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June 2021
What a long, strange trip this has been. Firstly, we apologize for the delay. We took a slight pause to rearrange a few things and let the world catch up to itself. We’re not there yet, but I think we’re close. It’s been a rough ride as many of you will attest, and have shared with us as well. While there are many musicians out there performing under the genre of Americana, we are indeed all one big family with the same goals at heart - making music, and keeping live music alive. As we get back on track here at Americana Rhythm Magazine, we want to say thank you for your patience, and assure our faithful subscribers; we’ll adjust your subscription accordingly to make sure you get the appropriate number of issues. We thank you for your patience and willingness to stick with us during our short pause. The future looks bright! We keep hearing about festivals and venues coming back on line. The amount of great music that has been created during the down time is impressive and encouraging. While it seems like it might take a few more months for the country to get back into the old swing, we feel it coming. What a party we’re gonna have soon too! Live music is on the way back, stronger and louder than ever! While we were out of ink, so-to-speak, we did have a really cool thing happen this winter. Our podcast, Americana Music Profiles, got picked up by the Pantheon network; (pantheonpodcasts.com) a music specific family of podcasts, with over 500,000 listeners, and distribution to over 60+ pod streams. We have nearly 200 episodes available in the library. Do check out those in-depth interviews. They are a continuation of the expanded Americana Music Profiles article section found here in Americana Rhythm Magazine. Thank you again for your continued encouragement and words of support. We return them to you with like sentiment. We are looking forward to seeing all of our partners and friends out there at festivals and conferences, and live events in the very near future. Continue to stay safe and keep the faith. Americana Rhythm is published six times a year. All correspondence should be sent to PO Box 45, Bridgewater VA, 22812 or CONTRIBUTORS email to greg@americanarhythm.com. Copies of Americana Ed Tutwiler Rhythm are made available free at various pick up locations within Wayne Erbsen the publication’s region. Subscriptions are available inside the United Donna Ulisse States (only) for $24 US currency made payable by check or Mike Aiken money order sent to, Subscriptions at PO Box 45, Bridgewater, Andrew McKnight VA, 22812. Foreign subscription requests should be sent to Emily Kresky greg@americanarhythm.com. Copyright 2019. All rights reDon Brown served. Reproduction of any content, artwork or photographs DISTRIBUTION is strictly prohibited without permission of the publisher or origi- North River Publishing Integrated Music Media nal owner. All advertising material subject to approval. PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Greg E. Tutwiler Associate Editor Ed Tutwiler MARKETING & PROMOTION Mark Barreres (GrassRootsNetworking.com) Letters, Comments, Suggestions ADVERTISING greg@americanarhythm.com Business office 540-433-0360 www.americanarhythm.com advertising@americanarhythm.com
Forever, three chords and the truth!
Greg Tutwiler, publisher publisher@americanarhythm.com
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American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame A few weeks ago, we here at the
editorial office heard some interesting news from a friend of a few years ago that we want to share with you. You might remember back in Issue 66 in the fall of 2016, we told you about the American Banjo Museum (ABM), located in Oklahoma City, OK. This $5 million, 21,000 square foot museum facility houses a collection of over 400 instruments, and other artifacts associated with the banjo. It is reportedly the home to the largest collection of banjos in the world that is on public display. Since 1998, the American Banjo Museum has taken an annual opportunity to honor the best of the best in the banjo world with induction into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame. Even with the crazy year we just endured, the museum officials have done so again this year. Thus, the interesting news that we want to share is the identity of the special talented folks who are being honored in the 2021 induction. As a bit of history, know that the hall of fame was originally established as The National FourString Banjo Hall of Fame and early honorees were jazz age fourstring banjo pioneers as well as the contemporary artists, educators, manufacturers and promoters who carried on the traditions of their predecessors. Prior to 2014, the Hall of Fame museum officials honored more than 70 individuals and entities from the four-string banjo world. In 2013, the ABM Board of Directors voted to establish an annual performance category to honor all styles of five-string banjo playing along with the fourstring category. This move established the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame as it stands today. The ABM Hall of Fame continues to grow in acceptance and stature among the worldwide banjo community. The inclusive nature of its mission is shown by its honoring of a diverse body of banjo notables. From iconic names such as Earl Scruggs and Belá Fleck to little known but equally important contributors to the art or industry of the banjo, ABM Hall of Fame continues to
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By Edward Tutwiler
recognize those who have shaped the banjo’s past, present and future. Like past recipients, honorees for 2021 have each displayed a lifelong commitment to the banjo in one of five categories.
Five String Performance— Jens Krüger
Known for his inventive, hard to categorize musical style of composition and performance, the virtuosic playing style of Jens Krüger ranges from the very complex to the simple. As part of The Kruger Brothers, Jens has raised the awareness and stature of bluegrass music by writing and performing classical pieces that incorporate the instrumentation of banjo, guitar and bass into classical music settings. Born in Switzerland, Krüger and his brother, Uwe, left home to become street musicians. As adults they were billed as the Krüger Brothers, (eventually adding a third “brother,” Joel Landsberg, from New York City).
After years as a fulltime Disney performer (including national television appearances on The New Mickey Mouse Club), Roth took a day job which introduced him to banjoist and promoter named Steve Simpson. That association created Banjomania as a mainstream national banjo act. Following the success of Banjomania, Roth spent the last twenty years as part of the Night Blooming Jazzmen as well as a mentor passing his musical
Their interest in the music of Doc Watson motivated them to relocate to North Wilkesboro, NC in 2003 to be near where Doc lived. In the intervening years, Jens became the 2013 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and The Krüger Brothers have become a worldwide phenomenon in the world of acoustic music.
Four String Performance— Brad Roth
First inspired as a youngster by his dad’s banjo playing and later by Eddie Peabody, Brad Roth evolved into a serious musician and plectrum banjo artist respected by audiences and fellow banjoists alike. Although dedicated to his aspirations to become a banjo soloist, in 1974 Roth became part of a Dixieland band called the Jazz Minors who have performed at the White House, Disneyland and the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.
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passion on to his daughters and their band Euphoric Swing.
Historical— Paul Buskirk
A stunning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Paul Buskirk’s stellar and deserved reputation as a tenor banjo player happened somewhat by accident. Paul was established as one of the few mandolin players in the 1940s and 50s to challenge Bill Monroe’s preeminence (actually developing
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a new style of playing the instrument); however, it was Gene Austin’s suggestion that he apply his new technique to playing tenor banjo that began Buskirk’s banjo journey. While his career found him writing hit songs and producing platinum albums for Willie Nelson, Buskirk endeared himself to several generations of tenor banjoists. These artists, primarily as a result of his amazing and diverse body of tenor banjo recordings, continue to revere the artistry, technique, and new musical voice that Paul brought to the often maligned instrument.
Design & Manufacture— Greg Ritch
With no banjo repairperson in Newport Beach, California, Greg Rich began learning banjo repair while still in high school. Inspired by nearby banjo collectors, his repair work led to him crafting high quality replicas of 1920s era Gibson Mastertone banjos. Because of this accomplishment, when the modern day Gibson Company wanted to bring back
the quality of their golden era banjos, they hired Rich to achieve the task. His efforts were so successful that Gibson banjos produced during his tenure at Gibson (1984-1993) are known and revered today among players and collectors as Greg Rich Era banjos. His later partnering with Mark Taylor (thus forming Rich & Taylor) resulted in equalily great quality instruments. All of this past accomplishment, set the stage for Rich’s current partnership with the Recording King brand, which has introduced high quality, yet affordable instruments to today’s banjo marketplace.
shares his real-world, on-stage experience with young musical minds who learn from him and his staff at ScottSound Music near Dallas, TX. In addition to the thousands of students he has taught over the years; the writing of two banjo method books; and the development of the curriculum for the International Banjo College, Whitfield has also served as the band director at the Dallas’ Levine Academy since 2002. Whether performing, teaching or promoting the banjo, Scott Whitfield has dedicated his life to
the betterment of the instrument and the music it is capable of creating. The American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame will induct these artists, Jens Krüger, Brad Roth, Paul Buskirk, Greg Rich and Scott Whitfield, in the fall of 2021. As soon as travel and event restrictions resulting from the COVID virus quartine are lifted, the ABM will announce plans for this year’s BANJO FEST activities. To learn more and keep abreast of the latest plans for BANJO FEST 2021, visit www.AmericanBanjoMuseum.com.
