Tag Archives: First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit Pay Tribute To David Berman With Lovely Original + Silver Jews Cover

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First Aid Kit - Random Rules
In tribute to the memory of singer/songwriter David Berman Swedish roots duo First Aid Kit has released two songs; the original “Strange Beauty” and their rendition of Berman’s band Silver Jews’ “Random Rules.”

In speaking about David Berman and their homage to his life and legacy, Klara Söderberg says: “I think a lot of people were as shocked as I was upon hearing the news of David Berman’s passing. It didn’t seem real. It left me completely devastated. So I wrote the song ‘Strange Beauty’ to try to make sense of my feelings.” She continues, “‘Random Rules’ is a long time Berman favorite of ours and a song we always thought we would record if we ever made a cover album. It holds some of the greatest lyrics ever penned and shows the genius of David Berman. We hope the songs can be some kind of comfort.”

After struggling for years with addiction Berman died by suicide on August 7, 2019, in Brooklyn, New York.

Hear the solemn and sparse “Strange Beauty” and their rendition of “Random Rules” swell as Silver Jews’ below.

Wanted! – Notable Americana and Roots Music Releases for 2018

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2017 was another great year for Americana and roots music, and 2018 so far shows no signs that the great music is waning. As our Cream of the Crop favorites from last year makes plain we continue to experience a golden age of roots and Americana music. From Sturgill Simpson winning the Grammy for the best Country album of the Year (for his least country album no less) to the increased numbers of roots artists in media and festival line-ups the genre continues to represent and deliver on great music.

As I’ve said before, this is important not only because as fans, there’s abundant choices for our entertainment but because it continues to lay a foundation for future ‘Cream of the Crop’ recipients.

The list below is a collection of known 2017 notable Americana / roots releases. Some anticipated releases from artists like American Aquarium and Kacey Musgraves have no release dates yet, but when I become aware of them and others I will be updating the list throughout the year. Follow me on Twitter to stay current on changes to the list.

If you know of an actual release not listed yet please leave it in the comments.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be another great year for roots music folks.

January 12th –
Brooks Dixon – White Roses EP
Ryan Bingham – ‘Live’
Cindy Alexander – ‘Nowhere To Hide’
Seth Lakeman – ‘Ballads Of The Broken Few’
Cassidy Best – ‘Same Old Sins’

January 19th –
First Aid Kit – ‘Ruins’
Lanco – ‘Hallelujah Nights
’
R. Finn (aka Chris Rondinella) – ‘Collecting Trip
Calexico, The Thread That Keeps Us
Steep Canyon Rangers, Out in the Open
Kalie Shorr, Awake EP
Mary Gauthier, Rifles and Rosary Beads
Devin Dawson – ‘Dark Horse’
Caitlyn Smith -‘Starfire’
Van William – ‘Countries’
Alice DiMicele – “One With The Tide”
Grace Basement – ‘Mississippi Nights’
Glen Hansard – ‘Between Two Shores’
John Gorka – ‘True In Time’

January 26th –
The Ben Miller Band – ‘Choke Cherry Tree’
Laura Benitez and The Heartache’s – ‘With All Its Thorns’
Sara Morgan – ‘Average Jane’
The Fugitives – ‘The Promise of Strangers’
Ron Pope – ‘Worktapes EP’

February 2nd –
Mike and the Moonpies – ‘Steak Night at the Prairie Rose’
The Wood Brothers – ‘One Drop of Truth’
John Oates – ‘Arkansas’
Sunny War – ‘With the Sun’

February 9th –
Wade Bowen – ‘Solid Ground
’
Jim White – ‘Waffles, Triangles & Jesus’

February 16th –
Matthew McNeal – ‘Good Luck’
Brandi Carlile – ‘By the Way, I Forgive You’
Courtney Patton – ‘What It’s Like to Fly Alone’
I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan) – ‘See You Around’

February 23rd –
Jeff Hyde – ‘Norman Rockwell World’
3hattrio – ‘Lord of the Desert’
Doby Watson – “Family Mattress Deluxe”

March 2nd –
Vivian Leva – ‘Time is Everything’
Chip Taylor – ‘Fix Your Words’
Haley Heynderickx – ‘I Need To Start A Garden’
Son of the Chief – ‘Needless Road’
Savannah Conley – “Twenty-Twenty.”

