For twenty years, Duluth, MN troubadour Charlie Parr has been touring every corner of the nation, sleeping in his van and living lean, to bring his unique take on the country blues to the people. Reserved, cerebral and devoted entirely to his own vision, he’s one of our finest folk artists and a lyricist well worthy of a certain other Minnesota songwriter who so famously blended poetry and the blues. He took a new tack with his latest album on Smithsonian Folkways, tapping producer Tucker Martine and his studio friends for a contemplative and immersive album of ruminations, pictorials, and stories. For someone who’s not comfortable in interviews, he spent a convivial hour at my studio and left behind a remarkable conversation.
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Suzy Bogguss started playing and performing on a hand-me-down guitar from her sister in small-town Illinois. After almost a decade making a living out west playing at ski lodges and smaller venues, she moved to Nashville, where she carved out a special place in 1990s country music. Amid a time of diversity and vibrancy in the format, her sweet, folky voice took flight when she found the right songs, including the career-makers “Someday Soon” and “Outbound Plane.” She’s toured steadily ever since, though recordings have been selective since 2000. During the pandemic though, she took on her first album of new material with last fall’s Prayin’ For Sunshine, the first where she’d written all of the songs. In this hour, we cover every key stage of this award-winning career.
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The Wonder Women of Country, a side project of busy Americana songwriter/artists Brennen Leigh, Kelly Willis and Melissa Carper, started in 2021 as a touring vehicle for three friends with compatible visions of country music. Fans have been loving it, and naturally they started asking if there was a recording to take home. The WWOC have made good on that desire with a self-titled EP, released on March 15.
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After more than a decade helming her progressive acoustic band The New Hip, bass player Missy Raines has reconfigured and turned back to the music she was raised on and the genre for which she’s been named Bass Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association ten times, most recently in 2021. Her new band is called Allegheny, and her new album Highlander finds her singing about the lonesome wind, fast-moving trains, and more weighty and contemporary subjects in the old school style.
LINER NOTES
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A closer look at the three bands performing Wednesday night from 7 to 9pm at Tennessee Brew Works for WMOT's Local Brew Fifth Anniversary show.
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Jessie Scott sat down with Willi Carlisle at The Fitting Room Studio in Madison, as he is getting ready to play the Basement East on April 13.
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Jessie Scott sits down with Grammy winner, Cedric Burnside for a WMOT Words & Music session.
WMOT VIDEO: LIVE SESSIONS ON NPR MUSIC
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Earlier this month, Sarah Jarosz and John R. Miller performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series. Watch highlights from their show here.
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Last Friday, Allison Russell was honored with an exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music. To note the occasion, she was interviewed by Alice Randall and her daughter Caroline Randall Williams. Watch the full interview and performance here.
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The Reverend Shawn Amos performed "Weight of the World", "Stranger Than Today" and "Revelation" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions.
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Click here to watch Sarah Jarosz and John R. Miller LIVE at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series on April 3rd at 7 p.m. CST.
NPR Top Stories
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The Biden administration is finally wrapping up its review of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports. It will keep those tariffs, and add more on things like electric vehicles.
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Pomp and circumstance again fall victim to circumstance for some students in the graduating class of 2024, as protests over the war in Gaza threaten to disrupt commencement ceremonies.
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The U.S. Treasury ran a surplus last month, thanks in part to the April 15th tax deadline. But the federal government is still expected to end the year more than $1.5 trillion in the red.
Win a pair of tickets to Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors at The Ryman Auditorium on May 17, 2024.
Win a pair of tickets to the Nashville Symphony featuring Marcus Miller at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on May 22, 2024.
Win a pair of tickets to Steve Martin & Martin Short at The Opry House September 19th
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