Instruction & Education— Scott Whitfield
Well-known as a multiinstrumental performer, vocalist and entertainer, Scott Whitfield has earned equal respect as an educator during an enviable 40plus year career. Educated and versed in musical styles ranging from jazz to blues to country to rock, Whitfield
Industrial Strength Bluegrass “Appalachian migrants listening to Kentuckian (Bill) Monroe and playing for other Appalachian natives—this was how bluegrass came to southwestern Ohio. The region is a corridor extending roughly 50 miles northward from the Kentucky/Ohio/Indiana border, with one end marked by Cincinnati and the other by Dayton and Springûeld. Into this urbanized and industrialized region, during the 1940s and ’50s, moved hundreds of thousands of people . . . workingclass folk from rural Kentucky, Tennessee, and neighboring areas who came to southwestern Ohio seeking a better life.” – Neil V. Rosenberg It is so easy to assign the Appalachian mountain region as the mother church for the genre of string music first known as old-time, then hillbilly, and finally bluegrass, and then just leave it at that. That attitude does an injustice to the early purveyors of this sound. Two waves of migration moved string music out of the hills and hollows into the urban centers. The first wave was
just prior to and during the war years. That migration brought droves of Appalachian mountain folks to the Baltimore/Washington DC area for employment, and of course they brought their music with them. The second wave is the subject of this well researched and documented book that is titled, Industrial Strength Bluegrass. continued on page 12
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speaking of has been working with me for about five years now and I’ve watched him hone his skill to a razor edge through hard work and incredible dedication, both of which is a must to get to the next level. He managed to spring to that level before my very eyes and I am so proud I could crow...wait a minute, I am crowing!
The Noble Teacher
Teaching; a wonderful and honorable calling and something I have wanted to do from as far back as I can remember. When I was a young girl, my three brothers would have to suffer through the garage university my father helped me put together; complete with a real chalkboard and makeshift wooden desks. I took daily attendance, gave out homework, weekly tests and report cards that would have to be signed by our parents. I even failed my oldest brother because he refused to turn his assignments in on time. We fought over that one, lol. My baby brother was just a toddler and to this very day he is the smartest of us all, and he claims it was the
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early education learned right there between dad’s Buick and the Christmas decorations. Now I teach songwriting so it seems my dreams have been born into reality! I’m choosing to write about teaching today because recently I was in a studio in Nashville producing a project of which I am particularly proud . This collection of songs is actually a drama played out through incredible songs woven in between a spoken script. I foresee this music on a Broadway stage one day, it’s that intriguing. Anyway, one of the songs was cowritten by one of my longtime students. The gentleman that I’m
When I first met Danny he had written one song, a single song, and it showed promise. He wanted to explore this urge to write all of a sudden and he showed up at one of my workshops with curiosity and hope, oh, and a guitar. You see, Danny has already lived a little life; has a wife, two daughters, three grand babies, and a thriving business. His dreams had patiently waited for him and he was ready to explore his gift for writing music. Within the year that followed his workshop visit, he had written enough songs to try recording an album which he hired me to produce. Those early songs were not bad at all. Each song shimmered with possibilities, and after the studio treatment they received, Danny walked away with a CD of which he was proud. I forgot to mention he is also a fine singer with the ability to interpret
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his songs like a real star. Now keep in mind, I helped him carve on his songs. He wanted to learn how to edit through watching me edit his songs, another teachable moment. This first cd led to 4 more cd’s and a bulging song catalog for Danny but he always wanted my help on the editing even though I told him there would come a time when he wouldn’t need me anymore. Well, that day arrived, and I was so moved I almost cried in front of all the musicians at the session. As I listened to the playback of Danny’s song, it was like setting a caged bird free from my very hand and watching it soar through the blue sky. The fact that I might have played a small role in this glorious flight made all my senses come to the surface in a moment I will never forget. There was not one single word or note that I would have changed or asked him to change. It was quite simply perfect, and that feeling is the top of the mountain for a teacher! I suppose the wrap up for this article would be this: Don’t be afraid to share what you know about things. You never know who’s life you will touch or who’s life will touch you
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June 2021
When Inspitation Hits
Trey Hensley Trey Hensley has for years won over bluegrass fans with his signature smoking guitar style. Yet outside the niche of bluegrass, music lovers of all kinds are drawn to his playing and his music. Call it bluegrass, blues, rock, jamband music—it doesn’t matter. When asked how he’d define his style of flatpicking, Hensley chuckles and simply responds, “My style is loosely, whatever works.” Hensley’s humble, relaxed attitude towards his own musicianship spills over to his stage show, where he’s often smiling or laughing as he plays, as though the joke’s on him. Yet his technical prowess defies the laid back image he conveys. If it appears that guitar skill comes with natural ease to him, perhaps that’s because it does.
Charlie Waller Inspired Hensley began his guitar journey at age 10, after seeing Charlie Waller play lead guitar at a bluegrass festival in his native East Tennessee. “Charlie played the fiddle tune ‘Under the Double Eagle,’ and that changed everything,” he says. “I told my parents, ‘I want to do that.’” His parents gave him a guitar, and a few months later, Marty Stuart invited him to play on the Grand Ole Opry. Hensley was 11 years old. Hensley has since proven that Marty’s instincts were inspired. Hensley continues to play high profile venues and concert halls, including the Opry, under his own name and notoriety. And while he spent years playing only electric guitar—which heavily influenced his current approach
to acoustic guitar—Hensley now tours acoustically in a duo format with resonator guitar heavyweight, Rob Ickes. The two men are known for their improvisational energy onstage, with twists and turns through folk, grass, Americana, jazz, rock and blues. While Hensley stakes his own claim in the bluegrass guitar world—he was nominated for the 2020 Guitar Player of the Year award through the International Bluegrass Music Association, Hensley acknowledges that the dizzying variety of influences in his shows is steadied by a firm hold in his bluegrass foundations. “Rob and I do so many different kinds of music, yet we still consider it bluegrass, because of the instrumentation and because the spirit of it is always there. It’s always bluegrass, no matter what we’re playing, no matter how outside it is—even though there’s definitely a lot of my style that comes from outside the bluegrass world.” Hensley’s relaxed control when he’s playing appears effortless, yet he explains he developed this technique through conscious efforts. “I was having issues with tensing up on stage, and I was developing arm issues whenever I would play. I made a mental decision to practice relaxed, and I changed the way I practiced. It’s made a huge difference.”
So what is his daily routine with the guitar? “I will pick up a guitar every day and play for a bit,” he says. “Whenever inspiration hits is when I practice. I try to play thirty minutes to an hour a day.” He explains that while he doesn’t have a practice routine, he keeps his inspiration alive by listening to music. “The broad palette of musical tastes comes into play there. It’s a circle, I’m just chasing the next thing in the circle,” he says, describing how musical styles draw him to practice his guitar, which in turn inspires him to listen. “Right now I’m inspired by a lot of horn players, like Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon. Tomorrow it might be
something totally wild and different.”
