Tag: Brevard

WATCH: Keturah Allgood, “Rosary Beads”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Keturah Allgood
Hometown: Brevard, NC
Song: “Rosary Beads”
Album: Shine 
Release Date: May 29, 2023 (single); August 25, 2023 (album)
Label: Charlotte Avenue Entertainment

In Their Words: “This song was written in my cabin on my farm where I was living at the time. It was a snowy day and everything outside was beautiful and peaceful. I closed my eyes and this song unfolded like a movie. I could see a young man driving down a Southwestern highway with rosary beads hanging on his rearview mirror. He was grappling with his childhood memories which were beautiful and his current reality which was formed from trauma, from war, from pain. The movie in my head was beautiful and tragic all at the same time. My partner is a combat vet and as the person who loves him and is close to him I watch him struggle with his past and how to live a happy and fulfilled life while still being faced with the trauma of war. No matter where we come from all of us have darkness that we have to confront and deal with in order to heal and move forward. I don’t want anyone to ever feel alone with that struggle and that is why it was so important to add a message at the end of the video for this song to remind everyone that they are not alone and that there are resources out there if you find yourself struggling. You don’t have to be afraid to ask for help.” — Keturah Allgood

“As a Director, working on a song as beautiful as ‘Rosary Beads’ and an artist as gifted as Keturah, leaves you a wide open pallet to work with. Keturah and I discussed some issues that were near and dear to her when coming up with this powerful story and I couldn’t be more proud of this video and Keturah. The cast was amazing and our production crew and DP were all stellar.” – Michelle Robertson (producer, Charlotte Avenue Pictures)

Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

The Travis Book Happy Hour: Tim O’Brien

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast is the best of the interview and music from the live show recorded in Brevard, NC, and is brought to you by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation.

Tim O’Brien has always been one of my biggest influences. I love his voice, his playing, and his writing. His album Red On Blonde was his tribute to Bob Dylan and it scored him a Grammy nomination. As a member of the legendary bluegrass band Hot Rize, he spent the 80’s traveling and playing, honing his craft. His record Fiddler’s Green is one of my favorites. I was humbled when he agreed to join me for the happy hour and the show was a career highlight for me. I hope you enjoy it. Huge thanks to Tim O’Brien, Jan Fabricius, Tommy Maher, Thompson Guitars, Americana Vibes, and The Bluegrass Situation.

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Timestamps:

0:06 – Soundbyte
1:00 – Introduction
2:55 – “Rise Sun”
5:38 – “Monologue”
8:58 – “I’m Not Alone”
15:00 – Interview 1
31:42 – “Workin’ On A Building”
35:25 – “Untold Stories”
38:40 – “More Love”
44:07 – “Brother Wind”
48:38 – Interview 2
1:06:26 – “When You Pray Move Your Feet”
1:11:11 – “I’m Nervous”
1:14:30 – “I’m Not Afraid of Dying”
1:19:32 – Outro

The Travis Book Happy Hour Podcast is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.

Photo Credit: Scott Simontacchi

Carolina Calling, Asheville: A Retreat for the Creative Spirit

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

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Asheville, North Carolina’s history as a music center goes back to the 1920s and string-band troubadours like Lesley Riddle and Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and country-music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers. But there’s always been a lot more to this town than acoustic music and scenic mountain views. From the experimental Black Mountain College that drew a range of minds as diverse as German artist Josef Albers, composer John Cage, and Albert Einstein, Asheville was also the spiritual home for electronic-music pioneer Bob Moog, who invented the Moog synthesizer first popularized by experimental bands like Kraftwerk to giant disco hits like Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.”

It’s also a town where busking culture ensures that music flows from every street corner, and it’s the adopted hometown of many modern musicians in a multitude of genres, including Pokey LaFarge, who spent his early career busking in Asheville, and Moses Sumney, a musician who’s sonic palette is so broad, it’s all but unclassifiable.

In this premiere episode of Carolina Calling, we wonder and explore what elements of this place of creative retreat have drawn individualist artists for over a century? Perhaps it’s the fact that whatever your style, Asheville is a place that allows creativity to grow and thrive.

Subscribe to Carolina Calling on any and all podcast platforms to follow along as we journey across the Old North State, visiting towns like Shelby, Greensboro, Durham, Wilmington, and more.

Music featured in this episode:

Bascom Lamar Lunsford – “Dry Bones”

Jimmie Rodgers – “My Carolina Sunshine Girl”

Kraftwerk – “Autobahn”

Donna Summer – “I Feel Love”

Pokey LaFarge – “End Of My Rope”

Moses Sumney – “Virile”

Andrew Marlin – “Erie Fiddler (Carolina Calling Theme)”

Moses Sumney – “Me In 20 Years”

Steep Canyon Rangers – “Honey on My Tongue”

Béla Bartók – “Romanian Folk Dances”

New Order – “Blue Monday”

Quindar – “Twin-Pole Sunshade for Rusty Schweickart”

Pokey LaFarge – “Fine To Me”

Bobby Hicks Feat. Del McCoury – “We’re Steppin’ Out”

Squirrel Nut Zippers – “Put A Lid On It”

Jimmie Rodgers – “Daddy and Home”

Lesley Riddle – “John Henry”

Steep Canyon Rangers – “Graveyard Fields”

BGS is proud to produce Carolina Calling in partnership with Come Hear NC, a campaign from the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources designed to celebrate North Carolinians’ contribution to the canon of American music.

