Tag: First Aid Kit

33 Must-See Roots Artists at This Year’s Bourbon & Beyond

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Since 2017, Bourbon & Beyond has become one of the BGS Team’s favorite annual events. The music, spirits and food festival held at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky, always boasts a roots-forward lineup – on and off the BGS Stage.

In anticipation of Bourbon & Beyond kicking off Thursday, September 14, and running through Sunday, September 17, let’s preview all of the artists gracing our stage throughout the weekend – and we’ll throw in a few we’re excited to catch on the main stages as well. 

Limited tickets are still available! Join us this weekend at Bourbon & Beyond in Kentucky. Scroll to see the full schedule for the BGS Stage. 

The Arcadian Wild – BGS Stage

We’ve been a fan of this bluegrass-infused Nashville string/Americana band for more than a few years now. In 2021 we invited the Arcadian Wild to perform a Yamaha Artist Session, for which they performed two songs, “Hey Runner” and “Finch In the Pantry.” They hit the BGS Stage at B&B on Sunday.

Armchair Boogie – BGS Stage

We recently caught this jammy Wisconsin outfit, Armchair Boogie, at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, where they burnt down their late-night set. You have two opportunities to see them on the BGS Stage, as they’ll kick us off both Friday and Saturday.

The Avett Brothers – Main Stage

These Saturday headliners need no introduction to our BGS readers and followers, as the Avett Brothers have been a staple of our community for nearly our entire lifespan. Looking at the Bourbon & Beyond lineup poster, it’s hard to believe we didn’t book this entire event! 

Jon Batiste – Main Stage

Fresh off the release of a brand new album, World Music Radio, in August, don’t miss Americana renaissance man Jon Batiste when he hits the B&B main stage on Sunday. We can certainly appreciate this Louisianan’s love for blurring genre lines – a perfect fit for Bourbon & Beyond.

Brandi Carlile – Main Stage

Let’s return to MerleFest 2019, the last time we had a stage at a festival Brandi Carlile headlined – and she brought her pals the Avetts out to sing “Murder In the City.” A BGS classic! We’ll be running from the BGS Stage to see Brandi on Thursday evening for sure.

Brandy Clark – Main Stage

Appropriate that Brandi and Brandy would end up as list neighbors and both on the Bourbon & Beyond main stage lineup, as the former produced the latter’s stunning new self-titled album. Clark has been a Music Row mainstay as an artist and songwriter for decades, but with her new record and her hit Broadway show, Shucked (penned with Shane McAnally), she’s finally getting her well-deserved flowers. 

Clay Street Unit – BGS Stage

We crossed paths with Denver, Colorado, country-folk-grass group Clay Street Unit earlier this year at WinterWonderGrass, so we’re more than pleased to have them on the BGS Stage on Thursday afternoon. 

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper – BGS Stage

Fiddlin’ phenom Michael Cleveland has performed for BGS at Bourbon & Beyond before, but with his new critically-acclaimed album, Lovin’ of the Game, and his recent selection as our March 2023 Artist of the Month, it’s the perfect time to get him back to Louisville. It’s basically home turf for Cleveland, and his set Thursday evening is not to be missed.

The Cleverlys – BGS Stage

Bluegrass’s preeminent song-interpreters – or song skewer-ers, depending on how you look at it – are a humorous hoot, bolstered by fantastic picking and on-stage personas pulled straight out of a caricature book. If you’ve never seen the Cleverlys live and in person, now’s your chance to catch covers like this waltz version of Radiohead’s “Creep” like you’ve never heard them before. 

Della Mae – BGS Stage

Our old pals Della Mae brought an outsized energy and charisma with them to their sets at Earl Scruggs Music Festival a couple of weeks ago, wowing the crowds in North Carolina. Now the groundbreaking bluegrass foursome set their sites on the BGS Stage at Bourbon & Beyond. There’s a reason why this group of all women remains a stalwart in bluegrass, old-time and Americana.

Myron Elkins – BGS Stage

If you’re not familiar with guitarist and Americana alt-rocker Myron Elkins, you’re about to be! His debut album, Factories, Farms & Amphetamines, was produced by superstar musician-engineer-producer Dave Cobb and released on Elektra. Catch him as he ascends on the BGS Stage on Thursday, kicking off the entire weekend for us at 12:30 p.m.

Fantastic Negrito – Main Stage

Fantastic Negrito is a one-of-a-kind performer. An expert in blues – and a purveyor of post-blues, neo-blues, and the tastiest of fringe Americana – Fantastic Negrito occupies a stage like no other. He’s a Bourbon & Beyond veteran as well, and his past performances are seared into our memories of this amazing event. Do not miss!

