Videos Archive - The Bluegrass Situation

Sierragrass Sessions: Ismay

Our Sierragrass Sessions continue this week with a brand new edition of the series featuring singer-songwriter, producer, and creative Ismay (AKA Avery Hellman). Ismay recently joined the BGS Podcast Network as a host of the fantastic, incredibly popular Finding Lucinda, a show built around their adoration and emulation of Lucinda Williams – and the award-winning documentary film by the same name. The podcast intentionally dives further into the stories, research, and conversations that became the film, sharing content captured during filming and crafting the project that didn’t make it into the documentary’s final cut. So of course we were beyond tickled to link up with Ismay – with Andrew Allen Fahlander – once again in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s inaugural Sierragrass festival.

For their first selection, it’s a beyond apropos cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Side of the Road,” delivered with a gorgeous otherworldly sculpture, “Brainchild,” by artist Michael Christian as a backdrop on the pastoral grounds of the Sierra Meadows Resort. (Watch above.) You can hear the comfort and ease with which Ismay approaches the number, having spent essentially their entire adult life performing Lucinda cover songs and in a Lucinda cover band. Originally released on Lucinda Williams in 1988, Ismay transforms the jangling rock and roll and alt-Americana textures of the track into a tender, acoustic indie folk contemplation with the loping groove preserved. Don’t miss an adorable cameo from a precious-and-sleepy pup, Punky Sue, who we were delighted to have crash the set.

The goodness doesn’t end there, though, as the duo quickly cue up “O Love Is Teasin” for their second selection. A winsome and flowing waltz in 6/8 time, it’s punctuated thoughtfully by Fahlander’s guitar picking solos. Many artists – Jean Ritchie and Rhiannon Giddens among them – have covered the timeless lyric, and Ismay translates the transatlantic touches well to the bluegrass setting. In the golden California sunlight, both songs elapse far too quickly, and an intimate impromptu audience applauds Ismay, Fahlander, and “Brainchild” as the folk waltz concludes.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the very first Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

Thank you to Ismay, Fahlander, Sierragrass, and I Know We Should for another excellent round of our Sierragrass Sessions. More are coming soon, right here on BGS. And don’t miss your chance to spend some quality time with Ismay listening to Finding Lucinda – listen right here on BGS or listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, Charlie Peterson, and Luis Scampamorte.

Sierragrass Sessions: Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties

Our series of stellar Sierragrass Sessions continues! This time, we’re resuming the celebration of California bluegrass with Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties. Based in the Bay Area, Tucker and the Bow Ties are staples of local festivals, community jams, regular appearances at neighborhood venues, and within the Northern California Bluegrass Society. They’re also close, longtime pickin’ friends of Sierragrass hosts and presenters, AJ Lee & Blue Summit.

So, of course we had to kick off their session with “The Best of Friends.” Sounding like it could have been written and conceived directly beneath the ponderosa pines of Grass Valley, California – where there’s a nearly 100% chance of running into the Bow Ties circled up and jamming with members of Blue Summit (and many more bluegrass pals) at CBA’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival. The song reminds listeners from all across the country, and even around the world, that California isn’t just a hot bed for jamgrass and the more psychedelic string band strains. No, these West Coast pickers can be just as traditional, virtuosic, and timeless as their Southeastern counterparts. Especially with the bright tenor of Tucker as a keystone and that hard-pulling, driving banjo and slippery, languid fiddle.

For their second performance, the group offers “I’m Not Gone.” Slow and shuffling, the song is archetypically contemplative and existential with an ultimately hopeful message. Punctuated by dramatic mandolin tremolos, Tucker’s lamenting lead vocal, and tender three-part harmonies, “I’m Not Gone” may remind of classic J.D. Crowe & the New South or of Larry Sparks – especially with the ear-turning major 3 chord. It’s a lovely track that could exist as comfortably on a honky-tonk stage as it would in the sanctuary of a church.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the inaugural Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties are perfect examples of the vibrant community of artists, musicians, and creators in California who deserve such an excellent festival home as Sierragrass. Give them a follow on social media, and stay tuned for more sessions by artists from the Sierragrass lineup coming right here on BGS every other week.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, and Charlie Peterson.

