Videos Archive - Page 18 of 34 - The Bluegrass Situation

Yamaha x BGS Artist Sessions: Birds of Chicago

For this year’s virtual Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. Over the past few weeks, we have been publicly releasing these exclusive videos.

Nashville-based Birds of Chicago have toured the world playing their unique mix of Americana, soul, and rock & roll. This year, husband and wife duo Allison Russell and JT Nero will be starting a new chapter of their career, with Russell releasing her first-ever solo album, Outside Child, on May 21, and Nero branching out as a co-writer and producer. (Russell is BGS’ May Artist of the Month.) And while Birds of Chicago may be embarking on an indefinite hiatus, that didn’t stop Nero and Russell from showering us with new, unreleased tracks.

Joined by Steve Dawson on guitar, they begin with “Red Skies,” showcasing the enchanting blend of Nero’s raspy and Russell’s soulful vocals, as well as Russell’s skill as both a banjoist and a clarinet player.

Next, they transition to “Quasheba, Quasheba,” a song Russell penned, recorded, and released with supergroup Our Native Daughters, consisting of Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Leyla McCalla. The song’s title comes from the name of the enslaved “many times great-grand matriarch” of Russell’s own Grenadian family, and the song itself serves as a meditation on resilience, love, and protection. Introducing the song, Russell explains, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately during these hard times about resilience… the resilience of our ancestors; we are standing on their shoulders, and they lived through harder times than these.”

Birds of Chicago close out their performance with “Saints of Motion.” In the second verse, Nero sings, “We flew out on the edge of the storm/ we roamed the wild sea/ we were the question and the answer/ we were force and poetry,” demonstrating the poetic lyricism that has won the group so many loyal fans over the years. While we will be sad to say goodbye to Birds of Chicago for now, we cannot wait to see the love and care these collaborators have put into Russell’s solo album as she embarks on telling her story in her own words.

You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com.

Nettwerk 21 in ’21: Episode One

Every Monday in May, BGS is proud to present Nettwerk 21 in ’21, our new five-part video concert series showcasing exclusive performances from 21 must-listen artists on the Nettwerk Music Group roster. Week 1 is hosted by Callie and Martin of The Ballroom Thieves and includes songs from Joshua Radin, Beta Radio, Ocie Elliott, and, of course, The Ballroom Thieves.

Learn more about Nettwerk Music Group and discover more of their roster here. Watch Episode 2 here. Watch Episode 3 here.

Yamaha x BGS Artist Sessions: Bella White

For this year’s Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. Over the past few weeks, we have been publicly releasing these exclusive videos.

Bella White’s music is a bridge between time and space: transporting traditional bluegrass music to the modern era and bringing the influence of her native Calgary through Boston and finally to her new home in Nashville. After independently releasing her first album, Just Like Leaving, White caught the attention of and signed to Rounder Records, who will be re-releasing the album later this year.

White begins her performance with “Gutted,” the first track off of Just Like Leaving. In it, she explores an all too familiar desire to run away from one’s present and one’s problems, ultimately coming to the conclusion that,“I’d be a fool to think my burdens are something I don’t carry.” White follows “Gutted” with “Broke (When I Realized),” an introspective look at her parents’ relationship and subsequent divorce. As she mournfully sings, “The weight of the many tears she shed nearly woke me from my bad dream/ and I broke when I realized I was yet to fall asleep,” White reveals her own struggle of coming to terms with the split when she was a child.

To close, White gifts us with “The Way I Oughta Go,” an unreleased track written during the pandemic. White ends the song repeating, “Dreaming never met me in Alberta/ So I packed my things, Tennessee I did go,” referencing her own journey to Nashville to chase her dream of becoming a musician. If “The Way I Oughta Go” is any indication of what is to come, we cannot wait to see what Bella White does next.

You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com.

WATCH: Madison Cunningham, “L.A. (Looking Alive)” (From Whiskey Sour Happy Hour)

Last spring, on our debut episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, Los Angeles-based, Grammy-nominated guitarist and singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham kicked off the entire series with an acoustic rendition of “Looking Alive.”

This performance was originally part of BGS’ and Ed Helms’ Whiskey Sour Happy Hour from May 2020, a series benefitting MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and providing personal protective equipment and supplies for first responders through Direct Relief.

You can still watch all episodes of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour here! We hope you enjoy this WSHH “rerun” by Madison Cunningham.

Yamaha x BGS Artist Sessions: Aaron Lee Tasjan

For this year’s Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. Over the next few weeks, we will be publicly releasing these exclusive videos.

