and as always it lived up to that promise. The number of shows and their scheduling made it difficult to see every performer, but that’s a good problem to have.


Buddy Miller and Aaron Lee Tasjan


Most of the more than 50 performers played individual shows, and many appeared in themed and collaboration shows as well. Themed shows included a tribute to the late Guy Clark; a “Songs of Protest” show hosted by Gretchen Peters; a “variety show” hosted by Shawn Mullins; “All the Girls Who Cry,” a sad-song fest hosted by Alabama country-folk crooners The Secret Sisters, and a guitar-focused show dubbed “Buddy Miller’s Guitar 101.” There were several “and friends” shows, mostly featuring several singer-songwriters in an in-the-round format, and singer and multi-instrumentalist Luke Bulla hosted “Last Man Standing” jams that capped off three evenings’ music. Many made guest appearances at other artists’ shows throughout the week, and passenger jams, sometimes including professionals, were easily found all over the boat.


A weeklong festival inevitably produces too many high points to list them all, but here are a few. Be assured that at the same time as pretty much any of these shows, there was at least one other equally memorable show going on somewhere else on the Jade.


Sunday, Feb. 19: The opening set on the pool deck can be a tough slot, with many passengers still boarding and those already aboard busy looking around or reuniting with old friends. But singer-songwriter Christian Lopez, a West Virginia native who’s all of 21 years old, made the most of his rookie appearance, demonstrating a veteran’s savvy in capturing the attention of the crowd. Alternating between well-written originals and covers, and between full-band and solo formats, Lopez rocked hard and showed that he’d earned his spot


North Mississippi All-Stars


on the roster. Well-done renditions of the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons” and Bill Withers’ “Use Me” played to the sensibilities of the crowd, much of which was three times Lopez’s age, but in a respectful way.


Also: Brandi Carlile,  a veteran of the first Cayamo music cruise in 2008 and most since, had herself a great time at the sail away show later in the afternoon, proclaiming the cruise “the greatest Cayamo ever.” Assisted as always by the Hanseroth twins (Phil on bass and Tim on guitar), she tore through favorites such as “Wherever Is Your Heart” and “The Eye” and closed with a nice rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.”


Monday, Feb. 20: East Nashville-based singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan made his much-anticipated Cayamo music cruise debut at an evening pool-deck show, and fully met his fans’ high expectations. Accompanied by fellow singer-songwriter Brian Wright, Tasjan played most of his most recent album, Silver Tears, as well as a few older tunes. His outgoing personality contrasted with Wright’s more stoic approach, but they were two of a kind when they started trading guitar licks. Late in the show, Wright took the spotlight to offer a fine rendition of his murder ballad “Maria Sugarcane.” Tasjan closed with a vigorous workout on his anthemic “Success” that had much of the crowd singing along.


Love Junkies on Cayamo music cruise


Also: The Love Junkies (singer-songwriters Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey) played an engaging show, performing songs made famous by bigger names in Nashville. These included McKenna’s “Humble and Kind” (Tim McGraw), Lindsey’s co-write “Blue Ain’t Your Color” (Keith Urban) and “Girl Crush” (written by all three and recorded by Little Big Town). The trio got support from Cary Barlowe and Ruston Kelly. It’s always fun to hear songs performed by the people who wrote them, without the usual studio trappings. Extra points to Rose for pushing through despite a case of laryngitis.


Tuesday, Feb. 21: The Songs of Protest show, hosted by Nashville singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters and featuring several Cayamo newcomers, was one of the emotional high points of the cruise. Performances included a powerful rendition of Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” by soul powerhouse Sarah Potenza; Allen Toussaint’s joyful “Yes We Can Can,” by Amy Helm; Randy Newman’s “Political Science,” sung by Peters’ husband, keyboardist Barry Walsh, from the viewpoint of the new U.S. president; and Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” sung with intensity by Gurf Morlix and Potenza. Peters’ selections included a beautiful rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee.”


