Tag: fiddle

3×3: Jenny Scheinman on Fiddle Teachers, Wood Brothers, and Overwhelming Kindness

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jenny Scheinman
Hometown: I grew up in Petrolia, California
Latest Album: Here on Earth
Personal Nicknames: Mama

If you could safely have any animal in the world as a pet, which would you choose?

I rode a horse to school through the end of high school, rain or shine. They are like family.

Do your socks always match? 
I must confess … more often than they used to.

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose? 
Overwhelming kindness that spreads quickly like a massive plague across the globe and infects everyone everywhere forever!

What’s your go-to road food?

We call it the “emergency sandwich” — non-goopy snack made from random ingredients available at hotel lobby free continental breakfasts, stuffed into a napkin, and shoved in one’s pocket for later.

Who was the best teacher you ever had — and why? 
Gerald Beal. He was a pathological liar and a crook, but he knew the fiddle and had a huge heart.

What’s your favorite city? 
Ooh … New York has been my main hometown. New Orleans? Mexico City? Juno?

 

Salmon berry?

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Boots or sneakers? 

Rainbow Michael Jordans

Which brothers do you prefer — Avett, Wood, Stanley, Comatose, or Louvin?

Wood

Head or heart?

Love trumps hate. Education corrects bigotry.

3×3: Pert Near Sandstone on Northern Lights, Flaming Lips, and Flooding Rinks

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Artist: Pert Near Sandstone — Nate Sipe (mandolin, fiddle), Justin Bruhn (bass), Kevin Kniebel (banjo/lead vocals)
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Latest Album: Discovery of Honey
Personal Nicknames: 
Nate: Sonny, Truck Stop 
Justin: DJ RageMouse 
Kevin: Kevin "good vibes only" Kniebel, K-scribble, or Kibbles

If you had to live the life of a character in a song, which song would you choose?

Nate: I guess I tend to relate more to the songwriter than the character in the song. But if I could choose a character, it would be based on my current mood. I would right now relate most to the character in Dave Bromberg’s “I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning.” That has an attitude toward life I can get down with. It is the first song in that I recognized fingerstyle guitar, but also the first song I recall singing with my father while driving down a northern Minnesota country road, who turned to me afterward and said, “Don’t let your mother know you sang that.” Music captured me with its rebelliousness ever after, especially with American blues and folk music. However, I never lost the Lutheran conservativeness.

Justin: Quinn the Eskimo. Everybody gonna jump for joy. 

Kevin: Yoshimi from the Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"

Where would you most like to live or visit that you haven't yet?

Nate: I would like to visit Japan

Justin: I'd love to visit/live in Alaska or northern Canada for a while. I just watched a bunch of grizzly bear film footage and the scenery was amazing. I always want to see natural beauty and wildlife when I can. It's one of my favorite things about going on the road.

Kevin: Hawaii, Italy, and Outer Space

What was the last thing that made you really mad?

Nate: Donald Trump. I despise that guy.

Justin: Kevin not helping load in.

Kevin: Eavesdropping on a couple people talking about politics after a recent show. It is so hard to get good clear information these days, and misguided passion and misinformation often suffices for compelling logic.

 

Caught a deer tonight. Good job Vanderson! #pertneartour #iowa #VandersonCooper

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What's the best concert you've ever attended?

Nate: Leo Kottke’s Thanksgiving show in ‘97. I went by myself because I didn’t know anyone else who was familiar enough to spend lunch money on the ticket. I told everyone about it for the next month or more. 

Justin: Tough question. Sooo many to choose from … Neil Young with Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders opening up in Milwaukee on Neil's Silver and Gold Tour.

Kevin: Buddy Guy headlining the Winnipeg Folk Festival during the most expansive and intense display of Northern Lights I've ever seen. I feel like I never need to see the Northern Lights again after that, but I'd love to see Buddy Guy again.

What's your go-to karaoke tune?

Nate: The Gilligan’s Island theme song

Justin: Carly Simon's "Nobody Does it Better"

Kevin:  "Yellow Submarine"

What are you reading right now?

