March 2017
“Let life be like music.” ~ Langston Hughes ~ Happy New Year Americana Music fans! So glad to be spending another year with you here in these pages. Hard to believe it’s been 13 - we’ll call it lucky number 13. I know there’s lot’s going on in the world - heck there’s a lot going on right here in our little corner of it. But even when we don’t all always agree on everything, music is the universal language. We can all come together at festivals, and concerts, and music circles, and local jams, and even house parties and back yard picnics - all together to celebrate music. And at least for a little while, we’re one in the spirit, of music. That’s what I’m looking forward to this spring and summer. And as of this writing, it’s only 40 more days til the first day of spring - I think we’ll make it! We’re glad to feature a story with Mr. Jim Lauderdale on the cover of this issue, and take a little peak behind the curtain of one of our writers - Wayne Erbsen, and his new book. Big howdy to all you great folks in Kansas City at this year’s International Folk Alliance. We know you’re having a blast! As always, we look forward to seeing so many of you at the conferences and festivals through out the year. Questions, comments, suggestions: greg@americanarhythm.com PUBLISHER
Americana Rhythm is published six times a year. All corresponCONTRIBUTORS dence should be sent to PO Box 45, Bridgewater VA, 22812 or Ed Tutwiler email to greg@americanarhythm.com. Copies of Americana Wayne Erbsen Rhythm are made available free at various pick up locations within Donna Ulisse the publication’s region. Subscriptions are available inside the United Don and Martha DePoy States (only) for $16 US currency made payable by check or money Andrew McKnight order sent to, Subscriptions at PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812. Mark Whetzel Foreig n su bscrip tion req u ests shou l d b e sen t to Scott Perry greg@americanarhythm.com. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. DISTRIBUTION Reproduction of any content, artwork or photographs is strictly Ed Tutwiler prohibited without permission of the publisher or original owner. All Zebra Media advertising material subject to approval. Associated Dist. PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Greg E. Tutwiler Associate Editor Ed Tutwiler MARKETING & PROMOTION Mark Barreres (GrassRootsNetworking.com) ADVERTISING Letters, Comments, Suggestions Business office 540-433-0360 greg@americanarhythm.com advertising@americanarhythm.com www.americanarhythm.com
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Sunny Mountain Legend
The longer I cruise the edges of this
Monroe’s tenor voice and their combined tenor vocals soon became known as the high lonesome sound, which has since become synonymous with traditional bluegrass music.
genre of Americana string music that folks now call bluegrass, the more I hear folks make reference to Jimmy Martin. I freely admit he is a personality of which I know less about than I should. Even though I remember the golden radio days when there was plenty of Appalachian string music being aired and the mother church in Nashville’s Ryman auditorium aired it all on the Grand Ole Opry—clear channel throughout the eastern US. Those live shows did not include regular appearances by Jimmy Martin since he never received the coveted invitation to become a member of that body. To educate myself and maybe the few of you dear readers who share my lack of knowledge, I recently did a bit of research into the life and times of Mr. Jimmy Martin who self-described himself as the King of Bluegrass. Less we think that Mr. Martin was a minor player in this genre of music, we need to know this: Jimmy Martin is credited as writer or co-writer of more than 90 songs and instrumentals including many bluegrass standards. If that is not enough to secure his recognition, we also need to know that Martin is considered to be the singer who put the high lonesome in Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys sound thus creating the signature sound for generations of like-minded performers to emulate.
Success Comes Early
Influencing The Legend
chord playing from a local resident who lived in the hills around Sneedville, and while still a teenager, he played guitar in a local string band and appeared on radio stations around Morristown, TN, to gain experience.
guitarist. Martin had visions of applying for this vacant post as guitarist. While Martin was jamming backstage, Monroe’s banjo player, Rudy Lyle, overheard his playing and took Martin to Bill Monroe for an audition.
Jimmy Martin’s influence radically changed Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boy’s music from the fastpaced, smooth style of the original 1945 lineup with Flatt and Scruggs. Martin challenged Bill Monroe to raise the pitch on many of his classics and to write new songs that fit this new high lonesome sound. Along with Monroe and Martin, this band’s lineup included Rudy Lyle (banjo) and Charlie Cline (fiddle) and is considered by many to be one of the high points of Bill Monroe’s career. Martin’s vocals and his guitar playing complemented Monroe perfectly, and in the opinion of many, Jimmy Martin was the finest lead singer and guitarist Bill Monroe ever employed. You can hear the Martin high tenor lead in recordings from that era such as Sitting Alone in the Moonlight, Memories of Mother and Da, I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome, Uncle Pen, My Little Georgia Rose and Letter from My Darlin.
At the age of 22, Jimmy Martin rode a bus to Nashville and found his way to the backstage of the Opry. This was in the winter of 1949, and news reports had announced that Mac Wiseman was leaving Bill Monroe’s group as its
Jimmy Martin was blessed with a great tenor voice, and after he sang two songs with Monroe, Bill Monroe hired Jimmy Martin instantly as a guitarist but more importantly as a high tenor lead singer. Martin’s high voice mixed nicely with
It has been said many times, that Bill Monroe had a stubborn, straight-laced, and prickly personality that made him not an easy person to work with. What might not be so widely known is the fact that Jimmy Martin had a high-
James Henry Martin was born on August 10, 1927 in the east Tennessee town of Sneedville. He grew up with very little formal schooling in that hardscrabble farming life that was common in his rural east Tennessee home land. He grew up singing in church and with friends from surrounding farms. His mother and stepfather were gospel singers and are considered one of his earliest influences as are also the performers of the traditional country music then being aired on the Grand Ole Opry radio show, which was broadcast by radio station WSM in Nashville, TN. Martin was especially drawn to the music of Opry star Bill Monroe. When Martin was in his teens, he bought a guitar and learned basic
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By Edward Tutwiler
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March 2017
strung and exuberant personality and was considered unpredictable although he possessed an entertaining stage presence. Martin freely acknowledged problems with alcohol abuse and volatile mood swings. Needless to say these two distinctly different personalities led to clashes. Martin’s first stint with Monroe lasted until 1951. He took another try with Monroe from 1952 through 1953. Between these stints with Monroe, Jimmy Martin teamed with the Osborne Brothers to form a group named the Sunny Mountain Boys. This musical partnership lasted through 1955 when Martin struck out on his own career path as a solo performer. He commandeered the group’s name for his own use although it had originally been associated with the Osbornes. It is worth knowing that much like the later-day Country Gentlemen group; Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys hosted a wealth of new musical talent that regularly passed through the group over the years such as: Doyle Lawson, Bill Emerson, and J.D. Crowe. Throughout Martin’s career, the band’s lineup was constantly changing but the quality of the musicians always remained high; and is considered the first bluegrass
group to include a female harmony singer.
