Welcome Friends!
News
May 22, 2022NewsHello Friends and Fans! After a long hiatus with NO NEWS from us – sorry! We are finally getting back on the bandwagon, literally!
New Album Coming!
There are great things on the horizon for me and the NFE this summer and beyond. First up is a new album project to tell you about, and DRUMROLL! It’s pretty spectacular! None other than Joe Craven is producing an EP album project for us, so far without a title, but will consist of only SIX songs, all (except one original) from the classic American Songbook! Yes! We are changing direction ONCE AGAIN!
The new album has begun taking shape as I write, with exciting new elements to announce. Our guest producer is also appearing on the album, offering percussion, violin and mandolin. Next kinda fabulous news is that we will also be joined by two other guest musicians, both Grammy winners! None other than the great Laurence Juber will guest on guitar, and Bill Cunliffe on piano! We are once again working with Frank Rosato at Woodcliff Studios in Los Angeles for recording, and this begins in July and continues through the summer and hopefully will be wrapping up in early September. STAY TUNED for word of this great new project!
Susie Teaches at Kentucky Music Week July 19 through 24
I’m thrilled to be on the faculty for my first year at Kentucky Music Week as it returns to in-person gathering and instruction over the week of July 19-24 near Louisville, Kentucky. Check it out at their website below. If you’re in Kentucky, come join us! http://www.kentuckymusicweek.com
“A Folk Diva’s Guide to the Galaxy” is on FolkWorks.com!
My new blog is now bi-monthly on FolkWorks! Check it out here: https://folkworks.org/folkworks-features/blogs/
Concerts on Hold For Now
Our concerts are on hold for now until we have our new album in hand, so watch for newsletters and social media posts about us and we’ll see you down the road! Happy Summer Everyone! [...]
October 28, 2021NewsHey Friends!
We’re gearing up some fun stuff for this autumn and winter and we hope you’ll be a part of it!
Our Halloween Livestream on Facebook is coming up on October 31st, 4:00 pm. Pacific time! Join me and our whole band for a really fun show. AND there’s a special promo for this show! Send us a photograph of you in costume watching our show, along with your snail mail address, to newfolkfusion@gmail.com and we’ll send you our latest CD “Live at McCabe’s” completely free! Watch the show here: https://www.facebook.com/WoodshedSessionsOnline
We have live gigs! If you’re in the Southern California area, plan to join us LIVE at The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, on Friday, December 10th at 8:00 pm! Go to the website to check out the details and location, and then call to reserve your seats! Here’s the number to reserve: Call 626.798.6236 for reservations between 10A – 10 P. Proof of vaccination and mask protocol will be observed, so come prepared. Visit their website: https://www.coffeegallery.com/ Live music rocks!
Susie’s Teaching!
Private Voice Lessons on the Zoom platform! Get in touch with me here to schedule a lesson: susieglaze@gmail.com
I’ve been added to the faculty of Kentucky Music Institute for traditional and Appalachian balladry and voice study. Members pay a small monthly fee for access to educational units of all kinds for traditional instruments, voice and more. Check it out here! https://kentuckymusicinstitute.com
November 6 Fundraiser for FolkWorks.org!
Join me and many other wonderful musicians to help FolkWorks raise money for their ongoing work on their fabulous new website. It’s a live streamed event over the Zoom platform and is free to watch with a suggested donation. I’ll be hosting the Americana room at 6:00 pm along with the fabulous Ernest Troost and Rick Shea joining me. Join us and play a song or two for us! You have to register for the event. Click this link to find out more and to register! https://folkworks.org/event/folkworks-fun-raiser-party/ [...]
March 11, 2021NewsOur concert series The Woodshed Sessions are back on March 28, 4pm Pacific time! We’ll resume with every last Sunday of the month at the same time, featuring our trio of Steve Rankin on mandolin, bouzouki and guitar, Fred Sanders on bass, and me on lead vocals and guitar. All of us will be sharing songs, stories, jokes and lively banter from our living room stage! Make plans to join us! Go to https://www.facebook.com/WoodshedSessionsOnline at 4:00 pm Pacific! All shows will also be archived for later viewing. Go to the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/458483432136714/
Susie On Faculty of Vocáli Voice Camp At Home April 30-May 2
I’m thrilled to be teaching at Joe Craven’s Vocáli Voice Camp April 30-May 2. The camp is all virtual, and unlike other retreats, there are no simultaneous classes. The entire student body studies together as a group and moves from class to class as one!
About Vocáli Voice Camp: “Sounds, songs and the written word, dovetail to words creating language that become stories. It’s how to use the unique and personal blueprint that is your voice – expressively and compellingly – that we pursue. This is not an ability based camp; the Faculty of Vocáli validates where you are with what you know – and moves you forward from there. Anyone can come to Vocáli and leave changed for the better, both creatively and with greater confidence. We learn as one large group, so we all move through the same experience together, uniting as friends old and new.” My classes are listed on the site so you can see what I’ll be involved in. Check it out at https://vocalicamp.com! [...]
February 15, 2021NewsFebruary 15, 2021
Dear Friends and Fans,
This last year has been a tumultuous time for our culture
and world, as you know, and our music has had to move, pivot, adjust, and find
grace inside the silence. We thank you
for being part of it in any way that you have, and for your patience in waiting
for more news of us and our work.
The New Folk Ensemble pivoted to an online presence with our
Woodshed Sessions concert series in May of 2020, producing livestream shows on
Facebook once a month, as it was previously planned to be, live in concert at
the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, California. With the closure of that venue in mid-March,
all of these shows had to go online and we did so, including almost all of our
previously booked guest artists.
Luckily, our learning curve bent toward success and we finished the year
with these shows archived on the Woodshed Sessions Facebook platform.
At the beginning of this year we took a break from live
streams, with the exception of performing for a few benefit concerts. My work as Vice President of FAR-West (Folk
Alliance Region West) continues as this organization has also had to pivot to
online activity and advocacy. With the
in-person conferences canceled, FAR-West has been a vigorous presence in virtual
education and entertainment, including its partnership with Folk Alliance
International, the parent group, in creating content for the FAI Unlocked
Festival happening this month.
Susie’s Teaching!
Another silver lining to this era of limitation has been the development of my voice teaching program, now held completely online over the Zoom platform. It’s been a truly amazing process to get to know my students, develop a weekly newsletter for them and produce our once-monthly open mic nights. Check out the new tab “Vocal Coaching” on this website for more information on singing lessons and student testimonials.
What Is the Band Doing? What’s Coming Up?
In November of last year, we were able to work as a quartet and safely film a music video at the Ojai Underground Exchange. It’s a recording of Linda Thompson’s great song “No Telling” and you can find it here: https://youtu.be/lLa9AYEGQTg
The Woodshed Sessions Return in March
We rested our livestream concerts during January and February,
but will be revving up The Woodshed Sessions in March, this time with a full
90-minute set from our trio, Steve Rankin on mandolin, bouzouki and guitar,
Fred Sanders on bass and myself on guitar and lead vocals. Please watch my newsletters and social media
for news of those shows, and plan to join us!