Sierragrass Sessions:
Hannah Mayree

You may recognize banjoist, producer, songwriter, and community builder Hannah Mayree as the founder and driving force behind the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. Mayree is equally talented in activism and culture-crafting as in music, as evidenced by this, our second edition of the Sierragrass Sessions.

Hannah Mayree was just one of many excellent artists on hand for AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s Sierragrass festival held in California in May. For the latest BGS session from the event, Mayree performs two lovely numbers on solo, open-back banjo. Her approach is contemporary in some respects and timeless in countless others, innovation and tradition speaking in dialogue throughout each of her songs.

Mayree begins with “Laying Hen” (watch above), a track first recorded on their 2017 debut recording, Thoughts of the Night. With a towering scultpure for a background (Colossus by Zachary Coffin, one of several art installations at Sierra Meadows, the campground and venue where the festival was hosted) they return to “Laying Hen” with ease and a languid, prominent back beat.

“I’m like a hen, I wanna lay all day,” they sing. “Scratchin’ and squawkin’ in the same old hay/ Everywhere I go I wanna stay/ My wings they clipped, but I ain’t gonna fly away…” The language of the lyrics is simple, down to earth, but with limitless poetic potential and appeal.

Next, Mayree offers “Acid Bama,” a more recent song with an impeccable groove and simple while mind-bending chord changes. She had also performed the track for a submission to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2024. In that version, she’s accompanied by layered textural vocals, pads, synths, and many more sonic details as she plays and sings along with a track she produced herself. In both iterations, “Acid Bama” shines. Again, poetic and artful, it immediately gets your toe or hand tapping along with her fingers striking the banjo’s head and the danceable, cyclical beat.

Another endlessly enjoyable Sierragrass Session, thanks to Hannah Mayree’s artistry, intention, and time-bending musical prowess. Be sure to follow and support Mayree and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project on social media and beyond.

Stay tuned for more sessions by artists from the Sierragrass lineup coming right here on BGS every other week.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, and Charlie Peterson.

Sierragrass Sessions:
AJ Lee & Blue Summit

California-based bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit are one of the most quickly rising string bands in roots music. For instance, in just a couple of weeks on July 15 the band will perform at the fabled Ryman Auditorium in Nashville hitting an important career milestone so early in their career. And earlier this year in May, they hosted their own festival for the very first time. The inaugural Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success.

The lineup boasted Lech Wierzynski (Blue Summit producer and founder of the California Honeydrops), Ismay, Viv & Riley, Two Runner, Hannah Mayree, Sweet Sally, Yoseff Tucker & the Bowties, and more. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster. Of course, we couldn’t think of a better band with which to debut our Sierragrass Sessions than event hosts, masterminds, and curators AJ Lee & Blue Summit.

For their first selection (watch above), Lee and the band offer their rendition of a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band classic, “Fishin’ in the Dark.” Pulled up beside a peaceful pond in the golden springtime sunlight, it’s a perfect song for the setting and the season – and as we arrive now in the peak of summertime launching these videos, too. They carry on the sonic tradition of the Dirt Band perfectly, with a bluegrassy take that’s as carefree, genre-wise, as the creators of the original cut. Country rock, Americana, bluegrass, and more combined. AJ and Blue Summit – Scott Gates, Sully Tuttle, Jan Purat, and Sean Newman – are excellent cover song crafters, and this session shows that skill yet again.

For their second song, the band cues up an original, Lee-penned number, “The Weenie Dog Song.” It kicks with a delightful, loping old-time “fiddle tune” melody, before telling the story and painting a vivid picture of an adorable dachshund. Here Blue Summit’s penchant for humor is on display, as well as their unlikely knack for blending earnest and hilarious together – bolstering both with intention and meaning. It’s an adorable song, but an excellent one, too. It also feels more than apropos for the surroundings and context, that so well fit “Fishin’ in the Dark.”

