About the Show
Music City Roots
A weekly concert and live radio show presented from The Loveless Cafe Barn in Nashville, TN.
This week on Music City Roots, it’s a mostly European takeover as we bring you a slew of live sets from the likes of Alison Brown & John Doyle, Wilfie Gilbert, Triona Carville, Peter McVeigh, Pete Anderson, and Steven Macartney (of Farriers). Jim Lauderdale hosts.
About the artists:
Alison Brown has achieved success in many areas: a Harvard graduate, record label co-founder and owner, mother, and, the role that most people know her in: banjo virtuoso. An internationally recognized musician with a wide-reaching and loyal fan base, Brown first came to national prominence when she was asked by Alison Krauss to join her band Union Station in 1989. Brown had already made a name for herself prior to that by performing extensively with fiddler Stuart Duncan, and on occasional pick-up sessions with artists such as Vince Gill, Byron Berline and John Hickman.
In the summer of 1978, she traveled the country with Duncan and his father, playing festivals and contests. A first place finish at the Canadian National Banjo Championship helped her land a one-night gig at the Grand Ole Opry. And around the time Brown graduated from high school, she and Duncan recorded a duo album for Ridge Runner Records entitled Pre-Sequel.
Brown’s journey to a professional music career took a detour while she attended Harvard, studying history and literature, then UCLA, where she secured an MBA and went to work as an investment banker. After taking a hiatus to return to composing and recording music, Brown assembled the material for her solo debut, the GRAMMY nominated Simple Pleasures. A three-year stint with Alison Krauss and Union Station and a year serving as band leader for Michelle Shocked followed as did bluegrass music’s highest accolade for an instrumentalist: the International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year in 1991.
In 1995 Brown put her financial background to work, founding Compass Records with her husband Garry West. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2009, the Nashville-based Compass Records Group is an internationally recognized label group with a catalog of over 600 roots music releases across the Compass Records, Green Linnet, Mulligan Records and Xenophile catalogs. Compass Records Group is home to artists such as Colin Hay, Catie Curtis, Lúnasa, Solas, Martin Hayes and The Waifs, and has been called “one of the greatest independent labels of the last decade” by Billboard Magazine. Since its inception Compass Records Group (the subject of both Harvard Business School and Darden Business School case studies) has pursued an ambitious path of growth and met every goal including the most important one: providing a thriving haven of creativity for artists and a reliable beacon of quality for music fans.
Brown tours internationally with the Alison Brown Quartet, was personally requested to play at the 2007 inauguration of Harvard’ first female president, Drew Faust, and was the 2007 recipient of Irish America Magazine’s “Stars of the South Award” for Compass Records’ efforts towards the “cultivation and preservation of Irish music.” Brown’s discography includes four releases on Vanguard Records as well as six on the Compass Records label, including The Company You Keep (March 2009). She currently lives in Nashville with her husband Garry West and their 2 children: Hannah (8) and Brendan (3).
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Over the years Wilfie Gilbert has played with a number of bands performing throughout Ireland, the UK and parts of Europe. Although somewhat illusive in performing his original material 2013 has been a year of cataloguing a lifetime of writing and will culminate in the release of his long anticipated first EP as part of the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival….
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Triona Carville is a singer/songwriter/guitarist aged 17, the fifth sibling among eight. During 2012 she recorded stunning first demos with producer Declan Legge and memorably debuted at Vicar Street, Dublin, with Joan Armatrading.
Triona is a natural talent with a rare ability to write great hooks who has no fear of stages and seems capable of mainstream success way beyond these shores. Management strategy has been to keep Triona below the radar on you tube etc. until the talent had been nurtured further with both musical direction and enough songs for an album. Over the past year, Triona has worked on her songwriting and has played over 100 solo gigs combining covers and originals. In the past month, sessions with producer Cormac O’Kane have resulted in master-quality recordings. Strategic use of social media will begin to occur in late October followed by release of an EP. Triona was awarded the inaugural Cel Fay Bursary which she will accept at Oh Yeah at end of September.
