Thomm Jutz Archives - Page 2 of 3

Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz project for Mountain Fever Records

Mountain Fever Records has announced the signing of Nashville singers and songwriters, Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz, to the label for a special project of their music.

Both artists are well known in the bluegrass community. Jutz has been writing, playing, and singing in Nashville for many years, and has recently gained a higher profile by stepping out front on several albums performing his own music. Rogers, meanwhile, has established a sterling reputation as a founding member of The Steeldrivers, where her songs, fiddling, and vocals have been a foundation of the band sound.

The two met at an industry event in 2016 where they enkindled a friendship, which has led to a lasting professional relationship. After exchanging contact information that day, they have written more than 140 songs together, and have picked out twelve of the best for I Surely Will Be Singing, their upcoming duo record for Mountain Fever.

A single for the title track is set to release September 21, one Thomm says came through a casual observation during last year’s shutdowns.

“I Surely Will Be Singing was inspired by the realization that bird life blossomed significantly during the pandemic because of less traffic. And as people spent more time at home or outside during lockdown, they were more likely to notice that abundance.

Also, that song talks about playing music not just because it’s a career. It talks about singing and playing and creating because you were created to do that. It’s a really simple song, too, musically and lyrically. We’re so influenced by old music that simplicity is something we’re always looking for.”

Following the single, the full album, I Surely Will Be Singing, is expected in 2022.

Video Premiere: In This House from Thomm Jutz

Mountain Home Music has released a new music video for Thomm Jutz, one from his current album, To Live In Two Worlds, Vol 2.

It’s a song that Jutz wrote with his frequent collaborator, Tammy Rogers of The Steeldrivers, called In This House. In it we hear the voice of a man telling how his mother kept a brave face for her children when he was young, while she suffered abuse at the hands of her husband.

Thomm explains how this one came together. It’s quite a tale.

“Tammy Rogers and I write about once a week, typically on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. We’ve been doing so for over two years and have probably 100 plus songs at this point.

Tammy had the original idea for this. It was just a title. We often write like that, just starting with a title or a line instead of a whole story or concept. It’s fun to start with little more than an image that’s inspired by a title.

Stuff we’d heard and read about, that we had observed, and a good amount of fiction make up this song.

I remember a book turned into a TV series called Via Mala when I was a kid in Germany. A whole family conspiring to kill their paternal oppressor. It scared the hell out of me back then.

On a vacation with my parents we drove through Via Mala, a mountain gorge in Northern Italy. It was easy to see how secluded that area was 100 years ago, which is when the novel took place. The setting was very similar to the isolated hollers of Appalachia.

Since Appalachia, especially Western North Carolina, is on my mind so much these days, it makes sense that Via Mala found its way from my subconsciousness onto the page, 40 years later, and connected with Tammy’s title, In This House.

It took us about an hour to write this song and I immediately knew that I’d want to record it for one of my own albums. That’s what we did in May of 2019, and it will be the first single of my new record To Live In Two Worlds, Volume 2.”

Watch and listen…

Jutz is supported on this recording by Mike Compton on mandolin, Justin Moses on banjo, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass.

In This House and To Live In Two Worlds, Vol. 2 are available now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can get the tracks via AirPlay Direct.

To Live in Two Worlds Volume 2 – Thomm Jutz

Thomm Jutz is more than simply an able singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. As Peter Cooper explains in his excellent liner notes that accompany Jutz’s new album on Mountain Home Music , To Live in Two Worlds Volume 2, he’s a knowing individual who taps into the people, places and perspectives that shape the world around him, sharing both the triumphs and tragedies that unexpectedly intrude into our daily lives. So too, he captures the tones and textures that help shape those situations, and conveys them though sounds that remain authentic and unpretentious, all the while remaining relevant to modern realities.

A German expatriate, Jutz has made his name as one of Nashville’s most vital musicians and producers, and this current effort, a natural follow-up to last year’s album of practically the same name — To Live in Two Worlds Volume 1 — conveys stories of heroism, heartbreak and happenstance, while keeping those earnest and engaging intents intact. Whether touching on a disaster that struck Nashville a decade ago (The Flood of 2010), the strife that accompanies the fight for equal justice (Throw the Stone), the fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame (Pieta), the uneasy aftermath of the Civil War (Emancipation Blues), or tales of fellow travelers (New River Gorge, Evening Prayer Blues Revisited), Jutz conveys a careful, critical appraisal of shared circumstance with an even gaze, a thoughtful perspective and deep circumspect.

