Tag: Sarah Siskind

BGS Class of 2020: The Albums and Songs That Inspired Us This Year

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

At BGS, we seek out roots music from all corners — for those readers encountering us for the first time, we’re not “just bluegrass.” With our annual year-end list, we’ve shaken off the “best of” title and instead gathered 20 recordings that inspired our staff and contributors. For many reasons (but especially the long-awaited return of live music and festivals), we look ahead to 2021, but first… here are the albums and songs that inspired us in 2020.

Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers

Courtney Marie Andrews couldn’t touch my heart deeper. Her music has been the healing salve for the wounds of 2020. To me, she’s the true definition of an artist: A songwriter, a musician, a painter, a writer, a singer, a poet, an activist. My favorite song on her magical 2020 album is “Old Flowers.” It’s the perfect metaphor of resilience and rebirth after suffering, both in love and in life. Becoming whole again. If that ain’t a theme we could all grow from this year, I don’t know what is! – Beth Behrs

Anjimile – “Maker (Acoustic)”

Anjimile’s Giver Taker was the album I can’t stop (and won’t stop) telling people about in 2020. The full version of their single, “Maker” was a beautiful amalgamation of cultures and influences synthesized by an artist not constrained by cultural and creative preconceptions. To me, Anjimile’s acoustic version of the lead single distills the brilliance of their songwriting into its purest form. – Amy Reitnouer Jacobs

Danny Barnes – Man on Fire

Danny Barnes’ Man on Fire was a worthwhile gift to us all this year. Over the last couple of years, I’d heard chatter of a project in the works with names like Dave Matthews, John Paul Jones, and Bill Frisell involved. I am constantly in awe of what Barnes can create using the banjo as a pencil. This record was no exception, combining his unique style and songwriting with an electrified crew. – Thomas Cassell

Bonny Light Horseman – “The Roving”

There’s an odd bit of sorcery in the first measures of “The Roving,” a new version of an old folk tune on this supergroup’s debut. It opens tentatively, the instruments falling into the song like autumn leaves: First an acoustic guitar, then cymbals, then piano, all coalescing into a windblown arrangement that’s both understated and sublime. – Stephen Deusner

Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways

Packed with jumbles of historic/cultural references and tall tales, bluesy swagger and prayerful romance, and climaxing with the shattered-mirror JFK assassination epic “Murder Most Foul,” Dylan’s first set of originals in a decade is breathtakingly masterful. It’s also, often, hilarious. Nearing 80, the Bard’s as playful as ever. And as poignant. And, justifiably, as cocky. – Steve Hochman

To me, Bob Dylan’s best era started in 1989 with his 26th studio album, Oh Mercy, and continues to this day with his 39th, Rough and Rowdy Ways. “Murder Most Foul” shows us that the master of his generation is as much in control of his folktale troubadour craft as he’s ever been. – Chris Jacobs

Justin Farren – Pretty Free

Knowing nothing about Justin Farren, I was immediately sucked into his evocatively detailed story-songs that involved returning diapers to Costco, getting a “two-paycheck ticket” while trying to impress a girl, and (in the all-too-appropriately-titled for-2020, “Last Year Was The Best Year”) a wild Disneyland adventure. Full of humor, sorrow, regrets and hope, Pretty Free was a musical world I visited often this year. – Michael Berick

Mickey Guyton – “Black Like Me”

Mickey Guyton’s lyrics illuminate the individuality and dilemma of any non-white vocalist in country music, and in particular the difficult journey of Black women in the field. Her performance is gripping and memorable, paying homage to many others who’ve faced ridicule and questions about why they’re daring to perform in an idiom many still feel isn’t suited for their musical style. – Ron Wynn

Sarah Jarosz – “Pay It No Mind”

Atop a Fleetwood Mac-style groove, Sarah Jarosz imagines the advice a distant bird might offer. But her songbird is no sweet, shallow lover. She comes with the weight and wisdom of something more timeless. Jarosz lets her fly via mandolin-fiddle interplay that personifies the tension between the endless sky and the “world on the ground.” – Kim Ruehl

Lydia Loveless – Daughter

“I’m not a liberated woman,” Lydia Loveless declares on her fifth album, “just a country bumpkin dilettante.” Don’t you believe it. Written in the shadow of her 2016 divorce and beautifully sung in a voice both epic and straightforward, Daughter finds this Americana siren at the height of her formidable powers. – David Menconi

Lori McKenna – The Balladeer

Lori McKenna‘s singular talent for capturing the joy in everyday details is on full display, from the church parking lots and hometown haunts of “This Town Is a Woman” to the stubborn tiffs and make-up kisses on “Good Fight.” But The Balladeer acknowledges the hard-as-hell times, too. With gentle accompaniment, commanding melodies, and McKenna’s signature lyrical wit, The Balladeer showcases a modern songwriting master. – Dacey Orr Sivewright

Jeff Picker – With the Bass in Mind

I love “new acoustic music,” but am often afraid I’ll be disappointed by it. Jeff Picker’s With the Bass in Mind immediately eases those worries by offering music that is creative, thoughtful, unexpected, and virtuosic while still feeling grounded and musical. All while effortlessly answering the once-rhetorical question: “What would a solo bluegrass bass album even sound like?” – Tristan Scroggins

William Prince – Reliever

William Prince‘s Reliever feels like the best pep talk I’ve ever had. In particular, “The Spark” finds him astonished with loving a partner who loves him back, no matter his own perceived flaws. As a whole, the album explores complicated emotions with a comforting arrangement (with duties shared by Dave Cobb and Scott Nolan). Sung with assurance by Prince, almost like he’s confiding in you, Reliever is both encouraging and excellent. – Craig Shelburne

