The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour Podcast

WS583: John Lee Hooker, Jr. and Tierra Negra with Muriel Anderson

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:43:44 -0400

JOHN LEE HOOKER JR. is the son of the great John Lee Hooker. He was exposed to the life of the blues by touring alongside his dad throughout his teens. Unfortunately, while living the "life of a bluesman" he succumbed to the demons that surround it, derailing his musical career for many, many years. With the support of his family and friends, and a crew of talented musicians who never ceased to believe in him, Jr. Hooker finally found his own inner muse, making music that expresses the depth of emotion he has experienced in his personal life. Has received 2 Grammy nominations and several major blues awards. His latest CD is "Live in Istanbul Turkey."

TIERRA NEGRA & MURIEL ANDERSON are three brilliant guitarists that met in a castle in Germany. In the world of modern Flamenco, few artists have attained the heights of the two German guitarists known in Europe as "Tierra Negra." The duo are often cited as the protagonists of Flamenco Nuevo. A WoodSongs favorite, Muriel is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists and harp-guitarists and is the first woman to have won the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship. This trio has come together in an exciting CD titled "New World Flamenco."

WS582: Kacey Jones and HuDost

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:36:14 -0400

KACEY JONES is a sassy, sexy trio of performing songwriters will make you laugh, scream, cry, and ... did we say laugh? ... her songs include "Every Man I Love is Either Married, Gay, or Dead" and her new CD is called "Donald Trumps Hair" ... how can you possibly miss this appearance by the "Shameless Hussy" Kacey Jones, former lead singer of Ethel and The Shameless Hussies.

HUDOST are singer/songwriters Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines offering a rich, eclectic blending of traditional Sufi music, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian ... plus Balkan folk, Farsi, Turkish, and Arabic. Adding to the group’s international feel is the unexpected instrumentation that includes harmonium, bouzouki, and bendir among others. Most recently, HuDost produced their latest release "Trapeze" that is almost unclassifiable and put them at the forefront of the folk rock world.

WS581: The Cherryholmes and Kenny White

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:30:52 -0400

CHERRYHOLMES return to bluegrass as the reigning "First family of Bluegrass." They have stormed to the top of the music world since winning the 2005 IBMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. As little as 10 years ago, the band itself didn’t exist, and half of its youthful members hadn’t even picked up instruments yet. With four GRAMMY nominations to date, the fourth album, "Cherryholmes IV Common Threads" on Skaggs Family Records, brings this talented family back to the WoodSongs stage.

KENNY WHITE is an explosive piano player, a soulful singer-songwriting and a Grammy nominated producer. He worked with artists like Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs, Kim Carnes Felix Cavaliere, Dobie Gray and Aaron Neville among many others. His relationships with Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin led to his producing Colvin’s Grammy-nominated, "I Don’t Know Why" and to his involvement in Cohn’s eponymous platinum debut record. Kenny signed to Judy Collins Wildflower Records and has just released "Comfort in the Static," his long-awaited newest release.

WS580: The Farewell Drifters and JP Pennington

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0400

THE FAREWELL DRIFTERS are one of the most powerful, striking new bands in Bluegrass, a young quintet that plays with the intensity of Mountain Heart and the fire of the New Grass Revival and, in the words of one gushing reviewer, they are "making folk music hip again."

JP PENNINGTON is one of the founding members of the country and rock supergroup Exile. In a rare, solo acoustic performance, JP discusses the art of songwriting.

WS579: Morgan O'Kane and Becky Schlegel

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 17:56:32 -0400

MORGAN O’KANE is a raw, roots, aggresive banjo and old-time musician with something powerful to say. An intensely talented musician from Charlottesville, Virginia, his distinct sound is an evolution of his work with "scum billy" band and time spent playing in the New York Subway system. From the Mountaintop removal protests of West Virginia to the pubs of Belfast and through Holland and back again, these days O’Kane’s soulful war cry can be heard for miles.

BECKY SCHLEGEL’s music is a gentle mix of folk, bluegrass and country. Becky has come a long way from the Kimball, South Dakota farm of her youth. She began her musical career at the age of five, and began performing in her mother’s band when she was in the 8th grade. She moved to Minnesota in 1993 and jumped headfirst into the vibrant Twin Cities music scene, where she won numerous awards and appeared several times on A Prairie Home Companion. She is celebrating the release of her new CD called "Dandelion."

WS578: Janiva Magness and Crooked Still

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:46:27 -0400

JANIVA MAGNESS returns to the WoodSongs stage as the reigning 2009 Blues Music Entertainer of the Year, only the second woman ever to win this award. Although Magness is now a bona fide blues star, her rise to the top was far from easy. She has been performing for almost three decades, logging thousands of miles on the road and appearing 150 nights a year at clubs, theaters and festivals all over the world. Janiva and her full band will be supporting her latest CD on Alligator Records called "The Devil Is An Angel Too."

CROOKED STILL has established themselves as "the most important folk group to emerge from Boston since the early ‘60s" (The Boston Globe). Since their last WoodSongs appearance, the group became five with the addition of fiddler Brittany Haas and Tristan Clarridge on cello and second fiddle and opened up a new musical chapter for the band. The band’s new CD is "Some Strange Country" available on Signature Sounds.

WS577: Jim Byrnes and Steve Dawson, Carolyn Martin

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:41:03 -0400

JIM BYRNES and STEVE DAWSON are Canadian Juno award winning musicians performing material from the Mississippi Sheiks tribute CD called "Things About Comin’ My Way". Jim is an American-born actor and musician based in Canada, playing blues since he was 13 and acting wise, is best known for his roles in Wiseguy and Highlander. Steve is an accomplished Canadian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has risen to prominence in the Canadian music scene. Between 1930 and 1935, brothers Sam, Lonnie and Armenter Chatmon, who along with Walter Vinson formed The Mississippi Sheiks, recorded nearly 100 singles that would define this band as one of the most popular string bands of all time. The project is nominated for a Blues Music Award.

CAROLYN MARTIN is a Texas born, Nashville based swing and country singer and was a member of Nashville’s Time Jumpers, a western swing band comprised of Nashville’s finest session musicians. For 11 years the band garnered two Grammy nominations and two Emmy awards. Besides performing across the country with her own group, Carolyn is gearing up to perform in the new show, "Country Royalty: Jason Petty and Carolyn Martin pay tribute to Hank Williams and Patsy Cline" Carolyn was the 2008 recipient of the Academy of Western Artists’ Will Rogers Cowboy Award for Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year. Her latest CD is "Cookin’ With Carolyn."

WS576: Laura McGhee and Gregory Alan Isakov

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:33:30 -0400

LAURA McGHEE is a brilliant Scottish singer/songwriter/fiddler/guitarist. She first hit the American roots scene while performing with Pete Seeger in New York. Since that time, she has performed with the great Odetta, and with the Pogues & Shane McGowan, Ricky Skaggs, Jim Lauderdale, Oscar Brand, Josh White, Jr., David Amram and with Moby and the Proclaimers. Her two albums, "Green Eyes" and "Celticana" have garnered rave reviews; while her traditional concerto piece "Commemoration" was performed as part of New York City's 9/11 Ceremonies in 2007.

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV was born is Johannesburg, South Africa. Isakov’s family immigrated to the US in opposition to the apartheid. In 1999, he moved to Colorado to study horticulture and simultaneously embark on a career as an acoustic singer-songwriter after being inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s "The Ghost of Tom Joad." His song-craft hints of his influences, Leonard Cohen and Kelly Joe Phelps. He has been described as "strong, subtle, a lyrical genius" and has shared the stage with touring artists such as Calexico, Ani Difranco, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Richie Havens, and Fiona Apple. His latest CD is This Empty Northern Hemisphere.

WS575: George Winston

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:42:34 -0400

GEORGE WINSTON burst onto the music scene in the early 1980’s with his iconic impressionist style and a collection of seasonal-themed recordings. Since 1980, he has released nine other solo albums: “Autumn,” “Winter Into Spring,” “December,” “Summer,” “Forest,” and many others. His next album will be “Love Will Come – The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2,” scheduled to be released in February 2010. Winston spends much of his time touring, often playing solo piano, guitar and harmonica. He also studies the techniques of the great New Orleans pianists. In addition, Winston is working on several solo projects, including recording the masters of the Hawaiian Slack Key guitar for an extensive series of albums for Dancing Cat Records; and recording music by his major inspirations for harmonica playing: Sam Hinton, Rick Epping and Curt Bouterse. WoodSongs is honored to have this brilliant master musician on our stage for this special event broadcast!

