Americana

Jesse Correll

Photo: Stacie Huckeba

Shibori is a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique. A pattern is made by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, or compressing a natural fabric, dyeing, and then releasing the bind and pressure to reveal its pattern. Techniques were ancestral, handed down exclusively within families.  When the fabric is returned to its flat form after dyeing, the design that emerges is the result of the bound and tied three-dimensional shape. The cloth sensitively records both the form and the pressure; the “memory” of the tied shape remains imprinted in the cloth. 

“The technique spoke to me. We endure a lifelong process of unfolding, unbinding, unstitching, and unblocking. Little by little, we see that what we thought were stains, are intricate patterns; the design of unseen hands,” singer-songwriter Jesse Correll shares. The Nashville-based artist explores this parable on his latest album, Inner Shibori, out February 11, 2022. It’s a timeless and elegantly expressive record that feels like a singer-songwriter album draped in torch-song finery.  

Inner Shibori is Jesse’s fourth record since 1994, and his second release after a 15-year hiatus from music. The 13-song release is an album oozing luxury and longing. The production approach; sophisticated and tastefully sentimental songs; and the smooth musicianship recalls Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker’s lonely balladeering, and the type of recordings made at Capitol Studios in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s. The songs are also interwoven with threads of Americana, R&B, soul, and folk, recalling contemporary artists such as Ray LaMontagne, Jacob Collier, and Madison Cunningham.  

Jesse’s last release, 2015’s Held Momentarily, was an intimately soulful bedroom production that captured the joys of romantic and personal reclamation. For Jesse, this included a new love relationship and returning to music. Jesse is a Berklee graduate and a lifelong musician, and he came back with a vengeance. He left New York and followed his muse to Music City, where he blossomed as a songwriter, a member of the Nashville music community, and a popular podcaster. Parallel to this evolution, another dynamic was playing out. Jesse and his lady were two marriage-resistant lovers that decided to do the thing, but unfortunately, their seven-year union unraveled in under a year of marriage.  

What seemed and felt like a bottom, like Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours come to life, became a turning point of self-reflection, acceptance, and even a love rebirth. This journey became an inner Shibori experience for Jesse, and he processes it on his album.  “It was like a breakup with my former self. I had been running from old stuff—like early abandonment—and I needed to address them to move on. There is definitely a story of the greatest love ever followed by the worst pain ever. To the outside, I’m sure it looked like wtf happened,” he says laughing.  

The 13 tracks of the Inner Shibori came to life during three days of tracking at Skinny Elephant Recording, in Nashville with engineer Dylan Alldredge. The album was produced by Jesse and guitarist/singer-songwriter/producer Anne McCue. The pair also handpicked the core band and the session auxiliary musicians.  

 Reflecting on the Inner Shibori, Jesse says: “This album felt like a homecoming. Rebirth, the record I made at the end of my Berklee years, hinted at my musical identity. I can see now that I got lost for a while, and struggled to find my way back. Held Momentarily was a turning point. I needed all of those years of being lost to be able to fully express myself as a musician; as a human being. Making this record, and finding my home in the Nashville music community, has been a peak experience that I will never forget.” 

The Grahams

Credit: Alex Berger

Credit: Alex Berger

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The Grahams’ Alyssa and Doug Graham are New Jersey raised, New York bred, but Nashville based — a cross-section of regional influences that allows them to slip in and out of genres like they’re changing clothes. Their unique sound landed them at the top of the Americana charts when their first album, Riverman’s Daughter, was released in 2013, led to the critically acclaimed Glory Bound in 2016, and their affair with a more alt-pop sound on 2020’s Kids Like Us (co-produced by the late Richard Swift and Lucious’ Dan Molad). Their music has landed them in every major music publication and grown them a legion of dedicated fans around the world. In 2021 their music has evolved again into a nostalgia-inducing mellow gold sound with a nod to mid-century soul and classic UK pop. If that sounds like a mouthful, it’s by design. Consider their upcoming three song EP Sha La La a moment of bliss before the duo’s next full album, due in 2022.

A tongue-in-cheek reference to a laissez-faire approach to life, Sha La La is The Grahams’ attempt to exorcise the pains and disappointments of the last 14 months. Rather than writhing in self pity and judgement, or aspirations driven by narcissism, they decided to simply let go of trying to control or overcome the situation, liberating themselves of their anger and who they thought they were, while embracing who they may become.

Their 2020 LP Kids Like Us — four years in the making — was considered their best work to-date. Released in March of the year of our lord COVID, they were devastated as their tour plans and other promotional opportunities were slowly picked off one by one. While this is a familiar story by now, The Grahams’ specific experience was compounded by a perfect storm of difficult situations. New parents with a one year-old when the pandemic broke out (and without any family nearby), they found themselves isolated with their child while Alyssa struggled with postpartum depression. She also discovered that she needed surgery on her wrist, and simultaneously suffered a painful and debilitating vocal hemorrhage, and therefore couldn’t speak (let alone sing) or play guitar for weeks — followed by many months of vocal therapy. While it was an extremely difficult time, the couple’s bond only grew stronger.

When The Grahams decided to pick up their spirits by making new music, they headed to 3 Sirens Studio — a hidden, invite-only East Nashville space which they own and operate. The duo had a deep desire to experiment with new sounds, let go of structure and their normal methods, and “just get really high and make art for art’s sake with friends.” They decided that “sha la la,” a recurring vocal run on the EP’s focus track “Love Collector”, was a fitting name for letting go of everything you once thought made sense, but doesn’t anymore.

Taking influence from nostalgic love songs that test the boundaries of life and death, the concept of eternal love has always been important to The Grahams as they’ve been together since childhood. The three songs on Sha La La, from the chaotic hooks of “Love Collector,” the teary blue-eyed soul of “Beyond The Palisades,” and the brooding musings of the ultra-stylized “Pilgrims and Punks,” are The Grahams’ serendipitous contribution to the notion that even when the world is turned upside down, if you can’t make plans, make art.

Taylor Scott Band

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For roots rock artist Taylor Scott, 2020 was a year of reckoning. After a rocky year weathering personal storms, and having live music come to what seemed to be an indefinite pause, Taylor realized the only option was to shift his perspective, and he decided to use the time to reflect and regroup. 

“I recommitted myself to music and personally had to work through so much. I felt like I was hitting my head against the wall for so long, and something finally just broke open. ‘Some of the new songs dealt with those dark months, charging ahead, because the only way out of it was to go forward through it.  The others are so happy and lighthearted, and I haven’t written that way for years. I’m feeling celebratory now, and those songs reflect that.” 

Taylor Scott is known for his soulful brand of funk-infused rock n’ roll and gut-punching lyricism, punctuated by his prodigious guitar skills.  So it made sense to enlist the production expertise of Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) to help him realize the vision for his 2019 scorcher of an album, All We Have.  After releasing a live EP in 2020 recorded at legendary San Diego venue The Belly Up, Scott was compelled to get back into the studio to lay down what had transpired musically over the last year. The decision to team up with Berlin again to produce was a no-brainer . 

The upcoming album is a collection of tunes written over the past few years, throughout all of the unexpected ups and downs, from all different angles.  There are a lot of different viewpoints defined in these songs.  The first single, “Bleeding Out”, may be a good example of what Taylor calls an angry funk tune.  “After being cooped up playing acoustic guitar for so long, I guess I was feeling aggressive musically. I'm really proud of how the band sounds and carries the groove on that track.” 

Taylor Scott has toured the US, Canada, and Europe as guitarist for blues legend Otis Taylor, and played alongside the likes of Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule) on Otis Taylor’s critically acclaimed release Hey Joe Opus: Red Meat.  He sits in as a guest guitarist with Los Lobos on many occasions, and the Taylor Scott Band has provided opening support for bands like Los Lobos, Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore, BuddGuy, and many more.  As Scott and his crew prepare to unveil new music, they are eager to bring their signature style of joyful energy to the stage.   

“It feels better then ever to be out on the road now with new music, and a new perspective.  See you out there.” – Taylor Scott     

Look for Taylor Scott Band on the road and follow them on the socials to  

get the latest on the new music. 

Hamish Anderson

Photo By: Ted Eytan

Photo By: Ted Eytan

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Named one of Total Guitar's Top 10 Best New Guitarists in 2018 two years after being named one of Yahoo! Music’s “Top Ten Best New Artist,” Australia’s roots rock artist Hamish Anderson has been generating global attention since 2014.

In 2016 Hamish independently released his critically acclaimed debut album, Trouble, produced and mixed by Grammy-winner Jim Scott. In 2018 Hamish released, “No Good,” the first single from Out of My Head with heavier rock riffs and even more attitude, “No Good” was featured on Billboard. “No Good,” “Breaking Down,” and “What You Do To Me” all received radio support - the latter reaching the #39 at Americana in 2019

In 2019, The AGE/Sydney Morning Herald profiled him in advance of his release of "Out of My Head. That year, Hamish played his first Australian shows since 2017 alongside Gary Clark Jr., who hand selected him as main support.  After touring the world, Hamish returned to Australia to open for George Thorogood & The Destroyers on his sold out tour. Hamish stayed busy in 2020 supporting Out of My Head which was awarded the Independent Music Award for Best Album - Blues, with it’s fifth radio single, “The Fall” at AAA Non Comm (#60) and Americana (#41). He was featured in Guitar Player  Magazine (Aug 2020) which resulted in a cover mention as well. 

In the spring of 2021, Hamish will be releasing his next radio single, “Morning Light” and will be performing Main Stage at Blues on Broad Beach in Queensland, AUSTRALIA in May.

Justin Trawick and The Common Good

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The isolating effects of a global pandemic can be haunting. For singer-songwriter and bandleader, Justin Trawick, writing “Back of the Line” was born out of necessity and self- preservation.  The world was collectively feeling the sensation of individually being marooned on 8 billion tiny islands, and for Trawick, the feeling was all too real. 

“The planet had suddenly been put on pause.  All of our plans for the future were replaced with a big question mark.  As an artist, I’ve always found inspiration to write in the littlest of things, but the coronavirus quarantine created a vacuum of creativity that I’d never felt before. It wasn’t until the third month of the pandemic when I sat down and wrote “Back of the Line,” a song about the feeling of being lost, being alone, being afraid, and being hopeful.  I honestly think it’s one of the first times I’ve ever really written a song for me.  I needed it.”

That’s not to say Trawick wasn’t doing any work in those first three months.  On March 12th, 2020, Trawick voluntarily canceled his scheduled public show in DC for that evening, something that venues still weren’t doing themselves yet.  Instead, he and his girlfriend, Lauren LeMunyan, posted on social media that they would be performing on Facebook Live later that evening at 8pm.  

“I was sitting on my couch at 11am on March 12th, 2020 wondering what I was going to do.  I had just canceled my show, but I still wanted to play.  I’ve been performing since I was 13 years old, I really didn’t want to stop now.  I suddenly remembered how two years earlier I had been scheduled for a show at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, but that it got canceled due to a blizzard.  Instead of not playing, Lauren and I performed on Facebook Live from her apartment in DC.  People loved it.  They tipped us more than I was going to make in NYC that evening.”

That night their first Facebook Live show went better than expected.  With almost five thousand views on their inaugural performance, family, friends, and fans joined to support “The Justin and Lauren Show,” requesting songs and tipping via a sign that LeMunyan had drawn by hand.  The performance first got the attention of Reuters, who filmed their second show in their apartment on March 15th, followed by The Washington Post, CNN (who also filmed them in their apartment), Al Jazeera, and Washingtonian Magazine.  Trawick’s Facebook page climbed from 7k “likes” to over 12k in only a few months, and almost 200 people joined his Patreon club.  

“We created something that I had never experienced before in the 12 years I’d been playing music professionally.  Suddenly we had a TV variety type show similar to “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” where Lauren and I would sing, tell jokes, do skits, and talk about our lives to hundreds of people twice a week.  We amassed a fanbase of superfans and cultivated a community of people that showed up not only for us, but also to chat with each other as they had all become friends in the process of watching our weekly shows.  These were the people that I performed “Back of the Line” to live for the first time, and who encouraged me to record it for a single.”

Most recently, Trawick has been bringing back the live concert experience in a unique way.  Utilizing his fanbase and the power of social media, Trawick and LeMunyan have been organizing secret backyard socially distant performances of “The Justin and Lauren Show” in backyards donated by friends and fans.  These shows have been limited to only 25 people per show, with social distancing and safety being the highest priority.  

“We have literally gone to every single yard and measured them by hand with a tape measure.  Lauren then creates a grid on a digital map that she uses to design a seating chart where essentially every ticket buyer is buying a ticket to a 10 x 10 foot square in someone else’s backyard.  It’s a lot of work, but when people come up to us afterward thanking us for bringing live music back into their lives safely, it’s all worth it for us.

Trawick and LeMunyan have currently sold out over 9 of their secret backyard shows in Arlington VA, Richmond VA, and Philadelphia, PA.  For more information on these secret backyard shows go to www.aneveningwithus.com. 

ABOUT JUSTIN TRAWICK :

Justin Trawick has been performing in the Washington DC area and along the East Coast since 2006, citing musical influences like Bob Schneider, Greensky Bluegrass, The Tallest Man on Earth, G. Love, Old Crow Medicine Show, and David Gray.  In February of 2014, Trawick won “Song of the Year” at the Washington Area Music Awards for his solo recording of “All the Places That I’ve Been” which can be downloaded on iTunes as a single along with his five other solo records and EPs.  In June of 2015, Trawick released his first single, “Goodbye,” under the band name “Justin Trawick and the Common Good,” written about the search for direction and belonging in a world that always feels one step ahead of you.  In January of 2017, “Justin Trawick and The Common Good” released their first album, “The Riverwash EP,” which features Norah Jones’ guitarist Adam Levy.  Trawick and the band have performed for the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival, Appaloosa Roots Music Festival, Floyd Yoga Jam, TedxEast in NYC at the City Winery, and TedxPennsylvaniaAvenue in DC at the Newseum.

Additionally, Trawick has opened for over 30 national acts, including Suzanne Vega, Wyclef Jean, Brett Dennen, Blues Traveler, Enter The Haggis, Bob Schneider, and Edwin McCain, and shared bills with Dr. Dogg and The Avett Brothers.  As the founder of the nationally touring show “The 9 Songwriter Series” and co-founder of “The Circus Life Podcast” with guests such as Kevin Eubanks, Chris Thomas King, Ernie Halter, Yarn, and Snuffy Walden, Trawick has built a brand that extends far beyond his home base in DC. For more information, please visit http://justintrawick.com.

Two Bird Stone

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Two Bird Stone is a dynamic new band featuring some of Nashville’s and New York’s finest musicians. The band formed in 2019 and will release their first album, Hands & Knees, in September.

Liam Thomas Bailey’s original music is a heady mixture of roots-rock, bluegrass, and traditional Irish tunes. Before spinning off to form Two Bird Stone, Liam (fiddle, banjo, lead vocals) was a highly sought after Nashville studio and road musician; he also worked in commercial post-production with bandmate, Chad Kelly.

Liam and bandmate Judd Fuller (bass, mandolin, background vocals) traveled the world together for 11 years as members of Nashville country star Rodney Atkins’ touring band. Judd has also toured and performed with Peter Wolf from The J. Geils Band, Bo Diddley, Entrain, and Carly Simon.

Chad Kelly (accordion) is a two-time Emmy Award nominee who has composed original music for numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed films and documentaries. These include Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, an official selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and distributed by Roadside Attractions, Starz Network’s The Big Bad Swim, ESPN Films’ The Zen of Bobby V, and the 30 For 30 feature "The Third Man." He has also composed for HBO Documentary Films’ Andrew Jenks, Room 335, The Alzheimer’s Project, and the five-time Emmy Award-winning film, The Real McCoy.

New York-based percussionist, composer, and educator Rohin Khemani rounded out the lineup. Known as an extremely versatile and eclectic musician, his sound can be heard on a wide variety of projects weaving through the worlds of jazz, world music, rock, folk, and electronica. Khemani was a founding member of Red Baraat and co-leads the band Surface to Air Trio with guitarist Jonathan Goldberger and bassist Jonti Siman. He has performed for audiences at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, Tanzania, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The London 2012 Olympic Games, and Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festivals in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Market Junction

Photo credit: Jason Allison

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Market Junction. Not a place as the name implies but rather the name of a band that has engaged fans with their songs of love and loss since 2012 when they released their freshman effort, Heroes Have Gravestones.

In 2011, Matt Parrish gifted friend and fellow songcrafter Justin Lofton a vinyl pressing of Ray LaMontagne’s God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise for his birthday and the fires of inspiration were ignited. The pair set out on a journey to create the kind of music they not only loved to listen to but music that they loved to play. Since those early days, the band soon expanded its lineup to include Taylor Hilyard on bass guitar and Michael Blattel on drums, sharing stages with Cory Morrow, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jack Ingram, Radney Foster and more.

“We’ve done nothing the conventional way”, says Parrish.  “It’s taken us nine years to figure out who we are and what direction we want to take our careers,” adds Lofton.  The combination of lyrical prowess and Lofton’s fretboard mastery has resulted in a sound that is rooted in place and time, but that transcends both. While the band has found success in their beloved home state of Texas, they are ready to show the rest of the world what they can do. The wait will have been well worth it for Americana music fans across the country - Market Junction will release their latest LP, Burning Bridges, on August 7, 2020. This collection of songs tells one story, one of a young man learning about love and its consequences. Sometimes the heartbreak spurs the traveling, and other times the traveling is the cause of the heartbreak.  Either way, Burning Bridges will break your heart in the best kind of way, and have you reaching for the keys.