Displaying items by tag: bluegrass

Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve surveys a broader landscape on their newest album, City on a Hill. All five band members bring their own influences and observations into the music, resulting in a project that feels contemporary, thoughtfully crafted, and relevant. Produced by Bryan Sutton and engineered by Ben Surratt, City on a Hill follows significant recognition from the bluegrass community, including three IBMA Momentum Awards. With members based in Boston and Nashville, the lineup includes David Benedict (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Evan Murphy (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), and Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals).

City on a Hill follows multiple IBMA Momentum Awards, presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association to emerging bluegrass artists. Mile Twelve won the band category in 2017, shortly before releasing their debut album, Onwards. The following year, Keith-Hynes and Benedict secured IBMA Momentum Awards in instrumental categories, while the band earned two major IBMA Award nominations for Emerging Artist and Instrumental Performance of the Year in 2018.

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Instagram

  YouTube

Dustbowl Revival has always been about pushing the boundaries of what American roots music can be. After celebrating over a decade of sonic adventuring and playing thousands of shows together in ten countries and counting, the group collected a devoted fanbase coast-to-coast. After throwing five of their own virtual Sway-At-Home festivals during the shut-down featuring nearly forty artists, the always evolving group of string and brass players led by founding members Z. Lupetin, Josh Heffernan, Ulf Bjorlin are excited to welcome a new wave of talent to the band, after emerging from a pandemic touring hiatus. 

After spending years on the road, selling out hometown shows at LA’s famed Troubadour, headlining festivals and wowing crowds from Denmark to China, Dustbowl Revival never stopped making their joyful, booty-shaking soul songs and cut-to-heart folk-rock ballads that lift up their transcendent live shows.

Even so, with the bands emotional new single “Beside You” and 2020’s ambitious full length Is It You, Is It Me, they wanted to strike into new terrain. As they mined new energetic material from the place where folk and funk music meet, they teamed up with producer Sam Kassirer (Lake Street Dive, Josh Ritter) and engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens). The latest album strikes a more personal note than ever before, representing the latest stage in a band that never stops exploring new sounds.

Many of the songs feel like small theater pieces coming to life verse by verse. It’s the yin-yang conversational harmony that is the true specialty of lead songwriter and singer Z. Lupetin, who also doubles as a playwright and recently wrote the music for a Greek tragedy set in Gold Rush era California. While longtime co-lead Liz Beebe has stepped away from the band after a long run, an amazing young talent in Lashon Halley has stepped in to bring new life to the songs, matching Lupetin’s intense vocal range with her own.

With a big brass-and-strings band building around the voices, Is It You, Is It Me isn’t afraid to explore the personal and political tension that the group may have shied away from facing before. The album tackles uneasy topics, often where the political feels personal, especially in the defiant “Get Rid of You,” which was inspired by the student activists who emerged from the tragic Parkland High School shooting in Florida. The ominous driving brass groove of “Enemy,” hones in on a painful generational split between a daughter and her parents who may have voted in a tyrant, and have become strangers to her. This yearning search for common ground pervades the record as a whole. 

Where the band really sets on a new course is on lushly cinematic, orchestrated set pieces like “Mirror,” “Runaway” and, most notably, the current fan favorite and live showstopper “Sonic Boom,” about the struggle to reveal who you really are in the hidden, rose-colored world of social media. There’s a new widescreen expansiveness to these songs that wouldn’t be out of place in a packed arena or orchestra hall with a full neon light show. Acting like a nimble rock orchestra, during the recording process, each member played multiple instruments, and the group brought in new musicians on symphonic brass, and local friends to sing as a spur-of-the-moment choir. 

If one thing is clear, Is It You, Is It Me represents another large leap forward for Dustbowl Revival, coming after their acclaimed self-titled 2017 album. Produced by Grammy-winner Ted Hutt (Old Crow Medicine Show, Drop Kick Murphy’s), it transitioned the group from a “roots dance party band” that continues to thrive on the festival circuit, to a nuanced ensemble embracing more soulful territory without losing their original fire. That self-titled record was a direct bridge to the newest work, rising number to one on the Amazon Americana chart and featuring a funky favorite “Honey I Love You” where the band joyfully teaming up with blues master Keb Mo’. Their heartache folk number “Got Over”, surprised the band by racking up over seven million streams and counting online. “Beside You” stayed in the Americana charts for months and “Enemy” became a staple on SiriusXM, especially during the 2020 election. To top it off, Billboard Magazine added about that Is It You, Is It Me is “the biggest sonic work of the Venice, Calif.-based troupe’s career.” 

