Tag: Steep Canyon Rangers

MIXTAPE: Mona’s Monday Night Bluegrass Session

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Behind a plain facade on a quiet block in Manhattan’s East Village is the unassuming hub of the New York City bluegrass scene — Mona’s Bar. More or less equidistant between the Alphabet City housing projects and the rock clubs and poetry cafés surrounding Tompkins Square Park and the Lower East Side, Mona’s occupies a space between worlds. Equal parts punk-era dive bar and neighborhood weirdo artist hang-out, it’s off the radar just enough to attract music fans looking for the real thing away from the high-priced and uptight venues which clutter the cultural landscape in NYC.

“There’s definitely a real kind of magic here. Maybe there’s a UFO buried in the foundation,” jokes guitarist and singer Rick Snell. A veteran sideman and session musician, he’s been the host of the Monday Night Bluegrass Session here since it started over five years ago. What began as a late-night hang for the professional musicians in town looking to wind down and pick a few tunes after their gigs has blossomed into the de facto center of the scene for bluegrass, old-time string music, and old-school country in NYC.

“Word got around some time ago that this was a chill place to hang and pick, get a beer, meet some really interesting people,” says Snell. “We’ve been very lucky to have so many great players pass through the doors over the years.” These days, the Session often features local names alongside some of the best-known players in traditional music — members of Punch Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Kentucky Thunder, and others have all passed through the doors, at one time or another. The current weekly house band includes fiddler Duncan Wickel and Jeff Austin Band bassist Max Johnson.

We asked Snell to make a playlist of some favorites that have spent some time here in years past. 

Della Mae — “Good Blood”

I first became a fan of Della Mae at the GreyFox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York. These gals definitely know how to keep the dance tent going ’til way past curfew. We’ve had Jenni Lyn and Zoe on the gig a few times; they’re absolutely top-notch players.

Mike Barnett — “It’ll Be Alright”

Mike was a mainstay in his time in New York, but when Ricky Skaggs calls, it’s time to pack your bags and move to Nashville. He sounds right at home in Kentucky Thunder. Here’s Mike singing with one of our favorite vocalists in New York — I’m with Her’s Aoife O’Donovan.

Lake Street Dive — “Mistakes”

They’re so fun! It’s almost an afterthought to mention how deep Lake Street is tapped into American roots music. We’ve been big fans of these guys and gals for years. Any time we’ve gotten a bass in Bridget Kearney’s hands at Mona’s, it’s just been some of the heaviest groove playing you’re ever going to hear.

Lonesome Trio — Appalachia Apologia

These guys really have a special place in my heart. Jake, Ed, and Ian are great writers and pickers in their own rights, but there is something really special about their chemistry which shows their life-long musical friendship. I’ve always loved this witty little tune.

Six Deadly Venoms — “Where the Soul of Man Never Dies”

I wanted to shamelessly include the Venoms — I’m their guitarist and singer on this track — because the Mona’s Session was originally built around the musicians in this group, and these guys served as the house band for the first few years. Again, there is something in the music here which only happens as a result of the real love and friendship we have.

Steep Canyon Rangers — “Looking Glass”

These guys have an amazing story: a band of killer North Carolina pickers meets Steve Martin at a party, gets asked to be his backing band, wins a Grammy, changes the world, etc. No big deal. Nicky Sanders has been a good friend to the Session over the years, and we’ve been lucky to pick with him a bunch at Mona’s. Some great fiddling on this track.

10 String Symphony — “Mad Girl’s Love Song”

While it is tempting to get lost in the technical beauty of their singing, their unique sense of harmony, and their musical instincts which seem so in tune even down to the smallest levels, at the end of the day, their songs are just so damn moving. We love Rachel and Christian.

Matt Flinner Trio — “Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump”

Matt came through when he was producing an album in town. Matt’s just one of the most interesting and prolific composers on the scene, and his trio’s music du jour project is really cool. Also, we’re super fans of Ross Martin who is a founding member of the trio and just one of the best guitar players anywhere.

