A ROUTES & BRANCHES GUiDE to FEEDiNG YOUR MONSTER
good news about good noise
September 19, 2024
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
It's sorta like the anniversary of the passing of a friend (but obviously not quite). Every September when Americana Music Association Honors & Awards rolls around, we're both drawn and repulsed, recognizing the very flawed nature of any awards ceremony of this kind. 2024's fete occurred Wednesday evening, recognizing a slate of worthy acts (and some others), while featuring some good live performance. The thing was live streamed, and will be edited for a more tidy broadcast on Austin City Limits in a couple months. AMA's heart is definitely in the right place, and the to-do has been tightened up over the years. If you regard the entire sprawling week, there's an impressive degree of diversity in the proceedings. But the proper Awards are always a let-down, representing just a narrow slice of our kind of music. So you'll just have to double down on paying attention to blogs like ours that celebrate a much wider spectrum.
We're not certain how long this link will be up, but for the moment you can witness the whole shebang here.
Long as we're in the Americanafest pool, Saving Country Music features a nice piece about Dwight Yoakam winning a Lifetime Achievement Award, and what that meant to him.
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We haven't published a review of the Deslondes' new Roll It Out record. Fortunately for us, Magnet features a track-by-track explanation of the thing from the bandmembers themselves.
And speaking of curious artists who have been embraced by the americana community, Elvis Costello announced this week that he will be issuing a Big Ol' Deluxe box set of his 1986 King Of America, our favorite from the exceptional writer. Variety spells out what's included in the box, retitled King Of America & Other Realms.
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This week also saw an impressive lineup of performers paying tribute to President Jimmy Carter on the fast-approaching occasion of his 100th birthday. Guardian published an account of the Atlanta show, which featured acts from the B-52s to Drive-by Truckers.
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MJ Lenderman continues to receive accolades upon accolades for his recent Manning Fireworks (reviewed here). In the event you remain undecided or uninformed, check out some recent pieces by Garden & Gun, Brooklyn Vegan, and Interview. And let the conversation begin about whether Waxahatchee or Lenderman merits the higher space on year-end lists.
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Nick Lowe is pretty happy, I guess, about how his new Indoor Safari project with Los Straitjackets turned out. The pop legend gives the record seven out of ten at the Sun.
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As announced here just last week, kd lang & the Reclines convened a reunion on the occasion of the performer's induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame, performing together for the first time in thirty-two years. Stereogum has some video of the set.
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Denver's own Westword catches up with Adam Granduciel of War On Drugs to talk about the band's current tour, as well as their new Live Drugs Again LP.
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We're concerned about Conor Oberst, who has always been mercurial, but has had to postpone a handful of album release shows by doctor's orders. NME shares an interview with the Bright Eyes spokesman.
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As we file towards the exit, let's share a quick glance at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster, our devotedly updated new release calendar. Andrew Bird & Madison Cunningham collaborate for a unexpected celebration. The aptly-titled Cunningham Bird presents an album-length cover of 1973's Buckingham Nicks (Wegawam, Oct 18). Bailey Bigger has (finally) announced a follow-up of her 2022 debut. Resurrection Fern will appear October 25 courtesy of the Madjack label. Speaking of long-awaited, we've received news of Haley Heynderickx's pending full-length album. Seed Of a Seed has been assigned a November 1 street date (Mama Bird). Josh Tillman fans will want to mark their calendars for November 22. That's the release date for Father John Misty's Mahashmashana (Sub Pop). We're already adding forthcoming projects for 2025, including Lefty, the next record from Penny & Sparrow. That's set for a January 31 appearance (I Love You).
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