Tag: Mark Knopfler

You Gotta Hear This: New Music from the HercuLeons, the SteelDrivers, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Are you ready for some excellent new music? This week, You Gotta Hear This includes a heaping handful of stellar new tracks and a new music video, too.

Husband-and-wife duo Oh Jeremiah share an intimate performance video for “Rust,” a song about aging, maturing, and the rapid clip of time that features French horn by Corin Dubie. In a similar sonic space, the Couldn’t Be Happiers’ “Brown Mountain Lights” is a co-written eerie original about the mysterious lights that linger around Brown Mountain in North Carolina. You’ll also find a new track from singer-songwriter Olive Klug. “Train of Thought” is folky, bluegrassy, old-timey, and more, and is Klug’s favorite song from their upcoming album, Lost Dog. (You’ll quickly find out why, when you listen.)

Mandolinist Ashby Frank has a new single, “The Bug,” a traditional-meets-jammy rendition of a Mark Knopfler song that, like Frank, you may recognize from Mary Chapin Carpenter’s discography. It’s hilarious, rollicking, and so much fun. Frank’s longtime friend and brand new labelmate Vickie Vaughn unveils her debut single with Mountain Home Music, “Leavin’,” her rendition of a Bruce Robison song with a stacked roster of musicians and singers.

We have a couple legendary bluegrass lineups represented herein, as well! The SteelDrivers, purveyors of “uneasy listening” and bluesy bluegrass for decades now, announce their brand new album, Outrun – their first with Sun Records – by sharing the title track for the upcoming project, a Tammy Rogers and Leslie Satcher co-write. And the cherry on top of it all is the HercuLeons (that is, the duo of veteran multi-hyphenate roots musicians John Cowan and Andrea Zonn) giving us a sneak peak at their new album, John Cowan & Andrea Zonn Are The HercuLeons, with a rare full album stream on their momentous release day.

It’s all below, so get scrolling and enjoy listening. You Gotta Hear This!

Couldn’t Be Happiers, “Brown Mountain Lights”

Artist: Couldn’t Be Happiers
Hometown: Currently Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Song: “Brown Mountain Lights”
Album: Couple(t)s
Release Date: March 20, 2025 (single); June 13, 2025 (album)

In Their Words: “So many different explanations exist for the faint flickering lights that sometimes appear floating around the atmosphere of Brown Mountain in North Carolina. One theory is that the lights are lanterns from the ghosts of miners who died in their quest for gold and jewels in those hills. Maybe so, but we think the heart of every good ghost story, usually, is a love story.” – Couldn’t Be Happiers

Track Credits:
Jordan Crosby Lee – Vocals, acoustic guitars
Jodi Hildebran – Vocals
Doug Davis – Mandolin, high-strung acoustic guitar, melodica, Omnichord, Hammond organ, bass, percussion

Ashby Frank, “The Bug” 

Artist: Ashby Frank
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Bug”
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I grew up listening to the great country music of the ’90s and first heard this song when it was recorded by one of my favorite singer-songwriters, the great Mary Chapin Carpenter. I wasn’t aware that it was a cover until several years later when I heard the original recording by Dire Straits and discovered that it was written by Mark Knopfler. That band had such a deep groove on that original cut that I really got into and I immediately started thinking about how a bluegrass arrangement might work. I brought the song up in the studio when we started recording my new album and we bounced it around until we came up with a groovy traditional-meets-jam band version that I’m super proud of. Seth Taylor (guitar) and Matt Menefee (banjo) added some wicked solos and my friend and labelmate Jaelee Roberts added some killer harmonies. I even threw in a couple of yodels, which is a career first for me. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!” – Ashby Frank

Track Credits:
Ashby Frank – Mandolin, vocals
Seth Taylor – Acoustic guitar
Travis Anderson – Bass
Matt Menefee – Banjo
Tony Creasman – Drums
Jaelee Roberts – Harmony vocals

The HercuLeons, John Cowan & Andrea Zonn Are The HercuLeons

Artist: The HercuLeons
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Album: John Cowan & Andrea Zonn Are The HercuLeons
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Label: True Lonesome

