“Live To Be Free” from new album ‘Flying Upside Down’ GRIFFIN HOUSE, Flying Upside Down (Nettwerk) Official Site | MySpace | Stream Out of Ohio comes Nashville-based singer-songwriter Griffin House with his latest record titled ‘Flying Upside Down’ available on Nettwerk Records. House draws well-warranted comparisons to Ryan Adams (in a good way) as well as [...] more »

Mon, Apr 28, 2008 | 0 Comments

“World Spins Madly On” from previous album ‘Say I Am You’ THE WEEPIES, Hideaway (Nettwerk) Official Site | MySpace | Stream | Free Download* They make sweet, sweet music… and babies… or at least one baby. Both parthers in music and in life the duo of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen released another Weepies album [...] more »

Tue, Apr 22, 2008 | 1 Comment

JAMES MCMURTRY, Just Us Kids (Lightning Rod) Official Site | MySpace | Preview | MP3* I never really understood the James McMurtry hype until I saw him live for the first time prior to the start of this year’s SXSW music festival. Outfitted with SIX guitars on this night at Austin’s Momo’s his weapon [...] more »

Tue, Apr 15, 2008 | 0 Comments

Friday night followed my unintentional afternoon trend of mixing old favorites with new sounds. My preference at South-by is to see almost entirely new-to-me bands, especially during official showcases, but there were just too many favorites to stick to my guns on a day like this. Sue me. In that respect, Friday night truly [...] more »

Fri, Apr 11, 2008 | 2 Comments

The highlight of my Thursday night occurred straight out of the gate in the 8 o’clock showcase time slot, but it was hardly all downhill from there, as a “bonus highlight” also awaited me during the witching hour. I’ve had a few tracks by the Swedish singer-songwriter, Jens Lekman, for a couple of years now. [...] more »

Thu, Apr 10, 2008 | 0 Comments

SXSW 2008 - John’s Wednesday Night Highlight: The Playing Favorites My third showcase of the night on Wednesday was when I struck gold for the first time “officially” this year, and I knew it almost as soon as the Playing Favorites began their set. The Playing Favorites are a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Me First [...] more »

Wed, Apr 09, 2008 | 1 Comment

JACKIE GREENE, Giving Up The Ghost (429) Official Site | MySpace | eCard ‘Giving Up The Ghost’, the fourth release from San Francisco based Jackie Greene shows a steady maturation of one of the biggest up and comers in American music. Reminiscent of Dylan, the Stones, and to a lesser extent Springsteen, Greene is keeping [...] more »

Tue, Apr 01, 2008 | 0 Comments

Singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan has built a career delving the depths of human emotion. Whether tackling the state of American society (”American Dirt”) or probing his personal relationships (”I Only Want to Be the Man You Want”) his emotional honesty is striking among contemporary songwriters. Ryan’s new album Matthew Ryan Vs the Silver State [...] more »

Wed, Mar 19, 2008 | 0 Comments

You could be doing any number of things this week. For instance, you could be playing superdelegate ping pong in your mind while you watch the latest news coming out of Ohio and Texas regarding who’s hot right now, be it Barack or Hillary (or John). You might also be joining us in mourning the [...] more »

Wed, Mar 05, 2008 | 0 Comments

TIFT MERRITT, Another Country (Fantasy) Official Site | MySpace | Stream | MP3 While we all sit back and sigh a brief moment of relief to know that Jamie Lynn passed her GED this week. Its good to know that there’s a bunch of new music we can send her as a graduation gift. After [...] more »

Tue, Feb 26, 2008 | 0 Comments

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Lurch, by Mike Viola Whether recording under his own name or his Candy Butchers moniker, Viola is a master musical alchemist, building each song around varied instruments pulled from his bag of musical sounds. From the Fisher Price piano that kicks off “Maybe, Maybe Not” to the fuzzy bass of “It [...] more »

Thu, Feb 21, 2008 | 0 Comments

RAY DAVIES, Working Man’s Cafe (Ammal/New West) Official Site | MySpace With his second solo album, former Kink and Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Ray Davies brings us ‘Working Man’s Cafe’. The album features 12 new songs penned by Davies who co-produced the album with Grammy Award winning producer Ray Kennedy (Lucinda Williams, Steve [...] more »

Tue, Feb 19, 2008 | 0 Comments

I’ve recently received Submissions from a couple of upstart bands I think are worth a look. They are Death to Anders and The Hollyfelds. Death to Anders has just released a new album Fictitious Business. Their sound has it’s basis in the L.A. Indie Rock scene but it is also heavily influenced early 90’s Sonic Youth. [...] more »

Sun, Feb 17, 2008 | 1 Comment

Our first give-away is a signed cd from Boston’s Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. Diamonds in the Dark is a roots rock gem, showcasing the genre-defying talents of Borges and band. To win, simply leave a comment below. A winner will be selected at random when the contest ends on Sunday, 2/17/08 at [...] more »

Wed, Feb 13, 2008 | 10 Comments

WIDESPREAD PANIC, Free Somehow Official Site | MySpace | Stream | MP3* | MP3** It seems like Athens-based Widespread Panic has been playing music forever (if you consider 20 years as being close to ‘forever’). Averaging a new record every two years, 2008 brings us their tenth studio album titled ‘Free Somehow’. This is another [...] more »

Mon, Feb 11, 2008 | 1 Comment