By Brent Thompson

It’s not an overstatement to call Bob Mould an alt-rock icon. Over the past six decades, the singer/songwriter/guitarist has performed as a solo artist and fronted the influential bands Husker Du and Sugar. On Wednesday, October 16, Mould will being his “Solo Electric” tour to Saturn. Cash Langdon will open the 8 p.m. show. Fans old and new alike are in for a special evening as Mould has been playing songs from his entire catalog on this tour. Advance tickets to the 18+ show are $27.50 and can be purchased at www.saturnbirmingham.com.

 

By Brent Thompson

Austin-by-way-of-Memphis singer/songwriter Kelley Mickwee has returned to the forefront after a 10-year hiatus. In September, Mickwee released Everything Beautiful, a follow-up to her 2014 release You Used to Live Here. A former member of The Trishas and Shinyribs, Mickwee used Dusty Springfield’s Memphis sessions as an inspiration for the project. The result is a nine-track outing that sounds relevant and reverent at the same time. For the album’s recording, Mickwee enlisted producer David Boyle and session musicians that have backed Black Pumas and Gary Clark, Jr. among others. Welcome back Kelley – please don’t make us wait another 10 years for your next release.

www.kelleymickwee.com

By Brent Thompson

For music lovers, it’s a week like no other. The annual AmericanaFest was held in Nashville from September 17-21, filling concert venues, hotels, watering holes and honky-tonks with top-flight musical acts. Focusing on both the music biz industry and fans alike, the event features panel discussions and speakers in addition to live entertainment. Fortunately, the “Americana” genre has blurry lines as rock, country, bluegrass, singer/songwriter and folk acts all exist under its umbrella. The event also offers audiences opportunities to see legends perform in intimate settings while taking in shows by up-and-coming artists.

By Brent Thompson

JD Clayton accomplishes the unique task of sounding reverent and relevant at the same time. On Friday, September 27, the Arkansas-based singer/songwriter will bring his “Blue Sky Sundays” tour to Zydeco. Clayton’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Long Way From Home, was released in 2023 and a forthcoming album is in the works. Earlier this year, he released the single “High Hopes and Low Expectations”  – co-written with Nashville stalwart Kendell Marvel – via his signing with label Rounder Records. Advance tickets to the 18+ show are $15 and can be purchased at www.zydecobirmingham.com.

By Brent Thompson

Bella White has been busy of late. In 2023, the singer/songwriter released Among Other Things, a 10-track album of new material. In 2024, White released Five for Silver, a cover songs EP that finds her interpreting the songs of Neil Young and Lucinda Williams among others. On Saturday, September 14, White will perform at Avondale Brewing in support of The Red Clay Strays. Recently, she spoke with us by phone.

Southern Stages: On your covers EP Five for Silver, how did you select the material for the project?

Bella White: It wasn’t much of a detailed process or anything. We recorded those songs at the end of making my last record, Among Other Things. We just had the time to spare and didn’t have a big design for making this EP. It was more like, “Oh, we’ve got time to kill – let’s record some covers for fun.” It was nice because it took some of the pressure off.

Southern Stages: Have any of these cover songs found their way into your live sets?

White: Yeah, definitely. I’ve played “Unknown Legend” at shows and I’ve played “Concrete and Barbed Wire” a lot, so it’s fun to have them out in the world now.

Southern Stages: When covering someone else’s song, is there a challenge to retain the integrity of the song while placing your own stamp on it?

White: I try not to overthink it, but I think if a cover is too similar to the original then I’d rather just listen to the original version of the song. For me, it’s important to approach the song as though I wrote it and where it fits into my world.

Southern Stages: For the Among Other Things album, were the songs new compositions, older ones or a mixture of both?

White: It was a bit of both. Some of the songs had been around for a little while and I wrote the title track in the studio. It’s kind of fun to fuse those two things together.

Southern Stages: Some artists tell me that this is a great time to be in your position given the accessibility of music via Spotify, satellite radio, Youtube and other modern outlets. Others say, for the same reason, that the current climate makes it difficult to be found among the crowd. How do you view the state of the industry?

White: It’s a really strange time and it’s hard to say because I feel really grateful for the world of streaming and all of that because it helped me reach a larger audience. It’s incredibly accessible right now which is really great, but obviously the money isn’t following. I feel like it’s so easy to put out music, but it can feel challenging. I really don’t have one specific answer to the question because there are so many different dynamics. I appreciate the parts of it that have been helpful to me.

