Audio

The sole American in the Band, singer-drummer Levon Helm --the son of an Arkansas cotton farmer -- knew firsthand the hard labor, family ties and Dixie fireside tales that were the roots and soil of guitarist Robbie Robertson's songs. On Dirt Farmer, Helm goes home to the tunes and fables of his boyhood, including the traditional "Blind Child," the Stanley Brothers standard "False -Hearted Lover Blues" and A.P. Carter's cheeky "Single Girl, Married Girl," singing them next to rough modern diamonds by Steve Earle and Buddy and Julie Miller. The settings are vintage and natural, how the Band might have sounded in Big Pink during a blackout --fiddle and spindly acoustic guitar by ex-Bob Dylan sideman Larry Campbell, Helm's own mandolin and roadhouse-swing drumming, and porch-choir harmonies featuring Helm's daughter, Amy. Levon's vocals are a welcome miracle. His victory over throat cancer cost him some of his old soulful weight. But in "Poor Old Dirt Farmer," a Cajun waltz about a man left with only stones for harvest, Helm's drawling howl is heavy with the outrage and sorrow of someone with a deep connection to the land and those who live by it.

Wouldn't Mind Dying. The Cornhuskers present a fresh and eclectic look at American country roots music from the 1940s and ’50s. Featuring lovely harmonies and a vibrant, stripped-back acoustic sound, this lonesome and heartbroken blend cuts straight to the quick. Performing the music of Merle Travis, Johnny Cash, Bob Wills, Hank Williams and Doc Watson, to name a few, this diverse and original acoustic group packs a real punch with both their instrumental flair and ‘straight up’ delivery!

Recorded at St Pat’s Hall on Sunday March 11, 2007.

Window Slider contemporary fiddle tune. Respected contemporary folk musicians Scott and Louisa Wise and their three daughters Ruth (17), Lucy (16) and Rowena (13) make up this heartwarming family band. Recently written up in the UK’s Roots Magazine (”a family that plays together really plays together”), the Wises put out a lot of energy with 5 part harmonies, tunes and songs in a diverse range of traditional styles - whatever sounds good to them!

Recorded at St Pat’s Hall on Sunday March 11, 2007.

Turramurra 07 - Saturday Night Camp Session - Slim, Yardup & Reinhart

A musical conversation between Yardup, Slim and The Hatless Wonder recorded Saturday night at the Turramurra Folk Music Camp, 2007. With young Jack tucked up in bed, a whiskey or two under the belt, the boys run through some finger-picking songs and discuss stories behind the music – Gillian Welch, Johnny Cash, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Keiran Kane and Kevin Welch.