Artist: Samantha Fish
Song: “Run Run Rudolph”
In Their Words: “‘Run Run Rudolph’ is always such an upbeat song, we thought it would be cool to dip it in some noir. It’s catchy and fun. I wanted to pay homage to the classic Chuck Berry song, yet interpret it in a different way. I think it walks the line between vintage rock ‘n’ roll and being a unique track all its own.” — Samantha Fish
Artist: Wade Bowen
Song: “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Album: Twelve Twenty-Five
In Their Words: “Christmas has always been the most personal of holidays, with its combination of faith and family. That was true for me while growing up and it’s still true for me today, albeit in a completely different way. As a husband and father who spends so much time traveling the world playing music, I love the feeling the Christmas season brings to my life. And I recognize how quickly time passes and how each Christmas is unique and fleeting. With my family, I try to keep the best parts of the warm, magical, small-town vibe that my parents gave me while growing up in Waco.
“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album that reflects all of that. All that I’ve grown to love. I can remember sitting around listening to Christmas music with my mom and sisters and singing every word. So when it came time to choose the songs for this album, I wanted those to be part of the project. But on top of the classic songs I grew up with, I want to introduce my kids to the modern holiday songs by my favorite singers or things that I watched on TV that also became part of what Christmas means to me. So this record is a reflection of all of that…with a timeless feel. It was made with friends and family, singing songs that came to mean something to me over the years. And maybe, if we’re lucky, something on this album might become a small part of what Christmas means to you. I hope you enjoy it.” — Wade Bowen
Artist: Phöenix Lazare
Song: “Winter White”
Album: Winter White/Evergreen
In Their Words: “‘Winter White’ is a full-spirited Christmas lullaby that celebrates the magical annual transition into the holidays. Capturing the warm glow of the season, the song is straight from my heart. This is emulated in the vocals, piano and soft drums that lie underneath lyrics reflecting on the small miracles of a simple, yet meaningful holiday. I hope ‘Winter White’ transports listeners to a cozy, familiar kitchen or fireside.” — Phöenix Lazare
Artist: Josh Rouse
Song: “Christmas Songs”
Album: The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse
From the Artist: “[‘Christmas Songs’] was written a few weeks before recording the record. I was on tour in Sweden and I needed one more song to add to the group I had been collecting for years, an end credit if you will. I had Lee Hazlewood and the album Cowboy in Sweden in mind.” — Josh Rouse
Artist: Valerie June
Song: “Let It Snow” (single)
In Their Words: “Since the holiday season seems to begin sooner and sooner each year, my favorite holiday songs are the ones that make you want to cuddle up with a warm cup of tea and watch through the window as the season shifts from fall to winter.” — Valerie June
Artist: Bear’s Den
Song: “Only Son of the Falling Snow”
Album: Only Son of the Falling Snow (EP)
In Their Words: “I wrote the song a while ago. It’s a very nostalgic and reflective song which imagines someone looking back on their own life and walking into their old house, reliving some pivotal moments of their life and re-engaging with who they are as a person and where they’re at now. I read Winter, the novel by Ali Smith, and it really inspired me to want to write songs specifically about winter. I think it’s an incredibly inspiring time of year and it was a really fun and collaborative process for Kev and I to work on these songs, flesh them out, and bring them to life: embracing piano ideas and more acoustic elements whilst still exploring electronic textures behind the more reflective lyrics and sparse arrangements. We’re very proud to share this song with you.” — Andrew Davie, Bear’s Den
Artist: The Chapin Sisters
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York (Abigail), and Hudson Valley, New York (Lily)
Song: “Lost”
Album: Ferry Boat
Label: Loantaka Records
In Their Words: “This song was written as a little finger-picking ditty on the guitar, but when Evan Taylor (producer/bandmate) heard it he visualized the string-like strains of the Mellotron lifting into the solo which creates a dreamlike ambiance. This song was written at the nadir of US political despair — post-election 2016 — right after Trump was elected when we were trying to navigate this fear and uncertainty. It is a meditation on remembering to stay in the now, choose hope over despair. For me regret can arise out of thin air. It can keep me up at night, chewing at my insides. The only way out of it is meditation, gratitude, hope. There is a children’s book* that says, ‘when you are lost it is the easiest place to be found.‘ And it’s true that often my songs come out of late night sleepless rambles. We need hope these days, and togetherness. This song is about that.” — Lily Chapin
Photo credit: Sita Marlier
Video directed by Alec Coiro
*children’s book is Emily Winfield Martin’s The Littlest Family’s Big Day
Artist: CoCo and the Butterfields
Hometown: Canterbury, England
Latest Album: Monsters Unplugged
Editor’s Note: Look for CoCo and the Butterfields and BGS – UK at AmericanaFest UK, held Jan. 29-31 in London.
