Banks and Shane is a world-renowned band that has played with and opened for some of the biggest acts in history. So legendary is the band, that their fans from around the world are self-proclaimed “Banks & Shaners.” Whether it’s skiing the slopes of Colorado, sailing the tropical waters of the Caribbean or rocking Symphony Hall, “Banks & Shaners” follow the band with enduring enthusiasm and support.

Come to see Banks & Shane do one of their “rare” UNPLUGGED performance at Savannah’s.

Website: www.BanksAndShane.com

Eliza Gilkyson is a politically minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter, who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist has appeared on NPR, Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown, XM, Air America Radio and has toured with Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter. In February of 2003, she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. The induction placed Eliza alongside an exclusive list of Austin Music Hall of Fame greats, including Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith, Billy Joe Shaver, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and others. In 2006, she was recognized with 3 Austin Music Awards and 4 Folk Alliance Music Awards, one of which was for “Song of the Year” for her tune “Man of God.” Recently, Eliza’s meditative tune “Requiem,” written as a prayer for those who lost lives in the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, was recorded by the nationally recognized choral group Conspirare and was nominated for a Grammy. It was also featured on NPR’s All Things Considered.

Eliza is the daughter of legendary songwriter Terry Gilkyson and grew up in Los Angeles knowing that her life would revolve around music. “I got into it for all the wrong reasons, more as a survival tool than anything else, but it proved to serve me more than I dared to imagine.” As a teenager, she recorded demos for her father, an accomplished songwriter whose songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Dean Martin, Johnny Cash (“Memories Are Made of This”) and the White Stripes (“Look Me Over Closely”), and whose credits include such standards as “Green Fields,” “Marianne” and “The Bare Necessities” (from the Disney film Jungle Book).

Website: www.ElizaGilkyson.com

Eliza Gilkyson on MySpace

Musical Postcards from the Edge
By PHIL SWEETLAND
Music+Radio Contributor, The New York Times

NASHVILLE – Bobby Hamrick is truly a musical man of the world and like Paul Simon 40 years earlier, a trip to England changed his musical life. “I’d say that growing up in America but coming of age in Englandmade for a more diversified sound in some ways, but also reinforced elements that influenced American music, such as Celtic stylings,” Hamrick said before heading out from Nashville this summer for another adventure, this time to Japan. “Of course, contemporary singer/songwriters are very popular in the UK, so that influenced me as well.” Hamrick, the singer and songwriter and Belmont University product, found his musical home across the Pond: “I feel like England, and especially London,” he tells us, “is a place where East meets West in a lot of ways. There are so many ethnic groups in London that it has influenced a lot of the culture, the food, and the music too. Since the British have loved American music for decades, I fit right in.” London, which is likely the earth’s leading ethnic Melting Pot these days, also exposed Hamrick to what is now called World Music - and this impacted his writing and singing too. “I take pride in the eclecticism of the album,” he says. “It has been a source of both criticism and praise. People wonder if I’m confused about who I am. My life does not conform to a stereotype, and so I have no interest in pulling myself into a mold.” His music, remarkably mature and developed work for a guy in his early 20s, shows the same iconoclasm. That’s why it’s so strong, and so refreshing in a cookie-cutter Nashville. This is where Bobby is at his best. He is a terrific observer of countless musical styles, and fuses them into his own writing and performing – and producing. Many artists loathe the road, because the inconvenience and countless hassles of modern travel cramp their style. Bobby is the exact opposite. His musical antennae shift into overdrive when he goes abroad or even around the States – and after every voyage he returns home with fresh ideas for songs, arrangements, and production. Yet his time in Music City - a name which few remember came not from Country but from Gospel, via the Fisk Jubilee Singers’s European tours in the 1860s and 1870s - has also had a positive impact on Bobby Hamrick’s work. One of his Nashville blessings has come from working with Gospel singer Todd Suttles. Suttles is both a Gospel singer and a strength coach at nearby Vanderbilt University. Soon, Bobby became Todd’s guitar player at shows; the two guys quickly influenced each other’s music. Hamrick’s passion for a variety of instruments also found a musical direction in Nashville. “One of the biggest influences the Nashville scene has had on me is the usage of a variety of acoustic instruments,” Hamrick says. “I especially love the Bluegrass instruments - guitar, mandolin, Dobro, fiddle, banjo, upright bass - they all have their own voice, and I love that. I tried to employ a lot of these on my album.”
So do yourself a favor: Listen to the Entire Album. Now.

