Editors Note: We’re pleased to present this exclusive video from our friends at Ear Trumpet Labs in Portland, Oregon. Special thanks to banjo historian Bill Evans for providing insight into this special project in his letter below.
I had left home early that morning and driven 621 miles from my home in the San Francisco Bay area to Ear Trumpet Labs, arriving on a rainy January night in Portland, Oregon, with nine banjos in tow. I was truly excited to be in the room where these great microphones are made and to meet the ETL family. There’s a powerful positive energy to the large room where everything Ear Trumpet happens. It’s obvious that this enterprise is a labor of love and I was humbled to think of the many great musicians who had traveled farther than I had to be in this same space.
I dried off from the rain, pulled the banjos out of their cases, tuned them up the best that I could, and we started rolling. Banjo notes from metal and gut strings bounced off the walls, played on banjos representing 170 years of musical traditions from builders named Gibson, Cole, Vega-Fairbanks, Hartel, Cammeyer and more. Like these microphones, these instruments were all creations made by fine craftsmen who were dedicated to their craft and loved their work. It is an honor to bring music to life through them.
I hope you enjoy these quick snapshots of a show that I call “The Banjo in America.” If you’d like to see and hear more, Tiki Parlour Recordings is releasing this spring a DVD/CD set featuring 19 songs and medleys played on 10 different banjos. Thank you, Ear Trumpet Labs and the Bluegrass Situation, for helping to keep the music flowing for all of us. I’m truly honored to be able to share this music with you.
All the best,
Bill Evans
Joy Oladukun‘s “I See America” is a powerful song about belief in a better world, as well as an honest and objective reflection on the state of the country. Performing it in her late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she’s backed only by an upright bass, a piano, and her acoustic guitar. Still, her poignant song flies from the stage through the audience and through the screen, striking evocative chords in listeners’ hearts and minds. On her major label debut album, in defense of my own happiness, Oladokun’s words point out what she sees from her rare vantage point as a black queer woman and first-generation American. Her breadth of experience also marries perfectly with an hushed, intimate sound throughout that album, but especially in “I See America.”
If you haven’t yet heard Joy Oladokun’s sweet voice or strong songs, then you may be able to see her in person this spring as she embarks on her first headlining tour across the country starting in early April.
Photo Credit: ABC/Randy Holmes
One of Georgia’s finest is accomplishing a lifelong dream. Brent Cobb, who’s admired as a singer-songwriter, Grammy nominee, and general badass, is releasing his first gospel album, And Now, Let’s Turn to Page…. The record promises to be an instant classic, featuring old gospel standards and hymns sung by Cobb and his loved ones. Selections include “Old Rugged Cross,” “Softly and Tenderly,” and “When It’s My Time.” He’s also released an artistically innovative music video for “When It’s My Time” created by Curtis Wayne Millard.
To get another glimpse of what the record will be like, look no further than the album credits; Nashville heavyweights like Brian Allen and Mike Harris are lined up next to Cobb’s family, who just so happen to be great musicians in their own rights. Caylee Hammack and Anderson East round out the lineup on a record that is undoubtedly going to be a standout. “I’ve always wanted to make a southern gospel album because it’s what I come from, but also it used to seem like a rite of passage for country singers to make a gospel album,” Cobb says. “I’m just trying to carry on that torch.”
Photo Credit: Andrew Hutto
Songwriting, instrumental virtuosity, and musical imagination are only a couple of things that set Ariel Posen apart as a recording artist. The Canadian singer-songwriter is a member of the top echelon of slide guitar players alive today, but he doesn’t fit into the same clichés that many other slide guitarists get lumped into. With expressiveness and touch, Posen melds his roots and blues influences with an intuition for songwriting that makes him stand out as a performer.
Recently, Posen announced a North American spring tour that will see him performing all across America and Canada. Sultry and smooth, pretty and gritty, Ariel Posen has really developed a style that balances seemingly opposite qualities into a velvety, absorbing sound, and in 2022, that sound will be on full display. Get a preview with this video of “Nobody Else,” shot live in Montreal. (And to hear more, check out his music video for “Now I See” on BGS.)
