Past Artists
Emmylou Harris
“Most of my career,” says Emmylou Harris, “I’ve been a finder of songs, a gatherer of songs, so this showcases, in part, that side of what I do.” All I Intended To Be, its simple but evocative title borrowed from the lyric of a Billy Joe Shaver song, does far more than that. Her first solo album since 2003’s Stumble Into Grace, it is indeed a catalogue of Harris’s many gifts—as an interpreter, as an eloquent composer herself, as an inveterate musical explorer who’s been able to discover, rescue, and/or give new life to many a beautiful but overlooked country, bluegrass or folk tune.
Mary Ann Kennedy
Mary Ann Kennedy and Pam Rose,"KENNEDY ROSE" recorded for and toured with STING in the 90's. The duo also enjoyed success as a songwriting team in Nashville for many years. They met EmmyLou Harris in 1985, and have a musical and personal friendship that continues today.
Annie Crane & Robin Aigner
Annie Crane's music captures you with stories of immigrant grandparents, February ice storms, heartache in snowy Toronto and an industrially sweet Brooklyn love. Robin Aigner's quirky, irreverent and original old-timey/gypsy folk has a loyal following from New York to Nashville, New Hampshire to San Francisco.
Sam Bush
Though he admits a certain discomfort with the moniker "King of Newgrass," Sam Bush has more than earned it. As cofounder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival through 18 years during the 1970s and '80s, Bush may not be the only person responsible for newgrass, the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock 'n' roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams, but since New Grass Revival's dissolution in 1989, Bush has certainly been one of the most brilliant of newgrass's many bright lights.
Mike Farris
In 2007, when Mike Farris debuted his critically acclaimed Salvation in Lights, people who'd never heard of the former Screamin' Cheetah Wheelie's frontman, music business people and retailers who thought they'd "heard it all and seen it all," stood with mouths agape, eyes like saucers, aghast at how that sound, that soul, could come from such an unlikely source.
Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade
Named by the Boston Globe as a "Local on the Verge" for 2008, Miss Tess is a young, Boston-based performing songwriter. Aptly naming her style “Modern Vintage”, her music bridges eras and genres. Miss Tess is celebrating being named “Outstanding Folk Artist of the Year” at the December Boston Music Awards.
Caitlin Rose
Caitlin Rose is a twenty one year old singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN, who is spending more time recreating the songs of our past than most artists twice her age are able to do. Upon first listen, you might swear you’ve heard Caitlin’s music before. Perhaps in a smoky honky-tonk or a dimly lit dive bar where the waitresses are all named Wanda and the well drinks are only a dollar. Though this would simply be an auditory illusion, your first impression wouldn’t be far from the truth.
Dex Romweber Duo
"Dex Romweber was and is a huge influence on my music. I owned all of his records as a teenager, and was thrilled at the fact that we were able to play together recently on tour. His attitude towards music is remarkable. His songwriting, along with his love of classic American music from the south, be it rockabilly, country or R&B, is one of the best kept secrets of the rock n roll underground." - Jack White, White Stripes.
Peter Bradley Adams
Peter Bradley Adams was one half of the duo "eastmountainsouth" signed by Robbie Robertson (of The Band) to Dreamworks Records in 2002. He has released two solo records ("Gather Up" and "Leavetaking") and is set to release his third, "Traces" this September on Sarathan Records.
Scott Miller
Scott Miller blends folk and rock like there ain’t no words for. The power of storytelling with the power of a compressed electric guitar comes through this Virginian not heard since the likes of Wayne Newton (fellow Virginian) or The Statler Brothers (also of the Commonwealth.) Not even since Thomas Jefferson (Virginian) and Woodrow Wilson (another Virginian) formed their rock trio with drummer Stewart Copeland (northern Virginian) “League of Nations”.
Jonny Corndawg
Jonny Corndawg is a country singer, not a singer-songwriter. Born in Montana, raised in rural Virginia, Corndawg has been touring on his motorcycle since he dropped out of high school in 2001. He’s played shows in every U.S. state, Canada, eleven European countries, Australia, Argentina and India. But you won’t find him on CMT. His music is more in the vein of that obscure, ‘70s gay country that housewives would discover on a Bear Family reissue in twenty years.
The Grascals
Already among the most beloved and acclaimed of contemporary bluegrass groups, The Grascals are the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainers of the Year, first earning the top honor in 2006, only one year after being named Emerging Artist of the Year and winning Song of the Year for “Me and John and Paul.” Their trademark blend of traditional bluegrass and classic country with more modern elements, delivered with vocal and instrumental intensity and virtuosity, earned them Grammy nominations for their first two critically-acclaimed releases—The Grascals and Long List of Heartaches.
