#ibma winner

[ledenews]

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Announces ALL THE GOOD TIMES: The Farewell Tour

For nearly six decades, the three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has entertained audiences with their top-shelf musicianship and timeless hits “Mr. Bojangles,” “Fishin' In The Dark,” “An American Dream,” and many more. And now, the time has come for the band who has carried a torch for American country and roots music to say so long to the highways and byways they’ve crossed an unimaginable number of times throughout their career.    On March 21st, 2024, the Dirt Band will kick off the first leg of their last traditionally scheduled gigs, ALL THE GOOD TIMES: The Farewell Tour. No need to fret, this isn’t goodbye forever, but it will be the last fans see of multi-city runs and long bus rides from the group that helmed the multi-artist Will The Circle Be Unbroken series that featured the likes of Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, and dozens more.    “‘All The Good Times’ perfectly describes our career,” said the band in a statement this week. “Playing our music for Dirt Band fans all over the world has been an incredible experience for us. The most important part of that has been the connection to our audience—that beautiful communal give and take is like nothing else. That's the very spirit we'll be celebrating as we head into our farewell tour. We really look forward to seeing you folks. Good times will be had by all!”    About Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: With one of the best lineups in the group’s storied history, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring founding members Jeff Hanna (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica, vocals); longtime bandmate Bob Carpenter (keys, vocals)—a member since 1980; along with Jim Photoglo (bass, vocals); Jaime Hanna (guitar, vocals); and Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin, vocals); remains one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single “Mr. Bojangles,” a folksy Top 10 pop hit that brought roots music to the national forefront. In 1972, they released the first of three groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken records, collaborating with many of the best bluegrass, country, and folk artists in the world. The band also has enjoyed vast success on the U.S. Country charts with hits like "Fishin' In The Dark," "Modern Day Romance," and "Long Hard Road." The Dirt Band are GRAMMY, CMA, and IBMA Award winners, and their Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Friends - Fifty Years, Circlin' Back! for PBS was an Emmy Award-winning television special. The Dirt Band’s latest album, Dirt Does Dylan—released in 2022—has received widespread critical acclaim. More at nittygritty.com/history. Read the full article

[newmusicweekly]

Daryl Mosley Shares Words Of Wisdom With New Single, “A Life Well Lived”

Award-winning singer/songwriter Daryl Mosley shares words of wisdom with his new single, “A Life Well Lived.”  It is the first release and title track of Mosley’s upcoming album due later this year on Pinecastle Records. The single is available to radio via Airplay Direct, and fans can order it HERE now. Daryl’s warm tenor vocal and a tight Bluegrass arrangement highlight the Mosley/Danny Roberts co-production. Five-time SPBGMA Mandolin Player of the Year and IBMA award-winner Roberts’ flawless mandolin is front and center, guiding the way for Adam Haynes’ fine fiddle work, Mosley’s signature steady bass, and Tony Wray’s engaging guitar and banjo. The talented Jaelee Roberts (Sister Sadie) brings her angelic background vocals in for a powerhouse play. The mid-tempo’s message is one of timeless wisdom. “I was inspired by a meme of all things,” says Daryl of this Rick Lang co-write. “It was an old man, slicing an apple with a pocket knife and eating it right off the blade … I’d seen my grandpa do that a million times.” Lang recalls that the two shared a laugh about the image, and then dove into a deep conversation about all the life lessons they’d learned from their elders – and a song was born. Both writers agree that the song’s message is “to be kinder, be grateful for what we have, to set a good example for others, and to leave something good behind.” A powerful message indeed. Daryl has enjoyed more than three decades of success as a songwriter and vocalist. Read the full article

[coghive]

Daywind Music Group Relaunches Thoroughbred Records

Daywind Music Group, home to top Gospel labels Daywind Records and New Day Records and upstart mainstream bluegrass label Billy Blue Records, is relaunching Thoroughbred Records, a bluegrass Gospel label with historic ties to the genre. Thoroughbred’s first signing is Chosen Road which debuts with a brand-new upcoming album titled Appalachian Christmas featuring the veteran group along with several artist friends including Selah, Point of Grace, and more. Thoroughbred Records emerged in 1995 as a premier outlet for bluegrass Gospel music. Thoroughbred was home to the incomparable Lewis Family, Hall of Famers in both the bluegrass and Gospel genres, from 1995 until shortly before their retirement in 2009. The Easter Brothers, a Mt. Airy, NC, mainstay in the genre featuring brothers Edd, Russell, and James Easter, followed and were later joined by Chigger Hill Boys and Terri, who joined the label in 2003. Along with these tremendous artists, the label directed attention to the Gospel side of bluegrass during the period of tremendous resurgence of the bluegrass genre following the release of the blockbuster movie, O Brother Where Art Thou through its two-volume collection of Bluegrass Gospel music, O Lord How Great Thou Art, which featured cuts from artists including Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Bluegrass Cardinals, Alison Kraus, Ricky Skaggs, and many more. Thoroughbred culminated its successful initial run with an audio and video collaboration featuring Jeff and Sheri Easter, the Lewis Family, and the Easter Brothers aptly titled We are Family. In 2018, Daywind Music Group formed Billy Blue Records, a boutique mainstream bluegrass label under the direction of veteran industry creative Jerry Salley. The highly successful label includes Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (recently retired), Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Donna Ulisse, Jason Barie, Appalachian Road Show, Authentic Unlimited, and more, and is home to multi-artists projects like IBMA Award winner Country Faith Bluegrass and Grammy nominee Gonna Sing Gonna Shout. The relaunching of Thoroughbred Records fits nicely with Daywind Music Group’s move into the bluegrass genre and will give Chosen Road and other strictly bluegrass Gospel artists their own label home.

