Category: Music News

Upcoming new album release: Bring The Kids – Hamell on Trial

Bring The Kids will be released November 27 and is the anti-folk satirist’s most accessible album ever. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Hamell on Trial is the musical alias of folk punk hero Ed Hamell. A one-man explosion, he is loud-as-war one minute, stepping off the microphone to whisper to an enthralled audience the next. Hamell’s unique and dynamic performance style is informed by politics, passion, intelligence, and an irreverent sense of humor. Armed with a battered 1937 Gibson acoustic guitar that he amplifies mightily and strums like a machine gun, a politically astute mind that cannot stop moving, and a mouth that can be profane one minute and profound the next, Hamell sets his sights on the new America. He shoots straight with his audience, whether unraveling topical issues or sharing confessional tales from his own past. Hamell has shared countless stages with fellow anti-establishment icons such as Ani DiFranco, Kimya Dawson, Aesop Rock and The Pogues, as well as winning the coveted Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (US/THEM Group, 2023)

Hamell’s 2023 full-length record, Bring The Kids, marks the seventeenth release in a discography overflowing with four star reviews and critical acclaim, ranging from major label releases (Mercury / Polygram) to top independents such as New West and Righteous Babe Records. Bring The Kids will mark Hamell’s third record on Texas indie Saustex Records, helmed by Hickoids’ lead singer Jeff Smith. Bring The Kids will be available on LP, CD and digital on November 27, 2023 via Saustex Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

On the new record, Hamell teams up with NY-based producer Matt Labozza to meld his punk rock hooks into the most beat-driven and expansive production approach in the history of his catalogue. “This is definitely the most musically adventurous record so far,” Hamell explains. “I recorded my last two albums on my phone. I think some of my fans have been wondering what the songs would sound like if I were to open them up to every musical idea and tool that swirls around them in my brain. Here’s your answer.”

Hamell on Trial is the modern day voice of dissent and social commentary, fighting a one-man war armed with irrepressible energy and a seeker’s soul. His show is a 75-minute journey into true and authentic connection driven by the willingness to fight for the disenfranchised and celebrate the free thinkers of the world. Don’t we need that now more than ever?

Bring The Kids track list:

01: Hail My Rage (ft. Christine Oilman)
02: Tell You Why (ft. Ruth Theodore)
03: Pray
04: Drunk Dial Me
05: Robbery
06. Jelly
07: The Way She Says
08: To Get Thru
09: NKGG
10: Um, Actually No
11: Pepper Spray
12: Hippy Shake
13: Tucker Carlson
14: Trail Mix
15: Johnny Rydell
16: Jelly (Single edit)

“Bald, bold and super bad.” — Rolling Stone

“He has a real attachment to truth that makes him continually vital.” — Henry Rollins

“Bill Hicks, Hunter S. Thompson, and Joe Strummer all rolled into one” — Philadelphia Weekly

1701081345

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Bring The Kids release date

New album release: Back to the Valley – Low Water Bridge Band

Low Water Bridge Band announces sophomore LP Back to the Valley. Photo: Low Water Bridge Band.

Forged by firelight picking, Low Water Bridge Band’s romping, stomping, country-grass Americana is not for the faint of heart. Since coming together in 2020, they have gone from barnstorming the Shenandoah Valley to festival stages along the East Coast and now, to the delight of their rapidly growing fanbase, the band has announced the follow up to their latest LP, Midnight in Virginia. On November 17, Low Water Bridge Band—Logan Moore (guitar, vocals), Alex Kerns (bass, vocals), Riley Kerns (drums, background vocals), James Montgomery (lead guitar), Justin Carver (pedal steel, banjo),and Rudy Bzdyk (fiddle, trumpet, keyboards)—will release Back to the Valley, an all new, ten song LP. (IV-PR, 2023)

