Vintage Trouble's '1 Hopeful Rd.' coming

I couldn't be more excited to learn that 1 Hopeful Rd., Vintage Trouble's first album for Blue Note Records, is coming on August 14th. Here is the full media release...

1 HOPEFUL RD. - THE NEW ALBUM FROM

VINTAGE TROUBLE - SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE ON AUGUST 14 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS

Pre-order Launches With "Run Like The River" And "Doin' What You Were Doin'" Available Instantly To Fans Who Pre-order Digital Album

Vintage Trouble Announces August 12 Album Release Show

At The Fonda In Los Angeles

Currently Touring Europe With AC/DC, Vintage Trouble Will Also Open On North American Leg Of Australian Band's Rock Or Bust World Tour

1 Hopeful Rd. - Vintage Trouble's first album for Blue Note Records- will be released worldwide on August 14. The album pre-order is underway now on iTunes, Amazon andGoogle Play. Fans who pre-order 1 Hopeful Rd. digitally will instantly receive two tracks from the new album: the down home rhythm and blues stomper "Run Like The River"and "Doin' What You Were Doin'," a song that demonstrates the band's gift for penning startlingly honest songs about matters of the heart.Doin' What You Were Doin'can be streamed on Spotify HERE. Special bundles including the album and exclusive merchandise can be pre-ordered HERE.

Vintage Trouble / Photo: Timothy White

Produced by GRAMMY®-winning producer Don Was, who is President of Blue Note Records, the album also includes the deep soul ballad "Another Man's Words" and"Angel City, California," a joyous ode to Vintage Trouble's hometown of Los Angeles.See below for the full track listing.Vintage Trouble gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of 1 Hopeful Rd. in thealbum trailer, which premiered today on VEVO and can be seen HERE.

The video "Run Like the River - The Road to 1 Hopeful Rd.," which can be seen HERE , captures Vintage Trouble on the road and offers a first listen to the album's opening track, "Run Like The River."

Vintage Trouble will play an album release show on August 12 at The Fonda in Los Angeles. The American Express® ticket pre-sale for this show begins on Wednesday, June 17, at 10 AM PT and ends on Thursday, June 18, at 10 PM PT. The Goldenvoice pre-sale runs Thursday, June 18, from 10 AM - 10 PM PT, and the password is ROAD. Tickets will go on sale to the general public HERE on Friday, June 19, at 10 AM PT.

The band has just been announced as the opener on the North American leg of AC/DC's Rock Or Bust World Tour. The run will kick off at Gillette Stadium inFoxborough, MA on August 22 and include shows at Chicago's Wrigley Park (September 15) and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (September 28). See below for itinerary. Vintage Trouble is touring Europe with AC/DC this summer and will also perform at numerous festivals, including British Summer Time and Glastonbury.

Vintage Trouble - comprising Ty Taylor (vocals), Nalle Colt (guitar), Richard Danielson (drums) and Rick Barrio Dill (bass) - play live-wired, straight-shootin, dirty-mouth'd, pelvis-pushing juke music. Or, as Yahoo! Music put it, "imagine James Brown singing lead for Led Zeppelin and you'll get an idea of Vintage Trouble's muscular, in the pocket sound." The New York Times noted, "Like Otis Redding, Vintage Trouble makes music that is a little bit of everything...you can slow dance, groove, rock and let it all go."

Following the release of its debut album, The Bomb Shelter Sessions, the band was soon selling out headline shows worldwide, opening for The Rolling Stones and touring with The Who, and performing on shows like "Later...with Jools Holland,""Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Conan" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live"- all before Vintage Trouble had even signed to a major label.

