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2014 Grammy Nominees – Americana and Roots Music

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The National Academy of Recording Arts and Science tried something new to announce the nomineews for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The nomniees were announced piecemeal, per catagory, via twitter exclusively starting at 9am.

Ths staggared apprach was odd but, if you kept on top of thier account, not terrible. A social media strategy is to garner attention for the nomination process and let musicians and other personalties announce via video tweets and the nomninees and fans to organically respond in kind. In that context this was a win.

After the major categories, best pop album, country album and the like , were out of teh way – with nominee reactions tweeted in reponse (which really is the only up side to the Twiiter  approach) the Best Americana Album nominees were released just before noon.

That the catagory was tweeted with the other major categories, along with fancy graphic of the nominee album covers , was like hanging with the cool kids – well, the popular kids,  as the other roots categories like folk and bluegrass – had to wait for the full nomninee list to be released later in the day.

I was three for 7 for my Americana Album of the Year predictions. Rosanne Cash, one of my safe bets (and still my choice to take the prize) and, suprisingly two of my dark horse choices, Nickel Creek and Sturgill Simpson, made the list.

My quibbles are with John Hiatt, inclusion for ‘Terms of My Surrender,’ a solid but not exceptional release. Keb’ Mo’ is nominated for ‘Bluesamericana.’ Mo is a legendary blues performer , and Blues Grammy winner, and should be represtented in that esteemed category. NARAS includes blues as a formal component to the category and though I agree with that the blues are a major part of Americana as a award category it is already represented as a formal genre. In that sme vein Dave & Phil Alvin’s rootsy jam ‘Common Ground’ is puzzlingly nominated in the Blues category. I say swap ’em.

Another head scratcher is the inclusion of Old Crow Medicine Show. Their latest effort ‘Remedy’ is certainly worthy of a nomination, but in folk? They would be better reprsented in Americana or even Bluegrass as these are their true styles.

NARAS continues to not care about the endless echo chamber of country music awards shows by making two sprising nominations. One being my top pick of 2013, Brandy Clark’s ’12 Stories as well as Lee Ann Womack’s ode to old-school aethsetic  ‘The Way I’m Livin’ ‘ Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert round out the list. The Acadamy is daring, but not totally deaf to the county mainstream market. 

Who will win? Well, Kasey Muagraves won the trophy last year for her irreverent ‘Same Trailer Different Park,’ so anything could happen.

Brandy Clark is also up against some stiff competition for New Artist, but she certainly deserves to win. 

Beck is nominated for his wonderfully melencholy folk ‘Morning Phase’ and for Best Rock Song and Rock Performance (still unsure of the distincion here) for the spacey ‘Blue Moon.’ Ryan Adams is up in the same categories with his latest self-titled album and song/performance for his retro-rock ‘Gimme Something Good.’

Alison Krauss, The women with the most Grammy wins, could increase her Grammy count to 28 with a win in the American Roots Performance category. She, Billy Childs & Jerry Douglas are nominated for their collaborative effort on ‘And When I Die’ from the tribute ‘Map To The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro.’ This is her 42nd nomination.

Congratulations to all the nominees. Keep an eye on GRAMMY.com and CBS February 15, 2015 to see who takes home the trophy.

My choices are in BOLD.

EDIT – It was a major oversight that Mike Farris was not originally included as a nominee for the Best Roots Gospel album for his ‘Shine For All The People.’ He is one of the best performers, and human beings, I’ve ever had the privilege to know. Congratulations to Mike and all the good people at Compass Records.

Best Americana Album
‘The River & the Thread’ – Rosanne Cash
‘Terms of My Surrender’ – John Hiatt
‘Bluesamericana’ – Keb’ Mo’
‘A Dotted Line’ – Nickel Creek
‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ – Sturgill Simpson

Best country album
‘Riser’ – Dierks Bentley
‘The Outsiders’ – Eric Church
’12 Stories’ – Brandy Clark
‘Platinum’ – Miranda Lambert
‘The Way I’m Livin’ ‘ – Lee Ann Womack

Best rock song
‘Ain’t it Fun’ – Paramore
‘Blue Moon’ – Beck
‘Fever’ – The Black Keys
‘Gimme Something Good’ – Ryan Adams
‘Lazaretto’ – Jack White

Best rock albums
‘Ryan Adams’- Ryan Adams
‘Morning Phase’ – Beck
‘Turn Blue’ – The Black Keys
‘Hypnotic Eye’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
‘Songs of Innocence’ – U2

Best new artist
Bastille
Iggy Azalea
Brandy Clark
HAIM
Sam Smith

Best American Roots Performance
Gregg Allman & Taj Mahal – ‘Statesboro Blues’
from: ‘All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs & Voice Of Gregg Allman’ [Rounder]
Rosanne Cash – ‘A Feather’s Not A Bird’ from: ‘The River & The Thread’ [Blue Note Records]
Billy Childs Featuring Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas – ‘And When I Die’ from: ‘Map To The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro’
[Masterworks]
Keb’ Mo’ Featuring The California Feet Warmers – ‘The Old Me Better’ from: ‘Bluesamericana’ [Kind Of Blue Music]
Nickel Creek – ‘Destination’ from: A Dotted Line [Nonesuch]

Best American Roots Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)
– ‘A Feather’s Not A Bird’ – Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash) from: ‘The River & The Thread’ [Blue Note Records; Publishers: Chelcait Music admin. by Measurable Music LLC, a Notable Music Co./Lev-A-Tunes]
– ‘Just So Much’ – Jesse Winchester, songwriter (Jesse Winchester) from: ‘A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble’ [Appleseed; Publisher: Bug Music]
– ‘The New York Trains’ – The Del McCoury Band
Woody Guthrie & Del McCoury, songwriters (The Del McCoury Band)
Track from: My Name Is New York: Deluxe Audio Book [Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.]
– ‘Pretty Little One’ – Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers Featuring Edie Brickell
Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers Featuring Edie Brickell) from: Live
[Rounder; Publishers: LA Films Music/Brick Elephant Music]
– ‘Terms Of My Surrender’ – John Hiatt songwriter (John Hiatt)
from: ‘Terms Of My Surrender’ [New West Records; Publisher: So Not That Music]

Best Folk Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.)
– ‘Three Bells’ – Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas & Rob Ickes [Rounder]
– ‘Follow The Music’ – Alice Gerrard [Tompkins Square]
– ‘The Nocturne Diaries’ – Eliza Gilkyson [Red House Records]
– ‘Remedy’ – Old Crow Medicine Show [ATO Records]
– ‘A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble’ – Jesse Winchester [Appleseed]

Best Blues Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental blues recordings.)
– ‘Common Ground – Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play And Sing The Songs Of Big Bill Broonzy’ – Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin
[Yep Roc Records]
– ‘Promise Of A Brand New Day’ – Ruthie Foster [Blue Corn Music]
– ‘Juke Joint Chapel’ – Charlie Musselwhite [Henrietta Records]
– ‘Decisions’ – Bobby Rush With Blinddog Smokin’ [Silver Talon Records]
– ‘Step Back’ – Johnny Winter [Megaforce Records]

Best Bluegrass Album
(For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.)
‘The Earls Of Leicester’ – The Earls Of Leicester [Rounder]
– ‘Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe’ – Noam Pikelny [Compass Records]
– ‘Cold Spell’ – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen [Compass Records]
– ‘Into My Own’ – Bryan Sutton [Sugar Hill Records]
– ‘Only Me’ – Rhonda Vincent [Upper Management Music]

Best Roots Gospel Album
– ‘Forever Changed’ – T. Graham Brown [MCM World Media]
– ‘Shine For All The People’ – Mike Farris [Compass Records]
– ‘Hymns’ – Gaither Vocal Band [Gaither Music Group]
– ‘A Cappella’ – The Martins [Gaither Music Group]
– ‘His Way Of Loving Me’ – Tim Menzies [Grace Records]

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
– ‘Cities Of Darkscorch’ – Leland Meiners & Ken Shipley, art directors (Various Artists) Label: The Numero Group
– ‘A Letter Home (Vinyl Box Set) – Gary Burden & Jenice Heo, art directors (Neil Young) Label: Third Man Records
– The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)
Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists) Label: Third Man Records/ Revenant Records
– ‘Sparks’ (Deluxe Album Box Set) Andy Carne, art director (Imogen Heap) Label: RCA Records/ Megaphonic Records
– ‘Spring 1990 (The Other One)’ Jessica Dessner, Lisa Glines, Doran Tyson & Steve Vance, art directors (Grateful Dead)
Label: Rhino

