WATCH: Adam Chaffins, “Who I Am” (Live)

Artist: Adam Chaffins
Hometown: 10 years+ Nashvillian (Eastern Kentucky native, from Louisa, Kentucky)
Song: “Who I Am” (Live)
Album: Some Things Won’t Last
Label: Chaffins Music

In Their Words: “A lot of my influence as a songwriter comes from torch songs. Keith Whitley sang a lot of them, like ‘I’ll Be Your Stepping Stone’ with J.D. Crowe & the New South. Songs of eternal pining for a love. ‘Who I Am’ is a torch song with a lot more brutal honesty to the torcheé. I started playing this version supporting John Hiatt on the road in 2019. It’s as bare-bones as a song can get.” — Adam Chaffins


Photo credit: Melissa Stillwell

The Way She Talks: S.G. Goodman on Weirdos, Writing, and Western Kentucky

S.G. Goodman has a lot on her mind. That much is immediately clear in the Kentucky musician’s voice, her songwriting, and throughout her new Verve Forecast debut, Old Time Feeling. Produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, the confessional album encapsulates her experiences on a personal level as well as the environment that’s influenced her.

Growing up a farmer’s daughter in rural Western Kentucky may not be the most common background for a musician who finds their community in a college town post-punk scene. Yet, Goodman is proof that where you come from has not much to do with fitting in. In a time where so much of our world seems polarized, Goodman — despite the way she talks — found her place in a post-punk “Mecca for weirdos.” BGS sat down with Goodman to talk about her hometown, how she encountered her tribe, and her defense of Southern people and culture.

BGS: For someone who’s never been to your Kentucky hometown, how would you describe it?

Goodman: My hometown is Hickman, Kentucky, and it’s a river town. Mark Twain described it as “a pretty town, perched on a handsome hill.” I’d say he’s right on the money. But, at the time Mark Twain was passing through, Hickman was a lot different. Now it’s a bit of a ghost town with a lot of soul. There’s no stop lights, one convenience store… it’s a beautiful place. Less than 3,000 people, but no place like home.

How did you find your community in music?

Well, I don’t live in my hometown anymore. I live in Murray, Kentucky, which is a college town, so there’s an influence of people from all over. I kinda got plugged in hanging out at a local record store in college and met some of my best friends that way. Murray is an interesting place, because a lot of people don’t think of Western Kentucky as having a thriving post-punk scene. Probably around 2010, 2011, there were a lot more shows, a lot more bands passing through. We have a really conveniently-located record store called Terrapin Station. We pass around an offering plate — bands get taken care of really well for such a small community — it’s like a true listening environment. It’s just kind of a Mecca for weirdos, where everybody is welcome. It’s not pretentious at all, perfect place to cut your teeth.

Were you already playing music at that point?

Yeah, I was. By the time I was just about to turn 19 years old I made a record, it was pop. I dropped off a bunch of copies to the record store and said, “Put one in every bag that leaves here.” That’s how I met my good friend Tim Peyton, who’s managed that store and worked at that store since he was 14 years old. Probably two years from that point, we’d be best friends, going to house shows together.

When I was 15 — I was a big athlete in school — I convinced my mother to let me not play basketball anymore so I could take music lessons. And I did for over a year, but I had to drive an hour away to take them, plus I found out I was teaching myself more than what I was learning in the classes. You know, I’d say my biggest musical influence was probably just being raised in church. I’m not a churchgoer anymore, but I could never deny the fact that going to three concerts a week was highly influential to how I view melodies and lyrics.

The opening song, “Space and Time,” seems to be saying something that’s important to you. What was on your mind as you wrote it?

That’s a special song. Being very point blank in my lyrics — when I first wrote those lyrics, I was a little unsettled by that. A friend asked me once, “Did you say everything you needed to say?” So I look at songs like that a lot now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting people know how you feel about them and what they mean to you, just really contemplating what makes a life.

While a song like “Space & Time” is so personal, the very next track, “Old Time Feeling” is a call to action. How do those two sides of your songwriting work together and compliment each other?