Scott Prouty – Shaking Down the Acorns

We’d be remiss in our jobs as procurers of roots music culture to not include this stoically beautiful record on our year-end list of the very best. A hearty collection of 24 (mostly solo) old-time fiddle and banjo songs, there is something ever-present, comforting, and timeless about Prouty’s playing, and I have no doubt this is a record I’ll be revisiting like an old friend for years to come. – Amy Reitnouer Jacobs

Emily Rockarts – Little Flower

Montreal-based songwriter Emily Rockarts’ debut album Little Flower is one to remember. Produced by Franky Rousseau (Goat Rodeo Sessions), the album features lilting cinematic ballads punctuated with dance-in-your-room indie anthems. Rockarts’ musicianship is undeniable; her stunning melodies and refreshingly earnest lyrics make for a remarkable combination that is unlike anything else I’ve heard. Run, listen to Little Flower now! – Kaia Kater

Sarah Siskind – Modern Appalachia

Sarah Siskind brought her luminous, Nashville-honed songwriting back home to North Carolina a few years ago and let the mountains speak through her. Leading an all-star Asheville band live off the floor at iconic Echo Mountain studio, she’s made a heart-swelling set of songs that gather her special melodic signature, her meticulous craft, and her insight into how a rich musical region is evolving. – Craig Havighurst

Emma Swift – Blonde on the Tracks

Emma Swift reminded the music world of the power that artists have to control their work when she self-released Blonde on the Tracks, an eight-song collection of Bob Dylan covers. Her interpretations are as powerful and innovative as her methodical and thoughtful initial distribution sans streaming services. – Erin McAnally

Julian Taylor – The Ridge

Mohawk singer-songwriter Julian Taylor resides in what is now referred to as Toronto, but his masterful country-folk record, The Ridge, hits your ear as if plucked directly from Taylor’s childhood summers spent on his grandparents’ farm in rural British Columbia. Refracted through Taylor’s crisp, modern arrangements and undiluted emotion, The Ridge seamlessly bridges the elephant-in-the-2020-room chasm between rural and urban — musically, familially, lyrically, and spiritually. – Justin Hiltner

Molly Tuttle, “Standing on the Moon”

2020 has handed us its fair share of cover albums, with stay-at-home orders urging many to reach for the familiar — but none have meshed a variety of musical sources so creatively as Molly Tuttle’s whimsical …but i’d rather be with you. Her version of “Standing on the Moon” is the nostalgic and homesick, Earth-loving galactic trip of my pedal steel-obsessed, Deadhead dreams. – Shelby Williamson

Cory Wong – Trail Songs (Dawn)

A record that I didn’t know I needed came in early August when Vulfpeck guitarist Cory Wong released Trail Songs (Dawn). A change of pace for Wong, it features predominantly acoustic instrumentation and organic sounds. The album kicks off with “Trailhead,” which sounds like a Dan Crary instrumental until the groove drops in the second verse. BGS standbys Chris Thile and Sierra Hull make appearances as an added bonus. – Jonny Therrien

Donovan Woods – “Seeing Other People”

We may seem unsentimental, stoic, unemotional — especially when faced with something like a partner moving on, or a breakup, when it may be easier to seem fine, have a pint, and download Tinder. Donovan’s gift in this song is to show those complicated “yes, and” internal thoughts and emotions. It is beautiful. – Tom Power

BGS & #ComeHearNC Celebrate the Cultural Legacy of North Carolina during #NCMusicMonth

Posted on by Editor

On the national music scene, North Carolina sets itself apart by blending the heritage of traditional roots music with the innovation of modern indie and Americana sounds. The bluegrass canon of North Carolina encompasses pioneers like Charlie Poole and Earl Scruggs, as well as groundbreaking musicians like Elizabeth Cotten, Alice Gerrard, and Doc Watson. Today’s spectrum of talent spans from modern favorites such as Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Balsam Range, and Steep Canyon Rangers, and the progressive perspective of the Avett Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, Mandolin Orange, Hiss Golden Messenger, Mipso, and many more.

One example of how the state is merging past with present is the recent opening of North Carolina’s only vinyl pressing plant — Citizen Vinyl in Asheville.

 

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Built over 15 months in 1938-1939, The Asheville Citizen Times Building (@citizentimes) was designed by architect Anthony Lord as the grand center for the city’s two newspapers and radio station WWNC. Located at 14 O’Henry Avenue, the massive three-story building of reinforced concrete, granite and limestone, utilizing 20,000 glass bricks, is considered Asheville’s finest example of Art Moderne design. In 2019, Citizen Vinyl claimed the first floor & mezzanine of this iconic landmark as the future home of a vinyl record pressing plant, as well as a café, bar and record store – and is reviving the historic third floor radio station as a modern recording and post-production facility.

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According to press materials, the building’s third floor played host to Asheville’s historic WWNC (“Wonderful Western North Carolina”) which was once considered the most popular radio station in the United States. In 1927, the station hosted live performances by Jimmie Rodgers and made his first recordings shortly before he went to Bristol, Tennessee.  In 1939, the station featured  the first ever live performance by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys during its Mountain Music Time segment.  Citizen Vinyl expects to keep the live music tradition alive in this former newspaper building, too.

Here at BGS, we’ve been committed to North Carolina music from our launch, notably with our Merlefest Late Night Jams, which are always worth staying up for. And how much do we love the IBMA World of Bluegrass week in Raleigh? Looking back on our archive, we gathered these songs from the artists we’ve covered over the years — and looking ahead, you’ll see all-new interviews with the Avett Brothers and Mipso, examine the classic country stars with roots in North Carolina, and spotlight some rising talent with video performances at the state’s most scenic destinations.

In the meantime, you can discover more about the North Carolina music scene through their website and on Instagram at @comehearnc

Editor’s note: This content brought to you in part by our partners at Crossroads Label Group.

