Shovels & Rope, “Birmingham”

Before they formed Shovels & Rope, Michael Trent and Carry Ann Hearst traveled the country separately, with Hearst peddling her country tunes as a solo act and Trent serving as guitarist and frontman of the Films. They crossed paths often, both on the road and at home in Charleston, South Carolina. Eventually, the two began writing songs together, striking up a business relationship that quickly led to something romantic. They recorded an album in 2008, released it under their own names later that year, and got married in early 2009. It took a little bit longer for the pair to give up their solo careers, though.

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Gary Clark Jr.: Red, White & Blues

Gary Clark Jr. has been on a fast track since the release of his major label debut, Blak & Blu.

He’s a hard guy to pin down, moving from city to city for concert dates like Austin City Limits Festival and Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit.

Finally on Election Day 2012, he’s in New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, to play three sold-out shows at Bowery Ballroom. The city is strained in the storm’s aftermath. “Driving in I could see … destruction,” Clark says on the phone from Brooklyn, where he’s added a last-minute relief benefit concert to support hurricane victims.

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Q&A: Robbie Crowell of Diamond Rugs

When music snobs hear the term “supergroup” nowadays, the usual reactions range from stern looks of disapproval or obligatory mild interest to extreme disappointment when the band doesn’t meet fan expectations. But Diamond Rugs doesn’t need to be labeled as a supergroup to inspire stern looks of disapproval, which is why these scraggly rockers are perceived as more of a party than a group, and possibly why their reception has been so warm. (Snobs at least know when to lower their standards so they can kick back and enjoy a good show.)

The wayward ambitions of band founders John McCauley (Deer Tick), Ian St. Pe (Black Lips) and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite) hardly could’ve been heeded as a solid foundation for the band’s realization, leaving Diamond Rugs as both will-o’-the-wisp and an accidental master stroke — the masters, in this case, being the aforementioned three, plus veteran Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick) and Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate). After blasting their primo debut LP (Diamond Rugs) all summer long and attending the Nashville stint of their successful supporting tour, the notion of evaluating Diamond Rugs from a band member’s point of view was appealing. Bassist Robbie Crowell offers his insight in an interview via email:

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Tift Merritt

We asked  Grammy-nominee, Americana Award winner and radio show host Tift Merritt about her Yep Roc debut Traveling Alone (which features guests Andrew Bird, Marc Ribot, and her “dream cast” of players), the art of songwriting and more.

Who are your songwriting heroes?

The usual suspects of singer-songwriters. Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Dan Penn, Tom Waits. Lucinda Williams. Carole King. But also other kinds of artists whose work sings – like Eudora Welty or Robert Frank, or Cormac McCarthy or Cy Twombly. People making their own way. I appreciate a sharp point of view and a sense of place and purpose.

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Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, “Still The Same”

He didn’t have the flashy looks and he didn’t call a lot of attention to himself, but there are few artists who can match the hot streak that Bob Seger had during the late 70’s and early 80’s. In a 12-year span from 1976-87, Seger and his Silver Bullet Band released five Top 10 albums and had 16 Top 40 singles.

The artistic pinnacle of that stunningly productive period is 1978’s Stranger In Town. Many of the songs on the album were borne from Seger’s heartland perspective on the excess he saw on the West Coast, from the cautionary tale at the heart of “Hollywood Nights” to the movie-inspired ballads “We’ve Got Tonight” and “The Famous Final Scene.”

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Full Album Stream: Esmé Patterson, All Princes, I

The members of Paper Bird, Denver’s most beloved seven-piece Americana collective, have started leaving the nest. Vocalist Esmé Patterson is the latest one to spread her wing for a solo flight. Although still a full-time member of Paper Bird (which also includes Paul DeHaven and Mark Anderson, who launched their own side-project, Eye & the Arrow, last Fall), she’ll release her debut solo album this week.

Taking a break from Paper Bird’s rootsy sound, Patterson looked to artists like Van Morrison and Feist to help influence her own songs on All Princes, I. The result is a warm, organic-sounding album that splits the difference between indie pop, folk-rock and coffeehouse jazz.

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Daily Discovery: Lane Abernathy, “Dusty Roses”

ARTIST: Lane Abernathy

SONG: “Dusty Roses”

BIRTHDATE: May 5th

BIRTHPLACE: Bell Buckle, TN

AMBITIONS: To die old and happy, finish the album of new songs I’m working on.

TURN-OFFS: Too much make-up, super high heels, ill-fitting clothes, lack of curiosity.

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Video Premiere: Bambi Lee Savage, “Nearly Gone”

Bambi Lee Savage has been one of the music industry’s best-kept secrets for nearly three decades. A Florida native, she played with a string of underground punk bands during the ‘80s before moving to Berlin, where she worked as an audio engineer on landmark albums like U2’s Achtung Baby and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ The Good Son.

Savage’s newest album, Darkness Overshadowed, finds her working with Mick Harvey, former member of the Bad Seeds and producer of PJ Harvey’s award-winning Let England Shake. Together, the two create a moody, nocturnal kind of Americana. Songs like “Nearly Gone” sound like the soundtrack for a late-night drive across an empty landscape, with nothing but your own haunted thoughts to keep you company.

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Corb Lund

Corb Lund describes the process of writing lyrics like this: “It’s like pulling individual hairs out of my head, one by one until I’m left with a mohawk, and the mohawk is the song. Very painful.” We talked to the Americana artist about his approach to his craft, his acclaimed album Cabin Fever, co-writing with Hayes Carll and more. We hope he didn’t pull any hairs out answering these questions, because this is one of our favorite Writer of the Week interviews in a long time.

Who are your songwriting heroes?

Marty Robbins. Kristofferson. The Queen guys. Neil Diamond. Lots of metal bands: Slayer, Entombed, Witchery. The contemporary guys I like are mostly all my friends. Hayes Carll, Evan Felker.

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Gregg Allman, “Midnight Rider”

Gregg Allman’s “Midnight Rider,” first recorded by the Allman Brothers Band on their second album,Idlewild South, in 1970, is the story of a man on the run – presumably from the law and on a horse – that has been recorded by numerous other artists. In three short verses, the song sums up what it must be like to be the outlaw who lives life a day at a time, moving from place to place, woman to woman, in a journey that never ends.

With “Midnight Rider,” Allman threw some paint on a canvas and handed brushes to the listeners, inviting them to use their own colors, their own imaginations, to complete the picture. Who is this “Midnight Rider?” What/who is he running from? Does he ever get caught, or does he elude his trackers to live to a ripe old age? Where some songs might be considered incomplete if these details were missing, “Midnight Rider” is a well-written classic about a faceless character that invites the listener in to make his or her own conclusions.

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