Liz Longley
The Americana genre is bringing out its big guns this spring.
Such core artists as Steve Earle, former spouse Allison Moorer, the duo of Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, the late Jack Clement and such stalwarts as the McCrarys and Mike Henderson are all bringing forth new albums.
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Liz Longley has evidently released three prior CDs, but her Sugar Hill debut is the first I’ve heard. This week’s DisCovery Award winner is booked at City Winery on April 22. Let a word to the wise be sufficient.
The Disc of the Day prize goes to the divinely gifted McCrary Sisters. Their record is out now, and as soon as May 12 rolls around, I urge you to also buy the latest by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell.
EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL/The Traveling Kind
Writers: none listed; Producer: Joe Henry; Publishers: none listed; Nonesuch (track)
-Their new CD drops on May 12, but is available digitally now. Its title tune and lead-off track finds their iconic voices harmonizing flawlessly throughout a wistful, loping, gently swaying ode to wandering spirits. As if their singing and the beautifully poetic song weren’t enough, the acoustic track ripples like a breeze-kissed pond.
SUGARCANE JANE/Home Nights
Writers: Crawford/Cason; Producer: Buzz Cason; Publishers: Dirt Roads End/Buzz Cason, BMI/ASCAP; ArenA (track)
-This haunting, minor-key gem gleams with sonic polish. It can be found on Dirt Road’s End, the debut CD by Sugarcane Jane. Nashvillians with good taste and long memories will recall this duo’s Anthony Crawford as a solo artist and as the ultimate sideman for folks like Neil Young, Steve Winwood, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Forbert, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill and more. After leaving Music City, he settled on Alabama’s Gulf Coast with the other half of Sugarcane Jane, his wife Savana Lee.
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES/You’re The Best Lover That I Ever Had
Writer: Steve Earle; Producer: R.S. Field; Publishers: Exile on Jones Street, ASCAP; New West (track)
-Earle’s new Terraplane CD is a blues collection. On this low-key moaner, he sings in a brushy, husky, soft drawl that ranks among his most expressive performances in years. The whole collection is essential listening.
AMY SPEACE/Better Than This
Writers: Amy Speace/Kate Kim; Producer: Neilson Hubbard; Publishers: Amy Speace/Katherine Kim, ASCAP/BMI; Windbone (track)
-Baltimore-bred Speace is a Nashvillian who purposefully recorded her new That Kind of Girl in three days, live with such stellar Americana sidemen as Will Kimbrough, Dan Mitchell, Garrison Starr and producer Hubbard. She wished to capture the emotional immediacy of its song cycle about a failed romance and its aftermath. Here, she offers herself hope in a rushed, breathy vocal that seems to be a chin-up message to a bruised heart.
THE FAIRFIELD FOUR/Rock My Soul
Writers: traditional; Producers: The Fairfield Four/Lee Olsen; Publishers: public domain; Fairfield Four
-Established in 1925, this a cappella Nashville institution’s current lineup is Levert Allison, Larrice Byrd, Bobbye Sherrill and Joe Thompson. Without an instrument in sight, they stir up a mighty, rhythmic, urgent sound on the lead track of their Still Rockin’ My Soul CD. With a legacy that includes a 1997 Grammy Award and a high-profile appearance in the 2001 movie O Brother Where Art Thou, the “new” Fairfield Four carries the name forward in triumph with this disc. Lee Ann Womack drops by to sing soulfully with the fellows on “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” Buy and believe.
LIZ LONGLEY/Outta My Head
Writer: Liz Longley; Producer: Gus Berry; Publishers: Luckelizz/Welk; ASCAP; Sugar Hill (track)
-I think I’m in love. As she spooled out this wafting, pulsing saga of romantic regret, I got completely lost in its delicious melody and her hooky chorus. Her supporting instrumentalists include such Nashville A-listers as Tom Bukovac, Michael Rhodes, J.T. Corenflos and John Hobbs. This lady has it all — tense vocal finesse, songwriting chops, dynamite production. Also check out “Bad Habit” and “Memphis.” Along with this track, they’re available as downloads on iTunes. I guarantee you’ll be as smitten as I am.