In Their Words: “For me, the making of this record was not about career, revenue streams, or anything else. I had been singing with, around, and listening to Andrea Zonn for 20 years. Like most of us, we were stranded during the pandemic. This record was truly born out of our combined desire to once and for all record our voices singing together.” – John Cowan

“Like John, I was only too happy to make an entire record with one of my favorite singers, musicians, and humans. With the help of our dear friend [producer] Wendy Waldman, we began exploring ideas, crafting a sound, and pursuing a collection of songs that spoke to our creative and spiritual centers. We’re so thrilled to be sending out into the world, at long last.” – Andrea Zonn

Olive Klug, “Train of Thought”

Artist: Olive Klug
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Train of Thought”
Album: Lost Dog
Release Date: April 25, 2025
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “This is actually my favorite song on the album. Written in Sisters, Oregon, during a songwriting workshop that I led about writing a song inspired by the style of your favorite artist, ‘Train of Thought’ is my take on Paul Simon’s wordy magical chaos. Breaking out of my usual literal storytelling lyrical style and breaking into the world of abstract metaphors, I let the listener into what it’s like to be neurodivergent and how I’ve recently embraced this internal chaos instead of trying so hard to control and repress it.

“With lyrics like ‘and they try to button up my suit and tie in an attempt to hold me back but I’m this strange old conductor wearing pearls and a backwards baseball cap,’ I highlight how my nontraditional gender presentation is intrinsically linked to this neurodivergence and desire to resist societal pressures.” – Olive Klug

Oh Jeremiah, “Rust”

Artist: Oh Jeremiah
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Rust”
Album: Jones County Ghosts
Release Date: March 21, 2025 (single); June 13, 2025 (album)
Label: Baldwin County Public Records

In Their Words: “I don’t know how it happens, one day you’re a kid getting your first kiss in sixth grade on the peewee football field and the next you’re in your mid-thirties. When Erin and I sat down to write ‘Rust,’ we wanted to capture the feeling of time running in a full sprint. Your only hope, it feels like, is to hang on to those things that keep you feeling young at heart. ” – Jeremiah Stricklin

“Most people think, because we’re married, that we write all the songs together, but this is actually the first co-write we’ve ever done.” – Erin Stricklin

Video Credits: Shot by Tim Sutherland. French Horn by Corin Dubie. 

The SteelDrivers, “Outrun”

Artist: The SteelDrivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Outrun”
Album: Outrun
Release Date: March 21, 2025 (single); May 23, 2025 (album)
Label: Sun Records

In Their Words: “Leslie Satcher is a longtime SteelDriver co-writer with me. I happened to run into her the weekend before we were scheduled to go into the studio and told her we didn’t have any Leslie songs on the upcoming record. She made the time to get together and ‘Outrun’ was written in about an hour and a half! It was the last song we recorded. It is another song that really showcases that ‘SteelDriver Sound.'” – Tammy Rogers

Vickie Vaughn, “Leavin'”

Artist: Vickie Vaughn
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Leavin'”
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘Leavin” is a song that Kimber Ludiker showed me when she was playing fiddle with its writer, Bruce Robison. I immediately fell in love with the stream of consciousness style of writing and the emotion present in the song. I’m a pretty emotional gal myself, so singing this and getting to record it felt cathartic. It is definitely a heartstring tugger.” – Vickie Vaughn

Track Credits:
Vickie Vaughn – Upright Bass, lead vocal
Colby Kilby – Guitar
Casey Campbell – Mandolin
Wes Corbett – Banjo
Dave Racine – Drums
Deanie Richardson – Fiddle
Lillie Mae Rische – Harmony vocal
Frank Rische – Harmony vocal

Photo Credit: The HercuLeons courtesy of the artist; the SteelDrivers by Glenn Rose.

Mark Knopfler’s ‘Shangri-La’ Rearranged Adam Wright’s Artistic DNA

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

(Editor’s Note: No Skips is a brand new feature from BGS that asks artists, songwriters, musicians, and industry professionals what albums they regard as perfect, with every track a masterpiece – i.e., No Skips!

