The beautiful voices of I’m With Her paid special tribute to the illustrious icon Dolly Parton in their latest visit to the studio for Live from Here. In an intimate performance, I’m With Her sing “Lover’s Return,” originally a Carter Family song, which Dolly, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt revived only a few years before the turn of the century on Trio II. Now as a new decade is settling in, I’m With Her look back and remember, breathing new life into music that inspired so many — including Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, and of course, Dolly herself.
Tag: Sarah Jarosz
MIXTAPE: The Milk Carton Kids, In Harm’s Way
“There’s a paradox at the heart of great harmony singing: when voices combine in so elemental a way that they disappear into each other, the effect is dizzying, mystifying, disorienting, and yet by far the most satisfying sound in music. Here’s a VERY incomplete playlist, spanning a few generations, of bands defined by their harmonies, who set my mind spinning with their vocal arrangements, execution, and pure chemistry as singers.
“Full disclosure: my own band is included aspirationally and for the sake of self-promotion. Author’s Note: Sorry not sorry for naming this playlist with a pun.” — Joey Ryan, The Milk Carton Kids
The Jayhawks – “Blue”
That unison in the first few lines is so thrilling cause you know what’s about to happen, and when the parts separate it just feels so good.
Gillian Welch – “Caleb Meyer”
The harmonies and Dave’s playing are so intricate in this song you’d be forgiven for glossing over the lyrics, which tell the story of an attempted sexual assault victim killing her attacker with a broken bottle. Check out the Live From Here version with Gaby Moreno, Sarah Jarosz, and Sara Watkins, and catch the alt lyric subbing “Kavanaugh” for “Caleb Meyer” about halfway through.
Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris – “Hearts on Fire”
Just one of the all-time great duets. Who’s singing the melody, Emmylou or Gram? Hint: trick question.
Our Native Daughters – “Black Myself”
Do all supergroups hate being called supergroups? I wouldn’t know. Our Native Daughters is a supergroup though, and the power of their four voices in the refrains and choruses of this one are all the proof I need.
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, & Emmylou Harris – “Those Memories of You”
It’s insane that three of the great singers of their generation just so happened to have this vocal chemistry. Their voices swirl together like paint and make a color I’ve never seen before.
boygenius – “Me & My Dog”
Favorite game to play when this song comes on is “try not to cry before the harmonies come in.” Very difficult. Impossible once they all sing together.
The Smothers Brothers – “You Can Call Me Stupid”
GOATS. IDOLS. Favorite line is, “That’s a pun isn’t it?” “No, that really happened.”
The Milk Carton Kids – “I Meant Every Word I Said”
My band. Imposter syndrome. We recorded the vocals on this whole album into one mic together. It helps us disappear our voices into each other’s.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Carry On”
For me, CSNY are the pinnacle of that disorienting feeling harmonies give you when you just have no idea what’s going on. I’ve never been able to follow any one of their individual parts and I LOVE that.
Sam & Dave – “Soothe Me”
When the chorus comes around and you can’t decide which part you want to sing along with, you know they did it right.
Louvin Brothers – “You’re Running Wild”
The Louvins sound ancient to me. Primal. The way their voices rub against each other in close harmony is almost off-putting but I’m addicted to it.
The Highwomen – “If She Ever Leaves Me”
There’s probably even better examples of the Highwomen doing that crazy thing with their four voices where they become one entirely unique voice, all together, but this song is just so good I had to go with it. And the blend in the choruses is just as intoxicating as it gets.
I’m With Her – “See You Around”
Really an embarrassment of riches in modern music on the harmony front. Hearing I’m With Her perform around one microphone drives me insane with the best possible mix of confusion, jealousy, and joy.
Mandolin Orange – “Paper Mountain”
The melancholy is so satisfying when either one of them sings alone, and then they bring that low harmony and I have to leave the room.
Skaggs & Rice – “Talk About Suffering”
This whole record is a masterclass in two-part harmony. It changed my entire concept of singing. I’m Jewish, but when this song comes on it makes me sing wholeheartedly of my love for Jesus.
The Everly Brothers – “Sleepless Nights”
The absolute masters of both parts of a two-part harmony standing alone as the melody. Credit to Felice and Boudleaux for that, for sure, but the Everlys executed it better than anyone before or since.
