LATE-BREAKING EXTRA NEWS EDITION, Feb 5, 2013: Acoustic Americana Music Guide

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• Big BLUES show & big NEWS at the GRAMMY Museum

• Special FILM screening, with director of Oscar-nominated music documentary
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• The Acoustic Americana Music Guide has had over 195,000 page views since January 2012!
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TWO late-breaking events in this edition…
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1) WEDNESDAY: Reel Talk screening with Director: “SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN”
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2) THURSDAY: GRAMMY Museum hosts STEVE FORBERT and NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, reveals design for “Grammy® Museum Mississippi”
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This is an EXTRA NEWS EDITION, in addition to the THREE current editions, still available:
• EXTRA (right here).
• NEWS & REVIEWS, is our still-current comprehensive news edition (at a separate click.*)
• MUSIC-ON-TV, the Guide’s bigger-than-anybody-else’s calendar (at a separate click.*)
• LIVE EVENTS, concerts, club gigs, workshops for artists, and more (at a separate click.*)
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* - available just below or in sidebar at left, depending on where you are reading this…
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Here are today’s two LATE EXTRA features…
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1) WEDNESDAY: “Reel Talk” screening with Director: “SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN”
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Wednesday at 7pm, the Oscar-nominated documentary and global phenomenon musician’s tale “SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN” will screen with the film’s director MALIK BENDJELLOUL as post-screening guest speaker. He is coming in from Sweden. The night is presented by the South Bay Film Society as part of its ongoing “Reel Talk” series.
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A limited number of tickets remain, at $20 each, and will be available at the door for seats towards the front of the theater. You may not save seats for people buying tickets at the door. And you need to contact the Society in advance to be assured of a seat.
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The screening is Wednesday, February 6, 7 pm, at the Arclight Beach Cities, 831 S Nash St, El Segundo. Contact RANDY BERLER, randy@southbayfilmsociety.com
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This is a film about hope, inspiration and the resonating power of music. The film just won at the Director's Guild of America (DGA) last Friday night, capturing  the Best Feature Award at the International Documentary Association's 2012 IDA Documentary Awards at  DGA. It also won the Creative Recognition Award for Best Music for Rodriguez's original songs and Bendjelloul's additional score. What's it about? An early '70s musician known as Rodriguez became a huge hit as the voice of a whole generation in Apartheid-era South Africa -- and never knew it. He was widely rumored to have died, after he had faded into obscurity in the U.S. as just another singer-songwriter who failed to catch-on. Two obsessed fans set out to learn the man's true fate. The result is this acclaimed chronicle about the rediscovery of Sixto Rodriguez, and acclaim delayed, but ultimately not denied.
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2) THURSDAY: GRAMMY Museum hosts STEVE FORBERT and NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, reveals design for “Grammy® Museum Mississippi”
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When the 4th annual “Mississippi Music Celebration at the GRAMMY Museum®” kicks-off in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, February 7, it will be about much more than a hot performance. First, at 5:30 pm, designs for “The GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi” will be unveiled in a press conference hosted by the State of Mississippi.
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BOB SANTELLI, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum® in L.A., will be joined by PATRICK GALLAGHER, principal of the exhibit design firm Gallagher and Associates, and by others to reveal details of the new museum site’s development. Renderings will be unveiled by Cleveland Music Foundation President LUCY JANOUSH and Project Consultant ALLAN HAMMONS.
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At 7:30 pm, Mississippi’s Music Celebration will feature performances by the NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS and STEVE FORBERT in the Museum’s Clive Davis Theater. In addition to the earlier press conference, the evening’s festivities will include special announcements related to the GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi.
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Self-absorbed L.A. may think it has everything, all the time. But musical artists from Mississippi have long been at the center of American music. Fact is, the Magnolia State would have you believe it is the birthplace of the blues. That, certainly, is arguable, but in “Grammy-land,” there is a clear legacy apparent in the number of Mississippians who have been recognized by the awards’ parent organization, the Recording Academy®, in GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® inductions, Lifetime Achievement Awards, and of course, GRAMMY Awards® and nominations.
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Thursday’s event is part of “GRAMMY® Week,” the annual preamble and run-up to the partly-televised GRAMMY Awards® ceremony on Sunday, February 10.
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“Mississippi’s influence can be heard everywhere,” says BOB SANTELLI, executive director of The GRAMMY Museum. He adds, “We’ve been honored to showcase Mississippi’s blues heritage for the last three years here at The GRAMMY Museum. The artists participating in Mississippi Night perfectly highlight the tremendous range of Mississippi’s musical legacy.”
