BONUS TRACKS: Blaze Foley Tribute LP, Two New Woody Guthrie Videos, and More Roots Music News
Lost Art Records announced a tribute album to singer-songwriter, country artist, and poet Blaze Foley, due out August 7. Titled Sittin’ with Blaze, the 13-track LP features some hard-hitting covers by artists like Lucy Dacus, Dylan Earl, John R. Miller, John Moreland, Joshua Ray Walker, Willie
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Lost Art Records announced a tribute album to singer-songwriter, country artist, and poet Blaze Foley, due out August 7. Titled Sittin’ with Blaze, the 13-track LP features some hard-hitting covers by artists like Lucy Dacus, Dylan Earl, John R. Miller, John Moreland, Joshua Ray Walker, Willie Watson, and Lucinda Williams. Two singles are now live, Uncle Lucius' version of "Election Day" and Phosphorescent's version of "If I Could Only Fly."
On June 25, PBS will air a new documentary titled Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today. Narrated by Rosanne Cash, the film explores the connection between Guthrie and author John Steinbeck, who wrote the foundational Americana novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Tom Joad, the book's protagonist, ultimately became an important figure in Guthrie's music and songs by many others artists. PBS stations around the country will broadcast the film into early July, and it will also be available to stream via PBS.org. Watch the trailer below.
Speaking of Guthrie, Grace Potter shared her version of "This Land Is Your Land" as part of the "Songs of US" series presented by the nonprofit artist support organization, Salt Lick Incubator.
The Grammy Awards announced a number of updates to its categories and regulations. Most relevant to roots music, however, is the inlcusion of a new category, Best Traditional Folk Album. According to The Recording Academy, this category, "Recognizes excellence in albums of traditional folk recordings. Awards are presented to artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s)/mixer(s), and songwriter(s) of new songs, if other than artist(s), of greater than 50% playing time on the album." The organization also notes that the award previously known as Best Folk Album will now be renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Folk Alliance International has long-supported this move, launching the initial proposal to reorganize and rename the categories. As the nonprofit stated in a press release:
We are thrilled to see the return of separate Traditional and Contemporary Folk award categories, a change our membership has long called for, and one that addresses a significant representation and credibility gap in the genre. This reinstatement also challenges the long-held stereotype that folk music is exclusively Eurocentric. Traditional Folk is, in fact, a genre of rich cultural diversity that extends far beyond any single culture, and we're excited that more of that diversity will now have the chance to be celebrated on a global stage.
Brooklyn's old-time venue and school, the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, was broken into this week after a show. Help the "only home for folk and traditional music and art in New York City" with their repairs and lost funds from the one-of-a-kind, vintage cash register here.
Lastly, RIP to three roots musicians from very different backgrounds and genres. Ronnell Johnson, beloved trombonist with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, passed away at just 49 years old. According a social media post from the venue itself,
For nearly 30 years, Ronell was part of the Preservation Hall family, performing multiple times a week at Preservation Hall in New Orleans and traveling the world with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Night after night, city after city, Ronell carried the spirit of New Orleans with him, sharing the music with audiences near and far.
Additionally, a memorial fund, which will also help cover funeral costs, has been set up in Johnson's honor here. Read more at nola.com, where he's remembered as "the personification of New Orleans music."
South African jazz innovator, pianist, and bandleader Abdullah Ibrahim passed away this week at 91 years old. Read more at The New York Times and check out 10 of his best recordings from The Guardian. For those interested in more of South Africa's rich, complex, and diverse musical history, be sure to read Lior Phillips' 33 1/3 genres book, South African Popular Music.
Mike Little of Canadian roots-rock band The Hello Darlins passed away this week, as well, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Just the day before, he released his debut solo LP titled Keys To The Universe, an 11-track album showcasing his skills on piano, keyboards, and B3 Hammond organ. According to a press release:
He chose to keep his health private, instead concentrating on making music as he always had. All of us who worked with him – and loved him – were hoping he was just experiencing another rough patch, but sadly that was not the case. The silver lining is that we were able to get this incredible album out into the world before Mike departed.
Little left a note to friends and fans on social media:
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
In case you missed it, I love sports. And since the World Cup started, my entire algorithm has been filled with the most delightful, cross-cultural expressions of musical joy and community. So this week, I'm curating this section a bit differently: Please enjoy a smattering of expressions of musical fandom below that includes Mexican-Korean mash-ups, American street percussionists jamming with Scottish bagpipers, Dutch and Bosnian hype songs, and more.
NEW RELEASES - 6/19/26
Candace Hastings - Soft Place to Land
Orquestra Pacifico Tropical - El Poder
Uncle Kunkel’s One Gram Band - Hear Say
Stu Larsen - Solitude
Styrofoam Winos - Any River
Swamp Dogg - Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife
Various Artists - Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present...1925 Songs
The War and Treaty - The Story of Michael and Tonya
COMING SOON - 6/26/26
American Aquarium — New Ways to Lose
Big Guy & The Very Large Men — Big Guy & The Very Large Men
Rodney Crowell — Then Again
Devon Gilfillian — Time Will Tell
Glen Hansard — Don't Settle: Transmissions East & West: Vol. 2 - Transmissions West
Jackson and The Janks — Write It Down (physical release)
Jesper Lindell — Royal
Tift Merritt — Sugar
Danni Nicholls — Making Moves
Andrew Sa — American Rough
Sad Daddy — Ozark Fine
Sequoia — So Long
River Shook — River Shook
Omar Sosa — We Are Not The Headliner
The Steppers — The Lights Are Always On
