| Free Dirt Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | John Smith, Erica Haskell |
| Distributor(s) | AMPED Distribution (US), [1] MNRK Music Group |
| Genre | Folk, American roots, country |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Washington, DC |
| Official website | www |
Free Dirt Records is an American independent record label and label services company founded in 2006 by John Smith and Erica Haskell that releases folk and roots music. [2] The label's releases have received three Grammy nominations. [3] [4] [5]
John Smith met Erica Haskell when Haskell interned at Smithsonian Folkways in 2000. [6] Later while Haskell was attending graduate school in ethnomusicology [7] they collaborated on a box set of spoken word introductions paired with original songs by anarchist folk musician and storyteller Utah Phillips [6] before founding Free Dirt Records in 2006. The label's first official release was by the traditional Bosnian group Mostar Sevdah Reunion. [8] Smith and Haskell ventured to create a label where they could work with young artists making traditionally rooted music and showcase often overlooked material like spoken word. Since 2006, the label has released music by Pokey LaFarge, [9] Anna & Elizabeth, [10] Hackensaw Boys, Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge (Grammy-nominated), Cahalen Morrison, Che Apalache (Grammy-nominated), Dori Freeman, [11]
The Waifs are an Australian folk rock band formed in 1992 by sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson as well as Josh Cunningham. Their tour and recording band includes Ben Franz (bass), David Ross Macdonald (drums) and Tony Bourke.
Chesky Records is a record company and label founded in 1978 by brothers David and Norman Chesky. The company produces high-definition recordings of music in a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, pop, R&B, folk and world/ethnic. Chesky artists include McCoy Tyner, Herbie Mann, David Johansen and the Harry Smiths, Joe Henderson, Macy Gray, Chuck Mangione, Paquito D'Rivera, Ron Carter, Larry Coryell, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Babatunde Olatunji, Ana Caram, and Rebecca Pidgeon.
Julian Lage is an American guitarist and composer.
Punch Brothers is an American band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), Brittany Haas (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass). Their style has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and spontaneity in the strictures of modern classical" as well as "American country-classical chamber music".
Chris Eldridge is a Grammy Award winning American guitarist and singer. He is a member of Punch Brothers and frequently performs in a duo with fellow guitarist Julian Lage. He was the guitarist in the house band on Prairie Home Companion/Live From Here from 2016-2020. He was also a founding member of the bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. His father is noted banjoist Ben Eldridge of the Seldom Scene.
New York Polyphony is a male classical vocal quartet based in New York City.
Pokey LaFarge is an American musician and singer-songwriter.
R. City is an American hip hop duo formed by two brothers Theron "Uptown AP" Thomas and Timothy "A.I." Thomas in 2003. Primarily known as a songwriting and record production team, the duo amassed numerous credits for prominent music industry acts prior to signing with Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records in 2014 as recording artists. The following year, their single "Locked Away", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut studio album, What Dreams Are Made Of (2015).
Disclosure is an English electronic music duo consisting of brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence. They grew up in Reigate, Surrey. Their debut studio album, Settle, released on 3 June 2013, by PMR Records, was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. They released a second studio album, Caracal, on 25 September 2015 which was also nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. Their third studio album, Energy, was released on 28 August 2020, and was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, alongside the fourth single from the album, "My High", which was nominated for Best Dance Recording.
Jesse Vernon Frasure, also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. He has written 22 number one songs and has cuts with various artists including Chris Stapleton, Marshmello, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Leon Bridges, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Meghan Trainor, Florida Georgia Line and more.
Camaron Marvel Ochs, known professionally as Cam, is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career as a songwriter and has composed material for several artists including Beyoncé, Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus. In 2010, she released her debut studio album Heartforward on an independent record label. Signing with Sony Music Entertainment, she released her debut major label EP in March 2015, Welcome to Cam Country, followed by the studio album Untamed later that same year. Her third album was The Otherside, released on Triple Tigers in 2020. Her second single "Burning House" is her most commercially successful, peaking at the number two position on Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay. Spurred by airplay on The Bobby Bones Show, the song received widespread acclaim, including a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and a Triple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The Charm City Bluegrass Festival is a bluegrass festival established in 2013 and taking place each April in Baltimore, MD. The festival features local, regional, and national musicians. The festival maintains strong ties with the local community and seeks to highlight the long, distinguished history of Bluegrass music in Baltimore.
Dori Freeman is an American singer-songwriter based in Galax, Virginia.
Big Muddy Records is an independent American roots music record label based out of St Louis, Missouri. Founded by Chris (Kristo) Baricevic in 2005, Big Muddy Records has been a pivotal element in the development of many of St Louis' roots music acts, ranging from garage rock, punk, country, traditional jazz, blues, and folk music. Big Muddy Records is distributed by Entertainment One and Amped.
The Hooten Hallers are an American blues and rock and roll band that formed in Columbia, Missouri, in 2007.
Roberto Delgado & Orquesta is a Panamanian salsa orchestra based in Panama City. The band leader is Roberto Delgado. The band has released five studio albums and since the release of the album La Rosa de los Vientos (1996) by singer-songwriter Rubén Blades, the ensemble became his backing band for most of his projects. Following albums included Son de Panamá (2015), which was awarded the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album, and Salsa Big Band (2017), which was awarded the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and Album of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.
Mount Royal is an album by guitarists Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge which was released by the Free Dirt label in 2017. The record was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Contemporary Instrumental Album" category.
All Ashore is the fifth studio album by the American group Punch Brothers, released on July 20, 2018. The band announced the release of the album's first singles "It's All Part of the Plan" and the instrumental "Three Dots and a Dash" on June 14, 2018. The album was self-produced by the band and was released on the Nonesuch Records label. The nine songs were written and recorded in the sequence of the tracklist at the United Sound studio in Los Angeles, California. The album received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Che Apalache was an Argentinian-American string band based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their style has attracted fans such as banjoist Béla Fleck who produced their Grammy-nominated album Rearrange My Heart.
Rearrange My Heart is the second studio album by Che Apalache, released on August 9, 2019. It was produced by Béla Fleck and was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.