Craving Something Different That craving for something new and different is a driving force behind his creativity when he’s soloing on stage, where his spontaneity takes listeners through unexpected melodic twists. Describing his mental headspace when improvising, Hensley says, “It is a really difficult thing to turn off all the
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noise in your brain and completely focus on the music. But that’s really what you have to do when improvising. I just basically try to think about the melody and what notes will complement or possibly enhance that melody. I try not to think about ‘licks’ or which run I’m going to put in next. I just try my best to let the music flow as much as possible. Of course, that’s a practice thing too...practicing the guitar until you’re comfortable with the fretboard enough to improvise.” Hensley continues to inspire guitarists worldwide with his duo’s recent Compass Records release, World of Blues. Most
importantly, his own joy for playing never ceases—even after a long night of performing. “When we’re on the road, I’ll come back to my hotel room and play for a few more hours after the gig. It’s still fun.”
Trey Hensley uses nickel bronze medium gauge D’Addario strings, and he’s played with the same Blue Chip TAD-60 since 2008.
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Thanks to our partnership with ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) we are honored to give you a peak at a few of the nation’s hardest working indie artists. Each month we select one entry to showcase for you here. Enjoy! THIS MONTH’S FEATURE:
By Greg Tutwiler
Cottondale Swamp
recorded just before COVID hit. Out of an abundance of caution, everything ground to a halt. All of our gigs were canceled, and the album was put on hold. Fortunately most of the tracks were already recorded. After a few months we took an inventory of all the tracks we had and what needed to be completed in order to get out an album. We worked with Brian Merrill at Super Bee Studios in Saint Petersburg, FL. We plugged away one song at a time mixing and mastering the album.”
FEATURE ARTISTS Michael Hoag started the band, Cottondale Swamp, after having written a handful of songs that seemed to really capture the unique vibe of Florida. “I love exploring small towns and back roads,” Hoag said. “So I tried to capture kitchy road side attractions like the Mermaid Shows at Weeki Wachee Gardens, the small towns, the native American culture that still permeates, and the general unique of strangeness of Florida.” “I showed my songs to a few of my friends, who happen to be some of the best players I know” Michael told us recently. “We all shared a love for classic country music, roots rock, surf, and blues. So we decided to create an original band with rock ‘n roll energy and classic country sensibilities. We also shared an obsession with old tube amps, old drum kits and vintage guitars. That ethos helped define the look and sound of Cottondale Swamp.” All the guys grew up listening to 60’s, 70’s and 80‘s pop, rock and country, which shaped the writing contributions that each brought to the band. “I think as we developed as musicians we just started writing our own songs,” Michael said. “The authenticity of classic
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Necessary Adjustments
country music combined with the anthemic hooks of rock ‘n roll made sense to us. We have all played in dozens of rock bands and country bands. Plus, we obsess on vintage gear. Dripping reverb coming out of an old Fender tube amp played on a well worn telecaster is just magic.”
A Method Behind It There is a methodology behind successfully developing a band’s sound, and the Cottondale Swamp guys took it seriously. “I think it is really important for a band to define their genre, their niche, and micro-niche,” Michael said. “Be able to explain it too. It’s so hard for many bands to do that, including us. A band may think they sound like the Allman Brothers, but people who see the band think they sound like the Grateful Dead. So, there is a
disconnect. After we recorded the first few songs, I sent them to 15 or 20 people and asked them what they thought we sounded like? Overall, people say we are a country band. But, we quickly qualify that by saying, classic country, or outlaw country. God forbid, we are considered new country. We all dislike the formulaic new-country that sounds more like bad classic rock. I call our genre, Southern Americana, or perhaps, Garage Band Country; which I hope evokes rootsy rock ‘n roll with solid country twang.” The band just released their second album, Greetings From Cottondale Swamp. “We are really proud of the new record,” Michael said. “The process and experience of getting this album out was rather long and convoluted. Most of the record was written and
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The band nixed the live record release party too. “Basically, we just tried to use all the online tools that made sense,” Michael said. “There are so many tools to choose from, and every one of them cost money. The album just was released in March of ‘21. We are starting to pitch some festivals for the summer and fall, and we just recently received a call from a promoter asking us to open for a big regional act. They want to advertise our involvement as our CD Release Party, so there you go.” The band truly believes they have a great album on their hands. “We have some strong reviews starting to come in,” Michael said. “I fully expect that we will be playing some decent sized festivals this summer and fall. We really are full steam ahead. Cottondale Swamp has a unique sound, very hooky and once people hear it we think we will be adding friends and fans.”
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theme - New Year ’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, First Day of Spring… This gives us a month to promote it, encourage requests and suggest ways for folks to be active participants. I tend to do these shows as songwriters shows, telling the stories behind the songs and encouraging fan interaction. It is working for us.
Physical space and look: What
To Stream Or Not To Stream, That Is The Question This time of COVID has been a
long, strange trip (quoting the Grateful Dead), especially if you are a touring musician like I am, who makes his living on the road. A change in outlook and a change in how to handle your business have become necessities. Change doesn’t have to be bad though. It can be stressful, take time to figure out and get comfortable with, but that is ok. For many, and for us in particular, that change has been moving to successful streaming shows. It has been a learning curve for sure and is definitely still evolving.
Following are some of the issues and considerations of streaming and how we navigated around them.
Band size: As Amy and I often perform as a duo, and are life partners, it made the most sense to stream as a duo and avoid the COVID issues of bringing in band members. Keeping the streaming size small and simple has worked for us. We watched many artists streaming and decided the most effective (and most representative of who we are) was to keep it personal. We decided to stay unplugged and acoustic. I have not used any electric guitars, just acoustic and resonators. We opted out of using vocal mics and having to mix etc. We set up one room mic, played with positioning it and then balanced out playing to it. For those of you who are not familiar with us, I am a guitar player and Amy plays drums/percussion. Dialing down the drum volume proved challenging and in many songs she chose lighter percussion for our situation. As a singersongwriter the vocals have to stay on top.
What to play: Arranging the right selection of songs for an unplugged duo was fun. Most of the tunes lent themselves to that without much problem. Some songs however, just don’t. We are not doing those. Luckily I have seven CDs out and a lot of material to choose from. And in fact we have had the time to go back and visit songs that we haven’t done in a very long time. Show length: We keep the program close to our live shows, using a two-set format with a break in the middle, roughly 90 minutes total. This allows everyone to get up, refill drinks, and it allows us to retune guitars and make any adjustments needed. The actual show has been a learning process. One thing I did not expect was the live, real-time comment stream on Facebook Live. The comments have been a pleasure and have become a part of the show. About every third song I scroll through, make shout-outs, look at requests etc. I have learned to ask questions the right question generates a flood of response. Our fan base is in the US as well as Europe and we cater to both. I encourage fans to reach out and make friends with other fans. It’s very funny how this has worked and it is really great to see conversations taking place and people having fun reaching out. It is rewarding to watch this and see people coming together as a result of our music!
vibe can you create for your audience? In live shows we always strive for a very warm and personal experience, welcoming the audience. The challenge was how do we accomplish the same in a streaming format? The answer for us was to use a very small physical space and give it a homey, yet professional feel. We use a large wall hanging and a few lights to give a look. Lighting is very important - you don’t want to be too dark and you don’t want the digital glow of a computer screen shining up your nose. We didn’t like the look of the camera being too far away, it was too impersonal. Framing a tighter shot gave more of the look and feel we were after. Props come and go based on that month’s theme.
Pitfalls: Technical issues like broadcasting and lighting can ruin your show. A solid internet connection is essential and sometimes hard to keep. Weather, for example, has proved a greater challenge than we thought. Choose the right streaming platform for your fan base. Each of these will be personal choices but spend the time ahead to dial in your broadcast.
