Tag: "your country's right here"

Even months after Amy Ray released her latest solo project Lung of Love, it is difficult to listen to it and not hear nuances that weren’t apparent earlier.

Like some of the best movies that need repeated viewings before you begin to grasp the full intent of the filmmakers, Lung of Love is filled with such subtle variegation that repeated listening is a joy. Perhaps some of that variation can be credited to Ray, half of the internationally renowned GRAMMY Award-winning folk duo the Indigo Girls, taking inspiration for the array of artists she enjoys.

“I love all the different kinds of music,” said Ray. “I listen [to] Josh Ritter and Patti Smith and a lot of funky stuff. I always go back to that for inspiration. There is so much good stuff, it’s hard to name it all.”

The same, of course, can be said for Ray’s music both in her Indigo Girls’ partnership with Emily Saliers and as a solo artist. On this album, Ray stepped out of her comfort zone—she and Saliers write alone for the Indigo Girls—and co-wrote four songs on this album with producer Greg Griffith.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: “Lung of Love” Tour is Amy Ray’s Labor of Love’

It seems safe to accept it as a given that Cathy Fink and her musical partner Marcy Marxer didn’t win GRAMMY Awards because they played it safe. Their latest album takes the same non-traditional path with songs that owe more to Pete Seeger than Pete Townsend as played on the once lowly uke.

“In the old days, people used to laugh at us because we played for kids,” said Fink recently about the duo’s untraditional musical path that led to the recent release of the thirteen-track recording Rockin’ the Uke. “Now they are trying to play for kids. And we have been sprinkling uke cuts [throughout our albums and shows] for years.”

More like decades, to be exact. Fink carved out her initial musical niche in her hometown of Baltimore during the height of the folk revival before moving on to Montreal and beyond. Multi-instrumentalist Marxer has played folk, Celtic fingerpicking, bluegrass, old time and swing for years as a studio musician, performer and producer. Perhaps it was something akin to destiny that these two virtuosos would work their way to the uke.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Cathy and Marcy Uke It Up’

Maybe I’m just a pushover for a band that has both a fiddle player and the more-than-occasional bagpiper, but there’s something about Enter the Haggis—the Canadian-Scottish folk rock band that just knocks me out.

Anyone who has been to a show by the Toronto-based band can likely tell you that I’m in good company. I never really thought the whole “band’s energy igniting a crowd” was more than an overused phrase until I saw Enter the Haggis fire up their audiences especially when playing the aptly named “Gasoline.” Suffice to say, the crowds went wild and, really, the energy was palatable.

“We have a great fan base and they know we won’t do the same thing twice,” said Haggis bass player Mark Abraham from Baltimore, where the band had just finished a gig, about the band’s recently released album Whitelake. “Even people who like our older Celtic songs wouldn’t expect us to do that.”

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Enter the Haggis Make a Splash with ‘Whitelake’’

Listening to Fred Eaglesmith’s latest release, “6 Volts,” makes you feel as if you’re having a cozy midnight chat with a kindred spirit.

Perhaps that’s because each song on this album has spirit – in every sense of the word – whether its offers a well-deserved swipes at Johnny-Cash-come-lately fans such as on the song “Johnny Cash” or tells tales of love gone horribly wrong such as on the song “Katie.” The much-lauded Canadian folk artist is one of the few musicians who is brave, savvy and talented enough to dig beneath the pretext of a subject and expose its true meaning. Not to carry word play too far, but he’s a true artistic spirit — not that he will admit it.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Fred Eaglesmith’s “6 Volts’ is Electrifying’

It’s difficult to remember the last time I was as excited about a band as I am about Mountain Heart.

So much for the impartial journalist, right?  But really, if I hear one more band tell me they embrace new members and then stick with the tried-and-true—well, you get the picture. The result, as we all know, is same-old-same-old until the “new” members leave because they aren’t creatively challenged. Yes, the music world is alive with bands that have morphed into their own tribute bands.

But I digress.

No one would have blamed the members of the much honored Mountain Heart, really, if it stuck with its strictly bluegrass formula. After all, that’s the ticket that won them the 1999 Emerging Artist award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and plenty other awards and kudos thereafter.

Of course, the band mates all had their musical chops down long before that. Founders Steve Gulley and Barry Abernathy had plenty of musical street cred before enlisting Jim Van Cleve, then a teenage fiddler they had worked with in Quicksilver, to join them. Adam Steffey, who had worked with Alison Krauss & Union Station, and bassist Johnny Dowdle were also part of the band.

It’s so telling of the current band members’  attitudes that they announced their newest members withticker-tape-parade enthusiastic announcements while still paying tribute to those who were leaving.