Will Hoge


Also: A pool-deck tribute to Guy Clark tribute featured contributions from longtime Clark associates (Rodney Crowell, “Stuff That Works”; Emmylou Harris, “Immigrant Eyes”) as well as more recent acolytes (Sarah Jarosz, “Boats to Build”; Brian Wright, “Coyote”). Oddly missing from the set was the iconic “L.A. Freeway,” but Crowell and Steve Earle teamed up to close with “Desperadoes Waiting for a Train.”


Wednesday, Feb. 22: Fans might have expected the basics in a show called Buddy Miller’s Guitar 101; what they got was far more advanced. Singer-songwriter and producer Miller alternated between describing his own journey to guitar mastery and using his laptop to play snippets of six-string artistry by predecessors such as James Burton, Link Wray and Jimi Hendrix. Things got even better when Miller brought out his guests. Tasjan ripped through a terrific acoustic rendition of “Streets of Galilee,” which incorporates his own musical autobiography. Nashville session player Tom Bukovac played a funky/jazzy bit of electric improvisation that had Miller and Tasjan grinning and shaking their heads. North Mississippi Allstars frontman Luther Dickinson talked about his band’s mission in the blues world (“There’s a responsibility to respect the repertoire”) and demonstrated his mastery of both the acoustic six-string and a two-string instrument made from a coffee can. Finally, the legendary Richard Thompson talked a little about having played with Hendrix and executed a beautiful acoustic take on “Turning of the Tide,” along with an instrumental piece he described as “an Irish tune with Scottish variations.”


Also: Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge’s show in a well-packed Spinnaker Lounge, in which he talked about burning out and leaving music a few years ago before rediscovering his craft and returning to the road. The set featured the kind of confessional songs you’d expect, plus some favorites such as the funny but pointed “Jesus Came to Tennessee.” Hoge is a very funny guy, but also an intense performer, and his powerful songs and playing often had the sometimes-rowdy Spinnaker crowd listening in dead silence.


Sarah Jarosz on Cayamo music cruise


Thursday, Feb. 23: Against the backdrop of a nice Caribbean sunset, Kacey Musgraves and her band serenaded the sail-away from Roatan on the pool deck. The set list included a well-chosen mix of originals (“This Town,” “Merry Go ’Round,” “It Is What It Is”) and interesting covers (Weezer’s “Island in the Sun,” Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” Santo & Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”). There was also a fun and witty reworking of the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo,” with lyrics tailored to the Cayamo experience and a laid-back vibe that suited the occasion perfectly. Musgraves closed with her anthemic “Arrow.”


Also: Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz, another Cayamo music cruise rookie, still looks about 17, but she sings and plays like she’s been onstage forever. Accompanied by bassist Jeff Picker and Australian-turned-Austinite guitar ace Jedd Hughes, Jarosz played a lovely set highlighted by the powerful (and Grammy-winning) “House of Mercy,” co-written with Hughes. Jarosz seems able to play anything with strings; her instruments in this show included acoustic and electric guitars, banjo and her unusual octave mandolin, an eight-stringed instrument the size of a small guitar.


Friday, Feb. 24: If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to play rock ‘n’ roll at 10 a.m. on a cruise ship, the answer is, “It is if you’re the North Mississippi Allstars.” Playing to a nearly capacity crowd in the Jade’s largest indoor venue, the Stardust Theater, the Allstars (Luther and Cody Dickinson, plus bassist Dominic Davis, who played with several artists) featured a mix of acoustic blues and all-out boogie. Cody, usually the Allstars’ drummer, yielded the


Richard Thompson


skins to Brady Blade, also from Miller’s band, to step out front on guitar and vocals for the traditional “Deep Ellum Blues.” The set closed with a fine rendition of the classic “Sitting on Top of the World,” featuring Luther and his coffee-can guitar.


Also: Singer-songwriter and Cayamo music cruise first-timer Aoife O’Donovan played a mostly original set, by turns quiet and loud, in the Spinnaker. She was assisted by guitarist Anthony da Costa and drummer Steve Nistor, along with guests Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Sarah Jarosz (who has played in the folkie trio I’m With Her with O’Donovan and former Nickel Creeker Sara Watkins). O’Donovan closed with a lovely rendition of Steve Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” that might have drawn a few tears from those old enough to remember Blind Faith’s version.