For the first edition of the column, songwriter-artist-musician Adam Wright highlights Mark Knopfler’s seminal album, Shangri-La, as we look ahead to Wright’s own upcoming project, Nature of Necessity, coming later this year.)

There are only a few times in your creative life when someone’s work hits you so hard it rearranges your artistic DNA. I could probably count those moments for me on one hand.

Shangri-La was a big one. It told me that you can write away from the outside understanding of things. That you can start from the inside of your own knowledge and continue inward. It also taught me that you can write about anything you find interesting. That being understood is not as important as whether or not you’ve put something down worthy of working out for whomever decides to try to understand it. And that there are so many things to write about that are not falling in and out of love. (People probably could have stopped writing love songs in 1950 and we still would have too many.)

The depth and perspective of the storytelling, the crafted excellence of the writing and the sublimely tasteful musicianship make it, to me, Knopfler’s masterpiece. He’s done this on all of his albums, they all include brilliant gems of songs, but Shangri-La is just perfection from top to bottom. – Adam Wright

“5:15 AM” (Track 1)

Like all of the songs on this album, “5:15 AM” is exquisitely written and recorded. It is the story of a coal miner on his way home from the night shift discovering a murder victim who turns out to be involved with organized crime. It is chock-full of lingo and references to specifics about gambling machines, nightclubs, and lots of mining terms. The way Mark weaves all of this language into lyricism and brings it back to the tragic lives of the coal miners at the end is exceptional and beautiful writing. The recording is gorgeous and still somehow earthy as dirt. Just a masterclass in songcraft.

“Boom, Like That” (Track 2)

“Boom, Like That” is about the rise of Ray Kroc from a milkshake salesman to a fast food emperor. Like “5:15 AM,” there are plenty of specific references in this one. “Going to San Bernardino, ring a ding ding. Milkshake mixes, that’s my thing now.” You’re in the middle of the beginning of a story right off the bat. I love songs from the character’s perspective and few writers do that as well as Knopfler.

The movie The Founder was filmed in my hometown of Newnan, Georgia. I noticed the town when I saw it, so I looked it up and read a bit about the filming. While the song was inspired by the book about Kroc, I’d read the movie was actually inspired by the song. Even if the song weren’t so well-written, the riff at the end of the chorus is enough to keep any guitar player happily busy for days.

“All That Matters” (Track 11)

Much of Shangri-La is written from the perspective of the characters in its songs. The title track and “All That Matters” seem to be more personal. “All That Matters” is just a sweet, simple song from a father to his children. Again, beautifully written and pretty as porcelain. It has some surprising chordal and melodic turns in the B section to juxtapose the nursery rhymey-ness of the verses. Just perfect. And a nice respite from the mostly cynical tone of much of the album.

“Stand Up Guy” (Track 12)

“Brew the coffee in a bucket/ Double straight man and banjo/ If you don’t got the snake oil/ Buster, you don’t got a show.”

Again, you’re right smack dab in the middle of someone’s story. This time it’s a musician in a group of traveling, Victorian-era pitchmen. They apparently have teamed up with “the Doctor” who peddles snake oil medicine to townspeople and does it well enough to keep them fed on beefsteak and whiskey. Just wonderfully interesting, both lyrically and musically.

If you wanted to become a very good songwriter (or musician or producer, for that matter), you could only study Shangri-La for years and get a very long way toward the goal. I’ve been mining this album for inspiration for twenty years. It always gives me something more.

Photo Credit: Jo Lopez

Mixtape: Yarn’s Songs Of and About Pop Culture

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

I make a lot of references in Yarn’s music about other bands, artists, movies, actors, etc… I didn’t realize how much until I started working on this Mixtape.  Just a few of the things I mention are Jim Croce, Dolly Parton, The Allman Brothers, George Burns, Bob Wills, Waylon Jennings, Velvet Underground, Rex Moroux – and the list goes on. This Mixtape will include references to other artists, food, and places famous in the world of pop culture during its given time of release. – Blake Christiana, Yarn

“Play Freebird” – Yarn

I figured I’d start and end with two of our songs from our new album, Born, Blessed, Grateful & Alive. My wife started writing this one about her father and I took it over and finished it. The entire song is based around another super famous song that Mandy’s dad used to play around the house when she was a kid. And now, if anyone yells out ‘Free Bird’ at one of our concerts, we’ve got something to give ’em.