First Aid Kit – Main Stage

Indie folk duo First Aid Kit, made up of Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg, are a favorite of BGS readers – the kind of readers who equally love Bill Monroe, Nickel Creek and boygenius. Get a taste at their Saturday main stage set or check out our 2018 feature on the group.

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors – Main Stage

Don’t you just wish Drew and Ellie Holcomb and the Neighbors were your neighbors? (Sigh…) It just seems like it would be lovely. At any rate, you can catch up with these fine folks from next door on the main stage at B&B on Thursday. 

Brittany Howard – Main Stage

A god of rock and roll incarnate, Brittany Howard’s particular brand of roots rock is enormous and will fill the Bourbon & Beyond main stage and then some. If you haven’t caught the Alabama Shakes front person recently, now is your chance. Howard hits the main stage on Friday.

The Lil’ Smokies – BGS Stage

Formed in Montana, the Lil’ Smokies combine so many contemporary bluegrass influences into a Western-influenced, jam-forward sound. We enjoy every chance we have to cross paths with this group – if you miss their set at Bourbon & Beyond, catch the Lil’ Smokies at AmericanaFest in Nashville very soon.

Lindsay Lou – BGS Stage

Roots singer-songwriter Lindsay Lou is entering yet another new era of her career, with her signing to Kill Rock Stars and upcoming album, Queen of Time, due out later this month. At Bourbon & Beyond you’ll have two chances to hear current and past sounds from Lindsay Lou – on both Saturday and Sunday on the BGS Stage.

The Lone Bellow – Main Stage

One of our all-time favorite rootsy, folky, string band trios. It’s been too long since we’ve reconnected with our friends The Lone Bellow and we’re grateful B&B will give us that opportunity when they play the main stage on Thursday.

Lola Kirke – BGS Stage

Lola Kirke, who you can see on Friday on the BGS Stage at B&B, is an accomplished actress whose dream is to be a country singer – dream, achieved! She makes joyous, lyrical, story-rich music that pulls as much from country’s grit as its glitz. (And an appearance from lineup-mates First Aid Kit on “All My Exes Live in L.A.” is the cherry on top.)

Joy Oladokun – Main Stage

Intricate and involved indie folk is Joy Oladokun’s medium, her songs dripping with pop sensibilities and led by an agnostic approach to genre that builds on work by predecessors like Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Tracy Chapman, k.d. lang, and many more. Oladokun continues to rise through the music-industry ranks, her latest album Proof of Life building more momentum off the ex-evangelical’s heart-forward, earnest, stoner indie pop.

Old Crow Medicine Show – Main Stage

Old Crow Medicine Show bring the Jubilee to Bourbon & Beyond! Don’t miss the party as the world’s most renowned and rollicking string band celebrates their just-released album on the B&B main stage on Saturday. And keep an eye out for a BGS feature on the new record coming soon to the site.

Pixie & The Partygrass Boys – BGS Stage

Another of our WinterWonderGrass pals headed to Bourbon & Beyond! Catch Pixie & the Partygrass Boys on the BGS Stage kicking off our final day of music on Sunday. You’ll certainly enjoy the party – unless you’re a fascist, in which case, avoid our stage altogether or you might get eaten by some chickens.

Darrell Scott Band – Main Stage

Darrell Scott is a musical shapeshifter, effortlessly moving from Music Row country to dyed-in-the-wool bluegrass to rocking and rolling. At his Bourbon & Beyond main stage set on Friday, you’re sure to hear new tracks from his recent album, Old Cane Back Rocker, made with the Darrell Scott String Band, as well as original hits like “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” and some tasty covers, too. We never get enough of Darrell Scott! (Watch for an interview with Scott coming to BGS soon.)

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen – BGS Stage

If this is the kitchen dirty, let’s never clean it up! Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen are a shredding bluegrass jam band certainly worth sticking around for on Sunday evening. You’ll hear music from their most recent Compass Records album, Hold On, which recently turned one year old, and plenty of mind-(and string-)bending solos.

Mavis Staples – Main Stage

Put the legendary Mavis Staples’ main stage set (Friday, 3:50 p.m., Oak Stage) on your calendar and circle it. And underline it. And set a push notification. We are grateful every single time we get to occupy the same space and air as Mavis, and this time will be no different. It’s a privilege to walk the earth at the same time as this civil rights leader and musical oracle! 