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The GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi
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In April 2010, the State of Mississippi and the GRAMMY Museum® announced the first-ever satellite GRAMMY Museum® to be built on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi and the Delta Music Institute are forming a unique partnership, one they hope “will inspire and help shape the music and musicians of today and for generations to come.” They will tell you, “Bringing one of the most recognized brands in the world to the birthplace of American music is a win for Mississippi and for musicians and music lovers everywhere.”
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You might expect the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi to be all about the blues. If anything, that is downplayed in the publicity. Instead, they are saying, the museum “will be dedicated to exploring the past, present and future of music and the cultural context from which it emerges.” They don’t mention it, but that is the approach of the cultural anthropologist being applied to “interpretive exhibits” in most modern museums, from science to technology to culture.
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“The Museum will use a combination of exhibits, public events, and educational programming to explore, celebrate, and experience the enduring legacies of all forms of recorded music; the creative process of music making; the art and technology of the recording process; and the history of the GRAMMY Awards®, the premier recognition of recorded music accomplishment,” says the statement released Monday.
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A few details of that have been revealed. The new museum’s “Mississippi Influences” gallery, for example, “will introduce visitors to the impact of the state’s songwriters, producers, and musicians on modern world music. The Museum’s permanent exhibition will utilize film, video, interactive kiosks and, of course, music. The Museum will continually augment its permanent exhibition with temporary exhibits created by the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE.”
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GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is being designed by a duo of Mississippi-based firms. DALE PARTNERS ARCHITECTS P.A., one of the largest full-service architectural firms in Mississippi, in business for over 32 years, is headed by T. DOUG DALE and his partners. They have earned 70 design-related awards including a “Top Design Firm” distinction. The other half of the design duo is ELEY|BARKLEY, P.A., with over 30 years of experience providing professional design services.
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The Museum’s exhibition spaces will be designed by GALLAGHER & ASSOCIATES, an internationally recognized museum planning and design firm, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Singapore. The firm’s extensive experience spans over 30 years and includes projects ranging from cultural history and natural science to music and the arts. Gallagher & Associates’ music-related museum design work includes projects for the B.B. King Museum (Indianola, Miss.), Music Instrument Museum (Phoenix, Ariz.), Ray Charles Memorial Library (Los Angeles, Calif.) and the GRAMMY® Museum at L.A. LIVE.
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Mississippi draws on the legacy of music pioneers such as SAM COOKE, JOHN LEE HOOKER, ROBERT JOHNSON, HANK JONES, B.B. KING, JERRY LEE LEWIS, ELVIS PRESLEY, LEONTYNE PRICE, CHARLEY PRIDE, POPS STAPLES and MUDDY WATERS. The state can also look to modern day music makers such as BRANDY, FAITH HILL, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, THE BAND PERRY, PAUL OVERSTREET, LEANN RIMES, WILLIAMS BROTHERS, HAYLEY WILLIAMS (Paramore) and CASSANDRA WILSON.
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“Mississippi music is more than just a historical fact,” said JON HORNYAK, senior executive director of The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter. “The state is giving birth to more American music every day in a renaissance that spans genres and geography, from Biloxi to Clarksdale to the north Mississippi hill country. The Mississippi Music Celebration at the GRAMMY Museum® continues to demonstrate the wealth of talent from the state. This year’s performances will undoubtedly follow that pattern as the NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS and STEVE FORBERT will show the audience that Mississippi talent is as good as it gets.”
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Governors’ Hype vs. Substance
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“Mississippi is the birthplace of American music, and I am grateful for this opportunity to showcase our state’s rich musical heritage,” said the state’s Governor PHIL BRYANT. We can already hear the chair legs skidding as people jump to their feet with all the “wait-a-minute!” challenges to the assertion of “the birthplace of American music.”
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Maybe you’re thinking it’s one of those they-lost-the-Civil-War things, so they feel the need to make outlandish claims about prominence and dominance of something. Keep reading.
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Thing is, people born in Mississippi, or with connections there, HAVE been important in numerous areas of American music. And in a state where slavery was especially hellish and slaves feared being “sold down the river” to plantations with a pestilential climate, a state that once went to great lengths to oppress any mention of the achievements and contributions and aspirations of African-Americans, the new celebration of music and musical roots is universally welcoming, racially-inclusive, and celebratory. Before Bryant, previous Governor and Republican minimalist-government icon HALEY BARBOUR was a backer of state government spending to promote the state’s two music trails and build music-related tourism.
