The Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Finer Points of Banjo Music's Origins

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a group of young African-American stringband musicians that have come to together to play the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music in Carolinas’ piedmont. Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson both hail from the green hills of the North Carolina Piedmont while Dom Flemons is native to sunny Arizona.

Although we have diverse musical backgrounds, we draw our musical heritage from the foothills of the North and South Carolina. We have been under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, said to be the last black traditional string band player, of Mebane, NC and we strive to carry on the long standing traditional music of the black and white communities.

Joe’s musical heritage runs as deeply and fluidly as the many rivers and streams that traverse our landscape. We are proud to carry on the tradition of black musicians like Odell and Nate Thompson, Dink Roberts, John Snipes, Libba Cotten, Emp White, and countless others who have passed beyond memory and recognition.

A Little on Piedmont Stringband Music

When most of people think of fiddle and banjo music, they think of the southern Appalachian Mountains as the source of this music. While the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina are great strongholds of traditional music today, they are certainly not the source.

The nuances of piedmont stringband music stem from the demographics of the piedmont and thereby its focus on the banjo as the lead instrument. Among black ensembles, the banjo often set the pace and if a fiddle was present and it often was not, it served as accompaniment and not as the lead instrument as is more common in the Appalachian tradition. A guitar or mandolin would have been rare, but not unheard of, in these bands but the foundation of this tradition lies rooted in the antebellum combination of fiddle and banjo.

Want to know more about the African-American old-time tradition? Visit blackbanjo.com for more links to more information.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops appear at the Iron Horse this Thursday night at 7PM.

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It

Stolen from the new ONION.

NEW YORK—In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. "I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it," read a statement released by the band's lead singer, Dee Snyder. "To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all." Bassist Mark "the Animal" Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

Devon Sproule, Rachel Unthank and The Winterset at the Horse last Thursday.

Devon Sproule from Charlottesville VA started the show off and was just great. I mean it. She had none of those sheepish, coy, mumbly, characteristics that some sensitive singer/sonwriter's wear. Nor was she polished to a packaged sheen. Her stories were all relevant, her lyrics ran the emotional gamut, and I didn't hear her miss a note or chord on the guitar...and she was playing all over the fretboard with velocity and precision. A must see!

Rachel and gang were all they were alleged to be as far as "captivating" and "hypnotic." They built slowly but by the end, the audience was fully won over. Rachel is 3^rd from left. I felt their material was on the dark side but it's not everybody's job to play happy feel-good music. They all had stellar voices and the material was traditional but not dusty.I was squeemish at first but I see now why they're getting such rave reviews and I hope the USA gets them musically. T hey did a Robert Wyatt cover which was super cool. Just another magical night of music in Northampton. I meant to go see The Maggies across town but was feeling every year of my middle age and retired for the evening with a copy of The Economist followed by nightmares filled with old white guys and a big sucking sound.

I took these pictures which is why they're pretty crappy. -Jim

Randy Newman returns to the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Sunday, September 28th at 8PM. “Harps and Angels," first new album in nine years.

Randy Newman has earned a nice living in recent years as a film composer, but connoisseurs covet his Seventies work, when he emerged as one of the most cutting and empathic of American singer-songwriters. So his return to political-minded material on Harps and Angels is reason to wrap yourself in the flag and cheer.

Newman works with piano, an orchestra and a Dixieland-style combo, using American musical tradition to amplify irony and yank heartstrings. The best moments echo classics like "Sail Away" and "Louisiana 1927," songs that mixed pathos and bruised patriotism with brutal wit. The set's keystone is "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country," released on iTunes last year. A state-of-the-union ballad that cops musical DNA from "America the Beautiful," its lyrics raised eyebrows last year when they ran as an op-ed piece in The New York Times — albeit minus the final verse about "tight-ass" Italian Supreme Court justices. Its press-secretary punch lines about how the Bush administration ain't so bad compared with Stalin are Colbert Report-hilarious. But its eulogy for American empire and a people "adrift in the land of the brave and the home of the free" is profoundly sad.

