Archives: Videos

AEA Sessions: Emily Hines

(Editor’s Note: BGS has partnered with AEA Ribbon Mics and AmericanaFest to share special live sessions shot at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee during AmericanaFest 2025. Over the next few weeks, enjoy select performances from AEA Ribbon Mics’ sessions in Nashville premiered right here on BGS.)

Artist: Emily Hines
Hometown: Southwestern Ohio
Songs: “My Own Way,” “UFO,” “All Of Our Friends,” “Callin Ya”

In Their Words: “Emily Hines and Henry Park were so laid back and easy going when they arrived that when they started strumming a few open chords, it just felt like hanging out with some old friends. The songs themselves were like a warm hug. Every tune is melodic and woven to draw you in. Each song seems simple in its structure, but really melodically captivates the listener.

“Henry’s accompaniment is thoughtful and multidimensional. The fact that they recorded their upcoming album on an old school Tascam 4-track tells you that they’re all about the music and the songs. Truth be told, their music definitely holds its own without any bells and whistles.” – Julie Tan, AEA Ribbon Mics

Video Credits: Audio recorded and mixed by Brandon Bell.
Video directed by Michael Perlmutter, assisted by Patrick Dwyer.
Hosted by Julie Tan.

To purchase AEA Ribbon Mics or other gear, contact your local dealer. More information is available at AEARibbonMics.com.

AEA Sessions: Natalie Del Carmen

(Editor’s Note: BGS has partnered with AEA Ribbon Mics and AmericanaFest to share special live sessions shot at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee during AmericanaFest 2025. Over the next few weeks, enjoy select performances from AEA Ribbon Mics’ sessions in Nashville premiered right here on BGS.)

Artist: Natalie Del Carmen
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Songs: “El Cortez,” “Tailored to the Masses, “Good Morning from Magnolia,” “Plans Upon Plans”

In Their Words: “By happenstance, I had the honor of meeting and sitting down to a group dinner with Natalie Del Carmen in LA a few months before this session and we hit it off immediately with our shared Southern California roots and fervor for singer-songwriters, country, and Americana music. When Natalie talks about the inspirations behind her songs, it’s a bit mind blowing that many of them actually have big-city origins. Whether it’s a song inspired by a major thoroughfare in the megalopolis of Los Angeles, or a road trip to Sin City, Natalie is able to distill the storytelling down to its essence. Regardless if it’s rooted in a smell, feeling, or vibe, Del Carmen invites you into her personal and down-home narrative woven through captivating melodies.

“This session was shot in the hallway nook of Nashville studio, Welcome to 1979, because our director, Michael, thought that the intimate space fit the intimacy of her music. And Brandon, our audio guru, chose one solo mic (a single AEA 440 Active Big Ribbon Microphone) to capture her performance and the room.

“I hope when you blast it, it will transport you to that magical hallway in Nashville that afternoon. If you’re ever at Welcome to 1979, you, too, will have to try that slide! Just hold on to your hat.” – Julie Tan, AEA Ribbon Mics

Video Credits: Audio recorded and mixed by Brandon Bell.
Video directed by Michael Perlmutter, assisted by Patrick Dwyer.
Hosted by Julie Tan.

To purchase AEA Ribbon Mics or other gear, contact your local dealer. More information is available at AEARibbonMics.com.

Ol’ Hoss Sessions: Billy Strings, “John Henry”

In 2023, BGS was invited to Bryan Sutton’s Blue Ridge Guitar Camp in Brevard, North Carolina. Sutton is one of the most prominent proselytizers for Doc Watson in the 21st century, so it’s no surprise his annual camp just up the mountains from Watson’s hometown of Deep Gap is usually dripping with Doc’s music.

That year, one of Doc’s most famous guitars, “Ol’ Hoss” – a 1968 G-50 Gallagher Guitar that Watson played in the late ’60s and early ’70s and on many recordings – was also “in attendance” at Blue Ridge Guitar Camp. The instrument was one of the first of a few Gallaghers that Doc owned. BGS made the trip to Brevard to capture special video performances and interviews with many of the event’s instructors and pickers, each of whom played Doc tunes and shared stories and memories while picking Ol’ Hoss. It was a magical week in the mountains.

