Archives: Videos

A Place in the Band: Haley Miller Coots

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS has been proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Kristin Scott Benson and Ruth Ungar as well as audio engineer Haley Miller Coots are featured in this week’s final episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. All three of these women come from families with deep roots and historical connections to traditional and folk music.

In this edition of A Place in the Band meet Haley Miller Coots, a professional audio engineer who works for SE Systems, a sound and event production company based in North Carolina. SE Systems provides sound, staging, lighting and production services for major festivals, concert series, venues, and touring performers and bands. Some of their more well known clients include MerleFest, IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, and The Tangier Center in Greensboro, NC. Miller Coots has toured as audio engineer for Alison Krauss and Union Station, run sound at both MerleFest and IBMA among other festivals, and worked with both the Winston-Salem and North Carolina Symphonies on the Pop Series concerts, particularly the bluegrass and Americana oriented collaborations.

“We are grateful to all the women musicians and industry professionals who agreed to take part in the Women in Bluegrass & American Music interview series,” Blue Ridge Music Center director Richard Emmett says via email. “We hope you’ll take some time to give a look and listen to some of these women and their stories… We’re sure you’ll be entertained and we hope you’ll take away some new insights and perspectives.”

The Blue Ridge Music Center would like to thank their sponsors, supporters, and media partners: The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Parks Foundation, and BGS.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Kristin Scott Benson

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS has been proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Kristin Scott Benson and Ruth Ungar as well as audio engineer Haley Miller Coots are featured in this week’s final episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. All three of these women come from families with deep roots and historical connections to traditional and folk music.

This edition of A Place in the Band features five-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year winner and recipient of the 2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Kristin Scott Benson. Since 2008, she has been a member of Grammy-nominated and two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Grascals. Kristin is one of the nation’s top bluegrass banjo players, exhibiting impeccable taste, timing, and tone. With an attentive ear to back-up, she is known and respected as a true team player among her peers. Many consider her to be one of the first females to successfully be a side-musician in a top-tiered bluegrass band. Kristin’s latest solo album, Stringworks, was released in 2016. It debuted in the top-ten on Billboard’s Bluegrass album chart and the original opening track, “Great Waterton,” was nominated for IBMA’s Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year. Kristin lives in South Carolina with her husband Wayne Benson (mandolin player for IIIrd Tyme Out) and their son.

“We are grateful to all the women musicians and industry professionals who agreed to take part in the Women in Bluegrass & American Music interview series,” Blue Ridge Music Center director Richard Emmett says via email. “We hope you’ll take some time to give a look and listen to some of these women and their stories… We’re sure you’ll be entertained and we hope you’ll take away some new insights and perspectives.”

The Blue Ridge Music Center would like to thank their sponsors, supporters, and media partners: The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Parks Foundation, and BGS.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Traci Thomas

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Alice Gerrard, Laurie Lewis, Amythyst Kiah, and artist manager Traci Thomas are featured in this week’s episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. Along with an online conference hosted by BRMC in late February, the series is part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

In this edition of A Place in the Band, North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett interviews artist publicity and management professional Traci Thomas. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas was a founding member of the American Music Association. She was honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame at the Museum’s Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum in 2017. In her interview, Thomas talks about artist management and how she ended up in that role, being a woman in the business and how things have changed, and gives her advice to young women entering the field.

Rounding out the 10 interviews will be three final episodes featuring Kristin Scott Benson, Ruth Ungar Merenda, and Haley Miller Coots debuting on Tuesday, January 26.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Amythyst Kiah

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Alice Gerrard, Laurie Lewis, Amythyst Kiah, and artist manager Traci Thomas are featured in this week’s episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. Along with an online conference hosted by BRMC in late February, the series is part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

In this edition of A Place in the Band, North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett interviews rising folk and Americana star, Amythyst Kiah. Kiah, a Johnson City, Tennessee native, graduated from the Bluegrass, Old-time, and Country Music program at Eastern Tennessee State University. Finding inspiration in old-time, string band music, alternative rock, folk, country, and blues, Kiah brings her banjo and guitar playing, vocals, and songwriting skills to the stage as a solo artist and with her band, Her Chest of Glass. She was nominated for a Grammy in 2019 for her song “Black Myself“, which she recorded with supergroup Our Native Daughters. In her interview, Kiah talks about her musical beginnings and introduction to roots music, her mentors and influences, lessons from the pandemic, and about the Our Native Daughters project and what it means to her.

Rounding out the 10 interviews will be three final episodes featuring Kristin Scott Benson, Ruth Ungar Merenda, and Haley Miller Coots debuting on Tuesday, January 26.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Laurie Lewis

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Alice Gerrard, Laurie Lewis, Amythyst Kiah, and artist manager Traci Thomas are featured in this week’s episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. Along with an online conference hosted by BRMC in late February, the series is part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

In this edition of A Place in the Band, North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett interviews Grammy nominee, Laurie Lewis. Lewis, of Berkeley, California, has been at the forefront of the west-coast bluegrass scene since the 1970s. A co-founder of the Good Ol’ Persons, she’s gone on to front her own bands, including the Grant Street String Band, and currently Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands. In her interview, she talks about her mentors and inspirations, pathways and roadblocks in her career, inspiring young women playing today, her role in producing records, and how the pandemic has affected her this past year.

