John Paul White Interview

Morning Show Host Brendan Hogan recently chatted with Singer/Songwriter/Producer John Paul White ahead of his show at Once in Somerville on Monday, May 13th.

BH: Congrats on the new record! By the summer of 2014, after years on the road and much success with The Civil Wars, you decided to move on. I imagine that must have brought a sense of relief; to have time ready to spend with your family. Now you're back with your second solo album in 3 years. How are you feeling?

JPW:  "I’m feeling more comfortable with this vagabond style of life than I have in a while. It’s been a bit of a learning curve - how much is enough, how much is too much - and it probably always will be. I’m getting better at balancing my need to connect with people through my songs and my longing to just sit and hold my babies" 

BH: Tell us about The Hurting Kind. On this album you enlisted the help of some Nashville icons to help co-write (i.e., Whisperin' Bill Anderson and Bobby Braddock) and create the sound of the album (i.e., Pat Bergeson and Lee Ann Womack). Seems like you were going directly for a big countrypolitan/Nashville sound?

JPW: "I was going at it indirectly. I wanted those countrypolitan elements involved, but I wanted to steer clear of making a retro, throwback kind of record. Early on I realized that my voice and melodic sensibilities were always going to give it a unique spin, as I’m not a traditional country singer. That allowed me to immerse myself in the instrumentation and arrangements, but not worry too much about sounding dated."

BH: You are a tremendously gifted singer and songwriter. Which came first, and do you still approach your music that way?

JPW: "That’s very kind! I’m the most self-deprecating guy out there when it comes to my voice. I’m tweaking constantly to try to improve. Singing was my first love, by far. I never wanted to be a songwriter when I was young. I just wanted to sing and catch the girl’s eye. It was college before I started seriously realizing why I loved this, and that was due to my songwriting. I dug into the bones of what really was going on inside me when I’d get those chill bumps from music. 

BH: The Shoals region of Alabama has for decades been a hot bed of great music via FAME Studio, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and all of the incredibly soulful records that came out of those places. Today it's artists such as yourself, The Alabama Shakes, Jason Isbell, The Secret Sisters, Patterson Hood and others. Any thoughts as to what makes the area special?

JPW: "Back in the day it was sheer determination and ignorance. Our founding fathers and mothers around here were blissfully unaware that you had to be in New York Or LA or Nashville. They figured a hit was a hit was a hit. That sort of blind confidence seeped into the town and the generations that followed. I think we all had a leg up on other communities, knowing that if you build it they will come - instead of the other way around. That allowed us to create in our comfort zone instead of a rat race. 



BH: Anything you want to share that is on the horizon for John Paul White?

JPW: "At the moment I’ve got my head down and am stoked to tour for the next 4 months. I’ll be hitting pretty much the whole lower 48, and then off to the EU. But...songs are starting to pop in my head left and right. That really makes me excited about the future." 

WUMB Staff Picks: Best Of 2016

We've all got different musical tastes here at WUMB and that's part of what makes the station so eclectic! Here are our individual picks for Top 10 Albums of 2016:

Brendan Hogan

1) Dawes - We're All Gonna Die

2) Kacy and Clayton - Strange Country

3) The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust 

4) Leonard Cohen - You Want it Darker

5) Samantha Farrell - September Sun

6) The Rolling Stones - Blue and Lonesome

7) Aaron Lee Tasjan - Silver Tears

8) Esme Patterson - We Were Wild

9) Peter Wolf - A Cure for Loneliness

10) Bob Weir - Blue Mountain

Dave Palmater

1) The Small Glories - Wondrous Traveler
2) Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur - Penny’s Farm
3) Lisa Bastoni - The Wishing Hour
4) Richard Shindell - Careless
5) Kacy and Clayton - Strange Country
6) Mandolin Orange - Blind Failler
7) Bob Weir - Blue Mountain
8) Darrell Scott - Couchville Sessions
9) Session Americana - Great Shakes
10) Eileen Ivers - Beyond the Bog Road

Albert O

1) Vandaveer - the Wild Mercury
2) Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like A Levee
3) Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
4) Darlingside – Whipporwill
5) Sam Beam/Jesca Hoop - Love Letter For Fire
6) Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust
7) Stray Birds - Magic Fire
8) Grant Lee Phillips - the Narrows
9) Cactus Blossoms - You're Dreaming
10) Mandolin Orange – Blindfaller

