As AmericanaFest begins today, it’s an apt time to look back at some previous years. You’ll also get the perspectives of some of my fellow attendees. I find AmericanaFest is about inclusion, openness, and discovery. From the Awards show at the Ryman […]
There has been a proliferation of music festivals, largely with an emphasis on rootsy music over the past decade or so, especially here in Virginia, from my wife’s and my favorite, the somewhat recent addition to the scene, the Red […]
I travelled to Manchester for this gig, since like too many darn American musicians Margo Price was not gracing Oxford this time round. I was keen to go because there has been a fair amount of hype around Price and […]
Welcome to the front door of The Real Easy Ed, where each week I curate, aggregate and update news, events, images, ideas, sounds, odds and ends. I consider this simply a speck of dust on the highway; just another place to pause […]
I can’t recall a single time that a celebrity endorsement, whether for a politician or commercial product, influenced my decision to vote or buy. I come to my opinions and choices based on my own experiences, research, and conversations with […]
Jason Samuel is a regular attendee at the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville every year. When I’ve seen him there, I’ve always appreciated his enthusiasm for the music and for radio. Bill Frater: Where and when did you start in […]
It’s a big season for roots music legends and those in the making. Last week, we spotlighted Bonnie Raitt, whose latest effort is bowling people over. This week, we turn our focus to the inimitable Loretta Lynn, whose new album […]
It’s widely speculated Full Circle will be the last release of Loretta Lynn’s groundbreaking career in country music; from the wistful “Who’s Gonna Miss Me?,” to the album’s only duet, the bittersweet “When They Lay Me Down” (with Willie Nelson, […]
In a previous column on the Grammy awards, I noted some differences between the movie and music industries. Another significant difference occurs during the first two or three months of each year. While Hollywood dumps its dogs during those months, music labels purposefully release many […]