Streaming post-COVID: As live shows start to come back, will we continue streaming? We have had good discussions on this and yes, we will. Streaming has opened a new way for us to build a fan base. We have found many folks do not want to, or cannot, go to crowded venues and like having the show come to them. We also realize our fans are spread out in many places we don’t tour. This brings us to them. Streaming has become one more tool in the box for this performing musician. We now travel on the WiFi highway as well as the Interstate. As always thank you for reading On The Road. Check out our YouTube channel (/mikeaiken), Like, Friend and Subscribe in all the appropriate places
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Frequency: How often should I stream? What are you comfortable with? I have artist friends who had a standing, weekly gig pre-COVID in their hometown. They decided to go continue that with a weekly stream. For us, we have done a monthly show. We choose a
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June 2021
John Driskell Hopkins Who
could have predicted that the music world would have to shift in a digital direction, in a hurry, like it did in 2020? For those musicians who were able to dig in and hold on, many found a way to use the opportunity to create new music and develop new avenues of sharing. John DriskellHopkins, a founding member of the Zac Brown Band, has done like so many others, taken advantage of the down time to finish a new record of songs that he’s been working on for some time. The result is his new, Lonesome High, album. This is an album that features the previously released singles, “Lonesome High” featuring Coy Bowles, “Missing You All, All The Time,” and “I Hate To See Good Whiskey Go To Waste,” alongside nine other cuts that illustrate just how deep Hopkins’ songwriting skills really run.
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Even though it will likely get hung under the “country” banner, it’s really a wonderful blend of folk and southern rock vibes that exude a country feel. While the country music scene loses touch more and more with its roots, Hopkins takes his own path, staying true to himself, and not feeling the need to conform to any preset commercial standard. These are deeply personal songs to John, for various reasons, and they are subjects close to his heart, crafted within the space of his southern home. I recently got a chance to chat with John from his home studio just a day ahead of his leaving for Nashville to begin work on a much anticipated new Zac Brown Band album.
The New Streaming Era I asked John about his thoughts and approach to the live
streaming aspect of music delivery. “Hopefully I’m not doing this in vain for one,” he said. “And hopefully, we can get back to some live music. I feel like people have really gotten into the streaming thing, and that it’s not going to go anywhere. But people are going to still want to do live concerts for sure. But you know; you get a bottle; you’ve got a great sound system at your house; you invite some friends over; and watch the show at home. Also, there are certain components, like I have in my studio that can be controlled in a way that a live show can’t.” Speaking of home studios, John also decided to take advantage of his home studio with the time away from the road. “I’ve owned a studio for 20 years (BrighterShade.com),” he told me. “But this is the last one I plan to build. This one I built in my attic. It’s just beautiful. When you
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By Greg Tutwiler
think of an attic, you don’t think of this, but we have a really steep roof, so it made for a 20 foot peak in the center. Most people just throw old televisions and boxes, and old chairs and things up there. We had lots of space to play with up here and decided to utilize it.”
Not His First Hopkins is no stranger to working on other projects of course. He’s released a couple Christmas albums over the years, and in 2014 he put together a Bluegrass album with the much awarded band, Balsam Range. But this Lonesome High is not a bluegrass album. “Bluegrass has that lonesome high sound, but I wanted to flip that and figure out what that meant to be lonesome and high without adding drugs to the crate,” Hopkins said. John creatively coined the phrase, Arena Folk, to describe what this
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record is about. “It’s kind of like when you’re holding an acoustic guitar and screaming at the same time. It feels like you should be in an arena rock show but you’re still kind of bashing away at acoustic chords. That’s a good way to describe it,” he laughed. “We actually had the vast majority of the record finished before the pandemic. But it was like, ‘now I can’t get anybody over to finish the last overdubs.’ We were almost there. So by the time we got comfortable getting together a little bit here and there, we had the record almost done by the summer but the pandemic never let up. Then we got to the Fall and decided to release one of the songs, and it got swallowed by Christmas. Our timing is improving a little bit now. We’re just doing the best we can to get the music out there. I’ve been working on this for three years.”
Mixed Catalog Some of the songs John wrote new specifically for this record, and some have been in his bag for years. “Songs like, “Human,” I’ve
had for 20 years,” he said. “Zac Brown Band used to play “Human” when I first joined the band. And some of the other ones were almost immediately written and finished for the record. Like the song, “Rebel Road.” It had a riff that some friends of mine and I were tossing around as we started the tune. And then it took a total transformation in the months before the finish of the record. So they’ve all been scattered across that time period between the Balsam Range record and this.” Hopkins and his band hope to share these songs live whenever they get a chance, although acknowledging that the Zac Brown Band takes precedence over any other gigs. “Zack Brown Band always comes first,” he said. “It is a challenge to try to perform with my band, because when we’re on the road and we’re super busy, and time is really tough to come by, you’re not trying to fill up all your downtime with more stuff. So I think the balance will be trying to find the shows that make the most sense.”
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Industrial Bluegrass continued from page 5 Between 1947 and 1989, Appalachian migrants seeking economic opportunities relocated to southwestern Ohio, bringing their music with them. In so doing, they created another renowned hotbed for the thriving bluegrass music genre that was centered on the industrial region of Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton, Middletown, and Springfield, OH. Industrial Strength Bluegrass is edited by Fred Bartenstein and Curtis W. Ellison, with foreword by Neil V. Rosenberg. The book is published by University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield, Illinois. The editors and contributors of Industrial Strength Bluegrass present a collection of eyewitness narratives and in-depth examination that details bluegrass musicians, radio broadcasters, recording studios, record labels, and performance
venues of southwest Ohio; and details that music’s influence on the whole culture scene of the area. A writer at the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings website (https:// folkways.si.edu) had this to say about the book, “During the middle decades of the 20th century, the factories of southwestern Ohio drew hundreds of thousands of migrants from Appalachia, including innumerable musicians. Industrial Strength Bluegrass celebrates the music that these migrants made and loved, and explores a pivotal moment in the history of bluegrass and country music at large.” Industrial Strength Bluegrass is an easy, interesting read and a welcome wealth of knowledge that I found both enlighten and educational. It is very easy to become myopic and forget there are two sides to the misty, old Appalachian mountain range and that folks of the same culture live on the west slopes as well as on the east. This book makes that fact clear. If you are a bluegrass music fan, you will get a kick out of this book. Pick up a copy at www.amazon.com
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2020 IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year;
Alan Bibey
Alan Bibey entered the bluegrass world in the early 1980’s, and has since become one of the top mandolin players in the industry. He was an original member of the ground breaking bands; The New Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out, and BlueRidge, before forming his current band eight years ago, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne. Alan says it was his dad and his grandpa’s love of bluegrass music that initially influenced his own personal interest. “I remember my dad taking me to see Bill Monroe one weekend when I was five years old,” Alan recalled. “He was on a flat bed truck for a stage, and dad had to hold me on his shoulders so I could see. I remember thinking, ‘gosh, that’s the most awesome thing I’d ever seen,’ and on the way home I said, ‘that’s what I want to do.’ When we got home he showed me some chords, and he told me that I started chopping right away.” “Dad told me one time, ‘when you get to be a better mandolin player than me, I’m going to start playing banjo.’
