Artist Category: Blues | Page 6

Whetherman

Whetherman is the music of 33 year-old independent troubadour Nicholas Williams, who has self-produced eight full-length albums since beginning the project in 2007. By artfully bridging the gap between folk, blues, country, soul, and bluegrass with a timeless tinge, Williams is earning his keep amongst the vast pool of independent American talent in the Americana scene. His songs aim at the heart center, emboldened by the moral struggles of modern man with earnest and poetic lyrics that accompany infectiously melodic vocals, under the current of percussive guitar and rolling harmonica.

Williams’ most recent album, the critically acclaimed ‘This Land’ released in June of 2017. The Alternate Root hails “Over the course of the last decade, Williams has been a student, immersed in the varied styles available in the American Roots songbook. ‘This Land’ introduces the man who has staked out claim in its territory.”

Living on the road for the better part of the last five years, Williams has remained completely independent from labels and management, having taken a grassroots approach to spread the songs he’s created. As Whetherman, he has had the opportunity to open for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, The Wailers, Howie Day, Kim Richey, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Anders Osbourne among many others.

Billy Novick & Guy Van Duser

“Elegant.” “Riveting.” “Soulful.” “Classic mastery.” These are a few of the terms that have been used to describe the unique and stunning swing-jazz music of acoustic guitarist Guy Van Duser and clarinetist Billy Novick.

Together as a duo for more than forty years, Guy and Billy have performed in concerts, clubs and festivals all over North America and Europe. You also may have heard them as frequent guests of the Prairie Home Companion show, NPR’s All Things Considered, or on one one the numerous film and television soundtracks they have been featured on.

Novick’s ever-inventive and soulful clarinet playing provides the ideal complement to Guy’s guitar. With his vast knowledge of the classic jazz era, his dazzling improvising skills, and his entertaining vocals, Novick is able to both add a melodic and dynamic spark to Guy’s guitar . Their music sounds fresh and original, yet is also deeply rooted in the rich legacy of the classic jazz age. The duo can play any piece from their huge repertoire- an obscure Ellington tune, a Gershwin classic, a complex Jelly Roll Morton arrangement, or perhaps one of the their originals- and immediately have it sound their own.

And, my, how they swing! The two of them together can create a pulse as driving as any big band. They have a musical telepathy and understanding that has been honed by more than twenty-five years of playing together, a rhythmic drive that doesn’t quit and a thorough mastery of their instruments. Add to all of this their relaxed and engaging stage manner, and you will be treated to a joyously entertaining and musically enchanting show that, indeed, has already stood the test of time.

Bumper Jacksons

Like an old-time barn dance in downtown New Orleans, the Bumper Jacksons pull together a vast array of early American traditions into a deliciously cohesive sound that strikes you right in the heart. Country swing, old-time blues, brassed-up bluegrass – these high-spirit wonders do and love it all. Powerhouse vocals and a hard-swinging rhythm section are flanked by a dextrous pedal steel and a brassalicious horn section. At the center of it all, is an invitation to join in – be it a rowdy dance, a moment of soulful intimacy, or a movement to make a better world.

The Bumper Jacksons have a steadily rising list of honors: Washington Area Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Best Traditional Album, Best Traditional Group; Strathmore Artists-in-Residence (2015-2016); Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Touring Artists for 2016-2019. Both Jess Eliot Myhre and Chris Ousley are award-winning songwriters, and they pepper their original sets with reimagined arrangements of traditional American songs. Their success blossomed from their simple beginnings in 2012 as a country-meets-city duet between Jess Eliot Myhre (clarinet, vocals, washboard) and Chris Ousley (acoustic & electric guitar, vocals, banjo) in the backyards, living rooms and front porches of DC and Baltimore. They crafted a sound built from their time exploring the smoky jazz clubs of New Orleans and old-time fiddler’s festivals throughout the southern Appalachians.

