Mariposa Folk Festival Musings Part 1

One of the longest running folk festivals took place last weekend over the course of three days on July 3, 4 and 5 along the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe in Orillia, Ontario.  The Mariposa Folk Festival took place for the 55th time and in part 1 of a two-part story, we'll talk a little about the festival and why you should go and focus on the headliners of the weekend.

With this being my first experience at Mariposa, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I knew it would be a great time, but I've been used to attending mainstream country music festivals such as Jamboree In The Hills and the Havelock Country Jamboree.  The Mariposa experience is incredible. It is a treasure on the Canadian musical landscape.  The music is first rate, from the main stage to the side stages that operate during the day, and the Mariposa Pub Tent that operates well in to the evening.  You can have virtually any kind of experience that you're looking for at Mariposa.  If you want to have a big party, you can do it.  If you would like a quiet and reflective time, Mariposa offers Tai Chi and yoga classes in the mornings.  If you want to eat first class food and drink first class beer, Mariposa has you covered in that regard as well, with food and craft beer selections to satisfy any palate. An artisans area and artist merchandise tent are also on hand if you wish to purchase music, instruments, clothing and so much more.  Mariposa will take place on July 8, 9 and 10 in 2016, so please join in the fun next summer.

Of course the main reason everyone attends the Mariposa Folk Festival is for the music. This years' lineup featured headliners Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams and Adam Cohen closing out the shows on each night respectively.  Supporting on the main stage on Friday night was legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb.  Many of you may not have heard of Jimmy Webb, but you have definitely heard his songs.  Performing with a grand piano as his only accompaniment, Mr. Webb kicked off the show with "Highwayman", which was a number 1 song in 1985 for Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as "The Highwaymen."  Next up was Mr. Webb's anti-Vietnam Way song "Galveston", which was recorded by Webb's longtime friend, Mr. Glen Campbell. It was quite interesting to hear Mr. Webb speak about the relationship he had with Mr. Campbell given that some of Campbell's biggest and most famous hits were written by Mr. Webb. Other Webb-penned hits that were written for other artists include "MacCarthur Park" and "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress."  

Mary Chapin Carpenter closed off the mainstage festivities on Friday night and delivered arguably the finest all-around performance of the weekend.  Performing with a two-piece backing band, Ms. Carpenter delivered a wonderful acoustic set that included some of her biggest hits from her mainstream country music days.  A stripped-down version of the Lucinda Williams written "Passionate Kisses" breathes new life in to an already stellar song about everyone deserving happiness in their lives.  Ms. Carpenter's own "The Hard Way" was performed flawlessly with its message of strength while dealing with adversity hitting home with many in the audience.  New music was also introduced with the beautifully written "The Things That We Become" performed and introduced as coming out on an as yet unreleased album.  

Saturday and Sunday headliners included Lucinda Williams and Adam Cohen, son of the late, great Leonard Cohen.  Two showstealers of the main stage on the weekend were complete surprises.  Ruth Moody delivered a beautiful set of Americana and bluegrass, a set that featured a bluegrass version of the Bruce Springsteen hit "Dancing In The Dark."  One of the most talented musicians in the world performed several sets over the course of the weekend, as Gordie MacKeeman and His Rythym Boys set the bar high for Ms. Williams prior to her appearance.  Gordie MacKeeman is one of the premier fiddle players in the world today, and that's not an exaggeration.  A pure entertainer, he can work the crowd, sing, play fiddle and tap dance.  They deliver a show that is not to be missed.  The future of Americana is indeed bright with the likes of Ruth Moody and Gordie MacKeeman on board.

As if the mainstage show in the evening wasn't enough, there were many incredible performances during the daytime on several stages throughout Tudhope Park.  Part two of this write up will talk about those.  You won't want to miss it, I promise.  In the meantime, check out this clip of Lucinda Williams performing West Memphis from the Mariposa Folk Festival on July 4, 2015.  Enjoy!

Who's In Charge?

