Photo by Rebecca Sharp As part of “Bluegrass Queen,” Rhonda Vincent’s band—The Rage—upright bassist and multi-instrumentalist Mickey Harris has spent most of a lifetime doing what he loves. Tennessee-steeped and family-band-raised, Harris is making music, seeing the world, and doing exactly what he loves: Plucking out those deep-down notes that bring depth to bluegrass. He came to it because his grandfather needed a bass player for his band, and he looked to his family to fill that void. Harris said they were just a small local band that played at the VA and churches. “He bought my first bass for me,” Harris said. It was an electric bass, and he was just nine years old. “I started upright bass at 12.” He made the switch because his great aunt—also a performer with a band—played the upright. It always intrigued the young Harris. When he was in the room during a gig, Harris said he’d “always sneak over there and play it.” While playing in both family outfits, he focused on the Tipton Family Band.  “I also played mandolin in my family’s band,” he said. “We played a lot of bluegrass and gospel shows in middle Tennessee.” Harris is also adept at guitar and dobro. After performing with several other bands, he eventually landed with Vincent, where he’s been for over twenty years.  “I met her through other bands I was with,” Harris said. “We had done some festivals and bluegrass cruises together.” He started filling in at the end of 2001 and did a European tour with her that summer. “We got along great, so I took the job full-time,” he said. “We’ve been to all 50 states and a lot of foreign countries. We’ve seen a lot of countryside together. We’ve rode a lot of miles together.” “Rhonda’s been great,” he continued. “Ever since I’ve been in the band, she’s also sung on every record I’ve made. We’ve done some duets, and she’s done some harmony vocals.” Here, Harris references his own recordings. There are six of them, and all are available at MickeyHarrisMusic.com .  Besides touring with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, he sometimes finds time for extra outings. “I occasionally may do a show at the Station Inn [in Nashville] with some of our band members. We just do things for fun occasionally,” he said. Harris said he does somewhere between 120 and 140 dates a year with Vincent. “We’ve also added a lot of Grand Ole Opry dates because she’s a member now,” he added. Harris had some advice for aspiring bass players. To him, becoming great is about educating oneself and simply…paying close attention. He said this is exactly how he learned long ago: by being a keen observer of others he admired. “I used to go down to the Station Inn and watch Mike Bub play,” he said of one of his main inspirations during his teen years. Bub would play regularly at a Tuesday night jam session. Another influence on Harris was middle-Tennessee-based bassist Phil Wimett.  “He was great. He was a big influence on my playing as a young kid. He was very entertaining,” Harris laughed. Another person he watched closely in his youth was “Cousin” Jake Tullock, who played with Flatt & Scruggs: “He was always one of my favorites.” “Just sit and listen and watch,” he advised youngsters just starting out. Yes, playing and rehearsing are important. Of course. An even bigger part of the success equation, however, involves having the humility to follow in the footsteps of others, to give credit where credit is due, but then build upon what you’ve learned. Harris believes that’s the thing that makes or breaks someone who wants to play professionally someday. Harris found mentors in people who had mastered the bass, and it helped him to master it as well. These are wise words of advice. “That’s exactly how I learned. Listen to the notes they’re putting in, but especially to what they’re leaving out,” he laughed. “I don’t like to over-play, especially over the melody.” The knowledge of when to come forward and when to pull back has always been – and always will be – the mark of a seasoned professional.

Members of the Wood Box Heroes are no strangers to performing with the biggest names in the music business. While this fresh outfit doesn’t yet have longevity, the individual band members definitely have high-profile experience and playing chops. If all goes as planned, referring to them as a burgeoning super-group wouldn't be wrong. Banjo player Matt Menefee plays with the ultra-popular Mumford and Sons. Jenee Fleenor has played fiddle for George Strait, Blake Shelton and Larry Cordle. Bass player Barry Bales gigs with Alison Krauss. Last but not least, lead guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Josh Martin has played on recordings of Willie Nelson.  Based in Nashville, Martin said he’d been gigging up in Michigan during summers and “always took a bluegrass band with me to play my country stuff.” This particular configuration seemed somehow…right. “It was so much fun…it just kind of fell together real naturally,” Martin said. The band’s name seems to be a source of amusement. He laughed when telling its story. “It kinda fell off the tip of my tongue one day,” he recalled. They kept toying with name ideas, and someone would inevitably bring up the phrase “Wood Box Heroes” again and again. They liked the words, but the story of the name’s symbolism sort of came retroactively. “We were asking ourselves: What does it  mean ?” Martin laughed. In the end, they came to a consensus on how it related to their stringed instruments. “All the heroes we looked up to were making music on wooden boxes.” “Towards those heroes,” Martin continued, the band has “a reverent mindset…but also a kindred spirit mindset.” He said taking in a live performance will be more instructive than simply listening to recordings. This is true of almost all music. “Any time we’re out close to y’all, definitely come out to experience it,” he said, speaking directly to readers of The Bluegrass Standard. “Get to a live show if you really want to dive into what the band is all about.” In its second year, Wood Box Heroes has tripled the number of public appearances but still aims for a measured approach that focuses on quality rather than quantity. Last year, they did about ten gigs, and this year, they are scheduled for about 30. In May, they appeared onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. “We wanna go play places that make sense and are conducive to what we do,” Martin explained. What they “do” is meld “an eclectic array of sounds” from country, bluegrass, blues, jazz, rock and classical.  As a songwriter, Martin said he focuses his writing on things that are “real.” “The real world,” Martin said, of what inspires his lyrics. “Living…going through this thing that we call living, and relating and sympathizing with others…giving somebody else an opportunity to see they aren’t the only one to have a situation go down. At its core, it [music] is how we make sense of things.” This writing—and the group's musicianship—are showcased on the band’s first album, the June release titled “444.” They’ll spend time performing to support the record, but it sounds as if they’re not content to sit for long before bringing more new music to the table. “We’re chomping at the bit to get back in the studio,” Martin said, explaining that he’s written quite a bit that’s sitting waiting in the hopper. “We probably have five albums already of songs.” Martin sets his hopes high; he believes this group can become the next big thing. He said after several experiences of being part of various projects, this one feels…different. He “knows” that things are clicking into place and ready to fly (or, as he laughed about it, “the key is in the lock and turning.”) “In a band situation, it’s a ‘feeling’ type thing,” he said. “I truly think that this group of musicians – the caliber of it – I think it can go as far as we are able to take it.” If Billy Strings can do it, so can Wood Box Heroes. “Billy’s taking it to the arenas and selling out every show,” Martin said. “Something happened in the psyche of the whole world during the pandemic that made them yearn for something real. Billy’s giving it to them…and we can, too.”