Nate: Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks by Andrea Lankford

Justin: Vonnegut and a Bill Monroe Biography

Kevin: Moby Dick and Love Warrior

 

Nate is excited to be back at @firstavenue tonight! with @yondermountain! @themcouleeboys kicking it off at 8pm.

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Whiskey, water, or wine?

Nate: Somewhere between whiskey and water. Usually beer — a Czech-style pilsner or IPA.

Justin: Whiskey

Kevin: Scotch Whiskey

North or South?

Nate: The compass points North. The Great North. Northern Star. North by not-north. Northern else matters.

Justin: North! Flood the rinks …

Kevin: The far North

Facebook or Twitter?

Nate: Facebook is a better way to promote shows, but also more easy to interact with family and fans all in one swift motion. I also like Instagram for the visual rabbit hole of hash tags to get lost in. I’ve discovered and explored things in my own backyard with that device, including some amazing music, art, and hiking trails. 

Justin: Not on the Twitter, so I guess Facebook.

Kevin: Facebook and Instagram

STREAM: Michael Cleveland, ‘Fiddler’s Dream’

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Artist: Michael Cleveland
Hometown: Henryville, IN
Album: Fiddler’s Dream
Release Date: October 7
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: "Fiddler's Dream couldn't be a more appropriate title for this album. I got to record material that I've wanted to do for a long time and I got to collaborate with friends and heroes that I've always wanted to record with. I have been writing a lot more in the past few years, so there are six original instrumentals here — three of which are mandolin tunes. Mandolin is an instrument I've always enjoyed playing, but I don't play it publicly much, so it was a real blast to get to record some mando tunes this time around. It's truly an all-star cast of musicians including Jeff White, Sam Bush, Barry Bales, Jason Carter, Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Andy Statman, Jeff Guernsey, Lloyd Douglas, and Paul Franklin. You may not have heard as much about Jeff Guernsey or Lloyd Douglas, but I guarantee you will be blown away by their great playing throughout.” — Michael Cleveland

ROOT 66: NewTown’s Roadside Favorites

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Touring artists spend so much of their time on the road that they, inevitably, find all the best places to eat, drink, shop, and relax. Want to know where to find the best burger, beer, boots, or bunks? Ask a musician. Better yet, let us ask them for you.

Name: NewTown
Hometown: Lexington, KY
Latest Project: Harlan Road

Record Store: Grimey's New and Pre-Loved Music in Nashville, TN

Driving Album: Alison Krauss and Union Station, So Long So Wrong …  because it is so "driving."

Gear Shop: Carter Vintage in Nashville, TN. It's like looking in a museum of hand-crafted instruments and boutique gear.

Music Festival: ROMP … One of the best lineups ever!!!

Backstage Hang: The Musicians Against Childhood Cancer Festival … Awesome food and drinks

Venue: Willie's Locally Known in Lexington KY. They have incredible barbeque and an amazing stage and atmosphere.

Day Off Activity: Wandering, sleeping, eating. We love to wander around new places and find new places to eat.

Coffee House:  Bongo Java in Nashville, TN … best cup of espresso in Nashville!

Highway Stretch: Interstate 40 East past the gorge in Asheville, NC. It is beautiful scenery.

Dive Bar: Dick's Den in Columbus, OH … Really good Tuesday night bluegrass jam session. 

Airport: Denver, CO … conspiracy theories……….

Tour Hobby: “Guess the Musician” … Listen to four seconds of a solo and try to figure out who is playing it.

Photo Credit: NewTown Photography

LIVE AT LUCKY BARN: The Quebe Sisters, ‘Every Which-a-Way’

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We've teamed up with the good people at Pickathon to present a season's worth of archival — and incredible — videos from the Pacific Northwest festival's Lucky Barn Series. Tune in every fourth Tuesday of the month to catch a new clip.

The fourth episode from the Spring season of the Lucky Barn Series showcases the Quebe Sisters. Fiddle trios have a long history in roots music — one these sisters are daring to revisit while putting their three-part, sibling-sweet harmonies on top, to boot. But long before sharing stages with legends like George Strait, Willie Nelson, Marty Stuart, Merle Haggard, and Connie Price, the Quebe Sisters — Hulda, Sophia, and Grace  — got inspired by kids their age at a fiddle competition and started fiddling at the relatively young ages of 7, 10, and 12. Some 18 years later, it's safe to say they have a knack for it.