Billy Strings – Main Stage

Not so long ago our old friend Billy Strings would have been playing our BGS Stage, but not anymore, this flatpickin’ global sensation has decidedly hit the big time! We’ve so enjoyed watching Billy move up and up and up in the world and we can’t wait to see his main stage set at Bourbon & Beyond Thursday night. With such a stacked lineup, the special guest opportunities are exciting and limitless. 

Town Mountain – BGS Stage 

Western North Carolina string band Town Mountain have built up their sound over the past few years to where they feel and sound something like Ricky Skaggs in his country days — bluegrass bones, but fleshed out country. Their songs still go by you like a rousing honky tonk dance band, bluegrass or no, but with spit and polish and thousands of miles under their belts. Worth an add to your B&B to-do list!

Twisted Pine – BGS Stage

Another group that blew us away at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, Twisted Pine turns the jamgrass model on its ear, building their vibey, virtuosic songs and tunes with as much jazz interwoven as bluegrass, old-time, and country. They’re like Lake Street Dive and Crooked Still, mashed up together and lingering a bit longer in string band traditions – from across the Americana continuum – before taking off. Plus, bluegrass just needs more flute, right? See them Friday on the BGS Stage.

Two Runner – BGS Stage

We’re glad to be bringing some California sounds to Kentucky with Two Runner, old-time and Americana duo of Paige Anderson and Emilie Rose coming to B&B. They bring to mind duos like Hazel & Alice and Anna & Elizabeth, combining country harmonies and old-time instrumentation – all dragged through the coastal evergreen woods of Northern California. Hear them Thursday on the BGS Stage.

Dan Tyminski – BGS Stage

Dan Tyminski headlining a BGS Stage is simply a dream come true! This multi-hyphenate, lifelong bluegrasser has been a member of so many seminal and groundbreaking bluegrass groups and projects. He’s had a full career within and outside of bluegrass, but lately has returned to the genre that made him with a new band, a new album, God Fearing Heathen, excellent songs, and that voice – fit for George Clooney. 

Kelsey Waldon – BGS Stage

Kelsey Waldon on her home turf! Though she hails from West Kentucky, the entire state is certainly this country singer-songwriter’s domain. We’ve collaborated quite a bit with Waldon across her career, and are looking forward to her headline set closing out our first day of Bourbon & Beyond on the BGS Stage. She may be country, but her bluegrass roots run deep – and will be on full display at B&B for sure. 

Sunny War – BGS Stage

 One of our favorite guitarists of the last several years has released one of our favorite albums of 2023, Anarchist Gospel. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, you won’t want to miss Sunny War perform on the BGS Stage on Saturday. Her right hand is confounding and inspiring, an often textural and tone-setting device in her bigger sounding recent songs that combine punk, blues, indie and more. Not to be missed! 

Hailey Whitters – Main Stage

It’s no secret BGS loves some good country. Hailey Whitters is certainly some of the best to come out of Music Row in recent memory, releasing radio-ready bops that are fun and exuberant, yes, but also have a rich and subversive well of influences, content and production styles. That Whitters is connected with all the best pickers and singers in Nashville and has a penchant for bluegrass are nice little details to remember about this TikTok phenom. Worth a mosey to the main stage on Sunday, certainly!

 

The Bluegrass Situation Stage – Daily Schedule

Thursday, September 14

5:45 p.m. – Kelsey Waldon
4:15 p.m. – Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
3 p.m. – Two Runner
1:45 p.m. – Clay Street Unit
12:30 p.m. – Myron Elkins

Friday, September 15

5:45 p.m. – The Lil’ Smokies
4:15 p.m. – The Cleverlys
3 p.m. – Twisted Pine
1:45 p.m. – Lola Kirke
12:30 p.m. – Armchair Boogie

Saturday, September 16

5:45 p.m. – Town Mountain
4:15 p.m. – Della Mae
3 p.m. – Lindsay Lou
1:45 p.m. – Sunny War
12:30 p.m. – Armchair Boogie

Sunday, September 17

5:45 p.m. – Dan Tyminski
4:15 p.m. – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
3 p.m. – The Arcadian Wild
1:45 p.m.- Lindsay Lou
12:30 p.m. – Pixie & The Partygrass Boys

Purchase your Bourbon & Beyond tickets here.

