Bon Iver was formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Their debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was released in 2007 and in 2012, Bon Iver was named Best New Artist at the Grammy© Awards and also took home the award for Best Alternative Album Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Their third album, 22, A Million, was released in 2016.
”For a long time I always had to go off on my own,” says Nathaniel Rateliff of his creative process. “For the first Night Sweats record, I demo’ed everything up and created most of the parts. But for this new record, I felt like we’d all spent so much time on the road that we should all go off somewhere together. We should have that experience together. I wanted the guys to feel like they were giving something to the project beyond just playing.”
in other words, the Missouri-bred, Denver-based frontman wanted to make the band disappear along with him—out in the middle of the desert at first, and then deep in the woods. The result is the aptly titled Tearing at the Seams, a vivacious and inventive full-band record, with significant contributions from all eight members of The Night Sweats. These songs are grounded in old-school soul and r&b but are far too urgent for the retro or revivalist tag. There are familiar elements of soul and garage rock, but also jazz and folk and even country: the crackling energy on opener “Shoe Boot,” the cathartic sing-along of “Coolin’ Out,” the melancholy folk of the closing title track. “The future of this band is to take everything we’ve ever done in the past and just do it with our own little twist,” says Rateliff. “I hear that in my favorite bands. They just sucked everything up.”
Like his heroes, Rateliff has always been an omnivorous listener and player. Growing up in Hermann, Missouri, a small town with a booming tourism industry as well as a rampant meth epidemic, he started his music career playing in his family’s band at church, but that came to a tragic end when his father was killed in a car accident. Music became an obsession for him and his friends. “We would walk around these deserted country roads and talk about music all the time, how it can change the world and how it could change our world,” recalls Night Sweats bassist Joseph Pope III. “Music was what we thought would save us.”
In 1998 Pope and Rateliff moved to Denver where they worked nightshifts at a bottle factory and a trucking company while testing out their songs at open-mic nights. Their first band, Born in the Flood, attracted some major-label interest, but the pair had moved on by then, gravitating from heavy rock toward a folksier sound. Rateliff released an album on Rounder Records with a backing band called The Wheel, but despite the critical success of that and subsequent albums, he was still trying to find the right sound, the right outlet for what he needed to say.
A set of rough demos recorded in the early 2010s and based on old Stax and Motown records pointed Rateliff in a new direction. “That old soul stuff meant a lot to him when we were young,” says Pope. “Of all the projects we had done and all the different genres we had played, this was the most natural thing I’d heard him do. It sounded like it came from a really deep place in him, but it took this really meandering path to come through.”
Those demos eventually developed into the band’s 2015 self-titled debut, which became a massive hit and pushed them out on the road for two long years. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats blasted their way through hundreds of shows in North America, England, Ireland, and Australia, and they played Coachella, Farm Aid, Newport Folk Festival, and the Monterey Pop Festival’s 50th Anniversary. The crowds grew larger with every show and The Night Sweats grew tighter and more vigorous.
In May 2017, they brought that same boundless energy to the opens plains and prickly cacti of Rodeo, New Mexico, where the entire band disappeared for a week to write songs for their follow-up. “We just did what we like to do best,” says Rateliff, “which is hang out and be a family.” They recorded a number of demos, some complete songs and others fragments or just ideas, but all were anchored by the preternaturally tight rhythm section of Pope and drummer Patrick Meese, then buoyed by the rambunctious keyboard runs from Mark Shusterman and the textural guitar riffs of Luke Mossman.
It was a sunny setting for emotionally overcast music. Together, The Night Sweats created a set of songs that comprise both an r&b party record and deeply personal confessional from Rateliff, who penned all the lyrics. The album recounts moments in the last few years of his life, some good and others not so much. “I remember finishing one song and just losing my shit and breaking down. These songs are so personal, but not everyone will get that. I get to leave little secrets in there for myself, so that everybody else gets to have their own individual interpretations of the songs.”
From New Mexico, The Night Sweats headed north to rural Oregon, specifically to the home studio of producer Richard Swift, who has helmed records for The Shins and Foxygen in addition to The Night Sweats’ debut. “He’s like a brother to me,” says Rateliff. “We hit it off during the last record. I feel like I get what Richard’s trying to do and he gets me. And his studio doesn’t really feel like a studio. It’s in this little building behind his house. That’s why I like it so much.”
