As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
Alison Brown doesn’t play the banjo. Alison Brown plays music on the banjo.
In the instrumental food chain, the five-string banjo is one of the more dominant beasts: loud, brash and very hard to tame. In 1945, Earl Scruggs made the biggest leap in harnessing its raw power, bringing a revolutionary precision of touch and depth of tone.
Thousands of three-finger style banjo players have since made their marks, but none has cut such a path or moved so far along it as has Alison Brown. She’s acclaimed as one of today’s finest progressive banjo players, but you rarely find her in a conventional bluegrass setting. Instead, she’s known for leading an ensemble that successfully marries a broad array of roots-influenced music: folk, jazz, Celtic and Latin.
With her new Compass project, The Song of the Banjo, the 2015 IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award and 2001 GRAMMY Award-winning musician/composer/producer/entrepreneur plants another flag in her ongoing journey of sonic exploration.
“It’s amazing to me how much the banjo changed in the 20th Century,” Brown says. “And here we are in the dawn of the 21st; who knows where it may go?”
For one answer to that question, look no further than The Song of the Banjo.
Georgia native Brent Cobb captivated the Queen City on Friday night…
Brent Cobb has recently been making the rounds throughout North Carolina with stops in Asheville and Raleigh, prior to his show on Friday night at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte. It was the last of his local dates before a spring spent mostly on the west coast touring prior to joining up with Chris Stapleton on his All American Road Show, traveling throughout the country. Once he does, even more people will get to witness the magical sound that immediately connects with listeners in a small venue but remains capable of translating to stadiums and amphitheaters.
In a world where every artist attempts to separate themselves from the next, whether by sound or unique instrumentation, Cobb achieves both. Immediately, his voice is recognizable no matter the song being played, while his use of the guitar keeps the momentum going with a solid sound.
Cobb took the stage at Neighborhood Theatre in front of a good crowd with many who were there to sing along. Word for word, a majority of the audience was ready for “Diggin’ Holes,” “Down Home” and “South of Atlanta,” despite some in attendance who needed a lesson in concert etiquette from American Aquarium front-man and North Carolina’s own BJ Barham.
Regardless of the unnecessary chatter taking place, Cobb declared that while he normally prefers to tell tales, he would instead stick to the music in an effort to fit as many songs into his two-hour set as possible. The time passed quickly as another highlight included the tribute song for Wayne Mills when “The King of Alabama” and our very own Tuesday Tune of the week, “Ain’t A Road Too Long” were played.
Overall, an exciting show with a receptive Charlotte crowd who was familiar with Cobb’s music because once he graces stages across America prior to Stapleton, his stock is only going to rise. For those in attendance on Friday night and in audiences recently throughout North Carolina, remember your time well spent when friends ask you about him in October, following dates with Stapleton in Raleigh and Charlotte.
You had a chance to witness his musical mastery in an intimate setting and while it may briefly continue, once more individuals are exposed to his relatable lyrics, then the opportunities similar to what Charlotte experienced on Friday night will diminish.
Cobb is on the rise and we are thankful he chose to spend multiple dates within his northeast neighbor before moving on across the country. See you again soon and while we’ll always be thankful for choosing the smaller venues, we’ll simultaneously appreciate your continued rise to whatever the future has in store.
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
“Ain’t we all the stars playing the leading part in our own soap opera?” Brandy Clark belts out that question to kick off Big Day in a Small Town, positing the premise of not just the opening track (“Soap Opera”), but all 10 songs that follow it. The towns that anchor Clark’s new album may be small enough to warrant only a single blinking light, but the lives lived in them are anything but … and neither are the hopes and dreams that rise from their backroads and bedrooms.
When you grow up in a small town, oftentimes, your dreams are all you have. Whether it’s to become a football star or a father, a homecoming queen or a hairdresser, your dreams might be the only thing that keep you going. For Clark, the dream she harbored in her small hometown of Morton, Washington, was to be a country singer. Sure, once she moved to Nashville, she had successful cuts as a songwriter [The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” which won the CMA Song of the Year Award in 2014], but being an artist in her own right was a dream she had stopped dreaming until three years ago when her first album, the stunning 12 Stories, debuted.