Bobby Hamrick on MySpace

Ray Bonneville is a roaming blues poet, inspired by the road and the many other places he has called home—New Orleans, Colorado, Arkansas, Alaska, Boston, Seattle, Paris, France, Montreal and Austin Texas. Born in Canada and raised in the United States, Bonneville has lived all over. No place, however, has been more influential than New Orleans.

In the streets and clubs of New Orleans, Bonneville soaked up the prevalent take-your-time attitude that ran through the music being played there. “There’s something about the heat and humidity that makes people slow down,” he says. “New Orleans is where I learned to take my time, to allow space between the notes so the songs could truly groove.” That groove is at the core of Bonneville’s sound. A one-man band, he backs up weathered, storytelling vocals with a highly percussive guitar style, dramatic harmonica lines and a foot that keeps the rock steady beat. The result is a big sound with an almost primitive quality. It’s visceral, raw music.

Like the great American writers of the south and his favorite authors Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O’Connor, Bonneville is inspired by the places he has been and the unusual people he has met throughout his travels. His songs are like short stories, evoking true-to-life characters that stumble their way through a rough and tumble world of violence, hope and despair. Heavily influenced by the natural world, Bonneville finds himself splitting his time these days between Montreal, Austin and Cotter, Arkansas, where he likes to write songs and fly-fish the White River.

Honing his craft for the last 30 years, Bonneville’s gritty storytelling and deep-grooving blues style has won him much critical attention. In 1999, Ray won the prestigious Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for his third album Gust of Wind. His fourth release, Rough Luck, was also nominated for the coveted award. With his 2004 Red House debut Roll It Down, Ray made himself a name in blues and roots music circles, garnering rave reviews from DownBeat and No Depression. He has toured all over the world, sharing the bill with such blues legends as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, J.J. Cale and Robert Cray and in 2007 wowed the music industry with his bring-down-the-house performances at the South By Southwest and Folk Alliance conference. A world-class guitarist, harmonica player and hard-hitting songwriter, it is no wonder that Ray has received rave reviews from blues, jazz and roots critics alike and can count among his fans such artists as Chris Smither and Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Ray received an award for “2008 Song of the Year” at the International Folk Alliance conference for his song “I Am The Big Easy.” The award was voted on by Folk & Americana radio DJs all across North America. “I Am The Big Easy” is a song in which the city of New Orleans is speaking to the world, and is off Ray’s 2008 release, “Goin’ by Feel,” co-produced by Gurf Morlix (Mary Gauthier, Lucinda Williams), Rob Heaney (Cirque du Soleil, Kate & Anna McGarrigle) and himself, the album features a special guest appearance by Eliza Gilkyson, who sings on “I Am the Big Easy” and “Carry the Fallen.”

The power-packed album “Goin’ by Feel,” of smoky groove-laden story songs proves once again that Ray Bonneville “creates his own powerful and unique version of the blues” (Dirty Linen).

Website: www.RayBonneville.com

Ray Bonneville on MySpace

Brooks Williams is a blues singing, guitar picking, bottleneck slide playing certified road warrior who has toured continuously for over twenty-one years. His unique combination of traditional and original music inspired Dirty Linen magazine to call Brooks Williams one of “America’s musical treasures.” His guitar skills won him a place on the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists list, in company with the likes of Michael Hedges, Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, and David Bromberg, to name a few.

A native of Statesboro, Georgia (the same Statesboro as Willie McTell’s Statesboro Blues), Brooks has played stages throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and, most recently, Istanbul, Turkey. He has gigged with Taj Mahal, John Hammond, David Bromberg, Maria Muldaur, Chris Smither, Leo Kottke, and Rory Block, and performed the Trowbridge Festival, the Guitar Stars Festival, the Marlborough Jazz Festival, the Champlain Valley Festival, and New Bedford’s Summerfest.

Brooks Williams has released more than 16 albums on labels like Signature Sounds, Green Linnet Records, Red Guitar Blue Music, and Solid Air Records. The Time I Spend With You, 2008’s tour-de-force, went to #3 on the FOLKDJ charts (with three top ten singles, including the Mississippi Fred McDowell standard, 61 Highway) and remained on the charts for six months.

Other ground breaking titles in Williams’ extensive discography include the best-selling roots/blues Knife Edge (1996), produced by Colin Linden, the award-winning instrumental Guitar Player (2005), which made the 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitar Albums list, and his acoustic gem Blues and Ballads (2006).

Brooks Williams has been praised by the likes of The Boston Globe, Acoustic Guitar, Blues In Britain, and Guitar Player. He has appeared on World Café, The BBC, and All Things Considered, and his recordings are favorites on roots and blues radio programs, as well as XM Satellite Radio. His innovative guitar sound-bytes can be heard in between segments on National Public Radio and on Public Television.

