Carrie Rodriguez to Release New Album ‘Lola,’ February 19

lola-carrie-rodriguez

Singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist Carrie Rodriguez is set to release ‘Lola,’ her sixth studio album and first on her own Luz Records

‘Lola’ was inspired by 1940s-era recordings of her San Antonio-born great aunt Eva Garza, the bilingual album presents a collection of ranchera-inspired originals by Rodriguez in English, Spanish and “Spanglish,” coupled with Spanish songs written by some of her favorite Mexican composers.

Produced by Lee Townsend (Bill Frisell, Loudon Wainwright III, Kelly Joe Phelps), the album features an all-star band dubbed “The Sacred Hearts,” including internationally acclaimed composer/guitarist Bill Frisell, Viktor Krauss on bass, Luke Jacobs on pedal steel and guitars, David Pulkingham on nylon string guitar and electric guitar and Brannen Temple on drums and percussion. Vocalists Raul Malo and Gina Chavez and Grammy Award-winning bajo sexto player Max Baca also make appearances.

Of the album Rodrigues says “I still remember the first time I listened to one of the recordings by my great aunt, Chicana singing sensation Eva Garza, from the ‘40s… As the strings and trumpets soared behind her gutsy alto voice, I was immediately moved to tears, awestruck by the connection I felt to her and to my family history,” Rodriguez says. “Ever since that first listen it has been a dream of mine to create my own blend of Tex-Mex music. Lola is the album I dreamed of, inspired by the rich landscape of blended cultures that I call home: Texas.”

Rodriguez recently gave birth to her first child, Cruz Calvin Jacobs. Born October 6th.

Rodriguez will tour widely in support of the album—tour dates to be announced.

‘Lola’ Track List:

1. Perfidia (written by Alberto Domínguez) [feat. Raul Malo]
2. Llano Estacado (written by Carrie Rodriguez/Luke Jacobs)
3. I Dreamed I Was Lola Beltrán (written by Carrie Rodriguez/Susan Gibson)
4. La Última Vez (written by Carrie Rodriguez/Gina Chavez) [feat. Gina Chavez]
5. Que Manera de Perder (written by Cuco Sánchez)
6. Frío en el Alma (written by Miguel Ángel Valladares Rebolledo)
7. Z (written by Carrie Rodriguez/Susan Gibson)
8. Noche de Ronda (written by María Teresa Lara)
9. Caricias (written by Carrie Rodriguez/Luke Jacobs)
10. The West Side (written by Carrie Rodriguez)
11. Si No Te Vas (instrumental) (written by Cuco Sánchez)
12. Si No Te Vas (written by Cuco Sánchez)

Loretta Lynn To Release New Album ‘ Full Circle’ in 2016

Loretta Lynn  -  Full Circle

Billboard.com announced today that the First Lady of Country Music , Loretta Lynn will release her first album in over 11 years on March 4, 2016.

The album is also the first of new album projects for a volume series imagined and created at the Cash Cabin Studio called the Cash Cabin Recordings.
From the post:

The 13-song set is a concept piece to take listeners through a journey of the 83-year-old Loretta’s own musical story, traveling from the Appalachian folk songs and gospel music of her childhood to country standards, new interpretations of her own classic hits and newly-written numbers. The Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash-produced LP will be released on Legacy Recordings and was recorded at Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tenn.

Lynn’s last release was her 2004 collaboration with Jack White, ‘Van Lear Rose,’ which won two Grammies including Best Country Album of the Year.

On Full Circle, Lynn performs duets with Willie Nelson on the song “Lay Me Down” and Elvis Costello guests on “Everything It Takes.”

And if that’s not enough fans can also catch a new documentary about Loretta’s extraordinary life and career with American Masters — ‘Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl.’ The doc premieres nationwide Friday, March 4, 2016, 9:00-11:00 p.m. on PBS – check local listings.

‘Full Circle’ is available for pre-order now at Amazon Music

See the full track list below.