WS574: California Guitar Trio and Patty Larkin

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:27:01 -0400

The CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO (CGT) is Bert Lams from Belgium, Hideyo Moriya from Japan, and Paul Richards from Utah. Together, their technical wizardry is breathtaking, as is the wide range of instrumental music the group renders... everything from unique originals to dazzling, cleverly-arranged interpretations of jazz, classical music, and surf rock. The members of CGT met while studying under Robert Fripp and performing with Fripp's "League of Crafty Guitarists." In 1995, CGT toured worldwide with King Crimson. CGT’s new CD is called Andromeda.

PATTY LARKIN has been redefining the boundaries of folk-urban pop music for 25 years with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics. Her songs run from impressionistic poetry to witty wordplay. In 2010, Patty Larkin releases a collectible collection of 25 love songs in celebration of 25 years in the recording industry. Here Patty has reworked 25 of her favorite songs in an acoustic, “unplugged” release, joined by friends along the way.

WS573: Jakob Dylan and 3 Legs feat. Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, and Jayme Stone with Yaccouba Sissoko

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:13:58 -0400

JAKOB DYLAN returns to the WoodSongs Stage with his NEW solo album “Women and Country” on Columbia Records. Soulful yet striking and ripe with sublime beauty, it is the follow up to the artist’s 2008 critically acclaimed debut, “Seeing Things.” This new collection finds him reuniting with acclaimed Grammy and Golden Globe winning producer T Bone Burnett (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Crazy Heart), who produced the Wallflowers' 1996 breakthrough album Bringing Down the Horse which featured the massive hits “One Headlight” and "6th Avenue Heartache." Jakob will be performing on the show with 3 Legs featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan.

JAYME STONE & YACOUBA SISSOKO will be performing material from Jayme’s award winning project for “Africa to Appalachia.” Jayme is a banjo virtuoso from Canada who traced the origins of the banjo to Mali, Africa. He will be onstage with Malian kora master and singer Yacouba Sissoko as well as fiddle phenom Mike Barnett, innovative bassist Brandi Disterheft and percussionist extraordinaire Nick Fraser.

WS572: Exile and Carla Gover

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:00:02 -0400

EXILE is Kentucky’s own supergroup made up of J.P. Pennington, Sonny LeMaire, Les Taylor, Steve Goetzman and Marlon Hargis. The band's hits include "Give Me One More Chance," as well as the 1978 pop hit, "Kiss You All Over" which was recently named by Billboard Magazine as the number 9 on its 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time. This band that got their start in the small town of Richmond, KY, will be performing on WoodSongs in an intimate “unplugged” performance.

CARLA GOVER plays clawhammer banjo, guitar and piano, writes songs, clogs, and is an aspiring Appalachian Diva. She is from the Eastern Kentucky coal town of Whitesburg, Kentucky, where she grew up idolizing her grandmother as well as Emmylou Harris and Loretta Lynn. Her music is full someone full of spirit and heart, someone who has the mountain sounds right in her blood. Her new CD is called Gypsy Ways.

WS571: South Memphis String Band and the Quebe Sisters Band

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:52:24 -0400

THE SOUTH MEMPHIS STRING BAND is a trio composed of Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Alvin Youngblood Hart (Grammy-winning bluesman) and Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers). Although they’d known each other for years, the South Memphis String Band was greatly influenced by the Mississippi Sheiks, Gus Cannon & the Memphis Jug Band and other string bands and jug bands of their ilk, as well as Mississippi Delta and Hill Country blues. They will arrive with a passel of guitars, mandolins, banjos, lap steel guitars and harmonicas.

QUEBE SISTERS BAND is an American fiddle western swing group from Fort Worth, Texas. The band began their musical journey in 1998 when the three sisters started taking fiddle lessons. Shortly thereafter, the girls began entering fiddle contests and had success early on; winning several State, regional and National fiddle championships. Add the swinging rhythm guitar of World Champion fiddler Joey McKenzie and the upright bass of Drew Phelps, and the Quebe Sisters Band becomes a force of nature. Recently named Group of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists and recipient of the Crescendo Award by the Western Music Association, as well as nominations for Country group of the year by both the Dallas Observer and Ft. Worth Weekly, the QSB is performing coast to coast in support of their latest cd, “Timeless.”

WS570: The Dust Busters, Moreland and Arbuckle

Sun, 23 May 2010 17:52:02 -0400

THE DUST BUSTERS are an old-time string band based out of Brooklyn, New York. They strive to integrate a wide range of old-time songs, ballads, fiddle tunes and jug band blues into every performance, infused with the old-time feeling and freewheelin’ high energy that characterized early string bands. They are influenced and inspired by the direct fusion of Scots-Irish and African music that took place in Appalachia, the Western states and the Deep South from the earliest colonial times through the Second World War. The Dust Busters have recorded their first album, currently available on CDBaby and iTunes.

MORELAND & ARBUCKLE have spent nearly a decade exploring American roots music. Guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle with help from the driving beat of drummer Brad Horner have forged a relentless and haunting sound that merges Delta blues, folk, rock, traditional country, and soul. In addition to the more typical Telecaster and Les Paul guitars, Moreland arsenal also includes a hand-crafted instrument consisting of four strings stretched across a cigar box. Moreland & Arbuckle make their debut on Telarc International with the release of “Flood.”

WS569: Ellis Paul and Antje Duvekot

Sun, 23 May 2010 17:47:05 -0400

ELLIS PAUL is one of the leading voices in American songwriting. He was a principle leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene in the 1990's. In recent years, he has also departed from his solo career to tour and record with longtime compadre Vance Gilbert, and to indulge his deep respect for American folk icon Woody Guthrie. Between 1993 and 2004, he won an unprecedented 13 Boston Music Awards. His latest CD “The Day After Everything Changed” is his first new studio CD in 5 years and is a fan-financed effort.

ANTJE DUVEKOT (Pronounced: Aunt-ya Doo-va-kot) is a German-born, American-raised singer-songwriter who has risen to the top of the competitive Boston singer-songwriter scene. Antje has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition. Her latest CD is The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer on Black Wolf Records. It was produced by songwriter Richard Shindell and was voted WUMB's #1 album of the year in Boston.

WS568: Cheryl Wheeler and The Tillers

Sun, 9 May 2010 23:53:20 -0400

CHERYL WHEELER is an American singer-songwriter based in New England. Her songs range in tone from silly to serious. Frequent topics are love relationships, descriptions of places or events, and profiles of people. Her songs covered by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Kenny Loggins, Juice Newton, Garth Brooks, Suzy Boggus, Melanie, Bette Midler, Maura O'Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near. Her latest CD is “Pointing at the Sun.” It's her first release on her own label.

THE TILLERS are an old time string band from Cincinnati. The band is both traditional and progressive. They resurrect songs of America's past, touching on themes both historical and timeless. Clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, and wooden upright bass meet high mountain harmonies that belt and croon, lament and rejoice. They were recently featured on Tom Brokaw’s “American Character Along Highway 50” and just the 2009 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Folk/Americana group. The band’s new CD is “By The Signs.”

WS567: Andy McKee and The Kruger Brothers

Sun, 9 May 2010 23:50:35 -0400

ANDY MCKEE is considered one of the world’s finest acoustic guitar masters. His YouTube videos have been played over 78 million times and at one point he held the #1, #2 and #3 positions for Top-Rated Videos of All Time. McKee’s unique skill allows him to transform the guitar from a simple stringed instrument to a dynamic calliope of sound. The self-taught McKee, first garnered international attention as one of the top finalists at the prestigious National Finger Style Guitar Championships in Windfield, Kansas. Since 2001, McKee has released five albums independently selling upwards of 50,000. Andy will be performing material from his new CD “Joyland.”

KRUGER BROTHERS return to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new CD called “Between the Notes.” In 2003 the band moved from Switzerland to North Carolina and began concentrating on performing their own genuine style of music throughout the United States. In November, 2006, Jens’ orchestral score Music from the Spring was recognized by the NEA with an award for Artistic Excellence. The new CD includes 11 original compositions.

WS566: Madison Violet and Time For Three

Sun, 9 May 2010 23:47:29 -0400

MADISON VIOLET are a Toronto based duo, consisting of Lisa MacIsaac (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin) and Brenley MacEachern (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica). Together, they've been touring the globe non-stop for 9 years. The duo has just released their 3rd album No Fool For Trying. It’s been described as a cross between a rootsy Gillian Welch, gritty Steve Earle and bluegrassy Alison Krauss, loaded with harmonies, lots of stringed instruments and beautiful lyrics. The band also just won 'Vocal Group of the Year' at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

TIME FOR THREE is a groundbreaking, category-shattering roots music trio. What started as a trio of musicians who played together for fun while students at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute for Music evolved into Time for Three, or Tf3 for short. Tf3 has performed on many of the nation's impressive stages, including the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Joe's Pub in New York. They have performed their own original works with over 60 orchestras. The group will release its third CD, "3 Fervent Travelers."