James Intveld
A native of Los Angeles, James Intveld started his career at an early age listening and singing along to his parents' recordings of Hank Williams, Sr., Dean Martin, Lefty Frizzell, and Elvis. During the cow punk movement of the '80s, Intveld was working the same clubs as Dwight Yoakam and Rosie Flores, playing his own brand of rockabilly, and so impressed Town South of Bakersfield producers Pete Anderson and Dusty Wakeman that he was included on the second volume of the compilation series.
The New Familiars
From the foothills of Appalachia a new musical combo has appeared; grown from seeds of the folk, blues, and bluegrass found abundant in the Carolinas, yet shaped by the undeniable power of rock and roll. Known as The New Familiars, these five gentlemen combine an amazing passion for harmony with multi-instrumental talent and unusual storytelling abilities.
Holy Ghost Tent Revival
Characterized as "explosively intoxicating," this Greensboro, NC six-piece can only be described in terms of what has already been defined, for there is no way to narrow them into any perfect genre. Mixing euphonium with banjo, and acoustic guitar with drums, keys, and electric bass, Holy Ghost Tent Revival is an eclectic mix of so many things -- dirty jazz, ragtime, folk, roots country/bluegrass, big band and rock and roll.
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith got an early start on her path to performing and songwriting. At the age of 6 she began to write songs, thinking of it as “part of the process of learning how to play guitar.” While she doesn’t remember many of her earliest songs, she does recall that “the first original song my mother commented on…was a song about Timothy Leary.” Then at the age of 14, when a campfire turn at the Kerrville Folk Festival caught the ear of singer-songwriter Tom Russell, she was on her way. Having recorded 18 albums and performed concerts all over the world, it’s safe to say that she’s never looked back.
Josh Williams Band
IBMA 2008 Guitar Player of the Year is happier than ever working with his own band, and playing his own style of bluegrass music. Joshua Seth Williams was born on November 20, 1980 in Murray, Kentucky, the second son of Tony & Terri Williams. He and his older brother, Justin, were raised in a modest home in Benton, Kentucky, a small town in western Kentucky. His grandmother, the late Mary Neale Williams, was the first to notice Josh’s interest in music.
Shawn Byrne
Shawn moved to Nashville from Boston in May 2003 without knowing a soul and began washing dishes at the World Famous Bluebird cafe. Since that time Shawn has had his songs recorded by such artists as the Duhks, Aussie super-star Adam Brand and Kevin Montgomery. Shawn was awarded a SESAC award for his song "Ol' Cook Pot" recorded by Sugar Hill recording artists The Duhks who took the song to the top 5 on the Americana charts. Shawn's self produced CD 'But I Digress" released independently in 07 was released to rave reviews and has been a steady seller on cdbaby.com and itunes. Stellar songwriting is not the only trick in Shawn's bag.
Steve Kimock
Steve Kimock is an innovator. Not just for his ability to successfully navigate live performances spanning the Summer of Love through the advent of MTV and well into the new electronic-pop revolution. And not just for his gift for leading the live music recording and download revolution with a meticulous dedication to archive and share his live shows for more then twenty years (Macworld, 2005). He is not just an innovator because of his craftsmanship restoring vintage analog equipment and for a completely custom and organic sound (he designed a highly collected edition of Two Rock brand “Kimock Amplifiers” and most recently a custom, ergonomic Scott Walker guitar, in stereo).
Angela Easterling
Angela Easterling was raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Much of her childhood was spent on the farm that has been in her family since 1791, seven generations. Ironically, it wasn't until she moved to Los Angeles, that the homespun musical calling in her soul became a siren's song. A performer all her life, Angela had begun playing guitar and writing songs while studying at Emerson College in Boston. Angela embraced her heritage in a big way as a writer and an artist on her debut album, "Earning Her Wings", chosen as "Americana Pick of the Year" by Smart Choice Music.
Webb Wilder
Hardly a purist, he has described the music he and his band, The Beatnecks, make as, "Rock for Roots fans and Roots for Rock fans." In essence: Rock and Roll. There’s nothing new about combining R & B, Rock and Roll, Country, Blues, Pop and Rock. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles proved that it can yield marvelous and diverse results. I said he wasn’t a PURIST. I didn’t say he wasn’t very PICKY about the quality of the music. That includes everything from the sonics of the recordings, the choice of players, the influences he draws on, the songs he chooses to cover, or how attentive he is to the craftsmanship of his own songs.
