Tag: Americana

Bright Sunshine and Intense Badassery: Lilly Hiatt’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Style

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

This shoot happened just a few days after venues began closing and tours were being cancelled due to the coronavirus. Lilly Hiatt and I decided to continue, holing up in an empty venue called Drkmttr Collective here in Nashville by ourselves for a few hours. (You can support Drkmttr’s GoFundMe to help keep them afloat, if you feel inclined.)

Lilly is a mixture of bright sunshine and intense badassery; her good nature and spirit was a welcomed respite from the scary unknown so many of us artists were heading into then, and of course are still navigating. I thought Drkmttr Collective would be a great spot for her — a little quirky, a lotta rock ‘n’ roll. The three outfits she sported fit easily into the feel of the place.

As it stands, this was my last shoot before so much was canceled and shut down, but we no doubt ended on a high note. Until next time! Stay safe and well out there, y’all. — Laura Partain

Pictured above, Lilly wears a Low Cut Connie tee and Blank NYC leather jacket.

Lilly wears a glitter mock turtleneck top from H&M, Top Shop jeans, and Frye boots.

Strap and buckle detail of Lilly’s Frye boots.

Lilly wearing a red Petites by Willi top from Anaconda Vintage in Nashville, necklace by Madewell, and Top Shop jeans.

Necklace by Madewell, Frito Pie ring by Snash Jewelry, black stone ring by Pale Silver, and red Petites by Willi top.

The top by Petites by Willi, necklace by Madewell, Frye boots, and Top Shop jeans look is completed with a Rickenbacker and an earplug dispenser at Drkmttr Collective in Nashville.

All photos by Laura Partain

BGS 5+5: LULLANAS

Posted on by Editor

Artist: LULLANAS (twin sisters Atisha and Nishita Lulla)
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Latest album: Before Everything Got Real EP

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

It’s really hard for us to pick just one… honestly our music catalogue really started developing when we noticed the music in the background of tv/film/commercials. Once we saw how instrumental (pun intended) songs were to telling the story… that’s what really took our breathe away. Some artists who inspire us through that realm are Ingrid Michaelson, Peter Bradley Adams, and Gregory Alan Isakov.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

We drove down to Nashville for a week and got a chance to play at the Bluebird. It was a moment we built up in our heads for a while and it did not let us down. We only played a few songs, but as soon as Nishita strummed the first chord to our song “Melody” on her guitar… the room went silent. It was the kind of intensity every artist craves. We could tell that the audience was taking in every feeling, every lyric, every note and any intimate artist to listener moment like that is a favorite stage moment for us.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

When we aren’t creating music, we are in the kitchen baking up a storm. For us, baking is all about the process and attention to detail. The same goes for our music. One of our favorite things to do is create custom cookie designs inspired by artists who we look up to. We use baking as another outlet of artistic release. What we can’t write/sing about, we can bake about.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

We had the chorus scribbled on a page for one of our songs off our latest EP. It was just a chorus for about seven months. No matter how bad we wanted to finish it… we just couldn’t. Eventually, taking a step back from it was what helped us complete it. It was one of the toughest times, but also one of the most rewarding.

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

To create music that helps people feel something in a world that can be a little numbing at times.

Photo credit: Lenne Chai

LISTEN: Glenn Thomas, “Give a Damn”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Glenn Thomas
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee by way of New England
Song: “Give a Damn”
Album: Reassure Me There’s a Window
Release Date: May 15, 2020 (album); May 1, 2020 (single)
Label: Palace Flophouse Records

In Their Words: “I wrote this song in the beginning stages of a new relationship I was in. I really cared about the person and wanted it to work, but still carried the ghosts of past relationships and dating woes. I felt like I didn’t really have anything new to bring to the table, but ultimately what mattered was I cared and was going to do what it took to make it work. Ultimately, the past is exactly that — the past. I remember sitting on a friend’s speedboat a couple of summers ago getting bounced around by the waves, and the fast up and down movement put this melody into my head. I had the lyrics in my phone notes and sang it into a voice memo right there on the boat. Stranger things have happened!” — Glenn Thomas

Photo credit: Chelsea Mandes

LISTEN: G.F. Patrick, “Tennessee”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: G.F. Patrick
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Song: “Tennessee”
Album: One Town Over
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: Need To Know Music