COWBOY JACK CLEMENT/I’ve Got A Thing About Trains
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; I.R.S. (track)
-Recorded just before his death in 2013, For Once and For All finds Clement in surprisingly robust form singing versions of his songwriting classics “Miller’s Cave,” “Just a Girl I Used to Know,” “I Know One” (my favorite), “Just Between You and Me,” “Let the Chips Fall” and the like. The collection leads off with this baleful bit of nostalgia from the legendary Hall of Famer.
The McCrary Sisters
THE McCRARY SISTERS/By The Mark
Writers: Gillian Welch/David Rawlings; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publishers: Cracklin/Irving/Say Uncle/Buddy Miller, BMI; MCC/Thirty Tigers (track)
-If these gals can’t give you goosebumps, you must be clinically dead. Harmonizing as only siblings can, the four McCrarys are arguably — individually and collectively — the greatest soul singers in Music City. Their new Let’s Go collection finds them simply and sympathetically produced by Americana star Buddy Miller. Choosing listening tracks among these 16 gems is a fruitless enterprise, since each one captivates. Just play ‘em all.
THE MIKE HENDERSON BAND/I Wanta Know Why
Writer: Mike Henderson; Producer: Kevin McKendree; Publishers: none listed, BMI; EllerSoul (track)
-He’s in the running as World’s Coolest Human, since Henderson used to play ace bluegrass music in The SteelDrivers while still holding down his Monday-night residency at The Bluebird Cafe as our favorite blues rocker. It is in this latter guise that he has recorded the simmering slab of sound If You Think It’s Hot Here. The comeback collection leads off with this scorcher and doesn’t let up from then on. By the time you hit the halfway point, your ears are sweating. In addition to a clutch of new Henderson originals, the band covers Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and other bluesmen. We’re so lucky to have this group in our community.
CMT Debuts ‘Next Women of Country’ Tour With Jana Kramer, Kelsea Ballerini
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): Jana Kramer and Kelsea Ballerini will be on the CMT “Next Women of Country” tour.
CMT today (April 9) announced it’s leaving the guys at home and hitting the road this spring for its inaugural CMT “Next Women of Country” Tour headlined by Jana Kramer, with rising singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini. The network’s first-ever ladies-only tour will make 10 stops across the country.
The tour is the latest extension of CMT’s “Next Women” campaign, which launched in 2013 as a way to give more attention and airplay to emerging female country artists across all screens. Among the “Next Women” alumnae are Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Cassadee Pope and Ashley Monroe. CMT also has a long history of launching artists on the road, having recently capped year 13 of its CMT On Tour, most recently headlined by Kip Moore.
“The ‘Next Women of Country’ campaign seamlessly connects music fans with the rising generation of female country artists,” said Leslie Fram, Sr. VP of Music Strategy for CMT. “With the tour, we’re now able to create zero-distancing between fan and artist and deliver an amazing night of discovery.”
The tour plays May 12 in Nashville at 3rd and Lindsley, with Ballerini, but not Kramer, and special guests from CMT “Next Women of Country.”
Both Kramer and Ballerini are rapidly climbing at country radio with their respective current singles, “I Got The Boy” and “Love Me Like You Mean It.” In its first week out, Kramer’s single “I Got The Boy” from her forthcoming sophomore album was the most-added female at country radio. Ballerini co-wrote her debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It” and this week it broke the Top 20.
“My first summer in Nashville, I was 15 and didn’t have a driver’s license yet,” said Ballerini. “So I spent it at home, writing songs and watching music videos on CMT. That was a way I knew I could learn and feel like I was growing. Since then it’s always been a dream of mine to have a music video on CMT. To now have that and for me to be part of the CMT ‘Next Women of Country’ Tour is a huge honor.”
“I am beyond excited to be a part of the first ‘Next Women of Country’ tour,” Kramer noted. “I’m a big advocate for us girls sticking together and encouraging each other. I can’t wait to see everyone on the road!”
CMT “Next Women of Country” Tour:
• April 30, 2015 – Grand Rapids, MI (The Intersection)
• May 1, 2015 – Cincinnati, OH (Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill)
• May 7, 2015 – Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)
• May 8, 2015 – Chicago, IL (Joe’s Sports Bar)
• May 10, 2015 – St. Louis, MO (The Pageant)
• May 12, 2015 – Nashville, TN (3rd and Lindsley)**
• May 14, 2015 – Orlando, FL (Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill)
• May 15, 2015 – Fort Walton Beach, FL (The Swamp)
• May 17, 2015 – Charlotte, NC (The Fillmore Charlotte)
• May 28, 2015 – Myrtle Beach, SC (House of Blues)
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 10 at participating venues.
