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RT @atizine "Young listeners have been bombarded by pop nonsense for too long they're just not going to take it anymore." -- DJ Jim Blum - less than a minute ago
There's strength in numbers and the voices that join together on FolkAlley.com are quickly becoming a chorus that can be heard around the world. Folk Alley is the antidote to the Auto-Tune-riddled music scene that ignores a human desire for songs created from melody, storytelling and honest musicianship. As FolkAlley.com welcomed its 100,000th registered user on Saturday, February 27, the global home for folk music has even more reason to celebrate a genre that has multiple generations discovering artists producing music with the power to redefine lives.
Folk Alley invites everyone to the party with its own house-blend of traditional folk, contemporary singer/songwriter, Celtic, Americana, bluegrass, world and acoustic instrumental styles, and Cathy Sanders from Columbia, South Carolina is only the latest listener to seek out the music online that is no longer available on the terrestrial radio stations in her area. When Cathy added her name to the Folk Alley rolls to become FolkAlley.com's 100,000th registered user, she opened a door to extra website features, available only to registered users, as well as receiving the Alley Chat - Folk Alley's monthly e-newsletter.
Folk Alley Programming and Marketing Director Linda Fahey says, "It's listeners like Cathy who really make our work worth the effort. They love folk music, and so do we. Together, we can help keep this community strong and vibrant for years to come."
Established in September 2003, Folk Alley is now an industry standard-bearer - using the power of the Internet to find new ways to bring listeners together with the best in folk music. From its cornerstone 24-hour hosted music stream and unique on-demand content to exclusive interviews and live concert downloads, FolkAlley.com offers visitors a richly rewarding folk music experience. The popular Open Mic area is a space for artists of all talent levels to upload their original work into a public forum that provides feedback and fresh sounds for listeners. The Folk Alley hosts have decades of experience working behind microphones and discovering new talent - earning respect from artists, labels and others in the industry.
To become the next registered listener on Folk Alley - click here.
Not too often does a new album from a unknown group jump to the top of the stack. Several of us listened separately but around the same time, and excitedly reported to each other the same news No Fool For Trying offers one good song after another. Selections present good energy, interesting topics, and catchy melodies. Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac are Madison Violet.
Both singers are from small Scottish towns in Canada, but their style is not Celtic. At least, not yet. Each album so far as been different from the one before it. The first was apparently more on the pop-rock side produced by John Reynolds (U-2, Damien Dempsey) as was the second, which was alt-country. On "No Fool..." the singers went a different direction and are backed by old time banjo, fiddle, mandolin and upright bass. The resulting sound is not Appalachian however, the playing is refined and the overall sound is more contemporary.
"Lauralee" and the album's title song will probably get the most play, but "The Woodshop" will catch your interest. Brenley's brother was the 52nd homicide in Toronto and the song describes her father carefully building a tiny coffin for his son's cremated remains. The song is not morbid in any way, but it does capture and portray the truth about one family's angst. The rest of the songs are more positive; the whole album is solid.
Booker (Bukka) White is not only Tom Rush's hero; Eric Bibb admires him as well, and has named his new solo album after the folk-blues legend. Actually, the album is not entirely solo, as harmonica whiz Grant Dermody accompanies Eric on some selections. Though there are some songs from tradition, most are Bibb originals and continue to show off his infectious groove.
"The Sunrise Blues" will resonate if you have little in your life to celebrate; "One Soul To Save" speaks to those who would be overjoyed just to have freedom. "One Soul..." is inspired by the James McBride book "Song Yet Sung" about slaves in Maryland risking everything. The song has a bit of a double meaning, serving as an inspiration to any of us who may need a push to make a big and needed move.
Eric may also inspire you to read more after you hear "Turning Pages" The album's highlight may be the low key "Rocking Chair." The song describes a man building a chair to overcome lonliness, only to witness the reason for his despair return to sit in that chair. You'll have to listen to the song for yourself to learn what happens next.
Eric Bibb continues to be our most literate and motovational blues singer. You will find one of his concerts a true gift.
Classical guitar star, Sharon Isbin's, new album crosses over to folk and the whole world noticed. Journey to the New World won a 2010 Grammy in the Classical category: "Best Instrumentalist without an Orchestra." Mark O'Connor produced the album and wrote a suite in which he accompanies her on violin. Several short pieces challenge Isbin in playing a reel, a rag, and a blues. These selections come easy to O'Connor, but Isbin stays with him.
She also tackles several traditional ballads including "The Drunken Sailor." Joan Baez sings two songs and is the subject of an instrumental tribute. Sharon plays versions of many Baez classics, and the finale offers a spirited medley which is the stand out on the album.