By the time I was eight, he said I was better than him, and so he started playing banjo,” Alan laughed. Alan has received numerous industry accolades including 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2020 SPBGMA Mandolin Performer Of The Year, and IBMA’s Mandolin Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020. His band Alan Bibey & Grasstowne also was awarded the 2 0 2 0 IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year. Alan was included in the Mel Bay book “Greatest Mandolin Players of the Twentieth Century.” In early 2004, the Gibson Company put into production the Alan Bibey Signature line of mandolins, reaffirming his status as one of the most influential mandolin players in bluegrass and acoustic music history. Alan’s band’s latest release, Hitchhiking to California, came out at the end of January, produced in his studio, Maggie’s Crib, in Surfside Beach, South Carolina
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To find out more, visit www.alanbibey.com
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June 2021
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Vanessa Delaine New Zealand born Vanessa Delaine is an Australian musician who’s music ranges between Country, Blues, and Roots e ff o r t l e s s l y, entertaining audiences with her beautiful voice and clever songs. Her dad was a professional singer, so she grew up with music always around her. And although her dad retired shortly after she was born, she said; “That didn’t stop him from singing at fund raisers and special events in the community where we lived. So I got to see him perform, and that was very exciting. I knew from a really young age that’s what I wanted to do too.” Initially, Vanessa began singing with her dad. “Then I learned to play the guitar and started singing by myself,” she said. She started writing songs when she was 11 years old, and finally got to record her first album when she was in her early 20s. “It was a dream come true,” she recalled. “I had always listened to these beautiful singers on the radio, and thought, ‘I want to hear my songs on the radio too.” Vanessa has gone on to perform her original music at Festivals all around Australia, and toured extensively, performing on both sides of the Tasman. She’s won multiple awards, including Best Female Performer at The American Tracks Awards, and was a finalist for Female Vocalist of the Year at Gold Media Medallion Awards. Her music videos have received nearly 20 awards at international film festivals. Vanessa’s latest release is her fourth album, One Girl Band 25 Years. It’s actually a re-release of her first record, One Girl Band, with a few extra songs that weren’t included on the original project. “Most of these songs were on an original DAT tape,” she said. “My producer from the original project helped me extract and re-master the music.” The new version of the album has already placed in five prestigious song-writing awards including; NZ Gold Guitars Song-writing Awards, and Tamworth Songwriters Association Awards. To find out more, visit https://vanessadelaine.com/home
Ed Roman Shelburne, Ontario, Canada is home for multiinstrumentalist, award-winning singer/songwriter, Ed Roman. Ed’s music has appeared on more than 600 radio stations world wide over his career. He was a 2014 Artists Music Guild Award Nominee, a 2014 and 2018 International Music and Entertainment Association Award winner. Twice he was nominated for an IMEA award. In 2015 and 2016 he won the Josie Show Awards. And in 2017 he was awarded the Radio Music Award for Best Americana Artist. Ed has a life long journey of learning to live with dyslexia. “I struggled immensely, and still do,” he said. “When this came to the surface, my mom was clever enough to know that I gravitated towards music and guided me in that direction. I was always singing, always wanting to play the old piano that was in the front hall of our house, and I was always telling stories, so it represented a break away thing for me. It liberated me, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” Ed has become an ambassador to the dyslexia community in Canada. “I want people to understand that it’s not so much that it’s a problem; In fact, Henry Winkler recently described it as a gift. We’re not better or worse than anybody else. But we crave that three dimensional contact with our environment, and music offers that. It has a sense of fluidity to it, story telling – all the things that are three dimensional. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I told someone in an interview once when they asked me if I’d be playing music if I wasn’t dyslexic; I said yes, I would, because I love it that much.”
Timothy Jaromir Zurich-based singer-songwriter Timothy Jaromir is excited to share his latest album, Hiraeth. Jaromir says the album’s name is a Welsh word that describes an emotional, bittersweet state of being. He says he hopes the album itself will evoke this feeling in the listener as well. “It’s a place that doesn’t exist literally; It’s a home that you long for, but to which you can’t return,” he exclaimed. Although Timothy is based in Zurich, he has family roots that are English and Czech. “My mother is from England, and when I was small we used to travel there a lot,” Timothy recalled. “My father’s from Czechoslovakia, but I didn’t get to travel there much until the borders opened again in the 80s.” When his father was a young man, he was in a soul band in Czechoslovakia. “He used to sing songs like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding in the Czech language,” Timothy said. “They even made records of those versions. In the afternoons when I came home from school, my dad would play music; either his guitar, he was or learning a new instrument; and we would often play music together. That’s how it all really started for me.” In addition to Timothy’s English and Czech roots, his wife is a Canadian citizen, so they’ve spent a lot of time there over the years, and it’s where his last two albums were made. The latest recording of Hiraeth is a return home of sorts for him. Timothy felt strongly that the eight-song album should be recorded in Switzerland using the local musicians who have accompanied him during his live performances. Hiraeth released worldwide on November 6, 2020.
Ed spent many years playing with other musicians, but has recently stepped out as a solo artist, and started releasing his material one song at a time rather than a whole album all at once. “We’ve changed so much in terms of how people acquire music these days,” Ed said. “It’s a singles market now, so that’s what we’ve been doing with this new material, “When it’s ready, we put it out there. Maybe we’ll create a video to go along with it, and then in another couple months, we’ll do it all over again.”
Although the release promotion concentrated mostly on Germany and Switzerland, Timothy says the reception has been more far reaching than just that. “We’ve had some attention in the UK and the United States as well. Americana UK premiered my video for the song, “River On The Rise.” And we’ve had some radio air play locally, which is always nice to here.” Timothy had a trip planned later this year for Nashville, TN, but that had to be rescheduled due to the Covid travel restrictions.
To find out more, visit www.edroman.net
To find out more, visit www.www.timothyjaromir.com
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June 2021
Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles
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Barry Abernathy Barry Abernathy cannot remember ever not loving music. As a really young child, he loved Buck Owens. “My mom bought me a little red guitar just like the one Buck had,” Barry recalled recently. “I couldn’t play it of course, but she says when I was two or three years old, I would sit out on the porch and play and sing songs for all the neighbor kids.” When Barry was around 11 years old, he discovered he enjoyed singing in church, and soon after, he and his cousin started singing and traveling together as a duet. When he was 14 he began playing the Banjo and Mandolin. “I just fell in love with it,” he said. In 1993, Barry entered the professional Bluegrass ranks playing with the group Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out for about a year before joining Doyle Lawson’s Quick Silver. “I got to start in this business playing with some of my heroes,” Barry said. In 1999, Barry teamed up with Jimmy Van Cleve and Steve Gully to co-found the soon-to-be super group, Mountain Heart. He stayed with that group until 2015 before taking a break from the music industry for a few years for health reasons. It wouldn’t be long though before Van Cleve would coax him back into the fray in 2019 to help form the newly popular group, Appalachian Road Show, with friends Darrell Webb, Todd Phillips, and Zeb Snyder. Barry actually recorded this album before the launch of Appalachian Road Show. “It just made sense to hold onto it for a while until we got the band established,” Barry said. “But with Covid, it seemed like a good time to get it finished and out to the fans.” The 11 track, Barry Abernathy & Friends, released late February, features a veritable Who’s Who of great music artists and players. Sam Bush, Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Dan Tyminski, Rhonda Vincent, and Steve Gulley are just a few of the greats listed on this project. To find out more, visit www.billybluerecords.com
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Sweetheart Americana music is not only big, and growing, in the US, many European artists and audiences have also embraced the roots, folk, country themed vibes. Norway is no exception. Relatively new Norwegian trio, Sweetheart, has embraced the more mellow tones of the Americana feel in their new collection of songs written by lead singer / songwriter John-Arne Gundersen. Sweetheart’s self-titled album was recorded by Kenneth Ishak at Observatoriet Studio in Oslo in six hectic days in the spring of 2020 for Mother Likes It Records. The band morphed from it’s origins as a countryrock band, to the more minimalistic and melodic expression of their current style. Originally formed in 2000, the ensemble took a 13 year break before resurrecting the band two years ago. Even when the band split, the idea was always to start playing together again at some point. “I never really quit playing,” John said. “I just kept playing for myself at home, and at small gatherings like weddings and funerals, and such. When we did finally get back together, we had a new drive, and were a lot more inspired, and it was a lot more fun.” When the band resurfaced, it was a paired down version though, with just three of the original members, and a new edition on vocals, Mette Hardnes. Mette started playing music when she was a little girl, and has played in several bands as an adult. While they choose to label themselves Americana, John says that a lot of their songs could also be described as singer-songwriter songs. “We’ve been influenced by a lot of different kinds of Americana artists, but mainly our music is very quiet,” John said. “Sometimes our audiences comment on how quiet we are, but that’s the way we like it – that’s the music we’re going for.” “The Americana scene is growing bigger and bigger in Norway,” Mette said. “We now have several festivals that are Americana themed, and the audience for it is really growing these days.”