Saturday, Feb. 24: The gospel show has become a well-loved Cayamo tradition. This year it took the form of a songwriter round rather than a succession of artists as in the past. Featured were country singer turned soul belter Bonnie Bishop, Nashville songwriters and performers (and spouses) Lari White and Chuck Cannon, and Sarah Potenza. Lending support were guitarists Ian Crossman, who’s married to Potenza, and Ford Thurston, who plays with Bishop, and bassist Patrick Blanchard). The show featured some traditional gospel, or at least gospel-ish, songs such as “I Shall Be Released” and “Power in the Blood,” as well as spiritual offerings such as Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” and (perhaps inevitably in the wake of Leonard Cohen’s passing) a slow, intense rendition of “Hallelujah” by Potenza.


Bonnie Bishop


Also: The Wainwright Family, featuring patriarch Loudon Wainwright III and various descendants, exes and others, performed an excellent and eclectic set in the Stardust, kicking off with a team-effort “Meet the Wainwrights” to introduce the players. The cast included Wainwright’s son, Rufus Wainwright; his daughters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche; Lucy’s mother, Suzzy Roche, and Wainwright’s sister, Sloan Wainwright. Guests included Emmylou Harris, who performed a song in honor of Wainwright’s former wife, the late folksinger Kate McGarrigle; Brandi Carlile, with the Hanseroth twins; fiddler-mandolinist David Mansfield, and guitarist Stephen Murphy. The show closed with an all-hands-on-deck sing-along on Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” and a nice solo piano rendition of “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright.


Honorable mentions on the Cayamo Music Cruise: Oklahoma folk-blues prodigy Parker Millsap, Mississippi rocker Paul Thorn, Nashville neo-diva Angaleena Presley, Colorado bluegrass outfit Trout Steak Revival, Nashville country-pop band Skyline Motel, North Carolina rockers American Aquarium, soulful Nashville singer-songwriter Sam Lewis, singer-songwriters Beth Wood and Patty Griffin, Nashville country traditionalist Lee Ann Womack, former Civil Wars member John Paul White, rising country artist Ryan Hurd, Nashville songstress Ruby Amanfu, former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips, young singer-songwriter Brian Dunne, new country star Maren Morris, Cayamo t’ai-chi master and clotheshorse Jim Lauderdale, Alabama folkie-rockers The Mulligan Brothers, and former Sea Level keyboardist and saxophonist Randall Bramblett.

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Americana Music Grammy award nominees announced

	

		 in Americana Music	

			    

				    

Basic CMYKThe Recording Academy has announced this year’s nominees for Grammy Awards and the roster of Americana artists is rich and familiar. The nominees for both Best Americana Album and Best American Roots song are almost identical, with Jason Isbell, the Mavericks, Punch Brothers and  Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell appearing in both categories.


Winners will be announced on Feb. 15 in Los Angeles.




Best Americana Album


Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher’s Daughter


Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, The Traveling Kind


Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free


The Mavericks, Mono


Punch Brothers, The Phosphorescent Blues




Best American Roots Song


The Mavericks, “All Night Long”


Don Henley & Merle Haggard, “The Cost of Living”


Punch Brothers, “Julep”


Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, “The Traveling Kind”


Jason Isbell, “24 Frames”




Best American Roots Performance


Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “And Am I Born to Die”


Buddy Guy, “Born to Play Guitar”


The Milk Carton Kids, “City of Our Lady”


Punch Brothers, “Julep”


Mavis Staples, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”






Best Bluegrass Album


Dale Ann Bradley, Pocket Full of Keys


Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Before the Sun Goes Down


Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, In Session


Ralph Stanley & Friends, Man of Constant Sorrow


The Steeldrivers, The Muscle Shoals Recordings




 Best Folk Album


Norman Blake, Wood, Wire & Words


Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn


Rhiannon Giddens, Tomorrow Is My Turn


Patty Griffin, Servant of Love

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Americana Music Association’s Top 100 albums

	

		 in Americana Music	

			    

				    
IsbellAmericana Music News – The Americana Music Association has just released its list of the Top 100 most-played albums of the year, based on airplay from November 19, 2012 through December 2, 2013.


