Author Archives: Baron Lane

Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2019

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2018 is now in the pages of history and as America shifts (lurches?) into an uncertain future. Americana and roots music, unlike many other genres, continues to be true to its legacy and addresses our times with art that refuses to chase the charts and churn out reflexively commercial product and, lucky for us, refuses to treat the audience as mindless consumers.

That’s not to say that Americana and roots music is merely a barometer for political and social conditions and change. No sane person wants their favorite artists to be righteous yet starve. As the music industry continues to reflect changing consumer demands artists are also finding opportunities to reach audiences and generate revenue in movies and video games.

Some albums I’m  personally looking forward to because I’ve heard some cuts, or on my faith in the artist,  are Hayes Carll’s  â€œWhat It Is,” Feb. 15: Dale Watson’s Call Me Lucky and Ryan Bingham – “American Love Song” , all on February 15th,  Mandolin Orange’s “Tides of a Teardrop” on February 1st, and Joshua Ray Walker’s “Wish You Were Here” on January 25th as well as Son Volt’s “Union’ on March 29th.

As more dates come throughout the year I will be updating the list. If you know of an actual release not listed yet please leave it in the comments.

As always I appreciate your visiting the site and hope you join me in another great year for Americana and roots music.

January: Jan. 18th: Danny Burns – “North Country”
Jan. 25th: Lula Wiles – ‘What Will We Do’
Jan. 4th: Balsam Range – “Aeonic”
Jan. 18th: Alice Wallace – “ Into the Blue”
Jan. 18th: Ronnie Milsap – “Ronnie Milsap: The Duets”
Jan. 18th: Greensky Bluegrass – “All for Money”
Jan. 18th: The Steel Woods – “Old News”
Jan. 18th: Whitehorse – “The Northern South Vol. 2”
Feb. 22: Vandoliers – “Forever” 

February:
Feb. 1st: Mandolin Orange – “Tides of a Teardrop”
Feb. 1st: Abigail Lapelle – “Getaway”
Feb. 8th: Gurf Morlix – ‘Impossible Blue’
Feb. 15th: Hayes Carll – “What It Is”
Feb. 15th: Dale Watson – “Call Me Lucky”
Feb. 15th: Ryan Bingham – “American Love Song”
Feb. 15th: Joey McGee – “El Camino Real”
Feb. 15th: Kalyn Fay – “Good Company”
Feb. 22nd: Dearling – “Silver and Gold” (EP)
Feb. 22nd Vandoliers – “Forever”
Feb. 22nd – Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell – ‘Songs of Our Native Daughters’ March:
March 1st: Mary Bragg – “Diamonds as Camouflage”
March 1st: The Cactus Blossoms – “Easy Way”
March 1st: Dave Ernst – “Hickory Switch”
March 2nd: The Honey Dewdrops – “Anyone Can See”
March 7th: Townes Van Zandt – “Sky Blue”
March 8th: Patty Griffin – “Patty Griffin” March 8th: Clara Baker – “Things To Burn”
March 22nd: Allison de Groot & Tatiana March 22nd: Orville Peck – “Pony” March 22nd: Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon – “Solstice” March 29th: Son Volt – “Union”

April: April 2nd: John Paul White – ‘The Hurting Kind” April 5th: Molly Tuttle – “When You’re Ready.” April 5th: Megg Farrell -“Megg Farrell” April 12th: Shovels & Rope – “By Blood” April 12th: Taylor Alexander – “Good Old Fashioned Pain” April 19th: Daniel Norgren – “Wooh Dang” May:
May 3rd: Pete Seeger – ‘The Smithsonian Folkways Collection’ May 3rd: Caroline Spence – “Mint Condition” May 10th: The Shootouts – “Quick Draw” May 24th: Willard Gayheart – “At Home in the Blue Ridge”

June:
June 14th: Hank Williams – ‘Health & Happiness Show’ June 21st: Buddy and Julie Miller -‘Breakdown on 20th Ave. South’ June 28th: Chuck Mead – “Close To Home” August 16th The Messenger: A Tribute to Ray Wylie Hubbard August 23rd Esther Rose – ‘You Made It This Far’ Erin Enderlin – ‘Chapter Three: Whatever Gets You Through The Night’ Tanya Tucker – ‘While I’m Livin’ ‘ Vince Gill – ‘Okie’ Dalton Domino – ‘Songs From the Exile’ Jason Hawk Harris – Love & the Dark The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys – ‘Toil, Tears & Trouble’ Leslie Stevens – ‘Sinner’ Croy and the Boys – ‘Howdy High-Rise’ Seth James – Midland – ‘Let It Roll’ September 7th The Highwomen – Self-Titled’ Terri Hendrix – ‘Talk To A Human’ Jason Tyler Burton – ‘Kentuckian’ Paul Cauthen – ‘Room 41’ Cut Throat Francis – ‘This Garden’s Never Gonna Grow’ Ana Egge – ‘Is It the Kiss’ NRBQ – ‘Turn On, Tune In’ Amy Speace – ‘Me and the Ghosts of Charlemagne’ These Wild Plains – ‘Thrilled To Be Here’ Trailerpark Idlers – ‘Ghost Town Nights September 13th Jeremy Ivey – ‘The Dream And The Dreamer’ September 27th Hot Club of Cowtown – ‘Wild Kingdom’ October 4th The North Mississippi Allstars – “Up and Rolling” October 13th Cody Jinks – ‘After The Fire’ North Mississippi Allstars – ‘Up and Rolling’ Corb Lund – ‘Cover Your Tracks’ Jonah Tolchin – ‘Fires for the Cold’ Marti Brom – ‘Midnight Bus’ Ted Drozdowski – ‘Learn To Love The Moon’ Jeremy Ivey – ‘The Dream And The Dreamer; Janiva Magness – ‘Change In The Weather: Janiva Magness Sings John Fogerty’ October 18th The Milk Carton Kids – ‘The Only Ones’ Darin Aldridge & Brooke Aldridge – ‘Inner Journey’ Driftwood Soldier – ‘Stay Ahead Of The Wolf’ The Drunken Hearts – ‘Wheels of the City’ Rory Ellis – ‘Inner Outlaw’ EmiSunshine and The Rain – ‘Family Wars’ Jimmy “Duck” Holmes – ‘Cypress Grove’ Jake La Botz – ‘They’re Coming For Me’ New Copasetics – ‘Twang-Ucopia’ David Newbould – ‘Sin & Redemption’ Karen & the Sorrows – ‘Guaranteed Broken Heart’ Zachary Lucky – ‘Midwestern’ October 25th Allison Moorer – ‘Blood’ Neil Young & Crazy Horse – ‘Colorado’ Craig Cummings – ‘Absolute Surprise’ Karen & the Sorrows – ‘Guaranteed Broken Heart’ Van Morrison – ‘Three Chords and the Truth’ Jackson Stokes – ‘Jackson Stokes’ Zack Walther Band – ‘The Westerner’ November 20th Bill Scorzari – ‘Now I’m Free’ January 31st Dustbowl Revival – ‘Is It You, Is It Me?’