He avoids taking a judgmental stance, but instead simply describes a situation as it is, sharing it through calm and companionate reflection. With Tammy Rogers and Julie Lee helping on backing vocals, Rogers, Tim Stafford, and Sierra Hull contributing to the songwriting, and the instrumental assists from bassist Mark Fain, mandolin player Mike Compton, Justin Moses on banjo, dobro and backing vocals, and Rogers playing fiddle, the music fully taps into tradition with a fastidious but agreeable approach. The songs ring with a steadfast resilience and an ageless embrace that testifies to the acumen and endurance of true southern sprit.

Jutz is, as always, astute and accomplished, and it’s clear that his soul and spirit are firmly embedded in these songs and the stories they tell. It’s all about the authenticity, and Jutz makes it clear that even in the duality of Two Worlds, that never allows for a double standard.

The Flood of 2010 video from Thomm Jutz

Mountain Home Music has released a single, and an evocative music video, by Thomm Jutz from his upcoming project, To Live In Two Worlds, Vol 2.

It’s a song that will stir emotions for everyone who lives, works, or regularly visits Nashville. The Flood of 2010 tells the story of the 1000 year deluge that occurred in middle Tennessee this time ten years ago. It brought the Cumberland River way over its banks, flooding large portions of Nashville, including much of the region near downtown where musicians worked and stored gear for tours.

The disaster made international news, with heartrending photographs shared worldwide. Devastation was widespread, with The Opry House being filled with water, and the Gibson acoustic shop being inundated beyond the possibility of repair. Many Nashvillians lost their homes, or suffered severe damage from water that sat in them for days.

Thomm shared some personal memories from that time.

“I was playing guitar for Nanci Griffith in 2010. We were stuck in an airport hotel in Oakland when the flood ravaged Music City — no flights were going in or out of Nashville. I was anxiously watching the news from my hotel room, given that our house is less than two miles from Percy Priest Lake, but luckily our home was spared. My old friend and co-writer, Charley Stefl, picked me up a couple of days after I finally made it back home and we went to the West Side of town to help some people knock out rotted drywall. It was the right thing to do. The streets were lined with debris, thousands of people showed up and helped complete strangers — we’d never seen anything like it.”

In the accompanying music video, we hear Jutz’s song overlayed with some memorable photos from May of 2010.

Mountain Home has released the single in two versions, one the full band arrangement heard above, and the other a more intimate, singer/songwriter take with just Thomm and his guitar.

The Flood of 2010 is available as a single now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can find both cuts at AirPlay Direct.

Track Premiere: Moving Up, Moving On from Thomm Jutz

One of the things that make Thomm Jutz such an attractive songwriter in bluegrass is his ability to see American culture and history, especially that of the southern and Appalachian variety that informs so much of our music, with the eye of someone foreign born. His love of the US is real, but that of a transplant, so his mind can examine even the things we all experience with a different perspective.

That is clear on the songs so far released from his upcoming project, To Live In Two Worlds, which releases tomorrow on Mountain Home Music. The first, Mill Town Blues, told of the rambling’ ways of the iconic banjo man, Charlie Poole, who rose from humble North Carolina roots to acclaim in the music business in the 1920s, before dying at age 39 from alcohol poisoning.

On this second, Moving Up, Moving On, which we are happy to premiere today, we get a train song which Jutz says reflects his two worlds, and the choice he made to emigrate to the US.

“Mac Wiseman said that as a child in the early 1930s, he saw the evening passenger train pass through his little town. Like so many other of the old visionaries, he knew that it was gonna be the farm, or pursuing his musical dream. As soon as he could, he moved on — and though he always stayed true to his humble roots, talk about moving up…”

Thomm is on guitar and lead vocal, with Justin Moses on banjo, Mike Compton on mandolin, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass.

Pre-orders for Moving Up, Moving On are available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

Mill Town Blues video from Thomm Jutz

Mountain Home Music Company has released a music video for Mill Town Blues, the second single from their upcoming project for Thomm Jutz.

It’s a song of tribute to Charlie Poole, whose songs and unique banjo style were a staple of the pre-bluegrass period in the late 1920s. Jutz imagines Charlie and his North Carolina Ramblers in the western parts of the state where life was plenty hard during the depression years.

