Nobody in this band has anything left to prove. Individually Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock have established their reputations so deeply in their home state that you can not talk about the Texas Music scene without mentioning them in the same breath. The collaboration of the three as The Flatlanders goes back […]
Pierce Pettis is Born Again
Pierce Pettis has never gotten credit he deserves. He is a thoughtful lyricist. He delivers his stories and messages with a twist of irony and poignancy that is hard to ignore. Pettis has been laying low for the last 4 years. With the release of That Kind of Love it is apparent that Pettis has […]
Derek Trucks – Already Free
Virtuosos can sometimes be so esoteric that it makes them less accessible. So it has been at times with Derek Trucks. It is not his fault he is just on another plane musically. His brilliant improvisation has garnered wide acclaim but it also makes it hard for him to reach a wider audience. The release […]
The Gourds – Live at Visulite Charlotte January 22nd
Some things never change. The sun rises and sets every day, The Earth spins on its’ axis, Amy Winehouse gets wasted, Britney parties with no panties, Congress pisses away taxpayer dollars and The Gourds rock. From the first time I saw them years ago at SXSW until I saw them on January 22nd at Visulite […]
Mark Olson & Gary Louris – Ready for the Flood
Some songwriting teams are made to be together. No doubt Mark Olson and Gary Louris established themselves as such a team with the early Jayhawks albums Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass. They established themselves along with Farrar and Tweedy of Uncle Tupelo as leaders in the Alt- Country phenomenon of the 90s. […]
Donna Ulisse – Walk the Mountain Down
Donne Ulisse Will be releasing a star studded Bluegrass album, Walk the Mountain Down on January 20th. The album is her second traditional Bluegrass album. She wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album. Produced by Keith Sewell it also includes an all-star cast of players including, Andy Leftwitch, Byron House and Rob […]
Alternate Routes – A Sucker’s Dream
It is easier to describe the Alternate Routes by what they are not. They are not Rock, Pop or Folk. They are just good. Their eclectic sound will actually work against them but they are too talented to ignore. For some reason in the current music industry we need to pigeon-hole everything. Everywhere else in […]
The British Columbians
Ironically they actually are from British Columbia. So their name may lack a little originality. That is ok because it appears they put all of their originality and creativity into their music. The Blues have influenced Rock & Roll since, well actually forever. However, thanks to bands like White Stripes, Black Keys and Black Mountain […]
The Beautiful Loser Society
Recently I came across the band from the Four Corners region of Colorado, The Beautiful Loser Society. Whose new CD Aim Low is a veritable smorgasbord of Roots Rock styles. Featuring Southern Rock, Outlaw Country and Blues. The album rocks with tales of losers, loners, moonshiners and jilted lovers. All of these tales are cloaked […]
Holiday Music for the Naughty & Nice
It may sound a bit like Bah Humbug but I have never been a big fan of Holiday music. It is all the same and predictable and a lot of it is just downright cheesy. I also cannot stand when stores start playing holiday music before Thanksgiving. However, I confess that a good Christmas CD […]