Elsewhere, the jaunty "Laugh and Be Happy" winks at two-faced immigration policy, while "Korean Parents" is a gleefully stereotyping indictment of U.S. child-rearing set to chop-suey orchestration. The funniest number, "A Piece of the Pie," affectionately skewers pop polemicists John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne. But Newman's "Feels Like Home," once covered by Chantal Kreviazuk on the Dawson's Creek soundtrack, is an irony-free love song — perhaps for a dear nation that, after all, we'd be willing to go into therapy with. -Will Hermes/Rolling Stone

Joan Osborne gets a “little wild” at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Friday September 26th at 8PM.

Joan Osborne has reunited with producer/writers Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman, and Eric Bazilian on her new album 'Little Wild One,' just released last week (9/9) on her own Womanly Hips label. The team last worked together on Osborne's breakthrough, debut album 'Relish,' which sold five million copies worldwide and yielded the smash hit "One Of Us" as well as scoring six Grammy nominations.

Osborne loves to sing and perform in many different genres, but she comes back to her soulful rock roots on 'Little Wild One.' The album features eleven new songs, most of them written by Osborne in collaboration with Chertoff, Bazilian and Hyman. Highlights include "Hallelujah in the City," "Sweeter Than The Rest," "Cathedrals," the haunting title track "Little Wild One" and the stripped-down "Bury Me On The Battery," an ode to Osborne's coming of age hometown, New York City.

In a career that spans over fifteen years, Joan has proven to be an artistically restless yet consistently enthralling performer. In 2002, she cemented her reputation as a top tier soul singer with an incredible turn in the acclaimed documentary film 'Standing in the Shadows of Motown,' followed by a tour with legendary Motown backing band The Funk Brothers. In 2003, Osborne toured with the Dixie Chicks and then surprised and wowed audiences touring throughout America for two years as the lead singer for The Dead. In 2007, she graced the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

Lindsey Buckingham delivers "Gift" to fans at the Calvin Theatre on Tuesday, October 14th

Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is coming to Northampton to promote a new album he considers "a little more accessible and familiar" than some of his other solo releases

"Gift of Screws" (Reprise/Warner Bros.) came out on September 16. The album marks the followup to 2005's acoustic-oriented "Under the Skin," which peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 200. But the new set has an interesting history that dates back to the beginning of the decade.

Buckingham was making a solo album with the "Gift of Screws" title in 2001 when Fleetwood Mac decided to reconvene for sessions that led to the band's 2003 album "Say You Will" and subsequent world tour. Buckingham allowed the group to use several of the songs intended for his album -- with, he hastens to explain, no regrets on his part.

"It's happened maybe five other times in the past that the machinery or the politics of Fleetwood Mac moved in, intervened and something was put on the shelf," says Buckingham, who joined the group with then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks in 1974, left in 1987 and rejoined for "The Dance" in 1997.

"So that's been a pattern. It's always seemed to me that's the right thing to do. 'Gift of Screws' as an album wasn't really finished, so I was trying to do the right thing for the good of the whole."

Buckingham's initial "Gift of Screws" recordings have been widely bootlegged, and the current version includes several of those songs, among them the title track, "Right Place to Fade" and "Wait for You." The first single is "Did You Miss Me."

"I didn't really go in there and plan to make a rocking album," says Buckingham, who produced all but two of the 10 songs. "For whatever reason, this seems to hearken back to earlier work, Fleetwood Mac in particular. I think that's something the record company recognizes and feels good about."

The Fleetwood Mac rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, who helped out during the original sessions, still appear on the album. Also on the disc are the musicians who accompanied Buckingham on his "Under the Skin" tour and appear on the "Live at the Bass Performance Hall" CD/DVD that was released earlier this year.

As for Fleetwood Mac, a tour and possibly some new recording loom in early 2009.

The album above is the closet classic pre-Fleetwood Mac1974 effort by Lindsey and Stevie. Mick Fleetwood asked Lindsey to join Fleetwood Mac when he heard Lindsey's amazing guitar playing while recording this album in the same studio where he was working. Lindsey said “okay but only if my girlfriend Stevie can join too.”

