Tag: Anna Tivel

WATCH: Anna Tivel, “Outsiders”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Anna Tivel
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Outsiders”
Album: Outsiders
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Outsiders’ sitting on the floor in front of the TV between fragments of the Apollo 11 documentary. The news was feeling especially dark, full of pain and distorted truths, and watching all that beautiful footage from the ‘69 moon landing hit me right in the gut. For just that one moment in a time of great upheaval, it seemed like everyone paused to look up in wonder at something incredible that humankind was able to achieve for the very first time. When I listened back to the way the song was recorded, all raw and live-to-tape in a circle of good friends, it made me feel weightless and free and I wanted to capture that emotion in video form. I found a cheap old trampoline on craigslist and sewed these ridiculous fluttery red pants with visions of slow-motion flying up high enough to look back from a great distance at the whole strugglesome and stunning thing. Music is so visceral and sensory to me, tastes and images and movement, but I’ve never had the camera know-how or means to bring that dreamworld into being.” — Anna Tivel

Photo Credit: Vincent Bancheri

The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 217

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, this weekly radio show and podcast has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on the digital pages of BGS. This week we have California country from Elijah Ocean and the Ben Reddell Band, acoustic folk goodness from Anna Tivel, a final farewell to our August Artist of the Month Amythyst Kiah, and much more.

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Amythyst Kiah – “Black Myself”

In our recent two-part interview with our August Artist of the Month, Amythyst Kiah, she spoke with us about faith, about mental health and singing vulnerable, open songs every night, and the intent behind lyrics and songs like “Black Myself.” Plus, she retells the series of events that helped her leave her “shut-up-and-sing” policy behind. Thank goodness for that.

Chris J. Norwood – “Good Guy With a Gun”

On “Good Guy With a Gun,” singer-songwriter Chris J Norwood examines the grief and loss of his father’s suicide while challenging the United States’ gun culture: “Truth be told, we as a country need to talk more openly about suicide. Especially as it relates to the gun debate…”

Ava Earl – “New Light”

One of the first love songs singer-songwriter Ava Earl ever wrote, “New Light” is also a little existential — it deals with the wonder and mystery of the universe as well as that of love.

Elijah Ocean – “Honky Tonk Hole”

As Elijah Ocean himself puts it: “‘Honky Tonk Hole’ is about a guy who has seen better days and whose big dreams have all gone up in smoke. Now he spends all his time drinking and playing country music in bars. Not entirely sure why he’s complaining about it, though. Seems kinda fun and not a bad life. It’s a high-energy shuffle about falling into a rut but also kind of loving it.”

Ben Reddell Band – “12 Bar Blues”

Musician and frontman Ben Reddell recently put together a Mixtape celebrating bands and artists who have played The Grand Ole Echo, a roots music concert series he books at LA’s Echo Park, or who rely on the creative and rehearsal space he manages, Bedrock LA. To quote: “We love our traditional country here in Echo Park, but we also like to let our freak flag fly with the hippie-dippie, pot-smoking types as well.” Check out the community-minded Mixtape here.

Kashena Sampson – “Hello Darkness”

Nashville-based Americana singer Kashena Sampson brings us a Shocking Blue cover that carries a feeling of yearning for someone you can’t be with.

Morningsiders – “This Could Be Good”

Morningsiders began writing their new album after the pandemic lockdowns began. They wanted “This Could Be Good” to be dance-y and delicate while being about aimless nights out with friends.

Anna Tivel – “Illinois”

Singer-songwriter Anna Tivel talked with us about her pre-show rituals (or lack thereof), drawing inspiration from literature and poetry, observing the natural and manmade world, and more in a recent 5+5.

Anya Hinkle – “Why Women Need Wine”

Asheville’s Anya Hinkle told us about the massive influence Gillian Welch had on her musically, combining the spirits of musicians who had influenced Hinkle early on — like Tony Rice, the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Sarah McLachlan and Madonna — into one tangible, modern, and original roots sound. Read more in this edition of 5+5.