A&R and Creative Director of Thoroughbred Records/Billy Blue Records, Jerry Salley, commented, “Christian Hearts with a Musicians’ Mind – that’s what I’m reminded of when I think of The Chosen Road.  Over the years of getting to know this band and it’s founder, Jonathan Buckner, I have been impressed not only with their musical ability, but also their hearts for the God they serve and sing about. I am very excited to launch Thoroughbred Records, our new, all-Bluegrass-Gospel label with such a sincere and exciting group”. Jonathan Buckner of Chosen Road adds, “As a band, we couldn’t be more excited about the re-launch of Thoroughbred Records, and the opportunity to be a part of the Daywind family. Thoroughbred Records has a rich history in bluegrass and roots gospel music. We grew up listening to the legendary artists that once called Thoroughbred home. We’re honored to become a part of that legacy. Daywind has made such a positive impact on the world through Gospel music, and that is why Chosen Road exists. We look forward to bringing hope through some exciting new music to audiences and listeners very soon.” Thoroughbred Records will be distributed to Christian retail through New Day Christian Distributors. Read the full article

[listening-through-the-lens]

IBMA Bluegrass Awards 2022

IBMA Bluegrass Awards 2022

Bluegrass Award Winners 2022 Billy Strings – Photo: LTTL International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Award Recipients Announced 2022 (more…)

[nonesuchrecords]

Congratulations to Molly Tuttle, who, already a four-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Award–winner, is nominated in five categories for the 2022 IBMAs: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year (Crooked Tree), Female Vocalist of the Year, Guitar Player of the Year, and Instrumental Group of the Year (Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway). Golden Highway's own Bronwyn Keith-Hynes is up for Fiddle Player of the Year. The ceremony will be held in Raleigh on September 29.

[westofher]

Thanks @montereycountyweekly for the awesome write up! Super excited that Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands are coming to Monterey this weekend. Honored to be putting on a show for a IBMA winner with a Grammy! Details and tickets at otteropry.com @laurielewismusic #bluegrass #livemusic #monterey (at Monterey, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNcY62gKye/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18vawggpeqcf

[sgnscoops]

Billy Blue Records Congratulates IBMA Award Winners

Billy Blue Records Congratulates IBMA Award Winners

Nashville, TENN — Despite the pandemic, stalwart artists have continued to make music and another IBMA Awards program has honored many of those gifted creators, including the fast-rising band, Appalachian Road Show, signed to Nashville’s Billy Blue Records. “On behalf of everyone at the label, I want to congratulate our winners, and acknowledge all who have continued to share their gifts and…

[the-record-newspaper]

Carolina in the Fall this weekend

The Kruger Brothers, left to right, Jens Kruger, Joel Landsberg and Uwe Kruger, are the musical hosts for the event.

The fifth annual Carolina in the Fall Music & Food Festival, presented by Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express, will offer world-renowned music talent, exciting family entertainment, the region’s best food truck cuisine, and unique arts and crafts shopping along Main  Street in historic downtown Wilkesboro on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21.

“We encourage everyone to come out and experience all that is Carolina in the Fall. The Main Street festival area is free and open to the public,” said Michelle Isom, festival director. “The only two areas that require a ticket purchase are the music stage venues and the Beer and Wine Garden.”

“This year’s entertainment lineup is phenomenal!” said Dale Isom, festival organizer. “Carolina in the Fall offers a mix of Americana, traditional and progressive bluegrass, and folk music; exciting activities and competitions; inimitable arts and crafts vendors; delicious sweet and savory selections; and a festival ambiance that enhances lifelong memories for all.”

Gates will open on Friday at 11 a.m. with music from noon until 11 p.m. On Saturday, the gates will open at 10 a.m. with music from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Carolina in the Fall offers four stages of entertainment: Carolina Stage, Foothills Stage, Hall of Fame Stage and The 1915 Stage. In addition to festival host The Kruger Brothers, guest will enjoy performances by Balsam Range; Chatham County Line; The Black Lillies; EmiSunshine; Hawktail; Trout Steak Revival; Scott Mulvahill; Cicada Rhythm; The Contenders; The Honey Dewdrops; Baucom & Jones; Williamson Branch; Hank, Pattie & The Current; Zoe & Cloyd; Red Wine; Newberry & Verch; Presley Barker; Lateral Blue; Nikki Talley; Thurler-Mosimann Project; Carly Bannister, S. Grant Parker and Jac Thompson; The Burnett Sisters; Cane Mill Road; Back Porch Bluegrass Band; Shay Martin Lovette; Alex Key & The Locksmiths; and Bob and Roberta Kogut.

On Saturday evening of the festival, VIP ticket holders will be treated to the Carolina Jam at the Yadkin Valley Event Center at the Wilkesboro Holiday Inn Express. The jam is hosted by the Kruger Brothers and will features other artists from the lineup, creating unique jam sessions and once-in-a-lifetime collaborations between the artists on hand. The jam will begin at 11 p.m.

“The Main Street festival area will feature the food and snack vendors, shopping, the splash pad and free entertainment offered in Sweet Smiles Candy Store. The Jamming Tent hosted by the Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society is open to anyone who wishes to bring an instrument and join the jam. On Saturday, kids of all ages can meet Mr. Peanut and see his colossal Nutmobile,” added Michelle Isom.

“We have a great variety of food trucks vying for the coveted Carolina in the Fall Food Truck Championship,” says Caitlen Wurdeman, director of the competition. “Guests will find slightly-out-of-the-ordinary cuisine to the most beloved and anticipated festival dishes.”

Food trucks competing include PorterHouse Burger Truck, Wingz On Wheelz, Bleu Barn Bistro, The Hillbilly Philly and Kalman’s Bon Apetit. The grand prize winner will receive $500.00 and a championship trophy and truck sticker. Additionally, the trucks will be competing for the Best Themed Truck trophy.

PorterHouse Burger Truck and Wingz On Wheelz are both previous grand prize winners of the championship. PorterHouse serves a wide selection of burgers and French Fries. Wingz On Wheelz serves hand-breaded wings and tenders and fresh cut potato chips. Bleu Barn Bistro features local farm-to-truck cuisine. The Hillbilly Philly offers cheesesteak sandwiches and more. Kalman’s Bon Apetit specializes in Hungarian cuisine.

This year, the vendors for the Beer and Wine Garden are Booneshine Brewing Company, Botanist and Barrel Cider and Raffaldini Vineyards. The Beer and Wine Garden is sponsored by Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express of Wilkesboro. Only those 21 and over and with festival tickets will have access to the Beer and Wine Garden.

Planter’s Mr. Peanut and the Nutmobile will make a special appearance at the festival on Saturday. Mr. Peanut is no ordinary nut! He stands 12.5 feet tall and carries a six-foot-long cane. His gigantic Nutmobile is a 26 feet long, 12.5 feet tall yellow-orange shell of fiberglass mounted on the chassis of a one-ton box truck.

Mr. Peanut and the Nutmobile will be available for photos with visitors, who can also play a plinko game to win some nutty prizes. Planters encourages fans to tag their Nutmobile pictures with #MrPeanut100.