First Solo Record
In the spring of 1956, Martin signed with Decca Records and made his first solo recordings. Jimmy Martin’s high tenor voice combined with the tight trio singing that he favored, and the use of a snare drum to drive the backbeat of the group’s performance led to a unique musical sound that fans enjoyed hearing. Through his solo records; his occasional performances on the Grand Ole Opry; and as members of the Louisiana Hayride from 1957 to 1959 and of the Wheeling Jamboree from 1959 to 1962, Martin helped bring the bluegrass genre of music into the mainstream—because he concentrated on music that focused on the vocals and not the instruments. By the late 1950’s, Jimmy Martin was placing songs in the country top 40 charts and throughout the 1960s scoring with an occasional hit single. He also became a regular performer on the emerging Bluegrass Festival circuit. Very often when folks discuss the string-music sound associated with
the Appalachian Mountains they will soon find themselves discussing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s classic 1971 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken as well as a Volume II (1989) and a Volume III (2002) albums by the same name. It is very important to know that Jimmy Martin was an integral part of the original album and performed on the later volumes of these epic recorded performances as well, which added to Martin’s musical success.
Life Long Performer
Jimmy Martin recorded for Decca records until the mid-1970s, and then recorded for the Starday/ Gusto label until that company went out of business in the 1980s. At that point, Martin formed his own label. He reissued his Decca releases and continued to record and perform at concerts and bluegrass festivals into the 1990s. In 1995, Martin was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. Jimmy Martin continued to perform into the early 2000s. James Henry ( Jimmy) Martin passed away May 14, 2005 after a long battle with cancer. He is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, under a tombstone he had designed himself and installed
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years earlier. The tombstone stands as tall as he did, includes his photo, and is topped by the words Now Sings in Heaven. Plus, it is engraved with virtually every one of Martin’s achievements including his induction into the IBMA Hall of Honor. By all reports, Jimmy Martin was brash, loud and opinionated. These personality traits as well as Martin’s problems with drinking and his temperamental mood swings kept him from realizing his lifelong dream of joining the Grand Ole Opry as a member. This rejection of Martin by the conservative, wellmannered, and esteemed Opry led to an underlying thread of bitterness that tugged at Martin throughout his career. Be that as it may be, without Jimmy Martin’s early vocal partnership with Bill Monroe where they mixed and gelled a vocal sound that quickly defined a whole genre of music, plus his later solo musical success, bluegrass music would not be the dynamic international musical art-form that it is today. Furthermore, it is easy to understand why current performers often cite Jimmy Martin as an influence on their performance
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Appalachian Renaissance Man C
laiming that you can even teach a frog to play the banjo is a pretty bold pedagogical claim by anyone’s standards. Wayne Erbsen may be just the guy to deliver on that promise. With nearly fifty years of teaching experience and thirty instructional books to his name, Wayne Erbsen is a veritable Renaissance man of Appalachian, Old Time and Bluegrass music as well as its surrounding folklore. His humorous, laid back and welcoming demeanor has helped him teach literally thousands of students at the Log Cabin Music Center in his home of Asheville, North Carolina. Originally from California, Wayne first played guitar as a teen in the early 60’s during the height of the folk era. It was apparent that he had a knack for playing and teaching as he soon found himself giving group lessons. Not long after he taught himself banjo by borrowing his sister’s instrument. Enamored with the sound of the instrument, he soon was giving banjo lessons too.
Expanded Career
Wayne has expanded his teaching career significantly since those early days. Some may be familiar with his well known Ignoramus series of instructional books. This highly successful series covers a wide range of instruments including clawhammer banjo, bluegrass banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer and ukelele. These books are filled with familiar tunes, helpful tips, vintage photos and historical facts and are geared toward getting the absolute beginner quickly playing songs with proper technique and sound fundamentals. There are also plenty of books that focus on playing with others, developing a repertoire and jam session etiquette. Wayne’s first Ignoramus book was written in 1973 while he was an adjunct instructor at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. “At that point I’d been teaching both private and group lessons on guitar and banjo for about 11 years. I had just
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moved to Charlotte, and the movie Deliverance had just come out. Suddenly, everybody and his brother wanted to learn to play the banjo. My classes were bursting at the seams. At some point I got overwhelmed with all the handout sheets I had made up for the students, so I decided to put them together in a little book. I printed
300 of them, and they sold quickly, so that was kind of how the whole thing started. I never expected that book to be so easy to sell, and I wasn’t thinking about a series at that point. I was just putting one foot in front of the other.”
Filling A Need
Eventually Wayne began to see a need for instructional material that would meet the specific needs of his students. He decided to write the next banjo book in 2004 because, as he says, “all the other bluegrass banjo books started the student out at too high a level. I was aiming at the person with no experience and no particular ability on the banjo.” Wayne began developing an unorthodox approach to teaching bluegrass banjo. Rather than simply teaching arrangements of songs like many books did with the rolls already incorporated in the melody, Wayne had the opposite approach. He explains further, “I first show students the barebones melody, and then slowly and gradually add simple rolls to embellish the melody. I found this approach worked really well because it allows the student to build on the melody and add different rolls each time
they play the tune. The proof is in the pudding, because this book does the best on Amazon.” Other teaching innovations Wayne has developed include a unique form of tablature where he uses the name of the note on the line (string) rather than the fret number. This encourages the student to learn the actual names of the notes on the specific strings and is a good compromise for those who are reluctant to learn standard music notation. Wayne correctly believes that knowing the names of the notes on the strings is invaluable to learning the basic theory required as students advance their studies. So far he’s incorporated this new form of tab in two fiddle books, two mandolin books and one guitar book. However, there’s more to Wayne Erbsen than being an expert teacher and virtuoso instrumentalist. Many of the books he’s authored are songbooks that focus on particular styles or historical periods and also include an abundance of related folklore and humor. While many of us become caught up in the intricacies of our chosen instrument, this rustic musicologist also focuses on the song itself. Often painstakingly researching the historical background of the individual songs, he has always been interested in history. Not surprisingly, Wayne majored in American history in college and continued his studies in graduate school. Wayne has “ always wanted to know the history behind a song, or a writer, so I have managed to combine my two interests: music and history.”
The Latest Installment
One of Wayne’s most recent books is “Painless Guitar-A Fun and Easy Guide for the Complete Beginner.” Available for $9.95 from his website (nativeground.com), this book advertises itself as a “low-priced guitar book for complete beginners; that is so painless you’ll be playing
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By Mark Whetzel
in no time.” While written for the “absolute novice,” it does in fact answer nearly every question a beginning guitarist might have. Terms are clearly explained as are chords, tuning, strumming patterns and the various techniques required to accomplish a student’s early musical goals. Beginners will learn 31 familiar songs and have access to 41 mp3’s that can be listened to online. The book is clearly and concisely laid out. After becoming acquainted with the parts of the guitar and a few musical terms, students begin learning basic chords, strumming patterns and how to properly hold a pick. Plenty of advice is also given on practicing, how to hold the guitar, posture and left hand (chording) technique.
