LISTEN: Maggie Pope, “Northern Girl”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Maggie Pope
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Northern Girl”
Release Date: November 18, 2022

In Their Words: “I most often write songs with the hope that others will find their own unique connection with and meaning for the song — that its lyrics and melodies will resonate with the listener’s own story. The same is true for ‘Northern Girl,’ though I will say that for me, this one was inspired by and will always be about my grandmother. She lived in Gloucester, Massachusetts, right on the edge of the Annisquam River. I lived with her for a year or so after college as I found my footing and was working in Boston. She was full of wisdom and music and warm hugs.

“She once said to me, ‘Now, you know they’ll be okay’ when I had been worrying about some people close to me who were navigating a difficult situation. It was just a conversation we had in her kitchen, next to the muffin tin and the little jar on the windowsill that she had stuffed full with some bread crust to save to feed to the birds. The memory of it is still so clear in my mind and her words hit so profoundly for some reason. It wasn’t until I shared this song with my dad and he said, ‘Hey, you included a line in that song that is really special and something she used to say all the time to us’ that I realized why. Now, you know we’ll be okay.

“So much gratitude to my friends Nicholas Gunty, for producing this one in the most perfect way, and Brad Hinton, for lending his sweet voice.” — Maggie Pope

Photo Credit: Ellen Miller Photography

Give Them a Hand: Joy Oladokun & Chris Stapleton Unite on “Sweet Symphony”

Posted on by Editor

It’s true — Joy Oladokun and Chris Stapleton are sharing the spotlight in a new video. What’s even better news, the project features puppet-ized versions of both. In “Sweet Symphony,” Oladokun and Stapleton go back and forth, trading verses on a precious love song that has the glow of timeless classics and wedding ballads. It’s both heavy and happy in the way that it pulls you in to deliver a warm message about love. Oladokun wrote the song with Ian Fitchuk and Shae Jacobs. She also co-produced the track with Fitchuk and Mike Elizondo.

The decision to feature puppet versions of the singers wasn’t made without intention; instead, the video treatment was drawn from Oladokun’s childhood. “I felt really inspired as a black kid watching Sesame Street and The Muppets because we live in a world where our differences separate us, and these shows were so clearly modeled through the art form that differences don’t matter,” she says. “I love the surrealism and realism that puppet art blends together because it teaches us cool lessons about how we should treat others.”

Take a look at Joy Oladokun and Chris Stapleton’s “Sweet Symphony” below.

Brandi Carlile, Keb’ Mo’, Molly Tuttle Receive Grammy Award Nominations

Posted on by Editor

Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Keb’ Mo, Bonnie Raitt and Molly Tuttle are among the roots artists receiving nominations for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, to be presented on February 5 on CBS.

Carlile’s In These Silent Days will compete for Album of the Year and Best Americana Album. In addition, “You and Me on the Rock” (featuring Lucius) is nominated for Record of the Year, Best Americana Performance, and Best American Roots Song, while “Broken Horses” is on the ballot for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

Krauss and Robert Plant share nominations for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Going Where the Lonely Go”) and Best Americana Album (Raise the Roof). In addition, the composition “High and Lonesome” earned Plant and co-writer T Bone Burnett a Best American Roots Song nomination.

Keb’ Mo’ returns to the ballot in the category of Best Americana Album with Good to Be…. His 2019 album, Oklahoma, is a past winner in the category. (Read our BGS interview with Keb’ Mo’.)

Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That,” which she wrote, is nominated for Song of the Year and Best American Roots Song. Another of Raitt’s recordings, “Made Up Mind,” is nominated for Best Americana Performance. Her album Just Like That… is up for Best Americana Album.

In a rarity for bluegrass artists, Molly Tuttle secured a high-profile Best New Artist nomination in addition to a placement in the Best Bluegrass Album category (for Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway’s Crooked Tree). Read our BGS interview with Molly Tuttle.)

Other artists nominated in multiple categories include Madison Cunningham, Willie Nelson, Aoife O’Donovan, and Dolly Parton. A selection of American Roots Music nominations are listed below. See the full list of nominations.

