The soundtrack to
O Brother Where Art Thou? was a phenomenon in the early 2000s, turning bluegrass musicians into superstars and creating an instant mainstream market for old-time music from folk to gospel to children’s songs to prison chants to blues and everything in between. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its astonishing success and to wrap up our Artist of the Month series, we spoke to several musicians about the impact
O Brother and its subsequent tours had on their lives and livelihoods.
Sierra Hull: “I grew up in a little town with maybe 900 people, and there used to be a poster section at the Walmart the next town over. You could flip through the posters and there would be pop stars like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. I was always convinced that one day I would find an Alison Krauss poster in there. She was as popular in my little kid brain as Britney Spears. So it was cool when
By Valerie Turner
Let’s be honest role models for contemporary women playing blues guitar are few and far between. This isn’t because they’re not out there; it’s simply because they aren’t well recognized. I can’t tell you how many times as a performer I’ve shown up for a soundcheck, guitar in hand, only to be asked if I was a roadie or a fan. The assumption is never that I might be there to play an instrument, let alone a guitar. But this is nothing new early blues women that played guitar didn’t receive equal attention, either.
Article Contributed by IVPR | Published on Friday, January 22, 2021
The origins of American music are rife with sounds and styles from all reaches of the globe, but over the last century or so, the roles have somewhat reversed themselves with blues, jazz, and mountain music being re-dispersed and re-interpreted by musicians worldwide. Enter resonator-playing, foot-stomping
Cristina Vane. Born in Italy to a Sicilian-American father and a Guatemalan mother, Vane grew up between England, France, and Italy, and was fluent in four languages by the time she moved to her fathers’ native United States to attend university at 18 years old. Unlike most of her contemporaries in the music industry, Vane has a taste for pre-war American blues from the likes of Skip James, Robert Johnson, and Blind Willie Johnson. Add a splash of slow western waltzes and haunting Appalachian melodies for good measure and she’s tapped in to the very well from which rock and roll sprung.
February 18 at 9:19 p.m.
In Spanish writer Victor del Árbol s world, little to nothing happens that doesn t carry consequences and in most cases results in a heavy load to bear. Much as he did in A Million Drops which ranged in time from the Spanish Civil War to modern day, del Árbol in his latest book weaves his. Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 4 a.m.
Deconstructing the Rat Pack: Joey, the Mob, and the Summit By Richard A. Lertzman with Lon Davis 367 pp. $24.98 Prestige Books For a brief time in the early ‘60s, they were the Connoisseurs of Cool and the Sultans of Swinging Swagger, taking Las Vegas by storm with a base.
Lucky Clark On Music: Peter Guralnick
Famed writer brings Maine s Dick Curless into spotlight in latest book Looking To Get Lost.
Share
Peter Guralnick Photo by Mike Leahy
One of my publicist connections sent me an email recently about a client of his who had written a book called “Looking To Get Lost” that contained a chapter concerning Dick Curless, whose song “Tombstone Every Mile” brought him national success and acclaim. I asked if the author, Peter Guralnick, was available for interviews. Even though I was nervous about chatting with the writer who had penned “Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley” (which Bob Dylan said was the, “unrivaled account of Elvis”), I was anxious to get his thoughts on Maine’s legendary country singer. On the 16th of last month, he called me from his West Newbury, Massachusetts home.