Jacob Jolliff: “Hopped the Trash Car” (not on Spotify)

Jake’s awesome technical abilities are usually the first thing anyone notices in his playing, but there’s really something unique in his ideas and his vision which I consider his strongest suit. Here’s a guy to watch in the coming years; we’ve already seen great things from him both in Yonder Mountain String Band and his own project. And I expect much more amazing music in the future.

Photo credit: Aidan Grant

Steve Martin: Making the Same Sound Different

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The sound of a five-string banjo has a cosmic pull. When Earl Scruggs first took to the Grand Ole Opry stage with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys in 1945, his rapid-fire, three-finger picking style shocked and stunned the Ryman Auditorium audience and radio listeners across the country. The standing ovation he received shook the entire building to its rafters with hands clapping, boots stomping, and hootin’ and hollerin’. It was the Big Bang of bluegrass banjo.

Almost every banjo player could tell you the first time they heard the instrument, the first time they encountered its cosmic pull — a personal, introspective banjo Big Bang unique to each person who is struck by its irresistible, joyful, magnetic sound. Steve Martin describes the first time he heard a banjo as his “What’s that!?” moment. “I kind of pin it on the Kingston Trio,” he remembers. “But I know there were earlier things. I fell in love with the four-string banjo, too. When I was 11, I would go to Disneyland to see the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and there was a four-string banjo player. When I worked at Knott’s Berry Farm, there was a four-string banjo player there, too.” His voice shifts to a whisper, as he adds, “But, we all know that five is better.”

He continues, “I do believe it was kind of the Kingston Trio or folk music, in general, that really made the sound like, ‘Wow, what a happy, wonderful sound!’”

He picked up the banjo as a teenager, taking on three-finger, Scruggs-style picking with the help and influence of his friend John McEuen. But, unlike most banjo pickers, who choose one style — Scruggs’ namesake method, or jazz and ragtime on tenor and plectrum banjos, or any of several types of frailing — Martin also had a “What’s that!?” moment with the old-time form, clawhammer: “It was a record called 5-String Banjo Greats and another record called the Old-Time Banjo Project. They were both compilations. So I don’t know who introduced me to clawhammer. When I was learning three-finger and I was into it about three years, I started to really notice clawhammer, and I go, ‘Oh, no. I have to learn that, too.’”

He is a master of both three-finger and clawhammer to this day and, on his brand new record, The Long-Awaited Album, he shifts effortlessly between the two — sometimes within one song.

Through his career as a comedian and actor, the banjo was ever at Martin’s side. It was a part of his stand-up act, it was peppered into his comedy albums, and it made cameos on his TV appearances. It would be cliché to assume that the banjo and bluegrass were a byproduct of Martin’s comedy career, but the instrument was never an afterthought, an addendum, or a prop. In fact, bluegrass and folk music showed him from his early show biz days working at theme parks that humor was an integral part of these musical traditions.

“When I first started hearing live music, like the Dillards or folk music of some kind, they all did jokes,” he says. “They all did funny intros to songs. They did riffs. They did bits. And then they did their music. That’s essentially what we’re doing now.” The silly, whimsical, comedic elements of the music Martin makes with his collaborators, friends, and backing band — the Steep Canyon Rangers — are just as much a testament to Martin’s history with bluegrass as they are a testament to his extraordinary comedy career.

During the seven years that elapsed between their last bluegrass album, Rare Bird Alert, and The Long-Awaited Album, Martin and the Rangers wrote, developed, and arranged the project’s material during soundchecks, band rehearsals, and downtime on the bus. Barn-burning, Scruggs-style tunes and contemplative, frailing instrumentals are sprinkled amidst love songs and story songs, silly and earnest, all steeped in quirky, humorous inventiveness. The album is centered on a solidly bluegrass aesthetic — but bluegrass is not a default setting.

