Category: Music News

Master Musicians Festival in Kentucky honors seasoned musicians and up-and-coming acts

Master Musicians Festival will be held in Somerset, Kentucky in July. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

When festival organizers dreamed up the Master Musicians Festival nearly three decades ago, their idea was simple: to honor those whose contributions have had a significant effect on their respective genres and to highlight the up-and-coming acts who are carrying the torch of their forebears. For every Guy Clark they booked, a Jason Isbell shared the bill, for every Doc Watson, a Nickel Creek, and for every Willie Nelson, a Tyler Childers, highlighting a thread that runs through all generations of world-class musicians; a bonafide mastery of their craft. Tickets as well as more information about the festival is available online. (Master Musicians Festival, 2022)

This year, over the weekend of July 15-16 in Somerset, Kentucky, Master Musicians Festival, presented by the City of Somerset, will welcome GRAMMY-nominated roots-rock mainstay Grace Potter, the eclectic influences of super-trio The Wood Brothers, a long-time favorite of music fans and fellow musicians-alike, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, and the easy-going swagger of Rayland Baxter to the Horse Soldier Bourbon main stage. This same stage has seen the likes of the aforementioned Doc Watson, Guy Clark, and Willie Nelson, plus many more—the festival’s last few years alone saw Steve Earle, The Counting Crows, and the late, great John Prine take the stage. Additionally, acts like Boy Named Banjo, John R. Miller, and Leah Blevins will give Master Musicians Festival a taste of what the well-equipped future of this music holds.

“The MMF family is not only a collection of artists who have performed on our stages, it is a family in the most literal sense. Many of our board members over the years have been sons and daughters of founding members; many families and friend groups in our community have made attending MMF an annual tradition. Festivals like ours cement a generational love of and appreciation for music and community. And that is the reason we devote ourselves as volunteers to the cause—to ensure that love lives on.” – Master Musicians Festival President and Media Director, Julie Harris.

The full lineup of July 15-16’s Master Musicians Festival includes Grace Potter, The Wood Brothers, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Rayland Baxter, Boy Named Banjo, John R. Miller, Bendigo Fletcher, Leah Blevins, SG Goodman, Justin Wells, Cole Chaney, Tee Dee Young, Multi Ultra, Short & Company, Eric Bolander, The Minks, The Jessie Lees, Ciggy Tuna, Don Rogers, If Birds Could Fly, Daniel Stroud and the Sleeping Dogs, Dark Moon Hollow, Tommy Cate’s Kids Jam, and Sydney Adams.

On that list is a multitude of Kentucky’s finest musicians—pickers and singers who have been steeped in some of America’s finest musical traditions since birth—further cementing the Bluegrass State’s legacy in history, written and yet-to-be. Beyond tradition, the land that straddles the Mason-Dixon line and the folks who inhabit it have long been influential on the music being written in Kentucky. Like the state itself, Master Musicians Festival has spent the last 28 years reaching into what it means to be from Kentucky—what makes the artist’s soil so fertile—and translating the feeling into a shared musical experience for the world to see.

Passing the torch along to the next generation is a cornerstone of the Master Musicians Festival ideology, so it only makes sense that the festival is exciting for fans of all ages. Kids 12 and under receive free admission with a ticket-holding adult and there are a plethora of activities for youngsters to enjoy. MMF partners with The Shine House Art Studio to offer a free kids camp throughout the weekend. Kids can participate in instrument making, water balloon fights, bubbles, making glow jewelry, and participating in a special music set curated just for them. This year, local Master Musician and harmonica player Tommy Cate will host the kids’ jam at 3:50p.m. Saturday in the Somersession Tent. More details will be available on MMF’s website as the event approaches.