Susie’s New Blog on FolkWorks is Coming Soon
FolkWorks online music resource is redesigning their website,
launching this month. I’m excited to be
a part of this launch with a new blog “Voice Notes: A Folk Diva’s Guide to the Universe.” I’ll write about this more soon so watch for
this great new website and all the great resources it has to offer.
On a personal note, I do believe that I see a light at the end of this strange and dark tunnel we’ve been living in. Hope for the future is really starting to bloom in me. For now, though, we are mostly at home, double-masked when we go out, and staying safe and sane. I feel like this is a long, winter hibernation and the best of our souls is sleeping and dreaming of the great creative explosion that will come when we’ve made it through these hard times. But whether we see you in person sometime later this year or not, we will definitely be seeing you online more as we are committed to making music for you and finding unique ways to connect virtually.
Stay strong and stay safe! These days are some of the hardest any of us
have known. We can help each other get through it, so let’s do it.
Keep in touch! Send
me an email anytime at newfolkfusion@gmail.com.
And as my dear Jean would sign off,With love and blessings,
Susie [...]
May 20, 2020News“Live at McCabe’s” Nominated for Best Live Performance Album by Independent Music Awards
From the press release:
New York, NY April 9, 2020 — Named the BEST NEW FOLK artist by LA Weekly in May of 2019, the award-winning Americana folk fusion group The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble from Los Angeles, California joins Lucinda Williams, Steven Van Zandt, Jesse Malin, Jonatha Brooke, STORRY, Sawyer Fredericks, Sofía Rei & JC Maillard, Chiara Izzi, Jake La Botz, Wouter Kellerman, Guy Scheiman, The Dollyrots and Sekou Andrews as a Nominee in The 18th annual Independent Music Awards (IMAs), the influential program for independent artists and releases from around the globe.
Recognized for “Live at McCabe’s” in the Best Live Performance Album category, The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble is among the 400 artists nominated in the 18th IMAs by fans and industry, in more than 100 Album, Song, EP, Music Producer, Music Video and Design categories. [...]
May 20, 2020NewsHey Folks!!
The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble duo presents the return of our concert series The Woodshed Sessions including featured guest artists from Southern California and beyond! Since the onset of the Covid-19 quarantine we have had to cancel our live shows at the Coffee Gallery and have moved our show online. All shows will be streamed here: https://www.facebook.com/WoodshedSessionsOnline/
Upcoming shows:
Our next show is on Friday, June 12, featuring great LA singer/songwriter John Zipperer.
A former TV actor and stuntman, John’s clear voice, infectious melodies and heartfelt lyrics reach fans in places that they didn’t know existed. Soon everyone is singing along, swaying, chair dancing, head bobbing, clapping, and then singing louder. Fans remark over and over about the joy that is evident when the band is on stage joy in their playing, joy for their audience, joy from their audience. Peter Krantz – The Camarillo Café Concert Series: “A night of John Zipperer’s music is a totally unique musical experience that transcends categories and genres.” Ed Pearl – The Ash Grove: “John Zipperer is an outstanding guitarist, composer and singer, whom I’ve heard and enjoyed, a lot. Check him out”. Donations appreciated to: www.Paypal.me/Johnzipperer And visit www.johnzipperer.com
In July!
We’re delighted to announce that Ernest Troost will be joining us for the July installment of The Woodshed Sessions Return Online! Plan to join us on Friday, July 10th right here on this stage at 5:00 p.m. for the duo set and at 6:00 for Ernest Troost.
In the meantime, donations are gratefully received for this series at https://paypal.me/HilonesomeMusic or www.venmo.com/Susie-Glaze-1. We really appreciate it!
Voted Best New Folk by LA Weekly! The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble has been likened to the classic British bands Pentangle and Fairport Convention in that they blend classic folk music with rough-edged stories of tragedy and fate, all with orchestral arrangements sounding like chamber music gone folk!
Get our new CD “Live at McCabe’s”, nominated for Best Live Performance Album by the Independent Music Awards 2020! Download the album today on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-susie-glaze-new-folk-ensemble/1471712481 [...]
Welcome to the Home of The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble!
We’re glad to have you visit! Have a look around the site to find our music, live performance videos, photos, our performance calendar, and so much more. Getting in touch is easy ~ have a look at the Contact and Press Kit page, and find out more about us at our “About” page.
The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble
Award-winning vocalist Susie Glaze, mandolinist Steve Rankin, fiddler Mark Indictor and bassist Fred Sanders are The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble, the newest version of the acclaimed Los Angeles-based Americana group, a lush new folk Americana fusion ensemble, presenting gorgeous eclectic blends of mountain folk and exciting new grassy and Celtic-inspired originals, all with the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze. The group has been likened to the classic British bands Pentangle and Fairport Convention in that they blend classic folk music with rough-edged stories of tragedy and fate, all with orchestral arrangements sounding like chamber music gone folk! The band has appeared at many premier venues and festivals on the West Coast, including Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage, McCabe’s Guitar Shop, The Broad Stage, the Hollywood Bowl, Palms Playhouse, Don Quixote’s Music Hall, Kuumbwa Jazz Center and CalTech Folk Music Society among others. Their CD “White Swan” was released in March of 2013 to critical acclaim from No Depression, FolkWorks, Pop Matters, M Magazine for Musicians, Music News Nashville and FolkWords UK among others, and charted in the Top 50 on the Roots Music Report’s Combined Internet and Terrestrial Folk Chart. Their new album “Not That Kind of Girl” produced by Herb Pedersen was released in June 2015 and is enjoying critical acclaim and radio airplay around the country. “If there were a word to describe this fine band, it would be sophisticated. They draw influences from disparate sources to meld their sound. The level of musicianship is exemplary.… display a great range of prowess and work as a tight unit.” Bluegrass Unlimited. “…one of the finest and most original Americana groups in California (or in the country for that matter).” No Depression. Augmenting their sound is the lush, Celtic sounds of Rankin’s bouzouki, the mountain sounds of Susie’s Appalachian dulcimer and traditional autoharp, with Mark Indictor’s virtuoso fiddling and Fred Sanders’ remarkable bass work rounding out the orchestral nature of this amazing quartet.
Susie Glaze has been honored to be included on the newly-released Compass Records tribute album “Dear Jean – Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie” alongside such artists as Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Janis Ian, Tim O’Brien, John McCutcheon, Robin and Linda Williams and many more.
“The band is tight, great picking, and beautiful vocals and harmony.” KVMR, Nevada City, CA
“She held the audience in the palm of her hand….” Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival
“…does something with a song that only great singers can do…” KCSN, Northridge, CA
“One of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today.” KPFK’s FolkScene
“…with people like this to trust, my music will go on living, and soaring. And so will I.” Jean Ritchie
Susie's Blog
April 16, 2018BlogHi Friends!