In addition to the food trucks, the Duck Truck (Duck Donuts) and Kettlebear Kettlecorn will be on hand to satisfy the sweet needs of the festival goers.

The Chad Lovette Memorial 5k and 10k Trail Run, sponsored by Farm Alarm Systems, Inc., will also occur on Saturday morning at Cub Creek Park in downtown Wilkesboro. For those running competitively, the event is being professionally chip timed by Racing Toes, Inc. All proceeds from the race will benefit the American Cancer Society.

“The park is a beautiful setting to spend the morning out in nature. If you are not a runner, still plan to come out and walk the trails,” said Daniel Isom, who organizes the trail run. “The festival is very thankful to host this benefit. With the help of over 500 participants over the last three years, we have raised $23,000 to help the American Cancer Society in their effort to find a cure.”

Check-in for the trail run begins at 7 a.m.; the event will begin promptly at 8 a.m. Parking is located at 200 S.  Bridge Street in Wilkesboro. For more information about pre-registering for the competition and prizes, visit www.carolinainthefall.org and select the “Get Involved” button.

Local accommodations consist of campgrounds and area hotels. The Town of Wilkesboro is opening the Sewerfest Campground for the festival. For more information or to reserve a campsite, email sewerfest@wilkesboronc.org.

Ticket prices through September 19 are $40 for a one-day general admission, $70 for a two-day general admission, and $140 for a two-day VIP admission. Ticket prices at the gate will be $45 for a one-day general admission, $80 for a two-day general admission, and $150 for a two-day VIP admission. Children ages 12 and under are admitted for free with a paying adult.

To purchase tickets, see the performance lineup, or get more information about the festival, its activities and competitions, vendors and sponsors, visit https://carolinainthefall.org or call 336-990-0747.

Carolina in the Fall Music & Food Festival, a pilgrimage for music and food lovers from around the nation, celebrates the rich musical history of Wilkes County, the Heart of American Folk Music. Winner of the 2017 IBMA Momentum Event of the Year Award, the festival engages audiences with the best of entertainment, including food, heritage crafts, shopping and children’s activities. It is organized through a partnership of Heart of Folk, LLC, the Kruger Brothers and the Town of Wilkesboro.

 Carolina in the Fall 2019 Stage Schedules

Friday, Sept. 20

Carolina Stage

Williamson Branch: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

The Honey Dewdrops: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Scott Mulvahill: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

EmiSunShine: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The Kruger Brothers: 6 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

Balsam Range: 7:45 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.

The Black Lillies: 9:45 p.m. – 11 p.m.

 Foothills Stage

Ben Barker: 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Jay Nash: 2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Presley Barker: 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Nikki Talley: 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Carly Bannister, Jac Thompson & Grant Parker: 7:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.

Newberry & Verch: 9:15 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.

 Hall of Fame Stage

BackPorch Bluegrass: 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Nikki Talley: 2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Williamson Branch: 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

The Honey Dewdrops: 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Scott Mulvahill (solo) 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

  The 1915 Stage

Madison Elmore & Luke Morris: 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Alex Key & the Locksmiths: 2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Newberry & Verch: 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Contra Dance: 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

  Saturday, Sept. 21

Carolina Stage

Zoe & Cloyd: 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Hank, Pattie, and the Current: 12:05 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.

The Contenders: 1:10 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.

Cicada Rhythm: 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Trout Steak Revival: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Hawktail: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Chatham County Line: 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

The Kruger Brothers: 8:45 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.

  Foothills Stage

Cane Mill Road: 11:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

Terry Baucom & Will Jones: 12:50 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.

Songwriter, Trail Run, and Food Truck Championship Presentations: 2:05 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Red Wine: 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The Arcadian Wild: 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Lateral Blue: 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Presley Barker: 8:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.

 Hall of Fame Stage

The Burnett Sisters: 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Cane Mill Road: 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Zoe & Cloyd: 2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Terry Baucom & Will Jones: 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Lateral Blue: 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

The Contenders: 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

 The 1915 Stage

Youth Showcase: 11 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

The Arcadian Wild: 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Coffee House Sessions featuring Jac Thompson, Carly Bannister, Grant Parker and TBD: 2 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Shay Martin Lovette: 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Thurler Mosimann Project: 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

Why Asheville, North Carolina Is the New Must-Visit Music City – Rolling Stone

Dave Grohl had never been to Asheville, and when a wicked snowstorm hit the same December weekend that he played Warren Haynes’ annual Christmas Jam in the North Carolina town, the Foo Fighters leader wondered if he’d ever leave. Socked in by feet of snow, Grohl couldn’t fly out. But instead of holing up in his hotel, he decided to put together an impromptu show at a venue he kept hearing people rave about.

“Everyone was talking about this place the Orange Peel,” he told Rolling Stone late last winter. “I just imagined it was going to be some corner pub with a six-inch stage with one monitor and half a PA, and then someone said it holds a thousand people. I didn’t know if anyone was going to come, but I didn’t want to sit around my hotel room doing nothing.”

After playing a surprise set of Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Nirvana covers for an intently listening, tightly packed crowd of music lovers, Grohl learned what so many other music fans have been discovering: Asheville is becoming one of the country’s most vital music hubs.

“There’s always been an underground scene of music, with a lot of great musicians, but only in the past 15 or 20 years has it risen to the level that it is now,” says Haynes, the former Allman Brothers Band guitarist and unofficial mayor of the town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Haynes was raised there and watched its music community thrive over the years. “There is a whole kind of bohemian subculture thing going on that is really impressive and organic.”

Dave Grohl, Town Mountain, Midland, Elle King and others have performed at the Orange Peel.

Aside from Asheville’s already well-known brewery and outdoor industries — beer and hiking are ways of life here — it’s music that ties the community together. The town is rife with venues, from Grohl’s club of choice the Orange Peel to the Grey Eagle, the Mothlight, Asheville Music Hall and the pub Jack of the Wood, where polka bands play alongside folksingers. At the 5 Walnut wine bar, crowds spill over onto the sidewalk to hear jazz combo the John Henrys. In the taprooms of beer meccas like Highland Brewery and Twin Leaf Brewery, singer-songwriters soundtrack drinking sessions. Buskers dot street corners and drum circles pop up weekly in downtown’s Pritchard Park.

