Artist: Amythyst Kiah
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Song: “Sugar” (Tori Amos cover)
Release Date: May 12, 2022
Label: Rounder Records
In Their Words: “When I was 15, I fell in love with Tori Amos’ music. I was constantly playing her first five albums on repeat and even learned some of the songs. She inspired me to want to write songs — I wanted to be a guitar-playing version of her. She manages to take very specific, very personal things that happened to her and turn them into songs that the listener can relate to and feel, even without having had that specific experience. Her use of metaphor in her storytelling, her distinctive voice and piano playing, was just so powerful and different than anything I had ever heard before. Her live version of ‘Sugar’ is one of my favorite recordings, so I hope I did the song justice!” — Amythyst Kiah
Artist: Jesse Smathers
Hometown: Floyd, Virginia
Song: “Under the Weather”
Album: Jesse Smathers
Release Date: May 13, 2022
In Their Words: “Brink Brinkman is a name that has been reputable in the bluegrass genre for years. Brink sent me this tune and I couldn’t pass up recording it. The song was reminiscent of something you would hear by the first-generation favorites. The lyric sounded 80 years old, and initially that’s what gravitated me to it. When recording, all of the instruments organically complemented each other to pay homage to those first-generation stylists that influenced us all. I couldn’t be more excited to share ‘Under the Weather’ with you!” — Jesse Smathers
Artist: Joy Oladokun
Hometown: Casa Grande, Arizona; now Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Purple Haze”
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Purple Haze’ while I was in LA after some wildfires, and I noticed the sky was not the color that it should be. It made me think about the world we live in and all the information we get on a daily basis. It almost feels like we might be on our way out as a species but there are wonderful things like family, friends, partners, dogs — things that inspire us towards beauty and excitement. Even if this all ends, it was worth the experience.” — Joy Oladokun
Photo credit: Scott Kowalchyk
Artist: Janiva Magness
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Song: “Don’t You Forget About Me”
Album: Hard to Kill
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Label: Fathead Records
In Their Words: “I feel like [Hard to Kill] is a retrospective — not just of my musical life, but of my life. At this point, with what I’ve been through in my life top to bottom, you know what? The gloves are off, and the rules are, there really aren’t any rules. … This track is movin’ and groovin’ in a funky and joyful Stax style, with a story about deeply loving and moving on. I dare you to stay in your chair on this one. … Dig it!” — Janiva Magness
Tyler Childers is one of those artists who so gracefully toes the line between being a bluegrass singer and leading a country band. It’s really a match made in heaven, but the glimpses of Childers indulging one of these two facets are made ever the sweeter by his balancing act. In this recent video release from Pickathon, Childers leads his song “Matthew” from behind an acoustic flat-top guitar, flanked by fiddle and banjo. The album version of the song stands to lose nothing, but this stripped-down performance on video is a testament to the songwriting prowess that Childers has built his career on. As Bob Dylan once said, “A song is anything that can walk by itself,” and Tyler knows that better than most. Like the Kentuckian has likely done countless times in his upbringing, Childers delivers it straight, not working too hard to bring extra frill or pomp to the song about a working man.
Allen Stone‘s APART is a step toward the simpler heart of his sound; it’s a record of acoustic, stripped-back renditions of his best songs. Charming and soulful, Stone’s music is usually adorned with fun arrangements and lively backing bands, but in this new record, his incredible voice and gripping writing style stand front and center. APART was released late last year on ATO Records and includes some of his most loved compositions, including “Unaware,” “Give You Blue,” and the song performed in this clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “Bed I Made.” Although Allen Stone’s name may not be the first to come to mind in roots music circles, his sound draws heavily from classic soul artists. He recreates the same magnetism of singers like James Brown, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin while still innovating fresh, deeply groovy music. In short, we think you’ll like him.
Randy Holmes/ABC
Artist: William Beckmann
Hometown: Del Rio, Texas
Song: “In the Dark”
Album: Faded Memories
Release Date: April 29, 2022
In Their Words: “‘In The Dark’ is probably my favorite song on this record. It’s honest and came from a real place. There is a central theme throughout most of the songs on this album that stems from ‘In the Dark.’ It’s the sense of longing, and distance between two people as time passes. Feeling so close yet so far away. That is why I decided to name the album Faded Memories.” — William Beckmann
“Deep Roots, Many Voices” is a project by the Blue Ridge Music Center exploring diversity and inclusion in roots-based music. In these videos, we pair two musicians in each episode to talk about issues related to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation; how these issues have been part of their personal stories; and the importance of celebrating diversity in the music world. These discussions highlight contributions to American roots-based music from the many voices that make up our nation, and give us hope for a rich and diverse musical future.
The Bluegrass Situation is proud to feature this interview with Earl White & Tray Wellington. White is a dancer and an old-time fiddler. He was an original member of The Green Grass Cloggers. He and his family live on a farm near Floyd, Virginia, where they host music camps and workshops, and operate a bakery. He plays the fiddle with the Earl White String Band. Wellington is a bluegrass banjo player from Ashe County, North Carolina. As a teenager he played with Cane Mill Road, and has gone on to form the Tray Wellington Band. Tray recently moved to Raleigh to join the Pinecone organization as their Communications Manager.
To learn more about future “Deep Roots, Many Voices” interviews, our “Deep Roots, Many Voices” symposium and other Blue Ridge Music Center news, sign up for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s email newsletter at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. These discussions are moderated by Blue Ridge Music Center Associate Program Director Marianne Kovatch.
Artist: Sam Outlaw
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Polyamorous”
Album: Popular Mechanics
Label: Black Hills Recordings
In Their Words: “This song is inspired by an awesome book called The Secret History of Wonder Woman. It tells the true story of the fascinating love triangle that created the Wonder Woman comics, and the controversy their relationship stirred up in the 1940s. For this video, I asked the director Sean McGee to create a minimalist, black-and-white visual experience, and it was his idea to recruit dancers from the Nashville Ballet. In all honesty, I didn’t think he’d be able to get even one professional dancer to sign up for this, so I was pretty shocked when he delivered THREE talented performers from our local ballet here in Nashville. And wow are they impressive! Each dancer brings a beautiful and distinct energy to the frame and I just love the simplicity of B&W with 4:3 ratio. Sean knocked it out of the park and I’m so thankful.” — Sam Outlaw
Dancers: Emily Ireland-Buczek, Marissa Stark, Aeron Buchanan. DP: Thomas Chi. Makeup: Erin Strange
