TG2 Artists Main Office Move

Rachel and Trish are moving to a new office space!  Starting Monday, June 21 our new address is 205 Lloyd Street, Suite 201 Carrboro, NC 27510.  Our phone and fax numbers are the same.  David can still be reached at his Reading, MA mailing address.

Gene Medler Wins JUBA! Award

William Henry Lane was the first African American allowed to perform with white minstrel dancers in the 1840s. Lane and an Irishman named John Diamond were promoted in a series of staged tap dance competitions throughout the United States, and Lane won the huge majority. He went on to give command performances before the crowned heads of Europe and was proclaimed the greatest dancer of all time by American and European critics alike.

He was given the appellation "Juba"- master of all dancers. Juba (also spelled giuba) is a river/valley/city in Somalia/Ethiopia/Sudan . It is also a word in Swahili/Zulu/Italian with meanings as varied as "king" and "dove." A juba was also a dance created by slaves featuring hand clapping and foot stomping, referred to as "patting the juba".

William Henry Lane faced crushing prejudice in a country still divided by slavery and was still able to accomplish, to excel and to win. Lane's life is a testament to the ability of people to overcome all obstacles, to excel despite adversity and to affect change through acts of personal courage and fortitude. This award acknowledges those who personify these characteristics through their support of the art of tap dance.

TG2 Artists Signs Claire Lynch Band!

"Claire has complimented many of my records with her beautiful harmonies, but she has one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today. I'm so happy to see and hear her shine on her own. I love this CD and I love Claire. She's a great gal." Dolly Parton

John Jorgenson Quintet Album Review in Wall Street Journal

John Jorgenson Quintet

"One Stolen Night"
(J2)

Not, apparently, closely related to anybody in Nashville by birth, Mr. Jorgenson was, however, a key player, along with Chris Hillman, in the country-chart-topping Desert Rose Band, and regularly pays guitar with Earl Scruggs today. This CD shows off the guitar wizardry that got him there in another context entirely—as a master of the subtleties and rhythmic complexities of Django Reinhardt-inspired "gypsy jazz." He plays clarinet, soprano sax and bouzouki on this one, while he's at it, and his much-lauded jazz quintet proves his match.

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TG2 Artists Signs Sam Bush

We are very excited to add Sam Bush to our roster of artists for worldwide representation. Hailed the "King of Newgrass" by fans and media alike,  Sam Bush has been considered one of contemporary string music’s most compelling performers and one of the foremost innovators in acoustic music for over 30 years. He was the driving force behind the hugely influential band New Grass Revival and has collaborated with other progressive artists including Joshua Bell, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer Emmylou Harris and David Grisman.  Sam releases his highly acclaimed new cd "Circles Around Me" on Sugar Hill Records Oct 20 and will be touring the US in support of the album beginning Feb 2010. Contact David or Trish for routing updates.

TG2 Signs Five New Artists!

TG2 Artists is proud to annouce five new artists joining our roster just in time for APAP!

Please visit the artists' pages on our website.

Maura O'Connell, A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, Texas Tornados, Paul Brady, Connie Smith

Sat. 2/6 Alison Brown & Sam Bush at Harvard U

11:30 am: Bluegrass: Its Roots and Branches
Historians, ethnomusicologists, and academically inclined performers consider the history of bluegrass: its diverse (and controversial) roots, its major proponents, its evolution, and its possible future.
Neil Rosenberg (Memorial University of Newfoundland)
Jack Tottle (East Tennessee State University)
Michelle Kisliuk (University of Virginia)
Alison Brown ’84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)
Garry West (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)

2:15 pm: The Instruments of Bluegrass: Craft to Sound
Renowned guitar- and mandolin-maker Lynn Dudenbostel discusses his craft (and the ways in which it relates to bluegrass), and displays actual samples of his work. Afterward, Forrest O'Connor presents his undergraduate thesis on luthiery, and Sam Bush test-drives a Dudenbostel F-5.
Lynn Dudenbostel (Dudenbostel Stringed Instruments)
Forrest O'Connor '10 (Harvard University)
Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)

3:30 pm: Contemporary Bluegrass: A Discussion with Musicians
Notable bluegrass musicians demonstrate (and break apart) seminal bluegrass works.
Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)
Alison Brown '84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)
Bobby Hicks (Bluegrass musician)
Forrest O’Connor '10 (moderator) (Harvard University)