March 9th –
Ashley Campbell – ‘The Lonely One’
Ross Cooper – “Another Mile”

March 16th –
Trailhead – “Keep Walking”

March 23rd –
The Price Sisters – ‘A Heart Never Knows’
Paul Thorn – ‘Album Don’t Let The Devil Ride’

March 30th –
Caitlin Canty – ‘Motel Bouquet’
Lindi Ortega -‘Liberty’
Kim Richey – ‘Edgeland’
Ashley McBryde – ‘Girl Going Nowhere’
Great Peacock – ‘Gran Pavo Real’
Sam Morrow – ‘Concrete and Mud’

April 6th –
Blackberry Smoke – ‘Find A Light’
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – ‘Years’
Jodee Lewis – ‘Buzzard’s Bluff’
Kacey Musgraves – ‘Golden Hour’

April 10th –
Rita Hosking – ‘For Real’

April 13th –
John Prine – ‘Tree of Forgiveness’
Simone Felice – ‘The Projector’

April 20th –
Old Crow Medicine Show – ‘Volunteer’
Joshua Hedley – “Mr. Jukebox”
Charley Crockett – ‘Lonesome As a Shadow’
Ashley Monroe – ‘Sparrow’

April 27th –
Band of Heathens – “Live Via Satellite” On April 27th

May 4th
Scott Mickelson – ‘A Wondrous Life’
Parker Millsap – ‘Other Arrangements’
Trampled by Turtles – ‘Life Is Good On The Open Road’
Daniel Daniel – ‘Lonesome Hollow’
Rita Coolidge – ‘Safe in the Arms of Time’

May 11th
Ry Cooder – ‘The Prodigal Son’

May 18th
Kelly Willis – “Back Being Blue”
The Dead Tongues – ‘Unsung Passage’

June 1st
Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore – “Downey to Lubbock”
American Aquarium – ‘Things Change’

June 8th
Erin Rae – ‘Putting On Airs”

June 22nd
Jeffrey Foucault – ‘ Blood Brothers’
Paul Cauthon – ‘Have Mercy’
Lera Lynn – ‘Plays Well With Others’
Adam Wright – ‘Dust’
Roanoke – ‘Where I Roam’

June 29th
The Milk Carton Kids – ‘All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’t Do’

July 13th
Carolina Story – ‘Lay Your Head Down’ – buy

July 15th
The Brothers Comatose – ‘Ink, Dust, and Luck’ buy

July 20th
Lori McKenna – “The Tree”

July 27th
Andrew Combs – 5 Covers & A Song’ EP
The Hollow Ends – ‘Bears In Mind’

August 2nd
Kevin Galloway – “The Change”

August 3rd
Jim Lauderdale – ‘Time Flies” and “Jim Lauderdale and Roland White’

August 10th
Dawn Landes – ‘Meet Me at the River’
Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis – ‘Wild! Wild! Wild!’

August 24th
Devil Makes Three – ‘Chains Are Broken’
Ryan Culwell – “The Last American”
Murder By Death – ‘The Other Shore’

August 31st
Aaron Lee Tasjan – ‘Karma for Cheap’ buy

September 7th
Roscoe & Etta – ‘Roscoe & Etta’
Mike Farris – “Silver & Stone”
William Elliott Whitmore – ‘Kilonova’
Kathy Mattea – ‘Pretty Bird’

October 12th
Colter Wall – ‘Songs of the Plains’

October 14th
Asleep at the Wheel – “New Routes”

October 26th
Whitey Morgan and the 78s – ‘Hard Times and White Lines’

First Aid Kit Stamps Released in Sweden

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B_Grund

Postnord, the joint Danish and Swedish postal service, has released series of stamps commemorating popular Swedish personalities. The Jenny Mörtsell portraits depict folk sister duo First Aid Kit along with Robyn, Avicii producer Max Martin, and Seinabo Sey.

Check the whimsical new lyric video for their song ‘Master Pretender’ from their current release ‘Stay Gold.’

Watch Out! First Aid Kit Perform “Stay Gold” on Conan 11/11/14

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First Aid Kit Perform "Stay Gold" on Conan

Acclaimed Swedish pop-folk duo First Aid Kit dropped by Conan last night for a lovely performance of their new single “Stay Gold.”

