Singer/Songwriter Sara Bareilles Helps Celebrate National Train Day
May 7, 2008
Singer/Songwriter Sara Bareilles will perform a free concert at Washington DC's Union Station this Saturday (May 10) to help mark Amtrak's National Train Day. Bareilles currently has a massive hit with "Love Song," a song written about how much she didn't want to placate the suits at her label by writing a love song for Little Voice, her major label debut.
National Train Day culminates 6 weeks of celebrations meant to raise awareness of passenger rail travel across the U.S. On May 10, 1869, the "golden spike" was driven into the final tie in Promontory Summit, Utah, that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, creating the country's first transcontinental railroad - tying together the East and West Coasts.
Bob Childers died April 22 of lung disease related to emphysema. He was 61. Childers was an influencing figure in the "Red Dirt" music genre, a sound specific to Oklahoma that included elements of country and folk and owes a great debt to the work of Woody Guthrie. He recorded his first album, "I Ain't No Jukebox," in 1978 with the help of Jimmy LaFave. After following the industry to Nashville and Austin, Childers returned to Oklahoma, releasing records and acting as narrator of LaFave's Guthrie tribute, "Ribbon of Highway."
Music god Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize during the super-prestigious organization's April 7 awards ceremony. It was the first time the Pulitzer judges have rewarded a rocker. His citation is for "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."
Todd Haynes' freaky sort-of film biography of Dylan, I'm Not There, which stars a variety of actors as the singer (including a very female Cate Blanchett - who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance), will be released on DVD on May 6.
This isn't something I get to say everyday, but an artist on the Folk Alley playlist has taken home multiple trophies in a major awards contest. Of course, that artist is Leslie Feist who is hotter than melted butter right now, but still... Feist picked up Canadian Juno Awards over the weekend for Album of the Year (The Reminder, which is sitting on my desk by chance), Pop Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Single of the Year (for "1234," aka "that iPod song"). Other winners making Folk Alley's hit list: Blue Rodeo for Group of the Year (esp. impressive since the award is based mostly on CD sales), Video of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year (Small Miracles); David Francey for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo (Right of Passage); and Nathan for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Group (Key Principles).
The Skirball Cultural Center presents "Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966," now through June 8. The exhibit traces Dylan's development as one of the most-influential songwriters in American folk and rock music. The multi-media exhibition offers a variety of rare and very personal Dylan memorabilia, along with music and evidence of Robert Zimmerman's transformation and growing cultural footprint. This exhibit was assembled by Seattle's Experience Music Project and has toured the U.S., including stops at New York's Pierpont Morgan Library and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Singer/songwriters Leslie Feist and Corb Lund have picked up Independent Music Awards during Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada. Feist's solo album, The Reminder, has made a strong showing on both the U.S. and Canadian Billboard charts - thanks, in part, to the song "1234," which was used in an iPod Nano ad. She picked up prizes in the Favourite Album of the Year and Favourite Solo Artist of the Year. Lund took home the trophy for Favourite Folk/Roots Artist of the Year for Horse Soldier, a collection of original songs with a horse theme (it being Corb Lund, it's a lot better than it sounds on paper). Newcomer Jenn Grant earned the Galaxie Rising Stars Award of the CBC for her CD, Orchestra for the Moon.
The Roots Music Association, an organization dedicated to promoting and advancing all roots-based music genres, has announced that San Antonio, Texas will host the group's annual awards show. The awards will be presented as part of the Roots Music Association's Radio Seminar, Music Conference and Festival in the Alzafar Shrine on June 26 to 29.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Jamboree album, Gibson Guitars is issuing the limited edition Earl Scruggs Flint Hill Special Banjo. The name refers to "Flint Hill Special," a Scruggs-penned piece that opened Flatt and Scruggs' first Columbia LP. The banjo is based on the Gibson Earl Scruggs Standard styling, except that it's super fancy and comes in a custom case. Only 20 will be made and the first 5 in the run will be signed by Earl himself (in a couple of places - he will sign all 20 banjo heads). The banjos also come with an instruction book, in case you're really rich, think it's pretty, but have no idea what to do with it once you get it home.
