Tag: john mailander

MIXTAPE: Anthony da Costa’s Quarantine Chill Out Roots-Grass Mix-Up

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I know what you’re thinking, Anthony da Costa doesn’t really bluegrass…but hey, I live in Nashville and I have friends and I even say “y’all” now. And there’s something about roots music that cuts to the core of everything and deeply influences what I do…even if it doesn’t always sound like it. Here are some tracks to not go outside to! — Anthony da Costa

David Francey – “Border Line”

David Francey is one of my favorites ever and nothing will change that. I lucked out by sharing a stage with him at the Tønder Festival many years ago. He blew me away with his simple approach, golden voice, and powerful storylines. He stood there like a bard and held our hearts in his hand. After our show, I asked his guitarist which album I should start with and he emphatically stated Torn Screen Door. “Border Line” is track one from David’s debut album, which he made when he was 45 years old. Let’s take a journey with him, since we can’t really go anywhere else.

Jordan Tice – “Chicken Dog”

This playlist has a lot of mood, interspersed with that spontaneous dance party that we could all use right now. You don’t even have to put on real clothes, just dance. Jordan Tice is one of my best friends and also happens to be my one of my favorite acoustic guitar players on planet Earth. He has a fabulous new album that will be coming out soon… but until then, let’s jump to this scorcher of a bizarre bluegrass song called “Chicken Dog.” I still don’t know what it’s about, but also, like, who cares?

Molly Tuttle – “When You’re Ready”

This playlist wouldn’t really be complete without something from Molly Tuttle. I had the pleasure of touring with Molly for her album release in 2019. When the bluegrass kids all told me that Molly had made a “pop” album, my first thought was “ALRIGHT. Calm down, kids. What, are there drums or something? Are you scared?” But the young “queen” of the bluegrass world and honestly craziest picker out there made one of the best albums of last year: pop in the ’90s Aimee Mann singer-songwriter kinda sense. Molly knows how to write a poignant, catchy chorus — and then somehow squeezes in some pretty insane bluegrass runs –in the SAME SONG. Are you ready?

Bill Frisell – “I’m So Lonesome, I Could Cry”

Because, you know, quarantine sucks, right? And I live alone. And it HAS gotten lonesome at times… so lonesome that I could pull up this great compilation entitled The Best of Bill Frisell, Vol. 1: The Folk Songs and just mellowly and totally NOT CRY to myself. ♥

Sam Amidon – “Blue Mountains”

Speaking of Bill Frisell, he features on this pretty mesmerizing track from Sam Amidon. This record made me a believer. I don’t know that anyone else can do what Sam does with folk music. I don’t even know what this music is. It’s Sam Amidon music.

John Mailander – “Forecast”

John Mailander is one of the nicest people in the world, but PLEASE don’t tell him that I said that… it might go to his incredibly large and insufferable ego. All kidding aside, John released his debut solo album (as far as I’m aware) last year. It’s called Forecast and this is the title track… and it’s one of those “get up off your couch and dance” songs I was talking about before. John is as versed in Phish as he is the oldest of old-time fiddle and bluegrass. He is very dear to me and his music endlessly inspires me to push things further.

Rachel Baiman – “Something to Lose”

I met Rachel Baiman within the context of her duo with Christian Sedelmeyer, 10 String Symphony (check them out, they’re out of this world). I’m so glad that Rachel has been doing a lot of her own music these days in addition. This record, produced by Andrew Marlin from Mandolin Orange, has a warm, “right there in the room” kinda feel to it. This song makes me cry. There, I said it. Love is fine, OK? Will I ever see anyone again!?

Aoife O’Donovan – “Pearls – Live”

I recently revisited this live album I got to make with the inimitable Aoife O’Donovan. Lots of people know Aoife from her work with Crooked Still, as well as her more recent recordings and travel as part of I’m With Her. I toured with Aoife as her guitarist and harmony singer from 2016 into 2017. We toured her album In the Magic Hour, which was produced by Tucker Martine and features gorgeous arrangements of strings, horns, fuzzed out guitars, drums, voices… We had to recreate Aoife’s music live with three people and no bassist… which means we made it our own. This particular song is a favorite deep cut of mine.

Paper Wings – “As I Walk Down”

I’ve been saying to anyone who will listen, and I will say it to you now: Paper Wings is currently my favorite band. This is as rootsy as I get and I’m quite alright with it. Wilhelmina Frankzerda and I met when we were touring in Joy Williams’ Front Porch band. One night in Houston, Wilhelmina gave me a pair of headphones and showed me some mixes from what became Paper Wings’ Clementine album. It’s my favorite album of 2019. They’re clearly drawing from a very deep well of tradition but with new, crooked and inventive melodies…plus, they’re writing SONGS! New songs. Great, great songs.