Full Circle Track List:
Whispering Sea (Introduction)
Whispering Sea
Secret Love
Who’s Gonna Miss Me?
Black Jack David
Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven
Always On My Mind
Wine Into Water
In The Pines
Band Of Gold
Fist City
I Never Will Marry
Everything It Takes (featuring Elvis Costello)
Lay Me Down (featuring Willie Nelson)

Listen Up! : Jason Isbell – Squidbillies Theme

Jason Isbell Open | Squidbillies

According to producer Dave Cobb Squidbillies Creators Dave Willis & Jim Fortier are huge country and roots music music fans.

This love is on display by the distinguished list of artists, from Dwight Yoakam, Alabama Shakes, George Jones…even William Shatner (!) that have performed the title song for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim cartoon about a family of single-wide dwelling cephalopods Early (voiced by Unknown Hinson) Rusty, Granny and Elizabeth Cook who lends her warm lends her warm butter voice to the occasional love interest character Tammi.

Jason Isbell joins and the 400 unit are the latest addition to that list.

Below enjoy the extended version of Jason Isbell and the 400 unit Squidbillies theme below:

Watch Out! Matthew McNeal – “Doubt” – Cinderblock Sessions [PREMIERE}

Matthew McNeal - "Doubt"

There’s a rough-hewn soulfulness that pours from Ft. Worth-based Matthew McNeal’s song “Doubt.” His apprehension takes the form of a woman that troubles his worried mind as his strummed acoustic and baritone croon tells the tale.

Of the song McNeal says: ” ‘Doubt’ was written years ago when I was getting ready to release a collection of songs called ‘When You’re Down’. I knew nothing of the industry beyond playing shows across north Texas, but I knew that I had to start somewhere. Four years later, the song still rings true as I grow and mature as both an artist and as a man. Though it predates ‘Compadre’, I still see ‘Doubt’ as part of the same story.”

“I think struggling with doubt is something that most people deal with, especially in the ‘coming of age’ portion of life. It’s a blanket feeling that can find its way into just about any thought that crosses your mind. I just recently started bringing it back into our live shows- it’s one of those tunes that can always be relevant no matter what I’m going through. Sharing ‘Doubt’ with everyone years ago and having people tell me how much they related to it really solidified my choice to spend my life pursuing music. Bringing the tune back into our set is really a celebration of how far I’ve come as an artist, and this is only the beginning. ”

The live session video Dallas-based live session channel called Cinderblock Sessions. The video is part of a new series for them called ‘Off the Block’- showcasing artists in unique locations throughout the Dallas , Ft Worth metroplex.

“Doubt” is from McNeal’s 2013 ep ‘When You’re Down.’ Buy it here.

Buy his current release ‘Compadre’ here.

David Cobb – The Man Behind The Roots Music Tide

Dave Cobb

Being a great record producer means striking a delicate balance between passion for music and staking out an objective distance. One tip toward the former and a heavy hand can interfere in an artist’s true voice. Tip to the latter and there’s a technical hollowing resulting in a bloodless product.

David Cobb is a man that walks that line with his attention to detail and courage to take risks to capture sonic lightning in a bottle.

With a rock and roll heart he moved to L.A. to pursue a musician’s life. But through happenstance, his love for classic records, as well as the call of his Southern roots and love of family and friends, he has found himself one of the most in-demand producers in Nashville.

His journey to find the beating heart in the body of the process has led him to helping create in his home studio – or sometimes his kitchen in the case of Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” – some of the most acclaimed records by contemporary roots artists. Folks like Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Corb Lund, Lindi Ortega as well as upcoming releases by Holly Williams, Lake Street Dive and Amanda Shires – have found in him a kindred spirit. Incredibly talented people that he sees as more than clients, but as collaborators, friends and makers of sonic magic.

That’s what sets Cobb apart from other producers. Sure his first-hand knowledge comes from sitting where the musician sits and it buys him a good deal of credibility in the studio. But it’s his wide-eyed wonder, his true sincerity, his love of the art and faith in the artist that connects him in a way that few have done.

That also makes him a very busy man. Cobb took time from that busy schedule to talk to me from his home in Nashville.

TN: How long have you been in Nashville and what led you to move from L.A?

DC: I’ve been out here just over four years. Whenever I would travel out here the city was alive. This was the best music scene I’ve ever seen. There’s just an incredible amount of talent. The songwriting out here is insane.

TN: The city certainly has changed in the last few decades. It’s no longer just all about Music Row.

