Your Front Row Seat To Americana Music
When you finally get a chance to see a group you’ve liked for years perform live for the first time, the excitement and anticipation is next level. You spend more time getting ready. You rush your friends out the door so you’re sure to get a good vantage point. You’re amped the minute you walk... Continue Reading →
Part listening room, part laid-back, boozy music club, Nashville’s The Basement was the perfect place for me to get to know The Contenders. Featuring two seasoned vets of the music scene--Jay Nash on guitar and Josh Day on drums--the Americana-Folk duo shared a slate of lyrical tales that can only come from the perspective of... Continue Reading →
Colorado string band Trout Steak Revival, ambassadors of their home state’s progressive bluegrass scene, descended on Nashville’s City Winery recently to celebrate the unveiling of their now-released album, Spirit To the Sea. The room was configured differently on that special evening; tables normally positioned in front of the stage were moved to make room to... Continue Reading →
Someone wholly uninitiated to the Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real experience will likely have a few questions—Does he sound like Willie? What kind of music do they play? With the blood of country music royalty running through Lukas’s veins and the POTR serving as the recording and touring band for the legendary Neil... Continue Reading →
It’s important to know where to find great country music sounds in Nashville—and a little hint, it’s not usually on Lower Broadway where cover bands, tradeshow attendees, and bachelorettes sporting recently purchased cowboy boots dwell. Part of me even hesitates to call Kashena Sampson’s show last Friday at The Basement “country music,” due to the... Continue Reading →
Can a three-finger bluegrass-styled guy be the perfect match for a clawhammer lady? Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn have been set on proving that their stylistic differences complement instead of clash, and have been doing a darn good job of it along the way. The Nashville couple recently completed a mini-residency titled “Circle Round Home,”... Continue Reading →
You wouldn’t know from the warmth and comradery inside Mississippi Studios Wednesday night that outside was a typical cold, misty Portland evening. The huddled crowd took up the entire floor and balcony of this amazingly intimate concert hall, all ready to wrap themselves in the holler-folk stylings of roots outfit Ghost Of Paul Revere. Warmed up... Continue Reading →
Taking the Pilgrimage Festival stage by storm, Valerie June played one of the most visceral and exuberant sets of the day. Even in the ninety-plus degree heat, the crowd was moving and grooving from beginning to end with her wit and southern charm. Mixing many different influences including blues, folk, country, and rock, June has... Continue Reading →
Colter Wall has burst onto the Americana music scene recently with the release of his self-titled album, produced by famed Nashville producer Dave Cobb. His music is straightforward roots country and folk, drawing influence from Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, and Woody Guthrie. His voice is deep and snarled, which renders captivating stories about murder,... Continue Reading →
Charleston, South Carolina duo Shovels & Rope graced the main stage of Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee recently and absolutely brought the house down. Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst have a connection and energy that can’t be taught or recreated--it is natural, it is a part of who they are, and every... Continue Reading →