We just uploaded another free, full-length song that you can download. It’s called “Peace Tonight” and it was on Derek’s last album. The song is 100% free to download at the “Music” page on this site. You can click here to go straight to the page.

We hope you enjoy the free music! Leave us a note on the “Music” page and let us know what you think.

Emmylou Harris gives an interview on Youtube that you can watch here…

We’ve just released another free full-length song for you to download…no strings attached.

Just go to the “Music” page on this site. It’s called “Fight No More” and it’s from Derek’s last album, Piece of Mind”.

Spread the word. It’s rare to get something for free.

I’m in the process of writing some new songs right now. The process is really no formal process at all but more like random melodies and scribbles coming together…hopefully in a good way. Sometimes not so much.

I was encouraged in Nashville by a songwriter’s listening room.

For you locals, I am putting together a Songwriter’s Night called “With A Little Help From My Friends“. I’m checking on a venue right now and we’re looking at a date.

In essence, it will be 3 songwriters playing acoustic. Each one will perform one song down the line. We’ll do about 5 original songs each and end with a combined cover of the Beatles tune matching the night’s theme (”With A Little Help From My Friends”).

Of course, the event will be free and open to all. More news to follow as I iron out the details. Check back and watch for flyers.

The last night in Nashville. We stumbled into a concert with singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Rodney Crowell. Luckily, the doorman let us in for free and saved me $30. He was having a new album release at the Basement and we got to catch a lot of his show. I got a picture with him on a cell phone camera but it is such poor quality I think I’ll spare you the pain.

The Kings of Leon listening party was ok…they didn’t show. Sorry, Will!

Tonight, we are off to see Low Anthem (website), a really good group we caught last night at the Bluebird Cafe’s Writer’s Night. They are playing in Nashville at the 12th Street South Taproom and Grill.

Afterwards, we are heading to Grimey’s Record Shop and the Basement (a performance hall in…the basement) to a Kings of Leon listening party for their new release. Let’s hope the boys show up. David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) showed up there yesterday.

Today we ran around a bit and later went to the Bluebird Cafe for the Writer’s Night. One of the bands we really enjoyed, Jabe & The All Night Circus, can be found here.

We skipped this day…shame on me!

Yes, I am behind yet another day.

Last night was a great night of music at The Station Inn. We got there right in time for the shows and the house was full. The line-up included:

8:00 PM Chatham County Line
9:00 PM Bruce Robison
10:00 PM Kathy Mattea
11:00 PM Dave Peterson & His Old Time Country Review
12:00 AM Jim Lauderdale

Chatham County Line played great Bluegrass and Robinson tore through a great collection of well-written songs, including “What Would Willie Do?”. Kathy Mattea and her band were incredible as she performed songs from her new album and some classics. David Peterson and his band were pure old-time country and they did it well. Lauderdale, often called the King of Americana, finished the night with a set of classics he has authored.

The entire event has been full of incredible music and good seminars/discussion groups.

By the way, Nashville is out of gas. Almost 60% of the stations have no gas due to a panic and frenzy of the public. We sat in a line to wait our turn after we found a station. It’s just my luck that I would pick a city for vacation that runs out of gas.

I passed out some cards and made some friends in the music scene.

Ok, this is a little late…we went to some late night concerts and got in too late for me to make any sense.

Yesterday, I attended a variety of seminars on touring, the vinyl resurgence, and the music scene.

I also visited the vendor section and found some great products there. Lightning 100, an independent radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, plays indie music and is hosted by David Hooper. A to Z Media specializes in indie cd manufacturing for small to medium record labels and artists. NTS ProMedia also does special duplication and replication with quick turn-around and custom orders. To the odd- Dwight Yoakam has his own line of food products call Bakersfield Biscuits (I have never heard this before) which can be purchased at Walgreens, so I’m told. I met two interns from American Songspace.com which is a songwriter network “focusing on the songwriter, the song, the spirit of collaboration, the savvy of networking and music industry presence”. Finally, a co-songwriting/performing artist we met on the bus has a cd out and he’s looking for some attention. Visit Bandry Land (The Drew Landry Band) to check out his cds and music and spread the word!