With everything ready, the full band will debut this month and have a ‘Duke of York’ gig on the Wednesday of Music Week.. Later in November, Triona will be collaborate with local jazz and blues stars in a pro-filmed podcast promoting author Colin Harper’s forthcoming John McLaughlin biography.
In February 2014, she’s pleased to be headlining at at the Belfast Nashville Festival, especially as the music traditions of both these great music cities are evident in both her songs and her voice.
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Irish singer/songwriter Peter McVeigh first cut his musical teeth in the critically acclaimed band Eskimos Fall. When the group went their separate ways two years ago after releasing a clutch of well received offerings, the tunesmith decided to go it alone and plans to unveil his debut EP ‘Lights’ early 2012.
A writer with a gift for story-telling, producing uplifting rock anthems & delicate acoustic tales have made the likes of Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and Olga Kaye (Cool Fm) sit up and take notice. McVeigh makes music that we can all relate too.
Sonically speaking, his skill for splicing a hook-laden melody together with truly emotive yet measured music calls to mind the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20 at their peak, but ultimately his work remains unmistakably his own.
A lifelong student of sounds, the Music & Music Technology Lecturer is a prolific song-writer and crafts a song or two on a daily basis. Peter is involved in collaborating with other artists from around the world as a songwriter, session vocalist & musical arranger.
After a month long visit to Los Angeles where he worked with Madonna, Crowded House and Amie Mann collaborator Dave Kerzner, Peter returned home and has since set his focus on choosing four tunes from his back catalogue for his self-produced first release Lights. With a street date for the EP scheduled for January 2012 and a brace of gig announcements to follow, keep checking www.petermcveigh.com for updates over the months ahead.
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Little Dog Records proudly announces the release of Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum selling producer/guitarist/songwriter PETE ANDERSON‘s, BIRDS ABOVE GUITARLAND, on SEPTEMBER 17, 2013.
Produced by Michael Murphy & Tony Rambo and recorded and engineered by Tony Rambo, Sally Browder and Jeff Moxley at the Nest, Glendale, CA, BIRDS ABOVE GUITARLAND features Pete Anderson – Vocals, Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Bass, Harmonica & Percussion and Michael Murphy – B3 Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer, Key Bass & Strings with Lee Thornberg – Trumpet, French Horn and Trombone, Ron Dzibula – Saxophone and Bari Sax, Herman Matthews, James Cruce, Jeff Sorensen, Jeff Donovan, Jesper Kristensen – Drums; Jack Maebee – B3 Organ on “Big Money”, “Outta The Fire” and “For You”, Dona Oxford – Piano on “Talkin’ My Baby Down”, Steve Nelson – Bass on “Empty Everything”, Dennis Gurwell – Accordion and Bekka Bramlett – Lead Vocals on “Rock In My Shoe” (Bonus Track).
Long considered one of the world’s best-of-the-best Tele-twangers, musical pioneer Pete Anderson has never been satisfied with maintaining the status quo. The last 10 years has found Anderson focusing on his solo career – perfecting his craft & honing his musical vision. On BIRDS ABOVE GUITARLAND the Detroit native Anderson delivers a set of all-original music — a rich roots music gumbo of blues/funk/swing/country twang with a splash of surf music and a dash of jazz. And TONE — always tone..