Low Water Bridge Band shared Back to the Valley’s opening track, “Siren Of The Shenandoah,” a shapeshifting ode to the great river that created the valley from with the band was created. “This song came to light after a full moon, overnight canoe trip down the Shenandoah River,” says Moore, the song’s writer and lead singer. “I kept hearing a lonely fox following us along the riverbanks shouting her terrifying scream. I imagined it was the sound of the mythological siren crying out to lure me into the mighty Shenandoah River.” Moore’s imagination went from there, fleshing out the lick-laden song that deftly switches back and forth between a full-time train beat and a funkier, half-time groove. Encompassing everything that Low Water Bridge Band fans are already hip to—clever songwriting, complimentary musicianship, and the ability to creatively freeze a place and time in song—“Sirens Of The Shenandoah” is the perfect lead off track for this next chapter in the burgeoning band’s career.

Back to the Valley was produced by band members Riley Kerns and Logan Moore and recorded and mixed by Kerns at BerryTone Sound Recorders in Berryville, Virginia. Micah Howard contributed vocals on “She Don’t Answer;” “Dear Lord” and “Small Town Affair” feature background vocalists Laura Steinmetz and Jessica Mitchell; and Jake Smith plays baritone saxophone on “Hope It’s You.”

Fans can hear “Siren Of The Shenandoah” now and stay up to date on Back to the Valley ahead of its November 17.

Back to the Valley track list:
Siren Of The Shenandoah
Whiskey Dark
Slow Down
600 Reasons
Hope It’s You
Clarke County Clay
Place On A Hill
Dear Lord
Small Town Affair
She Don’t Answer

1700230024

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Back to the Valley release date

Upcoming new album release: The Golden Crystal Kingdom – Vincent Neil Emerson

The Golden Crystal Kingdom will be out November 10, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

From humble beginnings booking his own barbecue joint shows to touring with label mate Colter Wall and fellow Texan Charley Crocket, Vincent Neil Emerson built a career the old fashioned way, bar gig by bar gig, singular music fan by singular music fan. Vincent Neil Emerson is no stranger to work ethic. His life’s journey has been tumultuous, hard-nosed, and the stuff of songs. It all brings the young Choctaw-Apache man’s journey to the announcement of his new Shooter Jennings-produced record, The Golden Crystal Kingdom—out on November 10 via Emerson’s longtime label home La Honda Records and new partner, RCA Records. The Golden Crystal Kingdom is the follow-up to his first two LPs, Fried Chicken & Evil Woman and Vincent Neil Emerson, which established him as a refreshing voice in the Texas songwriter landscape. (IV-PR, 2023)

The Golden Crystal Kingdom shares more of the man behind the artist than any of his previous records, his songwriting and heritage on proud display throughout the new album. Emerson expands his sound, tapping into the storied influence of electrified folk legends like Leon Russell and Link Wray. As with his early work, the diamond-sharp storytelling remains Emerson’s focus under the big and explicit aesthetic of rock and roll.

Emerson continues the La Honda Records x RCA Records partnership with his first single, “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint,” a full-throttle meeting of Western comic book influences inside a Neil Young guitar tuning. “The story was, basically, that a medicine man was tasked with motivating warriors to go into battle—they were going up against a bunch of white men with guns, and they knew they were going to die if they went into battle—and he came up with this special paint, this yellow medicine paint, and said, ‘If you wear this into battle, you’ll be invincible. No arrow can pierce you. No bullet can pierce you,’” Emerson remembers. “It’s an old-West-themed song, it’s not a modern-day story for sure,” says the man who proudly embraces his Choctaw-Apache heritage. “These are indigenous stories, whether or not that old West comic was true.”

To accompany “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint,” Emerson enlisted the help of Native American bareback horse race champion, Sharmaine Weed, to star in a music video. An ethereal glimpse into the dedication and training required to become a champion, the music video, directed by on-the-rise visionary Mike Vanata, was filmed in Wyoming near the Wind River reservation. “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint” can be streamed or purchased and fans can pre-order or pre-save The Golden Crystal Kingdom ahead of its November release.