 

WATCH: Maja Francis & First Aid Kit, “Mama” (Satin Bed Session)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Maja Francis
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Song: “Mama”
Album: A Pink Soft Mess
Release Date: September 24, 2021
Label: RMV Grammofon

In Their Words: “This song is for my mom…and about how it feels to be grown up and be able to comfort her the way she’s always comforted me. We’ve both experienced mental health issues through life and not until I became an adult I understood her struggles, because I have the same ones. It’s been both beautiful and painful to share that with each other…and I wanted to write a song about that intense and complex love. I was also thrilled when my dear friends Klara and Johanna (First Aid Kit) wanted to feature on it. They’ve been such a big part in me finding my voice again so it felt really good to have their voices and energy on the album.” — Maja Francis

Photo credit: Milkdrop Studio

MIXTAPE: The Wandering Hearts & The Golden Tonic

Posted on by Editor

Inspired by the reaction we received from our fans to our new single, “Gold,” The Golden Tonic is a selection of songs that have helped us through tough situations, inspired us, or take us back to a specific moment in time. The past year has been heavy and we hope The Golden Tonic works its magic on you. — The Wandering Hearts (Chess, Tara, and AJ)

Editor’s Note: See the video premiere of “Gold” below.

The Tallest Man on Earth – “The Gardener”

This song lifted my spirits at a very low point of my life. I’d just lost my cousin who I lived with and it made me feel like he was everywhere I went and with me in nature and in all of the beautiful things. I have no idea what the song was actually written about, but that’s what is so powerful about music — it will mean very different things to different people. – Chess

Willie Nelson – “On the Road Again”

The song that always accompanies long journeys. When the band is on the road a lot, it reminds me of how lucky we are to be doing what we do but also gets me hyped for whatever adventure awaits! – Chess

First Aid Kit – “My Silver Lining”

My uncle introduced me to a lot of music which has had a huge influence on me, including this song. I was blown away by the rawness and flawless harmonies. The band had just [gotten] together and this song really made me realize that Tara and I have something special when we sing together. I was working all the jobs under the sun at the time, but it gave me such hope that music was possible and that it was all worth it. – Chess

Sister Sledge – “We Are Family”

During the endless UK lockdowns over the past year, when we were feeling down, demotivated or just fed up, my sister and I would FaceTime each other, put disco music on and dance around our kitchens! It really did the trick of getting me out of a funk and also cheering her up with my silly dancing! This song has featured every time and I will, from now on, blast this song if I’m ever having bad day. – Chess

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – “If We Were Vampires”

A sad song, but one of those songs that makes me feel so grateful to have what I have in life. It reminds me to make the most of the time we’re given. – Tara

Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time”

When you feel hard to love or unworthy, a song about not giving up on yourself. It’s about letting yourself be loved. Reminding you that you are enough. – Tara

Dolly Parton – “The Grass Is Blue”

A cathartic song for me. A sad song about survival and heartbreak but also about not allowing that ache to consume you. To find a way through, even if you have to lie to yourself to begin with. – Tara

Ella Fitzgerald – “Blue Skies”

Ella’s voice is a tonic for me. This song is restorative in her tone and phrasing as much as in the hopeful lyrics of a new beginning. – Tara

The Beatles – “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight”

Technically two songs, but you really can’t listen to one and not the other and they run in like one track, so there!! Going through “Golden Slumbers” into “Carry That Weight” has a whole journey for me of going through the reflection associated with loss or sadness, transitioning into the self-realization that we only have ourselves, so it encourages me to suck up the pain and keep going. – AJ

Randy Crawford – “One Day I’ll Fly Away”

Randy Crawford’s performance on this song, as so many of her recordings, just has a perfect energy. She sounds so peacefully resolved despite this sad exhaustion in the lyrics. This resolve is so infectious and when I hear her singing through a smile it makes me want to fly away and leave all my troubles to yesterday too! – AJ

Stone Poneys – “Different Drum”

Maybe it’s just me, but I notice when I look for music to lift me out of a rut, it often ends up including songs that feature escapism or leaving. This is no exception and there’s something about the way this song just ploughs on and Linda Ronstadt sings like she’s sticking two fingers up to her problems while driving off into the horizon. I’d like that to be me. – AJ

Shakey Graves (feat. Esmé Patterson) – “Dearly Departed”

Such a tune. It has a really lairy way of facing down feelings of loneliness and subduing them into a kind of angry but empowering joyfulness. I always find this one picks me off the floor a bit and gets me doing the useful easy things, like getting up and making a cup of tea. Might not be the big push I need but just enough to get that movement going. It’s a start and that’s a lot sometimes! – AJ

Photo credit: Shane McCauly

WATCH: First Aid Kit, “On the Road Again”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: First Aid Kit
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Song: “On the Road Again”
Release Date: August 14, 2020

In Their Words: “We’re excited to release our version of ‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson. We recorded this cover a couple of years ago and recently found it while digging through the archives. The song is a country classic, it feels like we’ve known it forever. Because of the situation with COVID, sadly, the theme of the song has never felt more relevant than it does today.

