While you might roll your eyes at the general relevance of the Grammys (did you see those Song of the Year nominations?), it’s hard not to get excited when a hometown hero gets a nomination. Among the dozens of other nominees announced today, Durham’s Alice Gerrard earned a nod for her album Follow the Music, which came out on Tompkins Square on Sep. 30, in the Best Folk Album category. She’s up against Old Crow Medicine Show, Jesse Winchester, Eliza Gilkyson and the Dobro trio of Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas & Rob Ickes. If Gerrard wins, it will be her first Grammy, despite decades of renown among traditional music circles.
Hiss Golden Messenger’s Mike Taylor produced the record, adding another feather to a cap that already includes a beautiful new LP, a stellar Letterman performance and increased national success this year. Fellow North Carolinians on the record include the brothers Cook, Brad and Phil.
Gerrard wasn’t the only Triangle nod in the nominees—Yep Roc’s Dave and Phil Alvin are up for Growing Up: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play And Sing The Songs Of Big Bill Broonzy. The Arcade Fire’s Reflektor is also in the running for Best Alternative Record, but Capitol Records—not Merge—is listed as its label. Huh.
You can check out a review of Follow the Music, watch videos from her release show in October and view a performance of her and Taylor playing “Strange Land” at Duke Gardens below.
Alice Gerrard & Mike Taylor, “Strange Land”
