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Amos Perrine

THROUGH THE LENS: Six West Virginia Roots Musicians

THROUGH THE LENS: Six West Virginia Roots Musicians

While West Virginia may be best known for it its traditional music, it also has spawned some significant roots-based singer-songwriters. Last year Sierra Ferrell, John R. Miller, and Mary Hott all gained national attention (and were among my top albums of the year), with Ferrell being nominated for

THROUGH THE LENS: Old-Time and New Approaches Make Friends at Clifftop

THROUGH THE LENS: Old-Time and New Approaches Make Friends at Clifftop

The Appalachian String Band Music Festival is a five-day mountaintop gathering of musicians and friends with contests, concerts, workshops, square dances, camping, and vendors. Better known simply as Clifftop (after the closest town), the festival was born out of the ashes of the Appalachian Open Championships, a bluegrass event

THROUGH THE LENS: Roots Music Releases to Snap You Out of the Summer Doldrums

THROUGH THE LENS: Roots Music Releases to Snap You Out of the Summer Doldrums

It's been a long, hot summer. Water is drying up in the Southwest, and the thunderstorms here in the East have been so numerous, and devastating in Eastern Kentucky, I have stopped counting. Is there relief in sight or can it be, as R.E.M. so eloquently

THROUGH THE LENS: Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and More 2022 Newport Folk Festival Highlights

THROUGH THE LENS: Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and More 2022 Newport Folk Festival Highlights

We were most fortunate to have two veteran photojournalists, Anthony Mulcahy and Jim Brock, in the photo pit for the phenomenal, unforgettable, high-water mark that was the 2022 Newport Folk Festival, the epitome of roots music festivals. As both Mulcahy and Brock have attended the festival on numerous occasions,

THROUGH THE LENS: A Personal Journey into the Blues

THROUGH THE LENS: A Personal Journey into the Blues

This week I thought I’d do something a bit different. Earlier this month, Peter Dervin covered two blues festivals (the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, and the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival in Winthrop, Washington), and Jim Gavenus covered the Briggs Farm Blues Festival in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania. But

THROUGH THE LENS: Palomino Festival Revives the Golden Era of Country Music in Los Angeles

THROUGH THE LENS: Palomino Festival Revives the Golden Era of Country Music in Los Angeles

Los Angeles’ Palomino Club, opened in 1949 by western swing musician Hank Penny, was a showcase for a wide variety of roots music, from country to jazz to cow punk to alt-country. The Flying Burrito Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, and Emmylou Harris were just a few of the

THROUGH THE LENS: July Brings Three of the Best Roots Music Albums of the Year

THROUGH THE LENS: July Brings Three of the Best Roots Music Albums of the Year

When I submitted my list of best albums of the year (so far) for ND’s list, there were only a couple I felt strongly about. Had it been just a few weeks later, all three of the albums below, to be released this month, would have been at the