Soon the students are also learning how to play single note melodies. New chords are gradually introduced as the songs become more challenging. Wayne provides plenty of helpful tips as well as, not surprisingly, some interesting historical anecdotes for each tune. It appears that Wayne Erbsen has a winner with “Painless Guitar.” He provides nearly everything except the guitar, a pick and determination. However he does provide plenty of encouragement and perspective which are qualities that any great teacher should have. I’m starting to believe that Wayne could even teach that frog to play a guitar as well
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Wayne Erbsen is a long time contributor to Americana Rhythm
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2016 IBMA Songwriter Of The Year
Assignment writing: being asked to write a song about a specific subject. I find this endeavor an intimidating challenge every time. I have been working for a publishing house for many yea rs and occasionally my publisher will have an opportunity to get a song placed in a commercial or movie. When this occurs, she will come to me and request that I write a song appropriate for whatever project might be shimmering out on the horizon. One time it was for a bull riding show for which someone was filming a pilot episode in Texas and needed a theme song for the series. I chuckled when she ask me to come up with something.What do I know about bull riding other than I am scared to death of a bull and would never dream of getting close enough to contemplate riding one. As luck would have it, I was just starting a co-writing session with a fella who thought it might be fun to write about bull riding. We broke out the guitars, poured strong
cups of coffee and started knocking around ideas. The only morsel I could offer as we kept batting lines around was that I thought a bull rider had to have an extraordinary amount of confidence and swagger to pull off being tied onto a raging beast whose sole focus is to throw you off its back. Believe it or not, that triggered the start and theme of the song. Little ol’ me came up with something worthy of a bull riding song and we were quite proud of the end result. To get all the way to the finish line that day we did a large amount of research on the sport and took the time to wa tch some YouTube rodeo footage. Research is so important when you take on the responsibility of writing a song about a subject for which you do not have first hand knowledge. I am a stickler for accuracy if you are writing a song based on factual events. Oh, I do my fair share of creating a story out of thin air, which is a different ball game. However, if it is a song that real bull riders or fans of
Just Love; A Tribute
With her latest CD, Nancy Apple
pays tribute to fellow artist, Audrey Auld, who lost her battle with cancer in 2015. Auld, a native of Tasmania, left behind a musical legacy of songs ranging from poignant to empowering to downright cheeky. To honor Audrey, Apple brought together other artists and friends to breathe new life into select songs from Auld’s prolific catalog. ”Audrey was a regular at Woodyfest and a well-loved one,” says Nancy, who chose to premier the tribute album at the 2016 Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, OK. The CD was the highest selling project of the festival. The album was released in late 2016. Audrey Auld (Audrey AuldMezera) was an Australian-American touring singer/songwriter who resided at times in both Nashville, Tennessee and Stinson Beach on the coast of California. She released 11 albums and 3 EPs on her own Reckless Records label, and recorded with many other musicians
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including Bill Chambers, Kieran Kane, Fred Eaglesmith, Mary Gauthier, Dale Watson, Kasey Chambers, and Carrie Rodriguez. Audrey Auld
bull riding are going to hear, you better have your facts straight. In writing this article I realized I touched on a few important tips in songwriting and the first is co-writing. I would not have written the bull riding song if I was writing alone that day. It took both of us to create the song. My co-writer added all the masculine elements the song cried out for, and I was lucky enough to spark the angle. This creation is a great example of why co-writing is effective and why you should give it a whirl at some point. Another point is the whole assignment writing challenge. I find that for me it is good practice. Exploring the unknown through pen and paper is an interesting way to hone your craft. I am not always successful but I do get an “A” for effort by not backing down from the challenge.
Through a collaboration with the Bread & Roses organization, Audrey hosted songwriting workshops with inmates in San Quentin Prison in California from
After all our hard work on the bull riding song I am sorry to say it was not chosen (boo). Rejection is part of the writing journey so grow thick skin; you will need the protection. But guess what? About a year later, we heard that a bull riding champion was looking for rodeo songs to record and I just happened to have this song in my arsenal of songs to pitch and he recorded it! Now off I go, onto the next assignment writing challenge for me and I hope you will challenge yourself with assignments to yourself and watch yourself grow as a writer.
The last point I would like to shed light on is to walk the extra mile and do good research on a song. It’s those
Find out more about Donna, and to connect with her directly, visit www.DonnaUlisse.com
2007 till 2013. A resulting project, Hey, Warden, is a collection of songs penned with those inmates. Though she was already battling her illness, Audrey used her voice and talents to help inmates share their own thoughts and feelings, giving them a voice as well. Hey, Warden is her final album and contains 8 songs. She also made one final video, “I Am Not What I Have Done,” a song inspired by an inmate’s letter.
says. “Basically, Audrey used some lines she got from her beloved husband, Mez. I wanted to include a song with Audrey’s voice. This one not only reminds Mez how much he was loved, but also is a shoutout to all of her friends, family and fans; a message that Audrey loves them. “
Auld-Mezera died on August 9, 2015 at the age of 51 after her battle with cancer.
Her songs were recorded by various artists and had songs placed on the FX TV shows “Justified,” “Longmire,” “NCIS: New Orleans” and “The Good Guys”.
little details that can take your song to the next level. Fact checking is also a way to continue to educate ourselves. I always feel smarter after digging around for the answers and finding a way to use them in a song.
Every track on Nancy Apple’s two-disc collection, Just Love, features a friend or musical admirer of Audrey Auld. The song, “Missin’ Mez,” is sung by the late Auld herself. Friends Gabe Rhodes, Bill Chambers, Carrie Rodriguez, and Wally Dogged joined her on the track, which was originally recorded in Rhodes’ Texas home studio. “Audrey and Mez wrote this song [“Missin’ Mez”] together,” Apple
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The album delivers some traditional roots from artist Dale Jett (and his band Hello Stranger), who perform “Down in a Hole.” Jett is a third generation member of the Carter family and has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, the Marty Stuart Show, and Mountain Stage. “There’s simply never been anyone like Audrey, and there never will again, “Apple says. “I considered her a friendly competitor, an inspiring artist, and a brilliant writer. It’s tragic that we’ve lost her, but I’m so grateful for the wonderful songs she left behind.” On the album liner, Nancy penned, “The greatest star Nashville never heard; It hit a lot of us real hard, so we made this record to show our love. Audrey knew a lot about love. She lived it. She shared it. Just Love ”
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March 2017
By Wayne Erbsen
Man Of Constant Sorrow A brand spanking new book has just burst forth from Native Ground Books & Music – Painless Guitar – A Fun & Easy Guide for the Complete Beginner. This book is a collaboration between Ted Parrish and myself. Our combined years of teaching the guitar total more than 70, so we had fun working together to make this book both easy to use and affordable ($9.95). The book is so simple that virtually anyone can learn to play the guitar. It is packed with 31 familiar folk, bluegrass, gospel and blues songs along with easy to read chord charts, simple tab and painless strumming. Among the songs included in Painless Guitar is “Man of Constant Sorrow.” The tab below should be easy to follow. The horizontal lines represent the strings, and the numbers on a line tells you what fret to play on that string. The little lines below each line of the tab are the beats you count.
The chords are shown above each line. Try it. It’s easy! If you would like a little background history on this song, I’ll tell you that Kentucky-born, blind street singer Dick Burnett had every reason to compose “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow.” An orphan by the time he was twelve, Burnett was almost murdered in 1907 when he was robbed and shot in the face with a shotgun. Though he survived, Burnett was now a blind man. To earn a livelihood for his wife and child, he took to the streets with a banjo, a fiddle, and a tin cup tied to his leg. To add to his income, he produced little song books, which he later called “song ballets.” In about 1913, he put out a little booklet entitled Songs Sung By
R.D. Burnett—The Blind Man— Monticello, Kentucky. Among the four songs in this book was one called “Farewell Song,” which he wrote in about 1912, and that we now know as “Man of Constant Sorrow.” Burnett taught the song to his neighbor, Emry Arthur, who recorded it on January 1, 1928. According to George Shuffler, Ralph Stanley learned it from his father, who “got it in Kentucky.”
Lyrics I am a man of constant sorrow, I’ve seen trouble all my days, I bid farewell to old Kentucky, The state where I was born and raised. For six long years I’ve been in trouble, No pleasure here on earth I’ve found, For in this world I’m bound to ramble, I have no friends to help me now. You may bury me in some deep valley, For many years where I may lay, Then you may learn to love another, While I am sleeping in my grave. Maybe your friends think I’m just a stranger, My face you’ll never see no more, But there is one promise that is given, I’ll meet you on God’s golden shore.
For information about Wayne Erbsen’s instruction books and songbooks for bluegrass and clawhammer banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and ukulele, visit www.nativeground.com. If you would like to receive a free Native Ground Books & Music monthly email newsletter containing articles, tips, tabs and discount coupons send your name and email address to info@nativeground.com.
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March 2017
The Ultimate Americana Artist
By Greg Tutwiler
Back in 2004, while attending Merlefest, I had the idea for creating Americana Rhythm Music Magazine. One of the artists performing that weekend was a guy named Jim Lauderdale. He was (and is) an integral part of that
fabulous event; and I remember thinking that if there was any one guy that exemplified the definition of an Americana artist, it was Jim. As an artist, He seems to migrate effortlessly between Americana, Bluegrass, Country and Roots music. Doc Watson called it “Tradition Plus,” and that would be a fair categorization of Jim’s music. “I just like so many different kinds of music,” he told me. “It just feels natural to me to participate in all of those genres. I was glad that I didn’t have to make a choice. And that’s the great thing about Americana is that you don’t have to. It encompasses so many different styles, from bluegrass, to folk, to roots rock, to country, and even soul and R&B.”
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Jim said that the nice thing about being an Americana artist is that, “when it’s time to do a project, I just let the music guide me. When it’s time to make a bluegrass record, I just focus on that for a little while until I get that one done. Then if my songs are lending themselves to electric, or blues, or whatever, I just shift gears.”
The Banjo Made Me Do It
A North Carolina native (Troutman, NC) Jim Lauderdale learned the drums at 11, the harmonica at 13, and the banjo at 15. Although he played a variety of music when he was younger, including bluegrass, Grateful Dead, and folk in a duo, he considers Ralph Stanley and bluegrass music as a major influence. He eventually attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC, where he studied theater and played in country and bluegrass bands.
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After college, he moved to Nashville for a little while, but a publishing deal fell through, so he packed up and headed to New York. It was there where he met Buddy Miller (long time musical collaborator). It was also there that he landed a job working in the mailroom and as a messenger at Rolling Stone magazine. Often he was assigned to pick up and drop off photographer Annie Liebovitz’s equipment. He eventually joined a national tour for the production of Pump Boys & Dinettes. The tour eventually landed in Los Angeles where he met musicians Rosie Flores, Billy Bremmer, Pete Anderson, Lucinda Williams, Dale Watson, and others. In the late 1980s he move to LA where he recorded an album for CBS. “It’s been a wild ride,” Jim told me. I asked him when he knew he wanted to play music professionally, and he said, “When I got my banjo at 15, I just knew. I loved listening to music before that, and going to shows, but when I started playing bluegrass music, I knew
that was what I wanted to do. It was just a real fertile time musically across the whole country,” he said, “And I think that influenced a lot of young men and women to want to do that too.”
It Took A While
Jim was in his early thirties before he finally got his first record deal. “That led to a succession of main stream record deals,” he said. “But none of them caught fire for me commercially as far as main stream radio goes. So during that time I really focused on my songwriting, a whole lot,” he recalled. “I really wanted to be on the road, but it was a blessing in disguise in retrospect because I think it really allowed me to develop as a writer where I might not have had the time or energy otherwise. While I wasn’t able to have hits with my own songs, I was very fortunate that other artists did, and that allowed me to support myself and still really strive to make my own records.” continued on page 12
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He now has nearly 30 albums to his credit. He’s a prolific songwriter and collaborator, as well as a touring musician. The multi-Grammy winner has worked with many artists over the years including, Dr. Ralph Stanley, and Buddy Miller, and his songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, like George Strait, Gary Allan, Elvis Costello, Blake Shelton, the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, and Patty Loveless. In September of 2016, Jim received the Wagon Master Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.
Taking Control
In 2013 Jim finally launched his own record label, Sky Crunch, so he could release records on his own schedule, as often as he wants. And while you might think a guy like Jim might be inclined to rest on his success and slow down a little, he still sees himself as having room to grow. “I still feel like I need to make some breakthroughs cre-
atively and there’s still some goals left that I want to achieve. I feel like I still have a long way to go in certain things and different records in mind that I want to make.” Interestingly, several projects are already in the can, scheduled for a 2017 release. “I’m actually planning into 2018 now as far as releases go,” he said. I asked Jim how he was able to be working that far ahead. “A lot of time it’s just proceeding with certain ideas and not waiting until you have time. In some cases, when I was in the studio with other musicians, we would go ahead and record other songs. So I’ve got a back log of songs now waiting to come out. Luckily I do have two things that I already finished a while back. So, at least writing wise I’m starting on the next thing. Re-
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alistically then, it probably will be a year or more before the things I’m working on now will actually come out.” “I usually write and record under pressure because I’ve done that so much, so this will allow me to hopefully write everything and have it done before I go into the studio as opposed to writing it in the studio,” he laughed. Jim’s most recent CD, This Changes Everything, was released at the end of September, 2016. Synonymous with his work ethic, it was largely recorded during a single day in Austin, TX. Faced with a quick break during a summertime tour, he rounded up a cast of all-star sideman from the Lone Star state. They recorded 11 songs, all of which were originally written by Lauderdale and a handful of Texasbased songwriters. This collection offers the songwriter’s own version of the traditional Texas
dancehall sound, filled with shuffles, rave-ups, plenty of sharp songwriting and appearances by a handful of genuine Texas legends. For a wagon master who’s nowhere near the end of his journey, This Changes Everything marks the latest stop in a longer trek. Included on the album are producer and pedal steel player Tommy Detamore, drummer Tom Lewis (Heybale, Whitney Rose), pianist Floyd Domino (an original member of Asleep at the Wheel), Bobby Flores, Kevin Smith (bass player for Willie Nelson), Chris Masterson (one-half of the Mastersons, as well as Steve Earle’s electric guitarist), vocalists Brennen Leigh, Noel McKay and Sunny Sweeney.
