American Songwriter has a nice interview with banjo maven and Compass Records President Alison Brown, on the occasion of her DVD release, Live At Blair. This is a concert with her quartet, along with multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven.
The quartet is consists of Brown on banjo and guitar, her husband and Compass Records partner Garry West on bass, John R. Burr on piano, and Larry Atamanuik on drums. The concert was recorded in 2008, and though Alison has had copies for sale at her shows for some time, it has just now been released on Compass.
In the interview with American Songwriter, she speaks briefly about two subjects that will be of interest to readers of Bluegrass Today.
You’re the founder of Compass records. What qualities makes you want to sign an artist?
Given the state of record retail at the moment, it’s essential for artists to be as active, and as pro-active, as possible with their music. We look for artists who have a national touring base and the fire in the belly to persevere in spite of the challenges out there.
What’s your next project as an artist going to be?
I just finished producing the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band’s new CD Legacy and that’s got me thinking about doing a bluegrass album. Stay tuned!
Here’s a trailer from the DVD, which is available from Compass for only $12.