Musical and production choices for each song were pointed and deliberate, with producer Peter Asher, Martin, and the Rangers keeping each song central and building out the sound around any given track’s core idea. “I love the sound of the five, six instruments that are traditionally bluegrass,” Martin clarifies. “That’s all we need. The Rangers, they say bluegrass is five musicians playing all the time. Other music is five musicians not playing all the time. In bluegrass, they have breaks, but there’s always the backup going. There’s always everybody chopping. So I thought, ‘What if we left out some of the instruments? What if we were not playing all the time?’ It really made a different sound.”

By leaving out an instrument here or there, adding in a cello or, in the case of the lead track, “Santa Fe,” an entire Mariachi band, the album’s sound registers immediately as bluegrass, but refuses to be lazily or automatically categorized as such. First and foremost, it sounds like Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. “I’ve always loved the idea of the sound of the banjo against the cello, or viola, or violin, because you have the staccato notes against the long notes. The cello or viola contribute to the melancholy and mood of the banjo. But mostly, it’s just us, the seven musicians, including myself. We can reproduce it on stage … except for the mariachi. But the song called for a mariachi band, you know?” He laughs and adds, “There’s almost no way to avoid it.”

Where many bluegrass and folk writers eschew modern vernacular, places, and topics, Martin leans in, embracing contemporary scenarios and themes that don’t necessarily fit the stereotypes of train-hopping, moonshine-running, field-plowing folk music. The Olive Garden, nights in a biology laboratory, a gate at an airport, “Angeline the Barista” … the timelessness of roots and folk music isn’t lost in these themes and settings; it’s enhanced, it’s relatable, and it’s damn funny.

“I’ve written a song about a train, and I’ve written a song about Paul Revere. I think it’s got to be specific for people. They’ve got to go, ‘I know that!’ If I’m writing about a train, I know that 99 percent of people that the song will be heard by won’t really have that experience. But if I write about the Olive Garden and a girl busting up with you, I think a lot of people can relate to that, even if they don’t have that exact experience.”

The relatability and visibility of Martin’s music have brought bluegrass — and the banjo — to countless ears that may have never heard it otherwise. In 2015, the International Bluegrass Music Association awarded Martin a Distinguished Achievement Award with this visibility and outreach in mind. With The Long-Awaited Album; the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass that he awards annually; a national tour of his banjo-forward, Tony-nominated Broadway musical, Bright Star; and a heavy touring schedule criss-crossing the country with the Steep Canyon Rangers and his longtime comedy partner, Martin Short, Martin is poised to continue bringing the banjo to many first-time listeners.

But when faced with the idea that he, himself, could very well be the “What’s that?!” moment for an entire generation of brand new banjo players, he is unfalteringly modest. “What I try to express with the banjo is the sound of the banjo. When I first heard Earl Scruggs, I loved his skill, his timing, and his musicianship. I regard myself as someone who’s expressing the sound of the banjo rather than being a superior, technical player like Béla Fleck. So, if anyone picks up the banjo from hearing me, it’s because they fell in love with the sound of the banjo. What I do is get the sound of the banjo out there to a broader world, I guess.”

Lede illustration by Cat Ferraz.

Turn Up the Radio: A Conversation with Woody Platt of Steep Canyon Rangers

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One of our favorite bands is Steep Canyon Rangers, the North Carolina complement of bluegrass boys who’ve spent the last 15 years winning our affections with magical songs and superior playing. Their saga continues this month as they tour the country behind their new album, Radio. Lead singer and guitarist Woody Platt dialed us up from a hotel room in Colorado to chat about what went into making their newest release.

I enjoy learning about what goes on behind the scenes when a band makes a record. So let’s start by talking about the songwriting process. You’re all involved in the songwriting, right?

We are. We have a “whole band” approach to writing our songs. Typically, the bulk of our material starts with Graham [Sharp] and Charles [Humphrey], the band’s banjo and bass players. They’re constantly writing songs. We can be in the studio making a record and they’ll be writing a song for the next record. So, we’ve had a lot of material for this album kickin’ around since we made the previous record, Tell the Ones I Love [in 2013]. Usually, it works out to where half the songs are already together — we’ve been performing them and shaping them and seeing how they work with a live audience — and then the other half take shape and come to life in the studio.