In Their Words: “As a musician, Tennessee is one of those places to which all roads seem to lead. Still, to find happiness, we sometimes pump the brakes and pull over before reaching our planned destination. This song examines the tropes of love beyond sense and the draw of bright lights in far-off places. Instead of ending in the fantastic dreaming where these stories most often stop, the song continues to the undreamt of conclusion. While the love is real, the belief that it would overcome all obstacles is thwarted and the deeper realities of love are revealed in the settling.” — G.F. Patrick

Photo credit: Gina Fitzpatrick

WATCH: The Harmed Brothers, “All the Same”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Harmed Brothers
Hometown: Ludlow, Kentucky via Portland, Oregon
Song: “All the Same”
Album: Across the Waves
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records

In Their Words: : “‘All the Same’ is a traveling song. It’s about life from inside the tour van. It’s about chasing a dream, even when you lose sight of it from being strung out on the road and missing home. It’s about our daily lives as an American touring band. Something I’m sure a lot of musicians can relate to.” — Ray Vietti, The Harmed Brothers

“The Ludlow-Bromley Swim Club in Ludlow, Kentucky is a cherished and beloved summer hangout spot, a classic American neighborhood pool — and our good friend and neighbor Matt ‘Catfish’ Williams presented us with the idea of shooting a video there. With his help, along with the pool owner and our fantastic community, we got to do something really fun and special. When initially presented with this opportunity, we felt ‘All the Same’ has this undeniably beachy, summertime vibe that perfectly fit that idea.” — Alex Salcido, The Harmed Brothers

Photo credit: Michael Wilson

BGS Podcast Roundup // April 24

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Another week, another podcast roundup. From bluegrass, to dreamy jazz classics, to Montreal cuisine, we’ve got options.

Make sure to follow along on our social media [Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram] and right here, where we’ll consistently gather our new releases, as well as some past favorites:

Toy Heart – Béla Fleck

On the latest episode of Toy Heart, Béla Fleck talks to host Tom Power from his home studio and for the first time, he tells his story in bluegrass.

Fleck started out in New York hearing Earl Scruggs for the first time, learning from Tony Trischka, and then making the decision to go (new) south to learn from J.D. Crowe. He auditioned for Bill Monroe, but eventually found ‘his people’ and joined New Grass Revival. He tells of mistakes the band made along the way, the hard decision to leave that band and start the Flecktones, recording with his hero Earl Scruggs, and how he found his way back to bluegrass after all.

He also unveils the one change he thinks anyone can make to their practicing to become a better musician.

The Show On the Road – Kat Edmonson

Initially turning heads for her dreamy and futuristic interpretations of great songbook classics like Gershwin’s “Summertime,” which have been listened to over ten million times and counting, Kat Edmonson broke through with playful original works a decade ago, self-producing one of Show on the Road host Z. Lupetin’s all-time favorite records, Take to the Sky. She quickly found powerful fans in folks like Lyle Lovett, who she toured with wildly. Major label releases followed. Edmonson soon migrated from her home state of Texas to Brooklyn, with her elfin chanteuse look and sparkling vintage sound (think Blossom Dearie with some Texan muscle).

Z. and Edmonson sat down to discuss her newest record, Dreamers Do, which may just be the shot of pure cinematic nostalgia we all need right now. Does she cover Mary Poppins, Alice In Wonderland, and Pinocchio and somehow make them deeply cool, sonically subversive, and somehow brand new again? She sure does.

The String – Jessi Alexander and Jill Andrews

This Spring, many of the outstanding women of roots music have released new albums, and this past week on The String, Craig Havighurst caught up with two of them.

Jessi Alexander, native of Jackson TN, moved to Nashville at 18 and landed songwriting and record deals. She’s a hitmaker behind the scenes who rarely surfaces with her own heartfelt country music, but she sure does so on Decatur County Red, anchored in stories of her Tennessee coming-of-age.

Jill Andrews is more urbane and silky in her sound, but the personal journey she shares on her album and book Thirties is full of challenges and the clarity that comes with time and triumph.