And with that, our Sierragrass Sessions are off to a smashing start. Thanks to Brad and Juan at I Know We Should and to AJ Lee & Blue Summit for hosting and for facilitating these sessions at their inaugural festival. Stay tuned for more sessions by artists from the Sierragrass lineup coming right here on BGS every other week.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, and Charlie Peterson.

The Good Country Goodtime: “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs”

When we started The Good Country Goodtime in the fall of last year, we knew we wanted our new variety show to continue many country traditions – great music, good hangs, excellent songs, a killer band, and of course hilarious hijinx. From Minnie Pearl and Roger Miller to Hannah Dasher and Gary Mule Deer, humor and comedy have always been a keystone tradition in country.

At our September Goodtime, plenty of hijinx ensued, especially with our extremely funny guest host Robbie Fulks. But one of our favorite gut-busting moments from the Good Country Goodtime was this sketch and song featuring writer-comedian-producer Greg Hess and our all-star band fronted by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.

Utley is rudely interrupted, mid-Hank Williams cover, by Hess (who co-produces the show, and here plays the show’s producer). The melancholy country vibes of Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome” and Ralph Stanley’s “Oh, Death” are not peppy and positive enough, it seems, so Utley and band are tasked with bringing something fresher, newer, and “hot” to the stage.

“I guess I’m confused about what a ‘good time’ is,” Utley declares at the producer’s ill-timed feedback, before launching into a hilarious – and yes, peppy and positive – rendition of Tom T. Hall’s classic, “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs.” To cheers and laughter from the Dynasty Typewriter crowd Utley sings, “400 hogs just standin’ out there/ My wife can’t feed ’em, my neighbors they don’t care… Here I am in this dang bed/ And who’s gonna feed them hogs?”

Our inaugural Good Country Goodtime show, hosted by Robbie Fulks, also featured appearances by artists Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers as well as a hilarious set by comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler. Dynasty Typewriter is one of LA’s premier spaces for comedy, music, podcasts, improv, and so much more.

Enjoy this hilarious sketch and rendition of Tom T. Hall’s “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs” by Mick Utley and the Good Country Goodtime house band and stay tuned for even more songs and silliness from the Good Country Goodtime coming to you soon right here on BGS and Good Country.

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The Good Country Goodtime: Victoria Bailey, “Honky Tonk Woman”

For our third installment of our exclusive Good Country Goodtime sessions, California cowgirl Victoria Bailey steps to the center of the Dynasty Typewriter stage to perform “Honky Tonk Woman” with our house band. Given it was our first variety show, the theme was pretty straight forward – “Firsts” – so it was more than apt for Bailey to pull out the number. “Since we’re on the theme of firsts,” she says, announcing the song, “This next song is actually the first country song I wrote, I realized backstage.”

From her 2020 album, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline, “Honky Tonk Woman” certainly doesn’t feel like a first effort. It’s an idiomatic country & western tune with a loping, danceable groove and a subject matter that could’ve easily been pulled from the catalog of say, Patsy Cline, or Tammy Wynette, or Loretta Lynn. “I wanna be a honky tonk woman,” Bailey sings – almost like Billy Joel when he renders “Piano Man” – inhabiting the character she text paints while singing about her in third person.

Born and raised in Huntington Beach, California, Bailey combines so many textures and styles of the state’s deserts, coasts, and ranches with bluegrass, gospel, classic country sounds, and more. Her most recent album, A Cowgirl Rides On, leans more in a string band direction, but as “Honky Tonk Woman” demonstrates, whatever genre stylings come to the fore of her song, Bailey is Good Country through and through.

Back on September 27 of last year, Good Country and BGS debuted our brand new variety show, the Good Country Goodtime, at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The inaugural show was hosted by country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks and featured appearances by artists Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers as well as a hilarious set by comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler. Backing up the talent was our first-class Goodtime house band led by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.

Dynasty Typewriter is one of LA’s premier spaces for comedy, music, podcasts, improv, and so much more. The very first Good Country Goodtime was livestreamed online, captured by the venue’s fully built-out rig of cameras, so we’re incredibly excited to get to share exclusive clips, performances, and sketches from the Goodtime – not only from our first show in the fall, but going forward as we continue these events this year, too.

