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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The crowned queen of Telluride, Ms. Emmylou Harris, took the stage for the fourth time in as many days for her own set on the final night of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
With her band, the Red Dirt Boys, she ran through an hour and ten minutes of music, focusing on material from her “brunette days” and from her latest album, All I Intended to Be.
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Without the Sugarcanes, Elvis Costello fits only slightly better at a bluegrass festival than David Byrne. But adding Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan and Jim Lauderdale ups his bluegrass street-cred exponentially.
Promoting his new album, Secrets, Profane and Sugarcane he played the main stage in Town Park on Friday evening in what he dubbed the “cathedral of mountains.”
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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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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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It’s that time of year again, the 51st Grammy awards are tonight and final rehearsals are underway.
Here’s a partial list of the nominees and our predictions for the winners.
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