Dustbowl Revival’s story started humbly. Nearly thirteen years ago Z. Lupetin, a Chicago native who attended college in Michigan came to L.A. to be a screenwriter, grew disillusioned with his job in advertising, and placed a hopeful ad on Craigslist. He sought to find fellow musicians who shared his roving love of Louis Armstrong, Bob Wills, Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and the brass bands of New Orleans, but also wanted to write songs like Americana pioneers Wilco, Lucinda Williams and even Bruce Springsteen. There are still players in the group who responded to that initial odd quest. New talent on electric guitar, piano and more are joining in for 2021.

“Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last,” acknowledges Lupetin, “That’s my take on the importance of what we try to do. Music elevates us, lifts us up, makes us change our minds, takes us out of our comfort zones. If just one person can be moved by just one song, that’s enough.”

  Facebook @dustbowlrevival

  Twitter @dustbowlrevival

  Instagram @dustbowlrevival 

  YouTube

Moriah & Friends are coming from the Berklee College of Music in Boston to share their love of bluegrass music with the masses!

Moriah Ozberkmen, 22 (Mandolin) grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a multi-instrumentalist who has won the Utah State fiddle, mandolin and guitar championships. Moriah is working towards a mandolin performance degree from Berklee and is enjoying Boston’s thriving music scene. 

Avery Merrit, 24 (Fiddle) is a Boston- based, multi-style, fiddler who graduated from Berklee. He has received awards including the California Governor’s Medallion and Berklee’s Fletcher Bright Award. He has toured with acts including, Front Country, Tony Trischka, Sean Watkins and the Bee Eaters, and is currently touring with Grammy- nominated artist, Missy Raines.

Charlie Fuertsch, 24 (Guitar) is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Ogden, Utah. He graduated from Columbia University and is currently earning his diploma for Guitar Performance from Berklee. Although, he is firmly rooted in bluegrass and classic country, his music draws inspiration from and incorporates elements of jazz, blues, rockabilly, and old-time.

Hazel Royer, 19 (Bass) grew up in the Boston music scene. She started playing guitar in a band with her dad and eventually picked up the bass. Hazel is a powerful vocalist and songwriter who is highly sought- after. She is able to flawlessly genre-hop in styles including bluegrass, jazz, folk, rock, and indie-rock. She is currently majoring in performance at Berklee.

One of the finest young acoustic bands anywhere, Crying Uncle plays bluegrass and more with astounding instrumental skill and brotherly harmonies. Whether playing straight-up bluegrass or virtuosic Dawg Grisman tunes, Crying Uncle delivers breathtaking instrumentals, impressive at any age. Crying Uncle was founded by Miles and Teo Quale, as a duo band with invited guest artists. Miles (age 16, on fiddle) and Teo (age 13, on mandolin), have been featured on NPR’s The California Report and performed at venues such as IBMA’s Diversity in Bluegrass Showcase and with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives. Both were 2019 Freshgrass finalists in the fiddle and mandolin categories.

For Ogden Music Festival, The Quale brothers are joined by award-winning bassist Jason Howard and Sugar & the Mint guitarist Keenan Hammack. The quartet have know each for a few years and share a passion for music. They recently performed at Prescott Bluegrass Festival. Jason Howard currently plays bass in The Cross-Eyed Possum, The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and various jazz combos. Jason has been ranked 1st in the Arizona all state jazz competition in 2017 and 2018. Keenan Hammack has been an award winning flatpicker since the age of 14, taking the Arizona contest circuit by storm. Since then he has shared the stage with many of his heroes including Roy “Futureman” Wooten, Tristan Clarridge and many more. Keenan is currently touring with Telluride winning band Sugar and the Mint.

