Tag: “Nashville music”

Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival sets 2012 line-up

 in Reviews

Tin Pan South, the pre-emiment songwriters festival, has just released its line-up for the 2012 event scheduled for March 27-31. It’s a wide-ranging collection of talent, spead over ten venues. Attendees can pay cover at the door or buy a weeklong pass that offers preferred access.
Many of this year’s performers are songwriters who have also had successful recording careers, including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Walter Egan, T. Graham Brown, Lari White, Michael Johnson, Peter Yarrow, Sam Bush, Mark Hudson, Felix Cavaliere, Radney Foster, Darrell Scott, Buddy Miller, Lee Roy Parnell, John Oates, Jim Lauderdale, Dickey Lee, Buzz Cason, Shawn Mullins, Jim Peterik, Al Anderson, Shawn Camp and the Wrights.
You’ll find details on the schedule and tickets at the Tin Pan South site. For coverage of past Tin Pan South events, go here.

(Follow Sun209and the festival at sun209com on Twitter.)

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Tommy Womack: Angst, art and rock ‘n’ roll

 in Nashville music

We’ve written about Nashville’s Tommy Womack’s inspired, irreverent and deeply personal music on Sun209 in the past, and Tommy has contributed to the site with a piece on his three favorite Kinks songs.
Still, his unique style is tough to capture in words. Our friend Peter Cooper succeeded with a fine article in today’s Tennesseean.

Cooper wrote about the reaction of Womack’s friends to his last album There I Said It!:

“We worried, because we knew he was singing his truth. He’d written who he was, and he was nervous and fragile and in an unrequited love affair with rock ’n’ roll.

And we worried, because we stood with the rest of his audience members in the middle of his performances, to cheer brave songs about being frightened. Isn’t that the kind of reinforcement that makes a guy want to open up another vein?”

Read the full story here.

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

Sonny Curtis honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Sonny Curtis, a first-generation rocker and a highly successful songwriter, was saluted at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville as part of its “Poets and Prophets” series today.
The program was a compelling reminder of the many talented contributors to contemporary music who are not household names, but should be. The warm and self-effacing Curtis has had an extraordinary career, playing and recording with Holly before the Crickets were formed, writing the classic “I Fought the Law” (famously covered by the Bobby Fuller Four and the Clash) and writing and performing the indelible theme to the Mary Tyler Moore show.
Curtis reflected on his childhood (“We were poor with three Os”) and his friendship with Holly (“I think we were friends before we met.”)
Shortly after Holly’s death, Curtis joined the Crickets as the new lead vocalist. The band needed a new song and he delivered “I Fought the Law.” He said he played it for Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin and they said “Hey man, that’s good enough for this album.” Shrewd move.
Curtis said his vocals ended up on the Mary Tyler Moore show opening “Love is All Around” because he insisted on it, telling the producers they couldn’t use the song without him. “I wouldn’t do that today,” he laughed.

At the Bluebird: Peter Cooper, Karen Leipziger, Phil Lee, Dave Duncan

 in Nashville music

By Mary Sack

Tonight I witnessed yet another, one-of-a-kind Nashville Moment. It wasn’t a Grammy moment. Could’ve been, in an alternate universe. Three days after The Grammy Awards were broadcast live from Los Angeles, I saw a bona fide 2012 Grammy Nominee (for “Best Children’s Album”) Peter Cooper, bona fide rapscallion Phil Lee, new-to-me Dave Duncan and the surprisingly soulful Karen Leipziger, accompanied by Andy Ellis, perform in an intimate, early-evening round where they laid songs out one-by-one in a packed-to-the-walls house of rapt listeners and several friends.

There’s lots to say about each of these songwriters, but collectively they shared one of the coolest, bluesiest and fun evenings I’ve ever heard at The Bluebird Café in Nashville’

I really went out in the rain to this show to lend an ear to Karen Leipziger. I’ve known her as a crack publicist and almost forgot that she is also a songwriter with many, very cool cuts with some very well-known blues artists. I was shocked to realize I knew most of her songs but never realized over all of these years that she’d written them. Karen has always been humble, but THESE songs were monsters. Chief Eddy Clearwater recently recorded her cautionary “Do Unto Others”, which I swear could have a run in the Christian Blues market, if one exists.