7-8:30 pm: Evening Performance
Clint Miller '11(Harvard University)
Alison Brown '84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)
Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)
Bobby Hicks (Bluegrass musician)

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2/20/10 Missy Raines Showcase at Folk Alliance

Official Performance Alley Showcase- Saturday, Feb 20th, 7:30pm-Nashville Room

Saturday Feb 20th 10:30PM   ROOM 1705      45 minute set    Suzi Ragsdale and Friends Room
Saturday Feb 20th 1:00AM   ROOM 1721     Steam Powered Preservation  Society Showcase Room  Host Band: Henhouse Prowlers

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Solas Releases "The Turning Tide"

Some great people contributed to the album, including Ben Wittman on drums, Chico Huff on bass, and Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner on Dobro.   Longtime friend and engineer John Anthony recorded and mixed the album, and John Baker mastered.

“The Turning Tide” is available at a number of retailers in CD or digital formats.  Head on over to Compass Records, Amazon.com, or the iTunes store to grab or download a copy!

“…a band at the top of its game.”
- DENVER POST

“For nearly 15 years, Solas has been a leading light in the Irish-American music scene.”
- THE WASHINGTON TIMES

“Solas has electrified crowds everywhere it has played; it’s an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness.”
- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“…the band remains consistently excellent.”
- IRISH PHILADELPHIA

“For over a decade, Solas has not only redefined the concept of ‘Celtic folk,’ they’ve risen to the ranks of the finest purveyors of the genre.”
- DIRECT CURRENT

"Esta Bueno" release by The Texas Tornados

Augie Meyers and Flaco Jiménez reunite with the son of Doug Sahm, Shawn Sahm, in a new recording that includes the final work of the legendary Freddy Fender as well as a lost demo from Doug himself. Esta Bueno! (It's Good!)

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Sam Bush Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Americana Music Association

The Americana Music Association presented Sam Bush with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Annual Americana Honors & Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Sept 17th 2009.

Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association, praised Bush’s standing as one of the greatest mandolin players ever. “Sam has created his own genre and has become such an integral part of the Americana community,” Hilly said. “It’s such a privilege to honor him this year.”

As cofounder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival for 18 years, Bush was among the first purveyors of newgrass – the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock ’n’ roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams – and he continues to burn as one of the genre’s most brilliant lights. The Kentucky-born Bush – also a champion fiddler alongside his mandolin mastery – has influenced several generations of musicians. Nickel Creek, Yonder Mountain String Band and String Cheese Incident are among the bands indebted to Bush for his wide-ranging choice of material, rock-based acoustic grooves and captivating, high-energy live shows.

Sam Bush’s ability to be continually touched and amazed by new music may be the quality that makes him such an electrifying performer and bandleader.

David Lloyd joins the TG2 Artists Team

DAVID LLOYD joins TG2 Artists after 11 years as an agent at International Music Network (IMN) where he has represented Sam Bush, Kathy Mattea, Altan, David Grisman & Old School Freight Train, Cherish The Ladies, Mickey Hart, Paul Brady and Mary Black and many others. His prior agency work includes positions at Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) and International Creative Management (ICM). He brings a unique perspective to his work as an agent having worked as a concert and theatrical promoter and arts presenter for over 10 years.

A native of Lenox, Massachusetts, David will be establishing a Northeast office based in Boston and initially brings Sam Bush to the existing TG2 roster.

“This is a very exciting development for me. Merging with a well respected agency will allow me to work collaboratively with artists and presenters on a more direct and creative level than ever before.”

David books the entire roster for the Midwest and New England states, as well as central and eastern Canada. Call him at 781-944-0664 or email at david@tg2artists.com

Solas Joins TG2 Artists!

