Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Grace Askew "Wild Heart"


THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS TO PREVIEW “WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS” EXHIBITION ILLUMINATING LIVING SOUTHERN MUSIC CULTURES AND COMMUNITIES

TRAVELING EXHIBITION COMMEMORATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NON-PROFIT MUSIC & SUPPORT ORGANIZATION

Music Maker Relief Foundation – the non-profit organization that supports traditional Southern musicians  by documenting and presenting their art – will be the subject of a museum exhibition set to preview July 9 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (40 Lincoln Center Plaza) and run through August 29 in the Dorothy And Lewis B. Cullman Center, Corridor Gallery. “We Are the Music Makers,” which delves deeply into the living southern musical culture and the musicians themselves, will travel to venues throughout the country over the next five to seven years.

GRAMMY Award-winning musician Marty Stuart said, “Throughout We Are The Music Makers, the viewer is granted access to worlds that are beyond reach and off limits to most. There is less than a razor’s edge of difference in royalty and rogue at the bedrock of American roots music.”

Folk music and photography legend John Cohen said, “I have never seen photographs generate so much of the atmosphere and personalities of blues music.”

In addition to musical instruments, the GRAMMY Award won by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, North Carolina folk art, and vintage cameras, visitors will experience thirty panels that feature photographs of traditional Southern musicians taken by Music Maker founder and head Tim Duffy over the last twenty years, many of which are also featured in his Nautilus Press book We Are The Music Makers, out September 30. The exhibit panels speak to the significance of each musician’s style and have a storytelling quality, putting each figure in the context of his cultural community. Audio recordings and a film are also included which further enhances the content of the panels.

The instruments include a fiddle handcrafted by Music Maker artist Samuel Turner of Asheville, NC; folk art by Sam McMillan of Winston-Salem, NC; and a banjo signed to Tim Duffy by Guitar Gabriel; and a guitar named Pawnshop owned by Adolphus Bell of Birmingham, AL.

Monday, June 23, 2014

The Gloaming live at WNYC's Greene Space


6TH GENERATION MEMPHIAN GRACE ASKEW CAPTURES HOMETOWN SOUND IN NEWLY RESTORED SUN STUDIOS TO TAPE ON VINTAGE EQUIPMENT

ASKEW TAPES PBS SUN STUDIO SESSIONS

As a sixth generation Memphian, Grace Askew decided to steep her new album ‘Scaredy Cat’ (August 11) in the sounds of one of most renowned, hit-producing studios of all time, Sun Studios. “The room, the photographs on the wall, the gear, the worn down corners on the table, the cracks in the ceiling: my heroes made that room the way it is. The energy of that history made our takes a lot more effortless. This is who I am,” she says.

Check out Rolling Stone’s Q&A with Askew: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grace-askew-opens-her-wild-heart-20140609

Recording at Sun Studios presents specific challenges. She says, “I’m a fan of the first take and wanted to get that raw energy.” Askew played and sang live with a band, recording in the small Sun live room straight to tape, so one mistake would mean scratching an entire take. Askew completed recording all but one song in one day, with a second day set aside largely for mixing. “It is mentally and physically exhausting. You put every ounce of yourself into those four hours. It’s a very focused energy,” she adds.

The Memphis Flyer recently did a profile on Matt Ross-Spang, Sun’s engineer who has brought the equipment in the studio to Sam Phillips’ specification. Ross-Spang told the Flyer, "It's becoming exactly like it was in 1956."

Ross-Spang continues, “Everyone has to pay attention to each other instead of themselves. It's a team effort, including me. It's not very forgiving. But I think one of the reasons people come here to do that is because it makes them a better musician… There's so much more on the line. But that makes you play better too.”

The magic continued on camera as Askew returned to Sun last week to tape a forthcoming episode of Sun Studio Sessions for PBS.

