Tag: Sitch Sessions

Top 10 Sitch Sessions of the Past 10 Years

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Since the beginning, BGS has sought to showcase roots music at every level and to preserve the moments throughout its ever-developing history that make this music so special. One of the simplest ways we’ve been able to do just that has been through our Sitch Sessions — working with new and old friends, up-and-coming artists, and legendary performers, filming musical moments in small, intimate spaces, among expansive, breathtaking landscapes, and just about everywhere in between. But always aiming to capture the communion of these shared moments.

In honor of our 10th year, we’ve gathered 10 of our best sessions — viral videos and fan favorites — from the past decade. We hope you’ll enjoy this trip down memory lane!

Greensky Bluegrass – “Burn Them”

Our most popular video of all time, this Telluride, Colorado session with Greensky Bluegrass is an undeniable favorite, and we just had to include it first.

Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris – “The Traveling Kind”

What more could you ask for than two old friends and legends of country music reminiscing on travels and songs passed and yet to come, in an intimate space like this? “We’re members of an elite group because we’re still around, we’re still traveling,” Emmylou Harris jokes. To which Rodney Crowell adds with a laugh, “We traveled so far, it became a song.” The flowers were even specifically chosen and arranged “to represent a celestial great-beyond and provide a welcoming otherworldly quality … a resting place for the traveling kind.” Another heartwarming touch for an unforgettable moment.

Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan – “Some Tyrant” 

In the summer of 2014, during the Telluride Bluegrass Festival we had the distinct pleasure of capturing Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan’s perfectly bucolic version of “Some Tyrant” among the aspens. While out on this jaunt into the woods, we also caught a performance of the loveliest ode to summertime from Kristin Andreassen, joined by Aoife and Sarah.

Rhiannon Giddens – “Mal Hombre”

Rhiannon Giddens once again proves that she can sing just about anything she wants to — and really well — with this gorgeously painful and moving version of “Mal Hombre.”

Tim O’Brien – “You Were on My Mind”

Is this our favorite Sitch Session of all time? Probably. Do we dream of having the good fortune of running into Tim O’Brien playing the banjo on a dusty road outside of Telluride like the truck driver in this video? Definitely.

Enjoy one of our most popular Sitch Sessions of all time, featuring O’Brien’s pure, unfiltered magic in a solo performance of an original, modern classic.

Gregory Alan Isakov – “Saint Valentine”

Being lucky in love is great work, if you can find it. But, for the rest of us, it’s a hard row to hoe. For this 2017 Sitch Session at the York Manor in our home base of Los Angeles, Gregory Alan Isakov teamed up with the Ghost Orchestra to perform “Saint Valentine.”

The Earls of Leicester – “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town”

In this rollicking session, the Earls of Leicester gather round some Ear Trumpet Labs mics to bring their traditional flair to a modern audience, and they all seem to be having a helluva time!

Sara and Sean Watkins – “You and Me”

For this Telluride session, Sara and Sean Watkins toted their fiddle and guitar up the mountain to give us a performance of “You and Me” from a gondola flying high above the canyon.

Punch Brothers – “My Oh My / Boll Weevil”

The Punch Brothers — along with Dawes, The Lone Bellow, and Gregory Alan Isakov — headlined the 2015 LA Bluegrass Situation festival at the Greek Theatre (a party all on its own), and in anticipation, the group shared a performance of “My Oh My” into “Boll Weevil” from on top of the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Caitlin Canty feat. Noam Pikelny – “I Want To Be With You Always”

We’ll send you off with this delicate moment. Released on Valentine’s Day, Caitlin Canty and Noam Pikelny offered their tender acoustic rendition of Lefty Frizzell’s 1951 country classic love song, “I Want to Be With You Always.”

Dive into 8 of our favorite underrated Sitch Sessions here.

July is BANJO MONTH at BGS: Here’s 25 of our Best Banjo Sitch Sessions

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

It’s somehow already July (where is this year going?), so what’s better to pass those hot and lazy days than some sweet sweet banjo music? All month long, BGS will be featuring some of the very best players of the instrument, plus some special interviews, videos, and playlists.  From Scruggs-style to clawhammer, whatever you want, we’ve probably got it covered.

To kick things off, we’ve assembled a playlist of our twenty-five very favorite banjo-centric SITCH SESSIONS, including Abigail Washburn & Bela Fleck, Valerie June, Joe Mullins, Noam Pikelny, Rhiannon Giddens, Tim O’Brien, and Greensky Bluegrass, with a video so epic, it deserves to be in the canon of one of our TOP 50 MOMENTS.