Consider the announcement they made late last year when multi instrumentalist Seth Taylor—who the band called “one of the most talented young ‘musicians’ alive” joined the band. Even though Taylor has played with everyone from the Charlie Daniels Band to his “unofficial mentor” Brad Paisley, it is still the rare musicians who will laud a new member in such a way.

And what a refreshing change that is to read. No wonder their new music, which is still based in bluegrass, mixes in more than a fair amount of country, jazz and other formats (don’t worry—they haven’t gone all rock on us though there is rock and R&B in the sound, too!).

“The funny thing about the record Mountain Heart is that it started as bluegrass,” said Van Cleve. “In 2007 [lead vocalist Josh Shilling] joined the band and that was the first day of the new era of the band. We have grown so far beyond any one [musical] description.”

And that growth started right away because Shilling, a talented Nashville songwriter as well as a key that unlocked more of the Mountain Heart band’s creativity, wrote or co-wrote each of the four new songs featured on the group’s live album The Road That Never Ends. The title track reached No. 4 on the Billboard bluegrass charts. That foreshadowed the success of the band’s next studio album That Just Happened, which went to the Top 10 of the Billboard bluegrass charts.

The funny thing about this story is that the band’s sound engineer first heard Shilling sing live and told the band they needed to hear him. Although his vocals weren’t in keeping with the band’s tried-and-true formula, Van Cleeve, Abernathy and the others rolled the dice and invited him to join. Now the band, that includes Jason Moore on bass and Aaron Ramsey in mandolin and dobro, just might need to clear more room on their trophy shelves.

“It was a gutsy call,” said Van Cleeve with a chuckle when talking about adding Shilling. “It could have gone in a lot of different ways but we had faith. He’s taken us to some amazing places musically.”

Find out more about the band and its music, including upcoming tour dates, at their Web site.

Randy Houser wants to set the record straight about a few things including his new bride Jessa Lee Yantz.

Although the two have been quite open about their personal lives, including sharing details about the September nuptials in the Dominican Republic, there’s one factual error that is consistently repeated much to Houser’s surprise.

“She doesn’t really write a lot of songs. I don’t know how that all got started,” said Houser with a laugh when asked if he was planning to co-write any songs with his bride who is constantly referred to in the media as a singer/songwriter. “She is a terrific singer. We haven’t made any plans to [write or perform together]. I tend to want to keep that separate. I don’t see that in the future.”

What he does see in the future, though, is a more mature sound, stronger tours and additional chances to work with a host of other performers. One of those many upcoming events will be the “Blake Shelton & Friends Cruise” to the Caribbean in October.  But there will most assuredly be plenty of chances to see Houser perform long before that including at charity events.

Although House recently signed with independent label Stoney Creek Records and is in the process of writing his debut album and planning an upcoming tour, he is takinga bit of time to slow down and savor different opportunities. Take his recent acoustic performance just before Thanksgiving at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship Awards at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Not only did Houser play about half a dozen songs, talk about his charitable work and bring awareness to companies that uphold social responsibility and meet-and-greet fans, but he took time for a bit of sightseeing, too.

“When CMT asked me, we just decided to do it,” he said. “My wife and I had wanted to go to DC and just go play and meet people and hang out and it was just a great thing to do. It was a ball!”

Although Houser generally performs in major venues, he said he welcomed the chance to just play his songs acoustically. And why not? After all, even though he’s performed since he was a child, he is incredibly well know for penning a host of songs for others including everyone from Trace Adkins (“Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”) to Justin Moore (“Back That Thing Up”).

“I am very comfortable just with my guitar,” he said. “I like bare songs, baring yourself out there. When I am playing like that, I get to drive the boat and get to do it all. I get to play whatever the crowd is looking for, and you can’t do that when you’re playing with a band.”

Now that the New Year is unfolding, keep an ear out for new Houser music in the not too distant future.

“It’s really early in the process,” he said. “I’m writing a bunch of new songs and have a lot of stuff down on paper, and am just [starting to record] a few things. I have got a couple of songs that I am pretty sure will be on there.”

Houser said that while the songs will certainly have the tone and feel of his past work, he said fans will hear a bit more “grown up” sound on this record.

“I’m not saying it’s just for adults, but I think it’s probably a little smarter,” he said of his work crediting much of his newfound inspiration to his wife who he calls his life’s greatest blessing. “There are things I don’t want to sing about and write about anymore. The other thing is, I want to be respectful of my wife. I don’t wants to record songs and have anyone think my old life style is still part of me.”

As much success as Houser found with his part work, including “Boots On” and “They Call Me Cadillac,” it seems as if his best songs are yet to come.

Find out more about Randy Houser, his music, and upcoming concert dates on his Web site.

Brantley Gilbert is truly one of those forces of nature, a shooting star come to life.