In that tiny space The Night Sweats jammed hard, building off the demos they’d recorded in Rodeo. Often Swift would get dynamic takes without the band realizing he was even recording, which creates a loose, live sound on Tearing at the Seams. “Sometimes it just takes time for songs to reveal themselves to you,” says Rateliff. “You try not to get in the way of the songs and just let them be what they need to be or what everybody understands them to be.”
That’s how “Hey Mama” evolved from an acoustic guitar riff Rateliff devised in one of hundreds of green rooms the band has occupied pre-show into one of the catchiest songs on the album. He admits he wasn’t satisfied with his first stab at lyrics and melody, but “everybody in the band would walk around singing that melody and I’m like, Goddammit! I have to write a new melody! But if everybody’s singing it, it must be okay.”
The band took several cracks at “Intro,” a showstopper that opens the second side with a pretzel horn riff courtesy of tenor saxophonist Andreas Wild and trumpeter Scott Frock. A few measures later, Jeff Dazey unfurls a blazing alto sax solo. “We played that song live for a while,” says Rateliff. “It was a jam we came up with before we were really a band. We tried to record it so many different times in so many different places, but it never turned out the way we wanted it to sound. Finally, we just put it together at Richard’s one night. It was a drunken mess, but we got it.”
The album shows The Night Sweats tearing at their own seams, at their own sturdy sound, at their long-held definitions of friend and family and band. It’s an album that builds on the sound of their debut but dramatically redefines what they can do and where they can go next. Says Rateliff, “I want—and I need—everybody to feel like they’re a part of this band. I want them to feel like they’re contributing artistically and emotionally to the experience of writing and creating this music. We’ve all had to make sacrifices to be in The Night Sweats, and I want them all to know that it’s worth something.”
Steve Miller has been an enlivening presence on the American music scene for more than half a century. To begin with, he was a mainstay of the San Francisco music scene that upended American culture in the late ’60s. With albums like Children of the Future, Sailor and Brave New World, Miller perfected a psychedelic blues sound that drew on the deepest sources of American roots music and simultaneously articulated a compelling vision of what music – and, indeed, society – could be in the years to come.
Then, in the ’70s, Miller crafted a brand of pure pop that was smart, polished, exciting and irresistible – and that dominated radio in a way that few artists have ever managed. Hit followed hit in what seemed like an endless flow: “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner” and “Jungle Love,” among them. To this day, those songs are instantly recognizable when they stream on the radio – and impossible not to sing along with. Their hooks are the very definition of indelible.
Running through Miller’s distinctive catalog is a combination of virtuosity and song craft. And that’s no accident. His parents were jazz aficionados, not to mention close friends of Les Paul and Mary Ford, so, as a budding guitarist, Miller absorbed valuable lessons from that musical tradition. When the family moved to Texas, Miller deepened his education in the blues with family friend T-Bone Walker. Miller then moved to Chicago, where he played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Paul Butterfield. That range of sources informs his music to this day.
In recent years, Miller has fully immersed himself in the blues and its many byways. As he has always done, he continues to find creative outlets for the full panoply of his musical passions. On his successful tours with the Steve Miller Band, he complements the commercial peaks of his extensive catalog with lesser-known songs that expand his fans’ awareness of the range of his work. As a member of the Board of Directors at Jazz at Lincoln Center, he has curated and headlined shows that explore themes like the bridge from blues to jazz in the music of guitar great T-Bone Walker; the distinctive sounds of the blues triangle of Memphis, Texas and Chicago; the resonances between the singular musical creations of Ma Rainey and Miles Davis; and the deep American roots music of Appalachia. He is also a member of the visiting committee of the Department of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Indeed, five of his guitars will be displayed in “Play It Loud: The Instruments of Rock and Roll,” a groundbreaking exhibition at the Met that will run from April 8 through October 1 of this year.