Peter Cooper played many of my personal favorites, including “715” — a song about Hank Aaron and growing up in the shadow of racism and inequality. He shared his recent Grammy experience with the crowd, as well as his good natured humor about being a “runner-up” but I left the show thinking what a great picker he’s become in addition to his growth as an artist.

Fresh back in Nashville from his latest UK tour, Phil Lee never disappoints, toying with the audience as he does, playing songs like the tragically catchy “Just Some Girl” as well as the brand new “Cry,” while accompanied by the McCrary Sisters from various seats around the room. Simply arresting, those voices.

Layin’ it down with finesse, Dave Duncan definitely has the blues. He, too, could lay down a lick and sang of learning more about the blues in two weeks from his lady than “20 Years of BB King” – a song that also earned its own nomination from the Blues Music Association in 2008.

It was one of those nights when a one great song is followed by another surprisingly, captivating great song, all backed with solid performances. And it was free, no cover. Only in Nashville.

Bluebird Cafe: Amy Grant,Vince Gill,Don Schlitz,Richard Marx

 in Nashville music

[cincopa AIEAi062EkEs]

By Ken Paulson

Like Carole King’s appearance at the Bluebird Cafe earlier this month, tonight’s in-the-round featuring Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Richard Marx and Don Schlitz at the same Nashville venue was truly something special.

Among the highlights at this benefit for Alive Hospice:

– A guest turn by Jenny Gill, singing the touching “I Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong,” a new song about how badly a then-teen Jenny treated her stepmom Amy Grant.

– Vince Gill’s extraordinary performance of “Threaten Me With Heaven” and his remembrance of the late Will Owsley, a co-writer of the song.

– Don Schlitz’s very funny “I’m Allergic to Crazy”

– A new song by Amy Grant about a tragic loss in her son’s life

– Richard Marx’s performance of “Long Hot Summer,” the song he co-wrote with Keith Urban, and a #1 single for Urban.

 

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Little Willies at #1; Gretchen Peters, Cash Box Kings, Elders enter chart

 in Americana Music

The Little Willies’ For the Good Times moves into the top spot on the Americana Music Association Airplay Chart this week, and the hottest album may be Nashville singer-songwriter Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home (Full Light), which entered the chart last week at at #21 and moves up to #5.

Gretchen Peters, another talented Nashville songwriter (whose Twitter feed we highly recommend) has the top debut of the week at #32 with Hello Cruel World (Scarlet Letter Records.)

Also new to the chart: The Cash Box Kings’ Holler and Stomp (Blind Pig) at #34 and the Elders’ Wanderin’ Life & Times (Independent) at  #36.

You’ll find the full chart here.

(You can follow Sun209 on Twitter @sun209com and on Facebook.)

Glen Campbell’s return to the Ryman

 in Americana Music

We reported here about Glen Campbell’s November 30 show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, but a return performance on Dec. 5 was postponed due to illness.
Campbell made up that date this week.
Here’s what Dave Paulson of the Tennessean said about the show:

“Little appeared to be impeding his performance Tuesday night. Teleprompters set up at the edge of the stage were glanced at for lyrical cues – almost a necessity for anyone tackling the songs of wordy popsmith Jimmy Webb – but Campbell remained in fine voice and proved to still be a staggeringly sharp and fluid guitarist, wowing the crowd early on with an explosive solo on “Gentle” and muscular melodic licks on his classic “Galveston.””

Read the Tennesean’s full review here.

Carole King at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe

 in Americana Music, Reviews

By Ken Paulson – Carole King performed some of her biggest hits in the relatively small confines of the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville Monday night, a memorable evening even in a city known for them.

King’s “Troubador” tour with James Taylor was an enormous success, but the remininiscing was largely scripted, with the same photos and anecdotes appearing night after night. The show at the Bluebird was as real as it gets, full of spontaneity and charm.

