Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2016

Ghosts of Highway 20 - Lucinda Williams

2015 was another bumper crop year for Americana and roots music, and 2016 show vast signs that the great music will continue to come. As our Cream of the Crop favorites from 2015 makes plain we might be experiencing a new golden age of roots music as a growing influence on our contemporary culture and as a sustainable , and viable, business for young and old artists alike.

That last part is crucial as it provides seed corn for the future of this music we truly love.

The list below is a collection of 2016 notable Americana / roots releases. Some anticipated releases from artists like Sturgill Simpson, Elizabeth Cook, Robbie Fulks, Lydia Loveless, Al Scorch and Brandy Clark have no release dates yet, but when I’m aware of them and others I will be updating the list through the year and will send word through my twitter account

If you know of a release not listed leave it in the comments and I might add it.

Look for new things coming in the 2016 at Twang Nation. With your help it’s going to be a great year folks.

January 11th
Keegan McInroe – “Uncouth Pilgrims”

January 15th
Dylan LeBlanc – ‘Cautionary Tale’
Randy Rogers Band – “Nothing Shines Like Neon”
Hank Williams Jr. – “It’s About Time”
Dawn Landes And Piers Faccini – ‘Desert Songs’

January 22nd
The Cactus Blossoms – ‘You’re Dreaming’
Simon Linsteadt – Self-Titled
Aoife O’Donovan – “In the Magic Hour”

January 24th
Michael Chapman – ‘Fish”

January 26th
Brad Armstrong – “Empire”

January 29th
Buddy Miller and Friends – ‘Cayamo Sessions at Sea’
Sierra Hull – ‘Weighted Mind’
Aubrie Sellers – ‘City Blues’
Miranda Lee Richards – “First Light of Winter”

February 5th
Lucinda Williams – “The Ghosts of Highway 20”
Dori Freeman – ‘Dori Freeman’
Luther Dickinson – ‘Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook: Volumes I & II)’
The Infamous Stringdusters – ‘Ladies & Gentleman’
Freakwater – ‘Scheherazade’
The O’s – ‘Honeycomb’

February 12th
Vince Gill – “Down to My Last Bad Habit”
Wynonna Judd – “Wynonna & the Big Noise”
Lorrie Morgan – ‘Letting Go … Slow’
Joey + Rory – “Hymns That Are Important To Us”
Malcolm Holcombe – ‘Another Black Hole’
Wheeler Walker Jr. ‘Redneck Shit’
Alex Dezen – ‘Alex Dezen’
Matt Patershuk – ‘I Was So Fond of You”
Applewood Road (Emily Barker, Amber Rebirth and Amy Speace) – ‘Applewood Road’

February 19th
Lake Street Dive – ‘Side Pony’
Austin Lucas – ‘Between The Moon and the Midwest”
Mike June – ‘Poor Man’s Bible’

February 26th
Shooter Jennings – ‘Countach (For Giorgio)’
Waco Brothers – ‘Going Down in History’
Kathryn Legendre – ‘Don’t Give A Damn’
Michael Daves – ‘Orchids and Violence’
Jane Kramer – ‘Carnival of Hopes’
Paul Burch – ‘Meredian Rising’
Bonnie Raitt – ‎’Dig In Deep’‬
Caleb Caudle – ‘Carolina Ghost”
Jen Lane – ‘This Life of Mine’
Ashley Monroe – ‘Live At Third Man Records”

March 4th
Loretta Lynne – ‘Full Circle’
Chris King – ‘Animal’
Anielle Reid – ‘Love Song’
Dead Tongues – ‘Montana’

March 11th
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – ‘Something Real’
Waylon Jennings – ‘Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas, Broadcast 1973’

March 18th
Various – Dave Cobb’s ‘Southern Family
Grant Lee Phillips – ‘The Narrows’
Sean Watkins – “What To Fear”
The Roosevelts – ”The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn’

March 25th
Parker Millsap – ‘The Very Last Day’
Margo Price – ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’

