Rock & Roots

July 21, 2014

First Listen: Jenny Lewis, 'The Voyager'

On his Nonesuch debut, lullaby and … The Ceaseless Roar, singer/songwriter Robert Plant bookends an album of brilliantly realized original material with two versions of the haunting bluegrass tune “Little Maggie,” popularized in the mid-’40s by the Stanley Brothers. In the Stanley Brothers’ hands, the song is mournful yet stoic as the narrator vows to leave for some “far distant land” rather than see his beloved with another man.

Chris Smither stopped by WUKY to talk with Joe Conkwright about his new double disc, 50 year retrospective Still On The Levee, and perform three of his classic songs.

Nickel Creek  After a six year hiatus, Nickel Creek - Sarah Watkins, Sean Watkins, and Chris Thiele - came together again in the Alabama Theater in Birmingham. Sarah, described it as waking from a long dream: familiar, comfortable, but infused with six years of individual experiences in music making and personal life. Sarah and Chris quickly corrected me that they are most certainly not viewed as a Bluegrass act and reject genre defining as restricting. They see their music as non-derivative.

  And, who knows who might show up to jam along - Jim James, Mayor Greg Fischer, Forecastle organizer Ashley Capps, joining Mikey G and Scott the Cyclone:

  JENNY & BRETT!

Day 3. A music festival is like summer camp: new friends, new experiences, weird food and strange grown ups. And, Day Three of Forecastle is like last day of camp: cram as much fun in as possible before you gotta go home to your paper route!

  SPAIN WINS GOLD AT DERBY CUP

DAPPIN WITH SHARON JONES

GREETINGS FROM FALLS CITY!

Well, Day 1 was all that and more. Ended the night with a wildly exuberant headlining set from Outkast Boi and Dre literally brought a sold out crowd to an arm waving, stand upping, karaoke-ing phantasma of light, sight and sound.  

PHEW!! Can Day 2 be any better?