Tag: Friends & Neighbors

We’re Looking Back (and Forward ) With Mandolin Orange’s Music at the Mansion

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At the one-year mark of the pandemic drastically changing our daily lives, let’s take a minute to reflect. Sure, we’ve seen more livestreamed content than we ever cared to see, we’ve ordered more takeout than we deem reasonable, and we’ve had far fewer haircuts than we’d like to admit in the last 12 months. Live music has all but disappeared from our lives. Although the brilliant artists we love have found creative ways to connect with their audiences, fans haven’t been able to regularly engage in a person-to-person musical experience in some time. As we reflect on all these things that have come to pass, it is this author’s earnest and sincere hope that we also look forward.

The live music experience is gradually coming back, too, and to remind us of the beauty of an intimate acoustic performance, we’ve dug up this video from Mandolin Orange’s show for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Now that spring is here, let the joys of new beginnings fill your home by watching this full set and remembering what it’s like to crowd into a room to hear beautiful music, seeing no mask and fearing no illness. As tumultuous as the last year was, let us remember, celebrate, and continue pressing on, making preparations for the possibility of having intimate musical experiences like this once again in 2021. Watch the lovely concert below.

Photo credit: Kendall Bailey

Inspired by Loretta Lynn’s Story Songs, Margo Price Sings a Duet With Her Hero

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Loretta Lynn’s new album, Still Woman Enough, not only brings a collection of new songs from the venerable artist, but also makes a point of celebrating women in country music that have come after and alongside her. Appearing on the Legacy Recordings project are pillars of country music like Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Tanya Tucker, and Margo Price. About including these all-stars, Lynn said, “I am just so thankful to have some of my friends join me on my new album. We girl singers gotta stick together. It’s amazing how much has happened in the 50 years since ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ first came out and I’m extremely grateful to be given a part to play in the history of American music.”

Steel guitar, fiddle, shuffling drums, and a story told straight are the key ingredients in “One’s on the Way,” a song about the underappreciated struggle of raising children. In a promotional, behind-the-scenes spot for their duet version, Price shared her unique perspective as a creator who had the privilege of working alongside a lifelong heroine. The song is especially meaningful to Price, who said of the collaboration, “I chose ‘One’s on the Way’ because it’s an important song. It was an important song at the time and it’s still an important song; to be able to talk about birth control and women’s rights in country music is legendary.”

Lynn carried “One’s on the Way,” which was written by Shel Silverstein, to No. 1 in 1971. It also served as the title track of her album that year. Her recording of it received a 1972 Grammy nomination, one of 18 she’s earned in her six-decade career. Still Woman Enough is the country legend’s 50th studio album.

In an interview about their duet, Price observes, “What first drew me to Loretta was, obviously I love her voice and I love the way she sings, it’s so powerful, but it is what she’s saying and how she’s saying it. ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ and those story songs, they gave me the blueprint as a country artist and just as a writer in general. Loretta said you either have to be first, great, or different. You know, she was all three.”

As an acclaimed artist who has been outspoken in her music throughout her own career as well, Price concluded, “Loretta is such an important figure to me. She’s larger than life in so many ways, and she really was this no-frills, no-BS, singing straight from her heart. And yet, men can sing about sex, they can sing about straight-up murdering someone and it was fine, but Loretta was not afraid to step on any toes. She wrote her truth. I think Loretta’s songs are timeless, and I’ve taken so much knowledge and wisdom from her, just watching how she navigated her career and motherhood. She’s one of the greatest of all times.”

Photo credit: Bobbi Rich

Rhiannon Giddens Finds a Piece of Home in a Fiddle Tune with Francesco Turrisi

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Helping to usher in spring and with it many new beginnings is another album from folk music master Rhiannon Giddens. The second project to come from her magical collaborations with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, They’re Calling Me Home is due to be released April 9 on Nonesuch Records. Following the debut of its title track in March, a second single titled “Waterbound” was released, accompanied by a music video, forecasting what is to come from the musical partnership. The song itself is a traditional fiddle tune first recorded in the 1920s that has been a part of Giddens’ repertoire for some time, but its meaning is surprisingly representative of life in lockdown.