WS565: Robin and Linda Williams, Si Kahn

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:56:20 -0400

ROBIN & LINDA WILLIAMS return to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new CD on Red House Records called Buena Vista. The couple met in 1971 and the two debuted on A Prairie Home Companion back in 1975. Their association with the popular public radio program landed them on major stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl. They have collaborated on several CDs with Garrison Keillor, and were prominently featured in the 2006 film "A Prairie Home Companion," directed by the late master filmmaker Robert Altman. Their compositions have been recorded by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tom T. Hall, Kathy Mattea, Tim and Mollie O'Brien, George Hamilton IV, The Seldom Scene and Irish singer Mary Black.

SI KAHN has a busy 2010 planned. Si will be releasing his 16th CD titled Courage on Strictly Country Records. The CD features the superb production and playing of Jens Krüger of the Krüger Brothers and harmonies and liner notes contributed by country music legend Kathy Mattea. His latest book Creative Community Organizing is a unique blend of guide and memoir, drawing from his staggering 45 years as a community, civil rights and labor organizer. This year he will be doing his most ambitious U.S. concert tour ever. It will focus on reconnecting with fans of many years, both personal and organizational; making new friends; sharing a host of recent songs in a warm concert setting; and raising funds to help ensure the organization's sustainability after his retirement.

WS564: Brandi Carlile and Matt Morris

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:53:03 -0400

BRANDI CARLILE's rich voice and literate storytelling belie her youth. After debuting with a self-titled album in 2005, the Washington State-bred Carlile saw her fanbase mushroom with her sophomore disc, The Story, which sold 313,000 copies boasting songs like the title track and “Turpentine.” Several of Carlile’s songs have appeared in commercials and on televisions shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. On her latest CD Give Up The Ghost, on Columbia Records, she has let her guard down and offers her most candid recording to date. It even features a duet with Elton John, who is among the growing legion of Carlile fans. Brandi will be performing with her full band in an “unplugged” performance for WoodSongs.

MATT MORRIS is a songwriter on the verge of a major breakout. His new album "When Everything Breaks Open" was produced by Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan) and Tennman label founder Justin Timberlake. In fact, Matt has known Justin since the early 1990s. With appearances on Ellen and Letterman in the books, two CD's in the Billboard top 25 and Matt's duet with Justin on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" for the Hope for Haiti benefit being the number one iTunes download (over a million views on YouTube and MTV combined) Matt has grown from an award-winning songwriter to a multi-talented recording artist with one of the most ambitious albums of 2010.

WS563: Act of Congress and Ashleigh Flynn

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:07:21 -0400

ACT OF CONGRESS hails from Birmingham, Alabama. The band’s organic sound (think Nickel Creek meets the Beatles) is rapidly gathering attention throughout the country. The band just released their debut CD Declaration last year. In two short years, the band has been recognized by the likes of Paste Online, SXSW, Disney, and Billboard (chosen from over 2000 submissions to compete and ultimately win the 2008 Disc Makers IMWS Award.) Check out their high octane version of the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” on their MySpace page.

ASHLEIGH FLYNN has been praised by NYC's Village Voice. This Oregon-by-way-of-Kentucky songwriter grew up foot stomping along the Ohio River as the steamboats and barges made their way to the muddy Mississippi. She has released three critically acclaimed independent CDs and her latest, American Dream, is her finest to date. Last year she was invited to play the giant Tennessee festival Bonnaroo.

WS562: Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:13:54 -0400

TOMMY EMMANUEL & FRANK VIGNOLA are two of the best guitar players on the planet. Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia's most respected musicians. Frank is one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional players walking the planet today, and works with everyone from Donald Fagen to David Grisman to Les Paul to Madonna. These two guitar masters will go toe-to-toe on a Special Event Broadcast of WoodSongs. Prepare to be dazzled!

WS561: Oscar Brand and Josh White, Jr.

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:41:29 -0500

OSCAR BRAND is one of the last remaining fathers of North American Folk Music. Oscar, a native of Winnipeg, who recently released his 100th record album, will be celebrating his 90th Birthday. He has over 70 years as a performer, and the 65th Anniversary of his weekly radio show Folksong Festival in 2010 (the only radio show in the USA that dared feature blacklisted folk singers during the McCarthy era). Just some of the folk artists who regularly appeared on Oscar’s radio show in the 1940s included Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Josh White (and Josh, Jr.), Paul Robeson, Burl Ives, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Pete Seeger; He has written eleven books on folk music, his 1952 million selling song "A Guy is a Guy" was Song of the Year, and as co-founder (with Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn and Frank Sinatra) and Curator of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and is one of the last three remaining performing artists to have shared the stage with Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Josh White, Burl Ives and Paul Robeson (along with Pete Seeger and Josh White, Jr.). Oscar is also an EMMY and 2 time Peabody Award star of television and radio and a founder of Sesame Street. WoodSongs is very proud to welcome this folk icon giant to our stage for a celebration of Oscar's historic musical legacy.

JOSH WHITE JR returns to the WoodSongs stage celebrating the 65th year of his storied career with two brand new releases. His father, Josh White, was the ground-breaking African-American pioneer in many fields: as the first folk and blues artist and the first black man to have a million selling record; first to give a White House Command Performance; first folk and blues artist to perform in a nightclub, first to make a national solo concert tour of America; the first to tour internationally; and along with Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie, the first to be honored with a US Postage Stamp. In addition to his concerts and CDs, Josh is a TONY award winning actor. His current CD “By Request” was released in 2009, and he has new two releases, “Tuning the Blues” and “Live at the Raven Gallery 1978-1979,” coming out in early 2010.

WS560: Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, Silas House

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:23:09 -0500

BEN SOLLEE & DANIEL MARTIN MOORE are both Kentucky natives and songwriters. Ben is the genre-bending cellist who spends his spare time championing issues close to his heart. Daniel is from Cold Springs, KY and after serving in the Peace Corps, he won over Sub Pop Records in 2007 with an unsolicited demo of deceptively simple, soft songs, and found himself with a record deal. They will be releasing their first collaboration, a CD called Dear Companion and produced by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.
SILAS HOUSE is an award winning and critically acclaimed Kentucky author who has written four novels, two plays and Something’s Rising, a creative nonfiction book about social protest co-authored with Jason Howard. House is also a well-known music writer who has done features or press kits on such artists as Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Womack, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Creek, and more. He is writer-in-residence at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, and lives in Eastern Kentucky, where he was born and raised. His latest novel is Eli the Good and is currently working on his fifth.

WS559: Ronny Cox and Lonesome County

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:59:29 -0500

RONNY COX started out as a musician, but is also one of the most respected and sought after actors in Hollywood. Since his debut in the classic movie "Deliverance," where he played guitar in the famous Dueling Banjos scene, Ronny has appeared in over 50 films, including "Beverly Hills Cop," "Bound for Glory," "Robocop" and "Total Recall," as well as numerous TV series. In the past few years Ronny has concentrated on his music. His latest album is Ronny Cox: Songs with Repercussions. The music is eclectic, funny, touching - and always compelling. They showcase an original, sophisticated lyric-driven folky sound.

LONESOME COUNTY is a hard-drivin’ traditional bluegrass band that is gaining steam on a national level. Formed in 2002 and based in Michigan, they have been hailed as one of the most diverse and powerful bluegrass bands in the Midwest. With soaring vocals and instrumental virtuosity second to none, they have been making fans and followers everywhere they play. In 2006, the band proved you don’t have to be from Kentucky to play great bluegrass by winning the Renfro Valley Bluegrass Talent Contest. Lonesome County’s latest CD is a self-titled release.

WS558: The Emmitt-Nershi Band, Doug and Telisha Williams

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:05:01 -0500

The EMMITT-NERSHI BAND is Drew Emmitt, the dynamic lead singer and mandolin player of Leftover Salmon, and Bill Nershi, the founding member of the String Cheese Incident. The idea for the Emmitt-Nershi band has been in the works for years as Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi created a strong friendship at shows and festivals where they crossed paths. Rounding out the band is Andy Thorn, a young banjoist who is fast emerging as one of a new generation of hot pickers, and Tyler Grant, an award winning flatpicker and guitarist, who shows his true versatility by playing bass. Their first CD, New Country Blues, was just released on SCI Fidelity Records and delivers a dynamic blend of bluegrass, newgrass, country and Americana.