WATCH: Two Bird Stone, “Hands and Knees” (Feat. Sarah Siskind)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Two Bird Stone
Hometown: Hickory, NC (Liam Thomas Bailey); Nashville (Judd Fuller); New York City (Chad Kelly & Rohin Khemani)
Song: “Hands and Knees” (featuring Sarah Siskind)
Album: Hands & Knees
Release Date: September 11, 2020
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “Featuring guest vocalist Sarah Siskind, this track was written in the spirit of an old-time Appalachian duet and sung entirely in two-part harmony. The song is a declaration between two individuals in a committed relationship attempting to explain their mutual resistance to a necessary compromise between their individual needs and the needs of the other. Originally intended to sound lighter and more humorous, Sarah’s involvement took the song to a deeper place. Sarah and I met at the Station Inn in Nashville in about 2009; I had recognized her face from an article and acknowledged that we had some friends in common. Ten years later, after an embarrassingly tenacious campaign to get her attention, I met her in Asheville, North Carolina, for the second time and I taught her ‘Hands and Knees’ in the control booth before we sang the song live to some basic tracks the band had laid down only minutes before her arrival.

“We cut the song in less than 30 minutes and what I thought might be a bouncy bit of flirty snark between a reluctant couple struggling to commit became a sober promise between two flawed individuals who knew they needed to be together. I expected the booming, laser-focused mountain sound from her voice that I had heard in so many songs (i.e., ‘In the Mountains’), but she sang so softly that I felt the need to find her where she was. I let go of my expectations and stared into her eyes through the studio glass as she watched my mouth for timing cues. Coincidentally, I had to ‘surrender’ to her influence in order for the song to carry its own meaning and become what it needed to be. That is EXACTLY what the song suggests is required by a healthy, dynamic relationship. Most likely, she does not remember this, but it was a very big day for me!” — Liam Thomas Bailey, Two Bird Stone

Photo courtesy of Two Bird Stone

MIXTAPE: High Fidelity’s Traveling Music

Posted on by Editor

While High Fidelity is known for representing a specific niche in the bluegrass music landscape from the 1950s and early ‘60s, each member brings a diverse palate of musical tastes and styles. This playlist is a fine example of some of the diverse listening one might hear on our travels. Some of us remember making mixtapes of our favorite songs and tunes in the days of the cassette. Well, our van still has a cassette player in it! I hope you’ll enjoy listening to some of the music that inspires us, and maybe I should run off a tape of this for our next trip! — Jeremy Stephens, High Fidelity

Flatt & Scruggs – “Earl’s Breakdown”

This is probably the first song that really lit a fire under me to love and play bluegrass music. I first heard it on a red 8-track tape. I was absolutely drawn to Earl’s banjo playing and the famous section of the song where he tunes the second string down a whole step and then brings it right back up. Honestly though, the part of the tune that tore me up and still tears me up is Everett Lilly’s mandolin break. When I first heard that break, I thought it was the most incredible thing ever. Still is the best 15 seconds of mandolin playing on record. — Kurt Stephenson

Don Reno – “Coffee Cup”

I love “Coffee Cup,” because it showcases Don Reno’s banjo playing and creativity to the max. Though Reno didn’t write the song, he had a masterful arrangement of it. I believe it demonstrates nearly every signature technique that is unique to Don Reno. Each solo (they’re all banjo solos) is an adventure, and a fun one at that! — KS

Lonesome River Band – “Say I Do”

I always credit Lonesome River Band with sparking my interest in contemporary bluegrass sounds. My first LRB album was One Step Forward and my favorite song on the album is “Say I Do.” I love the groove, the harmonies, the chord structure, and especially the musical groove. Kenny Smith plays an incredible and beautiful guitar solo, which is followed by a banjo solo from Sammy Shelor. That particular banjo solo taught me so much about dynamics; especially in regards to coming out of a solo and leading in to the vocal. — KS

Reno & Smiley – “Country Boy Rock ‘N Roll”

I’m a country boy and I like to rock and roll, so this song fits. I remember picking up the album that included this song at a flea market when I was about 12 or 13, and it was my very first introduction to Reno & Smiley. — Daniel Amick

Tim O’Brien – “Wind”

I like this song because it’s a good song. It speaks to my soul. We have wind at my house. — DA

Punch Brothers – “Boll Weevil”

As a farmer sometimes I deal with crop failure, bugs, and drought. The goal is of course to problem solve and see beyond the failures to the success just on the other side, but seeing this as a story from the bug’s perspective is pretty interesting. — DA

Jim & Jesse – “Did You Ever Go Sailing”

The In the Tradition album by Jim & Jesse is the first album I remember consciously listening to, the first instance I remember understanding what an album was and what it meant to be an artist. When I would go to 3-year-old preschool, I listened to this on cassette continually and just wore the tape out. My first favorite song was this one. I still love everything about that album and this song! Glen Duncan’s fiddling, Allen Shelton’s banjo playing, and of course Jesse’s mandolin playing are just the cream of the crop, with the added bonus of Roy Huskey Jr. on upright bass. Jim is featured here singing lead on the verses and jumping to harmony on the choruses, making for an all-around awesome arrangement! — Corrina Rose Logston

Red Smiley & the Bluegrass Cut-Ups – “It’s Raining Here This Morning”

Tater Tate’s fiddling has been a huge influence on me, and it’s something I go back to over and over again for inspiration. This particular cut features Tater front and center just wearing it out! I love a song in the key of F like this, and this cut is just exceptional. Red Smiley’s flawless lead singing is like golden drops of honey. Billy Edwards’s playing out of open F on the banjo is the epitome of my happy place. It just doesn’t get much better than this for me! — CRL

Sarah Siskind – “Lone Tree”