To find out more, visit https://m.facebook.com/motherlikesitrecords/
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Dan Cimaglio Although Dan Cimaglio has been a musician a large part of his life, it’s only been in recent years that he began to pursue it professionally. This Chicago native moved away for a while when his wife’s job relocated. While in Oregon, and then Vermont, Dan began collecting bits and pieces of original song material. Eventually, they returned home to Chicago, about three years ago, and Dan felt the time was right to see if he had enough material for a full fledged recording project. Sure enough, he did, and set out to record his debut album. Dan began his interest in music as a bass player using a borrowed bass and amp in middle school. He remembers lamenting this to his dad as a school battle of the bands approached. “I came home one day from school and there were these boxes sitting on my front porch,” Dan recalled. “Dad had gone out and bought me a fender bass guitar and amp – I was practically in tears; to get that kind of support meant everything.” Dan continued to play in various school bands and then as a young adult in the Chicago area. “But there comes a time where the rubber meets the road, and things change,” Dan said. Adult life took over. Dan’s trade became carpentry and construction, but music was always near by. “Even though my day career sidetracked my music from time to time, I was always writing,” Dan shared. So when he and his wife returned to Chicago, he knew it was probably now if he ever wanted to see where these song pieces he’d been collecting would go. He shared them with a good friend and producer who immediately encouraged him to see it through. The result was, Let the Light Shine. “These songs are about love, loss, hope and family,” Dan said. “While growing up in a city can give you an urban perspective, living and working in a rural environment gives you an appreciation for the land and the people trying to make something out of it. Though I may have grown up in Chicago, I feel that I’ve absorbed some of that rural DNA into my life, and it shows up here in my music.”
To find out more, visit www.dancimaglio.com
June 2021
Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles
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Rik Ferrell Rik Ferrell has been gigging music most of his life. Not long ago, he was with the Road House Clams from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Rik’s latest project, after a move to the sunny coast of Florida, is Rik Ferrell and the Borrowed Stars. His new single, “Well I Never,” from the upcoming six-track EP, Ugly Babies, is already getting some good airplay. Rik’s first paying gig was playing a house party when he was just 15 years old. “We made a hundred bucks,” Rik recalled. “We got about two songs in before the cops showed up and we all had to sneak out the back door with our guitars in hand, running through the alley,” he laughed. Rik recalled a time when he got to play a gig in New York City at CBGBs, opening for the Flaming Lips, as a rather significant career moment. “We really felt like rock stars,” he recalled. “And we actually got paid that night too. That was a real launching pad for me. I was like; ‘Yea, I want more of this,’ and I’ve been chasing it ever since.” Rik’s music has that costal, yacht rock sound so synonymous with summer time fun. “It’s always been sort of a cow-punk style,” Rik said. “But it’s morphed into this outlaw country style, but I’ll take whatever. I just generally let the music take me where the music is gonna go.” “The Road House Clams was a six piece configuration of musical miscreants,” Rik said. “It was crazy. We had a blast. It was a lot of touring and a whole lot of fun. But I finally got to the point where my doctor told me that I was allergic to shoveling snow and wearing big bulky clothes,” he quipped. Rik’s new EP, Ugly Babies, released at the end of February. “The studio band that joined me on the new release was absolutely stellar,” Rik said. We had standouts like keyboardist Daniel Clarke from KD Lang’s and Ryan Adams’s bands, Dusty Ray Simmons on drums, my son Derek Ferrell on bass, and my longtime friend and studio ninja Mark Williams handling the production and laying down the quality guitar parts. We all fell in love with Phoebe Sharp’s pristine, game-changing harmonies, and Mark was even able to get the great J. Tom Hnatow to make a cameo on pedal steel. With all of them on board, we took these songs to a whole new level. I’m still blown away!”
To find out more, visit www.rikferrell.com/home
He Is The Artist He Is The Artist (HITA), an American Christian singer-songwriter from Central Islip, New York, who has recently come to the faith, and has chosen a new style to channel his music through. Dubbed, Christian, NeoSoul, Jazz – his music fits nicely into the new roots category. “My name comes from this idea that He, God, is the creator; the real artist,” he told us. “This has been a very inspiring year for me.” It was only about a year ago that He Is The Artist was performing in the secular arena under his given name. “Things happened that I never dreamed could happen. The Creator did that for me, and I’m very thankful.” HITA discovered his “true calling” after hearing an inspiring sermon by pastor-author, TD Jakes, online one day. “That day I was inspired to teach the world about the Lord, like TD Jakes did with his Sermon, but through my music.” HITA’s recent EP weaves the listener through the levels of human growth through Roots genre styled covers of some of his favorite pop tunes like Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” and the 70’s classic, “Loving You,” made famous by Minnie Riperton. It also includes one original; “Bright Ideas.” “The Fleetwood Mac cover is meant for the listener to reflect on how important aging and gaining wisdom from your past mistakes is,” he said. HITA’s single, “Boom (Remastered),” found it’s way to the #1 spot on the Christian/Gospel charts in South Africa, followed by a #1 iTunes Jazz mash-up of Britney Spears and Adair.
Psychopath Etquette Southern Maine brothers, David and Paul Sprague (founding members) make up the folky, funky, rock blend duo known as Psychopath Etiquette. They literally are “a band of brothers.” The brothers have been playing music together professionally for more than a decade. In the summer of 2019, they formed this band, “as a culmination of everything they had been working on since childhood,” they said recently. “All the chips are down and it’s time for one last push.” If Folk and Rock had a baby, you would get something that sounds a lot like Psychopath Etiquette. ‘We’ve always made music together,” David said. “But it’s never really been official until now. Every few years we’d get together and jam for a few weeks, but then we’d go back to our regular lives.” David said about the choice for their name; “I like that it’s not really a solid idea. It’s just the kind of ideas that it implies that makes it interesting. It just sort of stuck with me, and then we were able to reserve the URL and that sealed the deal,” he said. “I just like the way that the words play together, and we just settled on it.” When the brothers were growing up their mom would always be listening to folk and classic country music. “My first real memory of music was sneaking off to listen to Johnny Cash,” David recalled. “Then we grew up and found our own music and migrated more to the rock sound. But eventually, I learned to appreciate them both. So now we try to blend all the genres and the instruments as often as we can.”
HITA’s EP concludes with a cover of Tori Kelly’s, “Dear No One.” “The intention is for the listener to understand that growth is a personal journey,” he said, “And if you happen to meet someone along the way to help your growth, that’s great, but absolutely not necessary. Ultimately we are responsible for our own growth in life, and it’s ok to have fun along the way too.”
All of the brother’s music has an original focus, however that will, on occasion, include some of those influential covers for good measure. They recently released an EP, Rough Draft, of their original songs while they put together the rest of the tracks for an upcoming full length project scheduled for later this year.
To find out more, visit
To find out more, visit
https://artistecard.com/HeIsTheArtist
www.https://soundcloud.com/psychopathetiquette
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June 2021
Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles
on all of these Podcast platforms!
Rae Leigh Australian artist Rae Leigh recently transposed nearly a life time of timid songwriting into a powerful break-out career, as she discovered the joy and courage in sharing her talent as a strong singer and songwriter with the world around her. Rae said she was just six years old when she found the piano. “My sister, who is nine years older than me, was getting piano lessons one day,” Rae said. “I remember seeing that and telling my parents that I wanted to do that too. It was something that I just intuitively drew to. Writing my own songs, though I did a lot of it, I did in private. I always loved writing, but I never really shared that with anyone. It was like my diary; a secret side of me.” In November of 2019 all that changed. “It took me a long time, and I had to deal with a lot of emotional insecurities and fears,” she said. “At some point though, I just had to do it. It was almost like a compulsion, like now is the time to share these songs and this music with other people.” “I didn’t know what was coming in 2020 of course,” she said, “but when I look at the songs I wrote over the last 20 years; they helped me through some of the darkest and hardest times of my life. They are very hopeful and very encouraging songs. With all the things that people were going through around me, it was beautiful to be able to be free to start sharing these songs with them.”
Bill Abernathy Kansas City, Missouri is home for musician, Bill Abernathy. Like many, Bill started playing music and writing songs in his early teens, and played music through his high school and early adult years before adult life stepped in and put music on the sideline. As life does to folks, Bill became a family man and had a business career. But on the other side of that, he picked up the guitar again and rekindled his love for music. “I always tell people I’m doing this music thing backwards,” Bill quipped. “The idea is that you do music when you’re young, right? I did that, doing the touring and traveling thing when I was a young pup. But for a myriad of different reasons, I chose to step away. I never really quit writing and playing music though. In each of the homes I had along the way, I always had a music studio, but the lifestyle of two kids that were both Division-I athletes does not lend itself to a lot of spare time to sit around and play guitar.” Once that season of Bill’s life settled down, he realized that he had books full of songs he had written. “I had this thought,” Bill said; “I just wonder …,’ then we took some of those songs and recorded them, and people seemed to really like them, and they even won a few awards. So we followed that up with another one.” That record, Find A Way, was release in 2017, reaching number five on the Roots Music Report Traditional Folk Album chart, and the single, “Goodbye Will Never Come Again” reached number one on the singles chart.
In January 2020, Rae released her first single, “All I Can Do,” from her debut EP, Powered By Love. The recent single, “Find A Better Day,” a song she co-wrote with Mary Haller from Nashville Tennessee, is a song about “holding onto the music and hope that one day things will be better, and that you just have to keep searching,” she said. “It was an idea that was sparked in 2015 after emotional and spiritual adversity tested her resilience.”
In December 2018 Billboard Magazine named him an Emerging Artist. And his latest album, Crossing Willow Creek, has already enjoyed some success. The first single, “Cry Wolf,” reached the iTunes Top 100 Rock Songs chart, while hitting the Top five on New Music Weekly’s country chart.
To find out more, visit www.rae-leigh.com
To find out more, visit www.billabernathy.com
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“Inspiration for my music comes from a variety of the many parts of my life,” Bill said. ”I find it interesting and rewarding to let my imagination wander through the memory and spirit of life events and see where it takes me.”
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David Arn Virginia Beach musician, David Arn, has been awarded three film festival awards for three different music videos that he’s created from the three different albums he’s released so far in his musical career. His music has been featured on NPR and the BBC, and one of his songs was actually featured on Delta airlines music on their commercial flights. David’s grandfather played piano professionally and he said it seemed like there was always a piano in their house when he was growing up. “I was the oldest in the family, and I think the regiment was that I had to take piano lessons,” he laughed. “I was taking piano lessons very early too – classical piano.” His lessons lasted almost eight years until; “one day I turned on the radio and heard Elton John and Little Richard, and I said, ‘Oh! There’s another way to play this piano,” he quipped. “That’s when I stopped taking classical piano lessons, right then.” All the way through high school and college David played in different bands but at some point in his early adult life music took a back seat until about nine years ago. “I just really got back into it, and put together an album. It was really just meant for friends, but on a whim, I sent a copy to a radio DJ personality in Richmond, VA. One day he sent me an email and said, ‘you’re in the mix tonight.’ I remember my wife and I that night huddled around the radio waiting for my song to come on – and when it did, it was such a rush,” David recalled. “That’s really how it all got started for me. And then through some quirk of fate, I got a song from that first album, “Andrea,” picked up by Delta airlines. That really inspired me to keep going and keep getting better at it.” His latest album, Traveler Tales, was released in September 2020. It’s pure Americana with an underpinning of folk and soft rock tones. The songs display deep lyrical content as well, that’s so prevalent throughout all of David’s music. Each of the 14 songs tells a unique story from 14 different traveler’s perspectives.
To find out more, visit www.davidarn.com
June 2021
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Mauri Dark Dreams Of A Middle-Aged Man is Mauri Dark’s autobiographical debut solo album. This Finland singer/songwriter’s deep baritone voice makes his music even more mysterious. A big fan of Johnny Cash, Dark has, on occasion, even played cover sets as a tribute to his inspiration. Mauri started playing drums in his pre-teen years, and was quickly inspired by the American rock band, KISS. “I started playing seriously when I was 16,” he said, and recalled playing drums for several teenage rock bands. “At 18, I got a guitar and started writing songs.” Mauri played all kinds of music in different bands throughout his adult years, but his most noted stint was as founder, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of the popular European metal duo, Mystons. Mauri’s 25 year music career found him recording eight albums and performing at over 500 shows before life nudged him to into a more reflective solo career. “There were a lot of events in my life that contributed to me changing directions musically,” Dark said. “They made me think about a lot of things in different ways. I’ve been writing songs for 25 years, and these events made me see how my life had been writing itself into my songs all along.” “Now it’s just me and my guitar; just the bones of the songs,” Mauri said. Dreams Of A Middle-Aged Man is not only the title of the album, but it’s also one of the single releases. “There’s definitely a story behind the record,” Mauri said. “And I really like the vulnerability that this album brings out in me.” Mauri also got to work with his “dream audio team” on this record, including Vlado Meller who has previously mastered albums for Johnny Cash, Metallica, and Michael Jackson, to name a few. “It’s the record I have always wanted to make,” Mauri said. “It is an emotional, honest, and sincere acoustic album full of moods and stories in the spirit of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake, and polished by the finest audio professionals and equipment in the spirit of the old times when albums were made to last.”
To find out more, visit www.mauridark.com
Miss Freddye Miss Freddye, a full time nurse, also known as, Lady Of The Blues, got her inspiration as a young girl singing in church and through her mother’s love of Blues music. “When I was a kid there were a couple of us in the neighborhood that would get together and sing whatever we liked at the time,” Miss Freddye told us. She loved singing so much that, “One Christmas my mom got me a plastic pink microphone,” she laughed. When she was 15, Miss Freddye joined a local church choir, but recalled that it didn’t go so well. “My stage fright went through the roof after that,” she said. As the years went by though, she kept at it, singing in choir along the way. “I really didn’t get into this until 1996 when I auditioned for my first band,” she recalled. She joined the Blues Music Works band under the direction Of “Big” Al Leavitt in 1996, and hasn’t quit. She now fronts two bands, Miss Freddye’s Blues Band (electric blues) and Miss Freddye’s Homecookin’ Band, (acoustic blues, classic rock, gospel.) Her influences include Koko Taylor, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Big Mama Thornton, and Bessie Smith. Clearly those days singing in the choir and warming up with her plastic microphone have paid off. In 2008, she won West Virginia Blues Society for Best Blues, and in 2012 the Blues Society Of Western PA Best Duo/Solo Act. In 2014, Miss Freddye was awarded the Star Award from the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center for her work with veterans, and was awarded the 2015 Freedom From Silence Award from the Center For Victims. The Iron City Rocks Awards for Best Blues Band acknowledged Miss Freddye and her band with it’s top honor in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Her self-released CD, Lady Of The Blues, won for Best Album in 2017.
