ESQUIRE PREMIERES FIRST TRACK OUT FROM SOLO LP OUT JULY 22 ON MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION
As January 27 became January 28,
folk and bluesman and Prairie Home Companion favorite Guy Davis stepped
onto a redeye flight from New York to meet Dom Flemons and perform on
the first recording sessions for the latter’s album ‘Prospect Hill,’ out
July 22
on Music Maker Relief Foundation. Flemons recalls, “Guy was a guiding
light within the whole process. The day before he came, he was at Pete
Seeger's bedside saying goodbye. Guy has a long history with Pete
Seeger: he was one of the singers in the Sloop Singers in the '70s. Guy
had known Pete since he was a little kid. They were very close. Guy was
torn up about it but he said, let's do this, that what Pete would've
wanted. It was a heavy sort of thing to have at beginning of session.”
Esquire Magazine premiered “But They Got It Fixed Right On” today.
Brooklyn Vegan has previewed ‘Prospect Hill’ and Flemons’ set at the Brooklyn Folk Festival, which drew a standing ovation.
The connection between Flemons and Davis and the Seegers grew deeper as
Davis playing a six-string banjo of Flemons’ that belonged to Pete’s
half-brother and fellow musician and folklorist Mike Seeger, a mentor
whom Flemons had met years earlier at the Black Banjo Gathering. He
remembers, “We played together at his house in Lexington, VA. I went
over there about a dozen times. He was very open to sharing his library,
his information, his stories. I’d call Mike, ask him about stuff. He
was a wonderful confidante and a good friend. He was also the first
major person I’d met who I’d known from recordings. He took a lot of
delight that I could quote liner notes and talk critically about music
he produced. We got to be pretty close.”
Ultimately, Seeger’s passing helped bring the project into harmony with
the missions of the Seegers. Flemons says, “Pete was never insular about
getting music out there. A single person can help organize. Like-minded
musicians organized together.”
In the liner notes for ‘Prospect Hill,’ Flemons writes, “As the year has
progressed, I can proudly proclaim I see 2014 as the year of the
Folksinger… When Pete Seeger passed the night before we began recording
this record I knew that notion was a reality.”
Flemons tour dates, including NYC, Philadelphia, and Boston.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sip Happens 2014 photos
CREDITS:
Ben Mezrich, Breslows, Room Pictures: Servidone Studios
Check Presentation: Boston Red Sox Photographer, Brita Meng Outzen
Group photo credit Rob Cuni, L-R: Linda Henry, John Henry, Ben Mezrich, Craig Breslow, Jeffrey Ma, Tonya Mezrich
Group photo credit Rob Cuni, L-R: Linda Henry, John Henry, Ben Mezrich, Craig Breslow, Jeffrey Ma, Tonya Mezrich
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
NAUTILUS PRESS CONFIRMS SEPT 15 RELEASE OF “WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS” HARDCOVER BOOK WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES BY TIMOTHY AND DENISE DUFFY
ROLLING STONE AND ERIC CLAPTON HIGHLIGHT SOUTHERN MUSICAL CULTURE NON-PROFIT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY: http://rol.st/1k0MQ0k
Nautilus Press has confirmed a September 15 release date for the book “We Are The Music Makers: Preserving The Soul Of America’s Music.” Written by Timothy and Denise Duffy, the book features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over twenty years along with the stories and songs. Tim Duffy's previous book “Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America” was released in 2002 and sold 15,000 copies.
In related news, Rolling Stone recently highlighted the Foundation’s twentieth anniversary by posting an acoustic blues song by Duffy with Eric Clapton. Clapton said, "Music Maker is a fabulous project, real evidence that the music I have always loved is alive and well."
Of the book, B.B. King said, “We are the Music Makers highlights an essential part of our culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken every opportunity to sustain a dimension of Blues culture that could easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his new book.”