April 1st
Elephant Revival – ‘Petals’
Robbie Fulks – ‘Upland Stories’
Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones – ‘Little Windows’
Left Arm Tan – ‘Lorene’

April 8th
Hayes Carll – “Lovers and Leavers”
Tim McNary – ‘Above the Trees’ EP

April 15th
Hackensaw Boys – “Charismo”
Pauline Andres – “The Heart Breaks”
The Lowest Pair – ‘Fern Girl and Ice Man’ / ‘Uncertain As It Is Uneven’

April 19th
Crow Moses – “Nightshades”

April 22nd
Nate Leavitt – “Someone Send a Signal”
Derek Hoke – ‘Southern Moon’

April 29th
Larry Hooper – ‘No Turning Back’

May 3rd
Robert Ellis – ‘Robert Ellis’
Jeremy Nail – ‘My Mountain’

May 6th
Mary Chapin Carpenter – ‘The Things That We Are Made Of”
Jimbo Mathus – ‘Band of Storms’ EP
Vaudeville Etiquette – ‘Aura Vista Motel’

May 20th
Crystal Yates – ‘The Other Side’

May 27th
The Lowest Pair – ‘Fern Girl and Ice Man’ and ‘Uncertain As It Is Uneven’
Bonnie Bishop – ‘Ain’t Who I Was’

June 17
Sarah Jarosz – ‘Undercurrent’
Kris Kristofferson – ‘Cedar Creek Sessions’

June 24
The Felice Brothers – “Life in the Dark,”

July 1
Sara Watkins – ‘Young In All The Wrong Ways’

July 4
James Scott Bullard – “Box of Letters”

July 8
Mark Chesnutt – ‘Tradition Lives On’
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley – ‘The Country Blues’

July 15
The Earls Of Leicester – ‘Rattle & Roar,’

July 22
High Bar Gang – ‘Someday the Heart Will Trouble the Mind’

August 5
Chelle Rose – ‘Blue Ridge Blood’
Summer Dean – ‘Unladylike’

August 12
Kelsey Waldon – ‘I’ve Got a Way on’
Boo Ray – ‘Sea of Lights’

August 19
Lydia Loveless – ‘Real’
John Paul White – ‘Belah’

August 26
The Devil Makes Three – ‘Redemption & Ruin”
Dietrich Strause – “How Cruel That Hunger Binds”
Waiting for Henry – ‘Town Called Patience’

September 9
Blue Highway – ‘Original Traditional’

September 16
Amanda Shires – “My Piece Of Land”
Jesse Dayton – ‘The Revealer’
The Buffalo Ruckus – ‘Peace & Cornbread’

September 30
Drive-By Truckers – ‘American Band’
Jim Lauderdale – ‘This Changes Everything’

October 7
Shovels and Rope – ‘Little Seeds’
Hiss Golden Messenger – ‘Heart Like a Levee’
The Dexateens – ‘Teenage Hallelujah’

October 28
Aaron Lee Tasjan – “Silver Tears”
Various Artists – ‘Highway Prayer – Tribute to Adam Carroll”
Jasmine Rodgers – ‘Blood Red Sun’

November 4
Kent Eugene Goolsby – ‘Temper Of The Times’

November 18
Miranda Lambert – “The Weight of These Wings”

Grammys 2016 – Alabama Shakes , Punch Brothers, Mavericks, Jason Isbell, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell Among Roots Nominees

58th-Grammy-Logo

The Recording Academy® announced nominations for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards® in all 83 categories this morning. The nominees were selected from more than 21,000 submissions entered from the only peer-based music award, voted on by The Academy’s membership body of creators across all disciplines of music, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers.

Roots rock band Alabama Shakes has proven crossover appeal by a snagging a total of five GRAMMY nominations for their latest ‘Sound & Color.
Punch Brothers follow with 3 nominations. The Mavericks, Jason Isbell and Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell follow with 2 nominations apiece.

Lee Ann Womack is up for Best Country Solo Performance and Hayes Carll received a Best Country Song nomination for “Chances Are,” a great track on her album “The Way I’m Livin’.”

