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On Christmas Island

Folks, there’s no glossing over it. The world has not been a gentle place of late. Any good faith attempt to follow and comprehend the news of the world is rewarded with some agonizing and depressing...

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Hank’s A Lot

From where I sat (at my new journalist super-station off stage right), Leon Russell was, physically speaking, in the background. Seven musicians filled the stage with bodies and energy and music. And...

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It’s A Band Thing

One of my favorite things to watch is our Music City A-Team musicians supporting an artist who’s new to them and who keeps them on their toes. Trumpet player and singer Joey Morant may have been...

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Going Over Down Under

Part 1The Tamworth Country Music Festival is distributed across dozens of diverse venues all over this town of 50,000 people, but the spinal column is Peel Street, named for the river that runs through...

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Rebels With A Cause

Is it rebellious to be rootsy? Well, kinda. Less so than a few years ago perhaps, before the internet truly blew up the major label system and Americana started finding new paths to success. Now the...

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Voices From Tamworth

A special edition of Connect: The Roots Radio Interview, Powered by Griffin TechnologyCraig Havighurst reports on the Tamworth Country Music Festival from Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.In the...

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Man Crush

Next week, Roots features two powerhouse female vocalists, but last night at the Loveless Barn it was raining men – men who can sing so powerfully they’d have all four judges’ chairs spinning around on...

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Stage Presence

For many musical artists, there are THREE ugly, inescapable truths of life: death, taxes and stage banter. Of course it’s a pleasure for many, but for others it’s their least favorite part of being on...

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In Your (Kid) Face

Did I give fair warning? I told you that Australia’s Henry Wagons cultivates audience participation. I mentioned that he might be somewhat interactive. A scenario I did NOT anticipate was any of our...

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Femmes Fatales

If there’s one thing in live music that people react to more than any other, it’s intensity. I’ve seen mediocre players and singers make huge audience connections by pushing their gifts to the limit...

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Oh Mamma

With a lineup that flowed as naturally as a mountain creek, bountiful and beautiful voices, two full horn sections, tons of new music from new albums and a tent revival climax, I’ll nominate last...

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No Fluke

Musical legends come in may shades of cool, from not at all to unapproachably awesome. And sometimes they come in cool shades, the way W.S. “Fluke” Holland did at Music City Roots this week. They were...

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Pumped Up Kicks

“Uncle” John Walker (my new nickname for our show’s co-founder) wore his Detroit Tigers cap Wednesday night in honor of the city that offered a musical education/upbringing to himself and his old pal...

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Flower Power

Things are warming up. On Tuesday evening I was at the ballpark basking in a perfect 70 degree night with a skim of pollen on my beer (you should try it – delicious). Then Wednesday, it’s a scorching...

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1972

“You have to hit all the bases,” said bandleader and broadcaster Joe Mullins from the stage on Wednesday night. He was talking about a bluegrass show, where you’d better sing about momma, murder,...

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Merlefest Moments

A friend once turned to me after a set at Merlefest and said “Ooh, I had a Merlefest Moment.” And I said, “Oh wow, you have those too?” It put a name on something that had been happening to me year...

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Surprises

Saxophonist and show-closer Jeff Coffin offered a very cool insight about jazz in our interview at Roots Wednesday night. The word improvisation, he said, comes from the Latin improvisio, which means...

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Big Bands (And One Little One)

Americana music is a minimalist art form, by and large. At its core is the lone songwriter with an acoustic guitar, and major heroes in our world know that their audiences won’t demand a full band on...

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Harmonicity

You have to salute a band that carries, loads and unloads a vintage xylophone to a show like ours to play on two songs just because it’s exactly the right sound. Our closing band Seryn brought one on...

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Striking

It looked for much of the day that we’d have a stormy night at the Loveless Barn, with all the muck and discouragement that entails, but the afternoon cleared up and by the 6 pm doors opening/chicken...

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