Bonnie Raitt added, “The photographs in this book are not only beautiful, but reflect the deep love and dedication The Duffys have for both preserving traditional Blues culture and providing real support and opportunity for these wonderful musicians who might otherwise be forgotten.”
Character sketches and black and white photographs of great American musicians Etta Baker, John Dee Holeman, Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain, Taj Mahal, Willie King, Othar Turner, Little Freddie King, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ironing Board Sam, and the original guiding light for the Foundation’s formation Guitar Gabriel are shared in the book. The book also highlights other artists nestled deep in southern culture and telling a hidden story of American music. The book also highlights the musician’s place in the southern community, a vital role that serves the laborers.
Photos from the book are here.
In the introduction, Denise writes, “Tim acknowledges a deep obligation to these artists, ‘It is no small thing to ask a musician for their song and their story. The only way we can hope to make an equal exchange is if the documentarian and the artist have a genuine relationship; they must share more than just the moment the photo is taken or the song is captured…’
Days spent sharing songs, food, laughter and far too many miles in vans and airplanes have built the bridges of trust that allow these artists to give their wisdom and art so generously. These artists share their life lessons with us because we are dedicated to presenting their music to the world with reverence and to be partners in their struggle for a better life…
We concluded that our nations musical traditions were suffering from starvation and underemployment… We get gigs for those that want to perform, guitars for those who want to play, and feed the hungry. Our initial grassroots effort to meet the needs of a handful of blues musicians in Winston-Salem, NC, has grown to assist hundreds through the generosity and passion of our supporters, employees and volunteers.”
“We Are the Music Makers” runs 144 pages and will be for sale at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com. List price is $38. It can be pre-ordered here or here.
Nautilus Press has confirmed a September 15 release date for the book “We Are The Music Makers: Preserving The Soul Of America’s Music.” Written by Timothy and Denise Duffy, the book features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over twenty years along with the stories and songs. Tim Duffy's previous book “Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America” was released in 2002 and sold 15,000 copies.
In related news, Rolling Stone recently highlighted the Foundation’s twentieth anniversary by posting an acoustic blues song by Duffy with Eric Clapton. Clapton said, "Music Maker is a fabulous project, real evidence that the music I have always loved is alive and well."
Of the book, B.B. King said, “We are the Music Makers highlights an essential part of our culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken every opportunity to sustain a dimension of Blues culture that could easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his new book.”
Bonnie Raitt added, “The photographs in this book are not only beautiful, but reflect the deep love and dedication The Duffys have for both preserving traditional Blues culture and providing real support and opportunity for these wonderful musicians who might otherwise be forgotten.”
Character sketches and black and white photographs of great American musicians Etta Baker, John Dee Holeman, Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain, Taj Mahal, Willie King, Othar Turner, Little Freddie King, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ironing Board Sam, and the original guiding light for the Foundation’s formation Guitar Gabriel are shared in the book. The book also highlights other artists nestled deep in southern culture and telling a hidden story of American music. The book also highlights the musician’s place in the southern community, a vital role that serves the laborers.
Photos from the book are here.
In the introduction, Denise writes, “Tim acknowledges a deep obligation to these artists, ‘It is no small thing to ask a musician for their song and their story. The only way we can hope to make an equal exchange is if the documentarian and the artist have a genuine relationship; they must share more than just the moment the photo is taken or the song is captured…’
Days spent sharing songs, food, laughter and far too many miles in vans and airplanes have built the bridges of trust that allow these artists to give their wisdom and art so generously. These artists share their life lessons with us because we are dedicated to presenting their music to the world with reverence and to be partners in their struggle for a better life…
We concluded that our nations musical traditions were suffering from starvation and underemployment… We get gigs for those that want to perform, guitars for those who want to play, and feed the hungry. Our initial grassroots effort to meet the needs of a handful of blues musicians in Winston-Salem, NC, has grown to assist hundreds through the generosity and passion of our supporters, employees and volunteers.”