Charlie Louvin
The term "living legend" gets thrown around quite a bit, but it actually applies to Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin. The magical harmonies and depth of feeling found on Louvin Brothers recordings of the 50's and 60's inspired a new generation of musicians, firmly establishing the Louvins' stature as one of the most influential duos in country music history. In 2006, the Tompkins Square label reached out to Charlie about making his first new studio album in over ten years. They enlisted Mark Nevers, who engineered sessions for many top country artists, and produced Calexico, Lambchop, Candi Staton among others. Guests on the album include Elvis Costello, George Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Will Oldham, Tom T. Hall, Tift Merritt, Marty Stuart, Bobby Bare Sr., David Kilgour, members of Bright Eyes, Lambchop, Clem Snide, Superchunk and more. Louvin enjoyed the experience.
Shawn Camp
Some careers can be described with a couple of words, but Shawn Camp’s isn’t one of them. A bold and distinctive singer, a songwriter who’s provided material for artists ranging from Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn to Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury and Ricky Skaggs, and a multi-instrumentalist who’s played with everyone from Alan Jackson to the Osborne Brothers, his music sprawls across the lines that divide mainstream country, Americana and bluegrass—and if his songs have been recorded by more popular artists, his energetic new CD, Fireball, makes a compelling case that no one can do them better.
Green on the Vyne
Listening to Green on the Vyne is like being reacquainted with an old friend. But how can that be, when the oldest member of the group is just the tender young age of sixteen? This group of old souls is breathing a breath of fresh air into the long-existing world of acoustic and bluegrass music, while staying true to their roots. Green on the Vyne is made up of five, incredibly talented musicians.
John Cowan
Bluegrass, Newgrass, Gospelgrass, Rock N’ Rollgrass…true innovators like John Cowan break boundaries and personify innovation. John’s ability to take audiences on a musical journey through multiple genres has made him one of the most unique vocal artists of his generation.
The Coal Men
“Some people measure life in years. Dave Coleman measures it in moments. And capturing the impact of a moment is what the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of The Coal Men set out to do on BEAUTY IS A MOMENT, the band’s second full-length release.
Quebe Sisters Band
Since their musical journey began in 1998, Grace, Sophia & Hulda have been covering a lot of ground. In the beginning, the Q's started taking fiddle lessons from Sherry McKenzie (Joey's wife) and later from Joey, learning traditional Texas-style fiddling. From the start, all three sisters demonstrated astonishing talent and determination and a real love of music. Shortly thereafter, the girls began entering fiddle contests and had success early on; winning several State, regional and National fiddle championships.
Eric Brace and Peter Cooper
A few years back, Eric was in Nashville on tour with his band Last Train Home, and met Peter Cooper at a "guitar pull." That's where a bunch of songwriters get together for food and drink and pass around a guitar to share their newest creations. Eric thought Peter was there as a journalist (Peter was and is the music writer for The Tennessean), but when they passed the guitar to Peter, he delivered one of the best songs of the night. When Eric moved from Washington DC to Nashville in 2004, he became fast friends with Peter, a friendship sealed over vinyl-listening sessions and screw-top red wine in their living rooms. Since early 2008, they've been an honest-to-goodness duo, forcing audiences to listen in as they trade songs, swap lead and harmony vocals, and generally amuse themselves.
Dale Ann Bradley
"I think Dale Ann Bradley is an awesome singer. It's heart and soul with her." – Ricky Skaggs It's 9 a.m. on a rainy January day in Nashville, five days into 2009. Dale Ann Bradley is coming up the studio steps without a raincoat, carrying a guitar and a folder full of lyrics. She's been on the road for 14 straight days, it's 25 degrees and pouring, but never mind all that. She's been shaping the concept of her new project, the follow-up to her Compass Records debut Catch Tomorrow, for months, and she can't wait to kick off the first song.
Radney Foster
The position that Foster enjoys in the country music landscape is remarkable. Mainstream country music and independent Americana tend to occupy separate orbits. Yet for 24 years Foster has thrived in both as a songwriter, recording artist, live performer and producer. His songs--solo, with Foster and Lloyd and recorded by other artists--have topped the country, Texas, Americana, and AAA charts alike. At the same time, he's earned the respect of his peers and a devoted audience as intent on listening as they are eager to dance.
Pam Daley
When Pam Daley delivers a song she invites the listener in as she unknowingly reveals pieces of her soul. Her refined, crystal clear vocals are at once intimate and open, as if the words are meant to be shared, but also meant only for you. In years past, Daley sang in rock bands that tended to drown out the subtler colors of her voice. But when she returned to the music that she loved, bluegrass and acoustic country, she had found her way home. *Guest appearance will be made by Pam Daley for PBS special.
Donna Ulisse
Donna Ulisse (pronounced "you-liss-ee") was born in Hampton Virginia and surrounded by a musical family. She made her first appearance singing at the tender age of three when she wandered onto the stage with a bluegrass band and broke out into "Take This Hammer". From that moment until now, there has never been any doubt that she would be creating music. She worked in a local western swing band where she met and married Rick Stanley, being fully indoctrinated into a bluegrass family when Rick's cousin Ralph Stanley, along with the Clinch Mountain Boys performed at their wedding reception.
