New Music Video From Alison Brown & Steve Martin - "Dear Time" (feat. Jackson Browne with Jeff Hanna)

New Music Video From Steve Martin, Vince Gill & Alison Brown - "Wall Guitar"

New Music Video From Steve Martin and The Philadelphia Orchestra - "Office Supplies"

New Music Video From Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers - "California"

New Music Video From Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers - "Always Will"

New Music Video From Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers - "So Familiar"

New Music Video From Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers - "The Strangest Christmas Yet"

New Music Video From Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers - "Sante Fe"

That Nashville Sound Wednesday Newsbytes- Music Videos, New John Conlee & Johnny Cash

Lots and lots of music videos out the last couple of days- would be interested to know if you have any favorites. And item number one on today's list will certainly be on my Christmas list.

- Johnny Cash’s much-acclaimed box set of primarily unreleased material, Unearthed, is to be reissued as a nine-album vinyl box set on November 3, 2017. To celebrate the Man in Black’s enduring and influential legacy, American Recordings and UMe have reconfigured this monolithic collection for its first-ever vinyl release, spreading Unearthed’s 79 songs over nine high-quality 180-gram vinyl LPs while expanding the original box's distinctive packaging for the long-playing format. The Unearthed vinyl box features a pair of cloth-bound books housed in an LP-sized black cloth slipcase. One book holds the nine LPs, while the other is a gorgeous 60-page coffee table book that incorporates Sylvie Simmons' extensive liner notes, drawn from five days of interviews at Cash's home in Tennessee, as well as Cash and Rubin's comments on every song on the set, plus a copious selection of photographs from the recording sessions, including some of the last photos ever taken of Cash.  Unearthed was originally released as a CD box set by producer Rick Rubin’s American Recordings in November 2003, two months after the country superstar’s passing.

- After 2000's Classics and 2015's Classics 2, John Conlee is prepping to release Classics 3 on November 17 on his own Rose Colored Glasses label.

- The Bottom Live Archive (a Northeast nightclub that recorded thousands of performances from the early 80's to the mid 90's) is releasing Harry Chapin: The Bottom Line Archive Series from a performance Chapin did in 1981.

- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers went by NPR and did a Tiny Desk Concert together. Martin's in rare form like normal.

- Shania Twain released a new music video for "Swingin' With My Eyes Closed."

- Kenny Chesney released a new music video for "Young." 

- Danielle Bradbery released a new music video for "Hello Summer."

- Becca Mancari released a new music video for "Golden."

- Jenna Paulette released a new music video for "Coolest Girl in the World."

- Jarrod Dickenson released a new music video for "Take It From Me."

- The Kenny Shepherd Band released a new music video for "Nothing But The Night."

- Willie Watson premiered a new music video for "Gallows Pole." 

- Paul Cauthen released a new music video for "Saddle." 

That Nashville Sound Wednesday Newsbytes

This morning, That Nashville Sound's got numerous new album announcements to go along with a couple of new music videos to share.

- The Voice Season 7 winner Craig Wayne Boyd announced that he will be releasing his next indie album called Top Shelf on October 7, 2017 in addition to expecting his third child.

- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers unveiled a 360 degree music video for a new bluegrass instrumental song called "Office Supplies." 

- Aaron Lee Tasjan premiered his new music video for "Till The Town Goes Dark."

- One of That Nashville Sound's favorite music discoveries has been Ashley McBryde this year. Be sure to watch her new music video for "A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega."

- Aaron Lewis unveiled a brand new song with a powerful message entitled "Folded Flag."

-  Darius Rucker has announced his fifth solo country album When Was the Last Time will be released on October 20th. "I know what I want to do in country music right now and this is another step there," Rucker tells Rolling Stone Country. "It's a lively album, lots of upbeat stuff. My fans will be really happy and I hope to make some new fans too, because it's a country record."

- Courtney Marie Andrews has released a video for “Irene” off of her breakout record Honest Life today over on NPR.

- Kelsea Ballerini’s new album is titled Unapologetically and will be officially released on November 3. "I feel like I've been keeping a secret for two years that I finally get to tell," Ballerini admits. "I've never been more proud as I am of this record, the story it tells, and the heart my friends and I put into it. So, November 3, we get to start the next chapter! Unapologetically..."

- Teenager and child music prodigy Emi Sunshine will release her new album Ragged Dreams on August 25, 2017. “I’m pretty sure that most folks expect me to write and sing about rainbows, butterflies and unicorns, but that’s just not me. I like to write about things that are real and life just isn’t pretty sometimes…that’s just the way it is. I also get my song ideas from scary movies (I love scary movies!); I love the ‘shock factor;’ it’s just plain fun to see the 'surprise' on people’s faces!”