“We Are the Music Makers” runs 144 pages and will be for sale at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com. List price is $38. It can be pre-ordered here or here.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
“CAPTIVATING” (MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL) EDEN BRENT ALBUM COVER INCLUDES NOD TO MISSISSIPPI DELTA PIANO MENTOR BOOGALOO AMES
RAVES FROM NASHVILLE SCENE, WASHINGTON POST, KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL, MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL
CONCERT TAPED FOR BEALE STREET CARAVAN SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW
Mississippi Delta pianist, songwriter, and emotive singer Eden Brent nods to her mentor Boogaloo Ames on the album cover of ‘Jigsaw Heart,’ out last week on Yellow Dog Records. There’s an Ampex 456 tape box front and center. “That’s Boogaloo!’” she exclaims. The cover art, as vivacious as Eden’s own spirit, is by fellow Mississippian H.C. Porter as part of her Blues @ Home series, which captures Mississippi blues musicians in their homes.
Abie “Boogaloo “Ames took Brent as an apprentice for 16 years, as portrayed in the 1999 PBS documentary “Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound.” After they met when he played at her sister’s wedding, he took her under his wing. The duo played concerts together in the Mississippi Delta region and beyond, where Brent was raised and still makes her home and where she is now known as Little Boogaloo.
This month, The Nashville Scene wrote of her, "Her sophisticated command and creative breadth grow with each album, including the just-released Jigsaw Heart, which teams Brent with Nashville-based roots-music MVP Colin Linden as her producer... her live shows bring bawdy spirit and sprightly sophistication to her free-ranging mix of Americana, blues and jazz, driven by her superb keyboard technique and warm Mississippi drawl."
The Washington Post Express ran a feature on Brent, who made her New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival debut this year.
She taped a May concert for syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan and also taped a video session for Birthplace Sessions, on the property of Elvis Presley’s birthplace.
Memphis Commercial Appeal calls her “captivating,” continuing, “her music combines Bluff City grit with Crescent City swing.”
Meanwhile, the Knoxville News-Sentinel said, "Plays and sings with soul and style. The uptempo tracks are a lot of fun, but Brent really shines on the torchier numbers, including the fine title track, and the easygoing songs... The latter includes some cool piano and slide guitar interplay that’s truly sweet."
CONCERT TAPED FOR BEALE STREET CARAVAN SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW
Mississippi Delta pianist, songwriter, and emotive singer Eden Brent nods to her mentor Boogaloo Ames on the album cover of ‘Jigsaw Heart,’ out last week on Yellow Dog Records. There’s an Ampex 456 tape box front and center. “That’s Boogaloo!’” she exclaims. The cover art, as vivacious as Eden’s own spirit, is by fellow Mississippian H.C. Porter as part of her Blues @ Home series, which captures Mississippi blues musicians in their homes.
Abie “Boogaloo “Ames took Brent as an apprentice for 16 years, as portrayed in the 1999 PBS documentary “Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound.” After they met when he played at her sister’s wedding, he took her under his wing. The duo played concerts together in the Mississippi Delta region and beyond, where Brent was raised and still makes her home and where she is now known as Little Boogaloo.
This month, The Nashville Scene wrote of her, "Her sophisticated command and creative breadth grow with each album, including the just-released Jigsaw Heart, which teams Brent with Nashville-based roots-music MVP Colin Linden as her producer... her live shows bring bawdy spirit and sprightly sophistication to her free-ranging mix of Americana, blues and jazz, driven by her superb keyboard technique and warm Mississippi drawl."
The Washington Post Express ran a feature on Brent, who made her New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival debut this year.
She taped a May concert for syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan and also taped a video session for Birthplace Sessions, on the property of Elvis Presley’s birthplace.
Memphis Commercial Appeal calls her “captivating,” continuing, “her music combines Bluff City grit with Crescent City swing.”
