FEATURED ALBUM Riverboat, by Tim Gearan Tim Gearan has long been a mainstay on the Boston roots scene, with 2-3 weekly residencies and a tendency to show up to play at any number of other shows in a given week. His primary Friday night residency is a weekly party – there is no other way […]
Monday Morning Video: John Doe (with Jon Dee Graham)
Here’s a lost classic that remains one of my favorite songs. Doe and his band (look closely to see Jon Dee Graham on guitar) let loose a furious romp that punctuates Doe’s social commentary. Some people say they like to hear me talk ’cause I tell ’em what’s wrong. I don’t see much more than […]
Mayer's Picks: The Best of 2012, So Far (The Songs)
Jericho, John Fullbright (from the Blue Dirt Records release From The Ground Up) Fullbright’s is a welcome new voice on the singer-songwriter scene. He writes and sings with a voice that belies his 23-odd years, as evidenced by this stirring track. Throw your arrows and your slings And your other precious things Outside your gate […]
Monday Morning Video: Lucero with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
First it was the horns. Now horns and strings?! Damn, what I would have done to have been at this show. Hopefully we’ll get to see and hear the full show at some point.
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2012, So Far (The Albums)
You’ve got to love a year where this list is made up of so many young and emerging artists. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites from 2012. BARCHORDS, BAHAMAS Canadian singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen unleashes a pop album that is simply sublime. The production has a textured feel anchored by the nuanced […]
Monday Morning Video: Whiskeytown
Ah Ryan, such a great songwriter and always so, um, soft-spoken. Here’s a gem from 1997.
Monday Morning Video: Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez & Los Lobos
Last week I posted a video featuring Alejandro Escovedo joining Los Lobos at an LA performance earlier this year. Apparently Alejandro wasn’t the only guest that evening for what must have been an incredible evening of music. Here’s Dave Alvin and Flaco Jimenez joining Los Lobos for Alvin’s classic — and seasonal — song “Fourth […]
Mayer’s Playlist for June 2012
THE PLAYLIST That Wasn’t Me, Brandi Carlile (from the Columbia Records release Bear Creek) Any Carlile discussion begins and ends with her voice, an instrument of power and beauty. While her latest is more relaxed than her earlier efforts, it retains the inspirational tone that is a hallmark of her songwriting. Many of the songs […]
Monday Morning Video: Alejandro Escovedo with Los Lobos
Wow, this is a find. Here are two clips showing Alejandro Escovedo performing with Los Lobos earlier this year. The first shows the musicians rehearsing Escovedo’s “Rosalie” in a Los Angeles studio; the second shows them performing it the next night at LA’s Greek Theater.
Monday Morning Video: The Waterboys
Here’s my question for the day: how come I never had an assembly like this when I was in grade school? Here’s Mike Scott of the Waterboys performing “The Whole of the Moon” for a group of schoolchildren in Ireland. And the best part? The kids know the words and sing along!