Grace Askew Tour Dates.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

DENVER DELIVERS ‘ROWDY LOVE’ (JULY 15 / MAMA BIRD RECORDING CO.)

BLITZEN TRAPPER’S ERIC EARLEY PRODUCES NEW DENVER ALBUM

DENVER, the band, has confirmed the July 15th release of their second full-length album, Rowdy Love, via Mama Bird Recording Co. A personal favorite of tour mates Shovels & Rope, Denver sits comfortably on the vanguard of a new generation of Americana music.

“When we BBQ in our driveway, we prefer to do it listening to Denver, the band.” – Shovels & Rope

Sharing vocal and songwriting duties, Birger Olsen, Mike Elias and Tom Bevitori are the heart of Denver, while the rest of the line-up has long included several of Portland’s finest players. Currently, the band consists of drummer Sean MacNeil, bassist Billy Slater (Grails) and the legendary Lewi Longmire on lead guitar. Past and future editions include Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley and Michael Van Pelt, Ben Nugent (Dolorean), Ryan Spellman (Quiet Life), Ray Raposa (Castanets), Tom Menig and many others.

Paste praised their 2012 self-titled debut’s “perfect tunes,” while KEXP hosted a live session and proclaimed, “sweet harmonies and tight arrangements abound.” Statements like these become all the more relevant with Rowdy Love, as Denver teamed up with Earley and Adam Selzer (M. Ward, Norfolk & Western) for their first trip to a proper studio. Recorded live in just two days at Selzer’s Type Foundry Studio, Rowdy Love certainly showcases all the endless chops at Denver’s disposal.

The record’s true focus, however, lies in the rare way Olsen, Elias and Bevitori’s distinct voices co-exist. There’s a natural melding of styles that’s evolved from afternoons on Olsen’s back porch, late night’s around Elias’ fire pit, and every last time they’ve nailed “The Weight” harmonies at the old Triple Nickel. Denver’s three songwriters may come to the process with varying style and influences, but Denver’s songwriting is universally honest and bare, whiskey-fueled, sweat-soaked, and steeped in working class life. Some might call it country. Some might call it rock. Some might call it a few drunks on a stage. Either way, bullshit and irony have no home here.

Paste Magazine has the first mp3 "Carry On," saying, "the whisky-drenched tunes of Denver are packed with sweet harmonies and rowdy arrangements": http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2014/06/song-premiere-denver---carry-on.html

Mike Elias said "I wrote 'Carry On' in the midst of uncertainty with my marriage. It's a middle ground song of not knowing whether to keep running away from the problems of my life or standing up and facing them."

Veterans of Pickathon, Denver has confirmed a set this year at the Timber! Music Fest alongside J. Mascis, Charles Bradley, Damien Jurado, and others.

Denver Tour Dates:

July 17th & 18th - Adrift Hotel - Long Beach, WA
July 19th – Record Release at Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR (w/ Michael Hurley)
July 24-26th - Timber! Music Fest - Carnation, WA (w/ J.Mascis, Charles Bradley, Damien Jurado, Horse Feathers, etc.)
July 27th - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

THE AMERICAN SONGSTER DOM FLEMONS ANNOUNCES 31-DATE TOUR AS ESQUIRE, CMT EDGE, PASTE, XPN THE KEY PREVIEW ‘PROSPECT HILL’ (JULY 22 / MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION)

“CENTRAL TIME TOUR” WITH POKEY LAFARGE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK, KICKS OFF SEPT 10

Dom Flemons – the founding member of the GRAMMY-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops who has left the band to go solo – has announced a 31-date tour, including a date at Lincoln Center and thirteen tour dates with Third Man Records’ Pokey LaFarage on the “Central Time Tour.” The new album by the American Songster ‘Prospect Hill,’ comes out July 22 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. Here’s a behind-the-scenes teaser video.

Esquire called ‘Prospect Hill’ “finger-pickin', good-old-fashioned tin-cup barn-dance fun.”