Along with Sturgill Simpson, Ashley Monroe, Chris Stapleton, and Kacey Musgraves (who provides guest vocals on “Daughter”), Clark is part of a new vanguard in country music — one that tips a hat to tradition, while not eschewing its evolution. “I see what’s happening right now and I feel this groundswell of people who love… I would say ‘country’ music, but I’ll take it a step further and say ‘real’ music. I feel like there are people who are starved for that,” she says. “The only music I’ve ever made is country music. The only music I’ve ever really listened to consistently is country music. And I want to keep that alive, so there’s a responsibility in that, for me.”
But, for Brandy Clark, that responsibility is a dream come true.
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn present their eponymous debut album as a duo, after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues; the culmination of a yearlong tour as a duo in 2013, following the birth of their son, Juno.
Béla, an icon and innovator of jazz, classical and world, with more multi-category GRAMMY wins than any other artist (15 total), and Abigail, a formidable talent with triumphs in songwriting, theater, performance, and even Chinese diplomacy by way of banjo, turn out to be quite a fortuitous pairing with a deep, distinct and satisfying outcome. The culmination is an album like no other. The record reveals their astounding chemistry as collaborators, as the two seamlessly stitch together singular banjo sounds (through an assortment of seven banjos spanning the recording) in service to the stories that their songs tell, with no studio gimmickry needed.
According to Béla, “finding a way to make every song have its own unique stamp, yet the whole project having a big cohesive sound – with only two people,” was at the core of their joint vision. Demonstrating seemingly unlimited rhythmic, tonal and melodic capabilities, Fleck and Washburn confirm the banjo’s versatility as the perfect backdrop to the rich lyrical component that Fleck and Washburn offer, “Sometimes when you add other instruments, you take away from the banjo’s being able to show all its colors, which are actually quite beautiful.” Thanks to this album, the musicians’ palette has never been more vivid or pure.
Sure, in the abstract, a banjo duo might seem like a musical concept beset by limitations. But when the banjo players cast in those roles are Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck—she with the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter, he with the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots— it’s a different matter entirely. There’s no denying that theirs is a one-of-a-kind pairing, with one-of-a-kind possibilities.
Another weekend begins on Thursday as three shows are peppered across the south, central portion of North Carolina…
Spring has arrived and as the weather warms, so too is the concert calendar. This week requires a bit of decision making but the opportunity to catch multiple shows across North Carolina remains. The good news is that you can’t go wrong, no matter which show(s) you decide to attend.
This weekend also features a good mix of North Carolina based acts in addition to visitors from across the Americana, Texas country and Red Dirt genres to our state. Further, while a majority of the shows will be taking place in Charlotte, there are still opportunities for fans located in other parts of the state.
There is no shortage of shows this weekend, so get out and support live music in North Carolina!
Independent and traditional country music. Emerging local artists within the genre featuring both original songs and covers from some of your favorite individuals and bands.
Blackberry Smoke has never been a band that stands still. Whether pursuing the dream by logging hundreds of thousands of miles on America’s highways and abroad or relentlessly exploring the many facets of its most unique art form, the Atlanta quintet is always on the move. The songs on Blackberry Smoke’s sixth album, Like an Arrow show just how far this authentic American rock band has come as the accomplished group of musicians tackles a diverse set of new ideas, sounds and territories, long after most bands with half the success might have settled into a well-worn groove.
Jaimee Harris is poised to become the next queen of Americana-Folk, a slightly edgier Emmylou Harris for the younger generation. Her new album draws comparisons to Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams, and Kathleen Edwards – all writers who know how to craft a heartbreakingly beautiful song with just enough grit to keep you enthralled. Harris writes about the basic human experience, in a way that is simple, poetic, and often painfully relatable.
