Artist:Ryan Dugré Hometown: Holyoke, Massachusetts Song: “Powder Rains” Album:Three Rivers Release Date: Feb 19, 2021 Label: 11A Records
In Their Words: “‘Powder Rains’ was written for a potential film placement which did not pan out. It started with the image of being on a train sitting opposite of the train’s direction, slowly gaining speed. I tried to create this feeling in the recording by adding parts in slowly throughout the song, and by increasing the tempo halfway through. Mixer Leo Abrahams added to this by accentuating the swirling, circular sounds, building to a feeling of arrival at the very end.” — Ryan Dugré
BGS is proud to announce our partnership with Yamaha Guitars for Folk Alliance International’s 2021 virtual conference, Folk Unlocked. Join us on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 5:30pm CST for the Yamaha + BGS Spotlight Showcase, hosted by friend of BGS and acoustic blues and Americana veteran Keb’ Mo’.
Yamaha Guitars tapped BGS to collaborate on the curation of the Spotlight Showcase, which highlights Yamaha official artists, instruments, and gear as well as music from folk scene stalwarts and newcomers alike — from all across the continent and around the world. The hour-long virtual showcase features intimate, acoustic performances that certainly capture the atmosphere of connection and discovery that typically permeates FAI’s in-person conference.
Yamaha official artist Katie Cole performs during the Spotlight Showcase.
To lead us off, Australian singer-songwriter Katie Cole flavors the program with her pop-influenced alt-Americana material. A fresh face in bluegrass and old-time, Bella White sings her original Gillian Welch-meets-Hazel Dickens tunes with a warm honey yodel just breaking through her voice. You’ll also hear a captivating performance from Joy Oladokun, one of the buzziest names in the indie-folk world at the moment, and soaring tunes from American-Canadian folk duo Birds of Chicago, who headline the event with a trio set that feels as full band as a pandemic would allow. Our talented host, Keb’ Mo’, will treat our audience to a couple of selections as well.
In the coming weeks, BGS and Yamaha will release individual sessions from our Spotlight Showcase film! Stay tuned for more music and content from this exciting partnership.
Joy Oladokun is featured during our Yamaha + BGS showcase.
In place of an in-person conference this year, Folk Alliance International is hosting Folk Unlocked, a five-day virtual event for the entire international folk community to come together for panels, workshops, showcases, affinity and peer group meetings, exhibit spaces, networking, and mentorship. FAI are actively unlocking the doors and windows of the house of folk to be as broad and inclusive as possible, inviting those who have been loyally attending Folk Alliance International conferences for years while aiming to reach folk musicians and professionals who have never benefited from or attended FAI before.
Usually, the in-person version of this amazing event is only available to artists and industry professionals, but this year, thanks to the virtual nature of the conference, anyone can tune in from anywhere! Conference registration and Spotlight Showcase and Unlocked Showcase access are all available on a sliding scale, with the cost to attend being decided by each individual. In addition, donors to Folk Alliance’s Village Fund receive showcase access as well. There are so many ways to support Folk Alliance and attend our Yamaha + BGS Spotlight Showcase.
In collaboration w/ @TheBGSituation, we’re proud to present our 2021 @folkalliance showcase. Join us Thurs, Feb 25th @ 5:30pm CST as we share some amazing music together and enjoy the expressive sound of premium #Yamaha acoustic guitars.https://t.co/CghePloZJh
Artist:Aaron Espe Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Take You Home” Album:Rock & Roll Man EP Release Date: February 12, 2021 Label: Nettwerk
In Their Words: “I wish I could tell you this song is about rainbows and butterflies, but unfortunately it’s about a friend’s wife who died suddenly. Honestly, if you were to imagine any scene in Grey’s Anatomy where they’re rushing someone down the hallway on a stretcher, that’s the picture I had in my head while writing it. But thankfully songs can mean a lot of different things to different people. And those meanings are all valid. That’s why we all like songs. Between you and me, I kind of think songwriters sometimes ruin songs for people by telling us their thoughts on it. Just sometimes (and hopefully not this time).” — Aaron Espe
I was playing a solo concert at a beautiful hall in London, Ontario. The Aeolian. I was being introduced (they introduce the artists there before they perform) and following that, was called on stage. The audience held a steady round of applause. As I made my way to the front of the stage through the maze that was the other acts instruments, I heavily scratched my guitar on some sort of piano or synthesizer. One of the loudest sounds I’ve ever made on stage. The entire audience stopped clapping. I stopped moving. There was a mild chuckle then we all simply stared at each other. I loved that moment. I have a mark on my guitar to remember it forever.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I never knew I wanted to be a musician and still don’t know if that’s what I am. I simply live and breathe. Whatever happens, happens.
What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?
The in-between. The time when I’m not writing. That’s the toughest. I sometimes go months upon months without writing. It feels hopeless, but then I’ll sit down and write seven songs in a day. It’s frustrating. Those times when nothing is happening, it can make one feel like nothing will ever happen again.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I love the outdoors. I spend most of my time there. Be it in the woods, on the farm, simply hiking around. It’s inspiring. I wrote a love song once for a deer. No one will ever hear it. Most people don’t understand ungulate anyways.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
I’ve had daydreams before… sitting around a campfire in a time forgotten listening to some unknown mountain man with a silky voice, singing songs of adventures past. Feasting on fresh wild game with a marrow sauce. Maybe a berry or two. That would be nice.
