Music City Roots rocks each Wednesday night at the Loveless Café.
Each Wednesday night, the folks at Music City Roots continue a rich Nashville tradition that dates back to the advent of the radio – live music on the airwaves. From the Loveless Cafe, established icons and rising stars take the stage and put on display the best that Americana music has to offer. There appears to be just one qualification to play – you have to be bad ass good. Music City Roots alums include The Civil Wars, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and even John Oates (yes, THAT John Oates), and while the roster is heavy on acoustic icons, it isn’t uncommon to see – or hear, if you are listening at home via the web or radio – rockers like Dex Romweber, The Futurebirds, The Dexateens, or Mike Farris on the bill.
In conjunction with Compass Records, Music City Roots has recently released Music City Roots – Roots Moments/Season 1. Recorded between October and December of 2009, the ten tracks on this record showcase exactly what Music City Roots does each and every week – a steady parade of great roots musicians. Featured on this disc are Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale, the regular host of the weekly program, Nanci Griffith, Charlie Louvin, Mike Farris & The McCrary Sisters, and Scott Miller – all stars in the world of Americana. The Black Lillies, Holy Ghost Tent Revival , 18 South, Miss Tess & The Bon Ton Parade, and Caitlin Rose also have performances included.
Perhaps the best track on the record is the final cut, the “Loveless Jam,” which closes the show each week. All of the bands/performers from the show join the host on stage for one final number. In light of the recent passing of Levon Helm, the track choice on the record couldn’t be more appropriate – “Up On Cripple Creek,” led by Lauderdale, Mike Farris, and Sam Bush, who does a spot on lead vocal that could nearly be taken for Levon himself.
If you find yourself in the Nashville area on Wednesday (May 2nd), make sure to head over to the Loveless Cafe for Music City Roots. This week’s bill includes cycling cellist Ben Sollee, Pierce & Grace Pettis, Pieta Brown, Grant Farm, and Erin McDermott. The show always starts at 7 P.M. CST. If you and yours happen to be somewhere else, you can always surf over to www.musiccityroots.com for the live stream.