Cream of the Crop – Twang Nation Top Americana and Roots Music Picks of 2018

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Truth be told I’ve been distracted by much unpleasantness in 2018. So much so as many of these outstanding selections moved past my attention when they were first released. Luckily I keep a list of yearly releases and was able to rewind and catch them before they slipped away as 2019 dawned.

Criteria – Calendar year 2018. No EPs, live, covers or re-release albums no matter how awesome. Don’t see your favorite represented? Leave it in the comments, and here’s to a new year of Twang.

  1. Jamie Lin Wilson – Jumping Over Rocks – On her sophomore outing, Wilson has created a lean melancholy masterpiece. The pull of the road and the fray on family ties, and the resulting loneliness and regret are just some of the universal themes running through these unvarnished jewels traveling on that dusky trill. It’s a testament to the skill of craft that created these songs that Guy Clark’s “Instant Coffee Blues” sits so easily within Wilson’s originals.


2. John Prine – ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’ – 13 years in the making Prine lends his wry eye to the everyday glory and mundane divinity that has become Prine’s calling card in his 71 years. His ruminations of birth, death and the the pageant of absurdity connecting the two could be chalked up to the interests of an older man (especially one that’s beat 2 cancer prognosis,) but Prine has always been an artist that’s interested in exploring our shared experiences in whimsical ways.

3. J.P. Harris – ‘Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing,’ – Harris belies his 30 year travels around the sun by penning songs that channels Mickey Newbury  (‘Lady in the Spotlight’) or Blaze Foley (the title cut) to create a calico quilt of country and roots best bits that hangs together and serves a fitting flag to stake out his own territory of sonic discovery.


4. Dillon Carmichael – ‘Hell on an Angel“ – The story goes that Dillon Carmichael has country music in his DNA and he was destined to mine for country gold. I’ve known a lot of decedents of music greats that didn’t have a lick of destiny in them. Hell on an Angel“ is a project that has me reevaluating that conclusion. Hillbilly Whisperer Dave Cobb has again found himself alongside an artist that can be described as the future of country music by reminding us all that its beauty lies in its past.

5. Colter Wall – “Songs of the Plain” – That voice. Those songs. “Songs of the Plain” mines much of the history that made country music relatable and beloved by folks the world over. A cowboy longing for home while on a long trail ride is not just a reflection on the cost of a particular profession as much as it is a dusty sketch of a common longing we can all share.


6. Lori McKenna – ‘The Tree” – McKenna’s collection of family-album folk songs shows haw a master of songcraft finds depth in the ordinary moments of everyday life. McKenna’s ability to write of the profound in relatable, and often commercially successful, ways make her one of the few that can traverse mainstream country and Americana territories with aplomb.


7. Mike and the Moonpies – ‘Steak Night at the Prairie Rose’ – Everyone has come across some asshole willing to sound the death knell for country music. Next time that happens drop this album on them like a 9lb. hammer. Barroom confessionals and boot-scootin‘ crowd pleasers reflects the spirit of those thousands of stages Mike and the Moonpies has had to own on any given night. It doesn’t get more real.

8. Ruston Kelly – ‘Dying Star’ – Kelly is another country music vet not content to keep working behind the stage grinding out hits for the likes of the Josh Abbott Band and Tim McGraw. Those skills allow Kelly to craft lean songs that carry just the right amount of studio sheen as not to choke the life from these back-alley confessionals of failing faith and dime-store salvation.

9. Charley Crockett – ‘Lonesome As a Shadow’ – Crockett’s working-class upbringing in rural border town Texas and years of busking on the streets of New Orleans and New York City is steeped bone deep in these cuts. To find a melange of Redneck-Cajun gumbo this satisfying outside of this release you’d have to dig deep into the 70’s Leon Russell / Willie Nelson collaborations.

10. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – ‘Years’ – Hearing Sarah Shook for the first time transported me back to Dallas jn the early 90s when I first heard the Old 97s. The country music I had grown up with on my parent’s stereo was all hopped up on trucker speed and bucking bronco beats. Shook embodies the golden years of alt.country but brews up her own brand of fresh blood with razor sharp wit and a heavy dose of ‘I don’t give as fuck.’

2019 Grammy Awards Nominees : Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Lee Ann Womack

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Ah the holidays. Family, friends, bourbon-barrel stouts, gluttony and Black Friday door-buster riots.
Making memories…

It’s also the time of year when nominations for the Grammy Awards were announced. In case you weren’t aware of this fact you’re not alone. I did a completely unscientific study of Grammy awareness and of the 23 people I asked zero had any idea that the nominees had been announced.

Not a surprise. Though “music’s biggest night” viewership has held steady for the last four years, the 2016 telecast technically ranked as a seven-year low for the annual event.