So excited that the “I Celebrate Life” Tour begins next week! Here is a great promotional video for the show and I hope you can join us! If you’re not in the area, the first show, at Caffe Lena, is live streamed on Concert Window. We start at 7:00 Eastern time, and the tickets to stream the show are only $3.00! Click Here to Live Stream on April 26!
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
March 4, 2018BlogFolkWorks Roots Festival ~ “I Celebrate Life” Tour ~
River Tunes Music Camp….All Coming Up!
FolkWorks Roots Festival March 24
“I Celebrate Life” Tour Coming in April
River Tunes This Summer!
Hey Good Friends!
The New Year is filling up with some amazing new opportunities and adventures!
FolkWorks Folk Roots Festival Meets Fundraising Goal!
Great news to report that the FolkWorks Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the FolkRoots Festival March 24 was a huge success, exceeding their goal! Thanks to all who contributed.
I’m looking forward to presenting my workshop at the festival at 10:00 am “The Art of the Unaccompanied Voice” all about a cappella singing styles and techniques. Come join me there, and then join us in the afternoon when Tom Corbett will join Mark Indictor, Fred Sanders and I for a main stage set. Visit the Festival Website Here
“I Celebrate Life” Tour Starts April 26!
I’m very excited to announce the dates for the “I Celebrate Life” Tour with Dan Schatz, Jon Pickow and Kenny Kosek this spring! Our tour will commence on Thursday, April 26 at the historic Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY and this concert will be streamed live on Concert Window! We then go to Folkfactory in Philadelphia and then finish up at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington DC. Hope you can join us! Go to our “Calendar” page to check the dates, times, locations and all the info!
River Tunes Music Camp Presents Guest Artist!
I’m really thrilled to report that I’ve been asked to present at Joe Craven’s River Tunes Music Camp this summer in Northern California! This is a great and unique music immersion with amazing teachers and experiences for all. I’ll be presenting my workshop on The Art of the Unaccompanied Voice in two sessions. There’s more information below and I hope you will join us there. Registration is now open! Visit the RiverTunes Website Here
For more information on upcoming shows and workshops Make Sure to Check our Website Here and click on the “Calendar” page. More fun things are on the horizon for us this year ~ travel and new places and new goals. As always, we hope to see you down the road and share the love of music in community!
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
August 25, 2016BlogIntroducing the Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble, Americana Folk Fusion
Dear Friends,
The other morning I walked outside and distinctly felt a difference in the air ~ that oh so subtle shift that comes with the very beginning of the season changing. It was just a faint change ~ in light, the texture of the air ~ but knowing what it brings, this small change always represents something much larger on the way.
We hope you’ve had a great summer. When we last wrote to you in April we were preparing to travel to the great Merlefest music festival in early May. The festival was a great experience! We were so wonderfully taken care of there, and were so excited to be performing amongst some of the best musicians in the world.
The news we bring this month is that, like the season, our band is evolving. Our lead guitarist and composer, Rob Carlson, has made the decision to leave performing and concentrate on songwriting, and his songs will continue to make up a large share of our repertoire. We’ve been re-grouping through the summer and some exciting things are taking place, mainly with new collaborations with brand new partners in music. And in our soul-searching summer, we also realized that we wanted very much to change our name. We wanted our name to reflect the folk-dominated sound we produce, music we love and are developing. The Hilonesome Band will now be known as (drumroll!)……The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble. I hope you like it because the new stationery is already at the printers! 🙂
The New Folk Ensemble will make its debut as a performing quartet on Saturday, October 8 at the FolkWorks Folk and Roots Festival in Santa Monica. Come out and support FolkWorks, a wonderful organization that has been energetically and devotedly supporting folk music in Southern California for so long! Lots of great talent on the bill, dance, workshops (I’m teaching singing!), jamming, folk films, craft vendors, silent auction and a beer and wine bar! Check it out and plan to join us! You can find details on our Our Show Calendar Page
New Partners
As mentioned above, we’ve started work with several great musicians who are new to us, and we’re cooking up some great shows and tours. First to mention is our friend Glenn Houston, lately of the Bay area’s Houston Jones Band. Any of you who have heard and seen Glenn play will testify to the fact that he is a phenomenal talent! Our debut show featuring Glenn will be at none other than the venerable McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica on Saturday, October 22. And look for news of shows coming up as we develop our new repertoire with Glenn.
The Good Intentions
Next up is another very cool collaboration, this one with the U.K.’s Americana super group, The Good Intentions. Steve and I are debuting as a duo for the first time ever, and we’ll be joined by this great husband and wife duet. Their work is centered around the original songwriting of Peter Davies, guitarist, and lead vocal, supported by harmony vocals from Gabrielle Monk, who also plays autoharp and accordion. Their songs have an old time feel with memorable tunes, clear harmonies, thoughtful lyrics, and traditional instrumentation. When we first played together last year we realized that our work was complimentary and so hatched an idea behind this perfect fit! We’re appearing with the Good Intentions at The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena on Friday, October 21, and will debut this collaboration as a two-duo show (with help from a few local friends) that night! Also, this will be a CD release concert for the Good Intentions so come get your brand new copy of their new record! And if all goes well, we’ll be off across the pond next year!
Joe Craven and the Sometimers
There are more collaborations on the way, including with our great friend and brilliant musician, Joe Craven, for two shows in November. We’re looking forward to presenting with Joe for the first time, with his fabulous new trio, The Sometimers.
Thank you kind readers and fans for sticking with our group over the years. Your support and fandom has meant the world. You help me keep going! Now let me thank you in person at a show! Check out the shows on our Show Calendar Page and plan to join us!
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
February 21, 2014BlogOur new concert series continues Friday March 7 at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena….read on!
Hi again, Friends,
Well, our first two “Woodshed Sessions” are under our belt, with the series beginning in January. The series has been a big success so far. We’re continuing to debut brand new songs with each show and have some exciting new material for our March 7th show, where we’re delighted to welcome our good friend Tracy Newman as our special guest.
“The Woodshed Sessions” will be our new “workout room” where we debut new songs we’re writing and preparing for a new album, just to get them on their feet. Also each month we’ll be featuring a different local songwriter we love who will also be bringing new works to the stage. The shows will be relaxed and living-room like in the spirit of experimentation and innovation.
Visit the Coffee Gallery website at www.coffeegallery.com and
THEN CALL 626-798-6236 to make your reservations!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other NewsBits:
Top Ten Americana Albums for 2013 on No Depression
Our newest album “White Swan” is on No Depression’s Top 10 albums for 2013! Read It Here on No Depression! http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2342817%3ABlogPost%3A1030851&commentId=2342817%3AComment%3A1031006&xg_source=activity
Earbits Radio
Our music has been selected for airplay on Earbits Radio! Check it out here!
Harlan County Boys – http://www.earbits.com/s/pRDYN0NKdaNf
Charting on Roots Music Report
“White Swan” is now charting on the combined internet and terrestrial chart for The Roots Music Report’s Weekly Top 50 California Album Chart for the Week of Feb 15, 2014. Check it out!
http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/charts/view/album/state/california/weekly
Pandora Radio ~ Find the Hilonesome Band on Pandora!