Simon & Garfunkel – “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) — Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY – July 1970
This is far from my favorite S&G song, but this live version especially showcases what geniuses they were at arranging crossing vocal lines, unisons, parallel melodies, nonsense syllables and swirling harmonies. Plus the nostalgic “awwww” from the crowd gives me hope that a sensitive folk duo could one day achieve mainstream success again.
Shovels & Rope – “Lay Low”
This starts out as a song of profound loneliness with just one voice singing, then the harmony comes in and it gets… even lonelier? Harmony is magic.
Boyz II Men – “End of the Road”
I’m a child of the ‘90s, don’t @ me. I never realized at all those 8th grade slow dances that we were subliminally being taught world-class harmony singing and arranging. Good night.
Photo Credit: Jessica Perez
Britain’s Got Bluegrass: March 2019
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 March.
Mile Twelve, 20 March, Green Note, London (and nationwide)
First let us rave about Mile Twelve, a band who, unlike the bearded wonder, have never played in the UK before, and who will–we guarantee — send you home with a big smile on your face. This young five-piece from Boston are some of the most skillful musicians of their generation — they’ve picked up multiple Emerging Artist award nominations at past IBMA Awards for their ability to mix hard-driving traditional bluegrass with a thoroughly modern sensibility, all while charming an audience’s pants off. Catch them on this UK tour and you’ll be able to say you saw them first… Check out their cover of “Rocket Man.”
Chris Stapleton, 8 March, Glasgow
If there’s a musician more likely to bring a British arena to its knees this month, we’d like to know who it is. In a land of anxiety-ridden repressives (we can say that because we are too), Chris Stapleton is so droolingly cool that it’s tempting to worship him as a god. Last time he was in the British Isles he was duetting with Justin Timberlake at the Brits, for heaven’s sake. In addition to Glasgow, you can catch his barrel-aged voice in Dublin and London, where he’ll be sharing the billing with Keith Urban, Lyle Lovett, Ashley McBryde and Lady Antebellum among many more at the C2C Country to Country music festival.
Thunder and Rain, from 6 March, nationwide
A dreamy blend of dobro, mandolin, guitar and bass, the Colorado-based band Thunder and Rain sound as Golden as the town they hail from. There are plenty of opportunities to catch them across the UK and Ireland on their month-long tour, from Bangor to Basingstoke, Southport to Middlesbrough, and Edinburgh to Whitstable.
Ida Mae, 12 March, Norwich
With their Ethan Johns-produced album dropping this summer, it’s a good time to introduce yourself to Ida Mae, the husband-wife duo of Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean. Their previous band, Kill it Kid, specialised in indie-grunge, but they’ve now created an altogether mellower sound that’s already proving hot property stateside. Having upped sticks from north London and moved to Nashville, this is a rare chance to catch them back in Turpin’s hometown. They’ll also play London’s Omeara before heading back to the US to tour with Blackberry Smoke.
I’m With Her, 19 March, Hackney Empire, London
The three artists in I’m With Her don’t like being called a supergroup. So let’s just say that the hot-damn are-you-serious this-is-too-much power trio of Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, and Sarah Jarosz stop off in London for a single night at the Hackney Empire before they embark on a European tour of Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain. And if you’ve never heard them sing live, you need to get yourselves to this gig and find out just how many ways their vocals can break your heart.
Photo of Mile Twelve: David Green
15 Bluegrass Covers of Bob Dylan
Bluegrassers have been covering Bob Dylan for decades. First generation stalwarts Flatt & Scruggs covered more than a handful of songs penned by the future Nobel Laureate, Ralph Stanley sang with him, and at this very moment there are almost certainly jam circles out there around the globe laying down “Girl From/Of the North Country” with mash’s reckless, head-bobbing abandon without even realizing Dylan wrote the dang thing. Bluegrass covers of Dylan are so prolific, we had to cap our list at 15 — with an additional three not-quite covers tacked on for good measure.
Explore Dylan’s broad-reaching impact on bluegrass:
“Blowin’ in the Wind” — The Country Gentlemen
It just makes sense. The Country Gentlemen epitomized the impact of the folk revival on bluegrass and string bands of that era.
