Category Archives: News Round Up

Listen Up! Sarah Gayle Meech – ‘Loneliest Place In Town’ Premier – Interview

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Sarah Gayle Meech
Photo by Amanda Van Sandt

Dont think of Sarah Gayle Meech as a country music revivalist. Like her musical peers Kacey Musgraves and Sturgill Simpson she’s the contemporary version of classic spirit. The spirit of honesty, human complexity and a little ass kicking bravado.

This is a spirit that Music City, in an effort to produce, replicate and deliver mass consumable cultural products, has abandoned by design. Too risky. If there’s anything big business hates it’s risk. But Sarah Gayle Meech is not afraid of risks. She appears to feed off of them.

Her inked physique, and rockabilly-ready style, puts her aesthetically at odds with the blonde cheerleader Music Row clones. She’s disruptive in looks and in talent, not willing to back down from hard topics and hard twang. She’s taking on the mainstream Bro-Country the way that Dwight Yoakam and Nanci Griffith took on the 80’s Urban Cowboy fad. Great songs, well played, that feel real.

Meech took time from preparing for her newest album release, ‘Tennessee Love Song’ March 31st, to answer a few questions.

Listen to ‘Loneliest Place In Town’ below.

Pre-order Tennessee Love Song

Twang Nation: With your shows at stages like Robert’s Western World and Layla’s Bluegrass Inn, you’ve become the honky-tonk queen of lower Broadway. This is not an easy crowd to impress. Take me through your music journey from California to this point.

Sarah Gayle Meech: Honky tonk queen, I love it! I’ve been in Nashville now 5 years from LA. Started playing lower Broadway almost 4 years ago. I dove into the Broadway shows because I wanted to learn more and play music for a living. When I saw the level of skill the lower Broadway musicians had, I was pretty floored. At any given time of the day, some of the best players in the world are down at those honky tonks playing a 4 hour show for tips. Pretty unreal, definitely like no other place in the world. I had done a good deal of singing and playing before moving to Nashville, but I was nowhere near the level of these musicians. After a lot of persistence and getting to know players, I started landing my own shows, that eventually turned into residencies at Layla’s Bluegrass Inn and Robert’s Western
World. I have tremendous respect for the players down there, and feel fortunate to have a home base.

TN: You were awarded the Female Outlaw of the Year 2nd Annual Ameripolitan Awards in Austin earlier this month. I know the awards founder (and your friend) Dale Watson’s interpretation of ‘Ameripolitan.’ do you think it’s distinct from country or Americana music?

SGM: Winning this award was a great honor. It’s so inspiring to see the passion of the fans and creators of this movement. I think what Dale is trying to establish with Ameripolitan is what country music used to be. When country music was defined by the sounds of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, steel guitars, fiddles. Nowadays, “country” music is stuff like Florida Georgia Line and Taylor Swift,
which is clearly pop/rock music. It seems a lot of fans are confused and are wondering what happened to “country” music, so many lines have been blurred. Ameripolitan is staying true to the traditional sounds and roots of country music by embracing the styles of honky tonk, rockabilly, western swing, and outlaw. In case you’re wondering what happened to real country music, Ameripolitan is the new home.

TN: “Tennessee Love Song,” your follow up to your debut ‘One Good Thing,’ was partially supported by Kickstarter campaign which was funded, and then some, by your fans. Why did you decide to go the crowd funding route, and would you do it again?

SGM: I’m an independent artist, 100%. Making an album can be very expensive. I funded the recording and mastering of the album on my own. When it came time to release the album, I needed help. That’s when I decided to give Kickstarter a try. I sat on the fence about running a Kickstarter campaign for awhile, the idea of failure freaked me out. But the more I thought about failing, the more I wanted to kick it’s ass. It was a successful campaign and has allowed me to launch Tennessee Love Song. The whole Kickstarter campaign was a lot of work, but very worth it. It also gave me a lot of inspiration to have the support of so many people, for which I am truly grateful. Yes, I would do it again.

TN: Like your debut you tapped Andy Gibson (Hank Williams III steel/dobro player) as producer and session man. What does he bring to the table that had you going back for a second helping?

SGM: Andy is a super talented musician and a good friend. I was introduced to Andy by Bob Wayne, heard the album they were recording and thought it sounded fantastic. His style of recording and playing doesn’t sound like anyone else’s, it’s unique with lots of character, exactly what I was looking for. We work well together and I get the creative freedom I need. He has a great ear and is proficient on many instruments.

TN: You co-produced on the new album, how did that change things?