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Mississippi has embraced the role Bryant proclaims for it – the “Birthplace of America’s Music” – in a colorblind series of initiatives, including the B.B. KING MUSEUM, DELTA BLUES MUSEUM, ELVIS PRESLEY’S BIRTHPLACE in Tupelo, and the statewide “MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL” and “COUNTRY MUSIC TRAIL.” The former trail reaches well beyond the Magnolia State, as attested by the presence of a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in the L.A. Live plaza, across from Staples Center and around the corner from the GRAMMY Museum. Altogether, Mississippi has placed nine trail markers in other states and one outside the country.
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Within its home state, the MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL is a top tourist attraction that leads visitors to more than 160 significant sites. The Trail recognizes blues artists – many of them true legends – the places where they lived and played, and other relevant sites to offer visitors a you-are-there feel for where much of the blues were born.
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Similarly, the COUNTRY MUSIC TRAIL honors the state’s country greats, including CHARLEY PRIDE, TAMMY WYNETTE, FAITH HILL, and yes, JIMMIE RODGERS.
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Previous “Mississippi Music Celebrations” at the GRAMMY Museum have included performances by Lifetime Achievement Award-winner DAVID “HONEYBOY” EDWARDS, five-time GRAMMY-winner MARTY STUART, blues guitar legend HUBERT SUMLIN, THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS, DOROTHY MOORE, SHANNON McNALLY, JIMBO MATHUS, EDDIE COTTON, and the HOMEMADE JAMZ BLUES BAND.
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Thursday’s Performers: NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS and STEVE FORBERT
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About the NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS…
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Folkies take notice: As Rolling Stone aptly notes, “the Allstars may be children of tradition, but they’re digging deep in undiscovered country.” In 2012, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS co-founder LUTHER DICKINSON recorded and released a solo acoustic album, “Hambone’s Meditations,” which has a GRAMMY® nomination this year for Best Folk Album. Also, last year, Luther formed THE WANDERING, a five-piece folk band featuring SHANNON MCNALLY, AMY LaVERE, VALERIE JUNE, and SHARDE THOMAS (OTHA TURNER’s granddaughter), and released their debut record, “Go On Now, You Can’t Stay Here.”
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Together and apart, these guys are all-stars.
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NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS formed in 1996, the product of a special time for modern Mississippi country blues. Brothers LUTHER and CODY DICKINSON soaked-up the music of their father, Memphis legend JIM DICKINSON, and absorbed the North Mississippi legacy while playing in the juke joints with their blues ancestors. R.L. BURNSIDE, JUNIOR KIMBROUGH, OTHA TURNER and their musical families were at their peak, making classic records and touring the world. Eventually, Luther (guitar, vocals) and Cody (drums, vocals) formed the North Mississippi Allstars and pioneered their own brand of blues-infused rock and roll.
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The band’s debut album, “Shake Hands with Shorty” (2000), earned a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. After earning two additional GRAMMY® nominations in the same category for “51 Phantom” (2001) and “Electric Blue Watermelon” (2005), the North Mississippi Allstars earned the reputation as one of the most intriguing acts to emerge from the loam of Southern blues and roots rock.
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In 2008, after five studio albums and more than a decade touring together, the Dickinsons decided to branch out and pursue other projects. In 2009 Luther teamed up with ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART and JIMBO MATHUS to form the SOUTH MEMPHIS STRING BAND. The trio has toured across the country and released two albums since then.
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In 2012, Luther formed THE WANDERING, the five piece band, and recorded a solo album that earned a GRAMMY® nomination for this year’s Best Folk Album.
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Meanwhile, Cody broadened the scope of his musical career and became an artistic entrepreneur in the fields of music, film and TV. Cody has contributed to several major motion picture soundtracks, including “Barnyard,” “Snoop’s Hood of Horror,” and “Black Snake Moan.” Cody had a recurring role on MTV’s “$5 Dollar Cover” series and appears in “G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation.” As a producer, Cody has worked with a wide range of musicians including LUCERO, CISCO ADLER, and LES CLAYPOOL. He also produced British blues guitarist IAN SIEGAL’s last two albums, “The Skinny” (2011) and “Candystore Kid” (2012), both of which were nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the annual Blues Music Awards. Despite all his work as a producer, Cody continues to be one of the industry’s premier drummers, demonstrated by his 2013 Blues Music Awards nomination in the Best Instrumentalist / Drums category.