Jason Isbell’s haunting Southeastern is at the top of the list, with  the top 10 largely occupied by Americana music’s royalty: Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale.


And then there are the surprises: the reunions of Delbert and Glen (after decades) and the Mavericks, the always-great pairing of Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison and top ten finishes by Carrie Rodriguez and Holly Williams.


“Surprises” may be the wrong word. These are all remarkable artists in the Top 10 and we’ve seen their albums dominate airplay much of the year.




The full list from the Americana Music Association:




Artist                                                               Title


1. Jason Isbell                                                      Southeastern


2. Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses)   The Low Highway


3. Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell           Old Yellow Moon


4. Patty Griffin                                                     American Kid


5. Mavericks                                                         Suited Up And Ready / In Time


6. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison                       Cheater’s Game


7. Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark                 Blind, Crippled & Crazy


8. Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale             Buddy and Jim


9. Carrie Rodriguez                                           Give Me All You Got


10. Holly Williams                                             The Highway


11. Richard Thompson                                      Electric


12. John Fogerty / Various Artists                 Wrote A Song For Everyone


13. Slaid Cleaves                                                 Still Fighting The War


14. Tedeschi Trucks Band                                 Made Up Mind


15. Mumford & Sons                                          Babel


16. Aoife O’Donovan                                          Fossils


17. Guy Clark                                                       My Favorite Picture Of You


18. Black Lillies                                                  Runaway Freeway Blues


19. Steeldrivers                                                  Hammer Down


20. Steve Martin And Edie Brickell               Love Has Come For You


21. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson      Wreck & Ruin


22. Dwight Yoakam                                           3 Pears


23. Dawes                                                            Stories Don’t End


24. Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line   Carnival


25. Donna The Buffalo                                      Tonight, Tomorrow And Yesterday


26. Kacey Musgraves                                         Same Trailer Different Park


27. Son Volt                                                         Honky Tonk


28. Sarah Jarosz                                                Build Me Up From Bones


29. Civil Wars                                                    Civil Wars


30. Howlin’ Brothers                                       Howl


31. Sturgill Simpson                                        High Top Mountain


32. Ben Harper w/ Charles Musselwhite    I Don’t Believe A Word You Say


33. Mavis Staples                                             One True Vine


34. Band Of Heathens                                     Sunday Morning Record


35. Amos Lee                                                    Mountains Of Sorrow Rivers Of Song


36. Sons Of Fathers                                         Burning Days


37. Billy Bragg                                                  Tooth & Nail


38. Neko Case                                                  The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight.


39. Kim Richey                                                Thorn In My Heart


40. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors         Good Light


41. Ashley Monroe                                          Like A Rose


42. John Hiatt                                                 Mystic Pinball


43. Wayne Hancock                                       Ride


44. Various – The Music Is You                   A Tribute To John Denver


45. Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott                  Memories & Moments


46. Shooter Jennings                                     The Other Life


47. Jamey Johnson                                         Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran


48. Avett Brothers                                          The Carpenter


49. Various – Let Us In Americana             The Music Of Paul McCartney


50. Amanda Shires                                         Down Fell The Doves


51. Iris DeMent                                               Sing The Delta


52. James Hunter Six                                    Minute By Minute


53. Tim Easton                                               Not Cool


54. Mark Knopfler                                         Privateering


55. Wheeler Brothers                                    Gold Boots Glitter


56. Tift Merritt                                               Traveling Alone


57. Pokey LaFarge                                         Pokey LaFarge


58. J.J. Grey And Mofro                              This River


59. Various                                                     Ghost Brothers of Darkland County


60. Chris Knight                                            Little Victories


61. Kris Kristofferson                                   Feeling Mortal


62. Jason Boland and the Stragglers        Dark & Dirty Mile


63. Milk Carton Kids                                    The Ash & Clay


64. Josh Ritter                                               The Beast In Its Tracks


65. Peter Rowan                                            The Old School


66. Marshall Chapman                                Blaze Of Glory


67. Dale Watson And His Lonestars         El Rancho Azul


68. Over the Rhine                                       Meet Me At The Edge Of The World


69. Gibson Brothers                                     They Called It Music


70. Houndmouth                                          From The Hills Above The City


71. Max Gomez                                              Rule The World


72. Time Jumpers                                         Time Jumpers


73. Wood Brothers                                        The Muse


74. Randall Bramblett                                  The Bright Spots


75. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit            Live In Alabama


