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A new short film by Erika Yeomans entitled "Grand Gorge: No God But Me",
premiered this month in New York. Described as "..a darkly humorous look at the western genre; where white men seek revenge and redemption", the film features not only Riley's rendition of "Now Is The Cool Of The Day", but also Riley's good friend Michael Abbott, Jr in the lead role of Chevron. Watch out for the film at festivals later in the year. For more information about Erika and her work, visit For The Rest Of Your Natural Life Productions. |
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| Riley says: I've had a great musical 2007 and I'd like to thank everyone who came out to the shows, who bought a CD, who visited this site, who got in touch, the many people I got to meet and, not least, all the people that I worked with this year. Your support is very important to me and I'm extremely grateful. The world of old time music continues to flourish thanks in large part to the support of all of you. It fills my heart with joy to see so many of you coming out and enjoying the music. 2008 is already looking like it's going to be fun, with trips to the West Coast, Scotland, England, Canada, Florida and the Mid West lined up to date. I'm looking forward to it all and hope to see you along the way! Happy New Year! Best wishes, Riley |
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Today sees the release of what's being described as "the musical collaboration of the decade" - that's "Raising Sand",
the much anticipated CD from Alison Krauss and
Robert Plant, produced by T-Bone Burnett and engineered by Mike Piersante. Late last year, Riley flew to Nashville to participate in the project. There he had the pleasure of working alongside a stellar roster of musicians, including Mike Seeger, Dennis Crouch, Norman Blake, Marc Ribot, Jay Bellerose, Greg Leisz and Patrick Warren. It was lots of fun to get to work with friends both old and new, but the best bit for Riley is that he appears on a track written by his friend Rosa Lee Watson - "Your Long Journey". "One of the best albums of the year" Mojo For more information, visit Rounder Records. |
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| Laurelyn Dossett and Kari Sickenberger have released their third
Polecat Creek CD,
"Ordinary Seasons". Riley was delighted to participate in the project, alongside fiddler Natalya Weinstein, mandolin player Eric Robertson and bass player Jeff Hersk. It was a particular treat to get to work again with Steve Heller, who recorded the first Red Hots album nearly twenty years ago.... "With Ordinary Seasons, Polecat Creek fuses traditional mountain melodies with new lyrics and the result is sublime..simply put, this is plain good music." Tim O'Brien |
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For more information and to buy the CD, visit Polecat Creek's
website.
Photo by Abigail Seymour |
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In early August, Riley was privileged to return to the Augusta Heritage Center's
Old Time Week in Elkins, West Virginia,
to teach advanced banjo. Riley was delighted to have NPR's Noah Adams come and sit in with his class. After classes, Noah and Riley spent some time chatting and getting to know each other. This interview is a product of those discussions. To listen to the show, click here Photo by Noah Adams, NPR |
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| Riley's new CD, Long Steel Rail, was released on Sugar Hill Records
on 8th August 2006. "The instrumental component is impeccable, while Baugus' vocals sound like they've been echoing through the Appalachian Mountains for about 150 years. Quintessential American old-time music" Billboard Magazine "Riley Baugus delivers an old-time Americana Appalachian folk sound that can only be summed up by the word 'genius'..." Smother Magazine |
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| "In his formative years, highly-regarded, old-time musician Riley Baugus often played with and learned from elders of the tradition in North Carolina and Virginia, including legendary old-time fiddler Tommy Jarrell (a National Heritage Award recipient). Earnest study and total immersion in the wealth of knowledge available to him by virtue of being an insider from the region gave Baugus access to experience that positioned the North Carolina native as standard-bearer and direct link between the art’s pre-commercial beginnings and today. On Long Steel Rail, Baugus continues to embrace his role in this lineage: singing, fiddling, and playing banjo with absolute love and respect for the humanity and tradition that brings music into his life". Sugar Hill Records Produced by Tim O’Brien and Dirk Powell |
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| For further information and to order contact Sugar Hill Records | |||