Roots super-producer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton) is up for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical and the GRAMMY voters again prove more open that genre specific award shows by nominating Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves and current country / roots (deserving) darling Chris Stapleton for Best Country Album alongside mainstream favorites Sam Hunt and Little Big Town.

Gospel and soul legend and Best Americana Album recipient Mavis Staples was nominated for Best American Roots Performance for her version of ” Blind Lemon Jefferson’s ‘See That My Grave Is Kept Clean’ from her latest ‘Your Good Fortune’ EP.

Bob Dylan’s ‘Shadows in the Night’ is up for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and British pop-soul crooner James Bay is nominated for Best New Artist. Wilco and My Morning Jacket are both up for Best Alternative Music Album.

made a name for himself this year by melding his deep, melodic voice with simple, blues-inspired guitar riffs. He released his debut album Chaos and the Calm, which is also nominated for a Best Rock Album Grammy, this past March, earning comparisons to pal Ed Sheeran, whom he’s performed with before.

Final-round GRAMMY® ballots will be mailed Dec. 16 and the will be presented Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Best Country Album:
Sam Hunt, Montevallo
Little Big Town, Pain Killer
Ashley Monroe, The Blade
Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material
Chris Stapleton, Traveller

Best Americana Album:
Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher’s Daughter
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, The Traveling Kind
Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
The Mavericks, Mono
Punch Brothers, The Phosphorescent Blues

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Brothers Osborne, “Stay a Little Longer”
Joey + Rory, “If I Needed You”
Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay, “The Driver”
Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
Blake Shelton feat. Ashley Monroe, “Lonely Tonight”

Best Country Song
Lee Ann Womack, “Chances Are”
Tim McGraw, “Diamond Rings And Old Barstools”
Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
Brandy Clark, “Hold My Hand”
Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”

Best Country Solo Performance
Cam, “Burning House”
Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”
Carrie Underwood, “Little Toy Guns”
Keith Urban, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”
Lee Ann Womack, “Chances Are”

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:
Jeff Bhasker
Dave Cobb
Diplo
Larry Klein
Blake Mills

Best American Roots Performance:

And Am I Born To Die
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, And Am I Born To Die
Track from: Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn

Buddy Guy, Born To Play Guitar
Track from: Born To Play Guitar

The Milk Carton Kids, City Of Our Lady
Track from: Monterey

Punch Brothers, Julep
Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues

Mavis Staples, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Track from: Your Good Fortune

Best American Roots Song

All Night Long
Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
Track from: Mono
Label: The Valory Music Co.; Publisher(s): Big Machine Music/Raul Malo Music

The Cost Of Living
Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters (Don Henley & Merle Haggard)
Track from: Cass County
Label: Capitol Records; Publisher(s): Wisteria Music (GMR) admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Matanzas Music

Julep
Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters (Punch Brothers)
Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues
Label: Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Chris Thile Music, Money Baby Music, Noam Tunes, Silver Hammer Music, Paul Kowert

The Traveling Kind
Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, songwriters (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
Track from: The Traveling Kind
Label: Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Criterion Music o/b/o Coolwell Music/Almo Music Corp. o/b/o Poodlebone Music/Chisel Publishing

24 Frames
Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
Track from: Something More Than Free
Label: Southeastern Records; Publisher(s): Songs Of Emchant

Best Bluegrass Album

Pocket Full Of Keys
Dale Ann Bradley
Label: Pinecastle Records

Before The Sun Goes Down
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Label: Compass Records Group

In Session
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Man Of Constant Sorrow
Ralph Stanley & Friends
Label: Red River Entertainment

The Muscle Shoals Recordings
The Steeldrivers
Label: Rounder

Best Blues Album
Descendants Of Hill Country
Cedric Burnside Project
Label: Cedric Burnside Project