Jay Nash – “Shine”

Jay Nash wrote “Shine” inspired by the new arrival of his daughter. It took him nearly ten years to return to the song idea: “Because, as all parents know, what followed those calm and quiet moments of parenthood was an all-out sprint… a crash course [of] becoming a parent.”

Dallas Burrow – “My Father’s Son”

On his new track, “My Father’s Son,” self-described troubadour Dallas Burrow tells the four-generation story of the men in his family line — and the influence they’ve had on their sons. It’s a tender, honest, autobiographical history.

Lonesome River Band – “Every Minute Means a Mile”

The Lonesome River Band pays tribute to the Easter Brothers on their upcoming album, Singing Up There: A Tribute to the Easter Brothers. And “Every Minute Means a Mile” is an uncomplicated Easter Brothers classic.

Adeline Stringband – “Hickory”

Adeline Stringband — a veritable old-time supergroup featuring Chris Coole, Mark Kilianski, John Showman, Adrian Gross, and Sam Allison — holed up in a cabin in the woods and recorded old time tunes for three days and three nights. Gross describes it as one of the most off-the-cuff and creative sessions he’s ever been a part of: “Seeing as it was -20º and there was a blizzard outside the whole time, there was nothing to do but pick tunes and roll the tape, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Jackson Melnick – “John the Revelator”

“Apocalypse isn’t to be confused with tragedy. Apocalypse is seeing something in truth, and the pain that might come from having the blinders pulled off.” Jackson Melnick brings us a bluegrass version of this classic blues song.

Photos: (L to R) Elijah Ocean by Wolfe & Von; Amythyst Kiah by Sandlin Gaither; Anna Tivel by Matt Kennelly

BGS 5+5: Anna Tivel

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Anna Tivel
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Latest Album: Blue World

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

Literature and poetry really get in my bloodstream and make me want to write, all those vivid words and ways of telling a thing. I get the itch to write the most from reading things that unravel like a song but are in much longer form. Right now I’m digging deep through the novels and short stories of Annie Proulx and finding so much inspiration. The way she spins a story, unadorned and brutally human, feels honest in this way I’m forever working toward with songs. Andre Dubus sparks a similar feeling, this gut-punch of everyday struggle told in a way that feels just like reality, but more stunningly laid out in bite-sized, brilliantly observed and relatable moments. I dream of writing songs that make people feel that way.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Music has always been the place I felt most at home in my mind, where I could just be, work things out and communicate in a slower, more intentional way. I first found that freedom playing violin as a kid, backing people up later, learning that kind of conversation without speaking that feels so powerful. I started writing songs when I was about 23 and it was a completely magnetic force of expression that I must have been really hurting for because it took hold of me immediately and forcefully. I don’t remember consciously thinking, “This is what I want to do with my life,” just couldn’t seem to think about anything else. I’m forever grateful to be able to move through the world this way. It constantly pushes me out of my box, allows me to bump up against the world, try to see it more clearly and with more curiosity all the time, try to reflect something true.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

Seems like touring is always shaping the way nature plays out in my writing. You’re on these long expansive drives through empty country, red canyon cliffs, vultures, sun bleached sagebrush, and heat waves on the blacktop that stretch out farther than you can see. And then two days later you’re in a dense forest, lush and wet and forty shades of green darkness. And then you’re suddenly in a giant metropolis. Watching it all change for hours and hours out the window feels like a recipe of sorts, like gathering all the images that hold an emotion to draw on later when a song is forming. I love to set a scene for the emotion of a story to play out in, and this constant observing of the natural (and man-made) world through car and plane windows seems to help tie human struggle and beauty to place and landscape in a way that feels necessary.

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

I want so badly to have pre-show and studio rituals, like vocal warmups or a three-piece show suit or something, anything. Mostly I let shows eat me alive in good and bad ways and I’m trying to work on being more intentional about that stuff. When I have time and space, I like to read something beautiful or listen to something that moves me before a show, sit somewhere all alone and take in some words and music that make me feel free and vast and inspired. It feels really good to get up on stage and get the chance to play my heart out after that. I’m going to do it more, just decided. OK I have a ritual starting now.

