OCTOBER 2012: Duke Robillard Performs At The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Chuck Berry Tribute With Chuck Berry
Duke Robillard was a featured performer at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Chuck Berry tribute concert on October 27, 2012. Part of the 17th Annual American Music Masters series, the concert was held at PlayhouseSquare's State Theater in Cleveland, OH. Along with Chuck himself, Duke joined a legendary cast of rock and blues musicians for the event which included Joe Bonamassa, Rick Derringer, Rosie Flores, Merle Haggard, Steve Jordan, Ronnie Hawkins, Chuck Prophet and Lemmy Kilmister.
The concert capped off a week-long celebration called Roll Over Beethoven: The Life and Music of Chuck Berry. One of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Chuck Berry has inspired virtually every rock and roll musician to date. That includes Duke, who showed his respect for Chuck in saying "the event was called Roll Over Beethoven, and Chuck sure made that happen... what a privilege to pay tribute to such a legend!"
The Americana Awards & Honors, hosted by Jim Lauderdale, will air Saturday, November 10th on PBS - ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2012 (check local listings here). This is the tenth consecutive year Jim has hosted the awards ceremony which handed out six member voted awards and several lifetime achievement awards to emerging and legendary American Roots artists. The ceremony took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium on September 12, 2012 and featured performances from Booker T., Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson among others. Lauderdale also joined Buddy Miller on stage for a performance of "I Lost My Job of Loving You" from their new record, Buddy and Jim, out in independent record stores on record store day, November 23rd, with an official release on December 11th via New West Records.
The upcoming release is a true duets record, with both musicians singing on each of its eleven tracks. As longtime friends and collaborators, Jim described getting the chance to record with Buddy as "a dream" to which Buddy added "we made this record in three days but it sounds like it took four." Additionally, Jim and Buddy continue to host great Americana and Roots artists like Emmylou Harris and Tony Joe White on The Buddy and Jim Show, on SiriusXM Outlaw Country (Ch. 60) on Saturdays at 10pm ET. Check out siriusxm.com/outlawcountry for more info.
Loudon Wainwright III Featured In Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize Ceremony Honoring Ellen DeGeneres
Loudon Wainwright III was a featured performer at the 15th Annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize Ceremony on October 22, 2012. At the ceremony, Loudon performed a new song, titled "Mark Twain", which he wrote specifically for the occasion. The Mark Twain Prize was presented to Ellen DeGeneres for outstanding contributions to the world of comedy, and the ceremony in her honor featured high profile entertainers including Steve Harvey, Sean Hayes, Jimmy Kimmel, John Krasinski, John Leguizamo, Jane Lynch, Jason Mraz and Lily Tomlin in addition to Loudon. Past winners of the prize include comedy legends such as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Will Ferrell and Tina Fey among others. PBS aired the event on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. While Loudon's performance did not survive the need to trim the show's length for broadcast timing, you can watch it at PBS.org >>
Loudon also recently made a cameo appearance as Uncle Max in the film, Sleepwalk With Me, where he performed a duet with lead actress, Lauren Ambrose. The film, the top prize winner of Sundance's NEXT section, features comedian, Mike Birbiglia, and is still in theaters as of this writing. Check here for local theater listings.
Pieta Brown Releases New Song, "To Believe", in Honor of President Obama's Re-Election Campaign; Pieta to be Featured on Iowa City Song Project Release
"To Believe" was penned just days before Pieta performed at a Democratic rally in her home state of Iowa. The song is Pieta's way of honoring Obama's re-election campaign, as she explains:
"...though I think 'forward' can be a positive message, one thing I have missed during the current election, in the midst of all the political banter and noise is the simple message of hope...followed by peace, and love, which all feel to me, no matter how simple or idealistic, absolutely necessary. So, the other afternoon, sitting with my guitar, I began to wonder what message I might actually try to share with President Obama. This little song tumbled out."
Recorded as a lo-fi demo in her kitchen while sitting with her guitar, "To Believe" features her friend David Mansfield on guitar and mandolin. Mansfield has collaborated with such artists as Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett, Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Roger McGuinn, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam and many more.
In other current news, Pieta has recently donated a new version of her song "It Doesn't Take Long" to the Iowa City Song Project - an exclusive collection of songs inspired by experiences or impressions of Iowa City. The song features various artists including Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey, William Elliott Whitmore and many more. The album will be released via Maximum Ames Records on November 6 in conjunction with the Englert Theatre's centennial celebration. The Englert, a performing arts venue located in downtown Iowa City, has been a major presence in staging many Americana and folk artists in the city. Pieta & The Sawdust Collective will perform at the Englert Theatre on November 2, as part of the record release show.
Trombone Shorty Joins Prince on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Airing Tuesday, October 23rd on ABC
Trombone Shorty will join Prince and The NPG on Jimmy Kimmel Live! airing Tuesday, October 23rd on ABC at 12am / 11pm CT. Prince, who is appearing on the show as the musical guest, has invited Shorty to join him on this live TV broadcast. The appearance marks a return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! for Trombone Shorty who was featured as the primary musical guest on the show in September 2010 along with his own band, Orleans Avenue.
single from Superconductor featuring Prince, Maceo Parker and Trombone Shorty
Shorty's upcoming appearance on Jimmy Kimmel will be the second time within a year that he's worked with Prince. Shorty recently recorded musical parts for the forthcoming album by Andy Allo called Superconductor, for which Prince is the executive producer. The album will also feature the legendary Maceo Parker. Trombone Shorty will also perform with Andy Allo on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel that is set for a December broadcast. For further program information regarding both episodes, please check abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live.
Catch Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue live on stage, see Tour Dates >>
Johnny A. Featured on Les Paul Tribute Record and Documentary; Johnny A. Signature Guitar Makes Top Ten List of Blues Guitars; Set To Teach At Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp
Johnny A. is featured on Thank You Les, an album and feature-length documentary in tribute to the great Les Paul (available now). Co-produced by long-time Les Paul Trio sideman, Lou Pallo, the work aims to preserve "Les' spirit through a collection of jazz and blues standards adored by Les himself." Johnny joins a host of musical icons including Keith Richards, Steve Miller, Slash, Jose Feliciano, Billy Gibbons and Bucky Pizzarelli, that gathered to pay homage to the creator of the solid body electric guitar and recording innovator. On the record, Johnny is featured playing the classic and last song performed live by Les Paul before his death in 2009, "Sweet Georgia Brown."
The Gibson Custom Johnny A. Signature Electric Guitar was recently ranked in the Top Ten Blues Guitarists Guitars by Empire Guitars. Among the others listed were B.B. King's Lucille, Albert King's Flying V, Stevie Ray Vaughan's Signature Stratocaster, Buddy Guy's Stratocaster, Muddy Waters' Telecaster, Warren Haynes' Les Paul and Jack White's Airline. Since Johnny's collaboration with Gibson in 2003 to create the unique model, it has become one of the company's most popular signature series guitars ever.
Johnny A. will also be a Rock Star Counselor at the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp held November 7 - 11, 2012 in Las Vegas that will also feature rock and blues legends Warren Haynes, Jack Bruce of Cream, and John Popper of Blues Traveler, among others. For info on learning from the greats like Johnny, check out rockcamp.com.
The Austin City Limits performance was taped at the Moody Theater during Mavis' 35 date tour with Bonnie Raitt. The performance captures the essence of their tour, during which Mavis opened for and collaborated on stage with Bonnie each night to the enthusiastic response from their audiences. Mavis' setlist on ACL includes songs taken from her 2011 Grammy winning CD You Are Not Alone, which featured and was produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. The setlist also includes classic Staple Singers songs "Freedom Highway" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken." Bonnie Raitt performs with Mavis and her band on the latter, as well as performing alongside them on "Losing You," a song taken from Mavis' You Are Not Alone.
The ACL broadcast comes just weeks after Mavis' participation in a tribute concert for the late Levon Helm. The concert, held in early October, was a celebration of the life and music of the acclaimed musician. Mavis had collaborated with Levon recently and their most famous collaboration was The Staple Singers' performance at The Last Waltz.
Mavis has recently announced select dates with Bonnie Raitt in Australia in 2013. Catch Mavis Staples perform live, see Tour Dates >>
Marcia Ball made her debut performance on HBO's hit series, Treme, this week (Episode 25 "The Greatest Love", which aired initially on October 14, 2012). Marcia and her band played "Where Do You Go" with Treme lead actress, Lucia Micarelli guesting. The song was written by Marcia and long time friend and collaborator, Tracy Nelson. Marcia and her band followed with Marcia's song, "That's Enough of That Stuff". The show was filmed at New Orleans' Southport Hall.
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers' Debut Release with Alligator Records Out November 4, 2012
Tommy Castro's latest project, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, will release their first recording with Alligator Records on November 4, 2012. Greedy / That's All I Got is a two-song 45 rpm vinyl that initially will only be available for sale at live performances and as a download. The record, featuring original bassist, Randy McDonald, and new members Byron Cage on drums and James Pace on keyboards, precedes their full-length debut album set for release in 2013. For more information, please check press release at Alligator.com >>
Formed in February of 2012, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers have been touring extensively across the U.S. and abroad. With his band dubbed "The Painkillers," Castro explains his future plans for performing across the globe in stating, "a lot of folks are having hard times these days, and they need something to lift them up and make them smile. Our music kills the pain."
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with Founding Member Elvin Bishop,
Nominated for Induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the groundbreaking group which featured founding member and Rosebud Artist, Elvin Bishop, along with Mike Bloomfield, Jerome Arnold, Mark Naftalin, Sam Lay and Billy Davenport, has been shortlisted for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, class of 2013. The acts joining the band in the nominee shortlist include Rush, Deep Purple, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Albert King, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, N.W.A., Procol Harum, Randy Newman, Kraftwerk, The Meters, The Marvelettes and Chic.
After learning from and collaborating with blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin' Wolf in Chicago's neighborhood blues clubs, Bishop and Butterfield, together with Jerome Arnold and Sam Lay, founded the racially diverse band at the height of the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. Bishop remained with the band for the first three releases including the innovative East-West album, on which his and Mike Bloomfield's intertwining guitars set a precedent for many bands that followed such as the Allman Brothers Band.
For the first time in The Rock And Roll Hall's history, fans can cast their vote for the nominated act they most want to be inducted. Fans will be voting alongside artists, historians and music industry insiders that make up the Rock Hall's voting body. The public can cast their vote from now until December 3 at The 2013 Nominees Online Fan Poll. The inductee announcement is set for mid-December. Cast your vote today.
Charlie Musselwhite Collaborates with Ben Harper on Forthcoming CD Get Up!
Charlie Musselwhite has teamed up with Ben Harper on the forthcoming studio album Get Up! Produced by Harper, the long time coming collaboration is set for release via Stax Records / Concord Music Group on January 29, 2013.
According to Harper, "Charlie and I have been looking to make this record for over ten years and now that we've gotten to it, I can't wait to play it live." Musselwhite and Harper's musical and personal friendship was forged when they both recorded with the legendary John Lee Hooker, a Rosebud artist until his passing. Commenting on their creative partnership, Musselwhite said that, "Ever since then we wanted to record together and being in the studio together is just natural. You can hear it and feel it in the music on Get Up!"
Charlie's renowned harmonica playing can be heard throughout Get Up!, which includes a collection of ten striking tracks, mixing elements of blues, gospel, roots and R&B. Charlie and Harper are backed by Harper's band, Relentless 7, featuring Jason Mozersky (guitar), Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jordan Richardson (drums).
Also, Charlie's song, "Natural Born Lover" from his album, Rough News was featured on a recent episode of HBO's Treme entitled "Me Donkey Want Water."
Charlie is one of the most awarded artists ever by the Blues Foundation with twenty-seven Blues Music Award wins. He is wrapping up 2012 with an extensive touring schedule - hitting Australia at the end of October, then immediately heading to Europe in November. He will also play a select number of dates on the US West Coast before and after his international tour.
OCTOBER 2012:
Trombone Shorty Joins Prince on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Airing Tuesday, October 23rd on ABC
Johnny A. will also be a Rock Star Counselor at the 