When not playing as a duo or with invited guests, the brothers perform with their bluegrass band, Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band (CUBG). The band recently released their second CD, Monroe Bridge. CUBG has opened for prestigious bands such as The Del McCoury Band and David Grisman Bluegrass Experience . In 2018, the bluegrass band was featured on a TEDxTalk with Phoebe Hunt. Winners of the 2018 Pickin’ in the Pines Band Contest in Flagstaff AZ, and selected by the International Bluegrass Music Association to perform at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in North Carolina, Crying Uncle is making waves in the bluegrass community.

Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, Mile Twelve surveys a broader landscape on their newest album, City on a Hill. The album title alludes to the idealized imagery of a shining city on a hill – a historical phrase that has often been applied to Boston, where the band got its start. All five band members bring their own influences and observations into the music, resulting in a project that feels contemporary, thoughtfully crafted, and relevant. The Mile Twelve lineup offers five of the most promising young musicians in bluegrass: David Benedict (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Evan Murphy (guitar, lead vocals), and Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals).

City on a Hill follows multiple IBMA Momentum Awards, presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association to emerging bluegrass artists. Mile Twelve won the band category in 2017, shortly before releasing their debut album, Onwards. The following year, Keith-Hynes and Benedict secured IBMA Momentum Awards in instrumental categories, while the band earned two major IBMA Award nominations for Emerging Artist and Instrumental Performance of the Year in 2018.

Famously crowned "The New Queen of Bluegrass" by the Wall Street Journal, Rhonda Vincent's music incorporates savvy contemporary touches while drawing deeply from the authentic traditions of classic bluegrass, with a flawless band that can execute break-neck instrumentals to heart-wrenching ballads. With over 100 awards to their name, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage are the most celebrated band in bluegrass, including Song of the Year, Entertainer of the Year and the unrivaled 7 consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year at IBMA. The Rage is compiled of five musicians including Hunter Berry, Brent Burke, Mickey Harris, Aaron Mcdaris and Josh Williams.

Rhonda Vincent’s new single, “LIKE I COULD” is the RESULT OF A CHAIN REACTION

Rhonda Vincent is no stranger to most anyone in the field of music. Why even Elton John and Bernie Taupin enlisted Rhonda and her iconic friend Dolly Parton, to create a “Queen of Bluegrass” version of their song “Please” for their 50th Anniversary Tribute CD in 2018.

The Grammys honored Rhonda Vincent & The Rage with the 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album “All The Rage – Volume One” a live project that displays the World Class Talent of Rhonda and her incredible band. She’s one of the hardest working entertainers, in any genre of music, touring an incredible eleven months out of the year. It’s been far too long since the “Queen of Bluegrass” settled down in the studio to create new music, and finally the wait is over.

There wasn’t a song search, or a target recording date. Frankly, the entire process was a continuous chain reaction. The songs presented themselves in the most unlikely of places. The first single, “LIKE I COULD” was discovered while riding in a limousine with Grand Ole Opry Star, Jeannie Seely. Jeannie was sharing her fear of co-writing, and how she finally faced her fear, at the encouragement of fellow Opry member Bill Anderson by writing “LIKE I COULD” with Erin Enderlin and Bobby Tomberlin. She sang her new song as the shuttled rolled along. Rhonda instantly loved it and told Jeannie she wanted to record it. Jeannie, in total amazement, later texted Rhonda to ask if she really wanted to record it or was it merely an impulse reaction. Rhonda really loved it and could not wait to record it.

Even the recording was unplanned. Rhonda was at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, TN recording a duet for Jeannie Seely’s upcoming project. It was a duet intended for Vince Gill, but when Vince started working on the duet, he felt the harmony was better suited for Rhonda, and called Jeannie to suggest she call Rhonda to sing it with her.

Jeannie’s producer Don Cusic scheduled a day for Rhonda to record at Ocean Way Studios, and as the duet was completed, Don’s afternoon session was canceled. Overhearing this, Rhonda asked if she could have the afternoon session. She quickly called musicians, called Jeannie for a demo and lyrics for her song, and two hours later the new single was recorded.

