Americana
Brandi Carlile Performs Gorgeous Cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock”: Watch
Brandi Carlile has always been upfront about her love for Joni Mitchell, often playing songs by the folk legend onstage while on tour. Over the weekend, though, Carlile played a particularly special set for SiriusXM’s Small Stage concert series where she broke out a show-stopping cover of “Woodstock,” an underrated Mitchell song from her 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon. Watch a replay of her rendition below. For her take on the cut, Carlile and her bandmates drew “Woodstock” out into a nearly six-minute-long scorcher. Over with some wavering keyboard notes, Carlile opened the Mitchell song with subdued gusto and heart — which is as to be expected, after all, considering she’s famous for putting on incredible live sets — before her bandmates kicked in with big country rock guitar riffs and ...
Yola Belts Out “Diamond Studded Shoes” on Kimmel: Watch
Yola has one of the best voices in modern country right now, in part because of the undeniable soul she brings to the genre. Last night, she got to reintroduce her show-stopping voice on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a rousing rendition of “Diamond Studded Shoes.” Watch a replay of her performance below. For the occasion, Yola broke out the Stand For Myself track in a cozy room back home in Nashville, Tennessee. What starts out with the warm vibe of a local band at a bar quickly turns into a powerhouse country-pop song worth dancing along to. Yola shows off her voice with subdued verses and effortless trills, but it’s her massive belted notes towards the end that steal the show. All told, it’s a goosebump-raising live version of “Diamond Studded Shoes” that further drives home the song’s an...
Chris Stapleton Covers Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”: Stream
Chris Stapleton has covered Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” as part of The Metallica Blacklist charity covers compilation. The song is available now ahead of the collection’s September 10th release date. The “Black Album” ballad is prime material for Stapleton, who renders the song in a compelling Americana style. Stapleton’s soulful croon works perfectly atop the sparse country-rock instrumentation and the cover’s eight-minute arrangement. Once again, the upcoming Blacklist comp has served up a high-profile cover that lives up to its billing. We just heard Phoebe Bridgers’ “baroque” take on the same track, which followed the widely heard Miley Cyrus-Elton John version (also included on the Blacklist). Advertisement Related Video Meanwhile, Weezer took on “Enter Sandman,” and St. Vincen...
Newport Folk Fest Marks the Glorious Return of Festivals in US
Most major music festivals coming back in 2021 chose to give perspective attendees a fair amount of time to decide to get vaccinated while still keeping the events “summer.” Hence September is jammed with nearly sold-out fests, from Bonnaroo to BottleRock. But many are looking towards August’s Lollapalooza as the first real test of what a post-pandemic festival looks like, which isn’t entirely accurate. Over the weekend (July 23rd-25th), Newport Folk Festival returned for part one of its slimmed-down Folk On 2021 double-event — and there really is no better way to bring music festivals back. Typically on the smaller side of capacity limits anyway, Newport cut back to just 5,000 daily attendees to help mitigate COVID risks. They also broke up the schedule over two back-to-back three-day chu...
Brandi Carlile Announces New Album In These Silent Days, Shares “Right on Time”: Stream
Brandi Carlile has announced a new studio album called In These Silent Days, and shared the lead single, “Right on Time”. Written and recorded by Carlile while in quarantine with her longtime bandmates Tim and Phil Hanseroth, the album found inspiration from her recent memoir, Broken Horses, leading to 10 tracks that arose from “a time of deep and personal reckoning.” As Carlile explained in a statement, “There’s plenty reflection… but mostly it’s a celebration. This album is what drama mixed with joy sounds like. It’s resistance and gratitude, righteous anger and radical forgiveness. It’s the sound of these silent days.” Along with the Hanseroth brothers, the album features a guest appearance from Lucius’ Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig on the track “You and Me on the Rock.” Advert...
Yola Shares the Origins of Sultry New Single “Starlight”: Exclusive
In the new music feature Origins, musicians share unique insights into their most recent single. Today, the great Yola tells us how she shines like “Starlight”. After sharing lead single “Diamond Studded Shoes” and title track “Stand for Myself” off her upcoming sophomore album, Yola is back today with a third taste, “Starlight”. According to the Grammy-nominated British artist, the song is “about looking for positive physical, sexual and human connections at every level of your journey towards love.” Of course, that includes that occasional fling, harmless but still nurturing. The sultry track, featuring additional percussion and electric guitar from Stand for Myself producer Dan Auerbach, finds Yola cooly and patiently waiting to fulfill her smoldering desire. “Ain’t no crime, somet...
