Bill Keith, known for revolutionizing the field of banjo playing, passed away last week at the age of 75. For a full obituary, head over to the New York Times.
Other Roots Music News:
• ICYMI: Punch Brothers will release a new EP, out November 20.
• Read Steve Martin's 5-10-15-20 at Pitchfork.
• Alabama Shakes performed "Joe" on Colbert.
• The results for the Grand Masters Fiddler Championship are in.
• Lucinda Williams announced a new album, Ghosts of Highway 20.
The Hank Wiliams biopic I Saw the Light isn't out until November 27, but if you want a sneak preview of what you can expect from the film, check out this clip of star Tom Hiddleston performing as the legendary singer after the film's premiere in Nashville.
Other Roots Music News:
• Willie Nelson won the Gershwin Prize.
• Del McCoury won a Bluegrass Star Award from the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation.
• Natalie Prass has a new EP coming November 20.
• Ryan Adams performed "Welcome to New York" on Kimmel.
• Bob Dylan released an unheard version of "Subterranean Homesick Blues."
• Anthony D'Amato shared a new song with All Songs Considered.
If you've ever dreamed of seeing Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson perform together, you're in luck. The two took the stage together in Tuscaloosa last night for a cover of Terry Allen's "Amarillo Highway," and the results are pretty rad. Watch the performance below.
Other Roots Music News:
• Rolling Stone talks to Tom Hiddleston about becoming Hank Williams.
• Preview a new track from Flatt Lonesome at Bluegrass Today.
• Oh Pep! stopped by NPR for a Tiny Desk Concert.
• Bruce Springsteen's The River is getting the ultimate box set treatment.
• Father John Misty performed a couple tunes on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• Natalie Prass covered a Slayer song for A.V. Undercover.
If ABC's Nashville is too dramatic for your tastes, maybe this upcoming collaboration between Jack Black and Dwight Yoakam will be more your speed. The unlikely pair will co-produce a comedy set in Nashville called Belles & Whistles, to air on Fox.
Read more at Rolling Stone.
Other Roots Music News:
• Father John Misty was just trolling you with that 1989 business.
• Listen to Chris Eldridge on the latest Goes2Eleven podcast.
• Ryan Adams performed a number of 1989 covers on The Daily Show.
• An arrest was made in the Dave Brainard assault case.
• Watch Josh Ritter perform live at American Songwriter.
Stephen Colbert is early in his tenure as the new host of The Late Show, but he's already had some impressive musical guests. Perhaps the best so far has been Chris Stapleton, who took to Colbert's stage to play "Nobody to Blame" off his excellent recent album Traveller. Watch it below.
Other Roots Music News:
• We normally don't cover prog rock, but we'll make an exception in the case of THE POPE.
• ICYMI: Father John Misty is a strange, amazing man.
• Bob Dylan is releasing a ginormous box set.
• Read Nashville Scene's cover story on Jason Isbell.
• Rhiannon Giddens, Patty Griffin and Shakey Graves… how's that for a conversation trio?
• Danny Barnes won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.
Sturgill Simpson and Lucinda Williams were big winners at this week's Americana Music Association Honors & Awards. Check out the full winner's list below.
Album of the Year: Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone, Lucinda Williams, Produced by Lucinda Williams, Tom Overby and Greg Leisz
Artist of the Year: Sturgill Simpson
Duo Group of the Year: The Mavericks
Song of the Year: "Turtles All The Way Down" Written by Sturgill Simpson
Emerging Artist of the Year: Shakey Graves
Instrumentalist of the Year: John Leventhal
Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award co-presented by the Americana Music Association and the First Amendment Center: Buffy Sainte-Marie
Lifetime Achievement Award, Trailblazer: Don Henley
The Lifetime Achievement Award, Songwriting: Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Lifetime Achievement Award, Instrumentalist: Ricky Skaggs
Lifetime Achievement Award, Performance: Los Lobos
President's Award: BB King
Other Roots Music News:
• Listen to a new track from Donnie Fritts at Rolling Stone.
• Check out Rolling Stone's photos from backstage at the Americana Awards.
• Jack White and Patrick Carney fought or maybe didn't fight and nobody really cares. [Consequence of Sound]
• Sharon Jones announced that her cancer has returned. [Pitchfork]
• Now you can finally hear Ryan Adams cover "Bad Blood" in its entirety.
Hank Williams fans have been eagerly awaiting I Saw the Light, the Tom Hiddleston-starring biopic set for a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Now, take a look at the first clip released from the film, courtesy of Hiddleston himself.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first clip from I SAW THE LIGHT. @TIFF_NET tomorrow! #MoveItOnOver https://t.co/0xC30AghNF
— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) September 10, 2015
Other Roots Music News:
• Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson shared the video for their duet "Are You Sure."
• Listen to "One That Got Away," the new song from the Legendary Shack Shakers, at Rolling Stone.
• In a quick but important break from the roots world, Survivor threatens to sue Mike Huckabee and Kim Davis over their use of "Eye of the Tiger."
• Brittany Howard, Mavis Staples and more joined forces for a super jam with Stephen Colbert.
In case you missed it, Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard surprised us all when she dropped the debut album from her new project Thunderbitch. Featuring members of Clear Plastic Masks and Fly Golden Eagle, Thunderbitch is, as the band's bio describes, "Rock and Roll. The end."
Stream their album at the awesomely named thundabetch.com (you can also purchase your very own copy, should you feel so inclined). You're welcome!
Other Roots Music News:
• Be part of Bela and Abby's banjo mosaic.
• Kelly Clarkson performed a pretty stellar cover of "Jolene."
• Rolling Stone looks back at Marty Stuart's Badlands.
• Jim Lauderdale announced the double album Soul Searching, Vol. 1 (Memphis) and Vol. 2 (Nashville).
Ashley Monroe performed "I Buried Your Love Alive," a killer new track from her recently released album The Blade, on Conan. You can watch the kick-ass performance below.
Other Roots Music News:
• Rolling Stone has a stream of an unreleased Andrew Combs track, "Part Time Lovers (Full Time Fools)."
• Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste had to quit Twitter after suffering harassment at the hands of angry Taylor Swift fans.
• Langhorne Slim also stopped by Conan to perform "Strangers."
• NPR's latest list of tunes in heavy rotation include BGS favorites Kasey Chambers and Humming House.
• Folk Alley has a new session with Charlie Parr.
• Jason Isbell performed "Desperadoes Waiting on a Train" on Austin City Limits.
Kacey Musgraves stopped by NPR for their Tiny Desk Concert series, performing four tracks from her stellar new album Pageant Material. She closes with "Follow Your Arrow," in honor of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality that had passed just hours before Musgraves and her band recorded their performance. Watch it below.
Other Roots Music News:
• Hot Rize released a music video for "Your Light Leads Me On."
• Jewel is releasing an Americana album and joined the Americana Fest lineup.
• ClickHole raised enough money to buy Bob Dylan his very own Sleep Number bed.
• Jeff Tweedy explained how Wilco titled their most recent album Star Wars.
• Ryan Adams has finished recording 1989, and Wired has a complete history of the project.