One of the biggest problems with mainstream country music was starkly revealed earlier this week with controversial comments made by radio programming consultant Keith Hill.  In an interview with industry publication Country Aircheck, Hill had these comments regarding the key to success of mainstream country radio stations:

"If you want to make ratings in country radio, take the females out.  The reason mainstream country radio generates more quarter hours from female to male listeners at the rate of 70 to 75 percent, and women like male artists.  The expectation is we're principally a male format with a smaller female component.  I've got about 40 music databases in front of me, and the percentage of females in the one with the most is 19 percent.  Trust me, I play great female records, and we've got some right now; they're just not the lettuce in our salad.  The lettuce is Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that.  The tomatoes of our salad are the females." (Read the full article taken from The Tennessean here)

Now, setting aside the fruit and vegetable analogy, if we examine these and other comments in the article, it reveals what I and I'm sure many others can see is a real problem with the state of country radio.  If we look back over the years, we can see that this problem has existed for what could be considered generations, if we really look back on it.  Focusing on the recent past, the problem I can see is this ridiculous notion of consultants steering the ship.   The consultants at radio are in essence telling the listener what they would like to hear, when the reality is it should be the listener directing what gets played and what doesn't.  That is to say, it shouldn't be so much about the name of the singer that automatically gets the record played on radio, it should be about the quality of the song and whether or not people like it.  Male or female shouldn't play any part of determining whether or not the song gets played.  If the song is good enough and the people respond, it's on the air.  In my view, it was this attitude that took legendary artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and more currently Alan Jackson off the air over the years.  Those artists and others like them were releasing high quality material, only to summarily dismissed at radio.

The comments from Keith Hill this week have drawn comparisons to other comments a few months ago from former Sony Music executive Gary Overton where he said he often reminds his staff "if you're not on country radio, you don't exist."  Overton's comments drew the requisite firestorm on twitter and other media outlets, but I don't see the parallel between the two.  In looking at the big picture, Gary Overton is in a different field than Hill.  While I don't agree with the comments stated by Overton, I can see where he was coming from in making those comments.  His job is to sell records at a major record label, where profit and the bottom line are key.  It seems more of a statement to motivate his staff to get out and sell the single to radio, sell the record, create a buzz for the artists, and so on.  It's an inaccurate statement to be sure, as the advent of Facebook, YouTube and the internet in general has made it possible for independent artists to not only survive, but thrive in the music business.  As a veteran of the music business, I found Overton's comments were the sign of a more outdated way of thinking than a total insult to artists like Jason Isbell and Charlie Robison, both of whom took great offence to Overton's comments.  

As of this writing, the story has not gone away and you can keep following on The Tennessean, Nashville's daily newspaper.  Since the comments were first reveals, Hill has clarified his comments in an interview with the Tennessean.  Unfortunately, the backlash has included death threats, which is nonsense.  His colleagues have spoken against his philosophy, with Country Music Television president Brian Phillips stating that the industry should stop creating these arbitrary and imaginary rules that hinder the business in the long run.  

To close off this piece, I think it's best to let one of the pioneer's of this business say all that needs to be said. Take from it what you will.  Enjoy everyone!

Album Review: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, "The Travelling Kind"

If one were to examine a list of all the greats that have contributed to, and indeed built the very foundation of, the Americana genre, that list would most certainly include Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.  Indeed, it could be reasonably argued, that Harris and Crowell are in the top ten of the most influential Americana artists in its still relatively young history as an acknowledged musical genre.  Which makes it all the more special that they have chosen to collaborate once again for “The Travelling Kind” (Nonesuch).  Released today, this is the second collaborative album for the two and it comes just two years since their first effort together, “Old Yellow Moon.” 

Their history together is well known, with Crowell once performing as a member of Harris’ famous Hot Band. That was some forty years ago.  It’s this history the two have together that makes a project like “The Travelling Kind” and its predecessor special.  In fact, it could be argued that the title track is based somewhat on that friendship and history the two artists share together.  Co-writing seven of the eleven tracks on the album, on can only hope that this collaboration will continue in the years to come.

