There was nary a chill in the air at Old Settler's Music Festival in Austin, Texas, when the Deer took some time to sing "Winter to Pry" for us. Still, the song couched its prophesy of what was to come in a lovely bit of poetry: "I’m the harvest moon on an Autumn night. I’m watching your shadow pass through my light," Grace Park sings. "I’ve been broken asunder, over the line, like the teeth of the harrow rusted in time."
Directed by: Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Edited by: James Templeton and Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
On their latest release, We All the Light, River Whyless reaches around the world and folds a bevy of intriguing sounds and rhythms into their music, making the album a refreshing take on roots music. Here, the band performs "All Day All Night" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, faithfully recreating the album's groove in the live setting. "Not too long ago, you chased the sun, craved it on your skin," bassist Daniel Shearin sings, as the camera moves around them and the bokeh light refracts and reflects.
Directed and edited by Wonderscope
Before she was IBMA's 2016 Mandolin Player of the Year, Sierra Hull popped into Old Settlers Music Festival in Austin, Texas, earlier this year for a Sitch Session of "Weighted Mind," the title track from her latest release. Hull gets a mountain of rightful praise for her picking skills, but she also deserves some credit for her singer/songwriter chops. "Should I lead? Should I lay low? If I ask you, will you even know? From the roof to the ground, these walls must come down," she sings with poise and purpose, working her way toward the mando licks that pack the real punch. Good stuff.
Directed by: Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Edited by: James Templeton and Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
When the Hillbenders were in Austin, Texas, for Old Settler’s Music Festival earlier this year, the bearded quintet hooked up with the BGS to power pick their way through “Hey Boys.” The song rambles and rolls through tales of various working men — lumberjacks, carpenters, et al — finishing up a long day and heading out for a hard-earned drink … or several: “Hey, boys, have another round. The devil won’t get us when the sun goes down.”
Directed by: Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Edited by: James Templeton and Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Last year, David Ramirez released Fables, his doozy of an album. Though the collection was chock full of stunning tunes, one of our favorites was "Harder to Lie." So we were thrilled to have him perform it for us earlier this year at Old Settler's Music Festival in Austin, Texas. "When it comes to loving me, you best be ready, because this will get heavy when you learn just what I am," he sings with an echo of reckoning in his voice. "I fed you fables and fooled you with words from my tongue, trying to make you think I was a better man than I was." Doesn't get much heavier … or much better.
Directed by: Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Edited by: James Templeton and Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
We took Elephant Revival out to the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve for their Sitch Session performance of "Home in Your Heart" because … well … why not? The big sky and tumbleweeds provide the perfect backdrop to the band's delicate spin on the breezy tune. No matter that the song sings "Go down to the soul of the river. Go where love found you there. Feel deep down them goosebumps and shivers. Go where the mouth of the river runs wide." Elephants, revivaling in the desert. Boom.
Directed and edited by Small Medium Large Productions
BGS fave Sara Watkins took a minute in between tour dates to roar through a pseudo-unplugged version of "Move Me" for us in a Los Angeles backyard. The tune is a bit of a departure from the bluegrass-tinged folk Watkins is known for. "You like a clear drawn line, partitioned and defined, so you can rest knowing everything is as it should be," she almost chides, before throwing down a gauntlet of a growl on the chorus, "But I want you to move me."
For more on Sara Watkins, her "Say So" was our Song of the Week back in July.
Directed and edited by Richard Downie
When Texas troubadour Robert Ellis ventured out West recently, he stopped by for a Sitch Session. Sitting on the floor with little more than an acoustic guitar, a sharp suit, and some snazzy shoes, Ellis peeled through "Drivin'," a cut off his eponymous 2016 release that leaves plenty of room for his fingers to fly.
For more on Robert Ellis, follow him through the streets of Houston.
Directed and edited by Richard Downie
New Zealander Marlon Williams has been making a name for himself in the States this year with a self-titled release that is chock full of tracks that straddle the alt-country/indie folk divide. Because his influences range from the Beatles to the Bunnymen, Williams creates a sound that is both timely and timeless. That is never more evident than in his Sitch Session performance of "Little Glass of Wine," a tune made famous by the Stanley Brothers.
Directed and edited by Richard Downie
Hot off the heels of a slew of nominations for the 2016 International Bluegrass Music Awards, the Earls of Leicester are coming at ya right here on the BGS with a rousing rendition of “The Train That Carried My Girl from Town” recorded live at the Old Settler’s Music Festival in Austin, Texas, a few months back. Though they all look like they’re having a helluva time, Shawn Camp flashes a big ol’ grin as he tosses out lines like, “There goes my girl. Somebody bring her back. She got her hands on my money sack.” Man, those boys can play!
Directed by Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
Edited by James Templeton and Jeromy Barber of Dinolion