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The brothers reunited in 2010 to record “Keys to the Kingdom” after the passing of their father, Jim. He had always told them, “You need to be playing music together. You are better together than you will ever be apart.” Inspired by his words, Luther and Cody went into the family’s home recording studio, Zebra Ranch, to create a record that could help them cope with the loss and rejoice in his honor.
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Most recently, Luther and Cody have toured extensively with ROBERT PLANT & THE BAND OF JOY, headlined major festivals and toured internationally as a headliner and with IAN SIEGAL as part of THE MISSISSIPPI MUDBLOODS. They also released two live bootleg records, 2011’s “Live in the Hills,” and 2012’s “Live in the Hills Volume II,” both recorded at the annual North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic in Potts Camp, Mississippi.
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The North Mississippi Allstars are at times joined by LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM, ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART, CHRIS CHEW, and a host of other talented musicians. Luther and Cody continually expand the tradition of the Mississippi hill country blues that continues to inspire them.
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About STEVE FORBERT…
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As a young man from Meridian, Mississippi, STEVE FORBERT traveled to New York City and played guitar for spare change in Grand Central Station. From those humble beginnings, he vaulted to international prominence with a gold album, “Jackrabbit Slim,” which featured the folk-rock hit “Romeo’s Tune.” Critics raved about Forbert’s poetic lyrics and engaging melodies, and crowds around the country responded with admiration.
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Forbert’s lengthy discography has established him as an American icon. His music was pure Americana before that genre was recognized. The road and the changing landscape are an integral part of the hard-working Forbert’s life and songwriting. He was a truck driver before releasing his first album and says there’s “romance” involved when he gets in the car after each show and drives to the next gig in another city. His 2002 tribute album to JIMMIE RODGERS, “Any Old Time,” earned a GRAMMY® nomination.
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Fourteen albums later, Forbert’s stamp on American music is akin to the legendary footprints of Warren Zevon, Gene Clark, and Gram Parsons, three who did not get their due during their lifetimes, but that’s not likely to happen to Forbert. He is also compared to the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and other top American songwriters.
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Now, 34 years after his first album, Forbert recently released a new one, “Over with You.” It’s ten fresh – but mature – songs that pinpoint a wide range of emotions that color personal relationships. They are emotions that most listeners have undoubtedly felt and struggled to understand at some point in their lives. “This is an album that has taken a lifetime to make,” explains Forbert. “You don’t just pull these songs out of thin air —you have to live them.”
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The scrappy roots-rocker inside Forbert is still alive and well, and his concert performances have only grown more entertaining and personal with time. He is one of the few artists who can mesmerize a crowd with nothing but his distinctive voice, an acoustic guitar, and his harmonica slung around his neck.
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The Venue: The GRAMMY Museum®
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Here in L.A., the GRAMMY Museum pays tribute to music’s rich cultural history in a one-of-a-kind (though not for long), 21st-century Museum that “explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music — the GRAMMY Award.” The museum features 30,000 square feet of interactive and multimedia exhibits located within L.A. LIVE, the downtown Los Angeles sports, entertainment and residential complex. Through thought-provoking and dynamic public and educational programs and exhibits, guests can experience music from a never-before-seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum can deliver.
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Thursday’s Mississippi Music Celebration at the GRAMMY Museum is made possible by the support of Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division, AT&T, Bank-Plus, Mississippi Economic Council, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi, and the Cleveland Music Foundation.
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The Grammy Museum and its Clive Davis Sound Stage are located in the L.A. Live complex, 800 W Olympic Bl (entrance on S. Figueroa), L.A. 90015. Call for info on attending the event: 213-765-6803; more at www.grammymuseum.org.
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This is one of the parallel editions of the Acoustic Americana Music Guide. All current and archived editions, including live music event and news feature and review editions, are available at the following websites:
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Direct-to-the-current-editions /
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www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com .
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www.acousticmusic.net .
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CONTACT US / Questions / Comments / SUBSCRIBE to our notices, etc., all at
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tiedtothetracks@hotmail.com
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Contents copyright © 2013,
Lawrence Wines & Tied to the Tracks.
All rights reserved.
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Check OFTEN for updates to the EVENTS editions; we’re always adding more! The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. We’re on it.
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