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Cristina Vane announces much anticipated sophomore album Make Myself Me Again

Make Myself Me Again is set for release on May 20, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

If Cristina Vane’s critically acclaimed debut Nowhere Sounds Lovely was her “road trip” album, then her much anticipated follow up represents the return home; musically and personally. Out May 20 on Red Parlor Records, Make Myself Me Again finds rising slide-guitar star Vane growing roots in her Nashville home and taking a moment to grow into herself as well. “I’ve been trying to peel back the layers, to understand who I am, and I think that process has translated to this record,” she explains, “The production is straightforward, more minimal, and a bit of a return to my rock roots but still paying homage to the music I’ve explored since then.” Make Myself Me Again was co-produced by Brook Sutton and Jano Rix and features appearances by Vane’s world-class musician friends like Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Billy Contreras. (Cristina Vane, 2022)

DittyTV premiered the music video for the album’s first single, “How You Doin’,” calling it “a feel-good piece of movie magic released in support of her innovative and infectiously-good upcoming studio album, Make Myself Me Again.” Guitar Girl Magazine also sat down with Vane to talk about the inspiration behind the single, how her sound has evolved over the years, guitars, and much more. Fans can check out the video now and listen to “How You Doin'” right here.

Many songs on Make Myself Me Again delve into Vane’s personal relationships, and document her quest to find strength and independence in a new town. The album’s title track rings of tenacious resilience, with Cristina’s beautiful yet understated fingerstyle and slide guitar playing. It is the sound of the calm that comes with finally feeling at home with one’s self, conceived from the place of optimism that sometimes comes after a brutal shakedown. “Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win” sings Vane, “I’m gonna make myself me again…I’m giving up on giving in / I’m gonna make myself me again.” Despite the myriad of musical touchstones, the record remains cohesive, centering itself around Vane’s experiences and musicianship. “After being exposed to all of this music that I love, I’m slowly figuring out how to find my own voice,” she says, “It is the sound of growing up.” With class and adventure, Vane brings us all back home to ourselves on Make Myself Me Again, an album so honest that you would be hard-pressed not to root for it, along with its vulnerable and tenacious creator.

Catch Cristina Vane on tour:
May 20 – Nashville, TN – Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge – Album Release Show*
May 21 – Louisa, KY – Fallsburg Summer Stage*
June 2 – Knoxville, TN – Barleys Taproom*
June 3 – Lexington, KY – The Burl (supporting Town Mountain)*
June 4 – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall*
July 7 – Nescopeck, PA – Briggs Farm Blues Fest*
August 18 – Minturn, CO – Minturn Summer Concert Series
August 31 – Prescott, AZ – Folk Session @ Kiwanis Amphitheater
September 2 & 3 – Pagosa Springs, CO – Four Corners Folk Festival
October 22 – Greenville, SC – IPI Festival

*Denotes full band shows

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The Sheepdogs promise non-bummer pandemic rock and roll with new album Outta Sight

Outta Sight will be out June 3 via Warner Music. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Hailing from Saskatoon, The Sheepdogs are one of Canada’s most successful bands amassing a legion of fans worldwide with their rich harmonies, rounded guitar tones and classic rock influenced sound. The Sheepdogs have had 9 top 20 songs including 3 number one singles in their native Canada. Their albums Learn & Burn and The Sheepdogs both went platinum and yielded the platinum singles “I Don’t Know” and “Feeling Good.” They were the first unsigned band on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon twice and have been nominated for 10 Juno Awards, winning four. Their new album Outta Sight will be out June 3 via Warner Music. (The Sheepdogs, 2022)

The Sheepdogs took all of their pandemic-induced feelings from the past two years and channeled them into the one thing that made sense: good, old-fashioned, non-bummer rock and roll music. The band—Ewan Currie, Ryan Gullen, Sam Corbett, Jimmy Bowskill, and Shamus Currie—were, like the rest of us, confused, cast ashore, and feeling isolated during COVID, but their output during that time produced the grooviest, simplest, and most penetrating album of their career, Outta Sight. With no roadmap and an overall uncertainty hanging over the universe, the band circled up, plugged into their amps, shared riffs and melodies, and leaned on each other for inspiration. The guys say it was the least prepared they have been while cutting a record since their self-titled album in 2012, but bassist Ryan Gullen calls the music they made a “life raft,” claiming that their initial sessions for Outta Sight saved them from their anxieties. “Playing rock music kept us grounded…kept us going.” 

