“This album is not a tribute to the Stanley Brothers; it’s an honoring of them, and of my roots." -Peter Rowan 

Peter Rowan was just a young bluegrass boy when he caught the attention of Bill Monroe, who made him an actual Blue Grass Boy in 1963 when he became the band’s guitarist and lead singer. Thereafter, Monroe introduced him to fellow icon Carter Stanley and that meeting is etched in his memory just as indelibly as the inked entry in his 1966 diary. Within a few months, Stanley would be gone, but the impact he and his brother, Ralph, had on Rowan would grow even stronger. He acknowledges their influence, and finally gives the story of that meeting a definitive telling, with his new album, Carter Stanley’s Eyes , due April 20th. Here, Rowan answers his Essential 8 where he talks musical mentors, shares the story behind the album's title, and more.
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Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Bill Monroe was my mentor once I had joined his band. Before that I learned from my Uncle Jimmie, and the great bluegrass tenor singer and mandolinist, Joe Val.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
Land of the Navajo, when I played  it for Jerry Garcia, I remembered all the words, I knew it was a song!

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Carter Stanley’s Eyes, when Bill Monroe and went up in the Clinch Mountains to see Carter, that meeting became the title, the light in Carter Stanley’s Eyes.
 
Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
I feel that Carters influence on the soulfulness of bluegrass songwriting was unique, earthy yet yearning for transcendence .

Dubbed "a beautiful thing to behold" by LA Weekly, California-based outfit The Coals offer a lush Folk-Americana sound that is dreamy and genuine. Their first album, A Happy Animal, was released in 2013 and in 2017 they followed that up with Through Nighttime's Purple Skies. Currently playing in the LA area, frontman Jason Mandell recently took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he talked songwriting, drinking at gigs, meeting heroes, and more.


Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
Some of them are songs I wrote years ago that have stuck around long enough that they feel like a part of me. The Coals have been playing them for years, but I’d never recorded them the way I wanted. It was unfinished business, creatively and perhaps spiritually, and I finally decided we should take it on. Other songs on the album are newer, and those just seemed to fit in naturally with the older ones.
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Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? 
Mostly women and relationships, with occasional exceptions. “Better Days” is about a guy careening a bit selfishly and blindly through life and headed for a crash, though hopefully a redemptive one. "Godless is about a sort of hedonism, and maybe even amorality, that I think characterizes places like Los Angeles, where I live. The song isn't a complaint or a tribute, just an observation. But the rest of the album is about longing for love, or celebrating love, or lamenting all manner of suffering that love can cause. I suppose this general topic has been a bit of a personal preoccupation.  
 
What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Go to law school.

What has been your biggest struggle so far?
Learning to enjoy the struggle.  

Portland, Oregon-based duo Pretty Gritty (Sarah and Blaine) have cultivated a sound that is both timeless and classic, as they push their rootsy-Americana sounds into an edgy, alternative space on their latest outing, Seven Year Itch.  Combining breathtaking harmonies with memorable melodies, the multi-instrumentalists lovingly crafted songs engage and transport the listener. Currently playing throughout Oregon, the duo kindly took the time to answer their Essential 8 where they talked musical mentors, shared the story behind their album's title as well as their thoughts on drinking at gigs, and much more. 

Do you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
Every producer/engineer we've worked with has served as a mentor in my eyes.  First it was Matt Montoro (Third Stream Music and Design - Fredericksburg, VA).  He recorded our debut, self-titled album.  I had very little studio experience, very little singing experience and was still getting comfortable playing my acoustic guitar.  He really helped me hone my skills in songwriting and performing and allowed me to spend countless hours in the studio.  I did a lot of practicing and also learned a lot about recording and running a studio.  Matt also taught me a lot about navigating the world as a self-promoting DIY musician.  The experience I gained during those early years, they are priceless and I'm still using the tools I learned then, today.  

Mark Williams (Sucker Punch Studios - Bethesda, MD) was the second producer we worked with (River EP).  Again, during our many hours in his studio, he played a big part in helping further develop our sound.  Our most recent producer, Paul Buono (Creative and Dreams Music Network - Franklin, TN; Lonely Road EP; Seven Year Itch) has had a major influence on my songwriting and our approach to recording.  He's the first producer to insist that we track all of our vocals together.  When I listen to older recordings, and compare them to the songs we've recorded with Paul and Fred Cannon, you can really hear the difference in the performances.  Part of it is because we are just better singers and better writers now, but there's a magical element to our new stuff that Paul captures so beautifully.  He's such a visionary.  We go to the studio with "finished" songs to present.  Paul listens to them and immediately you see the gears turing as ideas start popping in his head.  Sometimes it's as simple as repeating a section or adding an extra chord.  Sometimes it's more complicated.  With "The Voice" he suggested we turn the bridge into the choruses and he helped us come up with whole new instrumental bridge.  I never would've heard it that way but it absolutely works and it's a better song!  He's got this amazing ear for background vocals too.  The classic 1950s "oooohs" in "All I Have To Do Is Dream," the 1960s "doo-wop" style vocals in "Save Yourself The Trouble."  Paul came up with those parts on the fly, in the moment and we laid them down within minutes.  His vision is just awe inspiring to me.  He really knows how to hone in on the specific mood and style of each song and knows exactly what to do to convey them.  It's like every song in its most basic form is a script for a movie.  Paul knows exactly what to do to lay down the soundtrack to each one without too much fluff.  Each song still has an intimacy to it, yet the production of it is strong enough to pull the appropriate kind of emotion out of the listener.  Paul's ear is just incredible.  He's such a sweet person too.  He makes sure the process is collaborative and is always checking in to make sure we are comfortable and inspired.  I love that about him.  Plus he taught us the most valuable life lesson.  To always look for the "WOOHOO" deals at the grocery store.  :)  

