We posted last week about a new group in Nashville, The Likely Culprits, made up of members of other touring acts, plus a couple who aren’t touring actively these days.
Ashyby Frank is on mandolin, Brandon Bostic on guitar, Deanie Richardson on fiddle and Austin Ward on bass. Frank contributes to the lead and harmony vocals as do Melonie Cannon and Garnett Bowman.
The reason of our earlier piece was the band’s then-upcoming debut performance at The Station Inn over this past weekend, and a number of videos have surfaced from that show.
Here’s Cannon on a song popularized by Bonnie Raitt, Papa Come Quick…
…and Ashby on Montgomery Genty’s Big Revival:
You can see more videos from The Likely Culprits on YouTube.
The Likely Culprits will make their official band debut, Saturday night at the world famous Station Inn, in Nashville, TN.
This new group consists of Ashby Frank (mandolin, vocals), Deanie Richardson (fiddle), Melonie Cannon (vocals), Garnet Imes Bowman (vocals), Brandon Bostic (guitar, vocals), Austin Ward (upright bass), and Dave Racine (sitting in on drums… yes I said drums!). Though most of the members have a strong background in bluegrass and acoustic music, the direction of this band is more in the Amerciana/Acoustic Country vein.
Ashby said the band is the product of some discussions he and Deanie had about getting together and making music with some friends who didn’t get to play out very often. Deanie mentioned Garnet and Melonie, both of whom have done a lot of recording, but were not currently performing, and thought it was shame to let their talents lie fallow. Ashby had known Brandon for a while, and pulled him into the project. Austin had just moved to Nashville from California, and was available to fill the bass slot.
I recently had the opportunity to hear the band at a “live practice” in front of some friends and family in Springfield, TN. When talking with the guys and gals that night, it became clear that each of them were having a great time in this new ensemble. Ashby said that it was great fun to play material that he does’t get a chance to perform in other bands.
“Most bluegrass musicians listen to each other’s music, but never get to play it.”
Frank is currently working with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, and had toured previously with Marty Raybon, Alecia Nugent, and Special Consenus, among others. Deanie has played with Patty Loveless, Dale Ann Bradley, and Vince Gill, and is set to go out with The Chieftains this spring. Brandon is currently singing and playing with Blue Moon Rising.
Ashby was clear that this is just a side project for everyone. No one is leaving their post in any of their respective bands. For the time being, they are focused on playing gigs in and around Nashville, and getting into the studio to start a recording project. They have begun to gather material, and have even pried a few from Garnet’s husband, Ronnie Bowman. They also recently performed live on Marcia Campbell’s overnight radio show on WSM.
You can keep up with the Culprits on their Facebook page, who invite everyone to come share their first performance Saturday night at 9:00 p.m.
Little Did They Know is latest Christmas single from the Rural Rhythm Christian label. It was written by IBMA-nominated songwriter Rick Lang, and produced by Stephen Mougin. The track features vocals by his wife Jana Mougin, formerly lead singer with the popular European bluegrass band Fragment, with background vocals from the great Melanie Cannon and Stephen Mougin.
The musicians on the single include: Stephen Mougin (Acoustic Guitar), Randy Kohrs (Resonator Guitar), Todd Parks (Bass), and Chris Brown (Drums). Yes… I said the traditionally dreaded “D” word, but the precussion on this record is very tastefully done, and complements the acoustic instruments nicely.
Lang says…
“Writing Christmas and Seasonal material has been a passion of mine for a very long time. It goes back to the influences and experiences I had as a child at Christmas in our New Hampshire home.
There have been many great songs written about the birth of Jesus that we all long to hear at this time of the year. That being said, there still needs to be new songs written and recorded that hopefully will appeal to future generations as well.
I want to be one of the writers that helps keeps the Nativity Story alive…. in people’s minds…and hearts.”
This cut is a perfect vehicle for Jana’s tender and endearing voice, and Stephen has presented it with a beautifully tasteful accompaniment. It should be a treasured addition to any Christmas music collection.
I first became aware of the tune when Justin Carbone and I demoed it for Rick, a little over a year ago. Right away, I recognized that it was a special song, and am glad that Rural Rhythm Christian is sharing the song and the message with listeners everywhere.