Pearl Street Ballroom Blitz this Fall with Okkervil River, Iron and Wine

Okkervil River, Crooked Fingers, What? Cheer Brigade, Wednesday October 8th 8:30 Pearl Street Ballroom

Iron and Wine, Blitzen Trapper, Saturday, November 15th 9PM Pearl Street Ballroom

Posters by Nate Duvall

Pearl Street Ballroom and Clubroom ignite with Stars and Thurston Moore Wednesday night. Built to Spill, Meat Puppets tonight, moved from Calvin.

Top two- Thurston Moore and band play Psychic Hearts in the Clubroom. Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelly not in frame. Bottom three- Stars in the Ballroom. Photos: Jim Neill

Josh Rouse returns to Iron Horse TONIGHT. No opener. All Josh.

Music lovers will recognize something of the Valley in Josh Rouse's song "Quiet Town." It's a song about local heroes, sung in the whisper of a warm September night. Backed by a soft bossa nova beat and breezy guitar, the Nebraska native sings of small moments and intimate memories. He will feel right at home when he comes to the Iron Horse on Tuesday.

Over the past decade, Rouse has built a repertoire ranging from tender folk ballads to carefree pop songs. At his sunniest he invites us to tap our feet and sing along. During one such ditty, "Love Vibration," his boyish smile is almost audible within the '70s disco rhythms. Often, however, his songs reverberate with a chilly loneliness. It is this emotional range - these unexpected swings from love to lullaby to lament - that showcase his achievements.

If nothing else, Josh Rouse is a romantic. The name of his record label, Bedroom Classics, is one giveaway. Although he is a maestro of catchy daytime tunes and jingling riffs, Rouse has a heart lit by candlelight. Earlier songs, such as those on his debut album "Dressed Up Like Nebraska" in 1998 and on "Home" two years later, detail fragile romances and the shivery spirals of a love gone south. These songs spark like flint and, to the attentive ear, they stay lit through the waves of echoing guitar.

His album "Under The Cold Blue Stars" punched a hole through the gloom in 2001, as Rouse incorporated more upbeat riffs, nimbler percussion, and some entrancing bells and whistles. His next CD was another splash of warmth, as "1972" paid homage to the funk, R&B, and disco idols of his childhood. "Nashville," released in 2005, stands as his catchiest and most cohesive yet.

A move to Spain brought new influences to Rouse's music, including the bossa nova beat that emerges from "Quiet Town," one of the songs on "Subtítulo," some of which have titles in Spanish, as are many of the lyrics on his upcoming album. Finished early this month, the new album will have a more Brazilian influence.

Over the years Rouse has become a master of the simple memory - the moment that sparks - wrapped up within sweeping emotions. Where he will land next on the globe remains to be seen. We can only hope it is a route to another quiet town. -Hunter Styles

Hunter, a staff writer for the Daily Hampshire Gazette, is conducting an interview with Josh Rouse that will appear her as soon as we have it in hand.

Vance Gilbert captured live at the Iron Horse by Craig Harris last week

Craig Harris has been kindly sending me photos he's snapped at some recent Iron Horse shows. The Sonny Landreth pics are a few posts down and here are two of Vance Gilbert. Craig took the pictures. I took some liberties with the exposures.

Martha Wainwright: I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too and a Date With the Iron Hose Sunday Night at 7PM

In the three years since her critically-acclaimed debut, Martha Wainwright has toured and recorded with acts ranging from Neko Case to Snow Patrol. She has performed Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, and appeared on the big screen in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. But her greatest achievement is, undoubtedly, the creation of her sophomore record. Entitled I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, it is a musically and lyrically ambitious effort, from understated ballads to intense rock numbers. Wainwright offers new takes on a couple old classics as well: Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" and the Eurythmics' "Love Is A Stranger." With I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too Wainwright has created a masterpiece that will further establish her as one of the most exciting and brilliantly creative songwriters of her generation.

How about the crazy-sexy-leggy new photos of Martha huh? Tastefully provocative, I'd say. There's Martha and Rufus, and at the bottom, Martha the way I remember her, looking like she'll kick your ass if necessary, sissy!

Sonny Landreth at the Iron Horse last Sunday.

Photos by Craig Harris of the Longmeadow Reminder.