Music City Roots: Recent Episodes
Music City Roots
Music City Roots: Live From The Factory is a weekly concert and live radio show that broadcasts every Wednesday night (7PM CST) on WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM in Murfreesboro-Nashville, Tennessee, and worldwide at www.musiccityroots.com. It's hosted by Grammy-winning artist Jim Lauderdale, legendary radio announcer Keith Bilbrey and show journalist/interview guy Craig Havighurst. We feature leading lights and new discoveries in Americana, blues, rock and roll, gospel, jazz, rockabilly, bluegrass, newgrass, western, folk, singer songwriter, country, soul, vintage, ragtime, cow punk, honky tonk, big band, swing, acoustic, celtic, and more!
Since going on the air in 2009, Music City Roots has built a worldwide community of lovers of hand-made, real music. We showcase the finest artistry working in or passing through the dynamic Nashville music scene. With old-school radio presentation before a large live audience, artist interview and great audio, MCR is one of the best ways to get a weekly fix of roots music.
It's a rewind show featuring four singular songwriters - Nashville artists doing what Nashville does best. We launch the show with our own in-house master, the country/Americana/bluegrass song decathlete Jim Lauderdale from 2017. And we close by throwing way back to 2011 with the serene and sophisticated Matraca Berg.
In a similar vein, Berg's close friend and colleague Gretchen Peters plays songs from her album Blackbirds in 2015. From that same year, Louisiana native and bayou roots poet Kevin Gordon. Masters of the craft on Music City Roots.
A Rewind show we're calling Where Were They Then? Five artists who've become stars of Americana playing the MCR stage on their way up. The explosive New South soul of St Paul and the Broken Bones, in their first show outside of their AL home from 2012. Margo Price leads the Price Tags and talks about her transition from rock and roll to country, from 2014. And from 2013, an up and comer named Sturgill Simpson. Also Los Angeles dynamo Sam Outlaw, just before he released his debut and a band we're rooting for, Dustbowl Revival. Looking back to learn about the latest and greatest.
The show returns to the road. Not a very long road though. We're back in downtown Nashville at the City Winery with a lineup split in two chapters. In the first half, it's Americana rock and soul with Nora Jane Struthers, offering material off her acclaimed album Champion, and newcomer Emma Hern with a sultry and exceptional voice. Then it's bluegrass, traditional form with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers and in the more exotic, adventuresome form with the Travellin' McCourys. And father Del joins for a couple of songs as well.
We rewind, all the way back to Nov. 21, 2012. It was an historic occasion too, celebrating the release of a long awaited album, one of the consensus best of that year, and it involved our fantastic musical host with his longtime friend and partner, but it was the first time they'd recorded a full project as a duo. Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller.
Also on this epic bill, The Church Sisters with breezy bluegrass, pure country by the master of song Shawn Camp, the roots and groove of Nashville's all star 18 South and the fire and brimstone gospel rock of Mike Farris. A classic, recorded on the night before Thanksgiving at the Loveless Barn.
The show is live and back on the road to yet another treasured venue, the Nashville Palace, a big old honky tonk near the Grand Ole Opry. And it's an Opry worthy evening as we pay tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens and the musical legacy of West Virginia. We hear sets from Country Music Hall of Famer Connie Smith, bluegrass icon Tim O'Brien and the divine folk and country star Kathy Mattea. Also on the bill, West Virginia Hall of Famer John Ellison who wrote the song 'Some Kind of Wonderful' plus songwriter Todd Burge and 30-year state favorites The Carpenter Ants. It was almost heaven.
An absolutely classic MCR from July of 2015. This memorable night featured Nashville's deepest electric blues and one of the nation's most important new acoustic folk duos. The former is legendary guitarist and songwriter - icon of the Bluebird Cafe - Mike Henderson, with new music. The latter is the Woodstock NY power couple Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Also on the bill, we'll hear head turning juke joint funk from his and her duo Smooth Hound Smith. Plus the remarkable voice and complex torch songs of breakout artist Emily West. Peter Cooper's the guest host.
It's a Roots Rewind show where we mine our tape vaults for standout performances by women who killed and thrilled between 2013 and last year. We'll hear Memphis bass player and torchy songwriter Amy LaVere, the sublime and uncategorizable Kristina Train, humanistic humorist Susan Werner and a closing set of songs in Spanish and English from Austin's remarkable Carrie Rodriguez. We hear as well from mountain modernist folk artist Dori Freeman from VA and Leah Blevins from KY. They're voice you know and voices on their way up.
We rewind our way through the years of great performances by the best guitarists from and passing through Music City. It's a tribute to the instrument that made Nashville possible, drawing on electric and acoustic masters. Featured are bluegrass rising star Molly Tuttle, the jazz ease of Pat Bergeson, country twang from Kenny Vaughan, plus all around mastery of Jim Oblon and the always in-demand Guthrie Trapp. The show closes with a full set by the fiery young Englishman reviving 1970s blues rock tradition, Davy Knowles. Guitar geeks will love it but all are invited.
MCR is back on the Road with an all new show from that famous Nashville crossroads and musical watering hole known as 3rd & Lindsley. It's a night heavy on traditional rock and roll, with a sweaty but poetic opening set by Louisiana raised, Nashville based Kevin Gordon. And the night closes out with Will Kimbrough, Tommy Womack and the other mega talents who make up Daddy.
In between, two incredibly talented young women each on their way in their own way. Katie Pruitt is a newly signed songwriter with a canon of a voice and self-investigative songs. Lillie Mae is a star on Third Man records making deeply original country music.
It's a decades old relationship, not without it's marital squabbles, but who can deny that Nashville has been made all the richer by the two way highway between Music City and the Lone Star State. This show offers a wide range of sounds and styles, starting with the surprising soul of Austin's Greyhounds. And we close with contemporary country in a classic vein by Sunny Sweeney. In between, short sets from folk master Ruthie Foster and icons Asleep At The Wheel. Plus an early set from 2011 by the amazing Band of Heathens.
An archival Rewind show where the string is the thing. String bands on our stage between 2011 and 2017, featuring a wide range of what modern day musicians are doing with the bedrock beneath traditional country music and bluegrass. We'll open with The Wilders, that late great band from Kansas City. And we close with the sophisticated but earthy sounds of an all star band led by mandolinist Andy Statman.
In between, the satisfying intensity of Portland Oregon's Foghorn String Band. And down home Nashville sound, with great songwriting, by the Howlin Brothers. Fiddles, banjos and mandos rule this week.
This new Roots Rewind show features the best in newgrass and jamgrass, from founding fathers to favorite sons. Sam Bush and John Cowan were in New Grass Revival together in the 70s and 80s. We'll hear from their respective bands, Cowan in 2012, Bush just last year. Leftover Salmon shows how far other bands took the newgrass idea in Colorado. And we close the show with second generation superstars the Travelin' McCourys.
Check out our first live show of 2018 and the first from our Roots on the Road series, as we stage Roots at leading venues all around Nashville TN. This one comes from the City Winery with a lineup that's loaded and very Music City. We open with new music from smooth rocking country soul man Derek Hoke. And we close with a celebration of the new album Arkansas by rock and roll hall of famer John Oates.
In between, fresh bluegrass as the harmony focused Ms Adventure plays its debut show in their Nashville home town. And the ghost of Hank Williams is clearly communicating with the legendary Greg Garing, who brings a fiery hillbilly band to the stage. It was a grand sold out night, and there was wine.
With Music City Roots on limited run this winter and spring as we work toward moving into a new venue, we're offering up Roots Rewind shows pulled from the audio vaults of the show's 8+ years on the air. This episode took place August 24, 2011 at the Loveless Barn and featured a night curated by songwriter, roots rocker and raconteur Marshall Chapman. She had just published 'They Came To Nashville' featuring interviews with major artists and writers about their arrival stories in Music City. This is a show heavy on great songs and stories, with Rodney Crowell, Bobby Bare, Mary Gauthier and Don Henry.
It's a year-end feast of sound and celebration as Roots closes a four year run at the Factory, with a gorgeous and wide ranging lineup. Modernist songwriter Anthony DaCosta pairs his spectral guitar and keening voice with the fiddle of Kimber Ludiker to open the show. And we close the night with another gorgeous voice - heck maybe the most gorgeous voice in roots music - the hit-making and heartwarming suzy Bogguss. In between, the elegant and talented Dawn Landes with music she's been working on in the studio with the legendary Fred Foster. (He produced Roy Orbison, don't you know) Also And the Whiskey Gentry play songs from their stellar 2017 album Dead Ringer.
Nashville, Muscle Shoals and Memphis are all represented on a Tennessee Wednesday night. From Music City we'll hear the sweet trio harmony of country music new comers Maybe April. And From Memphis, the first son of rockabilly music. He's got a new album reviving his extensive song catalog and a new book documenting his amazing life in rock and roll. He's Billy Burnette.
Also on the bill, Hannah Aldridge is a daughter of the Muscle Shoals studio world, though she's found her voice in dark and rough edged country rock. While Mike Younger mixes music with activism.
