Love this band. Madison Violet, from Canada.

CD Review: Shannon Whitworth "Water Bound" (Release Date: 8/17)

Water Bound can mean either bound for the water, or surrounded on all sides by water, like an island. Whichever definition Shannon Whitworth had in mind when she chose the title is completely fitting.

Even without knowing the title, the opening track invokes feelings of floating slowly... underwater. It's a seascape painting of sounds. The first sound is reminiscent of the heartbeat you hear in your ears when you're holding your breath underwater, then multiple layers of strings, pedal steel, drums, electric guitar flow in perfectly to create a building wave of sound peaking in Whitworth's vocal entrance. I haven't heard a better introduction to an album in a long time. You're already feeling something, 30 seconds in.

If Whitworth's debut release, No Expectations, can be considered her musical adolescence, Water Bound is the full expression of woman-hood. She has really come into her own on this recording. Whitworth has evolved her sound some, adding more drums and electric instruments, but it's an appropriate evolution. Her vocals remain languid, relaxed, and emotional, and there is no lessening of her ability to fully captivate an audience. This is not an album you want to throw in as background music, it's one that you want to sit still in a comfortable chair and listen through headphones, paying full attention.

Water Bound is beautifully packaged showcasing a visual artwork painting credited to Kenson Marbutt, and creative photography by Coke Whitworth. There are 12 tracks all written or co-written by Whitworth. There is such a nice flow to this record it is obvious a great deal of time was put into constructing the track order. I could spend time discussing each individual track, for they all have their highlights, but the standout track for me is the tenth, Taking It Hard. Again, the intro sucks you right in, it's beautifully orchestrated, and then falls back and opens up for Whitworth's vocal entrance singing, "One day when I walk out that door, you might not come after me no more..." This song has a beautiful melody and exceptionally tasteful harmonies,  Whitworth develops a character who's situation cuts right to the core of someone feeling like they're not doing the best that they can for their partner, and wanting to change. Songwriting at it's best. Spring is Here is a bouncy banjo-driven celebration of the departure of winter. Mermaid's Song draws you gently under the water again, and Wrong Kind of Man gets your feet tapping, and inspires you to learn the words to the chorus right away so that you can sing along.

Did I mention that I really like this CD? This is without a doubt one of the best releases I've heard in 2010, I think Whitworth's loyal fans will fall in love with it as well, and I can't begin to predict how many new fans she will garner as a result of this incredible release.

Local CD Release Party is August 28th at the Grey Eagle.

Weekly Music Must-Sees!

Well folks, lots of great music to see this week in town!

I'm particularly excited to catch gypsy-jazz quintet Viper's Dream at Jack of the Wood on Friday. For only $5, this is not only going to be a great show, but budget-friendly as well. This is a really exciting new local band, that just rocked the stages of Belle Chere this past weekend. Dan Bletz, formerly of The Biscuit Burners, fronts this band on Jazz Guitar. He's equally -if not more- talented in the Django style as he was on blazing bluegrass breaks with the Burners. In a recent Facebook post Bletz promoted this Friday's show, and stated, "Don't expect to hear a G-run." Straight-ahead danceable gypsy-jazz is what you'll get, and you'll like it.

SATURDAY: 
You can head down to the Lab and catch another local sensation riding high on a great new release- Big Daddy Love. 

 These guys are working hard, they're beating the miles on the road, and playing 3-4 nights a week regionally to get their name out there, and collect new fans. So far... it's working. They're bringing their brand of Appalachian Rock to the masses. Keep your eye on them.

Back from Vacation!

Spent 8 days in Colorful Colorado and had a wonderful time! Saw tons of music! 

Went to the RockyGrass Bluegrass Festival held in Lyons, CO and put on by Planet Bluegrass and was unsurprised to see Asheville, NC so well represented both in the instrument and band contests as well as in attendance.

The quick report is Madison County's 18-year-old instrument phenom, Bryan McDowell, made contest history by winning first place in Guitar, Fiddle, and Banjo, and placing 3rd in Mandolin. His poise, creativity, and virtuosity were amazing to watch, and especially on guitar- he was in a class of his own. I wonder if he had room in the van to cart all those new instruments home... 