DOUG & TELISHA WILLIAMS embody the true Southern songwriting tradition. Telisha and Doug met in the high school marching band; they soon started dating and Doug gave Telisha her first guitar. It was a partnership that was meant to be in more ways than one. Fourteen years later they are still touring the country from their Virginia home base, making music at festivals and coffeehouses nationwide. The songs for their latest record, Ghost of the Knoxville Girl, came from stories told across kitchen tables or between friends after a couple of pitchers at the Ten Pin.

WS557: Corey Harris and Ashley Cleveland

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:25:23 -0500

COREY HARRIS has dug for the deepest and truest essence of the blues, reggae, gospel and other roots music by examining and celebrating their origins in various cultural centers – Africa, the Caribbean, Appalachia, Europe and beyond. In 2007, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant – commonly referred to as a “genius award.” Corey’s latest CD on Telarc Records is blu.black. It’s a collection of primarily blues and reggae songs that examine the African-American story of earlier centuries and connects it to the present day and future generations.

ASHLEY CLEVELAND is a three-time Grammy and two-time Dove Award winner who has released eight critically acclaimed albums. God Don't Never Change is her most recent effort, and features songs rooted firmly in a "host of traditions -- black spirituals, folk songs, 18th century hymns, gospel blues, and jubilee." The songs on the CD – ranging from the Blind Willie Johnson title track or the Washington Phillips tune “Denomination Blues.” These vintage songs come from a rich history of struggle and pain, more from open-sky fields than high-ceilinged cathedrals, and have found their latest voice in a woman willing to work hard to find her own place within them.

WS556: Michelle Shocked and Dala

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:28:58 -0500

MICHELLE SHOCKED returns to the WoodSongs stage to celebrate the release of her thirteenth album, Soul of My Soul. Michelle is a Texas born troubadour and political activist whose 23-year musical career has seen critical acclaim at every juncture. Her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes was infamously recorded by a campfire and garnered international exposure in Europe. Her break in the US came with the release of Short Sharp Shocked and includes the classic song “Anchorage.”

DALA is the acoustic duo of Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine from Canada. Their last two albums earned them a total of four Canadian Folk Music Award nominations. Their videos have been featured on Bravo, CMT, Much More Music and MTV. Just this past year, the duo released a new album Everyone Is Someone and were honored being the only Canadian act invited to play at the 50th anniversary of the famed Newport Folk Festival.

WS555: David Holt and Josh Goforth, Malcolm Dalglish

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 23:31:13 -0500

DAVID HOLT and JOSH GOFORTH are two master musicians from North Carolina. David is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost folk musicians and storytellers. He has earned four Grammy Awards, and performed and recorded with many of his mentors including Doc Watson, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins. He has been a frequent guest on Hee Haw, Nashville Now and The Grand Ole Opry. David also appears as a musician in the popular film, O Brother Where Art Thou. Josh is one of the finest young musicians in North Carolina and is bringing the music of his birthrights into the 21st century. Together they deliver folk traditions that explode with creative energy and extraordinary talent. They will be performing material from Cutting Loose, the duo’s first ever live recording.

MALCOLM DALGLISH is a choral composer and director, hammer dulcimer, spoons, bones, and chin music virtuoso. Born in Indiana, he made his stage debut at the age of ten, and soon caught the attention of the American Boy Choir. His course changed dramatically after he chanced upon folk musician Guy Carawan playing a hammered dulcimer. His early recordings reflected roots in Irish music, but he continues to branch out. Malcolm continues to find new outlets for his musical vision. His latest project is Into The Sky which features Malcolm’s vocal ensemble Oodoo.

WS554: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, King Wilkie

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:43:41 -0500

ALASDAIR FRASER and NATALIE HAAS is a musical partnership between Scotland's premier fiddle ambassador and the sizzlingly-talented young California cellist. Fraser, acclaimed by the San Francisco Examiner as "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling," has a concert and recording career spanning 30 years, with a long list of awards, accolades, television credits, and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic). Natalie Haas, a graduate of the Julliard School of Music, wasn't even born when Alasdair was winning national fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic. The duo’s new CD is In the Moment.

KING WILKIE is an aggressive alternative bluegrass band who has made a career of defying expectations. Now based in New York City, the band’s third album is King Wilkie Presents: The Wilkie Family Singers , a concept CD where a fictional world of musical siblings and other characters. Guests on the CD include Abigail Washburn, Peter Rowan, David Bromberg, Robyn Hitchcock, and John McEuen. It’s an incredible artistic statement from a band that has come along way since winning the IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 2004.

WS553: The Sam Bush Band

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:35:21 -0500

SAM BUSH is the Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist who helped to expand the horizons of bluegrass music, fusing it with jazz, rock, blues, funk and other styles. He's the co-founder of the genre-bending band New Grass Revival, and played with everyone from Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck to Lyle Lovett and Garth Brooks. Though Bush is best known for jaw-dropping skills on the mandolin, he is also a three time national junior fiddle champion and a Grammy Award winning vocalist. Alternately known as the King of Telluride and the King of Newgrass, Bush has been honored by the Americana Music Association and the International Bluegrass Music Association. Sam will be appearing on WoodSongs with his band as the sole guest on the broadcast to celebrate his seventh solo album and sixth on Sugar Hill Records Circles Around Me. We are very proud to welcome back this musical legend to the WoodSongs stage.

WS552: Billy Dean and Erin McKeown

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:12:38 -0500

BILLY DEAN is one of the major voices on country radio. He moved to Nashville in 1983 and by 1990 had recorded his first Top 5 Hit "Only Here For A Little While." Since then, Billy has earned numerous awards, including: The ACM’s Song of the Year "Somewhere In My Broken Heart," ACM New Male Vocalist of The Year, BMI Pop Awards, BMI Song Awards, BMI Million Air Plays Award, Country Music Television Rising Star Award, NSAI Song of The Year, and a Grammy for a Country Tribute "Amazing Grace." Billy latest CD is Billy Dean Sings Richard Leigh.

ERIN McKEOWN returns to the WoodSongs stage with her first album of original material on Ani DiFranco’s label Righteous Babe. As a multi-instrumentalist, Erin’s become in demand as a session player, recording vocals, piano, bass lines and of course guitar tracks for other artists records all while steadily working material that became her latest release Hundreds of Lions.

WS551: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 15:12:44 -0500

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are heroes of the Americana and country-folk world. The band's major hits include a cover version of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles". Albums include 1972's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, featuring such traditional country artists Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Merle Travis and Jimmy Martin. A follow-up album based on the same concept, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two was released in 1989, was certified gold and won two Grammy Awards and was named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. Singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna, drummer Jimmie Fadden, multi-instrumentalist John McEuen and keyboardist Bob Carpenter make a special event appearance on WoodSongs in support of their new CD, SPEED OF LIFE.

WS550: Battlefield Band and Pauly Zarb

Sat, 5 Dec 2009 15:58:40 -0500

BATTLEFIELD BAND from Scotland has been performing on the international scene for more than three decades, and is one of the premier Celtic bands in the world. Founded in 1969 and named after the ‘Battlefield’ area of Glasgow, the band pioneered the integration of bagpipes with fiddle, keyboards, guitar and voice, mixing the old songs and tunes with new self-penned material, playing them on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments. Their new CD is Zama Zama ... try your luck explores the greed, disasters, human resilience and victories inherent in the search and exploitation of different sources of wealth.

PAULY ZARB is originally from Australia. His home base is now Bardstown, KY while traveling the country performing his rootsy musical blend of “one man band” style of folk and country. His music combines keyboards, drums, hi-hat, guitar, flute, pan pipes, tin whistles, accordion, harmonica, digerridoo ... often all in the same song. He and his brother received the Best Folk Album award at the Queensland Sunny Music Awards in 2001.

WS549: Judy Collins

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:19:58 -0500

JUDY COLLINS is one of the major interpretive singers in the world. She launched her recording career at the age of 22 with her 1961 guitar-based folk debut A Maid of Constant Sorrow, has been going with her gut ever since she released 1966’s lushly orchestrated In My Life, which featured such songwriters as Jacques Brel and Kurt Weill. On her 1967 album, Wildflowers, she began to record her own compositions and earned her first gold record and major hit, the Grammy-Award winning “Both Sides Now.” By the 1970s, she was known for her versatility and range, scoring hits with both the traditional Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” and Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway ballad “Send In the Clowns,” which also earned her a Grammy Award in 1975. Over the years, Collins has continued to release albums, including several beloved Christmas records in the ’90s, as well as 2005’s Portrait of An American Girl, which featured several of her own compositions. Aside from her music, Judy is a modern-day Renaissance woman who is a long time social activist, an accomplished painter, actor, filmmaker, record label head (Wildflower Records founded in 1999), in-demand keynote speaker for mental health and suicide prevention organizations and author. Her latest CD is Judy Collins Sings Lennon & McCartney on Wildwood Records. It’s her 44th album in her 47 year career and features 12 classic tracks from the Beatles’ colossal catalog. WoodSongs is very honored to have this living legend for a Special Event Broadcast where Judy will be the sole artist on the show.