First Aid Kit continues on their largest-ever U.S. headline tour, playing the famed Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. See below for remaining dates.

Stay Gold is available everywhere now:

Tour Dates (w/ support from Samantha Crain):
11/12 – Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/13 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
11/14 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
11/15 – Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
11/17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
11/18 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
11/20 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
11/21 – Bradley Fine Arts Building – Plymouth, WI
11/22 – Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL

Watch Out! First Aid Kit – “Stay Gold” [VIDEO]

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Watch Out! First Aid Kit - "Stay Gold"

Love great vocal harmony? Me too.

First Aid Kit have the kind heavenly resonance that occurs only with sibling close harmony singing. And it shines most brightly on their song “Stay Gold.”

The folk-pop Swedish duo have released a new music video for the song. Directed by Alex Southam and shot on the Swedish island of Gotland.
The shadowy and saturated imagery of the beautiful landscape and Klara and Johanna Söderberg singing along (and sometimes in contemplative repose) fits the shimmery arrangement shrouding a song about fleeting beauty and potential futility.

Official Site | Buy

Tour Dates (w/ support from Samantha Crain):
10/28 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
10/29 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
11/01 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
11/02 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC
11/04 – The Beacham Theatre – Orlando, FL
11/05 – The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL
11/06 – House of Blues New Orleans – New Orleans, LA
11/07 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX
11/08 – Fun Fun Fun Fest – Austin, TX
11/10 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
11/12 – Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/13 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
11/14 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
11/15 – Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
11/17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
11/18 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
11/20 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
11/21 – Bradley Fine Arts Building – Plymouth, WI
11/22 – Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL

Record Store Day’s Black Friday 2014 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

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Record Store Day's Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving, November 2, just as the turkey dinner and extra pie has subsided you need to waddle (FASTER!) to your local indy record store for these sweet picks.

Black Friday for shopping and that include Record Store Day. The Americana and roots music selections are smaller than the usual offerings on include Record Store Day, but that doesn’t make them any less enticing.

Some gems are being released from First Aid Kit, Waylon Jennings, Neil Young and others. Some of these releases are completely exclusive to the record store, some of them making their appearance at a record store before you’ll find them anywhere else.

Check the RSDBF14 full list and remember to tweet a pic of your bounty to my twitter account and I’ll share it with those that dared to stay home.

First Aid Kit - America

First Aid Kit – America
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Columbia
10″ vinyl includes concert favorite “America” (Simon and Garfunkel cover) plus the unreleased song “Brother” and acoustic versions of two tracks from First Aid Kit’s latest full-length release Stay Gold

Waylon Jennings - Louisiana Man, Kentucky Woman

Waylon Jennings – Louisiana Man, Kentucky Woman
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Black Country Rock/Country Rewin
This beautiful white 7″ consists of three previously unreleased 1970 recordings from Jennings. All three recordings were tracked at Scotty Moore’s Music City Records as part of an exclusive Navy radio release, and show the late outlaw country hero in top form, performing with his then-band The Waylors. The tunes have been remastered and restored, with additional production and affection from Shooter Jennings, as a sneak peek for a 2015 project.

Neil Young – Official Release Series Discs 5-8
Format: Vinyl Box Set
Label: Reprise
The Neil Young Official Release Series Volume 2 limited edition box set includes On The Beach, Time Fades Away, Tonight’s The Night and Zuma. Remastered from the original analog studio recordings at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Historically accurate artwork reproduced by Neil Young’s long time art director Gary Brden. Reissued on 180g audiophile vinyl for the first time in over 40 years and pressed at Pallas Mfg Germany.

Lee Hazlewood/Various Artists - There's A Dream I've Been Saving

Lee Hazlewood/Various Artists – There’s A Dream I’ve Been Saving: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1966 – 1971
Format: Vinyl Box Set
Label: Light In the Attic
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
Seven years in the making, There’s A Dream I’ve Been Saving is the ultimate artifact for Lee Hazlewood heads new and old. Now, for the first time, you can enjoy the entire experience on vinyl. This landmark box set contains an expansive LP-sized hard cover book detailing the label history of Lee Hazlewood Industries, accompanied by 8 LPs + 4-CDs and the never-before-released film Cowboy in Sweden.

