Tag: Jake Blount

LISTEN: The Stubborn Lovers, “Cottonwood Run”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Stubborn Lovers
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Cottonwood Run”
Album: Come A Reckoning
Release Date: November 18, 2022

In Their Words: “The roots of this song lie in the memory of a place, a place I visited only once as a child, but that has haunted me ever since. It was my grandmother’s ancestral home, a former tobacco plantation in Alamance County, North Carolina, called Red Acres. At the time of my family’s visit, the house was occupied by my great-grandfather’s sister, Aunt Lala, who spun tales of the glories of the antebellum South. Meanwhile, the dilapidated remnants of former slave quarters still stood just outside. Aunt Lala’s stories were infused with the same ‘Southern pride’ as similar stories passed on by my grandmother and mother, a pride requiring a willful ignorance of the dark truths inherent in the history of the South, and indeed in the whole of American history.

“Aunt Lala’s most treasured possession was a drum that had belonged to her father, my great-great-grandfather. During the Civil War he’d run away from home to join the Confederate Army, but he was too young, too small even to hold a rifle. Instead they made him a drummer, keeping time at the front of a column of soldiers as they marched. It’s always been eerie to me to think of this drummer boy as part of my musical heritage — to think of the dirt of Red Acres, and metaphorically the blood of slaves, on those same hands that held that little drum.

Editor’s Note: Read more below the player.

The Stubborn Lovers · Cottonwood Run

“I always knew I needed to confront my family’s history as slave owners in a song, but it took a long time to get there. And even when I started, I wasn’t sure where to go once I’d set the tale in motion. It was Mandy [Allan, the band’s singer-guitarist] who gave me the answer: ‘Burn it all down.’ So I framed the narrative as a dream in which I return to Red Acres — renamed Cottonwood Run in the song — and do just that. I don’t feel like it frees me of the weight of the past, but it’s definitely a catharsis.

“A note on our guest artist: during the time I was writing this song, I was also listening to the podcast Dolly Parton’s America. One episode featured Rhiannon Giddens talking about the history of the banjo and its importance in the Black roots music community. I knew about the instrument’s African origins, but I was deeply moved by hearing Rhiannon speak about it. I decided that, when we recorded it, ‘Cottonwood Run’ should end with banjo, and that it should be played by a Black musician. We were so fortunate to be able to hire Jake Blount to play for us! Jake is deeply connected to the Black roots music community, and in his own career puts a modern spin on old-time music that I find really exciting. For our song, Jake played a darker-toned gut-string banjo with an odd tuning he learned from a Mississippi player named Lucius Smith.” — Jenny Taylor, The Stubborn Lovers

Photo Credit: Chelsea Donoho

Banjo Player Jake Blount Brings Hip-Hop, Rap, and Afrofuturism to ‘The New Faith’

Posted on by Editor

As a musician, scholar (the holder of a B.A. in ethnomusicology), and songwriter, Jake Blount enjoys shredding stereotypes and defying conventional wisdom. His latest LP, The New Faith, is a conceptually ambitious, musically diverse, lyrically explosive work, one of the year’s most intriguing and exciting in any idiom. But it also represents quite a stylistic change from his prior releases that were powered by old-time banjo accompaniment and fiddle support. Instead, hip-hop and rap are a prominent feature, as well as flowing strings, drums and percussion.

That it is the work of a Black man whose approach has always been to ignore labels and refuse to accept notions about what kinds of songs and music are appropriate should be no surprise. Blount, the 2020 winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and two-time winner of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, better known as Clifftop, is also an outspoken exponent of Afrofuturism, a still-evolving concept that both celebrates Black cultural tradition and seeks to expand and refute outdated notions about it. He’s also an engaging performer comfortable performing anything from Delta blues to traditional country and bluegrass.

With a background that includes being tutored by such acoustic music masters as Rhiannon Giddens, Judy Hyman, and Bruce Molsky, Blount has been a sensation since 2017, when his then-band The Moose Whisperers were Clifftop winners. He also received widespread critical acclaim for his sound and style, both in Tui, a duo with fiddler Libby Weitnauer, and his solo releases, the powerhouse EP Reparations in 2017, and full-length album Spider Tales in 2020.

Still, nothing he’s done to date matches the power and authority of The New Faith, which is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African American Legacy Series, in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The project also includes wonderful contributions from Demeanor, D’orjay The Singing Shaman, Samuel James, Kaia Kater, Lizzie No, Mali Obomsawin, Brandi Pace, Rissi Palmer and Lillian Werbin.

Its 10 songs present a sprawling, often fascinating story set in a far-future world that’s been devastated by climate change. The focus is on a group of Black climate refugees as they perform a religious service, invoking vintage spirituals that are familiar in structure, but amazingly powerful in their presentation. Such songs as “Didn’t It Rain” and “Once There Was No Sun” are superbly and intensely performed.

Blount is unafraid, either in his music or interviews, to discuss such topics as George Floyd’s murder, or the hostility of organized religion and in particular the Black church towards LGBTQ individuals. Most importantly, the Rhode Island-based artist offers a consistently imaginative and intriguing — if often realistic and pessimistic — notion of the future.

BGS: How challenging was making The New Faith as compared to your previous releases?

Blount: This was by far the most challenging record I’ve ever done, in large part because it was mostly done during the pandemic. Working in isolation, people cutting their parts and sending them, then putting everything together, was an enormous challenge, and doing everything remote also presented some creative challenges. Brian (co-producer Brian Slattery) and I were working really hard in making sure that we got exactly what we wanted and the best from the different things that were coming in. Then we’re doing most of it in the bedroom. That’s really different as well. But I’m happy with how things turned out, and the contributions from so many wonderful people really added to it.

You’ve tackled some tough issues here, and subjects like climate change or police misconduct are controversial subjects. What’s been the reaction?

For the most part the album has been well received. Perhaps the most backlash has come from the inclusion of rap on the record. But if you’re going to reflect the music and society of the 21st century, you’ve got to include rap. It’s as much the instrument of communication today for young people as the fiddle and banjo were for a prior generation. I love both of those instruments, play them and incorporate them in my music, but I’m also looking to the future and trying to make sure that what I’m doing and saying is relevant to what’s going on today and to what audiences are hearing.

What were some of the sounds that influenced you in developing your sound and your style?

I grew up loving the music of Parliament/Funkadelic and Earth, Wind & Fire, and still do. But I also heard traditional folk music, the blues, country, bluegrass. My concept of folk music includes all these things. It includes both acoustic and electric influences. There have always been folks who’ve tried to restrict or limit music, who want to say if you’re a folk musician you can’t play this or you can’t sing that. I have never accepted those limitations and never will.

You also talk about Afrofuturism and its importance to your music. Do you feel that audiences have any problems or difficulties understanding what that means?

Afrofuturism is simply the broad spectrum of African American culture and music, being free to imagine and utilize pretty much anything within the canon. While I’m not doing the literary element of it as much, I’m influenced by the great authors as well. But when you talk about Afrofuturism within the music you’re encompassing and embracing everything that’s come within the culture, finding ways of expanding and continuing within that tradition.

You don’t hesitate, either in song or interviews to talk about the Black church and its not-so-positive relationship with LGBTQ people. Has that caused any problems?

One thing that I’ve always said and continue to say is that there needs to be a welcoming attitude in all churches towards all people, including LGBTQ. I know that there are those in the Black church who are uncomfortable with LGBTQ people for religious reasons. My concept of Black spirituality embraces everyone, and I want to create songs that support creating a safe and comfortable environment for all people.

Do you view yourself as a folk or country musician?

One of the things that I’m very much about is creating a new discussion, a new understanding of what exactly is folk music. There’s always been a tendency towards making what is considered folk music as small and narrow as possible, seeing it in a way that excluded more people, be they musicians or just fans, than it included.

For me, when you talk about Black folk music, that’s as broad a spectrum of musicians and sounds as you could ever envision in a lifetime. It’s not just about a finite time period or a certain era that ended when a handful of people died. It’s ongoing, it’s contemporary, it embraces tradition, but continues to expand it. That’s what I’m trying to do at all times with my music.

Are you glad to be back out on tour?

Yes, there is nothing that matches live performance in front of an audience. I think a lot of the songs on The New Faith work even better in live performance, and I’m really anxious to get out on the road and perform them. Also just the excitement of being out on a live stage again, and going to different cities and seeing live audiences again, it’s such a pleasure and a joy.

Photo Credit: Tadin Brown

LISTEN: Jake Blount, “The Downward Road” (Ft. Demeanor)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jake Blount
Hometown: Washington, D.C.; now Providence, Rhode Island
Song: “The Downward Road” (Ft. Demeanor)
Album: The New Faith
Release Date: September 23, 2022
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

In Their Words: “‘The Downward Road’ was the proving ground for much of the sonic experimentation on The New Faith. I think these were the first vocal harmonies I ever recorded — and definitely the first fiddle solo. My co-producer, Brian Slattery, used this track to show me how to put percussion loops together. We wound up rerecording harmonies, fiddles and percussion as we learned to perform the parts better and get better sounds with our home recording rigs. Demeanor threw some incredible verses on it. ‘The Downward Road’ was the first song we began to work on for this release, and the last one we finished — and it does a better job than any other track at encapsulating the backstory behind The New Faith.” — Jake Blount

Editor’s Note: “The Downward Road” was made familiar by singer Jim Williams and first recorded in the 1930s by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax

Photo Credit: Tadin Brown

AMERICANAFEST 2022 Preview: Check Out These Panels, Parties and Showcases

Posted on by Editor

Even if you’re from Nashville or you’ve visited Music City many times, AMERICANAFEST always offers something new. This year, the annual event encompasses more than a dozen places to hear live music, as well as an impressive slate of industry panels and a near-endless list of parties. Where to begin? Although this story is by no means definitive, here are some promising highlights from the 2022 Americanafest daily schedule.

Tuesday, September 13

If you’re in town early, come say hello to BGS at Station Inn, where Jason Carter & Friends will take the stage. Doors at 8. Although it’s not open to the public, all conference and festival passholders are welcome. To pick up your pass, you’ll need to swing by City Winery or the Westin (the host hotel) earlier that day. An exploration of East Nashville might also be in order, with The Old Fashioned String Band Throwdown from 6-9 p.m. at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge.

Wednesday, September 14

A plethora of panels awaits conference registrants at the Westin, along with a couple of notable interview sessions. The Indigo Girls will be interviewed by NPR Music’s Ann Powers at 10 a.m. (They’ll be honored with a Lifetime Achievement recognition at the Americana Music Honors & Awards later that night too). Stick around for a conversation between Dom Flemons and Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson, presented by WSM’s American Songster Radio. After that, Stax Records’ Al Bell and Deanie Parker will discuss the historic Wattstax festival in 1972.

You can count on BGS for another party as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary with a happy hour at City Winery Lounge from 3 – 5 p.m. Conference and festival passholders welcome. Special performers include Kyshona, Rainbow Girls, and Willie Watson. And after the awards show, there’s an abundance of awesome shows to consider, including a rare solo set by Angel Olsen (our BGS Artist of the Month in August) at Riverside Revival, a set from Bill Monroe acolyte Mike Compton and a surprise headliner at Station Inn, and an acoustic showcase from members of North Mississippi Allstars at Analog at Hutton Hotel immediately followed by Texas great Joshua Ray Walker.

Thursday, September 15

One of the most intriguing panels on Thursday is titled The Narrators: How Jake Blount, Leyla McCalla and Kaia Kater Re-Mapped the Past, Present and Future With Concept Albums. As the Americanafest app points out, all three artists are students of musical and cultural traditions, as well as Black banjo players. The conversation takes place at noon with moderator Jewly Hight. Coincidentally, these three performers are showcasing at the exact same time later that night, so here’s your chance to catch them all at once.

Ishkōdé Records will celebrate Indigenous voices from Turtle Island at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge from 1-4 p.m., with performers such as Amanda Rheaume, Aysanabee, Digging Roots and Evan Redsky. If you’re lucky enough to get into the Bluebird Cafe for a 6 p.m. show, you can enjoy a songwriting round with Gabe Lee, Tristan Bushman and British artist Lauren Housley. A Tribute to Levon Helm with an all-star cast closes out the night at 3rd & Lindsley, following an evening of music with Arkansas roots.