UMPG Nashville Renews Publishing Deal with Sam Ellis
/by Jessica Nicholson(Pictured, Back Row): Cyndi Forman, UMPG VP, Creative; Travis Gordon, UMPG Creative Director; Missy Wilson, UMPG Sr. Creative Director; and Ron Stuve, UMPG VP A&R. (Front Row): Kent Earls, EVP/GM, UMPG; and Sam Ellis.
UMPG Nashville Executive VP/General Manager Kent Earls announced that the publishing company has extended its exclusive publishing agreement with songwriter Sam Ellis. Ellis co-wrote four tracks on UMPG Nashville Hunter Hayes‘ recent album Storyline, including “You Think You Know Somebody,” “When Did You Stop Loving Me,” “Secret Love,” and “Love Too Much.”
Ellis has also landed a song on The Band Perry‘s upcoming album.
“Over the past several years, we’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to watch Sam’s songwriting and production skills blossom. Sam’s potential is limitless and UMPG is looking forward to watching Sam’s unique talent continue to grow,” Earls said.
“I’m extremely proud to call UMPG home. It’s a dream come true to be able to create music in a building with such a dedicated and tireless staff. I’m continually educated and humbled by the world class roster of writers I have the privilege of sharing ideas with every day,” Ellis added.
Ellis, a Hespeler, Ontario native, began performing in church. His first television placement as a songwriter came on YTV’s Surf Shack, when he was 10 years old. His songs have been featured on CBC’s Heartland, Disney Channel’s The Latest Buzz, as well as CMT’s Unstable, ER Vets, and Pick A Puppy.
DISClaimer: Americana Packs Musical Firepower
/by Robert K OermannLiz Longley
The Americana genre is bringing out its big guns this spring.
Such core artists as Steve Earle, former spouse Allison Moorer, the duo of Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, the late Jack Clement and such stalwarts as the McCrarys and Mike Henderson are all bringing forth new albums.
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Liz Longley has evidently released three prior CDs, but her Sugar Hill debut is the first I’ve heard. This week’s DisCovery Award winner is booked at City Winery on April 22. Let a word to the wise be sufficient.
The Disc of the Day prize goes to the divinely gifted McCrary Sisters. Their record is out now, and as soon as May 12 rolls around, I urge you to also buy the latest by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell.
EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL/The Traveling Kind
Writers: none listed; Producer: Joe Henry; Publishers: none listed; Nonesuch (track)
-Their new CD drops on May 12, but is available digitally now. Its title tune and lead-off track finds their iconic voices harmonizing flawlessly throughout a wistful, loping, gently swaying ode to wandering spirits. As if their singing and the beautifully poetic song weren’t enough, the acoustic track ripples like a breeze-kissed pond.
SUGARCANE JANE/Home Nights
Writers: Crawford/Cason; Producer: Buzz Cason; Publishers: Dirt Roads End/Buzz Cason, BMI/ASCAP; ArenA (track)
-This haunting, minor-key gem gleams with sonic polish. It can be found on Dirt Road’s End, the debut CD by Sugarcane Jane. Nashvillians with good taste and long memories will recall this duo’s Anthony Crawford as a solo artist and as the ultimate sideman for folks like Neil Young, Steve Winwood, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Forbert, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill and more. After leaving Music City, he settled on Alabama’s Gulf Coast with the other half of Sugarcane Jane, his wife Savana Lee.
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES/You’re The Best Lover That I Ever Had
Writer: Steve Earle; Producer: R.S. Field; Publishers: Exile on Jones Street, ASCAP; New West (track)
-Earle’s new Terraplane CD is a blues collection. On this low-key moaner, he sings in a brushy, husky, soft drawl that ranks among his most expressive performances in years. The whole collection is essential listening.
