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This year found us in France for the Fête de la Musique. I had not heard of this before, and was curious seeing the signs and articles about it. Seeing as I’m not the best in French, and couldn’t really read the signs and articles, I started asking folks about it. What I found was a great concept – music celebrated throughout the country over the summer solstice. Large cities, small villages, big venues, quay walls and stone porches – the idea is to celebrate music in all forms, genres, styles and skill levels, as performers or listeners. If you play, thengetout and play.
The idea for the Fête de la Musique took root in 1981when the minister of Culture appointed monsieur Maurice Fleuretas director of music inFrance. Fleuretlaid the foundation for a new concept. ‘Music will be everywhere and the concert nowhere.’ He wanted to bring
together all types of music. He imagined a major popular event that would allow all musicians to express themselves, and make themselves known, no matter their experience or skill. This is how the very first Fête de la Musique came about on
June 21, 1982, the summer solstice and longest day of the year, in the northernhemisphere. The rules? The spirit of the event was the festival would be free, open to all music ‘without hierarchy of genres and practices and open to all French people.”
To say I was intrigued is an understatement! The intention is to give amateurs and professionals a forum on which to perform throughoutthe country, on the same day, and largely at the same time. The idea took off, and in less than ten years the Fête de la Musique took place in 85 countries, on five continents. By 2017, more than 120 countries had participated in the festival. The fest allows for new musical trends, as well as reviving traditional music, world music (I guess that’s where we fit in), choirs, rap, techno, urban music, and more.
Amy and I were amazed by the spontaneity and longevity of the event. We founded a songwriter’s festival in Virginia that ran for 15 years, and know what an undertaking this is. Bottom line is, we wanted to participate in some way.
In the past, I have written about our 30 plus years living on sailboats based in the States. For nearly the past 20 years, we have toured Europe almost every year. During that time, we have spent more and more time in France. We recently boughtanold (108 years old) Dutch-
built, France-based, canalbarge. She has been a major project and undertaking (a story for another place), and is now our home in France. We spend roughly half our
time on her in France. From this perspective, we went about seeing how we could be a part of the Fête. We had just four days to make this happen.
Our Frenchvillage is petite,withjust over 1000 full-time residents, but it
is the major port for canal boats and barges along the rivers and canals in France. I mentioned to the owner of the marina where our boatis berthed (H20 Marina) that I would like to be a part of the music. He was allin, and quickly made posters that went up in town, and on all the docks (roughly 200 boats). Our plan was to use our barge as a platformonwhichto perform. This quickly evolved to rafting our barge to another, and using their more spacious deck to set up our gear. This also got us closer to shore, and better access to more people. The weather turned beautiful for the evening and we played our first Fête de la Musique, unplugged, up-close and personal, in the spirit in which it was intended. We brought our brand of Americana, Country, Folk and Roots to a crowd of Americans, Swiss, Dutch, Germans, Belgians and of course, French!
Once again we were rewarded for being on-the-road, wayward troubadours. Music, boats and the road … it’s who we are and what we do best!
The Tribute Set
A few weeks ago I had the good fortune to attend the annual Red Wing Roots music festival hosted by the outstanding Americana folk band, The Steel Wheels. It was a great festival with a wide variety of Americana musical genres on display.
As is always their plan, the host band’s last performance at thefestival was what they refer to as their tribute set. It is alwaysa surprise as to who they choose to give tribute to but it is always a personal music hero of theirs; a legendary musical artist; or an iconic group from the past. During the set, thehosts and some of the artists who appeared during the festival perform selections of the tribute’s work. The selection this year was The Band—the group that backed Bob Dylan as he entered his folk breakout electrictour. Iconicis almost too mild a word to describe this group of musicians. Let megive you a little history lesson about The Band.
The Band
For about six yearsspanning 1968 through 1975 The Band was one of the more popular and influential musical groups in the genre of music best classified as either roots rock, folk rock, country rock or as we would probably now refer to as Americana. Their music was heralded by music critics for its lyrics and music style.
According to an essay in Wikipedia, the music produced by The Band influenced numerous other bands, songwriters and performers such as: the Grateful Dead; Eric Clapton; George Harrison; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and many others.
Although many now only remember them for their association with Bob Dylan, their records have been musically examined and reviewed as much as those of Dylan himself. It has been written that during theheight oftheir popularity, the individual members of The Band were as recognizable to thelistening public as were the members of The Beatles.
Ronnie Hawkins
Writer and music critic, Bruce Eder, tells usthat in theyear 1958 an Arkansas born singer named Ronnie Hawkins put together a backing band that included fellow Arkansan, Levon Helm. He dubbed the band Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks. This group toured throughout the south andinto Canada. They garnered more success in Canada and decided to stay. Being based there led to some lineup changes in the group, and Hawkins added some local talent. He recruited keyboardist Scott Cushnie and Cushniewanted his
By EdwardTutwiler
current band mate Robbie Robertson to be included. Hawkins agreed and Robertson also joined the Hawks. Over the next few years multiple lineup changes occurred with Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson along with Helms, and Robertson as the final lineup of the group known as the Hawks. From1959 through 1963, Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks werevery popular with Hawkins being described by some as Toronto, Canada’s answer to Elvis Presley.
Hawkins sometimes would lead the Hawks in all-night rehearsals after regular club dates, which resulted in these young players quickly developing into very skilled musicians. In late 1963, thegroupsplit fromHawkinsover personal differences. Collectively, the group members were tired of playing the same songs over and over and wantedto performoriginal material. Also, they had gotten weary of Hawkins’stern management style. Essentially, Hawkins had built these musicians up until they outgrew him andneededto go out on their own.