The Sheepdogs shared another piece of Outta Sight with album-track “So Far Gone,” a J.J. Cale-sounding slow burner recorded with a vintage Rhythm Ace drum machine and fuzzy, straight-into-console electric guitars. Keeping with a simple “get in the room and play the song” mentality, the band landed on most of the album’s final tracks within three or four takes, letting a vibe, rather than a concept, guide their hands. Fans can hear “So Far Gone” now at this link, check out the Sheepdogs’ previously-released single, “Find The Truth,” right here, and pre-order or pre-save Outta Sight ahead of its June 3 release here. The Sheepdogs’ North American tour throughout the fall is on sale now. A full list of tour dates can be found below.

The strength of The Sheepdogs in full throttle straight-up appeals to your senses. Without pretension, it is urgent, rhythmic, clear, and fun; it is a break from slick production and gazing at your navel and proclaims the joy and jubilation of drums, bass, horns, and electric guitar. The Sheepdogs make tunes that make you nod your head. The artistry, however, beneath the stadium riffs—the harmonies, the multiple guitar parts, the groove behind a rhythm section that hangs out together when they are not on the clock—is battle-honed and spit-shined between vans, garages, thousands of soundchecks, and, yes, headlining shows. 

“Rock ‘n’ Roll is about cheering us up. Simple as that. We hope our music does the same for the listeners at a time where things still can feel very tough. There’s no greater truth than rock ‘n’ roll.” – Ewan Currie

Catch The Sheepdogs on tour:
September 16 – Fredericton, NB / Harvest Music Fest
September 18 – Charlottetown, PEI / PEI Brewing Company
September 20 – Burlington, VT / Higher Ground
September 22 – Montreal, QC / MTelus
September 23 – Quebec City, QC / Palais Montcalm
September 24 – North Bay, ON / Capitol Centre
October 7 – Bristol, UK / Thekla
October 8 – Manchester, UK / Gorilla
October 9 – London, UK / Electric Ballroom
October 13 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
October 14 – Belleville, ON – The Empire Theatre
October 15 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
October 17 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
October 18 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
October 20 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
October 21 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
October 22 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
October 24 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
October 25 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
October 26 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Purgatory
October 28 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
October 30 – Dallas, TX – Tulips
November1 – Austin, TX – The Ballroom
November3 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi Fi
November4 – Detroit, MI – El Club
November5 – Kitchener, ON – Centre In The Square
November18 – London, ON – London Music Hall
November19 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
November20 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
November22 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
November23 – Regina, SK – Casino Regina
November25 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place
November26 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
November27 – Edmonton, AB – Midway
November28 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s Bar & Grill
December 1 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
December 2 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
December 3 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
December 4 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
December 6 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
December 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
December 8 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
December 9 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
December 11 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
December 12 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
December 14 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
December 15 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
December 16 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

Blue Dogs are back with new album Big Dreamers

South Carolina good times rockers Blue Dogs are back with new album Big Dreamers, due out June 3, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

With a wild drum fill and a swirl of chorus-affected guitars, Carolina’s favorite band Blue Dogs kick off their brand new single “That’s How I Knew”—their first studio-recorded music released since 2004’s Halos and Good Buys. For fans of the long-running band, it is only the first of more to come from an entire album of new music. Big Dreamers is set for release on June 3, 2022. (Blue Dogs, 2022)

Produced by accomplished guitarist and longtime Blue Dogs fan—and at times, guitar player—Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit), Big Dreamers marks a long-awaited comeback for the band and an inevitable full-circle moment for their producer. “I have a history with these guys,” Vaden says. “They used to hire me when I was 18 or 19 years old to play with them. I’ve always admired their sound, even on their albums before I started playing with them, but this record represents the best part of the Blue Dogs in my mind. It’s return to form that also brings out the highlights of their last record. Some things are polished and some things are a little more raw.” Vaden is not the only fan of Blue Dogs contributing to Big Dreamers; legendary Texas songwriter Radney Foster sings background vocals on “That’s How I Knew,” which he co-wrote with Bobby Houck along with the greasy, mid-tempo “If Ever,” and dobro master Jerry Douglas joined the boys on the bluegrass-inspired “The Road You Don’t.”

JamBase premiered the music video for “That’s How I Knew,” Blue Dogs’ irresistible ode to finding the right relationship, and BrooklynVegan highlighted the track, calling it, “a warm, breezy song that finds the long-running band in fine form.” Fans can watch the video at this link and pre-order Big Dreamers ahead of its June 3 release. The band will be celebrating the release of Big Dreamers with a concert at Isle of Palms, South Carolina’s famed Windjammer beach stage on June 3. Tickets are still available.