Chapel Hill’s indie Americana quartet Mipso – Jacob Sharp (mandolin, vocals), Wood Robinson (bass, vocals), Joseph Terrell (guitar, vocals), and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle, vocals) – release their fifth album, Edges Run, on April 6th, 2018 via a newly inked record deal with AntiFragile Music. Influenced by the contradiction of its progressive home and the surrounding rural southern landscapes, Mipso has been hailed as “hewing surprisingly close to gospel and folk while still sounding modern and secular” (Acoustic Guitar) and was recently recognized by Rolling Stone as an “ Artist You Need to Know.”
The Lone Bellow burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 2013. The Brooklyn-based band quickly became known for their transcendent harmonies, serious musicianship and raucous live performance — a reputation that earned them their rabid fan base.
One of Caudle’s strongest attributes, which journalists and listeners alike continue to find endearing, is his unique and genuine method of songwriting, which Paste Magazine compared to Jason Isbell. “The lyrics are very biographical. I write about what I know, so my albums are a snapshot into a six month window of my life.” From announcing his romantic vulnerability with Paint Another Layer On My Heart to actually finding love on Carolina Ghost, Caudle’s strong lyrical driving force makes him consistently relatable. And his newest project, Crushed Coins, is no exception to that rule.
Brent Cobb didn’t set out to write an album that feels and sounds like the place he grew up. But now that the grooves have been cut in his debut LP, Shine on Rainy Day, there’s no denying the people, the places and the vibe of his south central Georgia home infuse almost every song.
The Burleson, Texas native, (with the help of his wife Melinda,) has painstakingly carved out an impressive niche for himself on the country music scene over the past decade, attracting a solid base of loyal fans who flock to his legendary live shows. Building his career from the ground up one show at a time, he’s managed to perform on countless stages night after night in front of thousands, topped the Texas music charts several times, released four albums independently to critical acclaim, and forged a path all his own through the music scene without the aid or muscle of a major record label or power-suit management company.
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Look for us out on the road this weekend and enjoy the shows! Keep spreading the love, one song at a time…
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
Jim Lauderdale is both a “songwriter’s songwriter,” who’s written/co-written many modern classics for iconic artists, as well as an intuitive sideman, who’s enhanced the music of a bevy of esteemed musicians. As a solo artist, since 1986 up until now, he’s created a body work spanning 29 albums of imaginative roots music, encompassing country, bluegrass, soul, R&B and rock, as well as helping pave the way for the current Americana movement.
A longtime ambassador of the Americana genre, Jim received the WagonMaster Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by George Strait, on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, as part of the 15th annual Americana Honors & Awards.
“I know him mostly as a songwriter; a really, really, really good hit songwriter, and I’ve been very fortunate to cut a lot of his songs over the years,” Strait said in his speech. “Like Porter Wagoner, Jim Lauderdale is a consummate entertainer, a sharp dressed man as well, a terrific songwriter and a great singer.”
Lauderdale has released at least one, and sometimes as many as three, records every years since 1998. He is the second most recorded writer in George Strait’s canon, as well as responsible for country hits for Patty Loveless, George Jones, Mark Chesnutt and the Dixie Chicks. He’s also recorded albums with Dr. Ralph Stanley, the North Mississippi Allstars, Donna the Buffalo, Elvis Presley’s band, Elvis Costello and Buddy Miller, as well as collections written whole albums with long time Grateful Dead collaborator Robert Hunter. He’s the co-hosts a weekly radio show on SiriusXM with Buddy Miller, “The Buddy & Jim Show”. He is also co-host of Music City Roots, the weekly live and radio, podcast and PBS series.
June 30th Lauderdale released his 29th album, London Southern that was recorded in London at Goldtop studios and produced by Neil Brockbank and Robert Trehern. London Southern features co-writes with Dan Penn, Joan Oates, Odie Blackmon and Kendell Marvell alongside six Lauderdale solo compositions and a host of celebrated guest musicians.
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
Hubby Jenkins is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn he delved into his Southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through country blues, ragtime, fiddle and banjo, and traditional jazz.
Hubby got his higher musical education started as a busker. He developed his guitar and vocal craft on the sidewalks and subway platforms of New York City, performing material by those venerable artists whose work he was quickly absorbing. An ambitiously itinerant musician, he took his show on the road, playing the streets, coffee shops, bars, and house parties of cities around the U.S.
