Interview

Interview: Fellowcraft (@ The Pocket, 1/10/20)

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Fellowcraft rehearses in The Pocket at 7DrumCity not too long ago. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Hard-rockin’ DC blues band Fellowcraft tells Parklife DC that they are transforming into a prog-rock outfit. Whatever the case, we like what we hear! Last year, the band made a transition in its sound with a new lineup, now consisting of Jon Ryan MacDonald (guitar, vocals), Brandon Williams (bass, vocals), Pablo Antón (guitar, vocals), and Zach Martin (drums). This year, the band plans a fourth full-length album, following Get Up Young Phoenix (2016), Fellowcraft (2016) and Three (2018).

The peculiar power of Fellowcraft lies in the camaraderie of the band’s four members. These guys love playing together and hanging out together. And they have the rare gift of making you feel like you’re part of the gang when you’re in the audience. That’s the special defining quality of Fellowcraft.

Parklife DC Editor Mickey McCarter met Fellowcraft at 7DrumCity recently to chat about the band’s future prior to a show at The Pocket at 7DrumCity on Friday, Jan. 10. Fellowcraft also perform at Pie Shop on Friday, Feb. 7.

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Interview: Rising Appalachia (@ The Hamilton Live — 11/20/19)

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Leah and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia (Photo courtesy of Rising Appalachia)

Rising Appalachia is a self-made success story. Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith — each world travelers for nearly two decades — merge multiple global music influences with their own Southern roots to create a unique world folk sound. The band has built a legion of listeners through relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence.

After self-producing their first six albums, Leah and Chloe opted for the first time to team up with someone outside the band, legendary singer-songwriter/producer Joe Henry, to produce their seventh album, Leylines.

Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss emailed Chloe to ask about the new album and what is in store for the band’s upcoming show at The Hamilton Live on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

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Interview: Brent Smith of Shinedown (@ Out of the Darkness Community Walk — 11/2/19)

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Brent Smith of Shinedown participates in the Out of the Darkness Walk on Nov. 2, 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

An hour before sunset on Saturday, more than 2,500 people disembarked from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a long trek around the tidal basin. The walk was part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Walk.

Leading the walk for the second straight year was Brent Smith, lead singer of Shinedown. Invited by radio station DC 101, and walking as part of their One More Light team, Brent took the time to talk with many of the participants, and to lend a compassionate ear to those who told him of the reasons why they were walking.

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Interview: Sarah Pinsker — A Storyteller in Song and Novel

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Sarah Pinsker (Photo by Karen Osborne)

Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula and Sturgeon Award-winning short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, F&SF, Uncanny, and Strange Horizons, as well as numerous other magazines, anthologies, year’s bests, podcasts, and translation markets. She is also a singer/songwriter who has toured nationally behind three albums on various independent labels. Her first literary collection, Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea, was released in early 2019 by Small Beer Press.

A Song For a New Day is her first novel. Mark Engleson interviewed Sarah about the novel, her writing more broadly, her music, and the music industry. For more info about Sarah and her works, visit her website.

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Interview: Darrin Bradbury (@ The Birchmere, 10/1/19)

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Darrin Bradbury (Photo by Danielle Holbert)

Darrin Bradbury writes about the way things really are in America — a singular perspective shaped by a natural gift for storytelling, a lingering battle with depression, and a sly sense of humor. A self-described folk satirist who has toured the country for more than a decade, Darrin collects his oddball observations in his newest album, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, which released Sept. 20th via ANTI- Records.

Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss spoke with Darrin by phone to talk about the new album and his upcoming show at The Birchmere on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

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Interview: Jesse Dayton (@ City Winery, 9/26/19)

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Jesse Dayton (Photo by Ray Redding)

After releasing 11 studio albums and an EP as a solo artist, Jesse Dayton’s new album, Mixtape Volume 1, is a series of 10 cover songs that he reinterprets and revisits in a brand-new way. Jesse, of course, is a blues, country, *and* punk artist known for his work with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, X, and others as well as his soundtracks for Rob Zombie.

Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter emailed Jesse Dayton to ask him about the new album and his career prior to his show at City Winery DC on Thursday, Sept. 26.

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Interview: Sid Griffin (of The Long Ryders @ Pearl Street Warehouse, 9/20/19)

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The Long Ryders (Photo by Henry Diltz)

Sid Griffin is an acclaimed musician and music journalist based in London. From 1984-87, he led The Long Ryders, who emerged out of the Paisley Underground to become one of the first alternative-country bands, before the term even existed. Final Wild Songs, a compilation of the band’s albums with additional, new live material, released in 2016, received a rare five-star review from Allmusic.

After a 30-year hiatus, the band reunited to record the well-received Psychedelic Soul, released earlier this year. In a turn of good karma, the band’s old roadie, now working as Dr. Dre’s PA, got the band a week at the rap mogul’s studio. In a way, it’s fitting: the Ryders make politically charged, insurgent country-rock.

Sid has written for Mojo, Q, NME, Rock ‘n’ Reel, and the Manchester Guardian. An expert on Gram Parsons, he has published Gram Parsons: A Musical Biography, and co-authored the BBC television documentary Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel. He has also written two books about Bob Dylan, Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band, and The Basement Tapes, and Shelter From The Storm.

In addition to his work with The Long Ryders, Sid has recorded and performed with the Coal Porters and as a solo artist. Mark Engleson of Parklife DC talked to Sid about all of this and more prior to a performance by The Long Ryders at Pearl Street Warehouse on Friday, Sept. 20.

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