While this may seem unorthodox for some, Rhonda thrives on living for the moment, and making the most of each opportunity as it presents itself. This was never more evident as you discover the many elements, from the process of finding the songs for the new upcoming project, to the actual recording of the single “LIKE I COULD.”

Rhonda is constantly thinking of new adventures, songs, opportunities, and she loves the excitement and challenge of putting together a plan at the last minute. Anyone who has ever worked with Rhonda Vincent, knows they must be ready at a moment’s notice. There could be an impromptu recording session, a midnight drive to Canada to see Niagara Falls, a video shoot, or even a jam session aboard the Larry’s Country Diner/Country’s Family Reunion Cruise. Her motto is to always be ready for anything. It’s one of the secrets to her success, and a sure sign of the success of her new single “LIKE I COULD.“

From Northern Utah, Alternative Folk/Americana band Mama LongLegs delivers an alluring blend of First Aid Kit's intricate harmonies, with the unique character of bluegrass instruments.

Harris and Simper first met in college where they both studied music. They have spent the last few years writing and performing in different music groups, separately and together. They've teamed up to unleash their warm, seamless vocal harmonies and interplay between Megan's tasteful, flirtatious mandolin and Allie's raw and sensitive guitar playing. They've been influenced by other Folk/Americana musicians such as I'm With Her, Shovels and Rope, The Punch Brothers, and The Dixie Chicks.

Bluegrass band Wood Belly is based out of Colorado's Front Rage, and winner of the Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition (2018). Wood Belly is the musical collective of Chris Weist (mandolin), Craig Patterson (guitar), Chris Zink (dobro), Aaron McCloskey (banjo) and Taylor Shuck (bass). A Wood Belly song has its own lyrical persona and masterful arrangement; rooted in bluegrass tradition and planted solidly in contemporary innovation.

A nominee in the 2018 IBMA Momentum Awards, Wood Belly has shared bills with Del McCoury Band, The Steeldrivers, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Jeff Austin Band, Front Country, Wood & Wire, Trout Steak Revival, Steel Wheels, and many more.

Della Mae is a GRAMMY-nominated, Nashville-based, all-female string band made up of lead vocalist/guitarist Celia Woodsmith, 2-time national champion fiddle player Kimber Ludiker, mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner, and upright bassist Zoe Guigueno. Hailing from across of North America, and reared in diverse musical styles, they are one of the most charismatic and engaging roots bands touring today. They have traveled to over 30 countries spreading peace and understanding through music.

Their mission as a band is to showcase top female musicians, and to improve opportunities for women and girls through advocacy, mentorship, programming, and performance.

The future of acoustic music: Jubilee consists of some of the top young award-winning acoustic musicians on the scene today. Known for their relentless groove and breathtaking improvisation, they bring a fresh approach to traditional bluegrass, old-time, and even work their genre-bending magic on a little jazz and funk. Ranging in age from 12-15, the musicians have performed at a range of venues including the CBA Father's Day Bluegrass Festival, Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage, the Gallo Center for the Performing Arts, Sacramento’s Crest Theater, The Watkins Family Hour, and just last month were featured at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC.

They have appeared both together and individually with a long list of monumental musicians and mentors including Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, Mads Tolling, Roy “Futureman” Wooten (of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), George Cole (of the David Grisman Quintet), Hanneke Cassel and Mike Block, Sean and Sarah Watkins, and toured with Alasdair Fraser and the Scottish Fiddlers as well as The Bee Eaters. The boys, Miles and Teo, were recently featured on a TEDx Talk with Phoebe Hunt.

“It's a blessing to hear a group of young musicians blending Traditional Bluegrass and Newgrass sounds with such fire and energy. The love they have for the genre means the upcoming generation will be great. Don't miss the musicianship and energy this young dynamic group brings to the stage.”
- Keith Barnacastle, The Bluegrass Standard

Jubilee is Aerie Walker on cello, Tuki Walker on fiddle and vocals, Miles Quale on fiddle and vocals, and Teo Quale on mandolin and vocals. Listen to their new EP Jubilee on iTunes, GooglePlay or cdbaby.com.