Little Did They Know: [http://ruralrhythm.com/web/uploads//2011/11/clip-LittleDidTheyKnow.mp3]
You can purchase the song from iTunes, Amazon, Rhapody, eMusic, and other popular online sources. Radio programmers can download the song via Airplay Direct.
Terry Poirier contacted us last night with news about his show this evening (May 10) on World Wide Bluegrass. He will be dedicating this edition of Kickin’ Canadian Grass to music and discussion following the horrible flooding in Nashville and other sections of middle Tennessee of late.
The show airs online from 7:00-9:00 p.m. (EDT) at www.worldwidebluegrass.com, and outside of an interview with Lou Reid during the first hour, all of the program will be flood-related.
“We will feature music all about flooding and such disasters in wake of the Nashville fiasco from this past weekend. In hour two, I’ll be talking with Melonie Cannon covering most of the events that happened in Nashville last weekend. I’ve seen posts everywhere about the national media brushing the topic and moving on….This is Nashville….with TV stations, music venues, musicians producers and bluegrass folks in trouble! We need to help out any way we can.
I hope this show will bring that out and folks from all around the world will have a chance to help out.”
If you can spare a few dollars for the relief and rebuilding efforts, there are a number of reputable organizations who are accepting donations. Here are just a few:
As is always the case, the close of each year heralds a slew of “Best Of” lists of every imaginable description. They are a staple in all sorts of news and entertainment media (see our Favorite Bluegrass Recording of 2008 poll), and in addition to filling space in print and online, provide helpful tips for folks looking hunting Christmas gifts for friends and family with specific tastes.
We found a couple recently with bluegrass themes or content.
One of the most expressive singers in Nashville, and not merely in bluegrass circles, Cannon compels you to listen to these stories of everyday life, whether she’s consoling a new friend or stumbling into love after swearing it would never happen.
Dave Royko has also submitted his annual list of the top bluegrass/newgrass releases of the year for The Chicago Tribune, published yesterday (12/14).
Dave chose:
Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, self-titled
Punch Brothers: Punch
Corbett/Chrisman/Tice, self-titled
Ralph Stanley: Old-Time Pickin’‚ÄîA Clawhammer Banjo Collection
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones: Jingle All the Way
You can read Dave’s comments about each project online.
There are a number of bluegrass acts performing this weekend on the Grand Ole Opry. If you will be near your radio – and are within the huge WSM radio footprint – or close to your computer, you can catch some top bands live tonight (11/28) and tomorrow as well.
Tonight’s show will include performances from Dailey & Vincent, The Whites and Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press. On Saturday night, The Whites are back, along with Melonie Cannon (with Randy Kohrs), and Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys.
The Friday Opry is broadcast from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. (EST) and the Saturday show runs from 8:00 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Both shows are available over the air on WSM AM 650, on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville), and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com.
The trailer for Melonie Cannon’s video with Willie Nelson (which we told you about during IBMA) has been posted online. It’s for the song Back To Earth from her current CD, And The Wheels Turn out last week on Rural Rhythm.
The trailer is just a quick look at some of the footage that was shot, without the audio from the song. The vistas and landscapes – from Nelson’s Texas ranch – are quite powerful.
The single and the video (directed by Scott Hansen) are expected to be released early in 2009.
The folks at Rural Rhythm Records invited us up to their suite yesterday afternoon (9/29) for a meet-and-greet and scaled-back acoustic set with Melonie Cannon.
The first thing on the agenda was a brief preview of the music video she recently filmed with Willie Nelson. It’s for a song of his, Back To Earth, featured on her new CD, And The Wheels Turn.
The preview was put together like a movie trailer and though it showed only a few scenes from the finished product, it was clear that the final product will be a pro effort. Shot on Willie’s ranch near Austin, TX, the video takes advantage of sweeping vistas and lush color – plus the powerful imagery of one of country music’s most recognizable icons.
The finished video will be released when Back To Earth comes out as a single early in 2009. We’ll have a copy of the trailer here on Bluegrass Today sometime early next week, once we recover from IBMA week craziness.
