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 […]
Americana 2015: The AMA Awards
The Americana Music Association officially kicks off with its annual awards show at the inspiring and beautiful Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Â The show ran a bit long this year, clocking in at over 3 hours. Â On the other hand, if you’re going to go to the church, you may as well get the […]
The Blackberry Bushes String Band – Three Red Feathers
I love it when music transports you to another time or place. Â Some musicians do it with their stories. Â We wrote about Kevin Gordon last week. Â John Prine and Robert Earl Keen also come to mind. Â Other musicians do it with the music itself. Â The Mavericks always make my short list for that, as does […]
Jackie Greene – Back To Birth
I’ve always liked musicians who mix things up in a live show and aren’t afraid to dive into a new genre, comfortable their artistry and talent aren’t confined to a single style. Â Over the years, Joan Osborne has been a poster child for that, doing everything from 90’s pop ballads to covers of Motown classics […]
Trampled By Turtles – Wild Animals
Perhaps as a side effect of a misspent youth where I had friends who leaned toward torn clothing, homemade piercings, and 5 minute rock songs played in under 2, I’ve always kind of liked really fast bluegrass. Â Several years ago I stumbled across Trampled By Turtles, who didn’t just speed up bluegrass songs, they wrote […]
Ana Egge – Bright Shadow
In New York, Chicago, San Francisco, you can still find dimly lit, low-ceiling basement clubs, surprisingly full even on a weeknight, where you can get a stiff drink and a soberingly good jazz band.  You can’t smoke in them anymore, but that smoky sound still comes from a singer whose voice seems earned from whisky and cigarettes […]