Drummers don’t always get a lot of love or attention. But, mention the name Jeff Sipe to nearly any musician and their eyes light up. Also known as Apartment Q258, he was a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit with Colonel Bruce Hampton (which also counted Otiel Burbridge of Dead & Company and Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic among its members). I first heard him via early Leftover Salmon bootlegs and he’s toured with Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trey Anastasio, and Warren Haynes. Regarded as one of the best drummers alive, he’s also just a normal guy who lives down the street from me and who says “yes” pretty much any time I ask him to join me on a gig. Words really don’t do him justice; he’s just so wonderful and kind and supportive; I can hardly believe my good fortune getting to make music with him.
This episode was recorded live at 185 King Street in Brevard, North Carolina on April 4th, 2023.
Timestamps:
0:06 – Soundbyte 0:42 – Intro 2:15 – Intro by Bill K. 3:26 – “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” 10:37 – “A Little Too Much” 16:00 – “I Am A Pilgrim” 22:30 – “Once I Knew You” 29:17 – Interview 46:10 – “Summertime” 48:30 – “Minor Blues” 55:34 – “Back Home” 1:01:50 – Outro
Editor’s Note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast includes highlights from Travis’s interviews and music from each live show recorded in Brevard, North Carolina.
The Travis Book Happy Hour is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.
From August 30 to September 1, the legacy of banjo innovator and bluegrass forebear Earl Scruggs will be celebrated once again at the 3rd Annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Held at Tryon International Equestrian Center in the western North Carolina foothills – just beyond where the Bluegrass and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee was born and raised – the festival will see Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester return as hosts and will include performances by roots superstars like Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many more. (Full lineup below.)
BGS is excited to be returning to ESMF for the third year in a row, this time presenting the Scruggs Sessions with the Earls of Leicester. On Saturday, August 31, from 3 to 4:30p.m. on the Foggy Mountain Stage – nearest the festival gates – the Earls of L will pay tribute to Flatt & Scruggs’ seminal live album, Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall!, with special guests and appearances from across the festival lineup. This is a brand new iteration of our fan favorite tribute sets from the past two years that highlighted albums by the Earl Scruggs Revue. Last year’s performance was hosted by Tony Trischka and included guests such as Della Mae, Tray Wellington, members of Greensky Bluegrass, and more. We cannot wait for you to see what’s in store for this year’s Scruggs Session.
Below, find a few of our tips and insider tricks for attending ESMF, plus we’ll highlight a few of the acts, artists, and bands we’re most excited to catch at this year’s festival. From the posh grounds to engaging workshops and sessions, horse jumping demonstrations to excellent brick-and-mortar restaurants and local food trucks, up-and-coming groups and world-class talents, Earl Scruggs Music Festival truly has something for everyone.
The Grounds: Tryon International Equestrian Center
The Earl Scruggs Music Festival entrance. Photo by Eli Johnson.
Your first impression of the Earl Scruggs Music Festival grounds – the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina – might be that this is a very fancy locale for a bluegrass festival. But after your first day, or even your first few hours, you’ll see how perfect a setting this state-of-the-art equestrian park is for a music festival. It can be very hot in late August in Mill Spring, but the permanent amenities, ample shade, high quality air-conditioned restaurants, and relatively compact footprint make the usual pitfalls and inconveniences of a hot summer festival fade to the background.
A horse jumping demonstration held during the festival. Photo by Eli Johnson.
Catch a horse jumping demonstration or one of the center’s mini-horse ambassadors doing a meet and greet to get the full equestrian experience. VIP ticket holders can enjoy the shady grandstand with perfect views of the main stage. There’s plenty of space in the sandy arena grounds for folding chairs, too. The General Store, near to the festival entrance, sells drinks, ice cream, snacks, and treats and has many festival essentials you may need – whether you’re camping on site or just visiting for the day.
Definitely don’t miss the delicious Italian restaurant, Campagna, on the grounds, as well. Pro tip: order their delicious wood-fired pizzas to go and enjoy while watching your favorite bluegrass bands take the stage. Or, dine in and cool off – whether lunch or dinner, we loved always having Campagna nearby. Other brick-and-mortar options on site include Blue Ginger Sushi, Legends Grille, Roger’s Diner, and more. Plus, plenty of delicious fair foods are on sale with carnival-style vendors and food trucks coming out in force for the fest.
Campagna Italian Cuisine raises the bar for bluegrass festival food. Photo by Eli Johnson.
Sure, there’s not much to mention directly surrounding the oasis that is the Tryon International Equestrian Center, but there is so much to explore just beyond the festival grounds. Whether you head up towards the mountains and Tryon proper (hometown of Nina Simone, where you can visit her historic home place) or head down the road to Shelby (Scruggs’ home turf), this area of North Carolina holds so many treasures. A visit to the Earl Scruggs Center, which calls the former Shelby county courthouse home and is located just up the road from Scruggs’ homeplace(s) in Flint Hill, is essential. The museum tells the story of Scruggs, his banjo, and his music within and outside of Shelby county and includes plenty of local history, too. If you’re not able to make it the short drive to Shelby to see the Center, don’t worry! They have a great booth set up at the festival for the entire weekend.
There are a few excellent trails and hikes nearby, like Alexander’s Ford Trail at Bradley Nature Preserve pretty near to Mill Spring, and there are so many mountain-y treks and water fall hikes just a short drive west – we recommend Little Bradley Falls. If you like cute little railroad towns, Saluda, North Carolina is worth a stop. Just up the mountainside, it used to be the home of the steepest standard gauge railway line in the United States. As you drive back down the interstate east, down the titular Saluda grade toward Tryon and Mill Spring, it’s a stunning view of North and South Carolina beneath you, with the Appalachians at your back. It’s lovely country!