Leftover Salmon – High Country
Format: CD
Label: Leftover Salmon
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
Brand new material from Leftover Salmon features Bill Payne (from Little Feat) Ten new songs and one cover of Little Feat (“Six Feet of Snow”) and one new song written Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead) and Bill Payne
Track List:
“Get Up and Go”, “Western Skies”, “Home Cookin'”, “Bluegrass Pines”, “Better Day”, “Six Feet of Snow”, “So Lonesome”, “Light in the Woods”, “Thornpipe”, “Two Highways”, “Finish Your Beer”

Watch Out! First Aid Kit – ‘Master Pretender’ (Acoustic) [VIDEO]

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First Aid Kit - Master Pretender

Live is hard. This is a great video that highlights that as sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg perform ‘Master Pretender’ with their lovely, bending harmony and deft finger-picking in a live performance for an official video.

‘Master Pretender’ is from First Aid Kit latest, “Stay Gold,”out now.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: 11 Must-See Acts

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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 13

There’s no denying the amount and quality of talent on the bill every year at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. Act-for-act no other festival only event can touch it for some of the finest Americana and roots. Then there’s the breathtaking backdrop of Hellman Hollow in San Francisco’sGolden Gate Park. Oh, and it’s free.

This combination is both good and bad. The quality is high and music plentiful, but the free access brings in droves of folks, and they increase every year.

This 13th year of the free festival does it’s benefactor, the late, great Warren Hellman, proud. I imagine him sitting in heaven, his lanky legs hanging off a cloud, strumming with his banjo with the bands playing below.

With 6 stages many folks choose to pay a blanket at a single stage and stay put. Some, like me, travel through the ocean of humanity to catch key acts and serendipitous discoveries.

With 6 stages brimming with greatness you really can’t go wrong setting up a blanket with refreshments at a single stage. Some (like me) prefer wandering stage to stage through the ocean of humanity sampling the ample musical ware and happening upon serendipitous discoveries.. The full bill really is a bounty to satisfy any roots music vet or for greenhorns looking for an crash introductory course.

Here re some well-known and less well-known acts I’ve circled on my must-see list.

Friday:

The Felice Brothers: The grittier, and more literate, alternative to Mumford and The Lumineers. Sometimes woozy, oftentimes chaotic, their performances are always passionate and their songs of common desperation and love is reminiscent of The Boss. 2:10pm – Rooster Stage

First Aid Kit: I’m not typically a fan of winsome singers, I’m more of a belter fan. But this Swedish indie-folk duo has won me over Sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg, are winning over U.S. fans with their brand of breezy pop-Americana. 4:30pm – Rooster Stage.

Father John Misty: This ex-Fleet Fox first appeared on Bay Areas musical map after his exhilarating performance at last year’s Outside Lands. Roots stamped with psychedelic overtones and general weirdness. No telling where this could lead. 4:15pm – Arrow Stage

Bonnie Raitt: Is blues Americana? i have my opinion, bit there’s no denying the legendary talent of last year’s Grammys for Americana Album of the year. Expect catchy blues-rock with spicy guitar chops sprinkled. 5:45pm – Banjo Stage

Saturday:

Patty Griffin: This Austin, Texas treasure is touring behind her extraordinary “American Kid” and just before the proper release of her lost gem “Silver Bell.” Show up to hear cuts from these, and her extensive catalog. Also Buddy and “Percy” might show up. 4:05pm – Rooster Stage.

Robert Earl Keen: Many HSB faithful arrive just to see this Aggie put on one of the best truckless tailgate parties ever. Prepare to drink and sing at the top of your lungs. 5:30pm – Rooster Stage

Sturgill Simpson: Simpson is a reluctant contemporary agent of the Outlaw Country aesthetic. This is what makes him perfect for the role. Come hear him and his hot-brand band single-handedly put Music Row to shame. 6:05pm – Porch Stage

Sunday:

Shovels & Rope: The Charleston, South Carolina duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope won the song of the year for “Birmingham” and emerging artist of the year at the recent Americana Awards. Come to see why their brand of gritty soul , ramshackle performance and engaging stage banter make them a fan favorite. 11:00am – Arrow Stage

Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue: Like soul? Like Gospel? This is where you need to be. Ferris’
heavely vocals matched with the McCrary Sisters will assure a toe-tapping and booty shaking great time. 11:00am – Banjo Stage

Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott: A decade after their first collaboration these master craftsmen are back with their latest “Memories & Moments.” Come gather around children and sit at the feet of lends and take note at how it is done. – 3:05pm – Banjo Stage

Della Mae: Sure their a band of hotties. But what’s hotter is their chops. Come for a heavy does of strictly bluegrass hold the hardly.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 13 Line-Up Announced

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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 13

The good people at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass have released the roster for this years event and it’s another winner.