Southern Stages: How would you describe your writing process? Have you developed a pattern over the years?

White: Some moments it’s very fluid and it feels easy – other times it can feel dry and like I don’t have much to say and that can feel scary. I do write on the road, which has been a new thing for me in the past couple of months – I didn’t do that before. If I’m touring solo, I feel a little existential when I’m on tour and there’s a boiling pot of things to say. It’s an ever-evolving process and I’m always trying to take it as it comes.

Southern Stages: How do songs stay fresh to you after you’ve performed them literally hundreds of times?

White: They really don’t [laughs]. Sometimes it’s as simple as not playing a certain song for a little while or changing up the way that I play it. It’s about finding ways to allow it to grow with you.

On Saturday, September 14, Bella White will perform at Avondale Brewing in support of The Red Clay Strays. For ticket information, please visit www.avondalebrewing.com.

By Brent Thompson

The fretboard skills of acoustic guitarists including Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee and the late Michael Hedges can’t be denied, but virtuoso guitarist Daniel Champagne possesses something a little extra – vocals. This combination of singing and instrumental prowess places Champagne in rare air that rises to an even higher level in the live setting. On Friday, September 6, Champagne will perform at The Upstairs at Avondale Brewing. Recently, he spoke with us by phone from his Australian home.

Southern Stages: Daniel, thanks for your time today. We are looking forward to your return to Birmingham.

Daniel Champagne: I used to play house concerts when I went through and I played there on the last tour. I’ve always had positive vibes about Birmingham – I was in living in Nashville for a while and it was often the first gig of the tour.

Southern Stages: Are you splitting time between the U.S. and Australia or are you living in Australia full-time these days?

Champagne: I’m back in Australia full-time – I live five hours south of Sydney and I usually head to the U.S. once a year. I was in Nashville from 2015 to 2020, but I’ve been back in Australia since Covid.

Southern Stages: How has 2024 shaped up for you to this point?

Champagne: It’s been very busy – I’ve already played 160 concerts this year. I started in Australia, then I did a cost-to-coast Canadian tour and we just came back from seven weeks in New Zealand, which was beautiful.

Southern Stages: With a large body of songs in your catalog, how do you comprise your setlists these days?

Champagne: There’s sort of flag posts that have just popped up over the years of songs that really work well live. As I go through the set, there are songs that interchange each night.

Southern Stages: Do you typically perform solo or with accompaniment?

Champagne: I’m solo. I’ve always been solo and probably always will be – I’m lucky that it works for what I want to do. I say I’m lucky because it makes it easier.

Southern Stages: How do songs stay fresh after you’ve performed them hundreds of times?

Champagne: It’s funny because some of the songs I would never play outside of a concert – I would never just sit in a hotel room and play it to myself. But as soon as you get in front of a new group of humans, this performing instinct kicks in and you’re excited to share this thing that you have and try to connect with them. Even with a song I’ve played 500 times, it’s still exciting and I feel it can be really good so I feel the excitement and nervousness of sharing it with a new group of people.

Southern Stages: Who were some of your influences as a young musician?

Champagne: My dad is a singer/songwriter, so he was the first person I saw playing. I had a great teacher growing up and I had him for 10 years – he was a classical guitar mostly so he taught me a lot. As a teenager, I discovered Michael Hedges and people that were experimenting more on the steel-string acoustic guitar. And, being from Australia, Tommy Emmanuel is also a big influence. There’s a never a shortage of amazing guitar players to be inspired by.

Southern Stages: Your style melds several genres. Can that be traced back to your musical exposure as a child?

Champagne: Growing up, it was about learning to play good songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. When I was a teenager, I was lucky to have the classical thing because it was good for your hand muscles and technique. It’s always been a combination of experimenting with the instrument and looking at other players and stealing tricks from them. I’m still doing that  – every now and then I still discover a new thing that sounds good that I try to weave into a performance.

Southern Stages: Given your skill level on guitar, what challenges remain for you?

Champagne: It changes day to day. Some nights you feel like you can play anything and some nights you feel like you’re stumbling all over the place [laughs]. For me, it’s not so much about learning more – it’s more about learning how to use it.

