Copper Fields‘ songs have powerful lyrics, a crisp and full sound, and a blend of voices that rise in harmony. There is a story told through both their lyrical content and their instrumentation, which is alt-Americana tastefully merged with indie rock and a splash of old soul. Your head and your heart are sure to be moved.
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Handsome, thoughtful, and well-spoken, Christian Lopez is less concerned with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle than with spending time back home with friends, family, and the old cars he and his dad like to tinker with.
At the same time, as interest in his multiple talents heats up, his fascination with discovering places, ideas, and music becomes stronger. Lopez has been stoking that fire for five years, since he began touring and learning how to turn a bunch of bar patrons into foot-stomping, cheering fans.
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MerleFest, the annual “traditional plus” festival in Wilkesboro, NC, is proud to announce new artist additions for MerleFest 2019: Brandi Carlile, Dailey & Vincent, and The Brother Brothers. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, April 25-28.
Brandi Carlile: GRAMMY-nominated Brandi Carlile is currently celebrating her breakthrough new album, By The Way, I Forgive You, which debuted earlier this year at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart, Rock Albums chart and Americana/Folk Albums chart and Number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart—a career high for the Seattle-based group. Produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, the album continues to receive overwhelming acclaim, including recent “Best Albums of 2018” coverage at Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, NPR Music and more.
Most recently, Carlile joined forces with Sam Smith on a new duet version of “Party Of One.” Recorded at L.A.’s Capitol Studios, a portion of the profits from this recording will be donated to Children in Conflict via Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation as part of its ongoing campaign to raise $1 million for children impacted by war.
Beloved by fans and critics alike, Carlile has performed sold-out concerts across the world and has appeared on various TV shows including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Conan and CBS This Morning. Carlile will perform on Saturday evening at MerleFest.
Dailey & Vincent: Grand Ole Opry Members, five-time GRAMMY award winners individually, three-time GRAMMY award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. Now on Season 3 of their nationally broadcast television series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show on RFD-TV,” Dailey & Vincent bring their music to a national audience on a weekly basis. After a decade spent performing together and with over 1,000 airings of their PBS special “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert,” their concoction of fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American Music gold. Their most recent live CD, Dailey & Vincent ALIVE, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks. Dailey & Vincent will appear on Thursday at MerleFest.
The Brother Brothers: The Brother Brothers are Adam and David Moss, identical twins carrying on the folk tradition for a new generation. Using minimal instrumentation, heartfelt lyricism, and harmonies so natural they seem to blend into one beautiful voice, the siblings draw on the energy and creativity of Brooklyn, New York for their full-length debut album, Some People I Know. The Brother Brothers will make their MerleFest debut on Saturday.
“For over 30 years, one of the major factors that has built and sustained MerleFest has been the quality of the artists and performances that our guests see over the 4 day festival,” says Ted Hagaman, festival director. “People truly feel that the festival is a great value and that is why music fans and families return year after year. We feel that the 2019 lineup again reflects the diversity and quality of performers and we look forward to another successful festival in April.”
The three artists announced today join over 75 artists announced last month via Rolling Stone Country. Headliners include Wynonna & The Big Noise, Keb’ Mo’, The Earls of Leicester, Sam Bush, Tyler Childers, and Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air Force. The Late Night Jam presented by The Bluegrass Situation will be hosted by Chatham County Line. In addition to the above mentioned artists, the following will be performing at MerleFest ‘19:
American Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes, Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Catfish Keith, Charles Welch, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum, Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jess Morgan, Jim Avett, Jim Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Junior Brown, Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile Twelve, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Molly Tuttle, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage, Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian, Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steve Poltz, T Michael Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Gibson Brothers, The Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann, Tony Williamson, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb Wilder, and Yarn.
Additional performers for MerleFest 2019 will be announced in the coming months. The lineup and performance schedule is accessible via MerleFest.org/lineup.
Tickets for next year’s festival, as well as the Late Night Jam, go on sale at 10 a.m. EST November 13, 2018, and may be purchased at MerleFest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a three-tiered pricing structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the extended early bird discount. Early Bird Tier 1 tickets may be purchased from November 13 to February 17, 2019; Early Bird Tier 2 tickets from February 18 to April 24. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival.
MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of “traditional plus” music, a unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel and blues, and expanded to include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.
Photo credit: Valia DeYoung
Today, we take a ride on the internet highway to Williamsburg, VA to listen to Scott Grim’s solo debut. The two-song “Hallelujah, Then,” released in October 2018, is a story about love, loss, and religion, and offers a stark contrast in styles from one song to the next.