Meanwhile, the Knoxville News-Sentinel said, "Plays and sings with soul and style. The uptempo tracks are a lot of fun, but Brent really shines on the torchier numbers, including the fine title track, and the easygoing songs... The latter includes some cool piano and slide guitar interplay that’s truly sweet."
Monday, May 19, 2014
THE ICYPOLES AT FOREFRONT OF AUSTRALIAN INDIE INVASION
RAVES IN BLACK BOOK, PASTE, AV CLUB, ETC. FOR NEW ALBUM ‘MY WORLD WAS MADE FOR YOU’
Alongside Courtney Barnett, Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Twerps, Lost Animal, and The Stevens, the Icypoles are an Australian indie invasion. The new album ‘My World Was Made For You,’ featuring covers of David Lynch’s “Just You” (from Twin Peaks) and Martika’s “Love, Thy Will Be Done,” co-written by Prince, is out now on Highline Records. Black Book is streaming the entire album.
Here’s what we’ve been reading about the Icypoles:
“7.7… a little dreamy… understated intimacy.”
- Eric Danton, Paste Magazine, May 15, 2014
“Sounds a bit like the XX merged together with some old doo-wop style girl groups.”
- Marah Eakin, AV Club, April 16, 2014
“A sweet treat [with] a sinister vibe… Led by Isobel Knowles, formerly of Architecture In Helsinki, the Melbourne quartet serves up retro-flavored tunes in the vein of the Brunettes, Soko, and the Boy Least Likely To.”
- Katie Chow, Black Book, May 1, 2014
“Delicious… Severely cool… The magic is in their surprising sense of melodic timing and coy delivery that plays out in our heads like a Mona Lisa smirk set to some kind of sarcastic retro choreography.”
- Charity Painter, The Wild Honey Pie, April 18, 2014
“Reminiscent of The Blow, with handclaps, singsong vocals and a slightly jagged, funky bassline.”
- Lizzie Plaugic, CMJ, May 6, 2014
Alongside Courtney Barnett, Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Twerps, Lost Animal, and The Stevens, the Icypoles are an Australian indie invasion. The new album ‘My World Was Made For You,’ featuring covers of David Lynch’s “Just You” (from Twin Peaks) and Martika’s “Love, Thy Will Be Done,” co-written by Prince, is out now on Highline Records. Black Book is streaming the entire album.
Here’s what we’ve been reading about the Icypoles:
“7.7… a little dreamy… understated intimacy.”
- Eric Danton, Paste Magazine, May 15, 2014
“Sounds a bit like the XX merged together with some old doo-wop style girl groups.”
- Marah Eakin, AV Club, April 16, 2014
“A sweet treat [with] a sinister vibe… Led by Isobel Knowles, formerly of Architecture In Helsinki, the Melbourne quartet serves up retro-flavored tunes in the vein of the Brunettes, Soko, and the Boy Least Likely To.”
- Katie Chow, Black Book, May 1, 2014
“Delicious… Severely cool… The magic is in their surprising sense of melodic timing and coy delivery that plays out in our heads like a Mona Lisa smirk set to some kind of sarcastic retro choreography.”
- Charity Painter, The Wild Honey Pie, April 18, 2014
“Reminiscent of The Blow, with handclaps, singsong vocals and a slightly jagged, funky bassline.”
- Lizzie Plaugic, CMJ, May 6, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
THE PIECES OF EDEN BRENT'S 'JIGSAW HEART': HOW MISSISSIPPI LIFE AND MUSIC INSPIRED HER MOST DEEPLY-FELT ALBUM TO DATE
Eden Brent walked us through the fascinating pieces of her new Americana album 'Jigsaw Heart' (out this week on Yellow Dog Records), her most deeply-felt album to date. Here are some highlights:
+ "Back in the 70’s the IRS auctioned some of Jerry Lee Lewis’s belongings to offset his outstanding tax debt, and my Daddy was highest bidder on his confiscated home stereo. So, I used to listen to Floyd Cramer’s 'Last Date' on a record player that once to belonged to Jerry Lee Lewis!"