After watching the preview a time or two, Melonie grabbed her guitarist, Booie Beach, and Ronnie and Garnett Bowman to sing a number of songs from the new CD – Cactus In A Coffee Can, Set ‘Em Up Joe (written by her dad, Buddy Cannon) and I’ve Seen Enough Of What’s Behind Me, written by Ronnie Bowman and Tammy Rogers.
The CD has been getting a good bit of attention from bluegrass radio, and both Kyle Cantrell of XM’s Bluegrass Junction, and Terry Herd of Into The Blue were in attendance at this reception.
On Wednesday we ran the first part of my discussion with Melonie Cannon, where we discussed her upcoming Rural Rhythm CD, And The Wheels Turn. Here is the remainder of the interview.
Perhaps the chief highlight associated with the new CD for Melonie has been getting to work with Willie Nelson. They did a duet on one of his songs, Back To Earth, for which a music video has recently been shot.
Nelson’s latest CD, Moment Of Forever, was produced by Melonie’s dad, Buddy Cannon, and Kenny Chesney, and they had asked Melonie to sing some harmony while they were tracking.
“I had never met Willie before those sessions, though my dad had met him once – in a broom closet. I can only imagine what happened there!
When I told him I had cut one of his songs, he asked ‘Can I sing on it?’ The song was Some Little Things, which we haven’t yet used on an album. Dad got the idea of having Willie sing on Back To Earth, and asked if he wanted to do it with me. Willie said, yeah and that he would get his manager in touch.
When he came in to sing, I had already sung the whole track, and Willie decided he would do the second verse and harmony on the chorus.”
Just in the past few weeks, the opportunity arose for Nelson to appear in a music video for the song, and arrangements were made for Melonie and her dad to fly down to Texas for the shoot. They all assembled on Willie’s ranch not far from Austin.
“The crew, my Daddy and I were waiting for the man to show up at the town ‘Headquarters’ as it’s called. A black pick up truck came whizzing towards us, dust and gravel flying everywhere. And lo and behold, it was Willie! He asked if we were ready for him and the crew said yes.
He spun gravel and peeled off instead of getting out. In my mind I was thinking, ‘I hope they got the shot!’
Then, from the same direction the truck had flown into came a man on a horse, dressed all in black, from his cowboy hat to his boots. Just like you’d see in an old western movie except this was not someone acting.
I could go on forever, but I’ll just say one more thing about the video… It will be as magical as it was seeing Mr. Willie Nelson come galloping up that September morning on ‘Slim.’
This will be one of my most treasured memories I will ever have!!”
The new Melonie Cannon CD will be available from Rural Rhythm Records on October 7, and sample audio from all 12 tracks is up now online. No word yet on when the video will be released.
Melonie Cannon’s new CD, And The Wheels Turn – her first with Rural Rhythm Records – isn’t due until October 7, but there is a good bit of buzz building up already. A single, I Call It Gone, has been circulated to bluegrass radio and word of a duet video with Willie Nelson has just slipped out.
I had a chance recently to discuss all this with Melonie, and her excitement about the new project was evident throughout our conversation.
“We just wanted to make a record as good or better as the last one. I found a place for my voice that feels like home in acoustic music, and I don’t want to change it. This is the most natural and organic I’ve ever felt about my singing in my life.”
She had one previous self-titled release on Skaggs Family Records in 2004, and my impression of her was based solely on the glamour photos that had been associated with that project. I had expected an urbane, sophisticated woman-of-the-world, but when we first spoke, the voice I heard was as country as they come.
“Lord no… I’m the furthest thing from that glamour image! Shoot, I’m the biggest redneck there is.”
Melonie comes by her music chops naturally. Her dad is Nashville songwriting and producing legend, Buddy Cannon, whose credits include work with Shania Twain, Vern Gosdin and Mel Tillis. She grew up around country music and top country singers, but discovered bluegrass on her own as a girl.
“I was raised in the country world, and that was the music I heard. My dad worked for Mel Tillis when we were young, and I grew up with his kids – Pam Tillis was our baby sitter.
