Patty Griffin never expected to make a gospel record. In fact, she figured that “Wiggley Fingers” from her 1998 release Flaming Red effectively ruined any chance she might have had; after all she is a self-described “lapsed Catholic.”
But with Downtown Church, her new collection of spiritual standards (and a couple of originals) she proves she has the soul and the pipes to dabble in the music of Sunday morning services and stained glass windows like the ones in Nashville’s beautiful Downtown Presbyterian Church where she recorded the album.
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After spending more than a decade in Central America, Grant Peeples returned to the States to record his record Pawnshop, an alt-country album that he’s selling on the “trust system” which means listeners send him $15 after they receive their copy from his website.
He recently took a few minutes to answer some of our questions by email about his music and inspiration.
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When disaster strikes, the musicians of Austin are quick to respond with a benefit concert. For the people of Haiti that were devastated by the earthquake two weeks ago, Joe Ely and over twenty of his most talented friends joined together with some 2,000 music lovers for a ten hour marathon concert at the Austin Music Hall Sunday to raise money and show support.
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When Jessie Torrisi opens her mouth the sound that comes out is a sweet mixture of one part vintage torch singer, one part fierce rocker chick and a hidden dash of sensitive singer-songwriter.
The eight songs on her debut record, Brûler, Brûler (French for “burn, burn”) are like silver-lined clouds with tinges of hope within the longing raindrops.
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For the third annual Grounded in Music benefit concert, board member Patty Griffin asked friends Scott Miller and Jack Ingram to join her for an evening of tunes to support the local organization that brings musical instruments and instruction to kids at the Boys and Girls Club.
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“Are you with me?” is Scott Miller’s mantra and battle cry – a question posed to the audience multiple times over the course of any given evening, usually answered by a smattering of hushed giggles that eventually erupt into belly laughs as he continues his wisecracks.
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As music programs disappear from public education, Grounded in Music helps provide children from the Boys and Girls Club with the opportunity to discover their musical passion and develop their skills.
At the newly opened studio in South Austin, where kids have access to state-of-the-art tools like a “super-charged” Mac Pro with recording software and a comprehensive curriculum on the ins and outs of the industry, board member and headliner at this year’s GIM benefit concert Patty Griffin answered a few quick questions.
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After hundreds of hours listening to all types of new music from the last year, we’re pleased to bring you our “best of 2009″ list with some of our favorites and a few that slipped through the cracks in our radar but we love just the same.
Download our Best of 2009 iMix with our favorite track from each of these records.
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