A lot of people ask if I conceptualized this album before I wrote it, but I just write songs as they come to me, and try to respect them enough to see them through. If people look at this album as a moment in time over the course of my life, then they shouldn’t be shocked for me to have some political thoughts. I’m bound to walk around with my eyes open. There’s a lot of people who paved the way for artists to not just write songs about getting their heart broken. Artists are supposed to comment. How could you not? If I want to write a song about a red Corvette or something, I’ll do my best to make it a good one. But at the end of the day, I do wonder why so many artists these days aren’t commenting through their art on what’s going on in the world.

What do you remember about the recording sessions?

We did this in April 2019. The studio — it’s in Louisville, Kentucky — is called La La Land. It had been owned for years and started by a Kentucky guy named Kevin Ratterman, who’s on a lot of people’s records. He’s an amazing person, a total beam of light when he walks through the door. It was really important for me to make sure that this music was made in Kentucky, because so much of my music is about this place.

What do you want people to understand about the way it really is in the South?

I can’t speak for the South — as a writer I’m speaking from my POV — but I would say, don’t write off the South for its regressive policies. That does nothing for those who are working daily to change that. There are progressive pockets all through the South and through Kentucky who are devoting their time and their lives to make sure that their neighbors are safe and taken care of. In my opinion, America, for a very long time, has used the South as a scapegoat for a lot of its backwards problems.

Now that the album is out in the wild, what goes through your mind when you hear it?

I’m proud of it. There’s little moments — at the end of my last track (“Big Girl Now”) you can hear my drummer and friend for nearly 10 years talk at the end of the track. I’m so glad that we were all represented, and our friends were all represented, in that music. I’m not sick of listening to it. It’s not like I go out and listen to it every day, but you have to keep in mind I’m gonna be playing these songs for years. So, I better love ‘em!


Photo credit: Michael Wilson

WATCH: Chris Knight, “I’m William Callahan”

Artist: Chris Knight
Hometown: Slaughters, Kentucky
Song: “I’m William Callahan” (Niangua Coffee Sessions)
Album: Almost Daylight
Label: Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘William Callahan’ with a friend of mine, Tim Krekel. We both were staff writers for Bluewater Music then. We wrote it and went on to the next song. I pulled the song back out before Almost Daylight and rewrote some lines and completely changed the melody. It’s probably my favorite song on the album now.” — Chris Knight

“While we were in Kentucky filming Chris’ recent music videos, we decided to take some time one afternoon and film a few live performances behind Chris’ barn. The acoustic performances turned out to be some of the most intimate, raw songs we’ve ever captured.” — Nathaniel Maddux, Slate & Glass, director


Photo credit: Ray Kennedy

LISTEN: Gary Brewer, “Daddy and the Old Oak Tree” (Feat. Dale Ann Bradley)

Artist: Gary Brewer
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Song: “Daddy and the Old Oak Tree” (featuring Dale Ann Bradley)
Album: 40th Anniversary Celebration
Release Date: May 29, 2020
Label: SGM Records

In Their Words: “I’ve always admired Dale Ann’s singing and her ability to capture you in song. I chose the guest artists on 40th Anniversary Celebration because of the connection they had with each song; I chose her for ‘Daddy and the Old Oak Tree’ because of the influence our fathers have had on both of us and how they’ve impacted our lives. I feel that this song really says who we both are and where we came from. We had such a wonderful time in the studio reminiscing. We’ve both played on the same stages over the years, but never had performed together. It was such an honor to have her a part of my 40-year celebration. I hope you enjoy our first collaboration as we share our Kentucky heritage in song.” — Gary Brewer


 

WATCH: The Harmed Brothers, “All the Same”

Artist: The Harmed Brothers
Hometown: Ludlow, Kentucky via Portland, Oregon
Song: “All the Same”
Album: Across the Waves
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Label: Fluff and Gravy Records

In Their Words: : “‘All the Same’ is a traveling song. It’s about life from inside the tour van. It’s about chasing a dream, even when you lose sight of it from being strung out on the road and missing home. It’s about our daily lives as an American touring band. Something I’m sure a lot of musicians can relate to.” — Ray Vietti, The Harmed Brothers

