Life is a journey, without a doubt. For Flint, Michigan, born-and-raised Miko Marks, the musical part of her journey started as a child. Raised by her mother and grandmother in a community evolved out of the migration of Black farmworkers from the south to the factory jobs in the north, Marks listened and was a […]
Pug Johnson – From A Beaumont Bar
There comes a point in most of our lives, definitely beyond our twenties, when something causes us to take stock of life-to-date. For some of us, past failures are the motivation to do better. For others, those failures are just an omen of things to come. For the remainder, hindsight is just an observation of […]
Abby Posner – Rest And Rise
More than a few records have come together owing to the catharsis of writing about a broken relationship. LA’s Abby Posner raised that whole concept up a notch with her new album Rest And Rise. Taking an idea from a podcast about the 3 stages of grief, Posner organized the tracks like a vinyl release. […]
Colby T. Helms – One For the Losers
You’ve undoubtedly heard the axiom, “if I didn’t laugh, I’d have to cry.” For rural Virginia native Colby T. Helms that seems to be one of the basic tenets on his debut full-length album, One For the Losers. Growing up in the heart of Appalachia he’s seen firsthand the combination of poverty, addiction, and despair […]
Grey DeLisle – Don’t Turn Around
There’s almost always a good story around the creation of an album. I think it’s just the nature of the creative process. Sometimes though, the back story drives the record more than the other way around. That’s pretty much the case with Grey DeLisle’s new release, Don’t Turn Around. While working on SpongeBob SquarePants, the […]
Prinz Grizzley Premiere – A Rose On Garbage Hill (The Daughter)
Chris Comper, like many of us in our youth, wanted to be a rock star. The Austrian native paid his dues, living in a tent for months trying to get gigs in England, moving back to Austria and then back to London before finally finding success with his band, Golden Reef. The thing is, once […]
AmericanaFest 2026 – Shawn’s Favorites
Having just wrapped up its 26th edition, AmericanaFest has grown considerable in the years I’ve been going. In the early years a shuttle bus continuously made the rounds between the half dozen or so clubs that were hosting official showcases across the 3-nights of shows (plus the kick-off Awards and Honors event Wednesday night). Now […]
2026 Americana Music Awards
Although the official events of the weeklong Americana Music Association’s AmericanaFest start on Tuesday, the main event is the Honors and Awards show Wednesday evening (Sept 16th) at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. It was streamed live on a variety of sites, and you can see a recap later this fall on PBS. This year’s hosts […]
Rita Bliss – One More Winter
I’d wager that if you asked ten people about the banjo, nine of them would say it’s a hallmark of bluegrass music, or adds highlights to some of the indie-style acoustic music that’s been popular the last couple of decades. But if you go back to the 50’s and 60’s it was an integral part […]
Paula Fong – A Bird on the Wing
I’m sometimes amazed by the extent to which a youthful interest can lay the foundation for a lifetime of passionate involvement in something. Such is the case with Los Angeles artist Paula Fong. Her fascination with music began with summertime explorations of Brittany as a child being exposed to Celtic songs, and Breton folk in […]