WS548: Mark O'Connor and the Appalachia Waltz Trio + Tommy Emmanuel

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:39:24 -0500

MARK O’CONNOR returns to the WoodSongs stage for a Special Event Broadcast where he’ll be the sole artist for the broadcast. Mark is a multi-Grammy-winning violinist and composer who is widely recognized as one of the most gifted contemporary composers in America, and one of the brightest talents of his generation. He's studied and recorded with some of the 20th Century's greatest musicians, including Stephane Grappeli, Benny Thomasson, and Yo Yo Ma. Along the way, between these many marvelous musical extremes, Mark absorbed knowledge and influence from the multitude of musical styles and genres he studied. Now he has melded and shaped these influences into a new American Classical music, and is perpetuating his vision of an American School of string playing. His latest CD, released on OMAC Records is a journey into the heart of America and contains his String Quartets No.'s 2 & 3. Like all of O'Connor's work, each piece takes deep inspiration from the landscape and traditions of America to produce music that is both familiar and original. Mark will be performing on the show with his Appalachia Waltz trio featuring Mike Block on Cello and Gillian Gallagher on Viola. The trio will also perform two pieces with the Verdi Quartet featuring students from the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.

Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia's most respected musicians. The legendary guitarist has a professional career that spans almost five decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to try this "fingerpicker" style as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel's biggest fans.

WS547: Chris Smither and G2

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:36:45 -0500

CHRIS SMITHER’s unique brand of blues-infused folk has, over the years, proven him to be what The Boston Herald aptly deemed "a one-man band of blues-inspired power that can justly be called locomotive." After hearing Lightnin’ Hopkins album Blues in the Bottle in 1960, Chris was inspired and began performing. His career has stretched four decades and 13 albums. He has a long standing relationship with Bonnie Raitt that took shape in 1972 when Bonnie recorded Chris’s “Love Me Like a Man" and “I Feel The Same” in 1973. His latest is Time Stands Still and is his first CD released on his own label Mighty Albert. It’s a masterful work that stands as the quintessence of his life’s work while throwing in some new wrinkles that reflect where he’s been and what he’s encountered since the last time around.

G2 BLUEGRASS BAND hails from Sweden and are one of the hottest acts on the bluegrass scene. The band began at a late night jam session at a bluegrass festival in their home country in 2005. In 2007, the band competed at EWOB (European World Of Bluegrass) in Holland and won the title #1 European Bluegrass Band and got a free ticket to go to IBMA’s in 2008 and present their music from their debut CD Where The Tall Grass Grows on Cosmos Records. This year the band has toured across Europe and the US, played on the biggest morning show on national Swedish TV, opened for Kris Kristofferson in Sweden, and started to work on their next CD.

WS546: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Zach Brock

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:37:05 -0500

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY bring their big-band fusion of classic American sounds from jazz, swing, to Dixieland to the WoodSongs Stage for one incredible night of music. Since their arrival on the music scene in 1993 in a legendary residency at Los Angeles’ Brown Derby nightclub, BBVD’s irresistible live show and aggressive, musically perceptive approach has proven them over time to be the singular standout among the numerous bands that launched the Nineties swing revival. BBVD’s originals “You & Me and the Bottle Makes Three (Tonight)” and “Go Daddy-O” were massive hits and pushed the band to the multi platinum status. Career milestones include performing in the Super Bowl half-time show, writing theme music for ESPN and network television, and performing for three American presidents. The band’s eighth studio album How Big Can You Get on Vanguard Records is a tribute to Cab Calloway and captures the essence of an American icon in a rowdy celebration of musicianship, mischief, genius, street smarts, and fun.

ZACH BROCK is a Lexington native who received a global musical education in Chicago and now resides in NYC. He has been lionized as "the great bright hope for jazz violin" by the Chicago Tribune. His wide-ranging professional accomplishments place him in the company of today's leading "indie jazz" innovators. Zach will be performing solo-violin on this very special, adventurous WoodSongs broadcast.

WS545: Diana Jones and Carbon Leaf

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 23:11:58 -0400

DIANA JONES returns to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new CD titled Better Times Will Come on Proper American Records. It’s been three years since her breakthrough CD My Remembrance of You made Diana a major figure in Americana music. Since then, Diana has landed the opening slot on high-profile European tours with Richard Thompson and Mary Gauthier and has been the featured invitee at folk festivals in Ireland, England, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. One of her songs, “Henry Russell's Last Words,” has been recorded by Joan Baez.

CARBON LEAF is a five piece rock band based out of Richmond, VA. The band won the Coca-Cola New Music Award for the song “The Boxer,” off of their fifth and final self-released CD, Echo Echo. Part of the prize was the opportunity to become one of the rare unsigned bands to ever play on the American Music Awards. They signed to Vanguard Records and have released three albums. Their song “Life Less Ordinary” became a radio hit and gave Carbon Leaf its first taste of mainstream exposure. The band’s latest CD is Nothing Rhymes With Woman.

WS544: Chuck McCabe and Mitch Barrett

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 00:51:56 -0400

CHUCK McCABE is a master storyteller in the tradition of the great folk troubadours. A vein of humor and a theme of respect run through McCabe’s distinctly award winning songwriting. His delivery demonstrates an understated elegance that is a rare find among performers – especially those who cross the lines between wit and wisdom. Chuck's latest CD is "Creatures of Habit."

MITCH BARRETT is one of Kentucky’s most sought-after and talented singer songwriter sons. His approach to lyrical storytelling is true ‘Americana’, rooted in authentic experience, not just a record label’s genre. Mitch’s music draws from his Appalachian heritage and the values it instilled: agrarian work ethic, simple living, the importance of family and celebrating the joys and the struggles of everyday life through music and song. In June of 2009 Mitch was awarded the title of "Telluride Troubadour" as part of the 36th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride Colorado. Mitch has won several of the country's major songwriting competitions. The Folk’s Festival Songwriting Competition, The Merlefest “Chris Austin” Songwriting Competition (twice awarded), and The Kerrville “New Folk” Competition.

WS543: Jonathan Edwards and Amy Speace

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 16:06:06 -0400

JONATHAN EDWARDS is a singer/songwriter who is best known for his crossover folk singles "Sunshine" and "Shanty." Born in Minnesota, Jonathan picked up the guitar in high school in the early 60s. He studied art in college but continued to play music. Soon Jonathan was booked to open for acts such as the Allman Brothers Band and B. B. King, and he signed with Capricorn Records. In 1971, his energetic, happy-sounding statement of protest and independence called "Sunshine" earned him a gold record. Jonathan has kept pretty busy lately. Aside from touring and releasing a live CD "Rollin' Along: Live in Holland," he scored the soundtrack for the major motion picture “The Golden Boys” and Media Artists released a documentary of his career, titled “That’s What Our Life Is.”

AMY SPEACE is a New York city-based songwriter with a street-smart folk/Americana edge, prompting comparisons to artists like Neko Case, Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash. A world-class voice, award-winning songs and an engaging stage presence led the North American Folk Music Alliance to nominate her as their "Emerging Artist of the Year." Folk music icon Judy Collins calls Amy Speace "one of my favorite new songwriters." That led her to sign Amy to Wildflower Records. She has just released her second album for the label titled "The Killer in Me" which finds the songwriter forging into deeper, darker lyrical and musical terrain, borne largely out of her self-imposed isolation during the final separation of her long marriage.

WS542: Ray Bonneville and Those Darlins

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:48:41 -0400

RAY BONNEVILLE is a distinctive artist, a man who cooks up a deep blues groove, blending a unique percussive electric guitar style, a weathered voice, and soulful rack harmonica into image provoking songs that can be believed. Born in Canada, he moved to the Boston area in his early teens where he started playing guitar and harmonica. His last 30 or so years have seen him seeking adventure and playing music throughout the world. Being a dual citizen allows him the freedom to live between Montreal Canada, and Austin Texas. Ray's latest CD is "Goin' by Feel" on Red House Records. The CD includes the 2009 International Folk Alliance "Song of the Year" - "The Big Easy."