Now, for the very first time, we’re making select songs from these tapings available in a new series, the Ol’ Hoss Sessions. Three sessions pulled from the shoot celebrate our Doc in December series. The first featured Bryan Sutton – watch here. The second found Ol’ Hoss handed off to singer-songwriter Courtney Hartman – watch here. The third is one of the most special from the series, as we were in the room with cameras rolling when bluegrass phenom Billy Strings first held and played Doc’s guitar.

“It’s so cool to play this thing,” Strings gushes before playing his song. “It really tripped me out earlier. I’ve been playing it for an hour now, I think I’ve finally come down. But I about had a panic attack when I first checked it out. Shed a few tears, and felt like Doc was in the room.”

That hour of communing with Ol’ Hoss included many tunes and songs, and a phone call to his mom and dad to share the excitement that he was holding Doc’s Gallagher Guitar. Strings shared many stories, memories, and inspirations of and from Doc Watson as he got to know the instrument and took it through its paces warming up. That time culminated in this performance, Strings tearing through “John Henry” in the mountains of Brevard, North Carolina, paying tribute to perhaps his all-time hero. There are moments of Strings-style shredding, but you can tell he’s playing more reserved and intentionally, aiming to pull as many of Watson’s own licks and turns of phrase out of the instrument as possible.

It was a decidedly special, cosmic feeling being in the room with Billy Strings playing Doc Watson’s Ol’ Hoss for the first time and we’re incredibly proud to bring you a glimpse into the taping.

Stay tuned as we have plenty more tape from the Ol’ Hoss Sessions in the archives and we’ll be continuing to share clips, sessions, and tidbits from our time at the Blue Ridge Guitar Camp right here on BGS and on our YouTube channel in the future.

Video Credits: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner and Juan Soria.

Ol’ Hoss Sessions: Courtney Hartman, “The Cuckoo”

In 2023, BGS was invited to Bryan Sutton’s Blue Ridge Guitar Camp in Brevard, North Carolina. Sutton is one of the most prominent proselytizers for Doc Watson in the 21st century, so it’s no surprise his annual camp just up the mountains from Watson’s hometown of Deep Gap is usually dripping with Doc’s music.

That year, one of Doc’s most famous guitars, “Ol’ Hoss” – a 1968 G-50 Gallagher Guitar that Watson played in the late ’60s and early ’70s and on many recordings – was also “in attendance” at Blue Ridge Guitar Camp. The instrument was one of the first of a few Gallaghers that Doc owned. BGS made the trip to Brevard to capture special video performances and interviews with many of the event’s instructors and pickers, each of whom played Doc tunes and shared stories and memories while picking Ol’ Hoss. It was a magical week in the mountains.

Now, for the very first time, we’re making select songs from these tapings available in a new series, the Ol’ Hoss Sessions. Three sessions pulled from the shoot will celebrate our Doc in December series. The first was published last week and features Bryan Sutton – watch here. The second, available today on BGS and our YouTube channel, finds guitarist, singer-songwriter, and community builder Courtney Hartman cradling Ol’ Hoss and finding that same magic – and so much life – within the instrument.

“To know that Doc held this guitar… it means a lot,” she says after being handed his Gallagher Guitar for the first time. “I think instruments are living,” she continues, “which means he’s still kinda living in it, also.”

Hartman certainly finds plenty of those ineffable Doc Watson touches alive within the instrument. Despite the fact that she’s translating Watson’s frailing banjo playing to the guitar, you can easily hear the cross-instrumental influence as she capos the six-string to make it as “chime-y sounding” as possible, emulating his clawhammer picking. “The Cuckoo” is known by a few different spellings/stylizations across Watson’s recorded catalog and it’s one of his most well-known numbers. Hartman offers the melody and lyric with tenderness, reverence, and intention, as she does in all of her artistic endeavors.

Whether teaching and performing at Blue Ridge Guitar Camp or bringing together her creative community to craft her brand new album, With You, in her work Hartman often reminds us that these sorts of transportive moments are what this music is really all about.

Stay tuned as we share more Ol’ Hoss Sessions right here on BGS and on our YouTube channel throughout the month.