Best Album Notes
– ‘Happy: The 1920 Rainbo Orchestra Sides’ David Sager, album notes writer (Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra)
Label: Archeophone Records
– ‘I’m Just Like You: Sly’s Stone Flower 1969-70’ Alec Palao, album notes writer (Various Artists) Label: Light In The Attic Records
– ‘Offering: Live At Temple University’ Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (John Coltrane) Label: Resonance/Impulse
– ‘The Other Side Of Bakersfield: 1950s & 60s Boppers And Rockers From ‘Nashville West’ ‘ Scott B. Bomar, album notes writer (Various Artists) Label: Bear Family
– ‘Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound’ Jon Kirby, album notes writer (Various Artists) Label: The Numero Group
– ‘The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)’
Scott Blackwood, album notes writer (Various Artists) Label: Third Man Records/Revenant Records

Best Historical Album
– ‘Black Europe: The Sounds And Images Of Black People In Europe Pre-1927’ Jeffrey Green, Ranier E. Lotz & Howard Rye, compilation producers; Christian Zwarg, mastering engineer (Various Artists) Label: Bear Family
– ‘The Garden Spot Programs, 1950’ Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Hank Williams) Label: Omnivore Recordings
– ‘Happy: The 1920 Rainbo Orchestra Sides’ Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra) Label: Archeophone Records
– ‘Longing For The Past: The 78 RPM Era In Southeast Asia’ Steven Lance Ledbetter & David Murray, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
Label: Dust-To-Digital
– ‘There’s A Dream I’ve Been Saving: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1966 – 1971 (Deluxe Edition)’ Hunter Lea, Patrick McCarthy & Matt Sullivan, compilation producers; John Baldwin, mastering engineer (Various Artists) Label: Light In The Attic Records

2014 Americana Album of the Year Grammys Predictions

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Grammy nominations are a few months away but the topic of performers that might be up for an Americana Album of the year nomination – meaning releases between Oct. 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014 to be awarded on Feb. 8, 201 – has been a topic on my twitter feed lately. So I’ve decided to bring the speculation here.

First thing is not to get too nuts. Yes Sturgill Simpson and The Drive-By Truckers came out with excellent releases within the qualifying dates, but they are not known names in the mainstream, therefore not on a typical GRAMMY voters radar.Sure there have been some new artists that have broken through the national media consciousness, most notably The Civil Wars and Mumford and Sons, but these are the exceptions.

Granted there have been Americana AOTY nominees that have been welcome surprises. But nods towards promising new blood like John Fullbright (2013) or out-of-nowhere nominee like Linda Chorney are rare and , so far, have yet to snag the big prize.

No, the Recording Academy Voting Members like their Americana artists like their nominees they like they like their pre-awards restaurant, known and well-respected . Risk is a four-letter word in business and the GRAMMYS are about the business of music. Sure the organization does great work in the periphery to ensure music grows and is protected as a national treasure and heritage. The GRAMMYs telecast is a cultural trade show. Only the best are on display. And in the subjective world of music “best” means “sales.”

Of course sales in the Americana world is a rain drop compared to something like a Taylor Swift deluge, but there are charts for sales and airplay available if you dig a little. And for those not willing to dig the “best” defaults to “well known.” this is not a dig, it’s the artist’s responsibility to break through the din of music sameness to gain the attention of the voter if a GRAMMY is something they desire. And really, in the world of unit sales doesn’t “known” almost always results in ‘best?”

But sometimes the “best” in our little world doesn’t make it up to the big boys. Consider the lack of a nomination for Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern.” An album that made all the Americana, and many mainstream country, year-end lists last year. I was still hearing about that major oversight at Americanafest last month.

Luckily the known entities of Americana are still a cut above most genres and therefore often have some of the best music of the year.

Below are my picks for the 5 potential nominees with my pick for winner. There are a few dark horses I believe deserve to be in the running. Again, I do not vote for the GRAMMYS, just cover the event. I have no insider knowledge and will know the nominees and winners as you do.