DC: Not at all. There’s such a great rock and outsider country scene. It’s alive, man. Everywhere you go.

TN: Your timing certainly seems right for where you wanted to take your career.

DC: It’s funny. What prompted me to move to Nashville was I was working with a band in L.A. and one of the guys in the band put on the song ‘Outfit” by the Drive-By Truckers. When I heard that song it really made me homesick. It reminded me of exactly how I grew up and the way it is in the Southeast. I suddenly felt a desire to come this way. I was in L.A. working with rock bands but now have a daughter and a move made sense. But hearing that song was a real pivotal thing. It’s funny how a lyric can rock you to the core like that. Then I chased that dude (Jason Isbell) down ever since to make a record.

TN: The Drive-By Truckers were one of the band that brought those same homesick feelings in me while riding the subway to work each day while living in New York City. Their sound was key in me starting this blog and begin discovering other bands in that vein.

DC: Absolutely, that’s the real sound of the South that I grew up with. Growing up in Georgia there was always a country music scene but this is beyond that. There’s this big lyrical , real songwriter thing. People playing in bars and writing great songs. This affects me much more than the typical country stuff. A little country and a little rock with a little folk. It hit me more than most of the stuff I’d been into.

TN: It’s refreshing and exciting to hear Southern songwriters grapple with our history while forging a new culture and new sounds toward the future.

DC: With the line “Don’t Tell ’em your Bigger Than Jesus, Don’t Give It Away” is pure Southern frankness and the swipe at John Lennon’s famous quote is excellent. The Southern idea that you’re suppose to keep yourself in check. You’re to know your place and never get cocky and not stray too far from home.

TN: Part of it is cultural and steeped in tradition but then there’s the economic part that if the next generation leaves where is the workforce for the mine or plant. A lot of great music deals with these themes of hardship and trying to get out.

DC: Absolutely. I remember after moving to California I would come back to visit my grandparents in Savannah and everyone would call you hollywood. You’d get teased pretty bad. It’s part of the Southeastern culture is there’s a culture of sticking it out. I actually enjoyed being a Southerner in L.A. I thought it was fun. Nobody ever moves there from Georgia. There’s lots of Texans and folks from the Mid-West but not from Georgia, it’s too far away.

TN; I’ve enjoyed L.A. the few times I’ve been there. I usually end up in some bar with Shooter (Jennings) As a matter of fact he’s the first person I remember bringing your name up.

DC: I just worked with Shooter again a few weeks ago in New York for the first time in years and we had a blast. I love that guy. I owe Shooter a lot and I would not be in Nashville today if it wasn’t for him. The first time I ever came to Nashville was to work on his ‘Electric Rodeo.’ He introduced me to great country music. Growing up my parents listed to Kenny Rogers and Barbara Mandrell, that sort of stuff. All I wanted to listen to was AC/DC (laughs.) My parents didn’t have Waylon or Don Williams records. Shooter turned me on to the good stuff. There was one record in particular called ‘White Mansions,’ ( by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, John Dillon and Steve Cash) that’s the record that really got me. There’s something about the way it felt. It came at country in a very cinematic way, it’s very powerful.

TN: Tell me about the first time you met Shooter.

DC: I had this stupid idea when I moved to L.A. that I was going to buy a ’69 Dodge Charger and paint it like the General Lee and drive it around town. So I had these business cards made up with ’01’ printed on it. My manager set up a meeting with Shooter and I and I’m trying to hide my business card. Then we end up working together and doing stuff for the Dukes Of Hazard. L.A. is crazy like that. Shooter is one of the most humble and kind people I know. He’s the real deal.

TN: Few producers have had as much influence in contemporary roots music as you have. Part of the master plan?

DC: (Laughs) It’s definitely not part of a master plan. I moved to L.A. to do rock records. After my work with Shooter I did some songs with Jamey Johnson on ‘That Lonesome Song’ I started to get the country calls and that’s when I started coming to Nashville pretty regularly. One of the acts that called was the Oak Ridge Boys, one of my dad’s favorite bands. While working with them I had in the back of my head, my grandmother was a Pentecostal minister, and she used to tell my “Honey, you have to make music for the Lord,” she had the Oak Ridge Quartet records, she didn’t have a T.V. but she had those records. It was the first time my work connected with my past. That was exactly where I came from and the people I was surrounded with. You get this feeling that just feels like home.