For those uninitiated, HSB is one of the premier Americana and roots music festivals in the world.
The annual event is held on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October on 5 stages stretching across a location in Golden Gate Park formerly named Speedway Meadows but renamed Hellman Hollow in 2012, to pay homage to the late HSB benefactor, private equity investor and banjo enthusiast, Warren Hellman.

The 13th version of the festival does not disappoint as there is few Americana and roots festivals with this number of quality acts. it also has the benefit of being free. Well, it’s benefit in one sense, but the swelling os not always pleasant crowds in recent years does take a toll.

The 41 confirmed acts offers exciting newcomers like Sturgill Simpson, Trampled By Turtles, Della Mae, First Aid Kit, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside and local favorites Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers and The Devil Makes. Americana and roots stalwarts like Buddy Miller, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock (aka The Flatlanders), Jon Langford, Patty Griffin, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott.

The folk-rock pioneers The Waterboys will be appearing as well as the legendary Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys. The whole thing wraps up in traditional fashion with the woman that has closed the event since it’s beginning and embodies the spirit of the event, the extraordinary Emmylou Harris.

Find below the full line-up. The per-day stage schedules will be announced soon and I will update his post with the information.

When: Fri Oct 4th, Sat Oct 5th (11am – 7pm), and Sun Oct 6th, 2013 (11am – 7pm).
Where: Hellman Hollow (formerly Speedway Meadows), Lindley & Marx meadows in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.

Mark Lanegan, Bonnie Raitt, Patty Griffin, Conor Brings Friends For Friday Featuring: Whispertown, The Cave Singers, The Felice Brothers, The Evens, First Aid Kit, Conor Oberst, Pieta Brown, Joy Kills Sorrow, LP, The Handsome Family, Jesse Dee, Alison Brown, Gogol Bordello, Boz Scaggs, Paul Kelly, The Deep Dark Woods, Justin Townes Earle, Emmylou Harris, The Devil Makes Three, Calexico, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Martha Wainwright, The Brothers Comatose, Elvin Bishop, Jon Langford & Skull Orchard acoustic / FREAKONS, Low, Tumbleweed Wanderers, Richard Thompson, Tim O’Brien with Bryan Sutton & Mike Bub, Moonalice, Chris Isaak, Buddy Miller, The Time Jumpers featuring Brad Albin, Larry Franklin, Paul Franklin, Vince Gill, “Ranger Doug” Green, Andy Reiss, Dawn Sears, Kenny Sears, Joe Spivey, Jeff Taylor & Billy Thomas, Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin, The Flatlanders featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, The String Cheese Incident, Nick Lowe, Mike Scott & Steve Wickham of The Waterboys, Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell, Freakwater, The Go To Hell Man Clan, Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, Billy Bragg, Loudon Wainwright III, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Mike Farris & The Roseland Rhythm Revue, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Kate McGarrigle Tribute with Martha & Sloan Wainwright & Special Guests, Holler Down the Hollow: A Hardly Strictly Salute to the Masters, Sturgill Simpson, Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band featuring Yungchen Lhamo, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Shovels & Rope, Seldom Scene, Natalie Maines, Dave Alvin with Greg Leisz, Evolfo Doofeht, Allah-Las, Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale, G. Love & Special Sauce, Robert Ellis, Spirit Family Reunion, Bettye LaVette, Supermule, MC Hammer (Friday morning middle school program), Trampled By Turtles, The Warren Hood Band, Della Mae, Los Lobos Disconnected, Father John Misty, Jesse DeNatale, The Wood Brothers, Ryan Bingham, Jerry Douglas, Sonny & The Sunsets, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Tift Merritt, Kat Edmonson, Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, The Forest Rangers with Katey Sagal,
Manchester Orchestra, Poor Man’s Whiskey (Friday morning middle school program), Robert Earl Keen