Music City Roots Radio

Dex Romweber Duo / Buffalo Clover / Jim Skinner / Little Bandit / Don Schlitz

   

REVIEW: Big Bands (And One Little One)

Americana music is a minimalist art form, by and large. At its core is the lone songwriter with an acoustic guitar, and major heroes in our world know that their audiences won’t demand a full band on the road and often prefer the spare elegance of a solo show or a single accompanist. Heavy production in the recording studio can be seen as a departure from authenticity.

David Jacobs-Strain / Annie Sellick / Ryan Cavanaugh / Jeff Coffin / Rahsaan Barber

    

REVIEW: Surprises

Saxophonist and show-closer Jeff Coffin offered a very cool insight about jazz in our interview at Roots Wednesday night. The word improvisation, he said, comes from the Latin improvisio, which means the unexpected, or to put it another way - surprise. That certainly at the core of my fascination with jazz. Where other genres get their mojo by fulfilling hopes and expectations and being familiar, jazz is an ongoing flood of surprises, era to era, artist to artist and moment to moment.

Jim Avett / The Waybacks / Della Mae / Pokey LaFarge / Peter Rowan

    

REVIEW: Merlefest Moments

A friend once turned to me after a set at Merlefest and said “Ooh, I had a Merlefest Moment.” And I said, “Oh wow, you have those too?” It put a name on something that had been happening to me year after year as I attended that sprawling pop-up city of roots music. The whole thing was uplifting, but every so often during a performance the world would transform into a dream sequence. The song, the sound, the setting and the season would unify into pure state of transcendent NOW. Pupils dilated. Skin tingled. Heart rate elevated. Eyes glowed with dewy moisture. (And this from a standing start of pure sobriety I must add; Merlefest is alcohol free and not exactly Bonnaroo-esque when it comes to those other potential inebriants.)

Andrew Combs / Joe Mullins & Radio Ramblers / Allen Thompson / Sweethearts of the Rodeo / Andrew Leahey

    

REVIEW:1972

“You have to hit all the bases,” said bandleader and broadcaster Joe Mullins from the stage on Wednesday night. He was talking about a bluegrass show, where you’d better sing about momma, murder, trains and God before the night’s over. But he might also have been describing a good Roots show, where we try to touch as many bases as we can on the Americana infield. Our Nashville Scene friend Jewly noted our wide range of artistic points of view for this week, and one dude watching the final set of the night by The Allen Thompson Band leaned over to me and said over the volume: “ECLECTIC SHOW!” Yah bro. That’s how we roll.

HuDost / Howlin' Brothers / Roger Alan Wade / Saint Johns

   

REVIEW: Flower Power

Things are warming up. On Tuesday evening I was at the ballpark basking in a perfect 70 degree night with a skim of pollen on my beer (you should try it – delicious). Then Wednesday, it’s a scorching 87 degrees! An anomaly I’m sure. Of course that’s the day our beloved barn’s HVAC system had some kind of seizure and would not respond to our ministrations. So it was a bit warm in there, and we hope it wasn’t a bother if you were our guest. I actually loved having the tents open and the spring air flowing around. The performers? They worked up a sweat of course, but they’re in training for the summer festy season anyway. Nothing they can’t handle. The music was the right kind of hot, from open to close, from lush duo artistry through global groove, hard-edged hillbilly songs and feisty nouveau old-time.

Keller Williams & Travelin' McCourys / Altan / Shannon Whitworth / Derek St. Holmes / Great Peacock

    

 

REVIEW: Pumped Up Kicks

“Uncle” John Walker (my new nickname for our show’s co-founder) wore his Detroit Tigers cap Wednesday night in honor of the city that offered a musical education/upbringing to himself and his old pal Derek St. Holmes, the man set to play our penultimate set at the Loveless Barn. It was a young man move bound up with a young man dream of perhaps trading licks with this arena-scale rock star on our stage. And by golly it happened. As Derek St.Holmes started the final song of his ripping and righteous set, he signaled to John to grab his Strat. Cool, except there was no gear in place. A flurry of plugging-in ensued from our crack stage crew, and before we knew it, John was in fact slinging his six-string on stage and playing some fantastic vintage rock and roll with Derek. For a moment there I thought they were going to make guitar god faces and strike the infamous spoon pose, but the moment passed. It really is all about the music at Music City Roots.

Yarn / Adam Pope / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / John Cowan / Benjy Davis

    

REVIEW: No Fluke

Musical legends come in may shades of cool, from not at all to unapproachably awesome. And sometimes they come in cool shades, the way W.S. “Fluke” Holland did at Music City Roots this week. They were gold aviator specs that went ever-so-well with his amazing mane of white hair, not to mention his graceful, gracious personality. Guest host Peter Cooper, historian that he is, did a great job contextualizing Fluke for me and our audience, describing how Holland  – a non-drummer at the time - lucked into the Carl Perkins band in 1955, basically because he could keep time and he had a car. Then the third recording session of his life produced “Blue Suede Shoes.” And the rest, as they say, is hysterical.

Charlie Parr / Johnny Swim / McCrary Sisters / Alanna Royale / The Danberrys

    

REVIEW:Oh Mamma

With a lineup that flowed as naturally as a mountain creek, bountiful and beautiful voices, two full horn sections, tons of new music from new albums and a tent revival climax, I’ll nominate last night’s Roots for best in show. Quintessentially eclectic, we touched the bases of traditional blues, bluegrass, modern folk/country, soul/R&B and holy roller gospel. We were serenaded by lovers and by sisters. Our cup overflowethed. Before I pack the car to leave for tonight’s launch of our new sister show Scenic City Roots in Chattanooga, here’s what went down.

Luella & The Sun / The Vespers / Shelly Colvin / Andrew Duhon / Mandi Rae

    

 

 

REVIEW: Femmes Fatales

 

If there’s one thing in live music that people react to more than any other, it’s intensity. I’ve seen mediocre players and singers make huge audience connections by pushing their gifts to the limit and just opening themselves up emotionally. Yes, it’s a risk. It can go South in a hurry. But better to go for it. And when an artist is extremely good AND extremely vulnerable AND extremely expressive, mind-boggling things happen. And you’re probably correct in guessing I’m about to tell you this took place – more than once – on Wednesday night at the Loveless Barn, chiefly with some fascinating females. 

Samantha Crain / Henry Wagons / Shawn Byrne / Ed Snodderly / Banditos

    

REVIEW: In Your (Kid) Face

Did I give fair warning? I told you that Australia’s Henry Wagons cultivates audience participation. I mentioned that he might be somewhat interactive. A scenario I did NOT anticipate was any of our lovely crowd being encouraged to make gagging, last-breath-on-Earth sounds over a microphone for live broadcast to the world. No, I didn’t game that one out, but you know, this activity turns out to be freaking hilarious. Like gut-splitting, eye-watering ultra-funny.