Pieta Brown Duo Project With Lucie Thorne, Love Over Gold, Will Release Fall To Rise September 9, 2013
Pieta Brown will release her new duo album, Fall To Rise, with Australian singer-songwriter Lucie Thorne on September 9, 2013 via Little Secret Records. Pieta and Lucie first met during Pieta's Fall 2010 tour of Australia and have now teamed up under the moniker Love Over Gold for their debut recording together. The new record grew out of songwriting sessions in Pieta's native Iowa when Lucie stopped in to collaborate en route to a European tour in 2012. Coming from heavily different backgrounds, each artist's distinctive vocal stylings and poetic sensibilities are blended seamlessly on the ten-track record about which Pieta stated, "Making Fall To Rise pushed me artistically but above all it was really fun! I've sung with a lot of different people, but this is the first time I've been a part of trying to merge two voices into a singular sound. I'm especially proud of this kind of blatant tenderness in the one big sound we created... and that happened totally organically." Lucie Thorne, whose work has been short listed for the prestigious Australian Music Prize, awarded Album of The Year by the Sydney Morning Herald, and included on a Universal Records compilation alongside Leonard Cohen and Radiohead, proclaimed about their partnership, "From the very first song we worked on together it's felt like finding a songwriting soulmate."
Fall To Rise follows Pieta's acclaimed 2011 release, Mercury, which ranked #1 on Roots Music Report's (RMR) Top 100 Folk Albums of 2012, spent twenty consecutive weeks at #1 on RMR's Folk Radio Airplay Chart after it's release and remained in the top 5 for seven months overall. In addition to her work with Love Over Gold, Pieta Brown is also slated to release a new solo record featuring guest appearances by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Amos Lee in 2014.
James Cotton On NPR's World Cafe And House Of Blues Radio, Plus Cotton Mouth Man Tops Roots Music Report's Blues Radio Chart For 7 Consecutive Weeks
James Cotton will be featured on NPR's World Cafe on September 5, 2013. This marks Cotton's second NPR appearance in recent months, having also been featured on their flagship program, Weekend Edition, on May 11, 2013 with current CD collaborator Keb' Mo'. World Cafe, an institution for music discovery is heard on over 200 stations nationwide and features interviews and performances with celebrated artists across diverse genres. To check local listings for the broadcast featuring James Cotton please see World Cafe broadcast schedule.
Cotton was also recently featured on House of Blues' radio show, The BluesMobile, hosted by Elwood Blues (a.k.a Dan Akroyd) on June 15-16, 2013. The title track from his new record, Cotton Mouth Man, was chosen as Elwood's "Blues Breaker" song of the week. Produced by Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi), Cotton Mouth Man features high profile friends and mutual admirers including Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Rosebud artist and 2013 GRAMMY-nominee Ruthie Foster, Joe Bonamassa, Delbert McClinton and Keb' Mo'.
Cotton Mouth Man topped Roots Music Report's Blues Radio Chart for seven consecutive weeks (6/7/13 - 7/25/13) and, as of this writing, it has remained in the chart's top ten since its release on May 7, 2013. The CD has also topped the Living Blues Radio Chart for the past two months. The new album has continuously garnered rave reviews from major media outlets with features in Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune in addition to a Living Blues Magazine 10-page cover story. The Alternate Root Magazine recently proclaimed about the new release, "Mr. Cotton once again proves that besides being an A list harp man, he is also a force of nature. Cotton Mouth Man features James' high-compression blues harmonica-playing, weaving throughout his song tales that act as a living history of the Blues."
The Blind Boys Of Alabama's I'll Find A Way, Produced By Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Out October 1st - Plus Pitchfork Debuts New Single, "Every Grain of Sand"
The Blind Boys of Alabama are set to release I'll Find A Way on October 1, 2013 via Sony Masterworks. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver produced the album which was recorded at his rural Wisconsin April Base Studios (where he also recorded Bon Iver's 2012 Grammy-winning album, Bon Iver). I'll Find A Way features special guest appearances by the tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus, My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden, Patty Griffin, Sam Amidon, and Casey Dienel of White Hinterland. The album contains eleven songs hand-picked by Vernon and his band mate Phil Cook, that range from civil rights and traditional gospel anthems to a revamping of 2012's "I Am Not Waiting Anymore" by Field Report.