Outskirts Of Love
Shemekia Copeland
Label: Alligator Records

Born To Play Guitar
Buddy Guy
Label: RCA Records/Silvertone Records

Worthy
Bettye LaVette
Label: Cherry Red

Muddy Waters 100
John Primer & Various Artists
Label: Raisin Music Records

Best Folk Album

Wood, Wire & Words
Norman Blake
Label: Plectrafone Records

Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Label: Rounder

Tomorrow Is My Turn
Rhiannon Giddens
Label: Nonesuch

Servant Of Love
Patty Griffin
Label: PGM

Didn’t He Ramble
Glen Hansard
Label: Anti

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Go Go Juice
Jon Cleary
Label: FHQ Records

La La La La
Natalie Ai Kamauu
Label: KEKO Records

Kawaiokalena
Keali’i Reichel
Label: Punahele Productions

Get Ready
The Revelers
Label: The Revelers

Generations
Windwalker And The MCW
Label: MCW Productions / PK Productions LLC

Grant-Lee Phillips To Release “The Narrows” March 18 ; U.S. And European Tour Dates Announced

Grant-Lee Phillips  "The Narrows"

Renowned California-born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips will his eighth solo studio album ‘The Narrows’ on March 18, 2016 on Yep Roc Records. The album is currently available for pre-order with an instant download of “Cry Cry.” (hear the beautifully languid song below)

Recorded at The Black Keys’ guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, the 13-song set is Phillips’ first since his move from Los Angeles to Music City in 2013. “It held the promise of a quieter life,” Phillips explains, “something resembling my own rural upbringing in the San Joaquin Valley. And the people of the mid-south reminded me of home – my dad being from Arkansas, my mom from Oklahoma. And the soundtrack of my boyhood was so often tethered to Nashville.”

Produced by Phillips (guitar/vocals) and recorded with Jerry Roe on drums and Lex Price on electric and upright bass.

“This set of songs,” Phillips observes, “seem to pivot between the personal and historical—like a lens, focusing in and out. The Creek and the Cherokee, of which I’m descendent, called this land home before the removal. I’m captivated by the stories and the energy here.”

The Narrows Tracklist:
1. Tennessee Rain
2. Smoke And Sparks
3. Moccasin Creek
4. Cry Cry
5. Holy Irons
6. Yellow Weeds
7. Loaded Gun
8. Rolling Pin
9. Taking On Weight In Hot Springs
10. Just Another River Town
11. No Mercy In July
12. San Andreas Fault
13. Find My Way

GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS TOUR DATES
January 13-17 – 30A Writers Festival – Santa Rosa Beach, FL
January 19 – The Hideaway – St. Petersburg, FL
January 20 – Café Eleven – St. Augustine, FL
January 21 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
January 22 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
January 26 – Southern Café & Music Hall – Charlottesville, VA
January 27 – Ashland Coffee & Tea – Ashland, VA
January 28 – Jammin’ Java – Vienna, VA
February 4 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
February 5 – Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
February 6 – Center for the Arts in Natick – Natick, MA
February 8 – The Pittsburgh Winery – Pittsburgh, PA
February 9 – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI
February 10 – Music Box Supper Club – Cleveland, OH
February 11 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
February 16 – Old Rock House – St. Louis, MO
February 17 – Folk Alliance International – Kansas City, KS
February 18 – Folk Alliance International – Kansas City, KS
April 1 – McCabe’s Guitar Shop – Santa Monica, CA
April 18 – All’1.35 – Cantu, Italy
April 19 – Teatro della Concordia – San Costanzo, Italy
April 20 – Bravo Café – Bologna, Italy
April 21 – Orpheum Extra – Graz, Austria
April 22 – B72 – Vienna, Austria
April 23 – TBD – Hamburg, Germany
April 24 – Vega Jnr. – Copenhagen, Denmark
April 25 – Bitterzoet – Amsterdam, Holland
April 27 – Pop Up Du Label – Paris, France
April 28 – Borderline – London, England
April 29 – Louisiana – Bristol, England
April 30 – Deaf Institute – Manchester, England
May 1 – Whelans – Dublin, Ireland

Buddy Miller & Friends’ “Cayamo Sessions At Sea” Sets Sail January 29

Buddy Miller & Friends' "Cayamo Sessions At Sea"

I was lucky enough to sit in on a couple of these intimate Cayamo sessions. The onboard Bliss Lounge was set up like a cozy living room that just happens to have top-notch headlining and supporting musicians from the cruise’s extraordinary roster doing their favorite classic covers like Lucinda Williams covering Gram Parson’s “Hickory Wind” and Kacey Musgrave covering fellow Texan Buck Owens’ ‘Love’s Gonna Live Here.’