As one of the world’s premier acoustic guitarists and singers, Brooks Williams continues to tour worldwide, every night delivering the deepest and most intense interpretations of everything from early blues songs to his recent original compositions. He is quite simply one of the most entertaining and engaging performers on the circuit today. From coast-to-coast, country-to-country, Williams and his guitars roll and tumble like nobody’s business.

Website: www.BrooksWilliams.com

Brooks Williams on MySpace

Walter Strauss has been described as “Michael Hedges meets Bruce Cockburn and together they steal Ry Cooder’s smoking jacket…”

Blame it on Rawlins, Wyoming. Fingerstyle guitar wizard Walter Strauss was born out there in the big open, and was seduced to look to the vast spaces of the American West for his musical inspiration. But while rooted in American folk forms, Walter’s music evokes far reaches of the globe as well. He’s worked with musicians from West Africa to Australia and Finland, and successfully weaves world beat, Americana, and jazz into a brand uniquely his own.

Walter Strauss digs deep grooves for his audiences - he layers on highly articulated melodies and harmonies, rhythms and counter-rhythms in a way that gives the impression he is playing several instruments at once. His voice is smokey and intimate, and captivates the listener with a dastardly charm whether he’s singing a lusty proposition or an existential lament.

Before embarking on his solo career, Walter performed for more than 15 years as an ensemble musician at concert venues, theaters and festivals throughout the United States, Canada and Ireland. He toured extensively with Rounder Records’ eclectic folksters The Burns Sisters Band and performed alongside numerous first-rate musicians, such as fiddle legend Vassar Clements and Celtic guitar wizard Martin Simpson. Of late, Walter has been performing solo and with The Walter Strauss Trio – with bassist Sam Bevan (David Grisman, Joe Craven) and drummer/percussionist Kendrick Freeman (Alison Brown, Rob Ickes). For the last 3 years, Walter has also engaged in a unique transcultural collaboration, touring periodically in a duo with Malian kora virtuoso and 2005 Grammy nominee Mamadou Diabate.

In the words of reviewer Patti Witten (FAME), Walter’s first solo CD “Pulling Shadows” is “a soulful journey of stellar guitar playing and songs suffused with tenderness and wit. Walter Strauss has the scope and musicianship to express himself in multiple genres… in a fresh way, without cliché or repetition.” Legendary British broadcaster Bob Harris gives the CD a big thumbs up… “What a lovely album it is!” On the disc, as in live performance, he weaves together a cohesive quilt of musical styles and somehow renders each more 3-D, more psychedelic. Walter colors outside the lines.

Website: www.WalterStrauss.com

Walter Strauss on MySpace

Dionne Farris came to the attention of the music world with her vocal contributions to Arrested Development’s Grammy Award winning breakthrough hit single “Tennessee,” on their 1992 debut, 3 Years, 2 Months, & 5 Days In the Life of… Her critical acclaimed solo debut, “Wild Seed — Wild Flower”, was released in the summer of 1994, spawning the hit single “I Know”. Dionne’s beloved hit single “Hopeless” from the movie Love Jones was an instant classic, staying at ..1 on the R&R Billboard chart for a record 18 weeks.

Dionne Farris had once again reached iconic levels as her song defined the hearts and minds of this progressive-minded audience. Over the years Dionne has appeared on several compilations and soundtracks and has been true to her musical identity, making it her primary focus. Her commitment to her personal expression has made her an exceptional artist, one to truly idolize as she religiously rocks from the soul remaining strong in her authenticity. In light of this, her wildly anticipated forthcoming effort, “Signs of Life” promises to super cede the expectations of her adoring fans. The quality of what she brings is consistent with her greatest work as she continues to create from truth and is ever faithful in delivering her universal message.

Bold, brave and courageous, Dionne Farris is on the verge of quenching her audiences thirst once again.

Website: www.DionneFarris.wordpress.com

Dionne Farris on MySpace

New York city-based songwriter Amy Speace is a street-smart folk/Americana artist with an edge, prompting comparisons to artists like Neko Case, Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash. A world-class voice, award-winning songs and an engaging stage presence led the North American Folk Music Alliance to nominate her as their “Emerging Artist of the Year.”