They met and spent their formative years in a remote part of Canada best known as the home of famous folk singer Ian Tyson, a popular brand of beef jerky, and resourceful and independent ranchers. Craig Bignell and Suzanne Levesque, partners in marriage and a musical duo called Over the Moon, exemplify the spirit of their cherished Alberta home in everything they do.   “We’ve certainly got an independent attitude,” says Bignell. “We do everything ourselves, from working on our own cars to rebuilding our own house and even a theater. And we produce and record all our own stuff at home. We're doing everything ourselves and just learning as we go.”   And it seems to be working for this genre-defying Americana/old-time/bluegrass/swing/original song duo. They even include re-imagined big band tunes in their sets. Their latest album, Chinook Waltz,  received enthusiastic reviews and a Juno award nomination. They’ve toured China, where they marveled that every audience knew--in English--the words to “Country Roads.” Last February they played once again to passionate audiences at Folk Alliance. There’s a new album in the works. And they’ve just completed a two-month tour of Europe.   Though they have long been professional musicians, Over the Moon is their first time in the spotlight. Levesque grew up in a musical family and spent years playing with her mother in The Travelling Mabels, a popular Canadian act. She’s played upright and electric bass and sang on countless sessions with many performers. Bignell made a living as a percussionist, and for years, he recorded drum tracks for others, appeared on demos, and toured, perhaps most notably, with fiddler Vassar Clements, banjo phenom Scott Vestal, and former Newgrass Revival member John Cowan. “One day, I told John that I played banjo too, and he wouldn't believe me,” Bignell recalls. “So he said, ‘Next rehearsal, bring it down.’” That’s what Bignell did, and when he kicked off “Rose of Old Kentucky,” he got an interesting response. “They just laughed their heads off. They couldn't believe it. A Canadian drummer played banjo!” Bignell and Levesque first played together at a party in Calgary about ten years ago and discovered they made beautiful music together—literally and figuratively. The chemistry led to marriage and a new musical direction. “We were playing together in our living room and practicing and thought maybe we should try getting gigs and actually being legitimate,” Levesque says. “But neither of us had ever had our project. We've always been backup musicians.” “And we had never had to talk on stage or anything, which was so scary for us,” Bignell continues. “The first show we did, my fingers were shaking. I could hardly move. And after that night, Sue said, ‘I'm never doing this again!’” And yet they were undeterred. Now, Bignell does most of the emceeing and plays guitar, banjo, and sings. LeVesque sings lead on most songs and plays guitar and bass. They’re also both talented songwriters. Their first co-write--a song called “Over the Moon”--not only became the name for their act but also reflects their good nature, humor, and love for their home in rural Alberta. “We like to write about stuff that matters to us,” Bignell explains. They write about Candia ranch life and its remarkable characters. In “John Ware,” they tell of a formerly enslaved South Carolinian who rode the range after emancipation and eventually ended up in Alberta as a successful and respected rancher. “That’s a true story,” Bignell says. “When he died, more people came to his funeral than ever before. So he’s a big hero here.” Other songs are autobiographical. In “I’m Not Cool,” Bignell sings about being unnoticed in the music world until he finds his sweetheart. Their latest project is renovating an old movie theater in the small town of Hardisty.  They hope it will become a showcase for the music they love. “I don't know what to call our kind of music,” Bignell admits. “It’s a fairly rural based sounding music. We really like acoustic music. And we obviously like bluegrass and old time and swing. We figure we can invite people to perform there. And we also want to use it as a recording studio because it sounds amazing in there.” Whether they’re on the road, recording an album at home, or renovating the Bird Dog Theater, Bignell and Levesque cheerfully share their real-life adventures in story and song—even when the adventures are traumatic, such as when their truck was stolen at Folk Alliance in Kansas City. “But you know what? People that follow us on Facebook, that's what they like-- all the stuff that happens to us,” Bignell says. “They can read about it in the safety and comfort of their own home. And they follow us all over the world wherever we go. There's always weird things that happen to us wherever we go, and that's what they like. We never post stuff like, ‘Hey, look at us. We're cool.’ Because we're not. We just tell stories about what happens.”