Enjoy Victoria Bailey’s lovely representation of Southern California country above with “Honky Tonk Woman” and stay tuned for more songs and silliness from the Good Country Goodtime coming to you soon right here on BGS and Good Country.

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The Good Country Goodtime: Aubrie Sellers, “Make the World Go Away”

On September 27, Good Country and BGS debuted our brand new variety show, the Good Country Goodtime, at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The inaugural show was hosted by country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks and featured appearances by artists Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers as well as a hilarious set by comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler. Backing up the talent was our first class Goodtime house band led by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.

For our second installment in our series of clips from the September edition of the show, “garage country” artist and singer-songwriter Aubrie Sellers offers an incredible cover of a country classic, “Make the World Go Away.” Sellers is a fascinating roots artist with a deep and broad country and Americana pedigree. Her music combines so many genres – indie, folk, rock and roll, grunge, and blues blend effortlessly with bona fide old country chops and pop-meets-countrypolitan glamor. But here, on the Dynasty Typewriter stage, her rendition of the indispensable Hank Cochran-penned hit is remarkably simple and down-to-earth.

“Make the World Go Away” has been recorded and covered dozens of times. First a country chart hit for Eddy Arnold in the ’60s, the song has been a timeless, perseverant sensation in the decades since. Superstars like Elvis, Dean Martin, Donny and Marie Osmond, Martina McBride, and Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson have released their own studio versions; the song is even a common “call” at jam sessions and guitar pulls, even in bluegrass and old-time communities. It has earned its place in the country canon and American songbook.

Here, the lyric is showcased expertly by Sellers. Intricate vocal twists, turns, and runs serve the song more subtly than showy. Sellers certainly has a powerful voice, capable of filling rock clubs and commanding festival stages, but it’s just as lovely and perhaps even more entrancing in this more understated context. It’s easy to tell this is a song at her command, a classic as well-worn and comforting to Sellers as her version will be to her listeners – and was to our Goodtime audience!

Enjoy Sellers’ nostalgic and beautiful performance of “Make the World Go Away” and stay tuned for more songs and silliness from the Good Country Goodtime coming to you in 2025 right here on BGS and Good Country.

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Rootsy Summer Sessions:
Judy Blank

While much of the U.S. – and really, much of the Northern Hemisphere – has been plunged into the frigid throes of winter, let’s stroll back to balmy summer and to Falkenberg, Sweden. During Rootsy Summer Fest ’24 our videographer friends at I Know We Should were once again on hand to capture a few special live performances of artists and musicians from the festival lineup. Earlier this year, we featured an entire series of sessions from Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 (view those videos here), so we’re especially pleased to bring you these special encore performances captured this August.

For our latest session, we’re excited to introduce our BGS audience to indie-folk artist Judy Blank. Born and raised in the Netherlands – though now based in Nashville, Tennessee – Blank has her own sort of transatlantic style, combining textures and tones from Music City, Los Angeles, Europe, and beyond. Pop sensibilities combine with a raw earthiness that feels authentic and grounded, while simultaneously polished and highly conceptualized.

Her first number, “Karaoke,” is warm and charming in this solo context, accompanied solely by her well-loved and broken-in Gibson acoustic guitar. The original song is pulled from Blank’s 2022 EP, Saddies, where the production is something of a broken dreamscape dressed in acoustic alt-pop and lush, layered vocals. The song still shines in this stripped down, solo setting – especially with the beautiful Falkenberg riverside as a background.

Blank continues with her second selection, “No, Thank You,” which she introduces slightly mischeviously: “I wrote this song when I first came to turns with my mortality…” If that intro doesn’t hook you, the first lyric will.

I’m not going to die tonight/ If that’s alright?
I’ll just stay alive/ That would be better…

Still, the song isn’t gratuitous or morose, a deft balancing act by the singer-songwriter. Whether the song’s speaker is addressing herself, another, or the Grim Reaper in their flowing cloak, the message here is striking and resonant.

