Bright, sunny day, high of maybe 80, no humidity, with the mountains in the background. Â Such is the definition of a wonderful spring day in the western U.S. Â It’s also evocative of some of the great traditional bluegrass that’s coming out of the latest generation of pickers and fiddlers. Â The latest jewel I’ve heard is […]
Opposites – Dan Johnson, Prairie Wildfire
A couple of CD’s have been sitting atop my pile for a few weeks–demanding attention, but not in my usual review write-up kind-of-way.  I finally realized, like chicken and waffles, they complement each other as sensory bookends. The first is Hemingway, by Texas songwriter and author Dan Johnson.  This is not an album to be handled […]
Kevin Gordon – Tilt And Shine
Boredom is a cruel mistress. Â She tempts you to do things you know better than to do, and demands silence and negligence when action is needed. Â Add in the weather-driven, laconic nature of life in the lower Mississippi River basin and it’s a potent mix of attitude. Â Nobody understands that better than Kevin Gordon. Â On […]
Rebekah Rolland – Seed & Silo
Music sometimes does a really good job of building a visual image for the listener. Â On her debut solo album, Seed & Silo, Rebekah Rolland paints a number of vivid pictures inspired in part by her experience as a National Parks Artist-In-Residence. There’s the pioneering homestead from Willa Cather’s Midwest on Hole In the Earth. […]
Carolina Story – Lay Your Head Down
While the economy, meteorology, and isolation of living in rural America is what gets the headlines, there are some good things that come out if, too.  A strong character built on self-dependence while still having a sense of community are what immediately comes to my mind.  It’s those values and emotions that find their way into the […]
Speedbuggy USA – Kick Out the Twang
A friend and I were talking the other day about the irony of punk music being 30+ years old. Although I can’t claim to have been a punk rocker back in the day, I did like the country influence that some LA bands were putting on it, notably X, under the nom de plume of cowpunk. […]
Blue Yonder – Rough And Ready Heart
In the middle part of the last century, most of rural America centered their social lives around their church and the local Grange Hall.  The Grange became the logical choice for Saturday night dances, which weren’t appropriate for a church.  Here, a variety of local and regional touring bands played country waltzes, western swing songs, and […]
The Furious Seasons – Now Residing Abroad
Out here on the coast we have rogue waves. Â They’re not part of the regular set, they’re unpredictable, and are big enough to bash you down into the sand, where you think “where the hell did that come from?” Â That’s what happened to me when I listened to the latest from The Furious Seasons, Now […]
I See Hawks In LA – Live And Never Learn
One of the things John Prine is so admired for is his ability to take a snippet of an ordinary person’s daily existence and turn it into a story you listen to again and again, complete with a life lesson.  Similarly, southern California’s I See Hawks In LA can take a place (frequently in California) and […]
David Rosales – Brave Ones
The beaches in southern California are at their peak about mid-morning. Â The fog is burning off and so the sun’s just coming out. Â It’s still chilly, but the air is full of possibilities whether it’s the warmth of the upcoming day or the reliable 3-foot break. Â The rest of the world has been toiling for […]