For a duo called the Secret Sisters, Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle let their relationship hang right out there on stage. At a packed late April show at Nashville’s Basement East, amid masterful renditions of their new and familiar songs for a spellbound audience, the sisters niggled each other, rolled their eyes, and came off at times like siblings who’d maybe been cooped up together in a van too long. And at the same time, this banter, which gets laughs, is an endearing part of their show and their relationship with their fans. On record and in performance, the Secret Sisters have been all about harmony since launching on their rollercoaster ride in the music business around 2010. But in Episode 283 of the String, we get into the unique challenges and blessings of sharing everything with each other and the audience, year in and year out.
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When filmmakers Jeremey and Abby Lavoi started shooting video of young Cajun and Zydeco musicians around 2013, they didn’t know what story they wanted to tell, only that they were captivated by the music and the people making it. Jeremey, then based with his production partner wife in San Francisco, was guided, he says now, by a certain homesickness. He grew up in southwest Louisiana, and the sound of fiddles, accordions, washboards, and clanging triangles spoke to him, despite having come of age on punk rock in the suburbs. More than a decade later, after a long and winding road, they’ve made their movie, and it’s what the Cajuns might call a cri de coeur, a cry from the heart. -
The music industry has been promising music credits on the streaming services for more than a decade. They’re having another conference about it in Nashville this week, where some well-meaning people will once again discuss the nerdy, vexing challenge of “metadata.” To be fair, it’s not an easy problem, and the business can point to some progress. But in this special report, Craig Havighurst finds that in a world where public-facing databases can track 20 million UPS packages a day, baseball career statistics from 100 years ago to last night, and millions of global Bitcoin transactions, musician credits remain incomplete and hard to access. Left hurting are Nashville's working musicians, arrangers, producers and engineers who are trying to build resumes and reputation - and in some cases get paid. -
The Americana Music Association released its nominees for the 2024 Honors And Awards on Tuesday in a music-rich ceremony at the National Museum of African American Music. Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell led the list with nods for Artist, Album and Song of the Year. Familiar past winners will also be eligible for 2024 awards, including Allison Russell, Jason Isbell, and The War and Treaty.
LINER NOTES
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Jade Bird sits down with Jessie Scott at the Fitting Room in Madison. -
A closer look at the three bands performing Wednesday night from 7 to 9pm at Tennessee Brew Works for WMOT's Local Brew Fifth Anniversary show. -
Jessie Scott sat down with Willi Carlisle at The Fitting Room Studio in Madison, as he is getting ready to play the Basement East on April 13.
WMOT VIDEO: LIVE SESSIONS ON NPR MUSIC
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Kelly Willis performed "Fading Fast", "Back in Blue" and "Looking Forward to Looking Back" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions. -
Last week, Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's monthly Wired In series. Watch highlights from their show here. -
Jon Muq performed "Runaway", "Shake Shake" and "Hello Sunshine" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions. -
Click here to watch Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone LIVE at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series on May 1st at 7 p.m. CST.
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Win a pair of tickets to Robert Earl Keen at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024.
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