One of my favorite albums of last year was John Francis O’Mara’s Forbidden Hymns. It’s a plea for humanity to dig deep into their soul and find the empathy and kindness that’s been mocked as a weakness by many in power today. Set to a soundtrack of outlaw country hymns and Southern rock R&B ballads, […]
Folk Alliance Int’l 2026 – Shawn’s Favorites
Folk Alliance International isn’t your typical music conference. Held this year in New Orleans, days include industry panels, seminars, and public showcases in hotel ballrooms, but the real magic happens late at night when up to 100 hotel rooms transform into intimate “private showcases”—artists who normally fill 500-seat theaters performing for 20 people at a […]
2026 Folk Alliance International Conference
From gold-plated toilets in the White House to $5000 burgers, society’s pendulum is clearly swinging well into the conspicuous consumption range. For a respite from all that money can buy, I heartily recommend the annual Folk Alliance International conference. Held a couple of weeks ago in the downtown Sheraton in New Orleans, it’s a haven […]
The Naked Sun – Mirror In the Hallway
One of the vivid memories I have as a child is the annual county fair and carnival where I experienced my first hall of mirrors. As a kid it’s a wonderment: you see yourself fat, skinny, multiple eyes, all kinds of variations of what you know is you. Philadelphia’s The Naked Sun took a very […]
The Lowest Pair – As Young As We’ll Ever Be
One of the things I find endearing about the folk music community is how they support a wide range of styles. From a single performer with guitar or autoharp to a string band with complex arrangements that border on chamber music, they embrace it as their own. For a taste of some of the latter, […]
Sophie Gault – Unhinged
Somewhere in the exurbs of farming country sits the rural version of a night club. It’s a big, corrugated tin building with a puddle-filled gravel lot, nearly indistinguishable from the welding shop next door. Live music on the weekends is courtesy of a local band playing honky-tonk rock, the thematic choice for drinkin’, flirtin’, fightin’, […]
Shawn’s Album Favorites: 25 From 25
1) Silverada – Texas 42. A love letter to the Lone Star State, from the title track to the drinking song to the closer with the armadillo. With some slight changes of lyrics it’s also a requiem for living just about anywhere in southern and/or western rural America. 2) I’m With Her – Wild And […]
Afton Wolfe – Ophiuchus
I’ve noted before that I’m a fan of concept albums. I have not seen anyone embrace it quite the way Nashville-by-way-of-Mississippi resident Afton Wolfe did on his newest record, Ophiuchus. Each of the 13 songs is associated with one of the 12 well-known signs of the zodiac, plus one for the lesser known Ophiuchus. Then, […]
Trish Plays Bass – Bluegrass Love Songs, Volume 1
To paraphrase a friend of mine, people go to a classical music performance to hear the composer’s music. They go to a bluegrass show to hear the performer’s music, whether written by themselves or someone else. So I found it intriguing to listen to Trish Imbrogno’s (aka Trish Plays Bass) debut EP. After 25 years […]
The Tasty Kings – The Kindness of Numbers
I’m not a lawyer, which undoubtedly enables a number of people to sleep better at night. So the difference between a band and a collective is partially lost on me. The one thing that does seem to be the case is that it enables an easier time of rotating musicians in and out of the […]