“You Never Even Called Me By Name” – David Allen Coe

Such a perfect song for this Mixtape. Coe even impersonates the singers he references in this song as well as poking fun at the entire country music genre. Pretty brilliant. Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, and he even references his own name.

“Calling Elvis” – Dire Straits

We could do a giant Mixtape with songs that just reference Elvis alone. I love this one, because just about every lyric is a reference to Elvis and the songs he recorded. Also, Mark Knopfler is THE MAN. More Elvis to come on this list.

“Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes

I had to include a quintessential ’80s tune on here and this is it. Great voice on Kim Carnes, the perfect sultry rasp. Of course she references the actress, Bette Davis, as well as Greta Garbo.

“Mrs. Robinson” – Simon & Garfunkel

Here’s one with a sports icon reference. Paul Simon has done a lot of these kinds of references in his songs, too, and I’ll include one of those later in the tape. Joe DiMaggio, the famous New York Yankee who married Marilyn Monroe, is mentioned here as ‘Joltin’ Joe.’

“Candle In The Wind” – Elton John

Nice little transition here from The Yankee Clipper to Marilyn Monroe. This entire song is written about Monroe.

“Man on The Moon” – R.E.M.

Lots of references here, but the main star of the song is Andy Kaufman, the brilliant comedian who starred in Taxi in the ’70s. Love Andy Kaufman and R.E.M. Great song. Other honorable pop-culture mentions in this song are 21, Checkers, Chess, and of course Elvis. Also a great Elvis impression from Michael Stipe.

“Nobody Home” – Pink Floyd

The Wall might have been my favorite album as a kid. And in this particular song off that album, Roger Waters sings ‘the obligatory Hendrix perm,’ a direct reference to Jimi Hendrix and his hair style. Glad I got to include Pink Floyd on here. Beautiful song.

“Walkin’ In Memphis” – Marc Cohn

This song just had to be on here. More Elvis for ya, along with WC Handy, Beale Street, Al Green, and more. Another fantastic song.

“Graceland” – Paul Simon

What do you know, more Elvis. I think I need to write a song about Elvis now. This song is too good, it paints a picture as good as any song ever written. Enough said.

“Dairy Queen” – Indigo Girls

I thought we needed some pop-culture food references, so I included these next two songs. Not to mention, Indigo Girls and Amy Ray are my wife’s favorites. Amy Ray’s recent solo records have all been really great and everyone should have a listen.

“Factory” – Band of Horses

I love this tune and its reference to the candy of my youth, Now and Laters. To me, Band of Horses is like a modern day Beach Boys. Great band, great songs, and great harmonies. This song reminds me how half my life is spent in a hotel room.

“I Want You” – Yarn

I reference the 1980 movie, Honeysuckle Rose, with Willie Nelson & Diane Cannon. Not sure anyone saw it, but it’s about an affair on the road between musicians Nelson and Cannon, and the song itself follows a similar plot line. I wrote this song with my longtime writing partner, Shane Spaulding.

Photo Credit: Bob Adamek

MIXTAPE: Jeremy Garrett’s Melting Pot of Influential Music

Posted on by Editor

My mind has been concentrated on making music for my latest record, Wanderer’s Compass. I let Wanderer’s Compass be a collection of as many influences in music I’ve had as possible. I’ve been playing long enough that I used to learn my fiddle parts from an LP and move the needle back to catch the solo parts. Then of course over time, with the advent of the internet, the influence highway, so to speak, became much wider. I’ve always thought it is hard to put music in a box, since it is art, even though I essentially understand the reason for genres. To me the whole point of art is to let all of your influences and experiences be the palette in which to create your vision. This playlist is really fun for me to listen to, and I hope you enjoy it as well. — Jeremy Garrett

Dire Straits – “Where Do You Think You’re Going?”

