After coming to LA almost 20 years ago, having been raised in Texas, Ben Reddell has become a common sight in the LA country and roots community. Whether playing in another band, running sound, or just pitching in, he’s always around. So it’s a little surprising that’s he’s just released his first EP since 2012. […]
Michigan Rattlers – That Kind of Life
Ok I admit it. I am late to this party. However, I would rather be late than never to have partied at all. I have just discovered The Michigan Rattlers and their Jangly Midwest by way of LA Rock and Roll brilliance. There newest release is “That Kind of Life”, and it is comprised of […]
Lara Hope on Van Snacks and The Rocking Horse Ranch
Lara Hope (of Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones) talks about the problem that never ends and the line between serious and not so serious
Ida Mae On Winging It and Having a Good Lawyer
Nashville-based duo Ida Mae talks about a memorable “disco load out”, musician day job cliches, and touring in vans, trucks, and sedans.
Monday Morning Video – Smokey Robinson
Artists who cover Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” have a tendency to slow it down. I’m partial to the more upbeat original, which more accurately captures the song’s tale of hiding heartbreak behind a veneer of happiness. People say I’m the life of the party‘Cause I tell a joke or twoAlthough I might […]
Readers’ Pick: Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real – A Few Stars Apart
You picked Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real – A Few Stars Apart as your favorite new release for the week of June 11, 2020. New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Winter […]
Afton Wolfe – Kings For Sale
It’s burned in my memory, the exact moment I first heard Afton Wolfe. Coming down out of the mountains on an impossibly bright day in southern Utah, I hit play on his new album, Kings For Sale. Like when you flip down a pair of polarized lenses after squinting into the sun, the textures hidden […]
Paul Givant of The Contraptionists on Pepsi, Fred Meyers, and the Band’s LA Industrial Loft
The Contraptionists’ Paul Givant talks about an early slacker day job and touring in a converted airport shuttle bus (and the associated breakdown stories).
Graham Young of Michigan Rattlers on CCR and Gas Station Wasabi Almonds
Graham Young of Michigan Rattlers talks about the “hammering jackass” style of guitar playing and an old day job delivering platters of corned beef and pastrami for a delicatessen.
Monday Morning Video – Ben de la Cour
Ben de la Cour’s 2020 album Shadowland overflowed with stark tales and flawed characters, none the more so than “Anderson’s Small Ritual”. De la Cour has just announced a planned follow-up, no doubt as dark – and wonderful – as the last. Learn more about the album here.