It’s not that the twenty-six-year-old country singer-songwriter—who has written many hits including Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” that he penned when he was just seventeen years old— is a brilliant songwriter, engaging performer, classic wordsmith or contender for nicest guy on the planet. It’s that he’s all of those things and more.

His music is as multi-faceted as his personality, bringing comparisons to everyone from Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp to Willie Nelson.

“You know what? I never really targeted a market. I just wrote songs,” he said. “I guess my upbringing led me to country and placed me in that market.”

Some of the wild times he lived when he was growing up in Jefferson, Georgia, also places him in the Johnny
Cash, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings country lifestyle category.

“When I wrote ['My Kinda Party' ] I just wrote about what we were doing,” he said of the No. 1 song. “And, yes, I was drinking at seventeen and yes, I did get a butt whooping from my mama.”

Like many country performers, especially those branded “outlaw,” Gilbert had a life changing incident that brought him closer to music. For him, that happened in 2004 when he was in a one-car accident, which almost took his life. That’s when he was in college—studying to be a relationship counselor—and was thrown out a window after crashing his car.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Brantley Gilbert’s Star Shines ‘Country Wide’’

Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Ricky Skaggs and Phil Vassar are just some of the country stars that are ready to brighten your holidays with their down-home music. Sure, you’re overwhelmed with all kinds of lists—shopping and otherwise—during this season but take a look at the stellar line up of artists offering you holiday-themed country music and enjoy.

Think of American Idol alums Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina as melodic bookends of the holidays. McCreery, who performed in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, is also featured in the Disney Christmas Day parade that will be televised on ABC. Find out when it will be aired in your area by going to the Disney Web site. Lauren Alaina will join other artists on American Country New Year’s Eve at 11 p.m. on December 31 on FOX. Find out more about the show on this Web site.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Scotty McCreery, Ricky Skaggs, Lauren Alaina and Others Add Country to Your Holidays’

Raul Malo, inventor the alt-country format, has a holiday present for all of the fans that still mourn the demise of the Mavericks—the band will again play and record together.

“We are going to go back and put the Mavericks back together, dust the cobwebs off, go tour in the summer and we are going to make a new record,” said Malo, who has been recording and touring as a solo artist since  the Mavericks stopped performing together in 2003. [About the long break, he offered,] “I would say that honestly it wasn’t any one thing in particular. It was almost like a perfect storm of these different opportunities.”

Those opportunities have actually brought Malo home in a way. After playing in small bands when he was a teen and young adult, Malo teamed with his high school friend Robert Reynolds to form the Mavericks. The two used the music of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and other traditional country artists as the foundation for their own contemporary music.

After signing with a major label and winning a GRAMMY and two Country Music Association Awards, Malo began to work even more influences—especially Latin, rock, and jazzformats—into the music he wrote. When fan excitement for the Mavericks lagged, Malo continued on as a solo musician.

“I never thought that the Mavericks would get back together,” he said.  ”I thought it was done, and I thought that was fine. That is part of life. Move on. I don’t want to go out and just play any and just run the band into the ground. I didn’t want to start to tour for the sake of the tour. That wasn’t appealing to me. I felt it was more special to me and if the [fan interest] wasn’t there, there was nothing we could do about it.”

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: Raul Malo and the Mavericks Saddle up’

The Roys may be the toast of bluegrass music, especially after having just won the prestigious Inspirational Bluegrass Artist of the Year award from the Inspirational Country Music Association, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their feet firmly on the ground.

The duo are hard at work writing for their next album, the follow up to the critically-acclaimed Lonesome Whistle that included the hot single “Coal Minin’ Man,” that went to No. 1 on Power Source’s Bluegrass Top 35 chart and HotDisc International Top 40 Chart.

They also recently announced that they will host the First Annual Christmas 4 Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament in April, soon after they return from their first ever Australian concert tour. The tournament is yet another facet of Christmas 4 Kids, that developed from the Christmas Caravan founded in 1982 by Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and the Oak Ridge Boys to help needy children over the holidays.

Siblings Elaine and Lee Roy took a few minutes to chat with OurStage about how they developed their passion for bluegrass, how they write such terrific songs and what their fans mean to them.

OS: Wow, you have had some year!

ER: We are very excited. In one year, our lives have changed a whole lot.

OS:  How did you come to play bluegrass? I’m sure your high school friends were playing rock and pop, so that couldn’t have been cool.

LR: Our mom and dad listened to nothing but traditional country and bluegrass. Our grandpa was playing the fiddle and mandolin and banjo and our aunts and uncles played music all the time. We were around that so much, I remember, from the time we were really, really young. I can remember mom and dad playing Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bill Monroe. That’s what we were around, that’s what we listened to our whole lives.

Continue reading ‘Your Country’s Right Here: The Roys Talk Family, Music and How Fans Inspire Them’