Sounds Like: Bellowhead, Seth Lakeman, Florence and the Machine with added indie pop
Why You Should Listen: CoCo and the Butterfields are just joyful and January should be joyful. Ok, I know we are all trying to stick with our “new year new you” goals. New fitness regimes, meditation apps, veganuary, dry January, etc., but come on, surely we can all get on board with more joy!? Great, we are agreed! First thing to do then is listen to this rowdy good time group of multi-instrumentalists who combine folk, bluegrass, hip hop, indie pop, Celtic, and country. Hell, there’s even some beatboxing thrown in for good measure. I said they are rowdy and they can be, in the best possible way, but they also do soft and sad, again in the best possible way.
I first met the band when they rolled up for a session on my radio show in a multi-colored minivan they had painted themselves. They all piled out looking like a touring version of Hair, the musical, and I knew they were my kind of people. Incidentally they do all have amazing hair, but that’s beside the point. The main thing for us to note is their music is wholly and completely original, it’s a sound only they could make and I’m so glad they do. A true ensemble band, sharing vocals and switching instruments at will. They are crowd pleasers and joy makers. I’ve seen them in a packed out basement club and in an expansive field in the middle of the country and they are at home in both.
I think the reason they aren’t bigger in a “mainstream” type of way, is because they are so undefinable. A great thing in my book. So, let’s all treat ourselves, close that fitness app, and open up the playlist below and let’s start the year in the way we mean to continue, with more joyful music and fantastic hair.
As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen
Photo Credit: Nicky Johnstone
Name: Dexateens
Hometown: Tuscaloosa, Birmingham
Latest project: Teenage Hallelujah
Tour Food: I'm not sure that I have ever seen anyone in our band eat sushi. Maybe Matt does. He tours with Drive-By Truckers all the time now, so we only have him for a percentage of the time, and he is a vegan … but apparently his doctor told him he was nutrient deficient and that he really needed to start eating fish … so maybe he eats sushi. Who knows? So we are probably more of a hamburger kind of band. We ate last week at Storms when we were passing through Lampasas, Texas. We heard that Elvis used to eat there when he was stationed at Fort Hood so, obviously, we anticipated a bacon, egg, peanut butter, banana lard burger. They didn't have that, but we all had the triple meat burger. It killed. Bo had a malt that was the size of his head. He couldn't finish it.
Backstage Hangs: Dexateens play dive bars, so this means that there is no such thing as a backstage hang for us. The bar is the backstage and we are sharing it with the people who come to see us play which, for us, is cool. We usually make friends that we can look forward to seeing the next time we are in town … and we like having drinks bought for us, so that's also a plus. Every now and then, we meet someone that wants to press buttons, but Brian knows how to defuse that pretty easily. He is a bartender at the Nick in Birmingham and he is in the business of defusing problem clients.
Radio Station: Favorite radio station is WFMU in New Jersey. We have been supported by them and get to play the studio when we are in town thanks to our friend Joe Belock. Kevin Nutt does a super cool show called Sinner's Crossroads. He wrote the liner notes for our new record, and they are hilarious. He wrote them from the perspective of an old-time radio minister: "Gospel friends, I wish I could say I was immediately blessed with their fine singing and unique approach. But I can’t. It sounded like a lot of racket. It sounded like the world’s largest bumblebee had got lose in there. I thought there was a mistake. I keyed the talkback button: 'Hey son, you can’t play no rock 'n' roll on a gospel station for Christ's sake! Lord.'” Kevin used to see us perform back in the day when we were a young band while he lived in Alabama … We put his liners on the back of an old-time church fan that comes free with the Teenage Hallelujah vinyl.
Driving Album: We don't spend a whole lot of time listening to music. I'm usually the driver and I get uptight in traffic when the music is blasting. What I really enjoy doing is scrolling through the channels on FM radio, and of course there is hardly ever anything of value worth hearing, but when I land on one of the three Eagles' songs that I like … man, what a moment! Seems like classic country radio is getting popular now which is cool. Sadly, some of the bad '80s stuff fits in that category. We took an acoustic guitar on tour one time, just for the van experience and that most definitely didn't work. Driving a van with a trailer while someone sits behind you, banging on a flat top, working out harmonies or arrangements might be the most excruciating thing ever. If someone wants to hear music while we are on the road, more than likely they are going to put in their ear buds and rock it out. I like talk radio, myself.