Andrew Morris of the bluegrass band The Matchsellers says Kansas City has its own bluegrass identity, and he and his partner, fiddler Julie Bates, are proud to be a part of it. But their story starts in Leipzig, Germany, where they met as students busking on the streets. “We both studied German independently of one another,” Morris explains. “We both were what they called ‘cultural ambassadors,’ but we were basically working in schools, helping teachers.” Bates grew up in Missouri, playing violin in the school orchestra. Her introduction to bluegrass came when she attended a small fiddle camp in Ottawa, Kan., and learned “Orange Blossom Special.” They were both fairly new to bluegrass when they met as buskers. “She would show me ‘Tallahassee’ (a fiddle tune popularized by Bill Monroe), and I was like, ‘Whoa, I've never heard that tune before.’ I was just kind of getting into the music a little bit, too. So I feel like we learned it and discovered the music together.” Morris did not grow up steeped in the music, unlike many bluegrass musicians. “I'm from the flat part of northern Indiana and I had to look around hard to find people who come from that tradition. When I went down to college in southern Indiana, I met a guy who played mandolin, and he was all into Bill Monroe. And another guy I met played banjo, and he took me to Bean Blossom (a bluegrass festival) for the first time, and I was hooked on that from there.” Morris assumed he’d return from overseas to become a German teacher. Instead, when he and Bates moved to her hometown of Kansas City, they followed their bluegrass heart. “I got offered a teaching job, and I was getting ready to do that, but I just always wanted to do the music thing. And Julie was really encouraging to say, ‘You know what? The worst that could happen is we run out of money. And  then  you go become a German teacher or whatever.’ A lot of our education just came from booking gigs and living out of our car for like five years and buying bluegrass CDs wherever we went. I mean, we'd just buy these eight CD Stanley Brothers compilations and Don Stover recordings. I got really into Don Stover.” Morris and Bates perform as The Matchsellers--usually as a duo, but sometimes as a band--and are known for their accomplished musicianship and original and unique approach to bluegrass. They’re mainstays of the Midwest festival circuit and continue to release creative and compelling recordings. Their recent showcase at Folk Alliance was an acknowledgment of their growing popularity. And The Matchsellers strive to put on an entertaining show because, to Morris, that’s part of the bluegrass DNA. “I was really, really inspired by that Dillards’ Live!!!!, Almost!!!  Album. Just, like, how hilarious that was. And if you watch some of the old Don Reno and Red Smiley videos, you can find stuff that is entertaining, really fun, and just weird. And I love that part of bluegrass that I tend to feel like is overlooked by a lot of people in the tradition because they try to take the music so seriously. “It's not just the Tony Rice hot licks or the murder ballads. Bluegrass is that, and it's all this other stuff, too. So, I've always tried to do that kind of stuff and maybe highlight that kind of goofy, theatrical side of the music that sometimes gets overlooked. So, maybe that makes us unique.” While The Matchsellers delight crowds with their faithful renditions of traditional tunes and bluegrass favorites, Morris’s original songs reflect astounding creativity. Bluegrastronauts  is a “space opera” album. The Wishful Thinkers Hall of Fame  includes a 16-page chapbook with accompanying stories and illustrations. Morris contends that Kansas City bluegrass, though perhaps overlooked nationally, has a unique character--one that he finds welcoming. “I think it's maybe a little wilder. I think it's a little more driving. It's a little bit, maybe more punk rock. Punk grass stuff. It’s a little bit wilder, a little bit crazier, and it's not so tied to a particular tradition. So it really feels like you can play anything out here. It's almost like the Wild West. You feel like you can play anything out here and make it bluegrass.” The Matchsellers have recently released a live album and have booked a busy festival season. Morris and Bates also have a number of gigs in Europe this summer. Wherever they play, Morris strives to put on a show. “I really hope that people get their money's worth,” he says. “I don't want it to be a vanity project for me. I want the people to enjoy themselves and have a good time because I think people's time is really, really valuable. They don't have to sit there and watch me. They can get up and go and do anything else. And if we're not doing a good job, I think they probably should just get up and go somewhere else. But hopefully, we can do something that gives them a good value for their time.”

To have a conversation with Jan Bell is to get a history lesson about the arts and music scene in Brooklyn, New York. Specifically in the Dumbo area, with Dumbo being an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. “It’s something the artists came up with in hopes that it might frighten off developers,” says Jan. The neighborhood encompasses two areas. One is between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River. The other area continues east from the Manhattan Bridge to Vinegar Hill.   Jan hails from a coal-mining village in Yorkshire, England, but she has been a resident of the United States for thirty years. “I’m from the Kentucky of England,” she quips. “Both have coal mines, unions, and folk music.” She has made her name as a songwriter, promoter, and sound engineer in New Orleans, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and Brooklyn. And she has recorded seven critically acclaimed albums as singer-songwriter and bandleader of “The Maybelles,” who have opened for artists such as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Wanda Jackson, and Odetta. Jan formed the band with Melissa Carper in Eureka Springs.   Jan explains that the Dumbo area has long been a place for artists, both visual and musical. “I worked at a restaurant here called Superfine before it moved to its current location. Together, we   produced the Urban Cowgirl Cabaret in the Between the Bridges Bar.” Jan says the bar was named after the many ironworkers who frequented the bar when working on the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge.   