Artist: Skip Ewing
Hometown: Nashville/Wyoming
Song: “Christmas Carol”
Album: Christmas
In Their Words: “We didn’t know a little girl named Carol before we wrote ‘Christmas Carol,’ but I imagined that almost everyone would understand the hearts and feelings behind the relationships in the story. Because Christmas is a time for family, togetherness and love, we recorded ‘I’ll Be Home (An American Christmas)’ for much the same reasons. ‘Whenever a Child Is Born’ is about love, God and family, as well. All of those songs are appropriate because I believe our capacity as humans to love, offer compassion, and care for one another is always there and always accessible. The Christmas season can help inspire us, but it’s always the right season to practice kindness. Whether you identify with little Carol, Santa, or even the caregivers at the children’s home, I’d like to thank you for your heart, and for listening to the new album. Merry Christmas!” — Skip Ewing
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Artist: Chris Jones & the Night Drivers
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow”
In Their Words: “This song has been a part of my life and Christmas celebrations for as long as I can remember. I learned it from an Odetta album of Christmas spirituals, which was the only Christmas record in our house for about the first 10 or 12 years of my life. I probably first became aware of the song when I was 4 or 5 years old but I didn’t start performing ‘Rise Up Shepherd and Follow’ myself until fairly recently. It was really meaningful to me to go into the studio with the Night Drivers and record something that really represents one of my first musical memories. Our bass player Marshall Wilborn is spotlighted on the bass. He’s known — deservedly so, I think — as one of bluegrass music’s most solid traditional players, but on this recording he shows another side of his playing and his bass versatility. My wife Sally guests on harmony vocals.” — Chris Jones
A cinematic saga of a roots music icon has come to a close. The three-part documentary series titled Big Old Goofy World: The Story of Oh Boy Records celebrates not only the music of John Prine, but also his deeply-imprinted legacy as a writer and label executive. A beautifully done commemoration of Prine’s work on Oh Boy, Big Old Goofy World presents the history of Nashville’s oldest artist-owned independent record label (and the second-oldest in the country). After a decade of major-label releases, Prine started the business in 1981 with his manager, Al Bunetta. Over three installments and 40 years of memories, viewers can watch the ascent of a scrappy company into a highly-regarded label.
Oh Boy Records partnered with directors Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard to bring this story to life and to showcase the deep ties that Prine and his label made to the independent artist community in Nashville. Along with the documentary series, Oh Boy released a tribute album this fall that features many of Americana’s biggest names and biggest Prine fans. From Tyler Childers and Brandi Carlile to Jason Isbell and Margo Price, all-star features abound on
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2. And although this three-part documentary series coincides with the label’s 40th anniversary, there is surely more music to come, as the Oh Boy roster now includes longtime favorite Dan Reeder and rising stars such as
Tré Burt,
Kelsey Waldon,
Arlo McKinley and
Emily Scott Robinson.
Artist: Amanda Shires
Hometown: Lubbock, Texas
Song: “Blame It on the Mistletoe”
Album: For Christmas
In Their Words: “I’ve always wanted to make a record that’s true to what Christmas is like for me, and all the mixed emotions that come with it. There’s the happiness of being with family, and then the reality that getting a bunch of your family members in the same room is maybe never a great idea. I’m one of those hopeless-romantic types, so there’s the romance and beauty of Christmas but also the sadness, especially when not everybody you’re used to having around gets to be there anymore. There’s a lot of nostalgia in these songs, but there’s a lot of reality, too.” — Amanda Shires
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Artist: Tony Trischka
Hometown: Syracuse, New York, and Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Songs: “Christmas Night” & “The Christmas Medley”
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Christmas Night’ around 10 years ago. The process of creating the lyric was inspired by a John Hartford song, wherein he stream-of-consciousnessed a descriptive story. By taking this approach with ‘Christmas Night’ the words just flowed out, rather than my painstakingly having to think of what lyric should come next. While doing this, an image popped into my head that brought me right back to my childhood. The wonderful thing about our tree, as opposed to those of other folks in our neighborhood, was that we had blue lights, rather than white or multi-colored. It created a beautifully peaceful atmosphere in the house that resonates with me to this day. It kind of symbolized the way I always knew my parents weren’t exactly in the Eisenhower mold.