It might surprise fans of High Fidelity that most of my “newer” music listening is outside the realm of traditional bluegrass. In fact, outside of the High Fidelity setting, my own solo artistry and songwriting is like a musical amalgam drawn from many diverse sources throughout my life. I love Sarah Siskind’s artistry and draw so much inspiration from her music. It’s hard to pick favorites but this particular song is pretty high up on the list for me! And, fun fact, Jeremy Stephens was staying with Sarah’s mom and dad the year that Jeremy and I met each other at SPBGMA in 2009! — CRL

Homer & Jethro – “Tennessee, Tennessee”

I knew I wanted to include a Homer & Jethro number, but I didn’t know just which one. I’ve always admired their ability to integrate belly laugh-inducing lyrics to some serious mandolin precision. “Tennessee, Tennessee” is one that I’ve always wanted me and Corrina to cover. That last verse makes me lol every time. — Vickie Vaughn

Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott – “Walk Beside Me”

This is the opening song to my desert island record. I just need one and this record, Real Time, is IT. That GROOVE, though. I’ve listened to this song at least a hundred times and the repeating mandolin hook paired with the mandola toward the end of it makes me feel like I. CAN. DO. ANYTHING. Thanks for that confidence, Tim & Darrell. — VV

Jim Oblon (with Larry Goldings & Jim Keltner) – “Copperhead”

I’ve known Jim for a while. I met him here in Nashville before I even knew what he was musically capable of. Friends later told me that he was Paul Simon’s drummer. Now we’re old friends and I try to be cool when I see him now and again at the gym and I try to refrain from nerding out over yet another musical discovery I had while listening to his records. Get a load of this RIFF on “Copperhead.” Not showcased on this recording is Jim’s incredible vocal prowess. Make sure you take time to find a song of his to hear that. You’re welcome. — VV

Kilby Snow – “Close By”

I’ve loved the autoharp since my Mamaw got me one for my sixth birthday from the secondhand store she worked at. I didn’t start playing it seriously until I saw my banjo mentor, Troy Brammer, playing autoharp when I was in my early teens. I’ve gone quite a few years without playing it seriously, but since we’ve all been shut in at home, I’ve been playing autoharp almost exclusively around the house for a couple months now. My favorite of all the autoharp players is Kilby Snow from Grayson County, Virginia. He played autoharp left-handed upside down, and did these open-bar “drag” notes to make it sound like the roll on a five-string banjo. This is a great Bill Monroe number played by Kilby on the harp, and it’s one I’ve found myself playing quite a bit lately. I learned to play his style right handed from his son Jim when I visited him in Oxford, Pennsylvania, in 2006. — JS

United Sacred Harp Convention – “Sherburne 186”

I first heard sacred harp shape-note singing on a 78 RPM record at Kinney Rorrer’s home. Kinney is a serious record collector and has been a mentor to me in the history of old time music. After first hearing the singing on that 78, I was hooked, and I couldn’t get enough of Sacred Harp. I learned to read and sing the shape notes and listened to many recordings of Sacred Harp conventions. Of all my listening, this recording of this tune has stood out to me, and I wanted to include it here. Hope y’all like it! — JS

Reno & Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups – “Mountain Church”

There is no set of recordings that I have returned to over and over for more than 20 years, except for Reno & Smiley’s 1953 and early 1954 recordings. The tone, feel, playing, and singing of these 24 sides sum up everything that I really love about Reno & Smiley’s corner of bluegrass music. This era of their work has greatly informed what I bring to the table stylistically with High Fidelity. “Mountain Church” is one of my favorites of Reno & Smiley and we perform it occasionally in High Fidelity. — JS

Photo credit: Amy Richmond

BGS 5+5: Sarah Siskind

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Sarah Siskind
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Latest album: Modern Appalachia

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I would say my biggest overall influence is The Story, which was an alt-folk duo out of Cambridge, Massachusetts in the ‘90s consisting of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball. My dad used to bring cassettes home from the library of albums he would read reviews about and pass along ones to me he thought I’d like.

At the time I was way into Indigo Girls and Tracy Chapman (about age 13 or so), so when he first gave me Grace in Gravity by The Story, it unnerved me a little. But, then I woke up one morning and had to listen to it on repeat or I thought I’d die! So I listened to it on repeat. For years. The songs on that album are ingrained in me now. Dissonant harmonies. Bold chord changes. Strong female perspectives.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

My favorite memory on-stage is when Bonnie Raitt asked me to sing “Angel From Montgomery” with her as a duet for the first time… and then after… she handed her guitar to me and said, “Play one of yours.” I’ll never forget that feeling. I felt like I was flying.

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

The most effective ritual for me is to straight up pray. I ask God for peace of mind and for blessings over every note that comes out of my mouth. For Him to guide the show and for me to be a vessel. I also do some floor stretches if I can. When I toured with Paul Brady, I had a mix on my phone I would listen to before every show and it was Snatum Kaur, Lauryn Hill, and Mahalia Jackson; I would do stretches as I sang along.

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

Water, definitely. The county where I live in North Carolina has the most waterfalls per capita in the country. However, I absolutely love rivers. When I’m really stuck, or having a rough day, I go to either the Davidson or French Broad River in Brevard, North Carolina, and trail run or just sit and pontificate. Watching the movement of water brings me back to center. The sound even more so. It reminds me how ultimately small we are in the big picture and that this vast earth was created through suffering way bigger than mine.

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

I love this question. I’m a closet chef. If I could have dinner with any musician, I would have a big southern meal of pulled pork, greens, and pintos with Danny Barnes.

Photo credit: Brian Boskind

The String – Music City Postcard: Asheville, NC

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Episode 121 of The String is a field trip to Asheville, NC, which Rolling Stone last year touted as one of the best music scenes in the country.


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Those of us who visit Western North Carolina regularly already knew that fact, and this week’s show surveys the talent and the institutions making the region important in roots music and beyond. Features: Amanda Anne Platt of the Honeycutters, Echo Mountain Studio, WNCW radio, Crossroads Music, Sarah Siskind, Morgan Geer and more.

