The creative process of writing good music has been compared to catching lightning in a bottle. The implication is that it’s random good luck. Yet time and time again you hear of artists who have a process they follow and a string of great songs that came out of it. Similarly, musicians frequently get together […]
Scott Walker – The Rock House Project
Back in the day I had the (mis)fortune of having to make many long drives across various parts of the south central U.S. This was before satellite radio or iPods and rental cars didn’t have tape decks. So you listened to the radio; mostly country music, and in more than a few of those DJ’s […]
Terri Hendrix – Talk To A Human
When we last checked into the intrepid folk music hero, Terri Hendrix, she was releasing the first record in a 5 part project she was calling, simply, Project 5. She recently released the final music in an EP, the album Talk To A Human, and a book. I haven’t read the book, but the album […]
Che Apalache – Rearrange My Heart
So much of the early development of Americana and roots music sprung out of the mountains of Appalachia and the cotton fields of the Delta that we tend forget how popular a lot of it is across the globe. And like any musical style, once musicians learn it they start adding their own influences. Nothing […]
Americana 2019: Shawn’s Picks
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances […]
Americana Music Awards, 2019 Edition
In what’s beginning to resemble a miniature SXSW, with over 50,000 attendees, the Americana music industry and fans gathered in Nashville recently for AmericanaFest. Although the vast majority of the event was about live music, with some business-related panels during the day, the apex of the nearly week-long musical bacchanal is still the awards show […]
Natalie Padilla – Fireweed
I’m convinced the hardest thing to do as a producer is to extract the maximum essence of a musician in a recording session and not allow production sparkle to gloss over the natural talent. Ben Winship produced (he just released a recording of his own, Toolshed, that I recommend) the new album from Natalie Padilla, […]
Video Premiere – King Commoner
L.A.-based musician King Commoner is also a filmmaker. I’ll explain why that matters in a minute. He recently dropped a new EP entitled Peril & Woe. The first song, Winter, is a rootsy rock piece with a serious snap-your-fingers-to-it beat. Run My Son drives a little harder and injects a more Southern rock flavor. The […]
Video Premiere – Leroy From the North
A few weeks back I got a chance to hear and review the new EP from LA-based Leroy From the North. Health & Fitness delivers a big dollop of southern rock vibe, with influences from Muscle Shoals to Macon. While the guitar hammers the classic power chords, the lyrics come from current cultural phenomenon. They […]
Video Premiere: Eleni Mandell
Earlier this summer, L.A. folk music fixture Eleni Mandell came out with her 11th album, Wake Up Again. Between some of her songwriting students and collaborations with musicians like Tom Waits, Chuck E. Weiss, and Tony Gilkyson, she’s developed a real knack for telling stories in her songs. Frequently they’re about people and places that […]