Hard core country music is finally back on the radar of at least some of the major labels on Music Row, and we'll open this week's show with discovery and Big Machine Records artist Alex Williams. We'll close the show with decidedly indie, Grateful Dead inspired country rock by Nashville's much admired Cordovas. In between, the rough hewn, sardonic and evocative songs of Cafe Rooster recording artist Darrin Bradbury plus the refined, stage-honed sound of some Music City veterans - husband and wife duo Lost Hollow.
This week on MCR our cup runs over with stories and soul as the mood turns to the holidays and an attitude of gratitude. We open with the sincerity and show stopping voice of country star John Berry who offers an acoustic band set. The show closes with a songwriting legend from Texas who's a newly minted author of a short story collection. It's a dual release book and album by Radney Foster.
In between, two volcanic vocalists with deep roots in southern music and an impeccable way with a song. Ashley Cleveland conjures a spirit and an atmosphere of grace in her gospel rock. Jimmy Hall, of Wet Willie fame and collaborator with Jeff Beck, takes his harmonica and blows the roof off the place.
This week on MCR, sets that swing from the refined to the rustic and back again. The show opens with a remarkable flight of imagination by Last Train Home founder Eric Brace. He's teamed up with master Nashville multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman to make Cartes Postales, an album of French songs from the obscure to the classic. And we end the night with new music from the rocking country song poet from Swoope, VA we know and love as Scott Miller. In between, the craggy and truthful songs of North Carolina's David Childers and then graceful words and stunning singing from Canadian folk star Rose Cousins.
This week on MCR, a West Virginia songwriter steps up on the big stage with chops in songwriting, singing and stagecraft that are rare for anyone , let alone a 22 year old. His sophomore album Red Arrow is making waves at Americana radio and he has mainstream appeal too. He's Christian Lopez.
Also on the show, folk singer and comedian Greg Hall keeps the crowd off balance and in stitches. Newcomer Lauren Alexander shows off flair for folk with a pop sensibility. And the bewitching indie pop meets hard country sound of Sandy Hook KY native Leah Blevins.
This week on MCR, songs in brown and black, from bluegrass to southern soul. The night starts with IBMA songwriter of the year and charming vocalist Donna Ulisse. And we close with new songs that sound like standards from an ever- evolving Amy Black. She's got a new album made in, and titled, Memphis.
In between, the feel good and tuneful songs of Nashville's Guthrie Brown. And we dip into the show's archives for a set by the inimitable Texas songwriting legend James McMurtry. Peter Cooper hosts this week. Interviews too.
This week on MCR, three from Nashville and a one man British invasion. The celebrated band Blank Range demonstrates exquisite song craft and harmony vocals in a shaggy indie rock style. Hugh Masterson, a recent transplant from Wisconsin, delivers straight up country rock and well told stories. And from a literal isle in the British Isles, emerging blues star Davy Knowles.
Also on the bill, a return visit from hard country phenomenon Emi Sunshine. She played Roots when she was ten years old adn she was darn good. Now she's 13 and the growth has been exponential.
This week on Music City Roots, string bands and songwriters who show off the range and depth of Americana music. Mike Barnett proves why he's the most acclaimed young fiddler in bluegrass with a band of Nashville All-Stars. And we close with two veteran traditionalist who only recently discovered that maybe they should've been making music a long time ago. Mike Compton and Joe Newberry.
Also on the bill, the stunning voice and songs of Los Angeles-based Suzanne Santo, taking a break from her duo HoneyHoney to place her work on brighter display as a solo artist. And we hear from tough yet velvet country rocker Jason Eady.
This week on MCR, two wildly different takes on bluegrass from two sides of the world. The show opens with The Blue Side of Lonesome, a quintet from Japan that's become a shining example of that country's love affair with sound birthed by Bill Monroe. They're really good. And we close with a long running group from Muscle Shoals that's made its name and living giving the bluegrass treatment to favorite rock and roll songs and albums. Iron Horse.
Also on the bill, Charley Crockett brings us a magnificent hybrid of classic honky tonk and swamp pop from Texas. While guest host Peter Cooper's latest musical excursion is a trio with Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz, featuring great songs and sweet harmony.
This week on MCR, guys who get cuts. Songwriting cuts. You may not have heard of Travis Meadows but his songs have been all over the radio by the likes of Dierks Bentley and Eric Church. His own renderings are taught, emotional, edgy and intense. And the show closes out with a Nashville legend who's ridden the line between country and R&B over a long career, Gary Nicholson. Also on the bill exciting new roots rock from East Nashville with Jon Latham and an archival set of dreamy new folk by the divine Erin Rae and her band The Meanwhiles.
This week on MCR, two takes on Texas, one of them from Australia. Do you know the all female vocal quartet from Sydney called All our Exes Live In Texas? You will after this episode from Liberty Hall. They're a lot of fun. And we take in the very soul of Texas roadhouse blues, country and R&B with the great Lee Roy Parnell.
He's got his first new album in 11 years and we'll hear songs from that. Also on the bill a surprising take on acoustic newgrass by red-headed Irish folk singer Danny Burns and a master-level Nashville based band. And David Luning who launched a folk career after being inspired by John Prine. We get it.
This week on MCR, our 2017 AmericanaFest showcase from a one-time only pop up venue in the heart of downtown Nashville. It's a five ring circus under our own big top with a sampling of what's going on in the Americana field today, closing out with the fiery, funny and fatalistic songs of Ray Wylie Hubbard.
The bill kicks off with newcomer and Rounder Recording artist Pony Bradshaw from Georgia. Angaleena Presley brings unbridled, insightful songs from her acclaimed Wrangled album. The Cactus Blossoms reinvent the classic brother duo form for a new age. And we hear John Paul White, refreshed from some time off in his Muscle Shoals home wiht stunning songs that brought a rowdy crowd to a standstill. It's big tent music under an actual big tent.
This week on MCR, it's Mando Mania as we assemble a multi-generational gathering of some of the finest mandolin pickers on Earth. Nashville native Casey Campbell, who grew up at and around the GOO and the elite of bluegrass curates an evening of mando solos, duos and full band performances. With Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush, Mike Compton and the man who brought us Rocky Top, Bobby Osborne.
Also an extraordinary ensemble set on a rare visit to Nashville by the one and only mandolin stylist Andy Statman. It's a small instrument that punches above its weight. Join us for a season closing special edition of MCR.
Before Nashville, I’d never lived in a place where part of the regular conversation and social/cultural goings on was to figure out the essence of that place and to take active steps to get closer to its heart and soul. There was never a big emphasis on what does it mean to be from Chicago or Washington DC or Durham, NC, three of my other home bases. There is such a conversation about New Orleans and Austin. Music cities are like this. But I wonder if there’s any place more probative of its place-ness than Nashville. What I know is that it’s a healthy conversation to have and one that we are good at cultivating. When we partner with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as we did this Wednesday, our city’s essence comes into tighter focus. We’re elevated in our attention and admiration. We heard a distillation of what it means to be a Nashville Cat. Can you sing? Write? Play? Cooperate? We know this when we hear it. We’re cat people and we’re into cat power.
This week on MCR, smooth grooves, flying fingers and some country comedy gold at Liberty Hall. We open with the incomparable roots soul of Seth Walker, who brings touches of all his music city bases to bear - Austin, Nashville and New Orleans. The laughs come from The Cleverlys, who bring string band and top 40 pop together in unholy alliance. And we close the show with the mind boggling skill and showmanship of Australian/Nashvillian acoustic guitar star Tommy Emmanuel.
Also on the show, emerging Nashville songwriter and Music City Roots family member Ele Ivory, playing down to earth piano pop. It was a sold out night at the Factory, but there's always room for you right here on MCR.
Family ties are part of the fabric of American roots music. How often have we read (and for Pete’s sake how often have I written) that Artist X “came from a musical family”? The connection among siblings and the passing of ideas across generations might be the central reason this music sustains, and that in turn sustains us. Wednesday night offered up heart lifting performances by a first son of bluegrass and a first brother of Americana soul, plus a delightful country newcomer and a set by our own soul brother Jim Lauderdale.
There was a festival atmosphere in Liberty Hall on Wednesday night and not just because the crowd was large and loud (though that helped). There was also that ineffable flow and unspoken dialogue among the four bands, softly conveying the spirit of roots music in all its complimentary forms. The timeless but mysteriously innovative folk/gospel flavor of Birds of Chicago gave way to the pure mountain-tinged songwriting of Jill Andrews. The bluegrass second half paired young and hungry Billy Strings with one of his heroes, the sixtysomething but unaware of it Jerry Douglas. His band came with a jazz/grass/rock fusion mode that tickled my every musical nerve ending. Keep on the grass? Good luck with that.
Like a meal in four courses that compliment but don’t overlap, Wednesday’s Roots delivered exquisite versions of four stages of country music evolution. From the sturdy and often elegant string band sound of Tim O’Brien we hyped things up a bit to a (drumless) electric honky tonk vibe with Greg Garing. Chelle Rose, East Tennessee’s answer to Townes Van Zandt, delivered literate, narrative-heavy songs with drums and measures of grungy power. And while less twangy or bluesy than the rest of the flight, Allen Thompson showed us the chemistry that results from a band of friends singing well-crafted songs that march along in classic Americana fashion. It was the first show of a blazing July, but it was a wry heat.
