The Recording Academy announced the nominees for the 2020 Grammy Awards this morning in Los Angeles, including the following artists up for the American Roots Music categories:
Best American Roots Performance
For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk, or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).
SAINT HONESTY Sara Bareilles
FATHER MOUNTAIN Calexico And Iron & Wine
I’M ON MY WAY Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
CALL MY NAME I’m With Her
FARAWAY LOOK Yola
Best American Roots Song
A songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.
BLACK MYSELF Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
CALL MY NAME Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
CROSSING TO JERUSALEM Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
FARAWAY LOOK Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin, songwriters (Yola)
I DON’T WANNA RIDE THE RAILS NO MORE Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)
Best Americana Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.
YEARS TO BURN Calexico And Iron & Wine
WHO ARE YOU NOW Madison Cunningham
OKLAHOMA Keb’ Mo’
TALES OF AMERICA J.S. Ondara
WALK THROUGH FIRE Yola
Best Bluegrass Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.
TALL FIDDLER Michael Cleveland
LIVE IN PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
TOIL, TEARS & TROUBLE The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
ROYAL TRAVELLER Missy Raines
IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Best Traditional Blues Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.
KINGFISH Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
TALL, DARK & HANDSOME Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men
SITTING ON TOP OF THE BLUES Bobby Rush
BABY, PLEASE COME HOME Jimmie Vaughan
SPECTACULAR CLASS Jontavious Willis
Best Contemporary Blues Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.
THIS LAND Gary Clark Jr.
VENOM & FAITH Larkin Poe
BRIGHTER DAYS Robert Randolph & The Family Band
SOMEBODY SAVE ME Sugaray Rayford
KEEP ON Southern Avenue
Best Folk Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.
MY FINEST WORK YET Andrew Bird
REARRANGE MY HEART Che Apalache
PATTY GRIFFIN Patty Griffin
EVENING MACHINES Gregory Alan Isakov
FRONT PORCH Joy Williams
Best Regional Roots Music Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental regional roots music recordings.
KALAWAI’ANUI Amy Hānaiali’i
WHEN IT’S COLD – CREE ROUND DANCE SONGS Northern Cree
GOOD TIME Ranky Tanky
RECORDED LIVE AT THE 2019 NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL Rebirth Brass Band
Give or take, it’s about 2,800 miles from Brandi Carlile’s native Seattle, Washington, to Wilkesboro, North Carolina, home to the renowned music gathering known as MerleFest. (See photos.) And as the Saturday night headliner this year, the award-winning singer-songwriter took to the Watson Stage during the 32nd annual MerleFest, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and an overzealous audience in the neighborhood of 30,000.
Backed by her rollicking Americana/indie-rock band, which includes founding members Phil and Tim Hanseroth (aka: “The Twins”), Carlile held court during an unforgettable performance that led to one of the festival’s finest moments — Carlile around a single microphone with North Carolinians Seth and Scott Avett for an encore of the Avett Brothers’ “Murder in the City.”
But a few hours before that performance, Carlile found herself standing backstage alone in the dressing room of the late Doc Watson, the guitar master who founded MerleFest. Gazing around the small square space, she looked at old photos of Watson and other legendary Americana and bluegrass performers that have played MerleFest over the years: Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Peter Rowan, Rhonda Vincent, Tony Rice, and so forth.
Carlile smiled to herself in silence, truly feeling humbled in her craft and taking a moment to reflect on her wild and wondrous journey thus far, all while possessing a once-in-a-generation talent — something broadcasted across the world during her staggering performance of “The Joke” in February at the Grammys, and amid a standing ovation from the music industry. Remarkably she also picked up all three Grammys in the American Roots Music categories.
We met Carlile in Watson’s dressing room before the show for our interview and surveyed the steps she’s taken from Seattle to the MerleFest stage.
BGS: It seems as big as your career has gotten, the humble nature of where you came from still remains within you, as a headlining performer now.
Carlile: It does. Part of that reason why I feel that is part of who I am is because of the people that I’ve surrounded myself with — The Twins, our families, our kids, and our folks. They’re not going to let anybody get too heady or too ahead of themselves. Everybody puts you right back in your station if you’re getting there.
Growing up around Seattle, was Kurt Cobain’s songwriting or specifically the Unplugged in New York album by Nirvana ever a big influence on you as a performer?