I’d say that, if we have an 11- or 12-song record, typically we might show up with 20 “candidates.” We like the producer to have a clean slate. He doesn't need to know who’s written what song, so there’s no personal interest attached to anything as we approach a record. There’s always the obvious batch that everyone loves, the ones we start with. And then, when we’re rounding the record out, we select from the remaining songs based on what the record needs, to kind of fill out the puzzle at the end. And we appreciate a producer’s input, helping us narrow songs down.

I was going to ask if you decided on the songs before you met with Jerry [Douglas, the album’s producer] or after things got rolling. You read my mind and pretty much answered the question.

Yeah, it’s kind of done throughout. There are the obvious ones that everyone knows should be included and then you round it out.

But, the actual songwriting process is really cool. Usually Graham and Charles present a song to us individually. If it’s something I might sing, they might come to me with a guitar and we’ll learn it. If it seems fitting, we’ll take it to the band. But, every member is involved and I really respect the writers for that. They don’t say, “This is the song. This is how it goes.” They say, “Here’s a song. What do you think?” We’ll try everything — different time signatures, different keys — and the songwriters are very open-minded and accepting of input. That makes the process enjoyable.

It also makes it challenging. As Jerry likes to say, “You turn over every rock.” He was the perfect producer for us at the perfect time. His connection to the tradition of bluegrass — you know, the Country Gentlemen — all the great traditional bluegrass players he learned from and played with. Combine that with his ability to stretch out the music and cross it into other genres, and he was perfect for us, especially since we’ve added percussion to our band. He was the perfect guy to help us stay rooted and explore at the same time.

That’s the key to a good producer … someone who can give you input on the songs and, at the same time, help shape the sound. When you talked about the sound of the record, the texture of it all, what kind of ideas did you throw around?

Well, there are so many things you can do in the studio. [Laughs] There are endless opportunities. For us, we wanted to pretty much capture something we could recreate on stage. We avoided doing a lot of layering, stuff that we can’t do on stage. We did use some delay and a few things that we haven’t used in the past, but those are things we can incorporate into our show. As far as the final soundstage, that was really Jerry’s doing. We trusted him so much. He mainly mixed it with the engineers and we just dropped in. He did a great job.

He really did. It blends the traditional elements of bluegrass but has a very rich, modern texture. A little bit of, dare I say it, “rock 'n' roll.” It’s a little bit beyond what a lot of traditonal bluegrass bands will do these days.

Yeah, we cut the drums, bass, and mandolin in one big cathedral type room. We got the drum sound really rich. Those three instruments are on each other's tracks. The rhythm section has a real room sound, a real live sound, because they’re all together.

That must be it. And I can hear it. It’s also a very light-hearted record and I like that.

We’ve been known to have darker records, thematically. But it’s cool you can hear that coming through on this one.

The first single, “Radio,” is a fun tune, name dropping Casey Kasem and all that. Why did you choose that as as the lead track?

Well, we’ve really been into that song since the first time it came around, since Graham showed it to us. Jerry jumped right on it; he immediately loved the track. It kind of strikes a chord with our generation … how we got music, how you had to chase down and catch it off the radio and try to catch it on a blank cassette. How different that is to how music is listened to today. It seems like a good time to have that throwback kind of thing, to remind our generation and people a little older how it used to be to listen to music.

It was exciting, a sense of anticipation sitting next to the radio …

Absolutely.

… waiting for your song to come on and you’d jump on the button to record it. It was an entirely different world than what my kids experience. They want to hear a song? “Hello, Spotify.”

And then when you’re waiting to listen to a song, you’d hear a bunch of other songs you didn’t even know about. I feel like Spotify and all those other ways of listening to music are so popular right now that it’s a good time to remind people about the radio and other ways you can listen to music.

I like all the songs on the record, but the groove of “Simple Is Me” is pretty infectious, as they say.

It’s got a nice pocket to it. It’s kind of like “Stand And Deliver,” from our last album. It’s one of the songs that came up later in the process of making the record and it really stood out.

