Category Archives: New Releases

Mumford and Sons Announce New Album, ‘Wilder Mind,’ Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers

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Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons fans wait no more (get it?) the folk-rock british band that made tweed cool has details of their forthcoming third album, ‘Wilder Mind.’

‘Wilder Mind’ is produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, HAIM, Florence & The Machine) will be released in North America through Glassnote Records on May 4. It features twelve new tracks, written collaboratively by the band in London, Brooklyn, and Texas. A few of the new songs were written and demoed at Aaron Dessner’s (The National) garage studios in Brooklyn. The band also returned to Eastcote Studios in London, where they recorded ‘Sigh No More,’ for further writing and demo sessions. The album was recorded at AIR studios in London.

From the release:

This new album marks a significant departure for the young British band from their previous records, 2009’s Sigh No More, and 2012’s Babel. The early sessions in New York and London witnessed a change in the band’s approach not just to writing and recording, but to texture and dynamics, too. There is a minimalist yet panoramic feel to the new album, whose sound Marcus Mumford describes as “a development, not a departure.” It came about by both accident, and by conscious decision.

“Towards the end of the Babel tour, we’d always play new songs during soundchecks, and none of them featured the banjo, or a kick-drum,” says Marcus Mumford. “And demoing with Aaron meant that, when we took a break, we knew it wasn’t going to involve acoustic instruments. We didn’t say: ‘No acoustic instruments.’ But I think all of us had this desire to shake it up. The songwriting hasn’t changed drastically; it was led more by a desire to not do the same thing again. Plus, we fell back in love with drums! It’s as simple as that.”

“It felt completely natural, though,” says Ben Lovett, “like it did when we started out. It was very much a case of, if someone was playing an electric guitar, drums were going to complement that best; and, sonically, it then made sense to add a synth or an organ. We chose instruments that played well off each other, rather than consciously trying to overhaul it.”

The album will be available to pre-order through the band’s website, http://www.mumfordandsons.com/.

Mumford and Sons 'Wilder Mind,'

Wilder Mind Tracklisting:
1. Tompkins Square Park
2. Believe
3. The Wolf
4. Wilder Mind
5. Just Smoke
6. Monster
7. Snake Eyes
8. Broad-Shouldered Beasts
9. Cold Arms
10. Ditmas
11. Only Love
12. Hot Gates

EDIT – Hear Mumford and Sons’ new electrified style in “Believe” below.

In support of ‘Wilder Mind,’ Mumford & Sons will embark on series of Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers.

Theses tow day events are a traveling music festival with an “eclectic and energetic roster of artists curated by the band themselves.” Mumford & Sons will headline the Saturday shows. The events will have a local focus “involving local businesses, venues, and, most importantly, local people will happen in and around the town. ”

About this year’s upcoming Stopover tour, Mumford & Sons said: “The Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers are all about live music. We get to put them on in towns not normally frequented by touring bands in busses or splitter vans. We deliberately look for towns that have something unique, or some vibe of which they are proud, explore them and enjoy what they have to offer.”

Like 2012 and 2013, these outdoor events will take place in carefully selected and unique locations internationally, and will feature a host of acclaimed acts including Foo Fighters, Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, The Flaming Lips, and many others, including more to be announced. This year’s host towns include Seaside Heights, NJ; Waverly, IA; Walla Walla, WA; and Salida, CO.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 am local time on March 6th from www.gentlemenoftheroad.com/tickets. Please visit the website for all ticket details.

Mumford & Sons recently announced headline performances at this year’s Bonnaroo, Squamish, Reading & Leeds Festivals, Open’er Festival, Bilbao BBK Live, and Nos Alive Festival.

Mumford & Sons Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers

Seaside Heights, New Jersey, USA
June 5th + 6th – Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, Alabama Shakes, The Vaccines, The Maccabees, Dawes, The Very Best, Jenny Lewis, Little May, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Waverly, Iowa, USA
June 19th + 20th – Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket, Dawes, Jenny Lewis, The Maccabees, The Very Best, Rubblebucket, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Aviemore, Scotland, UK
July 31st + August 1st – Mumford & Sons, Primal Scream, Simian Mobile Disco, Ben Howard, Lianne La Havas, The Maccabees, Jack Garratt, Honeyblood + more TBA

Walla Walla, Washington, USA
August 14th + 15th – Mumford & Sons, Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, The Vaccines, Dawes, Jenny Lewis, TuneYards, James Vincent McMorrow, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Salida, Colorado, USA
August 21st + 22nd – Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, Dawes,
Jenny Lewis, The Vaccines, TuneYards, James Vincent McMorrow, JEFF The Brotherhood, Blake Mills + more TBA

Watch Out! Sara Rachele – “You Don’t Move Me” [VIDEO] / Interview

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Sara Rachele - "You Don't Move Me"

Sara Rachele is more than a contemporary coffee house folkie crossed with deep-in-the groove rocker and her new single/video proves it.