Founded in 1987 and based in Charleston, the group is still led by songwriters Hank Futch (bass) and Bobby Houck (lead singer, acoustic guitar), who grew up together in Florence, South Carolina. After nearly two decades on the road, the Blue Dogs took an extended break from touring in 2007 as Futch and Houck accepted jobs outside of music to support their new families. Yet they both filed away occasional phrases and potential titles just in case they ever had a chance to make another album together. For this project, they were joined in the studio by guitarist Dan Hood, steel guitar player Charlie Thompson, and longtime drummer Greg Walker. Keeping it all in one big Blue Dogs family, former member Phillip Lammonds co-wrote three of the new songs.

“We’re doing this to follow that dream of playing music and sharing our sound with whoever wants to listen,” Futch says. “We’ve probably been Americana before that became a term. But we didn’t feel like we had to be anything other than ourselves to write these songs.” Houck adds, “We still have something to say. We can write good songs that we like, knowing other people will like them too. We’ve got a lot more to do, more places to play, and maybe bigger places to play. Because of this album, we get to live this dream longer than we thought.”

Big Dreamers track list:
The Good Ones
Big Dreamers
Young Love
All Night Long
That’s How I Knew
Love Is Love Is Love
The Good Road
If Ever
The Road You Don’t
Carolina Grand
All Out Of Time

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Nitty Gritty Dirty Band announces new album: Dirt Does Dylan

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Dirt Does Dylan will be released May 20, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Five-decades-running Americana pioneers Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have already played a major role in the preservation and popularity of folk music—their Will The Circle Be Unbroken album series introduced droves of new fans to folk, country, and bluegrass and earned the band multiple Grammy awards. Now, the long-running group has taken on another American institution near and dear to their hearts; the Bob Dylan songbook. On May 20, the band will be releasing Dirt Does Dylan, a ten-track album highlighting some of the gems from Dylan’s vast catalog with the help of three new band members: fiddle specialist Ross Holmes; singer-songwriter and bass player Jim Photoglo (who wrote one of the Dirt Band’s biggest hits “Fishin’ in the Dark”); and Dirt Band founder Jeff Hanna’s son, the absurdly talented singer and guitarist Jaime Hanna. Produced and recorded by Ray Kennedy at Room & Board Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, Dirt Does Dylan finds a generation-spanning Dirt Band paying an appropriately great tribute to arguably the greatest songwriter of the 20th century with the help of friends like Jason Isbell, The War & Treaty, Steve Earle, and Rosanne Cash, to name a few. (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 2022)

Billboard premiered the Dirt Band’s cover of “I Shall Be Released,” which Dylan originally recorded with The Band during their infamous Basement Tapes sessions. On this version of the tune, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell—better known as accomplished blues-rock duo Larkin Poe—lend their perfectly-blended voices and Megan’s lap steel guitar skills to the mix. Carpenter takes the first verse vocals while the Hannas handle guitar duties. Aside from the fine songwriting itself, Jeff Hanna and Megan Lovell’s infectious guitar interplay carries the song from verse to verse, culminating in the song’s final solo section. Fans can watch the band record “I Shall Be Released” in its official music video at this link, check out the previously-released single, “The Times, They Are A-Changin’,” and pre-order or pre-save Dirt Does Dylan ahead of its May 20 release.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band formed in 1966 as a Long Beach, California jug band, scored its first charting single in 1967, and embarked on a self-propelled ride through folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, bluegrass, and the amalgam now known as “Americana.” The first major hit came in 1971 with the epic “Mr. Bojangles,” which, along with insistent support from banjo master Earl Scruggs, opened doors in Nashville. Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, and others collaborated on a multi-artist, multi-generational, three-disc 1972 masterpiece: Will the Circle Be Unbroken. In the 1980s, the Dirt Band reeled off 15 straight Top 10 country hits, including chart-toppers “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Fishin’ in the Dark (co-written by Jim Photoglo, who would join the band in the second decade of the new century). The year 1989 brought a second Circle album, this one featuring singer-songwriter talents including John Prine, Rosanne Cash, and John Hiatt and garnering two Grammy awards for the band. Circle II also won the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year prize. Circle III was released in 2003, featuring collaborations with Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, and more.