76. Willie Nelson                                           To All The Girls


77. Steep Canyon Rangers                           Tell The Ones I Love


78. Various                                                     High Cotton: A Tribute To Alabama


79. North Mississippi Allstars                    World Boogie is Coming


80. Robbie Fulks                                           Gone Away Backward


81. Shannon McNally                                   Small Town Talk


82. Mando Saenz                                          Studebaker


83. Underhill Rose                                       Something Real


84. Departed                                                 Adventus


85. Della Mae                                                This World Oft Can Be


86. Vince Gill & Paul Franklin                   Bakersfield


87. Statesboro Revue                                   Ramble On Privilege Creek


88. Will Hoge                                                Never Give In


89. Elephant Revival                                   These Changing Skies


90. Avett Brothers                                        Magpie And The Dandelion


91. Valerie June                                             Pushin’ Against A Stone


92. Gary Clark Jr.                                          Blak And Blu


93. Willie Sugarcapps                                  Willie Sugarcapps


94. Devil Makes Three                                 I’m A Stranger Here


95. Ryan Bingham                                        Tomorrowland


96. Greencards                                              Sweetheart Of The Sun


97. Buddy Guy                                               Rhythm & Blues


98. Andrew Bird                                           Hands Of Glory


99. Wild Ponies                                            Things That Used To Shine


100. Civil Wars And T-Bone Burnett       A Place At The Table Soundtrack







			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Guy Clark tribute, Charlie Faye, Imelda May enter Americana charts

	

		 in Americana Music	

			    

				    
The Americana Music Association Radio Chart is back after a month-long hiatus, and Ryan Adams’ Ashes & Fire (PAX-AM/Capitol) remains at the top. Taking the holidays off is an odd call for an association promoting a genre that still needs to build its brand and visibility. And it’s not as though all those Americana stations just played Christmas music over the past month.


On to 2012: The outstanding Guy Clark tribute This One’s For Him debuts at number six on the chart, with 16 new stations adding it in the last week. The double-CD set features classic material by some of Americana music’s most prominent artists (Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker among them). Expect a long chart run.


Other chart debuts: Charlie Faye’s Travels with Charlie (Wine & Nut) enters the chart at #22, Danny Barnes’ Rocket (ATO) comes in at  #33 and Imelda May’s Mayhem (Decca) is at #35.


After the Guy Clark project, these albums were the most added: The Little Willies’ For the Good Times (Milking Bull/EMI), Reckless Kelly’s Good Luck and True Love (No Big Deal Records) and Orbo and the Longshots’ Prairie Sun (Blue Mood.)


(You can follow Sun209.com on Twitter (Sun209com) and Facebook.)

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Rounder, New West, Lost Highway top Americana labels

	

		 in Americana Music, Reviews	

			    

				    
Among the joys of Americana music is the range of artists and labels. Indie labels often break through, leading to dark horses and pleasant surprises.


Yet this year’s Americana Music Association list of the top 100 albums from November 16, 2010 through November 14, 2011, serves as a reminder that the bigger labels still play a major role.


An analysis of both the number of charting albums and their relative position in the charts suggests that five labels are dominant, accounting for the top six releases of the year and more than a quarter of all charting albums:


1.Rounder is the top player in Americana music radio. The label placed a total of nine albums in the top 100, including two in the top 20 and 6 in the top 25, including Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane (4), Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues (6) the Jayhawks’ Mocking Bird Time (12), Robert Plant’s Band of Joy (17) Abigail Washburn’s City of Refuge (24) and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Rare Bird Alert (25)


2. New West had six albums on the Americana music charts, with two in the top 10 and three in the top 20. They include Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (3), John Hiatt’s Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (8), Buddy Miller’s Majestic Silver Strings (13) and the Old 97s’ The  Grand Theatre (30.)