Americana On Tour
By Edward Tutwiler
Last fall, our publisher spent several days at the Americana Music Association convention in Nashville, TN. While there, he made some great new friends in this growing Americana music business. One of the folks he met was a tour director—yes that’s what we said. Now, I expect that many of us have enjoyed taking bus tours. In fact, just this year, I enjoyed a whirlwind bus tour to New Orleans. Bus tours are not usually exotic—enjoyable, yes, but not so unique. Not so with the tours this director produces. His name is Garry Smith, he’s from Australia, and his tours are the Americana Music Tours and they are centered upon the very subject the name implies; plus they are unique and maybe even just a bit exotic. Let me tell you about an Americana Music Tour. To give you an idea of what the Americana Music Tours entail, here is a quote that I pulled from the brochure, “Americana Music Tours deliver guests a heady mix of fantastic live music alongside authentic cultural and historical experiences” The company claims that they will show you a life alternating adventure of music and food that extends across five states, 10 cities, and 1200 miles of highways and back roads of the region.
Plenty To Choose From
There are several tour itineraries offered by this company but all of them are centered on a region of the US south that the director refers to as the Americana music triangle. Yes, there really is such a place. When you look at a regional map and place a dot at Nashville,
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TN, another at Memphis, TN, and a third dot at New Orleans, LA then draw lines between these points, you’ve drawn a triangle. Captured within the boundaries of this triangle are the birthplaces of nine different genres of American music that includes: Rock & Roll, Jazz, Blues, Country, Bluegrass,
R&B, Southern Gospel, Cajun Zydeco, Soul, and, considering some sub-sets of these, maybe even more. The tours are designed to concentrate upon these different music genres. They offer a 15 day tour that they call the world’s greatest road trip where you get to hear it all, see it all, and do it all. But enough of the hype; I recently made contact with Mr. Garry Smith and posed a number of questions to him the answers to which you will find interesting.
A Bit Of A Commute
Garry Smith lives in Brisbane Australia and was born and bred in Australia. He has been involved in music all his life. He’s been a session musician; owned a professional recording studio; produced music for five TV series and countless advertising spots as well as produced recording projects for a number of different styles of music. Smith told me, “It was after producing the CD for an Americana artist who lives in Australia that I
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decided to attend the Americana Music Conference (now called Americana Fest) in 2013 held in the US.” Garry went on to say that while at the AMC event he met Aubrey Preston. Preston is an entrepreneur heavily involved in Tennessee tourism. Preston introduced Smith to his Americana Music Triangle entity. Smith explained, “I then learned that the three points of the triangle are Nashville, New Orleans and Memphis, and I was amazed to learn that nine different genres of music have come from this area, and that pretty much everything we hear on popular music radio can be traced back to this area.” Smith went on, “I became fascinated by the area and had an epiphany. If I was so excited by what I had just seen and heard, why wouldn’t others? After several trips back and becoming friends with Aubrey, he basically gave me all of his documentation and contacts. I immediately got in the car and drove the triangle, meeting everyone he had put me in touch with. I developed the tour around these contacts and others that I met along the way.”
cana Music Associations sanctioned by the Nashville-based original) and Germany. Of course, blues and jazz are popular in Japan, France, and many other countries, so we see our market as wide open right now.”
ence in Los Angles, CA; then to a week of cowriting songs with writing professionals; and finally to a recording session where the students record with Nashville producers and session players some of those songs that they co-wrote.
Smith has been at this for only a few years having first gone to Nashville in 2013 and developed the tour through 2014 and 2015, and having run a few small group tours since 2015. His Nashville partner has been running tours through parts of the area for a number of years. Smith’s tour is designed to do the whole triangle in 15 days. Smith also has been running a very successful student study tour for the last three years. This tour is organized through a local university. It takes students to a music confer-
As to what time of the year the tours take place, Mr. Smith had this to say, “Ideally we would run tours in the Spring and Fall; however, I have a group here that wants to go in January so they can experience the cold weather that Brisbane doesn’t have! At the moment we’re marketing an October tour that is based around the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, AR. We’re also
Fall Is Ideal
continued on page 19
State Side Bus Service
I asked Mr. Smith if he directed a travel company or was he an individual producer of these tour experiences. Here is how Mr. Smith explained it, “Americana Music Tours is an LLC in the US and a trademarked business here in Australia. I work with a travel agent here in Australia and I have a partner in Nashville who facilitates the tours for me. The Nashville partner is an independent travel company that runs their own tours as well as facilitating tours for companies like mine. They know the area, and along with the Australian agent, they have the resources to do all the bookings, provide the guides and make sure that everything runs smoothly. I have been doing small groups myself for the last few years so with the extra feet on the ground there (in the US) we are now stepping up to bigger groups.” I asked what type of folks make up these Americana Music Tour groups? Smith told me that his target demographic is music lovers in the 45-70 age range. He expanded, “You don’t need to be a musician—music is such an integral part of life in the US south that the tour is really a cultural experience. We cover other experiences such as food (for example, Tom Hendrix Wall outside Muscle Shoals), and out of the way venues like the Rattlesnake Saloon as well. We try to keep the groups to 12-20 in number, so we can deliver the type of personal experience that the bigger tours can’t do.” As far as where the tourists hail from, Smith says, “We’ve been concentrating on Australia, but we’ve just recently partnered with the Nashville Company and the Australian travel agent, plus our website has been up for a while, so the appeal is now global. Through research we’ve uncovered serious interest in Americana music in Great Britain, Norway (both of those places already have Ameri-
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Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles in iTunes!