We are very excited to add Solas to our roster of artists. Solas has been hailed as "the first truly great Irish band to arise from America," and one of the "worlds finest Celtic - folk ensembles." Simply put, this is one of the finest and most exciting Irish bands on the scene.   Solas will release a new recording in early 2010 -stay tuned for updates and touring plans.   Contact us for fall 2009 avails! 
For over a decade, Solas has been hailed as the leading Irish American super group. Through line-up changes and experiments with style and technology, the band has pushed the boundaries of - but never strayed too far from - their Irish roots.
Now, as Mairead Phelan, an exciting young singer from Kilkenny, steps up to lend her exquisite vocals to the existing line up of Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistle, guitar and bodhran), Winifred Horan (fiddle), Mick McAuley (accordion and concertina) and Eamon McElholm (guitar and keyboards), the band heads into their second decade of playing tight, fiery Irish music with a new tour and a new CD, "For Love and Laughter" due out on Compass Records in September.
The new material breaks fresh ground in duets with Canada's folk phenoms The Duhks, and an inspired rendition of Rickie Lee Jones' "Sailor Song" while offering the imaginative reinterpretations of traditional material that Solas has been playing to the delight of their fans worldwide.

Alison Brown signs with TG2 for US Touring.

We are pleased to announce that Grammy Winner Alison Brown joins TG2 for exclusive US representation.

Alison Brown takes the banjo and guitar far beyond their Appalachian roots with a high octane blend of bluegrass, jazz, Celtic and Latin influences that has been described as simply jaw-dropping. Bluegrass for jazzers, jazz for bluegrassers; something for everyone in between! Members of her Quartet include John R Burr (piano), Garry West (bass) and Larry Atamanuik (drums). Also available for select dates with Joe Craven.

“Like James Taylor’s voice or B.B. King’s guitar, Alison Brown’s banjo is an instrument possessed of a unique sonic signature and an inescapable beauty.” —Billboard Magazine

Alison Brown and Missy Raines in Wall Street Journal

For a long stretch of its history, bluegrass was not a musical genre in which women were encouraged to take leading roles. The imagery, starting with the original Bill Monroe-Earl Scruggs model in the 1940s, was of skillful men calling the shots, singing high and picking really fast, really well. While in the 21st century female names are among the best known in the field, it is still striking to find that three band-leading women -- Alison Brown, Missy Raines and Dale Ann Bradley -- have each released distinctive, adventurous bluegrass CDs in recent weeks. That all three happen to be on the small independent, artist-friendly Compass label, based in Nashville, is no coincidence.

"It's a kind of sisterhood, really," Ms. Brown notes, and she should know. She's not only a widely admired banjo virtuoso, and in 1991 the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association's banjo player of the year award, after a stint playing with Alison Krauss. She's also a former investment banker who co-founded and heads Compass Records along with her husband and bandmate, Gary West. While the three 40-something bandleaders on Compass are different musically, Ms. Brown stresses their common history.

"We're all about the same age," she said in an interview at Compass's Music Row offices, "and all three of us have seen change and what women can do in the field. When I was playing festivals growing up, people always felt compelled to say 'you're really good -- for a girl,' and it wasn't even meant as an insult. But you don't hear that so much any more; women are leading the charge with the most interesting bluegrass."

Tune In

Listen to a clip from Alison Brown's recent album "The Company You Keep":

• The Road West

Ms. Brown's own latest CD, "The Company You Keep," continues her celebrated extensions of the complex, progressive newgrass style of bluegrass, including her patented musical exchanges with John R. Burr, her piano player of 16 years, and fiddler Stuart Duncan.

Ms. Bradley -- on the face of it the most traditional of the three women and the winner of Best Female Vocalist at the IBMA awards for the past two years -- comes up with her own groundbreaking recordings in her new CD, "Don't Turn Your Back." Ms. Bradley calls the disc, produced by Ms. Brown, "the record I've always wanted to make." The voice remains as solid as the Kentucky hills she came out of, and as singularly soulful as always, but the songs include the likes of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Fleetwood Mac's "Over My Head," material lyrically and sonically well outside of the traditional.

Listen to a clip from Dale Ann Bradley's recent album "Don't Turn Your Back":

• 50 Miles of Elbow Room

"Alison has encouraged anything adventuresome," Ms. Bradley noted when we spoke. "She's that type of artist, and a lot of these new arrangements are hers. In years past, I wanted different sorts of melodies, lyric patterns and lyrics -- but I always had people calling the shots, producers and others, concerned that maybe it wouldn't fit the bluegrass mold. But this is one time that we can make that mold a little bit bigger -- smelt it down and stretch it out! The arrangements and chord progressions are a little different from what your run-of-the-mill bluegrass musician knows; they're not in a Bill Monroe form. So everybody who I've got with me now can handle that."