Mipso – “Coming Down the Mountain”

Because we’re all going to come out of this eventually, right? Here’s a song to take off your mask to. See you all on the other side. ♥

Photo credit: Jacqueline Justice

WATCH: John Mailander, “Cedar House”

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Artist: John Mailander
Hometown: San Diego, California
Song: “Cedar House”
Album: Forecast
Release Date: January 5, 2019

In Their Words: “I wrote this song with my friend Jake Stargel about a year ago. It is a turning point on the new record, representing a tonal shift from melancholic to hopeful. This shift reflects feelings I have about the current state of America, our planet, and the necessity of carrying positivity, truth and light into the future. Jeff Adamczyk (of the Nicki Bluhm band) did a beautiful job of visualizing this song through stop-motion animation. I’m looking forward to sharing the whole album with you on January 5th.” –John Mailander

Photo credit: Chelsea Ewing

WATCH: Amanda Fields & Friends, “When We’re Gone, Long Gone”

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Artist: Amanda Fields & Friends
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “When We’re Gone, Long Gone”

In Their Words: “I was going through a difficult time at the end of this past summer and I thought that doing something creative with my friends would lift my spirits. I called Nathan Shuppert (director), and fellow musicians Jenni Lyn Gardner (mandolin, vocals), John Mailander (fiddle), and Ashleigh Caudill (bass, vocals), who all jumped on board with the idea of capturing a performance of the sweet song, ‘When We’re Gone, Long Gone,’ written by the O’Kanes. From my perspective, this video documents the healing power of music and friendship.” – Amanda Fields

Photo Credit: Allen Clark

MIXTAPE: Bobby Britt’s Songs of Hard-Won Joy

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The songs and artists on this playlist evoke a sense of hard-fought, hard-won, deep and rich joy. It is not a simple, one-dimensional joy. It has the sound of being churned about, tried and tested again. And now, just maybe, the joy being properly vetted, can be enjoyed. I look up to these artists, as they convey a message of calm and confident optimism.

We are all faced with the dualities of a temporal world…birth and death, gain and loss, pleasure and pain.

These songs speak to the strength of the human spirit amidst that world, and give me courage to carry on regardless of what’s happening, good or bad. They also provide a glimpse at an eternal reality of peace and balance (that has nothing to do with time, space or duality) that is hard to see or believe in when I am churning in the opposites…fear of loss, a craving for more and more solidity, and the dread that I will never have or be enough.

We need artists for this very reason; to go beyond our normal, conditioned ways of thinking about life, and to give us a new perspective with which to test our old and sometimes outdated paradigms.

My area of expertise is bluegrass and old-time fiddle. Though I am not a vocalist or pop artist, I gain inspiration from all styles. The feeling and sound of the above mentioned “hard-won joy” is what transcends specific genres for me. A goal of mine is to take this base emotional element, and with it, transfuse my fiddle playing and songwriting.

My hope is that you can find some joy and something to relate to in these songs as I did. Thank you for listening.

Photo Credit Louise Bichan

Playing for the Change We Want to See (Op-ed)

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Throughout this past year, I have been searching for a better understanding of music’s role in the world and in people’s lives. In the face of tragedy, playing music for a living can sometimes feel difficult to reconcile. This has been a challenging year, to say the least, but it has also caused many of us in this community to rethink what we do and why we do it.

In this past year, I have seen music extend beyond the art form itself, create bridges between people of differing viewpoints, and create unspoken bonds of love. I’ve discovered that artists who make themselves vulnerable through their work create positive ripple effects all around them. They inspire us to reveal ourselves to each other, drop defenses and look for better pathways together. Live music that we go out to see is more than just live music; it is a lesson of how to listen and learn from each other as humans. Music connects us to each other, to the earth, and to the universe. We are all vibrating together to the same rhythm. It has always been this way and, while I’m sad that it has taken the events of this year to begin to understand more clearly, I am grateful for the opportunity to search, connect, continue to learn, and play for a greater purpose.

I’ve always loved the message and melody of John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” and how the meaning of it can be felt and interpreted without words. My friends and I recorded this cover of “Imagine” last August, the day after the White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Playing together that day was a way of coping, understanding, and meditating on the change we want to see in the world. No matter your political beliefs, I hope that you’ll give this track a listen and connect to the intention behind the music. — John Mailander

All net profits from this track will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.