In Bluegrass, As In Life, Molly Tuttle Would Rather Be A ‘Crooked Tree’

This is part of a series of features from All Things Considered on first-time Grammy nominees, ahead of the February 5 awards.
While public health restrictions kept it dormant during the pandemic, the Station Inn still got a shout-out from the Grammy Awards. In March 2021, the Grammy telecast aired a pre-produced segment about the celebrated bluegrass venue in Nashville, Tenn. – one of several independently run clubs profiled that year. In that feature, owner J.T. Gray promised a national audience that the club would reopen: "That's going to be a celebration like never before," he said. "It's going to be a big party." Gray died at age 75 the following week, and did not live to see his club reopen. But the Station Inn once again features music seven days a week.

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Rhiannon Giddens with Members of the Silkroad Ensemble

Rhiannon Giddens has had a lifelong mission of shining light on previously under-recognized voices and overhauling our understanding of the history of American music to make it reflect the real impact people of all colors have made. In a stunning collaboration of global instrumentation and strings, Giddens leads women and non-binary members of the Silkroad Ensemble and Tuscarora/Taino singer-songwriter Pura Fé on a musical journey that connects the music of indigenous North America to the world.

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Alumna Fabiola M. Méndez Receives Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship

Méndez is one of four musicians to be awarded the $25,000 grant for the 2022–2023 season.

Berklee alumna Fabiola M. Méndez(Opens in a new window) B.M. ’18 is one of four musicians that were awarded a Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship for the 2022–2023 season. A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Méndez was the first student to graduate from Berklee specializing in the cuatro, a string instrument that functions like a guitar but is closer in shape to a violin.

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Album Review: Hawktail Moves Through Nature on ‘Place of Growth’

For their newest project, Place of Growth, the members of Hawktail set out to create a seamless listening experience rather than a compilation of potential singles. What started as a “tune-swap” challenge from Swedish folk fiddler Lena Jonsson, who composed the tune “Antilopen” that appears on the album, became a full instrumental musical experience meant to be heard as a whole.

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Interview: Folk Songwriter & Performance Artist Kamara Thomas Talks Upcoming Album ‘Tularosa’

Taking creativity and passion to the next level, multi-faceted artist Kamara Thomas incorporates vivid storytelling and dark history with her debut album, Tularosa: An American Dreamtime, which hits the market this Friday, May 13th. The 11-song opus is Thomas’ depiction of select voices of indigenous people throughout history; those whose voices haven’t been heard quite as loudly. 

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