Artist:Arlo McKinley Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Song: “Walking Shoes” Album:Die Midwestern Release Date: August 14, 2020 Label: Oh Boy Records
In Their Words: “When the idea of writing ‘Walking Shoes’ came to mind it was originally about how hard it was for me to remove myself from a relationship that was obviously failing. It was me wanting to and knowing that I should walk away from the relationship but not wanting to hurt someone even more than I already have by leaving. As I continued to write the song it became more about starting everything over and realizing what I needed to let go of to do so. It’s about realizing that you can’t live a meaningful life and offer anything to anyone until you’ve walked alone long enough to figure yourself out. ‘Walking Shoes’ to me is about saying goodbye to what once seemed so necessary and taking a gamble by saying hello to the unknown in hopes it brings me happiness.” — Arlo McKinley
Artist:Jaime Wyatt Hometown: Fox Island/Gig Harbor, Washington Latest Album:Neon Cross Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): My family and close friends call me James
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
Gram Parsons is one of the most influential artists for my life and creativity. I identify deeply with Gram: He was a hippie who was obsessed with country as well as soul and his original music was a perfect blend of genres, incorporating vintage and modern influences. I try not to make a perfectly vintage sounding country song, as I feel like I’d rather listen to the classics than listen to a straight reproduction.
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
I toured with Wheeler Walker Jr. as support and during a set in Los Angeles, a man screamed, “Jaime, I wanna have your baby!”
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
For both pre-show and pre-recording sessions, I do yoga, meditate, go for a jog and do some mat exercises, vocal warm-ups and then crack a Coca-Cola and smoke a cigarette and pace until I hit the stage, or pick up a guitar and pace around with the guitar.
What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?
Many many times for many many songs. For me, following the melody is very important and it should lead the lyrics. I write mostly in my head then bring to an instrument, so a lot of songs come to me while I’m sleeping, driving, meditating or walking outside.
“Just a Woman” almost didn’t make the record, because I did not want to risk comprising the potential of that song. I felt I was representing women with that one, which might be a total lie, but I did not want to fail all of womankind, by making the lyrics cheesy. I finished the bridge right before we tracked the song with the band. I heard a major/minor Beatles thing when I woke up that morning and was blessed enough for that melody to return to me while I was outside pacing in the courtyard. Then I finished the second verse maybe one hour before the final recording session.
How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?
I’d say 50 to 60 percent of the time. I’ve done this to hide that I’m gay or that I don’t want anyone I know to know how I feel and I’ve done it to give a wider demographic of people the opportunity to connect to a song.
Artist:Charley Crockett Hometown: San Benito, Texas / Austin, Texas Song: “Welcome to Hard Times” Album:Welcome to Hard Times Release Date: July 31, 2020 (album) Label: Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “‘Welcome To Hard Times’ is about the viewpoint of society from an outcast’s perspective. The hobo who prefers to skirt by Sin City taking it in as he passes by its outskirts. Inevitably we are compelled to play the game. In America today everyone understands the casino and that when you’re in it you have to play by the house rules. I’m a nameless drifter at the end of the day. Forced to roll the dice and get that money, but the dollar doesn’t own me. I think anybody can relate to that hustle.” — Charley Crockett
Artist:Distant Cousins Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “Angelina” Album:Here & Now Release Date: June 5, 2020 (single); June 26, 2020 (album) Label: Jullian Records
In Their Words: “A few months back, B.C.E (Before Coronavirus Era), we rented out one of our favorite studios for the day and we recorded and filmed it all — nine songs in the day. The vibe in the room was really special. All day long, our musician friends kept coming and going to lend their special talent to our music. It’s hard to believe that that was just a few months ago. Now it all feels like a dream. Certain songs ask for a feeling of intimacy and ‘Angelina’ felt like it needed just that. We found a quiet moment somewhere towards the middle of the day while no one else was around and in the dimly lit room, the song almost played itself. We are very pleased with the result and love how our director, David Schlussel, captured that sense of intimacy that the song represents to us.” — Distant Cousins
While the late great Arthel “Doc” Watson released scores of albums over the course of his career, he only made the main Billboard charts once and peaked at a modest 193 (for his 1975 album, Memories). But Watson made a far bigger mark as a performer, often in some unusual settings — from the most prestigious concert stages down to humble living rooms.
Even though Watson wasn’t a huge record seller, few artists in the history of American music ever generated more transcendent moments. He remains revered as one of the best flatpick guitarists of all time, and MerleFest (the festival he founded in memory of his late son) stands as an essential acoustic-music event.
Here are some of Watson’s signature moments of performance, captured for the ages. (Listen to the playlist below.)
“Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” – The Three Pickers: Earl Scruggs/Doc Watson/Ricky Skaggs, 2003
We begin with a collaboration between Watson and his fellow North Carolina legend, master of the bluegrass banjo Earl Scruggs, with the old Flatt & Scruggs warhorse “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” — the closing track from the live album they recorded together in Winston-Salem in 2002. The picking is as hot as you’d expect, especially on this track where Ricky Skaggs urges a solo by calling out, “Try one, Doc!” He gets gone.
