Music News- As a writer for Grammy award-winning producer Dave Cobb's Low Country Sound, blue-collar storyteller Adam Hood is most known for his songs recorded by Miranda Lambert, Brent Cobb, Anderson East, Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town, and after years of writing for others, 'Somewhere in Between', is an album that finally finds Hood telling his own story. Out October 12 on Hood's label Southern Songs, the deeply autobiographical record features Hood writing or co-writing 10 of the record's 11 tracks alongside friends Pat McLaughlin, Brent Cobb, who appears on the electrified "She Don't Love Me", and Josh Abbott.
Teaming up with friend and producer Oran Thornton (Miranda Lambert 'Revolution,' Eric Church 'Caught In The Act: Live,' Angaleena Presley 'Wrangled'), Hood recorded most of the album live at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios over two quick days. His goal was to create something that reflected the raw, real sound of his concerts, where overdubs and unlimited takes are never an option. The result is a record that reflects Hood's Opelika, Alabama-bred working class roots, mixing the upbeat thrill of roadhouse roots-rock songs with the contemplative, stripped-down sway of country ballads.
Joining him in the studio were guitarist Pat McLaughlin, bassist Lex Price, and drummer Jerry Roe. All of whom captured their parts in just a handful of live takes while Hood simultaneously tracked his vocals. Stripped free of studio trickery and lushly layered arrangements, the record shines a light on everyday experiences.
Music News- Australian folk-pop artist Calan Mai has released the new single, " XO ." The song premiered this week and Rolling Stone Country named it one of the "Top 10 Best Country & Americana Songs Of The Week." Of the inspiration behind the track, Calan Mai explains, "When someone writes 'xo', that doesn't mean they want to kiss and hug you. When they send a smiley face, they aren't really smiling. The world is a bit like that now - a sea of lovehearts, likes, upvotes and retweets. You ask for validation and get bright lights and numbers in return. And I'm no better. I doubt myself. I compare myself. I wonder how many times this song will get played. That's what 'XO' is about-wanting to reach through your LCD screen and grab the world by the collar and say, 'I do make the cut. I do have potential. And this song is a good f*cking song."
Now 27, and hailing from the Gold Coast (a small town in Queensland, Australia), Calan Mai started making music in his early teens and found his songwriting taking on a greater intensity when he moved to Manchester with a group of fellow musicians. He made his debut with an acoustic demo of the song, "We've Got Love," in 2014. With no promotional push, the track soon found its way into rotation on Triple J, BBC Radio 6, and a number of college radio stations in the USA, leading to performances alongside artists such as Will Johnson and Band of Horses. After teaming up with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Future Islands, Lower Dens), Calan Mai released a fully realized, more dynamically arranged version of "We've Got Love" as part of a selection of songs showcasing his nuanced songcraft.
Additional material will be released later this year, including an official video for "XO."
Music News- A GRAMMY-winner while in his 20s, violin prodigy Jeremy Kittel (formerly of the Turtle Island Quartet) has assembled an incredible group of young players for his Compass Records debut, WHORLS. Known as a composer-arranger-collaborator for such diverse artists as My Morning Jacket, Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble, and Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, the Brooklyn-based artist has built his own repertoire of music for this new group. Comprised of Kittel, mandolin phenom Josh Pinkham (named "the future of the mandolin" by Mandolin Magazine), Canadian guitarist Quinn Bachand, cellist Nathaniel Smith (Sarah Jarosz, Kacey Musgraves), and hammer-dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman, these players effortlessly reference a dazzling array of acoustic music styles, from Celtic and bluegrass to folk and jazz.
WHORLS introduces us to the group's visceral-yet-precise musicianship on these 11 tracks. While WHORLS is largely an instrumental album, Kittel sings on the moody, haunting track, "Waltz," supported by friend and colleague Sarah Jarosz lending ethereal backing vocals. Listen to "Waltz" on Spotify. (https://t.e2ma.net/click/56obt/9ttp2w/xs82hf)
The title, WHORLS, refers to patterns of spirals, which Kittel explains as "something you'd see in a plant or a lot of different natural formations." He says that the music itself was "born out of this desire to connect with the internal voice." The album's first single "Pando" was originally written for the Detroit Symphony, and it was driven by a compelling violin melody that evolves from its timid entrance to urgent plight. The album's scope ranges from buoyant rhythmic undercurrent of tracks like "The Boxing Reels" to the longingly bittersweet "Home in the World" -- a song named in honor of the late journalist Daniel Pearl and a collection of his writings.