I did a lot of research on that Oak Ridge Boys project. I started digging way back in old Gospel albums, stuff from the turn if the century. The music kept coming in and it started to mean more to me than the Led Zeppelin and The Beatles and Stones I grew up on. Then you realize that’s where they got it from.

TN: Why do you think Americana and roots music has become so commercially successful?

DC: My take, and it’s probably totally off, but with all the streaming and stealing music has no monetary value any more. But I think true artistry does. When Jason Isbell or Sturgill or Stapleton write records to…not be on the charts, not trying to make top 10 singles…it’s just making something personal. I think people are willing to put up money when they feel people are putting in the effort, making art. You want to buy the album, you want to go to the show and buy a t-shirt. It becomes more of a lifestyle instead of a commodity. There’s a loyalty instilled that you don’t get with pop. Theses fans will stick with them. Maybe real art is the only thing that defeats music piracy.

TN: When I saw Sturgill and Isbell early in their careers they were playing to small venues and giving it as much as if they were playing a large hall. They were giving people their moneys worth.

DC: I just think that’s who they are. I remember in rock bands growing up and there was “put on your stage costume.” These guys wear what they always wear , it’s who they are. They play these small clubs and they give it 110% it’s who they are no matter where they are because they love it. Money is not the motivation for these guys, I know them. I’m just happy that people are supporting them, it’s a very special time when people are craving something real.

TN: As someone helping to define the genre how would you define Americana?

DC: Man, I just see Americana is another word for honest. Call it what you want I’m just happy people are out supporting it. I thought it was great when Jason’s record went #1 on the folk, country and rock chart. That means they couldn’t figure out what it was so they had to spread it across categories. That’s great and really funny.

When I worked with Chris Stapleton at the big label Mercury they let him make the album he wanted with no pressure for singles. They got it. They let him make an honest record and they supported him down the line. I even see Nashville embracing real art, they are feeling the influences. For example I recently cut a song with Brandy Clark, she’s got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. She’s amazing. I think things are changing for the best. I think a lot of mainstream artist might prefer to make a more honest album.

TN: How was it to work with Jason Isbell on his most acclaimed albums?

DC: He just writes these devastating songs. My job was to clear things out of the way of the lyrics. When he and I first met , and couple of weeks before we did ‘Southeastern,’ I played him one of my favorite records Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Trouble Water.’ There’s a song on that record called ‘The Only Living Boy in New York,’ to me it’s a masterpiece if an album and I think the production is brilliant. It’s an acoustic feeling record that’s not acoustic at all. That’s the approach we wanted to take with Southeastern.’ It’s like he’s on an acoustic guitar singing directly to you but there’s a lot more going on. The way I work is I think vocals are the most important element for emotional communication. Especially when you have artists like Jason that write such great lyrics, my job is to hear that and clear the space and let that emotion through.

When we did the Isbell records we never listened to the songs before we go into the studio, He walks in and says “Here’s a song” and it’s like “Great let’s do it.” When he did “Elephant” from “Southeastern” it was one of those moments “I can’t believe this is coming through the speakers.” Like hearing a record you’ve always owned but are hearing for the first time. You know?

If I have a technique in the studio it’s to fly by the seat of my pants. I love when an artists vision is fresh and they nail it. To me that’s the best it’s ever going to be. You just have to believe in talented people.

TN: Is there a specific sound your chasing in these sessions?

DC: I don’t think I have a sound. Jason’s album doesn’t sound like Sturgill’s. They don’t sound like Stapleton. I never wanted to be that guy. I’m a huge fan of Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Atoms of Peace) and you know when he’s made an album. I’d rather be a chameleon on that front. I guess if there’s a common theme it’s making sure the voice is primary. Make sure the singer is carrying the band. I cut everything live, all together, often in one room, but when the vocals great that’s the track. In modern records people go in and put everybody in booths and then once the instruments are done the singer cuts 50 passes of vocals then they mix it together and tune it. I prefer they way the Beatles or Stones did it, live and vocal leads the track.

TN: How did you end up working with George Jones for the Suidbillies theme?