Jeremy Parsons Jeremy Parsons grew up in San Antonio, Texas surrounded by the rich Texas music heritage; however, he was more interested in sports until late in high school when he and a coach came to an impasse. “I do things because I enjoy doing them, and it was obvious sports weren’t going to be my thing anymore, so I began to wonder what my new hobby would be,” Jeremy recalled. When he was younger, his parents bought him a starter guitar and tried to get him interested in music. “I was such an outdoor kid that it just didn’t appeal to me at the time,” he said. “But I found that guitar sitting around my house when I was 17, and I thought, ‘well, let’s give this a shot.’ It was just the right time. I got extremely addicted to it, and the only world that existed was playing that guitar.” In about eight months, Jeremy went from mastering the guitar to beginning to add singing to his new found passion. “An English project came along in my senior year that I was struggling with,” he said. “My dad said, ‘why don’t you try writing a song?’ So I did. And it became this cool segue into realizing that I also had a natural understanding of song structure. It was like was a domino effect.” He took his new found talents to an open mic night. “I was nervous of course, so I decided that if they didn’t like me, it would be a sign. Instead they said, ‘hey, you should play another one.’ They hadn’t done that with anyone else that night, so I figured there might be something to this. By the time I looked up and saw what was happening I was completely infatuated with it and didn’t ever want to do anything else.” When Jeremy turned 21, he moved to Nashville for 10 years and began a career of writing songs for a living. “It will always feel like home to me. But eventually it was time to move back, and you have to be honest with yourself about that,” he said.
Her latest single, the gospel classic, “Wade In The Water,” is out now, from her forthcoming gospel album, scheduled for release later this year.
Jeremy’s first new single since returning home, “Tragedy,” was released in May, 2020. His next single, “Good Ole Days,” was released in July, 2020. His new album, Things To Come, released in January 2021.
To find out more, visit www.missfreddye.com
To find out more, visit www.jeremyparsonsmusic.com
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
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June 2021
Music From The National Scene
Music From Your Neighbors
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elcome to the first edition of SPINS for 2021. A little late, we know, but better late than never! Wow, are we ever impressed with this issue’s collection of SPINS. Artists are turning out good music everywhere, and we’re still here to tell you about it! Check these out, and please tell them we sent you. Support your favorite musician so they can keep making their music! Got one you want us to consider? send it to: Uncle Woody The Spin Doctor PO Box 45 Bridgewater, VA 22812
Desert Hollow
The Shootouts
Rockhearts
Dale Ann Bradley
Thirsty www.deserthollowmusic.com Xander Hitzig and Nicole Olney make up this California folkie duet. The two independent songwriters have colaborated on this new project; Thirsty. Their love for traditional folk and bluegrass shines through beautifully
Bullseye
Things She Couldn’t Get Over
www.shootoutmusic.com
Starry Southern Nights www.rockheartsbluegrass.com
Vintage Nashville, Texas swing, and Bakersfield bravado lay the foundation for this new project from The Shootouts. Bullseye was produced by BR549’s Chuck Mead, and it has his vibe all over it. Nice work guys.
This is the debut project from the New England bluegrass band, Rockhearts. Formed in 2013, this quintet brings years of talent and tradition to their hard driving new Ned Luberecki produced CD, Starry Southern Nights
This five time IBMA female vocalist of the year winner ups the bar another notch with her latest release, Things She Couldn’t Get Over. Kentucky born Dale Ann is also part of the award winning, Grammy nominated, Sister Sadie
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www.daleannbradley.com
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Amanda Cook
Wild & Blue
Ninalynn
Lucas Dalton Ebert
Restless
Hummingbird
www.tedrussellkamp.com
Narrowing The Gap www.amandacookbluegrass.com
www.wildandblueband.com
www.ninalynn.nl
Nobody www.lucasebert.com
Shooter Jenning’s bass player, Ted Russell Kamp, is an accomplished singersongwriter in his own right. Solitaire is his 13th full album release. Ted plays a majority of the instruments on this project too. It’s just darn good Southern Americana
This is Amanda’s third recording project for Willis, Virginia’s Mountain Fever Records. The straight ahead bluegrass project, Narrowing The Gap, features four original band songs. “We are narrowing the gap to where we want to be with this record,” she said
Restless is the debut album from the new musical partnership, Wild & Blue. The California-bred, father and daughter duo take family harmony to new heights. Steve and April have been singing together since April was a toddler. One of our fav projects
America is not the only country to be turning our great Americana music these days. Netherland’s Ninalynn shares her captivating first album, Hummingbird. We’re glad this shy, reluctant singer finally decided to share her music with the rest of us - good stuff
This Oklahoma Americana artist gets his inspiration from his late father, Titus Ebert, and southern folk singer like Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine. Ebert got started by busking on the streets. His new EP, Nobody, proves hard work really does pay off
John Smith
Steve Gulley and Tim Stafford
The Rough And Tumble
Williamson Branch Heritage and Hope
Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Ted Russell Kamp Solitaire
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The Fray
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www.johnsmithjohnsmith.com
Still Here
We’re Only Family If You Say So
This Essex born singersongwriter was raised by the Devon seaside, and makes his living in the bars and clubs of Liverpool. The Fray is his sixth recording project. Like so many, a product of the pandemic. Smith has a keeper on his hands for sure
www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com
www.theroughandtumble.com
The recent sudden passing of Steve Gulley makes this final duet recording even more special. Both musicians have won over fans in the bluegrass world for years. Their songwriting skills are hard to match. This will be a classic
2019 Winners of the Independent Music Awards, Song of The Year, The Rough And Tumble features Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler. They hit the road in 2015, traveling in a 16’ camper, touring the nation. You’ll like their vibe
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www.williamsonbranch.com
www.freedirt.net
Family/Sibling harmonies are hard to beat.The latest from this family bluegrass band is a two album gospel set, Heritage and Hope. Lead singer, Melody Williamson, is a IBMA Momentum award winner and Vocalist of the Year. Well worth the listen
They call their self titled record old soul roots music. The description is catch and spot on! Fresh out of college, this duo has a special feel for the true essence of Americana music. Look for this project and collaboration to go places with their music
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You can send new Americana CD releases for consideration to PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812 / greg@americanarhythm.com
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www.AmericanaRhythm.com
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June 2021
By Greg Tutwiler
Nate Gusakov; Many Mountains
the Vermont Symphony Orchestra as well as many other bands and groups. “I was always hearing it,” Nate said, “attending events and gigs and hanging out back stage, and singing four-part harmonies in the family car,” he recalled. “I went totally away from it though all through high school, focusing more in sports. Then, when I was 20, I kept hearing music in my head and I thought, ‘I better learn something or I’m gonna be real bummed down the road. So I picked up a banjo and off I went.”
The mountains of northern Vermont is where Nate Gusakov calls home. The singer songwriting banjoist started picking the clawhammer-style banjo 20 years ago. However in recent years, he’s been strumming a solid-body electric banjo, “transmuted through pedal board and vintage tubes into a 5string axe with capabilities that
range far beyond his usual openbacked acoustic instrument.” It’s a new direction in his sound for sure, but one that’s yielding wonderful results. Nate grew up in a musical household with his father being a professional violinist, fiddler and fiddle teacher, playing with
Nate’s music today is a hybrid of sorts. His songs are about life experiences, both lived and imagined. It’s more Neofolk when the songs are dark and honest. But it’s closer to blues rock when they’re gritty and loud. He even uses the phrase “experimental old-time” for those songs that are just a fiddle and banjo, as he describes; “bouncing happily along some old path by a creek, then darting suddenly off into an acoustic sonic wilderness.” Nate chose the evolutionary style intentionally. “I began to hear songs in my head that were
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
electric in nature. As a musician, that was really cool,” he said. “I could play them on the acoustic banjo, but I could hear them with a full band.” This experience went on for a couple years for Nate. “I bought a Goldtone electric banjo with my Christmas bonus a few years ago, and those songs that had been rattling in my head became fully realized – and those couple songs that led me to this style made their way onto this new record.”
Nate’s new EP, Many Mountains, features five original songs with Nate on electric banjo backed by a full band, including drums, bass, electric guitar, violin, Hammond B3 organ, and even backup vocals
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