The concept of bringing people together underlies much of WHORLS. "These instruments have a rich tradition of playing dance music; they were the way everyone got down, say, 150 years ago. Acoustic string bands in a room," says Kittel. "Locking this in, rhythmically and sonically, finding the balance of intensity--that's been really exciting."
The release was delayed after Kittel suffered a broken arm after a jogging accident; with his arm in a cast, tour dates were postponed. Back and in great form, Kittel has assembled a trio (himself, Pinkman and Bachand) for extensive summer tour and festival dates (scroll down for complete schedule).
Music News- 'King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller,' releasing August 31 via BMG, pays long overdue respect to one of American music's premier entertainers and songwriters. The two-disc collection contains new renditions of Miller's songs by Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, Eric Church, Loretta Lynn, John Goodman and more than two dozen others, including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard on one track. Produced by Miller's son, Dean Miller, and Colby Barnum Wright, 'King of the Road' offers a fresh look at the work of a creative giant who has been gone 26 years but whose genius continues to shape contemporary music in ways both overt and subtle.
Before Miller's premature death of cancer at age 56, the Country Music Hall of Famer had 31 Top 40 Billboard country hits (10 of which crossed over to the pop chart), including his signature songs "Dang Me" and "King of the Road." He held the record for most GRAMMY wins in a single night until Michael Jackson and 'Thriller' broke it in 1984. Miller wrote songs and voiced a character for Walt Disney's 1973 Robin Hood film. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the Tony-winning Big River, helping launch the career of actor John Goodman, who reprises the musical's "Guv'ment" on 'King of the Road.' As Dean Miller writes in liner notes accompanying 'King of the Road,' "Roger Miller was too gigantic to be contained by genres and definitions."
'King of the Road' includes versions of Miller's biggest '60s hits, like "Chug-A-Lug" (Asleep at the Wheel ft. Huey Lewis) and "England Swings" (Lyle Lovett), and lesser-known treasures from a catalog full of gems. As with Miller's own output, the album contains plenty of unexpected turns -- country superstar Eric Church's playful take on Robin Hood's "Oo De Lally," for instance, or Starr's selection of "Hey, Would You Hold It Down?," a song from Miller's long-out-of-print 1979 'Making a Name for Myself' album. By any standard of measurement, Miller was "one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived" -- even if he did say so himself. And he did, in the first of a handful of the album's live-performance interstitials that capture the spontaneous wit of a mind that operated at a breakneck pace.
There is a television event in the works, more details tba.
The scope of material and performances on 'King of the Road' both capture Miller's personality and convey an astonishing legacy that's still felt today. "Roger Miller didn't have to say much," Dean writes in the liners. "You were simply drawn to him. He had a magnetic smile, and electric wit and a passion for life and music that transcended generations."
'King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller' Tracklist: Disc One Greatest Songwriter (Banter) Chug-a-Lug - Asleep at the Wheel ft. Huey Lewis Dang Me - Brad Paisley Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go - The Stellas/Lennon and Maisy Kansas City Star - Kacey Musgraves World So Full of Love - Rodney Crowell Old Friends (Banter) Old Friends - Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard Lock Stock and Teardrops - Mandy Barnett You Oughta Be Here With Me - Alison Krauss ft. The Cox Family The Crossing - Ronnie Dunn, The Blind Boys of Alabama In the Summertime - The Earls of Leicester ft. Shawn Camp Fiddle (Banter) England Swings - Lyle Lovett You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd - Various Artists Half a Mind - Loretta Lynn Invitation to the Blues - Shooter Jennings, Jessi Colter It Only Hurts Me When I Cry (Live) - Dwight Yoakam
Disc Two Hey, Would You Hold It Down? - Ringo Starr Engine, Engine #9 - Emerson Hart ft. Jon Randall When Two Worlds Collide - Flatt Lonesome Oo De Lally - Eric Church You Can't Do Me This Way and Get By With It - Dean Miller ft. The McCrary Sisters Chicken S#$! (Banter) Nothing Can Stop Me - Toad the Wet Sprocket Husbands and Wives - Jamey Johnson ft. Emmylou Harris I Believe in the Sunshine - Lily Meola Guv'ment - John Goodman Old Songwriters Never Die (Banter) The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me - Dolly Parton ft. Alison Krauss I'd Come Back to Me - Radney Foster ft. Tawnya Reynolds Reincarnation - Cake One Dying and a Burying - The Dead South Do Wacka Do - Robert Earl Keen, Jr. King of the Road - Various Artists
Music News- M Ward surprised fans with an instant release today, to coincide a North American tour which kicked off last night in Philadelphia. What A Wonderful Industry is the lauded singer/songwriter's follow up to 2016's acclaimed More Rain .