The awards show was great and we saw incredible performances by a host of people. Allison Krause and Robert Plant won several awards and he sang on a number. Levon Helm and a host of others performed, some of my favorites being Ryan Bingham, the Steel Drivers and Jim Lauderdale.

We ended the evening with dinner and a concert featuring Band of Heathens, an incredible band from Austin, Texas.

We are currently in Nash-vegas for the Americana Music Association conference. I registered tonight and we headed down to the “strip” and dropped into Layla’s Bluegrass Inn. We caught a set from Jypsi, a great group. When walking to supper, we passed Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Box Masters. They’re playing at the conference, I believe. A Nash-Vegas paparazzi type was chasing a car yelling to take a photo of Robert Plant, who is rumored to be coming to the conference and maybe even perform with Allison Krause from their award-winning duet album.

Tomorrow I start some classes and lectures. Tomorrow night, the awards show at the Ryman. Stay tuned for more information.

We now offer two full-length downloads of Derek Lorin’s past music. He is writing new material for future release. You can download these 2 songs for free and share/burn away. For downloads, click on the “Music” tab above or go here.

Please spread the word and visit his Myspace page.

Amazon is offering a free download of a song from Dan Tyminiski’s new release, “Wheels”. Click here to go to the link.

Alison Krauss, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, Justin Townes Earle, Mike Farris, The Steeldrivers and Kane Welch Kaplin are among the nominees for an awards show that celebrates country-based roots music of the sort that doesn�??t often land on tightly formatted country radio.

You can read the article here.

Instead of fawning over CMT’s Nashville Star, check out a classic self-made Americana artist’s latest release. Emmylou Harris’ release “All I Intended To Be” is her latest album and receiving great reviews. The all-star cast includes Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, the McGarrigle sisters, old friends from the Seldom Scene, Glenn D. Hardin of her legendary Hot Band. Check out her awards and honors:

Grammy Awards

2005 Best Female Country Vocal Performance (”The Connection”)

2001 Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

2000 Best Contemporary Folk Album (Red Dirt Girl)

1999 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (”After The Gold Rush”, with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt)

1998 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (”Same Old Train”, with Alison Krauss, Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam, Earl Scruggs, Joe Diffie, Marty Stuart, Merle Haggard, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs & Travis Tritt)

1995 Best Contemporary Folk Album (Wrecking Ball)

1992 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers At the Ryman, as Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers)

1987 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Trio, with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt)

1984 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (”In My Dreams”)

1980 Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (”That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again”, with Roy Orbison)

1979 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (Blue Kentucky Girl)

1976 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (Elite Hotel)^[4]

Country Music Association Awards

2001 Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

1980 Female Vocalist Of The Year

1988 Vocal Event of the Year (Trio, with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt) ^[5]

Other honors

• CMT’s 40 Greatest Women of Country Music - #5 ranking (2002)
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (February 12, 2008)

It’s been a while…shame on the CMAs and the Opry for waiting so long!

The Gougers, the Austin-based country band , now is offering their fall 2007 release, “A Long Day for the Weathervane,” for a free download of the entire album here. The hitch? You give them your email and info plus three friend’s data and the band will email them as well (your friends may hate you for this). For that, you get a free album. If you can, go see them and buy a ticket as a thanks for the free music.

The Americana Music Association has just announced the list of showcase artists at their upcoming Nashville conference in September. Hopefully some of them will receive the attention given to artists that write their own material like Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert without all the “showbiz” hype and industry manipulation. Call me a cynic.

I really love Marty Stuart’s work…past and present. He’s quite the country Renaissance man…musician, producer, photographer, story-teller, and country music historian. He’s also one of the most recognized members of the Americana Music movement. Check out this live performance on CMT’s Unplugged at Studio 330. If you’re in Nashville right now during the Fan Fair (wrongly called the CMA Music Festival), you may have seen Marty & Friends at his 7th Annual Late Night Jam at the old Ryman Auditorium.