This season closing show brought together all the vibes and individual craft that makes Music City Roots go, with a new folk discovery, a heartfelt bluegrass tribute and two true icons of American roots music. We start with the moody beauty of Bay Area folk group Quiles & Cloud. An all-star gathering of Nashville pickers pay tribute to Mac Wiseman, including Sierra Hull, Shawn Camp, Justin Moses, Thomm Jutz and Peter Cooper. Next, Danny Barnes performs solo on the banjo, showing what a unique genius he is. And the show wraps with the fire and thunder of Texas master Delbert McClinton.
Our crew and a nice large crowd assembled for a progression from vintage sounding folk through contemporary songwriting and on to two flavors of the blues. I found this evening of live music revelatory for a few reasons. I'd never seen Walter Wolfman Washington before and he's quite something. The New Orleans icon supplements his solid and timeless blues guitar with layers of jazz sophistication. His band laid down grooves as syncopated nad funky as anything we've heard this year. He's our veteran playing in the night's final set. Up here opening the show in a moment is Nashville married couple Adrian and Meredith. They played Roots a couple of years ago when Adrian Krygowski was a solo artist. This duo now channels his punky fire through a more old world folk vein, with hard swing and gypsy overtones. Our second set was quite heart stopping. Rounder Recording artist Sean McConnell launched his music career in Atlanta and then moved to Music City where he found success as a Music Row songwriter. Like Lori McKenna, he's able to have cuts and hits recorded by others and pursue a very deep and meaningful career as an artist. He's solo acoustic but no less spellbinding. And we've got a set by a true local working class blues man - a gentleman who never thought he'd be a singing songwriting frontman. But his pursuit of the guitar led him in this direction and our music scene is better for it. he's Mark Robinson and he'll be up in the third segment.
Nashville is en fuego. The city’s filling up for the CMA Music Festival. The airport and highways are busily channeling music freaks out to Manchester for Bonnaroo. And everybody is flipping out about the Nashville Predators who will play for the Stanley Cup on Sunday night at home on Lower Broadway. It’s bigger, wilder, louder and richer than I ever imagined the city would be when I moved here twenty years ago. And it’s amazing. There’s just a glow and a wonder for most people, and if you want to avoid the whooping bridal parties on pedal taverns, there are plenty of places to hang out with good folks and good music that have nothing to do with that noise. Such as Music City Roots. On this week’s show, quite a few people found their way to the Factory for a bracing night of mostly solid country and bluegrass, with a stellar bluegrass-inspired musician from another country.
Wednesday night’s gathering of the Roots clan will be an opportunity to reflect on the life and legacy of Cowboy Jack Clement, the kindly and eccentric genius songwriter and producer who passed away in 2013. One of our guests, the songwriting entrepreneur Matt Urmy, was a great friend and protégé of Jack and arrives with an album Jack produced before his studio burned up in a bad fire. For a while, we explored the idea of a night formally paying tribute to Cowboy Jack but the right mix didn’t come together. That said, looking at this week’s lineup, with its variety and individuality, I feel sure Cowboy would have loved this week’s show. And I’m sure you will too.
Featured:
Matt Urmy
Mipso
John Nemeth
Will Kimbrough & Brigitte DeMeyer
As far as I know there’s only one figure in the contemporary roots music community who can pick “Blackberry Blossom” like a boss and also do a tumbling run that ends in a cheerleader split (not at the same time, but I wouldn’t put it past him). If David Mayfield came into your mind just now then you get an Americana cookie, because that’s who I was thinking about! It’s been too long since we saw and heard from the bearded weirdo, but he brings his always explosive sense of entertainment to the Factory this week along with a great roots rock band, a mod folky couple and a quintet from Colorado that split the bluegrass atom.
We know a classic when we see one, hear one, feel one. Forgive me for sounding like a Cadillac ad voice over or something, but seriously, sometimes there’s just an ineffable sense that something beautiful and meaningful is unfolding. And while we can’t pull that off every single week, we try to put the pieces in place for a chemical reaction. And this week it happened. There was combustion and satisfaction. We ranged across the country and across roots music terrain with acoustic grand master Tony Furtado from Portland, OR, Texas-raised songwriter Curtis McMurtry, Colorado polyethnic joyride Gipsy Moon and veteran John Jorgenson’s remarkable bluegrass band.
So did y’all catch that news about the Fyre Festival? As good people, we try not to indulge in schadenfreude, but sometimes man, wow, it’s hard. In short, a rap celebrity and a dudebro with a track record of over-selling and under-delivering promised a glamour-packed, celebrity-stoked par-TAY on a remote island and promoted it by paying other celebrities to post on Instagram about it. It was a fiasco, not because the whole premise was culturally bankrupt and morally suspect (which it was), but because they didn’t PLAN. You have to plan, folks. For example, on the same weekend, two other festivals – much bigger ones – came off without a hitch. Merlefest in North Carolina and JazzFest in New Orleans actually served up authentic music, genuine community, good food and good times for fans who don’t need to feel like they’re winning on a reality show and who aren’t measuring their lives in bikini access and Twitter followers. So for this week anyway, it’s Real Culture: 2. Celebri-crap Culture: 0. Well done, roots music.
MCR had to do a bit of extra planning and demonstrate resilience in the face of challenges as we had more late-breaking lineup shifts this week than maybe ever before. Here’s the superb final tally: Rising Virginia-based folk star Dori Freeman makes a long-sought MCR debut. John Carter Cash brings a family music legacy that’s second to none. Colter Wall is our deep voice of hard country. And we welcome the return of one of the most fluent, flexible roots rock bands in the good old USA.
It’s not as easy to go to Merlefest as it used to be in my footloose, sleeping-on-the-ground-is-fine days. So it’s wonderful to annually have a mini-Merlefest of our own at Music City Roots. The sampling of Merle-bound artists always refreshes and always seems to spotlight the very best of progressive traditional music. This week’s heavily attended show was no exception.
Historians can and do debate the circumstances under which rock and roll was born, but there’s no debating the fact that modern-day rockers who capture the excitement of that initial blast are rootsy as all get-out, nor that said beginning was propelled by a mix that included plenty of blues and hillbilly progenitors. This week’s show covered a couple of bases with Sunny Sweeney’s nothing-but brand of country and Bella Hardy’s evocative British folk, then took a turn into the front porch blues shouting of Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band before landing in Blackfoot Gypsies’ primal rock and roll. Lineages notwithstanding, it was roots everywhere you looked.
A special charismatic energy always attends the arrival of La Terza Classe, the old time string band quintet from Naples Italy. I’ve rarely seen people who seem so glad to be alive, on the road, playing music. And they were just part of a gathering tribe of visitors on a rapturously gorgeous spring evening this week. Beloved Nashville bass player Dave Roe and drummer Rick Lonow were on hand. Friendly Mike Webb was in the green room too. My good Tulsa-based friend Jared Tyler was in town to play and sing with Malcolm Holcombe. And I even had my own family on hand to supplement my Roots family, with my wife and daughter accompanying relatives from Texas. So the stage was set for a warm and sunny show at the end of a warm and sunny day.
In order:
Ana Cristina Cash
La Terza Classe
Kenny & Amanda Smith
Malcolm Holcombe
It’s a big country, this America, and Americana music is concomitantly enriched by its host nation’s geography and diversity. That was on display Wednesday night as Roots hosted artists from New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Washington. Strings were stretched, along with rules and genre boundaries. There’s no point in reaching for a fancy way to say it. This one was a delight and the crowd seemed to agree, what with all the frequent standing and applauding.
There’s a new eatery in The Factory at Franklin that’s offering what is, for Williamson County, a slightly exotic new pre-show dinner option. Funk Seoul Brother has a hip hop esthetic and a Korean/Japanese menu with poke (PO-kay), the rice bowl featuring raw fish. My tuna and seaweed this week was zesty and contrasty and a tiny offering to the gods of global cultural exchange. With the right taking illiberal positions against pluralism and the left taking illiberal positions against what it calls “cultural appropriation,” I’m up for anything that affirms the values of dialogue and, well, cultural appropriation, because without that, we’d not have the grand American music legacy. Melting pots make a lot of sound, and we aim to be there with microphones. Which brings me to 7 pm on Wednesday night.
Spring springs eternal, and it was renewing to return to the Factory with the recent freeze behind us and new sprouts sprouting for some of our kind of living roots. It was a night that left some of our regulars buzzing with the sweet feeling of trust and vindication. I mean they may not have known most of the artists on the bill, but they gave of themselves and met these artists halfway and found charm, grit and beauty over two and a half efficient hours.
I got to speak at length with Guy Davis in the afternoon and he was just full of soul and humanity and enthusiasm. But even his bright personality was a hard match for harmonica man Fabrizio Poggi, who whooped and dug into his arsenal of harps on material largely drawn from the repertoire of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. This made a high-energy acoustic pairing to close the night.