On March 9, Dave Siglin retired after running Ann Arbor's beloved folk music venue, The Ark, after 40 years at the helm. The Ark held four concerts as a farewell to Siglin, culminating with a singer/songwriter song circle including, among others, Arlo Guthrie and David Bromberg.
Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, the famed Berkeley folk and trad music venue, will break ground on their new facility in Berkeley's Arts & Cultural District on April 1. The new building will double the seating from the current venue, which the organization moved into during the '80s. The new concert space will have 440 seats, providing more space for educational and outreach programs as well as expanded presenting opportunities. The Berkeley Society for the Preservation of Traditional Music, which currently operates Freight & Salvage, plans to open the venue in 2009.
Master singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a speech by Lou Reed. Damien Rice performed "Hallelujah" in tribute. Cohen, who is amazingly 73, begins a world tour in June - his first in 15 years. So far there are no U.S. dates on the schedule (4 words - "road trip to Canada"). Here is the video from the induction ceremony. Watch it quick before VH1 pulls it down.
No Depression magazine has been a victim of the changing world of the music business and has stopped publication. Despite the continued growth of Americana music, they could not cover their print and distribution costs. The service will continue in an online format. Listen to a story about the men behind No Depression on NPR Music.
Willie P. Bennett, a pioneering singer/songwriter in the contemporary folk movement, died on Feb. 15 of a heart attack at age 57. One of a number of Canadians who produced songs that inspired the next generation and made waves into U.S. music culture, Bennett's work prompted the formation of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, a "supergroup" made up of Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson that focused on Bennett songs. For the past decade, Bennett has toured with Fred Eaglesmith, playing harmonica and mandolin. He suffered a heart attack in May and was finishing his rehabilitation, apparently on schedule, when a second attack silenced him during a daily workout. Bennett won a JUNO Award in 1998 for Heartstrings.
Steve Earle picked up a statue for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album for Washington Square Serenade and Levon Helm was honored for Dirt Farmer in the Best Traditional Folk Album category at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Other interesting wins of note included Herbie Hancock winning Album of the Year for his jazzy tribute to Joni Mitchell, Country megastar Brad Paisley beating out a lot of good trad players to win Best Country Instrumental Performance with an electric guitar, and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience winning the first award presented for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album (pulling those two genres out of Folk and/or World). Earl Scruggs and The Band were among those honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
More Grammy wins by Folk Alley artists (there are 110 Grammy categories - no joke):
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals - Gone, Gone, Gone, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Best Pop Instrumental Perfomance - One Week Last Summer, Joni Mitchell
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals - Lost Highway, Willie Nelson & Ray Price
Best Bluegrass Album - The Bluegrass Diaries, Jim Lauderdale
Best New Age Album - Crestone, Paul Winter Consort
Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album - Salt of the Earth, Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
Best Native American Music Album - Totemic Flute Chants, Johnny Whitehorse
Best Hawaiian Music Album - Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Various
Best Traditional World Music Album - African Spirit, Soweto Gospel Choir
Best Contemporary World Music Album - Djin Djin, Angelique Kidjo
Best Polka Album - Come Share The Wine, Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra
Best Comedy Album - The Distant Future, Flight of the Conchords
Best Historical Album - The Live Wire-Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949, Woody Guthrie
Best Classical Crossover Album - A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane, Turtle Island String Quartet
Best Short Form Music Video - God's Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced nominees for the JUNO Awards - Canada's highest honors for the country's recording industry. Awards will be presented at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta on April 6. Along with a giant pile of noms for Celine Dion (NOT on the Folk Alley playlist), Here are some nominations of interest:
Roots & Traditional Album: Group