The Music
ESMF does an excellent job demonstrating the sheer depth, width, and breadth of Earl Scruggs’ impact on American roots music. The lineup boasts country, Americana, singer-songwriter, old-time, and endless bluegrass. It’s curated thoughtfully and intentionally and there’s always someone new to discover and someone legendary to nerd out over. Here are a few of the sets we’re most excited for, below. Plus you can peruse the entire announced lineup and find links to the full schedule of events. We hope we see you this year at Earl Scruggs Music Festival!
Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe Stringjam (Sunday)
Fiddler Casey Driessen has turned his infamous and beloved Red Shoe Stringjam into a traveling roots music festival variety hour! We can’t wait to see what he cooks up at ESMF with this superlative lineup. His recent appearance at Grey Fox earlier this summer boasted and incredible roster of guests and collaborators.
AJ Lee & Blue Summit (Saturday)
We can’t wait to catch up with our pals AJ Lee & Blue Summit, fresh off their Grand Ole Opry debut and the release of their critically-acclaimed new album, City of Glass. Our recent feature on that new record has been a reader favorite ever since it published – check it out here. Don’t miss their main stage (Flint Hill Stage) performance and their Foggy Late Night set (Foggy Mountain Stage), which will surely be a raucous and rowdy end to day two of the festival.
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (Saturday)
If you’re a true fan of Marty Stuart, you know just how intimately his own story in music is woven into the stories of Flatt & Scruggs. What a perfect addition to the lineup. From psychedelic country to surf rock to driving bluegrass to shredding the mandolin – like he did with F&S as a kid all those years ago – Marty and His Fabulous Superlatives epitomize so many distinct facets of Earl’s music and legacy. This is especially noticeable with Stuart carrying on the bluegrass tradition of mentorship bestowed on him by Flatt & Scruggs – like with young mandolinist, Wyatt Ellis, who is also on the festival roster this year.
Miko Marks (Sunday)
Bay Area-based country singer, songwriter, and recording artist Miko Marks is a “must-see” on our list! She’ll be playing the Foggy Mountain Stage on Sunday evening, bringing her thoughtful, engaging, fun, and polished post-genre country to western North Carolina. Marks is a musical activist, a truth teller, and a community builder who has blazed a trail – nationally, in Nashville, and in the Bay Area, as well – in country and roots music.
Darrell Scott’s String Band (Friday)
Even though Darrell Scott’s solo shows are just as engaging and jaw-dropping as when he tours with a band, we’re certainly pleased that his recent string band album, Old Cane Back Rocker, included Shad Cobb, Bryn Davies, and Matt Flinner – and doubly pleased to still be able to catch this crack ensemble on the road! Darrell will also play a set on the Foggy Mountain Stage in the evening Friday, after the band’s afternoon appearance on the Flint Hill Stage.
The Scruggs Sessions with the Earls of Leicester (Saturday)
There is no one better to tribute a classic and iconic bluegrass album like Flatt & ScruggsAt Carnegie Hall! than the Earls of Leicester. We’re tickled to be presenting the Scruggs Sessions, where the Earls and many special guests will perform songs from Flatt & Scruggs’ appearance at Carnegie Hall, a set and an album that have become keystones in the bluegrass canon. We’ll see you at the Foggy Mountain Stage on Saturday at 3p.m.!
Twisted Pine (Saturday)
Twisted Pine blew us away last year at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, so we were especially excited to see them set to return to the event this year, too. They’ll be doing double duty, again, playing both stages at different points on Saturday – catch them at 12p.m. on the Flint Hill Stage and at 5p.m. on the Foggy Mountain Stage.
The Wilder Flower (Friday)
A local string band trio based in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina – making them essentially festival neighbors! – the Wilder Flower are a group to look out for. Made up of Danielle Yother (guitar), Madeline Dierauf (fiddle), and Molly Johnson (banjo), we’re looking forward to catching the band’s set on the Foggy Mountain Stage on Friday at 3p.m. Especially given their debut album, If I Wait Anymore, will be released in September. Keep your eyes and ears on this trio!
Featuring: Tanya Tucker Old Crow Medicine Show Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Yonder Mountain String Band The Steeldrivers Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project Mighty Poplar Lindsay Lou Pony Bradshaw Darrell Scott’s String Band Miko Marks Shawn Camp The Grascals Darin & Brooke Aldridge AJ Lee & Blue Summit Chris Jones & The Night Drivers Travis Book Band Shadowgrass The Scruggs Sessions, Hosted by The Earls of Leicester Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe Stringjam Twisted Pine Wyatt Ellis Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light Carley Arrowood The Faux Paws Larry & Joe Martha Spencer & The Wonderland Country Band Tanasi The Wilder Flower The Well Drinkers Warren Wilson College Bluegrass Band Ryn Riley and Appalachian Roots PacJAM Ramblers The Biscuit Eaters Creekwater Collective Fine Tuned Sessions Presented by Rare Bird Farm & Blue Ridge Music Trails
All photos courtesy of Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Photo credits as marked. Lead photo by Eli Johnson.
As much a mystic as a musician, Phoebe Hunt makes music that speaks to the yearning we all have to connect with something larger than ourselves. A deep commitment to making music with meaning is her compass and she’s an example of what it means to be in loving relationship with music. We need more musicians like Phoebe Hunt in this world.
This episode was recorded live at 185 King Street in Brevard, North Carolina on April 23rd, 2024.
Timestamps:
0:08 – Soundbyte 0:22 – Introduction 1:22 – Bill K’s introduction 2:03 – “Rise Sun” 6:06 – on “Lint Head Girl” 7:15 – “Lint Head Girl” 10:40 – “Take Me Home” 14:30 – Interview 1 28:22 – “Galloping” 31:20 – on “Pink and Blue” 34:51 – “Pink and Blue” 38:16 – “I couldn’t” 39:02 – Interview 2 53:20 – “Nothing Else Matters” 56:30 – “Good Blood” 1:00:20 – Outro
Editor’s Note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast includes highlights from Travis’s interviews and music from each live show recorded in Brevard, North Carolina.