Rounding out the 10 interviews will be three final episodes featuring Kristin Scott Benson, Ruth Ungar Merenda, and Haley Miller Coots debuting on Tuesday, January 26.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Alice Gerrard

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to partner with the Blue Ridge Music Center on their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Musicians Alice Gerrard, Laurie Lewis, Amythyst Kiah, and artist manager Traci Thomas are featured in this week’s episodes, which are available with the full series on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, at their website, BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS. Along with an online conference hosted by BRMC in late February, the series is part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

In this edition of A Place in the Band, North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett interviews Bluegrass Hall of Famer Alice Gerrard. Gerrard started her musical career singing with Hazel Dickens as the duo Hazel and Alice. She’s gone on to have a long, varied career as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, recording as a solo artist, playing in several bands, and collaborating with many other musicians. In the video above she talks about her mentors and her path to making a living through music, diversity and gender issues in the industry and their impact on her career, and she gives advice to young musicians entering the field.

Rounding out the 10 interviews will be three final episodes featuring Kristin Scott Benson, Ruth Ungar Merenda, and Haley Miller Coots debuting on Tuesday, January 26.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Amy Grossmann

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to announce our partnership with the Blue Ridge Music Center to debut their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Over the course of three weeks the episodes – promoting the BRMC’s online conference in late February – will be made available on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, on BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS as part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett acts as host, speaking with musicians and additional music industry leaders. Her subjects share behind the scenes stories, reveal their role models and mentors, discuss issues they’ve encountered specific to women in the industry, and highlight changes they’ve seen over the years. The individual stories show the collective strength and possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.

The first three interviews feature North Carolina’s Rhiannon Giddens, Missy Raines (eight time-IBMA bass player of the year and member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass), and Amy Grossmann (Executive Director of the North Carolina Folk Festival). Additional interviews will be released on Tuesday, January 19, and Tuesday, January 26.

This installment’s interviewee is Amy Grossman, the President, CEO, and Director of The North Carolina Folk Festival. She was appointed to that role when the festival transitioned from The National Folk Festival to the North Carolina Folk Festival in 2018. In her role Grossmann oversees all administrative, logistical, production, and financial elements of the festival, and plays a leadership role in managing local operations — from vendor relationships to volunteer needs. She dives into the roles of women “behind the scenes” in the music industry. (Watch the full interview at the top of the page, watch a preview above.)

A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass and American Roots Music is sponsored and supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Foundation, and The Bluegrass Situation.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Missy Raines

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to announce our partnership with the Blue Ridge Music Center to debut their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Over the course of three weeks the episodes – promoting the BRMC’s online conference in late February – will be made available on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, on BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS as part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett acts as host, speaking with musicians and additional music industry leaders. Her subjects share behind the scenes stories, reveal their role models and mentors, discuss issues they’ve encountered specific to women in the industry, and highlight changes they’ve seen over the years. The individual stories show the collective strength and possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.

The first three interviews feature North Carolina’s Rhiannon Giddens, Missy Raines (eight time-IBMA bass player of the year and member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass), and Amy Grossmann (Executive Director of the North Carolina Folk Festival). Additional interviews will be released on Tuesday, January 19, and Tuesday, January 26.

This installment features singer, songwriter, and bass player, Missy Raines, the first woman to win IBMA’s Bass Player of the Year award in 1998 – she has gone on to win this honor eight times. (Watch the full interview at the top of the page, watch a preview above.) Starting her career playing for bluegrass legend Eddie Adcock, Raines has gone on to play with The Brother Boys, Ed Snodderly, and Claire Lynch and The Front Porch String Band, until “going solo” in 2009. With her latest album, the Grammy-nominated Royal Traveller, Raines has stepped into the spotlight as a songwriter.

A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass and American Roots Music is sponsored and supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Foundation, and The Bluegrass Situation.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A Place in the Band: Rhiannon Giddens

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to announce our partnership with the Blue Ridge Music Center to debut their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Over the course of three weeks the episodes – promoting the BRMC’s online conference in late February – will be made available on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, on BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS as part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett acts as host, speaking with musicians and additional music industry leaders. Her subjects share behind the scenes stories, reveal their role models and mentors, discuss issues they’ve encountered specific to women in the industry, and highlight changes they’ve seen over the years. The individual stories show the collective strength and possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.

The first three interviews feature North Carolina’s Rhiannon Giddens, Missy Raines (eight time-IBMA bass player of the year and member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass), and Amy Grossmann (Executive Director of the North Carolina Folk Festival). Additional interviews will be released on Tuesday, January 19, and Tuesday, January 26.

The first installment features Rhiannon Giddens. (Watch the full interview at the top of the page, watch a preview above.) A Greensboro, NC native, Grammy winner (and six-time nominee), and MacArthur Fellow, Giddens excavates the past to reveal truths about our present. A founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters, she also tours with Francesco Turrisi and as a solo artist. She is also known for her work onscreen, appearing in two seasons of the hit television series Nashville and in Ken Burns’s Country Music.

A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass and American Roots Music is sponsored and supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Foundation, and The Bluegrass Situation.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

WATCH: Singing on the Land Featuring Arnold Richardson and Netye Lynch

Singing on the Land is a virtual music project that celebrates stories and historic sites across North Carolina through the voices of North Carolina musicians. In this installment, Arnold Richardson plays a hand-carved red cedar American Indian flute alongside Netye Lynch on a hand drum. The performance is filmed at Magazine Spring in Historic Halifax. Watch an interview after the song, as Richardson talks about the spiritual feeling from the property, the courtship ritual of music, and the remnants of his Native American ancestors. He is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe of eastern North Carolina.

Developed by North Carolina State Historic Sites and Properties in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council and Come Hear NC, each installment of the series will highlight one of North Carolina’s 27 state designated historic sites. Each episode of Singing on the Land will feature a single-song acoustic performance by a North Carolina musician(s) paired with short interviews and environmental footage of the site’s landscape and landmarks. (Find out more.)