Rock, world, hip-hop and electronic are readily discoverable, but it’s Americana and bluegrass that reign as the predominant sound. Many artists in those genres have made Asheville their homebase, furthering the city’s growing reputation as an Americana hotbed. The Steep Canyon Rangers, Town Mountain, River Whyless, Jon Stickley Trio, Rising Appalachia and Marcus King Band all reside or have once lived in the area. For the guitar phenom King, the town launched his career.

“Asheville is a coming-of-age story to me. The first concert I ever snuck into was Widespread Panic at the Civic Center, and I snuck under the gate and paid the security guard off and he let me onto the floor. When I was 15, I was almost thrown in jail, ’cause I snuck into the Orange Peel to try and give Warren Haynes a demo,” says King, who more legitimately hooked up with Haynes through mutual friends years later and found a mentor. “Asheville has always been a place where I cut my teeth.”

Now a Nashville resident, King maintains strong ties with his former community. For the past two years, he’s returned to host his Marcus King Band Family Reunion at Pisgah Brewery in nearby Black Mountain, North Carolina. The 2018 installment attracted a jam-heavy crowd, who vibed to sets by outlaw songwriter Nikki Lane, Nashville soul band DeRobert & the Half-Truths and bluegrass phenom Billy Strings. King’s night-ending performance included a cameo by Strings, who tore through an electric “Orange Blossom Special,” a symbolic nod to both the bluegrass history of the region and its Americana present.

“There is something about Asheville that is hip. It’s always been this place where hippies and people who are thinking about the planet, and are into bluegrass music, tend to move,” Strings says of the town’s reputation for stoking the creative muse. “You wake up in Asheville, have a cup of tea, grab your instrument and smoke a joint and play some tunes. It’s a beautiful place to be.”

But natural beauty isn’t all that has been attracting players. Asheville is also home to the church-turned-studio Echo Mountain Recording, where artists as diverse as the War on Drugs, White Denim, Zac Brown Band, Blackberry Smoke, Turnpike Troubadours and Dierks Bentley have all cut albums, along with locals Steep Canyon Rangers and fellow North Carolinians the Avett Brothers. Echo Mountain’s pristine acoustics have made it a destination studio, with bands booking time to record in a room specifically constructed to amplify and carry the human voice. Standing in the main room, with its stained glass windows and vestibules stocked with a Guitar Center’s worth of gear, it’s hard not to feel inspired.

The War on Drugs, Blackberry Smoke and Dierks Bentley are among the artists who have cut albums at Echo Mountain Recording. (Photo: Stewart O’Shields)

“It’s palpable. You can feel it in the air,” says Jesse Langlais of Town Mountain, the IBMA Award-winning newgrass band. He’s speaking of the studio, but expands his thought to include Asheville in general. “What sets it apart from a city like Nashville is it’s a little more down-home, more close-knit. I think the reason why is that the industry, by and large, is left out of the equation.”

A little less than five hours to the west, Nashville and its star-making system is readily accessible for ambitious bands eager to raise their commercial profile. But Langlais, who moved to Asheville from Maine in 2001, says that Asheville’s secret appeal is its isolation from Music Row — as well as a certain sense of ambivalence when it comes to “making it.”

“People aren’t necessarily there because they’re trying to push their musical agenda. They’re there because they want to be part of the scene,” he says. “It’s pure music fans who are there solely for the music, not the industry.”

That mindset helps explain the more niche festivals that are springing up around Asheville. Haynes’ Christmas Jam charity benefit, which marked its 30th year in 2018 with Grohl, Eric Church and Jim James, may be the most famous, but others have also become part of the local fabric. The Asheville Electro-Music Festival celebrates EDM and electronic music (the Moog synthesizer factory is in Asheville); the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival highlights the old-time sounds of Appalachia; and April’s Connect Beyond Festival seeks to spark societal change through the written word and musical performance. Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito headlines this year.

Haynes says the increasingly diverse lineup of his Christmas Jams reflect the town’s growth and its reputation as a must-visit music city, one that he compares to Austin.

“It’s symbolic of what has happened with Asheville as a community,” he says. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have many venue options and now there are more and more. I see that happening in different ways all over the country, especially in little towns in the South, but Asheville has something special going.”

Town Mountain’s Langlais agrees. He’s seen an influx of fresh talent in the last few years.

“There is a whole new crop of bluegrass musicians moving here. I don’t know a lot of these kids, but it’s a fairly large population of people. It’s similar to the path that the Town Mountain fellas found ourselves on 18 years ago, moving here because of the rich bluegrass and old-time music scene,” he says, singling out a certain musical “spontaneity” of Asheville.

“It permeates the food culture and the beer culture and the art culture. This town is full of great musicians.”

(Additional reporting by Garret K. Woodward)

The Moog synthesizer factory in Asheville, North Carolina. (Photo: Moog Music)

This content was originally published here.

[the-record-briefs]

Jan. 16, 2019: In other news

MerleFest adds The Avett Brothers, others 

                                              The Avett Brothers

MerleFest,  presented by Window World, has announced new artist additions for MerleFest    2019: The Avett Brothers, Molly Tuttle, and Sean McConnell. The    annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College    in Wilkesboro, North     Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue     Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome    these three distinguished artists to the 2019 lineup:

 The Avett    Brothers: The Avett    Brothers​ first made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label    debut, I and Love and You,    landing at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 and garnering    critical acclaim fromRolling Stone, Paste, New York Times, Los Angeles    Times, andTime. In 2012, The Carpenterhit #4 on    the Billboard Top 200, while People, USA Today, and American    Songwriter lauded the album, the band appearing on Jimmy    Kimmel LIVE! twice in a few months' time. The eighth studio    album, Magpie and the Dandelion, debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top    200 and the band performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The    Late Show with David Letterman, and accompanied ​Chris Cornell​ for a ​Pearl Jam​ tribute on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

 True    Sadness, the record that    followed, achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date and    dominated multiple charts. The Rick Rubin produced album hit #1 on Billboard’s Top    Albums Chart, #1 Top Rock Albums Chart, #1 Digital Albums Chart, #3 on    the Billboard Top 200 and scored two GRAMMY nominations.    The Avett Brothers were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame    in 2016. 2018 brought the HBO premiere of “May It Last: A Portrait of the    Avett Brothers,” a documentary co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael    Bonfiglio. Days after this debut, True Sadness launched to    #3 on the iTunes Album Chart and #1 on the Rock Albums chart. In October of    ‘18, The Avett Brothers debuted a new song, “Roses and Sacrifice,” live    on Late Night with Seth Meyers and then released the track    officially in November ‘18, Rolling Stone calling it a    “joyous sing-along.” Also, in November of last year, the band headlined the    Concert for Hurricane Florence Relief in Greenville, North Carolina,    raising $325,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. The    Avett Brothers continue to be revered as one of the top folk-rock acts in    the country and will perform on Sunday at MerleFest.