Nashville-based bluegrass artist Sierra Hull announced her ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ tour on Friday, designed to give back to several communities across the midwest and south this holiday season.
Each of the four tour stops will be partnered with Toys for Tots and/or a local food bank, seeking to ease the stress of the holidays for the less fortunate. Each attending fan who donates an unwrapped toy, canned foods, or makes a monetary donation to the local food bank on-site will receive a free, signed poster for Hull’s Grammy-nominated latest release, Weighted Mind, while supplies last.
Together, with her band (Justin Moses, Kai Welch, Eddie Barbash, Ethan Jodziewicz, and Jamie Dick), Hull aims to bring Christmas joy to those attending the shows and those in need this December. Details on each tour stop are below:
Dec. 7 — Sheldon Concert Hall — St. Louis, MO
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary donations accepted for St. Louis Area Foodbank)
Dec. 8 — Franklin Theatre — Franklin, TN
(Toys for Tots, canned food, and monetary donations accepted for Second Harvest Food Bank)
Dec. 20 — Tangled String Studios — Huntsville, AL
(Monetary donations accepted for Food Bank of North Alabama)
Dec. 21 — Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts — Franklin, NC
(Toys for Tots, monetary donations accepted for Macon County Care Net)
For tickets and more information, please visit sierrahull.com/. For toy donation specifics, please visit the Toys for Tots website.
Sometimes, the chase doesn’t always lead us where we would prefer.
Asheville, NC-based bluegrass band Town Mountain have released “New Freedom Blues,” their critically-acclaimed sixth studio album produced at renowned Echo Mountain Studios in their hometown.
Photo credit: Under the Oak
I’m taking us down the turnpike to the Philly area for this week’s look into the indie music scene.
Noted bluegrass group Town Mountain unveils “Down Low” featuring Tyler Childers, the third single from their forthcoming record. A few years ago, banjo player Jesse Langlais and Childers teamed up to write what would become the closing cut for their forthcoming record, New Freedom Blues. “To me, ‘Down Low’ has a Waylon vibe, which is a damn good vibe to have,” Langlais says. “My favorite line in the song, which was a Tyler line, is, ‘I’ve been getting into meanness on the dark end of the street.’ Ahh, that’s downright lonesome.” The track is available today on Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Set for release on October 26, 2018, New Freedom Blues and Town Mountain’s upbeat, live performances have been praised by outlets like the Bluegrass Situation, SiriusXM, No Depression, American Songwriter, and Rolling Stone, who recently named the group an Artist You Need to Know. Town Mountain will appear at IBMA and continue on a Southeast tour throughout November, proceeding a December tour with Tyler Childers (full dates below).
New Freedom Blues was recorded at Asheville’s iconic Echo Mountain Studios with producer Caleb Klauder; the 11 tracks that comprise the album span the sum total of the band’s eclectic influences, from traditional bluegrass to roots pop to hardscrabble honky tonk. The album also marks the first time the band brought a drummer – Sturgill Simpson collaborator Miles Miller – into the studio.
Town Mountain is Langlais, Barker, vocalist/guitarist Robert Greer, fiddle player Bobby Britt, and bassist Zach Smith. Since releasing their debut album Original Bluegrass and Roots Country in 2007, Town Mountain have made a name for themselves in bluegrass and roots circuits and have amassed a sizable catalog of original songs. They’ve toured with a who’s who of like-minded artists, including Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys, the Del McCoury Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many others. Southern Crescent debuted at number four on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart, and held strong in the Americana Music Association’s Radio Chart Top Forty for 10 weeks. In 2016, Town Mountain made their Grand Ole Opry debut, performing both at the Opry House and at the famed Ryman Auditorium.
GRAMMY winner, producer, and musician Buddy Miller said, “Town Mountain aren’t out to reinvent the wheel, they’re like a new set of the finest tires that gives you a new ride. There’s no fat, no gratuitous notes, no extra stuff, just amazing songs, singing and playing from one of the best bands out there… or maybe they are the new wheel.”
Listen to “Down Low” on Spotify below!
The Infamous Stringdusters are one of the best bluegrass acts around today. Hot off their Grammy win for their latest studio album, “Laws Of Gravity,” the band has been touring the country to support the album.
On Friday night, the quintet made their first stop in Bethlehem, headlining the Southside Arts & Music Festival wristband stages.