Season 299 - New Kids On The Block

Lonesome Dreams - Lord Huron

I dig these guys. This is the title track from their first album from 2012, which was more of a multimedia project with layers upon layers of content to be discovered. And their second album was actually based off what was originally a screenplay. There's a lot of atmosphere in their music, it's really cinematic. It's not surprising they've had tunes featured in several movies and TV shows. A number of their songs were in 2015's A Walk in the Woods starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, but they're probably most famous for being featured in the Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why, causing a song they released in 2015 to finally chart two years later.
 
And now for the heavy part. For anyone who has been following the latest news, I live in Sutherland Springs. I didn't think I would do another song this week, but I was looking through my stuff and came across this one that fits the theme and I think fits my mood. That's all I'm going to say about it here.

Glad you're still singing for us Alan. Sure hope all your family is safe!
 
Yes. We aren't members of that church, but we know people who are. My kids used to go to their Vacation Bible School in the summers when they were little.

Sending good vibes to your community Alan. What a thing to happen in your back yard.
 
Yes. We aren't members of that church, but we know people who are. My kids used to go to their Vacation Bible School in the summers when they were little.

My first thoughts when I heard the news were of you and your family, Alan - l had no idea you actually lived in Sutherland Springs. All thoughts are with you and the community.
 
Yes. We aren't members of that church, but we know people who are. My kids used to go to their Vacation Bible School in the summers when they were little.

That must be horrible for you. Sending you all the best wishes.
 
Fred - worry not, you are just witnessing an outbreak of Sheeran-bashing, a fairly popular sport here in the UK. Popular, that is, unless you are one of his many fans. Personally, I can take him or leave him. But mostly I leave him.

With you here, Steve ... those songs of his which I have heard have left me wondering what all the fuss is about.
 
Well here is something for the Ed Sheeran bashers to laugh and sneer at.
Just my humble opinion but I reckon he's a pretty talented guy who is lucky enough to do well out of his talents.
And this song I really like ...
 
Well here is something for the Ed Sheeran bashers to laugh and sneer at.
Just my humble opinion but I reckon he's a pretty talented guy who is lucky enough to do well out of his talents.
And this song I really like ...

Thanks for having my back, Pa :music:
 
I've been having all sorts of tech problems recently and I lost a much better take of this song, but I really can't face doing it again, so this has many errors. Never mind, if it introduces people who don't know it to the original song it'll be worth it. The Dead South were formed in 2012 and they released In Hell I'll Be In Good Company in 2014. The accompanying video is great, although I worry about the cello when they're standing in the fountain.
 


Hi Fred! This week is going to be an education - at least for me! I was drawn to the work of singer/songwriter, Chris Stapleton, as we share a surname, so he is obviously a long-lost relative. (However, he is so engulfed with hair that it is difficult to detect any family resemblance ... the song is a nice one, though!)
 
Season 299. Submission 1. "String of Pearls" (Written by Rhiannon Giddens and Laurelyn Dossett (2011) and performed by them on the album "The Gathering" )

Terrific theme, Fred! And thank you so much for hosting.

I've fallen in love with the music of Rhiannon Giddens in the past year. She plays a great banjo and sings like no tomorrow. I first heard her on the TV show "Nashville."

Here's some Wiki info about her:

Rhiannon Giddens

Background information
Born February 21, 1977 (age 40)
Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Genres Folk, Old-Time music, Bluegrass, Country, Gospel, Blues, Jazz, soul, R&B, Celtic, Americana
Instruments Vocals, violin, banjo
Years active 2005–present
Labels Music Maker, Nonesuch
Associated acts Carolina Chocolate Drops, The New Basement Tapes, NC Music Love Army
Website rhiannongiddens.com

Rhiannon Giddens
At Aarhus Festival 2015
Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is known as the lead singer, violinist, banjo player and a founding member of the Grammy-winning[1] country, blues and old-time music band Carolina Chocolate Drops. She is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, an alumna of the elite North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics,[2] and a 2000 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory where she studied opera.[3] In addition to her work with the Drops, Giddens has released two solo albums: Tomorrow Is My Turn (2015) and Freedom Highway (2017).

Rhiannon Giddens
at Rudolstadt, 2015
In 2005, Giddens, who at that time was spending time competing in Scottish music competitions,[4] attended the Black Banjo Then and Now Gathering, in Boone, North Carolina. There she met Dom Flemons and Sule Greg Wilson. The three started playing together professionally as a "postmodern string band", Sankofa Strings.[5] During that same time period, Giddens was also a regular caller at local contra dances and featured in a Celtic music band called Gaelwynd. Later in 2005, after both Gaelwynd and Sankofa Strings had released CD albums, Giddens and Flemons teamed up with other musicians and expanded the Sankofa Strings sound into what was to become the Grammy winning Carolina Chocolate Drops.

