Sarah Siskind

Acclaimed songwriter Sarah Siskind will play at The Basement tonight April 1 at 6:30 PM in Nashville, Tenn. in conjunction with Tin Pan South.

Tin Pan South is a week long showcase of Nashville’s songwriter community. Several clubs throughout Nashville take part in the festivities  incuding, The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd & Lindsley, The Rutledge, Mercy Lounge and the Douglas Corner Cafe. Most of the venues will feature 2 shows each night with 4 or 5 songwriters on each show. The event runs through Tuesday April 1 through Saturday April 5.

Sarah Siskind’s music is not easily explained or contained. She’s a singer and songwriter based in Nashville and grounded in Appalachian roots, but one who transcends category with a beguiling fusion of the traditional and the modern. Whether solo, fronting an electric band or in her harmony-laden side project Old Black Kettle, Sarah creates emotionally charged soundscapes that consistently delight and surprise even her long-time fans.

Alison Krauss has championed Sarah and values her songs so highly that she’s recorded two of them, both of which became singles and videos that received widespread airplay. Bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien calls her a rare talent.

Not yet 30, Sarah has become a respected and acknowledged master of her craft in the crowded scene of Nashville. In the years to come, the wider world will come to know her as an artist of striking originality and emotional complexity. Sarah is currently working on a new album.

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The Kruger Brothers “The Suite”

Maybe I wasn’t paying that much attention to the PR material that had come my way or had been posted on the Internet. I was under the mistaken impression that “The Suite,” the new Kruger Brothers release, would be based on the group’s recent ventures with symphony orchestras.

Suite. Symphonies. Orchestras. Get where I may have been coming from?

Well, “The Suite,” recently released on the brothers’ own label, Double Time Music, is just the Kruger Brothers — Jens on banjo, Uwe on banjo and their longtime music collaborator, Joel Landsberg on bass. Saying “just the Kruger Brothers,” however, is a terrible injustice.

The Krugers are nothing short of magnificent, the classiest of acts as can be found on today’s bluegrass and acoustic scene. Their music defies description. Especially when one considers it’s made by a trio. The Krugers’ sound is both intense and tranquil, it’s classic, classy and classical, and it’s jazzy and grassy — all at the same time and packed into one CD or one of the brothers’ mesmerizing concerts.

“The Suite,” according to the sparse liner notes, came about in three consecutive nights of recording.

“We feel certain songs that we’ve written over the years compliment each other when connected seamlessly, even though some of them were written or recorded as individual pieces,” the trio states on the CD cover, adding an explanation that “The Suite” has been part of their concert program since December 2005. That may explain why such an awesome and virtually flawless project was tracked in three evenings in the studio.

Several of the songs on “The Suite” are no strangers to Kruger fans. Uwe revisits “Choices,” the brothers’ subtle and thought-provoking gospel message. Jens does a new take on “Shower,” a classical-like banjo tune that makes me want to jump up from my desk and look out the window for the approaching thunderstorm.

“Winterport” and “Roll Away,” two other vocals on the CD, are sea-themed melodies.

Jens Kruger very evidentally sees no limits to what can be produced on the native American five-string banjo. He’s as much of a pioneer to today’s banjo fans as Earl Scruggs was 60-some years ago.

“Premonitions I-IV” is nearly six-minutes of mostly unaccompanied banjo, written by Jens, that could have easily come from the pen of some 18th Century composer as a work for solo piano. The lovely piece is a testament that Jens Kruger very evidentally sees no limits to what can be produced on the native American five-string banjo. He’s as much of a pioneer to today’s banjo fans as Earl Scruggs was 60-some years ago.

And just when you think this CD is all about gently rolling seas, autumn leaves, all things of ethereal beauty, near the end is this rockin’ little tune called “Theme From Pacific Morning.” It starts out with some Chuck Berry-esque guitar and banjo, takes a hard right turn into a banjo breakdown, swings back to the old bluesy rock mode and finishes up with a syncopated, jazzy sound.