More: http://musiccityroots.com/blog/jumped-spring-3-22-17/
I don’t often lead these reports with our Nashville Jam, but sometimes our show-closing, all-hands feature goes exceptionally well. And this week it felt like some cathartic starburst that brought together all of the energies and chemistries of the nights four acts. And that is exactly what it’s supposed to do under ideal circumstances. The song was “Why You Been Gone So Long?” from the pen of Mickey Newbury. A lot of us bluegrass heads glommed on to the song as recorded by Tony Rice. But my research says it was first recorded by the long forgotten Johnny Darrell in 1969 with a dank electric guitar twang and a twisty beat. And that’s the beat that Jim Lauderdale (who was back after a few weeks of being gone so long – why?) set up as Nikki Lane, Michaela Anne, Paul McDonald and Parker Gispert brought their distinctive voices to the verses. The choruses were huge and tight and joyful. Sometimes we really nail it. But it had been a special night all around by that point anyway.
Some artists who write instrumental tunes claim that naming them is difficult. I don’t know. I’m always coming up with weird phrases that seem to have no other purpose on Earth other than to be a jazz or fiddle tune, some of which are named with surreal panache. Consider two of the tunes April Verch played in her show-opening set of Canada-inspired traditional music: “Spider Bit The Baby” and “Joke On The Puppy.” One has to wonder what circumstances way back wherever in time led somebody to affix those words to those churning bundles of notes and rhythms. In my mystery lies stories of our own making. That’s what’s fun about instrumental music in general; we can bring a lot of ourselves to a tune’s meaning when the singer isn’t telling us what to think. Even so, on this balmy March 1 night as we closed our winter 2017 season, the singers and songwriters gave us plenty to think about as well. It was a well-rounded, head bobbing kind of an evening that started in Canada and ended up in South Carolina.
Even with all of the cool country music fashion we’ve seen over the years, Jim Lauderdale’s Manuel suits included, nobody has ever made me drop my jaw and exclaim out loud like Ward Hayden’s Tex-Mex suit of flowers and jewels on Wednesday night. It was black with tightly embroidered vines and blooms and just covered like a mirror ball with rhinestones. He wore it well and led Girls Guns and Glory in a set that easily justified the audacious accouterments. It was one quarter of a night that delivered half bluegrass and half rocking country and 100% well written songs.
Later this month (2/23), the series SUN Records premieres on CMT, with music supervision by friend of the show and friend of hillbilly music Chuck Mead. We’ve been thrilled to follow Chuck’s journey on this unexpectedly large gig. Years ago he was hired to keep the music real in the then off-Broadway production of Million Dollar Quartet. It grew into a global award winning phenomenon. This week we got to hear Chuck perform his own music again for the first time in a while, and he was part of our own quartet of Nashville artists. Worth a million? Who’s to say. What’s fair to notice, I think, is that for ten bucks, it was a very good deal.
We at Roots probably have you conditioned by now so that when we say “bluegrass” you know we mean the whole range, from roots to branches. Our all-bluegrass shows generally include a Greensky or a Sam Bush Band, because one of the greatest things about the field is its freedom. It’s one of the ultimate artist-driven, innovation-friendly genres and we’ll always celebrate that. But this week was different – a turn toward bluegrass fundamentalism if you will. It was all trad. No rad. And boy was it excellent. Lineup in order:
The Lonesome River Band
Foghorn String Band
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
The Isaacs
This week on MCR a showcase of bands from four music cities. From Nashville, big sweeping pop melodies and a skilled instrumental attack from Waker. From Athens GA, the haunting alt-Appalachian music of Cicada Rhythm. And from Memphis, an acclaimed ensemble that's about to release new music on the legendary STAX Records label - Southern Avenue. Also on the show, a spectacular archival set from our Loveless Cafe days featuring one of the finest and funkiest bands from Austin, Mingo Fishtrap.
I got to meet country singer and songwriter Cody Jinks on Wednesday, and I am pleased to report that, as his album title asserts, he is Not The Devil. While his merch is full of flaming skulls and his web site depicts him as the black-bearded former death metal artist turned honky tonker that he is, the man himself is an open, smiling and considerate guy. He hung out after the show greeting and meeting with his fans and taking pictures as long as any artist I can remember. At the same time, he had a fire behind his eyes and about a million miles under his rings and tattoos, and our on stage conversation felt far too short. It was just one highlight of a flavorful night of music. Somebody must have brought some salt. And indeed it wasn’t just Old Salt Union who did so. Peter Case showed world weary wisdom. Jesse Kramer radiated. Colin Hay showed the power of reinvention. I can still taste it now.
An extraordinary night of music with a travelin’ kind of vibe began with a foreign visitor who traffics in global sounds. Piers Faccini has one of the most imaginative musical minds I know in his ability to layer (and he was explicit about this in our interview) British folk tradition, Delta and Hill Country Mississippi blues and North African sounds.
The Mulligan Brothers presented the most straightforwardly Americana/roots set of the night with a quartet featuring acoustic guitar, fiddle, electric bass and drums.
In truth, the guys in Greyhounds didn’t really need my help to put on a spectacular set of shoe sliding soul anthems. Trube kicked things off with the wiry twang of his vintage guitar before Ferrell took the lead voice on “A War Is On For Your Mind,” the hot political take from their current album. Ineffable chemistry and a taste for what’s cool is what makes this band tick.
It’s never a surprise when the Travelin’ McCourys put on a great set, but my god, I was pinned to the wall by the power of the band this time both musically and vocally.
The Kentucky Headhunters brought new songs from a new album and sounded no less feisty and committed than they did when they scored radio hits in the late 80s. They are eternal Southern rockers who know how to get the most out of classic solid body electric guitars. Hymn For Her swung through in their Airstream to rock our stage, with some twists. Wayne and Lucy’s daughter, who was just a babe when we first met her, is now old enough to sing “Sioux City Sue” with swing. And the duo offered a new 60s pop feeling with a song called “Milkweed” that I just flipped over. The Farmer & Adele brought classic country and western music to the stage with finesse and stagecraft. The Buckleys, a family band of all teens from Australia opened the night with brightness and innate talent.
Kelsey Waldon is a charming and heart-rending at the same time. With a twinkle in her eye she can pierce you with melancholy or shiv a rival with icy cool worthy of Loretta Lynn. The latter was more the feeling of opening song “False King” with a hook I love: “You can’t place a crown on the head of a clown and hope he turns out to be a king.” Kind of reminded me of current events. There were curtains of gorgeous steel guitar from Brett Resnick, notably the solo on set closer “All By Myself.” Also sweet was Walson’s slow rocking take on Bill Monroe’s “Travelin’ Down This Lonesome Road.” She knows lonesome and she showed it.
Under the circumstances, The Coal Men felt more like comfort food, with their gorgeous tones and tight roots rocking structures. Dave Coleman writes pop songs with the story quotient of country songs, so we got “Stones River” about old friends/mentors and a wintry outdoor setting. And “Willy Jett” is a portrait of the demise of a semi-loveable loser. Dave encouraged us to think of it like a little movie, and it was. More story in my favorite song on the new Pushed To The Side album in “The Singer From Louisville,” which channels a piece of Tommy Womack fiction that is drawn from hard experience. Guest host Peter Cooper worked with the Coal Men and other artists to pull together a really nice take on Dave Dudley’s “Six Days On The Road,” which hasn’t been a Nashville Jam in years. Great call and a great job.
What’s on tap, as we like to say? Well how about John Oates, our yes-we-did-just-drop-that-name superstar buddy who’s done more to parlay his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stature into the growth and enrichment of Americana music than anybody this side of Springsteen. It was a lot to get our heads around back in the early 2000s when the mustachioed songwriter of “Maneater” and “Kiss On My List” turned back to his folk music roots and began collaborating with lifer/masters like Sam Bush and Vince Gill. But the results have been superb, led by an honest voice that clearly understands the nature of great songs. Oates grew up loving roots music, and he shared an anecdote about that recently in a songwriter showcase interview. He talked about spending time as a teenager with Mississippi John Hurt when he’d come through Philadelphia to play clubs and the city’s famous folk festival. You can tell he was paying attention.
What a wonderful scene took shape at Roots on Wednesday night, with old friends of the show and assorted music mavens on hand, mingling while truly listening, the way a good Nashvillian does. But this was a night with abundant local talent, a veritable showcase of the new acoustic and bluegrass master pickers who’ve moved to Music City where, as Kyle Tuttle said in the interview, they find enough work to put a living together and deep support for their ambitions. We surely were glad to play our part in supporting our city’s awesome bluegrass situation (to borrow a phrase) and we were delighted to see so many turn out to support the show.
Bill Lloyd pulled a quick change of personnel plan on Wednesday when his electric band’s regular bassist had a baby arrive in the family. The drummerless trio of Bill, Jim Hoke on steel and Hags Haggerty on bass eased nicely through a mix of originals and covers, which is Bill’s way. “In A Perfect World” was light and danceable. “Coconut Grove” had breezy jazz chords. And the highlight was a dynamic take on the “Across The Universe,” a reminder of just what a remarkable melody that song has. Its mantra chorus, “Nothing’s gonna change my world” felt particularly calming under the circumstances.
Full Review HERE.
Now friends, you may think that your Roots correspondent was wishing that Game 7 of this epic World Series hadn’t fallen on a show day. But I’m not so sure. A charming and exciting lineup made this historic night even more beautiful and memorable. It was a fusion of two of my favorite things – music and baseball – and as I followed the action on my phone, our talented artists calmed my trembling nerves.