After Chris and Jess established the roots of the Bumper Jacksons’ sound, the band grew organically from jams and music festival-meetings. Dave Hadley (pedal steel), Alex Lacquement (upright bass), Dan Samuels (drums), and Joe Brotherton (trumpet) masterfully amplify and diversify the tone, rhythm and power that defines the band’s signature sound. The success of the band’s last three albums – I’ve Never Met A Stranger (2017), Too Big World (2015) and Sweet Mama, Sweet Daddy Come In (2014)– demonstrate the ongoing refinement of their scrappy-yet-elegant sound that dives deep for the caramel core of Americana.

Sorcha Cribben-Merrill

Hearing songwriter Sorcha Cribben-Merrill sing is at once stirring and soothing. Her lush vocal jazz charm and powerful presence draw you into bluesy grooves, haunting ballads, and intricate vignettes. An exquisite storyteller, Sorcha’s songs speak the truth as much as they spark the imagination.

Raised on the ocean in rural Maine, Sorcha is equally at home performing in folk festivals, rock clubs, intimate listening rooms, and on sailboats. A multi-instrumentalist living in Portland, Maine, her acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, and ukulele all shape her compositions and performances, as does living by the sea.

Sorcha has opened for Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner, folk music icon Tom Rush, and celebrated cellist/multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops — teaming up with collaborators Jo Sorrell on cello/vocals and pianist/electronic musician Kafari on rhythm bones. She has performed at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, ME, and The State Theatre in Portland, ME, where she sang two original songs with The Fogcutters, Maine’s contemporary nineteen piece big band.

The transformative power of music underscores her work. Sorcha regularly brings music to memory care audiences, she has supported songwriting programs at the Center For Grieving Children, and she partners with The Lullaby Project. The Lullaby Project is a Carnegie Hall program that pairs new parents with professional artists to write and sing lullabies for their babies. Her original music is also featured in LIGHT: a Documentary Film by Caroline Treadway (Feb 2021).

Sorcha’s third studio album, Quiet, was co-produced with Jeff Oehler of Beehive Productions and released in September 2016.

Annie Raines

Annie Raines was born in 1969 in Boston and grew up in the suburb of Newton, Massachusetts. She picked up the blues harp at 17 and made her stage debut at the 1369 Jazz Club in Cambridge a few months before her high school graduation. Enthralled by the recordings of Muddy Waters, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton and Sonny Boy Williamson, she became a fixture at Boston area blues jams. She briefly attended Antioch College and 1988 interned with Washington, DC homeless rights activist Mitch Snyder, who persuaded her to drop out of school to pursue her musical career. One of the few female blues harmonica players in the country, Annie played the New England club circuit with local bands, and traveled to Chicago where she met and played with many of her musical idols including Pinetop Perkins, Louis Myers, and James Cotton. She also enjoyed yearlong stints with the Tarbox Ramblers and the Susan Tedeschi Band, going on to perform on Susan’s first three albums. She lives in Boston with her number one musical hero, Paul Rishell.

Jack Broadbent

Hailed as “the new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “the real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, Jack Broadbent has spent the past few years wowing audiences across the globe with his blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar and blues inspired vocals. His songs can span from a beautiful folk ballad to straight-ahead rock and roll.

Born June 15th, 1988 in rural Lincolnshire, England, Broadbent grew up listening to artists like Radiohead, Robert Johnson, Joni Mitchell, and Davey Graham. These legends influenced Jack’s distinctive songwriting, singing, and style. Jack’s performances exude a warmth, humor, and energy that has electrified audiences worldwide. Broadbent has shared the stage with legendary artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Wood, Peter Frampton, Tommy Emmanuel, and Tony Joe White. He has headlined a series of international tours including sold out shows across Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America.

Broadbent has four full length albums under his belt. His latest record, Moonshine Blue, was hailed by fans and critics alike for its soulful sound and depth of genre bending songs. Blues Matters said, “Moonshine Blue really shows off Jack’s true power as a singer-songwriter. Sonically, it has a rich, live sound which is a testament to the quality of the production and engineering. It truly is a superb album.” Recently, Broadbent has been working on new music, which should be coming out soon!

Meredith Axelrod

Delightfully engaging and unassumingly comic, Meredith Axelrod envisions the limitless potential of early twentieth century music, whether it be Ragtime, Music Hall, Pop Standard, Boogie Woogie, Tin Pan Alley, String band, Jazz, Country, Blues or even Jug Band music, and embodies the spirit that brought the music into existence in the first place. Her vocal style is unusual, probably because she learned to sing by listening to how folks did it a century ago – through the medium of cylinders and 78-rpm records.