After years of busking around the country and making a name for himself, Hubby became acquainted with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Since 2010 he has been an integral part of the Grammy award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops and continues to make solo performances.
Get to know North Carolina native Caleb Caudle and his music…
Recently, Caleb Caudle returned home to North Carolina for an album release show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. The late February release of Caudle’s eighth album, Crushed Coins, has been well received by all who have listened and has him gaining serious recognition for his music, in addition to comparisons of Jason Isbell and John Moreland.
Caudle left the comforts and familiarity of home to record his latest record out in Los Angeles at Mixtown USA’s studio. His storytelling and songwriting is based on a lot of personal experiences and since his previous release, Caudle has gotten married and traveled across much of the United States.
According to him, “Crushed Coins is a departure from my past records in a few ways. In the months leading up to recording these songs, I was listening to a lot of jazz, specifically a copy of Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way that my wife bought me. That album helped me realize you can truly do whatever you want with music, and it put me in that mindset heading into the studio. I also did the majority of the record near Skid Row in Los Angeles, which took me out of my comfort zone having made the last couple albums at home in North Carolina. I worked with my long-time engineer and collaborator Jon Ashley, but we approached this record with an anything-goes mentality, unafraid to do whatever the songs called for.”
Listeners will also enjoy the sounds of other talented musicians who are featured on the album including: Joshua Hedley, Erin Rae, electric guitarist Megan McCormick, pedal steel player Brett Resnick and bassist Kevin Black (longtime member of the band with Sturgill Simpson, who has also more recently played with Margo Price). Caudle himself has also been on the move, performing on this year’s Cayamo Cruise, South by Southwest and Willie Nelson’s own Luck Reunion.
Caudle has a few more North Carolina dates upcoming on Friday, April 13 in his hometown of Winston-Salem and Thursday, April 26 back in Carrboro. Following, he embarks on a summer tour extending across 13 states over the next couple of months.
If at all possible, get to one of his shows this month and find out first-hand why Rolling Stone describes Caudle as, “the musical equivalent of high-proof bourbon – rich in flavor, with a subtle, satisfying bite.”
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
Lean in to Mandolin Orange’s new album, Blindfaller, and it’s bound to happen. You’ll suddenly pick up on the power and devastation lurking in its quietude, the doom hiding beneath its unvarnished beauty. You’ll hear the way it magnifies the intimacy at the heart of the North Carolina duo’s music, as if they created their own musical language as they recorded it.
“We talked about the feel of each song and pointed out loosely who was going to be taking solos,but it was mostly a lot of fresh takes, a lot of eye contact, and a lot of nods and weird winks,”says Andrew Marlin, who anchors the band with fellow multi-instrumentalist and singer Emily Frantz.
Released September 30, 2016 on Yep Roc Records, Blindfaller builds on the acclaim of Mandolin Orange’s breakthrough debut on the label, 2013’s This Side of Jordan, and its follow-up, 2015’s Such Jubilee.
Since then they’ve steadily picked up speed and fans they’ve earned from long stretches on the road, including appearances at Austin City Limits, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and Pickathon. It’s been an auspicious journey for a pair who casually met at a bluegrass jam session in 2009.
As the duo’s songwriter, Marlin sharpens his lyrical prowess here, touching on broad themes of growing older and feeling helpless in a world torn by injustice. Sure, the album sounds classic, but it is rooted in the here and now of our daily headlines.
Take “Gospel Shoes,” a gimlet-eyed critique of how politicians have used faith as a weapon. “Freedom was a simple word, so reverent and true/ A long time ago, it meant the right to choose/ Who you love and how to live, but now it’s so misused/ And twisted by the politics of men in gospel shoes,” Marlin sings.
“When we finished Such Jubilee, I started writing these songs with a different goal in mind. I thought about how I would write songs for somebody else to record,” Marlin explains. “I ended up with a bunch of songs like that, but we chose ones that I still felt personally connected to.”