This song was off a record that I heard early on in my life and the soul that Mark Knopfler brought to this song continues to influence me to this day.

Larry Sparks – “Blue Virginia Blues”

Larry is a master of song delivery, selection, singing, and incredibly soulful guitar playing that is old school, yet crosses any boundaries from that world into the new because art like that knows no bounds.

Tony Rice – “Urge for Going”

From the album Native American, this track is the epitome of how to produce a song to pull all of the essence from it for the listener to hear. Any bluegrass musician can tell you that Tony Rice is the man to listen to for song production, not to mention his unmatched guitar skills.

Jeremy Garrett – “Wishing Well”

“Wishing Well” is an original and on this track I stretch way out on the fiddle for a jam.

David Grisman – “Fish Scale”

David is one of the best and truest musicians of our time. This is a one-of-a-kind song from a one-of-a-kind artist, David Grisman. I particularly love Tony Rice’s playing on this track.

The Stanley Brothers – “The Lonesome River”

This is one of history’s most eerie and interesting sounding bluegrass duos. Their songs and the way they sing them are my personal favorite sounds of the traditional bluegrass era.

Strength in Numbers – “Blue Men of the Sahara”

This ensemble was one of the most creative in acoustic music. This particular song showcases what happens when you marry music stylings from around the globe, and Mark O’Connor rips a fiddle like nobody’s business.

Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson – “Pancho and Lefty”

This cut is pure magic if you ask me. I love everything about it, from the wacky-sounding synth stuff to the magic that Haggard brings when he comes in for his verse. Sends chills up my spine.

George Jones – “Choices”

There may not be any better country singing than this right here.

Jimi Hendrix – “Red House”

There is perhaps no one more inspiring to a musician who wants to tap into soul and vibe. Hendrix is the one who paved the way for all of us in that regard.

Deep Forest – “Sing with the Birds”

This music was an indicator for me at an early age that I loved world music and the technology that continues to evolve to help create some of it. This is programming at its finest and it’s flowing with creativity.

Jeremy Garrett – “Nevermind”

This is a Dennis Lloyd cover that I love to perform. Dennis is an Israeli pop artist. It’s a culmination of my bluegrass chops on fiddle, guitar, mandolin, along with effects, experimentation, and programmed beats.

Photo credit: J.Mimna Photography

BGS 5+5: Eli West

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Eli West
Hometown: Olympia, Washington
Latest Album: Tapered Point of Stone

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Probably Paul Brady, as a singer and guitar player. While I don’t play Irish folk music much, the tradition, while having lots of shapes and inflection, isn’t inherently showy. You don’t see an Irish folk musician put their foot up on a monitor to take a solo. I think communicating something interesting in an understated way is so satisfying…. Leaving room for the listener, not hitting you over the head with an idea. Tim O’Brien is an American version of that as well.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

I’m a visual learner. Visual and spatial art, woodworking, painting, all have something to do with my musical decisions. I love understated chaos, like arranging things that seem to already be there. Goldsworthy is an obvious example of this, but there are many folks who do this in a variety of mediums. I tend to overthink, so anything that helps me escape my head to see things in a simpler way.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

Running, for my mental health. Also, getting to know a new town before a show. Also, eating. Big fan of eating.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I grew up on salt water, sailing, and kayaking with my dad. Also skiing and backpacking in the mountains of the Northwest. I think the understory of a dense cedar grove is pretty inspiring, usually quiet while full of life.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Huh… I love seafood. There is a restaurant in Tel Aviv called the Old Man and the Sea. I would love to sit outside, eating fish, talking to someone like Django or Jim Hall about guitars. Since both those guys are gone, maybe drunk BBQ with Sting or Mark Knopfler would be fun (all those things borrowing from my high school self).

