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 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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On the first glance, it’s perhaps a little too easy to feel initially disappointed by the collection of works that make up Motif: Writing by Ear. But, like most good things, it just requires a deeper look and a touch more patience.
While names like Buddy and Julie Miller, Scott Miller and Patty Griffin appear in the list of contributors, their pages are poems (read: lyrics). The real beauty of the work comes in the other stories – the ones we all can relate to in one way or another.
In the ambitious book, an anthology of writings about music, editor Marianne Worthington brings together essays, poems and short stories, both true and imagined.
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Taking the early evening set, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller (also known as Three Girls and their Buddy) swapped banter and songs for an hour and fifteen minutes.
Telling stories of Johnny and June, Buddy’s shoes and festivals past they each added harmonies and percussion to the others’ tunes.
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Nominations for the 8th Annual Americana Awards were announced last week and Buddy Miller seems to be the hands-down darling this year with a nomination in every category besides the “new & emerging artist.”
The award show, scheduled on Sept. 17 will be hosted by Jim Lauderdale and will feature a band led by, who else, Buddy Miller.
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After what seems like forever, the 36th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival is only a month away. And we’re so excited we can hardly stand it.
Honestly, we turn into giddy little children every time we think about it.
And why are we jumping up and down? It has a lot to do with the fact that there’s just nothing quite like the atmosphere in Telluride’s Town Park during the four days of the bluegrass festival.
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It’s that time of year again and the music portion of SXSW kicks off tomorrow.
Even without a badge, there’s loads of free or nearly free shows to enjoy if you’re in Austin this week. KGSR has shows at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, and the morning broadcast from the lobby of the Four Seasons.
Numerous artists are playing side shows around the city and there’s the annual Million Musician March for Peace on the 21st.
But, if you’re sitting out for this year’s festivities there’s still plenty to be excited about in the musical world.
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Five years since his last solo album and nearly a decade since their last full album of combined efforts (though they each contribute on the other’s solo work), Buddy and Julie Miller are past due for a new set of tunes.
Their newly released Written in Chalk skillfully blends the talented couple with a living-room full of their highly competent friends for a magical 12-song journey.
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