I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended quite a number of multi-day music festivals over the years, from the Veiled Prophet Fair to the Monterey Jazz Festival and Telluride to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.  For my money, though, it’s really hard to beat the Old Settler’s Music Festival.  Held 20 miles or so outside of Austin [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is such a well known saying that it’s become cliche.  But I was reminded of it listening to the lastest release from Jim Hanft, entitled Weddings Or Funerals.  The album starts off with Kerosene, that with it’s guitar and soft snare sound immediately made me think of [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

If the saying “variety is the spice of life” is true, The Acoustic Burgoo is the equivalent of my grandmother’s cooking drawer.  There was a lot of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and other baking flavors for a comforting dish.  There were plenty of herbs for savory dishes, and some pepper for bite.  And a couple of [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Kris Kristofferson famously wrote “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”.  Although it became an anthem for a certain lifestyle back in the 70′s, Kristofferson himself would probably admit life’s a little more nuanced than that.  Whether consciously or not, Melody Walker seems to be exploring a lot of those shades of gray [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Chocolate covered bacon.  Spam sushi.  Over easy eggs on pizza.  I’m a fan of things that, at first, don’t seem to go well together, and yet when you actually try it’s pretty darn good.  That’s the kind of surprise I got when listening to Katie Glassman’s latest release, Snapshot.  It’s bluegrass and vintage jazz.  A [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Driving east out of Bakersfield you see it long before you get there, the heat shimmer distorting lines and colors, and yet somehow it kind of sneaks up on you.  One minute you’re in civilization, the next…nowhere.  California’s high desert has inspired musicians from Gram Parsons and the Eagles to Ted Nugent and Queens of [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

There’s something unexplainably exhilarating about a rapid and dramatic change in temperature.  In Russia and Scandinavia they go from a hot sauna to a leap into freezing cold water.  Where I grew up in the Midwest, we’d go from a hot, sweaty mosh pit in a club with ear-ringing decibels to the subzero outdoor environs [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Ever since Ray Charles earned the wrath of the righteous back in the 50′s with his corruption of “church music”, musicians have been stealing that mix of old fashioned gospel, rhythm and blues, and soul.  Rarely, though, has it come together as well as on the latest Ruthie Foster project, Let It Burn.  Listening to [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Everybody’s Someone In A Honky Tonk.  Anyone who’s reading this blog probably knows the David Allen Coe song, You Never Even Called Me By My Name (written by Steve Goodman), about the perfect country western song.  This tune, from the latest Carolann Ames release, may not be the perfect country song, but it has the [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

By now you’ve seen what most of us were listening to on our MP3 or CD players last year.  So I thought I’d add my favorite live sets from last year.  1) Roger Waters: I got a chance to see The Wall at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.  Holy cow.  As far as I’m [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80′s and 91′s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

The book and movie publishing moguls tend to view releases in terms of two seasons.  There’s the “beach read” that’s an easy vehicle for light entertainment.  The winter is when serious contenders for an Academy Award are released.  The depth of cold & dark apparently being when people are contemplative instead of just wanting instant [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson.  What do they have in common?  Anthems about being a free spirit.  You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird.  In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street.  Stylistically the song is [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

You have to be pre-disposed to like any album that starts out with a paean to Lawnchair Larry.  Maybe it’s just a song about a couple of fella’s similarly tempted, but Weather Ballon, the opening cut on the debut album from Austin-based Sons Of Fathers, is an apt metaphor for how quickly this record soars [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Timeless.  That’s the single word that best describes the latest release from Berkeley, CA-based songstress and multi-instrumentalist Laurie Lewis.  Skippin’ and Flyin’ is a sort of tribute album to Bill Monroe.  The tribute is an abstract though, that includes Monroe songs, songs from others that were inspired by Monroe, and even songs that just evoke [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood