Q&A with Noam Pikelny, Part II

This is the second installment of a two-part interview I conducted with Noam Pikelny.  Pikelny, most famous for his work with acoustic supergroup, Punch Brothers, has just released his second solo album, Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail.  He is also the first recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.


You can read the first installment of the interview by clicking here.

Q&A with Noam Pikelny, Part I

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Noam Pikelny, one of today’s most prolific and innovative banjo players.  Pikelny is best known for his work with acoustic supergroup, Punch Brothers, but he is now releasing his second solo album, Beat The Devil and Carry A Rail, which is certainly worthy of wide attention on its own.  Pikelny is also the first recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (which came with a generous $50,000 cash award.)

The Kids are Alright: Trampled By Turtles at Nashville's Exit/In (10/18/11)

I arrived at Nashville’s historic Exit/In about 20 minutes before Trampled By Turtles embarked on an inspired set last week.  The crowd was decidedly young (at least in the eyes of this blogger rapidly approaching middle age.)   Comprised of fleece-wearing frat boys, scruffy pot devotees, and hipsters working overtime to groom an heir of shaggy bohemian intellectualism, the audience was out in force and ready for a good time.  I had forgotten how much outward social performance is a part of being young, and that quality inspired feelings of nostalgia, charm, and a bit of melancholy as I watched folks mingle, posture, shout, and squeal.  Despite being a talented, thoughtful band with a strong sense of songcraft, TBT strike me as a roots band tailor made for young adults given their energy and vitality.  And that’s a damn good thing for the longevity of meaningful roots music.  

Review: Bela Fleck's Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing Bela Fleck’s Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra with the Nashville Symphony. Overall, the largest impression I was left with is that Bela Fleck is a raging, benevolent maniac. His virtuosity as a banjo player is unrivaled, and the concerto allowed an opportunity to showcase his abilities within a symphonic world of his own creation. The piece was a tour de force of musical intelligence, wit, and restless creativity. Of course, these are the impressions of a roots music blogger with a limited knowledge of traditional classical music. However, this piece of music was penned by an artist whose background includes an obsessive emersion in roots music from across the globe (not to mention his study of more formal music genres.) The diversity of Fleck’s career was on full display within the concerto, which swung wildly but gracefully between his vast influences. The composer says the piece was intended to “explore the new possibilities of the banjo as a member of the orchestra, while respecting its roots in bluegrass and jazz.”

Album Review: Tune-Yards, "WHOKILL"

Ok, I'm pretty damn late to the Tune-Yards party (and, sorry, I refuse to use the tUnE-yArDs typography preferred by Merrill Garbus, the creative force behind the project.) As a somewhat insular roots music fan, I don't spend a lot of time searching out indie rock, experimental bands, etc.  In fact, my first very brief listen to Tune-Yards when their most recent album, WHOKILL, dropped this past April was a very cursory, quickly dismissive listen. Lucky for me, I happened to catch an interview and in-studio performance with Garbus on WBEZ's Sound Opinions this past weekend. I was immediately charmed by Garbus and loved hearing her approach to music; her reverence for African music, passion about its influence on the music of Appalachia, and her down to earth modesty. I was also charmed by the very DIY approach Garbus takes with respect to her music and live performances; an approach that embraces chance and mistake. Despite the fact that Tune-Yards is a band casually dependent on technology, influenced by hip-hop, electronica, and other dance musics (among many others), at its heart this is folk music, albeit a 21st century version thereof.

From the Vaults - Bobby Charles; Self-Titled (1972)

I'm not sure how I came across Bobby Charles' self-titled album from 1972. I think it was a random discovery through an Amazon search about a year ago. Since then, this album has burrowed itself into my brain with its lazy, patient melodies, earthy love songs, and political anthems infused more with exhausted compassion than anger and indignation. It seems somehow appropriate to write this review on the 4th of July as Charles' music offers a hazy view of America as rich and deep as the Louisiana soil from which he came.

Bobby Charles, "Street People"

Best Roots Albums of 2011 (so far...)

I've recently been thinking about the sheer volume of albums released per year, even within the genre of roots music, and the relative small number that speak deeply to individual listeners.  For me, I'd guess that only about 5-7 albums per year, at most, become integral, important parts of my library with extended listens for years to come.  Others get dumped in my collection and pop up occasionally in shuffle mode met with varying degrees of interest and excitement as the Darwinian struggle within an ever growing iTunes library plays out.  Of course, some albums grow on a person over time while others grab one's attention quickly only to fade way into the oblivion of neglected files.  Thus far, I'd say 2011 has been a pretty damn good year in my eyes, given at least six albums are already strong contenders for that hallowed place of sustained influence.  Here are my picks: