Sights and Sounds: Michael Ubaldini strikes with new videos, Americana Virtual Conference Lineup

Plenty of important news and music to share for a Wednesday...Robert Kinsler



Watch Michael Ubaldini's timely hard-hitting videos

Michael Ubaldini / Photo credit: Jesse Navarro

Singer-songwriter great Michael Ubaldini has released two new videos that seem to tap into the turmoil of the times more strongly than any other music videos I've seen this year, in large part, because of the power of the songs and his straightforward performance of those songs. The videos for Ubaldini's "Badge of Freedom" and "Peace Sign" are embedded below.

Elvin Bishop, Rosanne Cash, Ry Cooder, Angela Davis, Alice Randall, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Thorn, RIAA’s Mitch Glazier and Michele Ballantyne Plus More First-Rate Speakers Added to Programming Lineup at Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference

Three-day virtual music industry conference on Sept. 16-18, 2020, brings together Cash to speak with Davis, Cooder, Raitt and Randall on the history of protest music; Bishop and Thorn to talk about how artists can get creative off the road; Glazier and Ballantyne to lead a discussion on the state of the recording industry
Passes On Sale Now

Top Row (L-R): Elvin Bishop, Rosanne Cash, Ry Cooder
Middle Row: Bonnie Raitt, Paul Thorn, Angela Davis
Bottom Row: Mitch Glazier, Michele Ballantyne, Alice Randall

Just one week after announcing its first programming lineup, the Americana Music Association Foundation (AMAF) has revealed a second wave of programming for Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference. The three-day online gathering will host an important discussion led by Rosanne Cash on the history of protest music featuring Ry Cooder, revered political activist Angela Davis, Bonnie Raitt and award-winning author Alice Randall. RIAA Chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier and COO Michele Ballantyne will be leading a conversation on the current state of the recording industry. More programming info can be found below. Passes are on sale here.

In just a little over a month, Thriving Roots will invite attendees online for inspiring panel sessions with first-rate speakers as they navigate talks on music, culture and everything in between. For the panel “Love and Vigilance,” Cash herself shares the idea behind it best, saying, “I invited some old friends — Bonnie Raitt and Ry Cooder — and some new friends — Alice Randall and Angela Davis — to play songs and talk with me about the history of protest music, the long, hard journey of Black musicians to achieve justice, and the anger and longing of the present moment.”

Rosanne Cash performing at the
Grammy Museum in Los Angeles
on Oct. 5, 2010.

Given the ever-evolving nature of the music industry, hearing rare and up-to-date insight from its leading professionals is paramount. During “Record Setting,” join the Recording Industry Association of America's Glazier and Ballantyne for a conversation on the state of the recording industry, current trends and their outlook. Elsewhere, “The Future of Americana” links up Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett with industry veterans Leslie Fram (CMT), David Macias (Thirty Tigers), Linda Ryan (Gimme Radio) and Bruce Warren (WXPN / NPR Music’s World Café) for a forecast into the genre’s future over a decade after The Recording Academy established its “Best Americana Album” category.

Additional new programming includes “Striking a Chord,” which finds GRAMMY® Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman sitting down with this year’s Americana Instrumentalist of the Year Nominees Ellen Angelico, Annie Clements, Brittany Haas, Zachariah Hickman and Rich Hinman as they share stories about their respective career journeys. Attending artists will want to check out “How to Stay Creative When You’re Off the Road,” an inside look at how musicians can maximize their productivity while being grounded in one place, led by Bill Bowker (KRSH) in conversation with roots artists Elvin Bishop and Paul Thorn.

In between panels and after business hours, attendees will also be treated to re-energizing music break segments and immersive special events, rounding out the variety of content found at Thriving Roots. Attendees should tune into Dualtone Music Group’s virtual music break highlighting the breadth of their artist roster and Radio Woodstock's Empire State of Americana, which spotlights five rising stars.

Previously announced Thriving Roots programming includes intimate conversations between Brandi Carlile and Yola; Emmylou Harris and Ken Burns; and Jackson Browne and Mavis Staples. There will also be artist-friendly songwriting workshops and case studies like Mary Gauthier’s "Accessing the Universal in Your Songs: Mercy Now,” Taj Mahal’s “Music Is the Healing Voice” and an artist development breakdown with Black Pumas. Moreover, the Woody Guthrie Center will examine the use of music in political campaigns during “Music as a Rallying Cry,” while “The Anatomy of a Publicity Campaign” groups top PR pros to dissect artist campaigns.

With over 50 panel discussions and more than 40 special events filled with music, Thriving Roots will bring the Americana music community together from across the world for three full days of engaging insight from its top industry professionals and leading artists. Previously announced speakers include Rhiannon Giddens and John Leventhal.

The Thriving Roots platform will launch ahead of the three-day virtual conference at a later date to be announced so attendees can personalize their online presence, customize their own daily schedule and begin networking with other attendees.
The virtual conference agenda will be announced in late August. For the latest updates, please visit americanamusic.org.

About Thriving Roots:
Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference is a three-day music industry conference slated to take place Sept. 16, 17 and 18, 2020. Presented by the recently announced Americana Music Association Foundation (AMAF), the educational initiative brings the Americana music community together from across the world for three full days of engaging insight from its leading artists and industry professionals. With a wide variety of online programming including stimulating panels and immersive special events, attendees are in store for a unique experience that will go beyond today’s webinar-style conferences. Passes are on sale here.

About the Americana Music Association Foundation (AMAF):
The Americana Music Association Foundation (AMAF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and charitable organization, was founded to preserve Americana music through education. Its endeavors strengthen understanding, awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage, shine a light on inspiration, and promote the capacity and engagement of future creators. The foundation accomplishes this mission through educational programs, musical performances and public events. Throughout the year, its partnership with The Americana Music Association focuses on the preservation of past legacies and traditions that spotlight Americana music’s heritage, while also looking ahead to ensure the future of the community’s generations to come.