Though the Grammys tend to be less directly political as other award shows, in the current toxic political environment more people (aka customers) are skipping the mono-political red-carpet posturing from celebrities that is de rigueur. So people that want to unplug and listen and watch live performances of tunes.

Amazing the people looking for some creative distraction balk at the idea of being lectured to.

Political posturing aside, The Grammys for years have had a hard time getting a foothold on what they’re brand means to fans and people outside the industry. No one outside the industry and insane obsessive fans (like us!) cares about who wins. You have to be delusional to believe that casual fans under 30 tune into the Grammys to discover new artists and the 30+ crowd falls outside the sweet demographic to keep up ad revenues to keep up the rental payments on the Staples Center.

For the new and established artists the live performances, especially the ones live-streamed from the pre-telecast ceremony, can be extraordinary. Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Hugh Masekela, John Fullbright, Elle Varner and Trombone Shorty stand out as memorable favorites from my time covering the event.

Now the numbers: Brandi Carlile tops the Americana list with six nominations including Album Of The Year (By The Way, I Forgive You), Record Of The Year (“The Joke”), Song Of The Year (“The Joke”), Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance.

Chris Stapleton is nominated for three GRAMMY Awards: Best Country Album (From A Room: Volume 2) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Millionaire”) as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for his performance on Justin Timberlake’s “Say Something.”

Lee Ann Womack earned two nominations. Her latest album ‘The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone’ (ATO Records) has been nominated for Best Americana Album, and the album’s lead single “All the Trouble” has been nominated for Best Americana Roots Song. The nominations are the eleventh and twelfth of Womack’s storied career, and her first as a songwriter.

The Travelin’ McCourys nabbed a nomination for “Best Bluegrass Album” for their eponymous debut/

Below is my list of categories reflecting the roots and Americana field.
Tune into the 61st Grammy Awards on Feb. 10 on CBS, broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

• “I Like It” – Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Invincible, JWhiteDidIt, Craig Kallman & Tainy, producers; Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Tom Elmhirst & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• “This Is America” – Childish Gambino
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, producers; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali & Riley Mackin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer Boi-1Da, Cardo & Young Exclusive, producers; Noel Cadastre, Noel “Gadget” Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer

• “Shallow” – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga & Benjamin Rice, producers; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• “All The Stars” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Al Shux & Sounwave, producers; Sam Ricci & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• “Rockstar” – Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
Louis Bell & Tank God, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris & GreyGrey, Monsters & Strangerz & Zedd, producers; Grey, Tom Morris, Ryan Shanahan & Zedd, engineers/mixers; Mike Marsh, mastering engineer

Album Of The Year
(Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with at least 33% playing time of the album, if other than Artist.)

• Invasion Of Privacy – Cardi B
Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Belcalis Almanzar & Jorden Thorpe, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• By The Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Dave Cobb & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• Scorpion – Drake
Noel Cadastre, Noel “Gadget” Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters; Chris Athens, mastering engineer

• H.E.R. – H.E.R.
Darhyl “Hey DJ” Camper Jr, H.E.R. & Jeff Robinson, producers; Miki Tsutsumi, engineer/mixer; Darhyl Camper Jr & H.E.R., songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

• Beerbongs & Bentleys – Post Malone
Louis Bell & Post Malone, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell & Austin Post, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe
Chuck Lightning & Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, producers; Mick Guzauski, Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, engineers/mixers; Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Taylor Parks & Janelle Monáe Robinson, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

• Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, producers; Craig Alvin & Shawn Everett, engineers/mixers; Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters; Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone, mastering engineers

• Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By (Various Artists)
Kendrick Lamar, featured artist; Kendrick Duckworth & Sounwave, producers; Matt Schaeffer, engineer/mixer; Kendrick Duckworth & Mark Spears, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

Song Of The Year

(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

• “All The Stars”
Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
Track from: Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By

• “Boo’d Up”
Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
Track from: Ready

• “God’s Plan”
Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)

• “In My Blood”
Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes)
Track from: Shawn Mendes

• “The Joke”
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
Track from: By The Way, I Forgive You

• “The Middle”
Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)

• “Shallow”
Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)

• “This Is America”
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)

Best New Artist
(An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility year release/s achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.)
• Chloe x Halle
• Luke Combs
• Greta Van Fleet
• H.E.R.
• Dua Lipa
• Margo Price
• Bebe Rexha
• Jorja Smith

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.)
• Love Is Here To Stay – Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
• My Way – Willie Nelson
• Nat “King” Cole & Me – Gregory Porter
• Standards (Deluxe) – Seal
• The Music…The Mem’ries…The Magic! – Barbra Streisand

Best Country Solo Performance
(For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.)

• “Wouldn’t It Be Great?”
Loretta Lynn
Track from: Wouldn’t It Be Great
• “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters”
Maren Morris
Track from: Restoration: Reimagining The Songs Of Elton John And Bernie Taupin
• “Butterflies”
Kacey Musgraves
Track from: Golden Hour
• “Millionaire”
Chris Stapleton
Track from: From A Room: Volume 2
• “Parallel Line”
Keith Urban
Track from: Graffiti U

Country
Category 27 – Best Country Duo/Group Performance
(For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.)
• “Shoot Me Straight”
Brothers Osborne
Track from: Port Saint Joe
• “Tequila”
Dan + Shay
• “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Little Big Town
Track from: The Breaker
• “Dear Hate”
Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill
• “Meant To Be”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Track from: All Your Fault: Pt. 2
Field 8 – Country
Category 28 – Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
• “Break Up In The End”
Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill & Jon Nite, songwriters (Cole Swindell)
• “Dear Hate”
Tom Douglas, David Hodges & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill)
• “I Lived It”
Rhett Akins, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley & Ben Hayslip, songwriters (Blake Shelton)
• “Space Cowboy”
Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
Track from: Golden Hour
• “Tequila”
Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds & Dan Smyers, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
• “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Little Big Town)
Track from: The Breaker
Field 8 – Country
Category 29 – Best Country Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new country recordings.)
• Unapologetically
Kelsea Ballerini
• Port Saint Joe
Brothers Osborne
• Girl Going Nowhere
Ashley McBryde
• Golden Hour
Kacey Musgraves
• From A Room: Volume 2
Chris Stapleton

American Roots Music
Category 45 – Best American Roots Performance
(For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).)