It was later in life. It’s so funny, like when you live in the [Pacific] Northwest, the intensity that was directed towards country music for me was big because I didn’t have proximity to it. I was so far away from it. People in the South, I think so often they love country and western roots music, bluegrass, folk, and Americana music. It’s not that they take it for granted, but they don’t realize sometimes that they’re so close to it — it’s right here. And we don’t have that proximity, so I think we love it a little more intensely in the Northwest.
Because you’re seeking it out maybe?
Yeah. And [it’s] even more concentrated in the [United Kingdom]. I mean, if you want to meet some of the most potent country music fans, you go to the UK. And Seattle is kind of that same vibe. So, when I discovered grunge music and rock ‘n’ roll music, it was after it had already happened in my city, which had its own grief period with it, but also kind of an intense celebratory thing because I had missed it. I wanted to know everything about what happened in my city. And what I came away with was realizing we came up with something new. We didn’t repeat anything. We didn’t throw back to an era. We didn’t put on a Halloween costume. We did something brand new.
So, how does that apply to where you are today, in terms of what you want to create with your art?
I’m kind of a hybrid thinker, in general. I like putting ideas together and posing thoughts, things like that. I’ve never really been a great or very successful genre person.
You don’t want to be pigeon-holed…
It’s not that I don’t want to be pigeon-holed, it’s just that I don’t know if I’m able to be. Unfortunately I’ve always wanted to fit in, but I don’t know if I ever will.
Well, to that point, this last year, at least from an outsider’s perspective, has seemed like a whirlwind in your career, with the trajectory it’s on now. Has it been a slow burn to this point or is this a whirlwind, and how are you dealing with all of that?
That’s a good question. It’s both. It’s been a slow burn to this point. I’ve been working for a long time. But it was a really big change. That Grammy moment changed my life, and in a really, really big way. I can’t even catch up to it yet — I don’t even know how to catch up to it yet.
Or if you even want to embrace it. I mean, how do even wrap your head around something like that?
No, dude, I want to embrace it — I love it. I’ve always loved everything about music and the music business since I was such a little girl. I sat in my room wanting the biggest and the best of opportunities for myself, my family, and my friends. And so I’ll find a way to embrace it. And I want to — I’m really insanely grateful for it.
What do you remember from that moment? I was thinking, the stunning way your voice and the energy was going up and down, any frustration, any love or sadness you’ve experienced was put out through that microphone at that moment…
Yeah. I think I’m going to live to be 100 because that is how I do it, you know? I just let it all out. And in that moment, I don’t know — I was just so ready for it. I’m 38. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m not going to get too nervous or too excited and come undone. But, I am going to enjoy it while it’s happening. Like so many big things in your life you don’t really get to enjoy it.
Or maybe in hindsight you realize how important it was…
Yeah, man. Like loving everything in retrospect, enjoying everything in retrospect. And I was just so right there, right in the moment at the time — more so than maybe ever before while performing.
So, does that mean you subscribe to the idea of “the now,” to learn to be present, rather than worry about what was and what could be?
Yeah, but I’m horrible at it. But for some reason, that day I was able to get there. And I think it’s because I had been so nervous and then I won those three [Grammys]. I was like, “What do I got to lose? I’m just going to do this. I’m just going to show everybody [who I am].”
What is the role of the songwriter in the digital age, in all this chaos that is the 21st century?
To try to be as permanent as you can in a temporary environment.
In all the years you’ve created and performed music, traveling the world and meeting people from all walks of life, what has it taught you about what it means to be a human being?
Well, it’s taught me so much. I think you need to travel, in general, in life. You cannot stay put and not see the way that people live and then try and create an assumption about the way the world works. Travel, in general, has taught me so much about social justice and empathy. It’s enhanced me spiritually as a person, and that’s the thing I think I’ve garnered the most out of it. But I’ve met some really wise and special people as well. And to get to meet your heroes, people that you’ve admired – to find out if you were completely wrong about how much you admire them or being completely right — has been so enlightening.
And what about being in Doc Watson’s dressing right now, being at Merlefest?
Being in Doc Watson’s dressing room is really moving. I’ve been looking around at the pictures and the gravity of it. And when you’re here at this festival, you feel the reverence and you understand what it’s all about. And it’s something I’m coming to later in life. Just like I missed the greatest rock ‘n’ roll genre of all-time — grunge — in my very own city, I missed this experience, too — and I’m looking forward to diving in with both feet.
