The New Agrarians are Kate Campbell, Tom Kimmel, and Pierce Pettis. The trio recorded their debut album at two different studios:  Basic tracks at Delta State University in Mississippi;  overdubs at True Tone Studio in Nashville. Stay tuned for more info to follow!

The Bob Edwards interview with Kate about 1000 Pound Machine will air on Monday, June 25th.

Bob Edwards is the host of “The Bob Edwards Show” on Sirius XM Radio and “Bob Edwards Weekend,” distributed to public radio stations by Public Radio International (PRI). Both programs feature in-depth interviews with newsmakers, journalists, entertainers and other compelling figures.

Before joining Sirius XM in 2004, Edwards hosted National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Morning Edition” for 24-and-a-half years, attracting more than 13 million listeners weekly. He joined NPR in 1974 and was co-host of NPR’s evening news magazine, “All Things Considered,” until 1979 when he helped launch “Morning Edition.”

John Platt’s unique mix of music, perfect for Sunday mornings – 8-11 am on WFUV.

Sunday morning is a little quieter than the rest of the week, but it’s no less interesting on WFUV.

The Sunday Breakfast is our way to bring a little spice into your weekends, with the singers and songwriters you know and love plus a good dose of up-and-coming artist surprises, with John Platt, who’s been the host of the Breakfast since 1997.

Usually there’s a featured artist, such as Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, Chris Isaak, Linda Ronstadt, Greg Brown, Norah Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Nilsson or James Taylor. John is known for putting together sets around a theme, which sometimes will evolve into a whole show, such as Unconventional Covers or Married Musical Couples.

Most shows also include an in-studio interview and live performance. Guests have ranged from icons like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Loudon Wainwright, and Judy Collins, to WFUV mainstays like Dar Williams, Bruce Cockburn, and Luka Bloom, to emerging artists like Richard Julian, Sonya Kitchell, and Ben Taylor. With his gentle probing John helps us to know more about the music – and who the artists are as people.

Kate stopped by the studios of Voice of America recently for an interview with Joan Kornblith.  Stay tuned for more info about when this episode will air.

VOA radio and television broadcasts are distributed by satellite, cable and on FM, AM, and shortwave radio frequencies. They are streamed on individual language service websites, social media sites and mobile platforms. VOA has more than 1,200 affiliate and contract agreements with radio and television stations and cable networks worldwide.

Kate has won the 2012 “Music Composition – Contemporary” Mississippi Institute Of Arts & Letters Award for her album Two Nights In Texas. The awards will be held on Saturday, June 9th at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi.

Other winners this year include:

Fiction – Michael Kardos, Mississippi State University – One Last Good Time
Nonfiction – Susan Haltom, Jackson – One Writer’s Garden: Eudora Welty’s Home Place
Poetry – T. R. Hummer, Arizona State University – Ephemeron: Poems
Music Composititon- Classical – Shandy Phillips, Starkville – Concerto for Violin, Viola, Piano, and String Orchestra
Visual Arts – Rod Moorhead, Oxford – Furies
Photography – Betty Press, University of Southern Mississippi – I Am Because We Are: African Wisdom in Image and Proverb

In 1978, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) was dreamed up by a few discerning individuals, including former Governor William Winter and Dr. Cora Norman both of Jackson, Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Dr. Noel Polk both of Hattiesburg, and Mrs. Keith McLean of Cleveland. These founding members knew that among Mississippi’s greatest riches are our artists, writers, and musicians, who must be supported, nurtured, and recognized.

The prestigious awards, first made in 1980, are presented in seven categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Visual Art, Musical Composition (Concert), Musical Composition (Popular), Photography, and Poetry.

The Institute’s juried competition is one of a kind in the state. Our carefully selected judges, chosen from out of state, are prominent in their field. Supported by Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning, MIAL is privately funded, self-perpetuating and non-profit.

This is a 9-day tour of Counties Waterford, Cork and Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. These counties are known for their significant musical traditions, are home of some of the most breathtaking scenery, and have great historical relevance in Ireland.  The tour is guided by staff of Enchanted Way Tours and is hosted by musician Kate Campbell. The maximum number of travelers, including the host, is 24. This small size allows guests to get to know and interact with the other guests, the host, and the Enchanted Way Tours staff.

Tour dates: July 4 – 13, 2012

Departure from Ireland is in the a.m. on July 13th.

More information under the Ireland tab.

From the WUMB website:

April Member Concert with Kate Campbell
Thursday April 19, 2012 7:30 pm

Our next member concert features the unforgettable Kate Campbell. Kate is the daughter of a Baptist preacher from Sledge, Mississippi. She came of age in the heart of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and as a child of the South, her music references soul, R&B, Southern rock, country, and folk music.

Kate is also a regular songwriting instructor at WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week. She is an extraordinary songwriter with a voice that soars. Her songs explore human relationships, race and history and take you from the civil rights march in Birmingham to the metaphor of 10,000 fishing lures as a backdrop for the struggle between good and evil.

Note: The concert will be held in the Snowden Auditorium on the 1st Floor of the Wheatley Building at Mass Boston. The best place to park is in the South Parking Lot located just past the Fox Point Gazebo.

Kate will appear on WUMB Music Mix on Tuesday, April 17th at 2:00 PM (EST).  Listen on-line at www.wumb.org to hear Kate play and discuss songs from her new CD 1000 Pound Machine.

Kate’s brand new album, 1000 Pound Machine, will be released on Tuesday, April 3rd.

Over the course of thirteen albums, Kate has written, recorded and performed almost exclusively on the acoustic guitar. On 1000 Pound Machine she returns to the instrument (piano) of her childhood and enlists Will Kimbrough (2004 Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year) to produce the eleven-song disc.

Campbell’s subtle piano and crystal-clear vocals are complimented by sparse arrangements featuring Kimbrough’s consummate guitar playing and soulful sounds from the legendary Spooner Oldham. Muscle Shoals ace David Hood (electric bass) and Americana stalwarts John Deaderick (keyboards), Dave Jacques (string bass), David Henry (strings), and Paul Griffith (percussion) add to the mix. Emmylou Harris lends haunting harmony on a true narrative about death-row prisoners who find peace through meditation (“Alabama Department of Corrections Meditation Blues”) while Sloan Wainwright adds  background vocals to “Wait for Another Day.”

Campbell’s tunes weave a southern-flavored tapestry throughout the album and include a gem that imagines Rosa Parks and George Wallace sitting side by side on a bus ride (“Montgomery to Mobile”), a paean to the Alabama landscape (“Red Clay After Rain”), a tribute to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Spooner Oldham (“Spoonerville”), and a beloved civil rights anthem (“Walk with Me”).

1000 Pound Machine is Kate Campbell’s note of gratitude to piano teachers everywhere who believe that “a simple pair of hands” can inspire and carry the listener to “the music of the spheres.”  Kate has several CD Release Celebration Concerts scheduled including Birmingham, Atlanta, Auburn, and Memphis.