Yola on Stand for Myself and Playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s New Film
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Yola sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about Stand for Myself, a record that finds the English musician in a “genre fluid” mood as she tries out several new sounds. Along with the musical diversity, she also discusses the divide-and-conquer politics that appears in some of the songs; her base in poetry; and working and living with friends Aaron Lee Tasjan, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah. Yola will also be playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic, and we get to hear all about the part as well as Tharpe and queer women’s role in creating rock & roll. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WF...
Amigo the Devil Performs “Murder at the Bingo Hall” Inside a Cave in Celebration of Upcoming 2021 US Tour: Watch
Amigo the Devil recently announced an extensive 2021 U.S. tour that kicks off in late August. The dark-folk troubadour also known as Danny Kiranos will be playing more than 50 shows across the States, and is celebrating his return to the live stage by sharing an acoustic performance of “Murder at the Bingo Hall” exclusively with Heavy Consequence. Back in April, Amigo released his stellar sophomore album, Born Against, and was named Consequence‘s Artist of the Month upon its release. The singer-guitarist opened up to us about the new LP, his collection of curiosities, and the influence of such artists as Tom Waits, Fiona Apple, and Leonard Cohen. He also shared a track-by-track breakdown of the new album. Excited to get out back on the road again after being locked down for more than a yea...
Amigo the Devil Announces 2021 US Tour
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-08T16:31:02+00:00“>June 8, 2021 | 12:31pm ET Amigo the Devil has announced an extensive 2021 US tour kicking off in August. The entire trek will be supported by Tejon Street Corner Thieves, while IV and the Strange Band (led by Hank Williams III’s son Coleman) and Stephanie Lambring will also appear at select dates. The lengthy 50-plus show itinerary begins on August 18th at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and runs all the way through November 18th, when it wraps up in Dallas. It’s the second major headlining tour for Amigo, aka Danny Kiranos, who will bring his macabre brand of Americana storytelling to each gig. In addition to the headlining shows, Amigo will make festival a...
Willie Nelson Announces Outlaw Music Festival Tour with Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams & More
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-24T15:30:54+00:00“>May 24, 2021 | 11:30am ET Still going strong at 88 years old, Willie Nelson is returning to the road with his Outlaw Music Festival Tour. The 14-date trek is taking place from late August through late October. Featured guests include Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams, The Avett Brothers, and Gov’t Mule. Other artists on multiple dates include Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Kathleen Edwards, and Ida Mae. Chris Stapleton, Ryan Bingham, and Yola will solely play the opening date on August 22nd in Austin, Texas. Further stops are scheduled in Philadelphia, PA; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Phoenix, Arizona before the final date on October...
Wilco Announce Return of Sky Blue Sky Destination Festival with Spoon, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Thundercat
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-21T17:07:46+00:00“>May 21, 2021 | 1:07pm ET Wilco are bringing back their Sky Blue Sky destination festival to the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The all-inclusive experience takes place January 17th-21st and features three headlining sets from the Americana veterans. The lineup also boasts performances from Spoon, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Thundercat, Waxahatchee, and Stephen Malkmus. Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy will also take the stage for a solo set. Other artists include Tank and the Bangas, Mountain Man, Nubya Garcia, The Autumn Defense, Nels Cline & Julian Lage, and Neal Francis. Britt Daniel will play a DJ set. Tickets will be capped at 2,500 guests, with...
Amigo the Devil Digs Further Into His Own Voice on Born Against: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-15T22:13:59+00:00“>April 15, 2021 | 6:13pm ET The Lowdown: Amigo the Devil is back with his second full-length album, Born Against, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 debut, Everything Is Fine. The Austin-based artist also known as Danny Kiranos has been winning over fans with his unique dark Americana vibe that pairs clever storytelling with an infectious musical soundtrack. While Amigo continues to tackle the macabre subjects that were featured on his first LP, Born Against offers a more introspective look at the dark side of the world. The Good: There’s not one single genre that can apply to Amigo the Devil, and that’s a good thing. While his music is deeply rooted in folk, h...