1 Hopeful Rd. - Track Listing

1. Run Like The River
2. From My Arms
3. Doin' What You Were Doin'
4. Angel City, California
5. Shows What You Know
6. My Heart Won't Fall Again
7. Another Man's Words
8. Strike Your Light
9. Before The Tear Drops
10. If You Loved Me
11. Another Baby
12. Soul Serenity

Vintage Trouble - Tour Dates

International Dates

*6/19 - Cologne, Germany @ Jahnwiesen

*6/21 - Hannover, Germany @ Messe

*6/25 - Berlin, Germany @ Olympia Stadium

6/26 - London, UK @ Hyde Park - British Summer Time

6/27 - Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival

*6/28 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park

*7/1 - Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium

*7/4 - London, UK @ Wembley Stadium

7/5 - Rotterdam, Holland @ Metropolis Festival

*7/6 - Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting Festival Site

7/8 - Monaco, France @ Monte Carlo Sporting Summer Festival

*7/9 - Imola, Italy @ Autodromo

7/10 - Barcelona, Spain @ Festival Cruilla

7/11 - Bilbao, Spain @ BBK Festival

*7/12 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena

*7/15 - Roskilde, Denmark, @ Roskilde Festival Site

**7/16 - Malmö, Sweden @ Slagthuset

*7/17 - Oslo, Norway @ Valle Hovin

*7/19 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena

*7/22 - Hammenlinna, Finland @ Open Air Park

*7/25 - Warsaw, Poland @ National Stadium

 

North American Dates

*7/31 - New York, NY - AFROPUNK @ Lincoln Center - Damrosch Park

**8/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda

*8/22 - Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium

*8/26 - East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium

*8/28 - Quebec City, QC @ Plains of Abraham

*8/31 - Montreal, QC @ Olympic Stadium

*9/3 - Ottawa, ON @ TD Place

*9/5 - Moncton, NB @ Magnetic Hill

*9/8 - Detroit, MI @ Ford Field

*9/10 - Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park

*9/15 - Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field

*9/17 - Winnipeg, MB @ Investors Group Field

*9/20 - Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium

*9/22 - Vancouver, BC @ BC Place

*9/25 - San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park

*9/28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium

* supporting AC/DC            

** headline show

Sights and Sounds: Annie Lennox, Tommy Bolin, Do LaB Coachella Stage

Here is a nice roundup focusing on a number of upcoming high-profile releases...

Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox set for release on Monday, May 4 via Blue Note Records; 'PBS Live' concert set to air on April 3

Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox, a deluxe package featuring Annie Lennox’s GRAMMY-nominated Nostalgia album and a brand new concert film, is scheduled for release on Blue Note Records on May 4. Shot on January 28, 2015 by director Natalie Johns (Morrissey) at Los Angeles’ art deco Orpheum Theatre, the film captures one of music’s most popular and acclaimed artists in her only full concert performance of the songs from Nostalgia. Fronting a 19-piece band – including string and horn sections – and unveiling striking lighting and production elements created especially for this special evening, Lennox demonstrates her distinctive vocal and performance talents on an array of American standards, ranging from “Summertime,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless The Child” to one of rock’n’roll’s most enduring classics, “I Put A Spell On You.” In addition to its inclusion in the deluxe package, the film can also be purchased on its own in DVD, Blu-ray and digital long form formats at all music retailers and streaming partners. The pre-order is underway now on Amazon. It can also be pre-ordered at http://smarturl.it/NostalgiaPremium, where fans will find several exclusive bundles, including the Premium Nostalgia Experience, which will contain the concert DVD (or Blu-ray), CD and vinyl editions of the Nostalgia album and a silk lithograph that Annie will personally inscribe for each recipient. (This edition is limited to 100.)
 
“Every singer loves the challenge of interpreting truly inspirational songs. Each one of these masterpieces stands as a lasting testimony to the brilliance of their creators – their individual beauty, power and poetry continues to stand the test of time,” saidAnnie Lennox. “The song selection for Nostalgia was very personal and intuitive – there was no agenda or stratagem other than becoming intrigued and fascinated through the process of listening, transcribing and recording. Now they live in my blood stream.”
 
Fans can get a first look at Lennox’s concert film when it premieres on THIRTEEN’SGreat Performances, airing on PBS on Friday, April 3, at 10 p.m. Check local listings or visit Great Performances Online at www.pbs.org/gperf. Click HERE for a preview of the episode, which features Lennox performing “Georgia On My Mind.”For an encore, Lennox sat down at the piano and delivered striking solo renditions of two of her own hits, “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Why.” Fans who purchase Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox will enjoy the entire 60-minute concert plus exclusive footage of Annie performing two additional songs –“Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" and “No More I Love You’s.”
 
Nostalgia hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart in October of 2014 and subsequently received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. After her performance with Hozier on the awards show telecast, Nostalgia shot up to No. 1 on the Amazon and iTunes Jazz albums charts and “I Put A Spell On You”topped the two retailers’ Jazz Songs charts. “Annie Lennox was the surprise hit of the GRAMMY’s,” marveled Vogue.
 
“I Put A Spell On You,” which was heard in the opening four minutes of the filmFifty Shades of Grey, breaks the Top 20 at Adult Mainstream radio this week, jumping to 18*, and Lennox’s performance video of the song has more than six million views.

Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox - Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Memphis In June
3. Georgia On My Mind
4. I Put A Spell On You
5. Summertime
6. I Cover The Waterfront
7. Strange Fruit
8. God Bless The Child
9. You Belong To Me
10. September In The Rain
11. I Can Dream, Can’t I?
12. The Nearness Of You
13. Mood Indigo
14. Here Comes The Rain Again
15. No More I Love You’s
16. Why
17. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
 
Nostalgia – CD & Vinyl Track Listing
1. Memphis In June
2. Georgia On My Mind
3. I Put A Spell On You
4. Summertime
5. I Cover The Waterfront
6. Strange Fruit
7. God Bless The Child
8. You Belong To Me
9. September In The Rain
10. I Can Dream, Can’t I?
11. The Nearness Of You
12. Mood Indigo
 

UDR Music Announces TOMMY BOLIN “TEASER” 40^th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Box Set – Out May 19, 2015 in North America

Tommy Bolin – recognized for his work with groups such as Zephyr, The James Gang, and Deep Purple – was a bright, young American guitar god who created a whirlwind with his loud, stylish, free-form fusion performances before his untimely death at the age of 25 in 1976. Released in 1975 during his time with Deep Purple, Teaser was the solo masterpiece and eventual cult-classic that Bolin never got the chance to properly promote.

Now, 40 years after the album was originally released and unfortunately buried with time, Teaser is finally getting its time to shine.

On May 19, 2015, UDR Music will release the official TEASER 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Box Set, a three-album deluxe vinyl box-set supplemented with two live CDs, celebrating the 40^th anniversary of this legendary release. Featuring long-lost outtakes and alternative mixes from the original Teaser studio sessions, plus two live CDs comprising performances from Ebbets Field, The Northern Lights, My Father’s Place and Albany, the TEASER 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Box Set is set to satiate the appetites of Bolin fans worldwide.

Bolin was a shooting star, a fiercely bright, ferociously driven and a guitarist whose soul spoke through his fingers and fretboard. Bolin was an American axeman of the caliber rarely seen or heard before (or since) his untimely death at the age of 25 on December 4^th 1976. Bolin allowed the power of funk and the fury of rock to find such finite expression through his inspiration. His expression never sounded more fluent than on his 1975 solo album debut Teaser. The album embraced a tour de force of styles from jazz to hard rock to Latin music, all of which were expressed in a glorious musical stew.

At the age of 17, Bolin formed Zephyr, whose blues rock was coated in psychedelic tendencies. Despite opening for the likes of Led Zeppelin and growing a strong fan-base, Bolin left the group in 1971 to form Energy (a jazz-rock project) before Joe Walsh recommended him to The James Gang, where he recorded the Bang! and Miami albums in 1973 and ’74 respectively. Bolin also appeared on legendary drummer Billy Cobham’s Spectrum solo album, and his ability to enjoy (and make the grade with!) such improvisational jamming style sounds left Bolin as that rare bird. A man who could be a rock star or a man who could be a musician’s musician at cafes across America.

Bolin moved to LA seeking confirmation of the stardom his enormous talents promised, and the foundations for the legendary Teaser album were laid. Featuring session musicians such as Glenn Hughes, David Sanborn, Jan Hammer, Stanley Sheldon and Phil Collins, Teaser represents the fulcrum point of Tommy’s solo-artist work. As he completed work on it, Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore quit the band, and Bolin was invited to join Purple by singer David Coverdale. Come Taste The Band came out towards the end of 1975, before Purple disbanded and left Bolin free to do his second album Private Eyes. Opening for Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck, Bolin was just starting to enjoy the sort of attention and recognition that would surly have seen him rise to the next level of revered guitar God. Sadly, Bolin’s addiction issues would not allow it, and in 1976, he died at the young age of 25.

Bolin’s legacy is superbly reflected in TEASER 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Box Set – get your copy while they last!

Learn more about TOMMY BOLIN via http://www.tbolin.com.

Do LaB Coachella Stage Announces Lineup and Exciting Changes in 2015!

Since 2004, Los Angeles-based music and event production house, Do LaB,have been constructing an interactive stage inside the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival being held April 10-12 and April 17-19, 2015 in the Southern California desert. The Do LaB stage and its surrounding area - complete with creative lighting structures, shade and misters - has become known and loved by festivalgoers as the oasis of Coachella. This year, the Do LaB stage has been reimagined with an all-new design in a new location, plus a unique, previously unannounced lineup curated by the folks at Do LaB.

The Do LaB stage, unlike the festival’s other five stages, will change its lineup each weekend. Musicians will come from afar - Berlin, France, Australia, England, and Spain - to play this memorable stage. The first weekend lineup includes trap stars Loudpvck, techno-funk maestro Sebastien Leger, LA DJ collective Droog, The Glitch Mob’s Ooah, Washington D.C. reggae-funk act Fort Knox Five, underground house producer Edu Imbernon, Australian up-and-comer Cassian and Berlin-based house duo M.A.N.D.Y.  Additionally, Russ Liquid, Mihkal, Coyote Kisses, Lane 8, Joe Kay x Jay Prince, Justin Jay, Jackal, Jai Wolf, Jesse Wright, Hayden James, Falcons, Clozee, Dirtwire, Till Von Sein, Bit Funk, B.R.E.E.D., Addatap, An-ten-nae round out the first weekend’s bill. Lucent Dossier Experience returns with a new performance showcased both weekends.

Artists performing the second weekend on the Do LaB stage include A Tribe Called Red, Adam Freeland, Andrew Luce, Atish, CRNKN, Dance Spirit, Dr. Fresh, GoldRush, Hoodboi, Hunter Leggitt, J. Philip, Lisbona, Kraddy, Louis Futon, Mija, Morillo, My Favorite Robot, Patricio, Pomo, Redux, Robot Koch, Sabo, TasyTreat, Tropicool, Whitehorse and Worthy.

As with all Do LaB music curation, this year is a mix of artists you may know and those you need to know. Jesse Flemming explains, “I’m on an endless hunt for new and amazing music, and I’m excited that I get to share it--and even more so that people dig the music we share. If you don’t know any of the artists on the lineup--you will soon.”

In 2015, the Do LaB stage moves to a new location within the Terrace next to a new entrance, directly across from the Sahara tent, providing direct access from the Saharaa major win for electronic music fans.

Previously, Do LaB has been inspired by nature and exotic plants when building their immersive environment for the festival. This year, the inspiration comes from endangered whales. The stage and its encompassing area serves as a mini-oasis with much-needed shade and misters to cool off the Coachella crowds during the hottest parts of the weekend.

After Coachella, make sure to hit Do LaB’s tenth anniversary of the world-renowned Lightning in a Bottle festival featuring over 300 musicians, artists, workshops, and speakers including Flume, Odesza, SBTRKT, RL Grime, Panda Bear, Tycho and many more. The 5-day camping festival will take place 25 minutes north of Paso Robles on California’s central coast at San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, CA over Memorial Day Weekend (May 21 - 25, 2015). Purchase tickets here!

Coachella

Do LaB Website

Do LaB Facebook

Lightning in a Bottle Website

Lightning in a Bottle Facebook

Facebook Event Page

ABOUT DO LAB

Based in Los Angeles, Do LaB’s mission is to craft experience as art and bring communities together. Aside from showcasing musicians throughout Southern California, Do LaB is well known for creating unique art installations/stages and curating cutting-edge acts at Coachella in addition to producing Southern California’s Lightning in a Bottle, and the 2012 Winter Solstice event The Great Convergence, which took place at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Do LaB’s work has also been showcased at Virgin Music Festival, Global Gathering, Portugal’s Boom Festival and many more.

