ONLINE: MusiCares Sessions

press release: Today begins the four-episode, first of its kind “Sessions” festival from Truideation and Twitch. Beginning at 1:00 PM Pacific/4:00 PM ET/9:00 PM GMT on the front page of Twitch (link HERE).  The festival will feature an hour of conversation and performances with a special DJ set from an artist to kick things off. Guests CAM, Skip Marley, Steve Earle, Brandy Clark, DJ Twin Shadow, Lucinda Williams, and host Matt Pinfield will kick off the event that benefits the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Subsequent shows will take place on May 13, 20 and 27. Some of our future guests will include Allie X, Bryce Vine, Cavetown, Dawes, Empress Of, HANSON, Kat Cunning, MAX, Randy Rainbow, Salt Cathedral and many more.

Viewers can contribute to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund via a “DONATE HERE” button or online at https://tiltify.com/@sessions/sessions. MusiCares was established by the Recording Academy as a safety net in times of need for the music community. MusiCares offers confidential preventive, recovery, and emergency programs to address financial, medical, and personal health issues.  

Audio sponsor Logitech, Audio-Technica and eSports Streaming Partner waveform.gg will ensure that the sound and visuals are optimal and broadcast standard.

ABOUT BRANDY CLARK

A six-time Grammy nominee and a CMA Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician, Brandy Clark is in the midst of a breakthrough year following the release of her critically acclaimed new album, Your Life is a Record. Produced by award winning producer Jay Joyce, the album was created after the dissolution of a long-term relationship and features Clark’s most personal songwriting to date across eleven new songs including “Bigger Boat”—a duet with Randy Newman. Of the album, The New Yorker declares, "No one is writing better country songs than Brandy Clark is...Your Life is a Record is the best-sounding album that she’s released," while Variety proclaims, "one of the very best singer-songwriters contemporary country has." In addition to her work as a solo artist, Clark is also one of her generation’s most respected and celebrated songwriters and musicians, having written songs for several acclaimed artists including Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and many others.

ABOUT CAM

Cam released her debut album, Untamed, in 2015. The record bowed in the Top 15 of the Billboard Top 200 and yielded her double-platinum GRAMMY®, CMA and ACM-nominated smash single, “Burning House,” which remains the best-selling country song by a female solo artist since 2015. Since then, Cam has continued to thrive as both a songwriter and musician, teaming up with acts like Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, and Diplo, to name a few. Her 2017 single "Diane," a response to Dolly Parton's 1973 track "Jolene," received both a thank you note and a surprise Good Morning America appearance from the country music veteran. Cam has consistently sold-out shows across the globe, cementing her status as an international powerhouse. Earlier this year, Cam released “Till There’s Nothing Left,” the first single from her upcoming sophomore album. 

ABOUT LUCINDA WILLIAMS

Three-time Grammy Award winner, Lucinda Williams has been a groundbreaking artist carving her own path for more than four decades. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Williams turned out work that won immense respect within the industry (winning a Grammy for Mary Chapin Carpenter’s version of “Passionate Kisses”) and a gradually growing cult audience. Williams is in the midst of the most prolific period of her career, churning out two critically acclaimed double albums with 2014’s Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone and 2016’s The Ghosts of Highway 20. As an artist who continues to move forward and push herself, 2020 will mark the release of her boldest, most forthright album to date with Good Souls Better Angels. 

ABOUT SKIP MARLEY

Skip Marley often speaks in this way—a rare combination of serious and cool. The Jamaica-born, Florida-based artist is mysterious and chill, but deeply connected to his craft and refreshingly self-assured. He’s authentic in a way most musicians these days could never claim to be; when he says he’s never thought about how people perceive him, it’s without any pretense or irony. His sound follows suit, a reggae-hybrid that effortlessly blends eras, genres, and styles, while showing off Skip’s impeccable musicianship and poetic lyricism. His natural talent comes as no surprise—music’s quite literally in his blood. Skip is the grandson of reggae icon Bob Marley, and his songs pay homage to his deep family legacy. But Skip’s music is decidedly different, too. His songs confidently mix an assortment of genres, influences, and instruments while maintaining their reggae roots and important messaging. Though the arrangements and lyrics are often complex, they feel easy and fresh.

ABOUT STEVE EARLE

Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. 1986 saw the release of his debut record, Guitar Town, which is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Subsequent releases received consecutive Grammy Awards. Restlessly creative across artistic disciplines, Earle has published both a novel and collection of short stories; produced albums for other artists such as Joan Baez and Ron Sexsmith; and acted in films, television, and on the stage. Recently, Earle wrote music for and appeared in Coal Country, a riveting public theater play that dives into the most deadly mining disaster in U.S. history. Ghosts of West Virginia is Steve Earle’s 20th studio album. 

ABOUT TWIN SHADOW

George Lewis Jr., better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is a Dominican-American singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ. He has released four albums: Forget (2010), Confess (2012), Eclipse (2015), and Caer (2018). Twin Shadow is working on a new album that is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2020.

ABOUT TRUIDEATION

Truideation is a data driven entertainment and esports marketing agency powered by Graphika.

ABOUT TWITCH

Launched in 2011, Twitch is a global community that comes together each day to create multiplayer entertainment: unique, live, unpredictable experiences created by the interactions of millions. It brings the joy of co-op to everything, from casual gaming to world-class esports to anime marathons, music, and art streams. We’re always live at Twitch. Stay up to date on all things Twitch on Twitter and on our Blog.