Check it out here: http://www.pandora.com/station/play/1869158696238719696
Mac users also look for us on the new iTunes Radio.
Boulevard Music Teaching
I’ve been put on the roster at Boulevard Music in Culver City as a voice instructor, teaching vocal technique for bluegrass and folk music styles in private sessions. Call Boulevard Music to schedule your voice lessons! Visit www.boulevardmusic.com
“Singin’ the Moon Up” on FolkWorks
My latest column is now posted on FolkWorks, this month about Jean Ritchie’s favorite song from “Old Christmas,” the Southern Harmony’s “Brightest and Best.”
Read the column on FolkWorks here: http://folkworks.org/columns/singin-the-moon-up-susie-glaze/42035-brightest-and-best
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
October 5, 2013Blog“The dreams of my life are so simple and few…
Just to be back with you, back with you….in the heartland.” ~ Denise Hagan, “Heartland”
Hey Friends,
Wow, it’s already Autumn…doesn’t it seem like it snuck up on you? It does me, although I’m always happy to have it arrive. I’ve been reading Linda Ronstadt’s fine memoir, “Simple Dreams” and really enjoying it. I recommend it if you would like to read about one of the true ground zero locations of the development of country rock in the sixties-seventies. Kind of amazing that such ground-breaking work all got done in such a small area of the world ~ The Troubador in LA!!
And the shifting sands are already moving beneath us…
I’ve also been inspired by our busy wood-shedding at the house these last couple of months. Since coming off tour in July, and after some R&R, the guys and I have become enraptured of our new songs. Many of them have emerged from our songwriter in residence, Rob Carlson, who has pulled out a treasure trove of songs that seem to have been waiting for us to discover them. First off, I have to tell you about the great new instrumental “Independence” that will open our show at McCabe’s ~ oh! we are going back to McCabe’s Guitar shop on November 16! More about that below (and our cool new poster is above – thanks to Russ Paris for the design!) ~ it sounds like the opening of a great, epic, cinematic adventure!
Then there’s a song that Rob wrote for me called “Not That Kind of Girl” that we debuted at the Labor Day Harvest Fest at Bedford Winery. So much fun ~ a real swinging and sweet old fashioned love song. Mark Indictor, our amazing fiddler, brought us Denise Hagan’s gorgeous song “Heartland,” a bittersweet song about the pull and tug of feelings for going back to your land of birth and the life you have made outside of it. Steve Rankin is going to literally “rev it up” for his lead vocal on Rob’s fabulous rockabilly song “427” (this is about a car, I’m told…). There is also a possibility of yours truly actually singing a rock and roll song called “Never Give Up” which the guys are urging me to get ready. So I’m working hard on that one. And some older, new favorites (you’ll see, just come to the show!), Fred’s “Take Me Along,” the whimsical “Don’t Resist Me” and Steve on lead on the David Olney classic “Millionaire.” Check out our great music video of this song from our tour last May on our Home or Video page.
We’re really excited and happy about our return to the finest acoustic venue in all of Los Angeles, the famed and famous McCabe’s Guitar Shop, on November 16. I’ve also got a singing workshop planned for that day and I hope you’ll call and sign up. Also in November we’re going to shoot a music video of our song “April Fools” from our most recent release “White Swan.”
In January we’ll be starting a new series at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, on four first Fridays, we’re calling “The Woodshed Sessions” featuring our new material as well as one guest songwriter each month, bringing us their new songs in development. It will be cutting edge! So stay tuned for that.
Later this fall I’ll also be telling you about a show I’m producing as a benefit for the Howard Larman Scholarship Fund of the FAR-West Folk Alliance Regional organization (FAR-West Website). A very worthy cause indeed, so please make plans to join us on Saturday, January 25th at the Thousand Oaks Library. A stellar line up of music will attend!
Other NewsBits:
“White Swan” was Number 1 on the Top 50 Internet Folk Chart, Roots Music Report for all of August!
Pandora Radio ~ Find the Hilonesome Band on Pandora! Here’s the link: http://www.pandora.com/station/1432298446106166587
Teaching at Boulevard Music
I’ve been put on the roster at Boulevard Music in Culver City as a voice instructor, teaching vocal technique for bluegrass and folk music styles in private sessions. Call Boulevard Music to schedule your voice lessons! I look forward to seeing you there! Find them at www.boulevardmusic.com
New Column on FolkWorks
I’m proud of the new column on FolkWorks, sharing the great writing of our friend, Terry Roland, in his article “Unsung Heroes of Americana” which originally appeared in No Depression. The article includes some wonderful video from Jean Ritchie’s documentary on her life and work, “Mountain Born.” Find it at www.folkworks.org
As always we send you all our very best and hope to see you at a show!
Susie and the Hilonesome Band: Mark Indictor, Rob Carlson, Steve Rankin and Fred Sanders
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
May 29, 2013BlogHey Friends,
Lots going on here in Hilonesome Land this late spring/early summer!
Our first music video is ready and we’re really proud of the great work done by SunDog Studio on this project for our recording of Ernest Troost’s song “Harlan County Boys” from our new album “White Swan.”
Watch “Harlan County Boys” on YouTube
Speaking of “White Swan” we have a great new review up on No Depression thanks to Terry Roland ~ here’s an excerpt:
“From the earthy opening fiddle strains on White Swan to the final song’s sweet homage to Appalachian singer-songwriter Jean Ritchie, it’s clear this is not an album to listen to once and put away. Susie Glaze and The Hilonesome Band have made an album that is a ride through a wide range of Americana meadows and valleys. From skilled instrumentation bluegrass jams, Appalachian vocals, sweet high lonesome harmonies and old-time folk influences, White Swan sings with the richness of a tapestry of American music that weaves together each genre through song-craft, clear production and authentic performance in such a seamless way, it feels like we’re hearing just one genre; great American music…With an already considerable string of successful albums behind them, White Swan brings Susie Glaze and Hilonesome Band to a new and rare place for a band veteran traditional musicians; a breakthrough album stepping into new musical territory. As the final track, Jean Ritchie’s “The Soldier,” echoes with the Appalachian fiddle and Glaze’s haunting voice, it’s clear this album is a rare and timeless gem and one of 2013’s best Americanaalbums.”
Find the entire review here: No Depression Reviews “White Swan”
We Have a Pandora Channel!
We’ve gotten our channel on Pandora up and running! See below news item and link over to the Pandora radio channel! Pandora Radio for Susie Glaze & the Hilonesome Band
Teaching at Boulevard Music!
I’m happy to announce that I’ve been put on the roster at Boulevard Music in Culver Cityas a voice instructor, teaching vocal technique for bluegrass and folk music styles in private sessions. Call Boulevard Music to schedule your voice lessons! I look forward to seeing you there! Visit Boulevard Music Online
Writing ~ New Column For FolkWorks
I’ve started a new column for the online music magazine Folkworks called “Singin’ the Moon Up.” It’ll be a bi-monthly posting about Appalachian music and often featuring reflections on my friend Jean Ritchie and her music legacy. The new column for May/June has just been published, dedicated to Jean’s fine song “West Virginia Mine Disaster.”