Asheville's own, Ricky Cooper placed 3rd in Guitar and gave an exceptional solo performance of a David Grier tune. 

Fairview's Dobro guy, Aaron Ballance (formerly NC State Dobro champ & currently with Dehlia Low) won the dobro competition and earned himself a new Hounddog Dobro.

And local bluegrass/Americana quintet, Dehlia Low  advanced to the final round in the band competition and then placed 3rd overall. In my humble opinion, they should have had it - :) but traditional bluegrass seemed to rule the day. The other two bands were great! 

Dehlia Low's Merlefest Cabin Stage set available through Festival Link

Local Bluegrass/Americana band, Dehlia Low, has a new CD or download available through Festival Link. This is a live recording of their Merlefest debut on the Cabin Stage.

The Folks at Festival Link say: 

"DEHLIA LOW MAKES FIRST MERLEFEST APPEARANCE

Sunday afternoon brought this NC-based quintet to the Cabin Stage. "No Depression's" Iaan Hughes said it well: "One of those kinds of bands that I just really fall in love with. At the bare bones, they're a string band, but in a way string bands used to be when there wasn't such a genre splint of what country music was and what bluegrass music was and what blues music was. It's where those points converge for me."

He didn't mention the dobro - we love what it brings to their music."

You can get it here: http://flink.livedownloads.com/show.asp?show=5272

Recent AVL transplant, Jessica Smith joins Avery County Bluegrass Band

Jessica Smith moved to Asheville this spring and jumped right into the local bluegrass scene. She's an exceptionally solid bass player and fantastic singer with the street cred, degree, and experience to prove it. Formerly the front-woman of Spring Creek Bluegrass Band based in Colorado, Jess has been playing pick up gigs around town with the likes of Dehlia Low, High Windy, and Carolina Call Time. She's also often spotted at the Thursday night Jack of the Wood Bluegrass Jam. I had heard rumors that she signed on to Patuxet Records recording artists, Avery County, and found the picture to prove it. Best of luck to Jess, and the band!

Weekly Music Must-Sees!

Alright folks, here are my Friday and Saturday recs:

FRIDAY: Underhill Rose & Uncle Mountain at Jack of the Wood $5 9:30pm showtime

Underhill Rose is 1/2 of the former Barrel House Mamas. Molly Rose Reed on guitar and vocals, and Eleanor Underhill on banjo and vocals. They do mostly original music with beautiful folk-tinged harmonies. Somewhat mellow, but awesome.

Uncle Mountain is an increasingly local band... I thought the were Boone-based, but they seem to be playing Asheville quite a bit these days. Sort of ballady harmony heavy singing... maybe along the lines of Fleet Foxes or Dawes? There is some serious talent in the band, but I haven't totally decided to love them yet. I need to see them a few more times.




SATURDAY:  Jill Andrews and Brian McGee at the Grey Eagle.  $10 adv/ $12 at the door. 9pm

I'm noticing a trend here... I think every one of my Weekly Music Must-Sees so far has had at least one Grey Eagle show... Grey Eagle, prime venue for Roots Music in Asheville? I think so.....

Jill Andrews is the former front woman of the now defunct everybodyfields. (Loved them, sad they're gone.) Both she and the other Sam Quinn (everybodyfields)  have started their own projects separately, and she is bringing hers to the Grey Eagle on Saturday. I have yet to see her new project live, but I have heard the album, and I like it. I'm sure this will be a great night of music.

There's an excellent article that appeared in Paste Magazine about the bands break up and Jill's resurgence here: http://www.jillandrews.com/press/2009/11/23/paste-magazine.html

Brian McGee- local and one of my personal favorites- opens the show.
McGee's songwriting is poignant, direct, and often emotional in a gritty, tough, this-is-how-it-feels way. Every time I've seen him he gives it all he's got on stage, and there are all ways one or two lines in a new song that that really stand out and make you shake your head in disbelief.... "how'd he come up with that?"

Thursday Music Must-See!

This weeks must-sees start tomorrow (Thursday), because there is an awesome show lined up at the Grey Eagle Tavern.