- Our ears are anxious to hear Dori Freeman again on her upcoming sophomore album. It'll be produced by Teddy Thompson again and released October 20 and entitled Letters Never Read.  It's "a mix of Dori's originals, though tempered with a slightly more positive outlook, plus some tastefully arranged traditional pieces. Dori's voice is shockingly great, but hearing her sing true Appalachian music for the first time is a revelation."

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers Partner On New Album In September

Artist: Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers
Album: The Long-Awaited Album
Label: Rounder
Release date: September 22, 2017

From the press release: "The Long-Awaited Album, Steve Martin's brand new project with the North Carolina Grammy-winning group the Steep Canyon Rangers, is full of stories that mix humor and melancholy, whimsy and realism, rich characters and evocative details. And lots of banjos. That instrument-so dexterously, even acrobatically picked and strummed-proves just as crucial to relating these tales as the lyrics themselves, each chord and riff revealing depths to Martin's narrators and to his musical talent."

  1. Santa Fe
  2. Caroline
  3. All Night Long
  4. Canadian Girl
  5. Office Supplies
  6. Bad Night
  7. Strangest Christmas Yet
  8. Always Will
  9. So Familiar
  10. Nights in the Lab
  11. Angeline the Barista
  12. On the Water
  13. Girl From River Run
  14. Promontory Point

 

New Music Video From Steve Martin and Edie Brickell- "Won't Go Back"

Watch this on The Scene.

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell Plan Second Album Release Together In October

Artist: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Album: So Familiar
Label: Rounder Records
Release date: October 30, 2015

Writer, comedian and longtime banjo ace Steve Martin has been especially active on the musical front in recent years, issuing a couple of highly acclaimed bluegrass efforts both on his own and with the Steep Canyon Rangers. He also forged a fruitful partnership with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, which debuted on 2013’s Love Has Come for You. On October 30th — the same month that Martin receives a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association — the duo issues its follow-up, So Familiar. The record was inspired in part by the pair’s collaborative musical, Bright Star, which debuted in San Diego last year and opens at the Kennedy Center in D.C. in December.

Produced by Peter Asher, the album features 12 new songs.  "I guess that this is the logical sequel to the first album, but it's also different in a lot of ways," Martin said. "It sounds bigger and wider, and it has a lush feeling that I really like. I think that Edie's voice sounds beautiful with these arrangements, and I love the way the banjo sounds with strings. Peter really had a vision for this record, and he really came up with some wonderful things."   "What Peter did was so beautiful," said Brickell. "He has a great musical imagination, and he always surprises us. I'm so impressed by his ability to come up with things that feel grand and intimate at the same time. Peter has a really great ability to create something majestic and incorporate that into a traditional-sounding song."

 

Steep Canyon Rangers Prep Radio For August 28 Release

The Grammy award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers unveil their highly anticipated ninth studio album, RADIO, a project that according to the press release, "further illustrates the band's dynamic songwriting, instrumental virtuosity and high-energy performance." The album is scheduled for release on August 28, 2015 on Rounder Records.

Members Woody Platt (guitar), Graham Sharp (banjo), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Nicky Sanders (fiddle) and Mike Ashworth (box kit) are also known for collaborations with actor/comedian and respected banjo player Steve Martin and esteemed singer-songwriter Edie Brickell. The Steep Canyon Rangers RADIO was produced by fourteen-time Grammy winner, Jerry Douglas (John Oates, Alison Krauss, Del McCoury Band) and recorded at Asheville, NC's Echo Mountain Recording Studio. The album's twelve all-original bluegrass/Americana tracks were written by Sharp, Humphrey, Platt and Guggino in varying degrees, including a few co-writes with fellow musicians such as Phil Barker of the Carolina bluegrass band Town Mountain.

Track listing:
1. Radio 
2. Diamonds In The Dust 
3. Simple Is Me 
4. Blow Me Away 
5. Blue Velvet Rain 
6. Looking Glass 
7. Down That Road Again 
8. Break 
9. Wasted 
10. Long Summer 
11. When The Well Runs Dry 
12. Monumental Fool 

Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, Steve Martin, Ashley Monroe and More Contribute To Historic Bristol Sessions CD

Tourism and music industry representatives gathered June 10th for a special press conference to officially announce the August 2 grand opening of The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, TN/VA and the creation of Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited.

This Smithsonian Institution-affiliated Birthplace of Country Music Museum is dedicated to preserve the legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and their lasting influence on American popular music. Johnny Cash referred to the famous Sessions as the single most important event in the history of country music. Also known as the Big Bang of Country Music, the legendary recordings by Ralph Peer took country music to a new level, producing pioneers of the genre, such as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.

Set to be released in October, Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited, features entertainment legend Dolly Parton, and country music stars Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers and Ashley Monroe. The recording project includes 16 of the original songs from the Bristol Sessions.

