Sugar-loaded Christmas ballads aside, if there was ever a holiday that lends itself to a soundtrack, it’s Halloween. Pacific Northwesterner E. Ray Bechard was thinking a parallel thought, though more of a soundtrack to a movie in his own head. He pulled together some musician friends, now known as This Lonesome Paradise, and they headed […]
Angus Gill – The Scrapbook
We tend to think of country music as a uniquely American style of entertainment. While we’re certainly home for it, there are excellent practitioners of the art all around the world. Such is the case with Angus Gill and his latest album, The Scrapbook. Australian Gill was literally about as far from Nashville as you […]
Hank Erwin – The Copper Album
“Having cancer and recovering from surgery was great. It was a distraction from the severe depression.” Taken from Hank Erwin’s website bio, that was my first hint that the inspiration for Erwin’s new album, The Copper Album, was captured from his own, less-than-fluffy, life experiences. Indeed, that bio serves as commentary on several of the […]
2021 AmericanaFest – Shawn’s Favorites
After taking last year off for the pandemic, AmericanaFest was back in (almost) full swing again. A few artists decided not to do their show, the number of venues was scaled back, and vax requirements were in effect. However, combined with most attendees exercising common sense and respect for fellow music lovers, the overall vibe […]
2021 Americana Music Awards
It was good to be back. The annual awards show, held at the fabulous Ryman Auditorium, is always a highlight of my musical year. First, how can you not favor any show at the Ryman. The acoustics, the atmosphere, the decor, it would make any event special. Second, although showcases have starting creeping in ahead […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival Preview
One of my personal rites of spring is to head 45 minutes southeast of Austin on the third weekend of April to the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Despite not having the name of an Austin City Limits or Coachella, OSMF has been ranked in the top 10 festivals in the country. There are a number […]
Ben Balmer – Honky-Tonk Macbeth
Being a sought-after sideman has its advantages. One of those is that when you do your own album, you can pull in favors to fill out the band. Ben Balmer strikes gold in that vein on his latest record, Honky-Tonk Macbeth. The instrumental additions to Balmer’s solid singer-songwriter compositions fill the room with layers of […]
Tony Kamel – Back Down Home
They say you can never go home. Clearly that’s more about the time than the location, but I’ve seen both be possible. Tony Kamel, front man for the Grammy-winning Wood & Wire, seems to be one of those exceptions. At the urging of iconic Texas musician and producer, Bruce Robison, Tony has just released his […]
Ana Egge – Between Us
Over the years I’ve seen Ana Egge perform live a number of times, from house shows to mid-afternoon sets at festivals, to hotel rooms at Folk Alliance. Many times those appearances were with other musicians and I’ve noticed that Ana’s superpower seems to be making other artists sound better than I remembered. Now she’s directed […]
The Furious Seasons – Home All Day, Home All Night
Most musicians used the forced isolation of the pandemic for inner reflection, or going back and polishing some partially finished work. Los Angeles-based trio The Furious Seasons instead created a musical documentary of a life-changing period of time, entitled Home All Day, Home All Night. Songwriter and guitarist David Steinhart has a particular gift for […]