Even Things Up-Deluxe Edition (Little Dog Records/2011) Anderson’s critically-acclaimed previous solo release, featured “Inspired songs, great tones, and soulful playing…Anderson is a groove-aholic whether he’s dishing out fat lead lines, chicken pickin’ a rhythmic melody, or kicking down a soaring slide solo.” (Art Thompson/Guitar Player magazine)
Pete Anderson is most widely known as the musical partner to Dwight Yoakam, (a little ‘side project’ that wound up helping to change the face of contemporary country music!) whose records he produced/arranged/and played on from 1986-2003 resulting in sales of 25 Million+ recordings.. Anderson is well known as a pioneer in the roots-rock genre and was an early champion of the Americana movement, where he had a hand in introducing the world to artists such as Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale, Michelle Shocked and Rosie Flores. He is also a renowned bandleader who has appeared on “Saturday Night Live”, “David Letterman” , and “The Tonight Show” (19 times since 1986) and has played over 3,000 live shows in upwards of 15 countries around the world. While Pete Anderson’s work as a producer/arranger/guitarist has resulted in acclaimed records in the Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Pop, R&B, and Red Dirt genres of music, his focus as a solo artist has always been his first musical love – The Blues.
Pete Anderson was born and raised in Detroit, MI to blue collar parents working in the auto industry. His first exposure to music came in the form of Elvis Presley and the Country and Western music his father listened to, but at age 16 Pete was transformed when he heard Muddy Waters on the radio. He attended the first ever Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1968 which featured artists such as B.B King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, and Lightnin’ Hopkins. After that he devoted himself to learning everything he could about the Blues.
Marrying young, Pete went to work in the factories of Detroit working for Chrysler, Uniroyal, and The Vernor’s ginger ale bottling plant while spending his evenings practicing his craft in local Blues bands. After a few years, he made his move to the West Coast in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. Soon he was in demand as a skilled guitarist playing the blues, as well as country, rock, and most anything else, plying his trade in the bars and clubs around Los Angeles.
With years of critical and commercial success to his name, Pete Anderson is focusing on his musical roots. In 2006 he was approached by Guitar Center to help judge and organize their “King of the Blues” guitar competition, the largest in history. Anderson created all of the backing tracks that the contestants used in competition, acted as a judge and bandleader at the finale which featured B.B. King one year and The Black Crowes the next, and a Pete Anderson produced EP was a prize for the winner.
Reverend Guitars now has 4 Pete Anderson signature guitar models. The latest – Reverend Guitars’ PA1-RT – was just introduced at Summer NAMM July 2013 . Its predecessor, Reverend’s PA-1 — first introduced in 2010 — received the “Editor’s Pick” from Guitar Player Magazine as well as rave reviews from all other guitar magazines. Also available from Reverend are the Pete Anderson Eastsider S and the Eastsider T. www.reverendguitars.com
From the blue collar, mixed race neighborhoods of Detroit to Hollywood’s early roots-rock scene and country music stardom to the new digital music industy and beyond, Pete Anderson’s talent and innovative spirit have not only set him apart from the herd, but ensure his continued presence as a bright spot in the future of the American roots music scene.
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“One of the key bands for acoustic Ireland. They play with heart, sincerity and honesty.” – Music Link NI
“It’s almost impossible to say a bad word about Farriers. One of the best folk bands in the Northern Irish music scene, and it’s pretty clear to see why.” – BBC ATL
“Upbeat and soulful songs which are full of spirit and tunes that endear you to sing along. They reminded me very much of the Waterboys. The Coastlines EP has that magical quality that made Fisherman’s Blues such a great album. Shift that 20 plus years on, add some great handclapping and footstompin and you have Farriers. This was a well thought out EP with a good range of upbeat and mellow songs that will have you reaching for the whiskey, in a good way.”
“As they stated, they were there to ‘stomp the **** out of the stage’. Right from the start of the set they succeeded with this aim – the jangly country acoustic vibe and amazing harmonies of their songs lodging in your head and refusing to budge. ”
Adrian Knight – Gigging NI
”The sound of Farriers is one of an amalgamation of Irish traditional and American folk music. There’s clear chemistry between Rachel Coulter and Stephen Macartney and a great appreciation of harmonies. ‘The Last Long Evening’ featured one of those irritatingly simple melodies that are just impossible to get out of your head, while the soft and tender vocals of Rachel and Stephen at the end create this warm and rich sound. A thumbs up for sure.” Patrick Kane – Across The Line BBC