BGS 5+5: Carolina Blue

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Carolina Blue
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Latest album: Take Me Back (August 7, 2020)

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

I was in my senior year of high school. The bluegrass bug had bitten me a couple of years before and it was what I was listening to predominantly. The year was winding down and we didn’t have that much going on, class-wise, so a few of my classmates who played guitar were bringing their instruments to school almost daily and jamming whenever and wherever they could. I couldn’t play a lick at the time, but I loved it so much that I found myself wherever the music was being made. I decided then that I wanted a guitar and I wanted to learn to play it, so when graduation rolled around, I took all the monetary gifts I received and bought a Yamaha (with a neck like a 2×4!) and a chord book and the rest is history. — Bobby Powell

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

When we aren’t on the road, I spend 90 percent of every day outside. Farming has always been my other passion. The past couple of years, I’ve had to drastically scale back my operation because of the amount of time we’ve been on the road. I have a cow and calf operation, I put up my own feed as well as contract fields out for other folks, I grow a very large garden to eat fresh and can our vegetables for the winter, I raise farm fresh eggs, pork and chicken, and I spend every spare minute on the back of a horse. I have a lot of time in the quiet and stillness of nature, as well as to myself with the farm and animals. It allows me to appreciate the hard work of my forefathers and to appreciate what the land gives us. I live just the way my granddaddies before me did. It also inspires me to write music about those things that I love the most. It’s evident in my songwriting that I’m passionate about the land, our heritage, and knowing that every blessing is from God. I am Southern Appalachia. — Timmy Jones

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

My favorite memory from the stage had to be PreddyFest 2016, in Franklinton, North Carolina. We were singing one of our original songs, “Detroit City,” written by Tim. I’m looking out in the audience and could see people singing along. What a feeling, knowing that you’re teaching folks with your music. Knowing that they’re listening enough to know it by heart gives you such a feeling of accomplishment. It was incredible! — Bobby Powell

Which artist has influenced you the most… and how?

Anyone who has listened to my style for about five seconds can tell that I’m heavily influenced by Bill Monroe. Bill was the first real bluegrass that I ever heard. His high tenor voice and unique technique… I was completely enamored. Still am. I strive every time that I take my mandolin out of the case to honor what he started, but to include some of my own style in order to keep it fresh. It goes hand in hand that I would also be influenced by Mike Compton. Mike is a prodigy of Monroe. I was never fortunate enough to meet Bill in person, but I feel like Mike is without a doubt the next closest thing to Bill himself. He has been so kind to encourage my playing and to teach me on great levels! I feel like it would be a great injustice to not also mention Ronnie McCoury here. I appreciate these three mightily. — Timmy Jones

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

The toughest song I’ve ever written has got to be “Number 73987,” a co-write with Tim that’s on our forthcoming Billy Blue Records album. There have been tons of songs written and recorded about Bill Monroe (our hero) since his death in 1996. We wanted to honor him with this song and we wanted a totally different approach, something that had never been done before. I brought the idea to Tim about writing a song about Mr. Monroe’s famous mandolin, telling the story from the perspective of the instrument. Man, it was tough to write! We wrestled with it for a while, really wanting to do the song (and mandolin) justice, and finally got it finished. The recorded result is better than I could have ever hoped for. Tim really sang the fire out of it! I can’t wait for everyone to hear it! — Bobby Powell

Photo credit: Corey Johnson

BGS 5+5: Sarah Siskind

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sarah Siskind
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Latest album: Modern Appalachia

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I would say my biggest overall influence is The Story, which was an alt-folk duo out of Cambridge, Massachusetts in the ‘90s consisting of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball. My dad used to bring cassettes home from the library of albums he would read reviews about and pass along ones to me he thought I’d like.

At the time I was way into Indigo Girls and Tracy Chapman (about age 13 or so), so when he first gave me Grace in Gravity by The Story, it unnerved me a little. But, then I woke up one morning and had to listen to it on repeat or I thought I’d die! So I listened to it on repeat. For years. The songs on that album are ingrained in me now. Dissonant harmonies. Bold chord changes. Strong female perspectives.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

My favorite memory on-stage is when Bonnie Raitt asked me to sing “Angel From Montgomery” with her as a duet for the first time… and then after… she handed her guitar to me and said, “Play one of yours.” I’ll never forget that feeling. I felt like I was flying.

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

The most effective ritual for me is to straight up pray. I ask God for peace of mind and for blessings over every note that comes out of my mouth. For Him to guide the show and for me to be a vessel. I also do some floor stretches if I can. When I toured with Paul Brady, I had a mix on my phone I would listen to before every show and it was Snatum Kaur, Lauryn Hill, and Mahalia Jackson; I would do stretches as I sang along.

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

Water, definitely. The county where I live in North Carolina has the most waterfalls per capita in the country. However, I absolutely love rivers. When I’m really stuck, or having a rough day, I go to either the Davidson or French Broad River in Brevard, North Carolina, and trail run or just sit and pontificate. Watching the movement of water brings me back to center. The sound even more so. It reminds me how ultimately small we are in the big picture and that this vast earth was created through suffering way bigger than mine.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

I love this question. I’m a closet chef. If I could have dinner with any musician, I would have a big southern meal of pulled pork, greens, and pintos with Danny Barnes.

Photo credit: Brian Boskind

LISTEN: Carolina Blue, “Grown Cold”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Carolina Blue
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Song: “Grown Cold”
Album: Take Me Back
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “‘Grown Cold’ is the lead single from our forthcoming album, Take Me Back, on Billy Blue Records. I wrote the song specifically for Tim Jones to sing, and boy, does he deliver! What makes this song ideal, in my opinion, is that it’s different from anything that’s out there today, and that was intentional on my part as the songwriter. It really fits our motto of ‘Original yet Traditional.’ As a band, we want the listeners to be able to identify our music the moment that it comes on the radio, and I think we will be successful, not only with ‘Grown Cold,’ but with every track on the album. Hope you all enjoy it!” — Bobby Powell, Carolina Blue

Photo credit: Corey Johnson Studios