Monday September 16
Out in the East Nashville area it is a drive to the nearest coffee place and Anne dropped at Dose where I spent a pleasant hour or so having some breakfast, writing and answering emails.
This afternoon, Jordie Lane dropped by in his Honda Odyssey van and he took me on a tour of East Nashville, all the way down Gallatin Pike to Five Points, the focal point for the neighbourhood. We parked outside Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ Woodland Studio, like a couple of fan boys waiting for their heroes. (Well, one fan boy and an old man, me). The audio tour will be on Off The Record this Saturday morning to start the segment from Americana. Jordie’s latest album Tropical Depression is easily his best to date and I hope it does as well for him here as it did at home (where it was No.1 on the ARIA Country chart).
In the early evening I caught an Uber over to the City Winery for the second night of Emmylou Harris‘s Woofstock event with Ricky Skaggs and The Whites as special guests. Harris took time during the night to fully explain the importance of the event and how it aimed to help young people who were given jobs in a local animal shelter, as well as helping the dogs themselves.
While last night showed the contemporary aspect of Emmylou’s music tonight looked firmly into the past and specifically bluegrass. Harris has worked with Skaggs over the decades and he was a member of The Hot Band way back in 1977. Assisted by the vocal prowess of The Whites, Sharon (married to Skaggs) and Cheryl, and the addition of a fiddle player and violinist (also former members of Harris’ band), this was a powerful combination.
While Emmylou explained that they hadn’t played many of the songs together for years, it was difficult to tell. The music was as sublime as the previous night. The combination of vocal harmonies, along with Skaggs mandolin playing, was quite beautiful. I am no bluegrass expert but when the music is played as brilliantly as this it is inspirational. Harris remains in superb voice.
Quite a few of the songs were taken from the Louvin Brothers, Carter Family and Ralph Stanley catalogues and there were also long time Harris favourites from her earlier era such as ‘Blue Kentucky Girl’, ‘Even Cowgirls Get The Blues’, ‘If I Could Only Win Your Love’, ‘Sorrow In The Wind’ (which the Whites recorded with her back in 1979), ‘Roses In The Snow’ and more. Emmylou took a short break to sit and listen to her colleagues on ‘The River Jordan’ (Louvin Brothers), Townes Van Zandt’s ‘If I Needed You’, and a splendid rendition of the Southern gospel classic ‘Mansion Just Over The Hilltop’.
Emmylou returned for ‘Sorrow In The Wind’ and then closed with the O’Kanes song ‘When We’re Gone, Long Gone’ from their 1986 self-titled debut. Emmylou reminded us that this superior duo of Keiran Kane and Jamie O’Hara only made three albums in four years, all of which are worth rediscovering. Joe Camilleri even did a cover of ‘Oh Darlin’ years ago. (Vale Jamie O’Hara who died in 2021).
Another night that was so good that when I got back to my room I had trouble sleeping, the music ringing in my ears.
Tomorrow, the Americana Festival officially begins!