Compadres (James Keelaghan & Oscar Lopez)
Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
John Reischman & The Jaybirds
Nathan
The Sadies
Roots & Traditional Album: Solo
Corb Lund
Jill Barber
David Francey
Justin Rutledge
Oh Susanna
Instrumental Album of the Year
Amon Tobin
Bob Lanois
Jayme Stone
Joey Wright
Richard Underhill
Adult Alternative Album of the Year
Blue Rodeo (also up for Group of the Year and Video of the Year)
Jeremy Fisher
Neil Young
Rufus Wainwright (also up for Songwriter of the Year)
Tom Cochrane
East Coast Music Awards Presented in New Brunswick
Proving once again that Canada is cooler than the U.S. when it comes to music, the East Coast Music Awards handed out prizes during the organization's annual conference and festival. Categories cover the gamut. Artists winning awards that, as best as I can figure, fit the Folk Alley profile (they aren't all necessarily in the playlist, the music just seems appropriate) include:
Female Solo Recording of the Year: If You Were For Me - Rose Cousins
Male Solo Recording of the Year: House For Sale - Dave Gunning
Rising Star Recording of the Year: Brand New Skin - Stephanie Hardy
DVD of the Year: Back Stage Pass - The Rankin Family
Bluegrass Recording of the Year: Saddle River String Band - Saddle River String Band
Francophone Recording of the Year: 11:11 - Vishten
Folk Recording of the Year: Looking Back - Volume 2: House For Sale - Dave Gunning
Instrumental Recording of the Year: Live From the Music Room - Troy MacGillivray
Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year: Reunion - The Rankin Family
Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year: Falling On New Ground - Kimberly Fraser
The Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) presented their 34th annual Bluegrass Music Awards Feb. 3 at the organization's national convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Awards were presented based on fan votes. Winners included:
Bluegrass Song Writer: Tom T. Hall & Dixie Hall
Album of the Year: The Road Headin' Home - Grasstowne
Bass Fiddle: Mickey Harris
Dobro: Phil Leadbetter
Guitar: Josh Williams
Mandolin: Danny Roberts
Banjo: Kenny Ingram
Fiddle: Hunter Berry
Female Vocalist (contemporary): Rhonda Vincent
Female Vocalist (traditional): Alecia Nugent
Male Vocalist (contemporary): Larry Stephenson
Male Vocalist (traditional): James King
Gospel Group (contemporary): NewFound Road
Gospel Group (traditional): Paul Williams & the Victory Trio
Vocal Group: Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
Instrumental Group: The Grascals
Bluegrass Band of the Year: The Grascals
Song of the Year: Lefty's Old Guitar - J.D. Crowe & the New South
Entertaining Group of the Year: Nothin' Fancy
Entertainer of the Year: Rhonda Vincent
Singer/songwriter John Martyn was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award by Phil Collins at the 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (see video - it's not on YouTube or I would post it). Martyn released his first album, London Conversation, in 1967 and has put out 22 collections since - becoming a legend along the way. Other Folk Award winners include Martin Simpson (Best Original Song for Never Any Good and Album of the Year for Prodigal Son), Andy Cutting (Musician of the Year), Julie Fowlis (Singer of the Year), John Tams and Barry Coope (Duo of the Year), Lau (Best Group), Bellowhead (Best Live Act), Shirley Collins (Exceptional Contribution to Folk Music) and Rachel Unthank (Horizon Award). The 9th annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards were hosted by DJ Mike Harding in London.
In support of their album Raising Sand, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant are heading out on a world tour beginning in April. The CD combines both of their talents in a sound that I describe as Rock-a-billy (others disagree, but Gone, Gone, Gone did just win a Grammy - so I feel justified in enjoying it). T Bone Burnett, who produced the CD, will be joining the pair onstage. On a side note, Krauss' extensive tour without Union Station probably explains Adam Steffey's decision to leave Mountain Heart for the Dan Tyminski Band.
Martin Hayes Wins "Oscar of the traditional music world"
Irish fiddler Martin Hayes has been honored with the 2008 Gradam Ceoil Award for Traditional Musician of the Year from Irish language TV channel TG4. The Gradam Ceoil is the highest prize a traditional Irish musician can receive. Hayes, who currently lives in the U.S., was born in County Clare and has captured six All-Ireland titles.
Riders in the Sky Honored by Society for American Music
Modern-day cowboys Riders in the Sky will be honored Feb. 29 with honorary membership in the Society of American Music. Each year, the organization picks a well-known, prominent figure to receive this honor. The Society for American Music was founded in 1975 to promote the study and performance of American music.