The idea to recreate the Bristol Sessions had been discussed within the Birthplace of Country Music organization for years, but the connection between board member John Rainero, songwriter Rusty Morrell and producer Carl Jackson helped bring Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited to life.

"My dear friend Rusty Morrell approached me with the idea to produce a project honoring the original 1927 Bristol Sessions," Jackson said. "He was very aware and fond of a couple of other multi-artist tribute projects I'd produced and felt I was the guy who could bring his vision to life. In my opinion, the importance of those 27 recordings cannot be overstated. I'm truly honored that Rusty asked me to shine a new and loving light on some of those classic works."

In the spirit of Ralph Peer, Jackson and the Birthplace of Country Music organization is launching a nationwide search for a new artist to record the final track on the album. Emerging and independent artists may submit ONE of the following selected Bristol Sessions songs: The Storms Are On the Ocean, Darling Cora, Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow, or I Am Bound For The Promised Land. Deadline to receive submissions is July 10. Four artists will be selected for a panel of judges to review. For contest rules, visit www.BirthplaceofCountryMusic.org.

"The 1927 Bristol Sessions have often been honored for their impact on the world's music," said Leah Ross, executive director, Birthplace of Country Music. "With the opening of the Museum, the release of Orthophonic Joy, and the nationwide search for new talent, BCM and the team of irreplaceable partners  are ensuring the legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions lives on for generations."

For more information visit www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

New Live Music Video From Steve Martin, Edie Brickell and The Steep Canyon Rangers- "Love Has Come For You"

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, featuring Edie Brickell, will release their first ever live concert CD/DVD package capturing their extraordinary performance at the historic Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside California last fall. The live performance was recorded for PBS Great Performances and is being shown this month and next.

New Live Music Video From Steve Martin, Edie Brickell and The Steep Canyon Rangers- "Pretty Little One"

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, featuring Edie Brickell, are releasing their first ever live concert CD/DVD package capturing their performance at the historic Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside California last fall. The live performance was recorded for PBS Great Performances and features material from Martin and Brickells Grammy-nominated album Love Has Come For You, as well as music from Martin's Grammy-nominated collaboration with The Steep Canyon Rangers, Rare Bird Alert, and his Grammy Award-winning album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

Brad Paisley, The Band Perry and Steve Martin Unveil Upcoming Projects

Tour collaborators Brad Paisley and  The Band Perry each announced upcoming album releases this week as did actor/funnyman Steve Martin- who will be doing some collaborating of his own with Edie Brickell.


Brad Paisley revealed the name of his new album, Wheelhouse, Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The new album, which for the first time Paisley solely produced, is set to be released April 9.

Before Paisley revealed the name of his new album, Jimmy Kimmel suggested he name the new album Thriller to which Paisley said he liked but he’d decided on Wheelhouse. “It’s all about leaving your comfort zone,” explains Paisley about the album’s title. “It’s like what is my wheelhouse? You know, the baseball expression, sort of what is in your strike zone, your wheelhouse, where you’re comfortable. We really have tried to go out on a limb with this record and see how far we can stretch certain things.”

Hot sibling trio, The Band Perry, will release their sophomore album (title TBA) on April 2. If the lead single, “Better Dig Two,” is any indication, the family band’s upcoming project on Republic Nashville is poised for success. In a mere two months, the Top 10-and-climbing tune has become their fastest-rising single to date and has already sold over 650,000 downloads.

Rounder Records will release Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's inaugural duo effort Love Has Come For You on April 23. The remarkable new collaboration offers 13 eloquently rootsy compositions that combine Martin's inventive five-string banjo work with Brickell's distinctive vocals and vivid, detail-rich lyrics. Love Has Come For You is a substantial departure, as a well as a creative milestone, for both artists. 

"I fell in love with the banjo tunes because at first listen they evoked images and stories that were true to me," said Brickell. 

"The banjo can be so evocative when it's used sparingly, and that was in the back of my mind as we were writing," says Martin. "It's the way I've longed to play and hear the banjo, rather than it being present at every moment. In these songs, the point is to tell the story and get out." 

"I think that the goal of any collaboration should be to come up with something that each individual wouldn't have come up with on their own, and I think that we've done that here," says Martin. 

New Music Video From Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers- "Me and Paul Revere"

Steve Martin, Doyle Lawson, Del McCoury Lead Bluegrass Award Winners

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers took home the Entertainer of the Year award at the 22nd annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Thursday night, September 29 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.  Martin, who always included banjo picking in his early stand-up comedy routines, has become more serious about recording and performing bluegrass music during the past two years, with the release of two albums of original music.

Deserving special mention is this year's IBMA Print Media Person of the Year, my friend, Juli Thanki. Juli wrote alongside me at The 9513 and is now my editor at another incredible music publication called Engine 145.  Her writing and wit are only surpassed by her wealth of passionate music knowledge. The IBMA could not have picked a more worthy candidate. 

Martin appeared at the microphone to receive the bluegrass music industry’s highest music award, leapt a few times into the air, congratulated the other Entertainer of the Year nominees and jokingly thanked them for losing. He went on to thank producers John McEuen and Tony Trischka as well as his band mates, and then he talked about how hard they’ve been working on their music, as well as the humor and entertainment aspects of their show, while never denigrating the music. Martin said that while half of their audience usually comes to see him not knowing anything about bluegrass, “they all leave loving it, and maybe they seek out other musicians. We’re really, really honored to win this award tonight.”

Steep Canyon Rangers lead singer, Woody Platt quipped, “Working with Steve, we might be the most entertained of all. Most of all we thank Steve for giving us this most amazing ride.”

It was an exciting night for New York State-based band, The Gibson Brothers, who took home awards for Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year for Help My Brother, on Compass Records.

The Boxcars, a new combination of veteran musicians, were named Emerging Artists of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year. Band member Ron Stewart tied for Banjo Player of the Year with The Grascals’ Kristin Scott Benson, who received the award for the fourth consecutive year.

Balsam Range received top honors for Song of the Year for “Trains I Missed,” written by Walt Wilkins, Gilles Godard & Nicole Witt. “There are a lot of folks out there—myself included—who are thankful for some of those trains missed and how things turned out,” commented Tim Surrett of Balsam Range.

Legendary artists Doyle Lawson, J.D. Crowe and Paul Williams took home two trophies for Recorded Event of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance, for “Prayer Bells from Heaven.”   The three announced their plans to record a second Old Friends album, much to the delight of fans in attendance at the Awards Show. 

Russell Moore of IIIrd Tyme Out and Dale Ann Bradley took home awards for Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist of the Year—the fourth time for each. Rob Ickes of Blue Highway was awarded his 13^th Dobro Player of the Year award, the most trophies any individual instrumentalist has received in the history of the IBMA Awards.

Michael Cleveland was named Fiddle Player of the Year for the ninth time, and his band received the award for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year for “Goin’ Up Dray Branch,” a song written by Buddy Spicher and Jimmy Martin. Marshall Wilborn was named Bass Player of the Year for the third time, Bryan Sutton received the Guitar Player of the Year award for the sixth time, and Adam Steffey dedicated his eighth Mandolin Player of the Year to his twin sons, who he expects to be born in the next two weeks.

Hosted by legendary mandolin player and band leader Sam Bush, the 2011 IBMA Awards Show were a celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe, recognized as the Father of Bluegrass.

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award are listed below.

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award are listed below. 

Hall of Fame Inductees - Del McCoury, George Shuffler

Entertainer of the Year - Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers

Vocal Group of the Year - The Gibson Brothers

Instrumental Group of the Year - The Boxcars

Male Vocalist of the Year - Russell Moore

Female Vocalist of the Year - Dale Ann Bradley

Emerging Artist of the Year - The Boxcars

Album of the Year - Help My Brother by The Gibson Brothers (artists), Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber (producers), Compass (label)

Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year -  "Goin' Up Dry Branch," Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (artist), Buddy Spicher & Jimmy Martin (songwriters), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producers), Rounder (label)

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year - "Prayer Bells of Heaven" by J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, & Paul Williams (artists), Ben Isaacs (producer), Mountain Home (label)

Song of the Year - "Trains I Missed;"  Balsam Range (artists); Walt Wilkins, Gilles Godard & Nicole Witt (songwriters)

Recorded Event of the Year - "Prayer Bells of Heaven" by J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson & Paul Williams (artists); Ben Isaacs (producer); Mountain Home (label)

Banjo Player of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson and Ron Stewart (tie)

Guitar Player of the Year - Bryan Sutton

Fiddle Player of the Year - Michael Cleveland

Bass Player of the Year - Marshall Wilborn

Mandolin Player of the Year - Adam Steffey

Dobro Player of the Year - Rob Ickes

Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients - Greg Cahill, Bill Knowlton, Lilly Pavlak, Geoff Stelling, Roland White

Broadcaster of the Year - Katy Daley, WAMU Bluegrass Country

Print Media Person of the Year - Juli Thanki, Engine145.com

Bluegrass Event of the Year - Silver Dollar City's Bluegrass & BBQ Festival; Branson, Mo.

Best Graphic Design - Ricardo Alessio & Erica Harris (designer & artist), Abigail Washburn (artist), Rounder (label)

Best Liner Notes - Colin Escott (writer), A Mother's Prayer, Ralph Stanley (artist), Rebel (label)