Winterfolk 24: a celebration of music and community. For 24 years, Winterfolk has benefited Sisters Of The Road, a vital Portland organization working to end homelessness. Nationally-acclaimed folk star Tracy Grammer will headline again this year. Headliner Tracy Grammer is a Winterfolk favorie and will be celebrating the release of a new CD of previously unheard Dave Carter/Tracy Grammer recordings that date back more than 10 years. A stunning Woodland Pro Folk Sunburst guitar (value $1,000) will be up for grabs in the guitar raffle. This guitar is a visual standout: mahogany back and sides, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, vintage style slotted headstock and butter-bean knobs, and a sunburst finish (generously donated by Artichoke Music). The raffle also includes one day (10 hours) of recording time at Billy Oskay’s Big Red Studio (value $750). Pick up your raffle tickets beginning next week at Artichoke Music (3130 SE Hawthorne), Portland Fret Works (3027 NE Alberta) or Sisters’ office. The winner will be chosen at Winterfolk. You need not be present to win, but it’s so much more fun if you are! Joining Tracy this year are: Kate Power and Steve Einhorn, a legendary duo that sings heartfelt harmonies; Donna Lynn and Terry Davis, bringing music that makes a difference from a soulful Portland duo; Youthful guitar phenomenon, Brooks Robertson ; The wonderful Tom May Trio; Lauren Sheehan with traditional American roots music; and Peter Yeates, Mike Beglen and Bob Soper, sharing their Irish traditional music

At age 31, Jackie Greene has accomplished what many artists strive decades for. He has recorded seven albums of original work, an EP, DVD, and a recently released book of lyrics. Greene has been involved in many high-profile side projects. Included in his endeavors are performing with Levon Helm at Levon’s famous “Ramble” and featured performer at Warren Haynes annual Christmas Jam. He is currently planning a summer tour with a new ensemble, Trigger Hippy, featuring Steve Gorman of The Black Crowes and Joan Osborne. There will also be a series of shows with Jackie Greene, Bob Weir, and Chris Robinson as an acoustic trio. Constantly touring, Jackie has a reputation for putting on an energetic live show and has earned the respect of critics and musicians across the country. He tours 100 to 125 dates a year, playing to a devoted and growing fan base, and has been featured at many high profile venues and festivals. While difficult to pigeonhole his music, (frequent comparisons are to Bob Dylan and The Band) there is a consistent influence of Americana Roots Music that runs through the themes in his large musical catalog. At times, his songs are playful – other times they are sorrowful. But always, they are soulful.

“A Change Is Coming” represents a major leap for singer/songwriter LeRoy Bell. Not only has he grown as a touring artist, but also the experience has given his music an edge that places him into league of performers creating a sound that crosses many demographics. Taking a cue from his roots, the soul and R&B styles incorporated into “Change” plays out on the contemporary musical field. The reception to LeRoy's music has been spectacular. He has performed with Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Al Green, Paolo Nutini, India.Arie, Erykah Badu, LeAnne Rimes, Joan Osborne, Michael McDonald, Suzanne Vega, Idina Menzel, Colin Hay, Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Leon Russell, Sonny Landreth, Charlie Musselwhite, & Los Lobos.

Mat Kearney didn't set out to write just another collection of songs for Young Love, his third full-length album and first for Universal Republic Records. Instead, he penned a pastiche of honest, heartfelt, and hypnotic stories that'll make you move your feet and put a smile on your face. Kearney gives a piece of himself on every tune, while building timeless tales for listeners to follow as they dance and sing along. The Oregon-born and Nashville-based artist made a conscious decision to approach songwriting differently this time around. Each phase of his career has been marked by genuine evolution. In 2004, the world was introduced to his unmistakable croon and vibrant writing style on the independently released Bullet. Signing with Columbia, he dropped his first formal full-length, Nothing Left to Lose in 2006 garnering critical acclaim and widespread recognition, moving over 450,000 units to date. Embracing a full band-fueled style, 2009's City of Black & White saw him debut at #13 on the Billboard Top 200. He continued winning over crowds on tours with everyone from John Mayer and Sheryl Crow to Keane and The Fray. All the while, Kearney's music became appropriated by 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, The Hills, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs, NCIS, and numerous other television shows and films like Soul Surfer and Catch and Release. Over the course of these records, Kearney had 4 Top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 chart. After all of this success, Kearney wanted to try something new for Young Love.

Andy McKee – an instrumentalist with dazzling technique on the acoustic guitar is an artist on a meteoric rise in the live event performance marketplace. Though Andy is one of the most seen and heard musicians on the web with tens and tens (and tens and tens) of millions of gross impressions on Youtube and Myspace in the past sixteen months alone; it is Andy’s engaging live performances and rock solid touring calendar that has seen him grow a global audience by playing upwards of two hundred dates a year. Since his music has continued to explode virally across the web proliferating on numerous global web sites and is consistently logging 50,000 plus impressions on Youtube and Myspace every day he is poised to make a major commercial break through. Indeed, if it was just a single video that became a viral success on the web this could be dismissed as a blip as his 15 minutes of glory. True, Drifting, is in the top eight of all music videos ever presented on the web and gaining towards number one; yet, Andy has had similar widespread exposure with multiple other tracks: Rylynn, and his inspirational cover of Toto’s Africa easily in excess of 5 million views each and he has other tracks not far behind in viewed counts. Plus, when you are hailed by your peers as a true virtuoso of the instrument and an all around great person, it is easy to see why the music community and fans of popular music alike so abuzz with anticipation of his career trajectory. Of course, it might be that audiences are starting to discover that he was also a stand-out musical voice on Josh Groban’s most recent multi-platinum Christmas record Noel.

OVER 30 MILLION ALBUMS SOLD,  WRITER OF 13 #1 SONGS!  For over 20 years, Richard Marx has consistently and powerfully made his mark on the music industry. His debut single "Don't Mean Nothing" and self-titled debut album kicked off his career as a solo artist in 1987 and went on to sell 3 million copies. His 1989 follow-up CD, “Repeat Offender,” became even more successful, selling over 7 million copies worldwide. From 1987 to 1990, he became the first male solo artist in history to have his first 7 singles reach the top 5 on Billboard’s singles chart, including the 1 hits “Hold On to the Nights,” “Satisfied” and the worldwide classic, “Right Here Waiting.” This feat remains unchallenged.

Most artists would bristle at the term self-indulgent, but Keller Williams often invokes it in describing his own approach to music. To Williams, being self-indulgent means creating music that satisfies him - if he likes what he's produced, he figures, then his audience is more likely to embrace it too. If he's not happy with it, why would they be? And so, when Williams describes his first-ever all-covers collection, the amusingly titled Thief, as "self-indulgent, like all of my albums," that signifies not an inwardly pointed diss but a thumbs-up from one of the most tireless musical seekers around. Recorded with the Keels - husband and wife duo Larry and Jenny Keel - Thief is a sequel to the trio's 2006 collaboration Grass, and to those of us on the receiving end, there's nothing self-indulgent about it. If anything, it's about as accessible and welcoming a record as Keller's ever made. Granted, Thief does require a certain amount of blind faith on the part of the listener: This is, after all, an album that includes songs originally written and recorded by as wildly diverse an assemblage as anyone's ever likely to dream up, from Amy Winehouse ("Rehab") to the Grateful Dead ("Mountains of the Moon"), the Butthole Surfers ("Pepper") to Kris Kristofferson ("Don't Cuss That Fiddle," which opens the album, and "The Year 2003 Minus 25," which closes it). The set is filled out with tunes by Ryan Adams, the Presidents of the United States of America, the Raconteurs, Patterson Hood, Danny Barnes, Cracker, the Yonder Mountain String Band and Marcy Playground. All over the place, yup, but that's the way Williams likes it. And in his hands it all makes sense - like everything he's ever touched, whether from his own pen or someone else's, it all becomes Keller Williams music.

Railroad Earth is one of America’s greatest bands playing today, plain and simple. They sing of our nation’s changing landscape and social ills with a commitment reminiscent of Woody Guthrie, while interpolating instrumental timbres that could have been pulled from Celtic or Cajun culture. And as anyone who has caught them live will attest, their concerts are imbued with the fire-in-the-belly passion of straight-ahead, blue collar rock & roll. Then there is the newest album from the New Jersey sextet, which is the most cohesive embodiment of their myriad gifts to date—hence the decision to simply call it Railroad Earth—showcasing nine new selections that draw strength and inspiration from an acknowledgment of our shared past, while also embracing new ideas and celebrating diversity… just like America when she is at her best.

Jim Jefferies, hailing from Australia, headlines around the globe. One of the most sought after comedians, his shows sell out annually at Montreal’s Just For Laughs and Edinburgh’s Fringe Comedy Festival. His unprecedented rise in the comedy world is due to his charming, Carlinesque storytelling. Always surprising and controversial, his Jim takes on his favourite subjects of religion, politics and sex. Jim can currently be seen in his Showtime one hour comedy special “Alcoholocaust” which played to record breaking ratings this August. His debut on HBO with “Jim Jefferies: I Swear to God,” was met with rave reviews. Jim’s bold and painfully honest commentary captivated all who tuned in. Jim has also been seen on HBO’s “Down and Dirty with Jim Norton” and he hosted “Live at Gotham” for Comedy Central. Most recently, Jim has shot a pilot for F/X based on his stand-up. He stars in this show which he also wrote and produced and can be expected to air in 2012. Jim is already working on his next one hour comedy special.

Railroad Earth is one of America’s greatest bands playing today, plain and simple. They sing of our nation’s changing landscape and social ills with a commitment reminiscent of Woody Guthrie, while interpolating instrumental timbres that could have been pulled from Celtic or Cajun culture. And as anyone who has caught them live will attest, their concerts are imbued with the fire-in-the-belly passion of straight-ahead, blue collar rock & roll. Then there is the newest album from the New Jersey sextet, which is the most cohesive embodiment of their myriad gifts to date—hence the decision to simply call it Railroad Earth—showcasing nine new selections that draw strength and inspiration from an acknowledgment of our shared past, while also embracing new ideas and celebrating diversity… just like America when she is at her best.

Railroad Earth is one of America’s greatest bands playing today, plain and simple. They sing of our nation’s changing landscape and social ills with a commitment reminiscent of Woody Guthrie, while interpolating instrumental timbres that could have been pulled from Celtic or Cajun culture. And as anyone who has caught them live will attest, their concerts are imbued with the fire-in-the-belly passion of straight-ahead, blue collar rock & roll. Then there is the newest album from the New Jersey sextet, which is the most cohesive embodiment of their myriad gifts to date—hence the decision to simply call it Railroad Earth—showcasing nine new selections that draw strength and inspiration from an acknowledgment of our shared past, while also embracing new ideas and celebrating diversity… just like America when she is at her best.

Since its birth in 1996, Solas has been loudly proclaimed as the most popular, influential, and exciting Celtic band to ever emerge from the United States. Even before the release of its first Shanachie CD, the Boston Herald trumpeted the quartet as “the first truly great Irish band to arise from America,” and the Irish Echo ranked Solas among the “most exciting bands anywhere in the world.” Since then, the praise has only grown louder. The Philadelphia Inquirer said they make “mind-blowing Irish folk music, maybe the world’s best.” The New York Times praised their “unbridled vitality“, the Washington Post dubbed them one of the “world’s finest Celtic-folk ensembles” and the Austin American-Statesman called them “the standard by which contemporary Celtic groups are judged.”

Punch Brothers return with their second album, Antifogmatic, June 15 on Nonesuch. The record is the follow-up to the band's highly praised 2008 debut, Punch, which The New Yorker calls "…wide-ranging and restlessly imaginative…" A special deluxe edition of the album will also be available. Included in this package is a four song instrumental EP, All of This Is True, as well as a seven song DVD, Live from the Lower East Side: It's p-Bingo Night!, which was filmed during the band's residency at NYC's The Living Room. Pre-orders of both the standard and deluxe editions are available now at www.nonesuch.com and www.punchbrothers.com. The first 500 orders of the deluxe edition will include an autographed official Punch Brothers cocktail recipe guide. Punch Brothers' line-up includes some of the most impressive and widely respected musicians performing today: Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Thile (mandolin and lead vocals), and Gabe Witcher (fiddle). The Boston Globe says of the band, "…this top shelf acoustic quintet is a virtuosic revelation," while the Chicago Tribune says "their breathtaking virtuosity isn't about soloing but complex ensemble unity, with a cumulative power that leaves the listener pleasantly rung out." The band will tour this spring and summer in support of the album, including stops at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Newport Folk Festival and the Mile High Music Festival. Produced by Jon Brion (Brad Mehldau, Of Montreal, Elliott Smith, Kanye West), Antifogmatic was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood during the winter of 2009–2010. While Punch was focused around Thile's four-movement composition The Blind Leaving the Blind, Antifogmatic's 10 songs were written collaboratively by the band. Of the process, Witcher explains, "We knew we needed a producer equally as well versed in pop and rock as in instrumental music, and I don't think there is anyone more able to capture and communicate the essence of this material than Jon Brion."

Following up on their critically acclaimed debut-EP from 2009, N.E.D. releases their first full-length recording, Six Degrees, on June 21, 2011. Produced by Mario McNulty, the cd showcases a number of musical styles, including driving electric rock heavy on guitars and hard-hitting rhythms, to a more acoustic bluegrass-inflected sound with subtle shades of mandolin, to R & B with funky bass lines and sizzling electric guitar grooves. With the addition of strings on several songs, the overall unique musicality of N.E.D. comes together. The band’s acronym N.E.D., which stands for No Evidence of Disease, introduces a deeper, more substantive influence on the band’s music, for each of the six band members are also practicing gynecologic oncologists. As physicians, they treat diseases that affect some 90,000 women each year and that result in 30,000 deaths annually. Six Degrees simultaneously solidifies the band’s musicianship (Oregon Music News says N.E.D. would “certainly make it as musicians and songwriters full-time, if that was what they wanted”) while bringing them to the forefront of an awareness movement that is seeking to break through a wall of silence surrounding gynecologic cancer.

Ever since their humble beginnings at Tufts University, Guster have always sought to outdo themselves. They sell out New York’s fabled Radio City Music Hall one year and perform with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall the next. They sell out a 33-date college tour, and this past spring founded the eco-friendly Campus Consciousness Tour, with buses powered by biodiesel and performances powered by wind power. It’s in this overachieving band’s nature to one-up itself. So don’t expect it to be any different with the release of Guster’s new album, Ganging Up on the Sun. The Boston-bred band’s fifth studio release may be a melody-minded, breezy, free-spirited, literate pop record like its predecessors—2003’s Keep it Together, 1999’s Lost and Gone Forever, 1996’s Goldfly, and 1994’s Parachute—but this time around, Guster are "more fearless than ever before," says singer-guitarist Ryan Miller. They’ve pushed themselves both stylistically and emotionally, resulting in their most confident and superlative work to date.

Like the Hawaiian Islands themselves, HAPA's Pan-Polynesian music is an amalgam of infuences ranging from ancient genealogical chants to the strummed ballads of Portuguese fisherman, Spanish cowboys, and the inspired melodies and harmonies of the traditional church choirs of the early missionaries. Add to this a dose of American acoustic folk/rock, and you have what has been described as the “most exciting and beautiful contemporary Hawaiian music the world knows!”… (Maui Times). These disparate ingredients blended together musically in the Pacific emotes the unique flavor of what Hawaii and HAPA music is: “beautiful, fragile, spiritual, powerful”… (L.A. Times).

Kevin and Cal are two of Portland's most distinguished acoustic musicians. Known for his vibrant, expressive style, Burke is rightly considered one of the world's leading Irish fiddlers. Scott is known for his work with the Trail Band as well as producer and composer of more than 40 PBS filmscores. Together they play an unforgettable mix of music both elegant and earthy, embracing Irish and other Celtic traditions. Kevin and Cal are proud to present this second annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration at the Aladdin Theatre featuring a great lineup of guests including Tom Creegan on Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) and Johnny B. Connolly on accordian - both originally from Ireland. Bronnie Griffin (on fiddle), and The Irish Session Suite Players (Andrew Ehrlich, violin; Anna Schaum, viola: and Justin Kagan, cello) will also perform with Burke and Scott.

The Magnetic Fields’ Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. The band’s tenth full-length album is their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas. After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to the synth with a fresh approach: “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers,” he notes. The songs — none over three minutes long — were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt’s usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler. The Magnetic Fields’ debut album Distant Plastic Trees was released in 1991. In 1999, The Magnetic Fields’ three-CD collection, 69 Love Songs, established Stephin Merritt as one of his generation’s most talented songwriters. That breakthrough was followed by three albums on Nonesuch Records: i in 2004, Distortion in 2008 and Realism in 2010. Between Magnetic Fields releases, Merritt has recorded side projects and albums with his various other bands, Future Bible Heroes, the Gothic Archies and the 6ths, as well as soundtracks to the films Eban and Charley and Pieces of April. In 2006, Nonesuch also released a collection of songs Merritt wrote under the name The Gothic Archies to accompany the Lemony Snicket books, The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2009, Merritt scored the Off-Broadway adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline.

The Magnetic Fields’ Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. The band’s tenth full-length album is their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas. After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to the synth with a fresh approach: “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers,” he notes. The songs — none over three minutes long — were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt’s usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler. The Magnetic Fields’ debut album Distant Plastic Trees was released in 1991. In 1999, The Magnetic Fields’ three-CD collection, 69 Love Songs, established Stephin Merritt as one of his generation’s most talented songwriters. That breakthrough was followed by three albums on Nonesuch Records: i in 2004, Distortion in 2008 and Realism in 2010. Between Magnetic Fields releases, Merritt has recorded side projects and albums with his various other bands, Future Bible Heroes, the Gothic Archies and the 6ths, as well as soundtracks to the films Eban and Charley and Pieces of April. In 2006, Nonesuch also released a collection of songs Merritt wrote under the name The Gothic Archies to accompany the Lemony Snicket books, The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2009, Merritt scored the Off-Broadway adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline.

In his preface to Little Feat’s recent retrospective compilations—‘02’s Raw Tomatos and Ripe Tomatos--the band’s Paul Barrere wrote, ”It’s almost 33 years ago exactly since Mr. [Lowell] George came to the front door of the Laurel Canyon house I was livin’ in, with that beautiful white ”p“ bass in hand, and asked if I wanted to try out as bass player for his new band. As most who know the story’s end can tell you, as a bassist I make an excellent guitarist, and 3 years later-- when I finally began my stint in Little Feat-- I would never have guessed that I would be here writing these liner notes to yet another chapter in the now storied life of a band that has been my life, and a true labor of love.“ Truth is, there really is no story’s end yet, and Little Feat have indeed led a storied life ever since they formed in 1969.

The Magnetic Fields’ Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. The band’s tenth full-length album is their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas. After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to the synth with a fresh approach: “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers,” he notes. The songs — none over three minutes long — were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt’s usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler. The Magnetic Fields’ debut album Distant Plastic Trees was released in 1991. In 1999, The Magnetic Fields’ three-CD collection, 69 Love Songs, established Stephin Merritt as one of his generation’s most talented songwriters. That breakthrough was followed by three albums on Nonesuch Records: i in 2004, Distortion in 2008 and Realism in 2010. Between Magnetic Fields releases, Merritt has recorded side projects and albums with his various other bands, Future Bible Heroes, the Gothic Archies and the 6ths, as well as soundtracks to the films Eban and Charley and Pieces of April. In 2006, Nonesuch also released a collection of songs Merritt wrote under the name The Gothic Archies to accompany the Lemony Snicket books, The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2009, Merritt scored the Off-Broadway adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline.

The inspiring student performers and artists of PHAME Academy return to the Aladdin Theater stage for a blowout showcase show like you've never seen or heard. PHAME's March 22nd "H is for Honored Showcase" is the culmination of their March 14-22 "PHAME: the H is for Honored Tour" - a Portland regional performance tour showcasing the incredible talents of PHAME's inspiring adult performers and artists with developmental disabilities. PHAME's Aladdin Theater showcase will feature over 50 PHAME student performers and artists, led by Artistic Director Jessica Dart and Music Director Matthew Gailey, in collaboration with Live Wire Radio's Courtenay Hameister, and members of the Bureau of Standards Big Band, among other collaborating artists. Hear performances from the PHAME Choir and PHAME Vocal + Instrumental Combo; see scenes, sketch comedy and dances starring PHAME actors and dancers; and enjoy original work from PHAME artists and writers.

Fans who have followed Umphrey's McGee for any period of time know that there are only two guarantees: you never know what you’re going to get, and Umphrey's always delivers. How else can a band be relentlessly innovative in both music and fan relations for 13-plus years? The latest expected twist arrives in the form of their newest studio album (and first with ATO Records) Death By Stereo (9/13), the follow up to 2009's Mantis. Mantis surprised fans with a collection of music never before played, and surprised the music industry with an innovative marketing campaign that catapulted the album past the Heatseekers chart, debuting at #62 on Billboard's "Top 200" chart without any radio play or television appearances. Death By Stereo's concise melodic approach and accessible songwriting is everything fans had hoped for, but not what anyone expected. Death By Stereo is disarmingly straightforward. Sure, you can dance to it, but the clever arrangements, meticulously crafted chordal interplay, and virtuoso instrumentation put Umphrey's McGee in a category all their own. "Our live show is malleable and every night is its own thing, where you never know where things are going to go," keyboardist Joel Cummins explains. "People aren't used to us playing three-and-a-half to four-minute songs back to back, so this album is a completely different experience than our live show, which is certainly something we were trying to do."

Sharon Van Etten: Sharon Van Etten came to Brooklyn via Jersey via Tennessee via Jersey. Along the way, she sang in choirs, rejected her school’s music program, worked at an all-ages venue, trained as a sommelier, and got a full time job at a record label. She also had some bad experiences in relationships. OK, more than some. Epic, Van Etten’s second album, lays a romantic melancholy lining over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak, without one honest thought or feeling spared. She sings of betrayal, obsession, egotism and all the other emotions we hate in others and recognize in ourselves. Yet, Van Etten’s grounded and clenched vocals convey the sense of hope – the notion that beauty can come out of the worst of circumstances. Epic is indeed that beauty. The War On Drugs: Mixing the grand-scale guitar attack of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine with a melodic sense and lyrical perspective that recalls Bob Dylan roaring down Highway 61, Philadelphia's the War on Drugs are the creation of a pair of Dylan fans, Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, who met at a party in 2003. After several drinks, Granduciel and Vile discovered their shared fascination with the Bard of Minnesota, and began working on songs together.

“Where We Meet” has captured both the charm of Tyrone Wells wistful serenades and the weight and yearning of an artist who continues to grow.  Spending the greater part of 2011 bouncing between Los Angeles and Nashville, Tyrone Wells was able to take the time to write tirelessly until he knew that he finally had the album he wanted.  From sweeping productions to paired down, sparse tunes, “Where We Meet” carefully navigates a sonic landscape that is powerfully rich yet intimate and honest.

Over the past three years, indie-folk trio Good Old War has captivated countless audiences with their acoustic-driven, sing-along-inspiring live performances. Now, with the release of their third full-length record Come Back as Rain (out March 6th, 2012 on Sargent House), the Philadelphia-based band harnesses the high-spirited simplicity that makes their shows so unforgettable. Like Only Way To Be Alone (Good Old War’s 2008 debut) and their 2010 self-titled sophomore effort, Come Back as Rain showcases the delicately textured melodies and multipart harmonies that have become the band’s signature. Once again revealing their penchant for infectious folk-pop, Good Old War this time sharpens their sound by infusing Come Back as Rain with the same joyful passion they’ve ceaselessly brought to the stage. Recorded in spring 2011 at Another Recording Company (the Omaha studio owned by Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes), Come Back as Rain finds the band reuniting with producer Jason Cupp. Despite taking to a far less rustic environment than they did for their last release (an album largely created in a cabin in the Pocono Mountains), Good Old War managed to delve far deeper into the rootsy, organic sound they’ve carefully cultivated since forming from the ashes of Philadelphia indie-rock act Days Away. “When we play live, it’s really natural and energetic and in your face,” says guitarist/vocalist Dan Schwartz, who co-founded Good Old War in 2008 with Keith Goodwin (on vocals, guitar, and keys) and Tim Arnold (on drums, keys, accordion, and vocals). “With the new record we’ve found a way to capture that live feel like never before. So even though this one’s got some heavier material, there’s still something upbeat and joyous there.”

North Carolina–based Carolina Chocolate Drops follow up their critically lauded label debut—2010’s Grammy Award - winning Genuine Negro Jig, which reached #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers and Folk Charts - with Leaving Eden, due February 28 on Nonesuch Records. The group returns with a record of original compositions, covers, and traditional songs produced by Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Solomon Burke). The album is available for pre-order now at nonesuch.com and carolinachocolatedrops.com, where a download of the track “Country Girl” is included and the first 300 CDs will be signed by the band. Carolina Chocolate Drops will tour the US throughout the winter and spring. Carolina Chocolate Drops formed after founding members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson met at a roots festival in 2005, and discovered a shared interest in traditional African-American string band music of the Piedmont region. In 2011 multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins joined Flemons and Giddens in the group upon Robinson’s departure. The members share singing duties and swap instruments throughout their sets. (Cellist Leyla McCalla also joins the band on the record and on their upcoming tour.)

North Carolina–based Carolina Chocolate Drops follow up their critically lauded label debut—2010’s Grammy Award - winning Genuine Negro Jig, which reached #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers and Folk Charts - with Leaving Eden, due February 28 on Nonesuch Records. The group returns with a record of original compositions, covers, and traditional songs produced by Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Solomon Burke). The album is available for pre-order now at nonesuch.com and carolinachocolatedrops.com, where a download of the track “Country Girl” is included and the first 300 CDs will be signed by the band. Carolina Chocolate Drops will tour the US throughout the winter and spring. Carolina Chocolate Drops formed after founding members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson met at a roots festival in 2005, and discovered a shared interest in traditional African-American string band music of the Piedmont region. In 2011 multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins joined Flemons and Giddens in the group upon Robinson’s departure. The members share singing duties and swap instruments throughout their sets. (Cellist Leyla McCalla also joins the band on the record and on their upcoming tour.)

¿Which Side Are You On? marks DiFranco's first studio album in more than three years. The collection features 11 new songs alongside a radically reworked rendition of the classic title song, famously popularized by the one and only Pete Seeger nearly five decades ago, but no less relevant today. Backing DiFranco is a remarkably diverse line-up of stellar musicians, including members of her own crack touring band as well as such guest players as Ivan and Cyril Neville (of New Orleans' first family of funk and R&B, The Neville Brothers), avant-saxophonist Skerik (Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, The Meters), acclaimed singer/songwriter and Righteous Babe Anaïs Mitchell, guitarist Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, Amos Lee), and a host of New Orleans-based horn players known for their work in such outfits as Galactic, Bonerama, and The Rebirth Brass Band.

It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the mic. There is poet-Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. And there is her evil twin, comic-Cheryl, a militant trend defier and savagely funny social critic. The result is a delightful contrast between poet and comic. Poet-Cheryl writes achingly honest songs of love and loss.

Using entire shows from the Grateful Dead's 30 years of extensive touring as a launching pad, Dark Star Orchestra recreates the original song for song performance set list for an entirely new generation of, as well as old school, Deadheads. Dark Star Orchestra presents its critically acclaimed live show at esteemed venues from coast to coast and internationally. Dark Star Orchestra performs Grateful Dead classics in the same way that an orchestra interprets music of classical composers. The composer spirit is derived and channeled as the players capture the excitement and innovation of the original performances and compositions. Touring nationwide for twelve years to the tune of nearly 2000 shows since forming, the band's determined commitment to "raising the Dead" has drawn national media attention.

¿Which Side Are You On? marks DiFranco's first studio album in more than three years. The collection features 11 new songs alongside a radically reworked rendition of the classic title song, famously popularized by the one and only Pete Seeger nearly five decades ago, but no less relevant today. Backing DiFranco is a remarkably diverse line-up of stellar musicians, including members of her own crack touring band as well as such guest players as Ivan and Cyril Neville (of New Orleans' first family of funk and R&B, The Neville Brothers), avant-saxophonist Skerik (Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, The Meters), acclaimed singer/songwriter and Righteous Babe Anaïs Mitchell, guitarist Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, Amos Lee), and a host of New Orleans-based horn players known for their work in such outfits as Galactic, Bonerama, and The Rebirth Brass Band.

3 years less 3 days ago I put out my last record. The night before I spent 13 hours on a Greyhound bus going from Canada to New York City for an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. As fate would have it, my flight was cancelled after a massive storm blew into the eastern seaboard, closing all NYC airports. When I reached the border, the customs officer was quite amused by my reason for going to New York. “To perform on a late-night television show,” I said. She probably thought I was nuts, but let me get back on the bus. I later recalled someone backstage saying to me, “You know, honey, most people just cancel.” Not likely. And so, two years after my first album Failer was released, a year and half of amazing times followed. I got to play on Austin City Limits, open for Willie Nelson, John Prine, Aimee Mann, My Morning Jacket, John Mayer and Bryan Adams. I was invited to perform at Farm Aid ( I cried when Neil Young played “Old Man”), played the Grand Old Opry (Colin, my husband and bandmate wore his original Nudie Suit!), had a song in Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown, toured Australia, Europe, in a van, in a tour bus, by plane, by ferry, solo and with a band…... and then home. Most people put out records more frequently than every three years, but after a long run on the road, I had some things I wanted to do. First I bought a Heintzman piano and committed the fall of 2006 to learning how to play. I worked at a winery in the spring, practiced my violin more than I have in years, gardened relentlessly, started jogging, played a few random shows, and sung on some friends’ records, including John Doe’s song “Golden State” which I’m very proud of.

We could tell you about Young The Giant's explosive live show, but there's really no point. We could tell you what it's like to be in the sticky, sweaty crowd, jumping up and down in perfect unison, but that's neither here nor there. There's just too much to be shared, like how lead singer Sameer Gadhia's pristine, powerful vocals translate as well live as they do on the band's self-titled debut album, recorded and tracked completely live with the entire band sitting in a room and playing together, like they always do. But, don't take it from us. Take it from Morrissey, who himself said he'd be kneeling with gratitude on a hardwood floor for many years to come over Young The Giant’s "perfect" record, which the band co-produced with Joe Chicarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, The Shins). Or from Incubus, who hand- selected the band to rile up the crowd as the opening act on their first US tour in three years. Better yet, take it from their main stage set at Lollapalooza or upcoming performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards as the only non-nominated band on the bill— all exciting twists of events that only occurred once bookers, agents and directors saw the group play live, and unquestionably knew they needed to see them again.

We could tell you about Young The Giant's explosive live show, but there's really no point. We could tell you what it's like to be in the sticky, sweaty crowd, jumping up and down in perfect unison, but that's neither here nor there. There's just too much to be shared, like how lead singer Sameer Gadhia's pristine, powerful vocals translate as well live as they do on the band's self-titled debut album, recorded and tracked completely live with the entire band sitting in a room and playing together, like they always do. But, don't take it from us. Take it from Morrissey, who himself said he'd be kneeling with gratitude on a hardwood floor for many years to come over Young The Giant’s "perfect" record, which the band co-produced with Joe Chicarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, The Shins). Or from Incubus, who hand- selected the band to rile up the crowd as the opening act on their first US tour in three years. Better yet, take it from their main stage set at Lollapalooza or upcoming performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards as the only non-nominated band on the bill— all exciting twists of events that only occurred once bookers, agents and directors saw the group play live, and unquestionably knew they needed to see them again.

Is there anyone better to tell it like it is than one's kid? In January 2008, when Uncle Kracker began to write the songs that appear on his new album Happy Hour, it was his eight year-old daughter who suggested that he try writing something a little less downbeat than usual. "She said to me, 'I can't really dance to any of your songs,'" the father of three says with a laugh. "Not that I needed to make a dance record, but it dawned on me that I tend to write a lot of acoustic ballads and mid-tempo type tunes. And I thought, 'It's pretty bad when your own kids won't listen to your records. Your own kids!' At the end of the day, people want to have fun more than they want to cry. I realized that it was time for something a little more upbeat and positive and that's what I ended up with on Happy Hour." Produced by multiple Grammy-Award winner Rob Cavallo, Happy Hour is a breezy blend of country-flavored pop and rock and roll that showcases not only the Detroit native's natural appeal as a likeable Everyman, but also his considerable gifts as a songwriter. Though many know him from his early years as the DJ in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band, Uncle Kracker (whose real name is Matt Shafer) has had impressive success as a songwriter, racking up co-writing credits on Kid Rock's blockbuster hits "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy," "Forever," "Only God Knows Why," and 2008's No. 1 "All Summer Long," as well as his own Adult Top 40 No. 1 "Follow Me" (from his 2001 double-platinum debut Double Wide). "Uncle Kracker has zero musical talent," says Kid Rock. "No musician skills at all, but he's a phenomenal songwriter--very talented with words and melodies."

The Aladdin Theater is very excited to announce that for The Motet’s first show in Portland in almost a year they will be paying tribute to the music of one of the most influential rock bands of the last 40 years: THE GRATEFUL DEAD! Yes, we know what some of you are thinking: How does the Grateful Dead’s sound fit into the energy and vibe of a Motet show?? Well, with that in mind they are taking the challenge of reworking those epic and timeless songs with the energetic afro-funk grooves that you all come to expect from The Motet...hence the theme “Funk is Dead!”.

Brimming with confidence and creativity, Arrow sees Heartless Bastards pushing their distinctive sound forward with their most eclectic, energetic collection thus far. The album – the Austin, Texas-based band’s first release with Partisan Records – is marked as ever by singer/guitarist/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom’s remarkable voice, at turns primal and pleading, heartfelt and heroic. Songs like “Parted Ways” and the searing “Low Low Low” expertly capture the Bastards’ multi-dimensional rock in all its strength and spirit. Following upon the difficult introspection of 2009’s acclaimed third album, The Mountain, Arrow stands as a powerhouse new beginning for the Heartless Bastards. “The Mountain was me going through some things after being in a relationship for nine years,” Wennerstrom says. “This album is kind of like me being comfortable again.”

Andrew Bird's much-anticipated twelfth album, Break It Yourself, is due March 6 on Mom + Pop. Produced by Bird, the album was recorded at his barn in Western Illinois near the banks of the Mississippi River. Bird will celebrate the release of Break It Yourself with a North American tour set to kick off in mid-March. Tickets will be available for pre-sale via andrewbird.net beginning December 6 and will be available via major ticket outlets December 9-10.All concert tickets are bundled with a redemption code to download Break It Yourself upon release date. Ticketbuyers will also receive a download of Fake Conversations - a live EP culled from Bird's fall 2011 tour - and a second live EP from the Spring 2012 tour. US fans who don't live in upcoming tour markets will be able to buy the album/live EP bundle as part of a standalone pre-order. Break It Yourself will also be available in a deluxe edition vinyl package.

Andrew Bird's much-anticipated twelfth album, Break It Yourself, is due March 6 on Mom + Pop. Produced by Bird, the album was recorded at his barn in Western Illinois near the banks of the Mississippi River. Bird will celebrate the release of Break It Yourself with a North American tour set to kick off in mid-March. Tickets will be available for pre-sale via andrewbird.net beginning December 6 and will be available via major ticket outlets December 9-10.All concert tickets are bundled with a redemption code to download Break It Yourself upon release date. Ticketbuyers will also receive a download of Fake Conversations - a live EP culled from Bird's fall 2011 tour - and a second live EP from the Spring 2012 tour. US fans who don't live in upcoming tour markets will be able to buy the album/live EP bundle as part of a standalone pre-order. Break It Yourself will also be available in a deluxe edition vinyl package.

Arlo Guthrie was born with a guitar in one hand and a harmonica in the other in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York in 1947. He is the eldest son of America’s most beloved singer/writer/philosopher, Woody Guthrie, and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie. His mother was a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company and founder of The Committee to Combat Huntington’s Disease. He grew up surrounded by dancers and musicians: Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman and Lee Hays (The Weavers), Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, all of whom were significant influences on Arlo’s musical career. Arlo gave his first public performance at age 13 and quickly became involved in the music that was shaping the world during the 1960s. Arlo practically lived in the most famous venues of the “Folk Boom” era. In New York City he hung out at Gerdes Folk City, The Gaslight and The Bitter End. In Boston it was Club 47 and in Philadelphia he made places like The 2nd Fret and The Main Point his home. Arlo witnessed the transition from an earlier generation of ballad singers like Richard Dyer-Bennet and blues-men like Mississippi John Hurt, to a new era of singer-song writers such as Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs. He grooved with the beat poets like Allen Ginsburg and Lord Buckley, and picked with players like Bill Monroe and Doc Watson. He learned something from everyone and developed his own style, becoming a distinctive, expressive voice in a crowded community of singer-songwriters and political-social commentators.

If you haven’t already heard of Hayes Carll, you soon will. In the three years since his self-released second album, Little Rock became available, Carll has toured relentlessly in North America and abroad (performing over two hundred shows a year), founded a successful singer-songwriter music festival on the Gulf Coast of Texas, secured a record deal with Lost Highway Records, and has even seen Little Rock become the first self-released album to reach #1 on the Americana Music Chart. He’s only getting started. On his new album, Trouble In Mind, the 32 year-old Carll navigates his way through both stormy weather and calm, sun-drenched waters with ease, emerging with songs that melt even the hardest heart in town (a feat he manages on the plaintive, world-weary "Don't Let Me Fall") or heat up a roadhouse (like the ruggedly strutting "Wild as a Turkey"). Their impact is heightened by the fact that they're songs born of both immersion in the works of his songwriting heroes and plenty of real world experience.

Initially The Excitement Plan (June 9th on Yep Roc Records) wasn't supposed to be about anything. I was just trying to come up with the best... most open hearted ... well-thought-out lyrics I could come up with. I wanted every song to be sad and funny at the same time, vulnerable and entertaining at the same time, personal and universal at the same time. I wanted every song to be as uniquely written as possible and then I wanted to perform them in a studio loose and rugged and hopefully as uniquely as I could. My hope is to be hard to describe and/or new...I'm not saying I am. I'm just saying that's the hope. My producer, Don Was thought the best way to go for what I was talking about was live and spontaneous. So we set up at Henson studios in Los Angeles with myself on guitar, harp and piano. Greg Liesz on steel guitar and dobro. Don on upright bass, Jim Keltner on drums and Krish Harma engineering. Then, with Don being the only one who'd heard the songs and me being the only one who knew them, we recorded completely live for just two and a half days. "As God is my witness and whether you even like this music or not, it was the most exciting, most challenging, most uninhibited and funnest time I've ever had making music..." - Todd Snider

On one level, the sizable body of work accumulated by celebrated writer/artist Dar Williams is a continuing narrative of her life - what she's experienced and what she's observed during her years of intensive touring. On another, it forms a detailed look at the course of modern-day existence in the decade and a half between 1993, when Williams released her debut album, The Honesty Room, and 2008, when her longtime label Razor & Tie released her seventh and most recent studio album, Promised Land. Throughout her career, Williams has employed a reporter's keen eye and a fiction writer's feel for nuance in the act of confronting what she's described as "the big picture of how people approach life," doing by examining and illuminating the minute details.

On one level, the sizable body of work accumulated by celebrated writer/artist Dar Williams is a continuing narrative of her life - what she's experienced and what she's observed during her years of intensive touring. On another, it forms a detailed look at the course of modern-day existence in the decade and a half between 1993, when Williams released her debut album, The Honesty Room, and 2008, when her longtime label Razor & Tie released her seventh and most recent studio album, Promised Land. Throughout her career, Williams has employed a reporter's keen eye and a fiction writer's feel for nuance in the act of confronting what she's described as "the big picture of how people approach life," doing by examining and illuminating the minute details.

Betty Jo Haskin was born January 29,1946, in Muskegon, Michigan. The family moved to Detroit when she was 6. Her parents sold corn liquor and her living room was oft-times visited by The Soul Stirrers, The Blind Boys of Mississippi, and many other traveling gospel groups of the day. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Bettye did not get her start in the church, but in that very same living room, where there was a juke box, filled with the blues, country & western, and R&B records of the time. The "5" Royales, Dinah Washington, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Red Foley, ...these were her roots. By 16, Betty Jo had become enamored with showbiz. She decided to change her name to something more dramatic. She knew a local groupie by the name of Sherma Lavett, liked the sound of the name, and thus, Betty Lavett was born. Singer Timmy Shaw brought her to Johnnie Mae Matthews, notorious Motor City record producer. Bettye's first single was "My Man--He’s a Loving Man.", in the fall of 1962. The record was quickly picked up by Atlantic for national distribution. The record charted #7 R&B and put her on her first national tour, with Ben E. King, Clyde McPhatter, and another newcomer, Otis Redding.

 

Soon after finishing her acclaimed 2008 album Apple Tree, Colorado-born, Nashvillebased singer-songwriter Katie Herzig received a fateful phone call. "I sat down to paint one day—I hadn't painted in years—then I got a call asking me to write a song for the Sex and the City movie," she says. "So I put down my paintbrush and haven’t painted since!" What she did instead, as one assignment led to another, was write music for numerous films and television shows, and in the process, find a surprising and exciting direction for her new album, The Waking Sleep, her first release on Downtown/Mercer Street Records. "I was trying new things," says Herzig, "getting outside of what I would normally do as an artist. It was really fun and invigorating to use samples and build tracks digitally. I loved creating like that, and it really allowed me more freedom, because I was doing something less personal, and creating for something else."

Born and raised in Mission Viejo, CA, Kina Grannis started playing shows at the age of 4 in front of stuffed animals. Now she plays in front of people. For those who knew Kina as the shy and self-proclaimed-awkward songstress who escaped into her collegiate stairwells to practice and play in privacy, the idea of playing in front of inanimate objects might actually seem fitting. But between those who travel across state and country lines to her sold out live shows and those navigating through her extensive library of YouTube videos, it’s quite clear that Kina is hardly playing for no one.

In a rare opportunity to see a group of true music pioneers, legendary progressive-rock supergroup ‘UK’ have reformed for a one-off world tour and will perform together for the first time in more than three decades. Originally formed in England in 1977 by keyboardist and electric-violinist Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, Frank Zappa); vocalist and bassist John Wetton (King Crimson); guitarist Allan Holdsworth (Soft Machine); and drummer Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis), UK represented the final statement of the classic progressive-rock era - first with their ground-breaking eponymous debut album, and then as a trio with drummer Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa) with their influential “Danger Money” album (1978) followed by the band’s swan song “Night After Night”(1979) live album, recorded during their last tour of Japan. Now, 33 years after their farewell concert, the three legendary players of the original trio - Jobson, Wetton, & Bozzio - have reunited to reenact that final tour one last time. The music of UK has influenced progressive bands from Yes to Rush; guitar heroes from Malmsteen to Vai; and hard-rock bands from Van Halen to Dream Theater, leaving the individual members of UK with unsurpassed reputations as the definitive “musicians’ musicians.”

Twenty five years after their T-Bone Burnett produced debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams led them to win a Rolling Stone reader’s poll as “Best New American Band,” The BoDeans are still rocking and harmonizing gracefully, touring the U.S. regularly and exposing the kids of their longtime steadfast fans to real, heartfelt and trend-free music. Best known for their mid-90’s Billboard Top 20 hit anthem “Closer To Free,” which became the theme song for Fox’s “Party Of Five,” Kurt Neumann (vocals and electric guitar) is still focused on, “writing songs that bring good things to the world.” The new album, Indigo Dreams, is a salute to the working man – his dreams, his desires, his love, his responsibilities, his ethos.

Twenty five years after their T-Bone Burnett produced debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams led them to win a Rolling Stone reader’s poll as “Best New American Band,” The BoDeans are still rocking and harmonizing gracefully, touring the U.S. regularly and exposing the kids of their longtime steadfast fans to real, heartfelt and trend-free music. Best known for their mid-90’s Billboard Top 20 hit anthem “Closer To Free,” which became the theme song for Fox’s “Party Of Five,” Kurt Neumann (vocals and electric guitar) is still focused on, “writing songs that bring good things to the world.” The new album, Indigo Dreams, is a salute to the working man – his dreams, his desires, his love, his responsibilities, his ethos.

Charles Bradley is no stranger to hard times. Born in Gainesville, Florida in 1948 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Charles spent the better part of his childhood living on the streets. One of the more optimistic moments of his childhood came in 1962, when his sister took him to see James Brown at The Apollo. Brown’s energy formed a lasting impression on Charles. He went home and immediately began practicing microphone tricks with a broom attached to a string, imitating the Godfather’s every move. With his newfound inspiration came an urgent desire to get off the streets and make something of himself.

“The problem with an artist like Imelda May is that she’s so good, it makes a critical review almost impossible to write; her performance is flawless.” – Clash Magazine. Imelda May, born in Dublin and raised in the Liberties, may be an unknown name to some, but to many she is already a superstar. She is unmistakable both in her music (a fusion of surf guitars, blues and rockabilly that wouldn’t be out of place in a David Lynch film) and her style, with a solitary curl and shock of blonde in her jet black hair. In Ireland, her debut album Love Tattoo, which she recorded and released on her own label, has gone Triple Platinum. She has shared a stage with Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry, David Gilmour, Sharon Shannon, Jeff Beck, Shane Macgowan, Kirsty McCall, Van Morrison, Lionel Richie, Wanda Jackson, Paul Brady and Meatloaf. And now, with the release of her new album Mayhem, she is about to go stellar.

On a rainy Nashville Thursday last October, Justin Townes Earle leapt onstage at the famed Ryman Auditorium to accept the 2011 Americana Music Award for Song of the Year. The triumphant evening capped a turbulent twelve months for the gifted young musician categorized by significant hardship as well as notable achievement including debut performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and on The Late Show with David Letterman. Just one week later, Earle retreated to the western mountains of North Carolina to record his next album, Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now - an intriguing title given the importance of change in Earle’s approach to art.  “I think it’s the job of the artist to be in transition and constantly learning more,” he says.  “The new record is completely different than my last one, Harlem River Blues.  This time I’ve gone in a Memphis-soul direction.”