Posts Tagged ‘Rough and Ready Heart’

Weekly Roundup: NewSong Artist News 1/14-1/20

Monday, January 14th, 2019

Happy New Year everyone!

After a somewhat relaxing holiday break, we’re rested up and super excited to help keep you up-to-date on all the great shows, releases and collaborations that are in store this year for the ever-growing and talented community of NewSong artists. 

These performing songwriters live and perform across the continent and beyond, and their work spans multiple genres. To keep track of it all, we’ve put together a list of shows, album releases and other happenings that we think you should be paying attention to this week.

 

1. 2018 NewSong grand prize winner mel bryant to perform at Sundance ASCAP Music Cafe

Big congrats to Mel Bryant for her grand prize win this past December at the NewSong Music Competition finals. As part of her prize, Mel will travel to Park City, Utah to showcase in the Sundance Film Festival’s esteemed Sundance ASCAP Music Café on Thursday, January 31 and Friday, February 1. Other performers at the ASCAP Music Cafe this year will include Patty Griffin, Lee Ann Womack, and others in an incredible lineup of both accomplished and up-and-coming songwriters. 

We’ll be doing a ‘Facebook Live’ webcast of her two performances from our Facebook page. Both shows begin at 2 PM MST / 4 PM EST.

RSVP for the Facebook Live webcast here.

See the full lineup and schedule of the ASCAP Music Café

 

2. Blue Yonder’s ‘Rough and Ready Heart’ places in No Depression‘s year-end Critic’s Poll

Blue Yonder’s 2018 album Rough and Ready Heart (NewSong Recordings) has received many accolades since its early June release, and was recently counted among the No Depression critics’ ‘favorite roots music albums of the 2018.’ Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, Rough and Ready Heart introduces listeners to characters dealing with life and death, love and loss, memories and aspirations – with stories set to a pleasing arc of Americana styles ranging from barn-burning rockers to gentle waltzes to mournful ballads to inspirational anthems. 

The Charleston, West Virginia-based band was in great company among the other artists included in the year-end poll. We encourage you to check out the full list and catch up on some great listening!

Read full list of ND critics picks here

Stream album on Spotify

Purchase album on 180g vinyl, CD or download

 

 

3. Critics call Rachael Kilgour “Folk Music’s Next Big Thing” // vinyl pre-order for “game changer” available Feb. 1

 

Rachael Kilgour’s latest album Game Changer will be released on February 1 on NewSong Recordings, and is now available for pre-order on 180g vinyl, CD and digital download

Leading up to the release, the Duluth, MN songwriter is garnering praise from critics across the country, including a recent feature in Rolling Stone for the EP’s first single, “Holy Are We.”

“Kilgour’s unapologetic lyrics are a real treat.” – Rolling Stone

“Master crafted indie-folk.” – Billboard

For more information on the pre-order, join the album release event on Facebook and visit the Rachael’s website.

 

 

4.OUR FIRST ‘NEWSONG IN NASHVILLE’ SHOWCASE SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 7, featuring finalists from the 2018 NewSong Present: LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter competition.

Mark your calendars, Nashville music fans! Join us at the first ever ‘NewSong in Nashville’ performance showcase with recent NewSong alums My One and OnlyCarly TaichAlexa Rose; and Beth Snapp at the Listening Room in Nashville on Thursday, March 7, for a night of stellar songwriting and performances. 

In the meantime, check out the artists’ music by clicking their names above.

RSVP to Facebook Event

Five Questions with Blue Yonder on the band’s new full-length album ‘Rough and Ready Heart’

Friday, June 8th, 2018

 

Blue Yonder’s ‘Rough and Ready Heart’ is out June 9, 2018.

 

Charleston, West Virginia-based trio Blue Yonder—John Lilly (vocals/songwriter, rhythm guitar), Robert Shafer (electric guitar), and Will Carter (acoustic bass, harmony vocals)—are set to release their second full-length album, Rough and Ready Heart, on NewSong Recordings June 8.

