Thursday, April 19, 2012

Levon Helm - The memories will always continue

We learned this week that Levon Helm's daughter Amy and wife Sandy posted a note announcing that Helm "is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey."

What a tragic turn. Conquered throat cancer, then won three Grammies, and now the end.

*Dirt Farmer - Best Traditional Folk Album 2007
*Electric Dirt - Best Americana Album 2009
*Ramble At the Ryman - Best Americana Album 2011


Here's two videos showing my favorite memory of Helm with John Hiatt performing with the Levon Helm Band at Wolf Trap on Nov 7, 2010.

The Weight


The Slackers - I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)


Update: Here's the Rolling Stones with the sad news.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Everybody's Talkin' about the new CD

We received this interesting press release regrading Tedeschi Trucks Band that we want to pass along. Makes us rethink our decision to skip MerleFest this year.

New York, NY (April 16, 2012) – On May 22, Tedeschi Trucks Band will release Everybody's Talkin', their sophomore album in their second full year as a band. The uplifting, energy-packed double-disc set by the 11-piece ensemble led by husband-wife team Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi that recently marked their first anniversary with a Grammy win for their debut album Revelator. TTB (as their fans know them) shows off a stunning rate of musical progress on Everybody’s Talkin’, eleven tracks selected from a year’s worth of concerts from around the globe plus one new track (“Nobody’s Free”). The performances—a hearty blend of originals and spirited covers of rock, R&B and even gospel classics—capture the group’s roots-rich musical mix, laced with Truck’s signature slide-guitar sound and fronted by Tedeschi’s pliant, honey-to-husky voice (as well as her own gritty guitar-work). The collection also includes all of the joyful, spontaneous energy that has helped TTB build a growing circle of fans and earned them an unprecedented string of triumphs in just the past few months.

TTB have lined up some special treats for fans who pre-order their copy of Everybody's Talkin'. All pre-order customers will receive a bonus downloadable live track of one of TTB's explosive encores, a medley of two Sly & The Family Stone songs, "Simple Song>Take You Higher." It's a perfect complement to Everybody's Talkin', and it's only available for pre-order customers. The band is also giving away a prize package to one lucky pre-order customer that includes a pair of tickets to any TTB concert after June 15th during their 2012 tour, a special meet-and-greet with Derek and Susan, and a Gibson SG Special guitar autographed by Derek and Susan. Five second-prize winners will receive a signed vinyl copy of Everybody's Talkin'. For sweepstakes details and complete official rules, click here.


Pre-order Everybody's Talkin' from the TTB Store



Besides the Grammy for Best Blues Album of the Year in February, Trucks himself, along with TTB bandmate Oteil Burbridge, were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for their membership in The Allman Brothers Band. In March, Tedeschi and Trucks were invited to perform at the White House with B.B, King, Buddy Guy, and yes, President Barack Obama himself (who sang a verse of “Sweet Home Chicago”). A week later, they appeared at the Apollo Theater, joining Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and a host of guitar heavyweights in an all-star tribute to bluesman Hubert Sumlin. On April 30th Tedeschi and Trucks will perform at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at a concert to celebrate International Jazz Day. Other featured performers include: Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Wynton Marsalis and others.

“I really never imagined it would have turned out quite like this, especially the last few months. The momentum picked up and it just really started rolling—everything kind of happened at once,” says Trucks, who maintains that his focus, and that of TTB have remained steadfast on the music itself. “As over the top as a lot of that stuff is, the one thing I notice is, it doesn’t really feel any different than being on the road and having successful shows. The way the band took shape musically around the time that we decided to record a live record was pretty exciting.”

True to its intent, the tracks on Everybody’s Talkin’ flow one into the next with the collective spirit and lift of a typical TTB concert—raising the roof with a Saturday night sense of abandon, and gently concluding with a Sunday morning spiritual. Featured are versions of tunes from Revelator that are already crowd favorites—“Bound For Glory”, “Love Has Something Else To Say”—some with added details, like the fresh horn part that pushes “Learn How To Love” a notch higher than the studio original, or the tasteful, quotes of “Swamp Raga” and “Little Martha” on slide-guitar that set the stage for “Midnight in Harlem”. Other songs portray the group’s abiding affection for a truly wide range of soulful and gritty forebears, including Stevie Wonder (“Uptight”), Elmore James (“Rollin’ And Tumblin’”), Bill Withers (“Kissing My Love”), Joe Cocker (“Darling Be Home Soon”), Bobby Bland (“That Did It”), Harry Nilsson (“Everybody’s Talkin’”) and the traditional gospel (“Wade In The Water”).

Beyond the song list, the most attention-grabbing aspect of Everybody’s Talkin’ is the marked progress of the group itself, as this past year has seen TTB develop at a jaw-dropping rate into a fully mature ensemble. What was at the outset a powerful lineup of players that drew its power from a rich brew of roots music—blues, gospel, soul, and rock— has matured like a fine wine. Tedeschi’s vocals and Truck’s guitar-work are front-and-center as in the beginning, yet have become more intuitively intertwined. Tedeschi’s own guitar-playing is more strident and assured. TTB’s ace rhythm section works together with a deeper sense of funk, and a more liberated jazz feel. As an ensemble, they build a song from a tender whisper to a soul-rending scream, and often extend the close of a well-chosen R&B number into a thrilling, open-ended jam. Onstage, they exhibit interplay on the level of a group with years of experience together, improvising with almost telepathic link between all the musicians.