It was Telluride 2014, and the BGS team was on the road with the guys from Mason Jar Music to record some friends in picture-perfect settings nestled amongst the San Juan Mountains.  The Greensky band was down for anything, so the whole crew shlepped up to Mountain Village and found an empty platform – typically used for weddings and the like – and started recording guerrilla style.  The result is one of the most memorable – and most watched – moments we’ve ever captured.  Relive it at the video link below.

Check out the full BGS Banjo Month video playlist here.

8 of Our Favorite Underrated Sitch Sessions

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Since our first excursion to Bonnaroo in 2013 BGS has been filming, crafting, and releasing Sitch Sessions with the absolute best and brightest musicians and artists in roots music. We’ve been so fortunate to work with new and old friends, freshly discovered and up-and-coming artists, and legendary performers with enormous legacies. After nearly eight years, we’ve amassed quite an archive of sessions, and within that archive more than a few stellar songs and performances have seemingly fallen to the wayside. 

These 8 Sitch Sessions from the BGS archives are a few of our most favorite, underrated moments from our years of shooting sessions. We hope you’ll enjoy a few of these “reruns” — and take a deep dive into our past featured videos yourself!

Nathan Bowles – “Burnt Ends Rag”

One of our favorite shooting locations is a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, where countless BGS Friends & Neighbors have taped their Sitch Sessions over the years. One of our favorites is this clawhammer banjo performance by Nathan Bowles, which demonstrates that old-time music and its trappings can be perfectly at home in modernity — and in urban settings, too. More banjos in DTLA, please and thank you!

Andrew Combs – “Firestarter”

One fine AmericanaFest week in Nashville in September a few years back we partnered with Crowell Floral, Jacob Blumberg, and Dan Knobler on The Silverstreak Sessions, a series of Sitch Sessions set in a vintage Airstream and flanked by gorgeous flowers and verdant foliage. At the time, “Firestarter” had not yet been released — now you can hear it on Combs’ 2019 release, Ideal Man. For this session all Combs needed was his guitar, this heartfelt song, and that honey sweet, aching voice. 

Alice Gerrard – “Maybe This Time” 

Every opportunity we’ve had to collaborate or speak with Bluegrass Hall of Famer and living legend Alice Gerrard, we’ve taken it! This session is two of a pair we shot with Gerrard, the other a stark, awe-inspiring a capella number that was quite popular on our channels. This Alice original, “Maybe This Time,” is cheerier, lighter, and has that charming old-time bounce in its bluegrass bones. 

With a new documentary film available, You Gave Me a Song, perhaps it’s about time for another session with this hero of ours!

Ben Sollee – “Pretend”

Maybe you’ve seen Mark O’Connor play fiddle while skateboarding, or Rushad Eggleston performing all manner of acrobatics and avant garde silliness with his cello, but do you remember when Ben Sollee toured America by bicycle? In this 2016 session, Sollee demonstrates his cello-while-pedaling chops. 

We’re firm believers that the world needs more bluegrass, old-time, and Americana cello and we’re happy to return to this archived Sitch Session for that reminder!

Caroline Spence – “Mint Condition”

Another session filmed on our home turf in Los Angeles, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Caroline Spence brought “Mint Condition” to her taping fresh off her debut, eponymous release on Rounder Records in 2019. “Mint Condition” displays Spence’s unique skill for writing strong, unassailable hooks that on almost any other songwriter’s page might trend cheesy or trite. Spence instead displays the simple profundity in her lyrics, a skill evidenced plainly in this session.

Laura Veirs – “July Flame”

Over the years, we’ve partnered with festivals, companies, and brands on tailor-made sessions — like our Portland series, where we partnered with our friends at Ear Trumpet Labs on some of our most popular, most viral Sitch Sessions ever! This beautiful, sunny, summery rendition of “July Flame” by Laura Veirs certainly deserves a re-up. 

In 2016, after this session was published, Veirs went on to release case/lang/veirs with Neko Case and k.d. lang. Remember that!? 

Kelsey Waldon – “Powderfinger”

We first filmed a Sitch Session with Kentuckian country singer and songwriter Kelsey Waldon in 2015 — after the release of her debut album, The Goldmine, in 2014. In the time that’s elapsed since, Waldon has followed her golden debut with two more impeccable studio albums, the latest being White Noise / White Lines, which was released on the late John Prine’s Oh Boy Records in 2019. On the tail of White Noise / White Lines, Waldon gave us this gorgeous cover of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” displaying her talent for cover song interpretations as well as original song sculpting.

Sunny War – “He Is My Cell”

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Sunny War has just released a brand new album, Simple Syrup, as charming and entrancing as ever and built firmly, yet again, upon her unique and idiosyncratic guitar picking style. In 2018 she released With the Sun, an album that included “He Is My Cell,” which ended up featured in a Sitch Session in early 2019 on BGS. 