Where do you do your best songwriting?
I always have to be alone when I'm writing songs.  I spend a lot of writing time at my boyfriend's apartment when he's at work.  I've even spent late nights in the back of my minivan making voice memo recordings.  It doesn't really matter where I am.  I just have to be alone. 

“Sometimes you can feel trapped by genres, and you just go 'This is a brilliant song, it doesn't matter what you call it,'” she concludes. “I just want to be Liv Austen.”

Norwegian born singer-songwriter Liv Austen moved to London in 2010 to study drama, but stayed for the music after exploding on the British country music scene.  In 2014, she unveiled her Workin' Man's Dream EP and the buzz only grew louder with each subsequent release. Recently, Austen debuted the video for her spunky, and catchy as all get out, single "Don't Regret A Single One" and here she answers her Essential 8 where she talks songwriting, her dream venue, what she does on her days off (might surprise ya), and much more!

When/where do you do your best writing?
It’s a combination of in my home studio, when I am on my own – and also when I have my favourite cowriters over to write with me, and in some of my cowriters’ studios. Writing at two of my favourites, Jess Sharman and Kaity Rae’s studios, is always great. I find I write quite different songs when I’m writing on my own and when I write with others. I love doing both!

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Play live. As much as you can. That’s your job, that’s where you learn and that’s what you are doing this for! I see so many musicians spending all their time worrying about getting publishing, record deals, managers, agents… And I’ve done the same myself. It took a while for me to realise that the only thing you really need to focus on is doing gigs. Because as you get better, the right people will find you. And then you’ll be ready, because you are so experienced as a performer. That is not saying it’s a bad thing to meet people and connect with them, or to learn about the music industry (that would be my second bit of advice – knowledge is power!), but don’t let that take up all your time. Remember that you are doing this because you love music.

What’s your dream venue and why?
The Round House in Camden. It’s the most beautiful venue and the sound and lighting there are out of this world. I have seen two very contrasting gigs there, Carrie Underwood and The Staves, and both blew me away. I’d love to put on a show there.

Matt Stell was around 12 when his mother gave him his first guitar - which he promptly stowed in a closet and forgot about for eight years or so. Instead, he threw himself into basketball, getting good enough to earn an athletic scholarship and pave the way toward earning his bachelor’s degree at Drury University earning his masters in communication at the University of Arkansas.

It was there he began hanging out with fellow students from Texas, who opened his eyes to their state’s unique legacy of great country music artists. Soon enough, Stell was performing his originals at a local bar (under a pseudonym—Paul Wayne Walker—so that his coach wouldn’t find out no less) and ultimately realized that music was the path he was destined to follow. He made the move to Music City around 2014 and eventually signed with Wide Open Music. On March 16th, Stell released his debut EP, Last of the Best, and here he kindly answers his Essential 8 where he talks about songwriting, passing those hours in the van, Stevie Wonder, and more.

​Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
All of the above.  When I started writing songs I drew a lot from personal experience. It was the easiest and most genuine place to start and I still write this way.  After a while though, I started running out of interesting things that happened to me to write about.  That’s when I started to branch out and write about things I heard about from other peoples’ perspectives.  Some of my favorite songs are fictitious characters in situations I’ve only read about (Travis Tritt’s Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, most of Marty Robbins’ stuff, Steve Earle, etc.) Nowadays I keep my antenna up pretty much all the time for any kind of story or perspective that’s interesting and could be the bones of a song.
 
What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road?
I’m always down for whatever the local flavor is. Honestly though, I’m always happy to see a Subway in the truck stop where I’m buying fuel.  It’s not really my favorite, but at least my body doesn’t forget what a vegetable is before I get home.
 
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Podcasts, books and iTunes U lectures. There’s nothing better than getting on iTunes and downloading the audio of a semester’s worth of lectures on an interesting topic.  The lectures usually come from leaders in a particular field from the finest Universities in the country for free. I’ve learned about American and world history, philosophy of mind, law and justice, astronomy, behavioral economics, and a bunch more.