Photo credit: @CarShowShooter on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Molly Tuttle: Confident and ‘Ready’

Posted on by Editor

Even before releasing her first full-length album, Molly Tuttle made history. She became the first woman to be named IBMA Guitar Player of the Year, a title she’s won twice, in addition to winning Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year, all on the strength of her 2017 EP, RISE. But to focus exclusively on Tuttle as a guitarist would be a mistake. She isn’t interpreting others’ songs. She’s writing and singing her own, and as her debut record When You’re Ready proves, she’s doing it not only with classically trained musicianship, but with an exciting willingness to explore and trust her own wide-ranging artistic instincts.

Tuttle talked with BGS about When You’re Ready, feeling optimistic about women in music, and why California’s Bay Area has her heart.

BGS: When You’re Ready is such a confident debut. Were you feeling confident from the jump, or did your confidence grow as you recorded?

Tuttle: I think it grew. As I was writing the songs, I got more and more confident just saying what I felt and what I was thinking in the songs. I remember feeling really confident in the studio in what I was saying and in the parts I was playing. Ryan Hewitt, who produced it, helped me feel confident. He wanted everything to sound really strong – it was a good experience.

A lot of these songs seem to explore relationships and how we interact with each other. Do you feel like there are some currents that run through thematically and connect all of these songs?

I think there’s kind of a theme of longing on the album, and also a theme of just being confident in who you are and what you’re feeling. When I was writing it, it was, “I’m just going to say where I’m at.” The theme on the album for me would be accepting your feelings and embracing them.

You’re from California, then you went to college in Boston, and now you’re living in Nashville. Do you feel like all of that geographic diversity changed the trajectory of your music?

I think so. I got exposed to lots of different kinds of music in California, and then especially when I was at Berklee, there were all sorts of different kinds of music going on all the time at school. Then, obviously, Nashville is one of the most amazing music cities in the world. I think living in California was influential, growing up there. I really relate to the Bay Area and a lot of my songs are still inspired by California. It’s where my soul is, still.

What is it about the Bay Area you love so much?

I really love the ocean. I love the nature there, the scenery. I think people are really open there. Everyone — well, not everyone, but a lot of people in the Bay — are just trying to be good people and trying to be accepting of other people. That was something I was taught in school a lot as a kid: that you should accept everyone as they are. Of course, nobody is perfect at that. But I think people are trying to do that there, and that’s a feeling I’ve tried to carry with me.

When you write, are you focusing on the guitar part first and then the lyrics, or does it vary?

There are times when I do the guitar part first, but for this album, I was really focusing on the lyrics and melodies. The guitar parts were the last parts that came with these songs — and I really wanted to have interesting guitar parts on this album. I thought it’d make it more interesting to have a singer/songwriter record with guitar lines that could weave it all together, so I worked on that after I finished writing the songs.

The guitar playing on “Take the Journey” jumps out: the percussion, the lead, the bass, the counter-melodies — that’s all you on acoustic guitar. How’d you come up with this song?

I wrote that with Sarah Siskind. We wrote it pretty quickly in a couple of hours, which for me is quick for writing a song. We had a song that was in that modal-key feel — you don’t really know if it’s major or minor. When we were writing it, I went into this different tuning: it’s an open G tuning, but you get rid of the third and tune the B up to C, which makes it like a Gsus4.

I like that style of guitar playing. When I was a teenager, I learned clawhammer banjo because I really liked old-time music. Someone showed me that you could move the clawhammer style onto the guitar and play a really percussive-sounding style. I went with that and created different rhythms that I like to use — more syncopated — and really worked on getting the bass notes to pop out, letting my hand hit the guitar so it’s percussive sounding.

Your vocals on “Don’t Let Go” move between smooth and comfortable verses to more of a staccato and breathy chorus. How’d you decide to approach the vocals this way?

Where the melody is in my range, I naturally had to go up to a breathy head voice, so we thought that could be a really cool thing, to make it sound really emotional. And on this one, when I was singing the chorus, I did get really emotional in the studio. That helped me get the quivers in my voice. I think you can hear it in the track. There are little things that came out in my singing that I hadn’t really done before recording this. I had to go to an emotional place to get the take that worked.

Do you have a favorite song on here or is that impossible?

I think my favorite is “Sleepwalking.”

All of that imagery on “Sleepwalking” – and on some other songs too – blurry screens, white noise, and even sleepwalking itself: it’s such a direct contrast to the specific, refined sounds you’re making. What is it about the hazy imagery that you’re drawn to?

Yeah, I think a lot of my songs have themes of trying to make a connection with a person or a place or a feeling. There are a few songs that talk about white noise or static or anything that’s kind of blurring the connection. That’s something I feel — like with technology, sometimes it makes me feel like I’m not actually connected to anything and not connected to myself.

I think that comes through in my songs. “Sleepwalking” is a song I wrote about that specific feeling of being disconnected from the world around you. Maybe you’re relying on one person or one place or feeling to be your connection. It’s kind of a love song, but it’s kind of a cry for help in a way. [Laughs]

Of the women who are widely known first as guitar players – a number that’s still too low – most aren’t acoustic, steel-string players. It’s also a physically demanding instrument, especially the way you play. Why were you drawn to it? Why do you think you’ve succeeded?

I’ve never really seen limitations on guitar for me as a woman. I remember, I was first drawn to it in a really natural way when I was a kid. I just liked the mellow sound of it. So I don’t remember specifically what drew me to it, but I remember seeing guitars around, and I told my parents I wanted a guitar. That was after I’d tried like three different instruments and failed at all of them. [Laughs] I tried to play fiddle, and I think I got tired of just not sounding good on it. Guitar is a lot less abrasive when you’re first starting out. I had a tiny guitar when I started, and my dad showed me some stuff on it.