Read the Latest Column Here on Folkworks for a special announcement about a very special CD tribute project also coming soon.
Special House Concert ~ June 1
We’re thrilled to be returning to Russ & Julie’s House Concert series in Oak Park on June 1 with our dear friends Jeni & Billy, the great Nashvilleold-time duo. Both J&B and we have new albums to share and we hope you’ll join us! It will be a really stellar evening of roots music from the hollars and the fields. Russ & Julie’s is the premier house concert series in Southern Californiaand we always have a blast with these great hosts!
Find the Facebook Event Here
See you at the show, and online!
~
Susie and the Hilonesome Band
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Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
April 10, 2013Blog
West Virginia Mine Disaster
Hello again, Friends,
I’d like to devote a blog to the great Jean Ritchie original song “West Virginia Mine Disaster.”
I first heard Jean herself perform this song several years ago at a music festival where we were appearing together. It is sung a ccapella, and she did so, sitting in a chair under a tent with lots of folks listening. It was transformative for me. The story of a woman whose husband disappears into the mines one day never to return was one that hadn’t been told quite like that ever in my experience. And, true to Jean’s introduction of the song when she sings it, it hadn’t ever been written from that perspective before either ~ of the woman’s view of things when a tragic accident falls on a mining community.
Jean always says that when she ever heard of a story that didn’t have a song to go with it (as was always the case when she was growing up in Eastern Kentucky), she knew she had to write one.
So this is how Jean introduces the song and it’s now what I say to audiences of my own:
“When a mining accident occurred in the neighboring state of West Virginia, it came to my mind that all the mining disaster songs were about the places, the men’s names and the dates. None of them told how the women felt when they had to stay home. It was taboo then for women to go into the mines and the women would often wonder what goes on when the whistle blows off time.”
Say did you see him going, it was early this morning?
He passed all your houses on the way to the coal.
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender,
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home.
It was just before twelve, I was feeding the children.
Ben Mosely came running to give us the news;
Number eight is all flooded, many men are in danger,
And we don’t know their number, but we fear they’re all doomed.
So I picked up the baby and I left all the others
To comfort each other and pray for our own;
There’s Timmy, fourteen, and there’s John not much younger,
Their own time soon will be coming to go down the black hole.
O if I had the money to do more than just feed them,
I’d give them good learning, the best could be found,
Then when they grew up, they’d be checkers and weighers,
And not spend their time drilling in the dark underground.
O what can I say to his poor little children?
And what can I tell his old mother at home?
And what can I say to my heart that’s clear-broken?
To my heart that’s clear broken, if my darling is gone?
Say, did you see him going, it was early this morning?
He passed all your houses on the way to the coal,
He was tall, he was slender, and his dark eyes so tender,
His occupation was mining, West Virginia his home.
Jean’s beautiful recording of this song can be found on her 1971 album “Clear Waters Remembered.” Clear Waters Remembered
It was also included on the marvelous soundtrack album to the PBS documentary “The Appalachians” The Appalachians
Here’s Jean’s Track on Spotify
I was lucky and honored to perform this song for Jean herself when we worked together on our 2005 Jean Ritchie tribute show “Singin’ the Moon Up: The Voice of Jean Ritchie” at Penn State. Later that same year I began adding West Virginia to our regular concerts with the Hilonesome Band. Here it is from The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, California:
Susie Sings West Virginia Mine Disaster
Discussion of this song brings to mind the singing of a ccapella songs in the Appalachian style and tradition. I was reminded of the power of this type of performance when seeing the Chieftains in concert recently. Their percussionist came to the front of the stage early in their first set to sing un-accompanied, and it was powerful, pure and beautiful.
In my research, I found that singing solo served a purpose in the country community: it was always a time of quiet respite in the midst of noisy gatherings, and the singer would always tell a tale with his or her tune. It was implicit that the story not be “acted out” but simply sung plainly: heartfelt, yes, but not animatedly, as an actor would, “trying to put the song over.” In my experience, either listening or singing, when the story is “told” this way it is more able to be vividly imaged by the listener. The singer just simply needs to “get out of the way” and trust the song, trust its own integrity and life. For me, it truly becomes an internal journey. And to underline the spiritual nature of the performance, I would remind everyone that in fact, the old-time rural Baptist church didn’t allow accompaniments to their hymns, believing that God didn’t need the “decoration” for an expression from the human to the Divine.
The Jean Ritchie Tribute Project
There’s some great news coming out of the East coast that I can let you know about! It’s the soon-to-be-announced tribute CD project to honor Jean Ritchie, produced by long-time colleagues and friends Dan Schatz, Charlie Pilzer and Mick Lane. This CD project will be a treasure to honor Jean’s life’s work and will feature new recordings of her original songs and songs from her family tradition, with all proceeds benefiting Jean as well as organizations that work against mountaintop removal. Some wonderful and amazing artists are involved, and I eagerly await its official announcement. I was honored and happy to be invited to sing on this project, and my recording of “West Virginia Mine Disaster” will be there.
Please stay tuned for more news of this landmark album coming soon.
In the meantime, I send you blessings and love,
Susie
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
April 2, 2013BlogAnnouncing the Release of Susie Glaze & the Hilonesome Band’s new 2013 album
“White Swan”
“Glaze and company have done a wonderful job of charming us in the past but now it seems like her recent vintage live set was to clear the palette before the next stage was set. A bluegrass crew that could easily stand toe to toe with Union Station, this crew has elected to widen the lens and take newgrass into the wide open mixing in Celtic, folk, roots, Americana and a full range of indigenous sounds that blend into a wonderful down home, home grown stew. Boldly powering their way down their own new cut road, if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy the Glaze sound yet, this is the place to jump in to be totally blown away. This is the perfect record for anyone that’s ever wondered what the big deal about roots/Americana is to find out what’s what.” Chris Spector for Midwest Record
“Exceptional musicianship… stunning, timeless ballads… like a clear mountain stream is the pure, clear voice of Susie Glaze…this is one gorgeous album – a ‘must discover.'” Folkworks
“I’ve said it before, ‘new is easy different is hard’ – many artists achieve the former, some the latter, few manage both. Well here’s one that falls into the ‘achieved both’ category. Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band have with ‘White Swan’ blended unadulterated Americana folk from a mix of influences – poetic narrative, a soupcon of bluegrass, a touch of mountain-muse and pure invention to create a folk-fusion of that’s both steeped in tradition and fresh as the sunrise…’White Swan’ blends the inspiration of tradition with the charisma of contemporary – and does it faultlessly.”