In this solo performance, folk-rocker Aaron Lee Tasjan offers four stripped-down versions of songs off of his fourth studio album, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!, which he released in February. Tasjan opens with “Up All Night,” replacing the opening synth with driving electric guitar. As he sings, “Staying up all night/ It could be good or it could be bad for you/ It’s gonna be alright, or it won’t be,” Tasjan captures the uncertainty of modern love, noting that the good can only happen when we take a leap of faith despite the possibility of heartbreak. He follows “Up All Night” with “Don’t Overthink It,” again showing off his guitar skills during the nearly two minute-long outro.

Next, Tasjan moves to keys to perform “Feminine Walk.” With each chorus, Tasjan proudly declares, “I got a feminine walk,” embracing his own queer identity. Tasjan ends on a high note with “Dada Bois,” playing a sped-up rendition on keys that is fittingly reminiscent of Elton John. In the chorus, Tasjan belts, “Dada boys, I bleed to love/ Gaga girls, you’re my drug / My heart is wild but it’s true/ Beating like a speeding train for you / I love anyone it tells me,” celebrating love in all forms and following one’s heart.

You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com.

Yamaha x BGS Artist Sessions: Jade Jackson, “6FT Changes”

For this year’s Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. Over the next few weeks, we will be publicly releasing these exclusive videos.

California singer-songwriter Jade Jackson turned heads with her debut album, Gilded, in 2017, and we’ve been longing to hear more of her warm and raspy vocals since her 2019 release of Wilderness. At the end of March, Jackson made our wishes come true. Her new single, “6FT Changes,” is a wistful love letter to pre-pandemic times, and to musicians and music lovers everywhere anxiously awaiting the return of live shows. The song was inspired by a dream Jackson had in 2020 of performing to a crowded audience. She opens, “Last night I saw it/ The crowd and the sweat/ The lights in my eyes/ And the warmth in my chest,” over tender fingerpicking on guitar.

In the chorus, Jackson perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia we are all experiencing these days as she sings, “Six feet changes the way that it was/ Handshakes and hugs in a crowded space/ Dancing with strangers and holding up beers/ Tapping on shoulders and whispering in ears/ Was taken for granted for all these years.” For now, we are thankful to be able to listen to Jackson from home, and when concerts return, we will be first in line to see her take the stage.

You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com.

WATCH: Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, “Farewell Angelina” (From Whiskey Sour Happy Hour)

The incredible Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal, raising a glass of our show’s namesake cocktail, graced us with a captivating cover of Bob Dylan’s “Farewell Angelina” last spring.

This performance was originally part of BGS’ and Ed Helms’ virtual variety show, Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, which premiered in April 2020. The series benefitted MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and helped provide personal protective equipment and supplies for first responders through Direct Relief.

You can still watch all episodes of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour here! We hope you enjoy this performance from Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal.

Yamaha x BGS Artist Sessions: Keb’ Mo’

For this year’s virtual Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. Over the next few weeks, we will be publicly releasing these exclusive videos.

First up is Grammy Award-winning blues musician Keb’ Mo’ playing a Yamaha FGX5, which is modeled after a vintage Yamaha FG180. The FG180 in particular has sentimental value; Keb’s first acoustic guitar, the one he learned how to play slide on, was a second-hand FG180. Sadly, he lost his longtime musical companion in the Nashville flood of 2010. Keb’ recorded “Every Morning,” the first track on his self-titled 1994 debut album on his FG180, so it is only fitting that 27 years later he gifts us this rendition on its modern counterpart.

A year into the pandemic, “Every Morning” takes on new meaning; as he sings “And it may be winter, it may be fall/ I might have plenty or nothin’ at all/ But, baby, I’ll be there whenever you call,” he reminds us all of the power of love to carry us through the bad times as well as the good. He follows “Every Morning” with “The Action” off of his 1996 album, Just Like You, serenading us with another example of the vivid storytelling that has been a part of his music since the start of his long career.

You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com

WATCH: Shout & Shine featuring Yasmin Williams

BGS is proud to announce Shout & Shine Episode 5! Guitarist, composer, and songwriter Yasmin Williams is our guest for this livestream iteration of Shout & Shine, which comprises short-form, intimate video performances by underrepresented and marginalized artists in Americana, folk, and bluegrass.

Please support Yasmin Williams directly, via her PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/YasminWilliamsMusic and visit Williams’ Bandcamp to purchase merch.

Shout & Shine is presented by Preston Thompson Guitars and will be streamed live right here on March 31, 2021 at 4pm PDT / 7pm EDT.

Photo credit: Kim Atkins Photography

WATCH: Matt the Electrician, “Thank You” (From Whiskey Sour Happy Hour)

Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Matt the Electrician reminds us of the importance and power of simple gratitude.

“If the only prayer you ever say is ‘Thank you,’ that will be enough.”

You can still watch all episodes of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour here! We hope you enjoy this heartwarming song from Matt the Electrician.