Is It Too Early To Start Planning for Merlefest 2015?

Merlefest - April 23-26 2015, Wilkes Community College, North Carolina.

MyJoogTV Episode 12: Donna the Buffalo with Cirrus Vodka

Check out MyJoogTV's latest episode which features Donna the Buffalo paired with Cirrus Vodka - a potato vodka distilled in Richmond Virginia. The episode concludes with a live song from the night's performance at the Rams Head Onstage.

MyJoogTV Episode 12: Donna the Buffalo with Cirrus Vodka

MyJoog Events for December 2011

Here is our MyJoog calendar for December 2011 - hoping to film some MyJoogTV episodes with Donna the Buffalo and Steep Canyon Rangers at  Rams Head Onstage.

Donna the Buffalo - "The Sun" Music Hall Floyd, VA: Friday, December 02, 2011     Sierra Hull and Highway 111 - Reston Community Center Reston, VA: Friday, December 02, 2011     The David Mayfield Parade w. Boom Chick - Rams Head Onstage Annapolis, MD: Friday, December 02, 2011     Steep Canyon Rangers - Rams Head Onstage Annapolis, MD: Saturday, December 03, 2011     Donna the Buffalo - "The Sun" Music Hall Floyd, VA: Saturday, December 03, 2011     Ralph Stanley II - Lucketts Community Center Leesburg, VA: Saturday, December 03, 2011     Larry Keel & Natural Bridge - The Southern Café and Music Hall Charlottesville, VA: Saturday, December 03, 2011     Holy Ghost Tent Revival - Cafe Nola Frederick, MD: Saturday, December 03, 2011     Mike Bowers - Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Dickerson, MD: Sunday, December 04, 2011     Donna the Buffalo - Rams Head Onstage Annapolis, MD: Sunday, December 04, 2011     Black Box Revelation - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Thursday, December 08, 2011     Scythian - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Friday, December 09, 2011     Graham Colton (full band!) + Steve Moakler - Jammin' Java Vienna, VA: Friday, December 09, 2011     Honor by August - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Friday, December 09, 2011     Honor by August - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Saturday, December 10, 2011     Band of Horses - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Sunday, December 11, 2011     Noam Pikelny (of Punch Brothers) W/ TIM O'BRIEN AND Aoife O'Donovan - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Sunday, December 11, 2011     JAMES WILSON of Sons of Bill - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Thursday, December 15, 2011     Bill Kirchen’s Honkey Tonk Holiday Show - Jammin' Java Vienna, VA: Friday, December 16, 2011     Last Train Home w/ The Defibulators - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Saturday, December 17, 2011     Up the Chain - Bulls and Bears Pub Hagerstown, MD: Saturday, December 17, 2011     Sons of Bill - Jefferson Theater Charlottesville, VA: Friday, December 23, 2011     Drive-By Truckers / Lucero - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Thursday, December 29, 2011     The Drive-By Truckers - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Friday, December 30, 2011     The Damnwells - IOTA Club Arlington, VA: Friday, December 30, 2011     The Drive-By Truckers / Booker T - Nightclub 9:30 Washington, DC: Saturday, December 31, 2011     First Night Leesburg - Tally Ho Theatre Leesburg, VA: Saturday, December 31, 2011     Little Feat - The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD: Saturday, December 31, 2011     The Infamous Stringdusters - Jefferson Theater Charlottesville, VA: Saturday, December 31, 2011

Floydfest X Rocks the BlueRidge

 Last weekend we spent three days on the BlueRidge Parkway not far from Floyd Virginia enjoying the many sounds emanating from Floydfest X. This was the 10th anniversary of the festival which has grown successively each year - in the number of stages, musicians, and attendees. Besides several national acts, the festivals emphasizes the local music scene through the Virginia Folklife Porch and the Emerging Artists Series. In past years we tried to soak in as much music as physically possible - hustling across the festival grounds in between sets. This year, we took a more measured approach and spent most of the day at one end of the festival - and that ended up being the Hill Holler stage side. In this fashion we were able to see many acts in the Beer Garden; Rose's Pawn Shop, the Pimps of Joytime, and Larry Keel on the Holler, and then Railroad Earth, Sam Bush, Nat Reese, Larry Keel & Jorma Kaukonen, and plenty more on the Virginia Folklife Stage. Then there was plenty of the Reverend Peyton on both the Beer Garden and Dance tent stages. Yet, when it came to Taj Mahal, Donna the Buffalo, William Walter, and Big Daddy Love, we ventured to the other side. In fact, Donna the Buffalo kept us up until 3:00 am Saturday, which made it difficult to rise early to watch William Walter and Jesse Chong on the main stage Sunday morning. Then, we had to venture to Foggy Ridge Cider to tape an episode of MyJoogTV with The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. Sleep is defiantly a short commodity. We are slowing releasing photos on the MyJoog Facebook site as well as videos at MyJoogTV YouTube channel.