“Girl Of the North Country” — Sam Bush
Perhaps the most common and least jambuster-y of Dylan’s bluegrass incarnations, this one has been covered by everyone from Flatt & Scruggs and the Country Gentlemen to Tony Rice and his newgrass compatriot, Sam Bush.
“Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” — Tim O’Brien
It takes a special kind of songwriter (I mean, Dylan. Duh.) to craft a song that can allow another artist to inhabit it, wholly. It takes a special kind of artist to be able to do that song and songwriter justice. Tim O’Brien singing “Señor” is the perfect example of both.
“Tomorrow Is A Long Time” — Nickel Creek
An entire generation’s most mainstream exposure to bluegrass — Nickel Creek — might have simultaneously tipped off their young audience to the voice of a generation.
“It Ain’t Me Babe” — Flatt & Scruggs
Did you ever stop to think about the similarities between Lester Flatt and Bob Dylan’s singing styles? Now you have.
“When I Paint My Masterpiece” — Greensky Bluegrass
Truegrass, newgrass, jamgrass — any kind of [fill-in-the-blank]grass works for a Dylan cover.
“Boots of Spanish Leather” — Seldom Scene
Hearing a bluegrass band relax into a slower, loping groove is always a breath of fresh air. Seldom Scene know how to own a decidedly non-bluegrass beat. And yet, it’s quintessentially bluegrass.
“Long Ago, Far Away” — Front Country
The current bluegrass generation isn’t immune to Dylan’s influence either. Front Country burns this one down with a more straight ahead, hammer down arrangement.
“One More Night” — Tony Rice
Tony is arguably at his absolute best, his most extraordinarily superlative when he renders the songs of singer/songwriters and troubadours like Gordon Lightfoot and of course, The Bard.
“Rambling, Gambling Willie” — The Lonely Heartstring Band
There’s ramblin’, there’s gamblin’, philanderin’, and lots more gamblin’. It’s a dyed in the wool bluegrass banger — showcased in that decadently clean Boston style by the Lonely Heartstring Band — straight from a Dylan bootleg.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” — Tim O’Brien
Spit. Out. Those. Lyrics. Tim. Oh and that hambone!! Lawd. Just listen to this and try not to feel visceral joy.
“Just Like a Woman” — Old Crow Medicine Show
This is here because we didn’t want to add that one Dylan song Old Crow is pretty famous for. They did an entire-album cover of Dylan! Let’s hear those songs for a change! It’s got more of a country and Western flavor, but we know Old Crow’s bluegrass roots run deep.
“Simple Twist of Fate” — Sarah Jarosz
Another take outside of the bluegrass box, but inherently informed by bluegrass. You can feel Jarosz emulate the lilt of Dylan’s voice in her phrasing. Unencumbered, yet supported in full by the strings.
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” — Flatt & Scruggs
Everybody join in and sing! There’s something especially pleasing about hearing Scruggs comp over these iconic chord changes.
“Walkin’ Down the Line” — the Dillards
At their height, the Dillards’ sound was blended so purely with that iconic folk revival sound, but without giving up one shred of their traditional bluegrass sensibilities. This is a perfect example.
“East Virginia Blues” — Bob Dylan & Earl Scruggs
Now here’s your bonus. Bob Dylan and Earl Scruggs, with the Scruggs boys gathered around pick through “East Virginia Blues” for a TV documentary.
“Lonesome River” — Bob Dylan & Ralph Stanley
And of course, how could we have a list about Bob Dylan and bluegrass without a nod to the special relationship Dylan had with Ralph Stanley? Dylan consistently cites Stanley as an influence and they even collaborated on this recording of an iconic Stanley Brothers classic.
“Man of Constant Sorrow” — Bob Dylan
Remember that Ralph Stanley influence we mentioned? Here it is again. It’s a reverse Bob Dylan bluegrass cover to round out the set.
MIXTAPE: The Brother Brothers, Tunes to Get Us Down the Road
If you’ve looked at our tour schedule recently, you’ll notice that it’s jam-packed, and each place is hours from the next. One of us will be on driving duty and the other on the tunes/podcasts. This is a list of tunes that have found their way onto our speakers in times of natural serenity, boredom, inspiration, or just plain “Ooh, I want to listen to that song.” They consist of friends, heroes, and people we admire — if it were all of them it would go on for hours. Here is a quick list for now, and it may get longer by the day.