Levon and the Hawks
Upon leaving Hawkins, they were known as Levon and the Hawks (although in 1965, they released
a single on Ware Records under the name the Canadian Squires) however they returned as Levon and the Hawks for a recording session for Atco later that year. How did they finally become known as The Band you are probably wondering? According to information in this Wikipedia essay, they were commonly known as just “the band” to the various front-men who employed them and to the local music scene; Helm was later quoted as saying that the name The Band worked well when the group came into its own. Thus the group began performing under that name in 1968 and went on to release 10 studio albums over the course of their career.
In 1965, Bob Dylan hired the Hawks for his U.S. tour and his 1966 world tour as well. Following the1966tour, thegroup movedwith helpfrom Dylan and his manager, Albert Grossman, to Saugerties, New York, where they did some informal recording sessions that became known as The BasementTapes. Thisgroup of material later would become the basis for their 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink. (Bob Dylan continuedto collaborate with The Band over the course of their career including a joint tour in 1974.)
The Band’s debut album had a sound that did not pattern the typical British invasion sound that was in vogue in the US music scene at that time. A common thought at the time was that their sound was counter to the then popular counterculture theme in popular music. The music press quickly recognized the significance of this musical departure and the listening public soon followed. The overall soundof their musicwasinclusiveyet individual at the same time. These five separate voices andtheir instruments mixed folk, blues, gospel, classical, rock and roll, and a little rhythm and blues into a unique blend of music that was not easy to categorize. The music produced by The Band reached deep into historicalandAmericana lore
even though only Helmwas from the US.
Calming Things Down
TheWikipedia essay reported that in a 1969 Robbie Robertson interview, when asked about the group’sinfluence, Roberson said: “We certainly didn’t want everybody to go out and get a banjo and a fiddle player. We were trying to calm things down a bit though. . . .” (Robbie Robertson wasthegroup’smajor songwriter and principal guitarist and probably their most famous member.)
Four more albums of music followed each every bit as good as the debut album. In fact, a pair of sounds from album number two: “Up on Cripple Creek” and “TheNight They Drove Ol’Dixie Down still gets some attention in folk and bluegrass circles even today.
Robbie Robertson never was a part of The Band’s revival but he didenjoy asecond career as asuccessful producer and composer for film soundtracks until his recent death in 2023; Levon Helm stayed with the group until its finalending in 1999 and then went on to a successful solo career; winning multiple Grammy Awards in the folk andAmericana categories until his 2012 death; Garth Hudson stayed with the group until itsfinal end and then found a second career as a featured session musician. Garth Hudson is the only living member of the original lineup.
Canadian Hall Of Fame
TheBand was an award winning group. It was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 50th on itslist of the 100 greatest artists of all time, In 2008, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, they were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Alas, as is the casewith many successful music groups, money, excessive vices, and pressures to achieve greater heights ledto The Band calling it quits in 1977. Levon Helm andsome of the others did revive the group in variousarrangements from1983thru 1999 but with minor success and to no critical acclaim.
Of the original members of The Band: Richard Manuel died in 1986 and Rick Danko in 1999;
Musiccritic
Bruce Eder described the Band as, “One of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, their music embraced by critics as seriously as the music of (both) the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.” With that glowing endorsement, it iseasy to seewhy a well received modern-day Americana string music group such as The Steel Wheels would also point to The Band as one of their influences and choose them as their 2024 Red Wing Tribute subject.
Mac Wiseman; A Legend In His Own Time REWIND
ByEdwardTutwiler
One of the hard parts for me as a publisher of disposable media is seeing how much work goes into great stories, and knowing that there’sa verysmall windowfor them to be read. Thus, a new feature for us, AR Rewind. And what betterway to kick that off than with a classic interview with one of the greatsMac Wiseman. This story was published in the #70 edition of Americana Rhythm - fall of 2017. Mac passed away in 2019. - publisher
When I was a young kid in the late 1940s, a local radio station, WSVA-AM, aired live country music daily from their Harrisonburg, VA studio. My mother kept that string-music
(her words) playing in our home every day. Mac Wiseman was a musical renaissance man at WSVA. He read the news, weather and commercials; was the MC for the live shows; played records; and played and sang his own brand of down-home music every day. Such was his presence to me then that now 70 some years later, I immediately can recognize the sound of his voice whenever I hear a song of his being played.
Recently, I had the occasion to interview Mr. Wiseman and chat with him and his co-producer, Thomm Jutz, about his musical life.
The early musical career of Mac Wiseman placed him at the center of the first generation of that genre of music that most now refer to as bluegrass. He recorded with the likes ofFlat and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys andBillMonroeandTheBluegrass Boys. Hehada starring role in the famous Bristol, TN broadcasts of the Farmand FunTime radio show. Plus, he launched a solo recording career with Dot Records and headed that company’s country and western division to success.
A Godfather of Bluegrass
Asa grandfather andgodfather of bluegrass music, I wondered what his feelings were about this fact. Wiseman told me, “I never did call it bluegrass, and I still think it is a derivation of mountain music or hillbilly music. The terminology of bluegrass came about because Bill Monroe’sband was called The Bluegrass Boys as they were from Kentucky (the bluegrassstate). I am not envious or have any bad feelings about that but if the band had been called The Pine Mountain Boys, the music would have been referred to as Pine Mountain Mu-
sic. That is the way I see it. It would not have hadthat recognition if Bill had not hit the high spot with Lester and Earl, Jimmy Shumate, and Chubby Wise. Bill got so hot with the music that folks started calling it bluegrass music.” Thomm then asked Mac if hehad a bit of pride that he was one of the founding fathers of bluegrass and did he see his self as that? Mr. Wiseman replied, “I really do becauseI was on the radio in Harrisonburg with Lee Moore in the late 1940’sand I had severalprograms that consistedof just meand the guitar. We would sell products like ladies hose or baby chicks and things like that. The station did not pay any
money whatsoever—it was all a barter system.
