Most people are familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s axiom that it takes 10,000 hours to be really good at something. You have to have some talent to start, but in the end you still have to put in the hard work. How then to explain Sierra Hull? She got her Rounder Records deal at 13. If […]
Sean McConnell – SKIN
Statistically speaking, most of the people reading this will live well past 80 years old. So being 40 isn’t quite to the halfway point. Philosophically though, turning 40 causes a lot of people to take stock of where they are in life. You have to admit to yourself that some of the things you did […]
Cristina Vane – Hear My Call
It’s not that unusual for roots artists (blues, rock, bluegrass, country) to develop their sound and hone their chops in America before finding a strong audience in Europe. What’s much rarer is for a musician to find their musical calling in Europe before coming to the US to build their career. That’s just what Cristina […]
Ron Pope – American Man, American Music
There’s a famous lyric from Hank Williams, Jr., that asks “why must you live out the songs that you wrote.” In the case of Nashville’s Ron Pope, his signature move is the reverse: to write songs about the life he’s lived. You can argue that’s what many songwriters do, but in Pope’s case he has […]
Big Richard – Girl Dinner
A couple of years ago, one of the bands generating the most buzz at Old Settler’s Music Festival was a new group out of Colorado, Big Richard. They caused a stir at an early afternoon set in Telluride the summer before and now people were excited to see if the magic was still there. It […]
Joel Timmons – Psychedelic Surf Country
I’m generally a fan of debut albums. Without the pressure to follow up an earlier record, or put something out to satisfy the label, an artist can cull from their life’s best work. Sometimes that can go awry, though, when a musician has worked their way through a variety of styles on their way to […]
Dave Murphy Song Premiere – If I Could Fly
Not a lot of Twangville artists call New Jersey home. They may hail from there, but they make their way to Nashville or Austin or LA. For Dave Murphy though, the life and events that inspire the best country and folk songs had no problem finding him in the Garden State. Over the last couple […]
Everett Wren – Cascades
Something I’ve noticed lately is how many musicians identify now as multi-instrumentalists. The idea isn’t new–every professional musician I’ve ever known plays multiple instruments. What is new perhaps is the willingness to showcase those talents in a more public way, whether to play them in a live show or highlight them on a record. An […]
The Twangtown Paramours – The Wind Will Change Again
You’re no doubt familiar with the idea that two people know each other so well they can finish each other’s sentences. In the case of Nashville couple MaryBeth Zamer and Mike T. Lewis, also known as The Twangtown Paramours, they know each other so well they can finish each other’s songs. As MaryBeth notes, “I […]
Shawn’s 25 Favs of 2024
1) Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well She raised her game to a new level. The insight and emotion in some of the songs on this record really do make me think that cardinal was John Prine. I’m not sure there’s been a better song ever about growing up than the title track. 2) Billy Strings […]