Christabel and the Jons
Christabel and the Jons is a southern swing band based in east Tennessee that blends familiar standards with modern vintage sounding originals. Their music is acoustic and colorful, a blend of Appalachian mountain music and vintage swing. The group saunters and sways together with ease. Lead singer Christa DeCicco steals hearts with her come-hither delivery and charismatic stage performance.
Emmitt-Nershi Band
On New Country Blues the Emmitt-Nershi Band has fully realized its potential.With Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) on mandolin & vocals and Bill Nershi (the String Cheese Incident) on acoustic guitar and vocals, ENB delivers a dynamic blend of bluegrass, newgrass, country and Americana that is sure to excite fans of all those genres and more.
Mountain Heart
Mountain Heart is the band that has been fearlessly revolutionizing the way acoustic music can be presented and played. The band's name has been synonymous with cutting-edge excellence in acoustic music circles since the group's creation in 1999. Widely known throughout the music industry for continually redefining the boundaries of acoustic music, the band has gained legions of loyal fans both as a result of their superlative musicianship, and more notably, their incomparably exciting live performances.
Chris Volpe
Chris Volpe’s gentle vocals, padded by long strains on the harmonica, whining pedal steel and warm acoustic guitars, have a nice way of relaying some hard truths on his new disc, Shipwrecked. Shades of Neil Young emerge in the bleak “Afraid of the Dark,” which tackles the weighty issue of environmental pollution and paints a picture of the resulting mess when mankind fails to react responsibly.
Nashville Mandolin Ensemble
With its scintillating contemporary qualities, the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble has been hailed for revitalizing and reshaping a type of ensemble music that enjoyed nationwide popularity at the turn of the 20th century. Through its array of mandolins, mandola, mandocello, violin, guitar and bass, NME commands expressive string colors of kaleidoscopic range and variety.
Cherryholmes
With their roots based in bluegrass, Celtic, and jazz music, Cherryholmes has stormed to the top of the music world since winning the 2005 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Award for Entertainer of the Year.
Donna The Buffalo
Donna the Buffalo's eclectic and often socially conscious music has it's base in traditional mountain music and is infused with elements of Cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. The group’s core are vocalists Tara Nevins, who plays fiddle, guitar, accordion, and scrubboard, and guitarist Jeb Puryear. Keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Jay Sanders, and drummer Vic Stafford complete the ensemble.
The Believers
THE BELIEVERS have a serious love for old school country music - they can’t help it if they were raised on punk & folk. It was that very love that prompted a move from their hometown of Seattle to their current stomping grounds of Nashville, Tennessee. Founding members Craig Aspen & Cyd Frazzini share a broad scope of influences from The Louvin Brothers to The Clash to Steve Earle to George & Tammy, all coming together to create a Country Soul sound with the urgency of a great rock record and all the intimacy of your favorite Neil Young or Bob Dylan records. Such a sound has earned them praise from the likes of Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and the BBC2’s Bob Harris who simply declared them “Brilliant.”
Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin
Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin have long been revered as artists of “distinctive personal approach” Kristi Rose as a singer with a voice that can “sing the stars from the heavens” has been compared to artists ranging from Wanda Jackson to Patti Smith. Fats, as a “brilliant multi-instrumentalist” has been sought over the years by artists as diverse as The Tractors, The Manhattan Transfer, Pure Prairie League, Emmy Lou Harris, Nanci Griffith, The Mavericks, Suzy Boggus, Elvis Costello, The Judds, Buddy Miller, Jason Ringenberg, (with and w/o the Scorchers) and in his own Americana chart topping band, Kane-Welch-Kaplin, as well as many, many more. Together, Fats and Kristi Rose have created a musical genre, (and way of life) known as Pulp Country.
Chuck Mead
He’s been known as the co-founder of the three-time Grammy nominated BR549, the honky-tonk heroes that almost single-handedly lit and carried the blowtorch for the mid-‘90s alternative country explosion. He’s been hailed as ‘The Hillbilly Renaissance Man’ for his subsequent successes as a songwriter, performer, producer and musical theater director. Now after more than a decade as one of the most uncompromising and consistent talents in the American roots music movement, Chuck Mead at last emerges with the most anticipated role of his entire career: Solo Artist.
Tim O’Brien
At a point in his career where you'd think he'd be charging at full speed toward the next big thing, Tim O'Brien confounded expectations by doing something else: he took time--and plenty of it--to create the next small thing. Chameleon is an intimate project that, in its blend of virtuosity, wit and warmth, is unmistakably his. And this time around, it's literally his alone.