Track listing:
1. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You
2. Girl from the North Country
3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
4. Country Pie
5. I Shall Be Released (ft. Larkin Poe)
6. She Belongs to Me
7. Forever Young
8. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (ft. Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, and The War and Treaty)
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
10. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)

Catch Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on tour:
May 13 – Lancaster, PA – American Music Theatre
May 14 – New York, NY – City Winery
May 15 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
May 19 – Mankato, MN – Vetter Stone Amphitheatre
May 20 – Papillion, NE – Sumtur Amphitheater
May 21 – Chesterfield, MO – Chesterfield Amphitheatre
May 22 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater
June 9 – Eureka Springs, AR – Eureka Springs City Auditorium
June 10 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
June 11 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
June 24 – Grand Junction, CO – Country Jam 2022
June 25 – North Platte, NE – Nebraskaland Days
July 14 – Davenport, IA – Rhythm City Casino Resort
July 15 – Decorah, IA – Winneshiek County Fair
July 16 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
July 21 – Marietta, OH – Peoples Bank Theatre
July 22 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
July 23 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin 2022
August 3 – McMinnville, OR – Yamhill County Fair & Rodeo
August 4 – Boise, ID – The Egyptian Theatre
August 6 – Bellvue, CO – Mishawaka Amphitheatre
August 12 – Hinckley, MN – Grand Country Nights 2022
August 13 – South West Fargo, ND – Lights Amphitheater
August 18 – Three Forks, MT – Headwaters Country Jam 2022
August 19 – Rexford, MT – Abayance Bay Marina
August 27 – Gilbert, AZ – Higley Center For The Performing Arts
August 28 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
September 2 – Orange Park, FL – Thrasher-Horne Center
September 3 – Mill Spring, NC – The Earl Scruggs Music Festival 2022

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Lydia Luce lets love guide through uncertainty on new song Yellow Dawn

The single Yellow Dawn is from the upcoming new album Garden Songs, out June 24, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Underneath the lush arrangements and spellbinding vocal melodies of Lydia Luce’s latest output lies a story of human persistence—the idea that we will carry on, letting hope and love guide us, in the face of an uncertain future. On June 24, Luce is set to release Garden Songs, a five-song EP sown from her time spent reconnecting with songwriting during an artist in residence on Orcas Island, just off the coast of Washington state; the first writing Luce had done since her 2021 album, Dark River. Luce shared “Yellow Dawn” from Garden Songs, a letter to herself that serves as a reminder to keep writing, creating, and believing. Most importantly, to keep going. (Lydia Luce, 2022)

“As an artist my job is to create, and it remains that even when I have no idea what I’ll do with the projects I make,” says Luce, giving listeners a rare glimpse into an all-too-common thought that passes through creative minds. “‘Yellow Dawn’ is the unknown that I must keep plunging into even when I’m unsure and afraid.” Luce’s beautiful metaphor is framed by an endearing refrain of “I will carry on, we will carry on, love will carry on.” “Yellow Dawn” is punctuated by a string quartet that includes Luce on viola, contributing a retro, unison arrangement vibe that furthers the song’s timelessness and complements Luce’s vocal delivery immaculately. Fans can hear “Yellow Dawn” now at this link and pre-order/pre-save Garden Songs ahead of its release right here.

Writing in such a picturesque setting helped her focus her attention on the world around her—quite literally in the case of the EP’s first song, “Matter of Time.” The summer before Luce landed on Orcas Island, the northwest suffered two brutal heat waves, and the extreme weather killed dozens. It got Luce thinking about the cognitive dissonance of wanting to be present in this remarkable place while grappling with how the same area was deadly to so many during a bout of extreme weather.

Luce turned to her impending wedding for “Vow,” which is the tale of the next step in a relationship that had been turbulent. The song lands on a moment of looking forward. Another love is at the heart of “Air Castle”—that of Luce’s great grandparents. Her father shared a book of their love letters, written between 1909 and 1920, while he was in California and she was in Georgia. The song captures how important it can be to feel like someone is in your corner, seeing the best of you and rooting for your triumph.