Among the tracks that the two didn’t write together is an excellent cover of the Rodney Crowell written “No Memories Hanging Round.”  The song was originally a top 20 hit in 1979 for his then-wife Rosanne Cash and Bobby Bare.  The soaring beauty of Harris’ voice, harmonized with that of Crowell give the song a fresh take that stands right alongside the hit version.  The Lucinda Williams penned “I Just Wanted To See You So Bad” is so good and so perfectly performed musically and vocally that it surpasses the outstanding original version.

This album of course is more than just covers of past hits.  It is a deep album exploring many themes and stages of life as only veteran artists can.  “You Can’t Say We Didn’t Try” is a heartbreaking story of love lost, written by two artists who have lived through the tale. “Higher Mountains” is beautifully performed as only Emmylou Harris could deliver, and delves in to facing the unknown of what’s next at the end of a life well lived. The project rounds itself out completely with a couple of songs that are just plain fun, with the rockabilly influenced “Bring It On Home To Memphis” and the Cajun spiced “La Danse de la Joie.”

It is rare when two artists of this caliber get together to work on an excellent, award winning album and still remain steadfast friends.  That happened when Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell created a masterpiece with “Old Yellow Moon.”  It is rarer still, when those same two artists come back together two years later and create another masterpiece that surpasses the previous release.  That has happened with “The Travelling Kind.”  This album is a piece of art, an outstanding collection of stories from two of the greatest and most influential artists of our time.  This is an album of the year candidate, in any year. 

In the meantime, before you go out and pick up "The Travelling Kind", check out this great video courtesy of the Late Show with David Letterman, featuring Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Steve Martin, Amos Lee and Mark O'Connor.

Album Review: The Honeycutters, "Me Oh My"

One of the more underrated musical centers in North America is the Appalachian Region of the United States.  Which is quite shocking when you think of it, considering this area was really the birthplace of modern music with the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers creating the first recordings in 1920’s Bristol, Virginia.  In this century, the region is still a hotbed for roots music with skilled bands and musicians plying their trade daily.

A couple of hours away from Bristol east on Interstate 40, you will find the city of Asheville, North Carolina, a bustling city of music and art nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains.  The Honeycutters are a product of this city and they have just released their third studio album “Me Oh My” (Organic Records).  A solid, straight ahead country music record, “Me Oh My” further establishes The Honeycutters as one of the top regional Americana acts on the east coast and readies them for a larger audience.

All 14 songs on this album are written by lead singer and group founder Amanda Anne Platt, who also produced the album.  While Amanda may be the current creative force behind The Honeycutters, it is the combination of her strong song writing and the wonderful talent of her bandmates that make this album and this act work.  The harmonies are tight, and the musicianship is first rate.

Starting off with a great two-step song “Jukebox”, the album takes the listener on a journey of love and loss, longing, fulfilment and redemption … all things that make up a great country record.  The title track is a solid piece of work, reminiscent of classic Mary Chapin Carpenter, both in its subject matter of the strong woman and vocal delivery by Platt.  “Carolina” is a beautiful homage to the bands home state of North Carolina, while acknowledging the desire to explore life outside her borders. “Edge of the Frame” is another winner where the female character is at a crossroads with her chosen partner in life and clearly has a decision to make on her future. 

The Honeycutters also delve back in to some past work with two solid tracks that are included on this album.  According to the album’s liner notes, “Wedding Song” was written for a friends’ wedding present.  A nice mid-tempo song with great, clever lyrics such as “when I’m with you honey it’s like money, like I’m throwing loaded dice.”  You can’t help but smile when listening to this song, it’s very well written and beautifully performed. “Little Bird” is one of the few slow songs to appear on the album and broaches the subject of love lost.  It’s also the song that brought greater attention to the songwriting talents of Amanda Anne Platt, as it was chosen as a finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in 2011.