In a sea of songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz for the Disney film Enchanted, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova have picked up an Oscar nomination for "Falling Slowly" from their movie Once. The film, which contains lots of music written by the pair, tells the story of an Irish busker who meets and falls in love with a fellow musician who recently immigrated from the Czech Republic. Hansard, a member of the Irish band The Frames, and Irglova, who is indeed Czech, performed together before shooting the film and are now a couple in real life.
As if to prove that this song is on the Folk Alley playlist, when I logged in to post this story, "Falling Slowly" was playing.
John Stewart, a member of the Kingston Trio who wrote "Daydream Believer" for the Monkees and recorded more than 40 albums of his own, died Saturday from a stroke surrounded by his family in the same San Diego hospital where he was born. He was 68 years old.
Stewart, who spent most of his adult life living in Marin County, had a Top 10 hit in 1979 with "Gold," featuring guest artists Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac.
He first emerged as a songwriter when the original Kingston Trio recorded a couple of his songs. Stewart had formed a similarly styled folk group, the Cumberland Three. He joined the Kingston Trio in 1961, at the time one of the biggest selling acts in the world, to replace founding member Dave Guard. He quit the group in 1967.
With folk singing partner Buffy Ford, whom he would marry in 1975, Stewart hit the 1968 campaign trail for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, appearing with him at campaign rallies up until the night of his assassination in Los Angeles.
He released his classic "California Bloodlines" album in 1969, the first of seven solo albums to make the charts through 1980. His biggest solo hit was "Gold," from the "Bombs Away Dream Babies" album, which also produced lesser hits "Midnight Wind" and "Lost Her in the Sun." His songs were recorded by a number of artists, including Rosanne Cash, who scored a 1988 country hit with his "Runaway Train."
He continued to record over the years, releasing a number of recent albums on his own label and selling them through the Internet. He was working on a new album at the time of his death, with Buckingham playing guitar on the record. Recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Stewart wrote a song for the new album titled "I Can't Drive Anymore."
Since 2000, Stewart and fellow former Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds have held the Trio Fantasy Camp, where campers practice their favorite Kingston Trio song and perform the number with the two former group members. Stewart was visiting Reynolds in San Diego when he was stricken last Thursday in his hotel room.
Friends and family came from across the country on Friday to hold a hospital room vigil. Stewart is survived by his wife, Buffy; three children from his first marriage, Mikael of Camarillo (Ventura County), Jeremy of Mission Viejo (Orange County) and Amy of Alisa Viejo (Orange County); a son, Luke, of San Francisco, from his second marriage; and six grandchildren. Services are pending.
Dan Fogelberg, Cast King and Henrietta Yurchenco Pass
December 18, 2007
More recent deaths in the Folk community:
Dan Fogelberg: The singer/songwriter and soft rock mainstay died at 56 of prostate cancer. Known for hits including "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lange Syne," Fogelberg performed a variety of genres, including bluegrass, with his recent work having a strong focus on the environment. He had been battling cancer for three years.
J.D. "Cast" King: Even though country musician King began playing guitar at age 10 and recorded tracks at Sun Records in the '50s, he didn't release his first album, "Saw Mill Man," until he was 79. He was working on his his second collection when it was discovered earlier this month that his back trouble was really cancer throughout his body. He died at 81 in his Alabama home with Helen, his wife of 59 years, by his side.
Henrietta Yurchenco: A respected ethnomusicologist, Yurchenco spent her life trying to capture living music traditions from around the world. She captured ritual songs from native Americans in North, South and Central America and songs from Spain, Mexico, Morocco, Guatemala, the Caribbean and Appalachia - recording the music for the Library of Congress archives. She was 91.
Singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, eldest child of Johnny Cash and his first wife (Vivian), is recovering after brain surgery in late November. Cash was forced to cancel the final four concerts (including a mainstage performance at the 41st Kent State Folk Festival) supporting her CD Black Cadillac. The 52 year-old artist was operated on for a Type 1 Chiari malformation, a rare, but benign, structural defect that affects balance. She is expected to complete a new CD early in 2008, along with a book project.