Other selections are a bit serious, even stiff, and if you're looking for drive you would be better off with a player like Tommy Emmanuel. Still, this album relflects lots of preparation and may convince a classical music lover to consider turning towards folk, and if we're lucky, Folk Alley.
JOHN McCUTCHEON ~ Untold
John McCutcheon continues to be one of our best spokespersons and offers several talents - many which reveal themselves again on Untold. This is a double album with one disc dedicated to stories and the other to songs. The stories were recorded at a national storyteller's festival and you can tell that John's musical abilities back up the tales well, and provided something extra which other non-musical storytellers couldn't offer.
Though John can command an audience for hours with his insight and his wit, Folk Alley will focus on the disc with the songs. "Sara Tucholsky" is a true story about a little girl in a softball game who became injured rounding the bases, even though she hit a home run. What happened next to allow the run to count is a dramatic lesson for all of us to pull together, including the opposition.
Some of the songs are a bit too deliberate, describing the incident instead of reflecting upon it. Mostly however, John does offer "headturners," and the standout is a song called "Different." We hear a father rationalizing about right and wrong until the young daugher catches on to his exceptions for the excuses that they really are. How do you explain to the innocent child that "Tell your uncle I'm not home" is not a lie? "That's different," sings John, as we all turn red.
John McCutcheon plays guitar, fiddle, banjo, hammered dulcimer, and sings. He is a domineering speaker, and an uncompromising writer. We are lucky to have him among us.
Madison Violet - "No Fool For Trying"
Patty Griffin - "Downtown Church"
Adam Steffey - "One More for the Road"
Carrie Newcomer - "Before & After"
Various - "Keep the Light Alive: Celebrating the Music of Lowen & Navarro"
Chris Coole - "Old Dog"
Scott Nygaard & Crow Molly - "Scott Nygaard & Crow Molly"
Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain - "The Melody of Rhythm"
Johannes Linstead - "Mistico"
Robert Earl Keen - "The Rose Hotel"
The Devil Makes Three - "Do Wrong Right"
Ricky Skaggs - "Songs My Dad Loved"
Michael Jerling - "Music Here Tonight, Live at Caffe Lena"
Corb Lund - "Losin' Lately Gambler"
Downtown Church, Patty Griffin's seventh album, is the equivalent of a slow walk into a field of wildflowers -- a journey in which you look up at a bluebird sky and take a deep breath with your eyes closed. It sounds like the soundtrack to a spiritual awakening, which makes sense, given that it's a gospel album: On it, two Griffin originals rub alongside gospel standards, including "Wade in the Water" and "Waiting for My Child."
It was EMI's Peter York who first suggested that Griffin record an album of gospel songs -- not such a strange idea, if you think about it. After all, she's got the huge vocal range necessary to sing gospel music, along with years of experience writing about life, loss, praise and sorrow. It's also not so strange when you consider that Griffin herself has long believed that gospel music is the foundation of, well, everything.
She got to work with Buddy Miller (among other friends, including Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale and a couple members of the royal family of gospel, Regina and Ann McCrary), producing an album that's so mesmerizing, it's difficult to believe Griffin isn't a card-carrying member of The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville. (That's where she recorded the album last January.)
But what makes Downtown Church even more relevant -- and, frankly, more touching -- is that Griffin says she's working through complicated feelings about religion and her own sense of faith. Downtown Church is her way of exploring those feelings. For the rest of us, the music is just plain good. And, for some of us, it's a feel-good re-introduction to ideas and feelings that might be uncomfortably familiar.
Folk Alley with Gene Shay now heard on Sirius XM The Village
Folk Alley is happy to annouce that folk DJ legend, Gene Shay, can now be heard on Sirius XM - Channel 15, The Village. Subscibers can tune in to Folk Alley with Gene Shay every Sunday from 6-8pm (ET), with an encore broadcast on Wednesdays at midnight (ET).
FolkAlley.com, in collaboration with WXPN in Philadelphia, also presents Folk Alley with Gene Shay each week - streaming Saturdays from 5-7pm (ET) and again on Wednesdays at the same time.
Gene Shay has been called "the dean of American folk DJs" and the "Godfather of Philadelphia Folk Music." Since 1962, Shay has produced folk music-centered radio programs and he can currently be heard weekly on Philadelphia's 88.5 WXPN on Sunday nights from 8 to 11 p.m. He has also emceed the Philadelphia Folk Festival from its beginnings in 1957. Shay's early interviews with artists including Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, John Denver, Tom Waits, Phil Ochs, Bonnie Raitt and Judy Collins were so well-known that bootleg copies of some still exist.
Folk Alley presents our December Holiday Stream featuring nearly 50 hours of a wide mix of Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice and winter music - hosted by Jim Blum. You'll hear everything from Sam Bush's "Sleigh Ride," to John McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches." Robin and Linda Williams' "Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree," Ricky Skaggs' "Deck the Halls," and much more.