Will Hoge
Will Hoge has made a career of writing and singing powerful songs about life’s cruel and dark turns. Not long ago, he fell victim to one such turn. As Hoge rode his scooter home from the studio, he was struck by an oncoming van that had veered into his lane. There were no skid marks. Launched off his bike, Hoge ended up bloodied, broken-boned, temporarily blinded, and near death.
Jason Ringenberg
A couple of years ago Jason and I were doing a run of dates together through the snowy Midwest. I was road-ragged and he was fresh as a daisy. He'd driven across Alaska not long before and spent six weeks in Sweden and England and Holland before that! We got to talking about farm life and how Jason and his brother grew up feeding the hogs at five in the morningeveryday. "You know," Jason said to me, "My brother and I worked ALL the time. It was incredibly hard work for an adult, let alone a skinny 9 year old boy. It was a never ending cycle feeding the hogs, cleaning out the hog houses (by hand), hauling water and straw, or working the fields.
Viktor Krauss
Those who know Bassist/Composer Viktor Krauss primarily by his supporting roles with Lyle Lovett, Bill Frisell, Jerry Douglas, and scores of others, might be surprised by the eclectic range of the original music on his second recording, aptly entitled II. On the other hand, listeners familiar with Krauss’ remarkable 2004 solo debut, Far From Enough (Nonesuch), and attuned to the finer details of his recording and touring credits—with everyone from Carly Simon, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Film Composer - James Newton Howard, and Graham Nash to Chet Atkins, the Chieftains, and Joan Baez—will find II quite consonant with that eclectic track record.
Angel Snow
When Angel Snow sings, she hands her heart to the listener. Onstage she pours out raw emotion through honest and introspective music. Her unique sound--classic Americana folk coupled with a modern edge--provides a soulful backdrop for lyrics based on everything from personal experiences to vivid dreams. "I want to relate to people in their most vulnerable state; to inspire people most scarred," she says. The result of this heartfelt songwriting is a labor of love, her debut album, Fortune Tellers.
J.D. Souther
In 1984, singer/songwriter J.D. Souther followed the chart-topping successes of "You're Only Lonely" and the James Taylor duet "Her Town Too" with HOME BY DAWN, an album that Rolling Stone declared his best, with songs that "rank right up there with his forlorn classics 'Run like a Thief' and 'Faithless Love.'"
Tennessee Mafia Jug Band
From the pastoral hills, hollers, shopping malls and interstate highways of Goodlettsville Tennessee, home of Bill Monroe, Bashful Brother Oswald, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Keith Whitley and some living country music performers, comes the most entertaining "blast from the past" since Lester Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys. They’re the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band -- five guys and a scrubboard, with roots like wisdom teeth.
Tony Joe White
In 1969, Tony Joe White brought his brand of Swampy Blues into a Top 10 hit with his song “Polk Salad Annie.” This was followed very shortly in 1970, by Brook Benton’s soulful rendition of White’s timeless “Rainy Night In Georgia.”
Sugarcane Jane
Sugarcane Jane's music inspires images of a southern past and gives vibrant proof of the present. Songs like, “Home Nights” weave images of white cotton clothing blowing gently, in rhythm on a warm, balmy southern afternoon. Their sweet tunes trundle you down a dusty, country road in the back of an old truck. You’ll taste sweet blackberries and when the notes fade away, you’ll want more.
Chris Scruggs
It's hard to put a label on a multi-talented artist like Chris Scruggs. The Washington Post aptly described him as "part John Lennon pop and part Milton Brown western swing with a little bit of White Stripes edginess."
Nathan Blake Lynn
Nathan Blake Lynn brings together the deep traditions of bluegrass and country music. His songs define his childhood days running through the backwaters of Western Kentucky, his long nights hauling cars across the country, and his love for honky-tonk nightlife. A writer of historical fiction, Lynn sheds new light on forgotten storyies from the Deep South to the High North.
Tomi Fujiyama
“Tomi Fujiyama” is Japan’s first lady of Country music. In 1951, a young Tomi switched from performing traditional Japanese songs for small Japanese audiences, to performing Country for the American soldiers on Army and Navy bases across Japan. After recording 21 singles and 5 albums for Columbia Records she was brought to Las Vegas to play a backbreaking 7-days- a-week, 4-shows-a-night contract at the Mint Hotel.
The Dirt Daubers
Colonel JD Wilkes (The Legendary Shack Shakers) and his wife Jessica, along with "Slow" Layne Hendrickson, make up the hillbilly/hokum trio THE DIRT DAUBERS! Hailing from western Kentucky, these three caterwaulin' hooligans sing loud and proud an ecclectic mix of Appalachian, ragtime, and hot jazz standards and original music.