Southern Stages: Some artists tell me that this is a great era to be a musician given instant access to listeners via Spotify, satellite radio, Youtube and other modern outlets. Others say that, for the same reason, it can be difficult to be found among the clutter. How do you view the current musical climate?

Champagne: It’s a big question and I think it’s probably a bit of both. I do feel for artists starting out because it feels like a lottery. I feel quite grateful because I have a foot in each camp. I did 10 years of touring before all of that really kicked in. My career is on a small scale, but I have a very dedicated audience and me being one person it’s easy to make it worthwhile.

Daniel Champagne will perform at The Upstairs at Avondale Brewing on Friday, September 6. Advance tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $25 and can be purchased at www.avondalebrewing.com.

 

By Brent Thompson

For better or worse, the term “Americana” has become a catch-all description for many musical formats. But if you want a concise way to define Americana, I say look no further than YARN’s Born, Blessed, Grateful & Alive, the band’s first studio effort in eight years. Across the album’s 12 tracks, the North Carolina (by way of New York City) trio effectively blends several musical styles into a cohesive sounds of its own. In opening with the Gospel-tinged “Turn Off The News,” the band immediately takes the listener into a smoky Honky-Tonk with “Something’s Gotta Change.” From there, country, rock & roll and even jam band sounds round out YARN’s musical stew. Produced by stalwart Damian Calcagne, the album features guest appearances by members of Railroad Earth and The Infamous Stringdusters. With Born, Blessed, Grateful & Alive, YARN accomplishes the tough task of making the familiar sound fresh.

By Brent Thompson

Though he has released solo albums throughout his career, Sadler Vaden is best known as the talented guy in the shadows.  Vaden is the guitarist in The 400 Unit – Jason Isbell’s crack backing band – and has produced albums for Morgan Wade and The Blue Dogs. Earlier this month, Vaden stepped back into the forefront with the release of Dad Rock (Thirty Tigers). Offering eight tracks over a 34-minute time span, Dad Rock takes us back to the vinyl days when an artist only had a certain amount space to make a statement. From a songwriting perspective, the album is Vaden’s most mature outing yet, perhaps not surprising since he and his wife have had two sons since his last release. Possessing a vocal style reminiscent of Tom Petty, Vaden blends rockers and midtempo numbers in cohesive fashion. Aiding him on the project are Elliot Easton (The Cars), Julian Dorio (The Whigs, Eagles of Death Metal) and longtime Petty sideman Benmont Tench. With Dad Rock, Vaden gives us a timeless-sounding album that will hopefully spur him to seek the spotlight more often.

By Brent Thompson

Chet Atkins took his guitar to the front and center of country music. The guitarist (1924-2001) – a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame – created a legacy that lives on through musical acolytes including Tommy Emmanuel and Gareth Pearson. We Still Can’t Say Good Bye: A Musicians’ Tribute to Chet Atkins (Morningstar Music) is a 15-track, star-studded project released in celebration of what would have been Atkins’ 100th birthday on June 20. And while there are plenty of household names listed on the album credits – Eric Clapton, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss and James Taylor to name a few – it is the lesser-known artists that equally shine throughout the project. Pearson’s “Mr. Sandman,” Brent Mason’s “Lover Come Back To Me,” Guthrie Trapp’s “Caravan” and Sierra Hull’s “All I Ever Need Is You” are all album highlights. Bottom line – We Still Can’t Say Good Bye is a relevant-yet-reverent love letter to a musical icon.

By Brent Thompson

With its large volume of songs and improvisational possibilities, the Grateful Dead’s catalog is always up for interpretation by other artists. The latest installment, the 17-track Grateful: The Music Plays the Band, offers both a musical and charitable component. The album’s proceeds benefit The Grateful Guitars Foundation, a nonprofit organization that obtains instruments for musicians and supports music education in schools. Musically, the lineup includes artists familiar to Deadheads (Oteil Burbridge, Dark Star Orchestra, Jerry’s Middle Finger, John Kadlecik) as well as some that deserve greater exposure (Katie Skene & Andrea Whitt, Doom Flamingo, Michael James Wheeler). Burbrige’s impassioned “Stella Blue” is a highlight as are Skene & Whitt’s “Candyman” and Kadlecik’s “So Many Roads.” All in all, the Grateful compilation rises to the challenge of any tribute album – allowing artists to place their own unique stamps on some well-known songs.