The album, which is comprised of 12 original songs, offers a range of Americana—honky-tonk to swing, rockabilly to bluegrass. Carter says the band strove to record songs that called on the “unifying power of country, folk, blues, and swing music, to speak honestly about many of the trials and triumphs that give life meaning.”

The West Virginia band has shows scheduled up and down the east coast, from Asheville, NC to Nova Scotia. “As a band that has honed it sound close to home, we’re looking forward to finally bringing our sound to new audiences over the next several months,” says Carter.

We spoke with bassist Will Carter to learn more about the band, the new album, and the inspiration behind it. 

1. How would you describe your sound on this new album? Is there a story behind the name, Rough and Ready Heart?

The recording tells a series of stories about living, losing, and loving along life’s back road highways, set to a broad array of Americana musical traditions — country, folk, blues, and swing. Though the most of the characters featured in these stories are dealing with more trials than triumphs, the toe-tapping music and thoughtful lyrics convey more of a sense of dignity than despair, and an openness to future positive possibilities. “Rough & Ready Heart” is the song that speaks most explicitly to that get-back-on-the-horse again spirit of engaging with whatever life throws at the characters featured in our songs.

2. Could you speak to your experience recording the album at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC?

Having a great team made it a wonderful experience. It all started with our producer Gar, who did everything from help us choose the songs to coordinate the studio sessions to arrange for lodging. And it was so helpful having Clay work the board — he had an great combination of technical proficiency and easy-going laid back, eager-to-please mood. Having Tony Creasman on drums in the studio, who has played with so many big names in Nashville over the years, was such a treat — a really nice guy, and probably the best drummer I will ever have the privilege to play with. And, of course, working with Russ Hicks is amazing — we cover a lot of stylistic ground on the recording and he nailed every piece. It’s easy to understand why he was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame back in 2011.

 

Could you share a bit of the band’s history? How did you find one another? How long have you been playing together?

After decades playing and producing primarily instrumental music (bluegrass, old time, celtic, and jazz), I started appreciating great songwriting around the time John Lilly a touring singer-songwriter who had landed in the same town I did, won a couple of national songwriting awards. I noticed that John tended to play solo, so in 2012 offered to join John on bass for some shows.  When that went well, I suggested that we invite another national award-winning local musician, guitarist Robert Shafer, to join us for some gigs. When Mountain Stage host Larry Groce heard the group was playing together, he quickly booked the band for a Mountain Stage performance in early 2013 and was generous enough to offer a complimentary introduction featured on the band’s debut Bittersweet Road recording later that year — recorded in Robert’s living room. To prepare for that first Mountain Stage show, Blue Yonder hosted a couple months of weekly shows at Bluegrass Kitchen, a local Charleston restaurant. Five years later, Blue Yonder still plays every Tuesday night at Bluegrass Kitchen, and chose to dedicate their second recording to the people and scene that has become such an important part of the band’s life.

4. Are there any particular songs you are especially excited about?

We’re mostly excited about the whole package. It brings together a range of emotions, experiences, and musical sensibilities into a coherent whole that features the diverse but complimentary musical traditions of singer-songwriter John Lilly, hot-shot guitar player Robert Shafer, and a contra dance band bass player [Will Carter]. Based on early responses, it seems that “Rough & Ready Heart,” “Windswept,” “Jeannie,” and “You Can’t Get There From Here” are going to be especially appreciated by listeners, but “Standing by the Side of the Road” and “Lost In Yesterday” probably capture best the combination of road trip and heartache that informs so much of Americana music.

5. What do you want fans to know about this release?

That it shows how three middle age white guys with diverse backgrounds can combine to tell meaningful stories that people of all ages and backgrounds can relate to, thanks in part to the unifying power of country, folk, blues, and swing music, to speak honestly about many of the trials and triumphs that give life meaning.