Gove Scrivenor
When looking for expressive and uncommon sounds, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Dan Seals, Hank Williams, Jr., Iris Dement and Glen Campbell all turned to the evocative sound of Gove Scrivenor’s autoharp. When Gove released early albums on Flying Fish Records, his friends, Doc Watson, John Hartford, Marty Stuart, Buddy Emmons...all lined up to contribute to his recordings.
Split Lip Rayfield
Bluegrass worthy of being blasted out of the windows of a Plymouth Barracuda with 451 Hemi engine. Metal and jazz like freakouts done acoustically. Arising out of the ashes of Scroat Belly, the Lip's live shows were the stuff of legend. They whipped crowds into a sweaty frenzy—Jeff hunched over his homemade, gas-tank bass "The Stitchgiver," Kirk breaking guitar strings by the dozen and changing them fast enough to ensure himself a place on any NASCAR pit crew, Wayne scorching his fire-proofed mandolin, and Eric, looking the part of a Civil War re-enactor, doing things to a banjo that Eddie Van Halen wishes he’d thought of.
Randy Kohrs
With the release of Old Photograph, on Rural Rhythm Records, multi-instrumentalist Randy Kohrs has also arrived as a first-rate vocalist, songwriter and producer. With a 2008 Grammy win for producing, engineering, mixing, singing harmony, and playing on Americana icon Jim Lauderdale’s latest, The Bluegrass Diaries, he has now solidified his standing as one of the strongest all-around musical forces coming up on the Nashville scene.
Kenny Brown
Sometimes it really is all about location, location, location. Kenny Brown was not only blessed with talent, he was born in the backyard of some of Mississippi’s best bluesmen. Although R.L. Burnside is fond of calling Kenny Brown his adopted son, it is really the sadly under-recorded north Mississippi bluesman Joe Callicott who was the first musician to take Kenny under his wing.
Shannon McNally
Shannon McNally was born and raised on Long Island, New York but has spent most of her adult life traveling and living all over North America. After graduating college with a degree in Religious Anthropology she followed Los Lobos out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. She quickly signed with Perry Watts-Russell to Capitol Records/ EMI.
Afrissippi
A magnificent cross-cultural river of sound Afrissippi was born in 2002, over a jam session in Oxford, Mississippi, at the home of the legendary R.L. Burnside between Senegalese Fulani griot Guelel Kumba and Burnside apprentice Eric Deaton. The similarities between Kumba’s traditional Senegalese melodies and north Mississippi hill country blues were immediately apparent and thrilling, and so the journey began.
Jimbo Mathus
"Grew up in Mississippi like a good boy should," sings Jimbo Mathus on the title track to his new album Jimmy the Kid. "Nobody thought he'd turn out much good." The song's hero, like Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," bears a striking resemblance to the singer. Mathus is a reformed (mostly) juvenile delinquent who on record and stage deftly incorporates the richly diverse Southern sounds he heard growing up around Clarksdale, Miss.
Darrell Scott
Born on a tobacco farm in London, Ky., in 1959, and raised in E. Gary, Indiana, Darrell was part of a musical family. His father Wayne, a steelworker by trade but a songwriter in his heart, moved his clan to Southern California when Darrell was 11. Soon Darrell and brothers Denny, Dale, Don, and David were part of their dad’s band, getting on-the-job training in country music as they played its hits on the stages of roadhouses and taverns as far north as Alaska.
Supple Station Trio
Songs about the devil and whiskey aren't just for adults now. The Supple Station Trio sound like they've been playing bluegrass together for years. The trio consists of Don Chambliss, fresh out of high school, Taylor Brashears and Carter Brallier, still seniors in high school here in Nashville.
The Greencards
With two Australians, THE GREENCARDS are probably the least likely Austin-formed/Nashville-based band you’ve ever heard. The critically acclaimed band’s love and respect for Americana, bluegrass, jazz and country brought them together in 2003 and--now signed to Sugar Hill Records--the trio released their fourth album FASCINATION April 21 and tour extensively throughout 2009. They’ve already toured for six weeks with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, earned the Americana Music Award in 2006 for “Emerging Artist of the Year” and in 2008 and 2010 landed a Grammy nominations (“Best Country Instrumental Performance” for Viridian and Fascination).
The Sweetback Sisters
Like their pseudo-sister role models, the Davis Sisters, the Sweetback Sisters sing country songs in close, surrogate-sister harmony and matching dresses. Their repertoire combines several of the Sisters' passions -- country music from before they were born and new interpretations of those traditions -- to create a fresh take on what it means to be country.