Ms. Bradley mixes the rock-song adaptations with the old Carter family number "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room" and new songs, some she's co-written on the very theme of change and continuity.

"The material is so true to my life at this time," she stresses. "I'd just made the move to Nashville, a whole different life, with a whirlwind of things going on -- and I was not a kid. Every song is derived from that theme. I grew up on the Cumberland River, up in Kentucky, so that river, in a lot of my writing and in my heart and spirit, has become symbolic to me of getting from point A to where I always wanted to be. I've moved, but here in Nashville I'm literally still on that same river, just as I was 44 years ago!"

Listen to a clip from Missy Raines & The New Hip's recent album "Inside Out":

• Basket of Singing Birds

As for Ms. Raines, "Inside Out," the highly rhythmic entry from the veteran bass player -- the first with her young, adept, rightfully confident band, The New Hip -- features some deft singer-songwriter vocal changeups, as well as musically witty instrumentals that cross over into what could just as well be labeled progressive jazz.

Ms. Raines grew up amid the adventurous sounds of Newgrass; she can be seen responding to that music as a child in the film "Bluegrass Country Soul," shot at a legendary 1971 North Carolina festival in which young Sam Bush and Larry Rice first introduced many to those sounds. Her own musical pull, she noted when we talked, would be toward "moments where something is happening, and the utter opposite, and somehow it meshes together" -- surprising sounds hard to define in a one-liner but very jazz-like in approach. She knew she would find a congenial home at Compass.

"Though we're contemporaries," she said, "Alison Brown was always someone I've looked up to; she went and started a band that stepped outside of bluegrass, and I knew that Alison and Gary were artists themselves, which makes for a unique, way-more-organic perspective from label owners. The people who are working for them truly respect the artist and take each one individually; you don't get that feeling that we're all a bunch of cows out here in the field and any one of us will fit into the truck."

Marking it's 15th anniversary this year, Compass is today home to a wide variety of artists, from Anglo-Celt bands such as Solas to modern roots-rockers such as The Bittersweets and The Waifs and singer-songwriters with twang ties such as Jeb Loy Nichol and Pierce Pettis. Ms. Brown sees managing such a growing company and leading a band as having some significant parallels: "I had never felt comfortable being a solo artist with guys standing behind me; my music's always been a very ensemble effort, and letting everybody's voice be heard. And that is kind of the way we run the company. Everybody is given enough authority to make decisions -- and enough rope to hang themselves!"

Mr. Mazor writes about country and pop music for the Journal.

Bearfoot CD Release - Doors and Windows

Bearfoot CD Release - Doors and Windows
April 21, 2009
Bearfoot, (Kate Hamre - acoustic bass, Mike Mickelson - guitar, Jason Norris - mandolin, Angela Oudean - fiddle, and newest member Odessa Jorgensen - vocals/fiddle), has nine years, many major festivals and three albums under their belt but their newest, Doors and Windows is their first on Compass and arguably, their best. Visit our site to listen to several songs from this wonderful new recording.
Although Bearfoot has nine years, major festivals, and three albums under their belt, Doors and Windows contains many firsts. This is the first Bearfoot CD to feature guest musicians, in this case Andrea Zonn of James Taylor And Band (fiddle), Andy Hall of The Infamous Stringdusters (dobro), Alison Brown (banjo) and Larry Atamanuik, whose drums also represent another Bearfoot first. The band, all of whom sing, have also elected to rely more on a lead singer approach, with newest member Odessa Jorgensen taking charge of the vocals. California-born fiddle player and vocalist Jorgensen, formerly a member of The Biscuit Burners, joined Bearfoot in September 2008.
Produced by Compass Records' Garry West, Doors and Windows is made up of eleven gorgeous songs steeped in the bluegrass music tradition but unafraid to befriend other genres. The opening song, "Oh My Love" has a gentle, rolling melody that speaks to the freedom of loving without fear and is the perfect lead-up and juxtaposition to the toe-tapping traditional, "Single Girl". Bearfoot proves less-is-more on the old-timey inspired "Caroline" (written by former member Annalisa Tornfelt) and their show-stopping a cappella original "Good in The Kitchen". The title track, penned by Jorgensen and featuring hypnotic guitar and fiddle underpinnings, is darkly evocative musical poetry. Bearfoot tackles their first pop cover with a laidback version of The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down".
"Overall, I think this album is more collaborative," says Hamre. "In the past it's always been 'we have to have a fiddle break, and a mandolin break, and another fiddle break', but this time it's more about the sound as a band than it is about individual solos. "I think that what's really cool about this album is that it captures our energy and when you listen to it, you want to move," muses Norris. "I don't know if I can say that about what we've done previously; every song is like that. It's physically lifting." Collaborative, uplifting, energetic, haunting, beautiful, inspired: all words that anyone should feel comfortable with while describing the sound of Bearfoot.
With the release of Doors and Windows on April 21, Bearfoot will again find themselves atop a cultural mountain where they overlook the past, present, and future of bluegrass music.