“The Ludlow-Bromley Swim Club in Ludlow, Kentucky is a cherished and beloved summer hangout spot, a classic American neighborhood pool — and our good friend and neighbor Matt ‘Catfish’ Williams presented us with the idea of shooting a video there. With his help, along with the pool owner and our fantastic community, we got to do something really fun and special. When initially presented with this opportunity, we felt ‘All the Same’ has this undeniably beachy, summertime vibe that perfectly fit that idea.” — Alex Salcido, The Harmed Brothers


Photo credit: Michael Wilson

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum: Take a Virtual Tour With New Videos

A visit to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum will enlighten and entertain any fan of acoustic music. While a road trip to Owensboro, Kentucky, will inevitably have to wait, you can enjoy these new videos with museum executive director Chris Joslin, who gives a close-up look at the history of bluegrass, as well as insight about what you’ve gotta have to play bluegrass.

From the early sources to contemporary interpretations, the museum exhibits tell the story of bluegrass music via documentary-style films, artifacts, images, and hands-on experiences with bluegrass instruments. Joslin takes virtual visitors through each area commenting on the exhibits and concluding each area with a live performance of a song that was significant to that specific era.

“Until you can travel to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, we will bring it to you,” Joslin says. “The virtual tour is a great introduction, but I can’t wait for you to see the Hall of Fame in person and to experience the energy around the music firsthand. What Bill Monroe created is now enjoyed around the world, and Owensboro, Kentucky, is at the headwaters of this uniquely American genre of music.”

Curious about how bluegrass got its name? Wondering why bluegrass festivals became popular? Take a look and learn more about Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and so many others, with this guided tour through the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

Introduction & The Sources of Bluegrass Music


Dawn of the Bluegrass Era


Bluegrass Gets a Name


The Festival Era


Modern Era


Woodward Theatre & Audio/Video Production


Oral History & Hall of Fame Exhibit

The Shift List – Restaurant Workers Relief Program

This week on The Shift List, a replay of our conversation with Chef Edward Lee, recorded back in 2018.

Chef Lee is helping to lead the way in bringing restaurant workers relief with his Restaurant Workers Relief Program through The Lee Initiative. Due to the closure of so many restaurants and bars across America in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of workers have an urgent need for assistance, and they need our help now more than ever.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • MP3

In partnership with Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Chef Lee is transforming restaurants across the country into relief centers for any restaurant worker who has been laid off or has had a significant reduction in hours and/or pay. The Lee Initiative, in conjunction with local chefs in every majorly affected community across the country, is offering help for those in need of food and supplies, and each night, they’re packing hundreds of to-go meals.

Restaurateurs like Nancy Silverton in Los Angeles, Jose Salazar in Cincinnati, and Lee’s own Succotash and 610 Magnolia teams in D.C. and Louisville are doing so much good right now, along with so many others across the country. The BGS Podcast Network team wants to do what we can to spread the word and shine a spotlight on this important work.

For more information and to donate, visit leeinitiative.org, and in the meantime, while we’re all trapped indoors, continue to support your local community by ordering takeout and pickup (if your local guidelines and recommendations permit it).

New Singer, Same Edge: The SteelDrivers Deliver on ‘Bad For You’

The SteelDrivers’ new lead singer, Kelvin Damrell, already grasps the driving force behind the band, which is marking its 12th year with a brand new album, Bad For You.

“You couldn’t play our songs if you weren’t passionate about what you were doing,” the Berea, Kentucky, native believes. “It wouldn’t sound right at all, in any position in the band. From the mid-range harmony part to the hardest-playing guitar riffs, to the hardest-playing fiddle, it wouldn’t sound nearly as good as it does if you didn’t love what you were doing, and playing with as much passion as you could.”

On Bad For You, Damrell steps into a role once filled by Gary Nichols and Chris Stapleton for the group’s first album since winning a Grammy with 2015’s The Muscle Shoals Recordings. All five of the SteelDrivers — Richard Bailey, Damrell, Mike Fleming, Tammy Rogers (whose daughter discovered Damrell on YouTube), and Brent Truitt — invited BGS over for a chat.

