Some shows remind you why you fell in love with live music in the first place. TopHouse delivered one of those last week in Boston. The Montana-bred group is rooted in bluegrass—intricate instrumentation, rich harmonies—but their songs are something else entirely: brilliantly crafted pop songs that hit like a gut punch. Live, those punches land […]
Now & Then: Rose’s Pawn Shop’s American Seams and the reach of Southern Rock Opera
There’s a specific kind of American band that always sounds like it’s been driving all night, even when it’s standing perfectly still. The rhythm section has road dust in its pockets. The harmonies feel like the front porch light got left on. The songs smile at you, but they’re squinting, like they’ve seen how the sausage gets made.
Readers’ Pick: Rose’s Pawn Shop – American Seams
You picked Rose’s Pawn Shop – American Seams as your favorite new release for the week of February 27, 2026.
From Busker to Believer: The Hard-Earned Songs of Slaid Cleaves
Slaid Cleaves lives in Wimberley now, tucked into the folds of the Texas Hill Country, playing closer to home, keeping the circle small. The road that once stretched from Maine to Cork to Austin has narrowed. The songs, though, are still wide open. There was a time when he measured success in dollars and survival. […]
Twangville Returns to NYC’s Cafe Wha? on April 1st
Some rooms hold onto their songs. Cafe Wha? is one of them. The Greenwich Village landmark has heard Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Jimi Hendrix, among others — and the memory of those performances lives in its walls. Twangville is honored to return on April 1st and add the songs of Lydia Loveless and Will […]
Alan Williams – Floating On the Dreamline
If Alan Williams’ life-to-date was a Hollywood movie, it would be one of those where it starts at the end. In this case, it’s his combination retirement/record release party later this month. The album is his third solo release, Floating On the Dreamline. The retirement is from being a professor of music at the University […]
Cody Diekhoff of Chicago Farmer on Upcycling Used Guitar Strings and Touring in “Barbara Streisvan”
Chicago Farmer singer-songwriter Cody Diekhoff talks about earning – and spending – reward points while on tour, the inspiration for the first song that he wrote, and why it’s important to support local artists and venues.
Monday Morning Video – Stephen Kellogg
3000 shows. That’s a hell of a lot of shows — playing a show every night for more than eight years. Impressive enough on its own. But when you factor in the volume and caliber of music Stephen Kellogg has delivered over the course of his career, it becomes something else entirely. He passed through […]
Now & Then: The Band of Heathens’ Country Sides and the reach of Golden Smog’s Down by the Old Mainstream
Some bands age like cast iron: the scratches add flavor, and somehow the thing gets more useful the longer you keep it around. The Band of Heathens have always played like they were born in a room where somebody left the Wurlitzer on, the amps warm, and the door cracked for whoever has a harmony part.
Readers’ Pick: The Band of Heathens – Country Sides
You picked The Band of Heathens – Country Sides as your favorite new release for the week of February 20, 2026.