About including it on the new release, Giddens said, “‘Waterbound’ is a song I learned a long time ago and it brings me forcefully home to North Carolina when I sing it, and considering that I am, indeed Waterbound, and have been for a long time, it’s a rare moment when a folk song represents exactly my situation in time.” Giddens and Turrisi, who have been living and recording in Ireland during the pandemic, have a direct line to whatever it is about folk and old-time music that makes it so endearing, timeless, and universal. Watch “Waterbound” below:

Photo credit: Karen Cox

Tipping His Hat to a Hero, Charley Crockett Gives a “Lesson in Depression”

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One of Texas’ brightest stars has just released new music in honor of a musical hero. Charley Crockett, the velvet-voiced monolith with a country and western sound, was a devoted student and fan of legendary Texas artist James “Slim” Hand. “If you listen to his writing style and the portraits he painted in his music, or that plaintive one of a kind voice he had, then you know he was without equal in our time,” said Crockett of the beloved singer-songwriter, who died in 2020.

To fulfill a promise made to his dear friend, Crockett released the full-length album, Lil’ G.L. Presents: 10 For Slim Charley Crockett Sings James Hand, in February. The record is a beautiful homage to a great artist, musician and Texan, and of course the music itself is performed with the highest degree of touch and style, two things for which Crockett is well-loved. Ahead of the record release, Crockett released a music video for “Lesson In Depression” that heavily features steel guitar and Crockett’s sultry baritone. Get your fix of classic country and celebrate the life and music of James Hand all while taking in the fresh yet familiar stylings of Charley Crockett.

Photo credit: Ryan Vestil

Sarah Jarosz Elevates “I’ll Be Gone” at Carter Vintage Guitars

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Sarah Jarosz’s songwriting is otherworldly to begin with, but throw in a finely aged instrument and the wisdom in the wood adds an extra glow to her already shining music. A testament to her timelessness and acumen, Jarosz’s musicianship pairs perfectly here with the round, warm sound of a 1938 Martin 000-45 featured by Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville.

Since the release of her album World on the Ground back in June, Jarosz has been doing it all, from uploading covers to her YouTube channel to hosting a masterclass for Oregon State University. She also landed a pair of Grammy nominations in 2020, including one for World on the Ground, on the ballot for Best Americana Album. In this particular performance, Sarah sings “I’ll Be Gone” from the new record, and if the song wasn’t striking enough already, the delivery in front of one microphone with such a rich instrument is the icing on the cake. Enjoy this special rendition of “I’ll Be Gone,” live from Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville.

Photo credit: Josh Wool

The String Cheese Incident Salute Tony Rice on This ‘Manzanita’ Favorite

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The amount of love and respect that has poured out of the music community around the country and the globe for the loss of Tony Rice has been breathtaking to say the least. The breadth of Rice’s legacy cannot be understated as he pioneered not only the guitar’s role in a bluegrass band, but also created a new sound previously unexplored by acoustic musicians. A seminal flatpicker, his touch, timing, and taste are unmatched to this day, and there’s the separate matter of his beautifully rich voice. Here at BGS, we’ve shared Tony Rice memories and stories from the likes of Ricky Skaggs, Todd Phillips & Robbie Fulks, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and David Grisman, and many others.

The latest contributors to our collective debt of gratitude to Tony is the String Cheese Incident, collaborating virtually to cover “Old Train,” the lead track on what many consider his magnum opus, Manzanita. The String Cheese Incident is known for being a genre-bending group, but founding member Bill Nershi had this to say about their bluegrass roots and Rice’s artistry: “Tony Rice’s guitar playing shaped a generation of musicians. His impeccable tone, taste, and timing were unmatched and highly regarded by players and listeners alike. We are very fortunate to have so many great recordings of his life’s work. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing him perform, check out The Tony Rice Unit and David Grisman Quintet albums. I recommend you start with Manzanita. We’ll never forget you, Tony!”