The area was a haven for artists, and the Dumbo Arts Festival became a big event. “They started having live music on the loading docks, and I managed that aspect,” says Jan. But changes in the neighborhood (developers bought buildings and converted them into luxury residences) forced many of the artists out of Dumbo, and the arts  festival folded. “When it folded, people asked if I was going to keep the music going.” Jan got hold of Eric Adams (current mayor of New York City), then - Brooklyn Borough President .   “He encouraged me to get the music part of the festival going again and to apply for grants, sponsorships, and discretionary funding from the City.”   Now, the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival is a major draw to the area. While free to the public, opening night at the Jalopy Theatre is a ticketed event. The rest of the festival, scheduled for September 12 through 16 this year, is held at the 7000-square-foot cobblestone Archway Plaza under the Manhattan Bridge.    “There are actually   trains running overhead, but we have the sound dialed in,” she says.   Jan is proud that at least 60% of the artists at the festival are women. “I’m pretty sure we have the most diverse festival in the country in terms of race, age, and LGBTQ.   And while the festival is free to the public, we do pay the going rate to our musicians. And, of course, they get to eat a nice meal,   too.” Jan says the stage crew, including lighting and sound, is women-led. “I’ve been a live sound engineer for 25 years, and   I have   made it my mission to teach others how to do what I do. A lot of people know how to run sound, but they don’t always know how to mic a banjo or even a clarinet when we have a jazz band from New Orleans.”   As the oldest of four children, Jan says she is used to her “big sister” role, not only with training but also in seeing the performers she books grow. “For example, Nora Brown, the wonderful singer and banjo player, has played at several of our festivals since she was 13. She has really come into her own, and it’s been a joy watching her journey.”   The music isn’t over for Jan when the festival ends. She started a long-running brunch at Superfine, now located at 126 Front Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. “We've been doing it every Sunday since 2001, when Katy Rose Cox, a fiery fiddle player, approached us with the idea of bringing in her band with Sheriff Uncle Bob - a legendary leader in the country music NYC jam scene,” she says.   “Bands now play from noon to 3 pm. We have a lot of folk and bluegrass revival music. Some bands are local, and others come from places like Nashville, Austin, and New Orleans. We’ve even had bands from Canada and one from Italy, ‘La Terza Classe.’”    Jan has received the Dumbo Dozen Award for “Impactful work in the community as musician and curator.” She has also received the Brooklyn Country Music Award for “Dedication to Folk Music in NYC.”   www.bkamf.com Instagram Facebook

Americana singer-songwriter Cary Morin has accomplished a lot over the years. He’s charted at #7 on the Roots charts, won numerous awards, mostly in the blues arena, and performed at great venues, including The Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Center, and the Paris Jazz Festival. Now, he’s added a new challenge to this list of accomplishments: He’s gone country.   “I grew up around country, grew up around bluegrass,” Morin explained, “but I had never recorded anything like that before.”   The 14-track 2024 release Innocent Allies  is a record about the late Charles M. Russell, a well-known Western artist and sculptor. The artist's work reflected the old West of the early 20th century, depicting scenes of the landscapes, cowboys, and Native Americans of the western frontier. With over 2,000 artworks, Morin had much to choose from when selecting the art he wrote songs about.    “I started writing songs about these paintings,” he said. “They are vivid…they have a lot of movement…a lot of action.”   He often presents the music in tandem with videos of the artworks themselves. While it was a goal to write all the songs so they could “stand alone” without the listener seeing Russell’s art, Morin enjoys knowing the richer experience he intended is also being appreciated. People will give him feedback indicating that they truly “get it.” They see how creative inspiration makes something more meaningful. Deeper.   “The colors in that song were awesome” is the kind of comment Morin will get from audience members. It’s hard to tell where the spirit of Russell leaves and the spirit of Morin takes over. That mix – that creative synergy – is when true artistic expression is in its highest state of revelry. There’s the artist, but there’s also the muse…both are present on solid footing.    In his case, Morin believes despite this record being country – and thus, a new style for him – it still feels familiar to his supporters. “I think there’s enough of my personality in it,” he said. “The songwriting isn’t a huge departure from what I normally do.”Morin said the questions he asked of himself before putting out his first straight-up country record were many, but they helped him make it better. “It created this conversation: Well, what IS country?” Morin explained. “Where does Americana stop, and country and folk begin?” Morin laughed, saying it sometimes comes down to something as simple as: “How talented is the pedal steel player?” As a Native American, Morin said his heritage often affects his work…but not so much that it feels intentional. It’s just there, lying as an organic thing under the surface, a part of the scaffold that holds his worldview together.   “It’s always been present and a big part of how I look at the world and how I write songs, but it’s not real obvious to someone who isn’t familiar with my songwriting.”   For Morin, influences came from far and wide, and they blended seamlessly into something authentic. “My Dad was in the Air Force. We moved around a lot…but my mom was very connected to her family and our people. I listened to a lot of traditional music growing up, but also listened to a lot of Neil Young,” Morin laughed.   Just because he’s made a first country record does not mean his love for it -- and bluegrass -- is new.   “I was listening to Bill Monroe around the time Nitty Ditty Dirt Band made ‘Will the Circle be Unbroken.’” Morin said he eventually became a big fan of New Grass Revival and “southern rock that had acoustic instruments in the recordings.”   Today, he said his tastes and influences still run the gamut. For instance, he appreciates the funk of late, great fretless bass player Jaco Pastorius as much as he does the playing of Earl Scruggs.   “Music is music,” Morin said, offering the perfect three-word summation.     "Morin pic," is a photo credit for Gretchen Troop. Credit all other photos to "Backstage Flash."