Ben DeBerry, the guitar-slinging dude half of The Danberrys, brought his old and loved copy of String Wizards to the show so that John McEuen, the man who made it in 1991, could sign it. Not only did Ben get that autograph backstage at this week’s MCR, he got a spontaneous invitation to join John on stage for a blues jam during his set. That’s how it goes in Roots world, where as I mentioned in my preview for this week, acolytes become teachers and pass it on, whether by way of stories from the road, instrumental tips or performance opportunities. It’s the Americana way.
There were plenty of string wizards on hand on Wednesday night, but John also has an album called Acoustic Traveller and that felt like an appropriate take on the show as well, as it featured no drums or electric instruments at all. But travelers for sure.
It must be October. A day after the Chicago Cubs pulled off a four-run ninth-inning comeback against the Giants to secure their Division title (rock!), this week’s Roots featured: a band called the WPA Ball Club, Aly Sutton dressed like a cast member in A League of Their Own and four basses (we pun out of love). They were all acoustic upright basses belonging to four very different and thoroughly wonderful bands. Then we capped the night off with a solo performance which I can in no way force into my baseball metaphor. Except to say that we won. Our seventh birthday show looked really good on paper and it sounded amazing in actuality.
I just finished my friend Tamara Saviano’s heartfelt and fascinating new biography of Guy Clark, the lion of literate Texas/Nashville songwriting of the past 50 years. We’re still grieving the passing of Guy, who died in May. He was remembered and honored at a gala show at the Ryman in August. And he came up at this week’s Roots show. Noel McKay of High Plains Jamboree spoke in our interview about the life-changing impact of knowing and writing with Guy, whom he met after opening a show for him and Townes Van Zandt in the 1990s. It struck me during Zach Schmidt’s set that we had an entire lineup of songwriters who would have sounded great opening for Guy Clark. There’s always passion for the song in Americana music, but this roster brought a special focus to the art and the craft.
The easiest way to describe the Sept. 28 Music City Roots was Ladies Night – our four acts were all led by women. But outside of their creators’ XX chromosomes, those four sets of music had virtually nothing in common. It was an unusual night in more ways than that. With host Jim Lauderdale and “interview guy” Craig Havighurst at the IBMA’s annual gathering in Raleigh, Sam Bush and I were called in. Fortunately, golden-throated MCR announcer Keith Bilbrey was minding the store and maintaining standards.
Sam and his trademark mandolin, “Hoss,” appropriately opened the evening with a well-known musical female, Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country.” Although it’s not on his fine new CD, Storyman, it captured that album’s singer-songwriter approach while showing off his mandolin mastery, setting the song to a bluesy, Allman-style riff. Pound for pound, there is no better, more dynamic mandolin picker on earth.
Angel Snow, fresh from her weekend performance at Franklin’s Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival played the first set, backed by lap steel guitarist Jason Goforth. Recently signed to Nettwerk (Sarah McLachlan’s longtime label), she’s working on a folk-pop record that expands her sound with electronics, but it’s hard to imagine how she could improve upon the simple beauty of her MCR set, stripped down to two guitars and one voice, creating an atmosphere at once rootsy and ethereal.
AmericanaFest 2016 may be wrapping up, but more than ever, we took this year’s gathering as a battery-charger and an inspiring star map for what lies ahead. Hearing kind words about our new Roots Radio initiative on WMOT 89.5 FM certainly helped rev our enthusiasm from high to higher for the prospects of sharing and spreading the music and the stories of its makers. I had an interesting but sobering experience on the weekend teaching a seminar about the origins and legacy of Music City to a group of 50 adult learners enrolled at Bethel University. These were folks from outside our industry/music nerd circles, but I was surprised to survey them and learn that ZERO of them had heard of the concept of “Americana” music. Yet this is music for everyone. It’s our shared, connecting heritage in a divisive time, so I took this as a personal challenge.
Due to the unique time crunch of AMA week, I offer my annual condensed survey of last week’s action and this week’s show, which looks just splendid with an MCR debut by Austin “Ameri-Chicana” fiddler/singer Carrie Rodriquez and a celebrated blues guitar slinger. But as I sit quietly thinking about these recent days, I’m swimming in the echoes of some absurdly excellent performances: William Bell singing “The Three of Me” at the Honors & Awards show with staggering grace and candor, Aaron Lee Tasjan’s psychedelic country glam and River Whyless (MCR alums) playing sparkling, surprise-filled alt-folk.
And of course we threw a showcase on Thursday and couldn’t have been happier with our roster.
That radio countdown never sounded so sweet. Not since our first night on WSM in October 2009 did the top of the show – with its shot of Rob Ickes dobro and our emcee’s stentorian voice proclaiming us on the air from the Edge of Music City – have so much electricity for me. Yes, I know we send a video feed of MCR out over the internet across much greater distances than the footprint of an FM signal. But in my opinion, radio will always be the most refined and exciting and substantial medium – the one that matches technology and content in the most timeless and spiritual way.
I mean, think about it. The voices and instrumental sounds of Nashville’s finest musician and distinguished visiting talent went into microphones on stage, imprinting their nuances and truth onto a current of electricity. That signal went to a mixing board and then over an internet line to a studio in Murfreesboro where it was processed for broadcast and then sent a few more miles to a tower west of Percy Priest Lake where it was sent rippling across the land, reaching all of Middle Tennessee with rich analog fidelity. During the second set, I went out to listen in my car for a bit just to make sure it was real. After a number of months without that official radio home, we were back, and not on just any station, but a new Nashville-centric Americana station programmed by my friends and teammates, now known as WMOT/Roots Radio 89.5. It was a moving thing to hear.
Such elaborate hardware deserves top quality software and our guest artists brought it on this night dedicated to previewing the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival and celebrating the 1927 Bristol Session, as updated on the double album Orthophonic Joy.
Tuesday’s show was bound to sell out because Berklee forces arrived with a couple hundred students, faculty and alumni and because their very distinguished alums Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings asked if their performance and award presentation could be nested in a special Roots show. That means a lot to us, and both parties pulled out the stops to create one of the finest and most meaningful shows we’ve ever put on.
Liz Longley has a song with a chorus that starts “You’ve got that way…” and wow, so does she. Armed with an acoustic guitar and her cool, smoky and nimble voice, she took the stage for our first set. The songs have become hits for me from repeated listening to her debut album. “Memphis” and “Bad Habit” are new soul folk standards. “Skin And Bones” has a darker Appalachian edge. Then it was on to a very different voice in Sierra Hull, with her musically entwined new string trio and songs from her fascinating new Weighted Mind album. After the title track we heard the baroque and intricate composed interplay of “Queen of Hearts/Royal Tea” (thank you Berklee training) and the silk pillow of a song that is “Lullaby.”
We were only one song into Maureen Murphy’s set when Photographer Tony whispered to me that we were experiencing the finest singer in the show’s history. There’s a case to be made. I’ve rarely seen so much refinement and technique mingled with so much power and passion. Murphy delivered four very different songs with a rocking, versatile quartet, but the capstone was her ode to her singing idol Lisa Fisher “How Can I Ease The Pain.” The song’s free form gave Maureen ample ways to shape and craft and massage and emote. It was simply breathtaking in its range of textures, from delicate to forceful. And she got to hit a classic money note in Martin Sexton’s “Smoke.” It would have been difficult to pack more musical range or magic into 20 minutes.
I’ve been watching Gillian and Dave perform for twenty years, and it’s always riveting. Certainly, seeing the MCR logo behind them was extra inspiring and gratifying. They opened with spectral unison singing on “The Way It Will Be,” making the harmonies of “The Way It Goes” and “Miss Ohio” all the more bloom-like. When Berklee President Roger Brown presented the school’s American Master Awards to them (as individuals by the way not a group), he cited Dave’s harmonically rich and inventive guitar playing. And yes, that’s one thing I’ve always loved about it – close, dissonant intervals delivered with bebop command and a staccato attack, like Bill Monroe downstrokes on Eddie Lang’s guitar. And on this night I got to be about 20 feet from his shredding solo on “Red Clay Halo,” one of my favorite Gill and Dave songs. Their final number “Everything Is Free” includes the line “we’re gonna do it anyway, even if it doesn’t pay,” and that’s how GW and DR always sounded to me. Their old friend T Bone Burnett, who collected the night’s other Master Award, played amiable electric guitar strokes and sang a bit on that final tune before adding a whole new verse about a certain orange presidential candidate in the rollicking Nashville Jam on “I’ll Fly Away.”
Peter Cooper - Opening Day
Kacy & Clayton
Strange Country https://youtu.be/r1yFxTh6DN8
If You Ask How I’m Keeping
The Rio Grande
Wood View
Nottaman Town
Rebecca Roubion
Don’t Know Who I Am https://youtu.be/8jK8v922EA0
I’ll Be Alright
Love Me Now
Vacherie Girl
Sometimes
Anywhere I Go
Lindi Ortega
Demons Don’t Get Me Down
Cigarettes & Truckstops
Ashes
Faded Glory
Run Amuck https://youtu.be/MyDGpeesCug
Alanna Royale
I Know https://youtu.be/lYfEmarN89Y
Animal
Cop Show
Big Time Me
I Used To Dream
Giving It All Away
Nashville Jam - Ain’t Too Proud To Beg https://youtu.be/EBsGufz7Fno
Jim Lauderdale - It Hurts
Victoria Canal - City Shoes https://youtu.be/2KP1BVjlJho
Badi Assad
Pega No Coco https://youtu.be/YWdQVKBli7A
Voce Nao Entendeu Nada
Little Lion Man
Sedated
Stranger
Vocal Improv
Jonny Fritz
Goodbye Summer
Are You Thirsty
Humidifier https://youtu.be/HNnntMMyCGQ
I Love Leaving
Happy In Hindsight
Stadium Inn
Seventh Song?!?! WHO IS DOING THIS JOB?!>! “Central Virginia?”