AMY SPEACE/Better Than This
Writers: Amy Speace/Kate Kim; Producer: Neilson Hubbard; Publishers: Amy Speace/Katherine Kim, ASCAP/BMI; Windbone (track)
-Baltimore-bred Speace is a Nashvillian who purposefully recorded her new That Kind of Girl in three days, live with such stellar Americana sidemen as Will Kimbrough, Dan Mitchell, Garrison Starr and producer Hubbard. She wished to capture the emotional immediacy of its song cycle about a failed romance and its aftermath. Here, she offers herself hope in a rushed, breathy vocal that seems to be a chin-up message to a bruised heart.
THE FAIRFIELD FOUR/Rock My Soul
Writers: traditional; Producers: The Fairfield Four/Lee Olsen; Publishers: public domain; Fairfield Four
-Established in 1925, this a cappella Nashville institution’s current lineup is Levert Allison, Larrice Byrd, Bobbye Sherrill and Joe Thompson. Without an instrument in sight, they stir up a mighty, rhythmic, urgent sound on the lead track of their Still Rockin’ My Soul CD. With a legacy that includes a 1997 Grammy Award and a high-profile appearance in the 2001 movie O Brother Where Art Thou, the “new” Fairfield Four carries the name forward in triumph with this disc. Lee Ann Womack drops by to sing soulfully with the fellows on “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” Buy and believe.
LIZ LONGLEY/Outta My Head
Writer: Liz Longley; Producer: Gus Berry; Publishers: Luckelizz/Welk; ASCAP; Sugar Hill (track)
-I think I’m in love. As she spooled out this wafting, pulsing saga of romantic regret, I got completely lost in its delicious melody and her hooky chorus. Her supporting instrumentalists include such Nashville A-listers as Tom Bukovac, Michael Rhodes, J.T. Corenflos and John Hobbs. This lady has it all — tense vocal finesse, songwriting chops, dynamite production. Also check out “Bad Habit” and “Memphis.” Along with this track, they’re available as downloads on iTunes. I guarantee you’ll be as smitten as I am.
COWBOY JACK CLEMENT/I’ve Got A Thing About Trains
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; I.R.S. (track)
-Recorded just before his death in 2013, For Once and For All finds Clement in surprisingly robust form singing versions of his songwriting classics “Miller’s Cave,” “Just a Girl I Used to Know,” “I Know One” (my favorite), “Just Between You and Me,” “Let the Chips Fall” and the like. The collection leads off with this baleful bit of nostalgia from the legendary Hall of Famer.
The McCrary Sisters
THE McCRARY SISTERS/By The Mark
Writers: Gillian Welch/David Rawlings; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publishers: Cracklin/Irving/Say Uncle/Buddy Miller, BMI; MCC/Thirty Tigers (track)
-If these gals can’t give you goosebumps, you must be clinically dead. Harmonizing as only siblings can, the four McCrarys are arguably — individually and collectively — the greatest soul singers in Music City. Their new Let’s Go collection finds them simply and sympathetically produced by Americana star Buddy Miller. Choosing listening tracks among these 16 gems is a fruitless enterprise, since each one captivates. Just play ‘em all.
THE MIKE HENDERSON BAND/I Wanta Know Why
Writer: Mike Henderson; Producer: Kevin McKendree; Publishers: none listed, BMI; EllerSoul (track)
-He’s in the running as World’s Coolest Human, since Henderson used to play ace bluegrass music in The SteelDrivers while still holding down his Monday-night residency at The Bluebird Cafe as our favorite blues rocker. It is in this latter guise that he has recorded the simmering slab of sound If You Think It’s Hot Here. The comeback collection leads off with this scorcher and doesn’t let up from then on. By the time you hit the halfway point, your ears are sweating. In addition to a clutch of new Henderson originals, the band covers Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and other bluesmen. We’re so lucky to have this group in our community.
Sony/ATV Adds Non-Country A&R Manager To Nashville Office
/by Jessica NicholsonMark Abramowitz
Sony/ATV has relocated Mark Abramowitz, previously A&R coordinator in the company’s New York office, to its Nashville office where he will serve as Manager, A&R/Creative. In his new role, he will sign, develop and work with Sony/ATV Nashville’s non-country songwriters, as well as support Sony/ATV signings from other destinations who come to Nashville for songwriting and recording. Abramowitz will report to Danny Strick, Sony/ATV Co-President, U.S.
Martin Bandier, Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO, said, “Nashville is far more than just country music. Almost every genre is represented there and as a music publisher it’s important we recognize this and have the right personnel in place. We at Sony/ATV are happy to take the lead and we have in Mark a rising A&R star who will get the best out of our non-country signings.”
