About.com Folk Music

White House to Celebrate Music of Civil Rights Movement

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:08:06 +0000

On Feb. 11, PBS will air a show titled "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement," featuring performances from Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, and a number of other artists. The concert will be a commemoration of Black History Month (which we're now in) and will be hosted by Queen Latifah and Morgan Freeman.

No telling yet which songs will be performed during the concert, but here's my list of some of the most notable songs of the Civil Rights Movement and a look at the history of African-Americans in folk music.

White House to Celebrate Music of Civil Rights Movement originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 13:08:06.

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Alison Krauss & Union Station to Headline Telluride

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:31:41 +0000

I've never been to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival but, from what I understand, it's one of the best folk and roots festivals in the country. Tucked away in a little mountain town in Colorado, the Telluride festival grounds are famous for feeling like their own little pocket of string-pickin' heaven. And, having experienced the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, I feel confident in saying that the events put on by the fine folks at Planet Bluegrass are well worth it.

This year, the Telluride lineup will be headlined by Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas. Other acts on the bill include bluegrass mainstays like Del McCoury Band, Hot Rize, and Sam Bush Band, as well as more contemporary folk and Americana troupes like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Josh Ritter Band, and more.

Telluride 2010 will be held June 17-20. For a full lineup and more information about Telluride 2010, visit the festival's website.

photo: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images

Alison Krauss & Union Station to Headline Telluride originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 12:31:41.

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Randy Newman, T Bone Burnett Nominated for Oscars

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:50:00 +0000

Now that the Grammy Awards are out of the way, it's apparently time for the folk/Americana world to shift its focus to the Academy Awards. This year, two music icons are nominated for Oscars for their work on major films.

Singer-songwriter extraordinaire Randy Newman received two nominations for the same category - Best Original Song - for "Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans," which he wrote for The Princess and the Frog.

Superstar Americana producer T Bone Burnett (O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Raising Sand), who was just shafted by NARAS for the Producer of the Year Grammy, will compete against Newman for Best Original Song. Burnett's contribution was a co-write with Ryan Bingham on "The Weary Kind," which was featured in Crazy Heart. Though Crazy Heart is about a country singer, it's an outstanding representation of the life of a traveling troubadour, and Burnett & Bingham's song already won the Golden Globe.

The 2010 Academy Awards will be presented in ceremonies telecast live on ABC on March 7. Tune in to (hopefully) see some folk/Americana folks represent!

photo: Frederick M. Brown/Stringer / Getty Images

Randy Newman, T Bone Burnett Nominated for Oscars originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 12:50:00.

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Grammy Prediction: Best Bluegrass Album

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:24:10 +0000

Let me just get out of the way the acknowledgement that NARAS isn't exactly a bluegrass-focused organization, and their selections in this category tend to follow the lines of the best-known artist and not necessarily always the best. Of course, it's hard to argue with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder having taken the category so often, but that outfit and Alison Krauss & Union Station have easily dominated the category since it was introduced in 1989. So, following that logic, I'm going to guess that Steve Martin will walk away with this award this year for his album The Crow.

However, I'll assert that Bryan Sutton's Almost Live was my favorite bluegrass album by a long shot from 2009, and it would be difficult for me to pick any other nominee in this category whose artistry was so outstanding and consistent from album opener to the final song. Check out my full review of Bryan Sutton's Almost Live, the full list of 2010's folk/Americana Grammy nominees, or leave your prediction(s) in the comments.

image © Sugarhill

Grammy Prediction: Best Bluegrass Album originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 15:24:10.

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Grammy Prediction: Best Americana Album

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:57:01 +0000

This will be the first year where the Grammy Awards will feature a category for Americana music. In the past, the Grammys have honored Americana music in concert with contemporary folk (the category used to be Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album). This year, however, contemporary folk and Americana music get separate award categories, and there's plenty of buzz and anticipation surrounding the Americana nominees.

Before I announce my prediction for who will win this category, let me say I think Bob Dylan would have been better served under contemporary folk, and Neko Case (nominated in the contemporary folk category for Middle Cyclone) would be better categorized under Americana. But, that's entirely subjective and I applaud both those albums' nominations for 2010.