The Travis Book Happy Hour is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.
On his 2022 album Black Banjo, Tray Wellington thwarted stereotypes and pushed the boundaries of what bluegrass music can be. On his new EP, Detour To The Moon, he picks up right where he left off, weaving in jazz, hip-hop, country, and more into his trailblazing banjo bangers.
The meshing of influences on the seven-song project serves as a segue between full-length records; the EP is the first of a planned conceptual series showcasing the picker’s sonic and personal evolution.
“I want to keep pushing myself and growing until I’m at my max potential, and I don’t feel like I’m anywhere close to reaching that yet,” Wellington tells BGS of the project’s concept. “So if we’re talking in terms of the universe, I want to get way past the moon, because we’ve already been there and because my influences are constantly evolving and I want to be able to reflect on all of it.”
Although he’s most proficient on banjo now, Wellington’s musical development began years prior on the guitar – until he stumbled upon Doc Watson’s music while browsing his grandfather’s record collection. By middle school, the Western North Carolina native had joined a mountain music club that traveled to local communities playing traditional bluegrass music. Eventually one of his teachers, Josh Church, introduced him to the banjo and he never looked back.
“I’d never heard him play banjo to that point, but he pulled it out that day and started playing ‘Salt Creek,’” Wellington recalls. “I was instantly hooked by its sound and fell in love. From there he taught me a song or two, leading me to beg my mom for a banjo over the summer before starting ninth grade.”
Since taking to the banjo Wellington has grown to be one of it’s most promising young pickers, most notably winning the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2019 Momentum Award for Instrumentalist of the Year, graduating from East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program, and helping to form New Dangerfield — a Black roots supergroup also comprised of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kaia Kater, bassist Nelson Williams, and fiddler/vocalist Jake Blount.
That promise shines bright throughout Detour To The Moon, which sees an equal mix of him creating his own instrumental soundscapes as well as taking other’s songs, like Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” “John Hiatt’s “Lift Up Every Stone,” and Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit Of Happiness,” and making them entirely his own.
In particular, Wellington says that Cudi’s certified diamond hit, first released in 2009, was one that he had to record upon first hearing it in 2023, due to its message of drug abuse and escapism that he resonated with deeply.
“That, and witnessing the profoundly positive impact it had on others of lifting them out of the dark places they were once in, is what made me want to record it,” Wellington explains. “If a tune has that much power, it deserves to be re-recorded and spread to as many new audiences as possible.”
In addition to pushing boundaries with his music, Wellington also pushed them with his own creative abilities on the artwork for Detour To The Moon, which he made himself. The first-time occurrence is one that he was thrust into after a graphic designer he had commissioned back out of the project as a deadline for their work was fast approaching. Rather than hire someone new to complete the work or delay it (and risk pushing back the entire project as a whole), he began completing it on his own. Featuring Wellington standing stoically with his banjo on a cratered moon surface with a looming purple glow, the artwork is a display not only of his creativity, but the improvisation and ingenuity that also make him a top notch musician.
“It took me 30 hours to create,” Wellington says with a chuckle of making the artwork. “I had to imagine the concept and find reference pictures before sketching ideas and putting it all into Photoshop. It took a long time, but I’m proud of how it turned out and now I have this new skill I can continue to hone and potentially help other artists with as well.”
Aside from Wellington’s ingenuity coming out in the EP’s cover art and in its choice of songs, it’s also displayed in the players who joined him on the project. For the first time in his three studio albums Detour To The Moon includes drums courtesy of the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Michael Ashworth. It also features fellow Asheville mainstay Drew Matulich (The Grass Is Dead) on guitar. Pedal steel guitarist DaShawn Hickman, vocalist Wendy Hickman, and Kater were other contributors.
Those pivots came after Wellington went into the recording process, planning for the players joining him to be exclusively from his traveling band – bassist Katelynn Bohn, mandolinist/fiddler Josiah Nelson, and Nick Weitzenfeld. While it does include each of them on all or a portion of the project, it also blossomed into something bigger that celebrates not only Wellington’s sonic evolution, but the many ways that Black music of old still shares with that of the present.
Connecting those dots and pushing for more diversity within bluegrass and roots music have long been part of Wellington’s creative work. While he’s done more than his part to advance those efforts, he says it’s going to take much more to see representation where it matters most – the audience.
“I’ve seen a lot more Black and other people I didn’t usually see before picking up a banjo, fiddle, or mandolin and playing bluegrass music in the last five years, but in the grand scheme of things it’s still a very small number of us,” asserts Wellington. “It’s on the venues, labels, artists, fans – all of us – to get involved and push for change because at the end of the day nobody wants to go out to shows where they know they won’t feel comfortable at.”
Wyatt Ellis can’t even drive a car, but he’s making waves in the bluegrass community. A prolific tune-writer and a dedicated student of the mandolin, he’s growing and learning at a rate you only find in the under-20 set. I was surprised to find that he’s also humble, articulate, and a total professional. It’s not hard to envision him reaching the highest echelons of acoustic and bluegrass music, and doing it very soon. I was grateful to my friend Jon Stickley for the introduction to this bluegrass wunderkind.
This episode was recorded live at 185 King Street in Brevard, North Carolina on June 11, 2024.
Timestamps:
0:06 – Soundbyte 0:36 – Intro 1:46 – Live show introduction by Bill K 3:07 – “Blue Smoke” 7:04 – On “Blue Smoke” and “Get Lost” 8:16 – “Get Lost” 13:17 – “When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again” 16:58 – “Blue Night” 20:00 – Interview 28:09 – “Watson Blues” 31:38 – “Rabbit In A Log” 34:30 – Interview 40:00 – “Whites Creek” 44:40 – “How old are you?” and JAM 46:17 – “Cold On The Shoulder” 49:17 – “Long Lonesome Day” 54:10 – “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” 58:29 – Outro
Editor’s Note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast includes highlights from Travis’s interviews and music from each live show recorded in Brevard, North Carolina.