“You Don’t Move Me” is a reverbed slice of retro girl-group pop layered over emotional
ennui. Director Paul Bray shot the video in sumptuous muted hues at an empty Plaza Theatre in her native Atlanta, GA.

Sara Rachele took time away from her busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Twang Nation: Being from Georgia, there’s a discernible Southern-Quality to your storytelling. How has moving to New York shaped your songwriting?

Sara Rachele: Ironically, moving to Manhattan brought out the southern-ness in my writing – I found it’s the thing I identify with most in the South – is the stories, the folklore. I come from a long line of southern women with big imaginations and even bigger mouths. New York has so many different kinds of folks – the Italian side of my family came through Ellis Island – and I relate to that too.
I think I stuck out as the southern writer of my friends – It just was kind of innately in what I do – in my physiology or something, I just started to stick out for being plain spoken, and I liked that.

TN:You’ve said “Diamond Street” is a result of dealing with loss. While making that album was the loss easier or harder to deal with?

SR:I guess that’s the thing about writers – I definitely always try to tell whatever my truth is, even if it doesn’t paint me in the best light. With Diamond Street – There were a couple years of pent up realizations, expository realizations, I really needed to hash out – It’s probably more confessional that it should be – But that is the thing that heals me, and I think a lot of people, about music. We get to realize that a lot of people have too gone through something similar. I met producer Trina Shoemaker once, and she just came up after a set and said ‘It doesn’t ever go away. But you get better at dealing with it.’ I like to think she’s right.

TN: Is it easier to writes songs when you’re happy or miserable?

SR: Oh, I’m my happiest when I’m miserable, ha. I think whatever space it is – that quiet space – I’m a big believer in intuition – that silence I find where the songs come from, that’s the spot that allows me to write. I think it’s the calm after the storm moments, the reflective post-miserable moments, where inspiration starts for me.

TN: What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that event shape the show/recording?

SR: I cut all the vocals to ‘Diamond Street’ shut in a bathroom at the studio. It’s funny now, but honestly, that isolation was important for a few reasons. On Black Mile, I shut all the lights off for one of the takes, there were no windows in there, and it was complete darkness. I think you hear that in the song.

TN: There’s a view that these are exceptionally hard times to make music a vocation. Has this been your experience?

SR: You know – Yeah. It is, I think if you take no for an answer. I, have never been very good at doing that.

TN: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

SR: Fearlessly writing – writing without anticipating what anyone else wants to hear. Remembering that my only job, is to be honest with my work, and to create art. I’m into doing that, you know, forever.

TN: “You Don’t Move Me” has a Shangri-Las vibe to to. What are some of the bands/performers that have influenced you?

SR: Thank you. Gosh gosh who doesn’t love Rubin and Spector and girl groups – Carole King for sure, the Goffin/King songs really get into my soul. Maybe cause I’m a keys player first. But that I think, YDMM came from (Composer, Engineer, Producer) Kris Sampson’s head – he just is the coolest. He has a vintage thing about him, that speaks through that song – it was his idea to move it to keys.

TN:What are you up to right now, music-wise? Any current or upcoming recordings, collaborations, tours or top-secret projects, etc.

SR: Touring with Melissa Ferrick in April. OH, AND I HAVE A NEW SINGLE, 7 INCH VINYL, ‘Low (Cracker cover) and B side written byyours truly… out at the end of March!!

Watch the video for “You Don’t Move Me” below.

Purchase ‘Diamond Street’ on CD / cassette at Bandcamp.

Catch Sara Rachele live while she’s on tour.

Watch Out! Delta Rae – ‘Scared’ [VIDEO]

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Delta Rae - Scared

Delta Rae continues to hone their craft for and dark theatre with the video for their new song ‘Scared.”

The video was shot in New York City with director Lawrence Chen, the same man who helmed their wonderful ‘Bottom Of The River; video.

