You have to be short-sighted and with bad hearing to say that Norway have a broad bluegrass tradition. There are a few bluegrass bands and there is actually one bluegrass festival in Norway. But one band have made waves, and that is Lucky Lips. Last night they played at the Continental Club in Austin with their good friends the Carper Family and Brennan Leigh.
Richard Thompson has been named one of the best guitarists in the music world, and also the one with the most characteristic sound. It is not that he plays everything very fast or loud, but more that his style is so personally unique and with influences from an eclectic range of sources.
I have written about Carolyn Wonderland before, and will probably do it again. During SXSW she played two official gigs, and I saw one of them, the closing act on the Continental Club Friday March 15th. Carolyn is playing the Blues in Hell festival in Norway in September, and for my Norwegian readers who are going there, look forward to it and be prepared for an even better show than the last time.
A musician’s musician is someone who every other musician and artists wants to play with, but who isn’t always known to the general audience. Buddy Miller is a musician’s musician, but fortunately he has been acknowledged and gained more popularity during the years. Jim Lauderdale is a great singer songwriter who has written songs for artists like Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and other artists, but who also has got more and more recognition for his own work the later years. Now the two have released a CD together, and they played Antone’s during SXSW.
Every year I have been in Austin for SXSW, I have attended Leeann Atherton’s Barn Dance the day after SXSW is finished. This year the weather was perfect with sun an temperatures in the 80’s, there were more people than I have ever seen there, and everyone were friendly and seemed to have a great time. (Picture above: Leeann with Karpe Diem.)
I want to congratulate all the winners of the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen) for 2012. Kaizers Orchestra were the winner of the highest hanging prize, the trophy that goes to one artist for exceptional qualities during the year, the “Spellemann of the year”. They also won the prize for the best Video. Here are pictures of some of the winners this year.
Sometimes I see bands that I have never heard about, and because of that, my expectations are usually quite low. And often the expectations equals the experience. But not in the case of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. Their concert at the Continental Club during SXSW was far above my expectations.
Argentinian tango orchestras aren’t my strongest subject, and I have avoided – not consciously – hearing an electrotango band, until the very last act on the closing day of SXSW. I came with my son from Red 7 and real hard and dark swamp metal with Black Tusk, and he recommended we stop by Bajofondo on the Stage on Sixth before going home. I didn’t regret that at all!
In the 70’s, Rodney Crowell was a member of Emmylou Harris’ band, The Hot Band, playing rhythm guitar and sung duets with her. He also wrote Blueberry Wine that she sung on her first LP, Pieces of the Sky. Crowell quit in 1977 to pursue his own solo career, but Harris still recorded his songs. Recently they released the duet CD, Old Yellow Moon. During SXSW they performed songs from the CD and also older songs at the Antone’s in Austin.
At SXSW this year there were many father and son-combinations playing. Either together, or different gigs. One of these was Bobby Bare sr. and jr. I have seen junior some years ago, and he is definitely worth following. The last time I saw Bobby Bare sr., was at a rerun of a NRK TV recording of him, Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves and the Anita Kerr Singers in Oslo from 1964. It was definitely about time to see him “live live”.
Artist Pictures Blog 