As a singer/ songwriter, Chris Jones has been referred to as, “The wandering musician peddling tunes from town to town, sharing tales old and new.” If you haven’t had the opportunity to hear him live along with his band, The Night Drivers, perhaps you know his as one of the hosts heard on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. The now Alberta Canada resident is all set to release his latest CD, Made To Move, on the Mountain Home Music Company label. The February 2017 has been called another “distinctive offering from a truly global band of troubadours.” Chris started playing bluegrass music professionally when he was still in his teens. Although originally from the New York area, it was during the time he spent in Albuquerque New Mexico that he took an interest in bluegrass and country music. He started playing with the community of pickers there before taking his new of music back home. “I was pretty fired up about it,” Chris said, “As you can imagine a 14 or 15 year old boy would be.” His first band, Horse Country, not only gave him an opportunity to be in a band, bit even gave him the spot as lead singer. Since then, Chris has been the side man in various bands including the Lynn Morris band, Dave Evans, and Special Conscious before forming his own band, The Night Drivers, in the mid-90s. “That’s always a big commitment,” he commented, “But very rewarding and I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do that this long.” Broadcasting has also been a big part of Chris’s life since his late teens. “When the SiriusXM opportunity came up it was a perfect opportunity for me because with technology what it is today, it was set up so that I could do my shows from the road.” The latest CD, Made To Order, features 12 tracks of “hardship and hope, songs that inspire and captivate, and yes, even a Bluegrass love song that weaves a tale without ending in someone’s untimely end.” To find out more, visit www.chrisjonesgrass.com
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Mike Felten
Joseph Henry
Chris Jones
Joseph Henry says his sound sits comfortably between alternative-country and country-western blues. The Americana country/folk singer/songwriter makes his home in New Jersey but at the time we spoke, he was enjoying a stint in Nashville, TN, “taking in the sights and sounds, and playing around as much as I can,” he said. “Its always been a place in the back of my mind that I wanted to visit and experience, and I’m also thinking about making a permanent move here in the future.” Joseph currently funds his music passion with a job in the restaurant industry, which affords him the free time to be able to have taken this trip. “My boss was really cool about it. He even asked if he could come along,” Joseph laughed. Prior to pursuing music, he was a long haul truck driver based out of New York City. “I learned a lot about patience driving a truck in New York,” he recalled. “I give a lot of credit to people who do that full time,” he said. “It just wasn’t for me. I can’t imagine doing that for 30 or 40 years.” “From that experience,” he recalls, “There was girl troubles, and work troubles, and all of that life inspiration that leads up to that creativity. I actually ended up quitting that job and using what money I made from it to go buy a new guitar. That gave me that creative drive and desire to not have to do something the rest of my life that I hated.” Joseph started writing new songs. “I finally started finding my sound,” he said. “The songs I was starting to create out of these different experiences sort of molded me to the music I’m doing right now. His current CD is his debut CD, Late Night Song, and was recorded near the end of 2015. Asked why that name for the title … He said, “Because all of these songs were written late at night after everyone is usually in bed.” Well, that makes sense, and you’ll understand it too when you get a chance to listen along to the lyrics. To find out more, visit www.josephhenrymusic.com Check out
Former record store owner, Mike Felton, has parlayed the end of 30 plus years of hawking vinyl into a singer/ songwriter career full time, and celebrates his most recent CD release, Diamon ds and Televisions. Beginning in 1979, Mike began dabbling in selling records. He eventually opened several Record Emporium stores and developed a pretty strong internet sales following. He also worked record shows from Virginia to California for many of those years. In 2008, he closed the last store and moved the remaining stock to a warehouse where he continued the online sales for another few years. Fortunately most of the inventory had been sold off when the warehouse burned a few years later. That insident spelled a poetic end to his long relationship with recorded vinyl. In 2010, a documentary called Re-vinylized hit the internet featuring Mike along with several other record store owners in the Chicago area. Unfortunately, it was a little too late to save the business. In the 60s, Mike recalls taking his first guitar lesson at the Old Town Folk Music School in Chicago. “As a young kid hanging out on that side of Chicago, is was quite a cultural awakening,” Mike told me. “It was an eye opening to say the least. I became a fan of Woody Guthrie and all those other old folk guys, and I began learning all those old songs too.” He even spent a few years in a rock and roll band. “I was messin’ around with “Hey Joe” before Jimmy Hendrix was,” he quipped. Mike eventually migrated to playing as a solo artist, rubbing elbows with the likes of John Prine like it was just a normal thing to do. “I was always interested in Blues, and helped put on what was probably the first outdoors blues festival in Chicago around 1971,” he said. In 2003 Mike he recorded his First CD entitled Land Fill, “And I’ve been recording albums ever since,” said the Americana blues artist. To find out more, vivit www.mikefelten.com
on iTunes www.AmericanaRhythm.com
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Music In The
Shenandoah Valley Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles in iTunes!
Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches
NYC based band, Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches are proud to be touting their new CD, Very Next Thing. Their music is an eclectic assemblage of country, bluegrass, western swing, rockabilly, blues, traditional jazz, dixieland, oldtime music, folk, roots music and Americana. The band is led by multi-instrumentalist Nick Russo who comes from a very musical family. His dad, Rich Russo played in a heavy metal band in the 1960’s called The Sca recrow. “They were a Kiss era band,” he said, “Even sharing the same manager. They were on Columbia records and even notched a couple hits, as well as toured with Sly and the Family Stone. Dad even played for Chuck Berry,” Nick said. As a kid, Nick played drums on some of his dad’s session in their basement studio. His uncle Mike was also a prolific musician and exposed Nick to a lot of the early rock and blues music of the day. When it came to considering music as a career though, Nick says that an emphasis on education was always important. “I was always brought up with the notion to go to school and get a master’s and go into something more stable,” Nick quipped. “So I was always under the idea I was going into science. But half way through my pursuit I took my first jazz guitar lessons with Dr. David Belser after being self taught for so many years. I was just so inspired by that.” It was through some of those early Jazz gigs that he realized you could actually play music for a living. He also began studies in Classical music and says he was immediately drawn to it. “I just knew I had to find a way to make a living at this,” he said. Nick was pre-med at Stony Brook at the time, and decided to do a double major to allow himself the opportunity to pursue this music professionally. Nick eventually left the Classical roots behind but stayed heavily invested in the Jazz scene, and it was a call from a festival in Brooklyn that led to the incarnation of Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches. To find out more, visit www.banjonickaru.com
Blue Mafia Bluegrass music has a new family. That’s right. It’s the Mafia. Blue Mafia, that is. Led by husband and wife Tony and Dara Wray, Blue Mafia was formed in 2011. Tony says, “Basically because my wife wanted to be in a band, too.” The result for this Indiana band was a highly acclaimed 2013 release, My Cold Heart. That led to a record deal with Pinecastle Records and their next project in 2015, Pray For Rain. Their follow up to that is their most recent record for Pinecastle, Hanging Tree, named after a rendition of the song by the same name on this latest project. Tony has a Jazz background from his dad, and a country/gospel background from his grandpa. “I heard the banjo one day, and fell in love,” Tony said. “I asked if I could learn to play one of those, and after my dad stopped crying, he said, ‘ah, sure.’ So dad bought me a banjo, and I learned how to play Jazz – on the banjo – of course, because you want to make your parents happy,” Tony quipped. Tony went on to learn country and bluegrass, of course, and eventually married his wife Dara, who also has a big musical background. “She’s always wanted to be in a band,” Tony said. “She got tired of riding with her dad to different gigs and riding with me to different shows; So I contacted my brother-in-law Kent (fiddle), and a couple other boys, and we formed Blue Mafia. “We figured we would just play a few gigs here and there, a pizza joint or local club. It was really just something to have fun with. We never really thought it would blossom into this. But what a blessing,” Tony said. Tony’s dynamic guitar playing along with the three strong vocal harmonies in Dara, Tony and Kent are a highlight of this band. Dara has even started writing songs contributing three originals to the new album. To find out more, visit www.bluemafiaband.com
