Speaking of upcoming outdoor shows, Durham's American Tobacco Amphitheatre has put out a 10-show schedule for this year's Music on the Lawn series. Sponsored by WUNC-FM's Back Porch Music, the lineup draws from the roots and Americana end of the spectrum:

April 30 -- Chatham County Line

May 21 -- Mike Cross

June 4 -- Uncle Earl

June 18 -- Kickin' Grass

July 30 -- Laura Boosinger & Josh Goforth

Aug. 13 -- Stillhouse Bottom Band

Aug. 20 -- Thad Cockrell

Sept. 10 -- Gravy Boys

Sept. 17 -- Paul Brown and the Mostly Mountain Boys

Oct. 8 -- Music Maker Relief Foundation showcase with Cool John Ferguson, Captain Luke, John Dee Holeman, others

The Grammy Awards happen on Sunday night, and we'll have more to say about one of our local nominees later this week. In the meantime, however, there's other award-type news from half a world away to report. Local bluegrass band Chatham County Line has been nominated for a Spellemann Prize, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammys, for the group's latest collaboration with Jonas Fjeld. The ceremony is March 6, and frontman Dave Wilson says CCL plans to attend "if it works out and the label will pay."

Meantime, the next Fjeld-less CCL album is coming along. Titled "Wildwood," it's at the mixing stage and features Tift Merritt drummer Zeke Hutchins in a prominent role that Wison promises will "continue to confuse the bluegrass community wholeheartedly." Look for that to emerge this summer.

Dave Wilson is a man of few regrets. But nowadays, he does regret something that might seem peculiar -- that he never learned to speak the native language in Norway, where his Triangle-based bluegrass band Chatham County Line is borderline huge.

"Yeah, I kinda wish I'd hit that harder on the first trip over, because I never figured we'd be going over there very much," Wilson says. "I was thinking, 'This is a flash in the pan, we'll never be coming back again.' So I never learned it and now I wish I had because we've been over there a bunch. I can say a few things. Greg [Readling] can read the paper, which is impressive. It's hard to decipher what they're saying to you. They always sound real drunk. But I did get so drunk in a bar one night that I did in fact begin to speak Norwegian."

Chatham County Line is in the midst of recording a new album, and the group's annual Christmas show is nigh. For more details, see the story in Friday's paper.

New to the Berkeley Cafe concert calendar, Norwegian singer Jonas Fjeld on Feb. 12, backed up by the Triangle's own Chatham County Line. Fjeld and CCL are wildly popular over in Fjeld's home country, and this show is a "dress rehearsal" for the duo's upcoming Norwegian tour in support of "Brother of Song" -- due out Feb. 24 in Norway. No U.S. release yet, but we can hope.

ADDENDUM: Here's a bit of CCL live, courtesy of NBC-17.

Incoming governor Bev Perdue has a most impressive lineup of North Carolina acts set to play at her inaugural ball in Raleigh next month. The festivities kick off Jan. 8 at the Lincoln Theatre with pop bands old and new, Dillon Fence and Pico vs. Island Trees. Then on Jan. 9, the formal ball at the Raleigh Convention Center will have musicians including Durham jazzman Branford Marsalis, Granite Falls-born country singer Eric Church and two of the Triangle's best alternative-country acts, Tres Chicas and Chatham County Line.

For complete lineup and ticket details, check here.

This year has seen a ton of fantastic local records perfect for gift-giving -- just check the tags on this post for a few suggestions on acts to look for. And for further specifics, click here.

Meanwhile, the annual "alternative" musical gift guide is coming on Dec. 14. Check previous years' installments here.

Economic calamaties aside, there's at least one area where Depression is on the decrease: Just five months after its final issue as a bi-monthly magazine, No Depression is back as a twice-yearly "bookazine," plus a revamped Web site. Read more about that here. Also, ND regulars Chatham County Line and Thad Cockrell play a show sponsored by No Depression Friday at Cat's Cradle.