You remember when your stoner-friend convinced you to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, saying it was a bluegrass band that jammed like jazzbos? That was a bum steer. But the same guy, if he hasn’t already done so, is getting ready to tell you about Railroad Earth. The New Jersey-based band’s gained significant traction during its decade’s long career, hitting festivals in Telluride and just about anywhere else patchouli and moonshine are scents lingering in the air. Read the rest of this entry »

On the new release by the Little Willies, the New York-based country music (!) group formed by Norah Jones (piano, vocals), Richard Julian (guitar, vocals), Jim Campilongo (guitar), Lee Alexander (bass) and Dan Rieser (drums), the group tackles a selection of old classics made famous by the likes of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and others.

Among the notable tracks is “Tommy Rockwood,” an instrumental by Campilongo that is the sole original tune on the disc. The tune is mostly guitar-oriented with a country-rock vibe, but there is a smart Norah Jones solo that proves that she does have the chops to back up the acclaim some jazz snobs say is undeserved. Also very good is the cover of Parton’s classic “Jolene,” played here more organically than the original. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Old Town School of Folk Music has been the stage for countless performances for its half-century existence, hosting concerts that run the gamut from Americana to folk-rock and world music and in the meantime giving lesser-known artists a chance to showcase their talents to appreciative audiences that might not be reached otherwise.

To celebrate this, the school is releasing a four-disc box set of recordings made during these shows—some made on the sound board and others captured during radio broadcasts. The full package includes as many as 127 songs that had to be individually cleared with each artist or their estates. Read the rest of this entry »

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Maybe the most incredible aspect of seeing bluegrass music performed live is the fact that stoners wrapped in tie-dye and crackers with rebel-flag patches sewn on their vests are there for the same thing. Each seeks a sort of instant solace from outside concerns, becoming immersed in frantic pacing of quick-step instrumental numbers and grooves from blues-based songs. Mandolin wrangler Sam Bush is the confluence of those people. He’d easily be mistaken for Phish’s guitarist, but sports a drawl gifted to him by an upbringing in Kentucky. Read the rest of this entry »

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Keeping his family close by employing his sons as musicians isn’t the only thing tying Del McCoury back to auld tyme traditions. The fact that the guitarist and banjo player first found wide acclaim, like so many other second-generation bluegrass players, in Bill Monroe’s group goes a long way. As a sort of bridge to New Grass, McCoury routinely made use of jazz-styled improvisational sections in his songs which frequently drew from forgotten, Appalachian songwriters. Read the rest of this entry »

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The number of people Jerry Douglas has played with is pretty much incalculable—although Del McCoury, a one-time compatriot, is set to perform at the Old Town School of Folk this week. Appearing on a steady stream of albums since the sixties, this Ohio-born dobro player has spent the better part of the last decade and change lending a hand to Alison Krauss in her backing group. The singer, who hails from Decatur, has counted innumerable accolades over time. And while Krauss’ vocals and acumen on fiddle are undeniable, the company she keeps isn’t too shabby either. Read the rest of this entry »

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Before ever having released an album sporting his name as the top-billed player, Ricky Skaggs had already performed alongside Ralph Stanley, Flatt and Scruggs, J.D. Crowe and Emmylou Harris. Spanning bluegrass’ history, Skaggs also had the fortune to live through the early rock era’s pinnacle. Drawing from fifties and sixties styled players wouldn’t really impact his performances until a bit later in his career, but perhaps it prodded Skaggs to take up electric guitar after having already mastered mandolin and fiddle. Armed with the ability to perform any instrument he’d need to include on an album, Skaggs set out as a band leader, jettisoning his ensemble Boone Creek, and issued 1979’s “Sweet Temptation.” Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Fionn Reilly

By Shaunacy Ferro

What do beatboxing, the Wizard of Oz and miming have in common? They’re all a part of an upcoming release from the Wiyos, an upstate New York band that is part bluegrass, part rock, part Americana, and entirely difficult to pin down. Currently comprised of Michael Farkas, Teddy Weber and Seth Travins, the band took its name from a late-nineteenth-century New York City street gang—but they sound anything but tough.

They describe themselves as “just a hardworking bunch of guys,” and it seems to have paid off. With four studio albums under their belt after eight years, they’ve been featured on “Folk America—Hollerers, Stompers and Old-Time Ramblers,” a BBC television documentary, and have opened for Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.

At its core, the band is a trio, but they are looking to expand into a quintet in the future and will probably be on tour as a five-piece band. They’re in what they describe as a transitional period—Farkas is now the only remaining member of the original band, and they have begun to move away from the old-time jug-band blues sound of New Orleans and Appalachian music that has been their mainstay and into a style all their own. Read the rest of this entry »

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Soul fans must have been scratching their heads when Brit singer Adele announced that she’d picked Amos Lee to be her supporting act during her American tour. What they missed is that Lee does have a strong soul connection in his music, though he bends genres like the best of them. Those in doubt should check out his latest release, “Mission Bell” (Blue Note). Alongside his more folky material (and duets with living legends Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams), many tunes flirt with Gospel and blues, such as the touching “Jesus” and the heartbreaking “Hello Again.”

Upon its release, Mission Bell zoomed to No. 1 on the Billboard charts—a feat that few folk singers can achieve these days. In the meantime, his music was featured in TV shows and an AT&T commercial, and some young artists have followed his lead and used some of his material as part of the “American Idol” contests. With the Adele tour coming up, be sure to catch this former schoolteacher before he becomes too big for the smaller venues he’s been appearing in lately. (Ernest Barteldes)

March 26 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 North Sheffield, (773)472-0449, 7:30pm. Sold out.

Quiet Life

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This Americana/folk band paid their dues in their native New London, Connecticut for several years, but recently they picked up and left for the West Coast. Led by vocalist Sean Spellman, their sound has very strong country tendencies with a rock edge. Think of them as an update on Crazy Horse with tight CSN & Y harmonies, which can be heard on tunes like “Downtown”—sort of a jaded look at New York City and “Young Girls,” a tune that goes even heavier on their country side. The band is rounded out by Ryan Spellman, Craig Rupert, Jeremy Bruno, Harris Pittman and—as their official Facebook page states—friends… whatever that might mean. They have a strong following via social networks, which they use to advertise gigs, post videos and invite fans to concerts. They are currently on a major national tour in support of Seattle-based The Moondoggies, another folk group with stronger rock ‘n’ roll tendencies. (Ernest Barteldes)

February 4 at The Hideout, 1354 West Wabansia, (773)227-4433, 10pm. $10.