Sarah Jarosz appears on Prairie Home Companion

My friend Mark heard Sarah Jarosz on Prairie Home Companion last week and was blown away. This reminded me that I had a promo I was going to post about earlier this Summer. The problem was I got busy and moved and the post was never made. That was crime that needs to be rectified.

Sarah Jarosz is only 18 and she grew up in the Texas Hill Country, home to a songwriter or two I would say. What makes her unique is that she is a great musician as well as a songwriter. She is now studying at a conservatory in the Northeast and released an album this past Summer on Sugar Hill Records that includes a whose who of Modern Bluegrass stars. The album is entitled Song Up in Her Head and guests include Chris Thile, Darrell Scott, Stuart Duncan, Mike Marshall, Tim O'brien and Jerry Douglas along with Samson Grisman the progeny of David Grisman. It bares repeating that this is her debut album. I can't imagine what she will due for her next release.

She is a kindred spirit of Sara Watkins and Abigail Washburn. The future of Bluegrass never looked so good.

Listen to the Audio

Pierce Pettis is Born Again

Pierce Pettis has never gotten credit he deserves. He is a thoughtful lyricist. He delivers his stories and messages with a twist of irony and poignancy that is hard to ignore. Pettis has been laying low for the last 4 years. With the release of That Kind of Love it is apparent that Pettis has not spent that time slack-assin’ around. He has been creating the poetic piquant songs which have garnered him such a loyal following. Pettis’ fans are a loyal bunch who have no doubt been waiting for this release and will not be disappointed. His followers may not number as large of a group as Bruce Cockburn, John Hiatt or Steve Earle, but they are loyal just the same. Pettis also does a couple of good covers on this album. The best of the covers is the opening track, “Nothing but the Wind,” originally penned by Mark Heard. He follows the theme of the opener with the self-written tune, “I Am Nothing.”

That Kind of Love features many guest artists who have appeared on Pettis’ past recordings. Stuart Duncan (fiddle, banjo), Andrea Zonn (background vocals, strings), Reese Wynans (Hammond B3), Phil Madeira (Hammond B3, accordion), Byron House ( bass), and Garry West (electric bass). West also produced the album and co-owns the label Compass Records. Needless to say, with this supporting cast the musicianship equals the song craft. When Pettis is at his best, which he is on That kind of Love, his music is transcendent. In fact, he is most reassuring when he points us outside of ourselves. “I am nothing but the angels sometimes whisper in my ear. They tell me things and then they disappear. Though I am nothing, I sometimes like to make believe I hear.” I for one am listening.

Sample at Compass