The Golden Crystal Kingdom track listing:
Time of the Rambler
The Golden Crystal Kingdom
Time of the Cottonwood Trees
I’ll Meet You in Montana
Hang Your Head Down Low
Cod’ine
Blackland Prairies
On the Banks of the Old Guadalupe
The Man From Uvalde
Voices (On the Spanish Isle)
Clover on the Hillside
Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint

Catch Vincent Neil Emerson On Tour:
October 27, 2023 – Globe Hall – Denver, CO
October 28, 2023 – Globe Hall – Denver, CO
November 1, 2023 – Saturn – Birmingham, AL
November 2, 2023 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
November 3, 2023 – Growlers – Memphis, TN
November 4, 2023 – Songbirds – Chattanooga, TN
November 7, 2023 – The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
November 9, 2023 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC
November 10, 2023 – Elkton Music Hall – Elkton, MD
November 11, 2023 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
November 15, 2023 – World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA
November 16, 2023 – The Southern Café and Music Hall – Charlottesville, VA
November 17, 2023 – Motorco Music Hall – Durham, NC
November 18, 2023 – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC
November 19, 2023 – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
November 21, 2023 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
December 9, 2023 – Antone’s Nightclub – Austin, TX

Upcoming album release: Fear of Falling Stars – Kristen Grainger & True North

Kristen Grainger & True North launch new album Fear of Falling Stars – due out November 10, 2023. Photo: Kristen Grainger & True North

In a world thirsting for authenticity and genuine connection, Kristen Grainger & True North offers a wellspring of soul-stirring songs. Led by the enchanting vocals of Kristen Grainger and drawing on elements of bluegrass, country, and Americana, the Pacific Northwest string band writes songs that connect us, illuminating universal truths with haunting beauty. The band is made up of three champion instrumentalists, Dan Wetzel, Martin Stevens, and Josh Adkins, and is fronted by lead vocalist Kristen Grainger, a storied songwriter who has taken top honors at some of the nation’s most prestigious songwriting competitions, including Telluride Bluegrass Festival, MerleFest, and the USA Songwriting Contest. Kristen Grainger & True North launch their new album with the first single Across the Mountains. The new album, Fear of Falling Stars, will be out November 10, 2023. (IV-PR, 2023)

In the first four measures of Kristen Grainger & True North’s new tune Across the Mountains, listeners experience the full range of what sets the award-winning Americana quartet apart; tried and true musicianship and songcraft steeped in both the old and new. With equal focus on compelling songwriting and excellent instrumental execution, this new album offers ten songs that nestle in the ear on the way to the heart. From heart-wrenching ballads to foot-stomping anthems, Fear of Falling Stars reveals a series of musical zoom shots through the windows of modern life.

Fans can stream or purchase Across the Mountains, watch the lyric video, premiered by The Bluegrass Situation, and stay up to date on Fear of Falling Stars ahead of its November release.

Fear of Falling Stars track list:
Don’t Take Me Back
Go-Nowhere Town
Extraordinary Grace
Memories and Moments
Across the Mountains
It’s the Little Things
The Avalanche
Pent-Up
What Might Have Been
Stop Me If I Told You This Before

Catch Kristen Grainger on tour:
November 4 – Seattle, WA – Concerts At Our House Series
November 10 – Portland, OR – PNC Live Studio Concert
November 18 – Portland, OR – Alberta Rose Theatre
November 29 – Sisters, OR – The Belfry

1699625104

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Fear of Falling Stars release date

The Black Lillies’ Cruz Contreras turns the page with psychedelic solo debut Cosmico

