About the Show
Music City Roots
A weekly concert and live radio show presented from The Loveless Cafe Barn in Nashville, TN.
Amy LaVere
A burgeoning star, Amy LaVere is becoming renowned worldwide for her songwriting, bass playing, and vocals. She sings with a sweet, haunting voice that can turn on a dime from innocent to lusty (“Norah Jones with an added Cyndi Lauper element” — Mojo Magazine; “Spookiness suits her” — New York Times). Whether playing as a duo with her husband Will Sexton or with retro-country sensation Motel Mirrors, she’s an inventive, thoughtful singer-songwriter who has crowds throughout the US and Europe smitten.
Music fans first discovered this “sweet soprano” on This World is Not My Home in 2005, but it was her Jim Dickinson-produced breakout album Anchors & Anvils two years later that put Amy LaVere on the map.
The success of Anchors & Anvils drew the attention of the UK market, and soon Amy was invited to perform on the BBC’s “Later with Jools Holland” – the appearance introduced her to an international audience, and to Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Jamie Cullum), who she’d later team with to produce Stranger Me (Archer Records).
Spin called the 2011 release “the break-up album of the year,” Paste said it was “among the year’s best,” and it earned a first listen feature from NPR’s All Things Considered. She followed it in 2014 with another critical smash: Runaway’s Diary, a concept album based on her own experience as a teenage runaway, produced by Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars). American Songwritercalled it “boundary pushing… heartfelt, reflective, challenging and consistently compelling.” NPR Music’s Robert Christgau said it was her best yet.
Her most recent release, Hallelujah I’m A Dreamer (Archer Records, 2015), was a surprise for fans just nine months after Runaway’s Diary, recorded with LaVere’s husband and noted guitarist Will Sexton. On Hallelujah, Amy and Will capture the immediacy of the live show they developed on the road together, reveling in a more stripped-down sound and celebrating the freedoms and limitations that come with it in stunning form. No Depression said simply: “pure bliss.”
In addition to her solo records and a tireless touring schedule, Amy enjoys collaborating with other artists. In 2012 she joined an all-star collaboration called The Wandering, composed of Amy, Luther Dickinson, Shannon McNally, Sharde Thomas and Valerie June. They released Go On Now, You Can’t Stay Here (Songs Of The South, 2012) to critical acclaim and sold out shows.
In the afterglow of The Wandering, Amy and Shannon McNally hit the road together and released an EP titled Chasing the Ghost, The Rehearsal Sessions (Archer Records, 2012) which featured songs from both artists recorded live during rehearsals for the tour.
Amy next paired up with noted rocker John Paul Keith to create Motel Mirrors. Their styles clearly complemented one another, which made for magic on stage and in the recording studio. Their eponymous vinyl EP release was named one of the “10 Essential Albums of 2013” by No Depression.
Kristina Train (born January 17, 1982 in New York City as Kristina Beaty) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has lived in London, United Kingdom since 2010.[3] Her music blends influences from country, soul, gospel, blues, folk, and jazz.[4]
Kristina was born in New York City and raised in Savannah, Georgia, where she and her mother moved to when she was 11 years old. She is of Norwegian, Italian, and Irish heritage. At the age of four, Kristina started studying classical violin. She sang in church and school choirs. In 1999, she joined the soul outfit The Looters, often backing vocalist Rosa King on tour.
Since then, Kristina has shared the stage with Elton John, Herbie Hancock, Florence and the Machine, Al Green and Willie Nelson. She has 3 solo albums including the upcoming Rayon City.
Leah Blevins
From the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains came rising Nashville singer/songwriter Leah Blevins. Being born and raised in a musical family, music has always played a significant role in Leah’s life. While in her hometown of Sandy Hook, KY, she discovered her passion for expressing words, stories and life experiences through song. Her carefully crafted songwriting ability and smooth, soulful voice genuinely resonated with her audience. After days and nights of dreaming in Kentucky, Leah decided to pack up and make the move to Nashville three years ago.
Heavily influenced by church hymns and the great country and rock leading ladies such as Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Leah’s distinct country bluesy style differentiates her from the ordinary singer/songwriter in Nashville. Her debut EP Runnin’, produced by Ken Coomer and released in 2015 introduced Leah to the world and captivated listeners with her rich voice and touching lyrics.
After Runnin’ was released, the world has taken to the sweet, soulful and intelligent Leah Blevins quite fondly. She has since been featured on Acme Radio Live, landed a publishing deal with BandWagon Red, toured around the south and had the honor of playing at multiple festivals such as The Revival Festival, Poppy Mountain Bluegrass Festival and Athens of the South Festival. True to her giving nature, Leah has also made sure to share her talents with those in need. Leah has given her time and efforts to cancer patients at charity benefits as well as hospitals in Mexico for stage four cancer patients.