“Cosmic Flower” offers a series of similes, drawing a parallel between nature and love. It folds Luce’s passion and inspiration for the vastness of nature with those same feelings in her relationship. Written in a period of separation, Luce penned it on the side of a cliff—more literal than metaphorical. The EP ends with the aforementioned “Yellow Dawn,” summing up the feeling that propelled the writing and creation of Garden Songs. Persistence, in love and living, is a choice Luce continues to make, and the fruits of her carrying-on are on full display through this gorgeous musical window into her life.

In addition to her solo work, Luce created Lockeland Strings, a community arts organization that showcases local artists with a string quintet and performances of new contemporary classical pieces from local composers. They have been joined by Kacey Musgraves and Lucie Silvas, among others, and partners with nonprofits, including the ACLU of Tennessee, Girls Write Nashville and The Little Pantry That Could. She also plays viola as a session musician.

Garden Songs track list:
Matter of Time
Vow
Air Castle
Cosmic Flower
Yellow Dawn

Catch Lydia Luce on tour:
May 21 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room: Lockeland Strings with Katy Kirby and most likely Devon Gilfillian and Liza Anne
June 9 Nashville, TN – Jaans House: Lockeland Strings Nicki Bluhm, Volunteer Department and more
June 26 – Fox Island, ME – Crab Tree
June 26 – North Haven Island, ME – CrabTree Session
June 30 – Plymouth, MA – The Spire
July 1 – Cape Cod, MA – Cultural Arts Center
July 2 – Portsmouth, NH – Music Hall
July 6 – Bristol, CT – Acousticool

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John Inghram balances vintage style with modern meaning on debut album

His debut album, John Inghram will be out May 13, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Within the first few seconds of its first song, John Inghram’s debut self-titled album gives off an unmistakable vintage vibe—swirling guitar arpeggios giving way to thumping drums and deep, perfectly-timed bass—but once he starts singing, the bigger picture quickly comes into focus. This is not just folk-rock nostalgia, but a well-crafted take on connecting modern experiences with old-school sounds, allowing listeners to feel in a more circular than linear fashion. Fans can check out “Palisades” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save John Inghram ahead of its May 13 release right here.  (John Inghram, 2022)

Glide Magazine premiered John Inghram album-opener “Palisades,” writing, “Backed by soulful organ and jagged guitar, Inghram brings together Americana, folk-rock, and a kind of laid back 70s rock sound to make for a song that feels reflective yet forward-thinking.” Like most people hearing Inghram’s brand of Appalachia-drenched songcraft, Glide went on to note just how well he delivers great lyrics via feel-good instrumentation. “With its lyrics that speak to living in the moment and embracing the present, Inghram proves once again to have a penchant for crafting smart tunes that resonate in a universal way and then complementing them with big guitar solos and an inviting, full-band sound.”

“My whole career has been about serving other people, and other people’s music,” Inghram explains, “And that is beautiful. But there was some piece that I felt was missing as a creative. I needed to serve my own original music with the creation of this album.” For Inghram, the past is a complicated topic. “Like a lot of my fellow musicians, I spent much of my 20s strung out, partying, and generally just made a lot of poor life choices,” he says. “A big part of making this album has been deciding that it’s not too late. All I’ve got is the now and I’m going for it.” With a breadth of musical knowledge and experience, Inghram finds his own unique musical mantra on this debut record. While it is always tempting to dwell on the past, or dream about the future, he challenges listeners to move into an existential, yet completely joyful mindset with him. “Now that I have a beautiful family, and life is better than I ever thought it could be,” he says, “I just want to make use of this moment and make sure I give everything I have to offer.”

Recorded at two different studios between 2020 and 2021, Bud Carroll and Justin Francis engineered John Inghram while Francis mixed and mastered it. It features Carroll and Adam Meisterhans on guitars, Randy Gilkey and Micah Hulscher on keys, and Sam Wiseman on drums. 