Cosmico is Cruz Contreras’ debut album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Cruz Contreras has impacted Americana music worldwide with projects Robinella and the CCstringband (1998-2007) and The Black Lillies (2009-2019). While in college, Contreras co-founded Robinella and the CCstringband, lending his initials to the string band that featured vocalist and guitarist Robinella, Billy Contreras on fiddle, Taylor Coker on upright bass, Steve Kovalcheck on electric guitar, and Contreras as bandleader on mandolin. A split from his work and life with Robinella in 2007 led to new beginnings for Contreras, who founded The Black Lillies in 2009. The Black Lillies cemented his reputation as an insightful songwriter and a powerhouse vocalist. With the release of his debut album Cosmico, Cruz Contreras is born again, able to express himself with pure artistic integrity and proud to put out this release using his own name; his family’s name. (IV-PR, 2023)

Following a too-long period of self-doubt, both personally and in his songwriting—“It was so confusing because it seems to be what I’ve always been best at and has brought me so much joy,” he reflects—Contreras used the writing and recording process of Cosmico to center himself, push out his musical demons, and open the door for a fresh chapter. The resulting album feels pure; a cosmic amalgamation of influences and personal styles from Contreras’s entire career. Introspective lyrics, inventive musicianship, and a notable psychedelic edge on the production of the album define Cosmico, almost as much as a confident-as-ever Cruz, whose voice has matured into a rich instrument for his elevated lyrics. “These songs are fresh, timely, and especially relatable during these strange times,” Contreras says. “I made Cosmico because the world needs music that brings people together, from all walks of life, more than ever.” Engineered by Craig Alvin, Cosmico is a sonic journey that features Contreras on keyboards in his most intimate vocal and lyrical setting while taking his traditional musical stylings to epic astral regions.

Fans can stream or purchase Cosmico in its entirety by following this link.

Cosmico track list:
Flashing Light
Doin’ Time
Stop Giving Your Heart Away
Call Me Crazy
Separate Minds
Let Somebody Love You
Time Stand Still
Breaking A Habit
Road That Has No End

Catch Cruz Contreras on tour:
October 4-6 – Sevierville, TN – Dollywood’s Harvest Festival
October 26 – Troy, VA – Yarnival 2023
November 3 – Thomas, WV – The Purple Fiddle
December 15 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary

New bluegrass album: The Long And Lonesome Letting Go

Jim Lauderdale taps the ever talented Po’ Ramblin’ Boys for a new bluegrass album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

On September 15, Jim Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys released The Long And Lonesome Letting Go, a twelve-song LP of all-new Lauderdale co-writes—half of which was written with Po’ Ramblin’ Boys guitarist Josh Rinkel. Other co-writers include 10-time IBMA Award winner Becky Buller, North Carolina old soul Joe Newberry, well-traveled producer/songwriter Jimmy Ritchey, and rising young guns Logan Ledger and Alex Leach. Whether as co-writer, bandleader, master of ceremonies, or musical ambassador for musical styles or states, Lauderdale has been one of Americana music’s all-time great collaborators and The Long and Lonesome Letting Go stands as one of the best collaborative works in his 36-album discography. (IV-PR, 2023)

“When he came to ask about making an album, we were seriously blown away,” says C.J. Lewandowski, mandolinist of Grammy-nominated bluegrass outfit The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. “It was really validating—Jim Lauderdale calling us to do a bluegrass album,” says Lewandowski. “We must be doing something right,” says one of the genre’s most promising young torchbearers who saw Lauderdale perform many times throughout his upbringing in Missouri.

Lauderdale and The Po Ramblin’ Boys shared the album’s lead-off track, “Long And Lonesome Letting Go,” another co-write, this time with prolific writer and seasoned multi-instrumentalist, Bob Minner. Joining the already-stacked lineup is one more unmistakable voice; that high tenor of Bluegrass Hall of Famer Del McCoury. Fans can hear the up tempo heartache of “Long And Lonesome Letting Go” here or at No Depression where “Long And Lonesome Letting Go” is in their Bonus Tracks column.

Jim Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys will both be headed to this year’s IBMA World Of Bluegrass conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, performing The Long And Lonesome Letting Go tunes together as well as separate sets of their own original songs. 