Still, my family had connections to bluegrass from way back. Daddy played in bluegrass bands in Lexington before he started playing country. My great uncle Dalton Tate gave my dad his first guitar, and he was a bluegrasser. He and his friends – all in their 80s – still get together every week to pick and sing.
I went to school with Deanie Richardson [New Coon Creek Girls/Patty Loveless] since first grade, and later married her brother. She started teaching me songs from the bluegrass and folk world when we were teenagers.
One day her brother took me to The Station Inn and Alison Krauss was playing. She was 16 and I was 15, and from that moment on, the music forever changed my life. Every time they started a song, it sounded like a record. I thought, ‘how do they do that?’
It was like I had walked into the twilight zone. I went and got her records and for the rest of my high school, this was the music I connected with.
Then I started finding artists like Dale Ann Bradley, and she is now one of my favorite singers. I found Del McCoury, and I got into him and Ricky Skaggs’ band. After a while I started digging, and found The Stanley Brothers and the first generation artists. The old Lonesome River Band was another huge influence.”
And The Wheels Turn shows how well she has merged the country and bluegrass influences into her own distinctive sound. Many of the songs are ones that could be cut by country artists, but the arrangements here are acoustic, using the traditional bluegrass instruments.
“The sound of these instruments is soothing to my ears – it’s like heaven to me. I don’t care what they call it – bluegrass, acoustic, country – people can just listen to what they like.”
The star of the show, of course, is Cannon’s voice. She sings with a unaffected purity that is right at home in a bluegrass setting, and blends beautifully with Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman and Sonya Isaacs who sing with her on the new album.
Bowman also contributed three songs to the project. Send A Little Love, Mary Magdalene and I’ve Seen Enough Of What’s Behind Me were all co-written by him. Melonie is credited as a co-writer on three as well, and her dad on two.
One of Buddy’s song which she covers here is the honky tonk classic, Set ‘Em Up Joe, originally recorded by Vern Gosdin in 1988. It fits just fine with banjo, dobro, mandolin and fiddle – just like it was written that way.
It’s a special song for Melonie, and may have been instrumental in her becoming a singer.
“I started out doing this one in the live show a couple years ago. The band loved it on stage and they kept saying that I should record it – as a tip of the hat to my Daddy. I had the chance to sing it on the Opry, and the house came down. Then, I got to tell them that my dad wrote it.
I used to sing this all the time when I was a kid (13-14), but my dad used to drink back then and never really took note. I would plug a mic into an amp and sing along with the record down in the basement.
One day Vern was at the house and said to Daddy, ‘Do you know that kid can sing down there?’ Daddy brought me up and we sang together for the next few hours. They taught me how to sing harmony, what it meant, how it felt.
If it wasn’t for Vern, I don’t know if Daddy would ever have pulled me up from that basement.”
A couple of the songs are flat-out bluegrass where the talents of Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, Tim Stafford, Wyatt Rice, Aubrey Haynie, Jody King, Barry Bales and Deanie Richardson really shine.
Melonie shows her vocal chops on the aforementioned Mary Magdalene (Why You Cryin’), which captures an old time Gospel feel – complete with improvised shouts in the background. The chorus was composed of Sonya Isaacs, Tim Stafford, Ronnie and Garnet Bowman, Buddy Cannon, Melonie and Dan Tyminski.
“That session was so much fun. We were sitting around reading the Bible, writing, laughing and having a big Hoohaw.
Sonya and Ronnie had the idea for the arrangement. We set a microphone in the middle of the room, and the two of them got in the corners of the room and just ad libbed those hollers.
I always wanted a to have a Gospel tune about the strong women of The Bible, and a lot of people don’t think much about Mary Magdalene.”
Picking up on that theme, I had noticed that half of the songs on And The Wheels Turn were written or co-written by female composers, and that the themes of the songs were told from a woman’s perspective.
“I’m attracted to strong women songs – guess that’s the tom boy in me. I’m the mother of two boys and I have a husband, a male dog and a male bird. I have to stand up for me, and I respect women who do that.
I end up choosing songs with a great message that speak to me.”
We’ll have more tomorrow from this conversation with Melonie Cannon, including details about her duet – and video shoot – with Willie Nelson.