Lyle Lovett - "Natural Forces"
Willie Nelson - "American Classic"
Dixie Bee-Liners - "Susanville"
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "Up From Below"
Ray Davies and the Crouch End Festival Chorus - "The Kinks Choral Collection"
Christine Kane - "Wide Awake"
Chris Smither - "Time Stands Still"
Patty Loveless - "Mountain Soul II"
James Keelaghan - "House of Cards"
Laura Love & Orville Johnson - "The Sweeter the Juice"
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Speed of Love"
Caroline Herring - "Golden Apples of the Sun"
Steep Canyon Rangers - "Deep in the Shade"
Joel Mabus - "No Worries Now"
There's something haunting about the way Lyle Lovett sings. His word choice and his distinctive phrasing explain why he was an instant success and why he is so imitated.
Recent albums were a bit rock n' roll or featured his "large" band, but Natural Forces is right down Folk Alley.
The title song concerns a restless soul heading west. Through the character in the song, Lovett playfully reminds us of ancient travelers on some of the same routes - the unfortunate pilgrimage by Native Americans on the Trail of Tears. Lyle is also an adept song chooser. "Whooping Crane," by Eric Taylor, is a deeply poetic narrative about the injustices that prevail. There are also joyful offerings - "Keep it in your Pantry" explores the draw of home and home cooking. We are provided both a country and a bluegrass version. By far the saddest song on the album is Vince Bell's "The Sun and Moon and Stars" If you are alone, and seemingly satisfied, wait till your heart connects with the singer's revelation during one of those "moments" of regret that we all have.
If you are drawn to Lyle's acoustic offerings, Natural Forces is in that style. Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan lead an impressive array of back up musicians.
This is only the second full length release by this Virginia based contemporary bluegrass sextet. Susanville is an album of road songs, and a concept album. In other words, each song connects as the characters are either leaving or returning to a small town named Susanville. Highlights are "Find Out," "I Need 18 wheels," "Brake Lights" and "In My Pocket." The group's co-leader, Buddy Woodward, hopes that the album becomes "the soundtrack for a movie in your mind." Due to the well crafted lyrics and arrangements, you do feel like you're watching a movie.
Susanville is the first of several concept albums which the group is planning.
Due to the band's history, this theatrical style should not be unexpected. Buddy was Musical Director for an off Broadway play about Loretta Lynn in New York some years back. Brandi Hart understudied every role and often appeared as a different character each night. They recognized each other's work ethic and creativity and the Dixie Bee-Liners carry those qualities forward. You can visit Folk Alley's Extras Section to watch video of the entire group being interviewed as well as performing.
They're back. One of America's first country-rock bands in the 1960's was The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This group did traditional music a huge favor. At the height of their popularity in 1972, The Dirt Band gathered as many living authentic country musicians as possible to release Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Young fans of the group inadvertently discovered Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, and Mother Maybelle Carter. There were also two follow up releases (1989 and 2002).
Almost all of the early members are still in the band: Jeff Hanna, Jimmy Fadden, Bob Carpenter, and multi instrumentalist John McKeuen. The album's title song may be the best. Whether life is good to you at the moment or sour, it moves so quickly, those events will change in short order. The band hopes to make a point that we probably shouldn't get too excited or too disappointed, as everything is temporary. "Earthquake" is a light hearted swing parody about living on the San Andreas Fault. "Trying to Try" is a clever admission that even though a solution isn't at hand, an attempt to find one is.
Fans of the The Dirt Band will find that the playing as good as ever, the singers are in full voice, and that the wonderful whimsy that attracted so many smiles has not faded.
Joel Mabus is folk legend in Michigan and very worthy of that moniker. He has been crafting songs and preserving overlooked traditional melodies for years, and he does all of this on every stringed instrument you can think of. From the amusing "Duct Tape Blues," to the calming "The Only Way Out is Through," Joel's observational eye has gifted the Folk Alley library with dozens of heartwarming gems over the years.
There is no let up in No Worries Now. He covers lots of subjects. He pokes at political parties in "You Voted Red" (and I voted blue...). Mabus offers a practical solution for those who no longer drink in "Two Cents Plain." The song's title is an old term for ordering a non alcoholic drink, but his clever rhyme and reasoning might open a few eyes among those trying to quit. Perhaps the most alluring number is "Give It Up."
This song addresses our ambitions, which if we're not careful, can drift away from the meaningful toward the materialistic.
I don't mean to paint Joel as a lecturer, because he's not. This album is very entertaining, and often comical. Very few songwriters can poke you in the ribs and stick to your ribs at the same time. Mr. Mabus has this double ability and he always has. No Worries Now is another collection defining why fans will remember his songs.
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