The Long And Lonesome Letting Go track list:
Long And Lonesome Letting Go (2:43)
She’s On A Different Train (2:31)
I’m Only So Good At Being Good (4:13)
You Fell Off The Face Of The Earth (2:51)
Last Resort (2:50)
Ghost Of A Rose (3:51)
Darkness Is The Other Side of Light (2:41)
If I Could Only Get My Heart To See (2:20)
That Was When We Were Together (2:40)
A Better Place (2:36)
She’s The Light (3:31)
Drop The Hammer Down (2:35)

Jim Lauderdale Tour Dates:
September 29 FRI IBMA Bluegrass Live Raleigh, NC
October 5 Suwannee Roots Revival Live Oak, FL
October 5 Boot Barn Hall at Bourbon Brothers Gainesville, GA
October 12Gram Parsons Guitar Pull and Tribute Festival Waycross, GA
October 17 Jim Lauderdale live at People’s Brewing Lafayette, IN
November 10 Center Austin, TX, United States
November 11 Jim Lauderdale with special guest Tony Ramey Richardson, TX
November 16 The Franklin Theatre Songwriter Series: Sierra Hull, Jim Lauderdale, Bobby Tomberlin, & Lillie Mae Franklin, TN, United States
November 17 Jim Lauderdale LIVE Paducah, KY, United States
February 4 Outlaw Country Cruise 2024 Andover, FL, United States
February 15 Tractor Tavern Sunny Sweeney Seattle, WA, United States

Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Tour Dates:
September 30 IBMA World of Bluegrass at Red Hat Amphitheater Raleigh, NC
October 16 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 17 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 18 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 19 Bluegrass Island Music Festival Manteo, NC
November 3 The Rex Galax, VA

New album release: Last Chance To Win – East Nash Grass

Last Chance To Win is the new album by East Nash Grass. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

For five years running, East Nash Grass has been perfecting their sound as a band via a weekly engagement at Madison, Tennessee’s beloved Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. Dobro legend Jerry Douglas calls East Nash Grass a “band of ringers,” saying, “The sound they make when they play together rivals that of any of their main gigs.” Every member is an accomplished professional in their own right on the road with national touring acts, and each would be a featured musician in any band. With James Kee on guitar, Cory Walker on banjo, Harry Clark on mandolin, Gaven Largent on dobro, Maddie Denton on fiddle, and Jeff Picker on bass, East Nash Grass is a band of all-stars, without question. Unlike many all-star bands that come together for one album or concert, East Nash Grass is a band in the true sense. Each member contributes their energy and their creative work to the group; the sum of which is miraculously greater than its parts. Last Chance to Win, the latest album from East Nash Grass is now available everywhere. (IV-PR, 2023)

Following in the footsteps of the Bluegrass Album Band, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and many more, East Nash Grass has officially solidified its position as your favorite bluegrass band’s favorite bluegrass band. Out now, Last Chance To Win shows off the group’s instrumental prowess and songcraft for those not lucky enough to have seen it in person. For those who have, it is a stark reminder of the greater sum of East Nash Grass’s already great parts.

Fans can stream or purchase Last Chance To Win.

Last Chance To Win track list:
Last Chance to Win
I Almost Told Her
East Due West Blues
Papa’s on the Housetop
Jenna McGaugh
How Could I Love Her So Much
When You Come Home
Starlet Iris
Magic City Grey
Love Slippin’ Away
Railroadin’ & Gamblin’

Catch East Nash Grass on tour:
September 20 – Lyons, CO – Planet Bluegrass at Wildflower Pavillion
September 22 – Buena Vista, CO – Billy Strings Renewal
September 23 – Buena Vista, CO – Billy Strings Renewal
September 27 – 29 – Raleigh, NC – IBMA
September 30 – Searcy, AR – Get Down Downtown 2023
October 27 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley*
October 28 – Chattanooga, TN – Barrelhouse Ballroom*
November 3 – Hope, AR – Hempstead Hall – U of A Hope

