Journal
- Friday, November 22, 2024
The Way Out of Easy, the first album from guitarist Jeff Parker and his long-running ETA IVtet—saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, drummer Jay Bellerose—since their 2022 debut Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, which Pitchfork named one of the Best Albums of the 2020s So Far, is out now on International Anthem / Nonesuch Records. Like that album, The Way Out of Easy comprises recordings from LA venue ETA, where Parker and the ensemble held a weekly residency for seven years. During that time, the ETA IVtet evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for its transcendent, long-form journeys into innovative, groove-oriented improvised music. All four tracks on The Way Out of Easy come from a single night in 2023, providing an unfiltered view of the ensemble, fully in their element.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
- Friday, August 4, 2023
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade reunite at Newport Jazz Festival. Jeremy Denk plays Bach at Oxford. Kronos Quartet and Sarah Kirkland Snider are at Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Rachael & Vilray are in Connecticut and Long Island. Cécile McLorin Salvant performs Ogresse at Edinburgh International Festival with an orchestra led by Darcy James Argue. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway join Dierks Bentley in Tahoe.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsTuesday, August 1, 2023Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway have announced a US East Coast "Next Rodeo" tour for November, with stops in Brooklyn, Burlington, Albany, Portland, Boston, DC, and more. These follow their recently announced West Coast "Road to El Dorado" run in October, with stops at Portland, Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City, and Denver, and more.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourTuesday, August 1, 2023Vagabon (aka Lætitia Tamko) will tour Europe as special guest of Arlo Parks in September, with shows in Dublin, Manchester, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and London. Tickets for all but the Dublin, Manchester, and Paris shows have already sold out. Vagabon returns to North America to lead a headline tour in October before heading back to Europe to tour with Weyes Blood, then back to the North America for the next leg of her headline tour in December.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourFriday, July 28, 2023While on your way to enjoy some live music, stop by your local record store to hear some Nonesuch tunes as part of Tomorrow Is Listening, a 24-hour event from International Anthem in which curated mixes are broadcast live to record stores around the world all day Friday. Kronos Quartet is at MASS MoCA for Bang on a Can’s Loud Weekend. Julia Bullock is at Lake Area Music Festival in Minnesota. Yussef Dayes is in Oakland and Napa. Jeremy Denk joins Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. Richard Goode plays Beethoven in Oxford. Hurray for the Riff Raff is at Calgary Folk Festival. Natalie Merchant joins Anthony Roth Costanzo at Glimmerglass. Chris Thile leads his inaugural Acousticamp on Long Island. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway headline RockyGrass Festival in Colorado.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsThursday, July 27, 2023Molly Tuttle is on The Bluegrass Situation's Basic Folk podcast hosted by Cindy Howes and Lizzie No. Tuttle, The Bluegrass Situation Artist of the Month, returns to the show to talk about City of Gold, her new album with her band Golden Highway. “She’s writing bluegrass songs that are fun and insightful at the same time,” says Howes. “Molly Tuttle is a great hang, an inspiration for us all and has made a fabulous new album, City of Gold.” You can hear their conversation here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, PodcastWednesday, July 26, 2023Rhiannon Giddens has released “Yet to Be,” a new single from her forthcoming album, You’re the One, due August 18. “Yet to Be” features Jason Isbell and tells the story of a Black woman and an Irish man falling in love in America. You can watch the video here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, VideoWednesday, July 26, 2023Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway perform "El Dorado" and "San Joaquin," from their new album, City of Gold, and the title track to their debut album, Crooked Tree, in a new No Depression session filmed live at DelFest.You can watch it here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, VideoTuesday, July 25, 2023David Byrne is on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast to talk with O’Brien about his childhood, his early musical experiments, his time with Talking Heads, and the just-opened Broadway production of his immersive disco pop musical Here Lies Love. “I have learned to expect the unexpected from David Byrne,” O’Brien says. "This is my dream come true." You can hear their conversation here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, PodcastFriday, July 21, 2023Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway's new album, City of Gold, is out now. They've also released a new lyric video for album track “Yosemite,” featuring Dave Matthews, which you can watch here. “Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway strike gold on their transportive new album,” exclaims Folk Alley. “Every song on City of Gold is a little gem, every facet sparkling with exquisite instrumentation, stunning songwriting, and heartfelt singing … City of Gold is clearly one of the best albums of the year.” The Bluegrass Situation, which named Tuttle its Artist of the Month, declares: "Turns out it’s been Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway at the end of the rainbow this whole time!”
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, On Tour, VideoFriday, July 21, 2023Hurray for the Riff Raff and Vagabon perform at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, streaming on pitchfork.com. Sam Amidon is in Western MA. Julia Bullock sings Berlioz with Grand Teton Music Festival orchestra and conductor Christian Reif. Jeremy Denk performs Brahms and Beethoven with Brevard Music Center Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart. Brad Mehldau Trio close out European tour at Ravello Festival. Cécile McLorin Salvant is in Worcester and at Caramoor in upstate NY. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway celebrate their new album, City of Gold, in California and Oregon.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsThursday, July 20, 2023David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love gets its first vinyl release on August 11 to coincide with the 2023 Broadway production, which opens tonight. This double-disc song cycle about the rise and fall of the Philippines’ notorious Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and Fatboy Slim; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B, and pop, including Florence Welch, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Earle, Sharon Jones, Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, St. Vincent, My Brightest Diamond, Nellie McKay, Martha Wainwright, Róisín Murphy, Santigold, and Byrne himself. “Ingenious,” said the New York Times. “Insidiously infective songs.”
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist NewsThursday, July 20, 2023Vagabon, aka Lætitia Tamko, has released “Do Your Worst,” a new song from her upcoming album, Sorry I Haven’t Called, due September 15 on Nonesuch Records, and a video for it directed by Angela Ricciardi. The song, produced by Tamko, Rostam, and Teo Halm (SZA, Rosalía, FKA Twigs), combines dance-floor euphoria, breakneck-paced jungle beats, and a DJ’s sense of pacing through Vagabon’s signature storytelling. You can watch it here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On Tour, Video