“We made a video for the song using cellphone footage from our tours throughout the years. Going through all those videos made us emotional. It made us realize how much we appreciate being able to roam freely around the world. How much we love the feeling of playing live for people, in the flesh. How much we miss our incredible band and crew.

“All the proceeds from the streaming of the song will go to Crew Nation. So much of the magic happens behind the stage. It’s easily taken for granted, but without our touring and venue crew live music wouldn’t be possible. It’s important that we help them out right now. Oh, how we wish we could get back on the road again! Hopefully we’ll see you down the road sometime soon.” — Johanna and Klara Söderberg, First Aid Kit

Photo credit: Nirrimi Firebrace

WATCH: Darin & Brooke Aldridge, “Emmylou”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina
Song: “Emmylou” (First Aid Kit cover)
Album: Inner Journey
Label: Rounder Records

In Their Words: “When we were choosing songs for this album project, Brooke and I were poring through YouTube videos looking through Emmylou Harris songs, when this tune popped up. We immediately were drawn to it and decided to record it.” — Darin Aldridge

“The song seemed perfect for us as a couple that makes music together. There’s not a day that goes by that Darin and I don’t share a smile and wonder how we got lucky enough to find each other. Years of searching and praying for that exact moment when love would find us. Little did we know what started out as the same musical goals and ambitions would bring our hearts together in a marriage and a career of music.” — Brooke Aldridge

Photo courtesy of Darin & Brooke Aldridge

Darin & Brooke Aldridge’s ‘Inner Journey’ Always Leads Back to Bluegrass

Posted on by Editor

The first time they ever sang together, Darin and Brooke Aldridge harmonized on “The Prettiest Flower,” an old hymn familiar to any Baptist church. They’ve scarcely stopped since then, with their latest album Inner Journey placing their stunning musical blend at its center on classics like “Teach Your Children Well” as well as songs written by the likes of Kasey Chambers, First Aid Kit, and Nanci Griffith.

“Brooke and I have always been trying to develop our sound. On this one, we stayed true to our bluegrass roots in some of the material,” Darin says. “We’re more of a vocal band. We can base things around Brooke’s singing and our duet style and harmonies, and we want our songs to send a message out that speaks to us.”

Versatile enough to sing a Louvin Brothers song one minute and a Bryan Adams song the next, the married couple commands a musical vocabulary that nonetheless lends itself to bluegrass. Darin Aldridge co-produced the project — their first for Rounder Records and sixth overall — with Mark Fain. And on the afternoon following this interview, Brooke Aldridge picked up her third consecutive IBMA female vocalist trophy, indicating that their audience is on this journey too.

BGS: This album begins with “I Found Love,” which has a tie to Earl Scruggs, right?

Darin: It does. I listened to that on a plane ride back from somewhere in New England and I had my iPod with me and the Earl Scruggs and Friends record was on there, with Vince Gill and Rosanne Cash singing it. I just thought, “Man, that would be a good grass-up number right there for us.” It’s a pretty good tempo and a duet and it speaks to what I was just saying – about what I want to get out there, in our life and in our history, and what we want to go forward with. Then I got to looking at the writing credits and it was Earl and Randy Scruggs and our buddy Vince. That was perfect. That’s all we needed.

Brooke: It’s one of those positive songs that we set out to do a long time ago when we first started making records. We talked about how we wanted to have a positive and uplifting message in most everything that we ever recorded. Some people have told us down through the years that we weren’t going to do very well doing that kind of thing. But I think that’s not the case at all! We’ve done very well sticking true to what we love and what we believe in, in each other.

But when you hear a good heartbreak song like “Every Time You Leave,” how do you respond?

Brooke: Oh, gosh, you just realize how true those words are. Because just like “Every Time You Leave,” we’ve all been through hard relationships or hard times in our families where we’ve lost loved ones or things haven’t worked out quite the way we wanted. I think that really speaks measures to me when we’re listening to songs like that and trying to decide what’s going to affect somebody out there listening.

Darin: The harmony speaks to us as well. We got to do that song with our buddy Jimmy Fortune. We got to tour a lot with Jimmy in the last couple of years and wanted to get a good song that represented that out there on the road for our singing together, and it just comes perfectly.

I want to ask you about “Your Lone Journey.” I learned that from a Doc Watson record.

Darin: Yeah, we did, too.

Why did you choose to include that song on here?