Inbox Update: Robert Randolph, The Lumineers, Peter Rowan

ROBERT RANDOLPH &THE FAMILY BAND SIGN WITH BLUE NOTE RECORDS

 

ROCK/SOUL/FUNK SUPERSTAR RETURNS WITH A NEW ALBUM THIS SUMMER

 

* To download high-res photo, please click here *

 

April 2^nd, 2013 - New York, NY - Robert Randolph, the virtuoso pedal steel guitarist whose distinctive mix of rock, funk and rhythm & blues has built a fervent, international audience has signed with Blue Note Records. The signing is a precursor to the release of Randolph's highly anticipated new studio album – his first since 2010’s We Walk This Road.  “Robert Randolph is an American Original....he has mastered what is, arguably, the most complex instrument in the world and developed a unique voice that is equal parts street-corner church and Bonnaroo. Robert's  new studio album finally captures the energy and excitement of his legendary live performances...we are honored that he has chosen Blue Note Records as his new home.” says label President Don Was.  

 

The new album is being produced by Randolph and showcases his Family Band, the powerhouse ensemble that has backed him throughout his career. The Family Band is comprised of actual family members Marcus Randolph, Danyel Morgan, Lenesha Randolph together with guitarist Brett Haas. The new album features special guest appearances from Trombone Shorty and Carlos Santana and signifies a return to the joyful, high energy music that has become Randolph's trademark. “Blue Note is a true music label with a 75-year history of working with great musicians like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Al Green and the head of the label is a real musician and songwriter,” explains Randolph. “It's really an honor to sign with Blue Note and to have them share my vision.” The new, as yet untitled, album was engineered by the legendary Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin) and mixed by Jim Scott [Tedeschi Trucks].

 

Robert Randolph & The Family Band first gained national attention with the release of the album Live at the Wetlands in 2002. The concert recording was taped at New York’s historical Wetlands Preserve Club before its closing in 2001. The band followed this acclaimed live album with their first studio recording Unclassified, attracting the attention of Eric Clapton. Since then, the band has toured with Clapton, Santana and the Dave Matthews Band and, as a headline act, has developed a large, passionate following built upon legendary performances at such major festivals as Bonnaroo, Crossroads, Hard Rock Calling, Montreux, Austin City Limits and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.   Two further albums Colorblind and We Walk This Road enjoyed critical and commercial success led by signature Randolph composed songs such as "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That". Rolling Stone named Robert Randolph one of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists," the only pedal steel player so honored, calling him "one of the most intense live acts in all of jamdom" and citing his solos as "perpetually cresting, lightning-fast explorations."

 

With a new label, a new record and a summer-long schedule of tour dates, Robert Randolph & The Family Band stand ready to return into the limelight bringing steel-fueled, funky guitar rock back to longstanding fans and fresh ears, alike.

 

Tour dates for Robert Randolph & The Family Band:

 

April 6              Keystone, CO                   River Run Rocks Series

April 13            Baton Rouge, LA              Baton Rouge Blues Festival

April 19            Live Oak, FL                     Wanee Festival

April 20            Ft. Worth, TX                    Main Street Ft. Worth Arts Festival

April 21            Atlanta, GA                       Sweetwater 420 Festival

May 3              New Orleans, LA              House Of Blues

May 4              Birmingham, AL                Schaeffer Festival

May 10            Wilmington, NC                 Greenfield Lake Ampitheater

May 11            Beaufort, NC                     Beaufort Music Festival

May 12            Saxapahaw, NC               Haw River Ballroom

May 18            San Francisco, CA           Blue Bear School of Music Benefit

May 19            Dana Point, CA                 Doheny Blues Festival

June 29           Jarvenpaa, FINLAND       Lakeside Blues Festival

July 5-6           George, WA                      JamBase LIVE at The Gorge

July 27            Palmertown, PA                Pennsylvania Blues Festival

August 16        Madison, IN                       Madison’s Ribber Festival

The Lumineers Announce Additional Spring North American Tour Dates 

 

  

Denver-based band The Lumineers are excited to announce additional North American headlining tour dates this spring, including a number of stops at top tier festivals along the way, such as Coachella, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, and their first festival headline at Shaky Knees Music Festival May 4 and 5 in Atlanta.

