PBS will air a new episode of Austin City Limits this Saturday. Filmed in Nashville, it focuses on the eleventh annual Americana Honors and Awards ceremony, held this past September at the Ryman Auditorium. Alabama Shakes, Booker T. Jones, Richard Thompson, Hayes Carll, The Mavericks, and Jason Isbell are among the eighteen artists who perform [...]

The song remains the same, but the debate about credit for The Band’s incredible output continues When writing the September/October issue’s cover story about Levon Helm’s life and legacy, I chose, for several reasons, not to address in detail the longstanding debate about whether Helm and other Band members were credited properly for their contributions. [...]

The ceilings are vaulted like a cathedral. But the excitement of show time generated by the aroma of hot-buttered popcorn trumps any thoughts of Sunday morning Mass. Hundreds assemble to reflect and rejoice, bask in joy and embrace collective grief. The sparkling red drum kit on stage left maintains links to a storied past that [...]

When Mavis Staples taped her first Austin City Limits episode on June 27, she earned a thunderous standing ovation after her fourth song, one she first recorded with the Staples Singers in 1968. After soaking in the applause, she said simply, “Levon Helm. Levon Helm.” Explore the September/October Issue The clapping got even louder. “Oh, [...]

“The love of writing songs is not a challenge,” says Dar Williams, who releases her ninth studio album, In The Time Of Gods, on April 17. “Okay, it’s a pain, but I still love it.” We asked Williams about her new album, the words and rhymes she tends to avoid, and how she got into [...]

Bromberg jams with Levon Helm, Widespread Panic, Dr. John, Los Lobos and more.

Patti Smith, The Roots, and Aimee Mann are among the artists banding together to honor Neil Young at a special tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The event, which will take place on February 10, 2011, will also feature Keller Williams, Cowboy Junkies, Larry Campbell, Shawn Colvin, Vernon Reed, Mason Jennings, Betty Lavette, DeVotchKa, [...]