I think one of the misconceptions people have outside our little community is that bluegrass doesn’t have a groove. But then you go see any number of different bands — you guys … the McCourys are one that come to mind — and there’s no shortage of groove.

For us, we picked up a lot of groove when we got our percussionist because he’s got that kick drum. He’s really helped us catch a groove. We’ve always had something in the pocket, but it’s really been enhanced by him.

My other favorite is “Blue Velvet Rain.” But, then, I’m a sucker for a country waltz.

Yeah. [Laughs] Charles wrote that. It features a nice quartet vocal, which we’ve always liked to do and focused on. We used to do a lot of a cappella singing and we have the voices to do that stuff. It’s a nice tune; it’s gone over well at our shows.

I had the chance to talk with a friend of yours, James Griggs.

Oh yeah!

Are we hearing his guitars on this record?

Actually, no. I got one of his, but I didn’t play it one the record. My wife [Shannon Whitworth] has one of his guitars and she plays it all the time, every show. He’s a good builder and good friend.

You’re out on the road right now. I’m assuming all these songs are getting workouts.

They are. Gosh, I think nine or 10 of them are in the show. We did a show in Boulder in July and every song we played was from the record. We’re using “Blow Me Away” as a closer; putting “Simple Is Me” and “Radio” at the top of show. They’re all equally exciting right now because they’re all so fresh.

Photo by Sandlin Gaither

RECAP: The BGS at Bonnaroo 2016

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Anyone turning to music for solace likely found a welcoming home in That Tent, where John Moreland was getting the BGS Stage started with his gut-wrenching Oklahoma Americana. “Well the older I get, truth gets harder to find. And famous false prophets get by off of robbing good men blind,” he sang on “Blacklist,” one of the earlier songs in the set. “Maybe I don’t have it in me, maybe it doesn’t have me in it. And if I don’t fly, that’s fine, just let me find the place where I fit.”

His songs don’t need frills — for something as minimal as a guy and a guitar, a set from Moreland rings through the air with a certain level of force. That’s partially thanks to his lyrics, which are conversational enough to feel like a chat between old friends and insightful enough to bounce around in your head for a while until they take on new meaning.

Following Moreland in That Tent was Sara Watkins with a set that would mark the first of many rousing performances of hers on the BGS stage. “This is the maiden voyage for a lot of these songs,” she said at one point. But her setlist was populated with recognizable numbers like “Say So” and “Long Hot Summer Days,” the weather-appropriate latter of which was turned into a group effort when she asked the crowd to sing along. The Secret Sisters sat in for a few, too, making for a high point on the stage before the clock even hit three.

The Wood Brothers were a worthy follow-up to Watkins’ harmonies, and plucky instrumentals on early songs like “Atlas” and “Mary Anna” drew several curious passersby. “Luckiest Man,” arguably the group’s best-known number, drew a heartwarming swell in volume as the crowd sang along — a promising sign of what was to come throughout the day.

“We haven’t had the luxury of being here all weekend,” said Steep Canyon Rangers mid-way through their set, following the Wood Brothers as the afternoon went by. Their song, “Tell the Ones I Love,” was a shot of energy on an otherwise hot, heavy day, with rich vocals and a beat that picked up as they went along. This is a band that at their best when they’re picking at instrumentals, and the sheer speed of their fingers on the longer jams had onlookers twirling and swaying.

The momentum kept up for newgrass innovators Sam Bush Band, and while the transient crowd was starting to get rowdy (“We hear your request, but we’re going to keep playing,” they responded to one heckle with a laugh), the mood was as warm as the weather — which, by the way, was really dang warm.

As the day’s big Superjam grew nearer, the crowd forming outside That Tent grew from modest to massive, stretching back to the vendors and filled with onlookers waiting for a glimpse of Ed Helms and his all-star on-stage compadres. He started off the collaborative headlining set with a hand-clapping rendition of bluegrass classic “I’ve Endured,” sharing the mic with Sean and Sara Watkins. The three of them were soon joined by Scott Vestal and Sam Bush as Sara led into “Here I Go Down that Long Road Again.”