John Jorgenson Grammy! Quotes from John and Brad Paisley

"I am so thrilled to have won these awards tonight," said Paisley, who was home when he got news of his two Grammys." As a singer, what an honor to be recognized in this way, especially for a song about the insecurities I had to overcome as a teenager. I can't tell you how this energizes me as a recording artist. And as a player, accompanied by these guitar legends, I am beyond humbled to be in the record books along side my heroes for "Cluster Pluck." I am thinking tonight of my collaborators on this record that had never won a Grammy before now and add to that the fact that my hero John Jorgenson did the accepting of the award,"

"Here is the coolest thing: On the prelude to "Cluster Pluck" on the album, Jimmy Dickens tells the grandson to write down these names. Well, the official monikers have changed. Let me now be the first to present to you Grammy winner Albert Lee, Grammy winner John Jorgenson, Grammy winner Brent Mason, Grammy winner Redd Volkaert, Grammy winner James Burton (now that's just too cool), and multiple Grammy winner Steve Wariner. Oh, lastly, this is now Vince Gill's 20th Grammy. He's off to a great start. Anyway, to have been a part of this with these icons is something I will forever be proud."

Interviewed following the award, John Jorgenson said, "I am just over the moon about winning a Grammy Award! Of course I have watched many of my favorite artists, friends and colleagues accept this prestigious award over the years, and to now be included in that company is an overwhelming feeling. It is even sweeter to share this award with some of the best guitarists in the world-some who are good friends, some who are esteemed colleagues, and some who are heroes of mine. Special thanks to Brad Paisley for assembling this "Team of Teutonic Tele-Men" and creating the opportunity for all of us to win this award.

Missy Raines Signs with Compass Records

Nashville, TN - (November 6, 2008) - The Compass Records Group is thrilled to announce the signing of Missy Raines, "superstar bluegrass bassist" (The Free Lance-Star) and seven time recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association's award for Bass Player of the Year. Now fronting her hot new band The New Hip, a "startlingly gifted quintet" (Jon Weisberger, The Nashville Scene), Raines is poised to have her longtime dream realized: an album that fuses bluegrass virtuosity with jazz-tinged grooves and a song-driven sensibility.

 A beloved figure in bluegrass and a pioneering force in acoustic music, Missy Raines' adventurous musical spirit has always been her compass. Launching her career with experimental bluegrass outfit Cloud Valley, Raines toured the country with Eddie and Martha Adcock before lending her bass skills to the Masters (Adcock, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves and Jesse McReynolds).  In 1995 Raines joined Claire Lynch's popular Front Porch Band and there developed a successful performing and recording partnership with band mate Jim Hurst. A stint with the Brother Boys opened Raines' eyes to the value of spontaneity and immediacy in her musical approach.

 Missy Raines and The New Hip will release their first full-length album, Inside Out, on Compass Records on February 10, 2009. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Raines, members of The New Hip and Ben Surratt, Inside Out features special guest appearances by Matt Flinner (mandolin), John R. Burr (piano) and Megan McCormick (guitar, vocals).

Brad Paisley cites John Jorgenson as influential "favorite picker" in USA Today article.

In an article published 11/7/08, Brian Mansfield looks at Jorgenson and other influences on Paisley.  Read the article at http://www.usatoday.com/life/flash.htm?gid=759&aid=3619