Strick commented, “It was clear to me from working with Mark in New York the past few years that he is the perfect A&R person to work for the pop division in Nashville. His sensibilities for music and writer friendly approach should enable him to thrive in Nashville where anything in music seems possible.”
Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Nashville President and CEO, added, “As Nashville’s music community has expanded, the city has developed as well as attracted a growing number of non-country songwriters and artists. With Mark we now have a dedicated A&R person to search out, develop and work with the best of this talent, while he will also be on hand to work with and set up writing sessions for visiting songwriters.”
Abramowitz said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity Marty, Danny and Troy have given me with this new role and I’m excited to be working in such a vibrant music city with so many talented songwriters and musicians.”
Abramowitz joined Sony/ATV in New York in 2011 as an intern having graduated from Rutgers University and been part of Sony’s College Marketing Department. He rose from the role of receptionist to becoming A&R Assistant in December 2011 and then A&R Coordinator in January 2014. Songwriters and artists he has signed include Wild Cub, No Wyld and Kevin Kadish who co-wrote eight of the songs on Meghan Trainor’s chart-topping debut album Title, including the No. 1 hit “All About That Bass” and its follow-up “Lips Are Movin’”. Abramowitz also works with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia, whose cover of “This Land Is Your Land” served as the soundtrack to Jeep’s 2015 Super Bowl commercial.
The move follows Nashville’s increasing musical contributions to hits outside of the country genre, including rock bands Kings of Leon and Paramore, as well as Trainor and her songwriting partner/producer Kadish. Country-turned-pop artist Taylor Swift was signed by Sony/ATV at age 14. Rock artists The Black Keys and Jack White also call Music City home.
Weekly Register: Rucker Rockin’ At No. 1
/by Sarah SkatesIn recent weeks Rucker visited Today and Ellen, and he is set for ABC’s The Chew on April 16, before heading out on the Southern Style Tour May 14 with Brett Eldredge, the Brothers Osborne and A Thousand Horses.
Elsewhere on the country album chart, NOW That’s What I Call ACM Awards 50 Years scored a nice debut with 11K, landing at No. 4. There is also a 2015 ACM Awards Zinepak compilation, which fell to No. 6 in its second week of release, moving 8K/17K RTD. Luke Bryan’s Spring Break…Checkin’ Out swam to No. 2 (17K/154K RTD) in its fourth week at sea. Rounding out the country top 5 are Sam Hunt, Montevallo, at No. 3 (16K/427K RTD) and Jason Aldean, Old Boots New Dirt, at No. 5 (8K/897K RTD)
Jon Wolfe debuted Natural Man with sales of 2.2 K.
Top 5 Country Tracks TW
Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time,” 60K
Little Big Town, “Girl Crush,” 51K
Cole Swindell, “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey,” 46K
Zac Brown Band, “Homegrown,” 42K
Eric Church, “Like A Wrecking Ball,” 27K
On the all-genre Top 200 chart, rapper Wale debuted at No. 1 with The Album About Nothing with total activity of 100K.
Overall album sales were up 14 percent week over week, but the year-to-date stats are still slumping.
YTD Albums
Overall -1.5%
Overall digital +2.7%
Country -12.9%
Country digital -7.4%
YTD Tracks
Overall -10.1%
Country -16.4%
APA Signs Rock Band Kansas
/by Jessica NicholsonKansas
Rock band Kansas has signed with agency APA for worldwide representation. The company will represent band members Phil Ehart, Billy Greer, David Manion, Ronnie Platt, David Ragsdale, and Richard Williams as they bring their music to fans around the world.
“Kansas has been a part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll landscape for over four decades,” commented Steve Lassiter, SVP/Partner and Head of Concerts at APA Nashville. “Their fans are extremely devoted, and we at APA are excited to continue to unite the band with their fans for more stops along their musical journey.”
Kansas released its debut album in 1974, and went on to sell more than 30 million records, and earn eight Gold albums, three sextuple-Platinum albums (Leftoverture, Point of Know Return, and Best of Kansas), one Platinum live album (Two For The Show), and more.