The Honeycutters’ “Me Oh My” is one of the great country/Americana albums to be released this year and is a clear reflection that this band is developing in to one of the top flight Americana acts.  If you like traditional country music, this album is as good as it gets.  You will not find songs about drinking from solo cups, tailgates, or driving around in the mud.  Just straight up country music in its traditional form from a band that is skilled and smart enough to deliver the real goods.  The sky is the limit for The Honeycutters.  Do yourself a favor and add this album to your collection, you'll be glad you did.

Concert Review: Blackberry Smoke, Town Ballroom, Buffalo, New York - March 22, 2015

Blackberry Smoke made a triumphant return to Buffalo, New York on March 22, playing to a sold out house at the Town Ballroom.  It is a remarkable turn of events when one considers that the last time they played Buffalo, a crowd of perhaps 80 people attended.  At long last, Buffalo discovered what many of us had known - that this is arguably the best touring band in North America.  

Opening up their set with the rollicking "Six Ways to Sunday", a track from their first wide-spread release "Little Piece of Dixie", these Georgia boys had the crowd rolling with them all night.  Following up with "Pretty Little Lie", a song from 2012's "The Whippoorwill" which gained some moderate radio airplay, fans were treated to a lengthy show which covered the entire spectrum of Blackberry Smoke's career so far.  

While lots of their standards were present in the set, such as the Friday afternoon anthem "Good One Coming On", tracks from their recently released album "Holding All the Roses" were featured prominently.  One of the best performances of the night was "Wish in One Hand", which truly captures the essence of this great band ... strong writing and vocals from lead singer Charlie Starr, brilliant musicianship and harmonies by the rest of the band, leading to a loud and clear sound.  Another strong track from the new album is "Rock and Roll Again", featuring a solid groove and clever lyrics.  It's a tune you'll have rolling in your head over and over once you hear it.

Generally speaking, a good measuring stick for a band's staying power comes with a simple observation: if the people are singing along to your music, you have a good chance to be around for a long time.  If they're singing along to your music and you haven't been played on the radio, then you'll be around for as long as you want to keep touring and creating music because you have loyal, hardcore fan base that will stick with you for your entire run. It's where Blackberry Smoke finds itself today.  Night in and night out, this band now plays to full houses all across the United States with people singing their songs back to them. Their success is well earned and much deserved. They are arguably the hardest working band on the road today.  Attending their show is among the best money you will ever spend for your entertainment dollar.  

A special mention goes out to the opening act on this tour.  The Temperance Movement is a band that I had not heard of until this show, and I promise, they are not a band I will forget. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, they are the perfect opening act for Blackberry Smoke. Night after night, these guys are setting the bar very high for Blackberry Smoke to follow, they are nothing short of outstanding.  The musicianship is outstanding, the chemistry between band members is palpable and the lead singer is an awesome throwback to Mick Jagger.  The man has charisma, character and talent all over the place. It will not be long before The Temperance Movement is headlining their own tour across North America.  In the meantime, they are doing an outstanding job as an opening act.  

Concert Review: The Lone Bellow, Lee's Palace, Toronto ON - Feb. 27, 2015

The heat was turned way up on a cold Toronto night on this past Friday (Feb. 27), as one of the hottest emerging bands in music played the venerable Lee's Palace.  The Lone Bellow, the Brooklyn, New York-based Americana band, have acquired a well-earned reputation as being one of the top independent touring acts on the road today, and this sold-out performance only enhanced that reputation.

Opening their set with the title track to their just-released album "Then Came The Morning", The Lone Bellow showed why they are the clear front runner as a breakthrough act in 2015. The strong vocals and stage presence of this group is electrifying.  The charisma of Zach Williams as the de facto emcee of the show, helps to make the crowd feel as if we're in their living room watching this performance.  Not an easy task for even the most veteran of performers.  

The harmonies really shone through on "Marietta", another incredibly well written track from Then Came The Morning.  Intended or not, "Take My Love" is a great song that's reminiscent of Canadian Maritime music in the vein of the Canada's legendary Great Big Sea.  This got the crowd of roughly 1,000 up and moving, and was the evenings first real sing along. Indeed, the crowd was thoroughly engaged with this act and the proceedings on stage, singing along and hushing each other appropriately.

