Chris and Oliver Wood are sons to Bill Wood, a former Boston folk revivalist who recorded several duets with Joan Baez in the 1950’s. Although he had turned to a career in microbiology before starting a family, Bill raised his sons on a healthy diet of campfire folk, 1960’s pop and Appalachian bluegrass. These sounds are echoed in The Wood Brothers’ second effort Loaded, which also incorporates the jazz and blues influences from the brothers’ solo careers. The album is a true family affair, dedicated to the memory of their late mother. Learn more in this edition of the Songlines podcast.
Brooklyn’s American Babies just released its first album, but the band is already being heralded as a supergroup by bloggers and Paste magazine due to the combined experience of the group’s core members. While brothers Tom and Jim Hamilton spent years with the Philadelphia jam band Brothers Past, the rhythm section is led by Joe Russo of the Benevento Russo Duo. Hear more in this edition of the Songlines podcast.
It took Tom Hamilton two years to write the song “American Babies,” which was one of the first he began for the project. He wrote it with the vision of getting as many friends as possible into the studio to record together. Good thing he has so many talented friends!
Australian trio the Waifs are back with their fifth studio effort, sundirtwater. They’ve gained more fans in the U.S. with each subsequent release and tour, and they’ll be back in the States in April and May. Check out the podcast and tour dates to find out more.
Mando Saenz was born in Mexico and raised in Texas, but for his second album, he elected to leave behind the sights and sounds of his home state, writing with a more pop-oriented approach, and working with co-collaborators including Kim Richey, Will Kimbrough, and Kenny Vaughn in his new Nashville digs. Check his music out in this edition of the Songlines podcast.
Friday November 09th 2007, 5:38 pm
Filed under: Americana
Posted by: Melanie
We’ve tallied up the votes from the Music Meeting at this year’s Americana Conference and we’re please to present them to you.
We played 14 songs from more than 700 submitted. Voters were asked to give each a score between 0 and 10.
Here’s how they stacked up:
ALL VOTERS
The Steeldrivers
8.05
“Blue Side of the Mountain”
Thad Cockrell
7.62
“A Country of My Own”
Kathleen Edwards
7.27
“I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory”
Eric Lindell
6.84
“Lay Back Down”
Cross Canadian Ragweed
6.7
“Smoke Another”
Marah
6.68
“Angels of Destruction”
Caroline Herring
6.63
“Paper Gown”
Drive-By Truckers
6.62
“Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife”
The Wrights
6.34
“A Love Like That”
Kathy Mattea
6.33
“Coal Tattoo”
The Waifs
6.23
“How Many Miles”
Gary Louris
5.71
“True Blue”
Mando Saenz
4.78
“Pocket of Red”
Shawn Mullins
4.59
“All In My Head”
RADIO ONLY
The Steeldrivers
8.57
“Blue Side of the Mountain”
Thad Cockrell
7.71
“A Country of My Own”
Drive-By Truckers
7.56
“Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife”
Kathleen Edwards
7.44
“I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory”
Cross Canadian Ragweed
7.33
“Smoke Another”
The Wrights
7
“A Love Like That”
Caroline Herring
6.89
“Paper Gown”
Eric Lindell
6.89
“Lay Back Down”
Kathy Mattea
6.86
“Coal Tattoo”
Marah
6.25
“Angels of Destruction”
Gary Louris
5.89
“True Blue”
The Waifs
5.8
“How Many Miles”
Mando Saenz
4.63
“Pocket of Red”
Shawn Mullins
3.33
“All In My Head”
Thanks to everyone who sent music for consideration. Our choices were, of course, subjective and meant to represent the wide color of sound and style that is Americana music.
We urge everyone to listen to all of these releases if they arrive in your world.
Thanks to everyone who came and participated and offered observations both humorous and insightful.
Blue Rodeo’s two lead singers, guitarists, and songwriters, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, have been playing music together for 30 years now, and officially formed Blue Rodeo in 1984. Impressively, though, Canada’s most popular roots rock act has only just released studio album #11, as they’ve taken healthy doses of time in between recordings to exercise their craft out on the road and to let the inspiration for songwriting flow to them, never forcing matters. Julia Clarke will tell you more about their latest effort, Small Miracles, in this edition of the Songlines podcast.