Tim Carroll, FolkWords (www.folkwords.com – UK)
“Susie Glaze & the Hilonesome Band continue to hone and refine their brand of rootsy Americana on their very appealing new album, White Swan. Alison Krauss and Union Station remain the most obvious reference point for this troupe which comprises Glaze on lead vocals, guitars and mountain dulcimer; Rob Carlson on guitar; Steve Rankin on mandolin and bouzouki; Mark Indicator on fiddle; and Fred Sanders on bass. But with White Swan, the band have broadened their bluegrass sound to encompass folky Celtic elements, and the results stand up well alongside the best of AKUS.
The playing throughout is supple and evocative and the choice of material is stellar, combining original (mostly penned by Carlson), traditional material and well-chosen covers. The Irish tune “Si Bheag, Si Mhor” ushers in a fine opening take on James Taylor’s “Mill Worker”; Glaze channels Joan Baez for a gripping “Fair Ellender”; Rankin takes a low-key lead on a cover of Steve Earle’s “Me and the Eagle”; and a spare, evocative reading of “The Soldier” by Jean Ritchie (about whom Glaze composed the acclaimed theatre show “Singing the Moon Up: The Voice of Jean Ritchie”) brings the album to an elegant end. The best tracks, however, are two stunning songs from the pen of Ernest Troost: the murder ballad “Evangeline”—sung from the perspective of the now-remorseful culprit—and the exceptional “Harlan County Boys” which economically traces a family history from the early 1900s to the present day. Glaze inhabits these songs with absolute conviction and subtle dramatic flair, making them the highlights of an altogether beguiling record.”
Alex Ramon, Pop Matters, London http://www.popmatters.com/
“The net has been cast wide,” says Susie Glaze of Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band, referring to the range of influences on their latest collaboration, “White Swan.” The West Coast quintet’s eleven-track project reflects a love for bluegrass, folk and Celtic music, with five originals written by various configurations of the band, plus well-picked covers by the likes of masters, such as Steve Earle (“Me And The Eagle”) and James Taylor (“Mill Worker”).
These artists have a performance chemistry that works, with tight arrangements of fiddle, mandolin, guitar and upright bass, and Glaze’s authentic Appalachian voice – by way of Southern California – is icing on their musical confection. The Ernest Troost song, “Evangeline,” allows her an opportunity to show more ache and tenderness in her confident holler style, and she sings in downright shades of Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention, Fotheringay) on the dulcimer-and-fiddle traditional English/Irish folk ballad “Fair Ellender.”
Glaze has a hand in penning “The Dark Eileen,” with its flowery recitation start, and her softer-side delivery glides over the Emerald Isle-inspired hills and valleys of its melody. The title track is where the band lives up to its high-lonesome moniker, and Jean Ritchie’s “The Soldier” closes out the set with a haunting Irish drone. SGTHB give listeners a fresh take on tradition.”
Janet Goodman, Music News Nashville
“If Susie Glaze were a newscaster, this crazy world would be a lot easier to take. On grisly murder ballads and carefree romps alike, the Tennesse native sings smooth and sweet, her voice like buttermilk pie. Having appeared on Broadway, Glaze has a knack for theatrics, and that serves her well on “Fair Ellender”, “Evangeline” and “The Dark Eileen”, the three of this album’s darker narrative tunes. Relief comes in the form of “April Fools”, a bubbly Appalachian bossa nova love song with giddiness to spare. Wherever Glaze goes, her band is right there with her, providig impeccable acoustic instrumentation and sometimes handling lead vocals. The presentation is as seamless as the songs are engaging.”
M Magazine for Musicians
__________________________________________________________________
“White Swan,” Susie Glaze’s fifth release, is truly her most eclectic and collaborative album in over ten years of her critically-acclaimed career as a bluegrass/folk recording artist. With this CD her Hilonesome Band has veered into the realms of new Celtic-inspired folk songs that harken back to the ballad form from the pen of lead guitarist Rob Carlson, as well as re-interpreted classic cover songs from such diverse sources as James Taylor, Steve Earle and Jean Ritchie. Also featured are two songs from Los Angeles singer-songwriter and Kerrville New Folk Winner Ernest Troost. Arrangements and new interpretations of songs you think you knew are here for re-discovery from this gifted acoustic quintet in a lush and orchestral folk setting.
Susie states about this album: “The fine players of the Hilonesome Band and I have created these tracks together and on this album you hear their voices alongside my own. We’ve come a long way from the early years of our band’s inception. We reached for the sounds of bluegrass because it was the music we loved ~ we were drawn to the stories, the romance, the warnings, the humor and the tragedies. Now we have found our sound branching out with a natural evolution ~ it came with exploring the older stories and longing for more complex music. Rob has been inspired to capture the darkness and mysteriously tragic elements of balladry from Ireland, England and Scotland. With the integration of real historical elements along with new and deeper complexity in music, our sound has made a most interestingly subtle shift: we’ve cast a wider net to discover a sound unlike anything we’ve done before. What is here is a true melting pot of influences that move us, from bluegrass to country to Celtic to Appalachia, and we’ve found our true home in this, our new, unique sound.”
The eclectic range takes the listener from bluegrass (“Little Rabbit”) to pensive country (“Evangeline”) to Bossa Nova (“April Fools”) to Celtic-inspired torch song (“Dark Eileen”). The album begins with a newly-interpreted “Mill Worker,” James Taylor’s classic, introduced by Mark Indictor’s beautiful fiddle on the traditional “Si Bheag, Si Mhor.” Indictor’s fiddle is featured again on Carlson’s new take on the old “Polly Vonn” story, this time as the title track “White Swan.” Jean Ritchie’s little-known but powerful “The Soldier” sends a message about the costs of war on the soul.
The innovation of this formerly-bluegrass band is taking them to a distinctly folk-driven Americana music, the sounds that came to America with the first immigrants: Appalachia, old-English balladry, Irish barn-burner fiddle music (the outro of “White Swan” was penned in the studio) and tender stories of family and legacy (“Harlan County Boys”).
One great album bonus is the inclusion of a previously-recorded live onstage sound track of the classic Childe ballad, “Fair Ellender,” arranged by Jean Ritchie, with Susie accompanied by Ritchie sons Peter and Jon Pickow and famed East coast fiddler, Kenny Kosek. At this concert, the Hilonesome Band will re-interpret “Fair Ellender” in their own way with bouzouki, guitar, fiddle and bowed bass.
The album is now released and available for purchase on CDBaby, iTunes and Amazon.
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
January 15, 2013BlogDear Friends,
Happy New Year!
I hope the New Year is off to a great start for everyone. Here in Los Angeles we are laughing at ourselves at how we cannot take this cold snap ~ our friends and family in more northern climates are chuckling too, as they are used to below freezing for this time of year. Angelenos, it seems, are mightily “put out” when the temps get below 85!
Otherwise, we’ve been lucky out here so far (knock wood) this winter. I had a most marvelous Christmas season, with luminous Hilonesome Band shows mixed with a lot of great singing at my beloved All Saints in Pasadena. The cool new thing was that our Christmas Eve service was streamed on the web, so friends in other parts of the country (and city) who couldn’t attend could watch and hear the whole thing on the internet. It was great to hear from them how much they enjoyed the music and it’s great to be able to share it this new way.