Read our recent Cover Story interview with Courtney Hartman on her brand new album, With You, here.

Video Credits: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner and Juan Soria.

Ol’ Hoss Sessions: Bryan Sutton, “Whistling Rufus”

In 2023, BGS was invited to Bryan Sutton’s Blue Ridge Guitar Camp in Brevard, North Carolina. Sutton is one of the most prominent proselytizers for Doc Watson in the 21st century, so it’s no surprise his annual camp just up the mountains from Watson’s hometown of Deep Gap is usually dripping with Doc’s music.

That year, one of Doc’s most famous guitars, “Ol’ Hoss” – a 1968 G-50 Gallagher Guitar that Watson played in the late ’60s and early ’70s and on many recordings – was also “in attendance” at Blue Ridge Guitar Camp. The instrument was one of the first of a few Gallaghers that Doc owned. BGS made the trip to Brevard to capture special video performances and interviews with many of the event’s instructors and pickers, each of whom played Doc tunes and shared stories and memories while picking Ol’ Hoss. It was a magical week in the mountains.

Now, for the very first time, we’re making select songs from these tapings available in a new series, the Ol’ Hoss Sessions. Three sessions pulled from the shoot will celebrate our Doc in December series. The first is available today and features camp host and premier flatpicker Bryan Sutton himself.

“This is Doc Watson’s Gallagher Guitar,” Sutton explains to start the video, “the first one he every owned, it’s called ‘Ol’ Hoss.’ This guitar really showcases for me, when I hold it, the evenness in Doc’s sound. You could hear every note that he played. Any guitar I play, I’m looking for what the guitar can do. And I already kinda know with this one. It’s kinda neat to feel that, in my own hands.”

No matter who picked up Ol’ Hoss that week, they agreed: it was surreal and very special to hold Doc’s guitar. A once in a lifetime feeling. Sutton continues, picking “Whistling Rufus,” a traditional fiddle tune in the bluegrass and old-time canons that was a common selection by Watson and many other guitarists and musicians in roots music. This simple solo rendition played on Ol’ Hoss translates the magic of the instrument and Doc Watson’s influence across time.

Stay tuned as we share more Ol’ Hoss Sessions right here on BGS and on our YouTube channel throughout the month.

Video Credits: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner and Juan Soria.

Sierragrass Sessions: Sweet Sally

Back in May, AJ Lee & Blue Summit hosted the very first Sierragrass festival at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. Over the summer and now into fall, we’ve been sharing our Sierragrass Sessions, a series of performance videos by bands and artists on the lineup shot at the festival by our incredibly talented friends at I Know We Should. We’ve now enjoyed intimate and gorgeously shot sessions from AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Hannah Mayree, Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties, Ismay, and Viv & Riley.

Though we’re saddened to reach the final installment of our Sierragrass Sessions, it’s certainly an excellent one on which to go out. To close us out, Sweet Sally – an excellent band of talented, young up-and-comers that first convened in Oakland – perform an energetic original song, “Anchor,” written by guitarist Lucy Khadder. (Watch above.) Joined by bandmates Sophia Sparks on mandolin and Clare O’Grady on bass poolside at twilight, Khadder kicks off the song with a quick flatpicking intro before launching into the lonesome and longing lyric. The three-part harmonies on the chorus are quite lovely and the refrain’s engaging chord progression is perhaps the best part of the entire number.

As the small gathered audience of festival attendees and crew applaud Sweet Sally, the young women of the band can be heard laughing to each other, “I was so nervous!” “Me too!” “I know, I always overthink every little note.” But that’s not the impression given by their rendition of “Anchor” at all. For such a young group, their resumés collectively and as individual musicians are impressive – a fact that comes as no surprise given the skill, talent, and confidence on display in their Sierragrass Session performance.

BGS would like to thank AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Sierragrass, I Know We Should, and all of the bands, musicians, and artists who made this series a smashing success. Here’s to many more years of Sierragrass and many more excellent musical moments. Watch all of our Sierragrass Sessions here.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, Charlie Peterson, and Luis Scampamorte.