Best American Roots Performance

“Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)”
Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton

“Life According to Raechel”
Madison Cunningham

“Oh Betty”
Fantastic Negrito

“Stompin’ Ground”
Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

“Prodigal Daughter”
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell

Best Americana Performance

“Silver Moon [A Tribute to Michael Nesmith]”
Eric Alexandrakis

“There You Go Again”
Asleep at the Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett

“The Message”
Blind Boys of Alabama Featuring Black Violin

“You and Me on the Rock”
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius

“Made Up Mind”
Bonnie Raitt

Best American Roots Song

“Bright Star”
Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (recorded by Anaïs Mitchell)

“Forever”
Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (recorded by Sheryl Crow)

“High and Lonesome”
T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (recorded by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)

“Just Like That”
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (recorded by Bonnie Raitt)

“Prodigal Daughter”
Tim O’Brien & Aoife O’Donovan, songwriters (recorded by Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell)

“You and Me on the Rock”
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (recorded by Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

Best Americana Album

In These Silent Days
Brandi Carlile

Things Happen That Way
Dr. John

Good To Be…
Keb’ Mo’

Raise the Roof
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Just Like That…
Bonnie Raitt

Best Bluegrass Album

Toward the Fray
The Infamous Stringdusters

Almost Proud
The Del McCoury Band

Calling You From My Mountain
Peter Rowan

Crooked Tree
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Get Yourself Outside
Yonder Mountain String Band

Best Traditional Blues Album

Heavy Load Blues
Gov’t Mule

The Blues Don’t Lie
Buddy Guy

Get On Board
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

The Sun Is Shining Down
John Mayall

Mississippi Son
Charlie Musselwhite

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Done Come Too Far
Shemekia Copeland

Crown
Eric Gales

Bloodline Maintenance
Ben Harper

Set Sail
North Mississippi Allstars

Brother Johnny
Edgar Winter

Best Folk Album

Spellbound
Judy Collins

Revealer
Madison Cunningham

The Light at the End of the Line
Janis Ian

Age of Apathy
Aoife O’Donovan

Hell on Church Street
Punch Brothers

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Full Circle
Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland

Natalie Noelani
Natalie Ai Kamauu

Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani – Live at the Getty Center
Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani

Lucky Man
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Ranky Tanky

Photo Credit: Pamela Neal (Brandi Carlile); Jeremy_Cowart (Keb’ Mo’); Samantha Muljat (Molly Tuttle)

LISTEN: Tim Hill, “The Clock’s Never Wrong”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Tim Hill
Hometown: Whittier, California
Song: “The Clock’s Never Wrong”
Album: Giant
Release Date: February 10, 2023
Label: Innovative Leisure / Calico Discos

In Their Words: “This one is a whimsical offering to simpler times. Also a turn of the back to the mainstream. We thought it would be fitting to shoot a ‘day in the life’ kinda thing. The ranch has been instrumental in getting back to a simpler and more rewarding way of navigating my place in the world. I always kind of thought I could work on a ranch. So I just looked around for some jobs and they had an opening. Scenes of horseshoes clanking on an anvil and dumping manure are the kinds of things I like to see and do nowadays. It wasn’t our intention at the beginning, but the shots through LA give a sense of a man not particularly fitting into his surroundings.” — Tim Hill

“Tim and I tend to pick it up right where we last left it. A catchphrase from some old Western, a line from some broken ballad. We know each other by these familiar monologues so when the cameras come out we both know what to do without saying much.” — Matt Correia, Director

Photo Credit: Matt Correia

LISTEN: Jo Smith, “No Highway”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jo Smith
Hometown: Arlington, Georgia
Song: “No Highway” (written by Jo Smith and Leslie Satcher)
Album: Wyoming
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Label: Cherokee Rose Records