The Travis Book Happy Hour is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.
Americana, alt-folk, bluegrass – whatever form these tracks may take, You Gotta Hear This! Our premiere round up this week includes plenty of Texas, a dash of Missouri, and a heaping helping of the Southeast, too. From new bluegrass numbers by the legendary Dan Tyminski and up-and-comers Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road to thoughtful and intentional Americana by John Calvin and Goodnight, Texas. Plus, there’s a musical tribute to Godfrey, Missouri, a small town on the mighty Mississippi River, by Lost on the Metro and the Steel Wheels reunite with Malena Cadiz on a Paul Simon cover.
Our second-to-last installment of our DelFest Sessions – featuring Mountain Grass Unit – is included here as well, as it premiered on the site earlier this week. It’s a mighty fine collection of music and you know what we think… You Gotta Hear This!
John Calvin, “Austin Chalk”
Artist:John Calvin Hometown: Recently Boca Raton, Florida, but this record was written living in Dallas, Texas (and this song is very Dallas-centric). Song: “Austin Chalk” Album:Greener Fields & Fairer Seas Release Date: July 25, 2024 (single); January 24, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “North Texas rests on an ancient deposit of chalk and marl that sits about five feet below the topsoil and runs for hundreds of feet below that. Living in North Texas, you realize how much of our present is determined by an ancient past. The Austin chalk formation leaves torrential rain with nowhere to go. Rivers, like the Trinity River, flood easily and entire neighborhoods and can be underwater in a matter of hours. There are beautiful communities on the banks of the Trinity like Joppa and Bonton that were only able to stabilize and grow with the extension of the levee system by the Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1990s. Our foothold is always more tenuous than we think, and that’s truest for those that can least afford to move.” – John Calvin
Track Credits: Written by John Calvin. Produced by Nate Campisi. John Calvin – Vocals, acoustic guitar Greg DeCarolis – Piano, bass, electric guitar, OB-8 synth Pat Coyle – Drums, percussion James Hart – Pedal steel Eric DeFade – Alto, tenor, baritone sax Robert Matchett – Trombone Joe Herndon – Trumpet David Bernabo – Brass arrangement
Goodnight, Texas, “A Bank Robber’s Nightmare”
Artist:Goodnight, Texas Hometown: San Francisco, California (Avi Vinocur) and Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Patrick Dyer Wolf); the real town of Goodnight, Texas is the exact mile-for-mile midpoint between the two locales. Song: “A Bank Robber’s Nightmare” Album:Signals Release Date: July 19, 2024 Label: 2 Cent Bank Check
In Their Words: “We’re enjoying some light world building. Our most recent single, ‘The Lightning and The Old Man Todd,’ fleshes out the tragic story of a character from a previous song of ours, ‘The End of the Road.’ Meanwhile, ‘A Bank Robber’s Nightmare’ checks in a decade later on the once carefree, now world-weary and estranged heroes of our 2014 song, ‘A Bank Robber’s Nursery Rhyme,’ which has been a fan favorite and staple of our live shows. The scene is kind of a bittersweet reunion, emphasis on the bitter. What do you say to your former partner in crime?” – Patrick Dyer Wolf
Lost on the Metro, “Godfrey”
Artist:Lost on the Metro Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri Song: “Godfrey” Album:Resonance and Regrets EP Release Date: July 25, 2024 (single); September 20, 2024 (EP)
In Their Words: “We have this giant river confluence here in St. Louis, and it’s common to take a drive along the river road from St. Louis to get away from the city for a while. Godfrey is a real town along the Mississippi River. Imagine bluffs, eagles flying overhead, touristy shops and restaurants, and the river road cutting through it all carrying cars, trucks, boats, bikes, to some unknown destination. The lyrics focus on getting older in a relationship, and the doubts that creep in, and that need to find a way to clear your head. There’s a dark element to Godfrey as well. It’s definitely a driving song on the surface, but the undercurrent holds all the worries and doubts and fears and hopes that float around as we find our way alone. It’s those thoughts in your head that you’re not sure you want other people to know you’re thinking. Driving down the river road with an open window and the wide Mississippi next to me lets me think those thoughts and then let them go.” – Lost on the Metro
Track Credits: Jilly Morey – Songwriter, lyricist, lead vocals, percussion David Morey – Songwriter, composer, arranger, rhythm guitar, vocals Chris Dunn – Composer, arranger, lead guitar, vocals Lucan Stone – Composer, arranger, bass, vocals Josh Bayless – Composer, arranger, drums, vocals
Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, “Old Man’s Dream”
Artist:Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road Hometown: Deep Gap, North Carolina Song: “Old Man’s Dream” Album:Yellow Line Release Date: April 5, 2024 Label: Pinecastle Records
In Their Words: “This song is one of the most personal stories I’ve ever released. I wrote it one day while my father and I were working at my folks’ place in Deep Gap. The land next door had been sold off for housing development and we had to prepare for them to widen the road. Over the next few months, I watched the trucks come and go, watched the bulldozers change the shape of the mountains, and watched the destructive path of progress as it made its way through our little mountain community.” – Liam Purcell
The Steel Wheels, “Gone at Last” featuring Malena Cadiz
Artist:The Steel Wheels featuring Malena Cadiz Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia (The Steel Wheels) and Kalamazoo, Michigan (Malena) Song: “Gone At Last” Release Date: July 19, 2024 Label: Big Ring Records
In Their Words: “This Paul Simon song has been a favorite of ours for awhile. The plain spoken, down to earth writing with a gospel-sounding flare. We have been known to sing a cappella from time to time, but this was an opportunity for strong vocals with a bed of active bass and drum parts.