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

Write and write. And play songs for people. And try to be 90 years old someday and still loving these two things with wild abandon.

Photo credit: Matt Kennelly

LISTEN: Sway Wild, “Edge of My Seat” (with Anna Tivel)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sway Wild
Hometown: San Juan Islands, Washington
Song: “Edge of My Seat” (with special guest Anna Tivel on violin)
Album: Sway Wild
Release Date: February 12, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Edge of my Seat’ is a reflection on my personal struggles with anxiety. It’s one of those songs that kind of just wrote itself, and I didn’t know where it was going to lead me, or if I was leading it. I’ve been living with anxiety ever since I was young and recently started being more proactive in addressing it… part of that was looking for some hidden messages in my dreams, and really just reaching a new awareness of what is below the surface of my consciousness. I know I’m definitely not alone in 2021 in sharing about my own mental health challenges. We are all moving through this unprecedented time together and my hope is that this song can be a balm to others also experiencing a heightened sense of anxiety, that it can serve as a reminder that you’re not alone. We’re truly grateful to have Anna Tivel’s violin singing through the background on this tune; her playing on this one was as intuitive and emotive as always.” — Mandy Fer

Photo credit: Laura Anders

Best of: Live at Ear Trumpet Labs

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Since 2011 Portland, Oregon-based Ear Trumpet Labs has been blessing the music world with their finely crafted microphones, with their clean, natural sound and designs reminiscent of the styles of the 1930s and 40s. And for the past three years, they’ve been gifting us listeners with beautiful examples of their high quality equipment through their Workshop Sessions, pairing exquisite videography with master musicianship. We’re looking back at some of our favorites from 2019 as we move into the new year, when BGS + ETL will be partnering to bring you more content live at Ear Trumpet Labs!

Jerry Douglas & Tommy Emmanuel – “Choctaw Hayride”

We’re not alone in our love for this session: it was one of our BGS readers’ favorite stories of the year. But really how could it not be? It doesn’t get much better than two masters of their crafts getting together in a workshop and just letting it rip.

Both are using Edwina microphones, and there’s also a stereo pair of Delphinas as room mics.

The Local Honeys – “The Redhead Yodel no. 1 [Mainliner]”

In their unfortunately rare ode to the female traveller amidst a plethora of hobo songs in American folk music, the Local Honeys bring us what they call “a lovey-dovey, yodelly-wodelly one.” Is there anything better than a yodelly-wodelly love song from the perspective of a female hobo? No. Is there anything better than the Local Honeys? No.

Anthony D’Amato – “Party’s Over”

Anyone else still recovering from all those holiday parties?

Anna Tivel – “Minneapolis”

Once the holiday cheer has passed, this time of year can be heavy. Tivel tells BGS this song is about “that stagnant winter sadness that can take over everything until you have to physically move yourself to shake it loose.” This stirring string arrangement may envelop you in those depths of winter, but it just might give you the hope to get yourself un-stuck.

Rachel Sermanni – “Farewell, Farewell”

Scottish folk musician Sermanni’s gentle delivery and sparse accompaniment of this Richard Thompson tune draws out the influence of the British folk ballad even more than the original Fairport Convention release in the late ‘60s. We dare you to not be completely drawn in by this breathtaking rendition.

Jefferson Hamer – “Alameda”

Hamer’s 2018 release Alameda is a collection of “road stories,” its stunning title track a tale of a traveling worker and a lost love.

The Brother Brothers – “Angel Island”

Adam and David Moss’s arrangement of this devastating Peter Rowan-penned story of a Chinese immigrant couple separated and detained at San Francisco’s Angel Island, a regrettably common occurrence during the years of the immigration station’s operation from 1910-1940, is almost unbearably haunting, and for good reason. This is a story that we as a culture shouldn’t soon forget.