In Their Words: “Acoustic and soul aren’t typically in the same music category, but the worktape of ‘No Highway,’ and specifically, the way Leslie played the drop-D, gave it such a soul. There was a magic to it that I desperately wanted to recapture on the record. We originally recorded it with a full band, but ultimately stripped it down to the back porch version you hear now. It was all an attempt to bring back that soulful, yearning magic on the worktape. My life has changed so much since we wrote ‘No Highway.’ At the time, I was single, not sure I’d have a life like the one described in the song. Now I have a baby, a husband, a home, and a life that I love so much. It’s been neat to watch this song come full circle for me. It just felt right to end my record with ‘No Highway.'” — Jo Smith

Photo Credit: Lindsey Kane Photography

BGS 5+5: Andy Leftwich

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Andy Leftwich
Hometown: White House, Tennessee
Latest Album: The American Fiddler
Personal nicknames: “Ang,” which is an Andy Griffith Show reference. Ricky Skaggs started calling me that and it just stuck!

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I jokingly say I went to “Ricky Skaggs University,” but there’s a lot of truth to that. I joined his band at 19 and it changed the course of my life. Working with him in the studio and playing on stage with him every night was like a master class. He puts his heart into every note and truly loves what he does. That inspires me greatly.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Hands down, it has to be The Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky in February 2001. I had hopped on bus with Kentucky Thunder for the weekend as a sort of audition to be the new fiddle player alongside the legendary Bobby Hicks. At the end of the show, just before the encore, Ricky asked me, “What are you doing the next few years?” and offered me the job right there on the stage in front of the band and about 1,000 people. It was an unforgettable moment!

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

The opportunity to play music — in the studio or on the stage — is a gift I don’t take for granted. I never start a show or a session without stopping to pray that God would give me creativity and allow me to be an encouragement to the audience.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

I am nothing without my faith. Ultimately, I want others to see that in me, whether it’s through music or conversation.

What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?

As musicians, we are so influenced by what we take in from other players that it’s natural to try and emulate or imitate what they do rather than concentrating on our own strengths. I found myself stuck in that mindset when a friend said, “Focus on perfecting what you do well instead of trying to be someone else.” That piece of advice gave me freedom to be the musician God made me to be and not worry so much about pleasing others.

Photo Credit: Erick Anderson

LISTEN: Nick Fallon Weitzenfeld, “no.”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Nick Fallon Weitzenfeld
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Song: “no.”
Album: shuttered blind
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Label: Fallon Records

In Their Words: “This song might be considered the crazy uncle of the EP. It’s a nugget of simple poppy-silliness in the midst of much more serious pieces. ‘no.’ is about ghosting and all its relatives, both from the perspective of the ghoster and the ghostee. Whether it’s completely cutting contact with a romantic prospect, slowly falling out of communication with a friend, or just not responding to a potential plan, my generation is in the midst of a decency crisis when it comes to our online interactions. We might be too connected for our own good, unable to set boundaries and have challenging conversations with our peers. A song for the youth to chew on, perhaps 🙂 ” — Nick Fallon Weitzenfeld

 

 

Photo Credit: Joy Robbins

LISTEN: The Stubborn Lovers, “Cottonwood Run”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Stubborn Lovers
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Cottonwood Run”
Album: Come A Reckoning
Release Date: November 18, 2022

In Their Words: “The roots of this song lie in the memory of a place, a place I visited only once as a child, but that has haunted me ever since. It was my grandmother’s ancestral home, a former tobacco plantation in Alamance County, North Carolina, called Red Acres. At the time of my family’s visit, the house was occupied by my great-grandfather’s sister, Aunt Lala, who spun tales of the glories of the antebellum South. Meanwhile, the dilapidated remnants of former slave quarters still stood just outside. Aunt Lala’s stories were infused with the same ‘Southern pride’ as similar stories passed on by my grandmother and mother, a pride requiring a willful ignorance of the dark truths inherent in the history of the South, and indeed in the whole of American history.

“Aunt Lala’s most treasured possession was a drum that had belonged to her father, my great-great-grandfather. During the Civil War he’d run away from home to join the Confederate Army, but he was too young, too small even to hold a rifle. Instead they made him a drummer, keeping time at the front of a column of soldiers as they marched. It’s always been eerie to me to think of this drummer boy as part of my musical heritage — to think of the dirt of Red Acres, and metaphorically the blood of slaves, on those same hands that held that little drum.