King shared the in-the-round with Gary Burr, Jim Photoglo and Georgia Middleman, three Nashville songwriters who offered harmonies and instrumental support, along with some impressive songs of their own.
King sang every fourth song, and others in the circle joked about the audience having to endure their material.

King opened her performance with “Chains,” a hit for the Cookies, later covered by the Beatles. It was joyous, with all four voices joining in.
Her “Up on the Roof” was stirring and may have been the evening’s highlight.

Before playing her “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” she took a few minutes to defend the Monkees’ recorded legacy. As Burr chimed in, “They had good material.”

Over the course of the evening, King performed three hit songs from her solo career – “So Far Away,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got A Friend,” plus “New Year’s Day” a track from her new holiday album, written by daughter Louise Goffin and Guy Chambers.

For Burr (who toured with King), Middleman and Photoglo, it must have been like being in the line-up with Babe Ruth. All played at the top of their game.

[cincopa AwLAgwKlAzwY]

 

Ricky Skaggs interview: Staying true to faith and music

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, Reviews

By Terry Roland
– Ricky Skaggs has made several critical transitions in both his musical and spiritual lives. Although few can argue with his success, there have been some detours and U-turns along the way. This is one of the many things that make Ricky Skaggs such a compelling and enduring figure in American music. As a carrier of the ‘80s and ‘90s ‘new traditionalists’ label in country music, he was once given the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award.

He’s also won multiple Grammy awards over the years, no small accomplishment for a popular country artist who devoted himself to artistic integrity while piling up country hits like Guy Clark’s “Heart Broke.” In the mid-‘90s, he returned to his bluegrass roots in response to his own spiritual calling and in order to help carry on the legacy of bluegrass music created by his friend and mentor, Bill Monroe. Ricky has established his own family record label and become one of the elder statesmen of the genre. In this interview, he gives honest insight into the motivation behind his career decisions and how his own spiritual commitment and love of good and authentic music has given his career direction and depth.

TR: So you just finished a tribute album for Linda McCartney?

RS: Yes. The track came out good … The album was about all done and I got a call the last minute. They needed an extra track and somebody said, ‘Let’s get Ricky.’ I had just lost my sister to cancer. It was such a God thing. You know, you get a wink from God from time to time. She’d just died on the 12th of September. They called the next week for the track. We went into the studio. What you hear in that song is just the joy. It’s my heart being joyous for my sister. These were God moments. It was really healing for me. Hopefully it will raise some awareness about cancer.

TR: Tell me about the new Christmas album.

RS: It’s a continuation of the first one. During our first year out doing Christmas shows, the kids were much younger. It was 2004. We were doing home family projects. We liked to just sit around doing holiday songs. I grew up in Kentucky and my mom would sing all the time. We felt like we could do a good record if we had the chance to get in the studio.

During early 2004, we were doing shows with the Chieftains. My band was in a separate bus. The kids were with us. Sharon and the kids. The next day in Virginia, we got a call that my bus had caught on fire. We had to send another bus to pick up the band and they were going to be late. A friend of mine, Jeffrey Taylor, an accordion player, Penny Whistle, me, Aaron, Molly and Luke were at the show. We panicked and figured we had to do some kind of show until the band got there. Molly played the claw hammer banjo. We put together a 30-minute set. Molly played and I sang and the time just breezed by. We told the crowd what was happening so they were on our side from the first time out. What they were seeing was our living room. We didn’t even do Christmas songs that time, just gospel. My agent Bobby was at the show and he mentioned “If you could do Christmas music, I could book that.” So it all started with us catching fire going to Atlanta.

TR: A couple of decades, ago you were one of the leaders of the New Traditionalist movement when country radio was actually playing some pretty fine music. You were given the Entertainer of the Year award by the CMA and then, you turned your back on the whole scene and went back to your roots. What  happened?