In the course of his long, full career, Miller has sold tens of millions of records and his music has been streamed well over 2 billion times. With each listen the beauty and immediacy of his work, whether at its most playful or most serious, is palpable. As always, whether he was riding the top of the charts or traveling the endless blue highways of American music, you can hear him playing and singing with conviction and precision, passion and eloquence, making music that is at once immediately accessible, thrillingly alive in the present, and more than able to stand the test of time. – Anthony DeCurtis
MARTY STUART & HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES
Country legend and Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter and musician Marty Stuart, with his Fabulous Superlatives, honors country music with rollicking tunes that mesmerize. He has played alongside country’s biggest names from Johnny Cash to Lester Flatt (who discovered him years ago). Stuart’s aim is to share the legends’ wisdom, wit and music.
Stuart and his band recently won the award for “Duo/Group of the Year” at the Americana Music Association’s 16th Annual Americana Honors & Awards. Previous winners of this prestigious award include The Avett Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell. In 2005 the Americana Music Association awarded Marty Stuart with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance.
Marty Stuart is a five time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Americana Music Association, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician, and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band in the ’80s, and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the ’90s. Stuart hosts a Late Night Jam at The Ryman, a yearly tradition which kicks off the CMA Music Festival, with recent guests including Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neko Case, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Dan Auerbach and many more.
Trey Anastasio began his career as the guitarist and vocalist for the band Phish, and has won acclaim in the rock, classical and theatre circles. He has received GRAMMY® nominations for his recordings with Phish and for his solo work. Anastasio has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2013, he was nominated for a Tony Award and two Drama Desk Awards for the original score of the Broadway musical Hands on a Hardbody.
Since 1998, Trey Anastasio has toured and recorded with several musicians, commonly referred to as Trey Anastasio Band, or TAB for short. The lineup features drummer Russ Lawton, bassist Tony Markellis, and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, percussionist Cyro Baptista, augmented by a full horn section, including trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman, multi-instrumentalist James Casey, and longtime TAB trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick. In February 2019, TAB announced its first full-band headline performances in nearly two years.
Trey Anastasio began his career as the guitarist and vocalist for the band Phish, and has won acclaim in the rock, classical and theatre circles. He has received GRAMMY® nominations for his recordings with Phish and for his solo work. Anastasio has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2013, he was nominated for a Tony Award and two Drama Desk Awards for the original score of the Broadway musical Hands on a Hardbody.
Since 1998, Trey Anastasio has toured and recorded with several musicians, commonly referred to as Trey Anastasio Band, or TAB for short. The lineup features drummer Russ Lawton, bassist Tony Markellis, and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, percussionist Cyro Baptista, augmented by a full horn section, including trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman, multi-instrumentalist James Casey, and longtime TAB trumpeter/vocalist Jennifer Hartswick. In February 2019, TAB announced its first full-band headline performances in nearly two years.
With roots embedded in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and a sound unhinged in the capital of Texas, Shovelin Stone is a music almost as unique as the friendship it stems from. A shared passion for old-timey bluegrass is what brought Makenzie and Zak together, but it’s the unknowing joy for the moment and the obsession with the complications that life brings that continues to push the duo forward. Within heartfelt lyrics and a unique musical composition the folk sound that projects from these two is not only going to get the audience thinking but on their feet. The road is winding but one thing is for sure that with these two at the wheel it’s going to be a wild ride.
Ten Years Gone – A Tribute to Led Zeppelin brings all the sound, energy, and visuals to authentically re-create the amazingly memorable Led Zeppelin experience. Combining the best live performance and studio album sound, Ten Years Gone strives to give the classic rock fan the ultimate Tribute Show to one of the greatest rock bands there ever was. Faithful re-creations of stage setups, equipment, style, and sound brings the fan back to when the Hammer of the Gods was held by Led Zeppelin.
Hailing from Seattle, The Dip is an electrifying seven-piece ensemble that melds vintage rhythm and blues and modern pop with 60s soul, tapped by KEXP as “one of the most exciting and joyous acts to emerge in recent years”. The group quickly gained notoriety throughout the Pacific Northwest for their eminently danceable live shows that feature vocals from frontman Tom Eddy (Beat Connection), an effortlessly deep pocket, and the melodies of the “The Honeynut Horns”.
