Tag: Two Bird Stone

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

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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)

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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