On the way home from a five-week trip to Utah, Brian Swenk, banjo player for Big Daddy Love, stopped for a bit in Arkansas to reflect on the band, musical genres, and the importance of sharing a sense of adventure with friends. Big Daddy Love (BDL) is a band of friends with solid musical backgrounds and a shared love of adventure. “I grew up in Sparta, North Carolina, north of Boone,” says Brian Swenk, who plays banjo for the band. “Joey Recchio (electric guitar and vocals) and I were a year apart in elementary school.” Only after becoming an adult did Brian realize how magical growing up in Sparta was. “My parents actually met playing music – their harmonies were amazing. We grew up in a holler in Allegheny County, and the only television station we could pick up was out of West Virginia. My family spent a lot of time playing music at home. They liked folk and rock – I grew up on Neil Young, the Beatles, Peter, Paul and Mary, Cat Stevens and the likes.” Brian says his dad once opened for the Allman Brothers when Duane was still alive. “I eventually rebelled and went into bluegrass,” he laughs. “I also went through a heavy metal phase.” While there was bluegrass music all around his part of the world, Brian says he didn’t appreciate it like he does now. “When I started playing banjo, I took a deep dive, listening to Earl Scruggs, the Grateful Dead, and Bela Fleck non-stop. I think I practiced about six hours a day for a while.” Brian says that Joey is the most natural musician he has ever met. “Not long after he started playing the guitar, he could pick any song on the radio and play it. He plays slide guitar Duane Allman-style. You can’t fake that.” Growing up in Sparta, Brian and Joey would meet at the river and play music. “We really clicked musically, but college took us in different directions, and we drifted apart over the next ten years.” Brian played in a bluegrass band for a few years, and from time to time, Joey, who was playing rock music, would wander into one of Brian’s gigs. “It was always great to see him.” They got together again when Daniel Smith recruited them in 2009 to join a band he had formed called Big Daddy Love. “A few of the guys in the band had left, and he was trying to keep it going.” While Brian and Joey had a music history together, going back to school days in Sparta, both had a decade of experience under their belts that they brought to the table. “We knew right away that it was magical,” Brian says. “We were at the point in our lives where we knew we had to go all in. We were in our thirties, and we gave up anything with security – our houses, jobs, and relationships. We bought a van and were determined to make it work.” Ashley Sutton (bass guitar and vocals) joined them, and Scotty Lewis (drums) eventually came on board. “He’s the ‘new guy,’” laughs Brian. “But he’s been with us 12 years now.” Both Ashley and Scotty have musical backgrounds, but they are quite different. “They bring that to the mix, and it just adds to our overall sound.” Daniel ended up leaving when parental obligations called him home from the road. Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, BDL has been playing together for fifteen years and is still going strong. It’s hard to pin them down to a specific musical genre. There is rock, bluegrass, southern soul, and psychedelic jams in their music, which they have dubbed “Appalachian Rock.” Brian runs a booking agency and says he counsels the bands he works with to describe their music quickly and succinctly. “That’s what we have done with our Appalachian Rock description. It is exactly what we do.” The band recorded an album, To the Mountain , right out of the gate in 2010. Others followed: Let it Grow  in 2012, Live at Ziggy’s  in 2013, and This Time Around , recorded in Woodstock, New York in 2014. It’s been a decade since they released an LP, but Brian says they recently spent a week at a studio in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and plan to release a full-length album this year. “An album is a snapshot of where you are in life,” Brian says. “Not only musically, but emotionally and in so many other ways. Joey has become such an amazing frontman, guitar player, and songwriter. He has really grown into it. And Ashley and Scotty bring so much. I am proud of all our albums, but this one is going to sound so different from what we were doing back then. We were more country/bluegrass back then, and now we are more bluesy rock but with a banjo. It’s something we are all proud of.” The band is as much fun to watch as they are to listen to. Folks at a Big Daddy Love show are up and dancing. They may not have heard the phrase “Appalachian rock,” but chances are they know just what to do when they hear it. Here’s a sampling  of what Big Daddy Love brings to the stage. While Brian is proud of what the band is putting out musically, he’s equally proud that they are still together after fifteen years. “We are all great friends and love going on adventures together. There was a time, early on, when we had no idea where we would be sleeping that night. Most of the time, we had no idea what we were going to be paid. We didn’t think about those things. We just loved playing music together, and we still do. When we get together after being apart, we are all excited to see each other.” https://www.bigdaddylove.com

Singer/songwriter Andrea von Kampen is deeply influenced by the Great Plains of her youth. The landscapes of her home state of Nebraska both inform and inspire her music, including songs on the record she released this spring, Sister Moon . This third full-album release was shaped by literature, spirituality, and standing in awe of Mother Earth.  “It is loosely based on Richard Powers' book, The Overstory , and features themes of nature, climate change and mysticism,” von Kampen said. The novel tells the stories of nine people interacting intensely with trees and fighting to keep our earth green. She grew up in a place usually associated with notions of flatness and emptiness in popular culture, but Nebraska is the state where Arbor Day was founded. Von Kampen grew up with 100-year-old cottonwood trees in her backyard, and her nostalgic connection to those trees partially fueled her interest in preserving forests for the future. Von Kampen said the new record will seem familiar to her fans. It’s her, but even more evolved. “This album feels like my most cohesive work, but it still has the folk and acoustic sounds that I am drawn to,” she said. At around the same time, she was inspired by The Overstory , and von Kampen was also delving into “Franciscan mysticism.” The story of 12th-century friar and mystic St. Francis of Assisi also fed the themes of her songwriting. A Catholic saint known for his ability to connect with animals and nature, “the alternative orthodoxy” of St. Francis affected her, allowing for “an entirely new way of seeing Christianity.”   Such complex themes – plus an introspective bent – appear to be par for the course for von Kampen, and that depth did not go unnoticed; it propelled her music into the film industry. “My friend Alexander was working on his first full-length feature film script and asked if I would write the music,” she explained. “I was thrilled to be able to collaborate in that way.” The film was the 2022 indie flick A Chance Encounter . She contributed to the soundtrack and made her acting debut onscreen. “I love films and television, so writing for something like that was a dream of mine,” von Kampen explained. “Seeing the film take off and have people from all over the world reach out about it has been pretty surreal. I have a hard time watching myself on screen, but I’m proud of what our scrappy team accomplished.” Von Kampen has had her heart nestled in music for years. She found her passion—storytelling via sound—during childhood. “I always felt pretty strongly that I wanted to tell stories for a living,” she said. “I spent a lot of my childhood putting on shows of all sorts, and it was really when I got a guitar and started learning other people’s songs that I realized this was a medium in which I could make art and tell stories. It was clear that the covering of songs would only take me so far if I wanted to be an artist, so I began to write my own music in college.” She’s performed at events, including The Newport Folk Festival and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. With three albums and five EPs under her belt, this singer/songwriter is still going strong, doing precisely what she loves. “There will be an ‘Our Vinyl’ session coming out this summer, and some other exciting releases I can’t share quite yet,” she said. “I just wrapped my four-week North American tour but should have more dates coming out soon…so keep an eye out.”

When ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro crafted duets with Willie Nelson, Ziggy Marley and Bette Midler for his Jake and Friends  album, he was in part paying tribute to the people and sounds that forwarded his passion for music.  Okage Sama De translates as: “I am what I am because of you.” It is an old saying from Shimabukuro’s native region of Hawaii. This idea – of character and talent being nourished because a person believed in or inspired another – is exactly what drove Shimabukuro to make “Jake and Friends” with these music legends.  Often considered one of the top ukulele players ever, Shimabukuro recently went back in time and paid tribute to the artists of Hawaii who also had a hand in cultivating his early talent. His latest album release – aptly titled Grateful  – is an act of appreciation for the role of mentors. People such as Jimmy Buffett took Shimabukuro under their wings as he matured into his career. Before that, however, it was local uke legends from Hawaii. “I thought to myself, I should do an album of duets and collaborations of all the people who influenced me from my CHILDHOOD,” Shimabukuro recalled. “The whole thing of this album is gratitude.” I am what I am because of you. That’s – yet again – what it’s all about. The “you” referenced here includes island names such as Henry Kapono and Brother Noland. Recorded live in-studio, these collaborations celebrate both the music of Shimabukuro’s home and the musicians who excited him as a kid. While the record did not include a duet with his “biggest inspiration” – the uke legend Ohta-san – it did feature a duet with Ohta-san’s son and one of Shimabukuro’s teachers, Herb Ohta Jr.  “Ohta-san was my biggest inspiration for playing the ukulele,” Shimabukuro reminisced. Many uke players sing along with chords, and Shimabukuro doesn’t consider himself a gifted vocalist. Ohta-san modeled something different for the young musician: A playing style that emphasized using the uke to create melody. There was no need for vocals.  “He didn’t sing,” Shimabukuro said. “He played very melodically and was able to improvise.” This self-described lack of vocal chops – combined with learning from some of the greats of the diminutive four-string instrument – drove Shimabukuro to become better and better at moving fingers fast.  Shimabukuro’s work hit the world in a storm when he went viral on YouTube over 15 years ago; it was with his complex rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by the Beatles. Few had ever heard the ukulele played that way. Shimabukuro’s rendition of that song – and his versions of other music not commonly associated with either Hawaii or ukuleles, such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” – helped many see the instrument's power and versatility. Before Shimabukuro, the uke had often been erroneously relegated in the U.S. popular culture to the status of a humor device (Think: Tiny Tim) or as a source of fun, but usually saccharine ditties by Don Ho or by “Over the Rainbow” Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (known as “IZ”). In the hands of Shimabukuro, however, the ukulele could suddenly be seen as much more. It was suddenly…cool. Well before former Pearl Jam frontman and iconoclast Eddie Vedder evolved into a softer, gentler uke-wielding folk singer with his 2011 Ukulele Songs  record, Shimabukuro had already set the tone for a new way of seeing this traditional instrument. It first grabbed the young Shimabukuro’s heart for the same reasons it appealed to other kids.  “It only has four strings, and the strings are made of nylon.” He said that, in comparison, his tender “beginner” fingers found guitar strings to be rough and hard. “I didn’t like pressing down on those strings because it hurt.” He explained that the instrument is “easily accessible and easy to learn. The ukulele is perfect for people like me who want that immediate gratification. I loved running around with my instrument and playing it as fast as I could…making it more physical.” It sounds as if this corralling of energy was the perfect channel for the outgoing and extroverted musician.  “My parents would have to take it away so I would do my homework or eat my dinner,” he laughed. Shimabukuro keeps his career going at a speed that rivals that of his fingers. He’s on the road on his summer tour, “Tradewinds and Rainbows,” performing with fellow Hawaiian artists and duet partners from Grateful , Henry Kapono and Jeff Peterson. He’s also stretching himself into all new territory – the blues – working on a record with the co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood. “It’s coming out probably early fall,” Shimabukuro said. “It’s actually a blues record. This was a really fun and special project. It was one that challenged and pushed me in various ways.” He said it features a four-piece band, with Fleetwood, of course, on drums. “To be able to play with Mick Fleetwood,” Shimabukuro said dreamily, “he kind of pioneered that kind of blues drumming.” One of the coolest things about Shimabukuro is his encouragement of other budding musicians, similar to how his heroes enlivened him. When he speaks to groups of school kids, he stresses the importance of staying drug-free and imparts other feel-good suggestions, such as “be kind and help your community.” One bit of advice hits a bit deeper, though, and reflects how Shimabukuro strives to live his own life. “I always tell kids to be a good person first and a good musician second.” When you live by the motto “I am What I am Because of You,” this message about the importance of gratitude and character can only lead to something good.   Photo by by Jan Anderson

There’s no better way to bring meaning to life than to let go of fear and jump into a passion full force. That’s what photographer Jeff Fasano did when he went from the unfulfilling corporate grind into a brand-new life at age 40. With hard work and intuition, Fasano earned the privilege of photographing some of our greatest musicians. From icons such as Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, and David Crosby – to up-and-coming names in Americana, bluegrass, blues and folk – Fasano had sessions with them all. He created a new, exciting life around capturing these musicians – and other celebrities– during those tiny windows of opportunity when they are at their most authentic.   That moment of authenticity often comes in a flash, such as a quiet reflection wherein Molly Tuttle picks up a guitar, or a split second of action, when Del McCoury smiles the most vibrant and honest of smiles, or when the enigmatic late folk-rock-blues man Sixto Rodriguez was photographed before his passing, showing a complex mix of what seems like both strength and defeat. In the hands (and eye) of Fasano, the people we love to listen to also become those we love to see in a new light.   In the years before his career change, Fasano dabbled in photography as a hobby but his interest dates to high school. That passion sat somewhat silent while he built a career elsewhere. Then, one night, amidst feelings of not being on the right path, Fasano asked himself, “What brings me the greatest amount of joy?”   The answer was clear.   “When I pick up my camera, I’m in a whole different state of consciousness,” he realized. I love it. I absolutely love it.”   Since that fateful day of reckoning, he’s photographed icons such as Quincy Jones, Jewel, Steven van Zandt and Joan Osborne. He’s got a “partnership” as a photographer for the Americana Music Association and has done artist portrait sessions for both the IBMA and Folk Alliance International.   