Kelvin, how long had you been in the band by the time you went into the studio?

Kelvin: Goodness, how long has it been now? I joined in October 2017. I was just so looking forward to the release date of the album that I’d forgotten when we went in.

Mike: He had to go to boot camp first. [Laughs] Bluegrass boot camp! We had to take him out of Kentucky. He had his first airplane flight. You saw the ocean for the first time, right? You left a lot of things laying around. [All laugh] You went through airports with knives when you shouldn’t have. But listen, it was good! We all got comfortable with each other, and we needed some time just to feel that, and it got to that point.

Kelvin: When I joined the band, I was really unsure about what was going on, about my position. I had made the cut as far as getting to be in the band, but Brent kept telling me we needed a couple of months to see how we jibe together. I thought that was just him saying that, but it was the truth. We switched vehicles pretty regularly and I rode with different people. We really saw how we jibed together before we made a full decision on whether we were going to keep me, or if I was going to go back to sweeping chimneys.

The song “Bad For You” has such a cool groove. You sent it out as your first single and you named the album after it. What is it about that song that is special to you?

Brent: To me it was the perfect fit for this band. It was the song that hit me right out of the chute. It encapsulates the sound. It’s really edgy, and we’re a little bit on the edgy side of bluegrass.

Mike: It was one of the strongest songs, as far as that kind of feel. It’s like a “Here we are!” kind of song. You know, “Look out!” The way Kelvin sang it, Tammy told him, “Sing it like a rock ‘n’ roll singer.”

Kelvin: I almost got emotional when we played it for the very first time. I really did, that’s the truth. The first night we debuted it, after we hit that last big note, I almost did get a little emotional because it’s like something is finally coming to fruition with my position in the band. I’d done all this other stuff that vocally belonged to Gary and vocally belonged to Chris, and now this one vocally belongs with me at the lead. And man, that three-part harmony! Everything about it was good, and it really did make me emotional.

I’m glad you mentioned harmony because that’s a really important component of this band that doesn’t get talked about enough — how well you can stack those voices.

Tammy: Thank you. But you’re exactly right, I think that’s always been a really strong facet of the band. It’s this rock ‘n’ roll lead singer with this really strong three-part harmony coming in on the chorus. From a writer’s perspective on this album, I thought about that a lot, and how that was still a big part of the sound, and to keep that consistent because I think that does set us apart.

Brent: In our live set, I’m thinking of one or two songs that end with the vocal trio by itself, doing the swell and bending into a note, and the crowd loves it every time. It’s a big part of bluegrass, period, but it’s a big part of our music too.

Brent, how would you describe the SteelDrivers’ sound?

Brent: For me, personally? It’s gritty, grind-y bluegrass. With a lot of soul.

Tammy: Think about the Rolling Stones if they were to play with bluegrass instruments. That’s us.

Mike: With a blues/rock ‘n’ roll singer. … It’s intense! I’m tired after our set. It’s a workout. We keep the emotion and the intensity going quite a bit, but we let up occasionally and do a nice song.

On this record, you do have that slower moment on “I Choose You,” which brings out another side of the band.

Tammy: Yeah, we’ve always had a song or two like that. On the first record, “Heaven Sent” has always been one of our most-requested and popular songs, and it has that great, easy, rolling feel to it. We call it the hippie dance. And when Thomm Jutz and I wrote “I Choose You,” that was definitely musically where I wanted to go with that, to have that feel to it. But it’s still a very serious lyric, even though it has a positive message, in a way. It has a lot of depth and meaning to it.

Richard, do you have a favorite track on this album?

Richard: Umm… “Forgive.”

What do you like about that one?

Richard: I like what I played on it. [All laugh]

Tammy: See, it’s all about the banjo! We joke about it but people love the banjo!

Mike: It’s got a great groove.

Brent: It’s one of my favorite songs too.

Kelvin: It’s funky. It’s like “Bad For You” is rock ‘n’ roll and “Forgive” is funky!

Kelvin, what were you listening to about three years ago, before joining the band?

Kelvin: Three years ago I was on a really big Cinderella kick. [All laugh] I’m still on the kick. I still listen to mainly rock ‘n’ roll when it’s just me in my truck, driving for hours on end.