“Ditch” – Sam Baker
There are many modern songwriters that can spin a story that makes the listener feel like they’re living it, but Sam is really one of the coolest and relaxed. Every time I hear one of his songs I feel like I’m remembering a dream I’ve just awoken from.
“Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” – Richard Thompson
Needless to say that Richard is one of the most influential songwriters of all, and this is a song that has really hit me hard recently. Songs of fighting war are a common theme in songwriting, and this one is very effective.
“Katie Dear” – The Blue Sky Boys
When you do research to learn harmonies, you stop here.
“Down in a Willow Garden” – The Kossoy Sisters with Erik Darling
Boy is this just good and in the way like not much else.
“Willie O’ Winsbury” – Anne Briggs
I remember the first time I heard this version. I’d listened to many others before and then the clouds parted but the rain kept pouring down and I was in heaven
“If You Ain’t Got Love” – The Revelers
What is there to say about the essence of country? This is where it lies for me. It is kind of the perfect song.
“Tired of Your Tears” – Feufollet
After attending the Black Pot Festival in Lafayette, LA we heard this band. To describe a better time listening to music would be very few and far between. What a great dance band and group of musicians
“Diggin’ Holes” – Brent Cobb
There are very few times that you hear a song and decide it’s time to quit music because you could never be as clever or sincere or capture a feeling to its core as Brent does in this song. I hate how good this song is.
“Fool Me” – Buck Meek
Listening to Terry Allen and Michael Hurley is one thing, and our pal Buck does it so very well with this song. It’s so perfect.
“Jonathan” – Adrianne Lenker
There are times that I sit down to write a song and just can’t because this song haunts me. It is the stars I am shooting for.
“Take Me Back” – Sarah Jarosz
We had the wonderful opportunity to do a bunch of opening shows with Sarah and this is the song that has stuck with me all this time. I wake up with it sometimes and can’t seem to get enough of it.
“Cosmic Doo Doo” – Blaze Foley
What can I say, but how great is this song?
“Real Peach” – Henry Jamison
He doesn’t remember how, but Adam found out about Henry, and we listened to his album every day in the car for weeks. It’s so good.
“Ain’t That Bad” – Timmy the Teeth
This is just a hit and I love the sentiment. His voice and the vibe and the words, it just is the butter that makes you want another.
“Emmylou” – First Aid Kit
We heard three different bands cover this song before we checked out the original. Then we listened to it over and over again. It’s just one of those earworms that gets in both ears.
“The King’s Shilling” – Karan Casey
When you visit Scotland and the UK you just end up falling in love with it all, and this is one of my favorite songs I’ve heard that isn’t twenty minutes long.
Photo credit: Erika Kapin
The Bluegrass Situation Expands: Meet BGS-UK
Think of the Union Chapel as London’s version of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
An architectural wonder of a church, it still gathers a congregation for Sunday services. The rest of the week, however, it attracts worshippers of a different kind. The type who want to have a spiritual experience with Townes Van Zandt, Laura Marling, Father John Misty, The Civil Wars and Rosanne Cash.
In 2017, Sarah Jarosz sold out its 900 seats to a British fan base that knows her music well. “I don’t think I’ve ever sold out a venue as big as Union Chapel in the States,” she said at the time. “I’ve been blown away by the reception I get in England, Scotland and Ireland.” This year, she has already completed not one but two UK trips with Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins, touring as I’m With Her. “I love coming here,” said O’Donovan. “We’ve made a home for ourselves here.” “You can actually see the growth,” added Jarosz.
This summer, the UK is awash with the diverse sounds of roots music. It’s as if everyone has suddenly woken up to the special relationship between the British folk scene and its American cousin. Major new festivals – like Black Deer in June, Maverick in July and The Long Road in September – are showcasing the powerful creative influence that Americana music is exerting on a new generation of British musicians: Jason Isbell and Passenger, Iron and Wine and Robert Vincent, Lee Ann Womack and The Shires.