Frank Fairfield, Ian Thomas, and the Twilite Broadcasters 

This will be a great night of throw-back, roots revival, American songster, wonderfulness. I can't wait!

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door, and the show starts at 8:30 pm.

http://www.myspace.com/frankfairfield  

 

http://twilitebroadcasters.com/

http://www.ianthomasmusic.com/

Web places rife with info....

Here's a bluegrass-focused website that talks about venues, festivals, events, bands, lessons, you name it. Got a question about the bluegrass happenings in WNC, here's your site: 
http://www.wncbluegrass.com/

Here's a blog that always has interesting music news and tidbits. Asheville-based, but far reaching:
http://dreamspider.wordpress.com/

This website is always a winner for the latest news in Americana and Roots:
http://www.nodepression.com/

Got a new CD you want reviewed? A press release? Some verifiable news about Asheville's Roots Music scene? Drop me a line at avlrootsreview@gmail.com

Weekly Music Must-Sees!

FRIDAY:

Well.... let's just move ahead to Saturday....

SATURDAY:

WNCW 21st Birthday Jam at the Orange Peel!!!!!!

This, I am really excited about!  I absolutely love WNCW 88.7 (wncw.org), I feel like they are one of the few independent, public radio stations left in the country introducing a big listening region to eclectic, local, regional, non-commercial radio-- on a daily basis. Commercial radio gives me a headache... it's so nice to tune in and hear real DJ's express excitement about music, about community, and NO commercials! I would go to this event regardless of the line up, purely to support the station. But lucky for me it's a win-win, because I'm excited about the line up too. I don't know much about Gandolf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus, Jess Klein, or Delta Moon, but I'm going to trust that WNCW picked some good ones. I do know about Dehlia Low, and Eliza Lynn and am very much looking forward to those bands on the big stage at the Orange Peel. 

Tickets are $21 and benefit WNCW 88.7

Weekly Music Must-Sees!

Well, tonight is so easy. Chatham County Line at the Grey Eagle.

This band is entertaining, talented, they write smart original music, they work hard, and have a photo shoot in a bowling alley, which is what I really, really wanted to do with my band... then I saw their photos. So, instead of being angry, I figured, great minds think alike.  Also, this is a CD release show for their new album, Wildwood, and I can't wait to get a copy.


9pm. $10 advance / $12 day of show. Mandolin Orange Opens.

"I don't think Chatham County Line's future lies in becoming the next great bluegrass or alt-country band, I think they have a shot at becoming one of the next great American bands, period."
  - D. Renville, This is Just A Modern Rock Blog 

 

 

Just Announced: Shannon Whitworth to release new CD, Water Bound, August 17th!

Official hometown CD release party will be August 28th at the Grey Eagle! Mark your calendars! Looks like you can pre-order through Amazon at this link:
Water Bound  

CD Review: Bobby Miller and the Virginia DareDevils, Brother Adieu

This debut CD from local bluegrass group, the Virginia Daredevils is a very welcome addition to my CD collection. Sad to say, I have stacks of local/regional band's records on my bookshelf gathering some dust, but this one got ripped right to the iPod. The Daredevils are the brainchild of  Bobby Miller on mandolin and vocals, who's musical resume is long and esteemed. The four other core members are Griff Martin (Guitar/Vocals), Bill Cardine (Dobro), Billy Constable (Banjo), and Stefan Custodi (Upright Bass.) The guest musician list on the album is impressive and includes Bobby Hicks and Don Lewis.

The CD starts off strong with a bouncy three minute track. Judging from the title "Clayton Lunsford Died" I expected a murder ballad, or a sad waltz, but was surprised to hear Miller and Martin harmonizing about the celebration of life at the protagonists funeral. I was already intrigued with the CD...

Equally divided between vocal tunes and instrumental numbers, the album has a very nice flow to it. Each instrumentalist get a chance to shine, and the interplay between all of the soloist is captivating. Martin's guitar playing, both rhythmically and lead, is impressive and dead on. Miller seems to be channeling John Hartford at times, particularly on the track "Boots on Betsy" though sounding distinctly like himself on the one John Hartford cover included on the album, "Scotland/I'm Still Here."