“Last February we were asked to play as the house band for the International Folk Alliance Music Awards in Kansas City. The house band job comes with the joy of meeting and playing with a variety of musicians. When we got a chance to play and sing with Malena Cadiz, we immediately fell in love with her voice. We were inspired to look for a chance to record together and ‘Gone At Last’ was that chance.” – Trent Wagler
Dan Tyminski, “Whiskey Drinking Man”
Artist:Dan Tyminski Hometown: Originally from West Rutland, Vermont. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Whiskey Drinking Man” Album:Whiskey Drinking Man Release Date: July 19, 2024 (single); August 16, 2024 (album) Label: 8 Track Entertainment
In Their Words: “My first single off of the new project is one I’m very excited to release. It’s written to be a toe tapping burner in the party spirit. This one should get your juices flowing.” – Dan Tyminski
DelFest Sessions: Mountain Grass Unit
Our second-to-last installment of our DelFest Sessions features Birmingham, Alabama-based jamgrass group, Mountain Grass Unit. Videographers I Know We Should were on hand at this year’s DelFest in Cumberland, Maryland over Memorial Day Weekend to capture a collection of beautiful, fun, and engaging live sessions on the banks of the Potomac River. (See all of our DelFest Sessions here.) For their shoot, Mountain Grass Unit played a pair of exciting cover songs.
Their first selection, “Big River,” is a funky and charming re-imagination of a Johnny Cash classic with a mash-tastic, blues-inflected groove. Drury Anderson, the group’s mandolin picker and lead vocalist on the track, sings with a drawl seemingly from right down the proverbial road from Cash’s homeland (near Memphis, Tennessee). It fits the bluesy undertones of their rendition perfectly, equal parts Muscle Shoals and Bean Blossom. Cash is a common cover subject in bluegrass, and MGU’s version of “Big River” demonstrates exactly why that’s the case.
Trey Hensley is simply the most ferocious acoustic guitar player I’ve ever encountered. His attack and control of the guitar is unrivaled and left me in awe. He is, however, also just about as kind and as humble as an East Tennessee man can be. I had a great time playing music with and getting to know more about this musical titan and I’m really happy to make this podcast available.
This episode was recorded live at 185 King Street in Brevard, North Carolina on November 14, 2023.
Timestamps:
0:06 – Soundbyte 0:21 – Introduction 1:25 – Show introduction by Bill K. 2:14 – “Can’t Outrun the Blues” 6:00 – “Can’t Judge a Book” 9:48 – “Brown Eyed Women” 13:40 – Story about “Brown Eyed Women” 15:20 – “Backstreets Off Broadway” 18:15 – Interview w/ Trey 48:40 – “Hold Whatcha Got” 51:30 – “Mama Tried” 53:50 – Outro
Editor’s Note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast includes highlights from Travis’s interviews and music from each live show recorded in Asheville and Brevard, North Carolina.
The Travis Book Happy Hour is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.
Over the nearly two-and-a-half decades since their debut, the Avett Brothers have constructed their own creative universe.
They’ve released 11 studio albums, earned a Grammy award (plus three more noms), and bounded around stages for countless tour dates and festivals the world over. May It Last, a documentary film about the influential North Carolina group, offered a glimpse at the band’s dynamic through big and small screens.
Scott has also been a working visual artist since before The Avett Brothers as a band even entered the public consciousness, earning a BFA in studio art from East Carolina University in 2000 and depicting Southern family life through paintings and sculptures that would go on to make moving exhibitions—all while he also created stunning album cover imagery (for his own band as well as the great Brandi Carlile) or provided the visuals for such epic music videos as “Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise.”
Musical theater, too, has been touched by the Avetts: Their musical, Swept Away, will make its mark on Broadway this fall. But the band’s eleventh album, The Avett Brothers, feels less like a charge into new creative territory and more like a reflection on the other things that have sustained them over the years.
“There’s certainly an unsettling feeling in that shadowy twenties and thirties where you get trapped into thinking that you are what you make,” Scott told Holler Country last year. “I’m settling into a season of life where I’m welcoming the reality that I am because I am, not I am because I do.”
That realization gets top billing on The Avett Brothers. Classic ballad “2020 Regret” sounds so quintessentially Avetts that it could have easily appeared just about anywhere in their catalog, if not for the veiled references to the year. It, too, embraces the idea that a life without regrets is less about what you do than it is about the people you do it alongside.
“Life cannot be written,” read the lyrics on album standout “Never Apart.” “It can only be lived.” The song muses on a long-term relationship; it’s presumably a romantic one, but would it be so crazy to listen to it through the lens of the band and its legacy?
Most bands don’t wait twenty-plus years into their trajectory to release a self-titled album — in large part because a lot of them simply don’t last that long. It’s a banner accomplishment to forge a musical path that sustains itself in any capacity for multiple decades; it’s entirely another to push forward with nearly the exact same cast of characters you started with, still collaborating and creating with the same heart and satisfaction as before.
“It’s trust. It’s a trust that’s built in,” explained Seth to NPR last month when asked about the secret to the band’s longevity. “My trust in that Scott has my best interests in mind is something that it would never occur to me to question.” He may be referring specifically to the lifelong brotherly bond he shares with the other Avett in the group, but certainly the larger band has formed a different kind of family.
Bob Crawford, who has been playing upright bass (among other instruments) with the band since 2001, took a year off to support his daughter’s battle with cancer and Avett fans followed and supported the journey at every turn. Cellist Joe Kwon, too, has an immovable fixture in the band since 2007; crowds go wild for him at every show. “We’ve been lucky and blessed to transform with each other,” added Scott, “to change with each other and watch this happening to us.”