Other fledgling festivals have begun bringing bluegrass and old-time to audiences that never knew they liked it before. In May, IBMA-award-winning Molly Tuttle wowed audiences at the Crossover Festival, which was started by a mother and daughter who wanted to hear and play the music they loved with their friends in Manchester. On the south coast of England, Beer and Bluegrass’s line-up includes The Hot Seats from Washington D.C., and Wesley Randolph Eader from Portland, Oregon, alongside some of the best bluegrass acts in Britain, including The Hot Rock Pilgrims and Midnight Skyracer.
Musicians who have toured the folk clubs of Britain and Ireland can attest to the strength of feeling that people there hold for the music of their native isles. And anyone who has encountered the Transatlantic Sessions, with Jerry Douglas and Aly Bain, has heard just how magical the bond that exists between the musical traditions of the old country and its American evolution. Celtic Connections in Glasgow has been fostering a creative exchange between artists on both sides of the Atlantic for decades, and the opportunities for future collaboration are limitless.
This July, Rhiannon Giddens will curate the Cambridge Folk Festival, an event which is always a highpoint of the summer calendar. Her program brings together women of colour from all over the US and the UK, including Amythyst Kiah, Kaia Kater and Yola Carter. “I love the UK folk scene,” Giddens says, “and I see audiences in the UK embracing the broad spectrum of what Americana really is even more so, sometimes, than in the US. A lot of people know the history of this music so well. I’ve always found a lot of acceptance here.”
So join our BGS-UK Facebook page, and join a community that’s excited to see where the music we love is going next. We’re excited about what’s happening across the pond right now and this is where you’ll be able to find out about all the gigs, artists, festivals and releases happening there. We’re ready for you, Britain!
MIXTAPE: Ashley Campbell’s Banjo Basics
What’s the best way to get a playlist of great banjo songs? Ask a great banjo player to make it for you … duh. We wanted. We asked. We got. Here, Ashley Campbell culls a dozen of her favorite banjo-based jams for us. Pick on!
Dolly Parton — “Travelin’ Prayer”
When I’m in the mood for bluegrass, I almost always turn on this song first. The playing is so unbelievably tight, and it has that classic bluegrass drive that gets my heart pumping faster. My favorite part is when the guitar solo comes in after the dobro break. The feel is so spot on right there!
Chris Thile — “Watch ‘at Breakdown”
This is my “Get Pumped about Banjo” song. I love the driving energy and dynamics of this song. I actually play the intro of this tune, sometimes, as a banjo warm up for my right hand.
Glen Campbell — “Gentle on My Mind”
Need I say more? So good!
John Hartford — “Gum Tree Canoe”
I can’t listen to this song without smiling. I love the YouTube video of John tap dancing and playing this song on the Opry. It’s just so simple and happy!
The Chicks — “Long Time Gone”
This CD lived in my car’s CD player for a good long year, and it was around the time I was first starting to take guitar lessons — when I was 15. “Long Time Gone” was one of the first songs I learned to play and sing along to.
Ashley Campbell — “Carl and Ashley’s Breakdown”
Shameless plug, I know.
J. D. Crowe and the New South — “Old Home Place”
This was one of the first songs I learned to play in a jam setting, when I was just starting out on banjo. I love old standards like this because of the way they can allow total strangers to play together in perfect harmony.
Punch Brothers — “Moonshiner”
One of the last concerts I took my dad to was Punch Brothers in Santa Barbara. He absolutely loved the show and pretty much gave them a standing ovation after every song. At the end of the show, they came in front of the mics and played “Moonshiner.” It was beautiful. The way they use their instruments to slowly build this song is mesmerizing.
Dolly Parton — “Banks of the Ohio”
This is one of my favorite songs of all time, and Dolly’s version is just perfect. I actually had the opportunity to hear it before it was released because my godfather, Carl Jackson, sang background vocals on it. I remember him playing it for me in my car, and I was just floored by that powerful vocal soaring above the simple instrumentation.
Sarah Jarosz — “Annabelle Lee”
Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite poet, so I love the idea of putting his poems to music. Clawhammer banjo is such a great instrument for storytelling and can also sound quite dark, which is perfect for Poe’s lyrics.