Claire Hitchins – Emma

Aside from the beautiful lyrics painting the picture of our leading lady, and the easy, light vocal delivery, the look of pure peace on Hitchins’ face might just be the cherry on top of this session. “We’ll rise with love, my love, I believe we are worthy.”

Greg Blake – “Say Won’t You Be Mine”

Greg Blake brings some bluegrass from Colorado to the Ear Trumpet Labs with this Stanley Brothers classic.

The Lasses & Kathryn Claire – “Here Now”

Amsterdam folk duo The Lasses team up with Portland singer-songwriter Kathryn Claire to create this captivating session featuring violin, guitar, bodhrán, and trio vocals that could warm any lonely heart this cold winter.

 

The String – AmericanaFest 2019 Part 2

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

This week, one last round of visits with great artists visiting Nashville to showcase during AmericanaFest 2019.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS

Craig’s guests include two songwriter artists from the United Kingdom who’ve made American music their own – veteran New Orleans piano man Jon Cleary and Northern Ireland’s soul-singing dynamo Foy Vance. Up first, an absolutely amazing songwriter from Portland, OR, Anna Tivel. Her album The Question is widely seen as one of the finest of the year.

Notes and full versions of these edited interviews can be found at WMOT.org.

The Show On The Road – Anna Tivel

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

This week, Anna Tivel – the Portland-based singing poetess who builds mountain ranges of rhymes with her colorful, impressionistic perspective of a world still shrouded in endless beauty and mystery.

LISTEN: APPLE MUSIC • MP3

Anna Tivel is one of those folk singers who is passed between friends and long-time listeners like a secret talisman; a tiny gemstone that you polish in your pocket when you need a reminder that the earth is vast and the smallest things you pass on the side of the road are beautiful if you look at them from the right view.

As soon as the needle hits the wax on her latest record The Question, Anna’s hushed, sharp-edged voice begins slicing angular verses that build and build until the words flow out in blinking mini movies that sear themselves on your eardrums and then are gone in a flash. It’s like she’s a sonic cinematographer waiting for the scene to be shot in our minds.

LISTEN: Erisy Watt, “Treasure Maps”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Erisy Watt
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Treasure Maps”
Album: Paints in the Sky
Release Date: July 26, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote this song when I was attending school in Santa Barbara, California. Moving there when I was 18 after growing up in Nashville, Tennessee felt like a dream and a lot of my earlier songs were inspired by that change. I’ve since happily put down new roots in Portland, Oregon, but every time I sing this song, a golden-state nostalgia settles in and carries me back to those seemingly simpler times. While this song may be lighthearted, it archives an important coming-of-age chapter of my life and serves to remind me to hang on to my youth and curiosity and not take things too seriously.

“I love the way this song comes to life with a full band. I feel very fortunate to have such great players on it — Anna Tivel on violin, Jeremy Ferrara on guitar, Hanna Haas singing harmonies, Matt Fabi on bass, and Michael Mitchell on drums. ‘Treasure Maps’ is the second track on my debut full-length album, Paints in the Sky. I’m really looking forward to the full album release show at the Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, July 25, where I’ll be accompanied by seven other musicians to bring these songs to life. I’ll be taking off on tour for much of August and September around the western US and then to Europe later in the fall. Many of those shows will be with a full band as well. You can find more details at my website.” — Erisy Watt

Photo credit: Bradley Cox

MIXTAPE: Emma Hill’s Playlist of People She Knows and Loves

Posted on by Editor

I make mixtapes every week. Usually they’re compiled of mostly new to me songs that I gather via playlists, soundtracks, sometimes even the good old fashioned radio. So when I was asked to make a playlist for Bluegrass Situation, my first instinct was to grab a bunch of songs that I’ve been digging lately — or just feature all the tracks from my new record Magnesium Dreams, out now (hint hint!).