Rodney Crowell – ‘Tarpaper Sky’ – This is the easiest pick of the bunch, As a 2013 Americana AOTY co-winner, along with Emmylou, Harris, Crowell already has the hearts and, more importantly, the attention of the Recording Academy Voting Members.

Carlene Carter – ‘Carter Girl’ – Nominated once in 1991 for the Best Female Country Vocal Performance GRAMMY for her throwback rendition of “I Fell in Love.” Carter has recently been working hard in support of her latest including a well-received stop at a GRAMMY Museum showcase.

Willie Nelson – ‘Band Of Brothers’ – It’s hard to ignore one of Willie’s best, and best selling, releases in years. With 11 GRAMMYs under his belt and a 2010 nomination for this category, alongside Asleep at the Wheel for ‘Willie and the Wheel,’ Willie has the gravitas and the goods to snag a nomination.

Jim Lauderdale – ‘I’m A Song’ – Lauderdale personifies Americana it it’s popular form as a representative of the Americana Music Association and as the acclaimed MC of their awards ceremony. He along with his musical and SiriusXM Outlaw Country co-host Buddy Miller, were nominated for this category last year for their collective release ‘ Buddy and Jim.’ He’s won 2 GRAMMYs first in 2002 with Dr. Ralph Stanley for “Lost in the Lonesome Pines” and his second for his “The Bluegrass Diaries” –

Rosanne Cash – ‘The River & The Thread’ – Cash released, what I consider, is the finest record of her career and was instantly heralded as a genre favorite. Critics from USA Today to this blog loved it. Radio loved it and, more importantly, fans loved it. Twelve GRAMMY nomination and one win for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” (1985) She’s well-known and respected in the hearts of the voters. Look for this one to win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjMzrMeLJxw

DARK HORSE PICK

Sturgill Simpson – ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ – If there were a Nobel Prize for talent and genuineness in music Sturgill Simpson would get it for his latest. It’s a favorite across the Americana community and has perked up the ears of mainstream country music fans and blogs as well. Ideally ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ should win the GRAMMY for Country Album OTY. Hell, if Kacey Musgraves can do it why not?

Parker Millsap – ‘Parker Millsap’ – There’s no denying the buzz around this young Oklahoman. His performance at Americanafest resulted in a waiting line to squeeze in to a packed room and screaming on a Beatlemania level. And the hype lives up to the talent. Let;s hear it for the young bloods with old souls!

Nickel Creek – ‘A Dotted Line’ – Okay, Nickel Creek isn’t much of a dark horse. But after a seven-year hiatus (as a band, not as individual performers) will voters still recall their obvious greatness as they did when tehy received 4 GRAMMY nominations and won for Best Contemporary Folk Album for 2003’s ‘This Side?’

Nickel Creek Performance on Live & Direct Series

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Nickel Creek Performance on Live & Direct Series

Check this intimate but vibrant performance and interview with the reunited newgrass super-group Nickel Creek, curated by 91.3fm WYEP & Produced by AltarTV.

Songs played are “21st of May” and “Destination,” both from their new album ‘A Dotted Line’ via Nonesuch Records.

Subscribe to the Live & Direct channel for more great performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5EsSrDiN28

Nickel Creek Surprised With Platinum Records

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Nickel Creek Surprised With Platinum Records

It took a while, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Following their taping for an upcoming Austin City Limits Live the legendary newgrass trio of Nickel Creek was presented with the band’s first platinum record for its Sugar Hill Records debut, Nickel Creek. The band was surprised with special plaques to commemorate the accomplishment by Sugar Hill General Manager Cliff O’Sullivan and Sugar Hill Vice President of A&R Gary Paczosa (who also engineered Nickel Creek.).

“We wanted to be able to share in this moment with Chris, Sean and Sara and where better than this beautiful theater!” Cliff O’Sullivan shares. “Selling a million albums is a tremendous achievement and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate it with Nickel Creek and applaud the enduring success of the album, which is a cornerstone of Sugar Hill’s musical legacy.”

Nickel Creek, the self-titled album from the acoustic trio, was Certified Platinum by the Recording Industry of America earlier this month, having officially hit one million units of the record sold.

The trio reached another milestone this year as they celebrate twenty-five years of making music together. Currently on tour in support of their latest album, “A Dotted Line,” released through Nonesuch Records, the band continues to wow audiences with their live performances. This year’s tour wraps up in Aspen on Sunday August 31.

