Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band House of Blues Boston, May 18 2013 It’s clear that Josh Ritter has a special place in his heart for Boston. This was a hometown show for band members Zack Hickman, Austin Nevins, and Sam Kassirer. Ritter brought his A-game and gave the Boston fans a lot to [...] more »

by Suzanne McMahon

It occurred to me that we haven’t written much, at least lately, about John Prine. Well, I went searching for a good song to share and stumbled across this incredible video. It features Kris Kristofferson and Joan Baez singing alongside Prine on the his classic “Hello In There.” ‘Ya gotta love Baez’s comment as she [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

It is hard to describe songs that leave you speechless. The breathtaking tracks on “American Kid” mesmerize from beginning to end. This is Patty Griffin’s first album of original material in six years. Since then she has recorded an album of Gospel songs and hymns, “Downtown Church”, and toured with Robert Plant’s Band of Joy. [...] more »

by Chip Frazier

In the middle of April, a few weeks after the madness of SXSW, one of the more under appreciated events on the Austin music scene happens about 30 miles southwest of town; The Old Settler’s Music Festival.  Here are some of the highlights from this year’s festivities. Who Was That Band? Festivals like this always [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Writing this review is difficult for me, and not because my feelings about the album are ambiguous. I almost uniformly adore the record. The difficulty arises in attempting to write about the record. Because, despite my adoration of The Stand-In, I can’t really put my finger on the reason why. Every thought comes across as [...] more »

by Eli Petersen

Lisa Biales (pronounced “Be-Alice”) has a uniquely clear voice reminiscent of Patsy Cline, whom she once portrayed in a community theater musical production. That clear, soothing voice of hers is a fresh change from the scorching vocals of many country and blues singers today. The Oxford, Ohio based Biales has independently released seven previous albums [...] more »

by Bill Wilcox

This week and next week I’ll be featuring some videos from SXSW. We’ll start with a mostly acoustic set, featuring: Steve Earle performing “Someday” The Waterboys performing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” Billy Bragg performing “Handyman Blues” Chuck Ragan and friends performing “Revival Road” Frank Turner covering Blink 182′s “Dammit” Josh Ritter and Emmylou Harris [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

The True Believers Austin’s The True Believers were high on, if not at the top of, my list of bands to see at SXSW. Nearly thirty years ago they established a reputation as a powerhouse rock and roll band. Given that I wasn’t attending many rock shows thirty years ago so I was downright giddy [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Mars, Arizona.  Wind and sun the primary elements of nature, the tumbleweeds rolling through town, red sand whipped into dust devils with nothing but cactus to impede their motion.  Like so many small towns in America, the burden of providing for its citizens outweighing a rapidly diminishing tax base until there’s no choice but to [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

There’s a new Josh Ritter in town. No more “Bright smiles and dark eyes” and “I’ll be the one to drive you back home, Kathleen.” Now there are lyrics like these: “Nightmares have their dreams as well, / when they sleep they go to hell / and they drink their fill on lakes of blood… [...] more »

by Suzanne McMahon

I do love me a good murder ballad sometimes.  Cocaine Blues, popularized by Johnny Cash and later George Thorogood, is maybe my favorite.  I’m pretty enamored now, though, with a cut off the new Reed Turner release, Ghosts In the Attic.  The song, Killed That Girl (‘Cause She Was Killing Me) has just the right [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Bill Mallonee’s 50th release (that is not a typo by the way) is one of his most impassioned. I realize that is a bold statement when the referenced artist has such a large body of work. The lyrics on “Amber Waves” are full of pain and loss. However, there is an underlying hope in these [...] more »

by Chip Frazier

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Battles, by Kingsley Flood Battles is the sound of a band hitting stride. Kingsley Flood have always delivered rock solid songs and performances. Their latest release, however, packages their most potent songwriting to date with some equally powerful arrangements. There’s a real edge to the songs across this release. The title [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

I’ll get straight to the point here.  Carrie Rodriguez has finally captured the energy, or spirit, or je ne sais quoi, or whatever you want to call it, of seeing her live, on a record.  I’ve enjoyed Carrie’s previous records.  But they tended to be sort of introspective.  Go to a live show, though, and [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

Over the last 6 months or so I’ve come across a few albums or EP’s that I enjoyed, but for one reason or another didn’t do a full review.  As the year winds down I figured it’s a good time to collect a few of those into a single post. Wasabi – Wide Open An [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood