Tag: Jim Lauderdale

Best of: Music City Roots

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There really is nothing quite like live music, and what would Wednesday nights be without Music City Roots live from the Factory? If you aren’t lucky enough to be in Nashville, be sure to catch the live stream each week at 7 pm CT. In the meantime, we’ve scoured the MCR YouTube channel to pull together this collection of must see performances you don’t want to miss:

BGS Favorite: Elephant Revival, “Grace of a Woman”

Get ready to sing along to this high-energy song by Elephant Revival. Although no longer a member of this band, Sage Cook’s electric banjo solo is not to be missed, and everyone could use a little more washboard in their lives!

Fresh off the Press: Dori Freeman, “You Say” 

Twenty-five-year-old Dori Freeman made her MCR debut recently with a performance of “You Say.” This live rendition showcases what we at the BGS have already praised Freeman for: an honest voice and lyricism that wrenches right at the heart.

Blast from the Past: Pokey LaFarge, “In the Jailhouse Now” 

Before the Factory, there was the Loveless Café. This 2011 rendition of the blues and vaudeville standard is titled “In the Graveyard Now” on LaFarge’s album Riverboat Soul. The only question we keep asking is why didn’t we learn how to play the harmonica like that!

Seeing Double: The Brother Brothers, “Cairo, IL” 

Part of the beauty of the Brother Brothers lies in the simplicity of their instrumentation and the haunting harmonies that result from the similarity of their vocal tone. Can you tell who is who in this live performance of “Cairo, IL” from December?

The Jam: Nashville Jam, “I’ll Fly Away” 

One of the most popular jams to celebrate the collaborative spirit of Music City is a rendition of the spiritual and bluegrass standard “I’ll Fly Away” performed by host Jim Lauderdale with guests Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, Sierra Hull, Liz Longley, Maureen Murphy, and T Bone Burnett. Make sure to watch til the end for an amazing guitar solo by Rawlings on his classic 1935 Epiphone archtop.

5 Must-See Music Films from This Year’s Nashville Film Festival

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Since its founding in 1969 and its rebranding in 2003, the Nashville Film Festival has quietly grown to be one of the more respected festivals in the United States. While the festival isn’t on the scale of, say, Sundance or Tribeca, its dedication to exploring diversity, championing burgeoning stars, and highlighting regional filmmakers makes for compelling lineups each year. Notably, the festival also makes a concerted effort to incorporate music-centric films into its programming — it is, after all, still Music City, film festival or not. 

Here are five music films screening at this year’s festival. If you’re in Nashville, grab some tickets and check ’em out. If not, hang tight until they make it to your neck of the woods — all five of these are worth the wait.

Bill Frisell: A Portrait

Bill Frisell is one of the greatest living American guitarists. A virtuoso who knows no genre boundaries, Frisell has earned numerous accolades throughout his 40-year career, counting fans in jazz, Americana, and everything in between. This Emma Frantz-directed film features live performances galore, as well as appearances from Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Lucinda Williams, and others.

All the Way to Tacoma

Songwriter Caitlyn Smith has had a number of big cuts, but perhaps none as big as “Tacoma,” a song recorded by Garth Brooks on his 2014 album Man Against Machine. This film, directed by Justin Key, follows Smith and a handful of other Nashville writers as they journey via Amtrak to the song’s namesake city.

The Last Songwriter

Songwriters’ rights have been in the news for a while now, with hotly contested legal battles over who should be compensated (and for how much) for song recordings. Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, and other big-name artists appear in this documentary, which argues for the integral role of the songwriter in the music industry. 

Straight Into a Storm

Deer Tick puts on one of the rowdiest, most energetic live shows you’ll ever see, so it’s no surprise that filmmaker William Miller wanted to document the band’s 10th anniversary show in New York City in 2015. The documentary digs far deeper than just the anniversary, however, giving a never-before-seen history of the beloved roots-rock band. 

Honky Tonky

This experimental short film, directed by John Warren and made in conjunction with the Tennessee Art Commission, was shot on Nashville’s famed Lower Broadway, and perhaps is best described as portraying what the world looks like after you’ve spent one drink too long hanging out on the storied stretch. It’s part of the festival’s Experimental Showcase and is also available in its entirety above.

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ANNOUNCING: The BGS Midnight Jam at MerleFest 2017

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The BGS Midnight Jam returns to MerleFest 2017 with North Carolina’s own Mipso as the host band. The Midnight Jam takes place at the Walker Center starting at midnight on April 29 and requires a separate ticket that is available for purchase by four-day and three-day ticket holders and Saturday ticket holders. Artists confirmed to play the Midnight Jam this year include:

Mipso
Jim Lauderdale
Donna the Buffalo
Peter Rowan
Bryan Sutton
10 String Symphony
Sierra Hull
and more.

“Many years ago, Tony Rice and a few others came up with the concept and started the Midnight Jam,” remembers Steve Johnson, artist relations manager at MerleFest. “From there, the Midnight Jam has become a highlight of the MerleFest weekend, bringing together unique configurations and surprising ensembles of musicians gathered at the festival. You never know who may walk out from behind the curtain to take the stage on Saturday night in the Walker Center! For 2017, we are extremely excited to have a MerleFest favorite, Mipso, serving as the host band.”

Tickets for MerleFest 2017 are on sale now and may be purchased at MerleFest.org or by calling 800.343.7857. An advance ticket discount runs through April 26, 2017. Gate pricing begins on the first day of the festival.

Photo credit: Sasha Israel

The 2016 Americana Music Awards Winners

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The 15th annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards Show happened last night at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium. Led by host Jim Lauderdale, the festivities honored Bob Weir, Shawn Colvin, Billy Bragg, William Bell, and Lauderdale with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Each of those recipients also performed, along with Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Jason Isbell, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, Alison Krauss, and quite a many more backed by a Buddy Miller-led house band. Presenters include Jack Ingram, Timothy B. Schmit, Taylor Goldsmith, Wynonna Judd, the Indigo Girls, Bruce Hornsby, and Joe Henry.

Winners are in bold.

Album of the Year
Something More Than Free — Jason Isbell, Produced by Dave Cobb
The Ghosts of Highway 20 — Lucinda Williams, Produced by Greg Leisz, Tom Overby, and Lucinda Williams
The Very Last Day — Parker Millsap, Produced by Parker Millsap and Gary Paczosa
Traveller — Chris Stapleton, Produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton

Song of the Year
"24 Frames" — Jason Isbell, Written by Jason Isbell
"Dime Store Cowgirl" — Kacey Musgraves, Written by Kacey Musgraves, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally
"Hands of Time" — Margo Price, Written by Margo Price
"S.O.B." — Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Written by Nathaniel Rateliff

Artist of the Year
Jason Isbell
Bonnie Raitt
Chris Stapleton
Lucinda Williams

Duo/Group of the Year
Alabama Shakes
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Lake Street Dive
The Milk Carton Kids
Tedeschi Trucks Band

Emerging Artist of the Year
Leon Bridges
John Moreland
Margo Price
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Instrumentalist of the Year
Cindy Cashdollar
Stuart Duncan
Jedd Hughes
Sara Watkins

3×3: Janiva Magness on Husbands, Lawyers, and the Battle Between Vinyl and Digital

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Artist: Janiva Magness
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA by way of Detroit, MI
Latest Album: Love Wins Again
Personal Nicknames: Sis, Magna, Magneeto, The Boss

Your house is burning down and you can grab only one thing — what would you save?
My husband, my cats, my laptop. I would grab all of them in that order. 😉

If you weren't a musician, what would you be?
Maybe a lawyer or a school teacher, if I could stand school!

Who is the most surprising artist in current rotation in your iTunes/Spotify?
Jordi Savall and Hesperian XX

What is the one thing you can’t survive without on tour?
Yoga

If you had to get a tattoo of someone's face, who would it be?
Pippi Longstocking

Who is your favorite superhero?
Iron Man

Vinyl or digital?
Both — why do I have to choose?

Dolly or Loretta?
Loretta

Meat lover's or veggie?
Veggie, most definitely

ANNOUNCING: The BGS Midnight Jam at MerleFest 2016

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The BGS is very, very pleased to announce that we will, once again, host the Midnight Jam at MerleFest this year. Our popular Saturday after-hours hootenanny gathers many performers from the festival for impromptu artistic collaborations and one-of-a-kind superstar jams that have become legendary in the festival’s history. Artists confirmed to play the BGS Midnight Jam include Donna the Buffalo as the house band, along with Tommy Emmanuel, Peter Rowan, Mipso, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Wood & Wire, Billy Strings, Becky Buller, South Carolina Broadcasters, Jim Lauderdale, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, and Joe Smothers. Additional artists may also be added.

“Many years ago, Tony Rice and a few others started the Midnight Jam,” remembers Steve Johnson, Artist Relations Manager at MerleFest. “From there, the Midnight Jam has become a highlight of the MerleFest weekend, bringing together unique configurations and surprising ensembles of musicians gathered at the festival. You never know who may walk out from behind the curtain to take the stage on Saturday night in the Walker Center! And, for 2016, we are extremely excited to have MerleFest fan favorite Donna the Buffalo serving as the host band along with the Bluegrass Situation.”

Here's a little taste of Midnight Jams past:

The BGS Midnight Jam takes place at the Walker Center; a separate ticket is required and available for purchase by four-day ticket holders and Saturday-only ticket holders.  

Listen to Brittany Howard’s Debut as Thunderbitch

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In case you missed it, Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard surprised us all when she dropped the debut album from her new project Thunderbitch. Featuring members of Clear Plastic Masks and Fly Golden Eagle, Thunderbitch is, as the band's bio describes, "Rock and Roll. The end." 

Stream their album at the awesomely named thundabetch.com (you can also purchase your very own copy, should you feel so inclined). You're welcome!

Other Roots Music News:

• Be part of Bela and Abby's banjo mosaic. 

• Kelly Clarkson performed a pretty stellar cover of "Jolene."

• Rolling Stone looks back at Marty Stuart's Badlands. 

• Jim Lauderdale announced the double album Soul Searching, Vol. 1 (Memphis) and Vol. 2 (Nashville). 

Americana Music Association award noms 2012

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Yesterday, right here in downtown Los Angeles at the Grammy Museum, the Americana Music Association announced it’s picks for the best artists and albums of the year.

The Sitch was fortunate enough to take it all in from the front row, and boy was it a sight to behold.  Americana legends Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Shelby Lynne, and Lucinda Willliams all took to the stage for several songs prior to [actor, musician, and recent LA Bluegrass Situation performer] John C Reilly‘s turn at the podium for the nominations.

The full nomination list is below:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Here We Rest – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive – Steve Earle
The Harrow & The Harvest – Gillian Welch
This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark – Various Artists
 
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gillian Welch
Hayes Carll
Jason Isbell
Justin Townes Earle
 
EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Alabama Shakes
Dawes
Deep Dark Woods
Robert Ellis
 
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Alabama Pines” – Written by Jason Isbell and performed by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
‘Come Around’ – Written and performed by Sarah Jarosz
“I Love” – Written by Tom T. Hall and performed by Patty Griffin
“Waiting on the Sky to Fall” – Written and performed by Steve Earle
 
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Buddy Miller
Chris Thile
Darrell Scott
Dave Rawlings
 
DUO / GROUP OF THE YEAR
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Civil Wars
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Punch Brothers

Reilly summed it up best…

‘They call this the Americana Awards but really it should be the All the Great Artists Out Right Now Awards.’

-John C Reilly

We here at the Sitch are just thrilled to see so many enormously talented artists and friends on that list, and cannot wait to be at the Awards on September 12 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville!  A big congrats to all the honorees.

Be sure to check out all the nominated artists, and for more info on the Americana Music Association, visit http://americanamusic.org/

AMERICANA MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS 2013

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BY Z.N. LUPETIN

Though the ceremony was brief, there was a festive and electric atmosphere in the Clive Davis Theater in LA Live yesterday. AXS TV was filming the proceedings and as usual Jim Lauderdale was the grinning ringleader, joining his long time partner in crime Buddy Miller and their house band in a galloping version of the late George Jones’ “The Race Is On” to open the show. Honoring Mr. Jones was a fitting way to start, as it seems much of the AMA’s main mission is to honor and bring respect to roots, acoustic and folk artists and traditions, not merely hype them.

T-Bone Burnett was in the house in a stylishly funereal black suit and called Americana music our nation’s “greatest cultural export”, with men like Louis Armstrong being our greatest ambassadors imaginable. He was particularly impressed with the newest crop of young musicians making a name for themselves while subtly sampling specific traditions of the last century. He then introduced the skinny-tied, close-harmony experts The Milk Carton Kids who, if you haven’t seen them, really do live up the hype they’ve been accruing on a near constant touring schedule of theaters and festivals. While some may criticize the whispery, choir-boy similarities to early Simon and Garfunkel (think “Wednesday Morning: 3AM”), really they seem to be exemplifying precisely the something-old-and-something-new dynamic that T-Bone was referencing. One can’t help but lean forward in your seat when they play. Plus they are quite funny chaps – noting that since T-Bone Burnett had introduced them on live TV, they must suddenly be famous.

Of course, being famous and overexposed in a main stream sense is not something The AMA community seems all that interested in. Authenticity, skill and artistry rule the roost. As the Milk Carton Kids wrapped up with a deliciously deconstructed version of “Swing Low”, they noted the most important thing about Americana fans is that they cut the bullshit and actually listen. Jed Hilly, executive director of the AMAs followed the lads at the podium, noting that the awards were about showcasing the community as a whole.

Lauderdale and Miller thundered through “Lost The Job Of Loving You” and the Flatt & Scruggs favorite “The Train To Carry My Gal From Town” before introducing the day’s surprise guest – Lisa Marie Presley. She seemed tiny next to the lanky Lauderdale and T-bone as the men backed her on a sad, low-drawled ballad, but her voice was in prime form: soulful, weary, deep. Americana? It’s the shit the masses ignored, Presley remarked, with just a hint of edge in her voice…as if to say: what is their problem anyway?

Next up, Elizabeth Cook brought a bit of her twang and sunshiny humor into the room – plugging her new gospel album while also wondering if someone like her should be doing religious music at all – “I might burst into flames at any moment” she cracked, sending out one of her tunes to Buddha, Allah…whoever! Actually she brings up a good point. If Americana involves the whole spectrum of American song-craft, one must add gospel as perhaps the deepest root of the tree – and the genre maybe most available for evolution and transformation.

After 45 minutes of stories and songs, Presley and Cook got together behind the podium to read the nominations. Among the recurring stand-outs this year were old favorites Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson and Buddy and Jim but none seemed to get more love than Charleston, SC-based duo Shovels and Rope, who AMA members voted for early and often: tapping them in the Emerging Artist category as well as Song Of The Year, Duo or Group of The Year and Album of The Year for their release “O’ Be Joyful” (Dualtone). It was almost surprising but welcome to see a rare mainstream hit single, “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers also be included. See? There is money in it!

Emerging artists like fellow Oklahomans John Fullbright and JD McPherson, the aforementioned Milk Carton Kids and Shovels and Rope show that the future of the Americana and roots community is in good hands.

For a full list of nominees and more information about the Americana Music Association, visit http://americanamusic.org

ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Jim Lauderdale

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If you’re not familiar with Jim Lauderdale, then consider him the ambassador of Americana.  The ten-time host of the Americana Music Association Awards (which just wrapped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last week) has become the face and voice for the ever-growing genre through his involvement with AMA, his roots satellite radio show with Buddy Miller, and as emcee of Music City Roots, an Americana variety show broadcast live on TV, radio, and online every week.

 
And that doesn’t even touch on his songwriting and performing skills.  Lauderdale has penned hits for the Dixie Chicks, Patty Loveless, George Strait, and Ralph Stanley, and released nineteen of his own albums.  His twentieth, Carolina Moonrise, pairs him with Robert Hunter (The Grateful Dead) and takes him back to his bluegrass roots.

In addition to his long list of other accolades and activities, Jim also happens to be The Sitch’s ARTIST OF THE MONTH, and told us all about his earliest bluegrass aspirations….

BEGINNINGS…

Well I started playing bluegrass banjo when I was 14.  I actually aspired to be a bluegrass musician.  My style is typically in the Scruggs style but I tried the Bill Keith style as well.  Then when I was 17 I started dobro and guitar, and as time went on, I realized I would never be as good a banjo player as my heroes and started putting my focus on rhythm guitar.  Kind of left the banjo behind.

Growing up in North Carolina and South Carolina, there was all sorts of music going on.  When I was 13, I started helping at this college radio station in SC and built up a big collection of albums.  My listening habits became pretty eclectic.  I was a big fan of rock, and soul and R&B and blues. Eventually my dreams led me to just making bluegrass records and being a singer.  After years and years, I wasn’t having any luck with bluegrass but managed to get a country record deal.

Eventually I got the opportunity to write a song for Ralph Stanley, and even got to sit in with Ralph at Merlefest.  That was a real turning point for me… developed the confidence I needed to pursue my love of bluegrass.  Eventually Ralph and I recorded an album together called “I Feel Like Singing Today”.  We even got a Grammy nod for that, and won a Grammy for our second album together “Lost in the Lonesome Pines”.  And after all those years of playing with him I started doing my own solo bluegrass albums.

INFLUENCES…

When I was young, I got to go to the Union Grove Bluegrass Festival in North Carolina, and there were some folks selling albums out of the back of a station wagon, and they were from a little startup label called Sugar Hill Records. That day I bought my first Don Stover album, and Seldom Scene album.  I was already listening to Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Flatt & Scruggs, and The Kentucky Colonels.  There was something in Clarence and Roland White’s albums that I was just mesmerized by.  In high school, I was introduced to Gram Parsons, and was already crazy about George Jones, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard.  Muddy Waters, Son House, and Robert Johnson are the blues players I listened to a lot — they were a big part of my musical upbringing too.

I’m actually – as we speak – in the studio working with my friend Buddy Miller. Buddy and I actually met when we were young and living in New York, playing various bar gigs.  We’ve been friends for a long long time.  Still live really close to each other too and have been wanting to do this for quite a while, so it’s kind of full circle for us.

PLANS… 

Definitely in the world of bluegrass, I plan on putting out as many bluegrass albums as I can for a while – it’s something I always aspired to so the opportunity to do it is something I don’t take for granted.

I actually just hosted the Americana Music Awards and Buddy lead the house band.  The new bluegrass record, Carolina Moonshine, will be out in a few weeks and I’ll be doing sporadic gigs, then playing IBMA conference and Fan Fest here in Nashville.

I have a radio show on WSM in Nashville, but also Buddy and I have a our own show on Sirius/XM which is aptly called “The Buddy and Jim Show”.  It’s pretty eclectic, but it’s focused on roots music.  So far we’ve brought on Lucinda, Emmylou, Tim O’Brien, and a bunch of other greats.  And I also host Music City Roots in Nashville, which streams online live from the Loveless Barn every week.

I’ll just keep doing that and heading to whatever festivals will have me.

Jim Lauderdale‘s new bluegrass album Carolina Moonrise comes out next week.  You can find out more about Jim and his music at www.jimlauderdale.com.