8-28 Mesa, AZ – Ikeda Theatre
8-29 Albuquerque, NM – Kimo Theater
8-30 Colorado Springs, CO – Pike’s Peak Center
8-31 Aspen, CO – JAS Aspen Snowmass

Pickathon – Some Picks Among The Pines

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pickathon-2014

While there is continuing turmoil in the music industry as a whole one component of it continues to thrive, the Summer festival. While many of these festivals are a Whitman’s sampler of hot-now bands to provide backdrops for countless selfies Pickathon is different. The woodsy gathering occurs August 1-3 on Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, OR (15 minute drive from downtown Portland) , and lineup reflects actual thought and care in it’s arrangement. As a result a more thoughtful crowd is attracted to the event. Celebrating its 15th anniversary Pickathon is offering one of its best line-ups to date. Here are some selections:

Nickel Creek – The superstars of new-grass are together again and touring in support of one of their best releases.

Valerie June – This rising star of Americana strike just the right balance between winsome and grit.

Shakey Graves – Austin’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia (Shakey Graves) sparse, slightly askew folk music is currently taking the world by storm. And for good reason.

Della Mae – All-female bluegrass ensemble always pleases..always.

Robbie Fulks – Alt.country vet Fulks blends wry observation with authenticity

Possessed By Paul James – A man with a passion for his craft and a great entertainer.

Willie Watson – Watson distills the sound of his old band Old Crow Medicine Show and brings down the boxcar blues.

Hiss Golden Messenger – Contemporary folk-rock with wondering, spooky soul.

Nickel Creek Announce New Album, Tour. Hear the New Song “Destination,”

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nickelcreekpress

7 years ago neo-bluegrass trio Nickel Creek,Chris Thile (mandolin/vocals), Sara Watkins (fiddle/vocals) and Sean Watkins (guitar/vocals) , went on “indefinite hiatus” and then ventured into separate successful solo careers. Many thought the day the band might reunite had passed

They would be wrong.

Nickel Creek have announced new album in the Spring of 2014 as well as a 7 city tour this Spring.

A limited ticket pre-sale will begin tomorrow, February 4 at 10 a.m. local time at nickelcreek.com. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, February 7.

Hear “Destination,” a song from the upcoming Nickel Creek album below.

Here’s the latest of Nickel Creek’s tour dates:

April 18 and 19 – Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
April 29 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
May 1 Boston, MA House of Blues
May 3 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 9 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
May 19 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
June 19-22 Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival

News Round Up: Steve Earle Talks “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive”

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  • Steve Earle talks to Billboard about his upcoming T Bone Burnett produced album I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (titled from Hank Williams’ posthumous single) featuring Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins and, his novel of the same name and working on HBO’s ‘Treme.
  • Punk honky-tonk sweethearts Those Darlins are set to release their sophomore album, Screws Get Loose, on March 29. Ahead of that they are releasing a vinyl 7-inch featuring album tracks Be Your Bro and Let U Down on Feb 1st. The Murfreesboro-bred band will be test-driving  songs from the album on a long run of dates that keeps them busy into June, performing alongside Dallas alt-country rockers Old 97’s and rising blues-rock outfit Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.
  • Country music  legends George Jones, Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels, Josh Turner, Heidi Newfield, Chuck Wicks, Jack Ingram and many more are participating on The Boot Campaign to help Americans give back and say thanks you to the armed forces.
  • The New York Times talks to Wanda Jackson about her storied career as the queen of rockabilly and her new Jack White produced album The Party Ain’t Over.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoAQz4KLa2g&feature=fvst[/youtube]