I really liked that you could play it while you were singing. I never thought about it being a physically demanding instrument, even when I first played and my fingers got really sore. It felt pretty natural to me. Then, when I went to Berklee, I was 19 and all of a sudden there were no other women in any of my guitar classes. [Laughs] That was weird. It was definitely an uncomfortable experience at times.

But it was good because I’d walk into class and be the only one, and because all this attention was instantly on me, I thought, “Oh, I better practice and be good or they’re just going to write me off as some girl trying to play guitar.” It felt like there was some added pressure there, which is not really fair, but at least it made me practice more.

You’re not the “best woman guitar player.” You’re the best guitar player. Do you feel like the industry and culture in general are beginning to consider contributions of women more fairly – that you’re weighed equally?

I think it’s definitely changing at a rapid pace right now, especially with the #MeToo movement. Now that’s starting to affect the music world. I’m seeing so many women coming up and their careers are just exploding in new ways – like at the Grammys. There were so many women winning awards and playing.

I think women are feeling really empowered to just say, “No. I’m not a female musician. I’m just a musician.” Women are fully embracing feminism more and just feeling like we can say what’s on our minds. We don’t have to tiptoe around these issues anymore. I think that’s helping everything change. We are not accepting any crap anymore — like “you’re a female guitar player.” [Laughs] I certainly don’t want to be pegged as a female guitar player. My gender doesn’t have anything to do with my guitar playing. We’re talking about the issues more and that’s helping everything to change.

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

Frank Solivan Finds Room for All Kinds of Bluegrass

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Frank Solivan has steadily built a foundation in bluegrass, from going to festivals as a kid, touring in acoustic bands while living in Alaska, and playing fiddle in the US Navy Band’s bluegrass ensemble. For nearly 10 years he’s fronted Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, an IBMA award-winning group that embraces its eclectic influences. A few days before releasing the new album, If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Solivan traced his journey with the Bluegrass Situation.

BGS: Let’s start with “Crave.” I feel like it captures everything that you’re about – the melody, the picking, and the big singing voice. Did you think it sets the tone for this new album?

Solivan: Yeah, a little bit. Right from the beginning, I had an idea for long, sustaining notes, and this chordal thing, and the words started coming together. Becky Buller and I started writing that song… gosh, it’s been a while now. We took some artistic arrangement liberties in the studio and came up with what’s there. I almost feel like I painted myself in a corner because it is a tough song to sing, and it takes a lot of vocal energy, that’s for sure.

You do build up to a big note. While you’re singing that song, do you think, “Oh no, here it comes…”

You know, if I’m in good voice, I’m not terribly worried about it. There’s a lot of arrangement stuff that goes on in there too, keeping it together. Singing well while you’re playing an arrangement like that – I’m really the only person I have to worry about. Everybody else is great. It’s fun, though, and it’s a challenge.

I was having some trouble with my hands over the last decade or so, my left hand especially, and it was getting progressively worse up until we were recording this record. I never considered myself a great singer or whatever, but I really wanted to focus on the singing on this record, because I thought maybe I won’t be able to play as well as I want to later.

Then I had carpal tunnel release surgery on my hand and it turned out great. I went to a top-class surgeon and my hand is fine now. But, you know, as a musician you worry about that, thinking maybe I should just focus on singing well on this record and keep my playing within my limitations, and not reach out too far. I was able to focus and find a singing voice. I’m constantly trying to become a better singer and I think maybe this record helped with that a little bit, too.

On your albums, you often go for honest, confessional lyrics, and I don’t hear that a lot in bluegrass. Do you think you have that more “sensitive songwriter” side to your music?

Oh, I’m just a big teddy bear. [Laughs] My songwriting comes from inspiration in life, for sure. But I didn’t write every song on this record. I wrote “Crave” with Becky, then there’s a song that closes the record called “Be Sure” that was based on an experience of mine, and some other experiences of others around me at the time, when I was 19 or 20 years old. And it’s finally seeing the light of day and got recorded.

But the formula is having songs that I can relate to – either songs that I’ve written or written with somebody, or from a family member or a band member. My cousin Megan McCormick wrote two songs on there – “My Own Way” and “Shiver.” Our banjo player Mike Munford composed the banjo tune on there. Also, friends write songs, like Sarah Siskind. She wrote the song “Set in Stone” with Ari Hest. That’s the formula for us — keeping it kind of close.

How did you wind up living in Washington DC?

Back when I was 18, I graduated from high school and moved from Central Valley, California, to Alaska. I drove my pickup truck up there. I was with my mom, and also I was invited to play music up there with Ginger Boatwright. She was doing a tour that first summer with Doug Dillard – she was the singer and guitar player for the Doug Dillard Band. I thought, “OK, I’m going to hang out and play it by ear.” We had a little bit of family up there, so we stayed with them. My mom got a job and then I went off and moved all around Alaska.

Long story short is, I loved it and stayed. I worked all kinds of jobs, from explosives, to a perforating service, to driving trucks and delivery vehicles, to driving a school bus and being a substitute school teacher, to construction… whatever I could do that would allow me to go hunting and fishing and play music. I played with a lot of bands and went to the University of Alaska in Anchorage and studied violin performance. And then heard of an audition for the US Navy Band in Washington DC, for the country band and bluegrass band, and when they had an opening, they offered me the job.

The next thing you know I’m going to boot camp, doing about a million push-ups. Anyway, Leah — who is my wife now but was my girlfriend at the time — and I moved to the DC area in 2003 and I reported for duty. We got locked in here and I did six years with the Navy Band. I decided at the five-year mark that I needed to get out and I gave them my notice. I needed to get out and make music. It was a good job and I was proud to serve, but for me, I needed to be an artist. I needed to make music, not just play music.

Growing up, who were some of the people who encouraged you?