“We’re going to do an old Bill Monroe song,” said Bush. “Do you all know who Bill Monroe is? The father of bluegrass music?”

It’s safe to say the crowd’s answer was affirmative on that one, and Bush took the lead on “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” The song was followed by an appearance from Amanda Shires, whose performance of Roger Miller’s “Dang Me” kept a fun, upbeat vibe on the lyrics and allowed Shires' and Sara’s dueling fiddles to take the spotlight. Shires stuck around after the song ended for a duet of “In Spite of Ourselves” with Helms that was prefaced a healthy amount of gushing over the song’s writer, John Prine, from both parties. A tough act to follow, Helms brought Bush back out, along Steep Canyon Rangers’ Nicky Sanders, for “Lovesick Blues.”

Last-minute guest Langhorne Slim was up next, performing “Lawyers, Guns & Money” with the Watkins Family Hour band, who went on to perform “From a Buick Six” with Bush. From there, the vocals really reached out and grabbed you — Lee Ann Womack’s pristine voice made “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good” sound like just the gospel we needed on a long, hard day like Sunday, and to follow it up with two songs from the Secret Sisters — “Big River” and “All About You” — felt downright indulgent.

Womack returned for two more songs with the Watkins Family Hour, “Little Lies” and “Let ‘Em In,” before Steep Canyon Rangers came out to steal the stage for Merle Haggard’s classic “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink.” Once Helms returned to the stage for the last few songs, he called Amy Reitnouer (our fearless leader here at BGS and the mastermind behind the festivities) for a moving performance on Neil Young’s “Long May You Run” with the whole gang back out on stage.

The jam was more than just a dang good time; It was a reminder of the peacefulness and overwhelming sense of unity that festivals — and music, in general — have to offer. Long live the BGS Superjam. (How many days until next year?)

Photos by Elli Papayanopoulos for the BGS

Get Off Your Ass: June Is Busting Out All Over

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Paul Simon // Hollywood Bowl // June 1

Junior Brown // McCabe's Guitar Shop // June 3

Elizabeth Cook // Hotel Café // June 7

The Wild Reeds // Bootleg Theatre // June 10

Robbie Fulks // The Mint // June 11

Bob Dylan & Mavis Staples // Shrine Auditorium // June 16

Sarah Jarosz // The Troubadour // June 16

Mike + Ruthy // Hotel Café // June 18

Moses Sumney // Getty Center // June 18

case/lang/veirs // Greek Theatre // June 23

The Weepies // City Winery // June 8

Brandy Clark // CMA Fest // June 10

Ray Wylie Hubbard // 3rd & Lindsley // June 10

Aubrie Sellers & Dylan LeBlanc // 3rd & Lindsley // June 12

Hurray for the Riff Raff // Centennial Park // June 18

The Cactus Blossoms // 3rd & Lindsley // June 19

Eagle Rock Gospel Singers // High Watt // June 21

Vince Gill // Ryman Auditorium // June 23

Bob Dylan & Mavis Staples // Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater // June 26

Ani DiFranco // City Winery // June 29-30

Bryan Sutton Band // Rockwood Music Hall // June 1

Steep Canyon Rangers // City Winery // June 2

Gary Clark, Jr. // Randall's Island // June 5

Son Little // Bowery Ballroom // June 9

Colvin & Earle // City Winery // June 10

Billy Joe Shaver // City Winery // June 12

Eli Paperboy Reed // Union Pool // June 16

The Stray Birds // Jalopy Theatre // June 21

Robert Ellis // Bowery Ballroom // June 22

Lonely Heartstring Band // Hill Country Barbecue // June 23-24

ANNOUNCING: BGS Superjam at Bonnaroo 2016

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We've already told you about the BGS Stage at Bonnaroo 2016 happening on Sunday, June 12 and featuring John Moreland, Sara Watkins, the Wood Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, and the Sam Bush Band. But we're also hosting our fourth epic roots Superjam to close out the last day of the Festival.