They would furnish the time; we would do our programming; and then we had to go out and play these venues like schools and such to make our money. The radio station would in turn sell our programs to local sponsors. So it was a barter system between the acts and the radio station. He continued, “If you go back a little further, the first recordings that I made were in 1946 with Molly O’Day. There were no recording studios in Nashville at that time. We drove to Chicago and cut 16 sides for Columbia Records. In ‘47, I went to Bristol. I wasone of the original groups that opened that Farm and Fun Time radio show. There were a few other bands, and the lineup included EddyArnold. In the spring of‘48, Lester and Earl left Monroe. They called me from Hickory, NC, and I joined them there as one of the Foggy Mountain Boys.
Being A Pioneer
I asked Mr. Wiseman to sum up hisfeelings about being apioneer. He answered, “I am very excited about that fact and the fact that I’ve enjoyed this much longevity. Alot ofthingsarehappening right now. I have a book in print; several CDs just released; and I just got inducted into the CMT hall of fame. I do a lot of mail order business as I have done for the past 40 years.” Thomm asked him if he still enjoyed being part of the game and Mac replied, “Yes, I really do. I’m excited about being a part of it.”
I switched gears a bit and asked Mr. Wiseman to comment on the modern type of bluegrass music. Here is his take, “I guess I liked the old way better. So many of the new artists are recording in little home studios therefore the quality isnot asgood as it should be; and the songs they use seems as if they are writing songs for right now so they get the publishing rights. There is no longevity to the material. A lot of these groups arefine; however, it seems to me that many of these new groupsare playing for each other and consequently, there is no depth to their music to identify them as a group.”
Festivals A Plus
Wiseman continued, “Festivals have been a great enhancement to the bluegrass field because when top-40 radio came to be,
the music was called hillbilly music and it was beneath their programming standards, and they did not play it. Up until that time, I had the same records out with the same instrumentation and I played all over the world. I was playing with country and western groups likeEarnest Tubb and Bob Wills. I fit right in with their programming, and my songs were accepted; however, once the bluegrass genre came along theradio stationsput mein that category.
I can tell you one thing; they reaped several nickels out of my pocket because of that. I will give you an example of that top-40 programming and their discrimination against bluegrass. Many years ago, Woody Herman (the big band leader) wantedto record a country record. His daughter had played fiddle with me at some festivals so she recommended me to her dad. We recorded a song in Chicago on the small Churchill label. That record got upto #67 on the BillboardTop 100 chart. All of a sudden, the DJs on the top 40 stations thought that I was my son and decided this is that guy who plays bluegrass. They cut us off like dirty water from a spigot. Thisis an example where terminology won out over quality or qualification. That was why packaged blue festivalsgained popularity.
I made top money and sold tons of merchandise at these events. I am not embarrassed to be called a bluegrass entertainer. I am glad that today bluegrass music and bluegrassfestivalsare gaining the attention and respect of business people. Now, when you go to a festival, you see expensive motorhomes and retirees. For instance, I played a festival in North Carolina one weekend and went to another one in Florida the next and met many of the same folks in attendance there. I just want people to understand that I do a lot of material besides bluegrass, and I always have during my time. I’ve done rock songs and quite a few old pop songs. Storytype songshave alwaysbeen abig favorite of mine. At my concerts I woulddismiss thebandand just sit on stage on a stool with my guitar and sing to the folks for a bit. I just want to be me and do my music.”
continued on page 9
Loss Is Just Part Of Life
Loss, it’s something we all go through if wearefortunateto live long enough. All kinds of loss, actually. Innocence, teeth, dogs and cats, and all kinds of pets, jobs, dreams, loves, hair, money, and, the worst kind, loved ones. Funny, but instead of dying, we live on through all those losses. Humans are made of strong stuff; much stronger than wethink. The “giving up”ideas do invadesome spirits, but by and large, most of us find a way to deal with the punches and forge on.
These last 20 months have been filled with all kinds of challenges for me and my sweet husband. It started with my darling’s idea to scare me to death, when he flew
off in a helicopter after having a massive heart attack. The good news is, they fixed him, and he is doing great. Then there were a few setbacks in my career, but again, thosewere conquered, and I survived them, turning loss of assurance into a steely resolve to figure it out.
Just as we were settling into the new normal, we had a troubled family member move in with us for about 3 months, who upended the peace and quiet at our little farm, teaching usnew dance steps, as we hopped around embracing the lessons in patience and forgiveness, so we could waltz beyond the loss ofserenity. During all the disco dancing, my
dear mother decided to leave this earth after a long, sad illness. There was relief in the idea that she was no longer suffering, but the loss of her presence still felt like a knife carving on my heart. As we trudged through the sorrow of losing mom, our granddaughter decided to leave a note on her 18th birthday, expressing her desire to run off with a boy her momma and daddy did not want her involved with. In doing so, she cut off all communication and went stealth; not a trace, not a word since. This kind of loss is confusing. The idea of not knowing she’s alright and not hearing her voice has put us on an interesting journey, wherelearning the art of letting go and using faith we will see her again at some point is all we can do … an unrequited loss.