The CD’s finale puts a real stamp on what the Kruger Brothers really are. Like everything on this CD, the last song is one of their own tunes, “I Know Some Day,” a sweet melancholy song of parting that could have been written — and performed just as it’s performed on the CD — 100 years ago. It, perhaps, is the Krugers’ own “Happy Trails.”

The Krugers are from Switzerland, but now live in North Carolina. They have a real feel and love for American music of the past, as evidenced by many of the songs they’ve recorded through the years. “I Know Some Day” captures that feel.

“The Suite” joins the stack of Kruger recordings that strongly proves a point: Switzerland, America, North Carolina, it makes no difference where they reside. The Krugers’ music comes from deep inside places that few musicians ever reach.

A FOOTNOTE: At the outset, I mentioned the venture the Krugers are promoting with symphony orchestras across the country. The score, penned by the Krugers and entitled “Music From the Spring,” has been performed with the Bangor, Maine, Symphony. A DVD of the performance is in the mix-down process and will be available later this year.

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Oklahoma City, OK - March 31, 2008 — Vince Gill performed an intimate concert Thursday night for the “Back in Class” event at the site of his first stage performance, Cleveland Arts & Science Specialty School in Oklahoma City. This time, however, the country music star graced the stage to raise $100,000 to renovate the Oklahoma City public school’s auditorium, as well as receive the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year Award from Oklahoma Today magazine, the event sponsor. The concert was a far cry from his first effort when a seven-year-old Gill performed “House of the Rising Sun.”

“The real beauty of this event is that this is the first place I played guitar and sang in front of anybody of my whole life,” says Gill. “Even though it is nice to have a night to honor me, I’m coming home to do something for someone else and make it more than just about me.”

The auditorium—renamed Vince Gill Auditorium at a student assembly earlier in the day—provided just enough room on its stage to accommodate Gill, several guitars, speakers, and long-time Gill collaborator, keyboard player Pete Wasner. The venue was devoid of the glitz and glamour normally associated with a big headliner and instead was tenderly decorated in children’s artwork inspired by Gill and his music. The 1938-built school auditorium hosted a sold-out crowd of 228 concertgoers, each paying $495 per ticket with all proceeds going towards the auditorium renovation project. “When they told me the ticket charge, I nearly spit out my Ted’s Escondido (a well-known eatery in Oklahoma City and a Gill favorite) meal,” says Gill.

Gill thrived in the elementary school environment, turning out a two-hour performance showcasing his extraordinary storytelling talent through music and personal anecdotes. Gill allowed the crowd to guide his set by taking requests directly from audience shout outs, a gathering that included Governor Brad Henry, Barry and Becky Switzer, Gill’s mother, Jerene, and sister Gina. Gill’s perfectly pitched tenor rang out over the guitar and keyboard accompaniment, with each song sounding as flawless as one of his studio recordings.

The audience cheered as Gill performed some of his greatest hits, including “When I Call Your Name,” “I Never Knew Lonely,” and “Oklahoma Borderline,” as well as new song about Route 66 set on Oklahoma City’s 39th Expressway stretch of the Mother Road. Gill told engaging stories of his Oklahoma childhood between songs, moving the audience to tear-jerking laughter with tales of his unfortunate encounter with an Oklahoma City bus driver and adventuresome driving lessons with his father. In a particularly heartwarming moment, Amy Grant, Gill’s wife and Christian recording artist, performed two songs while seated on the first row with daughter Corrina fast asleep on her lap. “I think the concert was a wonderful experience that people will never forget,” said Joan Henderson, Oklahoma Today publisher. “I hope they understand why Vince Gill is Oklahoman of the Year.”

An awards ceremony kicked off the Back in Class event, featuring a proclamation from the Oklahoma City Public Schools honoring Gill, the presentation of the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year Award by Oklahoma Today magazine, and the official announcement of Vince Gill Day from Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.

“Oklahoma Today got it right when they named Vince Gill the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year,” said Governor Henry. “There is no one better that exemplifies the great characteristics of the state than Vince Gill.”

