We celebrate the first inaugural Black Bear Americana Musics Festival with potent tracks from The Mammals, Adam Ezra Group, Belle of the Fall, The Nields, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, The Rad Trads, Violetta Zironi, NuBluzRevue, and the Honey Whiskey Trio.

First ever installment of this huge event to be held at the Goshen Fairgrounds just north of Litchfield, Conn., October 4–8.

Welcome! brothers and sisters to Episode #13—of the Cornbread Cafe, that new joint on the web offering tasty American Roots treats. We’re located at the five-corners of Americana, Blues, Country, Folk, and Gospel. And sometimes you can catch an express to Rock ’n’ Roll at the bus stop across the way.

I am, of course, your host, the mongrel, a.k.a. Jay Vee, and it’s my distinct pleasure to serve up a show I know we’re all going to look back on some day with kind of a “Yup. I was there” satisfaction.

Featured in this Episode:

The Mammals • “Culture War” • SunshinerAdam Ezra Group • “Steal Your Daughter” • Hurricane Wind
Belle of the Fall • “They All Come Crashing Down” • Rise UpThe Nields • “You Don't Have That Kind Of Time” • XVII
Whiskey Treaty Roadshow • “Jimmy The Whiskey Boy” • Whiskey Treaty Roadshow EP
The Rad Trads • “The Little Pie Blues” • On TapVioletta Zironi • “Little Wound” • single
NuBluzRevue • “Think Again” • NuBluzRevueHoney Whiskey Trio • “Grim Reaper” • Rye Woman

Last episode we got to hear from Jim Olsen of Signature Sounds about the inaugural Arcadia Folk Festival going on September 30, in Northampton Mass. This time around, we hear from two of the organizers of the brand new Black Bear Americana Music Festival taking place October 4 through the 8 in Northwestern Connecticut. Beth Murphy and Ian Campbell dialed in to our studio late in the evening earlier this week to talk about the whys and hows of building this exciting new gathering from the ground up.

The Mammals

And how cool is that? Back to back shows about back to back nascent American Roots music festivals. This type of opportunity comes around less than once in a blue moon, and I am pleased to be able to bring you the news, interviews, and sampler platters of music you can expect to hear at these top flight festivals. It’ll be another lean back and loosen yer belt kind of episode.

We also continue our occasional series of music in the American Roots genre that thrives on foreign soil — “Americana Expat.” As promised, this episode we have the JUST released single, “Little Wound,” from Italian born Violetta Zironi—an artist I predict will be making her way into the festival circuit in the next year or two.

Plus, we’ll hear from a couple artists new to the show, as well as making sure we end this musical feast with a sweet finish courtesy our old friends, the Honey Whiskey Trio.’

Adam Ezra Group

I already know we’re going to run over our 60-minute limit with this show, so let’s get right into it with our first Black Bear set, featuring the Adam Ezra Group and particularly smokin’ track, “Steal Your Daughter” off 2017’s Hurricane Wind. We’ll hear Belle of the Fall and the blistering “They All Came Crashing Down,” off their brandy new release Rise Up, and we’ll kick it all off with The Mammals, who also have a brand new album, Sunshiner, from which we’ll enjoy “Culture War,” right here on the Cornbread Cafe.

Again that was “They All Came Crashing Down,” from Belle of the Fall. The album, Rise Up, is Exhibit A for why I do this show and why we all gravitate towards American Roots.