Several of the most buzzed-about showcases of AMERICANAFEST will take place at the Basement East, with a strong lineup boasting Rissi Palmer, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Trousdale, Bre Kennedy and Jade Bird. If you’re up for bluegrass, the City Winery Lounge lineup includes Tammy Rogers & Thomm Jutz alongside rising talent like the Tray Wellington Band and Troubadour Blue. If honky-tonk is more your style, stay up late for Jesse Daniel at 6th & Peabody, with original music that pays homage to the Bakersfield Sound without losing its contemporary appeal.

Friday, September 16

Diversity is a common theme on Friday’s daytime events, with panels like Booking With Intent: How Curating the Stage Impacts Industry Diversity and How Americana Music Is Embracing Minority Representation. Of particular note, British artist Lady Nade speaks on the influence of Black music in country and Americana in a panel titled You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Why Representation Is Vital for the Americana Genre. Look for a conversation and performance at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at noon with rising artists from the Black Opry Revue.

To list all the parties on Friday would take up this whole page. To socialize, you’ve got options ranging from songwriting rounds to label parties to multiple happy hours. (If you’re a craft beer drinker who loves to linger on the deck, it’s worth a visit to Tennessee Brew Works, where Hear Fort Worth is setting up shop.) As for BGS, you’ll find us at the Basement for a party presented with Nettwerk Records and Taylor Guitars. The public may RSVP through the invitation below.

This might be a good time to mention one of the festival’s new venues, The Well at Koinonia. This cozy coffee shop on Music Row played a crucial role in the development of contemporary Christian music, once lending its small stage to a then-unknown Amy Grant. For AMERICANAFEST, it’s providing a listening room environment for a number of quieter artists who still deserve to be heard, such as Nashville songwriter-producer Alex Wong, award-winning acoustic guitarist Christie Lenée, mesmerizing folk duo Ordinary Elephant, Australian troubadour Colin Lillie, and the accomplished Mexican-American musician Lisa Morales on Friday night. If you’re interested in early shows (starting at 6 p.m.), easy parking, and/or enjoying music in a non-alcoholic environment, make an effort to get refueled here.

Not far away lies one of Nashville’s musical landmarks, The Basement (a.k.a. “The Basement O.G.”), and if you’re in town to discover some overlooked voices, this might be an ideal spot to start. Drawing on blues and rock, Chicago musician Nathan Graham is making his AMERICANAFEST debut this year, followed by Southern slide guitarist-songwriter Michelle Malone, who’s touring behind new material like “Not Who I Used to Be.” At Exit/In at 9 p.m., Michigan Rattlers are among Americana music’s best storytellers, with a vibe that’s kind of brooding but still has some rock ‘n’ roll swagger. Hang around for 49 Winchester, a Virginia ensemble that’s been DIY for most of its career. However, 2022’s Fortune Favors the Bold is garnering some much-deserved attention. Listen closely for the Exit/In reference in standout track, “Damn Darlin’.”

For something more mellow, you can zoom over to City Winery for a late set by Milk Carton Kids. It wouldn’t even feel like AMERICANAFEST without seeing these guys. Earlier in the evening, longtime festival favorite Ruston Kelly will play alongside his dad, Tim Kelly, performing exquisite songs that they recorded together (with Ruston serving as producer). Gaby Moreno, Henry Wagons and Rainbow Girls are also on the well-rounded bill. Go ahead, order a bottle.

Saturday, September 17

By the time the weekend arrives, the panels have wrapped and the parties are well underway. You can peruse the Americanafest app for all the options, but first, settle in at City Winery for the Thirty Tigers Gospel Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (It’s on Saturday this year, rather than Sunday.) Artists appearing include Alisa Amador, Brent Cobb, Emily Scott Robinson, Stephanie Lambring, The Fairfield Four and The McCrary Sisters. Musicians Corner in Centennial Park also features free afternoon sets from Nashville mainstay Josh Rouse, Brooklyn’s own Bandits on the Run, Los Angeles songwriter Chris Pierce, Canadian banjo player Ryland Moranz, and more.

Over at The 5 Spot, Alabama bluesman Early James anchors a lineup with Theo Lawrence (a French songwriter-guitarist who opened dates for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss in Europe), Canadian musician Megan Nash, and new ATO Records signing Honey Harper. The night concludes with an 11 p.m. showcase titled Luke Schneider & Friends: A Pedal Steel Showcase. For something similarly atmospheric, consider a one-night-only event, Phosphorescent Performing Songs From the Full Moon Project, also at 11 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl. He’s promising to play more songs than just the covers he’s chosen for this unique album, so you can bask in the afterglow of an incredible week of music.

For more information about these events and countless more, visit AMERICANAFEST.COM.

Artists featured at top (L-R): Phosphorescent, Molly Tuttle, Dom Flemons, Angel Olsen

Tray Wellington Shares a List of Banjo Players Thinking Outside the Box

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

North Carolina musician Tray Wellington is fresh off a nomination for this year’s IBMA New Artist of the Year, following the release of his full-length debut album Black Banjo. Still in his early 20s, Wellington pulls from a myriad of influences — on his latest album he cites jazz as the major influence of his progressive bluegrass style. Many other banjo players of this younger generation are using the influence of genre and blurred genre lines, adapting and subverting narrative and traditions, and utilizing sheer unrestrained creativity to operate outside the traditional confines of the instrument.

In honor of BGS Banjo Month, Wellington gathered a collection of current artists who are thinking outside the box, creating their own voice on the banjo in new and innovative ways, and striving to make the banjo a better-known and appreciated sound.

Photo Credit: Dan Boner

We’re giving away a Recording King Songster Banjo in honor of Banjo Month! Enter to win your very own RK-R20 here.

Wes Corbett’s Banjo Needs: 10 Songs That Make Him Happy

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Wes Corbett is a banjo player who wears many hats. The self-described “musically omnivorous bluegrass musician” is a true multi-hyphenate: 5-string aficionado (having released his solo album Cascade back in 2021), producer, former professor at Berklee College of Music, and musician with the likes of Joy Kills Sorrow, Molly Tuttle, and most recently Sam Bush Band.

Before hitting the road again with Sam Bush, the Washington native shared an exclusive playlist for BGS of “Wes Corbett’s Banjo Needs,” or as he puts it: the official home of all the songs that take him to his “happy place.”

“Fortune” – Adam Hurt

“Sliding Down” – Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall

“Saint Elizabeth” – Kaia Kater

“The Hunt” – Kristin Scott Benson

“Milford’s Reel” – Noam Pikelny

“Your Love Is Like a Flower” – Flatt & Scruggs

“Come Back Darlin’” – The Bluegrass Album Band

“Poe’s Pickin’ Party” – Alison Brown

“The Over Grown Waltz” – Béla Fleck

“Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone” – Jake Blount

We’re giving away a Recording King Songster Banjo in honor of Banjo Month! Enter to win your very own RK-R20 here.

WATCH: Jake Blount, “Once There Was No Sun”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jake Blount
Hometown: Washington, D.C.; now Providence, Rhode Island
Song: “Once There Was No Sun”
Album: The New Faith
Release Date: September 23, 2022
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

In Their Words: “I learned ‘Once There Was No Sun’ from a Bessie Jones recording. The track opens with a reading from Genesis, describing the world in the days prior to the creation of light, the sun, and the moon. The song’s lyrics reflect on the same period of time, reminding us that many things we treat as universal constants did not always exist — and, by extension, could recede into nothingness at any time. ‘Once There Was No Sun’ is an invitation to reflect on the impermanence, fragility and beauty of a world we too often take for granted. We filmed on a small island off the coast of Maine, which also inspired the setting for The New Faith, and it was clear to us from the start that the video should highlight the majesty of the landscape. The video is a celebration of beauty, in some of its most elemental forms: wind, light, sea and stone, and human bodies moving through it all. It’s my hope that, through such celebrations, we can learn to better care for all these things.”

Produced by Black Lodge Productions, the video features Blount alongside Veeva Banga, a South Sudanese dancer and choreographer based in Portland, Maine. Photo Credit: Tadin Brown

Bourbon & Beyond 2022: Full BGS Bluegrass Stage Lineup Announced

Posted on by Editor

For the fourth year, BGS is thrilled to be back in Louisville for another round of Bourbon & Beyond to be held September 15-18, 2022!

In addition to featured chefs, local food stands, and seemingly unending stalls of bourbon distilleries, the lineup includes mainstage sets from the likes of Jack White, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, The Doobie Brothers, Caamp, Yola, Jason Isbell, Charley Crockett, and many more, plus four days of bluegrass goodness on the BGS Stage located inside the Bourbon Tent.