An aching song of relationship insecurity backdrops the scene of shady deal, involving a painting of a cat with a crown of all things (was that a ‘purrrr” I detected in the beginning of the song?!) , that goes horribly, horribly wrong. In the ned I guess his fears were quite founded. A bad end is elevated by that glorious harmony!

Pre-orders for our new album, ‘After It All,’ are on sale now! Order today and receive instant downloads of ‘Scared and new recordings of Run, Chasing Twisters, and I Will Never Die. The first 500 Album+Lithograph Bundles ordered from our online store will be signed by the band.

Pre-order

Listen Up! Hear Sean Watkins and Fiona Apple Team Up For The Classic Murder Ballad ‘Banks of the Ohio’ ‘

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Sean Watkins and Fiona Apple

On March 31, 2015 Nickel Creek founder Sean Watkins will release a limited pressing split 7” featuring two songs – a lovely version of the classic murder ballad “Banks of the Ohio” featuring Fiona Apple (hear it below) and “Dead Flowers” with ex-member of Old Crow Medicine Show Willie Watson. Pre-orders currently available at Bandcamp and come with an immediate download of “Banks of the Ohio”. It will also be made available digitally on 3/31/15.

Of the Apple collaboration Watikns told Rolling Stone “Fiona and I met and started playing songs together,” he remembers. “(The L.A. listening room) Largo was still a small place back then, a place you could go try out new things and learn new songs, so we started finding some music we both could identify with. I learned some songs she had grown up singing — mostly jazz standards — and then she learned the equivalent for me, which was bluegrass songs and murder ballads.”

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Review: American Aquarium – ‘Wolves’

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American Aquarium

The risk in loving an independent band is facing the fact that one day they may achieve mainstream success.

On the face of it, this is naive and a stupid attitude for fan. What kind of a sadist wants grown people to spend the rest of their professional lives in a cramped van? But the concerns are from a deeper, worried place – Can a love a mainstream band when mainstream bands suck? How many ways can I sneer at new fans? What if they change their sound? Will I still be able to get tickets to their show? And so on…

American Aquarium fans may now be faced with such an existential dilemma. After years of paying blacktop and beer joint dues (and suffering the indignity of having Florida Georgia Line open for them just to watch them explode to mainstream country stardom) BJ Barham , guitarists Ryan Johnson and Colin Dimeo, bassist Bill Corbin, drummer Kevin McClain and Whit Wright on keyboard and pedal-steel guitar might have their breakthrough album on their calloused hands.

Those dues have become fertile source of inspiration resulting in 10 tightly wound roots-rock cuts. ‘Wolves’ shines brightest in it’s darkest corners. With his gravel baritone Barham frets over getting older, missed opportunities, family strife and yes life on that lonesome highway. On cuts like ‘Family Problems’ and ‘Man I’m Supposed to Be,’ the atmosphere builds, the pedal steel wails or the horns swell, the songs elevates into greatness.

BUt sometimes the arrangements on the jauntier cuts, like with ‘Southern Sadness’ and ‘Old North State,’ robs the songs of their emotional punch and the singer/music contrast doesn’t quite mesh. it’s as if Merle Haggard were fronting Pearl Jam, on their own they excel, but together…something gives.

And we can’t forget The Rocking. ‘Wichita Falls and ‘Losing Side of Twenty-Five’ are flat out stompers ripe for the stage and will be fan anthems for years to come.

Barham’s songwriting honors the Southern tradition of embodying and championing the stern struggle of the working poor as they strive to keep things together against the odds. ‘Wolves’ doesn’t offer any glib answers or obfuscate with party anthems. Barham’s world is more complicated, real. It brims of steely contemplation, guts and fighting through.

‘Wolves’ is an album that may not launch Barham and Co. onto Music City arena headliners anytime soon. But it does put them further along their path to being a band that matters.

iTunes | Amazon | Official Site

four-half-rate

57th Annual Grammy Awards – Showing Our Roots

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Brandy Clark & Dwight Yoakam 'Hold My Hand'

The cultural trade show known as the 57th Annual Grammy Awards is now history. 83 golden antiquated media playback device replicas were handed out to some of the most talented musicians in the world.

But the event is anything but antiquated. The Grammys have been pushing the boundaries of social and streaming media for some time, improving every year and rivaling events like The Oscars and The Superbowl for social activity. The Grammys know how to create, and amplify, buzz.