Ofcoursewehadgoodthings; triumphsand joy, during all ofthis, but each gift also getsput into this bag of weird losses, like the gift of wonderful, free tickets for an eight day cruise. My darling and I had never been on a cruise, so we took the gift and went shopping for lots oflinen clothing and flip flops, ready to have a large party and eat everything in sight – until we came down with the worst case of Covid, five days in.
You talk about pure misery! Whew! Our fevers were roaring as theship tilted and rocked. Getting out of the cabin bed was not an option, so we just rolled and suffered until we could limp off the boat in Miami. The loss of all the party dreams and restorative vacation time was a doozie, as we flew back to the farm, and stayed
Donna is the IBMA Songwriter of the year for 2016, And 2017 Song of the Year winner. She was also the 2018 SPBGMA Songwriter of the year. Her latest CD, Livin’ Large, on Blueboy Records, was released in February 2022. DonnaUlisse.com
on our couch for two more weeks. As we were healing, the phone rang with my brother’s panicked voice, saying dad was not doing well. I flew home with thehopewe could turn his health matters around, and then saw what was the start of the end instead. I stayed five weeks during his suffering and passing, just 11 monthsafter losing mom. Theten days I sat beside his bed were the biggest blessings, and the hardest sorrow I have been through to date. The losswas a blow I still find myself reeling through. Still, my warrior spirit decidedto fight for happiness again, and I have begrudgingly found it.
I heard a line fly out of an actors mouth during a movie I was watching recently, totally resonating with my soul and what I had been walking through all these months. He said, “a broken heart is something we survive in spite
Wiseman added, “I do think younger people are hungry for the historical part of the music andare reviving many ofthe classic LPs. I was one of the first entertainers of my type to appear at College listening rooms. The people that listened to me then are now adults and fans. That is some of the exciting things for me. For that reason, I have a smallrecord label of my own that I use to try to preserve old songs some of which have never been recorded before.”
I asked Mr. Wiseman of his opinion of the new bluegrass groups and mentionedthat I likedgroups such as the Steep Canyon Rangers and Old Crow Medicine Show. Mac’s voice became excited when he told me, I like those folks too! I recorded a song with Old Crow Medicine Show a year or so ago. However, you talk about my favorite artists, and I did not realize this for a long time until I thought about how many of his songsthat I recorded—that person is Bradley Kincade. He was one of my first influences as least as far as story-type songs.” Thomm then added that of the newer people, Mac likes Alison Krauss and John Prinebut that he also is a great fan of the Osborn Brothers. At that point Mac in-
of ourselves, because we are to live on through allour appointed days, asthe Bible states”. I immediately lookedup what he wasreferring to and found Job 14:5 (KJV), which says, “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointedhisbounds that he cannot pass.” It hit me like a ton of bricks! We are made to survive the suffering. What a horrifying and soul relieving idea. We were knitted together with the ability to withstand loss on all kinds of levels, and still find the strength to overcome and walk on. Amazing, humans are amazing! You and I are amazing!
So, we are losers, all of us! But in losing, we win by surviving the loss. I find that oddly comforting, knowing I’m in for more loss before I gain Paradise. Life is hard on agoodday, but what agift, one I don’t want to waste. Until next time my friend.
jected, “They are like me. They are getting down the road a ways.”
I mentioned that someone reported that he suffered with arthritisand sometimes had trouble playing the guitar. He acknowledgedthat asa fact and said, “I’ve recorded over 800 songs, and I have many I want to record; however, I have to get someone to play the guitar for me because my wrist andshoulder will not let me play. I never thought this would happen but Ronnie Reno sets with me a lot. Thomm Jutz is the best guitar player I’ve heard, and he accompanied me at the ‘Opry not long ago. He makes me feel so comfortable.” (Editor: I suspect that there are plenty of side and sessionplayers inNashville thatwill be at Mac’s disposal any time he needs a player.)
I closed our interview with well wishes from all his fans in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and he came right back with, “Of all the places I’ve been in the world, I love the Shenandoah Valley the best.”
To the man with The Voice with a Heart, wesay to you in thewords of your old theme song, ‘Tis Sweet to be Remembered, and we all will always surely remember you.
Donna continued
Mac Wiseman Continued
Pleasantly Twisted
By Greg Tutwiler
I presume would normally be the banjo part? What?? I stood up to see ifI was hearing correctly. And I never returned to my seat for the remainder of the set. It worked so well! When the band finished with a cover of Bill Wither’s hit, “Use Me,” I was hooked.
beginning. Chris’sfirst show with the group was at the Gray Fox Bluegrass festival in 2015. “Our sound has been evolving sort of dramatically, for many years,” he explained. “We all have this common thread of bluegrass; it’s our roots. But we have all of these other influences, that over the years, organically took shape, and wove their way into the tapestry of this band. Our iteration now feels like it’s the most evolved and realized formofwhat wewant this music to be.”
I stumbled onto Twisted Pine at IBMA afew years ago,at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC. I had no idea what to expect. Intrigued by their name, I stayed glued tomy seat.
Out walked a couple of young musicians from the Boston MA area. They jumped right in on a (an original) very bluegrasssounding song, with great musicianship. So far I’m tracking along –when I hear aflutetaking on what
I’ve seen them perform a few times since, and I’ve never been disappointed. When the opportunity arose to catch up with them on the road, I was delighted to grab a few minutes to learn more about this fringe, bluegrass act. Bass player, Chris Sartori, toldme they all met through the Boston music scene. Each were in different touring bands at the time, and they all happened to be on the samebillone day. “That’s how we met, and became friends,” Chris said. “And you know, eight years later, here we are.”
