News
Introducing The Ragpicker String Band
Mandolinist Rich DelGrosso, Guitarist Mary Flower and multi-instrumentalist Martin Grosswendt have earned steady streams of praise for their outstanding string skills. Combined, these three have earned nine Blues Music Award nominations and enjoyed rave press reviews and top festival slots all over the world. And they do strum, pick and bow up a storm on their debut album together as the Ragpicker String Band — but it’s their tight trio harmonies that especially dazzle. The acoustic dream team summons the spirits of everyone from the Mississippi Sheiks and Blind Boy Fuller to Jim Kweskin and R. Crumb as their voices and fingers fly through the mists back to the golden prewar age of folk-blues.
Classics by the likes of the Mississippi Sheiks, Sleepy John Estes and Blind Willie Johnson — combined with new originals by Flower and DelGrosso — allow this virtuosically fearsome threesome to leaven their serious instrumental and vocal chops with social satire and mischievous humor. Just as Kweskin and Crumb filtered the songs and sounds of their prewar folk-blues heroes through their own modern sensibilities and considerable personalities, so do the Ragpicker String Band. Jump from a fabulously fretted, sublimely sung trip to the past like Trimmed and Burning to a laughing lament of modern times like Google Blues and you’ll find out what an uncommonly fine stew of traditional and contemporary ingredients they’ve cooked up. They even season it with a delectable dose of jazz via a conspicuously piano-less romp through Thelonious Monk’s standard Blue Monk. read more…
Blues Music Awards – Nominee Showcase
Our friends from Fo’Reel will kick things off at 1:00pm with their funky mix of New Orleans Blues and R&B.- They’ll be featuring songs from their debut album Heavy Water, nominated for Best New Artist Album in this year’s awards.
At 2:00pm, our own “Little Boogaloo”, Eden Brent, will demonstrate why she’s been nominated eleven times for Blues Music Awards, this year for Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year and Acoustic Album of the Year.- Eden is always a crowd favorite and she’s looking forward to catching up with all her out-of-town friends.
It all goes down at BB King’s at 143 Beale Street.- It’s free and open to the public so please stop by, say hello, and enjoy the music!
Asylum Street Spankers and Eden Brent claim three Independent Music Award nominations
The good thing about streaks is that they tend to keep on going. Ours for example: now EIGHT straight years with an Independent Music Awards nomination! These things tend to come in bunches for us, and this year is no exception. Asylum Street Spankers have been nominated for Live Performance Album (“The Last Laugh”) and Eden Brent has brought home two nominations: Jazz with Vocals Song (“Tendin’ to a Broken Heart”) and Holiday Song (“Valentine”).
Thanks for keeping our streak — and great American roots music — alive, Eden and Spankers. The general public is invited to vote in these categories for the IMA’s “Vox Populi” award — visit the links below to check out these songs and albums… and don’t forget to vote!
UPDATE (07/15): Congratulations are in order for both Eden Brent and the Asylum Street Spankers! Eden has won for Holiday Song (“Valentine”) and the Asylum Street Spankers have won for Live Performance Album (“The Last Laugh”) at the 14th annual Independent Music Awards. We’re mighty proud of both these highly decorated artists!