Photo credit: Jenny Jimenez

MIXTAPE: Songs That Changed Jon Stickley’s Life and Still Blow His Mind

Posted on by Editor

When I was a senior in high school, my lacrosse teammate Andy Thorn loaned me a couple CDs and a mandolin. The two CDs were the original David Grisman Quintet album and Sam Bush’s Glamour and Grits. I was an angsty teen drummer in a punk band, and when I popped the Grisman album in my Sony Discman and pushed play, my life changed forever.

We started a little band and I started learning mandolin and making weekly trips to the local record store to buy every “newgrass” album I could. I didn’t know anything, so searching through the bluegrass/country section was an adventure of discovery. I learned to recognize the font that Rounder Records used and started using liner notes to find other musicians to listen to.

A lot of the tracks on this list are track #1 on the album, and I think that’s because when I heard them for the first time, they magically seared themselves into my brain. When I hear them today they inspire the same excitement as they did when I first heard them, and they have had an enormous impact on the music that I create for the Jon Stickley Trio. — Jon Stickley

David Grisman – “E.M.D.”

The first track I ever heard in the vein of bluegrass/newgrass. I heard David Count “1,2,3,4…” just like the Ramones! Then they launch into the most indescribable, unbelievable, clean, rockin’ jam I’ve ever heard. Also my first introduction to my guitar hero, Tony Rice. Nothing compares to this track!

Sam Bush – “Whayasay”

Another leading cut. This was my introduction to the one and only Sam Bush. His kickoff tells you everything you need to know about Sam’s music. It’s masterful, tasteful, and it freakin’ ROCKS. Then he goes totally Mark Knopfler at the end. Blew my young mind!

Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenburg & Edgar Meyer – “Big Sciota”

I picked this record up at the store because, on the back cover, they are dressed in gorilla suits. I thought, these dudes MUST be cool. Something about the tone of this record is unparalleled. It’s just the nicest-sounding acoustic record I’ve ever heard. Still cook dinner to it almost every night and my wife walked down the aisle to another track from the album called “The Years Between.”

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder – “Pig In A Pen”

Holy crap. This is another album I bought blind at the record shop knowing absolute nothing about the music. To this day I have never heard anything rock this hard! Also, my first intro to a big guitar hero, Bryan Sutton.

Bryan Sutton – “Decision At Glady Fork”

Senior year of high school my uncle Pat took me to the Béla Fleck Bluegrass Sessions concert. I knew who Sam Bush and Béla were, but it was my first time hearing Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, and the young Bryan Sutton. They played this song and the audience pooped their pants!

Béla Fleck – “Blue Mountain Hop”

The ultimate supergroup in my opinion. This song got me thinking about composition and arrangement in a new way. It seems like each new part of the song was written with each individual soloist in mind. Also the giggles and growls in the intro remind you that they’re having a ball.

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones – “Sinister Minister”

Two words. Victor Wooten. Blew. My. Young. Mind! I’ve listened to this version of this song more times than I can count, and it’s one of the covers that we do in the trio. The Flecktones probably had more of an impact on our trio than anyone else out there.

The Bluegrass Album Band – “Blue Ridge Cabin Home”

This is another album where I had no idea what I was buying. It wasn’t until I looked at the back of the CD that I realized that Tony Rice was on it. It was my introduction to J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Hicks, and Todd Phillips. I fell in love with bluegrass banjo by listening to this song, and I was thrilled to find out there were five more volumes!!!

The Nashville Bluegrass Band – “Dog Remembers Bacon”

Another record store score that I grabbed just because “bluegrass” was in the title. LOL. These guys became my favorite group for years and this was always one of my favorite tracks. I learned about Gillian Welch from this album. Stuart Duncan is the best fiddler in the world!

Acoustic Syndicate – “No Time”

Man, I love these dudes SO much. My Uncle Pat gave this album to my dad around ‘98, and I promptly stole it. The chill energy of this album really spoke to me and I feel like it really embodies the spirit of the North Carolina festival scene. Super sentimental band for me!

Tracks from our new album “Scripting the Flip” that draw heavy on these influences:

Jon Stickley Trio – “Scripting the Flip”

This song is pretty much a bluegrass fiddle tune turned on its head. It reminds me of some of my favorite newgrass instrumentals that take the music somewhere new.