Artist:Tania Joy Hometown: Uxbridge, Ontario Single: “Planks and Marietta” Release Date: February 16, 2021
In Their Words: “’Planks and Marietta’ is a song I needed to write about the difficult relationship between me and racism. I’ve always needed to talk about it, but I rarely have. George Floyd brought it all back, and now after a very dark period I am able to start the conversation, even if it’s only with myself, in ‘Planks and Marietta’. The title taken from a racist incident that occurred at two cross streets in my hometown, is a call out to many others in many towns all over the world. It’s my protest song about all of the little stories that get swept under the rug until they can no longer be ignored.” — Tania Joy
Artist:Terrible Sons Hometown: Christchurch, New Zealand Song: “What a Friend” Album:Mass EP Release Date: February 12, 2021 Label: Nettwerk
In Their Words: “We think of ‘What a Friend’ as a lament. It’s passionate. It’s a song we struggle to sing — it’s laden with regret and disappointment. The song looks into a life that is unravelling internally and externally, a character who struggles to communicate, someone who’s on the edge. We’re really singing about being a failure as a friend, about not being there. Maybe the song is a small declaration that you can’t always be there for your friends, maybe that’s not always healthy for you, and possibly them, but it still hurts to fail others. The song is part of our new EP Mass, and it plays with those ideas of beauty and disappointment. We like to think of these songs as ultimately hopeful; we certainly see the sadness as leading to resilience.” — Terrible Sons
Artist:Raine Hamilton Hometown: The flatland prairies of Winnipeg, Manitoba Song: “Brave Land” Album:Brave Land
In Their Words: “I am a prairie person, but this album is about the mountains. As a flat lander, I was in a good position to appreciate the contrast of the open, vulnerable spaces of my upbringing, with the courageous, up-reaching lands of the mountains. We don’t have ‘up’ where I come from, so I really had a lot to learn from the mountains, this brave land that connects both the earth and the sky. This song, ‘Brave Land,’ is the title track of the record, and speaks to the courage of these landforms that reach out beyond their earthly world, and the spiritual connection that represents. ‘Brave Land’ is a joyful song that celebrates being alive on the Earth! What an amazing time that can be!” — Raine Hamilton
Artist:Moira Smiley Hometown: New Haven, Vermont Song: “Days of War” (feat. Sam Amidon and Seamus Egan) Album:In Our Voices Release Date: February 19, 2021 Label: Moira Smiley Music
In Their Words: “As I write these words for the Bluegrass Situation, I’m traveling for the first time in nine months. I’m seeing the birds-eye view that ‘Days of War’ imagines… and it’s extraordinary to see this beautiful earth today. I’m flying to my beloved California to work with Tune-Yards and write some new music. ‘I fly because I must carry on.’ ‘Days of War’ is one of three banjo-driven tracks on my new album, In Our Voices. This album returns me to my a cappella, collaborative roots and kicks up a lot of percussive dust while bowing deeply to American folk music.
“Seamus Egan (Solas, Seamus Egan Project) and I wrote the core of this song after yet another shockwave of white supremacist hate hurt more people in 2017. It evolved into this form when my old friend and fellow Vermonter, Sam Amidon, said ‘yes!’ to singing the ‘human’ voice so I could converse with him as ‘the bird’ who flies and sings in spite of all. The bird is also the voice of our inner resilience — our artistic and humanistic gifts that carry us through times of upheaval and violence.” — Moira Smiley
Artist:Lily B Moonflower Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas Song: “Midnight Song” Album:Moonflower Release Date: February 12, 2021 Label: Lost Cowgirl Records
In Their Words: “I was inspired to write this after many nights of dancing barefoot on the honky-tonk floor. After the live music was over, the neon lights were humming and I was humming along to their song. This created a dream state of mind where I started to form the idea for the song and the whimsical music video that goes along with it. The collaboration for the music video came together seamlessly and I think it’s very open to interpretation, but from my point of view, it’s representative of the magic that is created when community comes together through music and love.” — Lily B Moonflower
Artist:Mark Erelli Hometown: Melrose, Massachusetts Song: “Handmade” (featuring Maya de Vitry) Album:Jackpot EP Release Date: February 12, 2021 Label: Soundly Music
In Their Words: “Sometimes I’ll write a song that just truly comes alive when turned into a duet. I didn’t write ‘Handmade’ for two people to sing, but it didn’t take much to retrofit it to include another voice. The question of who that voice should be was a harder decision, made difficult by the shear number of amazing singers in Nashville where we recorded the song. I was a big fan of The Stray Birds, and when Maya de Vitry went out on her own for her 2019 solo album Adaptations, I was truly blown away. I love listening to all types of voices, but I really love singing with someone who can dig in and match my dynamics, which inspires me to dig deeper. Singing with Maya, I didn’t have to hold anything back, and I think the strength our vocals project reinforces the song’s message that sometimes you have to dig in, roll up your sleeves, and really work to make love happen.” — Mark Erelli
“It was an absolute joy to sing ‘Handmade’ with Mark. As a guest in Mark’s recording process, I was stepping into whatever culture and atmosphere that they (Mark, his band, producer Zack, engineer Dan) already had going in the studio — and I remember stepping into that room and finding a place of pure warmth and enthusiasm. Harmony singing is one of my favorite things in the world — I get to feel the emotional intensity and energy and character of a song, and then actually climb into it and do my best to help convey the story. I think Mark’s lyrics here are especially resonant in this moment, because a lot of us are taking a more ‘handmade’ approach to everything these days. And that line ‘I can’t wait to see what we’re gonna make’ really hits me now too — in dreaming about our future beyond the pandemic, and how we won’t just be returning to something in the past… we all have an opportunity to make something new.” — Maya de Vitry
Photo of Mark Erelli: Joe Navas; Photo of Maya de Vitry: Kaitlyn Raitz
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