For nearly two decades, bassist, composer, and producer John Inghram has been making a name for himself as one of the most sought-after musicians in the Appalachian region, Mid-Atlantic, and beyond. John tours and performs regularly with Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (2011 Winner of “America’s Got Talent”), jazz pianist Bob Thompson (Mountain Stage), bluegrass mandolinist Johnny Staats, and jam-band Fletcher’s Grove. In addition to these, John performs regularly on NPR’s Mountain Stage Radio Show and serves as the show’s assistant producer. He has also toured with and/or backed up musical luminaries such as Chuck Prophet, Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Joshua Hedley, Catherine Russell (Steely Dan, Bowie), Roosevelt Collier, Larry Coryell, Branford Marsalis, Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea, Kris Myers (Umphrey’s Mcgee), Patrick Sweany, Christian Lopez, and many more.

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Railroad Earth turns the page on new album All For The Song

The ten song, Anders Osborne-produced LP is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Easing into their third decade as a band, jam-scene pioneers Railroad Earth have been hard at work keeping their bluegrass soul and rock and roll spirit alive and well. On April 22, the next chapter of RRE unfolded with the release of their new album All For The Song; a ten-song collection filled with tales of biblical road-trip rainstorms, Louisiana getaways, and losing their brother too soon. Since the completion of All For The Song, Railroad Earth has trickled out singles like “The Great Divide,” “It’s So Good,” and “Runnin’ Wild,” to the delight of fans and critics alike, slowly giving tastes of what the band refers to as their “destination” album produced in New Orleans by the Big Easy’s favorite guitar-slinging Swede, Anders Osborne. (Railroad Earth, 2022)

In 2018, Railroad Earth—Todd Sheaffer [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], and Andrew Altman [upright & electric bass]—bid farewell to founding member and lifelong friend Andy Goessling who passed away from cancer. His shadow loomed over the process as the guys retreated to New Orleans for the first time to record.

Another first, they recorded with Anders Osborne behind the board as producer. It might have been the gumbo, but the guys seamlessly absorbed the homegrown flavors of the Big Easy by osmosis, incorporating horns, blues harmonica, and the producer’s own perspective and guitar playing. “His enthusiasm is contagious,” exclaims Carey. “There are five producers in this band, so a strong-willed voice from the outside is usually pretty essential. Anders was the voice.” Todd agrees, “He brought a pure and striving soul, unforgettable laugh, rich palette of emotion, a great stash of guitars and amps, philosophical driftings, freedom, unguarded honesty, warmth, and love.”

All For The Song track list:
The Great Divide
Blues Highway
It’s So Good
Showers of Rain
Come And Go Moon
Runnin’ Wild
My Favorite Spot
Slippin’ Away
Driftin’ – The Bardo – Driftin’
All For The Song

Catch Railroad Earth on tour:
May 20 – Kansas City, MO – Bluegrass in the Bottoms
May 26 – Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall
May 27-28 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest
May 29 – Thornville, OH – Dark Star Jubilee
June 23 – Eau Claire, WI – Blue Ox Music Festival
June 30-July 3 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival
July 8 – Jay, VT – Jeezum Crow Festival
July 21-24 – North Plains, OR – Northwest String Summit
July 29 – Johnstown, PA – Flood City Music Festival
July 31 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest

Michael Shaw’s debut album He Rode On

Michael Shaw’s debut album He Rode On will be out June 3, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Surrounded by the majestic beauty and rugged wilderness of the Northern Rockies, songwriter Michael Shaw worked as a horseman and wilderness ranger in Western Montana for more than a decade, patrolling the wildest reaches of Glacier National Park with his two horses, Pancho and Snuffy. Without knowing it at the time, that unpredictable natural landscape, and the isolation that goes along with it, shaped his upcoming debut album, He Rode On, bringing an unbridled authenticity to his music and truth in every lyrical reference—from living off the land to cheating death. Wide Open Country premiered the first taste of He Rode On with the hard-driving, honky-tonk lust story of “Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress.” (Michael Shaw, 2022)

“Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress” came about after Shaw and his cronies ventured to Elko, Nevada, for the “National Cowboy Poet Gathering”—a weekend which included an encounter with Canadian country artist Corb Lund’s guitar player and now-He Rode On producer Grant Siemens, Shaw learning the fine art of yodeling, having the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliot sign his guitar, and meeting the song’s muse while swing dancing at a country music concert. “It’s exactly what happened on our second night in Elko,” says Shaw. “In fact, nearly every idea from ‘Cowboy Boots’ is pulled directly from my experience that weekend.” Fans can relive the wild memories via the raucous Jerry Lee Lewis-meets-Dwight Yoakam vibe of “Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress” right now at this link. He Rode On is now available to pre-save or pre-order ahead of its June 3 release right here.  

