MerleFest Announces Line-Up, Tickets On Sale Tomorrow!

MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe’s and slated for April 29 -May 2, is proud to announce the line up for the event’s 23rd year.  The following artists will join host Doc Watson on the campus of Wilkes Community College for a celebration of “traditional-plus” music­a term Doc coined to describe the unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, “plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.”

Read Full Post »

New live Americana radio show in Panama City, FL hosted by Lucky Mud

Lucky Mud will be hosting an hour-long radio show this Summer in Panama City, Florida, featuring all original Americana music. Mud will introduce a new guest artist or group each week to a live audience in the Green Room of the Martin Theatre, downtown, Panama City, every Sunday, beginning July 12th at 4pm with Highway 19.  The format will be live music/interview with Lucky Mud playing a few songs then sharing the hour with each guest. All guests in the 10 week show tour the Southeast US, and will have an opportunity for exposure both on WKGC fm radio, the local college station, and  via streaming online Saturdays at 5pm Central Time following the show, starting July 18th on wkgc.org.

The lineup for the radio show is:
Highway 19 – July 12
Jubal’s Kin – July 19
Grant Peeples – July 26
Gileah Taylor – August 2
Doug Spears – August 9
Jerry Mincey – August 16
Mike Jurgensen – August 23
Blue Ribbon Healers – August 30
Mimi Hearn and the Hearndogs – September 9
Slim Fatz – September 13

If you can’t be a part of the audience, please listen in and comment to luckymudmusic.com.

Lucky Mud has six CDs of original music on CD Baby and have toured for many years from The Forge in Bandera, Texas, to a sold-out concert at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, Ireland…. from a working man’s pub in Newcastle, England to the Conch Republic in Key West. They are currently working on a new CD and will begin a second season of monthly music concerts at their home called Maggie’s farm — a 7 acre farm near the beautiful Econfina Creek in the Florida Panhandle (fed by 7 natural springs, the Econfina Creek is visited year-round by canoe and kayak enthusiasts from around the country, and is part of a pristine management area).

Submitted by Lucky Mud

Read Full Post »

Americana Music Festival and Conference Info

The Americana Music Festival and Conference will bring together fans, artists, record executives, managers, agents, music publishers, performing rights society executives, music retailers, producers, promoters, allied professionals and major media for four days of learning, networking and entertainment. Be a part of what the New York Times calls “the coolest music scene today”!

Festival and Conference dates are Wednesday through Saturday, September 16-19, 2009, and will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.

With registration, you have access to sanctioned events including our daytime educational panels and forums, all sanctioned evening performances at local venues and a ticket to the Americana Honors & Awards at the Historic Ryman Auditorium.

Read Full Post »

Slaid Cleaves Announces New CD and Tour Dates

It’s been five years since Texas-based, New England-raised Slaid Cleaves released an album of original material. Though he’s never been described as ‘prolific’, Slaid has once again delivered an album full of uncommonly fine-tuned songs built to stand the test of time. The new batch of songs on Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away, Music Road Records, will hit the streets April 21 and he’ll be bringing his new songs along on an East Coast swing (see itinerary below).

Reuniting with producer Gurf Morlix and co-writer pals such as Rod Picott and Adam Carroll, the new collection of literate and astute, Americana folk tales is a beautiful follow up to the critically acclaimed Wishbones (2004) and Broke Down (2000). While continuing to showcase his masterful talent as a songwriter of depth and detail, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away evinces the growth of an artist probing yet deeper into the human heart.

Having spent the better part of the past five years on the road, Slaid is embarking on another new journey in joining the co-op label Music Road Records. The brainchild of fellow songwriter Jimmy LaFave, the new label, headed by noted engineer Fred Remmert, is allowing Slaid a more hands on involvement with both his album release and his career in these tumultuous times.

Read Full Post »

Guinness Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival May 1-4, 2009

Since 1998, the Guinness Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots Festival has attracted some of the finest names in the Americana canon; acts like Calexico, Giant Sand, Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Mark Eitzel, Guy Clark, Chuck Prophet, Ray LaMontagne, Richmond Fontaine, Rodney Crowell… The list is very long, and these are but a small few names who have been drawn to the magnet of the Marble City Mardi Gras in the past. Country, folk, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, cajun etc… All forms of what we like to call Americana are well represented over the four days. From midday to midnight audiences wend their way through the medieval streets sampling the huge range of music in the 30 plus venues, hosting over 30 acts from Ireland, USA, Canada, UK and Sweden, with over 80 ticketed and free shows.

There’s a mixture of old and new acts on the free pub gig trail and all styles will be catered for, from swing to bluegrass, rockabilly to cajun, folk and the blues.

Booking for ticketed events is at the festival office over Rollercoaster Records in Kieran Street, Tel 0567794664 and online.

Acts appearing at the 2009 festival include:

Read Full Post »

Nick Lowe to Release Career-Spanning Set

January 17, 2009 (Chapel Hill, NC) – British songwriting icon Nick Lowe will release his definitive best of Quiet Please…The New Best of Nick Lowe on March 17, 2009.