It’s been a number of years since Blank’s most recent EP or full-length releases, and “No, Thank You” appears as yet unrecorded, so hopefully this is an indicator of new music coming from the artist soon. It’s certain her songs and lyrics will stick with listeners, echoing with an aftertaste of the mortality she addresses in the song. As she questions, “Who’s to say I’m not allowed to live forever?”

(Editor’s Note: Explore more of our Rootsy Summer Sessions and our nearly endless supply of live performances here.)

Video Credit: Brad Wagner, I Know We Should

The Good Country Goodtime: Robbie Fulks, “I Just Lived a Country Song”

On September 27, Good Country and BGS debuted our brand new variety show, the Good Country Goodtime, at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The inaugural show, hosted by country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks, featured comedy, country, and performances by musicians Victoria Bailey and Aubrie Sellers, comedian and actor Kurt Braunohler, and our all-star Goodtime house band led by the Coral Reefers’ Mick Utley.

Dynasty Typewriter is one of LA’s premier spaces for comedy, music, podcasts, improv, and so much more. The very first Good Country Goodtime was captured by the venue’s state-of-the-art cameras and we’re so excited to begin sharing exclusive sessions pulled from our debut edition of the show with our readers and fans. To kick off the new series, we’re highlighting our impeccable host for the evening, Robbie Fulks.

For one of his several selections during the variety show, Fulks performed “I Just Lived a Country Song,” a sardonic and self-referential western-flavored tune all about the hilarious and lonesome ups-and-downs of a life lived within country tropes. The original number trots along, propelled by the first-rate pickers in our Goodtime band, while it follows the rise and fall of a perhaps fictional country star.

It’s a perfect representation of Fulks’ dry, hilarious style – which fit in perfectly to our vision for the brand new Good Country Goodtime. Comedy and country have always gone hand-in-hand and this tradition is safe in good hands with multi-hyphenate musicians like Fulks. Between his deadpan one liners, delightfully sarcastic line reads, and heartfelt renditions of originals and covers alike – including a show-stopping acoustic homage to Kris Kristofferson, who had recently passed – Fulks epitomized the kind of fun-filled, country community-centered evenings we hope to host regularly at Dynasty Typewriter in 2025.

Enjoy Fulks’ performance of “I Just Lived a Country Song” and stay tuned for more songs and silliness from our very first Good Country Goodtime coming to you soon right here on BGS and Good Country.

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Tønder Sessions: Jon Muq

Earlier this year, during the waning days of summer, our videographer friends at I Know We Should traveled to Denmark to capture a handful of special sessions with Americana and roots artists performing at Scandinavian music festivals. For our next installment in this mini-series, we’re excited to feature singer-songwriter Jon Muq performing during his time at premier Danish music event, Tønder Festival.

Born and raised in Uganda, Jon Muq has made waves since relocating to Austin, Texas and leaving his mark on the American roots music scene. Earlier this year he released his debut full-length album, Flying Away, on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. That’s the project from which Muq’s first selection is pulled. On a waterside boardwalk with a marshy backdrop, Muq offers “Bend,” a song about resiliency, flexibility, and connection.

“So come on, come on, don’t let me love you,” Muq sings, plaintively, to a loping acoustic guitar rhythm. “You’ll come on, you’re strong enough to bend…” He offers his own take on a not-so-uncommon lyrical hook, breathing freshness into it and bringing his own perspective to the idea that strength isn’t unflinching or stoic, it’s flexible and responsive.

For his second number, Muq performs “Hello Sunshine,” another track from Flying Away – one just perfect for August in Denmark. “Hello, hello sunshine/ Goodbye rainy days,” he begins, foregrounding the hopeful message in the song’s text. His message of encouragement and perseverance is more than apropos to carry with us into wintertime and our uncertain future. (Whether facing a Scandinavian-level winter or one a bit more balmy.)

These two tracks begin to illustrate the depth and breadth of Muq’s style, even in this simple and unadorned context. With just one album to his name at this early point in his international career, there’s certainly so much more great music to come from this singular roots artist.

Want to learn more about Jon Muq? Check out our 5+5 interview from earlier this year here.