Railroad Earth

Fiddlefreak doesn’t often cover rock music, and “Americana” is everywhere you look lately, so usually we avoid anything with electrified guitars and drums. But every so often a rock band comes along that combines folk, blues, and soul seamlessly into a pure American sound. (The Band and Creedence come to mind.) A sound so rootsy that it might be called electric folk. Which brings us to the new record from Railroad Earth, titled “Railroad Earth.”

Railroad Earth

On most of this album, the driving drum and heartbeat bass support layers of mandolin, guitar, and violin that bookend complex harmonies, at times toying with prog-rock concepts. One track (Spring-Heeled Jack) occupies over 11 minutes of your time, and every second of Dead-Meets-Allmans Brand of peach jam is worth it!

I have to admit, I didn’t think that the whole live jam band sound transferred well to the studio. But this one… this one kicks ass in a big way. And who can resist a good train story song? They got my attention, and they deserve yours. This self-described “souped-up string band” is channeling some of the best Americana music being made today.

Download the first single now from Paste Magazine. Their new self-titled record comes out on October 12 but is available for preorder now.

Free One-Song Download from Paste:

DOWNLOAD “LONG WALK HOME”

Preorder Page

Band Website

Among the Oak & Ash

Photo Credit Jeff Fasano.

A few years ago I discovered Garrison Starr‘s music: at that time, a polished and pleasing Nashville country rock that was just far enough outside the current of mainstream country to make me buy a couple tracks and crank it up. Haven’t heard much since until now, with the release of a duo collaboration between herself and Josh Joplin. The result is a very nice collection of modernized traditional American ballads and original songs they call “Among the Oak & Ash” (on Verve Forecast).

Among the Oak & Ash

“I think that this music has been held onto rather preciously by a lot of the people who’ve revived it,” Joplin observes in their press kit. “But if you look back on the people who originally created this music, they weren’t purists, they were just expressing themselves with the tools that were available to them at the time. That’s what we wanted to do: to be faithful to the songs without treating them like museum pieces. One of the things that made me want to work with Garrison was her urgency and irreverence, and I think that those qualities played a big part in how the performances turned out.”

“A lot of people think of folk music as something that’s sweet and gentle, but so many of these songs are raunchy and brutal,” Joplin notes. “They cover everything from God to the devil, from unrequited love to murder.”

LISTEN: Joseph Hillstrom 1879-1915

LISTEN:The Housewife’s Lament

Bonus Video (Verve Forecast EPK)

Listen/Buy

MySpace

Town Mountain

It’s time to start planning for Pickathon 2009, which happens this year on July 31—August 2 at Pendarvis Farm just outside Portland, Oregon. Fiddlefreak attended a couple years back and was deeply wowed by its unique combination of down-home folksy vibe and youthful alternative energy. And the music lineup is always the best! Ranging from rootsy indie rock to hard-core oldtime fiddle bands, the best of alternative Americana can be found here.

“Our fans are people who want to hear new stuff,” says Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn. “They love music, and they don’t think about genre. They don’t want to hear three days of any one thing. They don’t necessarily need to know every single name on the bill. So our guiding principal is to simply curate the best music we can.”

The unique atmosphere at Pendarvis Farm is a big part of the attraction. Six stages—ranging from two main stages to the intimate, 50-capacity Workshop Barn to the quiet, secluded Woods Stage to the rowdy late-night Galaxy Barn—provide multiple opportunities to see many festival acts. Resourceful use of biodiesel and solar power, environmentally friendly custom shade structures, strong recycling and composting programs and multiple alternative transportation options give Pickathon’s sustainability efforts real muscle. Kids can start their days with bright’n’early yoga and move on to nature classes, circus camp, square-dancing, and free-form roaming on 80 acres of prime Oregon farmland and old-growth forest.

I previously wrote about Pickathon here. I would go again if I could, and go see the Freight Hoppers, Jackstraw, the Hackensaw Boys, Hillstomp, Foghorn Stringband, Town Mountain, and the many other kick acts on the bill. Five stars for this festival, from Fiddlefreak! Learn more about Pickathon here.

The Everybodyfields at Pickathon 2007

Levon Helm: Electric Dirt

Levon is back! June 30 marks the official release date of Electric Dirt (Dirt Farmer Music/Vanguard), the second solo outing in Levon Helm‘s remarkable comeback, after 2007′s Grammy-winning Dirt Farmer record. Expanding upon the acoustic-folk arrangements and down-home themes of Dirt Farmer (his first release in 25 years and following a very rough bout with throat cancer), he has mined the rich veins of American gospel and blues to resurrect the spirit of The Band in this triumphant songbook.

Along with Levon’s ancient vocals and rootsy drums, Electric Dirt (a title that references Muddy Waters’ album “Electric Mud”) sports horns and harmonies that take the listener on a Southern journey through material from Jerry Garcia, Muddy Waters, Carter Stanley, and Randy Newman, as well as compositions from Levon and producer Larry Campbell, who also plays many of the stringed instruments. Levon is again joined by daughter Amy Helm on beautifully soulful backup vocals, and bandmates from Ollabelle as well.

Levon Helm

Levon once said that what the Band did was take traditional American music and cut the beat in half. Um… did we mention that they also they reset the bar for American music? “Electric Dirt” uses that proven recipe to show that the spirit of The Band is alive and well in the music of Levon Helm.

It might not be what we call folk music around here, but it’s damn good stuff, as rootsy as black Mississippi mud, and worth a listen. Here is a new song from Electric Dirt, along with a “making of” video and an old clip of the Band in their prime. Enjoy!

LISTEN: Growin’ Trade

VIDEO: The Making of Electric Dirt

VIDEO: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

LINKS:
Buy Electric Dirt
Levon Helm Website

Blame Sally: Night of 1000 Stars

Night of 1000 Stars (Opus Music Ventures), the fourth full-length record from Blame Sally, will be released on May 8. For all my fellow Fiddlefreakers who dig the pop-rock side of the folkie spectrum: sally forth and get your hands on the new record from Blame Sally. These four velvet-vocaled ladies from San Francisco have somehow laid claim to the modern pop-folk sound while yet sounding fresh and inventive. Lend an ear and you will hear strains of the Wailin’ Jennies, Radiohead, Rodney Crowell, and a hundred other diverse and worldly influences runing through their silky sound. This one will get lots of airplay.

LISTEN: All Rise

FREE DOWNLOAD: Night of 1000 Stars

LINKS:
Blame Sally Website
Listen/Buy (after May 8 )

BONUS VIDEO: Jump Start