War recently appeared as a guest on our Shout & Shine series – read our interview here. 

 

The Best of Sitch Sessions: 13 Must-See Musical Moments

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

As we enter the new year, we look back on our favorite moments shared with some of our favorite artists in 2018. Check out our top Sitch Sessions, filmed in Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, and beyond.


“Ain’t That Fine” – I’m With Her

Fresh off the release of their debut full-length album See You Around in February, Sara Watkins, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz serenaded us among the palms of the Fairmont Park Horticultural Center in Philadelphia.


 “Mal Hombre” – Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens brought Tejano to East Nashville with her powerful version of the legendary Lydia Mendoza’s classic “Mal Hombre.”


 “Long Gone Out West Blues” – Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers

Traditional bluegrass proselytes Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers joined us in Nashville, gearing up for the return of Huck Finn Jubilee in Southern California last October.


“The Traveling Kind” – Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris

Looking back on their 40+ years of friendship and collaboration, with no intention of stopping, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris claim to be members of an “elite group” of those from their generation still traveling, touring, and performing. They laugh, “We’ve traveled so far, it became a song, at last”.


“Islands in the Stream” – Love Canon

How can you not smile from this bluegrass-inspired version of this Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton classic?


“Rygar” – Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge

The duo gifted us with the building, joyous “Rygar”, off their album Mount Royal, which they describe as being comprised of “experiments” — songs that allowed them to explore their own capabilities and push the boundaries of what can be done on the acoustic guitar.


“The Restless” – The Lone Bellow

With this stunningly stripped-down rendition of “The Restless,” The Lone Bellow reminded us to keep our heads up and our hearts open in the face of adversity, something to hold on to for a fresh start in the new year.


“Alison” – Jamie Drake

Gearing up to release her solo album Everything’s Fine in 2019, alt-folk singer/songwriter Jamie Drake joined us in Los Angeles and regaled us with her immaculate tune “Alison.”


“Different, I Guess” – Lilly Hiatt

Lilly Hiatt, in the way only she can, ponders the dangers and glories of being vulnerable and allowing yourself to fall in love.


 “Coming Down the Mountain” – Mipso

Mipso muses on retreating from the madness of society in this beautiful song, taken from their 2017 album of the same name.


“Took You Up” – Courtney Marie Andrews

Courtney Marie Andrews’ breathtaking vocals stunned us once again in a solo acoustic version of this track from her latest album May Your Kindness Remain.


“Thirty” – The Weather Station

The Weather Station (AKA Tara Lindeman) gave us the haunting and tense, yet fluid, “Thirty” from their self-titled album. They met us to perform the song at BOK, a historic Philadelphia trade school, closed five years ago, now re-purposed for its space to be used by the community for small businesses, job training, non-profits, and more.


“Firestarter” – Andrew Combs

And to close out the year, we have singer/songwriter Andrew Combs with a solo acoustic performance of this captivating, previously unreleased tune.

 

Best of: Sitch Sessions

Posted on by Editor

Since 2014, we at the BGS have been putting together videos of amazing artists singing great songs in stunning locations. So before jumping into a whole new year, take some time to sit back, put your feet up by the fire, and watch five of our favorite Sitch Sessions … picked just for you.

Birds of Chicago — “Lodestar”

There is something otherworldly about this performance of “Lodestar” at the 2016 Fayetteville Roots Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And the barefoot Allison Russell absolutely steals the show with her tender vocals, delicate banjo plucking, and clarinet solo.

Billy Strings & Don Julin — “Meet Me at the Creek”

In one of our most watched Sitch Sessions, Billy Strings and Don Julin are joined by bass player Kevin Gills for a lively performance of “Meet Me at the Creek.” Be sure to stick around for the whole instrumental breakdown to see Strings and Julin show off their fast fingers!

Gregory Alan Isakov — “Saint Valentine”

For this Sitch Session, Gregory Alan Isakov paired up with the Ghost Orchestra to bring you a new arrangement of his 2013 classic, “Saint Valentine.” While we love Isakov for his smooth vocals and beautiful guitar parts, something magical happens when he is backed up by orchestral strings and a haunting brass line.

Hubby Jenkins — “Mean Ol Frisco”

“Mean Ol Frisco” may be a blues song, but you will be grinning from ear to ear after watching this performance by the husky-voiced Carolina Chocolate Drop multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins. You can even tell he’s having fun playing it, as he can’t help but crack a smile after delivering each line once he gets about a minute in.

Front Country — “If Something Breaks”

Fuschia-haired front woman Melody Walker glows in this low-lit Sitch Session at 25th Street Recording in Oakland. Between Walker’s strong vocals and the picked and plucked instrumental backing, we can’t help but listen to “If Something Breaks” over and over again.