Ward, whose last album release was Christmas Party with his She & Him cohort Zooey Deschanel, says of What A Wonderful Industry : "This is a record inspired by people in the industry I have known - heroes and villains in equal measure. There's some beautiful moments when you travel for a living, and I'm grateful for being part of an industry that's taken me around the world so many times - but you quickly learn there's a perfectly imperfect balance of cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals in the zoo. This record visits the most memorable characters. There's a lot of very inspirational people I've had the pleasure to work with but there are also a few I wish I'd never met. It all tragically ends with an imaginary Griffin Mill-inspired murder ballad."
Music News- When Jason Isbell departed the Drive-By Truckers in 2007, his future was not guaranteed; His time in the band had been marred by substance-abuse problems and he wasn't a known quantity as a solo artist after many years spent sharing the spotlight with other songwriters. But when Isbell released his Sirens of the Ditch album that same year, it was clear that he'd been working from a nearly endless pool of talent and star potential.
Today, Isbell is fortunately sober and happily married to bandmate Amanda Shires, but he's also one of Americana music's biggest and most enduring stars; a four-time Grammy winner with an unbroken string of enormously well-loved albums. So as a sort of victory lap, he's revisiting some of his early solo material with a "deluxe edition" of Sirens of the Ditch, out July 13 on New West Records.
Co-produced by Isbell and Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood, the album provides an excellent showcase for the singer's then-burgeoning mix of insightful roots music and swaggering old-time soul. With cameos by veteran session players at FAME studio in Isbell's hometown of Muscle Shoals, AL, Sirens of the Ditch crackles with life and heart, setting the stage for the remarkable material to follow.
Sirens' upcoming reissue features 4 previously unreleased studio tracks; "Racetrack Romeo," "Crystal Clear" and two songs you can listen to, below. "The Assassin" is a Hood composition Isbell still plays in concert, while the churning original roots-rock ballad "Whisper" burns slowly and wearily. Notably, both fit seamlessly alongside the singer's later songs about stumbling hard and finding saviors on the road to peace and redemption.
Music News- Steep Canyon Rangers made their debut solo late night television appearance last night on The Tonight Show (watch below). They performed the title track off their recently released album, Out In The Open (out now on Ramseur Records ).
The Steep Canyon Rangers are currently on tour. All up to date tour info and band news can be found at steepcanyon.com.
Steep Canyon Rangers 2018 Tour Dates
May 4-5 @ Beacon Theatre | New York, NY*
May 6 @ The Bowery Ballroom | New York, NY
May 18 @ Embassy Theatre | Fort Wayne, IN*
May 19 @ Orpheum Theatre | Sioux City, IA*
May 20 @ DeVos Performance Hall | Grand Rapids, MI*
May 25 @ Toledo Zoo | Toledo, OH*
May 26 @ The Rose Music Center | Huber Heights, OH*
May 27 @ PNC Pavilion | Cincinnati,OH*
June 2 @ Ogden Music Festival | Odgen, UT
June 14 @ Bell's Eccentric Cafe | Kalamazoo, MI
June 15 @ And Aid's 1st Annual Music Gathering | Comstock Park, MI
June 16 @ Blue Ox Music Festival | Eau Claire, WI
June 22 @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | Calgary, AB, Canada
June 23 @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | Edmonton, AB, Canada^
June 26 @ Brevard Music Center | Brevard, NC***
June 29 @ Golden1Center | Sacramento, CA*
June 30 @ The Mountain Winery | Saratoga, CA*
July 6 @ Les Schwab Amphitheater | Bend, OR*
July 7 @ The Paramount Theatre | Seattle, WA*
July 8 @ Edgefield Amphitheater | Troutdale, OR*
July 14 @ Blue Ridge Music Center | Galex, VA
July 15 @ Red Wing Roots Festival | Mount Solon, VA
July 19 @ Northwest String Summit | North Plains, OR
July 20 @ OC Fair & Event Center | Cosa Mesa, CA*
July 28 @ Red Ants Pants Music Festival | White Sulphur Springs, MT
July 29 @ RockyGrass Festival | Lyons, CO
Aug 1-2 @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre | Vancouver, BC, Canada*
Aug 3 @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | Calgary, AB, Canada*
Aug 6 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater | Morrison, CO*
Aug 10 @ Treasure Island Resort and Casino | Welch, MN*
Aug 11 @ Interlochen Center for the Arts | Interlochen, MI*
Aug 12 @ Ravinia Festival | Highland Park, IL*
