The musical community of Austin is always ready to lend a hand when one of their own needs a little help, usually by way of a benefit show with an incredible line-up like the Monday night show at Antone’s benefitting Will Sexton who had a mild stroke in December. While he can still play guitar (he even played at the show), remembering songs (including his own) is still difficult and he’s been instructed to take things “a little slower.”
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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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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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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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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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Bringing together three great songwriters per episode, the Legends and Lyrics series from Song-Writers in the Round is a look at the talent behind some great songs and music paired with performances by each artist.
While the shows are being broadcast on PBS stations, the DVD releases are packed with great extras like bonus songs, full-length interviews with the musicians (only snippets are shown on the broadcast versions) and a spotlight on a new “rising star.”
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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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