An exclusive fan pre-sale for all headline shows will begin April 3rd at 10 am local time and public on-sale begins on April 5, 2013 at 10 a.m. local time.  To get information about pre-sales for future dates, fans may sign on to the band's mailing list at www.TheLumineers.com. Support acts on the tour include Cold War Kids and J Roddy Walston (where indicated below).

It's hard to believe that it was just 1 year ago (April 4, 2012) that the band's two-time GRAMMY-nominated self-titled debut was released on indie Dualtone Music Group.  The record has sold over 1.2 million copies so far, anchored by the band's infectious single, "Ho Hey" which has sold almost 4 million copies.  The group's second single "Stubborn Love" will achieve Gold status this week and spent 8 weeks at #1 on AAA radio and is currently #2 at Alternative.

Upcoming Tour Dates 

Apr 14 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
Apr 19 - Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theater
Apr 21 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
Apr 24 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion
Apr 25 - Dallas, TX @ Verizon Ampitheater
Apr 26 - Austin, TX @ The Tower Ampitheater
Apr 30 - Hamilton, ON @ Copps Coliseum
May 01 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
May 02 - Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
May 03 - Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
May 05 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knee Music Festival
May 24-27 - George, WA @ Sasquatch Music Festival 
May 30 - Lancaster, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater*%
May 31 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center*%
Jun 01 - Kansas City, MO @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater*%
Jun 04 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center*
Jun 06 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre*%
Jun 07 - Canandaugia, NY @ CMAC*%
Jun 06-09 - Mountain Hunter, NY @ Mountain Jam Festival
Jun 07-09 - New York, NY @ Governor's Ball
Jun 12 - Portsmouth, VA @ nTelos Wireless Pavilion*%
Jun 13 - Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheater*% (Presale: April 10; On-sale April 12)
Jun 14 - Charleston, SC @ Family Circle Pavilion* (Presale: April 10; On-sale April 12)
Jun 13-16 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
 
*with Cold War Kids
%with J Roddy Walston

 

Peter Rowan Presents

New Album The Old School

All-Star Guests Include Del McCoury, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Bryan Sutton, JD Crowe, The Traveling McCourys and many more

 

 

(Nashville, TN) April 2, 2013 -  “The Old School is a big school. It is where the tributaries of the river came from,” says bluegrass legend and GRAMMY-winner Peter Rowan of his new album The Old School. Influenced by his experience with the dynamic and enigmatic father of bluegrass Bill Monroe and written with the “bluegrass code” in mind, the now 70-year-old Rowan recorded the album with an intergenerational cast of players. Old masters such as Bobby Osborne and Del McCoury sat shoulder to shoulder with younger players including The Traveling McCourys, Michael Cleveland, Bryan Sutton and more, everyone playing and singing in a circle and recording old school style.  It was an apt way to capture the raw spirit of bluegrass music and, for Rowan, the album became the perfect vehicle through which to explore the complex musical strands of the bluegrass tapestry. Click here to stream the complete album (link not for publication).

 

Rowan's ambition going into the project was to assemble an elite cast of players and singers to represent the music's core as well as its broader range of influences. The all-star roster that came together included musicians who were members of the Bluegrass Boys, some of whom were Bill Monroe's contemporaries, as well as subsequent generations of torchbearers and groundbreakers whose talents continue to shape and define bluegrass music.  The complete Old School class includes Del McCoury, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, JD Crowe, Buddy Spicher, Jason Carter, Bryan Sutton, Michael Cleveland, the Traveling McCourys, Stuart Duncan, Dennis Crouch, Jeremy Garrett, Don Rigsby, Chris Henry and the members of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band.

 

The album's opening title track “Keepin' it Between the Lines," played in fine, hard driving style by The Traveling McCourys and Michael Cleveland, frames the concept for the album with a motto from life on the road with Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys.  “Vassar Clements was telling me about all these historical moments he was witness to when he was with Bill Monroe and I asked him what it was like being on the road with Bill. He said ‘you’d drive all night, shave in cold water, raise your hand up high and smile.’ It was the old Opry ethic – you want to make the people feel really good.” That feel good style of bluegrass is well represented on two other Rowan originals:  “That’s All She Wrote,” featuring Del McCoury's inimitable tenor vocals and the clever, mid tempo “Drop the Bone" featuring harmony from Ronnie McCoury.