Hard-hitting but sensitive, The Dip harkens back to the deep soul roots of decades past while sounding undeniably relevant. The band’s 2015 self-titled debut, recorded to tape at Avast! Studios, propelled them to notable appearances at Sasquatch! Music Festival, High Sierra Music Fest, Summer Meltdown, and Capitol Hill Block Party and built anticipation for their 2016 release, Won’t Be Coming Back (EP). Now, the band prepares to arrive on the national stage with their second LP, The Dip Delivers. There’s a certain alchemy to The Dip that unites music fans of all ages and backgrounds and leaves everyone smiling ear to ear.
Kendall Street Company is:
– Louis Smith [Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals]
– Brian Roy [Basses, Vocals]
– Ryan Wood [Drums, Percussion]
– Ben “Peaches” Laderberg [Lead Guitar, Vocals]
– Jake Vanaman [Saxophone, Woodwinds]
– Andrew King [Keyboards, Vocals]
From late night jam sessions at the University of Virginia to the main stages of venues throughout the East Coast, the Company has broken out of the college bubble and into a world that loves to groove to a great live show. The band was founded in the early months of 2013 by frontman Louis Smith and original saxophonist Andrew Drehoff, who had both recently moved away from their homes in Virginia Beach to pursue their education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. There, they met the group of student musicians who would soon become known as KSC.
Kendall Street Company performs regularly along the East Coast, maintaining a central presence around the state of Virginia and their hometown, Charlottesville. While the Company’s music is influenced by a variety of musicians and styles, the group has been described as “psychedelic,” “alternative,” “jammy,” “rock,” and “indie”. Known for their immensely energetic and unpredictable live performances, it is not uncommon for guest performers to join the group on stage for extended jams. Fusing genres, they embrace mind-altering riffs as well as soulful and jazzy wit, while remaining true to their folksy songwriting roots. The Company evokes an ever-changing kaleidoscope of sound, spinning out an organic repertoire entirely their own. Their third album, the 17-track double-LP RemoteVision (2018), was recently hailed as a “rock masterpiece” by the Jamwich Magazine.
Born in Alabama. Bred in Nashville. Seasoned by the Road. Celebrated the world over. Come let your hair down with The Vegabonds.
Following three European tours, four full-length albums, and a tour schedule packed with more festivals and venues than ever before, The Vegabonds are forging into their second decade spreading the gospel of pure New South Rock.
The quintet joins LA-based Blue Elan Records with the first album deal of their career. The new record, “V”, symbolizing their fifth release, will debut worldwide in January. Produced by Tom Tapley in Atlanta, The Vegabonds’ highly-anticipated release audibly illustrates their unconventional yet contagious self-titled genre of rock. With Americana, Country, and Rock influences, The Vegabonds’ sound is one that cannot be duplicated, manipulated, or pigeon-holed. After his work producing the band’s critically-acclaimed album “What We’re Made Of” and the “Long Haired Country Boy” single, Tapley’s execution of albums for Blackberry Smoke to Sugarland, Tyler Farr to Mastodon, highlights the best of The Vegabonds’ unique musicianship, vocals, lyrics and sound.
The Vegabonds give their fans a sensational performance with powerhouse guitar riffs and impactful songwriting night after night. Their hard work and unbridled talents have not gone unnoticed; the group has opened for such notable acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the late Gregg Allman, among others. Rousing performances at festivals like Peach Festival, Sweetwater 420, and Taste of Randolph, grew their notoriety nationwide. It’s no wonder that Live for Live Music has compared them to musical legends like My Morning Jacket and The Black Crowes, calling them “a force to be reckoned with,” complete with “gorgeous harmonies and impressive instrumental skills making for a perfect combination.”
The band got their start in 2009 by playing the college circuit across the Southeastern United States. Fronted by lead vocalist and songwriter Daniel Allen – with Richard Forehand (lead guitar/vocals), Paul Bruens (bass), Beau Cooper (keys/vocals), and Bryan Harris (drums) rounding out the quintet – their popularity quickly burgeoned to the point that they found their fans singing along word-for-word to their first hits like “Georgia Fire” and “American Eyes.” Through pure word of mouth, the group’s fan base grew rapidly, and the guys learned they had something distinctive with their eclectic mix of roots music and earnest songwriting.