Darin: We got to visit Doc and become friends with him through MerleFest, through him being in North Carolina. A friend of mine took me up to visit him at his house about a year before he died. We’d been featured in Bluegrass Unlimited maybe a couple months before, and Rosa Lee brought the magazine to us when we got there. She said, “I’ve been reading about you all and glad that you all are here.”

She got to telling us the story of how she wrote that song. She was just sweeping in her kitchen, wasn’t she, Brooke?

Brooke: Yeah. And I think the words just came to her. She was sweeping and her and Doc arranged it, I guess, and made it theirs. What a great-sounding song.

Darin: Yeah, we sat there with them in the living room and talked about that, and he got to talking about Merle, and when he couldn’t wait to see him in heaven with his own eyes again. It is powerful, man. We just wanted to include that and it’s got an old-timey feel to it. Brooke’s got a really good mountain voice as well. It really fits.

Brooke: What Doc and Rosa Lee had brought to the music over the years and what they mean to us — we definitely wanted to include one by them. And it was funny because Doc kept saying that a lot of people title this song, “Your Long Journey.” And he’s like, “That’s not how Rosa Lee wrote it. It’s ‘Your Lone Journey.’” We made sure to get that right on this record.

Darin, have you been playing guitar your whole life?

Darin: I started probably 12, 13, something like that.

Never put it down?

Darin: Nah, I picked up the mandolin when I was 15 or 16. My brother and his baseball buddies had a little basement band. They’d all get around — he was a drummer – and pick on rock music and stuff like that, so I slowly learned that. I’d listen to the tunes after they’d quit playing and I’d start figuring them out, so I could sit in with them. Then the next week or two, I’d learned the tunes better than they had. Then their guitar player would ask me, “How’s that really go?”

Brooke: A little Van Halen? (laughs)

Darin: Yeah, all that stuff — ‘80s hair band stuff, I was big on [that]! Then I got to singing more in church as I grew and got into a gospel band through some buddies in the marching band. They went to church somewhere and said, “You play and sing — you got a banjo?” I actually had a banjo at the time but really hadn’t learned how to play it. I was like, “Oh, yeah, I can play banjo.” So I learned real quick, just so I could be in the band and start picking and singing. And I quickly moved to the mandolin after that. One of the guys could just play in a certain amount of keys, A and D maybe.

Ricky Skaggs has always been a huge influence and I wanted to do something I saw him do on the Opry, which was a quartet with a mandolin and guitar. Since we were singing in churches a lot, I wanted to do some of that material like Bill Monroe did. I recorded [the Opry] on a VHS tape, so I went upstairs with the mandolin and watched it. This song was in G, so I sat down and figured out the notes on the mandolin. I come down there to show it to him so he could play it, because I was the guitar player in the band. He said, “No, man, you just play mandolin.” [All laugh] So I just started playing mandolin from then on.

Brooke, did you start singing when you were around 12 or 13, too?

Brooke: Probably from the time I could talk, I started singing. My mom, my sisters and I used to sing in church. As I was getting a little bit older, my parents realized at an early age that I could pick up lyrics to a song just by hearing at one time. They started putting me in singing competitions. The school system where I was, in Avery County, used to have a yearly talent show. It would start out in the elementary schools, and if you placed first, second, or third you went onto the county-wide talent show and got to showcase your talent in front of everybody.

Those kinds of things, and doing community events and competitions all throughout my childhood, really prepared me for loving this more so when I got to adulthood. And so it’s been a neat journey. After Darin and I met, I had goals and dreams, of course, just like everybody in the music business does. We still talk about how we never imagined we’d get to do some of this stuff we’ve gotten to do. It’s been really cool to see those things become reality.

What are you looking forward to the most with this record coming out?

Darin: It’s been a few years since we put one out. I think we’ve grown a lot in those two years, and everything that’s followed, with what we’ve been doing, recording, trying to say as artists. We have grown maturely, too, in our music. And I think this record reflects that.

Brooke: I think that’s why we chose the title that we did, Inner Journey, because as kids, you imagine or dream about things that you can be when you grow up. And then, when you come into adulthood, you stop and think about where you came from, and what you’ve gotten to do, and if your heart really followed that path from a child to now. And I feel like ours definitely has. It’s been our inner journey. God has put us exactly where we needed to be at that exact moment.

 

UK Americana Awards Nominations Revealed

Posted on by Editor

The Americana Music Association UK (AMA-UK) has announced its nominees and special award recipients for the fourth annual UK Americana Awards, taking place January 29-31 during AmericanaFest UK 2019 in London.