Theband started out with amore traditionalbluegrass soundin the
Why A Flute
Anh Phung, from Chilliwack, BC, joined the band a little later as their resident flute player. “They were at a folk conference in Montreal, and I just happened to be there,” Anh recalled. “It was during a bit of a transitional period for them. We had been friends for so many years already, andit’s alwaysexciting to meet up with your friendsat these conferences. We had already been jamming together a lot at these conferences, or in hotels, and in the lobby. So it was the perfect situa-
continued on page13
Alexa Rose From China To Appalachia
Unlike so many artists we’ve profiledAlexa Rose (her real name) says, “I grew up in not a very musicalfamily. I was just always drawn to singing and writing songs. Then when I was 13, my unclegave meaguitar…” Onceshe dug in with her new songwriting tool, onemusicalpredecessor cameto light:“As soon as I took an interest in that instrument, I started hearing these stories about my great grandfather,AlvieBell…”Hehad played with Lester Flatt, who asked Bellto come to Nashville with him. “He opted to stay on the farm,”Alexa says.
She adds, “I’ve always felt like wewerekindred spirits…I think about him especially when I get to do stuff like Merlefest, which is steeped in Appalachian, bluegrass, old-time music,because that’s the style of music he wouldplay.”
Alexa’s style leans moreinto the singer-songwriter tradition, drawing on classic country and folk, along with elementsof rock & rolland and mountain soul. It’s allwoven together with adistinctlyAppalachianvibe, born of her upbringing in Clifton Forge, Virginia, among theAllegheny Mountains.
The title track from her first album, Medicine For Living, made Alexa the 2019 winner of Merlefest’s ChrisAustinSongwriting Contest,but keepsthe honor inperspective:“That wasagreat honor, to winthat one.I’vedoneafew songwriting competitions, but I tend to shy away from them just because songwriting is so subjective.” She adds, with alaugh, “But I had to dothe Merlefest contest becauseallmy friends who I’ve gone to Merlefest for years werelike ‘You have to enter this contest!’”
Alexa has two albums out (Medicine For Living and Headwaters) and is beginning work on a third, while maintaining a well-crafted touring schedule.
The amazing musical collaboration of Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer spans more than 40 years, has resulted in 53 albums and garnered two Grammy awards, among manyotheraccolades(includingover 60 WAMMIE Awards for folk, bluegrass and children’s music from the Washington AreaMusic Association) based on their strong vocalharmonies and mastery of guitar, five-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin,cello-banjo,alongwith many other instruments. Stylistically,they encompass western swing, gypsy jazz, bluegrass, old-timestring band sounds, and contemporary folk, including traditionalrepertoireandoriginalsongwriting.“Well-roundedAmericana” provides a shorter description of what they offer their many and varied audiences.
Cathy’s and Marcy’s most recent unique musical endeavor has added a third key performer to the mix.With Chinesehammered dulcimer player,Chao Tian, they have created From China to Appalachia. In 2015, they mentored Chao in the Artist in Residence (AIR) program at the Music Center at Strathmorejust outsideWashington, D.C.They began collaborating as away to help Chao overcome the language barrier that made performances difficult for her in the US. “I said well let’s just go do a few small things together…I’ll emceeand you’ll feel how that works…” They continued in this way for a few years, until, “...a couple of years ago,”Cathy says,
They have made a point to highlight the connections between American and Chinesemusic traditions. When going through tradition Appalachian songs, for example, Cathy says, “We’ll get to a tune, like there’s one on our new album called ‘Kitchen Girl,’ and Chao says, ‘There’s a Chinesetunethat sounds alot like that.’...Soweput together a medley of those two tunes.”A TikTok video they made of another similar medley went viral.
Cathy says they think of what they’re doing as “peope-to-peoplediplomacy.”“This is threepeople, individuals, with beating hearts,who are sitting there saying, ‘We have a lot in common and why don’t wefocus on that?’”
Eleyet McConnell
Not asingle artist but a duo, Eleyet McConnell is the moniker spouses Chris and Angie (nee Eleyet) McConnelluse to describe their vehiclefor delivering music to their appreciative audiences.
They met in 2013 and immediately clicked musically. Both hailing fromruralOhio, theyended up together in a cover band based in Urbana (OH). “...She might go from Adele to Led Zeppelin to AC-DC…” Chris recalls. “…She could throw every genreout there…Therewas just something I felt on stage with her.”Angieadds, “It was tangible.” Later, they would add marriage vows to sealtheir bond.
Thepair’s musicalchemistry was strongfromthe start, but their songwriting collaboration took abit longer to rev up. While Chris had been playing bassin bands since1970and writing for decades, Angiehadn’t found her museat that point.
But Chris patiently encouraged her to unleash her creativity. “It took about two years but then one day…I actually captured the moment…” he remembers. (They tend to have aphonerecording allthe timeto capturewhatever ideas comeout.)
In December 2023, they finally managed to get 12 of those songs released on their debut album, Crazy World. It showcases their unique blend of styles, which has connected with audiences in unexpected ways. “At the beginning, they were trying to putus intoabox,”Chris says. “‘Areyou a country band, or are you a rock band?’” To defy rigid categorization, he says, about the album, “Wepickedavariety…alittlecountry,a little blues, alittlerock…”
With their 2023 “New Discovery Artist” award from the Independent Music Network, as an acknowledgment of what their audiences already know,Angieand Chris aretuned up and ready to go wheretheir musicalroad leads them to next.
Listen to the expanded interviews by searching Americana Music Profiles on all of your favorite Podcast platforms!
ARTICLES BY DANWALSH
tion. They invited me to sit in on a showcase. And then I sat in on afew more showcases. It was never really a planned thing. But we clicked in terms of musicality and personalities. Wejust had this really clear connection. I don’t think they said, ‘let’s find a flute player to replace this guitar that we used to have,’ you know. It just worked musically. I think that’s how it is with any musicians who like jamming. Who do you have chemistry with? Who do you have connection with? I think that’s why I really ended up here.”
“One ofthe elements of what makes this band go, is that it’s just a general sense ofnot thinking too much about what therules are, or how it’s supposed to work, but rather, just going with, ‘oh, this; this feels good,” Anh added. “This drives usmusically, so who cares? Whatever you call it, at the end of the day; it’s music.”
“We’re always kind of figuring out what we call our sound,” Chris added. “It depends on who asks the question sometimes what the answer is. One thing we do say it is, is funky Americana. FringeAmericana is another one that gets thrown out a lot. Some people like to call us progressive, like a progressive string band, or progressive bluegrass. I think wedefinitely have major elements of that as well.”
I offered that the name itself, Twisted Pine, was a fair description of what to expect when watching the group perform. When I hear it I think, ‘ok, this is gonna be different,’ but in a good way. It kind of gives you this sense of exactly what you guys are going to do.
“It was more like a happy accident, honestly. We were just in need of a name at one point, because we had a lot of gigs, and the band was starting to take off. And it became this kindof namethat wegrew into. It’slike avery earthy, kindof bluegrass type of reference. But it has a twisted element to it. We sort of just took to it more than we wereintentionalabout the name,” Chris said.
Original Music
When I asked about their songwriting process, fiddle player and lead vocalist, Kathleen Parks, had this to say. “I guess I’m the primary songwriter that started bringing originalmusic to the band. Now, it’s very, very collaborative. I still like bringing things to the band, but they’re very apt to change it as how the final song plays out. But I definitely, from my perspective, know the different sounds that this band can make. So I feel like it has influenced the songs that I bring. I also believe that there’s no limits to what we can do, so if something isreally out there, I bring it to the band and we figure it out together. And now we write together too, and it’s a really, really fun experience,” she exclaimed.
“Thewriting was never intentionally bluegrass fromthe start. The style that we wereall learning started in the Bluegrass world. But the writing alwaysstemsfromsomething else, like many different genres, lots of pieces, and definitely there’s very much a funk, R&B sound to this band. While I’m very much into the wholeAlison Krauss realm, which I still love to tap into very much, there’s also influences from artists like Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Herbie Hancock, and Jethro Tull,” Kathleen said.
Just The Covers
Mandolin player Dan Bui added, “I really do think you can take any song or any tune, and arrange it for different instruments, and it doesn’t have to necessarily be like, ‘this is this style.’ So that means I have to play it in this style. That’swhy; another thing thisband does really well iscover songs. There’llbe these random covers from any genre, and we’ll just Pine continued frompage 11
make it our own. I think that’s a testament to what wecan come up with. You can really take any song or any tune and just arrange it for what you have. We don’t think about it too hard. There is not any realset ofcriteria. Other than if we’re vibing on a particular song or an artist at the time. The Bill Withers song just happened organically. He’s an example of an artist who can just be so deeply groovy and funky, but still, he played an acoustic guitar. It just happened over time. We just started playing it and it just came out that way.”
Twisted Pine is definitely not your grandparent’s bluegrass music. Yet, the band seems to connect with a broad spectrum of age ranges. “A really rewarding thing about playing in this band isthe types of people that cometo our shows. It’sreally just anybody who loves music deeply. There’s no one specific demographic that we see being the main demographic at our shows,” Chris said. “Andwe like it that way. ”
ARTICLES BY DANWALSH
Heather Smith
Born and raised for her first 14 years in the Detroit area, Heather Smith found herself in the very different environs of a very small New England town as she transitioned to her highschoolyears. She says “It’s not the easiest thing to do…” but now considers it her rightful home, where she belongs.
And although her road to professionalmusic was along and winding one,she felt “at home”in music for as far back as she can remember, with an extended musicalfamily, especially on her dad’s side. “...Great grandparents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles—everyonecontributed in some way to music,” Heather remembers. “We would have thesebig family sing-alongs and it just became part of who I was.” This immersion in musicincludedthecultures of mountainousKentucky and Tennesseewhereher grandparents originally hailedfrom.
It took a long while for Heather’s personal creativity to fullyassert itself. She says, “My catalyst didn’t happen until two years ago. All along she knew that music was “her thing,”but never pursued it. She also found herself as a mother at a relatively young age, and put everything else on hold to focus on raising her daughter.
Like so many others, the pandemic provided Heather with a reality check for musicalcreativity. “I just had this sudden internal need to do it NOW.”Despitethe fact that early insecurities had becomeserious stagefrightasshehadgottenolder, she built asimplehomestudio and began learning how to construct songs with Garageband, and developed her voice. “I was just doing it for the joy of doing it…”Later, she had arealization that “every little piece, even if it’s insignificant, leads you to your next place.” She addressed her performanceanxiety by starting out as abackup vocalist in a country cover band, then progressing to lead, thento playing her originalmusic withaband.
To find out more, visit www.facebook.com/heathersmithmusic1
Marques Morel
“After previously enjoying listening to music and playing alittlebit of drums and harmonica, I didn’t really start writing songs or learning to play guitar untilmylatetwenties,”saysAmericana troubadour, Marques Morel. An itinerant logger and woodworker, hebegan carryingan acoustic guitar his fatherhad given him, inhis truck. However,two years went by before he started really learning how to play it. Once hegotstarted,therewas nogoing back. “I just wanted to holler in the streets, you know?” Onhis breaksfrom loggingand firesuppressionwork in the mountains, he would spend his timebuskingin nearby towns. “That’s what really clicked it in for me…it was something. The ghost of Woody Guthrie was really strong.”