Buddy loosely conducts the sessions in his genial way, as the event takes on more of a open jam than a staid studio session. You’re left with the impression that the live and loose sound will make it’s way to the finished mix. As it did in Nikki Lane and Buddy’s cover of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton’s classic “Just Someone I Used to Know.”

The album will be released on on New West Records a couple of days before the fan and artist friendly 9th Cayamo, A Journey Through Song sets sail January 31, 2016 from Miami to St. Maarten and Tortola. As you might imagine it’s already sold out.

from the release: “For one week each year, some of the best songwriters in country, Americana, folk and roots music set sail on a musical adventure called Cayamo. Over the last few years, award-winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Buddy Miller set up a recording studio on the ship and recorded and played with everyone from veteran songwriters to emerging artists. Buddy Miller & Friends’ Cayamo Sessions At Sea, due January 29, 2016 on New West Records, collects 11 of the best of these once-in-a-lifetime musical moments recorded on the 2014 and 2015 voyages with Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, Kacey Musgraves, Richard Thompson, Lee Ann Womack, Shawn Colvin, Nikki Lane, Brandi Carlile, The Lone Bellow, Doug Seegers and more.”

“From bow to stern, port to starboard, on top deck and down below, artists – some old friends, some just acquainted ­- come together in fits of spontaneity and create unique musical collaborations all around the ship. It’s for this reason that Cayamo has become one of the most sought after cruises for artists and music lovers alike, selling out year after year. In 2012, Miller decided to try to capture a few of these special maritime moments and brought along some recording gear and set up a studio in the ship’s library where he and co-host and lifelong friend Jim Lauderdale recorded episodes for their SiriusXM Outlaw Country Buddy & Jim Radio Show. They ended up recording their debut episode with Lucinda Williams. Miller thought the radio show recordings sounded great so, in 2014, he brought more gear, an engineer and some stellar musicians and set up a temporary recording studio between the lanes of a bowling alley. For two days and nights, a who’s who of artists came to record while lucky fans watched on. He had so much fun that he did it all again on the 2015 cruise.”

Of the collaboration Nikki Lane tells rolling Stone Country: “I’m in it for the long game. This is great, and the past year has been wonderful. But what am I going to do when I am 50? You don’t want to be the person sitting in the corner of the coffee shop who wrote that song. You want to be someone like Buddy Miller, who has found a way to position himself in a really creative industry. Because long game is the only way you can really call yourself an artist.”

Track list for Buddy Miller & Friends’ ‘Cayamo Sessions at Sea’:
1. After the Fire Is Gone – with Lee Ann Womack
2. Love’s Gonna Live Here – with Kacey Musgraves
3. Sunday Morning Coming Down – Kris Kristofferson
4. Just Someone I Used to Know – with Nikki Lane
5. Hickory Wind – with Lucinda Williams
6. Wedding Bells – with Richard Thompson
7. If Teardrops Were Pennies – with Elizabeth Cook
8. Wild Horses – with Shawn Colvin
9. Come Early Mornin’ – with Jill Andrews
10. Take the Hand of Jesus – with Doug Seegers
11. Angel from Montgomery – with Brandi Carlile and the Lone Bellow

Live Review: Jay Farrar – Kessler Theatre, Dallas Texas – 11 /14 / 2015

Jay Farrar - Kessler Theatre, Dallas Texas

A little over 21 years ago Jay Farrar walked away from, if not the first alt.country band, certainly the most influential one.