*supporting Yonder Mountain String Band

New album release: River – Bonnie Montgomery

Bonnie Montgomery’s new album River will be out November 3, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Raised in rural Arkansas on a soundtrack of southern gospel, Texas swing, Delta blues, and Ozark bluegrass, Bonnie Montgomery trained as an opera singer before launching her award-winning career in outlaw country. While she is not in the spotlight of big budget beer commercials, at least yet, she may just be the most interesting woman in the world. From the high-brow—Montgomery is a classically trained opera singer and wrote a folk opera that ran at New York’s Medicine Show Theatre and was praised in The New Yorker; to the “low-brow”—she was crowned “Outlaw Female” at the infamous Ameripolitan Awards for her non-operatic, country-tinged solo career, amongst a slew of other awards; to life well-beyond music where she became a certified Reiki master in the ongoing process of healing her body from years on the road and from a commercial airline crash in 1999 when she was still a teenager. In all, Montgomery has lived a wonderfully diverse life, full of ups and downs, but until now, has not managed to connect all of her dots in a way she has been happy with. (IV-PR, 2023)

On November 3, Montgomery will release a brand new album entitled River, an eclectic and electrifying amalgamation of every corner of her life and music career up until now. River is a versatile record that shows just how broad Montgomery’s vision of American roots music can be as it flows freely from one genre to the next. It is the crystallization of a sound Montgomery has been creating for years, blurring the boundaries between different formats while presenting Montgomery not only as a powerhouse vocalist but as an autobiographical storyteller and captivating songwriter, too.

“This is the most straight-from-the heart album I’ve ever cut,” says Montgomery, who headed to Texas to record River with co-producer Kevin Skrla. “I’ve always been a multi-genre artist. I have a classical background, but I’m a big fan of soul music and rock, too. Country music was the soundtrack of my childhood. All of that went into River. Making that album felt like the first time I could be me, sing my heart out, and not worry about fitting into any specific box. It was pure. It was freeing.”

With the help of Holler., Montgomery recently premiered the first listen from River with her song “Modern-Day Cowgirl’s Dream.” Dubbed “A real life account of what Montgomery calls “honky-tonkin’ around Texas,” “Modern-Day Cowgirl’s Dream” rides a half-time country backbeat and phase-shifted Telecaster licks to tell the story of “cowboys, neon nights, jumping in the cold springs, and crashing at Miss Whitney Rose’s house—she also sang on the track—and waking up just to do it all over again.” The accompanying music video was directed by actor, singer, Broadway-veteran, and GRAMMY-winner, Zachary James. “We had fun shooting it at the White Water Tavern in Little Rock, where I’ve played hundreds of times,” remembers Montgomery. “The Shoot turned out a little raunchy and reckless, just like the song.”

Fans can watch the video for “Modern-Day Cowgirl’s Dream” and pre-order or pre-save River ahead of its November release. Tour dates and ticket information is available online. 

River tracklist:
River
Modern-Day Cowgirl’s Dream
No Way Around It
I Was Fine
Half Drunk
Leon
Check For Your Time
Seventeen
I’ll Know
This Town

1699019712

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

River release date

New album release: Nothing But Green Willow

Martin Simpson and Thomm Jutz’s generation collaborates for their upcoming album Nothing But Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry, out September 29, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Martin Simpson is an English folk musician and guitarist, known for his innovative and eclectic approach to traditional music. In the mid-1980s, Simpson moved to the United States, where he came to the attention of a wide range of American artists with whom he then collaborated. Amongst the albums released during his US tenure, Cool & Unusual, won the Indie Award for best instrumental album in 1998. In addition to his work as a musician, Simpson has also been involved in music education, teaching at universities, and leading workshops and masterclasses around the world. (IV-PR, 2023)

Raised in the Black Forest of Germany, Thomm Jutz has become an American roots music treasure. His virtuosity, eloquence, and clarity of expression have made him a linchpin of Nashville’s creative community, and in 2020 his To Live in Two Worlds, Volume 1 was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy, making him the first immigrant to receive a nomination in that category. He has written numerous Bluegrass number ones, and his songs have been recorded by John Prine, Nanci Griffith, The SteelDrivers, Balsam Range, and more. Jutz has a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies from East Tennessee State University and wrote his thesis on Grammy-winner Norman Blake.