• “Kick Rocks”
Sean Ardoin
Track from: Kreole Rock And Soul
• “Saint James Infirmary Blues”
Jon Batiste
Track from: Hollywood Africans
• “The Joke”
Brandi Carlile
Track from: By The Way, I Forgive You
• “All On My Mind”
Anderson East
Track from: Encore
• “Last Man Standing”
Willie Nelson
Track from: Last Man Standing

American Roots Music
Category 46 – Best American Roots Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

• “All The Trouble”
Waylon Payne, Lee Ann Womack & Adam Wright, songwriters (Lee Ann Womack)
Track from: The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone
• “Build A Bridge”
Jeff Tweedy, songwriter (Mavis Staples)
• “The Joke”
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
Track from: By The Way, I Forgive You
• “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door”
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Track from: The Tree Of Forgiveness
• “Summer’s End”
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Track from: The Tree Of Forgiveness

American Roots Music
Category 47 – Best Americana Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.)
• By The Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile
• Things Have Changed – Bettye LaVette
• The Tree Of Forgiveness – John Prine
• The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone – Lee Ann Womack
• One Drop Of Truth – The Wood Brothers
Field 13 – American Roots Music

Best Bluegrass Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.)
• Portraits In Fiddles
Mike Barnett
• Sister Sadie II
Sister Sadie
• Rivers And Roads
Special Consensus
• The Travelin’ McCourys
The Travelin’ McCourys
• North Of Despair
Wood & Wire

Best Folk Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.)
• Whistle Down The Wind – Joan Baez
• Black Cowboys – Dom Flemons
• Rifles & Rosary Beads – Mary Gauthier
• Weed Garden – Iron & Wine
• All Ashore – Punch Brothers

Historical
Category 68 – Best Historical Album
• Any Other Way
Rob Bowman, Douglas Mcgowan, Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton, mastering engineer (Jackie Shane)
• At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight…
Martin Hawkins, compilation producer; Christian Zwarg, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
• Battleground Korea: Songs And Sounds Of America’s Forgotten War
Hugo Keesing, compilation producer; Christian Zwarg, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
• A Rhapsody In Blue – The Extraordinary Life Of Oscar Levant
Robert Russ, compilation producer; Andreas K. Meyer & Rebekah Wineman, mastering engineers (Oscar Levant)
• Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris
William Ferris, April Ledbetter & Steven Lance Ledbetter, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists)

Sierra Hull Announces ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ Tour

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Roots music virtuoso Sierra Hull has announced her ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ tour. Each of the four tour stops she will partner with Toys for Tots and/or a local food bank– “seeking to ease the stress of the holidays for the less fortunate.” Each attending fan who donates an unwrapped toy, canned foods, or makes a monetary donation to the local food bank on-site will receive a free signed Weighted Mind (Hull’s latest release, a GRAMMY-nominated record) poster while supplies last. Together, with her band (Justin Moses, Kai Welch, Eddie Barbash, Ethan Jodziewicz, and Jamie Dick), Hull aims to bring Christmas joy to all– those attending the shows and those in need this December. See below for details on how to give in each market:

Dec. 7 — Sheldon Concert Hall — St. Louis, MO
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary donations accepted
for St. Louis Area Foodbank)

Dec. 8 — Franklin Theatre — Franklin, TN
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary
donations accepted for Second Harvest Food Bank)

Dec. 20 — Tangled String Studios — Huntsville, AL
(Monetary donations accepted for Food Bank of North Alabama)

Dec. 21 — Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts — Franklin, NC
(Toys for Tots, monetary donations accepted for Macon County Care Net)

For tickets and more information, please visit sierrahull.com.

Ryan Bingham To Release ‘American Love Song’ in 2019. Hear the Song “Wolves.”

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Southwestern spirit chaser Ryan Bingham will release his sixth studio album “American Love Song” on February 15th, 2019.

That will mark a four year stretch between his latest and the criminally overlooked “Fear and Saturday Night.” That’s a long time for fans, like me, to wait. Though there was a pretty sweet live album to hold me over.

Like Bingham’s last three albums “American Love Song” will be released on his own label, Axster Bingham Records. The album is co-produced by Austin music legend Charlie Sexton, fresh off his extraordinary portrayal of Townes Van Zandt in Ethan Hawke’s “Blaze.” The album was recorded at Austin’s Arlyn Studios and Public Hi-fi. Additional recording was done at Matter Music in Los Angeles.

Listen to Bingham play his ode to personal strength “Wolves” live on The Off Camera Show. (That glorious voice!) “Wolves” is available to download now with all pre-orders.

Pre-order “American Love Song” here.

Bingham is currently touring across America on a sold-out solo acoustic tour. He hits the road with a full band in March in Salt Lake City, UT. See full dates below.

Bingham has also announced his own curated music festival “The Western.” The festival looks like a winner right out of the gate featuring the Old 97s, Margo Price, Jamestown Revival, and Colter Wall already booked. The event will feature an exclusive “Campfire Jam,” highlighting an acoustic song-swap with Bingham and Price.

The festival will take place April 12th and 13th, 2019 at the storied outdoor venue Luckenbach, TX. Visit www.thewesternfestival.com for more information.