Watch the String Cheese Incident perform “Old Train:”

Photo credit: Scott McCormick

Dive Into California Bluegrass Association’s 50-Hour Live Stream

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Among the many reasons why we love bluegrass is the innate sense of community and wholesomeness that the music carries. The California Bluegrass Association (CBA) has taken immense strides to foster that kinship and community over the years by investing in programs and opportunities for young bluegrass musicians to learn and perform. Perhaps their biggest endeavor is the Youth Academy, a four-day camp that takes place during their annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival. Due to COVID-19, the event has been canceled for the second year in a row. In response, the CBA hosted a 50-hour livestream event last month that featured more than 100 musicians from around the world and raised more than $25,000 in donations.

The livestream event was hosted in the format of a telethon and aptly named “Jam-a-Thon.” The funds raised were split between the participating artists and an effort by the CBA to build an educational website for young learners interested in bluegrass. Joining the event were many big names in bluegrass, including Sierra Hull, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, and even BGS contributor Tristan Scroggins. If you missed the event, fret not, as there is still ample opportunity to donate and to watch the stream, which was conveniently archived into eight portions on YouTube. Peruse through the many highlights from the stream below and celebrate a noble cause!

Editor’s Note: View streams 3 through 8 on the CBA’s YouTube Channel.

 

Hear Willie Nelson’s Answer to a Tricky Year: “That’s Life”

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In the midst of a pretty tricky year, Willie Nelson has just the thing to correct our course in 2021. The Red-Headed Stranger has just released That’s Life, a new studio album (his 95th!) that celebrates the music of his longtime friend and colleague Frank Sinatra. The record’s title track encapsulates a resiliency that should inspire all of us after some trying times. The song’s doggedly stubborn optimism was popularized by Sinatra’s 1966 album of the same name, and in 2019, the obstinate cheeriness of the tune was used to contrast the dark thematic content of the feature film Joker.

Willie’s take is fresh, turning his phrase in similar ways that Sinatra might, but with Nelson’s own charm imbued into the lyrics. A lyric video accompanies the single’s release and depicts artist Paul Mann painting the album cover. Mann, a legend in the movie poster realm, pays tribute to classic Sinatra record covers by positioning Nelson and his companion Trigger in the faint glow of a streetlamp. Recorded mostly in Capitol Studios in Hollywood, the album features ten other Sinatra favorites, including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Luck Be a Lady.” Watch the lyric video for Willie Nelson’s rendition of “That’s Life.”

Colter Wall Covers the Classic “Cowpoke” for Western AF

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Canadian country singer Colter Wall has been slowly diffusing his rich, deep voice throughout the Americana world. In 2020, the singer from Saskatchewan announced his third album, Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs, with the release of a cover of the Stan Jones classic, “Cowpoke.” The album is a gold mine of soothing classic country sounds. Recorded in Texas, Wall performed the music with the band he travels with, fashioning a familiarity with outside material that dovetails nicely with the Western sound that’s heard in Wall’s songwriting, too.

For a long while, Wall only sang “Cowpoke” live, and to the praise of his fans, he has finally committed the cover to record. He possesses a keen sensibility for Western culture — the music he creates is fresh, but bears great resemblance to deeply ingrained musical traditions. Buy it, download it, stream it; do whatever you have to do to hear Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs. You can watch Colter Wall sing “Cowpoke” in Bar Nunn, Wyoming, for Western AF below.

Photo credit: Robert Stilwell

WATCH: Mipso Get Experimental With “Let a Little Light In”

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Mipso’s sixth full-length release, simply called Mipso, marks an adventurous, exploratory turn for the group’s sound. Up until their most recent couple of projects the North Carolina four-piece’s music usually dwelt in the string band realm, but as this music video for “Let a Little Light In” will attest, the new self-titled album features more experimental textures and atmospheres. In the video, the members of Mipso revisit nostalgic memories that have a marked fuzziness and that strange cocktail of joy and sadness about them.

On YouTube, singer-fiddler Libby Rodenbough posted, “It was really tempting to take this song in a kind of familiar bluesy direction, but we fought the temptation and tried to take into a weirder, quirkier zone.” Mipso is a unique step for the group, following very much in the footsteps of this single. In a press release, the band calls it their “most sonically adventurous and lyrically rich work to date, each moment charged with the tension between textural effervescence and an underlying despair about the modern world.” Watch “Let a Little Light In” below.

Photo credit: D.L. Anderson