“One of the most beautiful aspects of writing within the bluegrass idiom is that characters like Charlie Poole and the environment they lived in still matter — they never went away and they’ll live on in the songs that we sing. I’m a traditionalist and preservationist at heart — and that’s why I love writing these kinds of story songs.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad ran through Asheville, right alongside the French Broad River from the 1880s. Surely Poole came through this area in his time. It was the perfect spot for warehouses and other industrial structures. Today the long-deserted old buildings are being rebuilt, and in my mind, Charlie and his North Carolina Ramblers are every bit as real and alive as the art studios, coffee shops, and breweries sprouting up in this ‘new’ part of ‘old’ Asheville. That’s why we shot this video there.”

Thomm is on guitar and lead vocal, with Justin Moses on banjo, Mike Compton on mandolin, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass.

Mill Town Blues is available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct. It will also be included on Thomm’s next Mountain Home project, To Live In Two Worlds, a 2-disc set expected next year. Two more singles from that album will drop next month.

Two new singles from Thomm Jutz

Thomm Jutz is the most recent prominent bluegrass songwriter to present himself as a vocalist as well. Jutz has been an A-list writer in Nashville for some time, since moving there in 2003 from his native Germany. He has written and produced music for artists in both country and bluegrass, but his own recordings typically hew to the ways of the grass.

For his next project on Mountain Home Music, To Live In Two Worlds, Thomm is taking a dualistic approach. He will be releasing pairs of singles prior to the full album release, which will consist of two volumes of new songs. Both the singles and the record will feature songs tracked with a full bluegrass band, and others performed solo with only guitar accompaniment.

An overall theme for this recording is telling tales from the history of the American south, starting with the first two singles which relate the life of North Carolina banjo man, Charlie Poole. Known as something of a rake and a rascal, Poole lived a hard-charging life, taking to excess may of the pleasures that tempt a young man on the road. He died at age 39 from alcohol poisoning, but left behind a rich legacy of songs that are still performed in contemporary settings. Charlie had developed a finger picking banjo style that predated its later evolution by players like Earl Scruggs, and his recordings with the North Carolina Ramblers are cherished by fans of old time music to this day.

Thomm admits that there is something special that draws him to Poole as a subject.

“It’s not just because of his music that Charlie Poole finds his way back into my subconscious and thus into my songwriting time and time again. Like most role models, he is the best and the worst — at the same time. He paid the price for how he lived and left a musical legacy that rings through today.”

In this video, we get a taste of Mill Town Blues, one of the new singles, with Jutz supported by Justin Moses on banjo, Mike Compton on mandolin, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass. Thomm also speaks a bit about Charlie and recording this song.

Mill Town Blues is available now wherever you stream or download music online, as is the companion single, I Long To Hear Them Testify, which shares stories of guitarists Blind Willie McTell and Skip James.

Asheville Music Publishing expands into bluegrass

Up until now, Asheville Music Publishing has concentrated most of their energy towards the Gospel music market, achieving great success for their writers in that realm. But now, in another sign of the vitality of bluegrass in the music business, AMP has signed four prominent writers in the bluegrass and roots scene to publishing agreements with the company.

Jon Weisberger, surely among the most prolific bluegrass songwriters at the current time, has agreed to an exclusive publishing contract with Asheville Music Publishing, and Thomm Jutz, Mark Simos, and Becky Warren have signed co-publishing agreements. Between the four of them, this bunch has written songs for nearly every prominent artist in acoustic and bluegrass music. A partial list would include The Rravelin’ McCourys, the Infamous Stringdusters, the Del McCoury Band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Balsam Range, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Infamous Stringdusters, Terry Baucom, Special Consensus, and many others.

Weisberger will function as the lead writer for this newly-assembled team, who together will quickly fill the files with quality material. He says that the opportunity was a perfect fit for him.

“I jumped at the chance to work with Asheville Music Publishing when it came along. The company already has an incredible and historic catalog of Southern Gospel songs, and I’m excited to take on the challenge of building a comparable catalog of songs that will fit the bluegrass, Americana, folk, and other roots music genres. There is a growing demand for distinctive, well-crafted and engaging songs among artists in these fields, and I look forward to meeting it with the great roster of songwriters we have here.”

Simos, the only non-Nashvillian in this lineup, living in Boston and teaching songwriting at the Berklee College of Music, suggests that it will give him a reach in Music City he hasn’t had before.

“As a full-time prof at Berklee, I still write, co-write, think and breathe songs all the time. But I simply can’t devote the attention needed to connect with all the extraordinary artists, young and old, of the bluegrass, progressive roots, and Americana music communities. Many’s the night I’ve calmed myself, saying: ‘Don’t feel bad, Mark — you can’t also be Jon Weisberger!’ Well, joining Asheville Music is a dream come true for me. I’ve known Jon for years as a favorite co-writer, producer, and trusted friend. I’m proud to be associated with the awesome team of writers he’s assembled and look forward to collaborating with them and others going forward. Bluegrass and roots music and musicians have blessed my life in so many ways — I welcome this chance to give more back. I’ve got a deep vault of unrecorded songs and tunes still to be shared — and lots of new ones to write.”