 Molly Tuttle: Molly Tuttle speaks softly. Her voice is both    lilting and lucid, and when she says that she wants to create music that is    truly original and unmistakably hers, her quietness shifts into a steely    audacity that’s charming and almost funny––she’s only 25 after all. But    then you remember her songs and her playing. And it hits you: brash    beautiful originality is exactly what Molly is doing. The 2017 release of    her debut EPRise further introduced Molly to a roots music    audience who had already enthusiastically embraced and elevated her. Her 2017    and 2018 wins for IBMA Guitar Player of the Year were history-making as the    first woman to be nominated for the honor. The accolades kept coming in    2018 when Folk Alliance International’s International Folk Music Awards    awarded her Song of the Year for her song “You Didn’t Call My Name,” and    she was named Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music    Association. With all of this recognition, it might be easy to forget that    Tuttle has yet to release a full-length album. Her eagerly-anticipated debut    album is scheduled to be released in early 2019 on Compass Records. Molly    Tuttle will make her MerleFest debut on Saturday afternoon.

  Sean    McConnell: “I think    embracing the blurry lines is a sign of getting older and just having more    life experience,” Sean McConnell says. “It can be healthy to break your own    boxes.” Sean is home in Nashville,    reflecting on the path he’s taken to recording Secondhand Smoke,    his 13th album. A cohesive collection of modern folk music, Secondhand    Smoke asks provocative questions about how we become who we are,    what and whom we love, and the growth, pain, and freedom that come with    accepting that some answers might elude us forever.

 Tim McGraw,    Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, and more have all recorded    his songs. Sean earned his first Number 1 single on the country charts in    2018 with Brett Young’s delivery of “Mercy,” which the two co-wrote. As a    performer, he packs listening rooms and quiets unruly bar crowds. His    sound––a warm tenor painting vivid stories over acoustic guitar often cushioned    by keys or other strings––has prompted a diverse range of music scenes from    the storied Boston folk community to Texas’s defiantly self-sovereign camp    to warmly claim Sean as one of their own. “My payoff is just making the    music,” Sean says, then smiles. “Everything else is bonus.” Sean    McConnell performs on Friday at MerleFest.

 “We are    extremely excited to be adding these artists to an already stellar lineup    for 2019. They represent the diverse talent that MerleFest is famous for,”    says Ted Hagaman, Festival Director. The three artists    announced today join over 75 artists initially announced in November via Rolling Stone    Country and the    second wave of artists announced last month. Headliners include Wynonna & The Big    Noise, Keb’ Mo’, The Earls of Leicester, Sam Bush, Tyler Childers, Brandi    Carlile, and Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air Force with Los    Texmaniacs. The Late Night Jam presented by The Bluegrass Situation will be hosted by Chatham County Line. In addition    to the above mentioned artists, the following will be performing at    MerleFest ‘19:

 American    Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes,    Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Catfish Keith,    Charles Welch, Dailey & Vincent, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna    the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson    & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum,    Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jess Morgan, Jim Avett, Jim    Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Junior Brown,    Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark    Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile    Twelve, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage,    Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor    Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian,    Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steve Poltz, T. Michael    Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, The    Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The    Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann,    Tony Williamson, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb    Wilder, and Yarn.

 Additional    performers for MerleFest 2019 will be announced in the coming months. The    lineup and performance schedule are accessible via MerleFest.org/lineup.

 Applications for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest are now    open with entries accepted through Feb. 1. Named after the    one-time sidekick of Ricky Skaggs, the contest remembers Chris Austin, a    renowned singer and instrumentalist. After Austin lost his life in a tragic plane    crash, individuals close to him created CASC to help keep our memory of him    and his music alive. An esteemed contest for aspiring songwriters, CASC is    credited for helping up-and-coming talent gain exposure. Applicants will    have their songs heard by some of Nashville’s    most prominent music industry professionals, including host Jim Lauderdale.    Categories for consideration include bluegrass, general, gospel, and    country. The winners will perform at a showcase during MerleFest on Friday,    and first place winners receive $600 in cash and performance slots during    the festival. Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest help    support the WCC Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship which has, since its    inception, helped 84 students and awarded over $34,600. For more    information, please click here.

 Tickets for    next year’s festival, as well as the Late Night Jam presented by The Bluegrass Situation, may be purchased at www.MerleFest.org or    by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a three-tiered pricing    structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the extended early bird    discount. Early Bird Tier 1 tickets may be purchased until February 17,    2019 and Early Bird Tier 2 tickets will be available February 18 to April    24. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival.

 About MerleFest

MerleFest was    founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc    Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of    "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional,    roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time,    classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel and blues, and expanded to    include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a    diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day    event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation,    funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

 About Window    World

Window World®,    headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement    window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 200 locally owned    offices nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs    windows, siding, doors and other exterior products, with over 15 million    windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR® partner and its    windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good    Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares®, the Window World family provides funding for St. Jude    Children’s Research Hospital®, which honored the foundation with its    Organizational Support Award in 2017. Since its inception in 2008, the    foundation has raised over $8 million for St. Jude. Window World also    supports the Veterans Airlift Command, a nonprofit organization that    facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families.    Window World has flown over 100 missions and surpassed $1 million in    flights and in-kind donations since it began its partnership with the VAC    in 2008. For more information, visitwww.WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and    energy efficiency tips, décor ideas and more, follow Window World on Facebookand Twitter.

[concerthopperblog]

15 Standout Americana and Roots Music Release of 2020 So Far

It's tradition to start every mid-year favorite albums column with some variant on “it's hard to believe half a year has gone by.” But anyone who has lived through 2020 knows it is only hard because it's hard to believe only half a year has gone by. With no live music and barely any social interaction, it feels like 2020 has been about 3 years long. Fortunately, the lack of live music has not deterred the Americana and roots communities from releasing some stellar albums. While these 15 represent my favorites, though not “best” as many other publications insist, because being one person with only two ears, I can't possibly have heard every release, even just in the Americana world. So if your favorite roots release isn't here, there's a good chance I haven't heard it or it might not have grabbed me as much as some others, and trust me, even with 15 I had to cut some stellar releases from American Aquarium, Jim Lauderdale, and John Moreland, and disqualified releases from Corb Lund, and Sugarcane Jane that may make my year-end list simply because they came out so late in June as to not give them a fair shake. So here it is, one humble journalist's favorite roots music albums (including, for the first time, live albums) of 2020 so far. Feel free to let me know yours in the comments. Where we've reviewed the album, I've linked it in the title. Otherwise, I've added a Youtube link to a favorite song.