As Everbody’s Talkin’ is assuredly a group album, so TTB stands as a true musical collective, as opposed to the standard lineup of bandleader-with-backup. It helps that the eleven-member ensemble is one overflowing with talent and musical familiarity: besides Tedeschi and Trucks who are married and have two children, Mike Mattison (former lead singer with the DTB) and Mark Rivers handle harmony vocals, while brothers Oteil Burbridge (longtime member of The Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (another DTB member) play bass, and keyboards and flute, respectively. The lineup also includes a pair of drummers—J. J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell—and a horn-section with trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Kebbi Williams, and trombonist Saunders Sermons (Sermons will also step forward for a vocal feature now and again, as he does on “Kissing My Love”).

The Tedeschi Trucks band is heading on the road hitting summer festivals and theaters as well as a special run of performances with the legendary B.B. King. More info and a full list of tour dates can be found here.

EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Tracklisting:

Disc One:
1. Everybody’s Talkin’ (Live)
2. Midnight In Harlem (Swamp Raga intro with Little Martha) (Live)
3. Learn How to Love (Live)
4. Bound For Glory (Live)
5. Rollin' and Tumblin' (Live)
6. Nobody's Free (Live) *
7. Darling Be Home Soon (Live)
Disc Two:
1. That Did It (Live)
2. Uptight (Live)
3. Love Has Something Else To Say (with Kissing My Love) (Live)
4. Wade in the Water (Live)
* New Track


TTB TOUR DATES
April 20 – Live Oak, FL – Wanee Music Festival
April 25 – Charlottesville, VA – nTelos Pavilion w/ Sam Bush
April 26 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
April 28 – Wilkesboro, NC – MerleFest
April 29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium – SOLD OUT (limited tix at box office)
May 19 – Annapolis, MD – Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival
May 27 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival
May 30 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
June 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
June 2 – Elmer, NJ – Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival
June 3 – Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam
June 15 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
June 16 – Jacksonville, OR – Brittfest
June 17 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
June 24 – Apple Valley, MN – Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
June 25 – Apple Valley, MN – Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
June 27 – Madison, WI – Overture Center for the Arts
June 29 – Toronto Jazz Festival
July 6 – Winnipeg, MB – Winnepeg Folk Festival
July 7 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Blues Festival
July 18 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Aug 5 – Newport, RI – Newport Jazz Festival
Aug 11 – Scranton, PA – The Peach Music Festival
Aug 28 – Brand Prairie, TX – Verizon Theatre w/ B.B. King
Aug 30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ B.B. King
Sept 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre w/ B.B. King
Sept 2 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint w/ B.B. King
Sept 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl w/ B.B. King
Sept 9 – Valley Center, CA – Harrah’s Casino w/ B.B. King
Sept 20 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Sept 21 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Oct 27 – San Juan, PR – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

www.TedeschiTrucksBand.com

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Jeff Kilgour - Passionate Digital
jeff@passionatedigital.com
Mobile: 917-678-4420

twitter.com/passionatehq
http://www.passionatedigital.com

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Jim Hanft Releases 'Weddings or Funerals'

Makes you wonder how difficult the music industry has become when it takes an American folk artist to be discovered by a Swedish record producer. That's what happened to Jim Hanft when Veranda Records owner, Petra Marten, attended a show in NYC. a short while later she offered Hanft a record deal and it was off to Stockholm with musical partner Samantha Yonack to record some music. Twelve of the twenty songs recorded made it into his new CD, Weddings or Funerals which was officially released today.

I received a Soundcloud link to the release a few weeks back and have been listening to it quite regularly when online. And actually had it piped through speakers playing in our condo last week during vacation. Got to like unlimited broadband. These are real songs, honest songwriting recorded with minimalist production. Just Hanft, his acoustic guitar, harmonica, and supporting vocals from Yonack. Their duo in "Lazy Love" showcase her vocal abilities. "Run My Love" and "Alternate Route" are my favorite tracks; each with Yonack's soft backing and Americana at its heart. The later really reminds me of James Hyland from the old South Austin Jug Band. Check this CD out.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Steep Canyon Rangers Take the Virtual Stage for Global Audience to Celebrate April 10 CD Release

NASHVILLE, TN- April 2, 2012- Grammy-nominated bluegrass sensation, The Steep Canyon Rangers are anticipating the imminent release of their debut Rounder Records recorded effort “Nobody Knows Yo.” They are pushing the boundaries of bluegrass and making it accessible to both traditional and progressive audiences of this genre. Grammy nominated for their collaboration with icon Steve Martin, these personable young musicians are as Steve Martin puts it, "not only great musicians who continue to explore both the new and old styles of bluegrass and bring a fresh energy to the traditions of American music, but they are also really fun on a bus." This highly engaging band has reached the largest number of people with bluegrass music in 2011 and now they want to bring all of their followers together on their release date. The Steep Canyon Rangers are doing this by partnering with Yowie to bring fans a free online concert straight from frontman and guitarist Woody Platt’s porch in North Carolina on release day, Tuesday April 10th at 7p.m. EST.
The Steep Canyon Rangers chose Yowie because it allows their fans to have a more personal interaction with them. Yowie is a web based, video platform enabling video chat, high quality video streaming and crowd interaction. The Yowie experience is designed to appeal to today's fans who expect authenticity. Chats and performances are inclusive and intimate and the “broadcast-able from anywhere” content platform presents a brand new medium for bands and fans alike. Yowie also allows audiences who may not be able to experience the band live during a regular tour date to experience what it would be like at a show. Steep Canyon Rangers frontman Woody Platt says, "We are using Yowie as a way to make the day of our album release unique! We will be playing songs from our new record and will be able to connect with our online audience. We are very proud of this new project and it will give folks a chance to hear the new tunes played live while they sit in the comfort of their own homes."
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