Car Games: We don't really have any road games. The game is, manage to not stink it up for your neighbor, even though you haven't had a bath in four days; throw away your trash; load your own gear; go to the merch table and try and help hustle some t-shirts; try to be nice to jaded, grumpy sound guys … you know ,that sort of stuff. When you are traveling like we do, there isn't time to see the city and absorb the culture. I mean, we might get a meal every now that then that is special, but for the most part, we eat stuff that is in walking distance of the club. We spend a lot of time at Love's truck stops. We probably would know a lot more about the coffee selection at Love's than we would at some artsy-fartsy coffee house.
House Shows: House shows are the way we came up as a band, and we still love to play them. I probably would have a problem standing in line with college students for a cup of beer, at this point in my life, but having said that, if someone wants to pay us and give us our own stash of drinks, then we really like the idea of getting down and dirty with a bunch of wild animals at a house party. We played a really fun marriage party in a basement in Louisville, Kentucky, a few years back and it was a total blast. We saw the groom at a show in Nashville, and he told us that, unfortunately, he and his wife split up, but the good news was that he had a hell of a "Hope It All Works Out" party.
Record Stores: We would probably be more of a thrift store and flea market kind of band as opposed to one who might visit the trendy bookstore. Same thing with record stores … really love the idea of shopping to buy records, but when you have hit or miss nights, the wives tend to get upset when you come home with a stack of records and no cash. So, unless we have been asked to play an in-store, it's not something we typically do. Love our friends at Grimey's in Nashville and the End of All Music in Oxford. We played a set of Rolling Stones covers a few years back at Grimey's and we were told that Bobby Keys was going to show up and play sax with us. Bobby didn't make it, but Grimey did sing "Rip This Joint" with us and that was a lot of fun. I never realized how wordy that song was til Mike showed up with three pages of lyrics.
Tour Hobby: We recently got an RV. The thing has 22,000 original miles and is from 1994. So it seems like, when we have time, we devote our attention to working out the electrical quirks and trying the make the refrigerator work. We have narrowed the nickname of this thing down to either the Millennium Falcon or the Eagle 5 from Spaceballs. Either way, it seems fitting because we are constantly tinkering with it to make it work. It's probably not the fastest ship in the galaxy, so Eagle 5 might be more fitting.
Dive Bar: It's hard for me to pick one dive bar that we would love the most. You know, there is just sort of a love/hate thing with those places. On one hand, they are truly disgusting, evil places, but on the other hand, when the audience is there and the band is on fire, it can be a super intimate and exhilarating thing. Especially the bars where there is no stage and you get right there with the audience and pour beer on each other … that's a lot of fun. The other thing about them that I find super interesting is the history that a lot of these places have, all the great acts that have come before you playing these old watering holes … the Nick, in particular.
Stretch of Road: Favorite stretch of road would be whatever road is taking us out of town, because that's normally the road that takes us back home. Playing music is great and it's clearly something that the Dexateens can't get away from, but first and foremost, we are family men and the music stuff falls in line elsewhere. That mentality hasn't been great for our careers, but it has allowed us to do our thing as a band without divorcing our wives, fathering mystery children, and ruining our lives. If you removed the wives and the children from the equation, this whole thing wouldn't work.
Artist: Jackie Venson
Hometown: Austin, TX
Latest Album: Jackie Venson Live
Personal Nicknames: JV, Jackie V, Jacks, my family calls me Jacquelyn
Your house is burning down and you can grab only one thing — what would you save?
My dog doesn't count because he's got legs and he can run out with me so I'll say my computer. Because there's SO much work on there that would be lost and all of my hard drives are also in my house.
If you weren't a musician, what would you be?
Unemployed … Just kidding, but not really … I suppose another career I could enjoy would be bartending.
If a song started playing every time you entered the room, what would you want it to be?
"Teardrop" by Massive Attack
What is the one thing you can’t survive without on tour?
Good, healthy food.
If you were a car, what car would you be?
A Nissan Cube or a KIA Soul
Which King is your favorite: B.B., Billie Jean, Martin Luther?
Martin Luther
Vinyl or digital?
Vinyl
Who is your favorite superhero?
Iron Man
Summer or Winter?
Summer
Photo credit: Bob Crockett
