Even after leaving the Drive-by Truckers, Jason Isbell has continued to wow and amaze. Â His literary songs and rockin” guitar licks accentuate catchy and heartbreaking melodies. I saw Isbell and Shires a year ago in Hartford in an acoustic setting. It fit so perfectly in the at the Wadsworth Atheneum Art Gallery that I wasn”t […]
Slaid Cleaves Reinvents the Rocking Coffeehouse
Though “Club Passim” in Cambridge has a generally laidback vibe, it took the homey comfort of a prodigal son to turn it into a what a coffeehouse should be. Slaid Claves played his highly literate tunes in front of capacity crowd of about 100. Square tables, appetizers and friendly stories made Cleaves’ feel like a […]
Twangville Music Fest – Night 2
After the more familiar performances from night one, I was all the more excited to see three new-to-me acts. And given the intimate Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, I knew I was in for an up close opportunity to see each of the performers. The three acts managed to feature distinct shades of Americana music today: […]
Slaid Cleaves – Still Fightin’ the War
After 12 years of war, it feels like we’re all “Still Fightin’ the War.” I used to think that political albums and their agendas are a hindrance, that the best music should be about the music. But Cleaves uses the war as a cohesive vehicle to tell the story of America. The lost jobs, the […]
Kevin Gordon on the way to Gloryland
After ten years in the business, Kevin Gordon has had time to hone his craft. Each of his four records shows his attention to detail and background in writing. He graduated from the elite Iowa Writer’s Workshop in poetry. His songs are highly literature and story centered. At times they devolve into straight up stories. […]
Hem – Up Close & Personal
\ To listen to Hem, the label “countrypolitan” or “classical country” makes a lot of sense. The band consists of folk country elements and classical strings in the studio. But in person, Dan Messe’s piano and Sally Ellison’s vocals make this band stand out. They sound classical in every sense of the word. The keystrokes, […]
Lori McKenna & Mark Erelli – Church Coffeehouse
On a chilly night in March, I ventured out to what I thought was the “Rose Garden Coffeehouse” in Mansfield, MA. Little did I know that the term “coffeehouse” had been reappropriated. After a lovely sushi dinner out in the burbs, my wife and I got to the show only to find out that the […]
Tom McBride – Morning in Glen Burnie / Live
It’s rare for influential records to bring together an artists’ sound quite so well. In our phone conversation, Tom’s first two of the albeit clichéd interview question were Willie Nelson – Stardust and Stevie Wonder – Musiquarium. These two records bring together Tom’s best elements.  He mentioned “Whiter Shade of Pale Color” in particular. A […]
Jeff’s Favorite Records of 2012
1. Robert Francis – Strangers in the First Place After his major-label debut in 2009, I thought Robert Francis would be my little secret no longer. But strangely, neither 2009’s Warner release Before Nightfall or this year’s vanguard release Strangers in the First Place brought the kind of attention that I thought. This hasn’t dulled […]
Mark Erelli – In the Temple of Folk
With a career as varied Mark Erelli, you really could get anything at his show. He brought 3/5 of his bluegrass outfit, the higher pitched parts to this one to this one in two generations of Armerdings (Jake & Taylor). They provided harmony vocals, mandolin and fiddle. The Armerdings took the lead vocals for a […]