Eager to share the new phase in her music, Leah has been hard at work preparing songs for her sophomore EP. Consistent with her EP Runnin’, the same leading ladies’ influences will be felt along with newer artists such as Dawes, Ryan Adams and Gillian Welch. The new project is due to release in Fall 2017.
Susan Werner
Born and raised near Manchester, Iowa, Werner became interested in music at a young age and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in voice at the University of Iowa. In 1987, she moved to Philadelphia, and soon earned a master’s degree in voice at Temple University. Werner initially wanted a career in opera, but after seeing a Nanci Griffith performance became inspired and began composing songs of her own on acoustic guitar.
Performing around Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City, Susan began making a name for herself in the folk scene of the early 1990s. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001, and eventually moved to Chicago. Her first five albums were all in the folk genre, but Werner’s sixth album, I Can’t Be New (2004), was a substantial departure, with original material in the vein of Tin Pan Alley, cabaret, and early jazz torch songs.
Werner’s seventh album, The Gospel Truth, was released in March 2007 and addresses themes of religion, faith, social responsibility, as well as religion from an agnostic’s point of view. Her eighth album, Live at Club Passim is collection of original songs (gospel, jazz & folk) recorded with her band: Colleen Sexton, Trina Hamlin & bassist Greg Holt. For her ninth album, Classics, she performs pop music from the 1960s and 1970s accompanied by chamber instruments.
In 2010, Tom Jones recorded Susan’s song “Did Trouble Me” for his album “Praise and Blame”.
Her tenth album, entitled “Kicking the Beehive,” was released in March 2011. Produced by Rodney Crowell, it features guest appearances from Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo and Paul Franklin. Her most recent album, Hayseed, a concept album about “farms, farmers, and the people who love them” was released in the summer of 2013.
Werner branched out to write the music and lyrics for a musical based on the film Bull Durham, which premiered in Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre on September 3, 2014.
In 2017 Werner released “An American In Havana,” featuring songs written during two trips to Cuba in 2015 and 2016.
Dori Freeman
Dori Freeman is a singer and songwriter from Galax, Virginia. her music blurs the finer lines of americana and Shines new light on the legacy of traditional music. She brings a modern and honest perspective – both lyrically and vocally – to the genre. Her sophomore album “Letters Never read” was released in October, 2017.
Carrie Rodriguez
Carrie Rodriguez, a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, finds beauty in the cross-pollination of diverse traditions. A passionate performer, she effortlessly melds fiery fiddle playing, electrifying vocals and a fresh interpretation of new and classic songs with an “Ameri-Chicana” attitude. Her newest project, the upcoming Spanish/English album “Lola,” is both a return to her musical roots and something of a departure where she delivers her own twangy, Texas-bred twist on Mexican Ranchera songs, creating culturally blended music for a culturally blended world.
Inspired by the 1940’s-era recordings of Carrie’s great aunt, Chicana singing sensation Eva Garza, the album is a mixture of new and old songs. It features Spanish songs written by some of Carrie’s favorite Mexican composers, as well as her own Ranchera-inspired original songs written in English, Spanish and “Spanglish.”
Produced by Lee Townsend, the album is supported by an all-star band, The Sacred Hearts, assembled especially for this project. The band features internationally acclaimed composer/guitarist Bill Frisell, Viktor Krauss on bass, Luke Jacobs on pedal steel and guitars, David Pulkingham on nylon string guitar and electric guitar and Brannen Temple on drums and percussion. The crowdfunded project, supported entirely by friends and fans, is set to be released on Feb. 19, 2016 by Carrie’s own label, Luz Records.
Carrie, an Austin native, began playing violin at age five. Her training quickly became the passion and focus of her childhood, and by age 10, she had performed as part of a group at Carnegie Hall. She continued the classical track in her first year at Oberlin Conservatory, then shifted gears to pursue her true love affair with the fiddle—staying true to her Texas roots—at the Berklee College of Music.
Early in her career, a collaboration with singer-songwriter Chip Taylor resulted in four highly acclaimed duet albums. Her subsequent solo albums highlight the diversity of her musical identity, from her debut “Seven Angels on a Bicycle” to 2013’s “Give Me All You Got,” which reached no. 1 on the Americana Music Charts.
Carrie has toured, recorded and co-written songs with legendary artists such as Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Bill Frisell, Rickie Lee Jones, Mary Gauthier, Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo and Los Lonely Boys, among others. She has made numerous television and radio appearances, including Austin City Limits, The Tonight Show and A Prairie Home Companion. She has been profiled in many publications, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Times of London, The New Yorker, the Washington Post and many more.
Carrie lives in Austin with her partner and musical collaborator Luke Jacobs, a multi- instrumentalist/singer-songwriter from Minnesota, and their son, Cruz Calvin Jacobs.