Every year, the Bluegrass Situation brings together the best of bluegrass, Americana, and country for a rollicking rollout of eclectic guests, unexpected covers, and traditional favorites.

The 2016 BGS SuperJam will be hosted by our very own Ed Helms with the Watkins Family Hour House Band (including Sara and Sean Watkins) as well as Lee Ann Womack, the Wood Brothers, Sam Bush Band, Buddy Miller, the Secret Sisters, Amanda Shires, Steep Canyon Rangers, and more.

As always, there's bound to be a surprise … or several. See you there!

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival takes place June 9-12 in Manchester, Tennessee. Click here to see the full lineup.

WATCH: Steep Canyon Rangers, ‘Blue Velvet Rain’

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Artist: Steep Canyon Rangers
Hometown: Brevard and Asheville, NC
Song: "Blue Velvet Rain"
Album: RADIO
Label: Rounder Label Group

In Their Words: “’Blue Velvet Rain’ was inspired by Phil Barker and my interest in the life of Duane Allman. The lyrics are a flash of the protagonist’s life as he struggles with self-control and inner turmoil.” — Charles R. Humphrey III

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

Hey Nashville, Get Off Your Ass and Go See Some Live Music in August

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August 1 // Fantastic Negrito // The High Watt

Yeah, yeah. NPR. Tiny Desk Concert. That may have been the boost Fantastic Negrito needed to get going, but now he's cruising along on his own, incredibly powerful momentum.

August 2 // Traveller // The Basement East

Supergroups are all relative, in the end. The latest one to crop up in Nashville is this little trio of Robert Ellis, Cory Chisel, and Jonny Fritz. Go see for yourself if the whole is greater than the sum of its artists.

August 4 // Kasey Chambers // City Winery

The Aussie singer/songwriter makes a rare appearance in Nashville to show off her shiny, award-winning new album.

August 7 // Amanda Shires // City Winery

Eight months pregnant, Amanda Shires is a living testament to "leaving it all on the field" … or stage, as the case may be. (And, no. Mr. Shires won't be there. He'll be in Seattle.)

August 20 // The Farewell Drifters // Station Inn

There's no better play in town to hear some pickin' and some sangin'. And, really, not that many better bands in town to do said pickin' and sangin'.

August 21-22 // Langhorne Slim // Mercy Lounge

For everyone who couldn't get into Langhorne Slim's recent album release performance, this two-night stand is for you. Go get your sweat on!

August 26 // Steep Canyon Rangers // City Winery

Like good wine? Like good bluegrass? Here you go.

August 28 // Keb' Mo' // Schermerhorn Symphony Center

It seems fitting that a gentleman of the blues such as Keb' Mo' would do his thing at the Symphony Center. And what a thing he does.

August 29 // Ruby Amanfu // The High Watt

As she gears up to release a solo record, Jack White's "Love Interruption" sidekick is doing three special performances. Luckily for us, she's from Nashville. Hometown crowd better represent!

August 30 // Rayland Baxter // 3rd & Lindsley

This guy. Rayland Baxter and his band will, no doubt, play the crap out of his super-solid new record, Imaginary Man. So, like, you should go enjoy it. 

We Had Ourselves a Situation…

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I still can’t believe this weekend actually happened.

But it did.

This past Thursday through Sunday, May 3 – 6, the best in bluegrass, folk, roots and Americana gathered in Los Angeles, first at Largo on La Cienega, then amongst the trees of the Santa Monica mountains above the city at Tree People’s Mulholland/Coldwater park.

With the recent launch of the new site, things were already in a rather surreal state.  The site response alone has been overwhelming (not to mention all the great coverage via Ed’s Funny or Die video or the multiple articles that have been popping up).  But this weekend took things to another level.

Thursday night kicked things off with Sean and Sara Watkins, plus friends like Tom Brosseau, Willie Watson, Chris Thile, and others, after which John C Reilly did a special performance of An American Song Cycle with some of his own friends, and even featured LA-based old-time wunderkind Frank Fairfield.