“For ‘The Christmas Medley,’ I chose three of my favorite traditional Christmas carols. For the second song, ‘Joy to the World,’ I utilized Keith tuners to bring out the melody, similar to the Scruggs pegs Earl used on ‘Flint Hill Special,’ wherein the banjoista safely retunes while playing. These songs were recorded at Ricky Skaggs’ studio in December of 2019, after having just performed them on the Grand Ole Opry.” — Tony Trischka
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Shortly after the release of a new album called The Future on Stax Records, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats headed to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Donning custom black suits, Rateliff and company delivered “Survivor” with such magnetism that it felt reminiscent of Bill Withers or the Bee Gees. Radiating cool is regular for Nathaniel Rateliff, and the third studio record from the Night Sweats does not lack in that column by any measure.
The Future is an excellent follow up to 2020’s And It’s Still Alright, a moving album that came from a tumultuous time in Rateliff’s personal life. Overall, it feels like a strong response to the last record’s low-key melancholy and introspection. Swagger and moxie riddle the new sound. The band plays two hometown shows this week at the Mission Ballroom in Denver. But, European fans should take note. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are headed your way in 2022.
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Artist: Emily James
Hometown: Pleasantville, New York (now Los Angeles)
Song: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Album: Christmas Mistletunes
Label: Nettwerk Records
In Their Words: “‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ has always been one of my favorite holiday songs. I really connected with the lyrics of this particular version, because it speaks so much about holding on and knowing that, even though times are tough right now, it will get better. It’s amazing to me that, even though the song was written in the 1940s, it’s as relevant to the present day as ever. 2020 and 2021 have been difficult years, to say the least, especially around the holidays when we want to gather and be with loved ones, but aren’t able to. I wanted to send the message through this song, especially to anyone who’s struggling, that we’re going to be okay. All we can do is just try to make the best of the situation at hand. For now we ‘have to muddle through somehow,’ and hopefully ‘someday soon we all will be together’ again.” — Emily James
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Artists: Joe Newberry & April Verch
Song: “Christmas Eve”
Album: On This Christmas Day
In Their Words: It was pretty much a given that as a duo that loves fiddle and banjo duets that we would include the old tune ‘Christmas Eve’ when recording our first Christmas album, On This Christmas Day. While there are some great versions of this tune out there, our favorite is from Oklahoma fiddle legend Uncle Dick Hutchison. We studied the field recording made by Kevin Delaney in 1973 of Uncle Dick playing this tune. The extra beat of an A note in the B part of the tune really sets it apart and it just tickles us every time. It never gets old!
“This holiday album has been in the wings since our very first Holiday Cheer Tour, which came in December 2016, just a few months after we started performing together. From the very first holiday show, audience members started asking, ‘Where is the CD?’ During the pandemic we finally had time to ‘bubble together’ and create this collection of tunes and songs. Most of these songs are our originals, and we’re so excited to share this music with the world.” — Joe Newberry & April Verch
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Artist: The Sweet Lillies
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “Let It Snow!”
Album: Sweet Holiday Sessions
Label: Americana Vibes
In Their Words: “‘Let It Snow!’ felt like a perfect addition to our holiday album. The song’s lovely, delicate textures lent themselves easily to the band’s instrumentation and vocal styles. The song came together through a collaborative effort. The instrumentation features Grammy Award winner Sally Van Meter’s stunning dobro performance, Dustin Rohleder’s woven and beautifully phrased guitar lines, Becca Bisque’s dramatic viola intro, and Julie Gussaroff’s solid bass line. Becca’s lead vocals are an interpretation created and directed by vocalist and vocal arranger Amethyst Starr, with harmony parts put together by Julie. The song was captured and mixed by Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Andrew Gragg Lunsford to give it a thoughtful beauty that makes it a standout on the album. We hope you enjoy it!” — The Sweet Lillies
Artist: Liz Vice
Hometown: Portland, Oregon (now Los Angeles)
Song: “Jingle Bells”
Album: A Soulful Holiday With Liz Vice (EP)
In Their Words: “Initially when asked by Finegold and Oro music to create a unique cover of popular Christmas songs, I wanted to say ‘no.’ Lol. I have never had a desire to make a Christmas record but 2021 has been a year of ‘do things scared.’ Since 2020 my confidence in being a musician has grown because of the amazing musicians I’ve been able to work with over these last couple of years. To co-produce was something I’ve wanted to try, and due to Covid and having to record from home over the past two years, I felt like the right opportunity had come along. And I knew exactly who I wanted to work with: Niji Adeleye, my co-producer, co-arranger, and pianist.
“‘Jingle Bells’ was a given. I’ve probably listened to that song 100 times. It’s one of my favorites on the EP. I had so much fun during this time. I was just about to head out to Europe for work and a writing class and Niji just got word that he would be touring with Harry Styles. Outside of Niji and me, every single musician lived in the U.K. so it was amazing to see what the musicians added from so far away.” — Liz Vice
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