 

BLUE YONDER TOUR DATES

July 6 – Isis Restaurant & Music Hall – Asheville, NC

July 13 – Red Wings Roots Festival – Mount Solon, VA

August 8 – Davis Park – Charleston, WV

August 11 – Myles Center for the Arts – Elkins, WV

August 16 – Queen’s Place Emera Centre – Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Blue Yonder Releases Second Full-Length Studio Album Rough And Ready Heart Out June 8 On NewSong Recordings

Thursday, June 7th, 2018
 

Blue Yonder’s ‘Rough and Ready Heart’ is out June 8, 2018.

 
 
“A mix of virtuoso musicianship and original songwriting that plays as well in a hipster coffeehouse as it does in a small town concert hall.” –Larry Groce, Mountain Stage
 
“Blue Yonder is a serious West Virginia treasure.” –Vince Herman, Leftover Salmon
 
“An uncommon combination of toe-tapping, foot-stomping, and cry-in-your-beer fun….”—Live In Charleston WV
 
Charleston, West Virginia-based trio Blue Yonder—John Lilly (vocals/songwriter, rhythm guitar), Robert Shafer (electric guitar), and Will Carter (acoustic bass, harmony vocals)—are set to release their second full-length album, Rough and Ready Heart, on NewSong Recordings June 8. The album was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC. It was produced by NewSong founder Gar Ragland .
 
The seasoned trio was joined by guest musicians Russ Hicks (pedal steel guitar) and Tony Creasman (drums/percussion) for the album, which is comprised of 12 original songs. Offering a range of Americana—honky-tonk to swing, rockabilly to bluegrass—the album’s songs range from barn-burning rockers to gentle waltzes to mournful ballads to inspirational anthems.
 

 
 
Featuring three musicians with distinctive and notable skills; award-winning songwriter John Lilly; two-time flat picking champion guitarist Robert Shafer; and bassist Will Carter, who has played with numerous bluegrass and old-time bands and is the founder of the “Clifftop” festival, an annual global summit of old-time musicians in West Virginia.
 
With universal themes about “living, loving, losing along life’s back roads and highways,” says John Lilly, the trio’s vocalist and songwriter. “Our songs tell stories that anyone who’s been in relationships or set out on a road trip can relate to, no matter where they come from.”
 
Best known for their memorable original songs, virtuoso musicianship and feel-good stage presence, every Tuesday evening since 2013, the band has given people in Charleston, WV, a venue for a soul-cleansing way to connect with themselves and each other. “The stories we tell take me out of my specific situation and connect me, through shared experiences and emotions, with everyone in the room,” offers Will Carter.
 
Of Lilly’s many songwriting styles, Robert Shafer, notes “with Blue Yonder I can stretch out more than I can with most bands.” One of few to win the prestigious Winfield Walnut Valley national flat-picking contest more than once, he is also known as a “spectacular rockabilly guitarist who also brings swing and bop influences to his playing” (Washington Post).
 
Bassist Will Carter says that for him “an evening with Blue Yonder is like telling tales around a campfire—the stories we tell take me out of my specific situation and connect me, through shared experiences and emotions, with everyone in the room.”
 
The band’s debut, Bittersweet Road, reached #2 on the Freeform American Roots radio chart in 2013.
 
BLUE YONDER TOUR DATES
July 6 – Isis Restaurant & Music Hall – Asheville, NC
July 13 – Red Wings Roots Festival – Mount Solon, VA
August 8 – Davis Park – Charleston, WV
August 11 – MOUNTAIN STAGE: Myles Center for the Arts – Elkins, WV
August 16 – Queen’s Place Emera Centre – Liverpool, Nova Scotia
 
Rough and Ready Heart Tracklisting:

1. Standing by the Side of the Road
2. Rough and Ready Heart
3. Lost In Yesterday
4. I Dream of Jeanie
5. Lonely Hour
6. Well-Acquainted with the Blues 
7. Memories and Moonlight
8. Emerald Eyes
9. Windswept
10. Tombstone Charlie
11. You Can’t Get There From Here
12. Green Light

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For more information, please contact Lellie Capwell at Lellie@lpc-media.com or 818.384.1180