Aug 23 @ Went Vineyards | Livermore, CA*
Aug 24 @ Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa | Ranchi Mirage, CA*
Aug 30 @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts | Philadelphia, PA*
Aug 31 @ Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center | Canandaigua, NY*
Sept 1 @ Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts | Bethel, NY*
Sept 2 @ Tanglewood Music Center | Lenox, MA*
Sept 7-9 @ Mountain Song Festival | Brevard, NC
Sept 15 @ FreshGrass Festival | North Adams, MA
Sept 21 @ Resch Center | Green Bay, WI*
Sept 22. @ Indiana University Auditorium | Bloomington, IN*
Sept 23 @ Stephens Auditorium - Iowa State Center | Ames, IA*
Music News- Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release OUR COUNTRY: AMERICANA ACT II, the eagerly awaited new album from Ray Davies on Friday, June 29. This new studio album will be available on CD, 2LP vinyl and digital formats. Pre-order OUR COUNTRY: AMERICANA ACT II now at: raydavies.lnk.to/americana-II.
The first track, "Our Country", premiered today-
The continuing story of The Kinks co-founder's journeys through America, as depicted in his 2013 memoir Americana and last year's album of the same name, OUR COUNTRY: AMERICANA ACT II is an album borne from Davies' vision of America -- how it shaped him and evolved through the years. His reflections on his experiences in America instigate personal reformation, and eventually rediscovery and celebration of his own origins.
OUR COUNTRY , like its predecessor, was recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in London with guitarist Bill Shanley and The Jayhawks once again serving as Davies' backing band plus a group of UK musicians. The album picks up several intriguing musical threads from Davies' extraordinary songwriting catalog, from the opener "Our Country" - which is developed from a melodic theme heard in AMERICANA's title track - to reinterpretations of songs inspired by America and written for various projects over the years, including "Oklahoma USA" (first heard on The Kinks' MUSWELL HILBILLIES), "The Real World" (from 2007's acclaimed solo album, WORKING MAN'S CAFÉ) and "The Getaway" (from 2006's OTHER PEOPLES LIVES).
Music News- Four-time Grammy Award winner Jason Isbell and his longtime band the 400 Unit have announced new Summer 2018 tour dates bringing them to the West Coast in August and September. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Aimee Mann has been tapped as support for most of the dates. See full itinerary below.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit recently took home two Grammy awards for Best Americana Album for their celebrated album The Nashville Sound and Best American Roots Song for the gorgeous “If We Were Vampires”. The album has received tremendous support from the press, garnering high praise that includes NPR Music, Associated Press, Rolling Stone and Noisey as well as extensive coverage from Men’s Journal, GQ, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weeklyand more. Isbell was recently featured in The New York Times Magazine and is on the current cover of Fretboard Journal. The independent album, released on Isbell’s own Southeastern Records, has gone on to sell over 150,000 copies.
Jason Isbell has established a reputation for being one of his generation’s finest songwriters. Together with his mighty band the 400 Unit, which features Derry deBorja (keyboards), Chad Gamble (drums), Jimbo Hart (bass), Sadler Vaden (guitar) and Amanda Shires (fiddle), they have become one of the strongest live acts on the road today. The band continues to pack houses all over the U.S. and abroad, including 6 sold-out nights at the historic Ryman Auditorium last fall. In the last year, national television performances have included The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Austin City Limits, with featured segments on CBS This Morning, PBS Newshour, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and more. Recently the group performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert (View HERE).
Music News- The Lone Bellow gave an enthralling performance of their latest single " May You Be Well " on Conan this week. The Americana favorites kick off their current tour tonight in Hickory, North Carolina and will continue on through the Southern part of the country throughout April. Full list of dates is below.
The Lone Bellow released their third studio album Walk Into A Storm last fall on Descendant Records/Sony Music Masterworks. The album was produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and recorded in Nashville, TN.
