Country Muisc News:

Lamitschka:  Music has many new fans throughout Europe who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who has never seen or heard you?

JL Stiles:  I’m basically a ragtime finger picker and country picker who who writes in his own style, creates new rhythms and melodies using those universal and fundamental techniques. I like to think listening to me is similar to going home.
Lamitschka:  How was the last year for you? What were your highlights?

JL Stiles:  The highlight was the show where I released my CD here in San Francisco, a little club called Cafe du Nord. We really did the new album justice playing it live and the crowd reaction was amazing.

Lamitschka:  What is your latest CD and how's it doing?

JL Stiles: My latest is JL Stiles Presents House of Murmurs

Lamitschka:  How did you choose the title for the CD?  Is there a story behind the name?

JL Stiles:  There is no big story behind the name other than it reflected the kind of eerie psychedelic nature of the record

Lamitschka:  Do you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go about finding the songs for your CD?

JL Stiles: I write all my material

Lamitschka:  Please tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).

JL Stiles: There is a heavy influence of Maybelle Carter’s guitar style on this album though you might not peg it as such because there are no country songs on there and my rhythmic approach is much more varied.. I strum with the forefinger and pick with the thumb on many of the tracks. I also employ my Piedmont Blues style on here a la Mississippi John Hurt but again vary the rhythmic approach quite a lot so you may not recognize it. The Blind Blake thumbroll is employed on Song Beside My Grave to create the rambling rhythm yet I accent a different beat than he would have done. Basically I hear melodies and rhythms and these folkways styles provide me the tools to bring ‚em out on the guitar and sing ‚em.

Lamitschka:  What is the difference between your last CD and your current one?

JL Stiles: This CD was really played entirely live by me in studio with the drummer so it has an authentic groove over which we laid other stuff. I also had a producer named Etienne de Rocher on this who brought a consistency to the sound and he added some beautiful piano parts.
Lamitschka:  Your current single is being played by radio. What do you feel is special about this song that makes people want to hear it?

JL Stiles:  All in a Day is probably the single on this record but it seems DJ’s are playing quite a variety off the record. The song has an old soul but is very catchy with a straight bouncy rhythm and live feel. I also think the bridge on it is surprising yet natural, which I like.

Lamitschka:  What is your favorite song among all the songs you have recorded and what's the story behind it?

JL Stiles:  My favorite is probably Song Beside My Grave because it is the song I want people to play as a remembrance of me and there are few if any on earth who can play that style yet it is fundamental.

Lamitschka:  Do you have any interesting stories about how fans have been affected by your music?

JL Stiles:  Some have said they listened to me over and over when healing from life-threatending illness and claim my music really helped them recover. There is no higher honor than that as a musician.

Lamitschka:  Who inspires you musically and how deep do your musical roots run?

JL Stiles: Blind Blake is my biggest inspiration but he’s dead. Seeing a great performer live is always an inspiration. For instance, seeing Richard Thompson solo acoustic is an inspiration.

Lamitschka:  What do you think about today's music scene versus its post and where do you see it going in the future?

JL Stiles:  I have my local buddies here is SF who are awesome and no ones knows, such as Chris Jones and there is plenty of talent as there always will be. San Francisco is full of brilliant artists who are making no money. In the past it wasn’t any different, it seems. We have more outlets to get our music out there but there are too many artists right now. I basically ignore it all to remain sane and have some silence.



Lamitschka:  What do you think about today's music industry?

JL Stiles: I don’t think about it much at all. I am only interested in getting my music to people who want to hear it or find something new. Licensing music is bigger than ever which brings in money but again, the scene is overcrowded and few make any substantial income. Today is perhaps the worst time ever to be an artist. People are struggling under an international financial tyranny and we have little money to devote to supporting arts.

Lamitschka:  If you had the chance to change something about the music industry, what would it be?

JL Stiles:  I would destroy the use of money as an instrument and only use money to facilitate the exchange of goods and services. Essentially I would destroy all central banks.

Lamitschka:  Are you doing anything to take music beyond its current borders or are you happy where it is?