Photo Credit: Nate Forest
From the Sound Emporium control room in Nashville, two heavyweights join forces behind a makeshift desk for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. Although the duo doesn’t perform at NPR staffer Bob Boilen’s actual tiny desk, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant certainly do rekindle the spirit of Raise the Roof, their new collaborative record. It’s a fitting tribute because that album (and some of their first record, 2007’s Raising Sand) was created on the cutting floor at that very studio. Here, Krauss and Plant have assembled a band of absolute all-stars, including Jay Bellerose, Dennis Crouch, Victor Krauss, Stuart Duncan, and JD McPherson. Like the first time we heard the angelic soprano of Alison Krauss paired with the vocal powerhouse that guided one of the most legendary rock bands ever, these new performances of “Can’t Let Go,” “Searching for My Love,” and “Trouble for My Lover” are magical. No frill or flash, just an eleven-and-a-half-minute set of subtlety, nuance, and perfection.
Photo Credit: David McClister
Artist: Sam Williams
Hometown: Paris, Tennessee
In Their Words: “‘Blue Christmas’ is a classic that’s lonesome and vulnerable, while simultaneously fostering comfort to those of us feeling lonely during the holiday season. I loved drawing from some of the original melodies while giving my own fresh version of the song.” — Sam Williams
Artist: Johnnyswim
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “A Hard Year’s Christmas”
In Their Words: “Coming into this holiday season, we personally felt the weight of a long and hard year, filled with some disappointing surprises and lots of tests on our patience and long suffering. This song came as a sort of whispered reminder that this season isn’t just for the good years, but even more so for the years of hurting and trial because this is a season of giving, of imagination, of togetherness, and if we make space, of joy.” — Abner Ramirez
“Writing this song was the catharsis we needed; it’s about hope and hardship, wonder and weariness while coexisting with each other during the holiday. We hope it helps heal a bruised holiday for those of us that could use it.” — Amanda Sudano-Ramirez
Enjoy more BGS Wraps here.
Artists: Tammy Rogers & Thomm Jutz
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Dancing in the Snow”
In Their Words: “We both feel that it is important to write light-hearted songs like this one once in a while. Taking yourself too seriously doesn’t make your writing better, and it is certainly less fun. The first snow brings a kind of excitement that carries us from childhood all through our lives. Being able to get excited about these seemingly little things is what keeps us humble and happy. That’s what Tammy and I wanted to convey in this song.” — Thomm Jutz
Enjoy more BGS Wraps here.
Willie Nelson never ceases to amaze. His discography reads longer than most artists’ biography, and even as 2021 draws to a close, the Red-Headed Stranger is still putting out new music. This time, it’s a family affair, with the album The Willie Nelson Family on Legacy Recordings. The collection features old songs that helped build the Nelson family, from old religious standbys to Carter Family classics and even Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me.” For his 72nd studio album, Nelson is joined by his sister Bobbie on piano, as well as four of his children: Lukas Nelson (acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals), Micah Nelson (bass, drums, background vocals), Paula Nelson (background vocals), and Amy Nelson (background vocals). And it wouldn’t be a Willie record without Mickey Raphael (harmonica).
One of the new album’s most recognizable selections is “I Saw the Light,” which Hank Williams started writing in 1947 and then recorded a year later. Considered a standard of the country music canon, it’s made frequent appearances in Nelson’s set list for decades now. By the way, The Willie Nelson Family is the country legend’s second release of 2021, following That’s Life, an album of Sinatra classics. He’s also the author of a children’s book (written with Bobbie Nelson) titled Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music. Catching us up on everything, Nelson participated in a virtual visit with NBC’s Today Show. Asked by host Jenna Bush about which musicians he loves that might surprise people, Nelson quickly replied, “I like everything from bluegrass to classical music, you name it.”
Brandi Carlile hasn’t truly been silent during the promotion of her new album, In These Silent Days. The record (from Low Country Sound/Elektra Records) quickly received high critical praise and claimed a seat atop the Billboard Americana/Folk charts. Meanwhile, Carlile and the twins have been making the rounds, checking off major appearance after major appearance, from The Ellen Show and a Saturday Night Live debut to a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall.
If you haven’t heard In These Silent Days yet, we can only say you’re missing out. All of the attention is already fueling the anticipation for the singer-songwriter’s 2022 tour dates. Starting in February, Carlile will maintain a healthy road schedule through the summer. For a glimpse into what the buzz is all about, watch Brandi Carlile with her bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth perform the new song “This Time Tomorrow” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (She also enjoys an in-person chat with Colbert himself, then treats the audience to a stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Blue.”)