Rebecca Pronsky
Rebecca Pronsky was just eight years old when she began singing professionally. Rebecca studied voice with a local rock singer who had a weekly gig at the Bitter End in Manhattan. One night she invited Rebecca, then a third-grader, to sing at the club. The crowd loved her, and not surprisingly she immediately felt enamored with performing. Fast-forward past the wonder years and there she was- a full-fledged teen singer-songwriter. Pronsky had picked up the guitar and had begun to write her very own songs.
John McCauley
John Joseph McCauley III, was born and grew up in Providence, RI. Self-taught on drums, guitar, piano, and pedal steel, McCauley's music shows the mixed flavours of the pop, rock, blues, and country influences he brings to his music adds complexity and depth to his tunes.
Will Kimbrough
With 10 artist albums to his credit, WILL KIMBROUGH has released five solo recordings and five albums as a founding member of DADDY, the bis-quits, and Will and the Bushmen. Dubbed an "Alien" performer as a way to explain his masterful performance on the guitar, Will was recognized in 2004 as the "Instrumentalist of the Year" by the Americana Music Association. His songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Jack Ingram, Todd Snider and others. His new full-length album – WINGS (Due out Feb. 23!) - features songs that invite the listener to comprehend the universe with a modern introspective eye. Exploring themes surrounding the conflict between family and career, love and work, parents and children, the music is based in classic folk rock, with touches of atmospheric guitar, cello, saxophone, trumpet, banjo, Hammond organ.
Amber Digby
Texas claims Amber Digby, but her roots (both musically and geographically) lie in Nashville, TN. Born and raised in the birthplace of Country Music, Amber comes from a long line of Classic Country Music Royalty. Amber’s father is Dennis Digby, longtime bass player in the Coal Miners, Loretta Lynn’s road band. Amber’s mother, Dee, was a backup singer for artists such as Connie Smith. Amber’s stepfather, Dicky Overbey, is a steel guitar legend who recorded and performed with Faron Young, Connie Smith, Hank Williams, Jr., Ronnie Milsap, and Johnny Bush. And Amber is the niece of Darrell McCall, who garnered a #1 hit when he wrote “Eleven Roses”, on top of his own solo top 40 hits.
The Hot Seats
The Hot Seats were formed eight years ago (2002) in Richmond, VA as a good-time band between new friends, many of whom were exploring a genre unknown to them on equally novel instruments. It started with weekly gig, rapidly followed by trips out of town, festival appearances, longer tours, new music, new influences, competition-winning performances (both individually and as an ensemble) three critically acclaimed trips to the UK, and five albums.
Ashley Cleveland
In some very real ways, God Don’t Never Change is Ashley Cleveland’s first gospel record. Yes, the new record is Ashley’s eighth full-length project. Yes, she’s been plying her trade in the ephemeral corner of the music world called “Christian music” pretty much from the get-go, crafting earthy songs with a heavenly message for nearly two decades. And yes, she’s even recorded an entire album of hymns, 2005’s Men & Angels Say.
The Vespers
The Vespers are a seamless union of two brothers and two sisters that conceive a creative blend of music that gives their audience a sense of family unity, similar to the secret ingredient in Grandma’s gravy at a southern family reunion. The Cryar Sisters and Jones Brothers have been marinated in a plethora of musical backgrounds and compromise to find a unique blend of their styles; resulting in the harmonious resonance of The Vespers.
Jerry Leger
At just 23, Toronto singer-songwriter Jerry Leger has already earned the admiration of some illustrious senior peers. Ron Sexsmith played piano on Leger's sophomore disc, Farewell Ghost Town, and calls him "one of the best songwriters I've heard in quite some time," while Josh Finlayson of the Skydiggers was impressed enough to co-produce this album (with Sexsmith guitarist Tim Bovaconti). The result is certainly strong enough to vindicate their support.
Amanda Shires
Lubbock-born gem Amanda Pearl Shires steps into the spotlight with the release of her new album, West Cross Timbers. Her clever songs glitter with a tinge of the Western swing she honed so expertly as a side woman for Tommy Allsup and the legendary Texas Playboys, with whom she began work at age 16. Though Shires hasn’t left the band she co-founded, raucous Texas indie rockers The Thrift Store Cowboys, she’s shifted her focus to her solo work for the time being.
Nedski and Mojo
The duo is comprised of Stephen Mougin (Sam Bush Band) and Ned Luberecki (Chris Jones and the Night Drivers.)Ned Luberecki and Stephen Mougin present a marvelous contrast in almost every way...and the combination works!
Danny Flowers
Tools for the Soul is Danny Flowers’ stunning Brash Music label debut- and only his third album in 25 years. At that rate, the 58-year-old developing artist- his own typically self-deprecating description- should have enough material for a box set right around his 100th birthday. Clearly, the awe-inspiring guitar guru, soulful singer and hit songwriter is not cruising in the fast lane, or racing in reckless fashion to snag fame’s temporal brass ring. Instead, the album’s eleven introspective and provocative compositions reveal a soul-searching journey colored by loss and gain, pain and joy. It is a journey that digs deep inside, reaches out to fellow travelers with selfless generosity, and arrives at a blessed state of grace.