Marques counts among his influences; cowboy music, gospel, and early Deltablues, among others. “As I got alittlebit moreinto songwriting andstuff,”he continues,“the Texas Troubadours lit me up…” He finds himself doing that songwriting, or at least the initial stages of it while driving. “A line with a melody to it will worm it’s way into my head and I’ll build it from there…The songs that stick, they justkind of come like they want to be here…”
Tales and Tellings is the fifth album Marques has released, with the first being aliverecord. “Someof thesesongs I’ve been performing for many years,” he says, “but I never found a home for them on a record.” He felt they were relatively unrelated at first, but then, when creating the album sequence, he saw how they could fittogether and tellaloosely connected story. “It worked out, and I think I got lucky like that. But this next oneI’m going to do, I going to try to…go into it really knowing what I’m trying to do.”
Now settled in the smalltown of Mount Carol, Illinois, for the timebeing, Marques shares his music live with Midwestern regionalaudience.Sometimes it’s with his band, Midnight Wind, and sometimes it’s “one-man-band” situation. “I kick a drum and blow a harp through a little contraption that goes through atubeamp so it kind of gives it somevibes that way, and guitar and singing.”
To find out more, visit www.marquesmorel.com
Originally from Annapolis, MD, Rik Ferrell, has effectively established forhimself a summertimemusic career with a season that runs all year long.
“I bounce back and forth between the Mid-Atlantic and South Florida…that’s where my people are,” Rik says. “...It’s so great to be outdoors in the Mid-Atlantic in the summertime…I’m totally fine in Florida any time of year as well.” Hesums up how this dual summercitizenshiprelatesto gigging this way:“There’s always an open tiki bar, which is great.”
Rik credits his 89-year-old Cuban father for his ability to stand the heat, as wellas for giving him a love of Latin jazz. Healso places himself firmly in the troubadour tradition of Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall and others. Add in rock elements from the likes of the Allman Brothers and The Band, and you get an ideaof what Rik sounds like.
Hecut his professionalchops at the tender age of 14, playing bass inAnnapolis blues rock bands. “I saidtomyfriend,‘Iwouldpay to do this, butthey’re paying ME to do this?” Rik got good enough to becomea regular session player at a local studio. “Iliterallywasplayingeverything.Any kindofstyle, it didn’t matter to me…It was a really good education,”herecalls.
Rik’s latest album, Places to Do, Things to Be, grew out ofhis traumatic experienceof Hurricane Ian, which devastated large swathes of the Ft Myers,FLareawherehespendsmuch ofhisSouth Florida time. To dealwith the aftermath, he says, “Hearing all the bad news…I said, ‘I need something elseto focus on.’ So I grabbed aguitar, sat on our lanai and just started writing. And I was writing and writing and writing.”Dealing with his negative emotions therapeutically through music endedup shading the sunny “trop rock and coastal country” of the record with adarkness that lends it a depth beyond the fun “beach music for drunk girlsto danceto” vibethat Rik generally embraces.
find out more, visit www.rikferrell.com
Rik Ferrell
FEATURE ARTISTS
Scott Ivey is an award winning musician, songwriter, and performer, with three decades of music behind him. He’s beenin and out of touring bands, record labels, and solo projects since he was 15. And he’s has earned every accolade thrown his way. His soulful sound and Chris Stapleton sounding voice bring a familiarity to his show from the first song. It’s been said about Scott’s music; ‘it’s country music meets blue-eyed soul.”
Scott currently hails from Cottondale, AL, about 2.5 miles from Tuscaloosa. But he started out in Atlanta, moved to Nashville, moved back to Atlanta, then to Birmingham, AL, back to Atlanta, then Sacramento, CA, back to Alabama, then over to Houston, then San Antonio, and finally back to Atlanta. “Now I’m back in Alabama; and DO NOT plan on moving again any time soon,” he said with expression.
Scott grew up without much musical influence. “My family was not really that musical,” he said. “Neither my mom or my dad could sing, play an instrument, or find the backbeat of any rhythm. My brother was in a band in college, but never pursued music past those couple of years. My sister sang at a wedding ... once,” he laughed. “Then there was me. Music is, and has always been, my life and passion. Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from though.”
Scott led music for his youth group and aspired to play anywhere outside of Flatcreek Baptist Church, if he ever got the chance. “When I was 15, I met the best guitar player I’d ever been around,” he recalled. “He was my age, went to my school, and was looking to start a band. We wrote a handful of songs together, and it wasn’t long before the band we had formed, (Cloud Nine) began to come together. By the time we turned 17, we changed our name (SirReal), were playing in clubs and bars that wouldn’t have let us in otherwise, and we began opening for much larger acts.”
By the time Scott was 20 they had changed the band’s name again to The Robert Barnes Band, (Robert Barnes Ivey was his father) signed a record deal with Virgin Records, and went on to open shows for Maroon 5, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Everclear, and a whole host of other household name headliners.
A defining moment came for Scott when he was 17. “When I first stepped on a professional stage, opening for Edwin McCain,” he recalled. “There were a couple thousand people there to hear whatever I said, played, and sang. I fell in love with the whole idea of being an artist right there. That’s when I really felt like I could do this for real.”
Scott said he really found his love for music inthe blues. “When I was growing up, I religiously listened to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Keb Mo, Buddy Guy, Tab Benoit, and a ton more. I eventually graduated to rock music, and then country. Now I find myself with a good, healthy mix of all.”