Carl Jackson — “Orange Blossom Special”
This song is insane! Carl plays his banjo so dang fast! I have the album Banjo Player on vinyl and, as fast as the song is, it’s fun sometimes to speed it up on the turntable for a good laugh!
The Deadly Gentlemen – “Moonshiner”
This is my favorite of the Deadly Gentlemen’s tunes. I love how they take a traditional bluegrass style for this song, but they make it their own with the way they talk-sing some of the lyrics. And I love the percussive picking style on the banjo in the verses. This is definitely on my “Get Pumped Bluegrass Playlist” and yes, I have a “Get Pumped Bluegrass Playlist.” Who doesn’t?
Photo credit: Sean Flynn
Hangin’ & Sangin’: I’m With Her
From the Bluegrass Situation and WMOT Roots Radio, it’s Hangin’ & Sangin’ with your host, BGS editor Kelly McCartney. Every week Hangin’ & Sangin’ offers up casual conversation and acoustic performances by some of your favorite roots artists. From bluegrass to folk, country, blues, and Americana, we stand at the intersection of modern roots music and old time traditions bringing you roots culture — redefined.
With me today in the Writers’ Rooms at the Hutton … I’m With Her — Sara Watkins, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz. So great to have you guys here. New record, See You Around, just out a few weeks ago. How fun is this? How much fun are you guys having?
Aoife O’Donovan: We’re having so much fun! It’s a beautiful day here in Nashville, and it’s great to be playing music.
I saw your show last night at the Station Inn. There’s something absolutely magical about the three of you. And, during the show, I kept trying to think, who else would’ve worked within this sort of a thing? And I kept coming up empty. I couldn’t think of someone who had both the instrumental prowess, and the vocal ability, and just the shine that you three have together. What is it? What’s the X factor?
Sara Watkins: I really like that there are three of us, too. Three is a nice number for a band. I feel like it makes the writing and arranging process a little more efficient. It’s easier to go toward each other and find a common goal with the three of us. Where, with a four- or five-piece, that can sometimes make things a little bit … it just changes it. It’s really nice having a tight three-piece.
It was almost accidental how the three of you came together. Was the magic there from the very first time you sang together?
Sarah Jarosz: Yeah, I would say so. It definitely felt a little bit like a spark. We did a workshop, sort a singer/songwriter workshop at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival with some other great musicians, as well — Tift Merritt, Nicki Bluhm. They’re so great, we love them. Because of everyone’s crazy schedules at the festival, it just so happened that the three of us were able to get together before to have a little something prepared for the workshop.
I remember sitting backstage in a tent behind the main stage at Telluride, we worked up a couple songs. I remember one of them was Aoife’s song “Magpie,” which is not the easiest song in the world, and I just remember thinking how seamlessly we all fell into it. That was kind of the first moment where I remember thinking, “this is really cool.” And then, later on that night, putting together a little 20-30 minute set was also pretty seamless. And I think, something that we’ve talked about before is that, we have a shared love of similar music, kind of a shared well that we’re pulling songs from, and so it was kind of easy to put a little set together.
I’m so fascinated by the vocal interplay and how you choose who takes lead, and who comes in on this part, and then who sneaks in under here, etc. What’s the process of working all of that out? Just a bunch of trial and error or following your hearts?
SW: It can happen, sometimes, where it’s just an idea, “Oh, maybe you should sing this part!” But a lot of times, the harmony arrangements and the instrumental arrangements happen during the process of writing. We’ll definitely tweak things after the song’s written, but it’s pretty much in there in the composition, a lot of it. And sometimes it’s just as simple as, one voice is drawn to this part, and then we switch. I don’t know. It’s never something we argue about.
It’s magic!
SW: And we like that we can switch around a lot and try to mix different textures — like if Jarosz is on top versus either of us, if we can mix it up and change the blend at different times, try to make it effective.
AO: And using a lot of duo and unison singing and not always having to rely on a three-part harmony blend separates song from song and arrangement from arrangement to really play around with the different combinations we have available to us.
It makes the live show, in particular, that much more captivating. It’s this constant flow, but it was just so seamless, as well. Like, “Oh, we’re switching here. We’re doing this.” It was just choreographed so beautifully.