In 2007, Giddens contributed fiddle, banjo, "flat-footin'" dancing and additional vocals to Talitha MacKenzie's album Indian Summer.

Performing as a soprano, Giddens and mezzo-soprano Cheryse McLeod Lewis formed a duo called Eleganza to release a CD in 2009. Because I Knew You... consists of classical, religious, theater, and movie music. Giddens and Lewis were middle school classmates who reconnected after college while working in the same office. The friends started singing together in 2003, but did not begin recording until 2008.[6]

As of November 12, 2013, Giddens is now the only original member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.[7]

In 2013 Giddens began pushing further into her solo career. Giddens participated in "Another Day, Another Time", a concert inspired by the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis.[8] Many critics have stated that Giddens had the best performance at what was called "the concert of the year".[9][10] Late in 2013, Giddens contributed the standout a cappella track "We Rise" to the LP We Are Not For Sale: Songs of Protest by the NC Music Love Army – a collective of activist musicians from North Carolina founded by Jon Lindsay and Caitlin Cary.[11] Giddens' protest song joins contributions from many other Carolina musical luminaries on the Lindsay-produced compilation (11/26/13 via Redeye Distribution), which was created to support the NC NAACP and the Moral Monday movement.[12]

In early 2014 Giddens recorded for Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes alongside Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith and Jim James. The album was produced by T-Bone Burnett and is a compilation of partial, unreleased lyrics written by Bob Dylan.[13]

In February 2015, Giddens released her debut solo album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, on Nonesuch Records. Also produced by Burnett, the album includes songs made famous by Patsy Cline, Odetta, Dolly Parton, and Nina Simone, among others.[9][14] The Wall Street Journal said the album "confirms the arrival of a significant talent whose voice and distinctive approach communicate the simmering emotion at the core of the songs."[15] Additionally, the Los Angeles Times called the album "a collection that should solidify her status as one of the bright new lights in pop music."[16]

In July 2015, she had a big stage at world music folk and dance festival at TFF Rudolstadt in Germany.[17] Her performance was also broadcast live by the German national public radio Deutschlandfunk.[18] Rhiannon appears on Jon Lindsay's single "Ballad of Lennon Lacy" (Redeye Distribution, August 21). The song tackles the mysterious hanging death of Lennon Lacy, a black teen from rural Bladenboro, North Carolina. The case is currently under investigation by the FBI, and widely suspected to be a lynching.[19]

On November 27, 2015, to coincide with the Black Friday Record Store Day event, Giddens released "Factory Girl" (EP) on Nonesuch Records, which contained music culled from the same T Bone Burnett–produced sessions that yielded Tomorrow Is My Turn.[20] A digital version of Factory Girl was made available December 11, 2015. The sessions for the album and EP took place in Los Angeles and Nashville, with a multi-generational group of players assembled by Burnett. Musicians on Factory Girl include Burnett; fiddle player Gabe Witcher and double bassist Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers; percussionist Jack Ashford of Motown's renowned Funk Brothers; drummer Jay Bellerose; guitarist Colin Linden; veteran Nashville session bassist Dennis Crouch; and Giddens's Carolina Chocolate Drops touring band-mates, multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins and beat-boxer Adam Matta.

Rhiannon appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny on December 31, 2015, shown on BBC Two. She performed songs from her 2015 album Tomorrow Is My Turn, including Waterboy and a cover of St James Infirmary Blues with Tom Jones.

She was selected to take part in Transatlantic Sessions in January 2016. This collaboration between American and Celtic musicians is a coveted honor. The ensemble performed as part of Celtic Connections in Glasgow, and a short UK/Irish tour. Her performances on the tour included the stirring tribute to David Bowie "It Ain't Easy". Later in the year, Giddens became the first American to be honoured as Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Later in the year, it was also announced that she would be receiving the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Winning this award makes Giddens both the only woman and the only person of color to receive the prize in its 6-year history.[21] In 2016, it was also announced that Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops would be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.[22]

In 2017, Giddens became only the fourth musician to perform at both the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. [23] Later that year, she delivered the keynote address at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference 2017. [24] According to Bluegrass Today, "Giddens shattered long-held stereotypes...By the time she was done, she had systematically dismantled the myth of a homogenous Appalachia." [25] Rhiannon has been announced as the Guest Curator for Cambridge Folk Festival 2018.[26] In October 2017, she was named one of the 2017 class of MacArthur "Genius" Fellows.[27]

Acting
She appears in the fifth season of the CMT's Nashville as Hannah Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a social worker with the voice of an angel.[28]

Personal life
Giddens is biracial in ancestry.[29] She married Irish musician Michael Laffan in 2007.[30] The couple have a daughter, Aoife, and a son, Caoimhín.[31] Giddens has homes in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Limerick, Ireland.[32]




This one is the real deal! First solo album released in 2015 and Grammy nods only started rolling in in 2010, so I'm hoping that she counts as a "new kid" this week. Anyway, she is bonafide awesome.