Check out the complete Bluegrass Stage schedule below:

THURSDAY
Tyler Boone
Alex Leach Band
Hogslop String Band
Gary Brewer & the Kentucky Ramblers

FRIDAY
Circus No. 9
Tray Wellington
Missy Raines & Allegheny
Hogslop String Band

SATURDAY
Missy Raines & Allegheny
Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs
Jon Stickley Trio
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

SUNDAY
Jon Stickley Trio
Bella White
Jake Blount
Sierra Hull

Purchase tickets and discover more about B&B 2022 at bourbonandbeyond.com

Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival Is About Community

Posted on by Editor

To put it simply, the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival is expanding awareness about the Black roots of old-time music. It’s also about representation, visibility, and perhaps most of all, community.

“We have been there since the beginning of this music, yet there is little to no representation in the large music festivals that cater to this genre,” says founder Brandi Waller-Pace. “We aim to change that.”

Also known as FWAAMFest, the event focuses on the genres of old-time, jug band, early blues and jazz music that is Black-led and showcases Black performers. Produced by Decolonizing the Music Room, FWAAMFest takes place on Saturday, March 19, at Southside Preservation Hall. Headliners include Jake Blount, Kaia Kater, and Justin Robinson.

Leading up to FWAAMFest, Brandi Waller-Pace shares how a sense of community shaped this one-of-a-kind event.

BGS: What led to the idea of launching a festival focused on African American roots music?

Brandi Waller-Pace: I started playing old-time music myself by finding the banjo not terribly long ago. Maybe five years ago is when I really turned my attention toward the instrument and began to play, and really quickly connected with one of the few people in my community who plays clawhammer. He convinced me to sing and play guitar in a string band with him and another member. So, I got my chops up and learned a lot and gradually learned a lot about the history.

Finding out how deeply embedded Blackness and Black history – the history of my own ancestors – was, in the case of the banjo and the tradition surrounding the music, felt really affirming to me. Before long I began to meet other Black folks who were deeply involved in the community and the history. We started to connect, and those circles grew.

I remember hearing about the Black Banjo Gathering before I had gotten into the music at all, and not really knowing its significance until later. And then I attended another event that Dr. Dena Jennings, at her farm in Orange, Virginia, called the Affrolachian On-Time Music Gathering — or “The Thang.” It was really the first time I was around a significant amount of Black folks who were engaged in roots music, talking about the history and just engaging with one another.

It wasn’t an exclusively Black event, but it was really the first time I was around a significant amount of Black folks who were engaged in roots music, talking about the history and just engaging with one another. It was really beautiful. It planted a seed, I think. As I engaged more in the community, there were discussions about “How do we work on inclusion in existing spaces? When is it time to create new spaces?” I considered, “You know, I could create something new.” I tend to operate that way. I’ll engage in existing spaces and systems but I love the idea of creating something new. And so I said, “I could do a festival.”

You cover multiple old-time music styles at this festival. How did you curate the lineup?

I have to be honest. I’ve just been really fortunate to know so many wonderful musicians, and to become acquainted with some, and to develop deep friendships with others. And so, the lineup came from asking, “What’s the community that I’m finding myself in? And who are the people that I know about that I don’t get to see as often but are amazing musicians?” As this event grows, I hope to engage with people further and further from my close circle while still making sure to have space for those that were so important to starting my journey into this music and learning the history of it.

A festival like this will bring visibility to the Black roots of old-time music. Why is that important to you?

In part, the visibility is connected to my own journey of discovery and finding myself, and what my Blackness means to me. The Black roots of old-time music are such a huge part of US culture. Enslaved Africans materially and economically and physically and culturally built so much of what we define as US culture.

In my work in music education, and in my scholarly work, and in my clinician work, that is what is so important to me – centering narratives that are so very important but are not broadly treated as such. It makes me happy to think of the idea of Black folks on a broader scale looking at these musical forms and seeing Black identity within that and having that engagement. It brings it back full circle to times when these traditions were seen as common in Black spaces.

What is the mission behind your nonprofit, Decolonizing the Music Room?

