September 15, 2014 | Folk Roots Radio

Stephen Fearing – Fearing & White Interview

Sep 15 2014

Fearing & White are back on tour in Ontario and Alberta. Stephen Fearing & Andy White released their second album as a duo, “Tea & Confidences” earlier this year. We caught up with Andy White prior to their barnstorming appearance at the 2014 Hillside Festival. You can check out that interview on the website HERE. As it seemed only fair that we check in with the other half of this pair of wandering minstrels, we caught up with Stephen Fearing at home while on a short touring break. During our fun and wide-ranging conversation we tackled such topics as balancing solo and band commitments, recording and touring “Tea & Confidences”, why Gary Craig is such a great drummer, music as a business for independent artists 101 and the ‘Manzer guitar / Air Canada incident’. It’s a great interview and well worth checking out. Music: Fearing & White, “Emigrant Song”, “Tomorrow Takes A Long Time”, “We Came Together” and “To The Great Unknown” from “Tea & Confidences” (2014, Lowdenproud).

Jesse Winchester – New Album

Sep 15 2014

When Jesse Winchester passed away early in 2014 I think many people thought that the music had died with him. Well, the good news is that is not the case. A new album, “A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble”, has just been released on Appleseed Recordings. The album was recorded while Jesse’s cancer was in remission and features nine Jesse compositions alongside three cover versions.

The self-written songs on the album are all quintessentially Jesse Winchester – songs that cover the whole gamut of life experiences from transient pleasures (“All That We Have Is Now”), to tongue-in-cheek rockers (“Never Forget to Boogie”), and an uneasy peace (the heartwrenching “Just So Much”). Never maudlin, A Reasonable Amount of Trouble is inevitably tinged with an awareness of mortality but not a drop of self-pity. The covers are all sweet oldies, “Rhythm of the Rain”, “Devil or Angel” and “Whispering Bells”. Jesse plays acoustic guitar and keyboard and sings in his uniquely weightless tenor, there’s an attuned rhythm section, and guest appearances by “newgrass” country Grammy winner Jerry Douglas on lap steel and legendary saxophonist Jim Horn, among others. The new album was produced by Mac McAnally (Jimmy Buffet’s producer), who also plays lead guitar. Buffet, a huge Jesse fan wrote the liner notes.

Its an excellent album, one that really grows with you. We’ll be playing songs from the album on Folk Roots Radio. In the meantime, here is Jesse Winchester with the easy on the ear and relentlessly upbeat “All That We Have Is Now” (2014, Appleseed Recordings). For more information visit jessewinchester.com.

Archive - September 15, 2014