The following are special award recipients that will be honored during the prestigious ceremony at London’s Hackney Empire on January 31.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Graham Nash
Selected by the AMA-UK board members, their highest honor is awarded to a UK artist, duo or group in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the Americana genre over the span of their career and life in music.

Trailblazer Award: Joe Boyd
Selected by the AMA-UK board members, this special award celebrates a UK artist, duo or group that has taken an exceptional path, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps in developing the Americana umbrella.

Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award: Curse of Lono
Selected by Bob Harris OBE, this special award celebrates the breakthrough artist, duo or group that has particularly impressed the legendary music broadcaster throughout the year.

Grass Roots Award: Immy Doman and Risa Tabatznik of The Green Note
Selected by the AMA-UK board members, this special award celebrates the sometimes unsung heroes of the UK Americana scene. It is presented to individuals working in the industry (in a capacity other than as artists) who have made outstanding efforts to support Americana music from the grass roots up.

Additional nominations include:

UK Album of the Year
Shorebound by Ben Glover (produced by Neilson Hubbard and Ben Glover)
All On Red by Orphan Colours (produced by Steve Llewellyn, Fred Abbott and Rupert Christie)
Bennett Wilson Poole by Bennett Wilson Poole (produced by Tony Poole)
Treetop Flyers by Treetop Flyers (produced by Reid Morrison, Sam Beer and Laurie Sherman)

International Album of the Year
May Your Kindness Remain by Courtney Marie Andrews (produced by Mark Howard and Courtney Marie Andrews)
By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile (produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings)
Ruins by First Aid Kit (produced by Tucker Martine)
The Tree of Forgiveness by John Prine (produced by Dave Cobb)

UK Song of the Year
“Uh-Huh” by Jade Bird (written by Jade Bird)
“Chicago” by Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker (written by Josienne Clarke)
“Southern Wind” by Dean Owens (written by Dean Owens and Will Kimbrough)
“Be More Kind” by Frank Turner (written by Frank Turner)

International Song of the Year
“The Joke” by Brandi Carlile (written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth)
“Hold Your Head Up High” by Darlingside (written by Auyon Mukharji, Caitlin Canty and Donald Mitchell)
“Mockingbird” by Ruston Kelly (written by Ruston Kelly)
“Rolling On” by Israel Nash (written by Israel Nash)

UK Artist of the Year
Ethan Johns
Robert Plant
Bennett Wilson Poole
The Wandering Hearts

International Artist of the Year
Mary Gauthier
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
John Prine
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

UK Instrumentalist of the Year
Martin Harley
CJ Hillman
Seth Lakeman
Gwenifer Raymond

BGS 5+5: Kari Arnett

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Artist: Kari Arnett
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Latest Album: When The Dust Settles
Personal nicknames: Kari Anne

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

It’s hard to answer with only one artist but some inspiring artists I’ve been listening to are: Caroline Spence, Lori McKenna, First Aid Kit, Margo Price, Neil Young, and one artist I always go back to is Tom Petty. All the good vibes right there.

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

When I’m not writing or touring, I am usually out near a lake somewhere. The flow of the water is like the ebb and flow of life… it’s a good meditative area to sit and reflect on what’s to come or what might have been.

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

Usually, I have to spend some quiet time alone before a show to ground myself for what’s to about to happen. Silence can be a powerful tool. Also making sure I’m well-hydrated is important.

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

I think it was when I was little and I would watch shows that had live music, like Austin City Limits. It was inspiring to watch and growing up in a musical household, I had a feeling I would always have something to do with music.

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

I read a lot of poetry and that imagery that I get, can set the tone for song, as well as movie scores–anything that moves you in that creative way can get thoughts moving to inspire the next song.

https://open.spotify.com/user/124052670/playlist/1H7R5qYsX0rvCwaxtmeGV4?si=YoMdyOeoS9mi0Q8kZf2c0Q

MIXTAPE: The Brother Brothers, Tunes to Get Us Down the Road

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If you’ve looked at our tour schedule recently, you’ll notice that it’s jam-packed, and each place is hours from the next. One of us will be on driving duty and the other on the tunes/podcasts. This is a list of tunes that have found their way onto our speakers in times of natural serenity, boredom, inspiration, or just plain “Ooh, I want to listen to that song.” They consist of friends, heroes, and people we admire — if it were all of them it would go on for hours. Here is a quick list for now, and it may get longer by the day.

“Ditch” – Sam Baker

There are many modern songwriters that can spin a story that makes the listener feel like they’re living it, but Sam is really one of the coolest and relaxed. Every time I hear one of his songs I feel like I’m remembering a dream I’ve just awoken from.

“Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” – Richard Thompson

Needless to say that Richard is one of the most influential songwriters of all, and this is a song that has really hit me hard recently. Songs of fighting war are a common theme in songwriting, and this one is very effective.

“Katie Dear” – The Blue Sky Boys

When you do research to learn harmonies, you stop here.

“Down in a Willow Garden” – The Kossoy Sisters with Erik Darling

Boy is this just good and in the way like not much else.

“Willie O’ Winsbury” – Anne Briggs

I remember the first time I heard this version. I’d listened to many others before and then the clouds parted but the rain kept pouring down and I was in heaven

“If You Ain’t Got Love” – The Revelers

What is there to say about the essence of country? This is where it lies for me. It is kind of the perfect song.

“Tired of Your Tears” – Feufollet

After attending the Black Pot Festival in Lafayette, LA we heard this band. To describe a better time listening to music would be very few and far between. What a great dance band and group of musicians

“Diggin’ Holes” – Brent Cobb

There are very few times that you hear a song and decide it’s time to quit music because you could never be as clever or sincere or capture a feeling to its core as Brent does in this song. I hate how good this song is.

“Fool Me” – Buck Meek

Listening to Terry Allen and Michael Hurley is one thing, and our pal Buck does it so very well with this song. It’s so perfect.

“Jonathan” – Adrianne Lenker

There are times that I sit down to write a song and just can’t because this song haunts me. It is the stars I am shooting for.

“Take Me Back” – Sarah Jarosz

We had the wonderful opportunity to do a bunch of opening shows with Sarah and this is the song that has stuck with me all this time. I wake up with it sometimes and can’t seem to get enough of it.

“Cosmic Doo Doo” – Blaze Foley

What can I say, but how great is this song?

“Real Peach” – Henry Jamison

He doesn’t remember how, but Adam found out about Henry, and we listened to his album every day in the car for weeks. It’s so good.

“Ain’t That Bad” – Timmy the Teeth

This is just a hit and I love the sentiment. His voice and the vibe and the words, it just is the butter that makes you want another.

“Emmylou” – First Aid Kit

We heard three different bands cover this song before we checked out the original. Then we listened to it over and over again. It’s just one of those earworms that gets in both ears.

“The King’s Shilling” – Karan Casey

When you visit Scotland and the UK you just end up falling in love with it all, and this is one of my favorite songs I’ve heard that isn’t twenty minutes long.

Photo credit: Erika Kapin

BGS 5+5: Heather Taylor

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Artist: Heather Taylor
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Latest album: Undercurrents
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): HT, HTCreates

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

I was playing a long gig, the PA was giving us trouble and it eventually stopped working. We still had a good chunk to go, though we could have stopped and gone home. Instead, we unplugged and asked everyone to gather close. Happily the audience did and the room turned to magic! We gave it our all, playing and singing and dancing away, totally unencumbered by any tech. I tried different things with my voice and ways to approach the songs. I was raw and felt so much back from the audience members. I can still feel moments in the night when I decided to take certain leaps.

Do you remember the first moment you wanted to be a musician?

There fortunately have been many stages that I’ve rededicated my life to music. My parents were both musicians and it’s been engrained since I was little. The first moment as a young adult when I started to “get it” had to be when I was in high school traveling with an orchestra in Italy (I played classical flute through college). We got off a plane ride and within a few hours went to play a concert.

We were tired and disoriented, but through the concert we could see something happening; the audience members were engaged and emotionally present. There was one particular Italian man who was moved to tears and thanking us for our musicality and passion. I remember I was blown away. I saw that music helped connect us to people in a faraway land, in an intimate and real way. It helped me realize music was a bridge or universal language and I easily wanted more.

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

I’ve thought about this a lot and I’ve tried on different mission suits! The answer usually comes back to cultivating connection to the self and bridging the gap to others. Simply enough I’d like to make good music and continue creating cool things. If that sparks collaboration or inspiration in someone else that would be the best!

What is your dream pairing of a meal and musician?

Sushi, wontons and miso ginger soup with Rhiannon Giddens would be inspirational and delicious!

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

I usually have a good amount of conversation with myself throughout the day, which varies from coaching my mind into relaxation if I’m super excited, to hyping myself up if I’m feeling tired. There’s always a sweet spot I like being in that I can access the music better. I do this through a quick yoga session, breath-work, listening to someone inspiring, connecting with someone or reminding myself to just get into the feeling of the music and have fun. I also make a point to think about the listener, keeping in mind I’m coming there to share something with them.

Photo credit: Emily Nichols