The mission of Decolonizing the Music Room is to center Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian voices, knowledge, and experiences in music education and related fields. So, we do this with things like FWAAMFest or with presenting to educators and other organizations, or by creating content that puts these narratives out there. We’re engaging with music education and other communities across disciplines to really connect to others and get this work out there as much as possible.

It’s a lot of work to launch a festival, but what have you enjoyed the most about creating this event?

You’re right, it is an immense amount of work to launch a festival, but what has brought me the most joy is doing it with friends. These are not just people I admire, experts in their field, genius performers, scholars, and community activists. They are actual people I know in real life and I still want to pinch myself when I think about the fact that this is actually happening with these people, because I feel like so much of a newbie. Being able to do this has been really amazing.

The second thing has been that it’s been in my community. I taught in public schools here. I taught music, wrote curriculum, and engaged in community advocacy work. I’ve been down here for 13 years now. I feel like I have roots here. I have children who go to school here. I have colleagues that I’ve worked with. I’m an artist in the community. For me personally, I wanted it to be something that feeds diversity into the community where I live, where I’ve taught, and where I’m raising my children. It’s wonderful to be able to do that.

For those music fans coming to check it out, what do you hope will take away from the experience?

I want people to come and understand that this music is Black music. Blackness is all throughout. This music is community music. This music is music that can bring people together, and that one can engage in. One of the things that I love most about learning old-time music is that there’s so much nuance and there are complicated things that you can learn, but also the level of accessibility. It didn’t take me long to be able to engage in a way that felt meaningful for me, even though the way I can play now is light years from the way I could play when I just started.

Seeing all that Blackness represented and understanding the connection. Seeing that it can be participatory and then knowing something like that is in Fort Worth. They’re gonna take away, “I gotta come back to Fort Worth every March because I have to be in this festival.” The folks in the community are gonna say, “You know what? Maybe I want to learn the banjo.” That is something I can do here. We can create more musical community here.

From “Ghost in This House” to “O Death,” Our 13 Favorite Boo-Grass Classics

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Ah! There’s a chill in the air, color in the leaves, and a craving for the spookiest songs in bluegrass — it must be fall. Bluegrass, old-time, and country do unsettling music remarkably well, from ancient folk lyrics of love gone wrong to ghost stories to truly “WTF??” moments. If you’re a fan of pumpkins, hot cider, and murder ballads we’ve crafted this list of 13 spooky-season bluegrass songs just for you:

The Country Gentlemen – “Bringing Mary Home”

THE bluegrass ghost story song. THE archetypical example of “What’s that story, stranger? Well, wait ‘til you hear this wild twist…” in country songwriting. (Yes, that’s a country songwriting archetype.) The Country Gentlemen did quiet, ambling — and spooky — bangers better than anybody else in bluegrass.

Cherryholmes – “Red Satin Dress”

Fans of now-retired family band Cherryholmes will know how rare it was for father and bassist Jere to step up to the microphone to sing lead. His grumbling, coarse voice and deadpan delivery do this modern murder ballad justice and then some. 

One has to wonder, though, with so many songs about murderous, deceitful women in bluegrass — the overwhelmingly male songwriters across the genre’s history couldn’t be bitter and misogynist, could they? Could they?

Zach & Maggie – “Double Grave”

A more recent example of unsettling songwriting in bluegrass and Americana, husband-and-wife duo Zach & Maggie White give a whimsical, joyful bent to their decidedly creepy song “Double Grave” in the 2019 music video for the track. Just enough of the story is left up to the imagination of the listener. Feel free to color inside — or outside — of the lines as you decide just how the song’s couple landed in their double grave. 

Alison Krauss – “Ghost in This House”

Come for the iconic AKUS track, stay for the impeccable introduction by Alison. Equal parts cheesy and stunning, if you haven’t belted along to this song at hundreds of decibels while no one is watching, you’re lying. Not technically a ghost story, we’re sliding in this hit purely because a Nashville hook as good as this deserves mention in a spooky-themed playlist.

The Stanley Brothers – “Little Glass of Wine”

Ah, American folk music, a tradition that *checks notes* celebrates the infinity-spanning, universe-halting power of love by valorizing murdering objects of that love. Kinda makes you think, doesn’t it? Here’s a tried and true old lyric, offered by the Stanley Brothers in that brother-duet-story-song style that’s unique to bluegrass. What’s more scary than an accidental (on purpose) double poisoning? The Stanley Brothers might accomplish spooky ‘grass better than any other bluegrass act across the decades.