Friday launched with Ed’s band The Lonesome Trio, featuring Jacob Tilove on mandolin and Ian Riggs on bass…. The Whiskey Sour Radio Hour was a true variety show, in the vein of a cracked out Prairie Home Companion, with appearances by Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Will Forte, and one incredible sketch involving New Yorker cartoonist Matt Diffee, the Punch Brothers, and Critter Eldridge doing his best hardcore rap.  The late show featured Chris, Noam, Critter, Gabe and Paul tearing up the stage, including rousing tributes to both Levon Helm and Earl Scruggs to round out the night.

Next, the Steep Canyon Rangers joined, along with the one and only Steve Martin on Saturday night.  I would say it’s hard to believe I was seeing the SCR guys only a few years back at The Cave in Chapel Hill, playing to a small but devoted crowd, and yet it’s not that hard to believe at all because they’re so damn good.

And as if anything could possibly top all of that, Sunday was a magical night under the stars, with acts from the three previous nights brought together on an outdoor stage, jamming to Foggy Mountain Breakdown for an encore.

To call it a Situation doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Since then, it’s been all about recovering, catching up on sleep (ha!), and getting back to work (be patient, we’ll have a brand new, updated cal available very soon).

If you were able to join us for the festival, I want to hear all about your favorite parts and any other comments you might have.  If you weren’t, well, we’re just getting started, and if this weekend was any indication, we’re on to something BIG, with plenty in store for you to join us next year.  I can’t wait.

(don’t worry… more festival photos to come soon….)

MIXTAPE: Woody Platt

Posted on by Editor

WOODY PLATT‘s music is something of a dichotomy.    The sound of his band, The Steep Canyon Rangers, is tight and traditional bluegrass, while their lyrics belie much more contemporary topics (for an example of this, check out their tune with Steve Martin, Atheists Don’t Have No Songs).  Woody and the rest of the Steeps take to the stage with Steve this Saturday, September 1 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, and the band is also hosting the upcoming bluegrass cruise, Mountain Song At Sea in February (The Sitch will be there too!).  Before their Southern California arrival, Woody filled us in on the top five songs he’s listening to right now for this month’s MIXTAPE.  

 

Artist: Blaze Foley
Track: Oh Darlin’
Album: Live from the Austin Outhouse

‘Blaze has a very warm yet rugged delivery in his voice and a great finger picking guitar style that accompanies this delivery. I heard this live recording several years back and it has been one of my favorites ever since.’

 

Artist: Doc Watson
Track: St James Infirmary
Album: Remembering Merle

‘This album was my first introduction to Doc and one that helped lead me to becoming a guitar player/singer. Several of the songs on this album were the first that i tried to sing in a bluegrass style. With the very sad loss of Doc this year—i have gone back to enjoy this album. ‘I hope Docs guitar is laying right by his side.’

 

Artist: Shannon Whitworth and Barrett Smith
Track: Corcovado
Album: Bring it on Home

‘This is a duet collaboration of cover songs by Shannon and Barrett-who are from western NC.  It is a new project and features beautiful vocals and tasteful guitar. On Corcovado Shannon sings with a classic sultry style and Barrett sings in smooth convincing Portuguese. This is a breathtaking version of the jazz standard.’

[Video not available.  Preview Shannon and Barrett’s version of Corcovado here]

 

Artist: Del McCoury
Track: 50 years of Del McCoury
Album: Eli Renfro

‘I love the Del McCoury band. They have been such great ambassadors for Bluegrass music and have influenced some many artists including me. Eli Renfro is a haunting song that features both Dels high tenor range and his deeper lead range. The melody is contagious.’

 

 

Artists: The Viceroys
Song: Fat Fish
Recording: The Viceroys at Studio One.

‘The Viceroys are a lesser know reggae group who recorded in the late 60’s through the early 80’s and although they are not too well known—they made some great recordings and had some major success in Jamaica.  I love roots style reggae and this recoding is just right.  It feels good and has a great groove.’