Following his critically acclaimed solo album At My Age which People Magazine called “charming” and “timeless” and his near perfectly rated reissue of the classic Jesus of Cool (rated 9.3 by Pitchfork), Nick Lowe is back with a career-spanning two-disc best of collection. A deluxe version containing original-era vintage videos for classic tracks and live concert performance will also be available.

Quiet Please…The New Best of Nick Lowe looks back across the hit heavy career of one of pop music’s most influential statesmen. As the bassist and songwriter for Brinsley Schwarz Lowe played a key role in the British pub rock movement of the 1970s and through his stint as house producer at Stiff Records he would help draw the blueprint for the modern indie rock label. His rough hewn production work for The Damned, Elvis Costello and The Pretenders primed the pumps for the arrival of punk and new wave. More recently Lowe has cemented his status as an artisan of Americana soul with solo albums like The Convincer and At My Age.

Read Full Post »

2009 Georgia Mountain Roots and Music Festival Returns, June 5th and 6th

Tickets are now on sale for the 2009 Roots and Music Festival at The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. The Festival will celebrate the heritage and traditional music of our mountains as well as contemporary acts in the Bluegrass, Folk, and Americana genres. Tickets are $18 on Friday, $27 on Saturday and $40 for a 2-Day pass. Advance 2-Day tickets are $36 until May 15th. The Festival also provides an informal Picking Pavilion throughout the weekend.

The Festival line-up includes top local, regional and national acts. On Friday, June 5th at 6 PM catch Buck and Nelson, Irons In The Fire, 2007 and 2008 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley and legendary Progressive Bluegrass pioneers The Seldom Scene.

Read Full Post »

The Hill Country Acoustic Music Camp – Kerrville TX June 3-7, 2009

A music camp for just you and your music

The 5th annual Hill Country Acoustic Music Camp will be held June 3rd to June 7th, 2009 in Kerrville, in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Held at Schreiner University, the 2009 Camp offers five days with a stellar line of instructors teaching guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dobro, voice, hammer dulcimer, and mountain dulcimer. The camp features small instrument classes to maintain individual attention. Add in some informal jams and music in country, roots, americana, folk, bluegrass, celtic, and maybe a bit of classical for a memorable and fulfilling musical experience.

Camp attendees average 55+ in age and come with skill levels from novice to advanced.

Five days of instruction cost $325. Private rooms and meal plans on the beautiful Schreiner campus are available at an affordable rate. Come enjoy five days of your music, your instrument and your new friends. Registration and details available at www.hcamp.org, or call Bob Miller at 830-459-2120.

Submitted by Hill Country Acoustic Music Camp

Read Full Post »

Red House to Release New Records from Jorma Kaukonen & Guy Davis

ST. PAUL, MN — Red House Records is proud to announce the February 10, 2009 release of two new blues/roots classics from rock legend Jorma Kaukonen and his good friend and award-winning bluesman Guy Davis.

Jorma Kaukonen’s River of Time has a funky, organic feel that grew out of an ensemble recording he did at producer Larry Campbell’s studio in Woodstock, New York. Joining him were longtime friends and collaborators Barry Mitterhoff (mandolin, tenor banjo, tenor guitar and octave mandolin) and Myron Heart (vocals, upright bass) as well as Grammy winner Levon Helm (drums), Lincoln Schleifer (bass) and Teresa Campbell (vocals). Exploring his musical roots in rock and blues, this up-tempo album mixes original tunes with blues and country covers, all packaged in an accessible, radio-friendly manner that will appeal to folk, Americana and blues fans.

Guy Davis’ Sweetheart Like You is a classic mix of acoustic blues and soulful originals. Starting off with his unique take on the Bob Dylan classic, Guy takes you back to his home with songs about his family and about the hard paths life takes you down. Featuring a guest appearance by his son Martial, the album is alternately humorous and heartbreaking and shows why Mojo says that “no one puts together a tangier salad from the mixed greens of African American music quite like Guy Davis.”

Submitted by Red House Records

Read Full Post »

Americana Music Association Announces Top 100 of 2008

Monday December 15^th marked the year ending chart for 2008 and with this chart, we are excited to announce that our friends at Amazon.com will be posting our Top Ten on the Americana Landing Page moving forward into the New Year.  Visit our landing page and click on the Airplay Chart box on the right hand side of the page to see what’s hot.

Also, today we announce the Annual Americana Top 100 albums. The Top Ten most played records, as charted on the Americana Airplay Chart include:

1. Hayes Carll
2. James McMurtry
3. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
4. Steve Earle
5. Tift Merritt
6. Ryan Bingham
7. John Hiatt
8. Band of Heathens
9. Levon Helm
10. Alejandro Escovedo

Click here to view the full Top 100!

We have had a great year; our chart remains a fixture at R&R Magazine and with its placement in other periodicals like Rolling Stone Magazine and Country (in the UK) the americana movement continues to grow.

Submitted by Jed Hilly, executive director, the Americana Music Association

Read Full Post »