The title track, "Brother Adieu" is the standout track. This is a traditional song that's been done hundreds of ways by hundreds of bands, but Miller and the DareDevils managed to bring something uniquely their own to this recording. With a dissonant melody line that has an unexpected progression, and the spot on harmonies by Mary Lucey Cardine (who's vocals many of you have probably missed since the disbanding of the Biscuit Burners) perfectly complementing Millers resonant lead, the Daredevils completely reinvent this song, and have solidified it for me as the best version I've heard.

Brother Adieu falls into that vague 'New Appalachian Country' genre... bluegrass, newgrass, old time, progressive... and distinctly Appalachian. This is the CD I want in my car stereo as I drive along the Blueridge Parkway, just outside of Asheville.

You can order a copy of the album here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bmillervdd

The Spokenfolk of Joe Craven returns to Asheville with a performance @ Mo Daddy's on Friday

Joe Craven is nothing, if not entertaining. I can guarantee you will not be bored. Here's some info from a press release from Geniass Productions: 

Geniass Productions and Mo Daddy's Bar are proud to present the return of the "One Man Foakee Joe Show" aka Joe Craven, performing live at Mo Daddy's in downtown Asheville on Friday July 9, 2010.  Joe Craven is perhaps best known as Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's multi-instrumental and multi-talented percussionist, a man capable of making beautiful sounds out of anything, from a garbage can to a cake mold to children's old Fisher Price toys.  Joe Craven is not just an entertaining musician with a penchant for the mischievous, he is a teacher and student all at once and he will draw you into his performance by including you as though you’re part of the show itself.  Picture a stage that looks more like a yard sale; found objects from the natural environment as well as dumpsters, yard sales & thrift stores.  Throw in string & percussion instruments from around the world - and around the house.  Connect this with a dash of technology involving plugging in electric bedpans and balalaikas and looping landscapes of sound - all created in the moment by Joe.  Then toss rhythmically with some corny jokes, storytelling, a little theater thickener, a pinch of audience participation and - voila!   Welcome to “The Joe Show”…

CORRECTION! Red June plays Saturday not tonight!

Oops! Red June is at Pack's Tavern on Saturday, July 3rd, not tonight! I got ahead of myself yesterday!


The best part about the mistake means that I get to see them on Saturday. How perfect to walk right over to Pack's Tavern from Shindig on the Green!

Weekly Music Must-Sees!

So much to do this weekend! I like Asheville that way.

I'd start tonight by heading over to the Fletcher Feed & Seed for the Life O'Mike Benefit. You can read more about the benefit, featuring Buncombe Turnpike and Paul's Creek, and the motivation behind their organization at their website, lifeomike.org.

FRIDAY:

1) My top pick is the 2nd Annual Independence Day Gerton Show, hosted by Dehlia Low. See Tuesday's post for more info.

2) If you can't muster up the gumption for the beautiful drive to Gerton (approx. 25 minutes) then I'd go to Pack's Tavern to see up-and-coming trio, Red June. This band is made up of John Cloyd Miller on vocals, guitar and mandolin, Natalya Weinstein on the fiddle, and Will Straughn on guitar and dobro. All three of them are incredibly talented musicians and I'm sure their show will be incredible.

SATURDAY:

Shindig on the Green 2010! This free event gets started "Along about Sundown..." and usually wraps up around 10pm. This is a great way to start off your Saturday night, and you can still head down to MoDaddy's... you can even walk... and catch Asheville's newest sensation, the Asheville Country Music Revue.

I mentioned these guys before, without having seen them, and I went out to their Wild Wings show and I loved them! I liked them so much that I desperately wanted to be in their band. They had Robert Greer, Phil Barker, and Jesse Langlais of Town Mountain.  Matt Smith and Jon Stickley of the Shannon Whitworth Band, and Evan Martin on drums. They played a bunch of classic country tunes and I heart them. An older woman in the booth adjacent to ours leaned over and asked if we knew the guys. When I told her yes, she said, "Well, I just want to take that cute little blonde boy home with me!" So... the band is a multi-generational hit. The only disappointment was that Wild Wings management had them stop at 8:30! Go see them this Saturday night at MoDaddy's. 10pm showtime.