Folk Music

February is African-American History Month, as you may be well aware. Though the stereotype for folksingers usually includes a couple of white-skinned hippies with acoustic guitars, African-American artists as diverse as Harry Belafonte and Odetta have left lasting influence on the craft. And, further, there's no use even talking about African-American history in American folk music without giving considerable mention to the great women of Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Since 1973, Sweet Honey has been touring the world, reviving traditional folk and gospel hymns from American and African folk music alike, filtering it through complicated and infectious multi-part harmonies, and delivering music which is at once informative and inspiring. It's hard not to love the energy Sweet Honey puts into the world, from their founder Bernice Johnson Reagon to their current six-piece incarnation.

As the month progresses, I'll be spotlighting even more great African-American folksingers. But, let's start by learning more about Sweet Honey with this introductory bio and profile.

photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

American folk music has always been full of songs about faith, hymns which have evolved from the church to the picket line, and songs which wrestle with all areas of the human condition. It's nothing new to consider songs people have turned to in times of personal crisis. But, as the press release for this new compilation says (quoting Emmylou Harris), "Not all hymns are found in the pocket on the back of the church pew. Here are some for your consideration from folks who set up their tent out in the left part of the field."

Folksingers and Americana artists have been exploring these less-overt spiritual tunes of late. Susan Werner released her collection of agnostic hymns (The Gospel Truth) a couple years back, and Patty Griffin joined with producer Buddy Miller for last year's Downtown Church, to much critical acclaim.

Next comes Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us - a new folk/Americana compilation of songs about faith and perseverance from some of the finest artists in the genre. Among them, Harris herself, the Civil Wars, Shawn Mullins, Buddy Miller, Carolina Chocolate Drops, North Mississippi Allstars, and several others. The disc is due to drop online and in record stores on April 10.

photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Justin Townes Earle has been working in the music industry since he was just a kid, playing backup in his dad's band. As a solo artist, though, Earle asserts himself as a far cry from dad Steve Earle's hyper-political social justice anthems. The younger Earle's work is more angled toward honoring tradition and bridging the space between his influences and his own ideas. His last effort Harlem River Blues was easily his finest, most definitive album yet.

So, it's hardly surprising that the Americana and folk worlds are all abuzz waiting for that disc's follow-up. You can get a teaser from his website, via a video he made about the making of the album at Asheville, NC, studio Echo Mountain. You can also download the title track to the disc, which is set for a March 27, 2012 release, and will be aptly titled Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now.

Learn more about Justin with this introductory bio and profile, or check out my review of his last disc, Harlem River Blues.

photo courtesy Bloodshot Records

I've never been to the Old Settlers Music Festival, but it's always been on my list. This year's lineup raises the bar with even more great artists ranging from bluegrass to indie folk and beyond. In other words, there's clearly something for everyone at this festival, which takes place each April in Austin, Texas.

This year, the Old Settlers Fest will go down Apr. 19-22, with performances from Iron & Wine, Sarah Jarosz, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Marshall Crenshaw, Dale Ann Bradley, Steep Canyon Rangers, James McMurtry, Eilen Jewell, and many more. Check out the Old Settlers website for tickets and other info.

photo: Joe Corrigan/Getty Images

Perhaps you know Darrell Scott as the multi-instrumentalist playing behind Robert Plant in the Band of Joy. Or maybe you know his songs from the huge country hits he's had via the Dixie Chicks and other pop country stars. Perhaps still you've seen him perform at Telluride or any of the other myriad festivals (the Cayamo Music Cruise?) as a solo artist playing his remarkable folk-country songs. Regardless of how you know his name and music, Scott is a fantastic solo singer-songwriter whose live show is not to be missed. He'll be hitting the road this spring in support of his new album The Long Ride Home (well worth picking up, out Jan. 31).

Learn more about Darrell Scott with this biography and profile, then check out his tour dates below.

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Duluth, Minnesota-based power bluegrass troupe Trampled by Turtles will be hitting the road this spring in support of a new album they're releasing on April 10 via Thirty Tigers/RED. The disc, titled Stars and Satellites, will be the follow-up to their 2010 release Palomino, which was quite well-received throughout the indie, folk, Americana, and bluegrass communities.

They'll kick off their supporting with a couple of dates out west in March before beelining to Austin for the annual South by Southwest festival and conference. Check out a full list of dates after the cut, or learn more about Trampled by Turtles with this introductory bio and profile.

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I first became privy to Laura Gibson the same way I've discovered a load of great artists from the Pacific Northwest: while attending the Pickathon Indie Roots Music Festival. Gibson's understated simplicity and imaginative approach to contemporary folk music was stunning to me from the first time I inadvertently wandered across her set in the woods at that festival.

With a voice as nuanced as Billie Holiday and a narrative imagination akin to that of Paul Simon, not to mention some of the spirit of that cool Northwest rain and trees, Gibson delivers exquisitely thoughtful tunes on all three of her full-length albums. She's already played some dates in Europe this year, in support of her new record La Grande, and is hitting the East Coast of the U.S. this week. Learn more about Laura Gibson with this introductory bio and profile.

Laura Gibson promo photo

Ani DiFranco has dropped a whopping 21 albums in as many years (some of those years included two releases in the same year), not to mention bootlegs, EPs, lending her voice to various compilations and benefit albums, her collaborations with Utah Phillips, and on and on. And, with the release of her latest album, Which Side Are You On?, she seems to be striking some kind of balance - whether it's between the personal and political (a fine line she's always walked) or otherwise.

With an election year upon us, a people's movement going strong around the world, and an economy struggling, it only makes sense to revisit some of the themes Florence Reece wrote about when she originally penned the tune "Which Side Are You On?" Though DiFranco's version is all her own lyrics, the sentiment and intention remain intact. Check out my full review of Ani DiFranco's Which Side Are You On?

image © Righteous Babe

Ralph Stanley has been making a living in the music industry for somewhere around 60 years - a feat by any standards. But, especially in the modern music industry, where it's difficult for an artist to stick around past one or two albums, Stanley's remarkable ability to not only remain creative but also relevant and influential for that long, is impressive in itself.

This year, Stanley is nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album for his 2011 release A Mother's Prayer . . . which makes now as good a time as any to learn a little more about his long and storied career. It began in his hometown of Virginia with his brother Carter Stanley. Learn more with this introductory bio and profile, including recommneded CDs and MP3s.

photo: Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Ever since I heard her album The Brightness, I've been a big fan of Anais Mitchell's unassumingly beautiful songwriting. In 2010, I named her folk opera Hadestown (based on the Orpheus myth) one of the best folk albums of that year, and have been eagerly awaiting its follow-up. I've also been consistently surprised at how few people are still unaware of Mitchell's remarkable gift.

So, if you get the chance to catch her on the road this winter and spring, I'd highly recommend heading straight out to see her. She'll also be releasing that follow-up - an album titled Young Man in America (Wilderland Records/Thirty Tigers) on Feb. 28. A full list of tour dates is below the cut, or you can learn more about Anais Mitchell with this introductory bio and profile, or check out my reviews of The Brightness and Hadestown.

And now for the full tour dates: Read More...