The album also features a cover of Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand" on which Vernon himself sings a duet with the Blind Boys' leader, Jimmy Carter. Pitchfork debuted the track on July 17. Vernon said about the soul-searching duet, "Jimmy and I are coming from such different places and yet we're singing about the same thing. There are two perspectives in that song and they're colliding." "It's not just singing," explained the 82 year old Carter about the new album. "We're bringing the message to the people and that message is the good news of God. We sing from the heart, and what comes from the heart reaches the heart. If you have any feeling in you, you will feel the Blind Boys." I'll Find A Way follows 2011's Take The High Road and marks the Blind Boy's ninth studio album of the twenty-first century. Originally formed in the late 1930s, in the last ten years alone they have won five Grammys, four Gospel Music Awards and multiple invitations to sing at the White House. The Blind Boys are currently gearing up for an international tour in support of their new record.
Trombone Shorty's Say That To Say This, Produced With Raphael Saadiq, Out September 10 Plus USA TODAY Debuts Brand New Single, "Fire & Brimstone"
Trombone Shorty's new album, Say That To Say This, is set for release on September 10 via Verve. The debut single from the album, "Fire & Brimstone", premiered exclusively on USATODAY.com on July 18. Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews) co-produced the 10-track CD with Grammy-nominated R&B virtuoso, Raphael Saadiq. The album also features Trombone Shorty performing with funk legends, the original Meters with Cyril Neville on "Be My Lady", marking The Meters' first studio recording together since 1977. "It's really funky, like James Brown funk mixed with New Orleans Meters and Neville Brothers mixed with what I do on top… And we have a bit of R&B from Raphael's side," said Andrews about the new record. Saadiq added, "If you're a producer or musician, you want to work with other great musicians because it only betters you… I was just honored to be a part of the project."
Say That To Say This follows Trombone Shorty's Grammy-nominated For True which spent twelve weeks at #1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart and garnered rave reviews from major news outlets including Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Billboard, USA TODAY, and NPR. Since For True's release, Andrews has performed at The White House and played on recent releases by everyone from Zac Brown to Rod Stewart to Eric Clapton and Cee Lo Green. He's appeared on the covers of Downbeat and Jazziz Magazines, as well as performed on Conan, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In May 2013, he took on the highly prestigious slot closing the entire New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (previously held for over two decades by The Neville Brothers). Andrews has also taken steps to help young students in his own community by creating and fostering a mentoring program at Tulane University via his Trombone Shorty Foundation.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue have confirmed a relentless tour schedule in support of the new album, including performances at the Newport Folk Festival, Outside Lands in San Francisco and New York's Central Park Summerstage, as well as dates with The Avett Brothers, Zac Brown Band and Grace Potter. To Catch Trombone Shorty Live, please see Tour Dates >>
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Allen Toussaint and Mavis Staples Among Artists Chosen For NPR's The Mix: Songs Inspired By The Civil Rights Movement
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples and John Lee Hooker (a Rosebud artist until his passing) all have songs featured on NPR's The Mix: Songs Inspired By The Civil Rights Movement, a special program commemorating 50 years since the national peak of the civil rights movement. NPR have selected 100 songs that either provided the musical backdrop to the protests and marches back in the Sixties or songs that drew direct inspiration from those pivotal years in the movement's history. NPR's mix of music from the height of the civil rights period through the five decades following, is available to stream online now. For the full playlist and to listen to the program, please visit NPR The Mix: Songs Inspired By The Civil Rights Movement.
The Blind Boys of Alabama appear on the NPR special with their version of the traditional song "Free At Last". They can also be heard on the songs "This May Be the Last Time" with Anthony Hamilton and on "We Shall Overcome" again with Anthony Hamilton plus Joss Stone, Mary Mary and John Legend - the latter song having been recorded for the soundtrack to the 2009 civil rights documentary film, Revolution (written and directed by Dan Sturman and, two-time Oscar winning documentary and feature film writer-producer-director, Bill Guttentag). The program's playlist also includes a version of Allen Toussaint's songs "Yes We Can Can" performed by The Pointer Sisters and "Hercules" performed by Aaron Neville. The song "The Motor City Is Burning" as recorded by John Lee Hooker. Mavis Staples sings "Down in Mississippi", "Eyes on the Prize" and the iconic protest anthem "We Shall Not Be Moved". Mavis also appears alongside her father, Pop Staples, and her sisters as The Staples Singers on four tracks. One of the four is the Staples Singers' classic "I'll Take You There". The group was a familiar sight during the peak of the movement given their rallying songs and close friendship with the Movement's voice, Martin Luther King, Jr.
In related news, both The Blind Boys of Alabama and Allen Toussaint have new releases due out this Fall. The Blind Boys of Alabama's new CD, I'll Find A Way, was produced by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and will feature other very special guests. It is set to be released on October 1st. Allen Toussaint's new CD and DVD, Songbook, which was recorded live over two nights at New York's Joe's Pub, is set for release on September 24 on Rounder Records. Mavis Staples released her latest CD One True Vine in June. One True Vine is the follow up to Mavis' 2010 Grammy winning CD, You Are Not Alone. The new CD has already garnered rave reviews worldwide and hit the Top 100 of Billboard's Pop charts in its first week of release.
Allen Toussaint's New Live Solo Album/DVD, Songbook, Out September 24, 2013
Allen Toussaint will release, Songbook, a live solo album and DVD on September 24, 2013 via Rounder Records. The album and accompanying DVD include a total of twenty-five songs recorded live over two Fall 2009 performances at Joe's Pub in New York City. The DVD also includes a twenty-five minute in-depth interview with Allen conducted by producer and longtime friend, Paul Siegel. The new album embodies a meaningful concert setting for Allen, as the celebrated venue became his home base for performing after being displaced from New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. Songbook follows Allen's 2010 Grammy-nominated album The Bright Mississippi.
Allen was recently featured at the Americana Music Association's announcement event for its upcoming festival and conference on September 18 - 22, 2013 in Nashville. The event featured performances by Tommy Malone (the Subdudes), Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock) and Alynda Lee Segarra (Hurray for the Riff Raff) at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans on June 26, 2013 with Allen highlighting the night with a special closing performance. Allen was previously honored by the Americana Music Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. To watch a stream of the event click here, and for more info on the event and the upcoming festival and conference click here.
Bill Frisell once again was named #1 Guitarist of the Year - his fifth win in a row in this category, totaling an impressive twelve overall wins in sixteen years. Bill was also recognized in the Best Jazz Artist of the Year category as well as appearing in the Best Jazz Album of the Year category for the live album Enfants Terribles which features Bill performing with Gary Peacock, Joey Baron and Lee Konitz.
Allen Toussaint was named in the Best Arranger category for the third consecutive year. Charlie Musselwhite was named among the year's Best Blues Artist or Group - an honor he previously received in 2011. Rosebud artists Duke Robillard and Marcia Ball were also among the top picks in the same category. Musselwhite's collaborative album with Ben Harper, Get Up!, also ranked in the top three for Best Blues Album of the Year. Jon Cleary joins Musselwhite in this category in recognition of his album Occapella. Bonnie Raitt's Slipstream album, which features Bill Frisell and a song composed by Loudon Wainwright III, was also recognized among the top ten Best Blues Albums of the Year.
Trombone Shorty scored mentions in four separate categories including a win in the Rising Star: Trombone category, the same category where he has ranked among the best for the past five consecutive years. The poll also names Trombone Shorty among the best in the Trombone overall category (ranked third), as well as garnering nods in the Rising Star: Jazz Artist category (for the fifth time since 2009) and Rising Star: Jazz Group with his band Orleans Avenue (for the second year in a row).
Meshell Ndegeocello ranked in the top ten for Best Electric Bass of the Year as well as being recognized again for Best Beyond Artist or Group, while The Dirty Dozen Brass Band's Roger Lewis was among the top vote getters in the Baritone Saxophone category. Meanwhile, Muddy Waters (a Rosebud artist until his passing) was named among the finalists for induction into the Veterans Committee Hall Of Fame as well as ranking as one of the top choices in the Best Historical Album of the Year for You Shook Me: The Chess Masters, Vol. 3, 1958 to 1963.
Other notable mentions in this year's poll includes many of Bill Frisell's frequent collaborators including: Jenny Scheinman (a member of Bill's current Big Sur Quintet and his previous 858 Quartet) who came in at number two for Best Violin and ranked high in two Rising Star categories, for Composer and Jazz Artist of the Year. Also appearing high in the polls are fellow Big Sur Quintet musicians Eyvind Kang - for Rising Star: Violin (ranked second) - and Rudy Royston - for Rising Star: Drums (ranked third) and and Hank Roberts on cello. Also appearing in the poll again this year is Bill's long-time producer and manager, Lee Townsend, who was named among the best in the Producer and Rising Star: Producer categories.
Congratulations to all the artists! Catch all the Rosebud artists performing live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>
Allen Toussaint To Be Awarded National Medal Of Arts By President Obama Adding To Year Of Major Recognition
Allen Toussaint was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Obama at the White House on July 10, 2013, with the First Lady also in attendance. In addition to Allen, this year's recipients are George Lucas, Herb Alpert, Renée Fleming, Lin Arison, Joan Myers Brown, Ernest Gaines, Ellsworth Kelly, Tony Kushner, Elaine May, Laurie Olin, and Washington Performing Arts Society. Below is Allen's award citation which was read at the ceremony:
"Allen Toussaint for his contributions as a composer, producer, and performer. Born and raised in New Orleans, Mr. Toussaint has built a legendary career alongside America's finest musicians, sustaining his city's rich tradition of rhythm and blues and lifting it to the national stage." (see The White House Press Release)
2013 alone has seen Allen feted with several prestigious honors as well as an all star tribute in his honor. In May 2013, Allen received an honorary doctorate degree of Fine Arts at Tulane University's commencement ceremony along with His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Dr. John and Natasha Tretheway, a Pulitzer Prize winner. In April 2013, "Tribute To Toussaint," a benefit concert and tribute to Allen was held in celebration of his 75th birthday as well as his legacy and influence as a songwriter, performer, and producer. Held during the New Orleans Jazz Festival week, Elvis Costello, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Joe Stampley, Cyril Neville, Deacon John, Joe Henry, Rosebud artists, Jon Cleary and Trombone Shorty and more performed at the tribute. Footage of the event is currently being edited for a PBS Special. Some of Allen's other milestone achievements include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Blues Hall of Fame, and Louisiana Music Hall of Fame; multiple Grammy nominations, and a Grammy Trustees Award. Watch for more info soon on Allen's new record coming this Fall.
Mavis Staples' One True Vine Debuts In Top 100 On The Billboard 200 Chart, And Mavis Featured On NPR's Talk Of The Nation
Mavis Staples' new album, One True Vine, debuted in the top 100 on the Billboard 200 top selling albums chart (for sales during the first week of its release). Produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and released June 25, 2013, the album has garnered rave reviews from key news outlets in the U.S. and internationally. Rolling Stone proclaimed, "One True Vine shows there isn't much the ex-Staple Singer can't make gorgeous and lived-in", and The Independent UK stated, "...Staples reprises the collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy that created 2010's hugely successful You Are Not Alone, with even more spectacular results." The Wall Street Journal said in its interview feature with Mavis, "Ms. Staples is moving with a confident stride. Through her continuing collaboration with producer Jeff Tweedy, ...she has found a fresh audience and a fresh sound".
Mavis was recently featured on NPR's flagship show, Talk of the Nation, on June 26, 2013. On the program, Mavis was interviewed about the things she learned from her reunion in the studio with Jeff Tweedy, how her new release reminds her of singing with her family, as well as the great influence of her father, Pops Staples, whose song "I Like The Things About Me" Mavis revisits on One True Vine. She also goes on to talk about her hopes to possibly make a country album, as well as a tribute to Bob Dylan.