Kerry-born Christie Hennessy, 62, died in London on Wednesday of Asbestosis, a cancer related to exposure to asbestos. Hennessy, who was one of Ireland's most-successful songwriters, released his first album in 1972 but paid his bills writing for other artists until his 1992 album, The Rehearsal, went triple platinum - outselling U2. Among artists who scored number ones with Hennessy-penned songs are Clannad's Marie Brennan, Frances Black and Christy Moore, whose recording of "Don't Forget Your Shovel" was instrumental in establishing Hennessy's songwriting career. It is believed he came into contact with asbestos while working in London's building trade as a teen.
Canadian Pacific's Holiday Train ends its annual run with concerts Dec. 17 in Southern Saskatchewan. Performers include Colin Linden, Tracey Brown and the family duo Ennis. Now through Dec. 15, the Holiday Train travels through British Columbia with Wide Mouth Mason and pop star Melanie Doane. The complete schedule is available here. CP's Holiday Train offers concerts in return for donations to local food banks, so bring cans and your wallet. The project also raises awareness of the hungry and the food banks that are charged with providing food and necessities to the needy 12 months a year (not only during the season of giving).
Philadelphia Folksong Society Premieres "New" Woody Guthrie Songs
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, the organization is hosting an event that features new songs written with previously unheard lyrics by Woody Guthrie. "In Woody's Words" offers musical creations by Chris Smither, John Gorka, Jonatha Brooke, Tom Paxton, Sara Lee Guthrie & Johnnie Irion and Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live on Sunday, Dec. 16. These artists join others, such as Billy Bragg, Wilco and the Klezmatics, who have written songs using a depth of unrecorded lyrics found in the Woody Guthrie Archives, maintained by Guthrie's daughter, Nora.
Results from Canadian Folk Music Awards, ARIAs, and Americana Music Awards
Winners of recent music award contests include:
Canadian Folk Music Awards
Best Album-Traditional: La Part du Queteux, "Paye la Traite"
Best Album-Contemporary: The Duhks, "Migrations"
Best Singer-Contemporary: David Francey, "Right of Passage"
Best Instrumentalist: Anne Lindsay, "News From Up the Street"
Best Instrumentalist-Group: Creaking Tree String Quartet, "The Soundtrack"
Best New-Emerging Artist: Brigitte Saint-Aubin, "Etre"
ARIA Awards
Best Blues and Roots Album: The John Butler Trio, "Grand National"
Best Female Artist: Missy Higgins, "On A Clear Night"
Best Adult Contemporary Album: Josh Pyke, "Memories & Dust"
Americana Music Awards
Album of the Year: Patty Griffin, "Children Running Through"
Artist of the Year: Patty Griffin
Duo/Group of the Year: The Avett Brothers
Instrumentalist of the Year: Buddy Miller
New/Emerging Artist of the Year: The Avett Brothers
Song of the Year: Darrell Scott, "Hank Williams' Ghost"
Langerado, Donovan, Phil Keaggy and Porter Wagoner
News briefs from the files:
Langerado Tickets Now On Sale
Tickets for the annual music festival held on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation near Ft. Lauderdale, FL went on sale Nov. 16. The fest will take place March 6-9 and feature performances by Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov't Mule, Ani DiFranco, Ben Folds, Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood, Sam Bush, Martin Sexton, The Avett Brothers, Brett Dennen, Josh Ritter, and others. Along with Lesh, the Beastie Boys and R.E.M. also headline.
Donovan Plans to Open TM University
Donovan is joining with director David Lynch to open the Invincible Donovan University in Scotland. Students will learn the principles of transcendental meditation - practices that Donovan learned from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and that Lynch has been active in introducing into U.S. schools. The plan is "to protect Scotland from its enemies and to bring peace, to stop violence and drug abuse" with the help of group meditation.
Phil Keaggy Inducted into Gospel Music Hall of Fame
Youngstown Ohio native and guitar wiz Phil Keaggy was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame during a Nashville ceremony. A Christian musician, Keaggy was inducted alongside Larnelle Harris, the Winans and the Statler Brothers.
Porter Wagoner Dies
Country legend Porter Wagoner died at the end of October. Wagoner joined the Grand Ole' Opry in 1957 after releasing his first album on RCA in 1955. His syndicated TV show ran for more than two decades and he was responsible for solidifying Dolly Parton's very early career - promoting her and recording a series of duets. For one of his final appearances, he opened for the White Stripes at Madison Square Garden this summer.
