You know that feeling you get when somebody leaves — but says they’ll be back? Then you’ll have a deeper understanding of this rare track from The War and Treaty, written by Michael Trotter, with his wife and bandmate Tanya Blount-Trotter at his side to drive those powerful emotions home.
The mesmerizing duo recorded this performance video at the Ear Trumpet Labs workshop while on tour in Portland, Oregon. They’re using the Delphina model on vocals, an Edwina on the guitar amp, and a stereo pair of Delphinas as room mics. And if this performance moves you, then just count the days until September 25 when The War and Treaty release their second album, Hearts Town.
On our first episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, mother-daughter duo Aubrie Sellers and Lee Ann Womack delivered a message we oh-so desperately needed to hear. Only a month into nationwide stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were all missing live music — with no visible light at the end of the music-less tunnel — and craving human connection as we fell into the new normal of isolation and social distancing.
This first night of performances from multiple BGS Friends and Neighbors, such as Yola, Watkins Family Hour, Billy Strings, and many more, reminded us of the power of both music and community. And while the depths of social isolation, not to mention the world’s seemingly constant negative news, may seem like the perfect breeding ground for pessimism and hopelessness, Sellers and Womack remind us that there is a sunny side — we just need to look for it.
So let us greet, with a song of hope, each day. We can get started by watching Sellers and Womack, with guitarist Ethan Ballinger, serenade Whiskey Sour Happy Hour listeners with their version of the Carter Family classic, “Keep on the Sunny Side.”
BGS is proud to announce Shout & Shine has moved to video! Harpist and singer/songwriter Lizzie No is our debut guest for the livestream version of Shout & Shine, which comprises short-form, intimate video performances by underrepresented and marginalized artists in Americana, folk, and bluegrass.
Please support Lizzie directly, via PayPal: [email protected] and visit her website for more information and music.
Lizzie No’s Shout & Shine set, presented by Preston Thompson Guitars, will feature a brand new song, “Mourning Dove Waltz,” and will be streamed live right here on August 5 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.
When Buffy Sainte-Marie performed on our fourth and final episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, her song choice was a mite unexpected. Amid a lush corner of the Hawai’i jungle outside her home, Sainte-Marie sang her slightly-enhanced rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Given she had been isolating by herself at the time, the legendary activist, singer/songwriter, and folk icon gently sings solo to a backing track.
As we go into the Fourth of July weekend, BGS offers this song as an alternative to a traditional celebration of this country’s independence. Unless we as a culture — and more specifically, as members of the greater roots music community — immediately center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in this country, injustices will continue. Injustices that disproportionately impact those members of our society who have been purposefully marginalized by it, since the moment of its inception. Injustices like those detailed in Sainte-Marie’s lyrics to this ageless, patriotic verse.
We aren’t going to wish you a “happy” Fourth of July this year, but we hope you will take this holiday to reflect on the ongoing genocide this country inflicts upon peoples it claims to allow life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank you, Buffy Sainte-Marie, for sharing this gorgeousness with all of us.
Photo credit: Matt Barnes
Anthony D’Amato is a world traveler, as you might have guessed from listening closely to the lyrics of “Passing Through.” His tour diary recounts his global journeys, while his original songs give insight into his own experiences. To wit, he released an EP last year titled Five Songs From New Orleans, and his latest singles are a cover of Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World” and the thoughtful and introspective “Love, Again.”
While on a trek through the Pacific Northwest, D’Amato dropped by Ear Trumpet Labs workshop in Portland, Oregon, to give a special acoustic rendition of “Passing Through.” Anyone with the undeniable need to keep moving will surely relate to its message. He is heard through a Edwina microphone as well as a stereo pair of Delphinas utilized as room mics.
“Twang is the essence of that Blackness…” — Queen Esther
BGS stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and Folks of Color. While we have always done our best to amplify a spectrum of artists — especially in an industry that has all too often co-opted, appropriated, ignored, and undervalued Black creators — we know we must do better. Now more than ever, we are committed to the work of being allies and advocates.
The simplest act of protest you can participate in is listening. We encourage you to start with this powerful 2018 TED Talk from musician and activist Queen Esther, where she addresses how American roots music — including country, bluegrass, and Americana — is all rooted in blues and African instrumentation and tradition.
There is much work to do and we are just getting started.
More resources for learning, giving, and support here.
Amy Reitnouer Jacobs is the co-founder and executive director of BGS.
During her appearance on our online variety show, Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, our June 2020 Artist of the Month Sarah Jarosz, joined by bassist Jeff Picker, performed an exclusive duo version of “Orange and Blue,” a track off the Grammy-winning artist’s just-released album, World on the Ground.
Produced by John Leventhal, the project captures ethereal, fleeting moments of musical magic direct from the creative mind of Jarosz, as she unspools intricate details and evocative narratives in her writing and playing.
Watch Jarosz and Picker perform “Orange and Blue” on Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, and don’t forget to spend some time with our AOTM Essentials Playlist, too.
Welcome to an extra special, bonus episode of Whiskey Hour Happy Hour presented by Ed Helms and the Bluegrass Situation and benefiting MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and personal protective equipment and supplies through Direct Relief.
Thank you for your generosity! No donation is too small in making a difference. Please DONATE HERE:
Our bonus episode features bonus performances from past guests of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour including: Watkins Family Hour, Madison Cunningham, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Davíd Garza, Matt the Electrician, Valerie June, Ben Harper, Billy Strings, and Rodney Crowell.
Thank you to our audience for being so supportive of this series and this cause — and for wanting more! And, as always, extra special, above-and-beyond thanks to the Americana Music Association, TX Whiskey, and Allbirds for their support!
With Ed Helms running the show, it’s nearly impossible to predict who might pop up on screen next. During our weekly online variety show, Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, a cavalcade of musicians, actors, and comedians made appearances performing, visiting, and laughing it up for Ed and the BGS audience.
On our final episode, aired May 13, Bryan Sutton, Gabe Witcher, and Ed began a simple, cozy jam on a bluegrass and flatpicking standard, “Billy in the Lowground.” Who should pop up three-quarters of the way in to blaze through a soprano sax solo? Kenny G himself! If your mind hasn’t exploded yet, it will.
Kenny joined in with his signature sultry sound, trading bars with Witcher and the band, before settling in for a WSHH visit, some reminiscing with Ed, and a solo performance of “Loving You,” too. Watch the full episode and that performance here.
Whiskey Sour Happy Hour benefits MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and personal protective equipment and supplies through Direct Relief. You can watch all four episodes in full before May 25.
No donation is too small to make a difference! DONATE HERE:
Thanks to the Americana Music Association, TX Whiskey, and Allbirds for their support!
It wouldn’t be a BGS + Ed Helms event without a superjam! A superlative cast of musicians from across all four episodes of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour joined in on this special finale rendition of “The Weight.”
The online variety show benefits MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and personal protective equipment and supplies through Direct Relief. You can watch all four episodes in full here.
No donation is too small to make a difference! DONATE AT ANY TIME BEFORE MAY 25:
“The Weight” features (in approximate order of appearance): Chris Eldridge, Ed Helms, Sean Watkins, Ted Poor, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Noam Pikelny, Jeff Picker, Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins, Robert Ellis, Aoife O’Donovan, Madison Cunningham, Matt the Electrician, Caitlin Canty, Molly Tuttle, and I’m With Her. Thanks to the Americana Music Association, TX Whiskey, and Allbirds for their support!