RS:  You’re talking about 1995. I don’t know what happened. It was an accumulation of a few things. New York wanted me to do more pop-influenced records. Walter got me on the phone and said “I know you love country and bluegrass, but we got to get you doing some pop records.” I said I’d love to do that as long as it’s the kind of music that gets people to cross over to us, not us to them. But it wasn’t going to work that way.

I realized it would be really hard for me to do something that’s not in keeping with my ear. Rick Blackburn had been behind me there at Sony. But he left and there was a new head of music. So things changed. Also, well, it was a lot of things. I’ve got my faith and convictions. My oldest son was shot when a driver fired a gun into his car. He was okay, but my faith really kept me grounded.

The media would ask ‘What’s up with you?’ and they’d ask me about my faith. They knew the right questions to ask. The label would get annoyed and I’d tell them, “Tell the interviewers not to ask me these questions.” You know, you either believe in Christ or not. I can’t ride the fence. I have to be true to myself and to God, and I’ve got to tell the truth. I was being honest and truthful about my faith.

In 1996.  Mr. Monroe and my dad both passed away. Country music was becoming a big circus, just a tent show.  It was just not ever me. I was never tempted to be that kind of entertainer. I knew I wasn’t going to last in a situation where there was that kind of expectation.

What I really always wanted to was be a concert artist, put on a good show just for the music. I chose, after Mr. Monroe passed away, to try to help fill the void of leadership in bluegrass. I wanted to take my place at the table of this business. I wanted to try to raise up younger kids in the music. I got Del McCoury signed on my label. He did three albums with us. I did the same with Jerry Holmes and Blue Highway. We’ve had quite a few artists on the label. That’s why I wanted to go back to my roots. I did a solo record of songs my dad loved. It was really a tribute album. He always played good music for me.

You know, there were all of these people like Mr. Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs who I had close intimate friendships with. The Bible says ‘Honor the elders and give them their due.’ That’s what I wanted to do. My dad always had these guys in front of me who were 75 and 80-years-old in the mountains of Kentucky. I’d be sitting there with great fiddlers like Doc Holcomb in eastern Kentucky. That old mountain music I love so much. I even brought it into the studio with Bruce Hornsby.

TR: That’s right; you did an album with Bruce Hornsby.

RS:  Yeah. Bruce just loved the old Kentucky mountain music. We had not really put anything together for that record when we met in the studio. People were asking us to come up with some kind of ‘80s Firefall sound. I asked Bruce, ‘Ever hear of Roscoe Holcomb? He smacked the table and said “That’s what interests me, that’s what I want! ” I wish Bruce would’ve been on Sony. It took more money to go through all of the lawyers and red tape than he and I made on the whole record.

TR:  We’ve talked a lot about spirituality. Can you tell me your thoughts on spirituality and creativity?

RS: Well, I have to go back to realizing God is the creator of all gifts. I believe music is part of God’s creation and his nature. Being a Christian and believing in a loving God, I have passion in my heart for God. Christ paid a price I couldn’t pay; he took my sinful nature from me on the cross. Music is a way to express that love to people who don’t know God. I realize what people love is God in me and they don’t even know it’s him. When I’m putting a record together I pray and ask God to play me like an instrument, for that to come through the record, the mandolin or the fiddle. If he lives in my heart, his presence will come out of me either through my hands or my mouth. I just need to be very open and conscious of his presence in the music.

I did a record with Gordon Kennedy called Mosaic. The quality of the songwriting is off the scales. It’s really more pop than anything I’ve ever done, but I felt I had to get out of my boat of safety, out of the security of the bluegrass boat. It’s almost like old Beatles. It’s both acoustic and electric. I think it’s the most important record I’ve ever done. I’ve never done a record where people would call and order 100 copies just to give away to family and friends.

TR: Well, Ricky. I appreciate so much the interview. I look forward to seeing you when you come to California!

RS: Yes. Thank you!