15. Nate Lee- Wings of a JetlinerBecky Buller Band mandolinist and IBMA Award winner Nate Lee decided to take a break from his main gig to record and release a solo album, though you'd be forgiven for not noticing since almost all of his bandmates make an appearance. The biggest difference is the solo album gives Lee license to experiment with Western swing, jazz, and even a bluegrassed up cover of The Offspring's punk rock anthem “All Along.” The result is a playful but no less masterfully performed album from a criminally under-known mandolin prodigy.

14. Marcus King Band- El DoradoYet another Nashville discovery from The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound. Marcus King has been performing his rock guitar gymnastics in and around Nashville for years, but El Dorado is the true coming out party. With Auerbach's '70s aesthetic to back him up, King delivers a deliciously retro letter of love to the soul-tinged Southern guitar rock of Muscle Shoals. King's bluesy guitar work and leathery voice make you wonder if he's going to spontaneously sprout a giant beard and become the 4th member of ZZ Top.

13. Antsy McClain- 15 Songs from IsolationAnyone familiar with the work of Antsy McClain will not be surprised that he's one of the first to come out of the COVID lockdowns with a studio album of originals, many themed around the isolation of the time. Always a fast writer and a DIY artist used to producing his own content from his home studio, McClain delivers an album full of wit and philosophy about the good, the bad, and the boredom of being stuck at home with your family for months on end.

12. Teddy Thompson- Heartbreaker PleaseThe son of British folk gods Richard and Linda Thompson, you might think that Teddy's music would be steeped in the tradition of Fairport Convention or even Lonnie Donegan. Instead, Heartbreaker Please pays homage to early rock and roll, rockabilly, and doo wop. The set of songs about breakups, self-doubt, and a world that has moved on without him are some of Thompson's strongest lyrics yet, and an album worth multiple listens.

11. Della Mae- Headlight Della Mae, despite numerous lineup changes, has been one of the more consistently good acts in roots music, and one that was not afraid to get political long before Donald Trump sparked the strongest protest music movement since the '60s. On Headlight, the band keeps to the style that brought them to success. The title track is a defiant battle cry against a society that “slut-shames” victims of sexual abuse. The gospel-tinged “Change” strikes a more positive tone, reminding that a change from the oppression and hate is coming if the young of America will it. It also features The McCrary Sisters, who alone are worth the price of admission.

10. Secret Emchy Society- The ChaserSome people hear about the “Queer Country” movement and think all of the songs are either going to all be about gay romances or political statements. But that's not the case. Instead, Queer Country is simply a reminder that you can be out and included in country music, despite what the ultra-conservative country establishment wants. One of the best examples is Secret Emchy Society's The Chaser. It's as hard living, hard drinking, and hard fighting as any outlaw country album, it just happens to be made by an out artist. Put album highlight “Whiskey Fightin' Terri” on any country dive bar jukebox rotation and it would be celebrated without anyone knowing any different. Which is the point. Who you love doesn't make your art, and The Chaser is pure art for anyone who loves rowdy classic country drawl.

9. Margo Price- Perfectly Imperfect at the RymanI usually limit my list of favorites to studio albums, but the release of Margo Price's Perfectly Imperfect, culled from her three-night Ryman residency in 2018, is something that has been a bit of a “holy grail” for fans that it had to be included. In addition to live renditions of her outstanding album cuts, the set also captures the guest appearances during the shows, including the person who “discovered” Price and gave her a label debut on Third Man, Jack White, a friend from their days of toiling in relative obscurity, Sturgill Simpson, and the absolute queen of Americana, Emmylou Harris.

8. X- AlphabetlandThis is the point where someone says “Wait! X is a punk band!” Yes. Yes they are. But even in the '70s they had a fairly pronounced rockabilly backbone and, since founding members John Doe and Exene Cervenka have both gone almost purely Americana in their solo work, the influences on their new album Alphabetland is even more pronounced, with the group losing none of their snarling punk fury, but introducing more Carl Perkins-style guitar licks in the background. The saying “there are no old punk rockers” have never seen X. They're as good, if not better, than they ever were.

7. Whitney Rose- We Still Go to RodeosWe Still Go to Rodeos is Whitney Rose's declaration of independence. Free from labels, fully solo writing, and co-producing for the first time, the Canadian-born Austin transplant retains the core of her “Lesley Gore meets Bobbie Gentry” sound while experimenting with wailing guitar rock on some tracks. Here, Rose truly finds her voice, penning slice of life vignettes about scorned lovers, judgmental small towns, and the joys of simple pleasures, it's her most mature offering yet, and one that should be on any Americana lover's shelf.

6. Sawyer Fredericks- Flowers For YouIt's hard to think of anyone with several hundred thousand Facebook followers as “criminally underrated”, but Sawyer Fredericks gained his fame when he won The Voice in 2016 and, while he has retained a loyal following, likely confused a lot of people when he walked away from the folk-pop label world to follow his heart into what he likes to call “free range folk.” On Flowers for You, Fredericks takes the next step in his evolution with an album that, for the first time, doesn't feel like a Sawyer Fredericks solo album with a band of hired hands, but a fully realized band album recorded with his touring group. Everyone gets their time to shine but at the core is Fredericks' gravelly wail, which he uses perfectly for his soulful and often mournful folk, but also puts to good use here with some rockers. He even gets a bit political with the album's best track, “Call It Good”, which fires a howitzer level of venom at the corporate structure that throws perfectly good food away rather than donate it or discount it while so many people live with almost nothing.

5. Jake Blount- Spider TalesWhile, since it's at #5, there were albums I liked better, if I were to list the most important albums of 2020, Spider Tales would be #1. As an openly gay black man who loves roots music, Blount has three strikes against him in the mainstream and, from the songs on Spider Tales, named for an African trickster god whose tales often championed the powerless over the powerful, he could not care less. Mining musical archives both for old songs in the black string band tradition (further cementing that the banjo IS an African instrument appropriated by white people), but also songs made famous by white musicians who learned them from black artists. Jake Blount has emerged as his generation's most important musical historian, following in the footsteps of Dom Flemons and Rhiannon Giddens in making history fun to listen to.