News Round Up: New Releases by John Prine, Johnny Cash Art Collective

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  • In true DIY fashion The Johnny Cash Project is a “global collective art project” that allows fans from all over the world to contribute to a arrogated, user-generated video for the title track from the latest Johnny Cash recording American VI: Ain’t No Grave. The single images are then threaded together into a one-of-a-kind labor of love. I only wish the Man in Black has lived to see this.
  • John Prine fans are about to hit pay-dirt. On May 25th, 2010, Oh Boy Records (founded in 1981 by Prine and manager Al Bunetta) will release the live In Person & On Stage, which will draw from performances spanning the past several years and covering songs from as far back as Prine’s 1971 debut and as recently as 2005’s acclaimed Fair & Square. Then Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine will be released on on June 22nd (Oh Boy) and will feature Prine compositions interpreted by devotees such as My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, The Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lambchop, Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick featuring Liz Isenberg, Justin Townes Earle, Those Darlins, and, reprising their respective tracks from In Person & On Stage, Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins and Josh Ritter. Oh Boy will begin a pre-sale for In Person & On Stage on April 20thand for Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows on April 27th at www.musicfansdirect.com.
  • The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced it will pay tribute to the legendary Tammy Wynette with an exhibit titled Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music. Presented by Great American Country (GAC) the exhibit will open in the Museum’s East Gallery on August 20, 2010, and run through June 2011.
  • More news from the The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. An upgrade to the Hall’s core collection, Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, are expected to be completed next month. The updates, which focus on country music’s last five decades, will bring the story of country music forward in time and conclude with a glimpse of the future. They will highlight the country-rock, pop-country, southern rock, full-strength classic country and the “Urban Cowboy” craze. The upgrade includes new oversized portraits, video clips and artifacts such as Dolly Parton’s handwritten lyrics to Jolene, Tom T. Hall’s acoustic guitar he purchased from songwriter Merle Kilgore, and items from Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers, Mel Tillis, and Tanya Tucker. Other updates focus on the mid-1980s arrival of artists like Dwight Yoakam, Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Randy Travis and Steve Earle. New exhibits celebrate contemporary bluegrass and Americana artists, ranging from Alison Krauss and Del McCoury to Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale.

Willie Nelson Twitter Interview

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  • Willie Nelson will join TheBoot.com for a live “Twitterview” next Tuesday, Aug. 25, the same day as the release of his newest album American Classic. You can watch the live chat with Willie, starting at 7:00 PM ET on Tuesday, if you follow Willie Nelson and theBoot.com  on Twitter.
  • Joe Pug will be joining Steve Earle on his upcoming European tour. Pug’s  debut LP “Messenger” will be released in early 2010.
  • Austin’s jazz and western swing band Hot Club of Cowtown has released their new, Wishful Thinking.
  • The New York Time reviews a show at Joe’s Pub by Works Progress Administration (WPA). the expandable collective, featuring core members Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett), Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) and on this night featuring Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) pedal steel guitarist and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Greg Leisz (Bill Frisell, Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams,  Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Whiskeytown, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and many more)
  • Chet Flippo sees compelling storytelling in videos by Toby Keith and Brad Paisley in his newest Nashville Skyline post. I see trite, if mildly clever,  symbolism  mirroring the trite song they represent. For shear technical and style excellence I still have to go with this one.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDtaJmrVfx8[/youtube]

Record Review – Sometymes Why – Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine (Signature Sounds)

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Formed sometime (sometyme?) around 2005 Sometymes Why (not to be confused with the Canadian alt.rock band, and better spellers, Sometimes Why) – Kristin Andreassen (vocals, harmonica, guitar, glockenspiel, tambourine), Aoife O’Donovan (voice, baritone ukulele, Wurlitzer, piano, guitar, soprano ukulele, glockenspiel) and Ruth Ungar Merenda (voice, fiddle, soprano ukulele, guitar, baritone ukulele, glockenspiel) – work territory currently being staked out by Uncle Earle, The Waifs, the currently on hiatus Nickel Creek and also in the hushed-delivery styling the Cowboy Junkies’ Margot Timmons.

Less sawdust-covered floors and canned beer and more tasteful rugs crafted by indigenous peoples and a nice Chablis, the folky-Americana sound of Sometymes Why displays a DIY aesthetic of making music they feel in their soul. The sound and production (a la José Ayerve) is warm and even a cover of Concrete Blonde’s Joey works well (and I’m not a fan of the original.)

The blessing and curse of the Americana genre is that the tent tends to be so big that it’s hard to pin down what it is but that is only a result of contemporary marketing trickery. Many of those various musical strains share a common ancestry of American immigrants and many are reflected and synthesized here to great effect. At 35 minutes Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine is a brief example of what it’s like when the cutting edge is both brave and beatific.

Official Site | Buy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggk_u3t6V6I&feature=related[/youtube]