Well, we’d have these huge family gatherings and we’d end up doing big meals, and the next thing you know, everybody’s pulling out instruments and everybody’s encouraging other. I had a cousin Ty that passed away last year — Charles Tyson Smith – and I’ve recorded a number of songs that either he’s written or that we wrote together. He was somebody I looked up to in my family as a musician, writer, and singer.

And of course my parents would take me to concerts and music festivals. I remember when I was pretty young, going to see Ray Charles, Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, The Judds, Merle Haggard, whoever it might be. I had all these opportunities to see these greats and we’d go to music festivals as well – bluegrass festivals and old-time fiddle contests and jam sessions. That’s what I grew up doing. Now of course I realize what a gift it was.

When I was in high school, I heard about this band who was looking for a fiddle player. My mom took me to the audition and I got the job. She took me to a number of these gigs and helped me buy the gear I needed for it. I played with a number of bands in high school, but they weren’t high school bands. They were regional bands that would open up for big names and big concerts, and play big clubs and dancehalls. Luckily I carried myself a little older than I was, which was great, because if they knew I was 16, 17, or 18 years old, I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to go into these places!

Being exposed to so many different kinds of music, do you think that shaped the way you hear songs or seek out songs?

Yeah, I think it’s a more open-minded approach for sure. People are always trying to categorize — “So, what kind of music do you play?” A graphic artist friend of mine and I came up with a shirt design, and we sold out of ‘em pretty quick, but it was basically an umbrella, and on the umbrella, it said, “ALLGRASS, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen.” Then underneath it, like raining coming down inside the umbrella, it had words like Appalachian, mashgrass, newgrass, bluegrass, country, acoustic, and all these different titles people think you need to categorize somebody. But the idea was, we try to pull from all of those things and beyond. But also to say, all of those styles are, shall we say, bluegrass.

I think people are really scared these days about losing traditional bluegrass music. But it’s kind of like everything – if it’s really good, which it is, and authentic and organic and beautiful and done well, then it’s not going anywhere. It will stand the test of time. And the beauty about all those traditional bluegrass people like Bill Monroe, or moving on into the Osborne Brothers and Jim & Jesse, all those guys were innovating. They were trying to get it to a larger audience, and to me, that’s the tradition of bluegrass – to constantly have it evolve for people right now.

Photo credit: Courtney Jarrell Middleton

Restoration and Revival: An Interview with Wynonna Judd

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To hear (or read) the name "Wynonna Judd" instantly elicits a reaction from pretty much everyone. And, rightfully so. For the past 30+ years, the country superstar with the big voice and brash style has topped charts and made headlines with every move she's made. But, forget what you know — or think you know — about Wynonna and consider the fact that her new record, Wynonna & the Big Noise, leans on songs by Chris Stapleton, Julie Miller, and Sarah Siskind, and offers up appearances by Jason Isbell, Susan Tedeschi, and Derek Trucks. Produced by her husband and band leader, Cactus Moser, the set finds Wynonna in, perhaps, the finest form of her career and the most peaceful place of her life. 

I read a quote of yours, about you and your mom, that cracked me up. You said, “I knew the minute I was born that I was going to be the lead singer, and I knew by age 3 that I could sing. I just knew as a kid. I didn’t know exactly that she was going to follow me around.” Now that you've lost your shadow, what's the feeling? Freedom? Fear?

Wynonna Judd: One of my goals in this new year is “restoration.” I have a word every year. Restoration is taking the past and using it to propel me into the now which is, “How do I feel right now about being a part of this band?” It's exhilarating and terrifying. It's a lot of work. I'm spending more time as a musician than I ever have. Being an artist is like breathing. It's as easy to me as you writing. It's a part of me. Making this record, being on stage with my brothers … being not as much about being entertaining and funny and “Oh my gosh! She's a celebrity and a star!” It's about me getting back to my roots.

For instance, when Jason Isbell came out to the farm, we sat there and talked about everything from recovery to having children to being artists to how do we balance that. I'm really about making personal connections with people — standing in a dressing room with Bruce Springsteen and talking about what it's like to get older in this business and maintain your integrity. Going to see Susan Tedeschi and her husband, Derek Trucks, at the Ryman and talking about what it's like to be married and share the stage and share your life with a partner.

It's really an interesting time for me because, I'll be honest, I've been doing this for 35 years. Instead of looking at the word “reinvent,” the restoration part is what's really grooving me right now because I'm in a place of real change, both personally and professionally — whether it's going to the vinyl pressing where they're making our vinyl records and going, “Oh my gosh! I started out here and now here I am back 30 years later” … to using vintage instruments to make the record — 1930s drums, '40s microphones.

Cactus made a real smart move when he talked to me and said, “It's time for you to get back to your roots.” When you hear my voice on this record, it's very vulnerable, it's very raw, very real. It's a one-track take. There's no perfection — there's less of that than ever before, which is scary but exciting. It's like going bra-less. [Laughs] It feels really weird, but it's also very freeing because I can get out of the way of myself and the agenda I have and just interpret the songs, like an actor would a scene. I get to be … instead of Wynonna-isms all over the songs and having an agenda, I can just sit there and sing the song while the band plays. Dave Grohl was a huge help to me about how to be in a band, how to get out of my way, and just sing and enjoy myself. That was huge for me.

But you still have to be a band leader to a certain degree, no?

WJ: No, I don't, because Cactus is that. Cactus is the leader. I get to just show up and get away with singing. You know what's really great, sometimes? Letting go. Letting go of the idea of having to be in control. That really was a life saver.

After his accident, I became Mrs. Moser. And I finally let myself be a partner and not feel like I have to be this alpha-female and do it all myself and direct. I can just be a band member and enjoy myself and play my butt off and sing from my toenails. And I don't have to be the decision-maker. He was in the studio saying, “Okay, let's sing that with a different idea.” And I really trusted him. I let go, fell back, and let him catch me.