THE LONE BELLOW 2018 TOUR Itinerary-
April 13 | Hickory, NC at Music in the Mill
April 14 | Decatur, GA at Amplify
April 16 | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Music News- Society of Broken Souls, the folk noir/Americana songwriting duo of multi-instrumentalists Dennis James and Lauryn Shapter, is set to release its second album, Midnight and the Pale, on April 13, 2018. Midnight and The Pale, the follow-up to 2016’s Things Still Left Unsaid, is the pair’s second album under the moniker Society of Broken Souls and their fifth collaboration.
Photo by Liz Brown
The new album once again sees James and Shapter writing, arranging, producing, and engineering the 10-song collection, as well as performing all the parts. Starting a music career considerably later in life than most emerging artists, this Midwestern duo is embracing the maturity and experience that comes from years passed, life lived, and challenges faced. Their latest album is a study in the interplay of light and dark, and the beauty that results when they are allowed to walk comfortably side by side.
“There is a growing propensity in our culture to show ever more curated versions of ourselves, where everything is Photoshop perfect and everyone is living the dream,” Shapter explains. “But that’s just not real life, and it only seems to leave people feeling more isolated. We got tired of the lack of authenticity we saw around us and decided to shine some light on the broken bits, but still have fun while we were doing it.”
Music News- Grammy award-winning American roots band Old Crow Medicine Show has announced their 2018 summer tour dates in support of their upcoming album Volunteer. The band’s first studio album in four years, Volunteer, produced by Dave Cobb will be released April 20th via Columbia Records Nashville. The band will celebrate release day on the stage of the historic Grand Ole Opry, where they are members, before hitting the road. Tour highlights include New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Fest and a headlining show at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Sonically, the instrumentation on Volunteer rocks a little bit more then on previous albums. The band took full advantage of RCA Studio A and brought electric guitar back into the mix for the first time since 2004. For a taste of the variety showcased on Volunteer check out the playful “Dixie Avenue” which was recently premiered recently, below. All of the songs on the new album were written by Old Crow Medicine Show, showcasing the band’s growth in songwriting as well as Ketch Secor’s ability to capture a cross section of themes and influences.
Music News- This May 11th, Round Records will release its most ambitious project to date with the long-awaited Jerry Garcia box set Before The Dead. The project features a meticulously researched and curated compilation of recordings the iconic Grateful Dead founder made prior to forming the legendary band. Before The Dead includes never before heard performances, recordings that have never been commercially released and a small selection that have. From intimate live recordings to live studio recordings to field recordings, Before The Dead serves as a historical document in the spirit of renowned releases by Smithsonian Folkways and influential field recordings by Alan Lomax. The music on Before The Dead was selected and co-produced by longtime Grateful Dead publicist/author Dennis McNally and documentarian Brian Miksis. The audio was restored and mastered by Fred Kevorkian.
The first release from Before The Dead features the Black Mountain Boys (Garcia, Robert Hunter, David Nelson and Eric Thompson) in a rare 1964 live recording of “Rosa Lee McFall”. Written by Charlie Monroe, the song would remain with Garcia throughout his career, reinterpreted later on with The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band and Garcia/Grisman. This is the first time this track has ever been released. Listen, below-
Music News- Neil Young and the Promise Of The Real will release the soundtrack to Neil's upcoming film, "Paradox", on double vinyl and digital on March 23, with the CD release to follow on April 20.
Produced by Young and John Hanlon, the project presents music from the singer in multiple configurations: with the band; with an Orchestra recorded on the MGM Soundstage; backed by Jim Keltner, Paul Bushnell and Joe Yankee; and, performing several solo electric guitar passages.
Written and directed by actor Daryl Hannah, "Paradox" is billed as a fantasy western that sees a band of cowboys and outlaws pass the days hiding out in the mountains, digging for treasure while they wait for the full moon to bring its magic; Young plays the "Man In The Black Hat" alongside Promise Of The Real members Micah Nelson "The "Particle Kid") and Lukas Nelson ("Jail Time").
"Paradox" will see its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX on March 15 before showing via Netflix on March 23 and in a limited theatrical release.
Music News- The Lone Bellow's third studio album, Walk Into A Storm, was released last fall on Descendant Records/Sony Music Masterworks. The album was produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and recorded in Nashville, TN. Today, the band has released the music video for their single, "May You Be Well," filmed at Ocean Way Studios. "In a sharp display of vocals, Zach Williams and the equally impressive members of the indie-folk trio The Lone Bellow debut the stunningly simple video [that] leaves the attention fully on the performance," says Billboard.
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