I Draw Slow
Valentine https://youtu.be/XEONV643Wj8
My Portion
Carolina
Goldmine
Twin Sisters
Little Switzerland
Luke Bulla
Temperance Reel
Cruel Moon
Midnight & Lonesome https://youtu.be/ICPZ7j-Moh0
Tie Me Down & Set Me Free
Who Loves You Better
Somebody’s Got To Pay
Nashville Jam - Rocky Road Blues https://youtu.be/n37G6xqVNpw
Jim Lauderdale - Can We Find Forgiveness
Lee Harvey Osmond
How Does It Feel
Blue Moon Drive
Come and Go (Dreams)
Oh The Gods https://youtu.be/GH1khPuwsgQ
Freedom
HONEYHONEY
Watcha Gonna Do Now
Yours to Bear https://youtu.be/jR4mwafD6S0
Big Man
Burned Me Out
Back To You
Eric Brace & Peter Cooper Band
C&O Canal https://youtu.be/kWffQ_gME7M
Boulder to Birmingham
Blue Ridge
If That’s the Way You Feel
Wait a Minute
Michael Martin Murphey
High Stakes
Campfire on The Road
Emilia Farewell
Wildfire https://youtu.be/5rTwVXt10zw
Geronimo’s Cadillac https://youtu.be/MkVv0XvQ5Lg
Nashville Jam - Workin on a Building https://youtu.be/hKfPn6eEnDg
Jim Lauderdale - Whisper
Sons of The Palomino
Authentic
Running Around Comes Running (Back To Me)
When Lonely Calls
Countryholic
Independent Trucker https://youtu.be/APimcjgwbyk
Nobody Does Lonely
Used To Be Country
The Underhill Family Orchestra - some of these are wrong, but i can’t find the right song titles.. -dirk
10 Minute Stop https://youtu.be/Fsdlk6TWCX4
Tumbleweed & Kate
Chickasaw Fields
Hackamack
The Famine Under Wood Country or Drought at the Vine and Olive Colony
O Spirit Bring Me Home
DOWN BY THE RIVER SIDE IS THE LAST SONG...
Zach Deputy
Work It Out
Sweet Renee
Into The Morning
Twisty Twisty
Funk Jam in D https://youtu.be/x7cKT1ik9zk
Robben Ford
Same Train https://youtu.be/vlsrRT8kZ44
Midnight Comes Too Soon https://youtu.be/1jecmo5yCpI
High Heels & Throwing Things https://youtu.be/Xtww7VfKHDw
Rose of Sharon https://youtu.be/U7ftctcL2Fo
Cannonball Shuffle https://youtu.be/EIhDx5XKRXg
Nashville Jam - Big Boss Man https://youtu.be/p72mJY7eI6o
Jim Lauderdale - Honky Tonk Mood Again
J.P. Harris & Chance McCoy
Stewball
Sugar Babe https://youtu.be/0U6_NGNrt3Y
Walk On By https://youtu.be/fdggC7SJmhg
Hogeye Man
Poor Robin
Train That Carried My Girl From Town
Della Mae
Boston Town https://youtu.be/MEN1MYZU33k
Rude Awakening
Good Blood https://youtu.be/je4XO71yU_s
High Away Gone
Carter County
The Secret Sisters
The One I Love Is Gone
River Jordan
Till It’s Over https://youtu.be/rwHBGb0r7-4
Tennessee River Runs Low https://youtu.be/28MYP2x7jL8
Lonely Island
Bad Habit
The Americans
Last Chance
I’ll Be Yours
Harbor Lane
The Right Stuff
Stowaway https://youtu.be/4vlAB9sB_H8
In the Shadow Of the Pines https://youtu.be/0okf41sJA18
Nashville Jam - Man of Constant Sorrow https://youtu.be/kGiWCDN7LeU
Jim Lauderdale - Lazy Boy https://youtu.be/8EFBYHyQXYc
John McEuen (Segment 1)
Cannonball Rag https://youtu.be/S_mF9YiJ35w
I am a Pilgrim
Dooley* (w/Les Thompson) https://youtu.be/KvwK2N7qDvI
Blue Ridge
Flower (You Are)
Ring of Fire* (w/John Carter Cash) https://youtu.be/2PdWjx36ewE
John McEuen (Segment 2)
Little Girl Of Mine In Tennessee* (w/Mike Bub) https://youtu.be/2zrYkVEqY2A
Christmas Times a Comin’* (w/Roland White) https://youtu.be/RImOnLC9yIY
Way Downtown
Standing On The Mountain* (w/Jesse McReynolds) https://youtu.be/KSXHZ8mTtmI
Dixie Hoedown
John McEuen (Segment 3)
Shelly’s Blues* (w/Matt Cartsonis) https://youtu.be/4d7LtZO48p4
Mr. Bojangles* (w/Jeff Hanna) https://youtu.be/mUEmP52srAY
Dismal Swamp* https://youtu.be/ZyyN7aw7Kno
Away In a Manger* (w/Rhonda Vincent & Josh Williams) https://youtu.be/ByfuxyeKnWE
Jingle Bells* (w/Rhonda Vincent & Josh Williams) https://youtu.be/Y3V8AamreXA
Earl’s Breakdown
John McEuen (Segment 4)
Acoustic Traveler* https://youtu.be/_bGMufHWUrI
Wild Ride* (w/John Cable) https://youtu.be/GFDl66YHf3Y
Guitar & Box ?????
Knoxville Girl
99 Years
Will The Circle Be Unbroken* https://youtu.be/S5HdvIizXyA
Nashville Jam - Oakie Boogie https://youtu.be/EUAiuC9DKfE
Jim Lauderdale - The Star
Jamie Kent
Prince of Pain
Still A Dream
Rosalita
Look Up
Bonfire https://youtu.be/YSCu5qwzwgg
Jon Stickley Trio
Point to Point
Blackburn Brothers
Rice Dream
Darth Radar
Echolocation https://youtu.be/bK35-zTvnIU
Blackberry Blossom
Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn
Fisherman’s Song
Yu Zhou Chang Wan https://youtu.be/GAIiioJnziA
Julien Johnson/Cindy’s Little Hand
Ho Hey/Chuck Old Hen
Banjo Guzheng Pickin’ Girl https://youtu.be/w5GyM3rI3VA
Band Of Ruhks
Here Comes The Broken Heart Again
Devil And The Deep
Good Time Mountain Man
Lost Highway
Bootleg John https://youtu.be/5RtZxF5662U
Nashville Jam - Nine Pound Hammer https://youtu.be/0wTvLS37FNY
Jim Lauderdale - Soul Searching
Brooke Annibale
Find My Way
Decide
Alright
Patience
Like The Dream Of It
Remind Me https://youtu.be/NkRqwwKGieU
Miss Morgan Myles
Chains
Queen Of Hearts
Whiskey Dreaming
Adeline
Nobody Better Than You https://youtu.be/ceUfUOXdnwA
We Won’t Go Home
Leigh Nash
State I’m In
Cruel Heart https://youtu.be/p0MIFOb5etA
Somebodies Yesterday
Mountain
High Is Better
Tell Me Now Tennessee
The Roosevelts
Hard To Believe
Belly Of The Beast
Go Down Easy https://youtu.be/pvoCQHgcLok
Cold Sheets
Ashes
Peaches
Nashville Jam - Signed Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours) https://youtu.be/vSGHGzMqnO8
Setlist 11/25/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - Plan B
Sam Lewis
Reinventing the Blues
Little Time
Waiting On You
Virginia Avenue
Never Again
¾ Time https://youtu.be/XCB4VZotNtQ
Kim Logan
Cadillac https://youtu.be/CWHvgIS5gUI
Neighborhood
You Hung the Moon
I Will Not Be Denied
Gentleman
Black Magic Boy
Jimmy Hall & Friends
The Money Doesn’t Matter
One Track Mind
Rendezvous with the Blues
That’s the Truth https://youtu.be/hjKDX8bO-4U
Keep On Smiling
The Amazing Rhythm Aces
The End Is Not In Sight
Waiting On Sundown
She Don’t Know Her Own
I’m a Dog https://youtu.be/ZeYa4LaKnGg
Dancing the Night Away
Third Rate Romance https://youtu.be/xX_FCOS4RzY
Nashville Jam - Midnight Special https://youtu.be/fnuyOc5AnQA
Setlist 11/18/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - Let's Have A Good Thing Together
Moe Bandy
Bandy The Rodeo Clown https://youtu.be/qPEdlrklqsI
Picture In A Frame
It’s A Cheating Situation
Till I’m Too Old To Die Young
Americana
Christian Lopez Band
Between Us
Man I Was Before
Leaving It Out https://youtu.be/1ji4_CRouGk
Will I See You Again
Take You Away
Tim O'Brien
I Gotta Move
Whatever Happened To Me
I’m A Mess For You
Pompadour https://youtu.be/eJUlQxUQZRY
The Water Is Wise
North Mississippi Allstars
Up Over Yonder https://youtu.be/jonlayXYmj4
Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down https://youtu.be/z6Oippvcejo
Never In All My Days
Roll N Tumble
Ho Down
Jim Lauderdale
You Were Here
Black Widow Spider
Way Out
There’s A Storm Out There - not played
Sad Bell https://youtu.be/Wl28VmPOrzA
Worth The Wait https://youtu.be/0OoW7BzjpxM
Mysterious
Nashville Jam - Down By The Riverside https://youtu.be/tMT0sDFHosQ
Setlist 11/11/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - Honky Tonk Haze
John Conlee
Common Man
Miss Emily’s Picture*
Backside Of Thirty
Bread & Water
Rose Colored Glasses*
Amazing Grace
Peter Case
Pelican Bay
Water From A Stove
House Rent Party
All Dressed Up
So Glad You’re Mine
Ain’t Gonna Worry No More
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Gator Tracks
For A River
Old Man & Me
Rattlin’ Bog*
Whiskey*
The Infamous Stringdusters
Let It Go
Highwayman*
Summer Camp
Peace Of Mind
Rivers Run Cold
Colorado*
Nashville Jam - Sitting On The Top Of The World
Setlist 11/04/2015 - Jim Lauderdale -
Minton Sparks
Carnival Ride https://youtu.be/FC5e4N2EkE8
Streaker
Desperation
Time Flies
Harrison, Do You Hear Me?