“Cheap Coffee,” one of the album’s underrated masterpieces, makes great fodder for the idea of a group that constantly evolves and grows together. Producer Rick Rubin, who has been with the band since their major label debut, I and Love and You, apparently cut all the lights out and had them record the song entirely in the dark. The story holds up well for a song that engages so many senses: the distant smell of coffee, the feel of an outgrown apartment, the sound of a kid imagining the very highest number they possibly can. “Didn’t know how, didn’t know how good it was,” the group sings, lyrically balancing major milestones with the types of tiny details in a memory that feel insignificant at the time, but become the stuff of nostalgia decades on.
“We’ve always had this quasi-fatalist attitude, like oh, this might be the last time we ever do it,” joked Seth in an interview between their tenth and eleventh albums. “Now we’re really like, okay, we’re probably only gonna do this one more time.” In the interview, this line reads as a joke, but fans have speculated the same thing many times, too, cobbling together similar statements from the documentary film and various other interviews to try and guess how many more albums they might get.
Regardless of the band’s plans for the future, this eleventh album embraces plenty that fans love about the past. “For the Love of a Girl” is the jump-around number you can’t wait to hear live. And “Country Kid” offers an ambling glimpse at a rural North Carolina upbringing, with a heavy twang and plenty of backwoods imagery to match.
Taken altogether, The Avett Brothers feels like a worthy prize for the five-year wait between releases. “We’re not in the same hurry we used to be,” Scott explains. “Our home lives are super busy. We’re teaching kids things.”
In a way, maybe the greater message of The Avett Brothers is that the work will always be there — the opportunity to create, to explore, to have some kind of output. So maybe it’s really not so surprising that the band would wait to release an eponymous album so many years into their career, or that they might take five years since their last full-length to release it, or that they might not make promises about the future. As their influence has grown, so have the demands for their time and the expectations around what they make — not just how much of it there should be, but what it should sound like and how it should reflect the world around them.
What a beautiful thing to ignore those voices, to be enlightened by the past without being imprisoned by it; to turn off all the lights and sing in the dark.
(Editor’s Note: Read more about our selection of the Avett Brothers as Artist of the Month, explore their discography, and check out our Essentials Playlist here.)
(Editor’s Note: On May 17, The Avett Brothers released a new, self-titled album. BGS is proud to bring them back as our Artist of the Month for June 2024.
Below, enjoy a musical exploration of their illustrious career and prolific catalog. Plus, you’ll also find our Essential Avett Brothers Playlist for even more discography digging. And, you can revisit our feature from June 2016, when they were first selected to be our AOTM eight years ago.)
Depending on how you reckon it, you could say The Avett Brothers’ career goes back about two-dozen years – or Scott and Seth Avett’s entire lives. Even if you know nothing at all about them, all it takes is a few seconds of hearing them singing together to realize that they really are brothers.
Elder brother Scott’s voice is usually earthy and down below to Seth’s angelic up above. They meet in the middle to harmonize on songs about a series of quests – for love, redemption, family, pretty girls from far-away places, or just to be seen. Small wonder that one of their latest undertakings is Swept Away, a musical inspired by the mythology of their musical world.
To celebrate our Artist of the Month, here are a dozen songs about The Avett Brothers’ remarkable journey.
“Pretty Girl From Matthews” (2002)
Pretty girls are, of course, a perennial songwriting topic for the Avetts – most of them identified simply as “Pretty Girl From.” It’s taken them far and wide, from Michigan to Chile, Annapolis, San Diego, Cedar Lane, Raleigh, Feltre, Locust and even “at the Airport.” But here is the earliest example in all the Avetts’ early, detuned glory, from a town southeast of Charlotte. Originally titled “Song For Robin,” “Pretty Girl From Matthews” was the opening track on 2002’s Country Was.
“Talk on Indolence” (2006)
Folksy Americana trappings aside, Seth and Scott started out playing in bands that did a lot more screaming and thrashing than crooning and strumming. And even as their music has grown more polished and stately over time, their raw streak still comes out regularly. This breathlessly paced head-banging rant, which kicked off 2006’s Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions at an amphetamine pace, is one they still play at most shows.
“Distraction #74” (2006)
Another Four Thieves Gone recurrent, “Distraction #74” evokes British seafaring vibes seemingly tailor-made for raucous pub sing-alongs. And it has a perfect Avett Brothers lyrical theme: Torn between two lovers, the protagonist mostly wonders which of them he’s going to miss the most. The only certainty is that he’ll blow it with both of them.
“Die Die Die” (2007)
In which the Avetts don’t just make a simple pop move, but pull off what might be the least-likely Beatles rip ever. “Die Die Die” opened 2007’s Emotionalism, their first album to crack the Billboard 200 and a showcase for new cellist Joe Kwon. Among the Fab Four echoes here are Beatle-esque vocal harmonies and a guitar solo that’s pure George Harrison. Onstage, they’ll sometimes make it even more overt by closing with flourishes from “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
“Paranoia in Bb Major” (2007)
Nothing fancy, just a little banjo and glockenspiel number from Emotionalism that perfectly captures the Avetts’ manic whisper-to-a-scream mood swings. Then it closes with one of their quirkiest recorded moments, wordless falsetto chanting that is somehow adorable.
“Murder in the City” (2008)
From 2008’s The Second Gleam, “Murder in the City” came out right when this cult act was about to go mainstream. It feels like one last look back before stepping into the spotlight, a series of epigrams about love, jealousy, family and forgiveness.
“Murder in the City” remains one of the Avetts’ regular live set-pieces, with lyrics that have evolved to reflect the brothers’ evolution from children to parents themselves. It’s a cinch they’ll still be playing and updating it someday when they’re grandparents, too.
“Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” (2009)
Fittingly, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” was the song the Avetts played during their star turn with Mumford & Sons behind Bob Dylan at the 2011 Grammy Awards. “Decide what to be and go be it” might be their most durable manifesto, which is a big reason it remains their most-performed song live. According to Avett Brothers super-fan Tim Mossberger’s database, it’s closing in on 1,000 live performances. And it still kills. All it takes is hearing Kwon’s cello riff to bring on chills.
“Laundry Room” (2009)
Like “Head Full of Doubt,” “Laundry Room” is drawn from the Avetts’ 2009 big-league debut, the Rick Rubin-produced I and Love and You – their first gold record. It’s a beautifully poignant portrait of stolen-moment love that may or may not be doomed.
“Tonight I’ll burn the lyrics/ ’Cause every chorus was your name,” Scott sighs, contemplating a “head-full of songs” he dreamed up overnight. The double-time hoedown outro plays like a bittersweet wake. “Laundry Room” ranks second on Mossberger’s live-performance database.
“Live and Die” (2012)
From 2012’s The Carpenter, the Avetts’ first to crack Billboard’s Top 10, “Live and Die” is just about the poppiest they’ve ever sounded – even with banjo as lead instrument. In contrast to the Avetts’ usual outlook, it is surprisingly optimistic, which made it the perfect upbeat closing-credits accompaniment for director Jud Apatow’s romantic comedy, This Is 40.
“Satan Pulls the Strings” (2014)
The studio version of “Satan Pulls the Strings” appeared on 2016’s True Sadness, but this one was around for years before that. In fact, its best incarnation is as entrance music for the live show. Among my favorite in-concert memories of the Avetts was watching the entire seven-piece band enter the stage one by one and start in on this song on New Year’s Eve 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina. That performance appears on 2015’s Live Vol. Four.
“No Hard Feelings” (2016)
In recent years, “No Hard Feelings” has been the Avetts’ customary show-closer, ending each night on a prayerful, elegiac note. As depicted in the 2017 biopic May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (overseen by Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio), recording it for 2016’s True Sadness LP was an overwhelmingly emotional experience. It triggered a meltdown by Scott immediately afterward, a sequence that proved to be the film’s most memorable moment.
“Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)” (2022)
On-record as well as onstage, the Avetts have always had splendid taste in covers, dipping into the songbooks of Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Bob Wills and many others. There’s also “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels),” a 1972 Top-40 classic by the late great folk-rocker Jim Croce. Seth started doing a stripped-down acoustic version of “Operator” with bassist Bob Crawford back in 2012, and it’s one they still dust off regularly 12 years later.
Read more about the Avett Brothers’ eleventh and self-titled album here.
What a week in music! Not only has our Artist of the Month, Kaia Kater, released her new album Strange Medicine today, but we’ve also got an absolutely incredible premiere round-up filled to bursting with brand new videos, songs, and tracks.
First, there’s transcendent sister duo Rising Appalachia with a James Blake/Bon Iver cover, “I Need a Forest Fire,” and Tim O’Brien pays tribute to iconic folk songwriter Tom Paxton with a song they co-wrote, “You Took Me In.” Plus, don’t miss new songs from Ellorie McKnight, Natalie Spears, and Nick Taylor.
We round out our list with two premieres that debuted on BGS earlier in the week, a new one from Alisa Amador’s just announced album that features Madison Cunningham and Meadow Mountain continue their SkyTheory Sessions series with “Waiting for Tomorrow.”
It’s all right here on BGS and to be perfectly honest, You Gotta Hear This!
Rising Appalachia, “I Need a Forest Fire”
Artist:Rising Appalachia Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina Song: “I Need a Forest Fire” Album:Folk and Anchor Release Date: May 17, 2024
In Their Words: “‘I Need A Forest Fire,’ is our interpretation of a rich and righteous James Blake track. We have been big fans of his artistry and aural weavings for many years and wanted to do a folk rendition of this striking song. The texture of its sounds stretch far and wide in atmospheric rhythms as well as the lyrics and it took some deep digging to conceptualize what Blake was perhaps trying to say… Our interpretation is this:
“We live in a time of rapidly destructive (and so often man-made) wildfires in many parts of this planet. Singing a song that says ‘we need a wildfire’ felt cautionary, but enticing, as we explored the many metaphors that ‘forest fire’ could represent. We came to believe it is about the burning of the ego, the take down of destructive habits and destructive relationships, even destructive sides of self. In a time where everyone is on one side of the coin or the other, in a highly polarized nation, a burning symbolizes a great reset. A death and rebirth cycle. We hope you enjoy our take on this track as much as we have enjoyed stretching into its different sounds.” – Rising Appalachia
Tim O’Brien, “You Took Me In” (from Bluegrass Sings Tom Paxton)
Artist:Tim O’Brien Song: “You Took Me In” Album:Bluegrass Sings Paxton Release Date: May 17, 2024 (single) Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Jan and I came of age listening to and then singing Paxton songs before we ever knew his name. We both learned ‘Last Thing on My Mind’ and sang it around campfires before we met each other. So like a lot of folks, we kinda have Paxton in our musical DNA.
“Tom has been friendly and supportive over the years and in recent years often expressed his desire to write together. With this project, push came to shove and Jan and I wrote ‘You Took Me In’ with Tom on our second session. I had the lyric idea and imagined some Earl Scruggs-style gospel guitar as backing. We had the song in about an hour. When we were done I asked Tom how many songs he’d written that week and he said, ‘I’ve written four songs today!’