Cactus Moser: It's really hard, when you're an artist, to always see the spot you're standing on. To know where you need to go and to feel exactly everything is tricky. I looked at her many years ago … I was a fan from afar. I was in a group called Highway 101 and we opened for the Judds for a year. I used to go watch her sing at soundcheck and she would be playing with the melodies — playing around more than she did during the show. I was just floored by her gift and her voice and her talent.

Fast forward to when we got together to work, and I'm still looking at it like I'm a kid in a candy store. To have that amazing singer in a band is one of those rare things you get to do in life. So, when we were working together — both live and recording and writing these songs together — it was just a real dream. Sometimes it's cool to have somebody with you — I've always been in band situations, normally, and I produce a lot of stuff. I always believe in, “Let's work this out together.” She has great ideas, but I would sometimes go, “I hear it like this. Let's try it.” I think that's why there are so many great collaborations. You look at Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] in the Rolling Stones or Glenn [Frey] and Don [Henley] in the Eagles or even the Police, when they were a full band … I think some of the most brilliant things come out of that pull and tug — when you try it from a different perspective. She's changed how I do things and vice versa. I think you get the best, more often than not, by that process.

You hear that on this record. You hear the balance between an edgier roots rock and a smoother contemporary country. Did that start with the songs and work out from there? Was that your process — songs first, sound second? Or did you know what you were going for, sonically, and reverse engineer it?

CM: Sonically, I wanted to make a record that sounds as interesting as it is musical. It's a little bit more of a soundtrack where the music speaks a little more. We used these very distinctive 1930s drums that I played on the whole record. The band all started to react to that instrument and it changed the feel and instrumentation that they played with. And Wy being live on the floor singing to us while we were tracking inspired, of course, everyone. Yeah, there was a sort of vision of the type of sound I wanted to go toward.

WJ: I wanted to have a revival. I don't know how old you are …

I'm old enough …

WJ: Well, you're old enough to know better, right? You know what you want. That's where I was: I know I don't want to be complacent. I don't want to make records like I did in the past where I got hooked on perfectionism, where I have to make this “vocal of the year award goes to …” [Laughs] I just wanted to enjoy myself and shake my butt and boogie. Some of these songs made me wiggle a lot. They made me do these dances while I was singing and he's filming me going, “I don't know if you see yourself doing this, but you're jiggling everywhere from head to toe.” [Laughs]

I just found myself enjoying myself so much that I kept forgetting, “Oh, I'm doing a vocal.” I was so into it, it was almost like I was on stage. I was having such a good performing moment that I enjoyed the process rather than going in and saying, “Oh, crap, I've gotta sing for four hours, get all the notes right, be perfectionism.” I didn't do that and it was so refreshing that it caught me off guard. When I would sing something and he'd go, “Oh my God, that was amazing!” I'd be like, “I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just having fun.” That's the key.

That's the magic, right there.

WJ: That's exactly what I wanted. When I walked away, I felt like I had no idea about the record and how it was going to sound. When I heard him come into the room and put on my headphones and play me Timothy B. [Schmit] singing his favorite Poco memories into this song, I just started to cry because I had no idea what was going to happen. To hear Susan sing on a song, I literally did the hallelujah dance because I couldn't believe it was happening. To get Jason to come out to the house, to sit there in our shed wearing a ball cap, doing this rap about life … one of my favorite things ever. It wasn't about the Grammys. It wasn't about, “Oh my God, this is two big artists making music history.” It was just two artists sitting there talking and having an experience together. That's my favorite.

It feels like you built a little bit of a community for yourself on this record with these folks. I know some of your earliest influences go back to bluegrass and mountain harmonies. So, do you feel like, even if that stuff isn't there musically, it's there in spirit with you these days?

WJ: Totally! And it transfers to the stage. I tell stories about everything from being 15, walking into the kitchen, and watching Stevie Ray Vaughn practice with his brother Jimmy. I've known Ricky Skaggs since I was 15 years old. He's like a relative. You're right: I did build a community with this record. I have a new appreciation for Susan and Derek. We went to see them at the Ryman and we're so connected on a deeper level than just, “Hey, I'll see you at the Grammys.”

It's a really special time of making connections that are sacred, that have nothing to do with guys sitting in a board room putting together two artists because they know it's going to be number one. These are authentic connections and that's what made it so special for me.

Which leads to … let's do a little name association. Just say the first thing you think of …

[Laughs] Oh, dear. Because I've got … [Pauses] Okay. [Laughs]

[Laughs] I'm not going to throw any zingers at you! Okay: Cactus

CM: Living waters.

WJ: The first thing that comes to mind is “mullet.” Then, the second thing is “cowboy.” When I met him, he had the biggest blond mullet and he was wearing chaps. He's from Denver. So, there you have it.

[Laughs] That's awesome. Jason Isbell.

WJ: The first thing that comes to mind is “recovery.” He's really trying, like I am, to find balance and inner peace. We're both such authentic artists. He's so sweet. I didn't have any idea how sweet he is. He's a very kind and thoughtful person.

Agreed. Chris Stapleton.

WJ: Maverick.

Tedeschi Trucks.

WJ: Badass. I mean, seriously … the best guitar player in the world and people just don't know it. They just don't. He's a badass. He gives me goosebumps when I hear him play. He's just insane.

Sarah Siskind.

CM: Emotional.

WJ: Haunting. The song takes me back to Appalachia. It's haunting. It's my roots.

Last one … Julie Miller.

CM: Honest.

WJ: I would say “authentic.”

I'd maybe add “underrated.” I wish she were more exposed.

WJ: I agree.

CM: For that little, tiny voice, she's such a super-tough badass, in terms of how she writes. She writes like Tom Petty — the most economic use of words to say the most.