“We really chose everybody who played on the record, because we trusted them,” he adds. They found kindred spirits in Clint Mullican on bass, Kyle Keegan on drums, Allyn Love on pedal steel, and previous collaborator, Josh Oliver, on various instruments. “We’ve always liked to record fairly live,” Frantz says, “and it’s pretty easy to do that when it’s just Andrew and me. So it was fun to hone in on the guys who played on this record.“We really jelled as soon as we got into the studio, and everyone’s playing was driven by intuition instead of details orchestrated in advance.”
Holed up at the Rubber Room studio in Chapel Hill, N.C., they laid down the tracks in a week between touring. They’ve always been keen on the notion that drawn-out recording sessions don’t necessarily yield better results. A good song, and just one good take, will always shine through any studio sorcery.
For Frantz, Blindfaller, which Mandolin Orange produced, was something of a turning point.
“Now that we’ve put out quite a few records and toured so much, I think a standard has been set and people expect a certain thing,” she says. “But you don’t want to get into a place where you’re just making the music you’re expected to make. You have to push yourself a little bit.”
The passage of time, and the regret that often accompanies it, courses through these songs. “When did all the good times turn to hard lines on my face/ And lead me so far from my place right by your side?” Marlin ruminates on “My Blinded Heart.”
In fact, there’s heartache by the numbers on Blindfaller. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear “Picking Up Pieces” is a tearjerker George Jones or Willie Nelson sang back in the early 1970s. It’s a Mandolin Orange original, of course, and also a poignant reminder of the economy and grace with which Marlin imbues his songs – say what’s important and scrap the rest.
A country dirge with soulful washes of pedal steel and mandolin, “Wildfire” details the the lingering, present-day devastation of slavery and the Civil War, with Marlin’s voice locking into close harmonies with Frantz on the chorus. “Take This Heart of Gold” opens with perhaps the best classic-country line you’ll hear all year: “Take this heart of gold and melt it down.” (Marlin admits it was inspired by a Tom Waits lyric he misheard.)
But there’s also room for detours. Straight out of a honky tonk, “Hard Travelin’” lets the band shift into overdrive. A freewheeling ode to life on the road, it had been kicking around for a while but never fit on previous releases.
As for the album title, it’s meant to evoke a sense of wonder, of contemplation. A “faller” is someone who fells trees, and in this case that person is blind to his/her own actions and those of the world. The spectral cover photo, by Scott McCormick, is open to interpretation, too: Either those trees are engulfed in flames or sunlight is pouring through them. It’s up to you.
“We wanted different vibes and different intuitions on these tracks,” Marlin says, “and I feel like we really captured that.”
As MerleFest 2018 approaches, a highlight from one of the 100+ performing acts will be featured daily…
A true Americana band comprised of members originally from the northeast, The Devil Makes Three originated in Santa Cruz, California over 15 years ago and continues touring today. Their unique sound comes from a blend of multiple styles of music with hints and associations across a broad spectrum.
Without having to listen closely, you’ll hear bluegrass, country and blues influences in addition to old time, folk, jazz and ragtime tones. The band released their fifth and most recent full length album, Redemption and Ruin in September of 2016 in addition to a few live recordings.
“After TDM3 contemplated countless songs to record, a dozen made the cut to be recorded in Nashville this past fall. With those twelve songs (give or take a few bonus tracks…), Redemption & Ruin, consisting of carefully selected hand-picked cover songs, was set into motion. Why so careful you ask? Well, because there were two rules…
REDEMPTION & RUIN HAS TWO DISTINCT SIDES; it’s half gospel songs with a proclivity towards the darker end of the spectrum of religious music (Redemption) and half songs of vice (Ruin). In a very strict sense, the band-members were looking for songs which fully and wholeheartedly fit in one of those two categories. There could be no in between; it was all or nothing. “Drunken Hearted Man”is the first “ruin” debut and a new spin on the original by blues ghost Robert Johnson.
THE BAND SELECTED SONGS WRITTEN BY THEIR HEROES: TDM3 wanted to give fans and new friends a look at their inspiration when creating original material. These are covers, with the full TDM3 treatment, but the writers of each of the covers were selected with purpose.
**Guests include Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Darrell Scott, guitar great Duane Eddy and many more.”
Red Dirt NC 