“Paxton’s early songs were the kind that sorta begged audiences to sing along. This one reaches in that direction. I love how simple and direct it is. Since that day, the three of us have written another 15 songs, all of which are daring Jan and I to record them, so stay tuned. Songs are like little puzzles that a certain strata of musicians have fun solving. We’re just honored to sit beside Tom, even if only virtually, as he does his masterful thing. He knows to let the song happen. He can pull a lyric from an instrumental riff, he improvises easily, and you can just trust him. When he says to go higher with the melody or go to the four chord, we’re never afraid to follow.” – Tim O’Brien
Track Credits: Tim O’Brien – Guitar, lead vocal Jan Fabricius – Mandolin, harmony vocal Shad Cobb – Fiddle, harmony vocal Mike Bub – Upright bass
In Their Words: “White Pass is a magical, remote mountainous area connecting Yukon’s southwest with Alaska. If you’re driving from Whitehorse, YT to Skagway, AK, you pass through mountains and boreal forest until you reach the Canadian border crossing, after which the road winds through 25km of treeless, rugged alpine terrain before dropping down towards the ocean, where you then drive through the US border and then into the coastal ecosystem of Skagway. There is no reception on this stretch of road and no sign of humans except for the road and the border patrol buildings.
“This part of the world is like a dream in summer: the sound of creeks is loud and the wild blueberries are everywhere. In the winter, the area is mystical no matter the weather, with meters of snow blanketing the valleys and mountains. I was making the trip from Whitehorse to Skagway in the middle of winter one year, late at night, to visit a friend. There was a raging blizzard and snow drifts forming on the road, it was hard to see more than a few feet ahead and the going was slow. I pulled over to catch my breath and stepped outside. The wind was steady and the sharp snowflakes bit into my cheeks. I looked up and was surprised when I saw a waxing moon in a clear night sky just above the fog of the ground blizzard. It was a moment of awe, of wonder, of feeling so intertwined with the earth and yet also so small. The song ‘Whitepass’ tries to capture the many similar moments I’ve felt spending time in this stunning part of the world.” – Ellorie McKnight
Track Credits: Ellorie McKnight – Guitar and vocals Brigitte Desjardins – Drums Jeff Dineley – Upright bass Ryan McNally – Pedal steel and harmonies Kieran Poile – Fiddle
Video Credit: Midnight Light Media
Natalie Spears, “Hymn Of Wild Things”
Artist:Natalie Spears Hometown: Carbondale, Colorado Song: “Hymn Of Wild Things” Album:Hymn Of Wild Things Release Date: May 17, 2024 (single); June 28, 2024 (album) Label: SleeLee
In Their Words: “Early one chilly autumn morning, I awoke to the chortling cries of Sandhill Cranes echoing through our town. Their sound is one like no other, awkward, beautiful, and haunting. It is a sound that we only hear a few times a year as they journey along their migratory path towards warmer shores. Whenever I hear them, I drop everything I’m doing and try to find them. On that particular morning, I got up with my sweet pup and followed their cries to a local nature park near my home. The clouds were sunk low in the valley and although we could hear them close by, we still couldn’t see them. We sat quietly waiting and eventually the sun’s heat lifted the clouds revealing the ghostly shapes of two beautiful Sandhill Cranes. The words to this song began to take shape in my mind and it was then that Hymn Of Wild Things was born.” – Natalie Spears
Track Credits: Written by Natalie Spears (BMI) Produced by Jayme Stone
Natalie Spears – Voice Christine Bougie – Guitars, lap steel Pat Keen – Bass Jayme Stone – Synth, drum programming
Nick Taylor, “Dogs”
Artist:Nick Taylor Hometown: Austin, Texas Song: “Dogs” Album:Not Alone Release Date: June 21, 2024
In Their Words: “As one of the earliest compositions I laid down for the album, it’s personal and cathartic, a reflection of the anxiety that’s been an ongoing part of my persona. Sometimes it gets particularly overwhelming and that’s how this song was born. It speaks to uncertainty — how it manifests, how it’s perceived by others, and how it affects those around us. When we went into the studio to record it, it just came alive. It was important to me to get it out into the world. It’s the song that inspired the album title, Not Alone, but more importantly, it explores topics that society tends to dismiss — especially when it comes to matters having to do with mental health, insecurity and stability. It calls for understanding and in that regard, my hope is that it will help anyone dealing with a similar situation feel less alone.
“‘Dogs’ is such an emotional song, almost a confessional, that we wanted to make sure the video felt personal. Shooting just one scene created a space where the lyrics were being recited directly to the audience and I think that format really works well with the song. Huge thanks to Will and the team for their vision and direction.” – Nick Taylor
Track Credits: Written by Nicholas Taylor Wimberg
Nick Taylor – Lead vocals Wayne Killius – Drums Dave Francis – Bass David Flint – Electric and acoustic guitars Chris Nole – Piano/keys
Video Credits: Produced by Charlotte Avenue Entertainment Directed by William Gawley Shot by Austin Boylen and Dominick Sotis
Meadow Mountain, “Waiting for Tomorrow” (SkyTheory Sessions)
Artist:Meadow Mountain Hometown: Denver, Colorado Song: “Waiting for Tomorrow” Album: June Nights Release Date: May 13, 2024 (single)
In Their Words: “This song attempts to answer the question, ‘What if, instead of starting the band Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl had picked up a mandolin and spent a year exclusively listening to Alison Krauss & Union Station?’ I guess I was doing a lot of thinking and writing about time – the great healer, but also that which brings an end to all things. And then a new beginning. This is a song about time, and hope.” – Jack Dunlevie
Alisa Amador, “Heartless Author” (feat. Madison Cunningham)
Artist:Alisa Amador Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts Song: “Heartless Author” (featuring Madison Cunningham) Album:Multitudes Release Date: June 7, 2024 Label: Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “I love this song. I love it because it acknowledges all of the uncertainties and pain of life and it shines compassion on all of it. ‘It’s okay not to know.’ It was such a joy to sing this one with Madison Cunningham. She learned it right then and there in the studio, and her voice says so much.” – Alisa Amador
Photo Credit: Rising Appalachia by Syd Woodward; Tim O’Brien by Scott Simontacchi
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