+ "'Better This Way' is the only song I’ve ever written that made me cry while I was writing it."
+ A local Greenville, MS bluesman cautioned Brent about her reputation, which lead to the rollicking "Everybody Already Knows."
+ The McCrary Sisters add vocals to "Opportunity," giving it a hint of Nashville gospel flavor.
+ Though a pianist by trade, Brent wrote "The Last Time" on guitar, for a friend who died in a car accident.
+ "Let's Go Ahead and Fall In Love" features sly double entendre verses inspired by the blues tradition.
+ "Locomotive" was inspired by how Brent's father met Johnny Cash in 1956 and Brent likens the beat to that of "Folsom Prison Blues," which Cash dedicated to Brent's father at a show. "'Locomotive'" has the same country two-step rhythm with a strong backbeat."
+ "Valentine" strips down the arrangement and lays bare the emotions; Brent was in tears by the end of the recording.
Eden Brent will perform at Iridium in NYC and at Hill Country Live in D.C. Complete tour dates here.
American Songwriter is streaming 'Jigsaw Heart' in its entirety.
+ "Back in the 70’s the IRS auctioned some of Jerry Lee Lewis’s belongings to offset his outstanding tax debt, and my Daddy was highest bidder on his confiscated home stereo. So, I used to listen to Floyd Cramer’s 'Last Date' on a record player that once to belonged to Jerry Lee Lewis!"
+ "'Better This Way' is the only song I’ve ever written that made me cry while I was writing it."
+ A local Greenville, MS bluesman cautioned Brent about her reputation, which lead to the rollicking "Everybody Already Knows."
+ The McCrary Sisters add vocals to "Opportunity," giving it a hint of Nashville gospel flavor.
+ Though a pianist by trade, Brent wrote "The Last Time" on guitar, for a friend who died in a car accident.
+ "Let's Go Ahead and Fall In Love" features sly double entendre verses inspired by the blues tradition.
+ "Locomotive" was inspired by how Brent's father met Johnny Cash in 1956 and Brent likens the beat to that of "Folsom Prison Blues," which Cash dedicated to Brent's father at a show. "'Locomotive'" has the same country two-step rhythm with a strong backbeat."
+ "Valentine" strips down the arrangement and lays bare the emotions; Brent was in tears by the end of the recording.
Eden Brent will perform at Iridium in NYC and at Hill Country Live in D.C. Complete tour dates here.
American Songwriter is streaming 'Jigsaw Heart' in its entirety.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Eden Brent on each song from 'Jigsaw Heart'
1. Better This Way
I wrote “Better This Way” in the afternoon of a bright sunny
day with the curtains wide open and a lot of sunlight shining in my piano room.
Ironically, it’s the only song I’ve ever written that made me cry while I was
writing it.
“Better This Way” is a country waltz, and the piano
introduction reminds me of something that Floyd Cramer might play. Back in the
70’s the IRS auctioned some of Jerry Lee Lewis’s belongings to offset his
outstanding tax debt, and my Daddy was highest bidder on his confiscated home
stereo. So, I used to listen to Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date” on a record player
that once to belonged to Jerry Lee Lewis! I was just a wide-eyed piano student,
but I remember how magical it felt listening to Floyd on Jerry Lee’s stereo and
wanting to grow up to be a great piano player just like both of them are.
2. Everybody Already Knows
Secrets are hard to keep in a small town. Everybody knows
everybody, and gossip is a favorite pastime. During a brief love affair years
ago, I hid my affections publicly, yet after only a couple of clandestine
weeks, my secret romance was the talk of the town. To save my reputation
serious damage, good friend and local bluesman Lil’ Bill Wallace whispered into
my ear, “Baby, you’re messing up.” ‘Baby you’re messing up’ was his way of
telling me that I was being foolish, and he was right. My behavior was foolish,
and I abruptly ended the affair. “Everybody Already Knows” is a lighthearted
recollection of romance and rumor in a small town and is inspired by the keen
wisdom of the late Lil’ Bill.