JL Stiles:  I am always looking to expand. I am planning an unlikely collaboration at present with a rock drummer star but I won’t say who it is as it will ruin the surprise. My next album will have lots of vocal harmonies and employ more innovation guitar techniques, via the remarkable Blind Blake thumbroll.

Lamitschka:  What inspired you to become an artist?

JL Stiles:  I am a seeker of the fundamental, the hidden nuggets of the universe and music is very much a part of that. I want to feel connected, ultimately, and ironically, in this age, such demands basically disconnecting with much of society as it is mostly distraction and slavery in disguise.

Lamitschka:  What inspired you to become a songwriter?

JL Stiles:  I guess it was Zeppelin II, the album, perhaps listening to Chuck Berry as a little kid. I always loved music and imagined it on my own.

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Nashville, TN (May 23, 2013) -- Country newcomer Joanna Mosca's mesmerizing voice has been compared those of Reba McEntire and Stevie Nicks, but her vocals are distinctly her own on her newest single, "I Guess That Says It All."  Released May 13 on CDX Vol. 570, the poignant ballad was written by hitmakers Bryan White, Travis Thibodaux and Steve Williams. Resonating with honest emotion and a wealth of heartache, the tune is sure to engage listeners who have lived these lines before.

"I guess you're leavin'
You walked out the door
The ring on the table
Broken pictures on the floor
You can't do this anymore
I guess that says it all"

"When Bryan first played me this song I found the lyrics were real, raw and heartfelt, and it made me cry," Joanna comments.  "It's about a relationship that has ended, and there’s nothing you can do about it."  The single is from Joanna's dynamic White-produced EP, LET IT ALL BEGIN, and fans can enjoy an acoustic video performance at http://youtu.be/11p-fYWIbas.

Mosca will make her CMA Music Festival debut with three performances at:
Wednesday, June 5 -  between 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. CMR Nashville’s 3^rd Annual International Show at Whiskey Bent Saloon

Thursday, June 6  - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.  NCVB Stage (Bridgestone Glass Tower)

Sunday, June 9  - 2:30 - 2:50 p.m.  CMA Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage
Fans can stop by and meet Joanna at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 9 at the CHEVY Booth in the Music City Center.
 
ABOUT JOANNA
Joanna's career began with the release of three consecutive Top Ten FMQB AC Radio Chart singles between 2006 and 2008.  In 2010 she released her first full-length album, JOANNA MOSCA, which contained six original tunes.  The album’s first single “Keep On Going” shot onto the Billboard Top 30 AC Chart, and earned her a spot on Music Connection magazine’s Top 100 Independent recording artists’ list.  In 2012, Joanna was named “Who New To Watch,” in CMA’s Close Up Magazine.  Mosca was born in Connecticut but currently resides in New York where she has studied acting at the prestigious HB Studio in NYC with teachers who included Uta Hagen and Sir Anthony Hopkins.  She has starred in a series of three one-woman shows in New York City that reviewers praised.

Catch Joanna online at:
https://www.joannamosca.com
https://www.facebook.com/joannamoscamusic
https://twitter.com/joannamosca
http://www.myspace.com/joannamosca
http://www.numberonemusic.com/joannamosca/
http://www.reverbnation.com/joannamosca

The Road Has No End

Cool Cool Ride - Chattanooga - Bullet Train - Hobos In The Roundhouse - Cicada - Rain Was Turning Into Snow - Foggy River - Heavenly Table - East To Get Lost - If The World Were Filled With You - Doing My Time - Bread & Milk - Last Letter Home - Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress

 