Folk music icon Judy Collins calls Amy Speace “one of my favorite new songwriters.” That led her to sign Amy to her own record label, Wildflower Records. A city girl who grew up on old country music and immersed herself in everything from opera to garage rock, Amy writes smart, genre-bending songs, infused with empathy and a poetic directness, that bridge the gap between folk, country and rock. She sings them with a powerfully emotive voice and then backs it all up with one of the best bands around, The Tearjerks. Heavy touring in the United States and Europe has propelled her into the international spotlight.

Michael Jaworek books her to perform at the Birchmere, American’s Legendary Music Hall, because “rarely do I receive a CD that is complete in its brilliance . . . songwriting, music, production. Amy reminds me that there is always someone out there who has The Goods.”

Amy has shared the stage with Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Ian Hunter, Little Feat, Alejandro Escovedo and many others.

“This cool little lady has one of those spellbinding voices that just draws you in. Soft and seductive, yet witty and street smart, and a little dangerous, she gets two full-hearted thumbs up. Hell, I’ll give her a few digits extra. She’s that good.” Irish World

“Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don’t know where you’re going to end up or how you’ll ever find your way back, but that doesn’t matter right now: you’re enjoying the trip.” Scott Brodeur in No Depression.

Website: www.AmySpeace.com

Amy Speaceon MySpace

Adopted as an infant and raised in New York, Diana Jones left home at the age of 15 in search of her roots. Unlike her friends, Diana was attracted to the music of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, as well as contemporary artists, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. It wasn’t until she was reunited with her birth family and the music of the Eastern Tennessee hills some years later, that she discovered why that music had always moved her.

Diana Jones’ music is informed by the themes that have run through her life - love, loss, and redemption. From the mournful lament of a dance hall girl, to the stomping melodic rant of a young woman’s burial instructions, each of Diana’s original songs from her latest CD, My Remembrance of You, draws life from the rich cross currents of country, country blues and mountain music. The result is vibrant, contemporary music with a gritty and timeless feel. This is the first issue for the NewSong label, which will feature Diana and other top artists appearing at the (NPR radio show) Mountain Stage NewSong Festival.

Her album has spent months on the Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart, including the #1 most-played song. It also charted on the Euro-Americana Chart, where it debuted at #3, just behind the Guy Clark and Johnny Cash albums. Her fans were treated to more good news in 2006 when she was named a Kerrville New Folk winner, the most prestigious award in the singer-songwriter world. Previous Kerrville competitors include Nanci Griffith, Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle.

“In a word, charming. Lovely strummed acoustic instrumentation, a gently swaying melody, a hillbilly feminist lyric and a Southern-drawl vocal. The album is a major, major country music event.” Robert K. Oermann in Music Row Magazine

“Wow, Wow, Wow this lady can sing and write a song like very few can do. Diana Jones performs with a confidence that seldom graces an artist. Her style is so different that it is refreshing to the senses.” Roots Music Report

“Increasingly compared to the likes of Iris DeMent and Gillian Welch, Jones just might be the best American songwriter most people have never heard of.” –Chrissie Dickinson in the Chicago Tribune

Website: www.DianaJonesMusic.com

Diana Jones on MySpace

Stevie Coyle (late of the whiz-bang string band The Waybacks) is one lucky bum. His dad ran a radio station in southern California and brought home all the promo LPs that didn’t fit the Spanish-language format. The Ventures’ “Guitar Freakout,” “The fifty Guitars of Tommy Garrett and Alvin and The Chipmunks Play the Beatles’ Hits all came home on a single day.

It didn’t hurt, either, that string-meister David Lindley played in a bluegrass band that rehearsed right next door and gave Stevie his very first lessons, or that his dear Granny was a pianist in the heyday of Vaudeville and that his sainted mother was a whiz in mandolin orchestras during the 1930s.

Not even several years of playing folk masses every Sunday could quash his musical spirit, and in high school he began fingerpicking, inspired - as so many were - by that first Hot Tuna album.

After securing degrees in Theatre and Theology at Santa Clara University, Stevie hit the road for 3 years with The Royal Lichtenstein Circus. Once back home, he signed on as actor and stage manager for The San Jose Repertory Company. He announced killer whale shows. His best friend was an elephant. While in Los Angeles, Stevie appeared on Cheers and in many television commercials and had a regular role on The Young and The Restless.

Settling in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stevie continued his acting career, doing commercials, radio, voiceovers and films. In 1999 he co-founded The Waybacks and toured steadily with them from 2001 through 2007. During that time, the band released 4 albums, played major festivals like Merlefest, Gray Fox, Floydfest and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and collaborated with Llyod Maines, Michelle Shocked and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.

Website: www.StevieCoyle.com

Stevie Coyle on MySpace