[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…
Review: Blackberry Winter’s “In These Ozark Hills”
By Joe Ross With four traditional tunes, five originals, and eight covers, the Missouri-based string band Blackberry Winter has produced a pleasant album chock full of downhome flavor and personality. These self-professed “old hillbillies” have long resumes with folk, big band, swing, rockabilly and even funk music. Common interests in music, friendship and camaraderie bring the players together from many…
Little Willies at #1; Gretchen Peters, Cash Box Kings, Elders enter chart
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…
Sun209.com tweets
John Prine, Lucinda Williams, the Civil Wars headline Cayamo, an Americana music festival on a cruise ship. http://t.co/IvtbSAVJ # Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Don Schlitz to headline benefit at Bluebird Cafe in Nashville #Nashville music http://t.co/pHZ8nxb7 # Musical Apps for the iPhone http://t.co/xkG6wZBC via @WSJ # Danny Barnes’ cover of “Bang A Gong” is 3/4 T Rex, 1/4 Power…
The Deep Dark Woods: The Place I Left Behind
By Ken Paulson —It’s too easy to compare a Canadian band to The Band, but in the case of the Deep Dark Woods, it’s also inescapable. The sonic resemblance is most apparent on murder saga “The Ballad of Frank Dupree,” but the Deep Dark Woods also mine The Band’s terrain of days long past, regrets and remembrances. Listening to The…
Amy Grant, Vince Gill headline Bluebird Cafe benefit
Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Don Schlitz and friends will perform in the round at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe on Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. Proceeds benefit Alive Hospice. Tickets are $75, and sold out, but sometimes no-shows leave a few open seats. Here’s a fan video from the same event last year:
How Emmylou Harris helped transform downtown Nashville
Tonight Emmylou Harris will be honored at the Grand Old Opry, on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She deserves that recognition and Nashville’s gratitude. Today downtown Nashville is the home of a major arena, symphony hall, thriving restaurants and a restored and vibrant Ryman Auditorium. But that wasn’t the case in the early 1990s. In a column…
San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival set for Feb. 10
The 10-day San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival begins its ten-day run Feb. 10 in the Bay area. The 13th annual event consists of more than 30 shows at clubs in the region. Here’s the festival’s list of performers: Foghorn Stringband, Jeff Kazor & Lisa Berman, Anne and Pete Sibley, Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, The Brothers Comatose, Emily Bonn…
Review: Chris Ronald’s “Turning Tides”
By Joe Ross Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Chris Ronald is usually heard in intimate listening environments where there is ample stage space, cold beer and good burgers. Restaurants, music circles and open mics are great places for small, attentive audiences to experience his music in its purest, unamplified form. In concert, he also talks about his influences, song ideas, inspirations, and the…
Will Kimbrough’s Lick of the Day (sans guitar)
Will Kimbrough posts his Lick of the Day from the airport in San Francisco. Follow Sun209: The Americana Music Journal on Twitter (sun209com) and Facebook.
Americana chart: Kathleen Edwards’ “Voyageur” at #1
On the day of its release, Kathleen Edwards’ Voyageur is at the top of the Americana Music Association Chart. The Little Willies’ For the Good Times is at the number three position, just one week after release. Both albums are new to the market, but have been played for weeks on Americana radio. The release of albums to radio weeks…
30A Songwriting Festival: Rodney Crowell, Steve Forbert and the Bangles
By Ken Paulson Seaside, Florida – The third annual 30A Songwriters Festival, closed out its three-day run today, wrapping up an ambitious and entertaining celebration of songs. Very similar in scope and approach to Nashville’s’ Tin Pan South Festival, run by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, 30A showcases a wide range of artists and genres in both open-air and intimate…
30A Songwriters Festival update
We’re at the 3rd annual 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa, Florida, with Matthew Sweet and the Bangles headlining. The weather is as good as it gets in Florida in January and turnout so far has been impressive enough that some veteran attendees of the festival are saying it’s too crowded. Clearly these people have never been to Bonnaroo. We’ll…
Bangles showcase great songs and writers
By Ken Paulson –Seaside, Fla. — As headliners at the 30A Songwriters Festival, the Bangles proudly proclaimed their founding three decades ago. Both the band and their music have held up remarkably well. There’s some irony in the Bangles being the biggest names at the festival because while they’ve written a good part of their material, some of their biggest…
Matthew Sweet at 30A Songwriters Festival
Matthew Sweet opened the afternoon show at the 30A Songwriters Festival with a set that drew heavily from his breakthrough 1991 album Girlfriend. Sweet joked that the girlfriend was now 21 and old enough to drink. It was a tough setting for Sweet. Most of the crowd had come to see the Bangles, and though there’s some stylistic common ground,…
30A Songwriters Festival begins
Sun209 is headed for Santa Rose Beach, Florida to cover the 30A Songwriters Festival this weekend. Watch for updates on Twitter (sun209com) and on this site. The News Herald of Panama City previewed the festival today. You’ll find the full story by Tony Simmons here, but here’s a preview: Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles described the event as “a series…
Review: Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators
By Joe Ross Texas-based Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators’ 5-song EP Late for My Own Funeral shows that they can rock hard. The catchy opener “19 Doin’ 20” is a bit frenetic, while “Come On” and “Barfly” provide some nice contrasting grooves at a slower pace. The album’s short on credits, but I assume drummer Chris Evans is propelling the…
30A Songwriters Festival releases schedule
The 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, has just released its performance schedule for this weekend, Jan. 13-15. You’ll find it in PDF form here. Top draws on opening night will include the Psycho Sisters (former Continental Drifters Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson), David Olney, David Ryan Harris, Steve Forbert, Indigo Girl Amy Ray, John Oates, Corey Smith…
The Washover Fans: “That Habit Suits You”
By Joe Ross A “washover fan” is a term used by scientists for those sandy landforms that wash in over an island or spit of land during a storm. While one member of this Washington-based acoustic Americana quartet was studying geology, the band adopted its moniker. It’s a good initial indication of their earthy approach to music. That Habit Suits…
Guy Clark tribute, Charlie Faye, Imelda May enter Americana charts
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…