The Shift List – Chef John Winter Russell (Restaurant Candide) – Montreal

On the latest from The Shift List, a two-part conversation with John Winter Russell, chef and founder of Restaurant Candide in Montreal. While host Chris Jacobs caught up with Russell via phone post-COVID-19 restrictions in Part 1, Part 2 was recorded a few months back, before the world was thrown into chaos, and it serves as a reminder of how integral chefs and independent business owners are in shaping the culture of our cities.

Restaurant Candide is named after 18th century writer/philosopher Voltaire’s book of the same name, inspired particularly by the last line of the book: “Let us cultivate our garden.”

This line is the guiding force to Russell’s food, as he works closely with producers local to Montreal and creates four-course meals inspired by those ingredients, crafting dishes that are produce forward, but not exclusively vegetarian.

The experience of eating at Restaurant Candide is unique and only something that can be experienced in Montreal. From the restaurant’s location, set in an old gothic church basement, to the warm interior that utilizes refurbished pews, and exposed brick along the walls that look into the kitchen. The restaurant is a defining part of the fabric of Montreal’s restaurant scene, not only in 2020, but overall.

Thankfully, Russell feels that he and his staff will weather COVID-19 and should be able to resume business at the restaurant once restrictions are lifted, and in the meantime he’s given back to restaurant workers affected by job losses in Canada by offering beer deliveries every Friday. If you live in Montreal and are craving some craft beer delivered to your house, send an email at [email protected]. All proceeds will go to the Montreal Restaurant Workers Crisis Relief Fund.

 

BGS Long Reads of the Week // April 24

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

We’ve so enjoyed looking back into the BGS archives with you every week for some of our favorite reporting, videos, interviews, and more. If you haven’t yet, follow our #longreadoftheday series on social media [on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram] and as always, we’ll put all of our picks together right here at the end of each week.

Our long reads this week examine entire careers, dive into different versions of new classic songs, revisit a lost hero, and more.

Glen Hansard: A Career in 12 Songs

We spend a lot of time at BGS immersing ourselves in the music, sounds, and careers of our favorite artists — what can we say, we love a deep dive! For this aural long read choice (if such a thing exists?) we unpack twelve of Glen Hansard’s essential songs from myriad points in his globe-crossing career, from rock bands and movie soundtracks and confessional songwriting and more. [Read the entire list, and listen, too]

Rose Cousins Shares Her Truth More Freely With Bravado

In a strangely prescient interview from late February, Canadian singer/songwriter Rose Cousins offers some insight and wisdom for being alone — the difference between loneliness and solitude, for instance — and for being present in each moment, as well. Their themes she’s explored in-depth in her music-making across the years, but in some newfound ways on her most recent album, Bravado. [Read our interview]

Glen Campbell’s Final Coda: An Interview with Carl Jackson

April 22 marked what would have been Glen Campbell’s 84th birthday. The rhinestone cowboy passed away a short couple of months after releasing his final album, Adiós, in 2017. Campbell’s long-time friend, collaborator, and bandmate Carl Jackson produced the project, and helped coax Campbell through the recording process as Alzheimer’s disease made his singing, playing, and performing increasingly difficult. To honor his birthday, we revisited our conversation with Carl Jackson. [Read] 

Steve Wariner’s Signature Hit? That’s Tricky

One of Nashville’s good guys, Steve Wariner was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame last year, recognized for his versatility as a lead guitarist, as a sideman, and a singer/songwriter, too. Over more than four decades the Grand Ole Opry member has had numerous charting singles, so we wanted to explore that catalog and ask Wariner himself: “Do you think you have a signature hit?” [Read the interview]

My Love Will Not Change: Four Versions of a Modern Classic

After Americana singer/songwriter Aubrie Sellers gave a flawless, stripped-down performance of this song on our first episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour this week we’ve been returning to it over and over! Written by Shawn Camp and Billy Burnette, Del McCoury and Steve Earle have both been involved in recordings of this modern classic over the years. [Check out four different versions]

 

WATCH: Harrow Fair, “Seat at the Table”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Harrow Fair
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Song: “Seat at the Table”
Album: Sins We Made
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Label: Roaring Girl Records

In Their Words: “Before we started our songwriting process for our new album, we had some really long discussions of what we wanted this record to say. We felt that, as artists, we had a responsibility to comment on the world we live in and the world we want to create. ‘Seat at the Table’ became almost a thesis statement for us. We had no way of knowing that this message would become not only more relevant, but also more imperative today than ever before.” — Miranda Mulholland and Andrew Penner, Harrow Fair

Photo credit: Jen Squires

STAY ON YOUR ASS: BGS is Open so Your State Doesn’t Have to Be

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

At this point, you know the routine. We say something like, “LOL, remember when we used to get off our asses?” Then we pause. Then we say, “NOT ANYMORE!”