Jon, Thomm, Mark, and Becky will join Amanda Anne Platt as staff writers for Asheville Music Publishing.

Tom T. and Brother Will from Brace, Cooper & Jutz

Nashville writers Eric Brace, Peter Cooper, and Thomm Jutz have released a first single from their upcoming album together, called Riverland.

Tom T. and Brother Will is told as a conversation between the great Tom T. Hall, and his longtime friend, Baptist preacher Reverend Will D. Campbell. Known as Brother Will, Campbell is remembered as something of a radical Christian, witnessing in Mississippi to both white and black congregations when such behavior was not common in the deep south. He became friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, and worked as a political activist in his cause.

He and Hall often spent time together, and this song was taken from stories Tom T told the writers about the occasion when the two of them decided to build a still.

Brace, Cooper, and Jutz jointly share that the song comes from deep respect and love for these two towering figures.

“All three of us are profoundly influenced by Will D. Campbell. His message and writings have deeply impacted us as songwriters living in the South. This is a tip of our hats to Brother Will and to our wonderful friend, one of the finest songwriters that has ever lived, and one of the wisest men we know, the great Tom T. Hall.”

Radio programmers who would like an airplay copy of the track are requested to contact Broken Jukebox Media by email.

Crazy If You Let It – Thomm Jutz

Thomm Jutz may have taken an unlikely tack in his career, but it’s one that benefitted both him and his muse in any number of ways. Born in Germany, but a staunch devotee of Americana music, he built a career — and a reputation — on several fronts… as a guitarist, producer, performer and songwriter. He oversaw two albums with themes revolving around the American Civil War (The 1861 Project), took an equal role in a trio alongside fellow travelers Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, and carved out a catalog that sometimes circulates below the surface, but still remains as vibrant and vital as any in recent years.

Indeed, those whose projects he produced in the past — Nanci Griffith, David Olney, Steve Young, Otis Gibbs, Kim Richey, and Dana Cooper, among them — all attest to his prowess and proficiency. At the same time, he’s always eager to enlist other people for contributions to his own efforts. Likewise, he’s quick to credit those that influenced him early on — Bobby Bare (who made the initial impact on him when Jutz, age eleven, first saw him on a German TV show), Mark O’Connor, Jerry Douglas, Dan Fogelberg, Herb Petersen, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs, many of whom eventually came to recognize Jutz for his craft, credence, and contributions.

Indeed, after Jutz’s move to Nashville in 2001, he quickly vaulted into that city’s upper musical echelon. His studio, TJ Tunes, helped elevate his status as one of Music City’s most in-demand producers. Likewise, his songs have been covered by any number of exceptional artists — John Prine, Nanci Griffith, Balsam Range, Kim Richey, and numerous others included. Yet, he still keeps up a steady stream of releases on his own and in the company of others. His string of kudos — four IBMA International Bluegrass Music Awards nominations, a pair of SESAC Nashville Music Awards and the two single on the Bluegrass Today Airplay Chart in 2016 — further affirm his exceptional status.

Whew… time to take a breath.

For all his accolades and accomplishments, Jutz’s latest album, Crazy If You Let It, finds him going back to basics. The sound is sown from a traditional template, and yet remarkably, all its songs are Jutz originals. If there was ever any question about his ability to mine vintage trappings in a contemporary context, the album proves how well Jutz has adapted a sound drawing from a wellspring of heartland influences. Tender ballads like Confederate Jasmine, The Coast of Carolina, and It Was You find equal footing with sprightly sing-alongs such as Crossing Over Black Mountain, White Water Train, and The Road to Galway, all of which sound like seminal standards in both effect and execution.

Jutz enlists solid studio support in the persons of Andrea Zonn (who adds her vocals to the sweet title tune), Sierra Hull, Tammy Rogers, Mark Fain, Justin Moses, and steadfast colleagues Brace and Cooper. Yet, it’s Jutz’s archival approach that makes this record ring with such sentiment and suggestion.

Suffice it to say, for anyone looking for an album that represents the essence and intent of modern grassicana, this particular offering serves as an ideal example of where its roots lie.

Consider Crazy If You Let It another excellent reminder of a tradition Jutz executes so adoitly.