This is the time of the year when all of us are looking forward to Spring. Now is the time to plan your next excursion into the world of music makers. If you are seeking the authentic sounds of local musicians or want to join and play in the jam circle, you may want to consider going off-the-beaten-path and join us here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Along our Shenandoah Music Trail (SMT), you will find a variety of authentic Appalachian music. The Music of the Shenandoah Valley and its musicians have and continue to set the standard for music known the world over. Our Valley musicians are credited with the early development of the mountain dulcimer and the birthplace of southern gospel music, as well as shapenote singing traditions. The Valley has long been a source of some of the world’s finest musicians. These include Mac Wiseman, Larry Stephenson, Patsy Cline, Kate Smith, John Starling, the Statler Brothers, Nothin’ Fancy, Steel Wheels and Old Crow Medicine Show, just to name a few. Other rather obscure and infamous local musicians include Bela Lamb, who Ralph Peer recorded for OKeh Records six months prior the famous Bristol sessions of 1926. In 1940, Emory Stroop, Herb Smoke, and Carl Depoy (Don DePoy’s Grandfather) were recorded by Alan Lomax as part of the Library of Congress Folk Archives. In 1959 the word bluegrass first appeared in print to describe music on a Folkways record, Mountain Music Bluegrass Style, recorded and edited by the late Mike Seeger, who lived in Lexington, Virginia. A copy of this record is on display at the Luray Valley Heritage Museum. The world’s first bluegrass festival was held at Oak Leaf Park in Luray on July 4, 1961. Dr. Don DePoy and Martha Hills organized the 50th anniversary of this event on July 3,4 and 5th 2011. They are also the founders of Shenandoah Mountain Music Makers Association, a nonprofit group that preserves, promotes and celebrates the rich musical heritage of the Shenandoah Valley. Today, hundreds of local musicians can be heard weekly playing Valley music in scores of public venues. Down the hall and around the corner in an old high school, you will hear the sounds of a banjo, then a mandolin that lure mountain music fans to an evening of jammin’. Free, open to the public, bluegrass and old-time music jams are held about every day of the week. There are monthly gospel and shape-note sings as well as monthly bluegrass and old-time music jams. The players bring their precious instruments and spend an evening fiddling, singing and strumming bluegrass songs, classic country, gospel favorites and old Appalachian folk songs. The three-part harmonies blend perfectly, and the continued on page 19
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We Are All Musicians; And This Simple Exercise Will Prove It! Are You a Musician? The answer to this question is usually based on whether the person being asked plays a musical instrument or not. If they do, then the answer is of course “Yes.” However, if they do not, the answer is most frequently “No.” This is both sad and incorrect. We are all musicians and I can prove it. Just answer the two simple questions below.
What Is Music & What It’s For Before we get to the questions, let’s take a quick look at what we’re talking about. Music is a language. Like all languages, it’s simply organized sound. What’s it for? Well like any language, music is for communicating and connecting with ourselves and others. What’s the
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best news of all? Science proves that employing and absorbing the language of music makes us all happier and healthier!
Question #1 Have you ever sung a tune? Hummed or whistled one? Be honest. I mean have you ever done this? If you think not, ask your mom or dad if you did so as a child. I bet’cha did.
Question #2 Have you ever danced to music? Clapped your hands or tapped your feet to it? Felt it reverberate inside you? Again, I mean have you ever done this. If you firmly believe the answer is “No,” I will accept that (but not until you give me your mom or dad’s phone number and I check with them).
You were born with a couple of musical instruments. Tools with which you can make music. These are your voice, which is capable of expressing a melody (and harmony if you’ve mastered Tuvan throat singing), and your hands and feet, which are capable of beating out, clapping or tapping a steady rhythm.
Congratulations, You Are a Musician! Music is made up of three basic elements; melody, rhythm and harmony. Melody is the song you sing or the tune you hum. Rhythm is the regular underlying beat or pulse to which you dance or tap your foot. Harmony is combining notes. We all have a natural and intuitive understanding of melody and rhythm. Harmony takes just a bit of training or practice. Since we all understand and use two of the three basic elements of music we are all musicians. If you maintain that you’re not then you’re simply lying to me and, regrettably, to yourselves. Please stop that!
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
Why Not Go Further? So, you’re a musician and you already play a few instruments. Why not take up another? Piano or saxophone too intimidating? Get a dulcimer, harmonica or bongo drum. Want to get crazy and take up guitar or ukulele? I know a great teacher! Scott Perry Stoic Guitarist & Fellow Traveler www.guidedguitarlessons.com
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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
Jason Springs
FEATURE ARTISTS Although Jason Springs has been
performing music for years, he’s excited to be able to release his debut solo project this year titled Blue Collar Bones and Busted Knuckles. It’s a full on band project from this folk/roots, rock artist who hails from Danville, VA. Jason said he grew up in a musical family. “There was always some sort of music playing throughout the house. Dad would constantly play his old records; Eagles, Steve Miller Band, James Taylor, etc. Both of my parents always sang in church, so needless to say, I’ve been around music my whole life.”
Bounced Around
He was born and raised in Danville, VA, where he spent the first 17 years of his life before moving to Louisiana in 2003. “My father took a job down there, so we packed up and headed south,” he said. “My family only stayed for about a year, but I then headed off to college in Mississippi. I spent the next few years kind of bouncing from school to school and place to place, eventually taking me pretty much all up and down the east coast. I spent a few years in Louisiana, then Myrtle Beach, SC, then Connecticut, Lynchburg, VA, and finally ended up back in my hometown of Danville, VA around 2010. I have a small family, and after kind of
running from that and the idea of “home” for most of my early 20’s, I guess I finally started to grow up a bit and realize how important family and your roots are.” It was after high school that Jason began to take an interest in guitar. He initially learned how to play by just watching friends, trying to learn as much from them as possible. When he got his own guitar, he played it as often as he could. “I started trying to piece together some of my own thoughts into songs,” he said. “Finally, eight or so years later, I released my first album (at the end of 2016).” Although he’s enjoyed many types of music through out his life, his influences now are in the Americana/Alt-Country/Red Dirt scene. I enjoy quality songwriters,” he said. “Artists who aim to portray a higher quality of art in their work; like Jason Isbell, John Moreland, John Fullbright, American
Aquarium, Turnpike Troubadours, etc. I really love the music coming out of Texas and Oklahoma right now.”
On Style
Jason feels like his style is somewhere in the middle of the Americana/Roots movement. “I write everything as simply solo folk songs, and when I perform solo that’s exactly what they are; However, when I’m able to have a full band behind me, like on the album, they become almost Roots Rock and Roll. That was the wildest part of going in to the studio to record my first record. I’d never played these songs as a full band, so to listen to them expand they way that they did once we had all the other pieces in place was pretty spectacular. I love performing solo, but it’s a whole different experience and energy with a full band backing you on stage,” he recalled.
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
He Writes The Songs
Jason says he writes 100% of his own songs. “I’ve never really done any sorts of co-writing at all. My songwriting process is pretty simple. I’ll have times where I sit down with a theme and chord progression already in mind and just brainstorm as much as possible in one writing session with those together. Other times, I’ll have lines that come to me written in my phone, or a notebook, or on my computer, and they just seem to build over time into more of a central idea of lyrics. Same with the music part of it. I’ll have numerous different chord progressions that I’ve been working on, and finally find the fit between those and whatever lyrics I’m working on at the time. Sometimes it works out perfectly, and others I modify here and there as needed and piece it all together. Little bit of fine tuning here and there, and re-writing, and hopefully I’m able to end up with a product that I’m happy with.”
