Sweet tea. Kudzu wrapped around anything that doesn’t move. Wearing a short sleeve shirt with a tie to church. While you can experience those things many places (less so the kudzu), growing up with their ubiquity is part of a cultural perspective that lends definition to the idea of being a southerner. In a similar […]
Monte Warden & the Wagoneers – Doghouse Flowers
Back in the day, before streaming or downloading, many people (most, perhaps) discovered new music by browsing record stores. While fine for artists that were easily categorized, that presented a problem for groups that were mashing together genres and trying to create a new sound. Austin was one epicenter of that creative experimentation, and one […]
Afton Wolfe & the Snake Hunters Video Premiere – Cyclone
I think everyone knows someone who, when they enter the room, starts to add color to the discussion. Not the primary color, Jackson Pollack splat of conspiracy or disproven theory, but the rich tint that binds various hues together into a well-formed montage. Nashvillian, by way of several points in the Deep South, Afton Wolfe […]
Dolly Parton – In Memoriam
As a kid growing up I didn’t like Dolly Parton. She and her musical partner, Porter Wagoner, represented everything I hated about country music at the time. They were well-coifed, fancily dressed, polished, with heavily produced records. Absolutely nothing of value to a teenage boy. Fast forward a few years and she’d shed Porter and, […]
Darlin’ Brando Song Premiere – How It Is
As anyone in the industry can attest, building a life as a musician is not for the faint of heart. In the case of itinerant drummer and vocalist Darlin’ Brando, nee Brandon Goldstein, he’s moved across the country more times than I’ve moved my furniture. After a repeat stint in LA he’s back in Nashville […]
Ruby Dice – Take Me Back
Like John Muir’s move to Yosemite Valley or E.B. White’s move to a Maine farm, sometimes a simple next step in life’s journey becomes the focus of a writer’s career. Clearly without the hindsight of those two examples, I wonder if a similar pivot is happening with Gunnison, Colorado-borne, but now resident of Austin, bassist […]
Bronwyn – Rattlin’ Bones
It seems like there are two trajectories young bluegrass musicians follow when they break into awareness by the broader Americana audience. One arc is to toil away for years perfecting your entire craft before bursting onto the scene with arena shows. I’m looking at you Billy and Molly. The other, more linear path, is exemplified […]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Get Over It, Underdog
Success as an artist can be hard to quantify. Many of the greatest painters the world has ever known died penniless. Most of us have favorite musicians that we’re mystified why they haven’t become superstars. The flip side of that coin is when some success does come, it can be hard to understand why you […]
Effie Zilch – Higher Calling
Back in the middle of the 20th century, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper had a legendary columnist, Herb Caen, who wrote about the issues of the day affecting the working and middle class families that called the City home. To make sure he didn’t veer off into pedantic topics of interest only to insiders or […]
The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio – Welcome to the Family
In this day and age of social media, where influencers constantly woo sponsors and opinions are carefully crafted to enrage, it seems the willingness to not take oneself too seriously is becoming a lost art form. Southern California’s Mike Jacoby is a light in that darkness. From an album cover shamelessly imitating Elvis and The […]