But instead, I’ve thrown together a mix of songs by people I know and love. Songs that I come back to again and again. Some of them are dear friends, others we see each other from time to time out on the road, all of them write music that moves me and I think deserves the attention of the world. This mixtape would be VERY long if I included everyone on that list, but here are a few of my favorites. — Emma Hill

Jeffrey Martin – “Billy Burroughs”

This song won me from the first listen. I got chills within the first verse. Jeffrey Martin embodies what folk music can do for humanity. Storytelling in its finest form.

Courtney Marie Andrews – “Woman of Many Colors”

I heard her play this song at a house concert in Anchorage back in 2014 and I’ve played it on repeat more times than I can count. Her voice is beautiful and her lyrics are powerful.

Easton, Stagger, Phillips – “Stay”

This supergroup is made up of Tim Easton, Leeroy Stagger and Evan Phillips and while I love their songwriting individually, it’s hard to deny that the addition of the others elevate each song. This one by Tim Easton is a hauntingly accurate perspective of those left behind at home while their significant others are out touring. It gets me every time.

Michael Thomas Howard – “Lovers’ Lullaby”

I know this man as Howie, as we used to be housemates but you should know his artist name, as his music needs to be heard. This song sounds like a light-hearted love song, but dives deep into some of the harder to talk about aspects of partnership.

Anna Tivel – “Worthless”

It was incredibly difficult to choose just one song from Anna, but this single from her new album, The Question, is raw, real and beautiful. I don’t know anyone else personally that captures life’s details into song quite like she does.

Medium Build – “Downtown Theater”

This band is my favorite thing coming out of Alaska right now. This song is a slower ballad with lyrics that speak to the soul. This group can have you weeping one minute and then dancing and screaming the next. Lead vocals by Nick Carpenter are intoxicating.

Charlotte Cornfield – “Silver Civic”

I met Charlotte years ago in Toronto playing at NXNE festival. We shared the stage a few times but my favorite show of the whole festival was her rooftop show to about 30 of us. I’ve followed her since then and her newest album, The Shape of Your Name, is subtly perfect.

Evan Phillips – “Silhouettes”

Evan is a good friend of mine and I’ve had the honor of collaborating with him in the studio. This title track off his last studio album is a duet with Courtney Marie Andrews and is pure magic. My bandmate, Bryan Daste plays some lovely and ethereal pedal steel on this song. This is my kind of out-of-the-box folk music.

The Super Saturated Sugar Strings – “Long Road”

SSSS is an Alaskan staple. Their folk/gypsy/string quartet sound can sweep you to tears or onto the dance floor within the same song depending on your mood. These wonderful humans are dear friends and I always know my soul will be refueled after catching them live.

Matt Hopper – “Head to Feet”

It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t heard of Matt Hopper. In case I’m wrong, here is one of my all-time favorites from him. Maybe I’m sentimental because he’s been writing some of my favorite songs since I was 15, but I think he’s one of the best songwriters around.

Ezza Rose – “Baby, Come Down”

I met Ezza in Alaska and she blew me away. This petite woman opens her mouth and her soul falls out. This track from her latest record, No Means No, is dark, subtle and timeless.

The Whipsaws – “What Are the Chances”

The selfish part of me hopes that just by saying their name aloud, I may call to action a reuniting of this amazing Alaskan roots rock group. I got to sing this song with them when they opened up for Dr. Dog in Anchorage and it was a special moment. I love Dr. Dog, but I love this song more.

Photo of Emma Hill and Bryan Daste by Lauren Parker

WATCH: Anna Tivel, “Minneapolis”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Anna Tivel
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Minneapolis”
Album: The Question
Release Date: April 19, 2019
Label: Fluff & Gravy Records

In Their Words: “This is a song about that stuck feeling, that stagnant winter sadness that can take over everything until you have to physically move yourself to shake it loose. I started writing it after a long tour in the Midwest. I was thinking about how that feeling can seep into a relationship until it seems like the only sane thing to do is pack up and start over somewhere else.” — Anna Tivel

Photo credit: Matthew Kennelly