A short acoustic set showcased the lead vocals of multi-instrumentalist Kanene Pipkin with a cover of Paul Simon's "Slip-Slidin' Away" and lead guitarist Brian Elmquist on "Watch Over Us."  The talent of Kanene and Brian cannot be understated.  The energy and fervor that Brian brings on guitar is infectious, passing that energy to his band mates and the crowd. Kanene could be one of the best female vocalists touring in a band today, as well as one of the most talented instrumentalists as she takes turns on the bass guitar, mandolin and keys. It is rare to see chemistry such as you'll find with The Lone Bellow.

At one point in the evening, Zach Williams stated that it's been two years since all of them quit their day jobs to devote themselves full time to The Lone Bellow.  That gamble has clearly paid off.  All one has to do is look at the tour page of their web site, where you will find a string of sold out shows all over North America.  Once you attend a show, you will want to keep going back for more ... 2 hours of showtime just doesn't seem enough for a band this good.  I kid of course, because a show like this must be exhausting for all on stage.  But when you're as talented as the three front members of The Lone Bellow and their two backing musicians, you can't be blamed for feeling a little greedy for more time. And I will predict this: If Jason Isbell was the breakthrough artist in 2013 and Sturgill Simpson was the breakthrough artist of 2014, then 2015 will be remembered as the breakthrough year of The Lone Bellow.  This group is going to be around for a long time.

2015: Americana's Biggest Year to Come?

2014 was an unbelievable year for Americana music.  This movement has some serious legs to it, with each passing year reaching higher and higher levels of popularity, and a platitude of new artists that are pushing the genre to new heights.  Indeed, it is the artists themselves who are largely responsible for Americana's continued rise in popularity on the North American musical landscape.  For each album like Jason Isbell's "Southeastern" in 2013, there comes a release in 2014 like Sturgill Simpson's "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music."  The artists themselves are pushing each other to new creative heights, and we as fans are the beneficiary.

Others are taking notice.  For example, I could not have sat here five years ago and claimed that immensely popular artists like Zac Brown and Eric Church would step up to become torch bearers for Americana music.  The opening act on Zac Brown's tour last year was none other than Sturgill Simpson.  Eric Church was wise enough to have the legendary Dwight Yoakam as the opener on his "Outsiders" tour.  This year, Mr. Church has gone a step further, as he's enlisted four major players for rotating dates on his 2015 continuation of the "Outsiders" tour, including The Drive-by Truckers and The Lone Bellow.  Considering Zac Brown and Eric Church play large arenas, amphitheaters and occasionally stadiums, the exposure for the Americana artists on these shows is immeasurable.  

We can also look to David Letterman as another torch bearer for Americana.  Taking on the role of a pseudo Dick Clark, Mr. Letterman has been very gracious with his time to showcase many Americana artists on his stage, including the aforementioned Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.  Couple this with high quality releases, and the continued rise in popularity is a no-brainer.  People will always come back to what is real, and Americana music is nothing else if not real.

There have been some great releases already to kick off 2015, with Justin Townes Earle's "Absent Father's" and Cody Canada and the Departed's "Hippie Love Punk" hitting shelves on January 13th.  Ryan Bingham released "Fear and Saturday Night" on January 20th, and on January 27th, The Lone Bellow issues their latest project "Then Came the Morning."  Some February releases include Bob Dylan ("Shadows In The Night"), Gurf Morlix ("Eatin' at Me"), Robert Earl Keen ("Happy Prisoner"), Gretchen Peters ("Blackbirds"), Blackberry Smoke ("Holdin' All The Roses"), Steve Earle and the Dukes, Whitehorse, James McMurtry, Noah Jane Struthers and so many more that it's hard to keep count.  Other spring releases include new projects by Brandi Carlisle, Allison Moorer, and Joe Pug.  So many great artists, all stepping up their game in the name of music and creativity.  

This is going to be a great year folks.  Hold on for a wild and exciting ride.