Missy Raines – “Blackest Crow”


A less traditional rendering of a folk canon lyric, Missy Raines’ “Blackest Crow” might not feel particularly terrifying in and of itself, but the dark imagery of crows, ravens, and their relatives will always be a spectre in folk music, if not especially in bluegrass. 

Bill Monroe – “Body and Soul”

The lonesome longing dirge of a flat-seven chord might be the spookiest sound in bluegrass, from “Wheel Hoss” to “Old Joe Clark” to “Body and Soul.” A love song written through a morbid and mortal lens, you can almost feel the distance between the object’s body and soul widening as the singer — in the Big Mon’s unflappable tenor — objectifies his love, perhaps not realizing the cold, unfeeling quality of his actions. It’s a paradox distilled impossibly perfectly into song.

Rhiannon Giddens – “O Death”

Most fans of roots music know “O Death” from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and the version popularized by Ralph Stanley and the Stanley Brothers. On a recent album, Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi reprise the popular song based on a different source — Bessie Jones of the Georgia Sea Island Singers.

The striking aural image of Stanley singing the song, a capella, in the film and on the Down from the Mountain tour will remain forever indelible, but Giddens’ version calls back to the lyrics’ timelessness outside of the Coen Brothers’ or bluegrass universes and reminds us of just how much of American music and culture are entirely thanks to the contributions of Black folks.

Johnson Mountain Boys – “Dream of a Miner’s Child”

Mining songs are some of the creepiest and most heartbreaking — and back-breaking — songs in bluegrass, but this classic performance from the Johnson Mountain Boys featuring soaring, heart-stopping vocals by Dudley Connell, casts the format in an even more blood-chilling light: Through the eyes of a prophetic, tragic dream of a miner’s child. The entire schoolhouse performance by the Johnson Mountain Boys won’t ever be forgotten, and rightly so, but this specific song might be the best of the long-acclaimed At the Old Schoolhouse album. 

Oh daddy, don’t go to the mine today / for dreams have so often come true…

Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch – “Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby”

A lullaby meets a field holler song on another oft-remembered track from O Brother, Where Art Thou? The disaffected tone of the speaker, in regards to the baby, the devil, all of the above, isn’t horrifying per se, but the sing-songy melody coupled with the dark-tinged lyric are just unsettling enough, with the rote-like repetition further impressing the slightly spooky tone. It’s objectively beautiful and aesthetic, but not… quite… right… Perhaps because any trio involving the devil would have to be not quite right? 

AJ Lee & Blue Summit – “Monongah Mine” 

Another mining tale, this one based on a true — and terrifying — story of the Monongah Mine disaster in 1907, which is often regarded as the most dangerous and devastating mine accident in this country’s history. AJ Lee & Blue Summit bring a conviction to the song that might bely their originating in California, because they make this West Virginia tale their own.

Jake Blount – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”

“In the Pines” is one of the most haunting lyrics in the bluegrass lexicon, but ethnomusicologist, researcher, and musician Jake Blount didn’t source his version from bluegrass at all — but from Nirvana. That’s just one facet of Blount’s rendition, which effortlessly queers the original stanzas and adds a degree of disquieting patina that’s often absent from more tired or well-traveled covers of the song. A reworking of a traditional track that leans into the moroseness underpinning it.

The Stanley Brothers – “Rank Stranger”

To close, we’ll return to the Stanley Brothers for an often-covered, much-requested stalwart of the bluegrass canon that is deceptively terrifying on closer inspection. Just who are these rank strangers that the singer finds in their hometown? Where did they come from? Why do none of them know who this person or their people are? Why are none of these questions seemingly important to anyone? Even the singer himself seems less than surprised by finding an entire village of strangers where familiar faces used to be. 

For a song so commonly sung, and typically in religious or gospel contexts or with overarchingly positive connotations, it’s a literal nightmare scenario. Like a bluegrass Black Mirror episode without any sort of satisfying conclusion. What did they find? “I found they were all rank strangers to me.” Great, so we’re right back where we started. Spooky.