Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his record, Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts...Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) received consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. Restlessly creative across artistic disciplines, Earle has published both a novel and collection of short stories; produced albums for other artists such as Joan Baez and Lucinda Williams, and acted in films, television (including David Simon’s acclaimed The Wire), and on the stage. In 2009, Earle appeared in the off-Broadway play Samara, for which he also wrote a score that The New York Times described as “exquisitely subliminal.” Earle wrote music for and appeared in Coal Country, a riveting Public Theater play that dives into the most-deadly mining disaster in U.S. history, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Mr. Earle was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Caleb Caudle:
Forsythia, the latest studio LP offering from Caleb Caudle out now via Soundly Music, is
a portrait of his truest self, of the artist at his most solitary and reflective. Thematically, it
meets anticipation for the unknown future with nostalgia for the past, and reconciles
both with meditation in the present. The album was recorded at the legendary Cash
Cabin during the pandemic, and inspired by the solitude and symbols Caudle found in
nature during that time. It’s produced by John Carter Cash, and features veteran
session players Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Dennis Crouch and Fred Eltringham, and the
vocal talents of Carlene Carter, Elizabeth Cook and Sarah Peasall McGuffey. Simplistic
arrangements– in which Caudle was the only guitarist– built a framework for space that
is filled intentionally so that the songs themselves can be heard and appreciated without
an overcrowding of instrumentation. On this record, outsider influences come into play
nearly as much as his foundational knowledge of traditional Appalachian folk and other
music history. This collection of 10 songs serves as a manifesto of Caudle’s beliefs and
simplest desires. Forsythia sees Caudle as a master of his craft as a songwriter and
musician