3. Lost Highway had four  albums on the Americana chart, including the top two slots, Hayes Carll’s KMAG YO-YO and Lucinda Williams’ Blessed. Their other charting albums were Robert Earl Keen’s Ready for Confetti (19) and 19 and Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses’ Junky Star (40.)


4. Nonesuch was the fourth most influential label, with five albums in the top 100, including Emmylou Harris’ Hard Bargain (5) and Wanda Jackson’s Party Ain’t Over (Third Man/ Nonesuch) at 23.


5.Sugar Hill also fared well in the annual chart with five albums, including Sarah Jarosz’s Follow Me Down (20) and Kasey Chamber’s Little Bird (31)

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Hayes Carll tops 2011 Americana music airplay chart

	

		 in Americana Music	

			    

				    
The Americana Music Association has just released its list of the 100 most-played Americana music albums, with Hayes Carll’s KMAG YOYO in the top slot.


Their top 20:


1) Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO / Lost Highway


2) Lucinda Williams, Blessed / Lost Highway


3) Steve Earle, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive / New West


4) Alison Krauss & Union Station, Paper Airplane / Rounder


5) Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain / Nonesuch


6) Gregg Allman, Low Country Blues / Rounder


7) Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Here We Rest / Lightning Rod


8. John Hiatt, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns / New West


9) Decemberists, The King Is Dead / Capitol


10) Band of Heathens, Top Hat Crowns and the Clapmaster’s Son / BOH Records




The AMA offers a full list of the top 100 albums of the past year here, but be forewarned that you’ll need to search for the link and the download will be straight out of your accountant’s office.

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Review: This One’s For Him, A Tribute to Guy Clark

	

		 in Reviews	

			    

				    
by Terry Roland


– Released on November 8, two days after veteran Texas songwriter Guy Clark’s 70th birthday, This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark, succeeds beyond expectations as a tribute to a much- loved songwriter and a well-produced album of finely crafted country-folk music.


It may be the mark of a great songwriter that a diverse group of musicians can make an album of songs that not only capture the artist’s vision, but emerge with each song realized to near perfection.


Produced by Tamara Saviano whose 2004 release, Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, won a GRAMMY and Clark’s friend and collaborator Shawn Camp, this is a masterfully produced album of 30 handpicked songs by 33 of today’s finest Americana artists.


Some of the greatest of the singer-songwriters of the last five decades have aged into their craft, but none have done so with as much grace, dignity and imagination as Guy Clark. His legacy of song gives his friends plenty of material to work with on this album.


Leading off with a chuckle from Rodney Crowell who says, “let’s give her a good go and make old Guy proud of us,” then proceeds to do so with the opening “Old Time Feeling.” The song sets us up for what is to come; a loving, reflective, funny, heartfelt tribute to one of the great storytellers and craftsmen of American song.


What follows plays at times like short stories, fragments of chapters in a novel, sweet poetry, western stories, tall-tales, cowboy haikus, personal testaments, musings and meditations on regret and joy, life-lessons laced with humor and wisdom, characters of the past aged with grace, remembered loved ones, death songs

and love ballads, all painted with various shades and strokes of lyrical colors.


If this were an exhibit of the lifetime work of a visual artist, it would take several galleries to fill. As it is, it takes this many fine performers and singer-songwriters to do justice to Clark.


The trick with any tribute album is to match material and artist, for the sake of the song and the overall production of the project. Many past tribute albums have turned into well-intentioned, unfocused failures.


But This One’s For Him avoids those traps by tapping into Guy Clark’s original recordings. The album embodies its title by keeping to the simple, intimate style Clark has mastered so well in his own studio work over the years.


It’s a style that allows the beauty of each song to surface. That makes this an anthology graced with continuity and a sense of history. This One’s For Him  is the best album of its kind since the classic tribute to Merle Haggard, Tulare Dust.


