For a duo called the Secret Sisters, Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle let their relationship hang right out there on stage. At a packed late April show at Nashville’s Basement East, amid masterful renditions of their new and familiar songs for a spellbound audience, the sisters niggled each other, rolled their eyes, and came off at times like siblings who’d maybe been cooped up together in a van too long. And at the same time, this banter, which gets laughs, is an endearing part of their show and their relationship with their fans. On record and in performance, the Secret Sisters have been all about harmony since launching on their rollercoaster ride in the music business around 2010. But in Episode 283 of the String, we get into the unique challenges and blessings of sharing everything with each other and the audience, year in and year out.
-
It's taken decades for the nature and impact of Jerry Garcia’s formative years as a musician and band leader to emerge and become semi-common knowledge, because for many, his devotion to old-time string band and bluegrass music between 1961 and 1964 doesn’t square with the quantum jams he’d be leading just a few years later. But because of the Dead, we have jamgrass, a popular branch of the family tree where instrumental interplay coexists with preservation of classic songs. And at last, this connection is made, and this story is told, in a new museum exhibit set for a two-year run, Jerry Garcia – A Bluegrass Journey, at the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY. Episode 280 of The String takes you there with sound and voices from its grand opening weekend in late March. -
By design or coincidence, this week's Finally Friday features two major names in contemporary bluegrass music. Darin & Brooke Aldridge will be releasing their tenth album, a landmark in a career that's seen them win multiple awards and earn the admiration of the genre with a sound that draws as much on gospel and country music as it does on straight ahead bluegrass. Becky Buller (who once played fiddle with the Aldridges) is the industry's triple-threat with IBMA Awards for her instrumental chops, her singing, and her songwriting. She's tackling some of the most serious and vulnerable subject matter of her career on her upcoming album Jubilee. Check out Craig's preview of this Friday's talent-packed revue. -
In January, the newly energized Nashville Blues and Roots Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to cultivating blues careers and spreading its history through public schools, held its first-ever local competition to nominate contestant artists at the 2024 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. And in a nice Music City surprise, the NBRA’s delegate in the band category, Piper & The Hard Times, went to Memphis during the coldest week of the year, put on several sizzling sets, and came away with the grand prize. In this hour of The String, we meet Al "Piper" Green and his bandmate/guitarist Steve Eagon to talk about their game changing win. Up first, Gulf Coast blues and R&B icon Marcia Ball talks about fifty years of rocking roadhouses and the occasional blues cruise.
LINER NOTES
-
Jade Bird sits down with Jessie Scott at the Fitting Room in Madison. -
A closer look at the three bands performing Wednesday night from 7 to 9pm at Tennessee Brew Works for WMOT's Local Brew Fifth Anniversary show. -
Jessie Scott sat down with Willi Carlisle at The Fitting Room Studio in Madison, as he is getting ready to play the Basement East on April 13.
WMOT VIDEO: LIVE SESSIONS ON NPR MUSIC
-
Kelly Willis performed "Fading Fast", "Back in Blue" and "Looking Forward to Looking Back" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions. -
Last week, Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's monthly Wired In series. Watch highlights from their show here. -
Jon Muq performed "Runaway", "Shake Shake" and "Hello Sunshine" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions. -
Click here to watch Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone LIVE at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series on May 1st at 7 p.m. CST.
NPR Top Stories
-
At 80 miles across, Thwaites is the world's widest glacier. It has been nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier" for the catastrophic effects its thawing could have on global sea-level rise. -
Almost 40 percent of caregivers of older adults are men, and a third of that group is Black. But African American men face some issues other guys don't. -
The SNL alum co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale, an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who wants to break into high society. Wiig says the show was a chance to work with "a legend."
Win a pair of tickets to Robert Earl Keen at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024.
All good things don’t have to come to an end! Give your used vehicle new life when you donate it to WMOT. Donating is easy, the pick-up is free, and your gift is tax-deductible.
Get our newsletter with music news, concert announcements, 895 Fest news and updates from WMOT