Did the band prepare you for the honesty of bluegrass fans, and how they’ll tell you what they think?

Kelvin: I was ready for it before I started! I knew how much of a following they had. I know how much people loved Gary. I know how much people loved Chris. And I was ready for it – I prepared myself for people saying, “This guy sucks. You need to get somebody else.” [I’ve heard that] twice, I think, the whole time I’ve been with the band. It’s been great — because I was expecting it at every show!

Tammy, do you have young women coming up and telling how cool it is to see a woman on stage?

Tammy: Yeah, it’s really awesome and I appreciate it a lot. Because when I was growing up there were very few women playing, and the ones that did were usually bass players. Mama might be back there thumping on the bass or whatever. There were very few women role models for me, of that generation. There were a couple — I remember Lynn Morris was playing and Laurie Lewis was playing a few years ahead of me in those circles. Not many in the country world. I was a huge Mother Maybelle fan and part of that was because she played the guitar. That was fascinating for me as a kid.

And now in the generation after me, there’s just unbelievably talented women – not just singers, but instrumentalists. It’s phenomenal, the jump from mine and Alison Brown’s ages, to Sierra Hull, who is a genius on the mandolin, and Kimber Ludiker and all the Della Mae girls we love, and Molly Tuttle is absolutely slaying it on guitar. Sara Watkins, I’m With Her, Sarah Jarosz … it’s just on and on and on. If I in any way influenced any of those players, I am deeply honored.

What would you want bluegrass fans to know about this new record?

Tammy: We’re excited this year to get out and we’ll be playing a lot of different kinds of venues. We don’t play that many traditional bluegrass festivals anymore, but it’s my hope that people hear the music and still see the thread that’s in there. The subject matter that we choose to sing about is not as cleaned up as some other stuff, but to me it’s just another facet of the music, and I think we’re hopefully carrying it forward and carrying a torch.


Photo credit: Anthony Scarlatti

WATCH: Grammy Nominee Tyler Childers on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’

After a whirlwind year in 2019, Tyler Childers’ star is burning bright as ever at the start of this new decade with a Grammy nomination for “All Your’n,” a single off of his third full-length album, Country Squire. Released in August of last year, Country Squire fulfilled the promises of his previous breakout record Purgatory.

Childers takes bold steps as a mature writer and a gifted vocalist; the project is shaped like a concept album in which each song flows one right into the next, connecting the music and painting the record with a consistent palette allowing the songs to feel like a complete collection. The Grammy nod for Best Country Solo Performance is testament enough to the marked vocal prowess of the redhead from Kentucky. 

Childers and his band, the Food Stamps, are preparing for a very busy touring schedule in 2020 with highlights that include four sold-out concerts at the Ryman in Nashville, joining country outlaw Sturgill Simpson for his A Good Look’n Tour, and shows all over Europe. Watch as he performs the title track from his latest record on Late Night with Seth Meyers.


Photo courtesy of the artist

WATCH: Aaron Bibelhauser & Relic, “Loving You Again”

Artist: Aaron Bibelhauser & Relic
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Song: “Loving You Again”
Album: Lovin’ & Leavin’: A Bluegrass Tribute to Mickey Clark
Single Release: December 13, 2019

In Their Words: “After the passing of Kentucky songwriter Mickey Clark, I decided to produce a collaborative bluegrass album centered around some my favorite songs from his catalog, in particular his lovin’ and leavin’ songs — that was the way he would describe them. ‘Loving You Again’ is an emotional expression of this timeless dichotomy. Poignant lines like ‘There’s ramble written on my boots, there’s a map in my guitar’ capture the human longing to wander, while the resolving lyrics fly in the face of that free-spiritedness: ‘When I look into your eyes, I know I won’t go far.’ Recording this track with my twin brother Adam and our band Relic seemed like an incredibly special way to honor our old friend. We’ve been making music together with this band for over a decade and when we get the chance to share our take on such a special song, it seems our journey has only just begun.” — Aaron Bibelhauser


Photo credit: Winston Garthwaite
Video by Chris Witzke