Jess Phaneuf

1) Ages and Ages – Something To Ruin
2) Fruit Bats – Absolute Loser
3) Esme Patterson – We Were Wild
4) The Lumineers - Cleopatra
5) Sam Beam/Jesca Hoop – Love Letter For Fire
6) Dawes – We’re All Gonna Die
7) Margaret Glaspy – Emotions and Math
8) Bon Iver - 22, A Million 
9) Regina Spektor – Remember Us To Life
10) Parker Milsap – The Very Last Day 

Jay Moberg

1) The Lumineers – Cleopatra
2) Case/Lang/Veirs – Case/Lang/Veirs
3) Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate
4) Samantha Farrell – September Sun
5) Hiss Golden Messenger – Heart Like A Levee
6) The Jayhawks – Paging Mr. Proust
7) Karl Blau – Introducing Karl Blau
8) Esme Patterson – We Were Wild
9) Sam Beam/Jesca Hoop – Love Letter For Fire
10) Stray Birds – Magic Fire

Perry Persoff

1) Allen Touissant - American Tune

2) Aoife O'Donovan - In The Magic Hour

3) Lee Harvey Osmond - Beautiful Scars

4) Lucinda Williams - The Ghosts of Highway 20

5) Carrie Rodriguez – Lola

6) Dennis Brennan - Into This World

7) Sarah Jarosz – Undercurrent

8) Margaret Glaspy - Emotions and Math

9) Christian McNeill - Trapped On The Planet, Part 1
10) The Jayhawks - Paging Mr. Proust

Top 10 Albums of 2016

WUMB listeners and members weighed in with their picks for the best albums of 2016 and we created a Top 10 list with the results! 

Here's the list:

10. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Let Me Get By

9.     Samantha Farrell – September Sun

8.     The Avett Brothers – True Sadness

7.     Joan Baez – 75^th Birthday Celebration

6.    Aoife O’Donovan – In the Magic Hour

5.    Bonnie Raitt – Dig In Deep

4.    Lake Street Dive – Side Pony

3.     The Stray Birds – Magic Fire

2.    Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

1.    Lori McKenna - The Bird and the Rifle

New at WUMB

We're loving this collaboration of Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs! lang invited Case and Veirs to make this album three years ago in a one-line email, and what they've made is fantastic.

"case/lang/veirs, their first album together, feels like something ... substantial and exciting: a worthy extension of three tremendous catalogs, in which three great singer-songwriters sound enhanced and invigorated by the challenge of living up to each other's legacies."

 -- Stephen Thompson, NPR Music

Eric D. Johnson's group Fruit Bats is getting attention for their recent album Absolute Loser. After a five-year hiatus, Fruit Bats' new record is a great renewal of their old sound. Says Eric Swedlund of Paste Magazine, "anyone who’s tapped feet or nodded along to Fruit Bats in the past will find plenty to embrace with this new batch of familiar, comfortable tunes."

 Esmé Patterson's song "No River" comes off her album We Were Wild. Check out the music video, and see why she's one of our favorite new artists here at WUMB!

New on WUMB

We've recently been playing the new Paul Simon single "Wristband" from the forthcoming album Stranger to Stranger. The album comes out June 3rd.

“Stranger to Stranger is a set of songs that crack jokes and ponder questions about love, death, spirituality, baseball, economic inequality, brain chemistry and music itself. It’s the latest ambitious, tuneful installment in…an exceptionally long career.”

 – Jon Pareles / The New York Times

We've been loving the new Lumineers album Cleopatra! They haven't put out an album since their debut in 2012.

"The number of fans we have blows us away. I don’t care about the number of records we sell, I’m just happy that the music connects with people."

-Wesley Schultz   guitarist/singer





 Have you heard the Eli Paperboy Reed cover of the Johnny Cash tune "Cut Ya Down"?

 

Check out more new music we've been playing HERE.

WUMB's Top 10 Albums Of 2015

After tallying listener votes, we made a list of the Top 10 Albums of 2015... here they are!

1) Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free2) Josh Ritter - Sermon on the Rocks3) Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell - The Traveling Kind4) Patty Griffin - Servant of Love5) Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter6) Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color7) Dave Rawlings Machine - Nashville Obsolete8) Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands9) Rhiannon Giddens - Tomorrow Is My Turn10) Mark Knopfler - Tracker

WUMB Hosts Choose Their Favorite Albums Of 2015

We'll start our TOP 10 COUNTDOWN tomorrow! Tune in throughout the week as we reveal WUMB's Top 10 Albums of 2015...meanwhile the staff here has shared their personal favorites:

Brendan Hogan
Mornings

1) Jeffrey Foucault - Salt As Wolves
2) Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
3) Rhiannon Giddens - Tomorrow Is My Turn
4) Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands
5) The New Basement Tapes - Lost On The River
6) Pops Staples - Don't Lose This
7) The Suitcase Junket - Make Time
8) Mark Knopfler - Tracker
9) Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune
10) Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Volume 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-1966

Dave Palmater
Middays

1) The Dustbowl Revival - With a Lampshade On
2) Barnstar - Sit Down! Get Up! Get Out!
3) Josh Ritter - Sermon on the Rocks 
4) Old Man Luedecke - Domestic Eccentric
5) Darlingside - Birds Say
6) Tom Russell - Rose of Roscrae
7) Tim O’Brien - Pompador
8) Gretchen Peters - Blackbirds
9) James McMutry - Complicated Game
10) Della Mae - Della Mae

Albert O
Afternoons

1) Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
2) Christopher Paul Stelling - Labor Against Waste
3) New Basement Tapes - Lost On The River
4) Josh Rouse - The Embers Of Time
5) Joan Shelley - Over + Even
6) Joe Pug - Windfall
7) Israel Nash - Silver Season
8) Mandolin Orange - Such Jubilee
9) HoneyHoney - 3
10) The Wood Brothers - Paradise

Jess Phaneuf
Evenings

1) Alabama Shakes - Sound And Color
2) My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall
3) Decemberists - What A Terrible World What A Beautiful World
4) Josh Ritter - Sermon On The Rocks
5) Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter
6) Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands
7) Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, Sometimes I Just Sit
8) Punch Brothers - The Phosphorescent Blues
9) Laura Marling - Short Movie
10) JD McPherson - Let The Good Times Roll

Perry Persoff
Host

1) Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
2) Josh Ritter - Sermon On The Rocks
3) Calexico - Edge Of The Sun
4) Mike & Ruthy Band - Bright As You Can
5) Ana Egge w/The Stray Birds - Bright Shadow
6) Mandolin Orange - Such Jubilee
7) Rhiannon Giddens - Tomorrow Is My Turn
8) The Dustbowl Revival - With a Lampshade On
9) Eilen Jewell - Sundown Over Ghost Town
10) Danielle Miraglia - Glory Junkies

Patrick Coman
Local Folk

1) Suitcase Junket - Make Time
2) Jeffrey Foucault - Salt As Wolves
3) Brown Bird - Axis Mundi
4) The Grownup Noise - Stewing
5) Caitlin Canty - Reckless Skyline
6) Session Americana - Pack Up The Circus
7) Darlingside - Birds Say
8) Barnstar - Sit Down! Get Up! Get Out!
9) Tall Heights - Holding On, Holding Out
10) Krista Baroni - The Alabaster Girl

Jay Moberg
Program Director/Music Director

1) Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free
2) Dave Rawlings Machine - Nashville Obsolete
3) Israel Nash - Silver Season
4) The Wood Brothers - Paradise
5) Mandolin Orange - Such Jubilee
6) Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell - The Traveling Kind
7) Jeffrey Foucault - Salt as Wolves
8) Joan Shelley - Over + Even
9) The Ballroom Thieves - A Wolf in the Doorway
10) The New Basement Tapes - Lost on the River

In Memory Of Michael Troy

We lost one of the good ones last Sunday. Michael Troy lost his long, courageous battle against cancer. He was a brilliant songwriter, a kind and gentle man, and I am proud to have called him friend for some three decades. He was a true working class folksinger. More Guthrie than Dylan. He worked hard all his life. He had been a commercial fisherman and a mill hand.

The thing about Michael’s songs it that you believe every word of them, every line of every song. That's because Michael has seen it, done it, and been it. His songs are about real people who have real lives. People who work and love and triumph over the everyday obstacles that we all face, and sometimes fail. He writes of the people that populate the seacoast of his native Massachusetts but are they that different from the people that you know? And as soon as you've heard the songs don't you feel like you've known them all your life?

Michael was a rare observer who could condense a story into a few simple verses. He was a rare writer who creates poetry that sounds like speech. It seems to be just the way people talk, only better. Michael was also a rare composer who writes melodies that sound like the people whose stories they carry.

In ancient days Michael might have been called a bard, but rather than telling tales of epic battles he chooses to tell the stories of people whose battles are smaller but, in their own way, just as epic. As you listen to Michael's songs you come to know these folks and you come to like them. As you listen to his songs you'll also come to know Michael, you'll like him too, and believe him, every line of every song.

For more information on Michael visit http://www.folkmichaeltroy.com.



-Dave Palmater