Editor’s Note: Read more below the player.

The Stubborn Lovers · Cottonwood Run

“I always knew I needed to confront my family’s history as slave owners in a song, but it took a long time to get there. And even when I started, I wasn’t sure where to go once I’d set the tale in motion. It was Mandy [Allan, the band’s singer-guitarist] who gave me the answer: ‘Burn it all down.’ So I framed the narrative as a dream in which I return to Red Acres — renamed Cottonwood Run in the song — and do just that. I don’t feel like it frees me of the weight of the past, but it’s definitely a catharsis.

“A note on our guest artist: during the time I was writing this song, I was also listening to the podcast Dolly Parton’s America. One episode featured Rhiannon Giddens talking about the history of the banjo and its importance in the Black roots music community. I knew about the instrument’s African origins, but I was deeply moved by hearing Rhiannon speak about it. I decided that, when we recorded it, ‘Cottonwood Run’ should end with banjo, and that it should be played by a Black musician. We were so fortunate to be able to hire Jake Blount to play for us! Jake is deeply connected to the Black roots music community, and in his own career puts a modern spin on old-time music that I find really exciting. For our song, Jake played a darker-toned gut-string banjo with an odd tuning he learned from a Mississippi player named Lucius Smith.” — Jenny Taylor, The Stubborn Lovers

Photo Credit: Chelsea Donoho

LISTEN: Elle King, “Jersey Giant” (Tyler Childers Cover)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Elle King
Hometowns: Wellston and Columbus, Ohio
Single: “Jersey Giant” (written by Tyler Childers)
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Label: RCA Records

In Their Words: “Tyler Childers is not too far from where my family lives and he’s a legend. The life of a song is something so beautiful to me, and country music has taught me to see that the opportunity to sing a song written by someone else is nothing short of a gift, a blessing. When you hear a song and say ‘I wish I wrote that,’ you know it’s a good’n. I was humbled and so excited that Tyler gave his song to me. I tried to blend the two worlds of honoring traditional bluegrass and what country music is to me. Thank you, Tyler, for your music, and thank you for entrusting me with this gift. I’m so excited for everyone to hear it.” — Elle King

“I wrote ‘Jersey Giant’ over 10 years ago and only performed it for a short period of time. I was pleased with how it turned out structurally (it even has a bridge, which is rare for me), but I was over performing it pretty fast. I reckon that’s just how songs go sometimes. They can be like that coat you saw and had to have, only to get it home and think, ‘Why gah, I ain’t never gonna wear this thing.’ Or, one that you got from an ex which you would rather just toss out. But that’s not saying anything against the coat, it just doesn’t fit me anymore and hasn’t for some time. I’m super excited that Ms. King has dusted this old song off and given it a new life. I’m extremely grateful for her seeing the potential in this tune and wish her the best out there on the road. Break a leg Elle! And stay warm.” — Tyler Childers

Photo Credit: Corey Bost

LISTEN: Sarah Lee Langford & Will Stewart, “Staring at the Sun”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sarah Lee Langford & Will Stewart
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Song: “Staring at the Sun”
Album: Bad Luck and Love
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Label: Cornelius Chapel Records

In Their Words: “‘Staring at the Sun’ is one of those songs that began on the late-night, slow-tempo songwriting couch, and the band turned it into something fit for the public. With these lyrics, I’m telling everyone to remind me not to go down that same road again when I know damn well I’ll do it anyway. These songs make me look at my life over and over, as I work them out with the band, try them out on stage, and record take after take in the studio. Then perform them fully fledged, sometimes right in front of the people who inspired them. It’s like each time the experience loses some of its charge, as I embody how I got there in the first place. People tell me these songs are relatable, so they’re not selfishly just for me, which makes them worth writing.” — Sarah Lee Langford

Photo Credit: Lisa Cordes