He Rode On leads with “Bad Honky Tonker,” a sly anthem described by Shaw as “the bastard love child of Keith Richards and Dwight Yoakam.” “Outlaw’s Refuge” follows, written when Shaw was living along tribal wilderness on the Flathead Indian Reservation, making homemade wine, hunting, and fishing, and harvesting the fat of the land. Carrying on that independent streak, the song “Billy” is inspired by his long-time friendship with a wilderness muleskinner who leads his life in an inimitable fashion. Through his time living in rural places all across Western Montana, including an off-the-grid cabin without running water or electricity, to his stint as a National Parks Service Backcountry Ranger, to seven winters as the lone caretaker of an isolated horse ranch on the Blackfoot River—and all of the rambunctious extracurriculars in between—Shaw’s captivating songwriting can be directly traced to his own experiences in the West. Yet his stories are universal, whether he is delivering a rowdy barroom anthem or a meditative song about the loss of a loved one. With a swagger in his vocal and a sharp eye for detail, Shaw brings authenticity to He Rode On, as everything he references on the album is rooted in truth.

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New album release: Barton Stanley David’s Crest

Barton Stanley David’s new album Crest will be out April 22 via Kenshire Records. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

After nearly a decade of recording and performing in New York City, fifth-generation Texan Barton Stanley David decided it was time to return home. However, a fresh romance developed around the same time that left him torn between his grand return to the Lone Star State and Marketa, a Czech immigrant living in the Bronx who stole his heart. Eventually, love won out, with the pair now married and living in Dallas, but the road back to Texas inspired the first track on BSD’s upcoming album Crest, set for release on April 22, 2022. “Cicada” instantly conveys a sense of longing in a lush expanse of acoustic guitar, anthemic drums, and expressive vocals, landing somewhere between Americana and 90s alternative. “The city’s made of promises,” he sings on the album’s visceral opener. “But I’m too old to wait.” Central Track premiered “Cicada,” writing, “With a spacious and clean sound, Barton and his studio players sound confident and bright here. It’s great folky pop that gets right to the point.” Fans can hear “Cicada” and watch the video here. (Barton Stanley David, 2022)

Upon his return to Texas, with live music lost to the pandemic, Barton Stanley David formed Kenshire Records with executive producer Shane Stein and began recording remotely with Grammy-winning engineer Dave Schiffman (Tom Petty, Adele, The Killers) mixing from Los Angeles. Studio sessions finally began in January of 2021 with Jeff Saenz at Modern Electric in Dallas. However, tragedy struck six months into recording when Saenz lost both arms following a freak accident with a downed power line in his front yard. Remarkably, Jeff Saenz has since returned to producing at Modern Electric, which he owns, and his story has been featured in Rolling Stone and The Dallas Morning News.

With Saenz still hospitalized and the Dallas community rallying around the widely beloved producer, Barton eventually turned to Scarlett Deering, a young engineer and violinist (The Eagles) managing the late Charley Pride’s studio to complete the album. Other notable contributors to Crest include legendary mastering engineer Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley) and additional mixers Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Elle King) and Roman Klun (Sarah MacLachlan). Drummer Matt Young (White Denim) turns in a break-out performance, along with bassist Chris Anderson (Martin Sexton), pianist Ben Fisher, and David playing many of the instruments himself.

Thematically, Crest is a heavy but hopeful ride: the soaring alt-rock conviction of “All Ways,” chamber pop showstopper “Evelyn,” reincarnation themed closer “And The Crowd Goes Wild Again,” even ‘90s-tinged break-up ballad “If I Didn’t Tell You First” rings with a certain triumph. Still, at the album’s heart, there is a bracing. “Collectively, I think there is a feeling that we are at the crest of a societal and spiritual wave that is about to break,” the Texas songwriter says. “We paddled out on a sea of circumstance that brought us here,” he sings on the title track, “And a storm is coming clear.”

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