The Amy Black Band will be sharing a special co-bill with Girls Guns and Glory on June 2 at The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA. The Narrows is fast becoming "The" American Roots music venue in New England as it continues to host some of the best talent in the format. June 2nd will be no different as Alt-Country rockers Girls Guns and Glory team up with the Amy Black Band for an evening of incredible music. Amy Black has risen to the top of the American Roots music world since her 2011 release One Time, leading the Boston singer to nab opening slots for Chris Isaak, Rodney Crowell, The Courtyard Houds and Joe Ely among others. Her performance on Nashville's Music City Roots program and subsequent gig at The Basement  garnered critical acclaim from the Nashville press; no easy feat for a newcomer. Girls Guns and Glory are already staples at Americana radio following the debut of Inverted Valentine in 2010 and their latest album Sweet Nothings in 2012. Ward Hayden, lead singer and front-man for GGG is one of the top vocal performers and songwriters on the entire American Roots music circuit. The band is currently in studio with Eric 'Roscoe' Ambel in NYC. This promises to be a show to remember with two top-shelf performers sharing a stage for the first time. As a promotional effort the two singers have released a video of the classic "After the Fire is Gone," made famous by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. It's our Video Pick of the Week and this show is our Must See Show for the Summer...so far!

J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Musical styles bleed into one another like neighborhoods in a big city. If you are looking for their address, J. C. Brooks & The Uptown Sound reside at the corner of punk and soul. At their heart, they are a Rock and Soul four-piece band; lead vocal, guitar, bass and drums. On the band’s Bloodshot Records debut release, ‘Want More’, they bring in some musical friends to stir the soul stew with organ, conga, horns, strings and background vocals. The album title gives its name over to the first track to set the pace, letting J.C. tell you what he and the boys have as their set list for the night. While they are playing, drinking and dancing they “want more”. J.C. Brooks & The Uptown Sound are not just damn fine dressers, they are also gentlemen. They know that is better to give than receive, so “more” is what they bring to any party. J.C. Brooks has a chameleon voice that echoes many influences but it uses natural ability to give each note its turn at bat.

Punk rock spit hits the first few rows on the band’s cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”, but when the chorus comes around, J.C’s voice pours warm honey, the message still breaks your heart but good memories surface quicker and you leave with a smile. Taking a cue from the best Soul front men and women, J.C. Brooks sings a song like it is his very own story. On “I Got High”, he is the poor sucker who discovers a little too late what he is losing, the lover on bended knee pleading to get on the inside in “Don’t Lock the Door” and the man with vision that has a new dance step in “I Can See Everything”.

The pleasure of The Alternate Root is the musicians, the producers, the engineers that make this incredible music we call American Roots. After a week of filming the neighborhood of East Nashville that has never been more prevelent. We met some fantastic people on the East Side, they own clubs and guitar stores, they sell hot dogs and help the art community, they are activists for the community and they provide the rich culture that make up East Nashville. On top of it all were the musicians; some of the best you'll ever hear and the most genuine you'll ever meet. Sergio Webb, the beautiful guitar player who collects hats and art while he's not sitting in with the best players in Nashville, started everything off on the right foot. Songwriters like David Olney, Jon Byrd, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, Kevin Gordon and Seth Walker, Bonnie Bishop and Amelia White all opened their homes and their hearts to us while we made the East Nashville documentary. Mark Robinson and his incredible band invited some surprise guests over for a barbeque and we were surprised! Jamie Rubin and Reeves Gabrels put on a guitar clinic on a Sunday afternoon at The Family Wash. Audrey Auld, Anne McCue and twelve friends gave us a peak at what goes on on the back porch when friends gather to celebrate life and they all happen to be accomplished musicians. We met young and old, generations of musicians, they were articulate, intelligent and aware of their talent and their place in the community. One of the pleasant surprises was Allen Thompson and Don Gallardo and the musicians they share in separate bands. We've written about both in the Alternate Root but we've never had the pleasure of seeing them live. This is one 4 minute clip of over 90 hours of film we shot in East Nashville. It was an impromptu tribute to Levon Helm done in a revival style around a group of microphones outside on a back patio. Is it perfect, no. Great music never is but this would make Levon smile. We've added one more clip because it's so cool and because our friend Jon Byrd was in a car accident while we were in East Nashville after we filmed this at Fanny's Vintage Guitars and Clothing. Get well soon Mr. Byrd, there's songs to be sung!

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The Spring 2012 Issue of The Alternate Root Magazine hits the newsstands on May 15th! It promises to be the best issue yet. Our new Managing Editor Don Wilcock has brought in some great new writers and the material is the best we've had yet. Cover story is a fabulous interview with Rhiannon Giddens of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Also great interviews with Shelby Lynne, Mitch Ryder, Justin Townes Earle, Mud Morganfield, Ellis Paul, Gretchen Peters, Fred Eaglesmith, Dom Flemons about Sankofa...features on Elliott Brood, Earl Scruggs, Tab Benoit, The Wild Rumpus, I See Hawks in L.A. Otis Gibbs and more!

In August of 2011 we had a bold vision to launch The Alternate Root into a print version. We wanted to see if our readers and fans wanted a print magazine centered around American Roots music. The answer was a resounding YES! Since that first print magazine went out in August we have studied, consulted, conversed and collaborated with some great magazine folks around the country. This new magazine is better and bolder than the first one...yes it took time to get it right but you'll see it was worth it. The magazine will now come out on a regular schedule 5 times per year. But that's not all...

The Wild Rumpus enter kicking. On their most recent release, ‘304’, the band throws guitar, mandolin, bass and banjo notes down like a challenge. ‘304’ gives the area code for The Wild Rumpus homeland in West Virginia though the group’s stronghold in the mountains has spread their base of operations into Tennessee as well as North and South Carolina, using rowdy live performances as a calling card. The men behind the sound, Andrew Adkins (vocals/mandolin), Allan Sizemore (guitar/banjo/harmony vocals) and Clint Lewis (bass) are confident in their playing and proud of what they produce and of the land that produced The Wild Rumpus. The videos were shot during an Alternate Root TV series from the Martin Guitar Factory and Museum in Nazareth, PA.

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