Ryan Bingham – “American Love Song” Tracklist:

1. Jingle and Go
2. Nothin Holds Me Down
3. Pontiac
4. Lover Girl
5. Beautiful and Kind
6. Situation Station
7. Got Damn Blues
8. Time for My Mind
9. What Would I’ve Become
10. Wolves
11. Blue
12. Hot House
13. Stones
14. America
15. Blues Lady

U.S Tour 2019 (Full Band)
March

19 – Salt Lake City, UT
21 – Phoenix, AZ
23 – San Diego, CA
24 – San Luis Obispo, CA
26 – Santa Cruz, CA
28 – Los Angeles, CA
29 – San Francisco, CA
30 – Petaluma, CA

April

2 – Denver, CO
3 – Lincoln, NE
4 – Springfield, IL
5 – Chicago, IL
6 – Minneapolis, MN
7 – Milwaukee, WI
9 – Kansas City, MO
12 – Luckenbach, TX – THE WESTERN
13 – Luckenbach, TX – THE WESTERN
16 – New Orleans, LA
17 – Atlanta, GA
19 – Philadelphia, PA
20 – Boston, MA
21 – Washington, DC
22 – Asbury Park, N
23 – Brooklyn, NY

Watch Out! Live Review – Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” 50th Anniversary Tour, Dallas TX.

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How do you tour in support of a seminal album when its main influence has been dead for 45 years?

Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are currently on the road trying to answer that very question.

Friday last at the lovely Majestic Theatre the Founding Byrds members came together to recreate the magic that began as a chance encounter when Hillman happened upon Gram Parsons
standing in line at a Beverly Hills bank, “Probably drawing from his trust fund” Hillman quipped alluding to Parson’s family citrus business trust fund that reportedly paid him as
much as $100,000 a year.

Though considered as a mere salaried sideman by the band’s record company, when the Byrds’ Columbia recording contract was renewed in 1968 only original members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman where asked to ink the deal. it was Parson’s singular obsession with country music history that charmed the other members into moving recording digs from persuading the other members to leave Los Angeles to Nashville thus guaranteeing a more straight-ahead twang affair.

The $45 t-shirt at the merch table concerned me that this could be merely a cash grab. The show soon put that fear to rest. No opener necessary, the first set served as a reminder that the Byrds flirted with country and roots music before Parson’s arrival. Joe Hayes “A Satisfied Mind,” made famous by Porter Wagoner, was a particular delight with McGuinn playing electric 12-string and Hillman picking the bass. As the show progressed McGuinn, Hillman, Stuart, Kenny Vaughn and Chris Scruggs all members took up acoustic, electric and steel guitars, bass and mandolin with equal aplomb. Vocal duties were also shared as McGuinn sang “Mr. Spaceman,” Hillman “Old John Robertson” and Stuart took the lead on Haggard’s “Sing Me Back Home.” The harmonies were sublime on with Stuart and drummer Harry Stinson adding backing behind Hillman and McGuinn.

As can be expected at a 50th-anniversary show, reminiscing abound. McGuinn recounted that famous two=song set at the Opry. On March 15th 1968, the band were invited to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, which was then still at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Singer-songwriter future outlaw country pioneer Tompall Glaser introduced the group, who were scheduled to play a Merle Haggard cover and a track from the upcoming album. After performing Sweetheart’s opening track, Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which featured the iconic Lloyd Green on steel guitar, Gram Parsons broke decorum and announced that instead of the planned “Sing Me Back Home,” they were going to play yet another track from the LP. He then dedicated their performance of “Hickory Wind” to his grandmother.

After an intermission, the second set began with Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives doing two songs, “Country Boy Rock And Roll” and “Time Don’ Wait.” Choosing Stuart and the Superlatives as a backing band was a shrewd move. Few bands have the pedigree and the chops to pull off such a monumental occasion.

Though Parson’s absence was most profound with songs like Hickory Wind and The Louvin Brothers’ The Christian Life the croed didn’t seem to mind as they smiled, whooped and toe-tapped along. Things change, life moves forward and people come and go. With timeless music like this, it makes the sadness a bit easier to endure. Continue reading Watch Out! Live Review – Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” 50th Anniversary Tour, Dallas TX.→

Video Premiere – Grain Thief – “Colorado Freeze”

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Today Twang Nation is proud to exclusively premiere the video for Grain Thief’s “Colorado Freeze” from their full-length debut “Stardust Lodge.” (out now – order below) The song is perfect road song and the video fitfully follows the band as they perform on their tour bus on the way to visit a Colorado amusement park. The VHS camcorder gives the whole thing a nice washed-out grainy aesthetic.

Grain Thief is a 5-piece americana string band from Boston, MA. The group comprises Patrick Mulroy (guitar, vocals), Zach Meyer (mandolin, vocals), Michael Harmon (bass, vocals), Tom Farrell (lead guitar), and Alex Barstow (fiddle).

Prior to the formation of the band, Grain Thief was used as a moniker for Mulroy’s solo project from 2011-2014. Mulroy toured the East Coast sporadically after recording two EPs and moving back to Boston from Washington, DC where he had worked in a Korean Restaurant and played bass in a heavy metal jam band called Thundertyts.

In Boston, he continued to use the name Grain Thief and brought in a revolving group of drummers, percussionists, guitarists, and bass players. Rhode Island born Tom Farrell joined the coalition early on as a lead guitar player–he and Mulroy met in a dark basement in Brighton somewhere around 2008. For a time, the band featured 2 drummers, with Farrell on bass allowing Mulroy to play his newly purchased blonde telecaster.

After much prodding, saxophonist, Zach Meyer reluctantly joined the band on mandolin. The two had met through a mutual friend in the Cambridge competitive beer-drinking scene and vaguely knew that the other could play an instrument. However, this quartet (Mulroy, Meyer, Farrell, and South Shore Joe Angellis on drums) would not last. Dissatisfied with the project’s direction, Mulroy dissolved it.

The new Grain Thief reformed almost immediately at Meyer’s apartment in Lower Allston, where the 3 former members (Mulroy, Meyer, and Farrell) worked on acoustic arrangements of some new and old songs to prepare for a one-off show in a converted Brooklyn warehouse.

Meyer’s then roommate was future fiddle-player Alex Barstow. Barstow was trained as a classical violist, but was soon dragged into jamming on old time tunes by Meyer who grew up in the old-time fiddle community in Washington state. Barstow never made it to that show in Brooklyn, but he did wind up at the band’s next rehearsal and first two shows at the Rosebud Diner in Davis Square.