Jon Stickley Trio – “Driver”

Well, given that my buddy Andy Thorn got me into this music waaaaay back in the day, I had to bring it full circle and write a tune for him to come in and play on. This piece definitely draws on the music of the Flecktones and some of the tunes they play in odd meters.

Jon Stickley Trio – “Bluegrass in the Backwoods”

Kenny Baker, Bill Monroe’s longtime fiddler, was surprisingly one of the most innovative of the classic bluegrass pickers! He is thought of as a traditional fiddler, but his music is really anything but. I think this tune was way ahead of its time and we love the elements of gypsy jazz and Latin music in the melody. We HAD to cover this on at some point and it was so much fun!

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: Molly Parden & Hollow Hum, “Why Worry”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Molly Parden & Hollow Hum
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Why Worry”
Album: Why Worry: A Collection of Covers
Release Date: June 28, 2019
Label: Independent / Distribution with Tone Tree Music.

In Their Words: “The essence of Mark Knopfler was introduced to me back in 2012 and I wish I could remember which of his songs I heard first. I had no knowledge of Dire Straits or their international stardom, absolutely none. Only this deep, gentle voice with a backing band that sounds like it has been there since the dawn of time, a sole guitar, smooth as butter with intermittent growly tone to let you know Mark wields power, but uses it ever so mercifully. His songs are hymns to me. ‘Sailing to Philadelphia,’ which is basically a musical history lesson featuring James Taylor, nearly brings me to tears. ‘Back to Tupelo’ and ‘Our Shangri-La’ are in the vault, the one that I send to space and then it comes back to my children 50 years later with 10 Things That Mommy Needs You To Have. But this song, ‘Why Worry,’ is a Dire Straits tune off of Brothers in Arms (1985) — I first heard it as a duet between Emmylou Harris and Mark — that has been covered by the Everly Brothers, Chet Atkins, and now I can proudly add my name to the list. Featured on this version is London’s resident guitar aficionado Matt Park. I discovered that he and I share a mutual admiration for The Knopf whilst we together were on tour with Sam Outlaw in the summer of 2018.” — Molly Parden

“This song was new to me, Molly played it for me once, and of course I wanted to cut it with her. It’s just one of those timeless songs that brings an immediate exhale and sense of comfort. The simple arrangement lets the vocal sit out front and really communicate the message of the song, which I love. Because it’s not such a well-known track, I hope some new ears discover this beautiful tune.” — Hollow Hum

Photo credit: Marcus Maddox

Britain’s Got Bluegrass: May 2019

Posted on by Editor

Get off your couch and go hear some live music with Britain’s Got Bluegrass! Here’s the BGS-UK monthly guide to the best gigs in the UK and Ireland in May.

John Reischman & The Jaybirds, May 12, Green Note, London

Look, we know you haven’t really made plans for this Sunday night. No one has. So instead of staying in and watching Game of Thrones, why don’t you pop out to Camden and check out a Grammy Award-winning mandolin player? John Reischman is one of the most respected players of the instrument in the world today, and his band The Jaybirds are coming to the end of their UK tour, meaning you’ve only got one last chance to catch them. With all the style and flair you’d expect from someone who used to play with guitar legend Tony Rice, this stylish West Coast ensemble mixes old-time and bluegrass with a modern feel. Catch up with Jon Snow and his dragon queen another day.

Kaia Kater, May 10-14, nationwide

The Guardian described Kaia Kater as “where bluegrass meets Nina Simone”. Who wouldn’t want to hear that? The Grenadian-Canadian (trying saying that three times quickly) will be in Milton Keynes, Gateshead, York and Bristol next week. Her most recent album, Grenades, exploring and celebrating her paternal ancestry, has been nominated for a 2019 Juno Award. (Read the BGS interview.)

