By Paul T. Mueller –You couldn’t have written a better script for the opening day of the 2012 Houston International Festival. After a stormy Friday that saw high winds and thunderstorms rake the city, Saturday, April 21 was clear, cool and breezy – near-perfect conditions for Houston’s premier cultural and musical celebration. Festival-goers were rewarded with excellent performances by a…
Mountain Song at Sea: Bluegrass cruise set for 2013
We’ve raved about Cayamo, the annual cruise featuring top Americana artists. Now Sixthman, the company behind Cayamo, has announced a new cruise called “Mountain Song at Sea,” featuring top bluegrass performers. Already booked: The host Steep Canyon Rangers, The David Grisman Sextet, Del McCoury Band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Tim O’Brien and Bryan Sutton, the Kruger Brothers, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel…
Charting: Steep Canyon Rangers, Lumineers
Last week we confidently predicted a long run for Lyle Lovett’s Release Me at the top of the Americana Music Association airplay chart. So much for that. This week Justin Townes Earles’ Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me moved past it to the number one position. Chart debuts this week: The Steep Canyon Rangers’ Nobody Knows You…
Re-issues: “The Red Bird Girls” in stereo
By Ken Paulson –The Red Bird Girls Very First Time in True Stereo is a stunning collection of pop songs recorded almost half a century ago on the Red Bird label founded by legendary rock ‘n’ roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The title says it all: Girl groups and singers in impeccable stereo, taken from recently discovered masters.…