Stay on your ass, okay? We’ve got plenty of musical time-fillers for you while you do, including the debut episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, a livestream show from our friends at Music City Roots coming out of a long hibernation, and much more.

Did we miss something that’s helping you stay on your ass this week? (We probably did.) Let us know in the comments and on social media!

Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, Episode 1

After technical difficulties gave us a somewhat rocky start last night, Whiskey Sour Happy Hour’s debut episode was a smashing success! A surprise appearance from comedian Jenny Slate, Ed sang three-part harmony with himself on “Ocean of Diamonds,” Watkins Family Hour played through a window pane — if you missed it, you missed a joyous hour and fifteen minutes of quarantine bliss.

Good news. You can watch the entire thing on YouTube! So no cryin’ over spilt whiskey sour, get watchin’ — and get DONATING at this link.

Free Dirt Records Revue, April 25

Ardent BGS fans will recognize many of the artists on Free Dirt Records’ Revue lineup, given almost all of them have found themselves within the wordpress “pages” of the Bluegrass Situation over the years. Tune in on Free Dirt’s Facebook page on April 25, 2-7pm EDT for some of the best of folk, bluegrass, Americana, string band, country, and beyond. Your donations will directly support the out-of-work creators on the lineup.

And, you can read along on BGS while you watch! We’ve got articles and content on Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves; JP Harris; Rachel Baiman; Jake Blount; Western Centuries; Che Apalache; and plenty more, too.

Marcus Mumford: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Tonight Show: At Home Edition)

It has been truly remarkable to see the efforts of artists all around the world during this unusual time in history. Marcus Mumford was recently featured on Jimmy Fallon’s adapted Tonight Show: At Home, singing a masterpiece from a legendary songbook. Paying homage to two of the greatest composers to ever write for theater and film, Mumford performs a softened rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a selection that he recently recorded for television.

In classic Mumford fashion, the performance grows from a delicate melody into an earnest decree, offering hope and comfort. Jimmy Fallon and co. are hosting a slew of performances such as this on the Tonight Show, which has been continuing with a new, socially distant M.O. With all this time to Stay On Your Ass, it’s nice to see regularly programmed content is taking strides to not only keep us entertained, but to do so in a socially responsible manner.

The Milk Carton Kids’ Sad Songs Comedy Hour

Joey and Kenneth of the Milk Carton Kids take their dry, wry, sly style of music and wit to the internet with their formerly brick-and-mortared show, Sad Songs Comedy Hour. Episodes have featured, yes, Sarah Jarosz, as well as Mythbusters’ Adam Savage, Sara Bareilles, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and others.

Each episode will champion a different charity, chosen by each week’s guest artist. Watch them all and give at sadsongscomedyhour.com.

Music City Roots Live from Quarantine, April 23

If you’ve been missing Music City Roots as much as we have, here’s a true silver lining from this COVID-19 crisis: MCR is back! Their online version of the popular Nashville radio show and weekly gathering — which had been on hold for months as they searched for their new soon-to-be home at Madison Station — will debut tonight, April 23, on YouTube, right here. Also raising money for MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund, the bill features some folk, country, and bluegrass clout.

We have read along links for MCR, too! Sam Bush; Jim Lauderdale; Sierra Hull & Justin Moses; John Oates; and Lillie Mae, too.

Justin Hiltner and Jonny Therrien contributed to this article.

LISTEN: Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove, “Since You Said Goodbye”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Song: “Since You Said Goodbye”
Album: Heaven Forever
Release Date: April 24, 2020
Label: Little Village Foundation

In Their Words: “I’ve been performing JJ Cale songs beginning with his very first album. When [producer] Walt Richmond suggested ‘Since You Said Goodbye’ as a cover, I was in with both feet. We were extremely pleased with the outcome. We were especially happy with the performances of Steve Hickerson on guitar and Steve Bagsby on steel guitar. I hope Cale would have approved.” — Casey Van Beek

Photo credit: Susan Webb