The big to-do in our little corner of the music world this week was Folk Alliance International’s annual get together, which brought folk musicians, fans, and industry-types together in Kansas City. The official theme was “Forbidden Folk: Celebrating Activism in Art,” and speakers including Billy Bragg and Ani DiFranco had plenty to say on the matter, as you might expect. ND’s Henry Carrigan was there, and managed to squeeze in daily reports between all the speeches and music, so check out all he saw and heard from Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.
Not long after his world-shaking speech at AmericanaFest, T Bone Burnett is back with some #realtalk for the U.S. Copyright Office. [Billboard]
You may not have known Clyde Stubblefield’s name, but you for sure can recognize the drummer’s sound. You heard his funky beats on James Brown’s “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” and behind Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Prince helped Stubblefield pay his medical bills, but he died Saturday at the age of 73. [NPR]
What’s the best Christmas present you ever got? For John Fogerty, it might just be a surprise reunion with his long-lost 1969 Rickenbacker 325 sunburst guitar. As you can imagine, there’s quite a story behind it. [Rolling Stone]
Never a band known for understated gestures, Old Crow Medicine Show announced their signing to Columbia Nashville with a surprise — and very loud — visit to the label’s office. Their first release for Columbia will be a recording of their Blonde on Blonde re-creation concert last May at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. OCMS’s 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde will come out April 28. [Rolling Stone]
Brandi Carlile has enlisted some mighty talented friends to cover songs from 2007’s The Story. It’s both to celebrate the album’s 10-year anniversary and to raise money for War Child UK, a charity that helps children in war-torn areas. Barack Obama has written a foreword for Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of the Story – An Album to Benefit War Child, and featured artists include Dolly Parton (who covers the title track, which you can hear in the link), Adele, the Avett Brothers, Margo Price, the Indigo Girls, and more. [Rolling Stone]
Not to get too morbid as I put this week’s column to rest, but there’s a company that will take your ashes and press it into a playable album. [AndVinyly]