SW: We’re dancers, too! [Laughs]
…
Two things really struck me last night, watching you guys play. One was the people in the crowd. There were Milk Carton Kids there, Béla and Abby were there, Ron Pope was there, Caitlin Canty got name-checked from the stage because she knows about being stuck on hills in Vermont. [Laughs] The level of admiration and adoration from your peers is really off the charts. That’s cool, right? That must feel really good.
SW: Yeah, I don’t know how much of it is adoration …
Oh, people love you guys.
SW: We all really enjoy the fact that we have a ton of friends who we love. We love their musicianship, and we’re really good friends. And we’re in this scene together, and we’ve known these people for so long. It’s really special that Béla and Abby were there, because I remember being at Telluride Bluegrass Festival trying to sneak backstage when the Flecktones were playing, when I was 12 years old, and I was just desperately trying to sneak past the guards or, I don’t know, make them think I was cute and let me in or something. Did not work. Go figure. So that’s a scene that I think about a lot when I see Béla, because we’ve all looked up to him — and his scene and his generation — our entire lives, and it’s pretty cool to get to be in a place where he is supportive of us. That whole thing — the way that each generation welcomes the next in this culture — I think is really, really special. It’s a very warm place, where we are now.
And the other thing — nice segue Watkins — the second thing that really struck me was the joy that was so obvious between the three of you. Watching Aoife’s face while she was watching either of you solo, it was everything! [Laughs] It was such a beautiful part of it, and I think that’s the X factor — the joy. It’s wonderful to see musicians loving what they’re doing like it’s day one.
SW: A huge part of what I love about being a musician is the community of players. That’s an enormous piece of what I love about this life as a musician. The fact that I get to work closely with great musicians who are really good friends of mine and then coming together at festivals and catching up. When you’re a kid growing up, you’re sharing tunes that you’ve learned and new things that you’ve learned, working up songs from your favorite people’s records. And, over the years, sharing that life and sharing that rhythm, and now being at a place where the family of musicians has grown and grown. It’s a really fun thing.
Watch all the episodes on YouTube, or download and subscribe to the Hangin’ & Sangin’ podcast and other BGS programs every week via iTunes, Spotify, Podbean, or your favorite podcast platform.
I’m With Her, ‘Waitsfield’
If only there were someone giving out nickels for every time the term “supergroup” is used. We’d all be rich. It’s not an altogether uncommon designation, as perhaps it ought to be, especially in bluegrass and its nearest offshoot genres, where virtuosity and technical prowess aren’t luxuries, but commodities. Nearly every outfit could ostensibly be labeled a “supergroup.” Even more so after each member’s bio and qualifications have been flamboyantly posited. But here, in this Tunesday, you can trust that “supergroup” won’t be bandied about.
I’m With Her (aka Sarah Jarosz + Aoife O’Donovan + Sara Watkins) — is a supergroup. The artistry, ease, precision, and personality of their just-released debut album, See You Around, corroborates this claim through each and every track, but the legitimacy of the moniker is cemented with the record’s lone instrumental, “Waitsfield.” These three women are all inimitable songwriters and vocalists, so they certainly didn’t need to include a tune … but they did … for the benefit of all of us. “Waitsfield” is rollicking and playful, a whimsical mandolin/fiddle dialogue that lopes and waltzes and dashes about. It doesn’t need to be a shred-fest to illustrate, undeniably, that not a single I’m With Her-er has relinquished any of her bluegrass chops — even while they each delve into sonic territories far from their respective starting points. The charm of the song isn’t shadowed by its frenetic energy; it’s enhanced — especially at the end, when they each breathe a sigh of relief, chuckle, and exclaim, “We made it!” We knew they would. They’re a supergroup.
LISTEN: Hannah Read, ‘Boots’
Artist: Hannah Read
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland & New York City
Song: “Boots”
Album: Way Out I’ll Wander
Release Date: February 23, 2018
Label: Hudson Records
In Their Words: “‘Boots’ was the last song I wrote and recorded on the new album. It’s a love song written in the early, whirlwind stages of a new relationship. I love how intimate this song turned out to be. I sang and played an electric Kay guitar on this track, and was joined by backing vocals from Sarah Jarosz and woodwind from Alec Spiegalman (Cuddle Magic).” — Hannah Read