Now, as I write, we are thick into the campaign to release our new album “White Swan.” We’ve set our CD release concert at the venerable McCabe’s Guitar Shop (www.mccabes.com) for Sunday, March 3rdand you’ll be hearing more about that below and next month. Also, we received a nice new review on the album just a few days ago:
“Glaze and company have done a wonderful job of charming us in the past but now it seems like her recent vintage live set was to clear the palette before the next stage was set. A bluegrass crew that could easily stand toe to toe with Union Station, this crew has elected to widen the lens and take newgrass into the wide open mixing in Celtic, folk, roots, Americana and a full range of indigenous sounds that blend into a wonderful down home, home grown stew. Boldly powering their way down their own new cut road, if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy the Glaze sound yet, this is the place to jump in to be totally blown away. This is the perfect record for anyone that’s ever wondered what the big deal about roots/Americana is to find out what‘s what.”Chris Spector for Midwest Record
And from Folkworks:“Exceptional musicianship…stunning, timeless ballads…like a clear mountain stream is the pure, clear voice of Susie Glaze…this is one gorgeous album – a ‘must discover.’”
Here’s some writing from our liner notes:
Stories of tragedy and transcendence ~ the overpowering confrontation with one’s destiny ~ the sweet pathos in losing love and growing older ~ this is the human condition that gave rise to the urge to create folk songs from the earliest ages of human history…With the introduction of new evocative writing by our Rob Carlson, integrating historical elements along with new and deeper complexity in music, our sound has made a most interestingly subtle shift: we’ve cast a wider net to find a sound unlike anything we’ve done before. What is here is a true melting pot of influences that move us, from bluegrass to country to Celtic to Appalachia, and we’ve found our true home in this, our new, unique sound.
The innovation of this formerly-bluegrass band is taking them to a distinctly folk-driven American music that contains the sounds that came to America with the first immigrants: Appalachia, old-English balladry, Irish barn-burner fiddle music (the outro of “White Swan” which was penned in the studio) and tender stories of family and legacy (“Harlan County Boys”).
Lead guitarist Rob Carlson’s original songwriting is again a main focus of this album with four new songs, and some of the most sophisticated folk music on the scene today. The eclectic range takes the listener from bluegrass (“Little Rabbit”) to pensive country (“Evangeline”) to Bossa Nova (“April Fools”) to Celtic-inspired torch song (“Dark Eileen”). The album begins with a newly-interpreted “Mill Worker,” James Taylor’s classic, introduced by Mark Indictor’s beautiful fiddle on the traditional “Si Bheag, Si Mhor.” Indictor’s fiddle is featured again on Carlson’s new take on the old “Polly Vonn” story, this time as the title track “White Swan.” Jean Ritchie’s little-known but powerful “The Soldier” sends a message about the costs of war on the soul.
Also included is a recording originally appearing on Susie’s “Singin’ The Moon Up” Jean Ritchie tribute, the great “Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender (here as “Fair Ellender”), one of the most well-known of the original “Child Ballads” developed by Ritchie. Susie on the haunting lead vocal is joined by Ritchie sons Peter and Jon Pickow, and famed East coast fiddler, Kenny Kosek.
**************************************
The album is now out for pre-release review and will be posted for sale on line after the official release date, March 19th. I’ll make sure to let you know when it’s out there! Until then, if you’re in the area, please come out to a show and pick up a copy from us! We’ve made commemorative posters of the album art which we’ll have signed and available for collecting also. The album cover is getting a lot of nice attention ~ our graphic artist Anita Atencio again did a magical job on our package design.
We’ve got nice things going on during January and February, so please read below. We hope to see you at a show and please stay tuned for more news of “White Swan.”
Susie and the Hilonesome Band
Steve Rankin, Mark Indictor, Rob Carlson and Fred Sanders
**************************************
Friday, January 18, Camarillo Café Concert Series
Camarillo Community Center, 1605 East Burnley Street
Camarillo, CA 93010. 8:00 p.m. show. $10.00
www.camarillocafe.com. Contact Phone: 805.907.8318 or email: WhatsHappening@CamarilloCafe.com
Saturday, January 26 NAMM show
12 noon show at the Shubb Capo booth
Anaheim Convention Centerhttp://www.namm.org/
Saturday, February 2, David Harvey Presents
At the Cahuenga General Store, 5510 Cahuenga Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601Call for more info: 818-985-5916. An intimate venue furnished as an early 1900’s General Store with great homemade food (all ages welcome!). http://cahuengageneralstore.com.s121086.gridserver.comShow at 7:30, $10 cover charge. http://cityofangelsacoustic.weebly.com/
Saturday, February 16, West Valley Music Center
With Ernest Troost. 24424 Vanowen Street, West Hills, CA 91307. 8:00 p.m. Call for info: 818.992.4142 and visit http://www.westvalleymusiccenter.com/acoustic-music-series.html
Sunday, February 24, KCSN
Live performance on Americana Matinee with Kat Griffin. http://www.kcsn.org/programs/americana-matinee/
Sunday, March 3 “White Swan” CD Release Concert
McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405. 7:00 p.m. $15.00. Call for information: (310) 828-4497. Find more info at http://www.mccabes.com/and order tickets on line at http://www.mccabes.com/condata.html. Tickets can be purchased either at the store, through the online store or by phone with your credit card at (310) 828-4497.
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
October 19, 2012Blog
“Fate gave the word, the arrow sped, and pierced my darling’s heart….and with him all the joys have fledlife can to me impart…”
“White Swan” Is on the Way!
Dear Friends,
I’m thrilled to be working on our new album even as I write, tentatively titled “White Swan.” Below are some notes on the production that will give you an idea of what’s coming. I hope you’ll read and be intrigued!
Stories of tragedy and transcendence ~ the overpowering confrontation with one’s destiny ~ the sweet pathos in losing love and growing older ~ this is the human condition that gave rise to the urge to create folk songs from the earliest ages of human history.
This is the most truly collaborative work I’ve ever released. The fine players of the Hilonesome Band and I have created these songs together and on this album you hear their voices alongside my own.
The band was just absolutely amazing in the studio. I felt so thrillingly happy as I stood in the vocal booth and sang and played the songs we’ve perfected over the last year and a half. I looked around to see if anybody was just noticing how great everything sounded!
Excitingly, we developed Ernest Troost’s “Harlan County Boys” at the last minute when we realized we needed another song to fill out the album. Luckily, Steve and Rob and I had worked on the song in late July and had a great arrangement all ready with a demo to practice with and charts. So we got that song together in just a couple of hours and to me that is the mark of a great band, the ability to pull out a great performance in a short time because of technical skill and collaborative bonding. I’m so excited by the outcome. I think this song of Ernest’s is, like all his work, profound, poetic and beautiful.