Though I did not take part in the excellent Grammy social program as I had the past 4 years, I was graciously asked by Entertainment Tonight to live blog the event for ETOnline.com. and I did cover the pre-telecast (rechristened the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony) at the Twang Nation twitter feed. That’s nearly 8 hours of tweeting, blogging, posting in all.

But this is not a social marketing site. Its about the music, and there was lot’s of it. Much of it great.

First , the winners.

The big winner in the Americana and roots category was Rosanne Cash. Cash, who had been an awards presenter earlier in the day, took home awards in all the categories she was nominated in. winning who won best American roots performance, American roots song for ‘A Feather’s Not A Bird’ and Americana album for “The River and The Thread.” “Reagan was president last time I won a Grammy,” Cash beamed, referring to her win for
“I just showed up for work for 35 years and this is what happened.” Cash’s last win was in 1985 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me.”

Other notable wins were Mike Farris’ first nomination turned into a win for win for Best Roots Gospel Album.

Bluegrass supergroup, The Earls Of Leicester – Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Shawn Camp, Johnny Warren, Charlie Cushman and Barry Bales – won for Best Bluegrass Album for The band’s self-titled release. “We’re very humbled by this,” Douglas said during his acceptance speech. “These guys worked with me — I’ve wanted to do an album like this since the first time I picked up a musical instrument … This is what it’s all about — Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.” “Proud to bring Flatt & Scruggs to a new audience. I think we now have a mandate to do more.”

Nickel Creek and Punch Brother founder Chris Thile and bassist Edgar Meyer won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for their album, ‘Bass & Mandolin.’ The duo have been performing together sporadically for more than a decade. ‘Bass & Mandolin’ was also nominated for Best Instrumental Composition for the album track “Tarnation” and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

After an ripping performance of 8 Dogs 8 Banjos on the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony stage, Old Crow Medicine Show encored with a win for Best Folk Album, for ‘Remedy.’

“We started our 18th year of making music together this year, and we want to thank Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie for lighting the way,” singer/fiddler Ketch Secor said from the podium.

Glen Campbell won his sixth Grammy of his extraordinary career for Best Country Song. The ailing country legend won for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” the bittersweet song Campbell penned with Julian Raymond for the 2014 documentary ‘Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,’ won against songs by Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw with Faith Hill.

Best Historical Album went to the excellent Hank Williams The Garden Spot Programs, 1950. Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer.

One of the most talked about surprises of the evening was Beck’s win for Album of the Year for his 12th album ‘Morning Phase.’ Though I could quibble about Beck’s moody-folk/pop masterpiece
winning a Best Rock Album award earlier in the evening (rock?) there’s no arguing that Beck is a musician with an artistic vision, with little apparent care for the charts and industry. A rare vision richly deserving the honor of a high-profile award.

Apparently after the win twitter spiked with ‘Who is Beck?’ Supposedly by people genuinely unaware of the artist. The rest was Kanye West.

The stand out performance was Best New Artist nominee Brandy Clark sharing the stage with her idol and recent tour mate Dwight Yoakam. The two performed a lovely rendition of “Hold My Hand” from the Best Country Album nominated ’12 Stories.’ Perched on a round stage with no extravagant light show, two simple guitars and two warm voices. It was the most low-key performance of the 2015 Grammys and the one that best personified what most matters, and is often lost, in theses events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu9-3yC012g

Listen Up! The Ravenna Colt ‘Terminal Current’ [Exclusive Premier]

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the-ravenna-colt-publicity-photo

‘Terminal Current’ is the second full-length album from The Ravenna Colt (former My Morning Jacket guitarist/engineer Johnny Quaid) and it shimmers like Summer heat waves off a rural blacktop road. Here the full release below.

Kentucky-born musician Johnny Quaid filters his personal Americana dreamscape through The Ravenna Colt, traversing folk-rock territory while “creat(ing) Quaid’s vision of stories and soundscapes as told from the eyes and ears of a carpenter and troubadour.”

In 1998, Quaid joined Jim James on a project that would change their lives – My Morning Jacket. The group worked feverishly touring and recording and has not slowed down since. Quaid lends his guitar licks and engineering style to the first three albums, The Tennessee Fire, At Dawn and It Still Moves.

Quaid departed from the group amicably at the start of 2004. He left his native Kentucky, headed west to California and worked as a carpenter while keeping a writer’s pen at hand. After moving back east to Tennessee, Quaid released The Ravenna Colt’s debut album ‘Slight Spell’ in 2010.