THOSE DARLINS are a trio of young women based out of Murfreesboro, TN. They are part Carter Family and part Ramones. The unrelated band mates are Kelley Darlin, the group's bassist, Jessi Darlin, who plays guitar, and Nikki Darlin, on baritone ukulele. Sonically, they walk the line between traditional country and punk. As the NY Times put it, "This young country trio is a tangle of bare legs, cowboy boots and Southern sass." Their new self titled CD is grounded in the old-time country, psychedelic guitars, and sly tales of triumph. And their live show is part grit, part glamour.

WS541: Jake Shimabukuro

Mon, 7 Sep 2009 22:10:54 -0400

JAKE SHIMABUKURO returns to the WoodSongs stage for a one hour Special Event Broadcast. Jake is recognized as one of the world's most exciting and innovative ukulele players and composers. Born in Hawaii, Jake's mother gave him his first ukulele lesson when he was but four years old. Renowned for lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential." His virtuosity defies label or category. Playing jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock, Jake's mission is to show everyone that the ukulele is capable of so much more than the traditional Hawaiian music - or corny showbiz routines -- many associate it with. Jake's latest release is Live, his first full-length CD since 2006's best-selling Gently Weeps. The 17-song CD includes 12 Shimabukuro originals and five covers (including a jaw-dropping version of J.S. Bach's "Two-Part Invention No. 4 in D Minor" and an amazing interpretation of MICHAEL JACKSON’S "Thriller" ... we kid you not!!!!

WS540: The Greencards and Reid Genauer

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 09:47:04 -0400

THE GREENCARDS return to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new album called "Fascination" on Sugar Hill Records. The critically acclaimed band’s love and respect for country, Americana, blues and bluegrass brought them together in 2003. They’ve already toured with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, earned the Americana Music Award in 2006 for“Emerging Artist of the Year” and in 2008 landed a Grammy nomination (“Best Country Instrumental Performance” for Viridian).

REID GENAUER is the singer/songwriter behind the New York City rocks and roots based band Assembly of Dust. The band's new album "Some Assembly Required" contains the strongest collection of songs the group has created to date, each expertly crafted tune illuminated by a stellar lineup of guests including Bela Fleck, David Grisman, John Scofield, Mike Gordon (Phish), Richie Havens, Jerry Douglas and Martin Sexton.

WS539: Cyril Neville and Rob Ickes

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:43:38 -0400

CYRIL NEVILLE is the youngest of the beloved group, the Neville Brothers. Born in New Orleans to a musical family, Cyril began singing professionally at 19 and released his first single in 1970. In addition to his work with the Neville Brothers, Cyril has formed other bands over the years, Cyril also founded the New Orleans Musicians Organized (NOMO), which helps musicians who need business advice with their careers. Cyril Neville has issued several solo albums on his own plus he has guested on various other artist's recordings including albums by Edie Brickell, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson, Tab Benoit, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux among others. His latest solo CD it titled Brand New Blues released on MC Records.
ROB ICKES returns to WoodSongs with songs from a great new album. He is the 10-time IBMA winner of dobro player of the year and is a founding member of the super bluegrass group Blue Highway. His 5th solo album Road Song is a ground breaking album with wondrous romps and intimate dobro-piano dialogues that reach into the emotional core of 10 great jazz standards. Rob will be joined on stage by jazz pianist Michael Alvey and sultry Nashville vocalist Robinella.

WS538: Neko Case

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:01:39 -0400

NEKO CASE is an American alternative country singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. SPIN Magazine called Case "one of pop music's best" voices. Case's last album, 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, brought her to the nexus where critical acclaim meets commercial success. Her sixth studio album is Middle Cyclone released on Anti- Records and has been called her best work to date. The CD debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200, the highest opening to date in 2009 by an independent release on Billboard's main album chart. The entire broadcast of WoodSongs will be devoted to Neko and her stripped down band.

WS537: Trevor Hall, Among The Oak & Ash

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:43:56 -0400

TREVOR HALL is originally from South Carolina and is most known for his song “Other Ways” which was featured in the Shrek III motion picture soundtrack. He has been writing and performing since his early teens and has released two independent recordings. Trevor combines a unique musical mix of reggae and acoustic rock that serves as a landscape for his thought-provoking, inspiring lyrics. His self-titled Vanguard debut was just released and embodies a soulfulness, depth and passion far beyond his 22 years.

AMONG THE OAK AND ASH is the duo of Garrison Starr and Josh Joplin. Individually, New York-based Joplin and Nashville-based Starr have built impressive careers, signing to major labels as teenagers and winning substantial critical acclaim while building loyal grass-roots fan bases. Joplin and Starr crossed paths on the road, instantly bonding over their shared experiences. The friendship resulted in the formation of Among the Oak & Ash the moniker taken from an old folk song of the same name. Their self titled debut CD released on Verve Forecast puts a modern spin on centuries-old Appalachian murder ballads and traditional folk songs while also adding original songs to the canon.

WS536: Kacey Jones and The Bats

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 21:16:23 -0400

KACEY JONES brings her “body of work” back to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new CD titled Donald Trump’s Hair. It’s the hilarious follow-up to her previous comedy album, “Nipples to the Wind” and contains fifteen new tracks, including the debut single, “I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly.” Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, this madcap redhead now based in Nashville sees the world at large with laser perception and a funny tilt. That’s why audiences have been laughing with this singer, songwriter, musician, producer, publisher for years.

THE BATS describe themselves as “your mom, with an electric guitar.” It’s Rock & Roll meets Cabaret & Comedy made by the five feisty women and three very brave men of The Bats. Embracing many musical styles, the band play songs that range from lost love, weight gained, growing older, retail therapy, plastic surgery and anything else life throws their way… and they do it with skillful musicianship. Their new CD is titled Some Settling May Occur.

WS535: Beppe Gambetta, The Rhythm Angels

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:25:40 -0400

BEPPE GAMBETTA is one of the true live master innovators of the acoustic guitar. From Italy, he has a deep passion for both American roots music as well as the music of his native country, Beppe has traveled the world and even crossed the “Iron Curtain” to dazzle and charm music enthusiasts everywhere. His latest CD is Rendez-vous where he attempts to break the boundaries of the flatpicking technique in some creative and experimental ways.

THE RHYTHM ANGELS are a duo with seamless harmonies and smart lyrics. Celeste Krenz and Rebecca Folsom have been circling around each other for years. Celeste hails from the ranch country of North Dakota, while Rebecca comes out of the mountains of Colorado. It wasn't until they performed at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee that they sang together for the first time. Their CD Girls Like Us was just released on High Horse Records

WS534: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Samantha Crain

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:35:45 -0400

DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER are one of Bluegrass' most honored and revered talents. This award winning ensemble has picked up the IBMA Award for best vocal group an unprecedented seven years in a row. Doyle is also the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the Endowment's highest honor granted to traditional and folk artists for career accomplishments. He and his band are back to introduce songs from their new album called Lonely Street released on Rounder Records.

SAMANTHA CRAIN is a 22-year-old Oklahoma-based songwriter who already has several national tours and dozens of self-produced recordings to her credit. She, along with her band The Midnight Shivers, have just released their full-length debut CD on Ramseur Records called Songs in the Night.

WS533: Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Guy Davis

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:09:38 -0400

RHONDA VINCENT & THE RAGE is a true superstar in the world of bluegrass. They return to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new release on Rounder Records called Destination Life. The new album features a stellar lineup of new, original and classic bluegrass songs. This 7 time IBMA vocalist of the year takes her music to new heights while maintaining her deep bluegrass roots.

GUY DAVIS has been real busy since his last WoodSongs appearance. He just finished a special tour with Pete Seeger. This master blues musician has just released his 9th recording on Red House Records called Sweetheart Like You. Guy also recently recreated the role made famous by blues legend, Sonny Terry in the Broadway production of "Finian's Rainbow". He played at two tributes for his friend Odetta, and performed at Madison Square Garden with Bruce Springsteen and others for Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday celebration.

WS532: Sara Watkins and The Lovell Sisters

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:19:55 -0400

SARA WATKINS is best known as the founding member of the Grammy Award-winning, critically acclaimed, and platinum-selling band Nickel Creek. This singer, songwriter and fiddle player has just released her self-titled debut solo album on Nonesuch Records. The CD was recorded in Los Angles and Nashville and was produced by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Sara will be joined on stage by her brother and fellow Nickel Creek band mate Sean Watkins.

The LOVELL SISTERS The LOVELL SISTERS won Prairie Home Companion's National Teen Talent Competition in 2005. The talented sisters return to WoodSongs with their heavenly harmony of mandolin, fiddle and dobro. The three sisters, Rebecca, Megan, and Jessica began lessons in classical music at age 5, but grew to love traditional bluegrass music. The ensemble hails from Calhoun, Ga., but is traveling the world playing in major cities in Europe as well as across America.