Gill was selected for his accomplishments in 2007, which included induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, nomination for his nineteenth Grammy award, and participation in writing and performing the Oklahoma Centennial anthem, “Oklahoma Rising.”

The ceremony also featured the presentation of $94,957 to Cleveland Elementary School principal Dr. Mary Coughlin and PTA president Virginia Holleman, who plan to use the money to renovate the auditorium by refurbishing the vintage wood folding chairs, staining the concrete floors, painting the walls, and adding new curtains, back-stage storage, audio equipment, and a lighting system. A silent auction held that evening raised nearly $5,000. “It would probably have taken us close to ten years to raise $100,000 without this event,” says Holleman. “It has been a dream come true, we’ve been pinching ourselves all day.”

Earlier in the day, Gill performed for Cleveland Elementary School students, where the country crooner was named this month’s Pick of the Litter, an honor bestowed on choice Cleveland Bulldogs. Here, Gill shined as he recounted E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web as his favorite children’s book and the trampoline as his favorite toy. He also was awarded a Pick of the Litter dog tag that he proudly wore around his neck during the evening concert. The assembly roared with excitement and energy as he sang What You Give Away with the student body and encouraged student Collin Holloway to perform guitar on stage with him. A favorite moment, as recalled by Oklahoma Today editor in chief Louisa McCune-Elmore, is when Gill encouraged the students to aim high, saying, “Dream big, you never know what will happen. I guarantee it.”

The impact of the event was summed up through poignant comments by Gill’s wife Amy Grant during the awards ceremony, who said while choking on tears, “I felt so swept up with the energy of the children singing today, encouraging kids is what really pushes Vince’s buttons.”

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Sierra Hull record release showcase at Edgehill Studios Cafe in Nashville, TN March 31, 2008. (L-R) Clay Hess, Sierra Hull and Ron Block. Photo by Travis Tackett.

Sierra Hull Showcase

Nashville, Tenn. — Bob Dieterlen and I attended a showcase with Sierra Hull in honor of her new record “Secrets” that is set for a May 6th release date. Ron Block who co-produced the project with Sierra contributed guitar, banjo and vocals along with Clay Hess on guitar and vocals and Aaron Ramsey on bass.

The new material we heard last night sounded fantastic. From last nights preview, Hull and Block have put together an album of some really strong songs. Running over the songs we got to listen to last night the title cut “Secrets” stood out as did “Smashville,” a Jim VanCleve penned instrumental, that puts Hull’s mandolin playing in overdrive.

Sierra Hull and Ron Block were both gracious enough to sit down and talk with us and we’ll have those interviews coming soon.

Clay Hess and Aaron Ramsey also play full time with Mountain Heart on guitar and mandolin respectively.

Craig Havighurst of String Theory Media shot video of the event last night so I expect that will be available online somewhere in the next month or so as well.

Donna Hughes in Georgia this weekend

Donna Hughes will be playing a pair of shows this coming weekend at “Swallow at the Hollow” in Roswell, GA. on April 4 & 5. Shows start at 10:00 PM both nights and tickets are $17.50. Donna will be performing along with Cory Batten and Mason Douglas. For more information visit www.theswallowatthehollow.com.

The Isaacs in Wilmington, OH this weekend

Classic Country Radio is proud to present an evening with world acclaimed gospel group, The Isaacs, this Saturday, April 5, at The Murphy Theatre in Wilmington. The concert begins at 7 p.m. All seats are reserved. For tickets and information, call The Murphy Theatre Box Office toll free at 1-877-274-3848.

The Isaacs have a unique style that fuses bluegrass harmonies and instrumentation with modern southern gospel lyrics. Current group members are Lily Isaacs - vocals, Ben Isaacs - vocals & upright Bass, Sonya Isaacs - vocals & mandolin, Rebecca Isaacs Bowman- vocals & guitar, Jesse Stockman - fiddle, Nathan Fauscett - drums, cajon, Troy Engle - banjo, guitar & fiddle.

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