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
The Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles may not seem, at first blush, like a bluegrass haven, but when the five members of Fruition get going, that's exactly what it becomes. The craggly branches over and around the band lend an eery backdrop to "Death Comes Knockin'" — though the sunshine takes a bit of that edge off. Mimi Naja's husky voice and limber fingers lead the charge with solid harmonies, nimble runs, foot stomps, and body slaps rounding following right along.
Directed and Edited by Ben Guzman of SML Productions
Last Summer, we teamed up with the fine folks at the Red Wing Music Festival to film the Hot Can Sessions with some of our favorite bands. Look for other performances from Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, I Draw Slow, the Wood Brothers, and many more.
In another installment of the Hot Can Sessions, the Steel Wheels pick it up on "Worn Wool, Soft Leather," then put it right back down with "So Lonely." For the more sprightly number, the Wheels get a little help from their friends Lindsay Lou and Mark Lavengood, and the resulting performance is all the better for it.
Live from the Red Wing Roots Festival in Mt. Solon, Virginia. This year's festival takes place on July 8-10 with a line-up that includes Dawes, Shovels & Rope, the Lone Bellow, Aoife O'Donovan, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, among others.
Directed and edited by Brent Finnegan. Live sound recorded by Blue Sprocket Sound
Not everyone can get nine strings to sound the way Christian Sedelmyer and Dave Goldenberg do on this Sitch Session performance of Sedelymyer's "On Wood Street." At turns pulsing and poignant, the composition carries the listener away from wherever they are to a destination to be named later.
Directed and edited by SML Productions
Ahead of her current tour, Aoife O’Donovan stopped into Portland’s Music Millennium to sing a few songs and sign a few records. Here, she works through a solo performance of “The King of All Birds” from her latest release, In the Magic Hour. “Look out. Look out. Here I come now, fists out,” she offers in gentle contrast to the emboldened message, continuing, “I’m a fighter bird. I’m a harrier hawk, a wild flock.”
A BGS fave, O’Donovan will be on the road supporting Magic Hour through the Fall. Catch her if you can.
The Bluegrass Situation and Union Wine Co. bring you Aoife O’Donovan live from Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon.
Shot and directed by Jason Roark. Edited by Richard Downie.
Last Summer, we teamed up with the fine folks at the Red Wing Music Festival to film the Hot Can Sessions with some of our favorite bands. Look for upcoming performances from I Draw Slow, Frank Solivan, the Steel Wheels, and more.
In another outtake from Red Wing, Oliver takes lead vocals, as the Wood Brothers wander through a heartfelt rendition of "Angel Band." "Up come an angel band.
Live from the Red Wing Roots Festival in Mt. Solon, Virginia. This year's festival takes place on July 8-10 with a line-up that includes Dawes, Shovels & Rope, the Lone Bellow, Aoife O'Donovan, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, among others.
Directed and edited by Brent Finnegan. Live sound recorded by Blue Sprocket Sound.
Backed by a fiddle player and a deer head, Christopher Paul Stelling blazes through "Revenge" in this Sitch Session. As Stelling sings, "If you ever thought you were in for nasty weather, I say, 'Go on build a shelter out of my bones and skin,'" his picking is pretty fiery, though the song's vibe is anything but fierce. In fact, the moral of this particular story is quite the opposite: "Ain't no sweetness in revenge."
Directed and edited by Richard Downie