Back Of The Bus
Fort Defiance
Momma, I’m Fine https://youtu.be/rSR4esjcHHw
Love As Strong As Doubt
A Heaviness Not Meant For Me
Call Off The Bets
Grace
Hope Country
I Need Grace
Your Love Is Rich
Turning My Wheels
Let Love Grow https://youtu.be/7kOMH8SPAfs
Slow Dance
Kevin Gordon
Walking On The Levy
All In The Mystery
Letter To Shreveport
Church On Time https://youtu.be/5c5dKsKHFjE
GTO
Nashville Jam - Goodnight Irene https://youtu.be/JdwXlMGu6xU
Setlist 10/14/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - Worth The Wait
Celeste Buckingham - Unpredictable https://youtu.be/WI3I4T1Kjy4
Mountain Faith
Emily (It’s Love)
City Lights
That Which Matters
Feelin’ Blue https://youtu.be/6yq6j72cOXo
Call Me The Breeze
Molly Tuttle
Friend and a Friend
Swept Away
Gentle On My Mind https://youtu.be/DJY5RjuHHDY
Tsunami
White Freightliner
PawnShop Kings
Out
Love Like Jesus https://youtu.be/IoZDchUq9Jw
Life Is For Living
Give Your Love Away
Call My Name
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
No Life In This Town
Say It Isn’t So https://youtu.be/Plj8-P8vVnk
Yeah Man*
She Said She Will
Pretty Woman
Nashville Jam - Salty Dog Blues https://youtu.be/ohgokqrTNcI
Setlist 10/07/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - Way Out Is Fine
Trout Steak Revival
You Are Not Alone
Oklahoma
Go On https://youtu.be/bGym_WIdhI8
Spirit To THe Sea
Brighter Every Day
The Lowest Pair
Minnesota Mend Me https://youtu.be/R7O5uL-IbWg
Oh Susana
Rosie
Pear Tree
Magpies at Sunset
AJ Ghent Band
Crash
Watch What You Do
Can’t Be Your Dog https://youtu.be/5CcVJd6B5AE
99 ½ Won’t Do https://youtu.be/BUY_b-b-RZs
The Kentucky Headhunters
Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine
Stumblin’
Shufflin’ Back To Memphis
Have You Ever Loved A Woman https://youtu.be/UlEaQ8RW3xg
Walkin’ With The Wolf
Dumas Walker https://youtu.be/UXqOiluhK6o
Nashville Jam - Don’t Let Me Down https://youtu.be/V2PSUeJ3IJM
Setlist 9/30/2015 Tommy Womack Benefit - Peter Cooper - Nice Day
Dan Baird
Keep Your Hands To Yourself https://youtu.be/vnHagLfdisg
Younger Face
Get Loud
Two For Tuesday
Johnny 99
Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks
No Great Shakes https://youtu.be/Oxi-sMnIq8Q
Don’t Fix it (If It Ain’t Broke)
Only A Fool
Hittin’ Where it Hurts
I’m Nobody’s Fool
Rough and Tumble Guy
Will Kimbrough (Daddy) feat Tommy Womack
I’m Nobody From Nowhere https://youtu.be/8iFLOPBBTc4
?
Wash and Fold
Alpha Male & The Canine Mystery Blood
Will Kimbrough (Daddy) feat Tommy Womack & Marshall Chapman
I Don’t Want Nobody
Bill Lloyd
Mistakes Were Made
Jason & the Scorchers
Self Sabotage https://youtu.be/p-dtLyyM2Eo
Cappuccino Rose
Clear Impetuous Morning
Golden Days
Broken Whiskey Glass
I Can’t Help Myself
Nashville Jam - Great Balls Of Fire https://youtu.be/Udx8aPaVryw
Setlist 9/17/2015 AMA Showcase - Jim Lauderdale - You'll Know When It's Right
Whitehorse
You Get Older
The One I Hurt
Sweet Disaster
Devil’s Got A Gun https://youtu.be/_gca1-NijNc
Joel Rafael
She Had To Go
Old Portland Town
Sticks & Stones
When I Go https://youtu.be/T29aMvVgSSw
Thanks For The Smiles
Shemekia Copeland
Outskirts Of Love
Crossbone Beach
Drivin' Out Of Nashville https://youtu.be/mlbsGoJAURM
I Feel A Sin Coming On
Devil’s Hand
The Mavericks
Back In Your Arms
Stories We Could Tell
What You Do
The Only Question Is
Come Unto Me
As Long As There’s Loving Tonight
I Said I Love You (Encore) https://youtu.be/DYzbPCx3ZBg
Nashville Jam - All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down https://youtu.be/uhTw89hjPgs
Setlist 8/26/2015 - Jim Lauderdale -
Jake Shimabukuro
Kawiki
Ichigo Ichie
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Dragon http://youtu.be/mljFr7yuYzk
Gnarly Parkers
Spin Me, Minnie
Big Ass World http://youtu.be/xGQeD6RnZFc
Swindlin’ Eyes
Sammy Shake
Dream Of You
Honey Island Swamp Band
How Do You Feel
Head Highwater Blues http://youtu.be/jMBM-xTMVZI
Katies Song
Ain’t No Fun
Andrea Zonn - Set 1
Another Side Of Home (Mac McAnally) http://youtu.be/o2IxC_SFQWo
No Reason To Feel Good (Keb Mo) http://youtu.be/B7dnmjPLiAA
Crazy If You Let It (Vince Gill)*
I Can’t Talk About It Now
Let Them Go (Mac McAnally)
Andrea Zonn - Set 2
Where The Water Meets The Sky (Vince Gill) http://youtu.be/e4974nmHoOY
Rise
Another Swing And A Miss (Alison Brown)
You Make Me Feel Whole (Vince Gill)
Ships (Trace Adkins - Allison Brown) http://youtu.be/fPn51uD33p4
Nashville Jam - Proud Mary http://youtu.be/bycpWnvhHnc
Setlist 7/29/2015 - Peter Cooper - Nobody Knows
Crystal Bowersox
No Time
Sunshine Brighter
Bite The Bullet
Farmers Daughter
Dead Weight http://youtu.be/MfThDlMjd7o
The Revelers
Asteur je peux voir
If You Ain’t Got Love
Please Baby Please
In The Proof
Toi, tu veux pus de moi http://youtu.be/P6WhezIVlSo
Sarah Potenza
The Cost Of Living http://youtu.be/xDUq5BFR1Wk
Hard To Want
Granddad
Valley Of Tears
My Turn
Jolene http://youtu.be/28I75X28WOI
AJ & The Jiggawatts
Get Wild
Throw A Fit
Beale Street http://youtu.be/9v4lNVSHzQg
Typical Feeling
It Is What It Is
Pushin’ Forward
Nashville Jam - Use Me (Bill Withers) http://youtu.be/HdI5x-ERIGY
Setlist 7/22/2015 - Peter Cooper - Ancient History
The Mike Henderson Band
Weepin’ and Moanin’ http://youtu.be/rpmhtUkCq0Y
Matchbox http://youtu.be/LDmSN9zf-RY
Unseen Eye
If You Think It’s Hot Here
Smooth Hound Smith
Stopgap Woman Blues
Young & Golden
Forever Cold http://youtu.be/dGAGq8OhfKE
30 Days http://youtu.be/JbW5EvKSZwY
Be My Husband
Emily West
Fallen
Puppy Dog http://youtu.be/68JA865QStg
Real Good Dancer http://youtu.be/9bGC0P7Q0_Y
That’s How The Boy Gets The Girl (In The Movies)
Battles
Games
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams
Surrender To Love http://youtu.be/dXTkjMc1fgk
You’re Running Wild
Cry Cry Cry
Did You Love Me At All ^^^
Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning http://youtu.be/Wv1dpPeeVVo
Nashville Jam - Big River http://youtu.be/e3hSodSFCSY
Setlist 7/15/2015 - Jim Lauderdale - All at Once
The Mike + Ruthy Band
Bright As You Can
Rock On Little Jane
What Are We Waiting For
Simple and Sober
The Ghost of Richard Manuel
When the Sun Comes Around http://youtu.be/IWqANRko2fE
Amelia White
Daddy Run
Big Blue Sun
Dangerous Angel
Dogs Bark