Ontario native Jaclyn Kenyon has been on the stage since the age of 12, when she was the youngest performer ever in Canada’s all-female artist showcase Honey Jam, competing against artists twice her age. At 15 years old she caught the eye of world-renowned vocal coach and multi-platinum producer “Mama” Jan Smith after which
Jaclyn spent time in Nashville and L.A where she learned -more about herself and what inspired her as an artist working alongside multi-platinum writers and producers.

Jaclyn’s latest single, “Daddy’s Got A Shotgun,” is a youthful, fun track about an overprotective father that can be found on her forthcoming EP. Here, in advance of the project's release, Kenyon kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8+ where she talked about everything from musical mentors and her EP to the Opry, Shania Twain, and much more!

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
​I grew up in a musical home. I remember being three years old sitting on the piano while my dad played and I would be singing with him. My dad influenced me for sure because he always would play music and I naturally just gravitated towards it and wanted to learn as much as I could at such a young age. 

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
Yes for sure! Anytime I’ve written a song and I feel that way, it's usually over a line that just really sticks out in the song and it’s usually the line that ties the song together perfectly. It gets me excited when that happens. 

Minnesota-based songwriter Andy Cook’s new EP Modern Man is a 22-minute indie-rock/Americana ride that stokes twinges of nostalgia with jangly guitars, articulate synth lines, and driving percussion as it follows Cook digging into life in this hyper-digital age via lyric-driven, sonically-rich landscape. In advance of the EP's April 13th release, Cook kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he talked about the story behind Modern Man, Jeremy Ylvisaker, dreaming big, and more.


Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I do! My music mentor is Jeremy Ylvisaker, a guitar player and all-around amazing musical mind. He currently plays with a variety of group including HALEY and The Suburbs, and has also toured with Andrew Bird and been an artist-in-residence at the Eaux Claires festival. Jeremy taught me how to play guitar beginning about 5 years ago, and has since become producer and bandmate too. As both a player and a teacher, Jeremy has this magical way of making things simple and focusing on how best to convey whatever idea or emotion it is we’re trying to get across. He’s at once exceptionally talented and wonderfully humble—a n artist and a person I look up to immensely!

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
I called the album “Modern Man” for two reasons—one, I’m exploring what it’s like living in modern society and how we navigate life through social media and this non-stop cycle of activity and information. Second, I specifically wanted to use the word “man” because I very much believe in equity and that across all industries, professions, and situations men need to think more about how we can support that and push back on so much of the toxic masculinity we are exposed to and perpetuate, even without intent.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
I’d say it’s a combination of my own experiences and observations. Music is the best way I’ve found to express myself and understand/convey how I see the world. If there’s something I want to say or make sense of, a song is the best way to do it!

At only 20 years of age, Texas native Mason Lively is an old musical soul who crafts songs like a seasoned veteran. Released on April 6th, his first full-length, Stronger Ties, is a sonically diverse yet cohesive and balanced record that shines a light on Lively’s songwriting and diverse influences. Recently, Lively kindly took the time to chat and speak about his roots, the album, working with Pat Manske, and more.

Your first EP, Livin' Large in a Little Town was recorded with Lloyd Maines and Pat Manske when you were sixteen. When did you initially feel the pull of writing, singing, and performing?
At 14 I picked up the guitar and started honing my craft playing older country songs. Eventually, I began songwriting and my parents, who saw something in me, talked me into going to record. They've been incredibly encouraging and that is something for which I’m very grateful.
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It's amazing to have such supportive parent. Is your family musical?
I’m the first to ever do anything musical. I grew up around, and am influenced by, many genres from classic country to blues and rock. When I was a kid, I was listening to Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Robert Earl Keen, as well as Randy Rogers and Turnpike Troubadours. I listen to so much and I wanted to keep the album to represent every aspect of Texas music that influenced me as an artist.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018
DOORS: 6:00 PM
SHOW: 7:00 PM
TICKETS: $15

Named "country music's next rising star" by Billboard magazine, Dylan Schneider released his latest EP, Spotlight’s On You, in April of 2017, and the five-song album hit the #1 spot on the iTunes Country Album Charts.  This past November, he signed with Interscope Records as the label's first direct country artist - coinciding with the release of his new single, "No Problem". Currently on tour, Dylan will play NYC's Opry City Stage on April 6th and ahead of the show, he took the time to talk about signing with Interscope, playing NYC, connecting with fans, and more.

At 18 years old, you must have known music was your calling early on. When did you first know it was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
I fell in love with country music when I was in 7th grade and that’s really when I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I love the storytelling and authenticity of country music and that’s what I try to convey in my music.

Congratulations on signing with Interscope last year.!How did that come about and how do you feel about being the first country artist on their roster?
Thank you! I’m really excited to be the first country artist on Interscope’s roster. I’m obviously in great company there… The Insterscope crew has been super supportive of me from the very beginning, so I knew that’s where I wanted to be.

Prior to signing with them, you released a couple of EPs, so is a full-length album in the works?
There’s a new EP in the works…  I’m currently writing and recording for a summer release on that!