On January 27, Folk Alliance International kicks off Grammy weekend with a celebration of this year’s Best Folk Album nominees and other American Roots music artists. Hosted by singer/songwriter Rose Cousins, the event at Joe’s Pub in New York City will feature appearances and performances by Anaïs Mitchell, Bobby Osborne, Michael Daves, the Secret Sisters, Olivia Chaney (of Offa Rex), Guy Davis, Fabrizio Poggi, Dar Williams, and Ashley Campbell.
Because all of the programs have different qualifying timelines, the potential nominees fall in strange places. For instance, Jason Isbell just nabbed two AMAs (Album and Song of the Year) for a record that came out 15 months ago. And Chris Stapleton, who was the 2016 AMA Artist of the Year, is up for another round of CMAs even though his record came out even longer ago than that.
What to say? It's a weird world.
But I do have a couple bones to pick about it all.
Now, I thought Traveller was a good record with solid tunes and Stapleton was a nice guy with an amazing voice before I knew he was pals with Justin Timberlake and before he was firing up the charts. It's great to see his brave and bold video for “Fire Away,” which addresses mental health issues, get a nod and even more wonderful to see his incredibly talented wife, Morgane, get a hat tip for their devastating version of “You Are My Sunshine” off the Dave Cobb-produced Southern Family LP. No problems there. Show 'em how it's done, Stapletons.
I also adored Lori McKenna's songs — though slightly less so when Tim McGraw sings them — long before Faith Hill found her, so I'm thrilled with all of her success and acclaim. There's not a more deserving soul around, as she actually embodies the virtues laid forth in “Humble and Kind,” which is nominated for both CMA Song and Single of the Year. Go get 'em, McKenna! Maybe next year your fantastic record, The Bird & the Rifle, will get some CMA love. (Even if it doesn't, we'll definitely plan to see you back at the Ryman in September for the AMAs.)
Maren Morris and her big ol' voice did something great with “My Church,” creating one of the only over-played commercial country songs I didn't change the station on as I scanned the radio dial. The rest of the record, though, despite a few good moments, fails to measure up … at least to my roots-loving ears. Still, she got tagged by the CMAs in the Female Vocalist, Song, Single, and Album of the Year categories. That's fine, I guess, since she's the hot new kid on the block.
But here's where it starts to get sticky: Last year's hot new kid, Kacey Musgraves, is an artist I like quite a bit, but she didn't release a record during the July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 eligibility window … yet she nabbed a Female Vocalist nomination. Meanwhile, Brandy Clark wrote and sang the crap out of this year's Big Day in a Small Town and got nary a nod. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. What's up with that, CMA? More than a few critics have cited Clark as the best songwriter working in Nashville, and I probably wouldn't be the first to note that she has proven herself to be an outstanding singer, as well. A tsk-tsk and a slap on the wrist for that huge oversight. I mean … seriously. BRANDY. CLARK.
And then there's Margo Price who is, arguably, the breakout country act of the year. She went home with an AMA for Emerging Artist of the Year, but got the cold country shoulder. She's good enough for SNL, but not CMA? Go figure. In terms of country icons, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell won the AMA Duo/Group of the Year and are also nowhere to be found on the CMA list. And where's Loretta Lynn, who has maybe the countriest country release of 2016? Sitting at home in Hurricane Mills … that's where.
It's safe to say that we, in the Americana/roots music community, are more than happy to embrace all of these country music refugees because it's pretty clear that, while the CMAs may be a barometer for country radio, they certainly don't reflect country music.
Dear Grammy voters, you can — and should — do better. So, looking at the Grammy eligibility window of October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016, here's how I'd love to see the various album categories fall. (A kid can dream, right?)
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
Cautionary Tale Dylan LeBlanc
My Piece of Land Amanda Shires
Beulah John Paul White
Ghosts of Highway 20 Lucinda Williams
I Am the Rain Chely Wright
BEST FOLK ALBUM
Honest Life Courtney Marie Andrews
The Bird & the Rifle Lori McKenna
The Very Last Day Parker Millsap
Young in All the Wrong Ways Sara Watkins
Undercurrent Sarah Jarosz
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Big Day in a Small Town Brandy Clark
Full Circle Loretta Lynn
For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price Willie Nelson
Midwest Farmer's Daughter Margo Price
Southern Family Various Artists
Lede photo of Ted Jensen's Grammy for mastering Norah Jones' 2002 Album of the Year, Come Away with Me, courtesy of Dmileson.
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