Quaid has since relocated to Boise, where he pulled talent from the city’s fervent indie/roots music scene to assemble the latest incarnation of The Ravenna Colt. Terminal Current was recorded in Boise and Louisville, Ky., at Above the Cadillac and La La Land studios.

The video for “Absolute Contingency,” the lead single off The Ravenna Colt’s (former My Morning Jacket guitarist/engineer Johnny Quaid) forthcoming album Terminal Current (Removador/Karate Body), premiered today via The Alternate Root. Watch the Joe Baughman directed video.

“I take the art of making a record very seriously.” Says Quaid “I don’t rely on number of songs to constitute an album. I approach it more like making a film — I tell a story and create a feeling with the music. All my songs are very personal, despite the titles and themes. Music for me is really a means of therapy. With each album, I’ve really just captured the events that have lead up to it. I’ve had some major life changes between Terminal Current and Slight Spell, and I think you can hear/feel that.”

The Ravenna Colt will host a release party and performance 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Neurolux, 111 N. 11th St., Boise. Sleepy Seeds opens the show. Tickets are available in advance atticketweb.com or The Record Exchange, 1105 W. Idaho St., Boise.

The band also will perform on Radio Boise (89.9FM/93.5FM) during the Radio Boise Live Music Hour at 4 p.m. Feb. 20 and at an all-ages release party preview at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 at The Record Exchange.

Listen Up! The Lowest Pair – ‘In The During Of A Moment’

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lowest pair

Respected and accomplished solo performers in their own right, when Arkansas-born Kendl Winter and Minneapolis-born Palmer T. Lee joined to form The Lowest Pair the result is greater than the sum of their considerable parts. The couple’s deep-reverb bluegrass-inspired sound, and urban-rustic appearance, and make the a perfect symbol for the Dust Bowl aesthetic ready made for listening rooms everywhere.

An early 2013 led to discussions of collaborating and soon after concept became reality as they hit the road together. A few months after the duet formed they teamed up with Dave Simonette of Trampled By Turtles to record their debut record “36¢” released on Team Love Records.

‘In The During Of A Moment’ is from the duo’s upcoming sophomore effort ‘The Sacred Heart Sessions.’ Banjo and guitar dapple against one another as Winter’s breathy keen dips and soars. The chorus Lee lends his rugged croon as a perfect contrast on this lovely study on the nature transience.

‘The Sacred Heart Sessions’ will be out Feb 24, on Team Love records.

Rhiannon Giddens and Iron & Wine Perform Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”

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rhiannon-giddens-iron-and-wine-forever-young-nbc-parenthood-450

Founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens joined Iron & Wine , the nom de plume for singer, songwriter Sam Beam, for a performance of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” on the series finale of NBC’s Parenthood, “May God Bless and Keep You Always.”

Dylan’s recording, from the 1974 album Planet Waves, has been the show’s theme song since it first aired in 2010. The new version by Giddens and Beam, which they played at the show’s Luncheonette recording studio during the episode and was produced by Joe Henry, is available digitally from Nonesuch Records on iTunes and in the Nonesuch Store. You can hear it below.

Watch Out! Robert Chaney – ‘Patch It Up’ [VIDEO]

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Robert Chaney - 'Patch It Up'

The new cut from American-born, London-based singer/songwriter Robert Chaney evokes an earlier time when the line between folk and blues were blurred.

Sparse guitar dances around Chaney’s nasal,high-lonesome delivery as a crumbling home serves as a metaphor for a failing relationship.

The video mirrors the theme well as Chaney frets, pines and sings among the ruins. Vintage clips of disaster and destruction furthers the mood as external forces drive toward doom as he futilely pleads for reconciliation.

“Come back inside, we’ll retire all this spite, rectify the excitement, we’ll stay up all night and, then you and I will try and patch it up”

Chaney recalls the moments that lead to recording:
“The record almost didn’t happen,” recalls Robert. “After moving from Florida to London, I didn’t know anyone. I thought I was going to have to get into the open mic grind. So I went to one and showed up late and they put me on last.” But it was on the strength of this performance that Robert was approached by producer Ken Brake (The Clientele, Louis Philippe), and the two started working in Ken’s London studio, recording dozens of songs over a number of months. Most of the songs on the final record are first or second takes.

‘Patch It Up’ if from Robert Chaney’s debut album ‘Cracked Picture Frames’ out digitally Feb 15 and on CD April 26th.

Find out more at his official site