“Railroad Bill” – Legacy, 2002
Legacy was the Grammy-winning retrospective album Watson made with his longtime, late-period accompanist David Holt, with songs and stories going all the way back to his earliest days playing music. The package includes a live show recorded in Asheville, North Carolina in 2001, with one of his best-ever versions of the Etta Baker Piedmont blues classic “Railroad Bill.” Watson could indeed play about as fast as a runaway train, and this features some of his swiftest guitar runs ever captured.
“Corrina” – Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton, 2020
Watson’s newest release is this live recording of some of his earliest shows in New York City, 1962 in Greenwich Village, when he was one of the rising stars of the budding folk revival. Watson performs here with his father-in-law, the renowned old-time fiddler Gaither Carlton. But what’s really notable is that Watson is playing banjo in the old style rather than guitar. It turns out he was almost as formidable on five strings as six.
“Tennessee Stud” – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken, 1972
This Americana landmark captured a revolutionary moment, an intergenerational, country-rock summit with the Dirt Band on one side and the country/folk/bluegrass establishment on the other. And it wasn’t live onstage, but live in the studio, with the tape machine left running to record between-song conversations. That captured some of Watson’s priceless homespun pearls (“That’s a horse’s foot in the gravel, man, that ain’t a train!”), as well as what stands as his definitive recording of this stately, well-worn standard. “Tennessee Stud” made Watson a star all over again to yet another generation of roots-music enthusiasts.
“I Am a Pilgrim” – Doc Watson on Stage, featuring Merle Watson, 1971
Watson had many fine accompanists over the years, but none better than his son Merle, who was always on Doc’s wavelength. Ever modest, Doc always claimed that Merle was the better player. He was, of course, wrong about that, but Merle was a great picker in his own right. Recorded live at Cornell University, this is an excellent version of the old spiritual that also appeared on Circle. “I Am a Pilgrim” would remain an evolving onstage set piece for Doc over the years. After Merle’s tragic death in 1985, Doc would customize the lyrics in performance: “I’ve got a mother, a sister and a brother and a son, they done gone on to that other shore.”
“Blue Smoke” – Doc Watson at Gerdes Folk City, 2001
Another track drawn from one of Watson’s early-period excursions up to New York City, this was recorded during 1962-63 engagements at the legendary Gerdes Folk City nightclub. And this cover of the instrumental by Merle Travis (for whom Doc named his son) is aptly named. When he really got to cooking, Watson could play guitar so fast he just about left a vapor trail.
“Every Day Dirt” (from The Watson Family, 1963)
Ralph Rinzler, the musicologist who first discovered Doc in the early 1960s, recorded this album live at the Watson family homestead in North Carolina. It captures some of what life must have been like growing up singing and playing with Doc; son Merle, wife Rosa Lee and father-in-law Gaither Carlton are among the relatives present. “Every Day Dirt” shows off just how personable a vocalist Watson could be, although as always the real draw is the obligatory killer guitar-picking.
“The Cuckoo Bird” – The Watson Family, 1963
From that same recording, Doc plays guitar accompanied by his son Merle on banjo, covering the old Clarence “Tom” Ashley song that appeared on Harry Smith’s epochal Anthology of American Folk Music. Thanks to the familial radar that comes when blood relatives play together, the instrumental interplay is perfect. This is also a great example at Watson’s mastery of the art of call-and-response between his guitar and voice.
“What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?” – Bill Monroe and Doc Watson, Live Recordings 1963-1980: Off the Record Volume 2
Watson’s modesty was such that his natural inclination was to regard himself as a sideman — even though he was rarely if ever not the best picker and singer in the room. But he plays the role of foil perfectly here, vocally as well as instrumentally, to Monroe’s rippling mandolin and high lonesome tenor on this live version of the first song The Father of Bluegrass ever recorded.
Before he started playing guitar, Watson’s first childhood instrument was actually a harmonica, which he wore out so fast from playing it so much, his parents had to give him another one at Christmas. A new harmonica became a perennial favorite gift. This version of the venerable folk-music classic features Watson blowing a mean harmonica and his descending runs on guitar are also a thing of beauty.
We close with a bit of a wild card, in that it’s a performance by someone else. But it’s one in which the presence of Watson’s spirit looms large enough to be felt. “Your Lone Journey” is a song that Doc and Rosa Lee wrote, and it bids a poignant farewell to a loved one at the moment of death. It is performed here by Watson’s fellow North Carolinians Steep Canyon Rangers, recorded on the main Doc Watson Stage to close out the 2019 MerleFest.
Editor’s Note: David Menconi’s Step It Up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music, from Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk will be published in October by University of North Carolina Press.