Meanwhile, acquaintance of the band and recording engineer Mike Harmon was building a studio out by Wachusett Mountain in Central Massachusetts. Mulroy, a carpenter, seeing the opportunity to score some free recording time for his fledgling band, spent countless hours with Mike building out the studio. However, the free recording time would never come to pass, as Mike would soon join the band. With Mike’s bass, third vocal harmony, and Trident series 65 console, the band was now complete. Their union was solidified after Mulroy accidentally dropped Harmon’s 1939 Kay Bass down the stairs, snapping the headstock clean off, resulting in a costly repair and lifelong friendship.

Their debut EP Animal was recorded and released in November 2015. The record showcases the band’s roots in folk, bluegrass, and old time music. In 2017, the band began a residency at the Burren pub in Somerville and continues to entertain the Wednesday crowds to this day. From their perch in Massachusetts, the band has toured heavily in New England and made forays in the West, South, and East Coast.

The recording of Animal’s follow up Stardust Lodge began in April 2016 and finished a year and a half later. Mulroy’s lyrical approach to the album is met equally with songs of loss and regret, and the struggles of the everyday working man with a satirical twist. The arrangements and instrumentation represent a departure from Animal’s bleak simplicity with the band showing a bit more leg. With a new record out and shows booked throughout the country, the band has a long road ahead to cruise.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, Mulroy has this to say:

“The song was co-written by myself (Patrick Mulroy) and a good friend, Connor McGinnis, a Nashville songwriter, formerly of the Zuni Mountain Boys, who is currently working on a new record down there.

He started the song, and I finished it is the short answer. It’s sourced from both of our memories of old flames and cold mornings. It deals with looking back on mistakes or memories from far into the future after the dust has settled.”

The song is the first single off of our record Stardust Lodge, which came out on August 24th.

In preparation for the release, the band did a 7 date tour of Colorado, hitting all four corners. They filmed the video on the road, and at various stops along the way– our bass player Mike handled the editing duties.

Buy “Stardust Lodge” here.

Official Site: grainthief.com

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Record Store Day Black Friday 2018 Americana and Roots Recommendations

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Record Store Day's Black Friday

Just as the weather turns crisp and the Halloween candy gluts the store isles you know that Record Store Day Black Friday event is right around the corner. The event, that results in indy record store around the world making a good chunk of their yearly take, has been expanded to take place over two days, Black Friday (November 23) and Small Business Saturday (November 24).

Among the vinyl delights offered is a Legacy Edition of The Byrds – landmark “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” with lots of goodies to top off the album’s 50th anniversary. Also offered is Lone Justice – The Western Tapes 1983, early Marvin Etzioni produced demos of these alt.country pioneers.

Check the full list at the Record Store Day site. I’ll be buying a stack from the good people at Dallas’ own Good Records. Remember to tweet a pic of your bounty to my twitter account and I’ll share it with those foolish enough to stay home.

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Legacy Edition) – 4 x LP

By the time Sweetheart Of The Rodeo was released in 1968, The Byrds had already changed the sound of rock music twice; from jangling folk-rock to experimental acid-rock, they constantly sought to push the boundaries of what rock music could be. The 1967 departure of David Crosby left a creative void filled quickly by country music-loving Gram Parsons, whose addition led Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and company to record an album comprised mostly of authentic country material in Nashville, with the aid of local session aces (including future Byrd Clarence White). For the first time on vinyl—and on the heels of a 50th anniversary tour of the album by original members McGuinn and Hillman—this Legacy Edition of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo showcases this country-rock masterpiece alongside 28 bonus tracks, including demos, outtakes, rehearsal versions and tracks by Parsons’ pre-Byrds outfit, The International Submarine Band.

Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe – LP

Ode to Billie Joe is the 1967 classic debut album by singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts, and was the album that displaced the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign at the top. This deluxe 180g LP reissue on Elemental Music was cut and mastered by the renowned audiophile mastering engineer Kevin Gray direct from the original tapes, with packaging that includes all original artwork and liner notes.

SIDE A 01 Mississippi Delta (3:05) 02 I Saw An Angel Die (2:56) 03 Chickasaw County Child (2:45) 04 Sunday Best (2:50) 05 Niki Hoeky (2:45)
SIDE B 01 Papa, Woncha Let Me Go To Town With You (2:30) 02 Bugs (2:05) 03 Hurry, Tuesday Child (4:52) 04 Lazy Willie (2:36) 05 Ode To Billie Joe (4:15)

Robert Johnson – Cross Road Blues/Ramblin’ On My Mind – 10″ Vinyl

Eric Clapton is quoted as saying that “Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever lived”. A special 2018 Black Friday offering of Robert Johnson’s iconic 1936 recordings of “Cross Road Blues” / “Ramblin’ On My Mind” reproduced on the Vocalion label with sleeve as a 10″ single.

Blind Lemon Jefferson – Black Snake Moan/Matchbox Blues – 10″ Vinyl

Blind Lemon Jefferson, “The Father of Texas Blues,” was the best-selling malevblues artist of the 1920’s, recording 92 sides for Paramount Records and one released 78 for Okeh Records: “Black Snake Moan / Matchbox Blues”. Jefferson produced an original, driving, unpredictably advanced guitar style and a distinctive booming high-pitched, two-octave voice that no one could imitate. Legends of his prowess as a bluesman abound among the musicians who heard him, and sightings of Jefferson in different regions of the United States are plentiful. B.B. King stated, “His touch is different from anybody on the guitar—still is. He was majestic and played just a regular little six-string guitar with a little round hole. It was unbelievable to hear him play. And the way he played with his rhythm patterns, he was way before his time, in my opinion. Blind Lemon was my idol.” A special 2018 Black Friday offering of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s 1927 Okeh recording of “Black Snake Moan” / “Matchbox Blues” is reproduced on the original label with an Okeh sleeve as a 10-inch 78 single.

