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Roots Culture Redefined

LISTEN: Mike Miz, “Wander Blue”

Artist: Mike Mizwinski, better known simply as Mike Miz
Hometown: Nashville now, via Northeast Pennsylvania (Pittston)
Song: “Wander Blue”
Album: Only Human
Release Date: April 14, 2023
Label: Blackbird Record Label

In Their Words: “‘Wander Blue’ was the last song written for the album. The inspiration of this song came from the idea that struggle, heartache, and pain, can sometimes lead to a path of humility and a more meaningful life purpose. I was doing a lot of self-reflecting, thinking about how my ego sometimes got the best of me, and how I was the only one who couldn’t see it. It was also written fast, in about an hour with my co-writing partner Boo Ray. I must also give credit to Laur Joamets, who rearranged the entire song right before it was about to be recorded. At the time I wasn’t thrilled about his changes, I felt too close to the way I wrote it, but in the end he was absolutely right and I’m so glad I listened to his input. This song is a true live-to-tape production. It’s a seven-piece band playing live in the studio, no edits, no overdubs, no metronome, and a completely live vocal take untouched in post production.” — Mike Miz

WATCH: Tanya Tucker, “Kindness”

Artist: Tanya Tucker
Hometown: Seminole, Texas; Willcox, Arizona
Song: “Kindness”
Album: Sweet Western Sound (produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings)
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Label: Fantasy Records

In Their Words:Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor. It’s ALWAYS a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn’t know if we’d be working together again on a new album after While I’m Livin’!! But we did it! Lots of new things we did this time and I even co-wrote some of the songs, which means a lot to me. Brandi says we’re MAGIC together, and I’m starting to believe her!!!!” — Tanya Tucker

WATCH: Kyle Tuttle, “Not Quite Spring” (Live from WinterWonderGrass)

Bob Ross and bluegrass go well together. Kyle Tuttle, Lindsay Lou and John Mailander fly above the happy little trees in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, during this performance of “Not Quite Spring.” The trio took time during the WinterWonderGrass festival to record the live gondola session.

We’ll be premiering more sessions from Steamboat in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

WATCH: Lindsay Lou, “Takes So Long, Goes So Fast” (Live from WinterWonderGrass)

Lindsay Lou, Kyle Tuttle, and John Mailander took to the gondolas in Steamboat Springs for a performance of “Takes So Long, Goes So Fast” during WinterWonderGrass earlier this month. The festival was celebrating its tenth year in Colorado, and this weekend, they’re headed to Tahoe.

We’ll be premiering more sessions from Steamboat in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

WATCH: Black Opry Revue & Allison Russell, “You’re Not Alone” (BGS + Sixthman Sessions at Sea)

On this year’s Cayamo, the Black Opry Revue, led by Allison Russell, gave us an uplifting performance of “You’re Not Alone” with moments from Jake Blount, Chastity Brown, Brady Blade, and Yasmin Williams.

Keep an eye out for an interview with Black Opry founder Holly G. in the coming weeks, as well as more Sixthman Sessions from the 15th edition of Cayamo: A Journey Through Song being released exclusively by BGS. The Black Opry Revue will be back on Cayamo in 2024, and while it is sold out you can sign up for the waitlist – next year’s lineup includes folks like Leyla McCalla, Lake Street Dive, the Mavericks, Lyle Lovett, the War and Treaty, and Sunny War, to name just a few.

Sitch Sessions: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper feat. Charlie Starr, “One Horse Town”

BGS March Artist of the Month Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper made a special appearance with Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr inside East Nashville’s 3Sirens recording studio for a Sitch Session recording of the Starr-penned “One Horse Town,” which is also featured on Cleveland’s new album Lovin’ Of The Game.

Cleveland first heard “One Horse Town” during the pandemic when Flamekeeper guitarist Josh Richards covered the tune in a Facebook video, and he “fell in love with the song immediately.”  Hear Michael and Charlie banter about their online meet-cute in this very special Sitch Session.

Produced in partnership with Compass Records and 3Sirens.  Check out more about Michael Cleveland and his upcoming live dates at MichaelClevelandFiddle.com.

WATCH: Andrew Gabbard, “Glum and Empty” (Live at Plaid Room Records)

Artist: Andrew Gabbard
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Song: “Glum and Empty”
Album: Cedar City Sweetheart
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Label: Colemine / Karma Chief Records

In Their Words: “‘Glum and Empty’ is an uncomfortably honest tune. It starts in a moment of desperation and ends with a full resolved reflection. It’s dark and sad but it also feels great to me, like the wind blowing through your hair when you just jam it out on certain parts. We usually jam this song electric and indefinitely when we play it live but for our most recent session we wanted to strip it down to its core. And the way we did it, we couldn’t really hear each other as it was happening so it was 100% faith and vibe and I’m really happy with how real it turned out.” — Andrew Gabbard

WATCH: Humbletown, “Vines”

Artist: Humbletown
Hometown: Lead, South Dakota
Song: “Vines”
Album: The Path I Chose to Walk

In Their Words: “The song ‘Vines’ is about following your dreams and the danger to your happiness of not doing so. It’s about the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota where I grew up and a tribute to my dad who spent his career gold mining. He was actually very happy mining gold, contrary to the song lyrics. Although my dad made his living ‘digging someone else’s gold,’ he always made sure to pan some gold for himself to keep. We made this video in one of our favorite hiking spots and were so excited to see that in late October the ferns were still alive and the color of the leaves were perfect!” — Dylan Lewis, Humbletown

WATCH: Rainbow Girls Cover Bob Marley’s “How Many Times” (BGS + Sixthman Sessions at Sea: Cayamo Edition)

Rainbow Girls and Anna Moss gave us a sunset serenade in the middle of the ocean on this year’s Cayamo, with their rendition of Bob Marley’s “How Many Times.” We’re not sure any other group has as much fun playing live as Rainbow Girls.

Keep an eye out for more Sixthman Sessions from the 15th edition of Cayamo: A Journey Through Song being released exclusively by BGS in the coming weeks! Cayamo’s sold out for 2024, but you can sign up for the waitlist at cayamo.com — next year’s lineup includes folks like Lucius, the Lone Bellow, Sunny War, Billy Bragg, and Lyle Lovett, to name a few.

WATCH: Joseph, “Waves Crash” (BGS + Sixthman Sessions at Sea: Cayamo Edition)

On this year’s Cayamo, Joseph – the trio made up of sisters Natalie, Meegan, and Allison Closner – took advantage of a quiet moment on the ship in the empty Bliss Lounge to share a vulnerable and powerful acoustic performance of their (aptly titled) song “Waves Crash” from their upcoming album The Sun. “The whole album is a sort of thinking through of the story that you tell about yourself, to yourself,” Natalie says. “It’s about looking at whatever is diminishing you or making you believe in these limitations you’ve put on yourself, and then finally asking, ‘What if I’m more than that?'”

Keep an eye out for more Sixthman Sessions from the 15th edition of Cayamo: A Journey Through Song being released exclusively by BGS in the coming weeks. Cayamo has also announced their initial lineup for 2024, which includes folks like Lucius, The Lone Bellow, Sunny War, Nikki Lane, and Lyle Lovett. You can sign up for the pre-sale here (open until March 1st at 11:59pm ET) and check out the full lineup (so far) at cayamo.com.