Sprawling from East Nashville, Joshua Black Wilkins' blend of American music is helping define the new "alternative country" sound. Taking influences from across all genres of American music, his most recent work, Hellbent & Brokenhearted showcases not only the sounds of Nashville's "lower Broadway" but more diverse instrumentation and song structures. Joshua’s music is both intimate and moving at times, and forceful and cruel at other times, with little left to the imagination in his songwriting, his lyrics go straight for the throat. This concert was recorded In 2014. Here is Joshua Black Wilkins Live at the Linda.
Dom Flemons is an American old-time music, Piedmont blues, and neo-traditional country multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. He is a proficient player of the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. He is known as "The American Songster" as his repertoire of music spans nearly a century of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. He has performed with Mike Seeger, Joe Thompson, Martin Simpson, Boo Hanks, Taj Mahal, Old Crow Medicine Show, Guy Davis, and The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band.
Dom is likely most famous for being a member of the Grammy award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops from their inception in 2005 to their break up in 2013. OK so a word of warning, the theme tonight is “Me and My Guitar” but this set does feature a few songs with a banjo, but hey, this is NPR we can’t resist a good banjo. This set comes from us post that break up in 2013, here is Dom Flemons, live at The Linda.
Vocalist, singer/songwriter, and guitarist Syd Straw first made a name for herself as part of the Golden Palominos, a band led by Anton Fier that enjoyed a cult following in the 1980s. Her Capricorn Records debut, “War and Peace,” was released in 1996, and since then, her unique blend of folk-rock and blues-rock has found a home with Triple A (adult album alternative) radio stations and their audiences around the country. Straw released “Surprise” in 1990 to good reviews. That recording chronicled Straw's emergence as a songwriter; she had thought of herself primarily as a song interpreter before that. OnSurprise, Straw was joined by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), John Doe (X), Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois, Don Was, Richard Thompson, and Marshall Crenshaw. And Fun fact, Syd Straw is the daughter of actor Jack Straw from The Pajama Game. This concert is from 2013, here is Syd Straw live at The Linda.
Thanks for sticking with us this week. Tune in next week for our songwriter spotlight with Eric Anderson, David Mallett, and Kim Richey. For more information about The Linda or any upcoming events follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or visit thelinda.org.