3. Jigsaw Heart
Lots of songs mention broken hearts. My sister Bronwynne’s
“Heartbreaker” asks the name of the game the heartbreaker plays, and my other
sister Jessica’s “Broken Heart” asks “How many pieces does one broken heart
make?” Counting all the pieces of a heart broken in sport was visual and
memorable, and I borrowed that idea from both of them when I started writing
“Jigsaw Heart.”
In my whole life, I’ve never completed a jigsaw puzzle
because every time I tried, some of the pieces were lost or missing. I enjoyed
poetically comparing pieces of a broken heart with pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I
particularly liked juxtaposing the two title words together, “heart” because it
is emotional and “jigsaw” not only because it is intellectual but because it
describes both the puzzle variety and the tool that cuts the whole into pieces.
I liked the aural and visual collision of the two words, jigsaw and heart.
It took some trial and error to harmonize the initial 4-bar
piano motif that recurs throughout the song. I’ve developed it more completely
since the recording, and it will continue to develop as the song matures. The
riff reminds me of the piano vamp in “South Africa,” but in “Jigsaw Heart” the
texture of Dan Dugmore’s pedal steel hangs over the piano part in a beautiful
but haunting way. Incidentally, Dan did some great playing on my sister
Jessica’s album “Deerskin Jacket” about ten years ago. He sure gets around a
lot. Or maybe it just runs in our family!
4. Opportunity
Other than Joan Armatrading’s original, the only recording
I’ve got of “Opportunity” is a solo rendition by Bobby McFerrin. Both are
terrific. The lyric delivers a powerful hard-luck story that plays like a movie
in the mind, like reading a great short story can do. For this song, I recorded
Wurlitzer piano with vibrato for the very first time ever, and it underscores
the lyric with a slightly seedy, ghetto mood. Two of the McCrary Sisters, Ann
and Regina sang groovy background vocals, and Regina played mean tambourine.
I’m pleased with the way it turned out, especially after being a fan of the
song for more than thirty years.
5. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
The first time I heard composer Billy Taylor perform “I Wish
I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” was at a Delta Blues Week concert in the
early '90s. Boogaloo and I were the opening act. The song was an uplifting hit
with the audience that night, and eventually led me to Nina Simone’s melancholy
recording. I hadn’t planned to record it myself until we were a couple of days
into tracking Jigsaw Heart. At one point during the session, I got too far
inside my own head, second-guessing myself and my instincts, and walked outside
to take a break. Wishing I could
just let go and enjoy the studio session as much as I love playing for live
audiences, I started saying to myself, “Why can’t I be free? I wish I could be
free.” Then it came to me. “I wish I knew how it would feel to be free.” The
mere thought of the song made me smile, and so I decided to record it.
6. The Last Time
“The Last Time” recalls one of my last visits with friend
and musician George Allen who died in a fatal car accident a few years ago.
Although I recorded the song on piano, I actually wrote it on guitar without
thinking about chord progressions or theory like I do when I’m writing at the
piano. Writing on guitar is frustrating because of my limitations but
liberating since I barely know what I’m doing. It frees the creative process to
just make music without over thinking it.
7. Panther Burn
I recorded Jimmy Phillips’s “Fried Chicken” for Mississippi
Number One, and he also wrote “Panther
Burn.” Whether Jimmy is in town or not, his songs are always on the set list at
Delta get-togethers (which invariably turn into living room jam sessions)
because he writes about the Delta. Around here, everybody with a guitar knows
how to play his songs, and everybody without a guitar knows all the words. So
I’ve performed “Panther Burn” in living rooms and on stages for years. This was
the warm-up song at the recording session, and it’s such a great song, I
decided to keep it. The groove is a straight-ahead rock beat, and Colin plays
perhaps his best guitar solo of the whole album on this one.