SGM: This time around I chose all the players, wrote and arranged all the songs/ instrumentation…I was more hands on for this album. When I recorded my first album One Good Thing it was a huge learning process. Having one album under my belt helped me navigate better through the process of the 2nd one. I had a clear vision of where I wanted ‘Tennessee Love Song’ to go, and was able to
achieve it.

TN: You have said you are partially inspired by Southern Gothic literature. What
author inspires you most and why?

SGM: I like the characters and themes of Southern Gothic writing. Seriously flawed people in dark situations, but with an underlying charm. I’ve always been drawn to people with immense character and grit, and have the grace to carry it. Tennessee Williams and Flannery O’Connor are among my favorites, their stories and real life struggles resonate with me.

TN: What performer that has passed would you like to go back in time and share the
stage with?

SGM: Big Mama Thornton, that would be something!

TN: You are featured on on the new season on ABC’s Nashville. The programs has done a great job of being Music Row soup while sneaking in songs and cameos of some of underground Nashville’s best. How did that gig come about?

SGM: I was playing at Robert’s Western World one night and the producer of Nashville was there. He got my cd, and about a week later I got a call from the music supervisor saying they were interested in having me perform my ‘song One Good Thing’ on the show. The whole experience was really great, it was a pleasure being part of the show and working with the crew.

TN: You also has a song from your debut, ‘Sound of a Heartbreak’, featured on the FX TV series Justified episode 5, “Shot All To Hell.” Do you see television and movies
as a way to get in front of a different audience?

SGM: Definitely, it exposes you to new fans. As an independent artist, it’s a great way for my music to reach people all over the world. Justified is a great show, I
was really excited to hear my music on it.

TN: You’ll get to share the bill with Merle Haggard, as well as Wanda Jackson and others, at the first annual Ink n Iron convention in Nashville this summer. As the late Chris Farley might say, “That will be
awesome.” I assume that’s your take?

SGM: Ink and Iron is coming up August 7th through 9th…I am honored to be included in that lineup! Just being on the same lineup as Merle Haggard is seriously awesome.

TN: What’s next for you? Any secret projects?

SGM: I’m working on my home recording skills…I’ve got a long way to go, but I want to record an EP on my own, real primitive, stripped down. The wheels are already turning for album #3…oh, and I’m learning to play the drums. The journey continues!

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.”

Pre-order

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

Fantastic Negrito Wins NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series Contest

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Fantastic Negrito

While taking in a showcase at the 2008 South-By-Southwest creator and host of NPR’s “All Songs Considered” Bob Boilen, and his colleague Stephen Thompson, observed that the lack of intimacy (and often due respect) that the large show did not afford folk singer Laura Gibson to shine (or even be heard.)

Taking a page from the great listening rooms like Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe the Tiny Desk concert series was born. What started as a small filmed gathering around Boilen’s desk quickly grew in reputation and size. Boilen and Thompson’s vision has now become a plum gig prestige enough to pull in major talents like Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Jackson Browne, and Lucinda Williams. but the buzz is just around the viral nature of the event not in the hushed, and respectful space itself.

Tiny Desk concert series held a contest to find new talent, and after thousands of videos assessed by Boilen, Robin Hilton, John Congleton, Valerie June, Reggie Watts and Thao Nguyen the winner was announced today.

Oakland-based Fantastic Negrito (Xavier Dphrepaulezz) was a great pick. The man is working through his second chance at his craft and at life. His first record never went anywhere and he became disillusioned with music and a near-deadly car accident left him in a coma followed by rehabilitation leading to recovery and marriage and the birth of his son.

Fantastic Negrito’s stories of the human condition blended of gospel, soul, funk and rock is extraordinary and performed with passion and flair. Even in a freight elevator as he does in the below video he submitted to the competition.

From the Tiny Desk concert series site:

As a young man, the Oakland singer taught himself to play just about every instrument he could get his hands on. But after making a record that failed to take off, he felt his confidence and artistry suffer; disenchanted with music, he simply quit. The years that followed brought major life changes: a near-deadly car accident and the resulting coma, intense rehabilitation, marriage and the birth of his son. Now, renewed creative energy has spawned the musical project that is Fantastic Negrito. He chose the name, he says, as “a celebration of blackness. The ‘Fantastic’ is self-explanatory; the ‘Negrito’ is a way to open blackness up to everyone, making it playful and international.” Judges Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, John Congleton, Valerie June, Reggie Watts and Thao Nguyen agreed that this soulful, unbridled performance, captured at a makeshift desk in an Oakland freight elevator, stood out from the

An official Fantastic Negrito’s Tiny Desk Concert will be posted st at npr.org/music the week of March 9.

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.