News/Thoughts

Tag Archives: Americana Music

AMA Selects 2017 Nominees

Album of the Year American Band Drive-By Truckers, Produced by David Barbe Close Ties Rodney Crowell, Produced by Kim Buie and Jordan Lehning Freedom Highway Rhiannon Giddens, Produced David Bither, Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell The Navigator Hurray for the Riff Raff, Produced by Paul Butler A Sailor’s Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson, Produced by Sturgill Simpson Artist of the ...

Read More »

April 22 Is National Record Store Day

One of AR’s editors was leafing through the pages of the latest AARP Bulletin (Vol 58, No 3, Apr ’17 issue)—yes, he is that old; and on page 38 was a short story about Mr. Michael Kurtz who is recognized as the co-founder of National Record Store Day. After being reminded that the annual National Record Day is coming upon ...

Read More »

Merlefest Turns 30

Upon realizing that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Merlefest, and knowing that this fest provided significant inspiration for us here at Americana Rhythm, I felt it only fitting to give an extra shout out to this phenomenal music festival. Created as a tribute by Doc Watson and Wilkes Community College to his late son, Merle, Merlefest has become ...

Read More »

Celebrating Doc and Merle

Some 10 or 12 years ago, I accompanied my son to a music festival in North Carolina to help him staff a trade booth for a magazine for which he worked at the time. We joined 70,000 music fans for four days of string-music greatness of a type that is now known to many as Americana. That experience led to ...

Read More »

Pi Jacobs, A Little Blue

After a chance meeting between LA singer-songwriter Pi Jacobs and Mountain Fever Records president Mark Hodges in 2016, Pi became the latest artist to release her new CD on Hodges Americana label, Trivanna Records. Her new CD A Little Blue, the seventh from Pi, released in March. Recorded in Floyd, Virginia, Pi teamed up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Ramsey. ...

Read More »

Al and Amy Love and Music

Al Petteway and Amy White, a.k.a. Al & Amy, have been charming fans for years with their uniquely crafted Celtic-Appalachian influenced music that even marries in the occasional hints of Blues, New Age, and even Jazz. Before they relocated to the mountains of Western North Carolina, Al and Amy lived in the Washington D.C. area where they were honored with ...

Read More »

French Folk With and a Kiss

Molly’s Kiss is evidence that the influence of American roots music is far reaching. As they define themselves, Molly’s Kiss is “a folk band, lost in the middle of France.” Formed in 2013, the band consists of guitar, accordion, and two vocals. Nicolas Rozier; Vocals /Guitar, Madeline Besson; Vocals, and Alexandre Tobie; Accordion, all team up to play what they ...

Read More »

Tuned In To Real Life

“Jim and Lynna Woolsey have that magical quality of being tuned in to real life, attention to the small stuff, and open heartedness that makes for great songs, and great friends,” said Louisa Branscomb, Founder, Director of Woodsong Farm Songwriter Retreat. The Southern Indiana pair had been performing together for nearly three decades before they finally decided it was time ...

Read More »

Outlaw Country’s Coming Back

Virginia Beach, VA’s Russell Lynch has his music steeped in traditional country music culture, and peppered with notes of Americana and a bit of a rockabilly edge to it This is just like his fans like it, apparently. He has had three top 10 independent country songs in the U.S., including a #1 hit with “Stuck in Between.” His music ...

Read More »

Bluegrass In Kokomo

Larry Norfleet and his band, Branded Bluegrass, received nine nominations at the SPBGMA awards ceremony this past February in Nashville, TN, making them one of the top nominees. Their brand of traditional bluegrass is turning heads, and gaining fans all across the bluegrass community. The Kokomo, Indiana based band leader tells of his humble beginnings learning on a guitar with ...

Read More »