The 2018 Americana Music Association Awards took place last night, hosted by the lovely Milk Carton Kids, and no surprises for guessing who won a number of them (literally no surprises as we told you in the headline). Rolling Stone Country reports: “Jason Isbell reinforced his status as the king of the Americana genre at the 2018 Americana Honors & Awards. Continue reading “Jason Isbell dominates at 2018 AMAs”
We’re full to the rafters with horses, women and rain in Liverpool today (which sounds like the title of a country compilation) and so we leave you for the weekend with this lovely clip of 3 americana legends in the one set and coinciding with the release today of the first new album of original songs in over 13 years from John Prine. ‘The Tree Of Forgiveness’ features collaborations with the Pat McLaughlin, Jason Isbell, and Amanda Shires among others and last night, Prine performed the song ‘Summer’s End’ from the album on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, alongside Sturgill and Brandi Carlile. Watch it below, and have a good one!
This is worth breaking up your morning toasted teacake and brew for, for 15 minutes. John Prine has performed a lovely little session for NPR in their Desk Concert series. Described by them as “an American treasure” he premiered new song ‘Caravan of Fools’, a track he co-wrote with Pat McLaughlin and Dan Auerbach. Prine added a witty disclaimer to the song saying, “any likeness to the current administration is purely accidental.” He also plays the song ‘Summer’s End’, and both are from his first album of new songs in 13 years ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’ which has been produced by Dave Cobb and recorded with his longtime band in Nashville’s RCA Studio A. Guests on the record include Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, plus a songwriter’s co-credit with Phil Spector.
Dear old RS are pointing us today towards another new track from John Prine’s first solo album of new material since 2005, ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’. The track is called ‘Knockin’ on Your Screen Door’ and is co-written with Pat McLaughlin, whose credits include cuts by Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood and some other cheesy country. As they describe it “the tune is prime Prine, an uptempo folk song with a downbeat message from the perspective of a lonely, destitute man whose only possession is a George Jones 8-track tape.”
Unlucky for some, unless you’re a baker. Rolling Stone reports: “John Prine, whose 2017 highlights included headlining the Newport Folk Festival, releasing his first-ever book, John Prine Beyond Words, and winning Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony in September, already has a memorable 2018 shaping up, including a spring [US] tour and the release of new music. The new LP will be Prine’s first consisting of original music in 13 years. More details about the upcoming record are expected soon. Prine’s Fair & Square, his last LP of new solo material, was released in 2005 and earned him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.” Continue reading “First new John Prine album in 13 years on the way”
Obviously this pales into insignifance compared to TV Choice Awards in which Emmerdale won 4 this year, but still, if you can drag yourself through the article, Rolling Stone reports: “Thank you to the Americana fans, because, without you, there might be no other place for me,” said Amanda Shires, collecting her award for Emerging Artist of the Year at Wednesday’s 16th annual Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville. And she’s right: as guests filtered into the Ryman Auditorium, Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” played over the outdoor speakers and tourists danced to Luke Bryan covers on Lower Broadway. Continue reading “Sturgill and Prine triumph at americana awards”
If we could afford to cover this in person we would, although you do avoid Van on a bad day biting your head off (sorry, lazy journalism there). Rolling Stone Country reports: “Eclectic UK rock legends Van Morrison and Graham Nash, both of whom have been directly influenced by American music will both take the stage to perform at the Americana Honors & Awards Show on September 13th at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Continue reading “Van Morrison joins Americana Awards 2017 line-up”
Not here sorry, over at RS Country. To embed or not to embed, that’s the question. They report: “John Prine was cleaning his basement when he stumbled upon an old concert recording. But it wasn’t just any concert recording: It was Prine, in his late Seventies prime, playing full-on rock & roll with an electric band. Now the show, a rarity in the Grammy winner’s catalog, is getting wider release this week: September ’78 will be issued digitally for the first time on August 25th. Continue reading “Listen to John Prine’s rare live album from 1978”
Which isn’t the worst ex-US President you could be compared to. “Drake was like Millard Fillmore to me.” Rolling Stone reports: “”Johnny Cash was like Abraham Lincoln to me,” says beloved songwriter John Prine in a new video discussing his relationship with the late Man in Black. And Cash, it turns out, was one of the only people for whom Prine would alter one of his own lyrics. As Prine tells it, Cash was working with producer Cowboy Jack Clement and wanted to record “Sam Stone,” the harrowing story of a drug-addicted combat veteran that first appeared on Prine’s 1971 debut. Continue reading “John Prine: “Johnny Cash was like Abraham Lincoln to me””
You can catch John Prine (if you’re quick) in the UK next week when he plays dates in London, Glasgow and Manchester (details here), but in the meantime is it too early to start putting a Christmas wishlist together? Rolling Stone report: “Last July, John Prine was awarded the prestigious PEN Songwriting Award alongside Tom Waits, having contributed a wealth of indelible lyrics (“there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes,” among many others) to the musical canon since releasing his debut album in 1971. On April 18th, Prine’s label Oh Boy Records will give some insight into his creative process with John Prine Beyond Words, his first-ever songbook. Continue reading “John Prine to publish first ever songbook”
