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Steve Martin, banjo aficionado, singer/songwriter, oh and a bit of a comedian, has a funny new single with fellow banjoist Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, and Todd Phillips. It’s bound to be a hit at Bluegrass Radio… like WNCW! Sam Beam, a.k.a. Iron & Wine, has a 2nd single from his upcoming album Light Verse; this time it’s a call-and-response-style duet with Fiona Apple called “All In Good Time.” And Willie Nelson, approaching 91 next month but who’s counting, has a cover of Rodney Crowell’s powerful song “The Border”.

When Cedric Burnside prepared to record Hill Country Love, the follow-up to his 2021 Grammy-winning album I Be Trying, he set up shop in a former legal office located in a row of structures in the seat of Tippah County, a town with 5,000 residents that’s known as the birthplace of the Hill Country Blues style. “That building was actually going to be my juke joint. Everything was made out of wood, which made the sound resonate like a big wooden box,” said Burnside. He called up producer Luther Dickinson (co-founder of the acclaimed North Mississippi Allstars and the son of legendary Memphis producer/musician Jim Dickinson), who brought recording equipment into the empty space. “We recorded in the middle of a bunch of rubbish – wood everywhere and garbage cans,” Burnside says. “We just laid everything out the way and recorded the album right there.” The Hill Country Blues great plays Charlotte on April 18th.

The country/folk/blues artist from Minnesota went to Portland, Oregon to record this one with acclaimed producer Tucker Martine. While all of his previous albums have been recorded live and often in one take with no overdubs, this is the first time to involve a producer and recording studio more… But it was still mostly recorded live. His influences of legends like Mance Lipscomb, Tony Glover, Willie Murphy and Spider John Koerner are once again brought to life through his wonderfully rich guitar work and singing. We hope you caught his great live session in Studio B last month!

On Strange Medicine, Kater seeks to transform grief into joy, sorrow into hope. Her songs celebrate the power of oppressed people and act as an antidote to centuries of exploitation, fear, and greed. This collection of ten songs—featuring appearances by today’s finest roots musicians such as Allison Russell, Aoife O’Donovan, and Taj Mahal—showcases Kater’s biting topical songwriting and deft arranging chops.

RT is back with a new one! From his co-founding of Fairport Convention in the 60s, through his work with Linda Thompson in the 70s and string of spectacular solo releases since then, he’s remained a favorite of ours here at WNCW. This 12-song set was produced by Thompson and recorded in Woodstock, NY.

A native of South Carolina now living in Nashville, Kyshona (“Kuh-SHOW-nuh”) is a music therapist and community connector, in addition to being a talented musician with this moving new album. Her work focuses in part on uplifting the silenced and forgotten, and reconnecting those who feel marginalized and divided. This album chronicles her journey researching and writing about her family’s ancestry and stories, and includes co-writes with Aaron Lee Tasjan, Brittney Spencer, Caroline Spence, Jess Nolan, and her brother and grandfather.

The latest album from this jamgrass band was recorded last summer in the north of Iceland at Flóki Studios (where acts like the New Mastersounds, Robert Walter and Eddie Roberts have recorded lately). Swimming in the chilly waters and working through the nights of no setting sun added a surge of creativity to the band. So did keyboardist Holly Bowman, who has worked with them the past few years and lent her talent to this album.

He’s a favorite of ours: for his songwriting, his spirit, and his multi-talented music prowess. Will is known as a great producer (including for Shemekia Copeland’s last three albums), a guitarist (including for Emmylou Harris for her recent tours), and as a member of Daddy and Willie Sugarcapps among other projects. Now we have his 11th full-length solo album, and he’ll be performing in Asheville on June 17th!

After 10 studio albums, several EPs, and more than two decades as a band, The Avett Brothers have stamped their own name on their 11th album, the follow-up to 2019’s Closer Than Together. It marks a return to their original label, Ramseur Records, which is releasing the album in conjunction with American Recordings and Thirty Tigers. Rick Rubin was their producer once again, and they recorded it at Rubin’s Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, with other work done in Nashville, Los Angeles, and the band’s hometown of Concord, North Carolina. Scott Avett created the illustration featured on the album’s cover. Does it define the band better than any of their previous ones, as self-titled albums are often intended to do? Get to know it with us and decide!