Uncle Tupelo’s 4 studio album distilled a potent blend of punk fury, rock chops, and reverence to folk and country heritage. But the brighter the light the sooner the fizzle and after a mere 7 years Uncle Tupelo gave way from the figurative and literal combat between the two primary members, Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, who parted ways to found and steward Son Volt and Wilco respectively.

Farrar carried the honest and forthright aesthetic to his next venture , Son Volt. Their debut, “Trace” was in many ways a perfect follow-up to UT’s sawn song ‘Anodyne.’ “Trace” was an album that made the pain of the band’s demise even more acute while at the same time reassuring fans that someone was stewarding that sonic treasury.

This night was a celebratory look back at the back-looking album on it’s 20th anniversary.

Jay Farrar ambled on the Kessler Persian rug-laden stage looking like he’d not aged a day from the 20 years since the namesake for this event. Billed oddly as Jay Farrar playing the music of Son Volt’s ‘Trace’ to underscore this wasn’t a reassembling of older or current varieties of the his band. No, this was a brief tour with two skilled side men – pedal steel player, Eric Heywood, along with multi-instrumentalist, Gary Hunt.

Farrar has never been known as a chatty front man and with a simple “Hi,” a boyish grin and hair in his eyes the band launches into a spirited rendition of ‘Live Free.’ Yes “Windfall” is the first track on ‘Trace,’ but this is Farrar’s show and he’ll sequence the songs in any damn order he chooses.

And the packed house doesn’t care either as whoops erupted over the swelling instrumentation and Farrar’s voice. That familiar voice which now exhibiting a road-worn lower register, but still contains a earnest delivery that slips in-between the melodies in it’s quirky odd timing. The wonderfully swervey “Catching On” and the crowd joined in as a full throated singalong to the bittersweet “Tear Stained Eye.”

The show locked into a smooth groove just in time for the stutter stop jam of the Ronnie Wood cover ‘Mystifies me.” Heywood and Hunt faced off in what Farrar described as a “pedal steel cage match” that was less competitive than playing off each other in lovely harmonic wails on the gloriously dark and yearning “Ten Second News.’

Farrar announced “We are now entering a post-Trace world” before breaking into his acapella opening to ‘Wild Side’ from 2013’s excellent ‘Honky Tonk” that transformed the listening room into a swaying, joyous ocean. “Back Into Your World” from the 1997 album “Straightaways” closed out the main set on a warmly glowing note.

The band seemingly had just walked off the stage before returning and encoring with the rousing ‘Afterglow 61″ from ‘Okemah and the Melody of Riot’ and and a dreamily , almost unrecognizable version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.”

Farrar and company have carried the alt.country torch lit by Uncle Tupelo more truly than Tweedy has with Wilco, and though market forces have rewarded Tweedy for his sonic ventures this night proved that there’s still fans of honest and simple tunes.

Live Free
Catching On
Tear Stained Eye
Out of the Picture
Loose String
Route
Mystifies me
Too Early
Ten Second News
Drown
Windfall
Wild Side
Back Into Your World

Encore:
Afterglow 61
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan cover)

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)

Listen Up! Emmylou Harris & John Paul White “Kyrie”

Emmylou Harris & John Paul White have released "Kyrie,"

Emmylou Harris & John Paul White have released “Kyrie,” the second single from the upcoming Phil Madeira’s “Mercyland: Hymns For The Rest Of Us, Volume II” compilation.

About the song Emmylou Harris told Rolling Stone Country “I’m happy that ‘Kyrie’ is part of the Mercyland compilation. Songwriting is and always has been a mystery to me, but it helps to be in the room with a friend like Phil [Madeira], who birthed this one with me.”

This is the second version of the broadly spiritual, and Kickstarter-funded, compilation series highlighting some of Americana music’s best talent.

Madeira tells Rolling Stone Country “When I started Volume II, [Emmylou] suggested we write together, which of course was an honor. She brought lovely verse ideas to the table, but a chorus eluded us until the words ‘Kyrie Eleison’ appeared. What better prayer can be prayed than to ask for mercy?”

