As Mick sings, “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you might find, you get what you need.” Â Turns out what I needed was Brother Nothing. Â I’ve been listening to a lot of bluegrass, old-timey, acoustic music lately. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the release from Austin-based Brother Nothing […]
Dori Freeman – Dori Freeman
From purely a songwriting perspective, I sometimes feel like many an artist’s best work is their debut album. Â The songs have been crafted over years and found their voice right along with the artist. It’s also frequently the case that you get a broader range of styles before fans and personal preferences start driving to […]
Kathy Kallick Band – Foxhounds
The sound layers over on top of itself, with a decay that maps to the composition of the woods. Rocky outcroppings keep the sustain going, while thick hardwood forests mute it as surely as a blanket. Â It’s tone reflects the excitement and urgency as it builds to what seems an inevitable conclusion, and yet just […]
Shawn's Picks – Best Albums of 2015
The Mavericks – Mono  More than their previous albums I felt like Mono showcased the band more than the individuals in it.  They”re not breaking any new ground here, but that”s like dinging someone for being the best in the world at something.  This stayed in the disc changer in my car for about 6 […]
Three Additional Gems
Sometimes I get records I really enjoy, but I can’t quite seem to get a full length review out of them, or there are just too many things in my queue.  Frequently that happens with some really good EP’s, but also sometimes with full length releases.  With releases slowing down this time of hear, I thought […]
The Nouveaux Honkies – Blues For Country
Somewhere around the middle of the Natchez Trace Parkway, halfway between the (in)famous crossroads of Clarksdale, MS, and Nashville, home of The Grand Old Opry and the Ryman, lays the spiritual home of The Nouveaux Honkies. Â That’s where you’re halfway between blues and country. Â Those two genres aren’t always too related, but Hank Williams, for […]
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
The best songs transport you instantly to another time or place.  Sometimes it’s because it was that tune that triggers a memory.  Other times, the music just so perfectly sets the ambience in your mind. That’s what happened to me on the self-titled release from Denver-based Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.  I just see friends gathered […]
Corb Lund – Things That Can’t Be Undone
One of the best bar-concert surprises I’ve ever had was seeing Corb Lund open for Hayes Carll a few years ago at the Doug Fir in Portland.  I’d heard a couple of his songs, but hadn’t given them much thought.  Lund and his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, came out and proceeded to not just get the […]
Mike & the Moonpies – Mockingbird
If you’re over a certain age, and grew up in flyover country, you undoubtedly spent a lot of time in a local establishment with pool tables, smoke-stained ceilings, mighty fine cheeseburgers, and a jukebox in the corner. Â The Blue Moon and the Downtowner were my particular favorites. Â Besides an appreciation for fresh ground, corn-fed chuck […]
Americana 2015: The Sounds, Part 3
Mayer has given us his thoughts on favorite performances at the AMA conference and festival; time for me to weigh in with mine. The Traveling Minstrel Show – One of my two favorite surprises from the festival was central Wisconsin-based Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. They were the first band I saw outside the awards show […]