Browsing: Interviews

New York folkie Lucy Kaplansky reflects on her unexpected journey from clinical psychologist to celebrated singer-songwriter. In this candid interview, she shares insights on her creative process, the value of co-writing with her husband, and her unique approach to independently producing and marketing her music. With a new album on the horizon, Lucy discusses the evolution of her career, her enduring passion for songwriting, and the balance between artistry and business in today’s music world.

Smack dab in the middle of the milling crowds at the Notodden Blues Festival is the stage where the Little Steven’s Band Camp students play. “It’s very important for us to do that,” Festival Director Jostein Forsberg explained. “You’re going to see the kids one way or the other.”

“My U.S. fans are expecting ‘Devil with the Blues Dress On’ and ‘Jenny Take A Ride’ or ‘Sock It to Me.’ They’re gonna hear songs they have never heard before.”

On Thursday, November 7th, The Ruf Records 30th Anniversary Tour kicks off at Carnegie Of Homestead Music Hall in Pittsburgh. Samantha Fish headlines the show that includes Mitch Ryder, Canned Heat, Bernard Allison, and Ghalia Volt.

The Owsley Stanley Foundation of Grateful Dead fame has just released ‘You’re Doin’ Fine,’ a sumptuous three-CD set capturing John Hammond at two 1973 concerts at the Boarding House, a small club in San Francisco. The sound man was Owsley Stanley who invented the Grateful Dead’s wall of sound technology.

“I didn’t know that Owsley was recording that show. I was told he was the sound man, but I didn’t understand the significance of it. I mean the sound is great.”

“Our approach to it is to make it authentic, and we do that all the time. People say, ‘You guys sound like the record, only better.’” Interview with Dusty Hanvey, who has been the Grass Roots’ lead guitarist and one of their vocalists since 1984.

Prakash’s second album, ‘8000 Miles To The Crossroads,’ is out now on Blue Point Records!

For the artist who’d soon be known as Fantastic Negrito, busking was not a first step. It was a way to restore a sense of purpose following a disastrous major label experience and a debilitating accident. “There’s a lot of power not caring. not wanting things, and that’s how busking was for me.”

Author Cary Baker shares exclusively a chapter from his new book, ‘Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music.’

Interview with Earl Thomas, whose songs have been recorded by legendary artists such as Etta James, Solomon Burke, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

Jostein Forsberg, a musician and former steel worker born and raised in Notodden, has served as the festival’s director since 1990. In his conversation with American Blues Scene, Jostein explains how the festival became a mainstay of the local economy after the industrial jobs vanished.

There’s no question Jerry Phillips has his daddy’s genes. “Do something different or don’t do anything at all.” Debut solo record out now via Omnivore Recordings!