An Americana Summer - Four New Releases

We've received some excellent Americana music in the past few weeks which makes us believe that the current musical Renaissance is continuing. We will start off with The Wilders and their self titled CD The Wilders. This recording is so varied that sometimes that I had to double check my ipod to make sure it didn't skip ahead to another artist. There's amazing fiddle tunes, old school county and honk-tonk, some rock and even a little punk. This band is still going strong as they celebrate 15 years together. Here's a track by track evaluation:

1. Ordinary People: soothing pop; favorite track
2. Mid November: old time country
3. Riding On Your High Horse: The Speckers raucous fiddle instrumental
4. She Says (I Say): classic honky-tonk, similar to an old Hungarian saying
5. Get Up Kid: slow and powerful
6. Stay With Me: the band turns to rock
7. Pat’s 25: slow ballad
8. Riverboat: another old time fiddle song
9. L.A.: punk out
10. Things They Say About Home: pop-ish with catchy hook
11. No. 7: more raucous fiddling
12. This Old Town: classic alt-country; second favorite track
13. Lay Down Our Guns: another slow story

Next up is songstress Sarah Jarosz, who released Follow Me Down in late spring. Not only are her vocals powerful, but she was most impressive on the guitar. Can't believe she's only 20 years old. 

1. Run Away: classic Jarosz - soft but powerful2. Come Around: she's angry at him
3. Annabelle Lee: celtic styled ballad with great instrumentals
4. Ring Them Bells: going gospel - nice acoustic guitar
5. My Muse: dumbfounded on this one - nice
6. Floating In The Balance: favorite song - great composition
7. Old Smitty: Stringduster-ish instrumental
8. The Tourist: slow, slow down.....
9. Here Nor There: more nice acoustic guitar
10. Gypsy: she can sing
11. Peace: finish with a peaceful calm - beautiful

The coolest surprise comes from an unlikely source Nick 13 of the Psycho-billy punk band Tiger Army. Apparently the lead singer decided to trace the roots of early punk to rockabilly and then to the country music of the 40s-60s which he refers as “hillbilly music”. And in particular he gained an appreciation for the fellow California based songwriters: Buck Owens, Ricky Nelson, Merle Haggard and The Byrds. Determined to write similar material with his own stamp, he moved to Nashville to soak up that city's musical influences. The result is an amazing self titled CD, Nick 13. I can't get enough of this one - seems I've been thirsting for this sound for quite some time. Plus it includes amazing backing from legendary steel guitarist Lloyd Green and Sara Watkins, among many others.

1. Nashville Winter: Why head to Nashville (steel guitar)
2. In The Orchard (2011): slow ballad - beautiful song
3. All Alone: classic early rockabilly - Elvis?
4. Someday: life lesson delivered by song "with failure - keep on trying"
5. Restless Moon: more hillbilly music
6. Gambler's Life: even more hillbilly music
7. Cupid's Victim (2011): Ricky Nelson meets the Byrds
8. Nighttime Sky: favorite track - dreaming of love
9. Carry My Body Down: shades of country western "Rawhide"
10. 101: close with a bang - dedicated to Highway 101

And finally there's Tara Nevins from Donna the Buffalo and her new solo release: Wood & Stone. This CD has been growing on me the more and more as I listen. The hardest part is after 21 years listening to DtB, I kept waiting to hear Jeb take lead vocals.  Once I accepted the fact that this was all Tara, I became to appreciate the release; the songwriting, the musicians, the production. And why not. Anyone who has heard DtB knows multi-dimensional contributions from Ms. Nevins and, in addition, anyone who has heard the Levon Helm Band lately understands and appreciates the many talents of Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams. Don't expect this CD to replicate DtB's funky sound either (expect maybe the first tune). This is old time mountain music with a Cajun twist - expressing Ms. Nevins' powerful songwriting. 

1. Wood And Stone: start off funky similar to DtB; doesn't get better than this
2. All I Ever Needed: uptempo - old time country\Cajun - fiddle\accordion?
3. You’ve Got It All: love sucks
4. You’re Still Driving That Truck: love still sucks
5. Who Would You Tell: still trying to find love to a country tune
6. Snowbird: Jim Lauderdale assists in resisting love - great track
7. Nothing Really: jammin' fiddle tune
8. What Money Cannot Buy: love the musical composition
9. The Wrong Side:again?
10. Stars Fell On Alabama: another wonderful composition
11. Down South Blues: rockin' guitar; is that Campbell?
12. Tennessee River: haunting it is
13. The Beauty Of Days Gone By: Van Morrison song leaves us optimistic

Overdozing on New Releases

We've received so much good music recently that we don't have time to write about all. So as a complete wimp out - here's a list of what we highly recommend:

• Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone
  
• The Felice Brothers - Celebration Florida
• The Greencards - The Brick Album
• Greg Brown - Freak Flag
• Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
• Hot Tuna - Steady As She Goes
• Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Here We Rest
• Nick 13 - Nick 13
• Shannon Wurst - Green and Growing: roots music for eco-kids
• Tara Nevins - Wood & Stone
• Warren Haynes - Man In Motion