This album is a real milestone for our band, marking an evolution that has had a long coming of age. Our growth and evolution has made me look back to sum up this now almost ten year journey. We’ve come a long way from the early years of our band’s inception. Our first album “Blue Eyed Darlin'” released in 2005 introduced us to the world via the songwriting of our lead guitarist, Rob Carlson. We reached for the sounds of bluegrass because it was the music we loved ~ we were drawn to the stories, the romance, the warnings, the humor and the tragedies. With the introduction of new evocative writing by Rob, integrating historical elements along with new and deeper complexity in music, our sound has made a most interestingly subtle shift: we’ve cast a wider net to find a sound unlike anything we’ve done before. What is here is a true melting pot of influences that move us, from bluegrass to country to Celtic to Appalachia, and we’ve found our true home in this, our new, unique sound.
Lead guitarist Rob Carlson’s original songwriting is again a main focus of this album with four new songs, and some of the most sophisticated folk music on the scene today. Songs of tragedy at the hands of violence and mistaken identity, as well as lighthearted musings on love and growing older make up an eclectic and tunefully lovely mix. Also featured are songs from two other Los Angeles songwriters: Ernest Troost’s great “Evangeline,” and “Harlan County Boy,” and Fur Dixon in collaboration with Rob on “Little Rabbit.” As on earlier albums, the work of the great Jean Ritchie is present, with the profoundly moving “The Soldier.” Fred Sanders makes his songwriting debut with the Hilonesome Band on his original song of family, “Rockin’ in Your Grand Daddys’ Chair,” and Steve Rankin is the fine and expressive lead on Steve Earle’s poetic “Me and the Eagle.” James Taylor’s great anthem “Mill Worker” opens the album as a tribute to all working women everywhere. Also included is a recording originally appearing on Susie’s “Singin’ The Moon Up” Jean Ritchie tribute, the great “Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender (here as “Fair Ellender”), one of the most well-known of the original “Child Ballads” developed by Ritchie. Susie on the haunting lead vocal is joined by Ritchie sons Peter and Jon Pickow, and famed East coast fiddler, Kenny Kosek.
We are indebted once again to our fine friend and collaborator Rick Cunha who has done a masterful job of engineering for this record. Rick has been working with us and for us since the early days of the Eight Hand String Band in 2000 for their record “Simple Truth.” He’s since engineered our albums “Home On the Hill,” “Blue Eyed Darlin’”, “Green Kentucky Blues” and also handled file transcription and mastering on our live stage soundtrack of “Singin’ The Moon Up: the Voice of Jean Ritchie.” We love Rick and love working with him at his cozy and beautiful studio, the Rainbow Garage in Los Angeles.
Below is our upcoming show schedule through this year ~ we are especially gratified with the FolkScene broadcast coming up on October 28th. Tune in online at KPFK’s Streaming Online and stream the show from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. We’re also looking forward to welcoming our friends Houston Jones to Southern California during the first part of November for two shows with us. Check that out below and make plans to join us and hear this very fine and rocking Northern California band! These should be two really awesome shows!
Until next time, please visit us on Our Facebook Page and Our Home Website. Come on out to a show, bring friends and come say hey!
We all send you love and blessings,
Susie and the Hilonesome BandSteve Rankin, Mark Indictor, Rob Carlson and Fred Sanders
____________________________________________________________________Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, The Broad Stage, CalTech Folk Society, The Freight & Salvage Coffee House, WFMT’S “Folkstage ” with Rich Warren, Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival, San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival, Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, FolkScene with Howard and Roz Larman, McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Skirball Cultural Center and California Traditional Music Society among many others.
This is the best in lush newgrass Americana folk roots fusion, gorgeous eclectic blends of mountain folk and exciting new bluegrass and Celtic-inspired originals, all with the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze. “…one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today.” KPFK’s FolkScene“…with people like this to trust, my music will go on living, and soaring. And so will I.” Jean Ritchie
OCTOBER-DECEMBER SHOW SCHEDULE
Sunday, October 28th “FolkScene” Broadcast on KPFK 90.7 Pacific Radio. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Stream it live on www.kpfk.org www.folkscene.com
Friday, November 2, Coffee Gallery Backstage (with Houston Jones)2029 North Lake Blvd., Altadena, CA 91001. Showtime: 7:00 p.m. Call for reservations: (626) 798-6236 Visit the website for more information at www.coffeegallery.com
Saturday, November 3, Boulevard Music (with Houston Jones)4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230. Show time at 8:00 p.m. Call for reservations: (310) 398-2583 and visit www.boulevardmusic.com for more information.
Saturday, December 1, CTMS Benefit 7:30 pm concert. 16953 Ventura Blvd, Encino 91316. 7:30 show time. Other artists include Fur Dixon, Ross Altman and Tom Corbett.
Saturday, December 8, Hemet Public Library ~ Music at the Library. 300 East Latham, Hemet, CA 92543. 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, Noble House ConcertsSherman Oaks, CA. Website: http://www.jrp-graphics.com/noblehouse/8:00 p.m. show. Email our host, Barbara Greenspan at: barb@noblehouseconcerts.com or call (818) 780-5979 (Directions given upon RSVP).
Saturday, December 15, FolkWorks Concert at the Santa Monica History Museum1350 7th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310) 395-2290, Doors open at 7:00 pm, Concert starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets $15.00. Visit www.folkworks.org
Source: The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Blog [...]
Albums
Do You Have This in Blue?
Digital buy/stream links: Apple Music: Link Spotify: Link YouTube Music: Link Amazon Music: Link HearNow: Link To Purchase a physical CD: Contact newfolkfusion@gmail.com ...
Live at McCabe’s
Purchase Links CDBaby AmazonLink Apple MusicLink The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble Recorded on November 11, 2018 by Wayne Griffith ...
Not That Kind of Girl
Produced by Herb Pedersen Street release April 2015 Buy on CDBaby.com | Buy on iTunes | Buy on Amazon.com Listen ...
White Swan
Buy on CDBaby.com | Buy on Amazon.com | Buy on iTunes Listen White Swan (2013) “Exceptional musicianship… stunning, timeless ballads ...
LIVE at the Freight & Salvage
Live! At The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse: Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band (2011) Listen Buy on CDBaby.com Buy on ...
Listen to the Mockingbird
Listen to the Mockingbird (2005) Songs from the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum by The Eight Hand String Band Listen ...
Singin’ the Moon Up
Singin' The Moon Up: The Voice of Jean Ritchie (2007) Listen Buy on CDBaby.com Buy on Amazon.com Order direct from ...
Green Kentucky Blues
Green Kentucky Blues (2008) Listen Buy on CDBaby.com Buy on Amazon.com Buy on DigStation Buy on iTunes (Note - if ...
Blue Eyed Darlin’
Blue Eyed Darlin' (2005) Susie Glaze with The Hilonesome Band Listen Buy on CDBaby.com Buy on Amazon.com Buy on BandVillage ...
Home On The Hill
Home On The Hill (2002) Susie Glaze with The Eight Hand String Band Listen Buy on CDBaby.com Buy on Amazon.com ...