His “Americana Portrait Sessions” is a high-quality coffee table-style book of photographs of performers in roots genres ranging from folk to bluegrass and even to rock. It’s like a walk-through of the personalities of American music. It’s a “who’s who” of American roots, where Chris Isaak and Rufus Wainwright are pictured in the same collection as Sam Bush and bluesman Bobby Rush. The book features a shot of blues performer Keb’ Mo’ on its cover. These portraits run the gamut, but the cohesive tie-through is American roots.   Fasano described how he knows he’s captured the “perfect” shot. It’s not easy to describe, but he tries.   “It’s something I feel…” he said, trying to explain the almost mystical insight an artist gets when he or she just “knows.” Fasano said he rarely needs to wait to see if he’s captured something special – he usually knows right then and there.    “Even when I’m shooting, I know when I’ve taken an image that that’s gonna be a great image,” he explained. “I feel it in my soul.”   He referenced the idea best described by photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose book The Decisive Moment helped other photographers identify that feeling of a sort of creative gnosis when they see—and grab at—an absolutely true moment. Fasano relies on instinct for that “Decisive Moment.”   “It’s like when musicians are writing songs, and they say ‘I’m feeling it,’ or ‘I’m not feeling it,’” he said.   Published by Vanderbilt University Press, the collection is dedicated to NYC photographer Mario Cabrera, who he studied under when learning his craft. He credits Cabrera as the main force behind his mastery of the medium of photography. He also cites as influences photographers such as Dorothea Lange, who chronicled the plight of migrant farm workers in California during the Great Depression, and Walker Evans, who “photographed people on the streets in New York” during that same period.   Fasano said he didn’t grow up with bluegrass but grew into it. He eventually moved from New York City to L.A. and then to Nashville  and started to be exposed to it more. However, his experience of the music at his first IBMA made him a fan of the genre. He’d always liked all roots music forms, but IBMA helped him turn a corner, and his appreciation grew big. It’s not uncommon for this to happen to people after attending their first IBMA convention.   “I just became really appreciative of the musicianship and dedication of bluegrass,” he said.     As a catch-all category for roots forms that aren’t easily shoved into a box, Fasano loves the breadth of the “Americana” genre.   “The all-inclusiveness…the diversity of it…is a big part of this book,” he said.    Another thing the book’s about is Fasano himself. He wants to impart his own life lesson to others, whether they be budding photographers, musicians…or anything at all. His conversion from doing a corporate job he didn’t enjoy to photographing people who make music is the type of risk he hopes others might have the fearlessness to take. We all end up in different places since we’re all different, but Fasano’s advice – which isn’t new – is still wholly relevant.   “Follow your dreams,” he said. “Follow your passions.”

In their eighteen-plus years in the music business, Indi-Americana band The Steel Wheels has walked away with prestigious awards, including the 2010 IMA Vox Pop Awards for Best Country and Gospel Song. In 2012, they started the Red Wing Roots Music Festival, adding to their legacy an annual weekend-long music celebration held in Mt. Solon, Virginia. Their first studio album in five years, The Steel Wheels, met up at The Great North Sound Society Studio in Maine to record their Sideways  LP . “It’s a real celebration of the live and collaborative process of being in the studio together,” explains lead vocalist, guitarist, and banjo player Trent Wagler. Producer Sam Kassirer once again joins The Steel Wheels on their latest effort. Co-producing the band's albums  Wild As We Came Here  (2017) and  Over The Trees  (2019), Kassirer, a musician, plays piano on the album .  “We just felt we wanted another person in the room to help inspire and maybe get us to do things we never would think of ourselves. Sam is a solid and amazing musician who can play different styles. It was almost like he was another member of the band.” Trent, a Virginia native, says the last four years have had a musical impact on the band. Fiddle player Eric Brubaker took the role of violinist on some of the songs. “We usually call him a fiddle player, but he is a great violinist. For example, in some of these songs, like “Enemy,” he layers several violin parts.” The singer explains that the new musical ideas result from their isolation. “During the pandemic we were passing around these tracks. We got to flex muscles we never used before.” While Trent admits that The Steel Wheels have departed from their earlier folk-roots style, he explains that it’s not intentional. “It wasn’t like we were trying to make a different kind of record.  We started tapping into influences that we’ve always loved.” Trent references the iconic rock group The Band. “The way Levon and Robbie would use mandolin and fiddle along with horns, there was this wide-open pallet.” The singer says that adding drummer and keyboardist Kevin Garcia and electric bassist Jeremy Darrow to the band has broadened their sound. Trent points out, “If you go back and listen to  Red Wing,  our first Steel Wheels album, keeping things acoustic and rootsy was important to us. A lot of the songs are still being led by me on banjo or acoustic guitar. There is almost always fiddle in our songs, but the bed underneath can sometimes be very electrified with effects. It’s more like this is where we are right now, and we are excited to perform both kinds of songs on stage.”  Creating an animated music video for the first time, the band teamed up with film producer, director, and stop motion photographer Stefan Zeniuk. “We thought we would love something like that in this album,”  Trent recalls Zenuik’s reaction to the title track.  “We sent Stefan the whole record, and he replied, ‘I’m digging this song Sideways,’ so we let him run with it.” Both Trent and Stefan worked out ideas for the video. “We both talked about it for a while,” adding, “[We] both felt happy about the collaboration.”   Seeds were planted for The Steel Wheels in 2004 after future bandmate and mandolinist Jay Lapp joined Trent on stage for a performance. “I had opened for Jay’s band as a solo act, and I asked him to jump on stage with me for a couple of songs, and he ended up staying there for the whole opener.”   Recalling how the band started, “After that night, we conceived a plan of me going up to his home studio and recording a solo record. Even though the record was released in 2005, it was the beginning of The Steel Wheels.” The Steel Wheels frontman boasts impressive credentials, including degrees in theater and peace, justice, and conflict studies. “I think of how my education ended up pushing me in a very subtle way towards songwriting,” Trent says. He says he learned the importance of empathy by studying the characters he played on stage. He hopes to find time to write new songs with a busy schedule ahead that includes touring and their summer Red Wing festival. “We’re touring heavier this year because we have a new record, but after this little run we’re about to go on, we have a month off. I’m hoping to ride my bicycle [laughs] and write a lot of songs.”

Christian Serpas and Ghost Town have reached two big milestones as one of the Gulf South’s most prolific country-rock bands. After decades of gigging hard – including sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in country music – they’ve hit the 25-year mark as a band, a rarity in music that speaks to a track record of success. Longevity means something. What’s more, the band recently learned—while performing at the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans this spring—that they were being inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. “I was thrilled to hear about it,” explained frontman and acoustic guitarist Christian Serpas. “It makes us think back on everything that has happened.” Serpas said the concurrent induction and 25th anniversary gave rise to nostalgia trips. The bandmates looked back over years of creating their version of country rock and sharing it during 2,000+ live performances at festivals, clubs, casinos and major music venues across the Gulf South. Based in Mandeville, Louisiana, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town have opened for/shared stages with Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, and “nearly 100 other national artists.” They’ve received numerous awards from local and regional organizations and publications and have done dozens of television and radio appearances. When receiving the award, Serpas said it brought back a flood of memories. He’d shared many great times with bandmates Jeff Oteri (drums, vocals), George Neyrey (guitar, vocals), and Don Williams (bass guitar, vocals). “We thought back on all the great people we’ve met, all the shows we’ve been a part of,” he said. Described once as playing “twangified rock ‘n’ roll,” Serpas and the band have willingly adopted this descriptor. Their music is part Elvis, part pure country, part rockabilly and part Southern rock. It’s uniquely Ghost Town. And as an energetic lead man, with his vintage-style shirts and towering stature, Serpas does a good job of keeping the retro vibe alive. “I collect Elvis records,” he explained in a not-at-all unexpected confession. He likes the music and still loves the older music format of vinyl records. It’s tangible. It brings back memories. “I like the smell of the old records and to look at the artwork on them…I like the hunt. I like to go in a store and flip through the records.” His passion for music began in childhood. “The soundtrack in our house was…my mom listened to Elvis, and my dad listened to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.” Soon, Serpas branched out into listening to all sorts of country – including Hank Williams Jr. and Sr., and Johnny Cash – and then into rock legends such as Led Zeppelin and The Ramones.  “I always liked guitar-based stuff, but it all started with Elvis,” he said. There was room for all these influences to coexist when Serpas started Ghost Town.  “‘Folsom Prison’ was the first song we ever played when we got together,” Serpas reminisced, “and we still play it.” Serpas recalls his thoughts when he formed the group. His goals seemed big at the time, but they have now been surpassed many times over. “If I could just get a CD, I could put on my shelf among my CD collection, that would be so great,” Serpas had hoped long ago. “And now, we’ve got nine of them!” In the beginning, Serpas said his two major influences were Dwight Yoakam and The Derailers. He could never have dreamed that his band would soon be near them in a shared space. “Within about three years,” Serpas said, “we were opening for Dwight Yoakam and were in Austin playing with The Derailers.” Serpas willingly admits that part of their success in the biz was due to timing. They broke onto the scene in 1999 when the surge of 90s-era interest in the country was still afire. The big names toured widely to packed stadiums and festivals, and Serpas and the guys were a hot commodity during that heyday. They still perform full-band shows and many scaled-down duo shows. They’ve pulled back some and become more selective in recent years. “The band now just plays festivals and special events,” Serpas said. He’s recently focused on the duo shows in restaurants and other venues in south Louisiana and South Mississippi. Nightclubs are no longer appealing, however, due to the late-night hours. Serpas said the biggest payoff over the years of being road warriors is the little moments of true awareness.  “There are little transcendent moments you hit every once in a while onstage,” Serpas said. “I remember a House of Blues show. The floor was packed, and the balcony was packed. As we were playing, I said to myself: Take this in. Remember this.” Another instance was when he opened for Merle Haggard. Serpas said they came offstage worn out and sweating from playing hard. They’d been told not to interact much with Haggard, so they were surprised when he walked over after their set.  “Hey boys, I really liked what y’all did,” Haggard said.  “When I grasped his hand,” Serpas recalls, “I thought, ‘You’re shaking Merle Haggard’s hand; do NOT forget this.' And of course…he hasn’t.