When Thomm Jutz got together with his latest trans-Atlantic collaborator, Martin Simpson, the pair bonded over their long-running obsession with Cecil Sharp’s 1916 and 1918 collection, “English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians;” particularly those tunes from singers Mary Sands and Jane Gentry. The longevity of the original songs drew the pair in but the latest single from their upcoming album Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs Of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry, pulls from generations of different versions of “The Wagoner’s Lad.”

Folk Alley gave fans an exclusive first listen to the single, writing, “Jutz’s and Simpson’s gem-like version shines in all its facets.” Fans can pre-save Simpson and Jutz’s version of “The Wagoner’s Lad,” check out the previously released album track “Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies” featuring Cara Dillon, and pre-order or pre-save Nothing But Green Willow ahead of its September 29 release via Topic Records.

Simpson and Jutz both clearly see the crucial need for each new generation to reinvent these folk songs. “I strongly believe that innovation requires preservation,” says Jutz. “How can we claim to play traditional music or write ‘Folk music’ without knowing the roots of it?” Fortunately for all involved, the pair found a host of others in agreeance and brought together a mix of roots artists from both sides of the pond—Sierra Hull, Angeline Morrison, Odessa Settles, Tim O’Brien, Tammy Rogers, Seth Lakeman, and more—to create an homage to the bridge from Appalachia to England and back, just as the songs of Sands and Gentry originally did.

Nothing But Green Willow track list:
“Fair Annie” feat. Emily Portman
“Geordie” feat. Sierra Hull & Justin Moses
“Pretty Saro” feat. Odessa Settles
“Edward” feat. Seth Lakeman
“Edwin in the Lowlands Low” feat. Tim O’Brien
“Jacob’s Ladder” feat. Dale Ann Bradley & Tim Stafford
“Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies” feat. Cara Dillon
“The Wagoner’s Lad” feat. Martin Simpson
“Married and Single Life” feat. Tammy Rogers
“The Gypsy Laddie” feat. Thomm Jutz
“The Suffolk Miracle” feat. Angeline Morrison
“I Whipped My Horse” feat. Fay Hield
“Awake! Awake!” feat. Thomm Jutz

1695982872

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Nothing But Green Willow release date

Upcoming new album release: Blue Hour – Eddy Lee Ryder

Eddy Lee Ryder’s new EP, Blue Hour, will be released September 15, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Last time I wrote about this artist, it was with the news that her song Smoke and Mirrors was used in the hardcore slasher horror movie Terrifier 2. In today’s music news, Eddy Lee Ryder recently announced that her new EP, Blue Hour will be released on September 15, 2023. The announcement comes on the heels of her latest single, Holy S**t I Think I Love You, which the soulful rock belter calls her favorite song she has ever written. (Eddy Lee Ryder, 2023)

Singer, songwriter, and free spirit Eddy Lee Ryder creates haunting songs that tell dramatic stories through a slightly warped lens. Eddy’s unconventional, theatrical approach to songwriting explodes and sparkles with ‘70s good-time rock riffs, spiced with complex poetry. Proclaimed “demented pop,” her music is propelled by her charismatic voice and lyrics inspired by an intense bizarre world. Lonesome as she is wild, Ryder paints languid, sadly beautiful portraits of love and life on the margins with the moody and satirical depth of Father John Misty and the country-influenced textures of Roy Orbison or Glen Cambel but with a captivating voice all on her own.

1694777311

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Blue Hour release date