David Ball
David Ball was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, growing up in a family where everyone played an instrument. Starting out on guitar, he eventually gravitated to bass fiddle. David joined childhood friends Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood in Uncle Walt’s band and subsequently relocated to another fertile landscape, Austin, Texas. “All kinds of great music were being made in Texas.” In the mid 1980’s, a publishing deal brought David to Nashville.
Larry Stephenson Band
Larry Stephenson began his musical career while in his early teens when he and his father, Ed Stephenson formed Larry Stephenson & The New Grass in Larry's hometown of King George, Virginia. Honing his God-given talents, he began professionally with Bill Harrell & The Virginians during January, 1979, playing mandolin and singing high lead and tenor. In June, 1983, he moved to a similar role as a member of The Bluegrass Cardinals, remaining until October, 1988, when he organized THE LARRY STEPHENSON BAND while still residing in Virginia in February 1989.
Chip Taylor
If you’ve ever wondered how Chip Taylor, the songwriter whose hits include “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning” and whose songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Peggy Lee, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, and the Hollies wound up pursuing a career as a country performer, don’t worry. With the release of his latest album, Yonkers NY, he takes you back to the start of his life and explains it in a collection of songs with the patented Chip Taylor charm and grace.
Cowboy Jack Clement
Born in Whitehaven, Tennessee, alongside Highway 61 which brought a generation of bluesmen north from the Mississippi delta to Memphis, Jack Clement played a crucial part in bringing rock 'n' roll music to the rest of the world. During a career of treading thin lines between folk singers, polka bands, outlaw songwriters, and the commercial countrypolitan music industry, this visionary maverick combined song publishing, music and film production, a record company and recording studios decades before the current trend of international conglomeration. He still runs a pared-down empire from his house, The Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa. "I thought that a recording studio was the worst place in the world to make a record, so I built this studio at home 30 years ago," he says. "Now everyone wants one!"
The Band of Heathens
The guys in the Band of Heathens are fond of saying they became a unit by accident. But that’s like saying the Big Bang was an accident. Unplanned, maybe, but hardly random. One might even argue that a kind of destiny was involved. The merger of singer/songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist and Colin Brooks, with bassist Seth Whitney and drummer John Chipman, from their respective solo careers and bands may not be akin to a cosmic explosion, but their new album, One Foot in the Ether, offers irrefutable evidence that they were meant to be together — and have evolved into a solid entity worthy of the comparisons they receive to the Black Crowes, the Band and Little Feat.
Cadillac Sky
"Original", "innovative", "fearless", "ambitious", "propulsive", "a marvel of emotion and razor sharp focus"....these are the words of those that have had a chance to hear the sound that for the past several years has been reverberating out of Texas from one of American music's most compelling bands, Cadillac Sky. Their music has been coined everything from "experimental acoustic music" to "psychobilly bluegrass" but they themselves, simply hope they just make "good" music. With an admitted dose of naivety, they simply choose to believe that there should be only two categories in which music should be placed: good and bad. "We try to make music we believe in and would like to listen to".
The Gibson Brothers
Of The Gibson Brother's ninth release, Ring the Bell, both brothers talk about the "feel" of the album. "Ring the Bell makes me think of being young and growing up in our small farming community in New York," Leigh explains. "It evokes memories of fellowship with the men who knew my Grandfather Gibson at church on Sunday mornings. We'd see folks at the hardware store or the bank during the week and then see them all again at church each Sunday. Ring the Bell seems to me to be a call to action for coming together in a world that sometimes seems intent on tearing itself apart. More than just nostalgia, it's a song about love of fellow man."
Pokey LaFarge
Pokey LaFarge was born in the heartland of America and took to the open roads at a young age, earning the key to the freedom by hitching rides and writing boxcar ballads that spun tales of a boy finding his way through this big wide-open country. He submerged himself with the most American of music and embraced himself in the beauty of the land while picking and strumming with down-home groups everywhere he went, falling in with traveling caravans of vaudeville poets and hell-raising bluegrass pickers alike.
The Apache Relay
In an unlikely matrimony between singer/songwriter and bluegrass band, The Apache Relay are creating a strikingly fresh blend of progressive bluegrass and Americana/folk music. Playing together for under a year, the group is planning on releasing their debut LP 1988, produced by Doug Williams (The Avett Brothers “The Gleam”, “Second Gleam”, “Four Thieves Gone” and “Mignonette”) in late August.