 

Honest family harmony is another thread of 'the old school', rooted in the gospel quartets the Monroe Brothers learned growing up and the brother harmony tradition furthered by duos like the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse and the Stanley Brothers. Rowan himself grew up in Boston in a very musical family singing many of those classic songs in a trio with his brothers. That tradition is well represented on "My Savior is Calling Me," with Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds and Jason Carter. It's a gospel quartet with a lyric twist:  Rowan explains, “Most of the time the idea is that you’re calling on your savior so He grants you salvation, but I think you reach that point when the object of your faith is manifesting to you, actually calling you.” 

 

“The old school is in the songwriting too.  Bluegrass music is about some pretty powerful songs. Bill threw the glove down for writing songs - always a sense for ‘top this!’” laughs Rowan, himself praised for his tongue-in-cheek lyricism and vivid imagery. Indeed the song “Letter From Beyond” was charmed by the spirit of Monroe. The song, featuring Rowan and McCoury - two of Monroe's best lead singers - is a message from beyond the grave to a still-living lover and meant to be a companion to the Monroe-Rowan classic “Walls of Time.” “It was almost like I was getting a message from beyond. It was the spirit of the song and of Bill; it was just the kind of song he would’ve written. Both Del and I come from that place where the song comes from – it’s the bluegrass.”

 

Bluegrass music was also shaped by the folk and “homespun” influences and perhaps no one did more to bring that culture to the national stage than the late guitarist Doc Watson. Rowan wrote “Doc Watson Morning” the night after Doc passed away in May 2012. “We all felt the loss and we all did pick up our guitars and try to invoke the spirit of Doc. You’re playing your guitar and thinking of the man.” The song features Watson-style flat-picking from Bryan Sutton interspersed between Rowan's touching telling of Doc Watson's story.  

 

Years spent playing with The Bluegrass Boys and driving Monroe's bus allowed Rowan a first hand view into the origins and elements of bluegrass as they stood in the mind of its creator. Monroe taught Rowan about rhythmic styles that needed to be “brought along,” styles that Monroe picked up from his Uncle Pen, from Uncle Pen’s African-American fiddler friend Arnold Schultz and on Monroe’s own trips to New Orleans, styles like stop time, the stomp and the slow drag. ““Ragged Old Dream” is a little bit of a slow drag. It has a little bump, stomp feel to it, but its really what they were calling ‘ragging’ the time,” explains Rowan ever the pedagogue about the bluesy track, “They’re intentionally playing way back on the beat. Bluegrass is tricky because the beat is found by speeding everything up. So I thought it would be nice to play the time in more of its original form."

 

In many ways The Old School was a vehicle for Rowan to bring his musical history and experiences full circle. In the mid 1960s, the Civil Rights movement was in full swing.  At the time when folk singer Odetta sang “O Freedom” at the famous march on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, Rowan was moving from town to town with Bill Monroe, through the heart of southern communities in the throes of desegregation, including Birmingham, Knoxville and Nashville. It was fitting then that Rowan would choose to sing his version of “O Freedom” a cappella in Wightman Chappell at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, Tennessee – the same location where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke during the Civil Rights movement. “History was moving fast and I was with Bill Monroe back then. Because of the segregation, I didn’t know if I could stay in Nashville. This is a way to bring it full circle. I wanted to do “O Freedom” because that was the rallying cry of the Freedom Singers. The Freedom Singers originated in Nashville and Martin Luther King spoke at that Chapel. It seemed to be optimistic; it was bringing it back around, like the Old School. Civil rights, integration, it’s all part of it.”

 

As his finale, Rowan channels an old WSM radio broadcast with a closing tag from legendary Opry broadcaster Eddie Stubbs to end the show.  In the middle of the reprise of “Keepin It Between The Lines,”  Stubbs signs off, reminding listeners:  “Remember to love your neighbor. Be patient. Be kind. And keep it between the lines." Cameo vocal lines from a few surprise guests reiterate the bluegrass motto – pick it clean and play it true. It's the bluegrass code, handed down through the years from Bill Monroe to his disciples and interpreters, in turn to their followers and emulators and captured here for future generations of bluegrass musicians that will surely find grounding and inspiration in Peter Rowan's Old School.