Rainbow Over The Eastside http://youtu.be/UMmAWWZWJoo
Motorcycle Dream
Reno Bo
How Do You Do
The Brighter Side
Strange Maps
And I Know She Did http://youtu.be/tkOjtbek9Jg
Sleeping Sun
Sweetheart Deal
Ronnie McDowell
Older Women
Watchin’ Girls Go By
The King Is Gone
You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation
Make Believe http://youtu.be/NmNl8yclRpQ
The Twist > Step On My Blue Suede Shoes > The Twist
Nashville Jam - Johnny B. Goode http://youtu.be/TE3T4KVluEg
Setlist 7/08/2015 - Jim Lauderdale -
Caroline Spence
Don’t Call http://youtu.be/ueB0zH2lce4
One Man
Whiskey Watered Down
Trains Cry
Seeing Other People*
Somehow
Matthew Fowler
Everything That I Could
Blankets
Beginners
Been a Lover http://youtu.be/9DXbOiOKHZU
Rooftops
I’m Still Trying
The Broomestix
Love You Right
Miz Hot Stuff
Take You With Me
Runnin’ From The Law https://youtu.be/byOeU2ZtZCY
So Many Love Songs
Groovin’
Pam Tillis
Wish I Didn’t Know What I Was Missing
Leaning Towards The Sun
Tequila Mockingbird
Last Summer’s Wine
Burning Down The Dark
I'm Letting My Roots Show https://youtu.be/GZVZGgT7xt0
Nashville Jam - Honky Tonkin' https://youtu.be/ukBVyFLk_6Y
Jim Lauderdale - I Feel Like Singing Today
Ashleigh Caudill
Living On The Countryside
Franklin County
A Dream
Pork Pie Hat
Leaving Carolina http://youtu.be/LQ3gonPswts
The One You Left In Tennessee
Woody Pines
Satisfied
Anything For Love
Hobo & His Bride http://youtu.be/1fNc4IjTLTg
Crooked Blues
Minnie The Mermaid
Train That Carried My Girl From Town
Tattletale Saints
Kathleen http://youtu.be/clO6SCqY_bI
I Don’t Sing So Much No More
Down The Road & Back Again
If I Had A Dollar
Complicated Man
Dancing Under The Dogwood Trees
Ben Sollee
Learn To Listen http://youtu.be/T6OFL5xY3aM
Whole Lot To Give
Forgotten
Letting Go
Steeples
Slow Down
Nashville Jam - Working On A Building http://youtu.be/dhJI_AjsQzE
Jim Lauderdale - Timing Is Everything
Thom Bresh
Coupe de Ville http://youtu.be/mLgcxdTJJpI
Sidewalks of Bordeaux
Diana
Vermillion
Cookie Jar
Mr Guitar My Friend
John Knowles
Happy Again
The Nearness Of You http://youtu.be/RkHw-KEcS-k
Struttin’
Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)
Chuahaha Waltz
Parker Hastings
Smokey Mountain Lullaby http://youtu.be/IM9GEoCepeI
Music To Watch Girls By
Flying South
Jonathan Brown
The Old Spring House
Lillie Mae
Mr Sandman
Bluegrass Borderline http://youtu.be/SbhR12kcYps
Annie & The Hot Club Of Nashville
Too Good To Be True
Fiddlin’ Around
He Loves Me I Can Tell
Deed I Do
Last Night I Cried My Eyes Out
You Do Something to Me http://youtu.be/__GTe7G15b8
Nashville Jam - Jam Man http://youtu.be/NiOm1J5PQP4
Jim Lauderdale - Let’s Have A Good Thing Together
Jim Hurst
Long and Lonesome Old Freight Train
Through the Garden http://youtu.be/wHCp3KhFcWM
Swamp Reed http://youtu.be/TWqZoIuI80c
Same Old Moon
Richmand Safford
All Of This And Just One Man
The Doobie Brothers 1st Set (Acoustic)
Slippery St. Paul http://youtu.be/6Mw4zpT-HFo
Spirit
Chicago
Toulouse Street
Rainy Day Crossroad Blues
Snake Man
Steamer Lane Breakdown http://youtu.be/68GHNirSgxs
Black Water http://youtu.be/WZ0L-WtXOAE
The Doobie Brothers 2nd Set (Electric)
Nobody http://youtu.be/UiGKHzuO5KE
Jesus Is Just Alright http://youtu.be/tYIMwZxBQ0M
Neal’s Fandango
World Gone Crazy
Clear As The Driven Snow http://youtu.be/mYSKJgU-6Yg
South City Midnight Lady
Eyes Of Silver http://youtu.be/BoWpjw9kSbE
Long Train Running http://youtu.be/qViBWlw6SVk
China Grove http://youtu.be/O_zPOIPwWzo
Listen To The Music http://youtu.be/YH8dsr38dYw
Jim Lauderdale - I’m Just The Lookout
Hymn For Her
Holis Brown
Highway Maggi
One Big Achin’ Heart
The Road Song http://youtu.be/hvQhYHTUEUo
Drive
One Cat Away From Crazy
The Nashville Celts
Farewell To Ireland http://youtu.be/Kh7CqF5rP-U
Franks Reel/Ring Of Fire Medley
Erin’s Chains
Counting Stars
Toss The Feathers/Kashmir Medley
Janiva Magness
Let Me Breathe
I Need A Man
I Won’t Cry http://youtu.be/mF0GnR6v-wk
Everything Is Alright
When You Were My King
Davina and the Vagabonds
Sunshine http://youtu.be/mma11q2IMJI
I Try To Be Good
Pocket http://youtu.be/zCs695TO9CE
Let’s Bring It Back
Louisian ia
I’d Rather Go Blind
Nashville Jam - I’m Walkin’ http://youtu.be/AvmQfE4TGOo
Peter Cooper - Nobody Knows
Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks
I Gotta Move
Yard Dog
Lucy Mae Blues
The Only One
Human Cannonball
Poolside http://youtu.be/C4v4DVl-lf4
Bill Lloyd
I Went Electric
Yesterday
Buy On Credit
Stop In The Name Of Love
The Fix Is In http://youtu.be/WDa-JsCxbpg
Niagra Falls
Warner Hodges
Ain’t That Far Away
Gunslinger*
Back In Town http://youtu.be/l1gu4Ck3Qnk
The Hardway
Take Me Home, Country Roads
Government Cheese
Anna Lee
I Need Love*
Mammaw Drives The Bus
Rolling In Your Grave
The Shrubbery’s Dead
Come On Back To Bowling Green
Feed My Monkey http://youtu.be/vHM4L_u-sYQ
Nashville Jam - I Can’t Help Myself http://youtu.be/TJgXTROyXA4
Jim Lauderdale - Divide & Conquer
Ryan Culwell
Amarillo
Come For You
I Think I’ll Be Their God http://youtu.be/ntcBYyOLWRM
Red River
Piss Down in My Bones
EmiSunshine
Carry Me Home http://youtu.be/a4LVjYS8Npc
Can’t No Grave Hold My Body Down
I Am Able
Johnny, June and Jesus http://youtu.be/Lsno2K-wUzc
Horrible Highway
Danny Ray http://youtu.be/9X-JyGkjjZA
Andrew Duhon Trio
Let You Down
Just Another Beautiful Girl
The Moorings
Cecilia
Sidestep Your Grave http://youtu.be/UKrh2-9XvI4
Ashley Cleveland
Born To Preach The Gospel
You Gotta Move http://youtu.be/9nHC40DyOF8
Don’t Let Me Fall
Halfway Down http://youtu.be/Fhaj4wCuUak
Walkin’ In Jerusalem
Nashville Jam - If I Had A Hammer http://youtu.be/M2IqhFhari0
Jim Lauderdale - Water Water
Brian James & the Revival
Pain & Misery
Memphis http://youtu.be/_IVA0xc32yI
Highwater Blues
Alabama
William Tyler
? Pono Toc Missionary Ridge http://youtu.be/dD_yS2CVBpU
Portrait Of Sarah
Tears and Saints
Haas Kowert Tice
Leadfoot
Down The Hatch
Grandpa’s Cheesebarn http://youtu.be/ZM6egg_YJ0Q
Monkey Trouble
Skippjn’ in The Mississippi Dew /Kansas Waltz
Candi Staton
I Ain’t Easy To Love
Even the Bad Times
3 Minutes to Relapse
Eternity
I Like Where I’m At http://youtu.be/BKfRFwv-1eQ
Nashville Jam - The Thrill Is Gone http://youtu.be/rbz8_DUUFb0