060414

Still On the Hill - Cedar Song - Once A River: Story Songs About The Beaver Lake Watershed - www.stillonthehill.com/
Emily Smith - The Sower's Song - Echoes - White Fall Records www.emilysmith.org/
Carlene Carter - Tall Lover Man - Carter Girl - Rounder Records www.carlenecarter.net/


Arthur Johnstone - Scots Wha Hae - For Freedom Alone: The Wars of Independence - Greentrax Recordings www.greentrax.com/
Iain Anderson - The Declaration Of Arbroath (spoken word) - For Freedom Alone: The Wars of Independence - Greentrax Recordings www.greentrax.com/
Kathy Kallick - Persephone's Dream - Cut To The Chase - Live Oak Records www.kathykallick.com/
The Falls - Girl That I Love - Into The Fire - Verve Records www.musicfromthefalls.com/
Ben Bedford - Mother Jones On The Line - land of the shadows - Hopeful Sky Records www.benbedford.com/


Still On the Hill - The Bluff Church - Once A River: Story Songs About The Beaver Lake Watershed - stillonthehill.com/
Emily Smith - Clerk Saunders - Echoes - White Fall Records www.emilysmith.org/
Carlene Carter w. Kris Kristofferson - Black Jack David - Carter Girl - Rounder Records www.carlenecarter.net/


Robin Laing - Bruce At Bannockburn - For Freedom Alone: The Wars of Independence - Greentrax Recordings www.robinlaing.com/
Kathy Kallick - Franco's Spain - Cut To The Chase - Live Oak Records www.kathykallick.com/
The Falls - Hey - Into The Fire - Verve Records www.musicfromthefalls.com/
Ben Bedford - Fisher's Hill - land of the shadows - Hopeful Sky Records www.benbedford.com/
Still On the Hill - Legend Of White River Red - Once A River: Story Songs About The Beaver Lake Watershed - stillonthehill.com/


Still On The Hill: Fayetteville, AR-based duo with previous considerable success in bringing places, events and people from the Ozarks alive in their songs on their 2011 release "OZARK a celebration in Song" which spawned a #1 spot on the national folk radio list, a documentary about the people and places in their songs which aired on PBS, and also the Governor's Folk Life Award. Now with the support of 4 water protection groups and the Arkansas Arts Council they turn their sights on the Beaver Lake Watershed with a batch of songs and an instrumental that amply display their instrumental mastery, songwriting prowess, and their ability to move genres from blue-grass/nu-grass, gospel, and Americana to a fabulous Hot Club de Paris-style song and all styles in the service of a story song! Magnificent!

Emily Smith: 5th solo release from this rightly celebrated Scottish singer/accordionist/pianist who combines a love of traditional song with well crafted songs of her own in the traditional style and well chosen selections from her contemporaries from both sides of the Atlantic. With appearances over the past several years with Transatlantic Celtic Connections, frequent appearances on television and festival stages around the world she has rubbed elbows with the world's musical elite and on this album she is joined by Jerry Douglas, Aoife O'Donovan, Kris Drever, Tim Edey, Natalie Haas and Rory Butler, in addition to her regular band members of Jamie McClennan on guitar, Matheu Watson on guitar, Signy Jakobsdottir on percussion, and Ross Hamilton on bass;

Carlene Carter: first new album in several years from this genuine American musical-royalty member (Maybelle was her Grandma, Johnny Cash was step-dad and June Carter Cash was her mom) who revisits the family treasury and polishes anew some of the old silver alongside some newly minted gems of her own, and some reworked originals, and brings along the production magic of Don Was and some vocal assistance from Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson and and one track featuring Helen Carter, Anita Carter, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash and the guitar of "Cowboy" Jack Clement thanks to the marvels of technology;

Arthur Johnston: a classic rendition of Burns' "Scots Wha Hae" kicks off this various artists CD marking the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, and subsequent battles over the years for independence, in song and spoken word to present a stirring collection of songs which also coincides with the Scottish Referendum for Independence vote which will take place on Sept 18th. The collection includes both contemporary songs from artists such as Alasdair Fraser, Ian Bruce, Robin Laing and Dick Gaughan's classic song of tolerance "Both Sides The Tweed", plus songs from non-Greentrax sources especially licensed for the release, and with informative historical notes in the accompanying CD booklet by Jim Paris;

Robin Laing: author, singer-songsmith and master story teller with 11 releases (4 of which deal with the serious subject of whiskey!) who regrettably has not performed in the US to my knowledge, but who plies his trade around the folk clubs and festivals of Europe and The UK like so many other excellent UK performers who are unable or unwilling to undergo the expensive, grueling and ultimately unpredictable process involved in obtaining a performance visa in Fortress America;

Kathy Kallick: 18th release from this well established bluegrass artist who periodically extends her creative mission and dips her toes into the Americana/folk end of the creative pool and produces albums of 'story songs' that are outside her bluegrass repertoire and into new and surprising compositional areas. With her longtime cohort of the Kathy Kallick Band ever in sync, she adds guest appearances from Good Old Persons alums Sally Van Meter and John Reischman and British ex-Any Trouble singer/songwriter and guitarist Clive Gregson who also co-writes 3 songs with her and adds his distinctive lead guitar. Other guests include the splendid Sylvia Herold and Paul Kotapish (Wake The Dead & Euphonia) and harpist Patrice Haan amongst others who combine to produce the instrumental dexterity to make the songs shimmer both instrumentally and lyrically;

The Falls: debut 6 track EP release from this Australian duo who relocated to the US in Feb 2014, attended SXSW and who have been touring ever since on the basis of their performance there.The EP features beautifully produced songs from the acoustic-pop end of the music spectrum with catchy melodies and hooks that quickly engage the listener. Featuring Simon Rudston Brown on vocals/guitar, and Melinda Kirwin on vocals they harken back stylistically to the harmony sounds of the 60s and 70s and I suspect their live performances of 2 voices and a guitar would invoke comparisons/memories of Seals & Crofts, Simon & Garfunkel;

Ben Bedford: a couple of songs from the second album from this gifted singer-songwriter from Illinois who writes story-songs that unfold before your eyes like an epic from the glory years of Hollywood; literate, insightful, and with a gift for melody, Bedford ploughs through the oft visited fields of literature, the daily news, and World and American history to bring us people and events that reveal themselves in close proximity before us - the homeless, the Confederate soldier's wife during the Civil War, Amelia Earhart, John The Baptist, the poet Vachel Lindsay, Jack London, the murder of Emmett Till, and the 1973 Pine Ridge standoff are some of people and events that populate his songs described by Chicago Tribune writer Eric Zorn as "American Portrait Writing". Ben Bedford will be in concert with Little Rock Folk Club on Sat Jun 7th 2014.

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