The documentary Miracles Out of Nowhere, which chronicles the band’s rise to fame, premiered in February at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and debuted on television on both VH1 Classic and Palladia on March 20. The film and companion CD released March 23, debuting at No. 37 on Billboard‘s album sales chart, and at No. 61 on the Billboard Top 200.
‘State of the Union: A Celebration of American Roots Music’ Spring Dates Announced
/by Troy_StephensonThe series will include performances from Holly Williams, Darrell Scott, Rodney Crowell, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Shelby Lynne, Amy Helm, Sony Landreth and more.
State of the Union: A Celebration of American Roots Music will take place at the City Winery venues in Chicago, Napa, Nashville and New York City. The series is presented by American Airlines, Lagunitas and Nissan.
The spring lineup is as follows:
NASHVILLE
Holly Williams-April 29
Dar Williams with Jim Lauderdale-May 9
Darrell Scott & Friends: A Tribute to Ben Bullington featuring John Cowan, Rodney Crowell and Bill Payne (of Little Feat)- May 19
CHICAGO
Jorma Kaukonen-April 9
Shelby Lynne-May 26-27
Sam Bush-June 11
Amy Helm-July 7
NAPA
Rhiannon Giddens-May 11
Leo Kottke-June 28
NEW YORK
Blitzen Trapper performs Harvest-April 17
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams (Album Release) with Blind Boy Paxton-May 18
Sonny Landreth-June 14
Musicians Corner Reveals Spring 2015 Lineup
/by Eric T. ParkerThe spring season will run through June 28 with performers including John & Jacob, Foy Vance, The Secret Sisters, Those Darlins, and Trent Dabbs.
Available throughout the Saturday events will be food trucks, Kidsville, Dogville, local artisans, and the Musicians Corner Pub. Music is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m.
A location change has moved the weekly events nearer the West End and 25th Street/Elliston Place corner.
For a full list of performers and special guest updates, visit musicianscorner.com.
I.R.S. Nashville Adds Clark To Artist Roster
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): John Grady, President, I.R.S. Nashville; Ashley Clark; Star Farm’s Michael Powers and Matt Corbin.
Ashley Clark, formerly with the Clark Family Experience, has signed with I.R.S. Nashville for the release his self-titled solo album, produced by Mutt Lange.
I.R.S. Nashville has entered into an agreement with independent promotion company Star Farm Nashville to assist with the promotion of Clark’s debut single “Greyhound.” The I.R.S. promotion staff, headed by VP of Promotion Tom Moran, and the Star Farm team, headed by President Michael Powers, have already begun working together to promote Clark’s music to country radio.
“Greyhound,” which was penned by Ashley and his brother Austin Clark, impacts radio May 18.
“Michael and his Star Farm team are the perfect partners for us with Ashley Clark,” says I.R.S. Nashville President John Grady. “Michael and I met over a Mutt Lange production 20 years ago. We are both excited to do it again.”
Moran says, “Star Farm is a group of outstanding promotion people that John Grady and I know well. They are the perfect team to partner with our I.R.S. staff on the Ashley Clark project.”
‘American Epic’ Documentary To Study 1920s Musicians, Recording Technology
/by Jessica NicholsonThe documentary’s filmmakers re-assembled the machine that allowed many American musicians to hear themselves on record for the first time, and replicated the atmosphere of America’s 1920s field recordings, allowing some top artists of today to record straight to wax, using the original microphones, amplifiers, and other equipment from that era. This marks the first time performers have been able to use this machinery in more than 80 years.
These performances will be featured in a separate feature-length work, American Epic Sessions, also set to air on PBS stations and BBC Arena. Sony will release the soundtrack.
Others taking part include Alabama Shakes, The Americans, The Avett Brothers, Beck, Frank Fairfield, Ana Gabriel, Rhiannon Giddens, Merle Haggard, Bobby Ingano, Elton John, Auntie Geri Kuhia, Pokey LaFarge, Bettye LaVette, Los Lobos, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Taj Mahal, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Fred Martin & The Levite Camp, Ashley Monroe, Nas, Willie Nelson, Charlie Kaleo Oyama, Blind Boy Paxton, and Raphael Saadiq.
American Epic is directed by MacMahon, and created/produced by McGourty, MacMahon, and Duke Erickson.
American Epic will air in Fall 2015 on PBS and BBC Arena.
Watch the teaser for American Epic below.