About a year ago, (or longer…time escapes me) I had the pleasure of catching John Fullbright play a show with Sam Baker and Natalia Zukerman at a local club here in Columbia, South Carolina. I’d never heard of Fullbright, but I enjoyed his songs as much or more than Baker’s, the reason I’d came to […]
Company/Dear America,
There’s a Charleston, South Carolina band that goes by the moniker Company, not to be confused with the Brooklyn band of the early 2000’s of the same name. (Or the cover band that also apparently plays in Charleston called “The Company Band.â€) Unlike the folkier rock of the Brooklyn band, the Charleston collective focuses on […]
Damien Jurado/Maraqopa
Opening with the raucous “Nothing Is The News†(featuring an excellent rambling lead guitar) I immediate thought that Jurardo had taken a cue from Neil Young’s Crazy Horse adventures, or his own I Break Chairs days, but, as I soon found out, that only lasts for one track. “Life Away from the Garden,†the second […]
Todd’s Tops of 2011
There were tons of releases in 2011 and I am sure I only listened to a fraction of them. I always have a hard time narrowing down my top 5 or so choices, and then I always have a hard time coming up with a full list of 25. Here’s my top 15 of the […]
Artists I’m Thankful For (A Fall Collection)
At this time of year, we all like to sit back, reflect, and look at what we are thankful for. Most people around my neck of the woods cite family, freedom, friends, etc., and while I am very thankful for all of those, I’m also pretty thankful for a few musicians that seem to pop […]
Butch Walker/Drinking With Strangers
Butch Walker’s latest release, Drinking With Strangers, opens with the catchy…wait, this isn’t a record… it’s a book. Sorry, I get into a pattern here. Co-Authored with Matt Diehl, this funny tale of Walker’s love/hate relationship with the music industry is pretty much summed up nicely by Walker when he describes his 20 plus career […]
The Felice Brothers / Celebration, Florida
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when the new Felice Brothers album, Celebration, Florida, arrived in my mailbox. I’d been a fan of the tune “Frankie’s Gun” a few years back on their self-titled release, but that was really about as far as it went. I had failed to hear their 2009 release and […]
The Train Wrecks/Saddle Up
Savannah Georgia’s The Train Wrecks’ recently released sophomore disc entitled Saddle Up is an alt-country effort that hits all the right spots. Opening with the Cash-inspired “Tennessee Mare” and featuring one of the tightest rhythm sections this side of the Mason-Dixon line in Markus Kuhlmann and Eric Dunn, along with singer Jason Bible’s rusty vocals […]
Cee Lo Green/The Lady Killer
I realize Mr. Mayer included the tune “Fuck You” (or “Forget You” for you pop radio listeners out there) in his Best of 2010, but I was a little late to the party, as usual, and just got a copy of The Lady Killer a couple of weeks ago. I have to say I wasn’t […]
Todd’s 2010 Mixtape
So folks, I made this easy for you. 20 songs, a little over an hour, it all fits on one CD, and it is promised to delight. Some of my favorite tunes from the past year. Cheers. This Fucking Job / Drive By Truckers Swollen But Not the Same / Bobby Bare Jr. Hurricane J […]