|
|
Crossover Touring November Update |
Hello everyone,
The day after Thanksgiving is an underrated day for live music, if you ask us. Sure, people talk about it as a great night to go out and catch up with old high school friends, but you know what's always involved somewhere? Some live music.
Sure, maybe it's a solo artist doing '90s covers in the corner, but somebody's probably playing something while you're reminiscing about Mrs. Jackson's 11th grade Chemistry class (she was so mean!).
While the mainstream culture prattles on about shopping on Black Friday, it seems like there's an opportunity for the live-music industry to marshal a campaign along the lines of, "Shop Early, Rock Out Late." Or maybe, "Spend Some Dough, Then See a Show." Feel free to workshop that.
In the meantime, it's definitely true that nothing makes a better present than a pair of killer concert tickets. Just make sure it's not too obvious you're really buying them for yourself...
Wishing you a gratitude-filled Thanksgiving,
CT |
• Last month we told you to get your nomination votes in, and this month we're here to say that Billy has again been nominated for Bluegrass Album of the Year, for "Highway Prayers." It's his eighth lifetime nomination, and a win would be his third. Not bad! After a run of sold-out shows that just finished up in Newark, NJ, Billy will have a bit of time off to play "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Thursday, Nov. 20, and then have some Thanksgiving time at home, before starting back up in Louisville with a pair of sold-out shows in the first week of December. In the meantime, he found time to visit with Howard Stern again; the version of "Escanaba" that Billy and the boys delivered was sublime.
• To kick off their fall run with roster-mates East Nash Grass, AJ Lee & Blue Summit released "Cover to Cover V1" last month, an EP that collects songs by five of their favorite songwriters. In the tradition of the best cover songs, they infuse each track with their own special flavor, reimagining them into something new and different. "Glendale Train," by John Dawson of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, runs almost 10 minutes long. "I'm a Believer" — recorded by the Monkees, but written by Neil Diamond — gets flipped onto its head, a slow and soulful crooner. Make sure to catch them on all sorts of festival stages in 2026, including the just-announced Floyd Fest (along with Coyote Island and Johnny Mullenax).
• Next year, Sam will add yet another accolade to his storied career: Member of the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame. September's Uncle Pen Fest in Bean Blossom, IN, will serve as the induction ceremony, which will also honor the late Phil Leadbetter, a multi-year winner of IBMA Dobro Player of the Year and Grammy nominee. Don't expect Sam to rest on his laurels, though, as he continues a robust touring schedule that keeps him young, picking back up at the Ryman in January.
• Sam's not the only one being inducted around here, though. Charlie Parr found himself being inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame last month, in their 18th annual ceremony. The Minnesota Blues Society recognized his lifelong commitment to Minnesota, from his birth in Austin, MN, to the beginnings of his career in Duluth and his championing of "Spider" John Koerner, who gifted Charlie his 12-string Gretsch before he died in 2024. Parr will be one state over at the Wisconsin Folk Fest in January while performing his annual residency at the Turf Club in St. Paul.
• Featuring artful production and instrumentation, and effortless vocal interplay, the Womack Sisters dropped a second single on Daptone last month with "If You Want Me." People throw around the word "timeless," but few artists embody the term the way the Womacks do, with a sound that's instantly familiar and still somehow completely fresh. The folks at the Old School Love festival in Santa Ana, CA, will get an introduction in March before they cross the pond for Cross the Tracks in London this coming May.
• Headlining that Old School Love festival will be Thee Sacred Souls, of course, and it will serve to launch their 2026, after a year in 2025 that saw them reach incredible new heights, finishing up with a set last weekend that had Glide Magazine gushing, "Their lush performance — with backup singers, a horn section, and an undeniable groove — stood out as one of the weekend’s most musically rich moments." There will be standout moments aplenty next year, we're sure, but there's one event coming up you data nerds might appreciate: Sometime in the first quarter, Thee Sacred Souls will become the first artist on our roster to crest one million followers on Spotify.
• Speaking of shows on Black Friday, Rebirth Brass Band will be laying it down at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle that night, part of their longest extended tour in recent memory, which started last week and takes them into March, criss-crossing the country, north, south, east, and west. Want to see what all the fuss is about? The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation just posted the full set from their Treme Creole Gumbo Fest last month and it's absolutely smoking. When all five horns in front get going together, watch out.
• Currently on the road hitting theaters with the Elovators, Coyote Island found time recently to team up with fellow Ineffable Records artist Viren Neel for "Glory," an island-folk tune that's warm and sultry, full of falsetto and hope. After finishing up their current run in December, they continue their "Shadow Magic" headlining run in the Northeast in January before a Midwest run just as spring rolls around.
• While the music media universe continues to shrink, there's one place where you can still find great music journalism: Guitar magazines! For instance, the Vivid Guitar newsletter just sat down with Scott Metzger of LaMP to talk about his practice regimen and approach to improvisation. You gotta love an artist of his caliber who's willing to say, "I'm still developing my sound!" And you gotta love this Berkeley B-Side write-up of LaMP's recent gig at the Cornerstone: "LaMP didn’t just deliver a show; they delivered an experience." They have a way of doing that. |
|
|
|
You received this email because we've been in touch about doing business in the last year. You can unsubscribe at any time. P.O. Box 305172, DEPT 162 Nashville, TN 37230-5172 USA |
|
|
|