A decade before Johnny Cash and Rick Rubin came together to make their historic American Recordings, Guy Clark had already released a series of live-in-studio, intimate, stripped-down acoustic recordings on the Sugar Hill label.


Albums like Old Friends, Boats To Build and Dublin Blues offered minimal production gloss in favor of a straightforward and organic sonic experience. While many obscure artists had championed this approach through the years, Guy Clark was among the first major songwriters to elevate purity over production.Today, this remains the gold standard in Americana music.


Some of the strongest moments on the album come from female artists. This makes sense for Clark who has often written songs reflecting a woman’s point of view (“She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” “Magdeline”). Shawn Colvin’s smoky sexy reading of “All He Wants Is You,” Rosanne Cash’s expressive interpretation of “Better Days,” and Rosie Flores’ funky and spirited version of “Baby Took A Limo To Memphis,” all feel as though this was how these songs were intended to be performed – by women.


It’s impossible to mention Guy Clark without a reference to Townes Van Zandt. One touching moment among many is the bittersweet sound of Towne’s oldest son, John Townes Van Zandt narrating “Let Him Roll,” a love story about a Dallas prostitute and her alcoholic lover. It is eerie and touching to hear this tale with guitar- picking, phrasing and a vocal presence that sounds so much Townes. It feels like a tribute from Townes to Guy, channeled by his son.


Hayes Carll brings the country blues out in “Worry B Gone,” while Steve Earle revels in the western imagery of “The Last Gunfighter Ballad.” Both give the songs added grit, which distinguishes them from the original versions.


The old friends of Guy’s also do him proud. Willie Nelson’s “Desperados Waiting For A Train,” haunts in its simplicity. It’s a song that only grows more poignant with time as the singer and the song age.


Ramblin’ Jack Elliot turns in a gentle interpretation of the engaging “The Guitar.” Terry Allen’s “Old Friends,” also plays out with a beautiful country-blues simplicity.


Kris Kristofferson’s reading of “Hemingway’s Whiskey” delivers gut-level authenticity. The track opens with a short tale from Kris of a personal encounter with Hemingway then folds into a quintessential Guy Clark (literally whiskey-soaked) metaphor of life lived to its fullest. The slightly drunk emotion in Kris’ voice comes through as he carries the album’s title lyric with it:


There’s more to life than whiskey

more to words than rhyme

Sail away three sheets to the wind

Live hard, die hard

This one’s for him.


Other moments that will lure the listener to repeated listening include EmmyLou Harris and John Prine’s duet on “Magnolia Wind, Radney Foster’s smooth and easy version of “L.A. Freeway,” and Jerry Jeff Walker’s closing track “My Favorite Picture of You.”


The house band, which recorded live in the studio, included multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Shawn Camp, guitarist Verlon Thompson and keyboard player Jen Gunderman. Listen for Lloyd Maines on an array of dobros and steel guitars, bassists Glenn Fukunaga and Mike Bub and Kenny Malone and Larry Atamanuik on drums. The musical backing is skillfully interwoven with mandolins, lap steel guitars and fiddles.


This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark is a living legacy from some very talented friends, a well-deserved tribute to a great craftsman and an early holiday present that invites us to discover or re-discover the best in Americana music through the songs of one of our national treasures.


(Terry Roland is an Americana-roots music journalist who has written interviews, reviews and feature articles for FolkWorks, Sing-Out, No Depression and The San Diego Troubadour.)

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Nov. 19: Americana Music Festival on Austin City Limits

	

		 in Americana Music Festival	

			    

				    
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 Cook- El Camino
    • 

  • Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
    • 

  • Jessica Lea Mayfield – For Today
    • 

  • Buddy Miller – Gasoline and Matches
    • 

  • The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
    • 

  • Candi Staton – Heart on a String
    • 

  • Jim Lauderdale – Life by Numbers
    • 

  • Robert Plant – Monkey
    • 

  • Gregg Allman – Melissa
    • 



It captures the best moments of the evening, although we wish Hayes Carll had made the cut. Nashville area viewers were able to watch the full version live and in a couple of early morning repeats.