First CD
Jason released his first album, Blue Collar Bones & Busted Knuckles, in late 2016. The debut release and the stories in it span the last 10 years of his life, and collectively were written over the last five years. “I’ve always resonated with music that brings a sort of nostalgia to the listener,” he said. “It seems that my own album ended up being that same way. I tend to write about where I am in life, so it’s a collection of true stories and my own experiences. I guess you could say it’s a story of growth as an individual in life as I try to come to grips with growing up, being a decent man, recognizing and dealing with my own past screw-ups and flaws, and just hoping to come out of all of it as a better person.”
www.jasonsprings.net
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March 2017
Music From The National Scene
Music From Your Neighbors
welcome to this edition of
SPINS! Check out all this wonderful ear candy (in no special order)! This collection will keep you busy for hours - Grab your iPad or Smart Phone and dial up some of these fine folks. And please let them know we sent you. We’ve got your summer jams right here! Got one you want us to listen to? send it to: Uncle Woody, The Spin Doctor PO Box 45 Bridgewater, VA 22812
Eight O’Five Jive www.eightofivejive.com
www.hayleyreardon.com
This is the second release for ensemble from Nashville, TN. It’s a throw back in some ways to that 40s and 50s Zoot Suit sound. The playful music and quippy lyrics add depth to the infecti ous, boogie style sound
Wow - what a voice! My first thoughts after my SPIN through Hayley Reardon’s third release, Good. This singer/songwriter has quite talented lyrical chops as well. Boston should be proud of their young budding artist
www.darinandbrookealdridge.com
www.thestringdusters.com
This darling couple of bluegrass music has gained quite a bit of attention in recent years - winning some awards along the way. Known for pushing genre’ boundaries, this new release follows suit
With it’s roots in grass, the Stringdusters have branched out to become one of the wider known roots bands on tour today. This latest collection pushes a little closer back home. But it’s true Dusters
The Revelers
Tomi Lunsford Come On Blue
Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could Press Play
The Vogts Sisters Homeward
www.bradyrymer.com
One of my favs this go round - this is Brady Rymer and crew’s eighth collection. It’s a little bit rhythm and blues, tinges of gospel, and Everly Brothers style harmonies. But there’s plenty of modern notes as well - good stuff
Maybe one of the best under the radar acts in the roots/ string/grass genre’ today. The Vogts Sisters captivate audiences with their haunting vocals and sibling harmonies. Their latest, Homeward, features ten new, originals
Ray Benson A Little Piece
Stuff We Leave Behind
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Phil Cohen & Patricia Ford Threads Of Gold
Play The Swamp Pop Classics Vol. 2
www.hardmilesmusic.com
www.revelersband.com
This is Phil and Patricia’s fourth album together since 1997. Their acoustic, country, blues, folk sound harken memories of Dylan and Prine. If you’re folky kind, you’ll like Threads Of Gold for your collection.
You can’t sit still and listen to these guys - seriou sly. Grammy nominated, Southwestern Louisiana culture infused Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, Honky Tonk with a pinch of rock and roll. It’s old school Louisiana dancehall, Y’all
Pete Seeger Pete Remembers Woody
This Frontier Needs Heroes
www.peteseegermusic.com
Real Job www.thisfrontierneedsheroes.com
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For nearly 70 years, Pete has embodied the ideals of Folk music. This latest project, Pete Remembers Woody, is firsthand spokenword reminiscences about America’s first great topical songwriter, Woody Guthrie, great song renditions too
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The Infamous Stringdusters Laws Of Gravity
Darin and Brooke Aldridge Faster and Farther
Hayley Reardon Good
Swing Set
www.tomilunsford.com
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Songwriter Brad Lauretti leads his eclectic band on this new CD, Real Job, the bands forth. More like an experience than just a collection of songs, they lure you in and make you wanna stick around. We like it
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They say Tomi thrives outside the realm of the expected. Considered one of Nashville’s most versatile performers, Lunsford’s latest project Come On Blue - represents a “musical evolution” from her first release. It’s edgy, and
evenhaunting,andcooltoo.
Wild Fire Rented Room On Broadway
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www.wonkytonkmusic.com
www.wildfireband.com
www.asleepatthewheel.com
Best known as the distinctive lead singer for the Texas swing band, Asleep At The Wheel, Ray Benson has his first solo project in more than a decade. His goal; to try something a little different. But if it’s Ray Benson, you know it’s still good. Yes, it is
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You can send new Americana CD releases for consideration to PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812
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www.vogtssisters.com
Wonky Tonk
This album marks the band’s return to Pinecastle records. The band formed in 2000, and features noted lead singer Robert Hale. Straight up bluegrass - they will surely make their fans happy with this latest release
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The name should probably give the style of this band away. The new project for singer Jasmine Poole took six years to write. It’s a bit odd hence the name Wonky, but it works on a creative level and worth the listen. It’s kinda catchy after all
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March 2017
on the make up of the tour group. The standard 15 day tour starts in Nashville. Smith said that they could facilitate highly personalized shorter tours that would hub out of each of the main centers of Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans
Americana Tour continued from page 13 planning a tour for April 2018 that will take in a weekend at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, MS.
In closing our conversation, I asked Mr. Smith to tell to me what he hoped the tourist would take away from the tour experience, and here are two thoughts that he mentioned, “Nashville is not just country music—rather it is a genuine music center. T his is an eyeopener—I had no idea of the importance of this area in the history of popular music until I saw it for myself.”
It seemed to me when I read the itinerary for the various tours that it must be difficult to tailor a particular tour. Smith agreed, “Designing these different tours has been really difficult. I have driven the area so many times and am so passionate about it that I want everyone to see everything all at once. In fact, the 15 day tour was originally going to be an 18 to 21 day tour. I realized that Americans don’t have the length of holidays that Australians have (out here we have 4 weeks a year) so I needed to make the length of the tour achievable by as many people as possible.”
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There is no tour overlap as all the tours are independent and based
Shenandoah Trail continued from page 15 audience is transported by the soothing familiar music. This is more than a gathering where some songs are played to pass the time; it is a way of life. At these local jams there is no judgment or competition, only a community so comfortable and familiar that everyone knows their part in the song. Everyone plays this music the old fashion way, by ear. This tradition of music making has been passed down for generations and practiced since the earliest Valley settlers in
John Prine
Should you care to learn a bit more about Gerry Smith’s magical, mystical Americana music tours and maybe tag along on one, point your computer’s browser to www.americanamusictours.com for the detailed information you need the 1730’s. Since then, this music has been shared and carried by musicians all over the country and serves as the foundation for much of today’s American popular music. The Shenandoah Music Trail offers links to some of the popular Valley and regional music event venues. These venues include eateries, wineries, public jam sessions, school and church events and festivals. For more, check out www.shenandoahmusictrail.com where you can find a comprehensive listing, or call 540-209-3540.
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