Sierragrass Sessions: Viv & Riley

For our latest Sierragrass Session, we met up with the singing and songwriting old-time duo of Viv & Riley beside a placid stream under the oaks and the pine trees in Ahwahnee, California. The first edition of Sierragrass, a brand new festival hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, was held in the spring of this year, and our series of live performance videos features artists and bands from the lineup.

Barefoot in the sand by the stream banks, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno perform “Is It All Over” for their first selection. A song about the many different simultaneous apocalypses we’re all currently living through and staring down in the future, “Is It All Over” is gutting with its dichotomy of seemingly ancient old-time sounds and futuristic (and present-times) dystopia striding hand in hand. The original number, from their 2023 album, Imaginary People, works remarkably well in the pastoral California setting of Sierragrass, and feels as timely and convicting as ever. Will there be harmony singing on mars? Or in the lithium mines?

For their second choice, Riley picks up a fiddle, Viv a guitar, and we all strap into our chest waders to go down to “Chance Creek.” An apropos song for the setting, the instrumental is also pulled from Imaginary People. With galloping double stops and sprinkles of darker-tinged minor chords, “Chance Creek” shows how this duo effortlessly synthesize old-time, bluegrass, mountain music, and many more folk traditions into their own sound, bridging modern sensibilities and all the charm and patina of ages past. The worst part of their second Sierragrass Sessions song is that it goes by all too fast, leaving the small gathering of listeners – and all of us – wanting more. We’re so grateful to have been able to meet up with Viv & Riley in California for this lovely pair of performance videos.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the very first Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

We’ve so enjoyed this series so far and have just one more installment coming soon, right here on BGS. Watch all of our Sierragrass Sessions here.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, Charlie Peterson, and Luis Scampamorte.

Sierragrass Sessions: Ismay

Our Sierragrass Sessions continue this week with a brand new edition of the series featuring singer-songwriter, producer, and creative Ismay (AKA Avery Hellman). Ismay recently joined the BGS Podcast Network as a host of the fantastic, incredibly popular Finding Lucinda, a show built around their adoration and emulation of Lucinda Williams – and the award-winning documentary film by the same name. The podcast intentionally dives further into the stories, research, and conversations that became the film, sharing content captured during filming and crafting the project that didn’t make it into the documentary’s final cut. So of course we were beyond tickled to link up with Ismay – with Andrew Allen Fahlander – once again in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s inaugural Sierragrass festival.

For their first selection, it’s a beyond apropos cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Side of the Road,” delivered with a gorgeous otherworldly sculpture, “Brainchild,” by artist Michael Christian as a backdrop on the pastoral grounds of the Sierra Meadows Resort. (Watch above.) You can hear the comfort and ease with which Ismay approaches the number, having spent essentially their entire adult life performing Lucinda cover songs and in a Lucinda cover band. Originally released on Lucinda Williams in 1988, Ismay transforms the jangling rock and roll and alt-Americana textures of the track into a tender, acoustic indie folk contemplation with the loping groove preserved. Don’t miss an adorable cameo from a precious-and-sleepy pup, Punky Sue, who we were delighted to have crash the set.

The goodness doesn’t end there, though, as the duo quickly cue up “O Love Is Teasin” for their second selection. A winsome and flowing waltz in 6/8 time, it’s punctuated thoughtfully by Fahlander’s guitar picking solos. Many artists – Jean Ritchie and Rhiannon Giddens among them – have covered the timeless lyric, and Ismay translates the transatlantic touches well to the bluegrass setting. In the golden California sunlight, both songs elapse far too quickly, and an intimate impromptu audience applauds Ismay, Fahlander, and “Brainchild” as the folk waltz concludes.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the very first Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

Thank you to Ismay, Fahlander, Sierragrass, and I Know We Should for another excellent round of our Sierragrass Sessions. More are coming soon, right here on BGS. And don’t miss your chance to spend some quality time with Ismay listening to Finding Lucinda – listen right here on BGS or listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, Charlie Peterson, and Luis Scampamorte.

Sierragrass Sessions: Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties

Our series of stellar Sierragrass Sessions continues! This time, we’re resuming the celebration of California bluegrass with Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties. Based in the Bay Area, Tucker and the Bow Ties are staples of local festivals, community jams, regular appearances at neighborhood venues, and within the Northern California Bluegrass Society. They’re also close, longtime pickin’ friends of Sierragrass hosts and presenters, AJ Lee & Blue Summit.