WS531: Steve Wariner tribute to Chet Atkins

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:18:12 -0400

STEVE WARINER is a superstar of country music. His latest project is a tribute to his mentor and friend Chet Atkins. Steve first met Chet in 1977, who then quickly signed Steve to RCA Records. Steve will be the sole guest on WoodSongs and be playing material for his new CD Steve Wariner c. g. p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins along with a couple of Steve’s hits. Steve scored his first hit record in 1980 and thus began a career that has spanned three decades, 25 Albums released, 18 1's and millions of records sold. In 2009, he won his third Grammy (this one in collaboration with Brad Paisley). As an FYI, The abbreviation "c.g.p." stands for "Certified Guitar Player," a title that Chet would bestow on only four guitar pickers: Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, the late Jerry Reed, and Steve Wariner.

WS530: Maura O'Connell and Si Kahn

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:37:00 -0400

MAURA O’CONNELL is a wonderful, interpretive singer. She returns to WoodSongs to introduce her latest CD project where her voice takes center stage. This Grammy nominated singer spent nearly two years working on a project she’s been wanting to do for a very long time. The result is Naked With Friends, O’Connell’s first a cappella album, which will be released by Sugar Hill Records. Born and raised in County Clare, Ireland, she was the third of four singing sisters. She will performing on WoodSongs solo ... Just her voice ... No instrumentation. Get ready for something very special!!!!
SI KAHN makes a return visit to the WoodSongs stage. Aside from being a brilliant songwriter, he has worked for over 40 years as a civil rights, labor and community organizer and musician in the Southern United States. His songs of family, community, work and freedom such as "Aragon Mill" "Gone, Gonna Rise Again" and "Wild Rose of the Mountain" have been recorded by over 100 artists. Si has released 14 albums of his original songs, plus a collection of traditional labor, civil rights and women's songs with Pete Seeger and Jane Sapp. His latest CD is “Thanksgiving.”

WS529: Red Molly and Sam and Ruby

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 22:17:53 -0400

RED MOLLY is a talented female trio that plays a variety of stringed instruments, and sings tight 3-part harmony, creating their distinctive rootsy, Americana sound. The group has garnered a devoted regional fan base, and has begun laying the groundwork for national touring. Red Molly consistently brings concert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship, and a warm, engaging stage presence. The trio will be playing songs for their newest release Love and Other Tragedies.
SAM & RUBY come from different parts of the world but seemed destined to make music together. Ruby Amanfu was born in Ghana, West Africa and spent her time hopping ponds with her Top 5 charted pop album, Smoke and Honey. Sam Brooker was raised in Green Bay Wisconsin and started making a name for himself in both the Nashville and NYC music scenes. They penned their first song together, "The Here & The Now" and the two would go on to perform the song at each other's shows and the audience immediately embraced them, giving rise to the dynamic duo of Sam & Ruby. Their song, "Heaven's My Home," was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007. They will be performing songs from debut CD on Rykodisc called The Here and Now.

WS528: BeauSoleil

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 09:59:34 -0400

BEAUSOLEIL bring their Grammy winning Cajun music to WoodSongs for a Special Event Broadcast. Since forming in 1975, BeauSoleil claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. The band takes the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a satisfying musical recipe. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil continues to captivate audiences the world over. Yet, it all begins with the preservation of a sacred culture, the lifelong calling of fiddling frontman Michael Doucet. Their latest release and Yep Roc label debut Alligator Purse is not only a vibrant testament to BeauSoleil's healthy spirit but is easily their most adventuresome record yet.

WS527: The Flatlanders

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 23:32:59 -0400

THE FLATLANDERS are Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. That their first go-round as The Flatlanders in 1972 was completely rejected by the country music establishment is surprising in retrospect but, ultimately, poetic. That each went on to have formidable solo careers is a testament to their talent and determination. Add to this their diverse yet complimentary styles – Joe the street-wise rocker, Jimmie Dale the mystic with the classic country voice and Butch the cerebral folk singer – and you’ve got a story of one of the most extraordinary kinships in American musical history. It took these Flatlanders a mere three decades to release the sequel to their legendary debut. Their latest CD on New West Records is titled Hills & Valleys.

WS526: GiveWay and Danny Schmidt

Sun, 17 May 2009 20:10:12 -0400

GIVEWAY is a band based in Scotland, four very talented sisters performing traditional Celtic and cross-over music. They have been performing from a very early age and feature vocals, fiddle, guitar, accordion, piano, whistle, drums, and bass. Award winners at the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, the band is, like the title of their current CD on Greentrax Records...Inspired.

DANNY SCHMIDT is a writer's writer based out of Austin, Texas, with a lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Dave Carter. Upon winning the prestigious Kerrville New Folk award in 2007, Sing Out Magazine tagged Schmidt "the best new songwriter we've heard in 15 years." Just one man sitting alone on stage with his acoustic guitar and his poetry, in the timeless troubadour tradition, his musical influences draw from deeply-rooted Appalachian mountain gospel to haunted English balladry, from syncopated Piedmont country blues to vagabond 60’s protest folk-stumpery. But it all boils down to just great songwriting, in a singular style all his own.

WS525: Michael Martin Murphey and Tom Rush

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:00:03 -0400

MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY song “Wildfire” was one of the biggest pop hits of the 70's. He returns to the WoodSongs stage with a brand new bluegrass CD called Buckaroo BlueGrass. The album features Michael's acoustic versions of his songs that have been recorded by Bluegrass bands over the years and was produced by Michael’s son. This "singing cowboy poet", is not only the number one, best-selling singer/ songwriter of American Cowboy Music, he's one of the world's most respected singer/ songwriters in the Pop and Country-Western field.

TOM RUSH impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s. He recently released his first studio CD in 35 years. Recorded in Nashville, What I Know was produced by Tom's long-time friend Jim Rooney and includes original Tom Rush material, as well as harmonies by Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Bramlett and Nanci Griffith.

WS524: Susan Werner and Vance Gilbert

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:56:06 -0400

SUSAN WERNER has cultivated a reputation as a daring and innovative songwriter. Her new release Classics, delivers entirely new string arrangements of mainstream popular songs by top songwriters from the classic pop era - the sixties and seventies. Drawing on her unique training as a classical vocalist and the diverse talents of esteemed Boston Symphony and Pops players, Classics sets a mood that highlights elegance and sophistication previously overlooked in the first lives of songs like Paul Simon's A Hazy Shade of Winter, Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed and America's Lonely People.

VANCE GILBERT burst onto the music scene in the early 90's when the buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-jazz singer who was knocking 'em dead at open mics. The word spread of this Philadelphia-area born and raised performer to New York; Shawn Colvin invited Vance Gilbert to be special guest on her Fat City tour. With eight critically acclaimed albums, he continues to refine his unlikely union of humor, virtuosity, and the unexpected. His latest CD is Up on Rockfield.

WS523: Almira Fawn and the Dixie Bee-Liners

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 16:05:05 -0400

ALMIRA FAWN is just eleven years old. She was brought on stage by Michael during the encore of show #515 and serenaded her hero, JJ Grey, with one his songs that she rewrote and received a standing ovation. Almira is from Lexington, Kentucky and has been busking at the Farmer’s Market and playing at restaurants and cafes around her hometown. She recently finished her first CD which includes several originals and will be appearing on NBC’s America’s Got Talent over the summer.

THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS are creating quite a buzz in the world of bluegrass. The band’s ground-breaking sophomore album Ripe released on Pinecastle Records last year has achieved four #1's songs to date. The band was recently named The Roots Music Association Bluegrass Artist of the Year for 2008. They are hard at work in studio working on next album titled Susanville. The band’s lead vocalist Brandi Hart grew up in Lexington, Kentucky.

WS522: Samuel James and Shout Sister Shout

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:37:09 -0400

SAMUEL JAMES is a young master of fingerstyle, slide, banjo, harmonica, and piano and is not yet out of his twenties. With musical influences ranging from Skip James and Sonny Terry to Gus Cannon and Charley Patton, such understanding of pre-war blues is rarely embodied in the music of one person. His songwriting is absolutely unparalleled in contemporary blues. His second CD and debut for NorthernBlues Music entitled Songs Famed for Sorrow and Joy is available now.

SHOUT SISTER SHOUT is an old-time jazz unit, formed by Boston Music Award Winner Rachel Davis and roots band Steppin’ In It through a common love of 30s & 40s jazz standards. The summer of 2006 found the two acts working at the same festivals, which led to joining each other for a classic tune by Nat King Cole or Billie Holiday during their respective sets. By mid summer, the quintet was dubbed ‘Shout Sister Shout’ and an album was in the works. Their debut self-titled CD was just released on MC Records and is full of timeless old-time American Jazz featuring torch swing numbers alongside bluesy ballads.