Scott came up in professional music in the 90’s, long before social media and YouTube were a thing, so the nose-to-the-grind-
stone kind of promotion; on-theroad, playing as often as you can, is his preferred method of spreading the word about his music. “I’m constantly reaching out to venues, club managers, booking agents, and other bands,” he said, “trying to set up meaningful, memorable shows. But the reality is, if you don’t have a real presence online, you’ll die of exhaustion trying to make it these days. So I do utilize all the now normal avenues like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.”
“On my TikTok page, I’ve actually gained quite a following by committing to writing a new song every week for the entire year. As I write this, I’m working on song number 29 of 52. Not all of them are that good, but some are, and the process has actually re-energized my creativity and given me a lot of new material to put out there.”
You’ll find Scott playing in one of three iterations these days; solo, duo, and full band. “I play solo mostly, and actually quite often,” he said. “It’s easiest to coordinate rehearsals and set lists, and calendar availabilities, since I don’t have to run it all by anyone but myself. But I do love playing with others. Sometimes the venue requires a band. Sometimes I just want that lead guitar and full rhythm section behind me.”
MusicFromYour Neighbors
It sure is hot in this part of the country (Virginia), and so is the music! Festivals are happening everywhere. Have you made it to a few? We have 14 hot new CDs for your consideration too. Thank you for checking out all this great new music!! Buy the ones you like. Support your favorite musician, so they can keep making new music!And tell them we sent ya.
Got one you want us to consider?sendit to: Uncle Woody
The Spin Doctor, PO Box 45 Bridgewater, VA 22812
AlbertCummings Strong www.albertcummings.com
Albert Cummingshas earned a reputation as one of the mostinnovative and dynamic blues artists of the modern times. His latest project, Strong, released this past February, and has earned Cummings international air play.
David Serby LowHanging Stars www.davidserby.com
It’s a perfect cobination of Country, Honky Tonk, and 50’sSun Recordsstylerock and roll. This is David’s first studioalbumin10years,howeverit’shiscareersixth.Ifyou like the Rock-a-billy vibe, you’lldigDavid’snewrecord.
Jon Muq Flying Away www.jonmuq.com
This isthe debut album from Uganda toAustin, TXartist, Jon Muq. He spent his teen years singing on the streets of Mutungo - a village near Kampala,Uganda.Hetaught himself to sing and write in English, eventuallyleadingto the adventureofhis life.
Formed is 2023, The Roamers have just released their debut,self-titledalbum.It’san eclecticmix ofmusiciansthat roam inand out ofthe bandlead by founder /bass player, Matt Rice. GreatAmericana/ Rock vibes here.
The Plate Scrapers Artifacts www.theplatescrapers.com
Born out ofa traditionofjams andpotlucks,thePlateScrapers haveaunique hybridstyle of roots and bluegrass. They’vebeenplayingtogether since 2014.Artifacts is their studio project. Constantly touring, they’re one band to see this summer for sure.
Silver BulletBluegrass Tribute To Bob Seger www.lonesomeday.com
Whodoesn’tlikeBobSeger?!
One of the hottest rock and roll icons from the 70s and 80s,withoodles ofhitrecords. So why not grass it up? Bo Bice, Gary Nichols, Tim Shelton, andJoshShillingare just afew ofthe artiststaking part.What a collection!.
Pickin’ OnThe Doors featuring Iron Horse www.cmhrecords.com
Howaboutanother tributealbum, allgrassedup?Another iconic band from my teen years - The Doors - are the featured act here. Thanks to theAlabamabased,bluegrass band,Iron Horse, for thewell craftedcollectionofbluegrass remakes.
A “Band of the Year” IBMA Momentum award winner, Cane Mill Road is led by soon-to-graduate ofBerklee College, Liam Purcell. Some have called this group, “the futureofbluegrass.” They are a group to watch forsure.
Wilson BanjoCo. Memory Lane www.wilsonbanjo.com
Led by banjo maker, Steve Wilson, this band was originally created as a way for Stevetodemonstrateandtest his newly built banjos. Now, with the addition of singer Sarah Logan, this band has beenflirting with#1 singles for a while now. Goodstuff.
Ben Blankenship
Made By Tornado www.benblankenship.com
One writer said, “it’s a rock androll recordwith anAmericanaflair.” BenBlankenship’s latest, Made ByTornado,featureseight ofBen’soriginals, and three contributions from friends. Ben was a founding member ofthepopular group, Red Dirt Band. We like it!.
Laurie Lewis Trees www.laurielewis.com
Multi-Grammy nominee, LaurieLewis has fivedecades ofmusicmaking tohercredit. She’s wonIBMAawards,and sungandrecorded withLinda Ronstadt. A generation of musicians have been mentored by her. Of course herlatestis good.Realgood.
Amanda Cook and her band have become one of the top known, new generation of bluegrass band in theindustry. This is the bands 10th year, and they keep getting betterand better.Their latest, Restless Soul,isdestined for hit status.
Paula Fong Chestnut Mare www.paulafong.com
Paula Fong grew up singing inchoirsandacapellagroups. She discovered her love for acoustic, country, and folk music while singing in an Americana church band. Chestnut Mare is Paula’s debut EP. We’re sure we’ll hearmorefrom Paula Fong.
www.danielgrindstaff.com
Daniel has many years in bluegrass to his credit,playing withactsliketheOsborne Brothers,Jim &Jesse,Marty Raybon, and more. Daniel brings all hisfriends together for thisfantasticproject:Dolly Parton, JimmyFortune, and DoyleLawsonarejusta few.