So, of course we had to kick off their session with “The Best of Friends.” Sounding like it could have been written and conceived directly beneath the ponderosa pines of Grass Valley, California – where there’s a nearly 100% chance of running into the Bow Ties circled up and jamming with members of Blue Summit (and many more bluegrass pals) at CBA’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival. The song reminds listeners from all across the country, and even around the world, that California isn’t just a hot bed for jamgrass and the more psychedelic string band strains. No, these West Coast pickers can be just as traditional, virtuosic, and timeless as their Southeastern counterparts. Especially with the bright tenor of Tucker as a keystone and that hard-pulling, driving banjo and slippery, languid fiddle.

For their second performance, the group offers “I’m Not Gone.” Slow and shuffling, the song is archetypically contemplative and existential with an ultimately hopeful message. Punctuated by dramatic mandolin tremolos, Tucker’s lamenting lead vocal, and tender three-part harmonies, “I’m Not Gone” may remind of classic J.D. Crowe & the New South or of Larry Sparks – especially with the ear-turning major 3 chord. It’s a lovely track that could exist as comfortably on a honky-tonk stage as it would in the sanctuary of a church.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the inaugural Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

Yoseff Tucker & the Bow Ties are perfect examples of the vibrant community of artists, musicians, and creators in California who deserve such an excellent festival home as Sierragrass. Give them a follow on social media, and stay tuned for more sessions by artists from the Sierragrass lineup coming right here on BGS every other week.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, and Charlie Peterson. 

Sierragrass Sessions:
Hannah Mayree

You may recognize banjoist, producer, songwriter, and community builder Hannah Mayree as the founder and driving force behind the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. Mayree is equally talented in activism and culture-crafting as in music, as evidenced by this, our second edition of the Sierragrass Sessions.

Hannah Mayree was just one of many excellent artists on hand for AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s Sierragrass festival held in California in May. For the latest BGS session from the event, Mayree performs two lovely numbers on solo, open-back banjo. Her approach is contemporary in some respects and timeless in countless others, innovation and tradition speaking in dialogue throughout each of her songs.

Mayree begins with “Laying Hen” (watch above), a track first recorded on their 2017 debut recording, Thoughts of the Night. With a towering scultpure for a background (Colossus by Zachary Coffin, one of several art installations at Sierra Meadows, the campground and venue where the festival was hosted) they return to “Laying Hen” with ease and a languid, prominent back beat.

“I’m like a hen, I wanna lay all day,” they sing. “Scratchin’ and squawkin’ in the same old hay/ Everywhere I go I wanna stay/ My wings they clipped, but I ain’t gonna fly away…” The language of the lyrics is simple, down to earth, but with limitless poetic potential and appeal.

Next, Mayree offers “Acid Bama,” a more recent song with an impeccable groove and simple while mind-bending chord changes. She had also performed the track for a submission to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2024. In that version, she’s accompanied by layered textural vocals, pads, synths, and many more sonic details as she plays and sings along with a track she produced herself. In both iterations, “Acid Bama” shines. Again, poetic and artful, it immediately gets your toe or hand tapping along with her fingers striking the banjo’s head and the danceable, cyclical beat.

Another endlessly enjoyable Sierragrass Session, thanks to Hannah Mayree’s artistry, intention, and time-bending musical prowess. Be sure to follow and support Mayree and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project on social media and beyond.

Conceived, curated, and hosted by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the inaugural Sierragrass was held May 9-11 at Sierra Meadows Resort in Ahwahnee, California, tucked into the shadow of the Sierra Nevada just across the Central Valley from Blue Summit’s home turf of Santa Cruz. For a debut, band-founded festival, the event was a smashing success. Our friends, the incredible team at I Know We Should, were on hand for this first edition of Sierragrass to capture live performance videos of artists from across the festival roster.

Stay tuned for more sessions by artists from the Sierragrass lineup coming right here on BGS every other week.

Video Credit: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner, Juan Soria, and Charlie Peterson.