Chuck Mead goes “Back to the Quonset Hut”

 in Reviews

One of the coolest sites in Nashville is rarely seen by the public. The legendary Quonset Hut was once the most prominent studio on Music Row, the home of such recordings as “King of the Road,” “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”

In the ‘80s, it was converted into office space, a disturbing fate for what was once a magical space. Thanks, though, to funding by Mike Curb, the studio has been refurbished and is now used to teach production skills to Belmont University students.

Chuck Mead, a solo artist and former member of BR5-49, revisits the studio’s storied past with his upcoming album Back at the Quonset Hut, due in early 2012. It’s a collection of classic country music with great musicians of multiple eras.

The line-up includes Quonset Hut studio veterans Harold Bradley, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Bob Moore and Buddy Spicher, plus guest appearances by Bobby Bare, Old Crow Medicine Show and Elizabeth Cook.

Chuck Mead took a few minutes recently to talk about the project, which includes the album and documentary:

listen to ‘Chuck Mead’ on Audioboo

Kenny Vaughan on “V”

 in Interviews, Nashville music, Reviews

Kenny Vaughan on "Outlaw Country"

Kenny Vaughan, guitarist for Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives, had a nice run on the Americana music radio chart with V, his solo debut. He says Stuart encouraged him to record the album so he would have something to sell at shows. In this interview backstage at the very noisy Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Vaughan talks about how he put the album together and what a pleasure it is to work with Stuart:

listen to ‘Kenny Vaughan’ on Audioboo

Registration opens for 2012 Americana Music Festival in Nashville

 in Americana Music Festival, Nashville music

Early registration for the 13th annual Americana Music Association Festival and Conference, set for Sept. 12-15, 2012 in Nashville is now open.
This is one of the best music festivals in the nation, and always attracts an intriguing mix of artists. This year, Gregg Allman, Robert Plant, the Civil Wars and a Muscle Shoals tribute were all on the bill.

The AMA is offering an early bird registration of $250 for association members and $350 for non-members. Registration at the convention hotel is also now open.

Suzy Bogguss interview: Revisiting classic songs

 in Interviews, Nashville music, Reviews

Suzy Bogguss is appearing this afternoon at the Country Music Hall of Fame, performing Christmas music, songs she recorded with Chet Atkins and presumably material from her latest album, American Folk Songbook.

Songbook is an ambitious collection of traditional songs that have resonated with several generations. Boggus keeps it simple, singing warmly and with obvious affection for songs like “Shenandoah,” “Sweet Betsy From Pike” and “Red River Valley.” A companion book tells the stories behind the songs.

In this interview, Bogguss explains how the project came about:

listen to ‘Suzy Bogguss’ on Audioboo

Americana artists salute John Lennon

 in Americana Music, Nashville music

Americana artists were well-represented at last night’s John Lennon tribute at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville. The concert, designed to raise awareness about gun violence and to celebrate Lennon’s music, ran for almost four hours and showcased the talents of a number of Americana music performers, including:
– Bill Lloyd on “Girl”
– Kenny Vaughan on “Cry Baby Cry” and “Bad Boy”
– Tommy Womack on “I’m a Loser” and “Well, Well, Well”
– Chris Scruggs on “Crippled Inside” and “I Found Out”
– Rosie Flores (with Anne McCue) on “Strawberry Fields” and “No Reply”
You’ll find the full roster and another slideshow here.
[cincopa AcCA5ya-CihZ]
Photos copyright 2011 by Ken Paulson

Glen Campbell Ryman show cancelled, Jan. 3 date set

 in Nashville music

Glen Campbell, who delivered an inspiring set at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last Wednesday, had to cancel a return trip to the fabled hall tonight. The statement from the Ryman:

“Glen Campbell has been forced to postpone his December 5 performance at the Ryman this evening due to a case of laryngitis. He will perform a make up date on Tuesday, January, 3 at 7:30 pm. Tickets for the December 5 show will be honored at the January 3 date. If ticket holders are unable to attend the rescheduled date, refunds are available at the point of purchase.”

The show was essentially sold out, so there’s a sliver of a silver lining here for those who didn’t want to miss Campbell’s final Nashville show.