DC: I met some folks at xx tigers doing by working with Nikki Lane in L.A., I was just then moving to Nashville, and I got a call from Cartoon Network to work with George. The writers of Squidbillies really know their country music. I was referred by the good people at 38 Tigers because they knew I loved classic country music. Next thing you know I’m in the studio working with George Jones! For me George Jones is the greatest country singer of all time. His runs and his whole feel, there’s something about him..when my daughter was young I put on a George Jones and Merle Haggard record where they were singing each other’s songs. I would play it for here so, even though she was born in L.A., she had a feeling of the South. That session was a blast. He’s one of the funniest human beings I’ve ever met. He did Donald Duck impressions the whole time. We brought in Hargus “Pig” Robbins to play piano, Pig had played on Jone’s ‘White Lightening,” it was awesome. I tried to make that session, that one song, emblematic of his career. I tried to make it sound like a late 50s George Jones record. He made this great video for my daughter talking like Donald Duck. He was just a wonderful human being.

TN: What other producers influenced you?

DC: I really love Glyn Johns work, especially with his 70’s work with The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. I love the way ‘Sticky Fingers’ and ‘Let It Bleed’ feel. Other influence would be Stax and Muscle Shoals, I love the way those records feel too. The rawness comes from not seeing perfection as the outcome..the goal. I don’t like to let people think about stuff too much. I think it ruins records when you get neurotic. The rough edges are the absence of neurosis. I let people hear Otis Redding’s ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ If you listen to his vocal it’s sharp and flat and the guitar is rushing, but it’s perfect, It’s so perfect. With technology it’s so easy to tune and tweak you’d lose the whole feel of that song.

TN: Technology is a double-edged sword. It allows the next George Jones or Elliot Smith to record a masterpiece on a laptop and that masterpiece can then be processed to death.

DC: I’m not anti technology, but you have to be carful with the problems you’re trying to solve. Sometimes they’re not problems at all.

TN: One more question, I was told I need to ask you about your fake Greenland rock band.

DC: (laughs) I’ll probably get into trouble talking about this. I love the P.T. Barnham aspect of the music industry. It’s fun. I was working with an artist that was late to a session so me and the session drummer started messing around on some sill prog-rock track. I had the English singer from my old band come in and sing on it. I wanted it to be from a country nobody knows about. So, Greenland! Nobody ever knows anybody from Greenland. So I call this industry person and say “Hey there’s this band from Greenland you need to check out.” So I took the track down and played it for them, and they were loving it. And they said “We have to sign this band.” That’s when I told them that it was me and some friends goofing off. They said “I don’t care.” They took it to the head of a major label and played it for them and they said “I love it! I love it! We need to fly the band in from Greenland to do a showcase!” About a week later it all settled down but I got embarrass because it went too high so fast. I wanted it to be fake bands in monk robes that you can’t see their face, one on tour in the U.K. And one in America at the same time so you never know if you’re seeing the real band. I loved that we made a record where nobody knows who you are, there were no rules. It was really freeing. You could have anyone join the band, a revolving membership. It’d be fun.

Watch Out! Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – “Won’t Go Back” on the Jimmy Fallon Show [VIDEO]

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – “Won’t Go Back”

‘So Familiar,’ second collaboration from Edie Brickell and Steve Martin is out today. This follow up to the Grammy-winning debut, ‘Love Has Come for You’ finds the unlikely duo traveling the smooth roots they did on their debut. Hey, if it ain’t broken.

A dapper Martin on banjo and a smiling Brickell on vocals, the couple appear to be having a great time on this spirited, and slightly funky, version of the album’s first single, “Won’t Go Back,” for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon audience.

Songs from ‘So Familiar,’ and other songs by Brickell and Martin, will be featured in a “Bright Star,” a musical debuting on Broadway early next year.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-steve-martin-edie-brickells-plucky-wont-go-back-on-fallon-20151030#ixzz3q5Nld99T
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

Live Review – Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs – The Granada Theatre – 9/25/2015

Ry Cooder, Sharon White, and Ricky Skaggs

All discussions about roots music lead to some kind of history lesson. But history in theory brings tedium and loss of context. The lucky crowd on hand last Saturday at the historic Granada Theatre were given a living history lesson none of us will soon forget. Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, Ry Cooder and a grand supporting band performed country, bluegrass and gospel songs (none younger than 1965, Skaggs informed the audience) in grand aplomb

This is the source, the core. The musical crop seed of what now goes by the umbrella Americana. And the standing room crowd stood enthralled in this living and joyous journey into history.