And now, for my prediction. I hereby predict the first ever Americana Grammy Award will go to Levon Helm for his album Electric Dirt. Helm, best known as drummer/vocalist for The Band, took the Best Traditional Folk Album Grammy two years ago, and Electric Dirt was a widespread favorite throughout the Americana community, sitting at No. 1 for several weeks. NARAS is fond of its musical legends and, while each of this category's nominees could fall under the "legend" umbrella, I believe Helm will take the trophy this year. Check out this full list of 2010 folk/Americana Grammy nominees, and stay tuned this week for more predictions.

image © Vanguard Records

Grammy Prediction: Best Americana Album originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 16:57:01.

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Grammy Spotlight: Loudon Wainwright III's Tribute to Charlie Poole

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:37:21 +0000

Charlie Poole, along with his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, was one of the most influential traditional-style folk artists of the 20th Century. His music was a strong early influence on bluegrass pioneers like Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs, but his career was cut short when he died of heart failure in 1931.

This comprehensive two-disc collection breathes new life into Poole's finest and most influential recordings. Wainwright's interpretations and arrangements are inspired while staying true to Poole's legacy and talent. High Wide and Handsome was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards. Read my full review.

image © 2nd Story Sound

Grammy Spotlight: Loudon Wainwright III's Tribute to Charlie Poole originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 14:37:21.

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Headlining Tour and New Song from Justin Townes Earle

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:31:07 +0000

Justin Townes Earle was one of the most buzzed-about emerging artists last year. He even won the Americana Music Association's Emerging Artist of the Year Award. And, with a full headlining tour underway this week, Earle is sure to attract even more fans in the coming months.

Though I've yet to hear buzz about a new Earle CD on the horizon (I'm still enjoying Midnight at the Movies), Bloodshot Records did send an email out announcing a new recording of the song "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" - a duet with Dawn Landes - and I couldn't help but share.

Here's a link to download the free MP3: "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind". What do you think?

photo: Kim Ruehl/About.com

Headlining Tour and New Song from Justin Townes Earle originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 12:31:07.

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Review: Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:41:21 +0000

It's been three years since the Carolina Chocolate Drops made their unforgettable debut with Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind. Where that record was more solidly traditional, its follow-up, Genuine Negro Jig, pulls together elements of traditional Americana with Eastern European melodies and even a mainstream R&B cover tune.

Old timey folk music is so simple, it leaves plenty of room for the person(s) performing it to add their own elements, styles, and interpretations. Plenty of folks can play a tune like "Cornbread and Butterbeans," for example, making it sound like a good time tune. The disc drops on Nonesuch Records Feb. 16, 2010. Find out more about the Chocolate Drops' interpretations with this full review of Genuine Negro Jig.

Review: Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 18:41:21.

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Stream Patty Griffin's Downtown Church

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:37 +0000

I'm not going to lie. I'm not a huge fan of gospel music. It's such a precarious style, in my opinion. And, much like protest music, it can often come of cheesy or preachy if placed in the wrong hands. It takes a gifted set of pipes and a discerning ear to collect traditional and contemporary folk gospel tunes into an album that sounds both imaginative and creative. Leave it to Patty Griffin (and producer Buddy Miller) to do just that, with her newest forthcoming release Downtown Church. I'll have a full review of the disc in the weeks to come (it drops on Jan. 26). But, in the meantime, you can listen for yourself...NPR (in conjunction with the fine folks at Folk Alley) is offering a free stream this week. What do you think?

Stream Patty Griffin's Downtown Church originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 17:00:37.

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RIP Kate McGarrigle 1946-2010

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:34:33 +0000

Hugely influential Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle (who sang with her sister Anna) has passed away after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 63. Together, Kate and Anna McGarrigle shared more than three decades in folk music, after releasing their debut album in 1976. She is also known as the mother of Martha and Rufus Wainwright, both of whom have had considerable success with their own music careers.

The CBC has a full obituary, which is well worth reading. This is a huge loss to the North American folk music community, and McGarrigle will certainly be missed.

photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

RIP Kate McGarrigle 1946-2010 originally appeared on About.com Folk Music on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 11:34:33.

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