The dominant theme throughout her expansive repertoire, is that, whatever the genre, these are songs she learns from the original sources (records and / or sheet music) which were released between the 1890s and the 1930s. Part of the allure of old time music, indeed any music throughout the history of recorded music, is hearing the original recordings as played and sung by the original performers in their heyday, loving what they’re doing and doing it because it means something to them in that moment, never because of nostalgia, and Meredith brings the same unbridled passion, earnest devotion and candid vitality to all of her music; she has found possibility and joy in the treasures of cultural folklore.

Miss Tess

Miss Tess got her musical start at home in Maryland, her childhood nights ending in music. Her parents would sing her to sleep with the gentle, tender sounds of American folk songs, occasionally interrupted by their 30s swing band rehearsing in the basement.

Tess studied piano as a child, and continued on as a teenager to take up the guitar and singing, and eventually began her own studies in early jazz and blues. All grown up and currently living in Nashville, Miss Tess and her band regularly steal the show at venues with something a little rowdier and more eclectic. Infused with classic country and honky-tonk, southern rhythm & blues, New Orleans jazz and swing, and sounds of swamp pop and early rock n’ roll, she is an embodiment of everything that it still home-grown in America.

Kemp Harris

Kemp Harris defies categorization. He is a singer and songwriter, a master weaver of American musical styles. He’s an actor, activist, author, and storyteller, and an award-winning educator who has taught young public school students for more than 40 years.

“It’s all about communication,” Kemp says. “Everything I do.”

Born in segregated Edenton, North Carolina, and transplanted to Massachusetts, where he bounced between relatives’ homes, Kemp learned to adapt to whatever world he found himself in – a talent that has come to define him as a person and an artist. He began writing songs at 14 and recording them in college, using a pair of old cassette players to track parts, and has been delighting music lovers ever since with his earthy, soulful creations.

Kemp honed his powerful, intimate performance style in Cambridge’s coffeehouses, developing into a magnetic frontman who has shared stages with artists such as Koko Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, Kandace Springs and Taj Mahal. He has composed original music for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, established a songwriting residency at Boston’s Wang Theater, and recently delivered a series of master classes at Berklee College of Music on the subject of Artists as Activists, alongside Chad Stokes of the band Dispatch and members of the dance troupe Urban Bush Women.

Kemp’s most recent album, Edenton, featuring vocals from the legendary Holmes Brothers, is a modern blues journey that fuses the personal and the political, the sacred and the profane, to haunting effect. Edenton’s title track, a bittersweet valentine to his birthplace, explores a simpler time in a racially-divided town with the clear-eyed grace that is a hallmark of Kemp’s work. Everything he makes is built on a foundation of social awareness and the desire to reflect the world as he sees and experiences it. Whether he’s performing a rousing soul tune backed by a 14-piece orchestra in a grand concert hall or a hushed meditation alone at his piano, Kemp speaks truth the only way he knows how: by baring his soul. Considering the state of the world, it is no wonder Kemp is back on the road playing to the biggest audiences of his life – selling out rooms from Northern New England to New York City and enjoying a wave of new fans who have discovered this seasoned Renaissance man via word of mouth.

“Kemp Harris is a thief, a tease and a heartbreaker. He knows too much. And it’s all right there when he sings… beautifully there. He’ll take your breath away.” – NPR: ‘On Point’

Freebo

Freebo is a genuine folk, rock and blues icon who, after over 40 years of recording and touring with many of the great artists of our time (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Neil Young, & many more) is regarded as one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of today.

A multi award winner and finalist in numerous songwriting contests, Freebo was also recognized as the ‘Best Folk Artist 2007’ by the Los Angeles Music Awards. In addition, he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Midnight Special, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap. His compassionate concern for the world and people around him, as evidenced both in his lyrics and his open stage banter, has helped him connect with listeners worldwide. A musical evening with Freebo will be astute, insightful, clever, and truly melodic.