Ray LaMontagne – Spotify Singles – 7″ Vinyl

Limited edition glow in the dark 7” vinyl of Ray LaMontagne’s Spotify Singles session recorded at Sound Stage Studios. Features live recordings of “Such A Simple Thing” and a cover of “Blue Canadian Rockies” originally performed by Gene Autry

“Such A Simple Thing” and “Blue Canadian Rockies” recorded at Sound Stage Studios Nashville

Lake Street Dive – Freak Yourself Out – LP

A new EP of five songs recorded during the Free Yourself Up sessions!
1. Daryl 2. Young Boy 3. Jameson 4. Angioplast 5. Who Do You Think You Are

Lone Justice – The Western Tapes 1983 – 12″ Vinyl

Musician and producer Marvin Etzioni first saw Maria McKee and Ryan Hedgecock in a club in 1982, playing George Jones and Hank Williams covers. He convinced them they needed original material. After working and writing, the band added Dave Harrington (bass) and Don Willens (drums), the band worked up material with Etzioni and cut 5 of the 6 tracks at the famed Record Plant. An earlier session provides the 6th track. The Western Tapes: 1983 exhibits the genesis of this highly-infl uential band. While the original demo version of “Drugstore Cowboy” has appeared on various compilations, the remainder of the other tracks from the sessions have remained in the can. Two of the tracks appear in their earliest demo form and wound up landing on the classic 1988 Lone Justice debut, “Working Late” and “Don’t Toss Us Away” (written by Maria’s half-brother, Bryan MacLean of the classic band, Love) which would eventually become a top 5 smash for Country superstar Patty Loveless. Released in conjunction with the band, the EP was mastered by Bernie Grundman (who also cut the 45 RPM lacquers). It’s a look into where they started and foretells where they would go.
As Etzioni (who would later join the band) says in his liner notes: “With countless hours together, it was a fun and innocent time. I believed we were creating a 21st century country band.”
They created much, much more. PLAY LOUD AT 45 RPM!

Side 1: 1. working late 2:45 2. don’t toss us away 4:29 3. drugstore cowboy 2:54
Side 2: 4. i see it 2:22 5. train song 2:55 6. how lonesome life has been 2:06

Kacey Musgraves – High Horse Remixes

High Horse Remixes (not available on any physical configuration)

SIDE A: High Horse (Kue Remix)- DJ Kue
SIDE B: High Horse (Violets Remix)- Violents

Hank Williams – The First Recordings, 1938 – 7″ Vinyl

The first EVER recordings made by the legendary Hank Williams. This Record Store Day Black Friday 7″ red vinyl single celebrates the 80th anniversary of their recording, and the labels duplicate the labels on the original acetate.

Side A “Fan It” (F. Jaxon) – Hank Williams
Side B “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (I. Berlin) – Hank Williams & Pee Week Moultrie

Joy Williams Releases Two New Songs, Gets Back To Roots

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Joy Williams - Front Porch

In the wake of the seemingly sudden dissolution while their ascent to superstardom (well, as much superstardom as a nebulous root genre can afford) Americana duo The Civil Wars’ Joy Williams and John Paul White went their separate ways each gravitating to the sounds they explored before uniting in 2008. White to the sparse, gritty side of the tracks his 2016 release “Beulah,” and Williams to the pop side, albeit with a world music bent, on her 2015 solo outing ‘Venus.”

Two newly-released tracks, from Williams’ anticipated new album ‘Front Porch,’ shows her sonically tracking more closely to the path that led The Civil Wars to acclaim. This might be helped along by Milk Carton Kids’ Kenneth Pattengale taking the production helm.

As a sweet side note, Williams worked on ‘Front Porch’ in Nashville while pregnant with her second child. She gave birth to a daughter, Poppy Louise, over the summer.

‘Canary, the more rootsy of the two cuts, is a haunting Gohic-tinged cut of cautioning and resolve.Williams is in fine form here and is in great voice and appears reinvigorated being accompanied with the rustic strings oh acoustic guitar, upright bass, and fiddle.

Joy Williams – Canary (Live)

‘The Trouble with Wanting’ is a guitar-driven lover’s lament featuring glistening harmony by her backing band. The song ebbs and flows in rhythm with William’s expressive sways, as if the music is running through her and aching to be shared.

Joy Williams – The Trouble with Wanting (Live)

From the presser: Produced by Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids and engineered by Matt Ross-Spang, Front Porch represents a new chapter in Williams’ career, who recorded the album in Nashville during the pregnancy of her second child. She reflects, “There is an energy that is very creative in having a baby. It gives a sense of urgency on top of all the creative energy. Cellularly, your body is experiencing something really different. Everything you are feeling is elevated. And you have a time-stamped sense of urgency.” Already receiving critical acclaim, Rolling Stone states the new music, “…is both familiar and new, and explicitly clear that there’s nothing missing when she goes it alone.”

“So much of this is about coming home,” says Williams. “Whether to a physical place or to yourself. The lines on my face, I can see them more clearly now. But a lot of them are laugh lines. This record feels like breathing more deeply into who I am. Come what may.”

I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

Joy Williams Tour Dates:

November 1—Birmingham, AL—Workplay
November 2—Athens, GA—The Foundry
November 16—St. Louis, MO—Blueberry Hill Duck Room
November 17—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk Music
November 18—Indianapolis, IN—White Rabbit Cabaret
November 30—Cincinnati, OH—20th Century Theater
December 1—Louisville, KY—Headliners Music Hall
December 2—Lexington, KY—The Burl
December 7—Austin, TX—3TEN at ACL Live
December 8—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater
December 9—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater

5 Things You May Not Know About The Byrds’ ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’

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Sweetheart of the Rodeo

In the late 60s, the American rock band the Byrds were ripe for a change. The band’s fifth LP, The Notorious Byrd Brothers proved to be another sterling example of the band’s established psychedelic experimentation, but it also incorporated jazz, pop and the roots music leanings of folk and country rock. This stylistic elasticity made the band a perfect vessel for genre experimentation. The departures of band members David Crosby and Michael Clarke from the group in late 1967 left a directional void that was happily filled by their newest member Gram Parsons, and his trad country sensibilities.