Paste said, “Flemons’ harmonica-heavy, foot-tapping folk makes for the perfect hot summer soundtrack.”

XPN The Key blog said, “Flemons adds some spunk with crisp instrumentation and upbeat syncopation… classic frontporch twang.”

CMT Edge says, “Dom Flemons satisfies” in its premiere of the East Nashville-inspired original song “Hot Chicken."

Dom Flemons Tour Dates

June 13 – Eden, NC – Charlie Poole Music Festival
June 14 – Telford, PA – Xfest
June 27 – Walton, KY – Stephenson Mill Tavern & Grill
June 28 – Buchanan, MI – Buchanan Common
July 2 – Boston, MA – Museum of Fine Arts
July 12 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
July 17 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Museum of Industry
July 19 – Winchester, VA – Dancing Beagle Events
August 2 – Madison, WI – Sugar Maple Festival
August 8 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts
August 10 – New York, NY – Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors
August 15 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
September 10 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom *
September 11 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon *
September 12 - St Louis, MO - Old Rock House (outside) *
September 13 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *
September 15 - Charleston, IL - Dvorak Concert Hall at Doudna Fine Arts Center *
September 16 - Middletown, OH - Finkelman Auditorium at Miami University *
September 17 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall *
September 18 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theatre *
September 19 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music *
September 20 - Stoughton, WI - Stoughton Opera House *
September 21 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar Cultural Center *
September 23 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre *
September 24 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note *
September 27 – Peninsula, OH – G.A.R. Hall
September 30 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360
October 3 – Arden, DE – Arden Gild Hall
October 4 – New York, NY – Madison Square Park
October 9 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
October 10 – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim

* Central Time Tour with Pokey LaFarge; Joel Savoy, Jesse Lége & The Cajun Country Revival; The Tillers; and The Loot Rock Gang

Dom Flemons in...

The Central Time Tour


Monday, June 9, 2014

Grace Askew clips

Rolling Stone Q&A, mp3 premiere (June 9, 2014)

Birthplace Session (April 25, 2014)

The Bluegrass Situation (July 23, 2014)

Memphis Commercial Appeal feature (July 23, 2014)

Memphis Flyer Q&A (July 24, 2014)


"BADASS" (ROLLING STONE) GRACE ASKEW TO RELEASE SUN STUDIO-CUT NOIR ALBUM ‘SCAREDY CAT’ AUGUST 11


FIRST ALBUM SINCE HER NBC THE VOICE PERFORMANCES ON TEAM BLAKE

Sixth generation Memphian and serial rambler Grace Askew stakes her claim with ‘Scaredy Cat,’ the new album recorded at Sun Studios, due out August 11. It’s her first album since her highly-touted and much beloved series of performances on NBC’s The Voice, for Team Blake, which vastly expanded the national fanbase that she earned from years behind the wheel of a pickup truck headlining shows; opening for Marty Stuart, Hayes Carll, Jesse Winchester, and Ray Wylie Hubbard; and touring with James McMurtry and Lisa Marie Presley.

‘Scaredy Cat’ highlights her smoky vocals with spare arrangements inspired by the grit and muddy Delta roots of her hometown, captured in single takes to tape. The songwriting feels as if she is letting you in on a secret world. Rolling Stone Country premiered the first single alongside a Q&A.

Askew has already earned considerable acclaim, most recently for her 2013 EP and single, both entitled “Empty Rooms,” written in New Mexico.

Huffington Post said, “Smoky with atmospheric blues and Resonator-guitar toned country licks, the EP's tunes creep under your skin and grab hold.”

Yahoo! Music called her "smoldering and searing," continuing, "Grace Askew was the fabulous 'bluntry' (blues + country) singer from 'The Voice' Season 4, the girl with the badass beehive, boots made for walkin', and velvet 'n' sandpaper vocals who would've been right at home on Jack White's Third Man Records roster."