“Mercyland: Hymns For The Rest Of Us, Volume II” Track List
The Lone Bellow – “I See That Hand”
The Wood Brothers – “Can’t Put A Name On It”
Emmylou Harris with John Paul White – “Kyrie”
Humming People – “Stars”
Angel Snow – “I Said It, I Mean It”
Jason Eskridge & Cindy Morgan – “Sacred Ground”
Sugar & The Hi-Lows – “Stranger”
Will Kimbrough – “The Madness of the World”
Phil Madeira – “Mercy”
The McCrary Sisters – “Boom Chicka Boom”
David Crowder – “Make An Ocean”
John Schofield – “Heaven Hill”

Watch Out! Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – “Won’t Go Back” [VIDEO]

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

This is not a video for the claustrophobic. This whimsical video follows a red dressed traveler – Edie Brickell, of Dallas’ own Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – entering an elevator to be met by a jovial banjoist, Martin. As the song “Won’t Go Back” build into a bluegrass meets Brill building 50’s pop the elevator fills with a cast of diverse characters each with a part, and an instrument, to play.

Come for the fun. Stay for the music.

Steve Martin cheekily tells vanityfair.com that the video was three years in the making and was a delight to work on,” says of his and Edie Brickell’s song “Won’t Go Back.” Martin continues, “Especially wonderful to work with was “hey you” (our director) and “hey you” (our costumer), and I am deeply indebted to “hey you” (the woman who sang).”

“Won’t Go Back” is from their upcoming second studio LP, ‘So Familiar’ out Oct 30th. Pre-order here.

Listen Up! Keyan Keihani – “Highway” [PREMIER]

Keyan Keihani

With a vocal quality somewhere between Sufjan Stevens’ boyish yearn and Don Henley’s road-worn soul Keyan Keihani makes damn certain you feel every ounce of loneliness and pining want in achingly gorgeous “Highway.”

This level of song craft can only be achieved from someone that has paid some dues. Keihani’s self-financed debut album, ‘Eastbound’, was released in 2013. He sued that cache of songs to snag opening spots for the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Jamestown Revival and Jason Eady, to name a few. It peaked at #6 on Amazon’s Americana charts.

Keihani’s sophomore release, “Dark Saints” is produced and engineered by Daniel Mendez (Dashboard Confessional, Train, Noah Gundersen) the songs this time around are unadorned and emotionally raw.

About the album Keihani says:

“Dark Saints” was originally recorded in 2014 as a full length by the same producer/engineer who worked on the debut album, “Eastbound.” After a series of setbacks and creative differences, the project was scrapped and all the tracking was abandoned. Keihani descended into a haze severe personal issues, causing him to be reclusive for months. He emerged with a different set of songs and a more somber theme which reflected his personal distress. With a bit more confidence and a desire to highlight the brute honesty of the songs, Keihani connected with Daniel Mendez – who previously worked with artists such as Heart, Duran Duran and Dashboard Confessional. They set out to make something with fewer frills; a record that was more of a confessional that exposed a different side. It was recorded in Brooklyn, NYC in June 2015 at Mendez’s studio, Head Above Water Studios.

The single, Highway, takes a stern look at a blatantly lopsided and broken relationship. The fight has been lost, apathy has set in and the separation (geographic and emotional) has been accepted with a strange calm. “She finally took the red-eye to the Southern shores, just like she said she would. And I won’t come around through the Alabama pines, to lay you on the ground, making right from what went wrong.” Although it forecasts his own situation, the song was largely inspired by his parents calling their marriage over after 38 years at the same time. The main theme is: let’s face it – this is over, it’s obvious and I’m tired of trying. We can’t make right from what went wrong.

The other songs are filled with a similar confrontational nature and potent messages. Some tackle the feeling that he’ll be selfish for the rest of his life, while others show his lack of interest in being held accountable for his actions that impact others.

“Dark Saints” is going to be released independently on October 20th, 2015. Keihani has a series of shows in San Francisco and a run of dates in the Northwest to support the release.

Official site.

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)