WS521: Shemekia Copeland and Dan Crary

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:34:11 -0400

SHEMEKIA COPELAND has already received numerous blues awards worldwide, a Grammy nomination, and has a resume that includes work with musical titans like Dr. John and film giants like Martin Scorsese. She returns to WoodSongs with a brand new CD Never Going Back on Telarc Records. The CD was produced by Oliver Wood of the Wood Brothers and takes a more forward view of the blues, and in so doing points her music and her career in a new direction while remaining loyal to her blues roots.
DAN CRARY is a musical legend, a pioneer and a master of the guitar. With more than 50 years as a performer, he’s a flatpicking stylist with an international reputation for innovation, taste and brilliance with a long and distinguished recording career, featuring solo projects and group efforts. His latest CD, Renaissance of the Steel-String Guitar, takes you on an instrumental journey into the past and recent history of the instrument, with performances of the music that has punctuated its rise.

WS520: Kelleigh McKenzie and Slide

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:42:42 -0400

KELLEIGH McKENZIE just received three Independent Music Award nominations, with her song "Gin" winning Best Americana Song, and she was named a winner in last fall’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. She delivers a captivating blend of folk, blues, old-time and rock with a uniquely urbane edge. She plucks and thumps out twist-filled tales on banjo and acoustic guitar, all while pounding along on her amplified stomp-box. This Oregonian-turned-New Yorker's debut CD is called "Chances."

SLIDE is an impressive, powerful Irish traditional music band from Dublin, Ireland. The high energy band is named after the liveliest and most exciting of the tune rhythms from the South of Ireland. Formed with an all-star line up of award winners, this rollicking band is living proof of how innovation need not compromise tradition. The Irish Times calls Slide “traditional musicians with attitude.” They will be performing material from a wonderful, brand new CD that will be released in the spring. Bring the kids to this one!!!!

WS519: Walden--The Ballad of Thoreau

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 23:12:33 -0400

The two act, four character play is a conversation between Thoreau and Emerson set during the final two days Thoreau spent in his cabin before leaving Walden Pond. Over 7,100 colleges and schools have already performed the play. Now we want to send it nationwide on Public TV, Public Radio, Movie Theaters plus online with lesson plans into thousands of schools across North America as an Earth Day Special Event.

WS518: Hal Ketchum, Dailey and Vincent

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 11:45:46 -0400

HAL KETCHUM’s latest CD Father Time is the ninth album in a distinguished musical career that includes such indelible Top 10 hits as “Small Town Saturday Night,” “Past The Point of Rescue,” “Hearts Are Gonna Roll” and “Stay Forever.” Reared in the village of Greenwich in the gorgeously verdant countryside of upstate New York, Ketchum hails from a family where singing and playing music was part of the daily (and nightly) diet for generations. He was exposed to country music (his father was a fan) as well as the symphonic classics and, one year, even the Newport Jazz Festival at the nearby Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Father Time is the album that Hal Ketchum’s talents have promised ever since he burst onto the country music scene in 1991, hitting #1 with his very first single, “Small Town Saturday Night.”

DAILEY & VINCENT captured an unprecedented seven International Bluegrass Music Awards including the IBMA Entertainers of the Year. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent are veterans of Bluegrass music having some twenty years experience between the two of them from long tenures with Bluegrass and Country legends Doyle Lawson and Ricky Skaggs. In 2003, the two worked together on a project which sparked into the early planning and structuring of a new duo and band that would become Dailey and Vincent. The band is about to release their second studio release for Rounder Records titled Brothers From Different Mothers in March.

WS517: Lori Lieberman, Mark Olson and Gary Louris

Mon, 2 Mar 2009 16:19:07 -0500

LORI LIEBERMAN is one of music’s best kept secrets. Lori has remained in the spotlight since the early seventies, quietly gleaning the respect of an industry and a devoted fanbase with such hits as “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Landing her first record deal with Capitol Records, the album, simply titled, "Lori Lieberman", garnered both critical and audience appeal. As the album crept up the charts, Roberta Flack heard Lori’s simple folk song detailing her experience of sitting in the back of a nightclub, transfixed by the musician onstage who seemed to sing right through her. She immediately contacted her producer, Joel Dorn, and recorded the now classic, Grammy award winning song,"Killing Me Softly". After a number of years away from the music industry, she began recording again in the mid 90s for independent labels. Lori’s latest CD Gun Metal Sky will be released in January.

MARK OLSON & GARY LOURIS are the founding members of the pioneering alternative group the Jayhawks, whose shimmering blend of country, folk, and bar band rock made them one of the most widely acclaimed artists to emerge from the alternative country scene. In 1996, Olson left the band to pursue a solo career while Louris kept the Jayhawks alive with an ever evolving lineup. The two old friends have reunited for a brand new release called Ready for the Flood released on New West Records. The album is largely an acoustic album that has all original material and a fine vocal blend that makes you think of old-timey and bluegrass brother teams like The Monroes, The Delmores, and The Louvins.

WS516: Punch Brothers

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:05:12 -0500

PUNCH BROTHERS featuring Chris Thile return to the WoodSongs Stage for a one hour Special Event Broadcast. The focus of this broadcast will be the band’s four-movement suite that is the heart of Punch Brothers’ debut CD Punch released on Nonesuch Records last year. Chris’s long form composition is his most conceptually daring, emotionally cathartic work of an already impressive career. Although long passages of The Blind Leaving the Blind are purely instrumental, it is rigorously structured, yet Thile leaves room for jazz-like improvisation and for the personalities of the players to influence its flow. Join Chris, guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjo player Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher and bassist Paul Kowert for an incredible and adventurous night of music.

WS515: JJ Grey and The Duhks

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 19:37:56 -0500

JJ GREY was born and raised just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern musical storytellers. Like the best of the great Southern writers, he fills his songs with details that are at once vivid and personal, political and universal. JJ and his band Mofro’s brand of front porch soul has steadily built an intensely loyal following since their debut CD in 2001. JJ’s new album Orange Blossoms, released on Alligator Records, takes another giant step forward. JJ will be performing solo acoustic on WoodSongs.

THE DUHKS return the WoodSongs stage to perform songs from their new CD Fast Paced World released on Sugar Hill Records. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the band has been hailed by The New York Times as one of the artists at the forefront of the neo-folk movement. The band's spot-on fusion of traditional bluegrass, folk rock, Afro-Cuban jazz and soul have earned them a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Country Vocal Performance category as well as a Juno award in their native Canada. Environmental issues are a passion for the band, inspiring them to launch The Duhks Sustainability Project in October 2007.

WS514: The Tannahill Weavers and Lambchop

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 11:32:15 -0500

THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS are one of Scotland's premier traditional bands. Named for the town's historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads and lullabies. Their music demonstrates to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. These versatile musicians have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts. Their latest release is a live CD recorded in Scotland and was released on Compass Records.

LAMBCHOP is an alternative band based in Nashville. The unique, unclassifiable hybrid of country, soul, and jazz is a baroque beauty held together by the surreal lyrical wit and droll vocal presence of frontman Kurt Wagner. Their latest CD "OH" (Ohio) continues their tradition of releasing challenging, mold-breaking records.

WS513: The Faux Frenchmen and Kati Penn Band

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:14:06 -0500

THE FAUX FRENCHMAN are acoustic guitarists Brian Lovely and George Cunningham, Don Aren on double bass, and violinist Paul Patterson. The quartet have been playing 1930’s Hot Club-inspired string band gypsy jazz in and around Cincinnati since September 2002. Guitarist Django Reinhardt and violin virtuoso Stephane Grappelli lead the Hot Club of France from 1934 to 1939. Rather than being a Hot Club “tribute” band, the Faux Frenchmen attempt to adapt the Hot Club’s instrumentation and approach to their own musical ends. Their latest CD is Oblivion and seven of the eleven tracks are originals.

KATI PENN is a native of Lexington, KY and is one of bluegrass’s premier up-and-coming artists. She started playing the fiddle at the age of ten; by the time she was twelve, she was playing and singing with the Young Acoustic All-Stars. Kati went on to work a stint with the New Coon Creek Girls that lasted through a transformation to the Dale Ann Bradley Band. She has lent her talents to over 100 CD’s and performed with the likes of JD Crowe, Bill Anderson and Ricky Skaggs. She and her band will be performing material from her new CD My Turn to Cry produced by WoodSongs friend and dobro master Rob Ickes.