4. Jill Andrews- ThirtiesWhile Jill Andrews may just be ending her thirties, she's been a veteran musician for over 20 years, founding the outstanding The Everybodyfields while still a teenager. With Thirties, Andrews releases a loose concept album, looking at various reality checks experienced on her trip through adulthood, a time when, as a kid, she assumed “people at this age had it together.” Instead, you get songs from starting over after a broken marriage to the realize that the march of time is taking your children and turning them into little adults before your eyes. Jill Andrews' angelic voice alone would have earned it a spot on this list, but the songs that resonate with this person well into his own trip through the forties, speak to me in a way few others this year have. Whatever her age, Jill Andrews continues to be as much a treasure as she ever was when she was a teenager.

3. Tami Neilson- Chickaboom!For the first four and a half months of 2020, Chickaboom was my runaway #1 album. It took releases from two of Americana's most consistent megastars to knock it down to 3. But that makes it no less great. The Canada-raised New Zealander has a firmer grasp on the very American rockabilly genre than almost anyone in roots music today. The absolute power of Neilson's voice on Chickaboom doesn't so much fill a room as slam into it with the force of a concussion grenade. The album's themes run from a relationship blow-off to musings from a mother who seems to have to do all the work at home to putting commercial country on blast for refusing to play women. Saying Tami Neilson is something special doesn't really do her justice by half. Tami Neilson is something otherworldly. She may not be the rockabilly hero an inappropriately appreciative populace deserves, but she's the rockabilly hero we have gotten, and for that every roots music fan should be thankful.

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- Reunions/Reunions Live at Brooklyn Bowl NashvilleI'm kind of cheating by putting two albums here but since this is my list I can do that kind of thing. Besides, the two albums are really all of the same songs. Reunions is Jason Isbell doing what Jason Isbell does best, putting words to universal feelings and emotions that are difficult to explain. He also continues his sketches of fictional characters that, in 3.5 minutes, are more fully realized than many movie or television stars. From a man struggling with sobriety even after years of it to a killer who relates his turbulent life to the river that flows through his hometown to the strident call to social action that delivers the album's best line, “If your words add up to nothing then you're making a choice to sing a cover when we need a battle cry.” For those looking for a more stripped-down version of the songs, the recording of Isbell's album release show at an empty Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, featuring only him on acoustic guitar and wife and 400 Unit bandmate Amanda Shires on fiddle, is a delight, and wisely includes all of the flubs and missteps present in the live performance, including Isbell messing up a transition and asking Shires to go back and pick up the solo so he can try again.

1. Sarah Jarosz- World on the GroundThis is the first time since Southeastern that Isbell hasn't been my #1 album. That could change by year's end as this was really more of a 1/1a thing, but for now the always sublime Sarah Jarosz takes the top spot with her most mature album yet, World on the Ground. It's sometimes hard to remember that Jarosz, over a decade into her career, is only 29. With every album she grows. Here, she sings less personal songs and more character portraits and, aided by the masterful production of John Leventhal, delivers an album that is addictively listenable.

[americanahighways]

Show Review: Michael Cleveland at Nashville’s Analog

Show Review: Michael Cleveland at Nashville’s Analog @mcflamekeeper @huttonhotel #Analog @tommyemmanuel #americanamusic

I had the opportunity to attend the record release party for Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper’s new album Tall Fiddlerthe week before street date.  Held at Analog inside the Hutton Hotel in Nashville the evening was one of celebration and anticipation for IBMA winner and Grammy Nominee Cleveland.  Special guests were hinted at and after looking at the artists who played on the album I was giddy at…

[coghive]

Ricky Skaggs To Make First Appearance At Ark Encounter During 40 Days & 40 Nights Gospel Music Festival

Iconic and legendary multi-award winner RICKY SKAGGS will make his debut performance at the ARK ENCOUNTER on August 12, 2022. The appearance is a part of the 40 Days & Nights of Gospel Music Festival held at the Williamstown, KY attraction from August 2, 2022 – September 10, 2022. The annual event, south of Cincinnati, features over 120 concerts along with inspirational messages from sought-after speakers. The concert is included with park admission. The event is sponsored by Christian Healthcare Ministries, Inspiration Cruises & Tours and Singing News Brands. Ricky is excited to appear at the 40 Days & 40 Nights Gospel Music Festival held at the Ark Encounter. “I remember many years ago when we all heard the news that the Ark was coming to Williamstown, KY, I was so excited and said to my family ‘we’re going up to see the Ark.’ But the business of traveling the roads, doing lots of concerts every year, it just got behind me, so I filed it away but kept it on my bucket list,” said Skaggs. “My kids are all grown up and gone and I still haven’t got to see the Ark until now! It’s gonna be the best of both worlds! On August 12, 2022 not only am I going to see the Ark, but I’m also gonna be performing at the Ark. Wow, thanks God!” “We believe ‘40 Days & Nights’ will be our largest-attended music event to date, especially with the addition of such names as Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Jimmy Fortune and The Isaacs,” said Ray Flynn, president & CEO of Abraham Productions. “We expect many guests will come for more than one day, so the final attendance might end up being even higher than last year’s event.” Ken Ham, Ark Encounter CEO, says: “My wife and I love country and bluegrass music. We have attended the Grand Ole Opry many times, including when one of our favorite artists has been featured: Ricky Skaggs. We can’t wait to welcome him to The Ark Encounter!” The annual festival kicked off last night, August 2, 2022, with a packed crowd. Additional artists during the event include Hoppers, Triumphant, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Isaacs, Legacy Five, Booth Brothers, Jason Crabb, Martins, Selah, Joseph Habedank, Whisnants, and a multitude of others. Ricky Skaggs is truly a pioneer of Bluegrass and Country music, earning 12 #1 hit singles, 15 GRAMMY Awards, 13 IBMA Awards, nine ACM Awards, eight CMA Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), along with six Hall of Fame inductions. Since he began playing music over 60 years ago, Skaggs has released more than 30 albums and has performed thousands of live shows. He started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, in 1997 and released 12 consecutive GRAMMY-nominated albums. The Grand Ole Opry member also penned his first-ever autobiography, “Kentucky Traveler.” The book details the life and times of Skaggs and provides a descriptive history of Country and Bluegrass music, as told by the master himself. As an in-demand musician, he is regularly on tour with his ace backing band, Kentucky Thunder. In 2020, Skaggs received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Read the full article

[listening-through-the-lens]

Which artists first signed up for Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2018

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    The organisers of Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots Reunion Festival have been giving us holiday season presents.  Each day in the lead-up to Christmas, one artist/group performing at next year’s festival has been revealed and the growing list has plenty of variety and interest.