The single really great thing about Bluegrass music is the opportunity and open door policy of band members writing their own original songs.  The second really great thing about acoustic Bluegrass music is that it is nationwide.  Really super good Bluegrass bands are coming from everywhere, even Minnesota.  Monroe Crossing did an absolutely superb job of doing exactly that.  Bluegrass is also an extension of America's original country music, or mountain music, or just plain 'people' music, and there are some extraordinary groups performing this music today.  Monroe Crossing is one of them.  To be credited as a 'top' Bluegrass band today, and get the higher paying festival gigs, a Bluegrass band HAS to be tight.  Monroe Crossing is one of them.  To get a record review in Europe on a German country music Internet magazine means the group has to have international appeal.  Monroe Crossing is one of them.  This extremely 'tight' group is made up of Lisa Fuglie on fiddle, guitar, vocals, and some tremendously appealing original songs, no less than six with some of them co-written with Mark Anderson (bass, especially good on "Foggy River," snare, vocals). Listen to Lisa's roaring train-smashing lead on "Bullet Train."  Derek Johnson (guitar & vocals) contributed two excellent songs, my favorite being "Easy To Get Lost" with the admonition that it's easy to get lost when you don't know where you are going.  Sounds pretty much like what contemporary country music direction is today.  Matt Thompson on a stunningly good Monroe style mandolin (yes both Monroe's), also contributed "Rain Was Turning Into Snow."  The rest of the band is made up of David Robinson on banjo, resophonic guitar, harmonica (whaaaat, in bluegrass, and yes it's good), and vocals. I really liked his frailing style of banjo on "Cicada."  Recorded at Wild Sound in Minneapolis, this excellent recording has been gone over with a fine toothbrush in the final mix.  Nothing anywhere stands out as 'unwanted.'  I especially enjoyed their rendition of "Doing My Time" which I had the extreme pleasure of playing with Jimmy Martin on my television show.  Being an older reviewer I'm beginning to have a little trouble with extreme lows and extreme highs, which in my case would wish the vocals were just a bit higher above  the instrumental mix, but that is very personal.  It's no wonder that the Rural Roots Music Commission brought this CD to my attention for their  2013 "Contemporary Bluegrass CD of The Year" award.  I hope that all works out for Monroe Crossing, they are definitely a Bluegrass band on a road that has no end. 

Bob Everhart, Reviewer, www.ntcma.net

Be Assured

Be Assured - Live Beyond The Grave - Trade The Old Cross For A Crown - Will You Meet Me Over There - Old Rugged Cross - Cryin' In The Rain - Sweet By And By - I Know Who Holds Tomorrow - Rocky Top - Feelin' Fine - Orphan Boy - Three Men On A Mountain

 

1 More Road is made up of a mother, father, and five children.  Steve & Cathy Young are mom and dad. Clint, Haley, Amanda, Faith, and Nathan are the children.  They were known in the past as the 'Young Family Band' but now they are '1 More Road,' and that is very indicative of where they are headed with their music.  Traveling from Oklahoma (where a tragic tornado recently struck), this family goes wherever their 1 more road takes them.  Gospel oriented, they blend the musical sounds of bluegrass and traditional country to produce a most pleasant listening experience.  The entire family has a passion for playing good old-time American style Gospel music, utilizing acoustic instruments undoubtedly interchanged among the players,.  The line-up is impressive.  Dad Steve plays bass; mom Cathy plays guitar and banjo; daughter Amanda plays Dobro and hammered dulcimer; son Clint plays guitar and emcees the shows; daughter Haley plays fiddle; daughter Faith plays mandolin and twin fiddle; and son Nathan plays banjo, bass, and guitar. All of this family sings, and I can just hear them practicing  a new song as they roll down the road in their bus.  Why?  Because their harmony is so perfect.  That's what makes 'family' bands so unique, so creative, so dynamic, and 1 More Road is one of those families.  "Feelin' Fine" is a perfect example of this kind of perfect family harmony singing.  This entire family sings, but not always together on the same song. This CD project, recorded at the Covenant Studios in Amarillo, Texas, is dedicated to grandparents Nana Jo and Papa Lyle, making this fine gospel group, '1 More Road' a truly 'family' experience.  It's pretty easy to see why the Rural Roots Music Commission picked this CD for their 'Traditional Gospel CD of the Year' for the honors.  We have our hopes up that they can be in LeMars to make the connection and accept.  It'll just be another stop on one more road this fine group travel,s in the pursuit of sharing the teachings of Christ and the everlasting hope that all of us Christians have in meeting Him someday, to sing with Him, to share with Him, to become one with Him.

Reviewer: Bob Everhart www.ntcma.net