Masterful musicianship and dazzling harmonies (helped by Sharon’s sister and fellow Whites band member Cheryl) wasted no time with a stirring version of Louvin Brothers’s gospel favorite “Family Who Prays.” The spirit of the ages filled the theatre for a nearly 2 hour performance that would alternately hush the room in a solemn silence and then rev them up into whooping, had-clapping, boot-stomping frenzy.

“(Take Me in You) Lifeboat” by Skagg’s own mentors Flatt & Scruggs followed , then a swinging rendition of Merle Travis’ “Sweet Temptation.” Next a solum moment with a devastating Hank Williams’ mournful “Mansion on the Hill.” On through the night on sounds from a reverent band of dizzying talent. But all was not somber reflection, Skaggs, White and Cooder traded affection and jokes all night. After breaking out a banjo for Stanley Brothers’ “Cold Jordan” Cooder quipped “I learned this song from YouTube, and so can you.”

Cooder then donned one of his several vintage electric guitars for the Delmore Brothers stone-rocking “Pan American Boogie.” Then a gloriously sweeping version of Hank Snow’s “A Fool Such As I” (video below) and then Kitty Wells’ song of heartbreak and woe “Making Believe” (written by Jimmy Work), and then a smartly-dressed White nephew joined the band to add to add twin fiddle to a rousing version of what Skaggs named “The state’s national anthem,” Bob Will’s ‘San Antonio Rose.’

Skaggs fluidly moved from mandolin to fiddle to acoustic guitar to a sweet cheery red Telecaster. Cooder was the master of the elusive tone. White was the soul of classic country on acoustic and other-worldly harmonies. A 84 year old Buck White showed why he’s a master of the ivories. Ry’s son Joachim Cooder on drums and Mark Fain laid a fluid yet solid foundation for the band to dance on.

Call it what you will, the music was alive and left the audience hungry for more.

Setlist:

The Family that Prays (Louvin Brothers),
Take Me to Your Lifeboat (Flatt and Scruggs)
Sweet Temptation (Merle Travis)
Mansion on the Hill (Hank Williams)
On My Mind (Flatt and Scruggs)
Cold Jordan (The Stanley Brothers)
Daniel Prayed (Ralph Stanley)
Hold What You Got (Jimmy Martin)
Pan American Boogie (The Delmore Brothers)
Fool Such as I (Hank Snow)
Above and Beyond (Harlan Howard)
San Antonio Rose (Bob Wills)
No One Will Ever Know (Hank Williams)
Gone Home (Ricky Skaggs)
Wait a Little Longer (Bill Monroe)
No Doubt About It (Flatt and Scruggs)
Uncle Pen (Bill Monroe)

Encore:
You Must Unload (John B. Vaughan)
Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’ (Flatt and Scruggs)
Reunion In Heaven (Flatt and Scruggs)

Jason Isbell Announces 2016 Winter Tour Dates

Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell’s will take the extraordinary songs from his best-selling latest (94,000 copies to date) ‘Something More Than Free’ (Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers) on the road in the New Year. Kicking off on February 11 with two performances at ACL Live at Austin’s Moody Theater with stops in Chicago, Boston and New York City (See All Tour Dates Below).

Isbell will be backed by his crackerjack longtime band The 400 Unit, featuring Derry DeBorja (keys) Chad Gamble (drums), Jimbo Hart (bass), and Sadler Vaden (guitar). Isbell and company will be bringing the great co-headliners and openers The Avett Brothers, John Prine, Lydia Loveless, Shovels & Rope and more in support of the new dates.