8. Let’s Go Ahead And Fall In Love
During preparation for the recording, my sweetheart asked me
if I had written a song for him yet. I hadn’t so I answered “no,” but his mild
disappointment gave me the idea for “Let’s Go Ahead And Fall In Love.” It’s a
risqué blues with predicable melody and chord progression, and I borrowed
classic blues double entendres that are the song’s joy. On a live album Delta
bluesman James Son Thomas introduces “Catfish Blues” by instructing the
audience to “listen to the verses. Don’t listen to the music. Listen at what
I’m saying.” With that in mind I had so much fun jotting down classic, sexy
blues to consider referencing in the song. By the end I had coined a few new
“classics” myself like “bring a little spackling, you can fill my hole!”
9. Tendin’ To A Broken Heart
For Ain’t Got No Troubles I recorded “Beyond My Broken Dreams,” a song co-written by my
Mississippi friend Tommy Polk who is a prolific songwriter with all sorts of
credits. He wrote “Tendin’ To A Broken Heart” with Nashville songstress Joanna
Cotten and the keyboardist Johnny Neel whom I’ve met a few times before. (The
first time I met Johnny was with Boogaloo in Clarksdale.) I wanted to record
one of Tommy’s tunes on this album, and I chose this one because it fit the
“jigsaw heart” theme of the album, and it’s beautifully crafted. It’s easy to
identify a song written by professional writers because you can hear the
craftsmanship in every single line.
10. Locomotive
Daddy went to hear Johnny Cash in 1956 when “Folsom Prison
Blues” was a hit on the radio. Arriving early to the show, Daddy walked up to a
fellow and said, “Hey, man. I heard Johnny Cash was going to play here
tonight.” That fellow looked straight at Daddy and said, “That’s me.”
Immediately Daddy requested his favorite “Folsom Prison Blues.” Johnny Cash
dedicated it to him during the show, and I’ve been singing it with Daddy ever
since I can remember. “Locomotive” has the same country two-step rhythm with a
strong backbeat. It’s the kind of song that’s a lot of fun to drive but hard to
stop without a good plan, which is why we faded the ending. It’s like trying to
stop a runaway freight train or a high-spirited, half-crazy woman who runs over
you and keeps going.
11. Get The Hell Out Of Dodge
Mike Powers at Yellow Dog Records introduced me to Toni
Price singing “Get The Hell Out Of Dodge.” Writing about a romantic break-up as
if it’s an old western shoot-out is wildly clever. What imagination! So
long, partner. This town just ain’t big enough for the both of us. The comparison is hilarious, and the western imagery
is perfect. Words like showdown, ricochet, lonesome dove and swinging doors all
make this a delightful masterpiece, and a perfect moment of levity for the
album.
12. Valentine
When we recorded producer Colin Linden’s “Valentine,”
(co-written with Tom Hambridge) Colin and I were standing next to each other in
the studio with only a microphone between us, very intimate and totally
exposed. I can’t remember if we did one take or two, but the performance was so
honest that when we finished, I was crying. The lyrics are simple and Colin
chose a delicate arrangement of only guitar, bass, string section and voice.
This treatment allows the beauty of the song to reveal itself rather than creating
a grandiose frame to display the song.
LINCOLN CENTER OUT OF DOORS/AMERICANAFEST NYC WELCOMES MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION BLUES REVUE ON AUGUST 10 AT DAMROSCH PARK BANDSHELL
DOM FLEMONS, BEVERLY "GUITAR" WATKINS, AND IRONING BOARD SAM TO PERFORM
BILL WITH CHARLES BRADLEY& HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES, ST. PAUL & THE
BROKEN BONES, BOBBY PATTERSON
Lincoln Center Out of Doors and the Americana Music Association will present a performance by the Music Maker Blues Revue August 10 at the Damrosch Park Bandshell celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, the organization which helps traditional southern musicians living in poverty. The event is part of AmericanaFest NYC and Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Bobby Patterson will perform on the same bill.