Pickathon comes back to the Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, from August 5-7, 2016. Recent additions to the festival lineup include Mac DeMarco, King Sunny Ade, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Joseph, Ry X, Cory Henry, Promised Land Sound, Town Mountain, Myke Bogan, Blossom, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms, Open Mike Eagle, and Chanti Darling. Tickets and the full lineup are available now.

Click here for more, and stay tuned for another wonderful season of Lucky Barn videos. 

Photo credit: Copeland Turner

STREAM: Bruce Molsky, ‘Can’t Stay Here This a-Way’

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Artist: Bruce Molsky
Hometown: New York, NY
Album: Can't Stay Here This a-Way
Release Date: May 6
Label: Tiki Parlour Recordings

In Their Words: “I had the most intense and musically introspective time working with David Bragger's filming of me at the Tiki Parlour, David’s close and almost visceral camera work made the fiddle, banjo, and guitar pieces — and songs — very personal, even through the camera lens. It was a great experience.

The Old Time Tiki Parlour is on a mission to document old-time music in a meaningful and unique way — up close and without filters. It’s a delight to be part of this, along with all these great musicians they have on board!” — Bruce Molsky

Photo credit: David Bragger

LISTEN: Howdy Forrester and John Hartford, ‘Home Made Sugar and a Puncheon Floor’

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Artist: Howdy Forrester and John Hartford
Hometown: Hickman County, TN
Song: "Home Made Sugar and a Puncheon Floor"
Album: Home Made Sugar and a Puncheon Floor
Release Date: January 15
Label: Spring Fed Records

In Their Words: "Brand new release of a set of home recordings made by John Hartford and fiddling legend Howdy Forrester. This recording preserves a repertoire of many rare, old Hickman County, Tennessee, tunes that Howdy had learned as a boy from his Great Uncle, Bob Cates. Hartford plays banjo, Forrester fiddles, and the two share informal discussion about the tunes and their sources." — John Fabke

Bluegrass Band Struggles to Keep EP Under 90 Minutes

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Macon, GA — In what he called the most grueling step of the recording process, fiddle player and aspiring producer Steve Duncan, of the recently formed nu-funk dance pop bluegrass band the Appalachia Seeds, could not manage to keep their upcoming EP under the 90-minute mark. “Do I cut into Jerry’s seven-minute, monster fingerpicking guitar solo, Ethan’s absolutely transcendent pedal steel part, or my own epic fiddle super-interlude? It’s tearing me apart.”

Duncan guaranteed the studio engineer that every excruciating note holds a place on the final mix, arguing that although there are only four songs on the EP, each exhaustive, drawn-out solo is integral to the smooth jam vibe the band believes they’re delivering.

“After the Live from Larry’s Tiny House bootleg got leaked at Merlefest, we’ve seen how the extended-extended play format can create a frenzy of new fans,” he said, citing their six-spot jump on the local ReverbNation bluegrass chart. “We can’t keep conforming to traditional EP lengths, if we’re really going to blow up this scene. The revolution is now, man.”

Filled with overconfidence and near-complete disillusion, Duncan has since booked an extra week in the studio to record more material. The questionable executive decision will set the band back more money than they could ever dream of recouping from their fan base, which currently consists of elderly family members and loner single friends.

The above is a work of satire. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental … although entirely likely.

Photo credit: Prayitno / Thank you for (8 millions +) views via Foter.com / CC BY.

Banjo Legend Bill Keith Passes

Posted on by Editor

Bill Keith, known for revolutionizing the field of banjo playing, passed away last week at the age of 75. For a full obituary, head over to the New York Times.

Other Roots Music News:

• ICYMI: Punch Brothers will release a new EP, out November 20. 

• Read Steve Martin's 5-10-15-20 at Pitchfork. 

• Alabama Shakes performed "Joe" on Colbert.

• The results for the Grand Masters Fiddler Championship are in. 

• Lucinda Williams announced a new album, Ghosts of Highway 20.