Isbell has released his second ‘Building The Song’ video (above,) which featuring in studio footage as he , producer David Cobb and his bandmates created and recorded each song on Something More Than Free.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Upcoming Tour Dates

10/1 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena %%
10/2 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center Concert Hall >> *SOLD OUT
10/3 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre >> *SOLD OUT
10/4 – Washington, DC – UNITE To Face Addiction Rally
10/8 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre $$
10/9 – Carbondale, IL – Carbondale Live on Main $$
10/10 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre $$ *SOLD OUT
10/15 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater !!
10/16 & 17 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall \ *SOLD OUT
10/18 – Atlanta, GA – Piedmont Park Promenade ##
10/23 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *SOLD OUT
10/24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *SOLD OUT
10/25 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *SOLD OUT
10/26- Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *SOLD OUT
10/29 – Amarillo, TX – Potter County Memorial Stadium **
10/30 – New Orleans, LA – Voodoo Music Experience
11/6 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre //
11/7 – Boone, NC – Schaefer Center for the Arts
11/8 – Chattanooga, TN – Tivoli Theatre //
11/12 – Madison, WI – Capitol Theater @@
11/13 – Eau Claire, WI – State Theatre @@
11/14 – Green Bay, WI – Meyer Theatre @@
11/19 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center << 11/20 - Roanoke, VA - Berglund Center << 11/21 - Savannah, GA - Lucas Theatre for the Arts << 12/9 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater && 12/10 & 11 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre && *SOLD OUT 12/12 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium && 1/6 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller 1/7 - Stockholm, Sweden - Bern 1/8 - Gotenburg, Sweden - Pustervik 1/9 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega 1/11 - Berlin, Germany - Privatclub 1/12 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust 1/13 - Cologne, Germany - Blue Shell 1/15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso 1/16 - Brussels, Belgium - Orangerie 1/18 - Paris, France - La Maroquinerie 1/19 - Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 1/20 - Bristol, UK - Trinity 1/22 - London, UK - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 1/23 - Manchester, UK - Ritz 1/24 – Glasgow, UK – O2 ABC Celtic Connections 1/31-2/6 - Miami, FL - Cayamo Cruise 2/11 & 12 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater ++ 2/16 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom ++ 2/17 - St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House ++ 2/19 - Indianapolis, IN - The Murat Theatre ++ 2/20 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre ++ 2/25 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre ++ 2/27 - Boston, MA - House of Blues ++ 2/29 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall ++ 3/1 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre ++ 3/2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Benedum Center for the Performing Arts ++ 3/5 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre ++ %% = Supporting The Avett Brothers >> = Co-Headline with John Prine
$$ = Lydia Loveless supporting
!! = Sturgill Simpson & Brandy Clarke supporting
\ = Hiss Golden Messenger supporting
## = Strand of Oaks & Natalie Prass supporting
** = Ray Wylie supporting
// = Cory Branan supporting
@@ = Elizabeth Cook supporting
<< = Anderson East supporting && = Rayland Baxter supporting ++ = Shovels & Rope supporting Ryman Auditorium Special Guests: October 23: Amanda Shires October 24: Parker Millsap October 25: Hurray for the Riff Raff October 26: Chris Stapleton

Americana Music Festival 2015 Picks

americana-fest

Sleep deprivation, dehydration and perpetual joy at musical discovery are risks faced by attendees at the 16th annual Americana Music Festival and Conference this week in Nashville.

But those voluntary perils are undertook gladly for an opportunity to see some of the best roots music from around the world playing live showcases at multiple venues around the city and to partake in panels and seminars giving career tips and insights to musicians and other industry types. Then there’s the indescribably good Hattie B’s hot chicken) located near the hosting Hutton Hotel.

I’ll be skipping this year but if I were on the ground (and had a way to be many places at the same time) these are the shows I’d be sure to see.

Tuesday, September 15th

Donnie Fritts & John Paul White – 11:00 PM – City Winery

Wednesday, September 16th

The Suffers – 10:00 PM – Cannery Ballroom

James McMurtry – 11:00 PM – City Winery

Patty Griffin – 12:00 AM – City Winery

Thursday, September 17th

Ry Cooder / Sharon White / Ricky Skaggs – 10:00 PM – 3rd & Lindsley

Buddy Miller & Marc Ribot – 3rd & Lindsley

Ryan Culwell – 8:00 PM – The Basement

Daniel Romano – 12:00 AM – The Basement

Ray Wylie Hubbard – 9:00 PM – Cannery Ballroom

Pokey LaFarge – 10:00 PM – Cannery Ballroom

Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen – 11:00 PM – Cannery Ballroom