Though Sweetheart of the Rodeo had disappointing sales on release (see below) the record proved to be highly influential on subsequent generations of musicians. Kind of like an Americana version of the VU debut ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico. ‘

Among those who took the contemporary take on the traditional sound heart was Marty Stuart, then a teenage bluegrass prodigy and later a hitmaking country star. Stuart owns the 1954 Fender Telecaster that previously belonged to the late Clarence White, who played guitar on the “Sweetheart” album; Stuart will play that guitar on the celebratory tour.

Founding Byrds members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are currently on the road with Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives — guitarist Kenny Vaughan, bassist Chris Scruggs and drummer Harry Stinson – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”

Below are 5 things you may not know about the historic album.

1. Roger McGuinn floated the idea of including “experimental synthesizer music” on the album.

Chris Hillman revealed to journalist Richie Unterberger in 2000 that fellow band member Roger McGuinn
“…had thoughts of making the album after Notorious Byrd Brothers a double album that would cover everything from traditional folk to electronic synthesizer music.” But Hillman admits he doesn’t regret the decision not to include it on the album as it would “…make no sense.”

“It would have been an interesting separate project, but like I said earlier, either I didn’t understand what he (McGuinn) was doing, or I just didn’t like it. And he had that Moog synthesizer, of course, then, it was like owning a computer in 1955. It took up the whole room. It made a lot of noise. It wasn’t really musical. It was like a toy, a gadget. But it was interesting, I respect him. He was following something that intrigued him, and he likes electronics.”

2. The cover of the Sweetheart of the Rodeo was not an original work done for the album.

The exquisite folk-art album cover was made up of images from a 1932 Joseph Jacinto Mora poster, The American Cowboy Rodeo created for a 1940s California Rodeo Travel Poster.

3. The record was a flop when it was originally released in 1968.

Despite receiving generally favorable reviews from the critics, and regular play on underground FM stations, the country-rock style of Sweetheart of the Rodeo was such a radical departure from the band’s previous sound that large sections of the group’s counterculture audience alienation by the traditional style, resulting in the lowest sales of any Byrds album up to that point.

In an email from Roger McGuinn to Rick Campbell in 2008 “Our rock audience felt betrayed and the country community was wary of ‘hippies’ infiltrating their territory. I remember seeing the ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ cover on a bulletin board at a country radio station in Los Angeles. I was overjoyed . . . until I got closer and saw written in red DO NOT PLAY – THIS IS NOT COUNTRY.”

4. SotR was not the first time The Byrds had delved into country music on an album.

On their second album “Turn! Turn! Turn!” the band included a cover of Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes’ “Satisfied Mind”, a 1955 country and western hit for Porter Wagoner, which had been suggested by The Byrds’ bass player, Chris Hillman.

In an email from Roger McGuinn to Rick Campbell in 2008 “The Byrds had experimented with country music as early as our second album ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! with tracks like ‘Time Between, ‘Satisfied Mind’ and ‘Girl With No Name’, but it wasn’t until Chris Hillman met Gram Parsons at a bank in Beverly Hills and brought him over to our rehearsal studio that we decided to go to Nashville and record an entire album of country material. We were in love with the genre and as sincere as we could possibly have been, in recording those songs.

5. Skeeter Davis supported the band after a “rebellious” Opry performance.

While in Nashville recording SotR, the Byrds were invited to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, at the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium on March 15th, 1968. Singer-songwriter Tompall Glaser, who would become part of the “outlaw” moment the following decade, introduced the group, who were scheduled to play a Merle Haggard cover and a track from the upcoming album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The band broke with the Opry’s history of strict bands playing approved setlists by instead performing Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” which featured the iconic Lloyd Green on steel guitar and would be the opening track on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gram Parsons announced that instead of the planned “Sing Me Back Home,” they were going to play yet another track from the LP. He then dedicated their performance of “Hickory Wind” to his grandmother.

After their relatively rebellious performance and a chorus of boos from a visibly upset audience, they had one supporter, singer Skeeter Davis.

Roger McGuinn remembers “We walked out the back door with our tails between our legs, and Skeeter (Davis) caught up with us and said, “You Byrds don’t be afraid of these people: they’re just not caught up yet.” I told her later, “You were the only one who stood up for us. You were there for us, and I’ll never forget you for that.”

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo Tour Dates

Sept. 9 /// Folly Theatre /// Kansas City, MO
Sept. 12 /// Historic Gillioz Theatre /// Springfield , MO
Sept. 17 /// Albany, NY /// Hart Theater @ The Egg
Sept. 18 /// Albany, NY /// Hart Theater @ The Egg [Sold Out]
Sept. 20 /// Hopewell, VA /// Beacon Theatre [Sold Out]
Sept. 23 /// New York, NY /// Town Hall
Sept. 24 /// New York, NY /// Town Hall [Sold Out]
Sept. 26 /// Boston, MA /// The Emerson Colonial Theatre
Oct. 1 /// Louisville, KY /// Brown Theatre
Oct. 3 /// Akron, OH /// Akron Civic
Oct. 8 /// Nashville, TN /// The Ryman Auditorium
Oct. 10 /// Roanoke, VA /// The Jefferson Center
Oct. 15 /// Durham Performing Arts Center /// Durham, NC
Oct. 21 /// Byers Theatre /// Atlanta, GA
Oct. 23 /// EKU Center For The Arts/// Richmond, KY
Oct. 30 /// Carnegie Music Hall Of Homestead /// Munhall, PA
Nov. 9 /// Majestic Theatre /// Dallas, TX
Nov. 10 /// Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater /// Austin, TX