Backseat Sandbar

On Thursday, October 29th Louisville will be visited by fiddler Sara Watkins who you might know as 1/3 of newgrass posterkids Nickel Creek.  She is touring in support of her self-titled solo record which just came out on Nonesuch Records.  This new record is her first crack at a solo offering since Nickel Creek went on hiatus, but with some help from her former bandmates Sean Watkins and Chris Thile, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings and a long list of who’s who in Nashville, Watkins has crafted a record that is a thoroughly enjoyable walk through the bluegrass and folk traditions and their future.

Opening for her that night will be Louisville’s own Brooks Ritter.  Scanning through our posts a ways back, I quickly realized that we have criminally left Mr. Ritter off our radar.  Please allow me to be the one to set it straight: Brooks Ritter might just be the most talented and exciting singer-songwriter in Louisville.  This past year, Brooks released his first proper full-length with the powerful The Horse Fell Lame.  This record hits upon elements of folk and blue-eyed soul in just the right way.  His vocal trills don’t seem trite or vapid, yet his voice contains a weight that makes you have to pull the car over and wait for the song to be over.  This is not a casual record; in a sense, it almost seems sacred.  I have a hard time sharing this music with friends at times because it seems so personal that I am tempted to keep it to myself.  The opening track “Sleeping Hills” might just be one of the most beautiful pictures of comfortable love I’ve ever heard, and as the vocal melodies play off of the rhythmic, finger-picked guitar lines, it is obvious that Brooks is the real deal in an oft-underwhelming genre.  He works best when spilling out love songs like “Strangers” or the brutal confession of  “Song For A Loving Husband” or “Standing On Rooftops”.  His songs drip with faith, love, and doubt that resonate with power and humility and seem just right for the cold days like this.  Chances are you’ve heard his songs on WFPK since they fell in love with the record when they first heard it and have been sharing it with you all.  I have no idea as to why they haven’t put him on a bunch mre of their shows that they put on.  Anyway, I would say that if you haven’t picked it up yet, you should head right now to iTunes, CD Baby, or get a real copy from him yourself at this show at The Kentucky Center.

RIYL: Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, The Swell Season

The Horse Fell Lame tracklist:

1. “Sleeping Hills”
2. “Bones From The Ground”
3. “Strangers”
4. “Song For A Loving Husband”
5. “New Skin”
6. “The Horse Fell Lame”
7. “Standing On Rooftops”
8. “Child”
9. “Prodigal Feet”
10. “Broke”
11. “A Samaritan’s Love”
12. “Steady Arms”

Concert Details:

Date: Thursday, October 29th

Time: 8:00pm

Location: The Bomhard Theater (inside The Kentucky Center for the Arts)

Cost: $25.00

Seating: Reserved

The much anticipated upcoming Bluegrass Hotel concert has faced some significant controversy this weekend after losing several of its key musicians, including the infamous Sam Bush.  The reason?  Although never having actually contracted with Sam to perform at the festival, the organizers violated Sam’s rights of publicity by using Sam’s name and likeness without his permission, and listing him as a featured performer.  Turns out, Sam decided against participating in the festival due to substantial uncertainties in the legal and financial aspects of the festival.  As I understand it, the fact that the festival used his name as a major draw for the festival when it wasn’t even confirmed was the proverbial nail in the coffin for Sam’s participation.

Since Sam’s withdrawal, Ben Sollee, John Cowan, and Tony Rice have also withdrawn from the festival, which leaves JD Crowe, Dan Crary, Curtis Burch, Pat Flynn, Tony Williamson & Arnett Hollow.  Other performers strongly rumored to have been attending, such as Vince Gill, failed to ever confirm.  Interestingly, the Bluegrass Hotel has bitten back with a press release entitled “Newgrass Stars Jilt Major Charity”, claiming that Sam Bush was requiring a $10K payment and Tony Rice wanted $3K for the show, which wasn’t included in the original agreement.

Sam Bush is now noticeably off the newer ad, as is Ben Sollee and Arnett Hollow, so it’s unclear whether they will be performing.  All in all, what was a very exciting even with the potential to make a lot of money for some local charities seems to have really fallen apart due to some unfortunate mismanagement and failure to secure agreements with the artists.