Here's my take on "String Of Pearls"


 
Rhiannon Giddens is amazing! I've seen her twice with the Chocolate Drops and once with her own band. She's a treasure.
 
Rhiannon Giddens is amazing! I've seen her twice with the Chocolate Drops and once with her own band. She's a treasure.

I love the Chocolate Drops!!! That must have been some kinda terrific, Rick! I have the disc of her performance at New 'Awlins' Jazz Fest 2016 ..... super super stuff. :)
 
Hugs to you, Sean. Hoping the kids are doing ok with it all. So sorry to hear.

Hugs to you, Alan. I can't even imagine what these days have been like for you and your neighbors.


Will keep you guys and those around you in my thoughts and prayers. Linda
 
the Young'uns are a folk trio from my home area who sing both traditional and contemporary folk both a capella and accompanied. They are Sean Cooney, David Eagles and Michael Hughes.

Their first album was released in 2012 and they went professional full time in 2013. They won the 'best group' category at the BBC folk awards in both 2015 and 2016 and they've also performed at Glastonbury, quite an achievement for newcomers to the national folk scene. They've toured internationally and are currently touring in Canada during November before returning to the UK in December. I've seen some video from a previous Canadian Tour and they certainly were going down a bundle there.

I first came across them in the local folk clubs when I started going to folk clubs so I know them personally and I am really pleased to see their success as they are really nice lads with great style.

You can find out more about them on their website here You can also find them on You Tube and Facebook.

They recorded the song I sing here on their first album. It was written by another local man, Ron Angel who ran a folk club in Stockton-on-Tees for well over 30 years before a heart attack caused him to stop. Unfortunately he died in 2014 and I never knew him as he had his heart attack before I stared going to Stockton Folk Club.

The Chemical Workers song is about one of the big industries on Teesside. The Iron and steel industry is all but gone, mining both iron and coal are both gone but Teesside is still a major centre of the chemical industry. The conditions it talks about probably came from the fertiliser industry north of the river rather than the petrochemicals south of the river and further down the north bank on the estuary. As a chemical engineer, I can tell you it's a pretty accurate portrayal of the old chemical industry with maybe a bit of poetic licence (I once worked in a cement works) and I suspect it came from Ron's own experiences of the industry and talking to the people who worked there.
 
And now for the heavy part. For anyone who has been following the latest news, I live in Sutherland Springs. I didn't think I would do another song this week, but I was looking through my stuff and came across this one that fits the theme and I think fits my mood. That's all I'm going to say about it here.

Alan, I'm sorry this had to happen in your community. These incidents are far too common.
 
Hugs to you, Sean. Hoping the kids are doing ok with it all. So sorry to hear.

Thanks so much Linda.

And BTW, TCK did a whole radio show a few years back on The Chocolate Drops. Excellent stuff. Have you heard Rhiannon Giddens' version of Forever Young w/ Iron & Wine? One of my faves.
 
Before I get started I too would like to pass on my heartfelt sympathy to Sean and for AlanDP. Life is so unpredictable at times!

This week cannot go on without Alejandro Rose-Garcia better known as Shakey Graves. He is a major talent that had me captivated from the first few bars of the first song of his I heard. Yesterday I spent the entire day listening to his magic. He has a way of mixing tempo and rhythm within a song and is a brilliant guitarist. plays many other instruments and can effectively create different sounds with his vocals.

Shakey Graves became known for his one-man band set up and most of his debut album Roll the Bones is Rose-Garcia playing unaccompanied by other musicians. Here he tells the story of how he got his name and performs "Late July" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUkSTnUK_T0
Here is "Roll The Bone". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD72LbIk02M

Shakey Graves made his television debut on October 14, 2014, on the Conan Show. Four months later he appeared on David Letterman. On May 6, 2015, he performed on the legendary Austin City Limits TV show/taping for a well-received performance in his hometown.

In September 2015, he won the Best Emerging Artist award at the 2015 Americana Music Awards. If you aren't familiar with him you need to check this guy out. If you are like me you will lose a day doing so!

I wanted to pick one of his original songs that could capture just how unique this guy is but that would have been trying to do the impossible. Most of his songs are originals. I went with something I could fake my way through, have fun plugged in, and share something just to get him here! This song is clearly not an original but the way he does it is like no other and is as original as it gets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNaB44tr0U

 
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