Bristol is officially recognised as The Birthplace of Country Music.  For it was here in 1927 where Ralph Peer, with the most advanced equipment of the day, began the recording careers of The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and others.  Another event is attributed to the town – the Burger Bar downtown is where, legend has it, Hank Williams had his final meal before his death on New Year’s Day 1953.  Mike Farris calls Bristol a ‘spiritual portal’ akin to the Catskill Mountains.

You can read our review of the 2016 Reunion HERE.

You can go to the 2018 event by joining our Americana Rhythms and Blues Tour – a Tri-Fest Feast.  Details HERE.  As well as the new edition of the Reunion, we will be enjoying plenty of live music at the Americana Music Festival and Conference, and Roots n Blues n BBQ festival in Nashville TN and Columbia MO respectively.

  Here are the announcements for the Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2018 – a lot more to follow::

  Low Cut Connie – Philadelphia rockers who made Rolling Stone’s top albums of 2017

Larry Keel Experience – experienced and acclaimed flat-picking guitarist

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams – darling Americana couple, past collaborations with Bob Dylan and Levon Helm

Revel In Dimes – Brooklyn power blues outfit

Molly Tuttle – IBMA guitarist of the year

Acoustic Syndicate – folk/rock/bluegrass band from North Carolina

Scott Miller and the Commonwealth – accomplished singer/songwriter – read our review of his new album HERE.

Dale Watson – legendary honky tonk rocker from Austin Texas

Sierra Hull – multiple IBMA mandolin award winner – read our interview with her HERE

The War and Treaty – soul/folk duo with plenty of lyrical bite

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – award-winning bluegrass outfit

The Marcus King Band – soul-influenced psychedelic southern rock

    Which artists first signed up for Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2018

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Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2018 – First Announcements Which artists first signed up for Bristol's Rhythm and Roots Reunion 2018

[musicdish]

New Album Mayhayley's House By Lonesome River Band

After 35 years of releasing hit after hit, Lonesome River Band is back with yet another stellar project. Their new album Mayhayley's House is out today on Mountain Home Music Company. It is available for purchase and streaming at many outlets including iTunes where it is a featured release on the Country music home page. Mayhayley's House is dedicated to Mayhayley Lancaster, a self-proclaimed "Oracle of the Ages" who handed out "readings" and personal predictions at her home in southwest Georgia's Heard County. She was a quintessential southern woman seer, a well-known lawyer, political activist, midwife and teacher until her death in 1955. Folks would come to her house, pay her "a dollar and a dime" for a reading—to find lost items, predict the future, even to solve crimes. She would also dabble in local politics, lawyering, and farming. Most of all she represented the stout hardiness of independent backwoods folk that sustained traditions and distrusted the encroachment of modern ways. It was rumored, for instance, that what money she had was buried in multiple plots somewhere on her property. Lonesome River Band, the bluegrass tinkers of tradition, dedicate this album to Mayhayley; to its fans; and, to people who understand that traditions once lost are rarely recovered. Tracks and songwriters include: 1. Wrong Road Again (Allen Reynolds) 2. As Lonesome As I Am Matt Lindsey, Shawn Camp) 3. Mayhayley's House (Adam Wright) 4. Old Coyote Town (Larry E. Boone, Gene Nelson, Paul Nelson, Jr.) 5. Blackbirds And Crows (Don Humphries) 6. Ida Red (Arr. Lost and Found, PD) 7. Diggin' (Eli Johnston, Kevin McKinnon) 8. As The Crow Flies (Melba Montgomery, Billy Wayne Yates) 9. Lonesome Bone (Curtis Wright) 10. Think I'm Gonna Be Alright (Robert J. Gateley) 11. It Feels Real Good Goin' Down (Shawn Camp) 12. Hickory Hollow Times and County News (Matthew Lindsey, Herb McCullough) 13. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (PD, arr. Mike Hartgrove, Jesse Smathers) Lonesome River Band's 35th Anniversary tour is in full swing with the band performing songs from this new Mountain Home Music Co. release. Summer tour dates include: • June 23-24 – Hosting RudyFest in Grayson, KY • June 29 - Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival, Conway, MO • July 1 - Bon Aqua BluegrassFest, Bon Aqua, TN • July 8 - Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival, Murfreesboro, TN • July 9 – Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, Chillicothe, OH • July 14 – Wayside Bluegrass Festival, Stuart, VA • July 19 – Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, Lockbourne, OH • Aug 2 – Pickin' in the Parsons, Parsons, WV • Aug 3 – Milan Bluegrass Festival, Milan, MI • Aug 5 – Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival, Hyden, KY • Aug 12 – Les Chateaux De Sable Des Iles, Magdalen Islands Canada • Aug 18 – Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Gettysburg, PA Sammy Shelor, a five-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music. With two stellar lead vocalists, Brandon Rickman (guitar) Jesse Smathers (mandolin), and the impressive talents of Mike Hartgrove (fiddle) and Barry Reed (bass), the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace. For more information on Lonesome River Band, visit lonesomeriverband.com and follow them on Instagram/LonesomeRiverBand, Twitter.com/LonesomeRiverB and Facebook. Music: http://soundcloud.com/lonesome-river-band/sets/mayhayleys-house Source: http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=198639

[sgnscoops]

RICKY SKAGGS TO APPEAR LIVE ON THIS WEEKEND'S EDITION OF AMERICA'S NEWS HQ ON THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL

RICKY SKAGGS TO APPEAR LIVE ON THIS WEEKEND’S EDITION OF AMERICA’S NEWS HQ ON THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL

Ricky Skaggs

Nashville, Tenn. (January 11, 2019) –Fifteen-time GRAMMY winner Ricky Skaggs will appear on this weekend’s edition of America’s News HQ on the Fox News Channel. Skaggs will join the show live in-studio to discuss his storied career in music, including his recent inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame and IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Catch Skaggs on America’s News HQ t…