The Music Maker Blues Revue will feature Dom Flemons, Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, and Ironing Board Sam:
* Dom Flemons – founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and American Songster – will release his third solo album 'Prospect Hill' on July 22 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. 'Prospect Hill' finds Flemons digging deeply into ragtime, Piedmont blues, spirituals, southern folk music, string band music, jug band music, fife and drum music, and ballads idioms with showmanship and humor, reinterpreting the music to suite 21st century audiences.
* In 2012, Ironing Board Sam was named "Comeback Artist of the Year" by Living Blues Magazine, made a triumphant return to a packed tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In 2013 Sam performed at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Australia, and will be traveling for gigs all over the USA. In 2012, eMusic said, "'Ninth Wonder' is a superb album for anyone interested in hearing a true maverick at work.... Here's the most entertaining eight tracks and nearly 22 minutes of blues-based music likely to be released this year, and it should leave you longing for more." He was crowned Most Outstanding Musician by Living Blues in 2013 and returned to the Jazz Fest stage in 2014.
* "My style is real Lightnin' Hopkins lowdown blues. I call it hard classic blues, stompin' blues, railroad smokin' blues," says Beverly "Guitar" Watkins. If you've never seen a blues lady who can play her guitar behind her head, belt out songs and roll over to sweet gospel, you've never been in the house when Beverly "Guitar" Watkins was on stage.
The performance will be in conjunction with a museum exhibition opening at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, a new book "We Are the Music Makers," a 2CD set of the same title, and a festival in North Carolina in October.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors and the Americana Music Association will present a performance by the Music Maker Blues Revue August 10 at the Damrosch Park Bandshell celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, the organization which helps traditional southern musicians living in poverty. The event is part of AmericanaFest NYC and Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Bobby Patterson will perform on the same bill.
The Music Maker Blues Revue will feature Dom Flemons, Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, and Ironing Board Sam:
* Dom Flemons – founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and American Songster – will release his third solo album 'Prospect Hill' on July 22 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. 'Prospect Hill' finds Flemons digging deeply into ragtime, Piedmont blues, spirituals, southern folk music, string band music, jug band music, fife and drum music, and ballads idioms with showmanship and humor, reinterpreting the music to suite 21st century audiences.
* In 2012, Ironing Board Sam was named "Comeback Artist of the Year" by Living Blues Magazine, made a triumphant return to a packed tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In 2013 Sam performed at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Australia, and will be traveling for gigs all over the USA. In 2012, eMusic said, "'Ninth Wonder' is a superb album for anyone interested in hearing a true maverick at work.... Here's the most entertaining eight tracks and nearly 22 minutes of blues-based music likely to be released this year, and it should leave you longing for more." He was crowned Most Outstanding Musician by Living Blues in 2013 and returned to the Jazz Fest stage in 2014.
* "My style is real Lightnin' Hopkins lowdown blues. I call it hard classic blues, stompin' blues, railroad smokin' blues," says Beverly "Guitar" Watkins. If you've never seen a blues lady who can play her guitar behind her head, belt out songs and roll over to sweet gospel, you've never been in the house when Beverly "Guitar" Watkins was on stage.
The performance will be in conjunction with a museum exhibition opening at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, a new book "We Are the Music Makers," a 2CD set of the same title, and a festival in North Carolina in October.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Denver artwork & bio
This “Ramshackle All-Star Country Band” fashions itself a sort of modern-day Highwaymen. DENVER’s co-founders and chief songwriters Birger Olsen, Mike Elias and Tom Bevitori (Alela Diane’s Wild Divine) exchange lead vocals, swaying drunkenly between dusty saloons and that lonesome country air. The band has since filled out its line-up with a stellar supporting cast, which includes Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley and Michael Van Pelt, drummer Sean MacNeil, and a rotating crew of Portland’s finest.
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