In Their Words: “This song is our answer to a pandemic benching our 2020 tour. Band life went from having a decently balanced tour/fam scene to becoming full-time homeschool teacher/maid service/short order cook shut-ins who were financially shut down. We HAD TO do something constructive to stay positive, so we learned how to remotely write and record. One of us (Lauren) is a studio nerd and she produced the track. We had to get brave about releasing something on our own, because we’ve had some incredible producers in the past and we didn’t want the quality to dip for our listeners. It’s empowering to have that 100% control over the sound as an artist but if your fans hate it, it’s also 100% your fault.
“The sound of ‘These Games’ is definitely different for us, with a nod to some retro doo-wop harmonies and Southern rock ballads we grew up on. Bottom line, we love making music and the incredible people that support it. Since the normal way to play and record isn’t an option right now, we had to decide to embrace the rawness and release the music, bells and whistles be damned. Someday when that normalcy returns, we’ll be able to use fancy studios and producers again, but here’s what we can do now. We plan to release a new one every couple of months until we can tour again. That live music energy thing is real and sacred and necessary and we can’t wait to get back to it.” — The Krickets (Lauren Spring, Emily Stuckey Sellers, Rachel Grubb)
Artist:Teddy Thompson Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Latest album:Heartbreaker Please Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Ted, Abudharr
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, January 2016. It was for the great Celtic Connections Festival and it was just one of those magic gigs. I have a lot of family from there, and also Glasgow audiences are just the best. At once erudite and rowdy. Good times.
What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?
Movies. I’m a film buff. I subscribe to The Criterion Channel and that has made my lockdown a lot easier! I like to be immersed in another world and a good movie gives me that feeling. Really I think I’m an escapist, but escaping into someone else’s world can make you see your own differently. Songwriters are always looking for an angle.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
Playing at the school talent show, known as JFP, at Bedales when I was 14. As a somewhat awkward kid, lacking in self-confidence, it was a powerful feeling to be applauded on stage. After that, girls looked at me differently.
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
I like to smoke a cigarette right before I go on. Can’t be good for the throat, but there you go. I used to like to get shitfaced after the show, but now I don’t do that. I’ve aged out of the post-show party scene.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
Artist:Michael McDermott Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Song: “Until I Found You” Album:What in the World Release Date: June 5, 2020 Label: Pauper Sky Records
In Their Words: “I have always been cautious about writing flat-out love songs. I’ve never written one without some type of conflict, criminality, nefarious undertones, or felonious elements. Rare is the song that is void of conflict, self-doubt, or questioning. I wanted to write a song about my wife. About the kind of love that can save you from yourself. In the process of writing it, I kept waiting for the conflict to arise, I could have steered it that way, but I followed the song instead of trying to control it, I let it happen. I wanted to celebrate her and what she has done for me, and how without her, I never would have known me.” — Michael McDermott
Sarah Jarosz heeded the advice to look outward, rather than inward, as she began to write for her fifth album, World on the Ground. Those words of wisdom came from producer John Leventhal, who told Jarosz in the studio that they would first record demos for her original songs — and, as Jarosz later realized, those no-pressure recordings often ended up on the final project.
“Because of that, I think there’s a magic that comes through in the songs,” she says. “Instead of judging myself or getting in my head too much, we were just creating true music in the moment.”
World on the Ground marks Jarosz’s full transition from a promising newcomer from Wimberly, Texas, to a cornerstone of the acoustic music community. A gifted guitarist and songwriter, Jarosz won two Grammys for her prior album, 2016’s Undercurrent, and a third for the song “Call My Name,” which she recorded as a member of I’m With Her. Now living in New York City, Jarosz still draws on her hometown experiences on songs like “Orange and Blue,” which she performed on a recent episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour (watch above).
“As I was writing this record, it was the deepest I’d ever gone in terms of getting down to the very specific details in the way I told each story,” she says. “The details are what make people feel something and connect the story to their own lives, and that’s really all I want for my music.”
Read our two-part Artist of the Month interview here: Part One.Part Two. And while you’re at it, enjoy our Essentials playlist, too.
Artist:John Baumann Hometown: Austin, Texas Song: “Second Wind” Album:Country Shade Release Date: June 5, 2020 Label: The Next Waltz
In Their Words: “When I think of myself from ten years ago, I recall a much more naive and unaware version. Blindly ambitious, I was willing to chase a carrot as far as needed, to feel validated as an artist and writer. It was before I had taken a few licks and gotten knocked down. It was before my expectations had been tempered, before my sight had been adjusted to reality. The highs and lows, the ebbs and flows. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I could only bottle that feeling of invincibility, and take a dose of it every day for the rest of my life. It really speaks to the power of youth and the strength that people have when they are motivated. This song is about questioning your motives, where you have gone right and wrong, remembering who you can lean on, and ultimately finding how to harness that long lost feeling of unbridled motivation to push forward and find that validation.” — John Baumann
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