Hey Friends,
Early fall is the busiest and buzziest time of year in my world, largely because of AmericanaFest and the IBMA World of Bluegrass, which happened almost back to back in Nashville and Raleigh respectively. A lot of artists save their important releases for the fall because of these annual hotspots of attention, so my listening and my interview calendar and inbox has filled up faster than I can turn around shows or features. It’s a good problem to have, I guess. The meetings and music have been brilliant though. I got to speak with Indigo Girl Amy Ray a day or two after receiving a Free Speech Lifetime Achievement Award to talk about activism and her growing body of fine solo country music. I have interviews coming with remarkable Nashville producer/songwriters Dan Knobler and Daniel Tashian. Young and emerging folk artists Tray Wellington, Nora Brown and Taylor Rae will be a triple-play String in a week or so, all recorded during AmFest. The photo above comes from our wonderful AmFest opening-night Old Fashioned String Band Throwdown at Dee’s Country Lounge in Madison, a celebration of our show that included The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys with a guest appearance by our friend Jim Lauderdale. Find my summary of the gathering in Nashville here.
I’d like to direct y’all’s attention again to my new video series, which I’ve rather hyperbolically titled the Musicality Agenda, over on YouTube. Last newsletter, I shared with you the introductory video and part 1 of two interview/conversations with fascinating music makers - Roy “Futureman” Wooten and LA composer Danny Holt. New and important is a conversation in two parts with Alan D. Valentine, president and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. He’s always been good to me as a curious reporter and he was kind this time to sit for an hour to talk with a proto-YouTuber (and don’t worry, I’m not becoming a YouTuber) who’s just getting a toehold in the content storm. Also new is a similar talk with Nashville jazz drummer and composer Sofia Goodman, who has great insights about intent and method. She’s exactly the kind of young creative musician we ought to be lifting up alongside the songwriters and bands that dominate our conversation and focus. I remain astonished that a musical community that’s so vocal about diversity sidelines whole fields of sound and their diverse creators.
While I’m on the subject, do you browse and watch YouTube on a regular basis? I’d be curious why or why not? I’ve found it one of the best versions of “television” going. But that’s because I go for non-fiction content (books and video) far more than fiction or drama. I use YT as a platform for explainers and reporters and enthusiasts. Most of what I watch are 10-30 minute videos made by indie creators on evolving subjects. My fields of YouTubing interest and subscriptions are space and environmental science, motor racing, film and media production, audiophile and hi-fi stuff and of course music generally. This army of explainer/reporters have filled gaps left by the hollowing out of the traditional news media and in many cases doing a better job than the general press ever did. Maybe it’s the TED talk version of the world, but I think that’s a great thing - smart folks providing credible information in a form that can be searched and viewed at will. It’s actually one of the most remarkable aspects of the social internet. YouTube has held to its model, basically, for more than a decade, not trying to twist itself into some other, hotter social medium, with a few small exceptions. No doubt it’s been a platform for terrible, toxic stuff and radicalizing content, but that’s about policy and technology and I see leaders at least trying on those fronts. I’m just saying that at its normal everyday best - where you control what you see - YouTube is pretty awesome and I hope you’ll refer my channel to others who have latent music curiosity.
At WMOT, my favorite recent pieces have focused on East Nashville duo Sista Strings, whose story and mission is potently expressed in their name. They are delightful folks and they were visible during AmericanaFest, including the Awards. Another duo in a more recent String is The Local Honeys from Lexington, KY. I took a field trip to meet them and it led to a most enriching encounter. I also traveled to western NC, my favorite other place, to cover the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival, which was quite a lovely event in a space built for horse expos but pretty ideal for lawn chairs, stages and food. I took me a minute to grow into loving the Alabama songwriter Early James, but this episode of The String made me an enthusiastic fan. And I made a String around the very interesting Nashville songwriter and blues-influenced performer Cristina Vane. Her story is unusual and her touch and vibe with new traditional music is impressive to me.
I’d better leave it there, even with so much more going on in the world. Get your head together for the coming mid-term elections on Nov. 8! They are absolutely crucial to holding the line against incipient fascism in this country, and their outcome is not predestined by historic patterns. Give money. Drive voter outreach. Do what you can. And support good music, made by real people for unselfish reasons. Drop me a line any time.
Craig H.
Sent from Los Angeles, 10.2.22
NEW WORK
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