Big Reds 2015: Meet the Nominees “Songwriter of the Year” Awards by Brian Carroll - November 5, 2015January 20, 20160 I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to some of the nominees for this year's RLR Big Red Recognitions. Today we take a look at the nominees for Songwriter of the Year. The folks who are able to craft something far more than a couple verses and a chorus stretched over a chord pattern. People that elevate those stories to something that touches the listener a bit more, artists, creators of emotion. Give a read, give a listen, give a look...and then vote! Ian Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald is no stranger to this publication. His 2013 release No Time to Be Tender was one of my favorite releases of that year (and still remains one of my favorite records to
2015 Big Red Recognition Nominees are… Awards by Brian Carroll - October 30, 2015January 20, 20160 These things rarely go how I see. There are a lot of overlaps in what my favorites of the year were, then of course a few wild cards too. Which I like. This isn't "my" recognitions for 2015, its the folk/roots community around New England (or whoever may actually be reading this thing). Either way, its a good way to pay some respect and homage to folks who are doing great things out there. Process, although far from flawless, seems to be a good way to do so. I appreciate everyone's input and have decided to toss out the "Favorite Song" category as there seemed to be no real commonality there between folks. My bad on that one...bad choice. Without further adieu,
Big Reds 2015 Announcement… Awards by Brian Carroll - September 30, 2015January 21, 20160 It is that time of the year again and whether you love it or hate it with deep and emotionally driven passion, awards events revolving around music are going to be happening. Say what you will about it I think there is value in a bit of friendly competition while at the same time shining a light on folks who have really worked hard all year to hone their craft, released an incredible record, or toured relentlessly. Regardless of who wins, I feel as though through some processes do justice in allowing a community driven "appreciation fest" to unfold. I am hoping the process adopted last year where nominations were made by the community and then voted on by that same
BIG REDs 2014: “Favorite Find” Announcement – The Wiles Awards by Brian Carroll - February 23, 2015January 21, 20160 One major setback to loving music and musicians and setting up shows to highlight them is there is a 50/50 chance they already have another gig lined up months in advance and are unable to take part. Sadly (both for me and the audience for the 2 Year Anniversary Show) that is the case for what I am calling my "Favorite Find" of the year. As much as I loved collecting nominations from the community, your peers, and then having a democratic (well as democratic as it can be) voting system for these recognitions the selfish side of me also wanted to weigh in. I wouldn't say it is too much of a stretch that I probably listen to more than
The 2014 “BIG RED” Recognition Winners Are… Awards by Brian Carroll - December 11, 2014January 21, 20160 Say what you want about awards shows or ceremonies or supposed secret cult societies that trying to stick it to the man and only include themselves and their interests (that's called sarcasm). They get people talking, they put names of wonderful musicians and content in front of a lot of potential customers, fans, or new listeners and further propagate a community, stretching it outward, and spreading the good word of local music in the process. One thing that really struck me this year is how many of the nominated acts were not "Boston acts". I have made an effort to grow into more of a New England supporting media outlet, and I think solely judging on the inclusion of folks
Meet the Big Red Nominees: Favorite Local Fiddler Awards by Brian Carroll - December 2, 2014January 21, 20160 Favorite Local Fiddler Jess Fox – Jess has the ability to add a whole lot to a whole lot of folks music. Highlighting here skills for years at the Highland Kitchens’ bluegrass brunch and with friends and cohorts over the years she has become a staple in the local music scene…oh yeah, and she builds fiddles as well. http://highlanddrifters.bandcamp.com/album/highland-drifters Eva Walsh- Eva Walsh is a fun-loving folk-pop singer, fiddler and songwriter from Boston who delivers a heartfelt performance of catchy original songs and smiles. Her debut album “Storybook” is the product of a diverse and lifelong exploration of music and tells the stories of the heart with undeniably sweet sincerity. Hailing from 17 years of intense training and classical violin performance, Eva originally
Meet the BIG RED Nominees: Favorite Local Duo Awards by Brian Carroll - November 11, 2014January 21, 20160 Jake Hill and Hayley Sabella (Billington Sea) – recording their first official record together, both Hayley and Jake are nominated for Favorite Songwriters this year and rightfully so. The combination of the two together is a wonderful blend of beauty and gruffness set over wonderfully penned songs. http://jakehillmusic.com/ and http://hayleysabella.com/ The Meadows Brothers- Ian and Dustin Meadows have been playing music together for quite some time now. It all goes back to singing along to their parents’ records, sitting at the kitchen table in their high chairs. Somewhere in their early teens, while playing in another band together, they got ahold of some Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie albums. The Meadows Brothers are the end result of two kids from New
Meet the BIG RED Nominees: Favorite Roots/Americana Act Awards by Brian Carroll - November 6, 2014January 21, 20160 Haunt the House - Haunt the House comes from a quiet place. With members from all over the small state of Rhode Island, Haunt the House has already made a big impact on the local and regional music scene. Based in the woods of Charlestown, Rhode Island, songwriter Will Houlihan first caught the attention of the Rhode Island music scene in 2013 with the release of his solo EP, “Rural Introspection Study Group”. Shortly after this release, Will conceived the idea for his first full-length release – a love triangle between two people, one of whom has a split personality. His idea would grow into the 2014 release, “Jack Rabbit Jones.” http://hauntthehouse.bandcamp.com/ The Whiskey Boys - The Whiskey Boys are a
Meet the BIG RED Nominees: Rock n’ Rollers Awards by Brian Carroll - November 5, 2014January 21, 20160 Tigerman Woah!- Appalachian mountain folk/bluegrass influenced punk rock with the occasional hip-hop freak-out. Their bio on their reverbnation page is quite the story, check that out here (http://www.reverbnation.com/tigermanwoah) http://tigermanwoah.com/ Smith&Weeden "Somewhere between early 70's Stones, John Prine, and Outlaw Country." "It’s good old fashioned rock n’ roll, but certainly has hints of that early years Americana ala Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. Its just f*ckin’ fun and good music, man." -Red Line Roots https://smithandweeden.bandcamp.com/ The Blue Ribbons- The Blue Ribbons was formed by singer/songwriter/keyboardist James Rohr. They have been building a base of devoted fans with their original and soulful music. Described as “Ray Charles and Tom Waits on a pirate ship with Sun Ra and Captain Beefheart,” they combine “upbeat disillusionment and celebratory fatalism
Meet your BIG REDs nominees: The Unsung Hero Awards by Brian Carroll - November 4, 2014January 21, 20160 I wasn’t going to write up anything on any of the categories for the BIG REDs but this is one category that I feel deserves some explanation, some recognition, a proper “thank you” not just to whoever takes it home, but to all those who are nominated here and all those who go above and beyond to help foster and curate a community in town. They are the few, they are the Unsung Heroes of the music community. There is nothing that is particularly beneficial about being an Unsung Hero. People act as such because they feel as though someone NEEDS to be holding up a piece of the community. Someone needs to tell people about good music, or host shows