As we’ve noted, national television exposure is critical to the future growth of Americana music and there’s arguable no better showcase than Austin City Limits. Check your local PBS station for show times.


 

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
TV holds key to growth of Americana music

	

		 in Americana Music Festival, Reviews	

			    

				    
The Avett Brothers at the Americana Awards show


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 broadcast the 2011 Americana Music Festival Honors and Awards show , and that Austin City Limits would do a show of highlights, was so welcome. A broader audience would finally see what Americana music was all about.

Yet the early results were discouraging. That initial live broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville showed large expanses of empty seats early on, due to a late-arriving crowd. Unbelievably, the opening graphic noted that the evening was dedicated to the memory of “Jim” Hartford rather than John Hartford. And then early in the show, transmission difficulties meant audio and video drop-outs during performances by Justin Townes Earle and Elizabeth Cook. Ouch.

Things were better for a rebroadcast two days later, although the length of the show was apparently longer than the original estimate. If you have a TiVo, you didn’t see a dazzling finale.

But the good news is that the music overall was stunning, the performances passionate and even the presentations were well-paced. Austin City Limits should find it relatively easy to mine the two-plus hour show for an hour’s worth of great music, drawing on performances by Robert Plant, the Avett Brothers, Jim Lauderdale, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Miller, Cook, Earle and more.

That kind of quality exposure will build awareness of Americana, but will also amplify the sales pitch to prospective music festival sponsors.

My guess is that Austin City Limits, scheduled for Nov. 19, will edit out acceptance speeches, which may be just as well. The message relayed by Mumford and Sons thanked “the Nashville community,” which is exactly what the Americana Music Association doesn’t need. Americana needs to be seen as a vibrant worldwide genre, which just happens to have an office in Nashville. National television exposure is critical to making that happen.


 

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Will Kimbrough at the Rutledge

	

		 in Americana Music Festival	

			    

				    
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 with Jimmy Buffett. His “Nobody From Nowhere,” written with Tommy Womack (also booked for the festival), and “Wings” were featured on Buffet’s “Buffet Hotel” album.


Earlier in his career, Kimbrough fronted fun and fresh rock bands Will and the Bushmen and the Bis-Quits, who were signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy label.


In recent years, Kimbrough, Womack, John Deaderick, Paul Griffith and Dave Jacques have toured and recorded as DADDY.


To top it off, Kimbrough posts videos of his favorite licks, a weekly feature inexplicably named the “Lick of the Day.”

Here’s a sample:



			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
Mark Twain:  Words and Music

	

		 in Reviews	

			    

				    
It’s been a good month for Americana music fans who love history. First came the fine 1861 Project , which chronicled the Civil War. New today is “Mark Twain: Words and Music,” a fundraising project for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home in Hannibal, Missouri.

We haven’t heard the two-CD package yet, but the spoken word and music set features a remarkable line-up, including Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Marty Raybon,  Rhonda Vincent, Carl Jackson, The Church Sisters, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie and Ricky Skaggs.


The set will be limited to an initial run of 5,000 copies, according to hannibal.net.


 

			    

			    
						

			

		

			

	

				

			

				

						
	
This day in Americana music: Gram Parsons died in 1973

	

		 in Americana Music	

			    

				    
Sept. 19: On this date in 1973, Gram Parsons died of a drug overdose at age 26. His recordings spanned just seven years, but his melding of rock and country was hugely influential, and established a foundation for what we now call Americana music.

From his role in the Byrds and “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” to the founding of the Flying Burrito Brothers, his later solo recordings and influence on the Rolling Stones, Parsons bridged genres and broke new ground.

38 years after his death, Parsons’ impact is still apparent. Emmylou Harris wrote about her friendship with him on a song called “On the Road,” which leads off her current album, “Hard Bargain.”

NPR music had an inspired idea to salute Parsons by asking a young intern to review his final album, “Grievous Angel.” Laurin Penland wrote “Each time I give Grievous Angel a spin, I listen to Parsons’ voice for a glimpse of the downfall that was to come only a month later — but I never hear it. In fact, there’s relief here for people who have survived hard times.” You’ll find her full review here.