Mark Knopfler May 18-30, nationwide

Football, Deptford, greasy spoon cafes — it’s fair to say that the Dire Straits man’s songs don’t exactly cover the usual subjects of Americana music. But arguably no British singer-songwriter has done more than Mark Knopfler to advertise and contribute to US roots music. His mastery of everything from Celtic rock to country to blues has helped shape the musical landscape of the last four decades and the fact that his band includes celtic legends John McCusker (on fiddle) and Mike McGoldrick (on whistle) is enough to have us shouting the word “QUALITY.” Leeds, Newcastle, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, London, Birmingham — consider yourselves very, very lucky.

Amos Lee, May 19, Union Chapel, London

His first night at Union Chapel has already sold out, so you’ll need to move fast if you want to hear the soulful stylings of Amos Lee. We can only imagine how perfectly the acoustics of that beautiful old church are going to suit his fabulous voice — a voice that’s captured the heart of almost everyone who hears it, including collaborators Norah Jones and Adele. And if you can keep a dry eye during his new song, “Little Light” — inspired by a seven-year-old friend who’s been treated for kidney cancer — you’re a better person than we are, Gunga Din.

Milk Carton Kids, May 28 and 29, Dublin and London

Listen to Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale and it’s hard not to have the words “Simon and Garfunkel” leap instantly to mind. With their beautiful close harmonies and thoughtful, all-too-honest lyrics, The Milk Carton Kids are the kind of musicians who’ll leave your heart scattered all over the floor. Their latest album, All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’t Do, made critics excited, not least because of the 10-minute epic, “One More For the Road.” This is indie-folk at its most meaningful — come see them at the height of their powers.

BGS 5+5: Adam Wright

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Adam Wright
Hometown: Newnan, Georgia / Nashville, Tennessee
Latest Album: Dust

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

Whatever I’m reading at the moment usually has some impact on what I’m writing. Especially if it’s a writer that is new to me. If it’s good, it’ll spark a lot of little ideas. They’re not usually directly related to the book, but it will just get the ideas coming. Reading good writing is good for creativity. I don’t feel the same about movies. I enjoy them, but they don’t spark ideas for me the way reading does.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

It’s really fun to work hard on a song you know is going to be good. And it’s not hard work to write a bad song that you know is bad. The real drudgery is working on a mediocre song. You have to use all your tools as though you were writing something good, but they don’t work the same and you know the result is going to be lackluster. It’s draining. I try not to get into that situation. I don’t like to settle in to the work unless I think I can land something worthwhile. Sometimes in a co-write you don’t have that luxury. You just have to push on and get it done.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

I want to have contributed to the elevation of the art of songwriting. I want to entertain people. I want to be the best singer-songwriter I can possibly be. And I also want to make a decent living. Because without the means, you can’t give it everything you’ve got. And being your best means giving it everything you’ve got.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Mexican food, particularly huevos rancheros, is kind of a hobby of mine. There is a place close to where we live that plays great Mexican music. A lot of ’60s Latin pop. Some Mariachi. It’s always good. You’d have to work pretty hard at it to not feel good when you’re eating that food and hearing that music. We went to a newer Mexican place for my birthday not long ago, and it had marble floors and chandeliers and they were playing the shiniest, slickest, newest, American pop music. The food was good but the vibe was so wrong that it ruined the experience. We all ate as fast as we could and got out.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I write quite a bit in character. It’s a lot more fun for me. I’ve never been much of a “confessional” songwriter. I’m much more interested in what someone else might do in a situation. I like to tell stories. I like to drop in on a particular moment in the life of a character and write there. Some of my favorite songwriters do that. And not just folk-song writers. Chuck Berry was a fantastic storyteller. And he made it rock and roll. Even as a kid when I listened to his songs, I didn’t have the impression that he was singing about his life. I had the impression that he was a clever writer and he was entertaining me. “Born To Dream” is probably the only song on the new album that is written from my perspective. And “The Banker,” I guess, but it’s not really about me. Shannon, my wife, says “Born To Dream” is the most Adam song on there.

https://open.spotify.com/user/adamwrightofficial/playlist/4ynVBSEIlt81if2t7sTZ8p?si=uDUH1sE4TcuaB_Ta0Zykww

Photo credit: Bret Pemelton