Daytrotter raved about "her extraordinary voice," saying, "Mark our words, Memphis' Grace Askew will be the best thing to ever come out of 'The Voice…' Askew has officially taped one of the finest Daytrotter sessions of all-time. Just listen. She makes us believe in the beauty of hurt and the elixir of booze."

Here's her performance of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" live on The Voice.

Previously, Sing Out! Magazine said, "If Tom Waits had a singer/writer daughter in Memphis, it would be Askew with her gallery of lost souls on the graveyard shift. Gutsy, bluesy, and a bit boozy, she quietly sings with jagged languor and a skewed spirituality. Discreet percussion, guitar and, on occasion, wistful lap steel notes sagely frame her rough-hewn sophistication."

Grace Askew photos

Above credit: Steve Roberts, location: Sun Studios, Memphis, TN
Above credit: Steve Roberts, location: Sun Studios, Memphis, TN
Above credit: Steve Roberts, location: Sun Studios, Memphis, TN
Above credit: Steve Roberts, location: Sun Studios, Memphis, TN


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

RED SOX PITCHER CRAIG BRESLOW’S SIP HAPPENS SPECIAL EVENT RAISES $300,000 FOR STRIKE 3 FOUNDATION, MOST OF ANY OF ITS EVENTS TO DATE


TWENTY TEAMMATES ATTEND INCLUDING ORTIZ, LESTER, PEDROIA

STRIKE 3 FOUNDATION HAS RAISED OVER $2.3 MILLION TO DATE TO FIGHT PEDIATRIC CANCER

Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow’s Sip Happens special event May 19 raised three hundred thousand dollars for his Strike 3 Foundation. The non-profit organization founded by Red Sox pitch Craig Breslow, heightens awareness, mobilizes support, and raises funding for pediatric cancer research and treatment. His fellow Red Sox players Burke Badenhop, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Andrew Miller, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, A.J. Pierzynski, David Ross, Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley, Jr., Mike Carp, Jonny Gomes, Grady Sizemore, Shane Victorino, and David Ortiz attended. Also showing their support were best-selling author Ben Mezrich, author Jeff Ma, Charlie Davis of the New England Revolution, Miss Massachusetts United States 2014 Cyndal Maria Todd, Baseball Hall of Fame journalist Peter Gammons, Red Sox owner John Henry, and Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa of NESN and Kiss 108 FM. To date, the all-volunteer organization has raised over $2.3 million and disbursed over $1.1 million to worthwhile research and treatment centers locally, and across the US. Operating expenses are under three percent.

Executive Director and event co-host Craig Breslow said, "Sip Happens 2014 represents the most profitable event to date. Through an expansive volunteer staff, incredible support from the Boston Red Sox, generous members of the area's most philanthropic citizenry, and donated product and services from a spectrum of vendors, we were able to raise over $300K. All of our guests seemed to enjoy this remarkable event while becoming engaged in our cause. Many thanks to all who supported this wonderful night.”

Director of Business Operations and Development, and co-host Kelly Breslow added, "Sip Happens was the Strike 3 Foundation's most profitable and efficient fundraiser to date thanks to our generous donors and the Boston philanthropic community.  With funds raised of $300,000, we once again acheived our operational goal of holding event expenses under 10% of event revenue, further maximizing the impact of our donor contributions."

Armand De’Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne, Foley Family Wines, Tito’s Vodka, Beam Global, Nestle Waters, Samuel Adams, The Fireplace Restaurant, New England Charcuterie, Citizen’s Public House, Hungry Mother, Georgetown Cupcakes, Foley Family Wines, Brasserie Jo, Citizens Public House, Eastern Standard, Georgetown Cupcake, Hungry Mother, Russell House Tavern, The Blue Room, Shake Shack, New England Charcuterie, Mike’s Pasty, and Pain D’Avignon provided top notch food, wine, and spirits for the event, which was held at the Boston Children’s Museum.