Eilen Jewell – 9:00 PM – City Winery

Dustbowl Revival – 10:00 PM – City Winery

Jeffrey Foucault – 12:00 AM – City Winery

Legendary Shack Shakers – 8:00 PM – The High Watt

Birds of Chicago – 9:00 PM – The High Watt

Lindi Ortega – 10:00 PM – The High Watt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AnMZG9sgkY

Possessed by Paul James – 12:00 AM – The High Watt

Mary Gauthier – 10:00 PM – The Listening Room

The Stray Birds – 8:00 PM – Mercy Lounge

Lera Lynn – 10:00 PM – Mercy Lounge

honeyhoney – 11:00 PM – Mercy Lounge

Humming House – 12:00 AM – Mercy Lounge

Darrell Scott – 6:00 PM – Downtown Presbyterian Church

B̩la Fleck & Abigail Washburn Р7:00 PM РDowntown Presbyterian Church

Friday, September 18th

Lewis & Leigh – 8:00 PM – Mercy Lounge
September 16, 12pm AMA-UK Mid-Day Party, Blue Bar
September 17, 5:30pm, Acoustic Set at British Underground High Tea, Tin Roof

Sam Outlaw – 8:00 PM – 3rd & Lindsley

Caitlin Canty – 9:00 PM – City Winery

Lee Ann Womack – 9:00 PM – 3rd & Lindsley

John Moreland – 10:00 PM – Mercy Lounge

Whitey Morgan – 10:00 PM – 3rd & Lindsley

Cale Tyson – 10:00 PM – The High Watt

Jim Lauderdale – 11:00 PM – 3rd & Lindsley

Uncle Lucius – 12:00 AM – – 3rd & Lindsley

Henry Wagons – 11:00 PM – Basement East

American Aquarium — 12:00 AM – Mercy Lounge

Saturday, September 19th

Andrew Combs – 10:00 PM – Mercy Lounge

Doug Seegers – 10:00 PM – City Winery

Gretchen Peters – 11:00 PM – City Winery

The Hello Strangers – 12:00 AM – City Winery

Fats Kaplin and friends – 11 PM – The Station Inn

Sunday, September 20th

Thirty Tigers Gospel Brunch – 1:30 PM – City Winery

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015 Lineup

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015

As they have done the last few years organizers of San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival have trotted out over a few say streaming teaser mixes from their upcoming bill.

It’s a playful challenge for the thousands of fans that attend the free three day roots music festival at Hellman Hollow and Marx and Lindley meadows in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to lend their ears and make their best guess as to who those 100 musical acts that will play seven stages.

Over the years I’ve attended the event it’s always unlike any live event I’ve attended. The Bay chill is tempers by warming temperatures and fleet week has the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron The Blue Angels zipping high overhead the largely mellow crowd enjoying great music rolling through the rolling fields under the Eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and Monterey cypress trees.

Stumped or just want to cut to the chase? Hood thing the full bill has just been confirmed.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin with The Guilty Ones
Scott Miller & The Commonwealth’s Ladies Auxiliary
Spirit Family Reunion
Nick Lowe
Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band
ALO
Joe Pug
Tim Barry
Tony Joe White
Buddy Miller
Anderson East
The Oh Hellos
Robyn Hitchcock
Nels Cline & Julian Lage
The New Mastersounds
Asleep At The Wheel
Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
Flogging Molly
Delbert McClinton
Fantastic Negrito
Gregory Alan Isakov
Steve Earle & The Dukes
Jamey Johnson
Michael Franti & Spearhead
The Milk Carton Kids
Hot Tuna Electric
The Mavericks
Doobie Decibel System
Joe Jackson
Fairfield Four
Indigo Girls
Gillian Welch
Lera Lynn
Neko Case
Lee Ann Womack
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
Angel Olsen
Beth Hart
Heidi Clare & The Goose Tatums
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Paul Weller
Boz Scaggs
The Stone Foxes
Ben Miller Band
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Monophonics
Leftover Salmon
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Chicano Batman
Pokey LaFarge

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015
Three days, seven stages, over 100 artists
Friday-Sunday, October 2-4, 2015
Hellman Hollow, Lindley & Marx meadows in Golden Gate Park
FREE