Daydreaming. Â I had trouble getting this review of the latest release from MilkDrive, Waves, together because every time I would start writing I put the album on to play and next thing I knew I was staring out the window, mind completely lost in other thoughts. Â They paint such immersive pictures it’s as if you’re […]
Ruby Jane – Celebrity (Empire of Emptiness)
One of the great things about creative people is they don’t appreciate boundaries the same way we ordinary sods do. Â I think you see this a lot with musicians, especially the younger ones. Â There’s nothing wrong with combining Tim O’Brien inspired licks with a Radiohead song, for instance. Â The latest example of this I’ve heard […]
Old Settlers Music Festival 2012
I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended quite a number of multi-day music festivals over the years, from the Veiled Prophet Fair to the Monterey Jazz Festival and Telluride to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.  For my money, though, it’s really hard to beat the Old Settler’s Music Festival.  Held 20 miles or so outside of Austin […]
Jim Hanft – Weddings Or Funerals
“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is such a well known saying that it’s become cliche. Â But I was reminded of it listening to the lastest release from Jim Hanft, entitled Weddings Or Funerals. Â The album starts off with Kerosene, that with it’s guitar and soft snare sound immediately made me think of […]
The Acoustic Burgoo – Word.
If the saying “variety is the spice of life” is true, The Acoustic Burgoo is the equivalent of my grandmother’s cooking drawer. Â There was a lot of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and other baking flavors for a comforting dish. Â There were plenty of herbs for savory dishes, and some pepper for bite. Â And a couple of […]
Melody Walker – Gold Rush Goddess
Kris Kristofferson famously wrote “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. Â Although it became an anthem for a certain lifestyle back in the 70’s, Kristofferson himself would probably admit life’s a little more nuanced than that. Â Whether consciously or not, Melody Walker seems to be exploring a lot of those shades of gray […]
Katie Glassman – Snapshot
Chocolate covered bacon. Â Spam sushi. Â Over easy eggs on pizza. Â I’m a fan of things that, at first, don’t seem to go well together, and yet when you actually try it’s pretty darn good. Â That’s the kind of surprise I got when listening to Katie Glassman’s latest release, Snapshot. Â It’s bluegrass and vintage jazz. Â A […]
I See Hawks In L.A. – New Kind Of Lonely
Driving east out of Bakersfield you see it long before you get there, the heat shimmer distorting lines and colors, and yet somehow it kind of sneaks up on you. Â One minute you’re in civilization, the next…nowhere. Â California’s high desert has inspired musicians from Gram Parsons and the Eagles to Ted Nugent and Queens of […]
Heartless Bastards – Arrow
There’s something unexplainably exhilarating about a rapid and dramatic change in temperature. Â In Russia and Scandinavia they go from a hot sauna to a leap into freezing cold water. Â Where I grew up in the Midwest, we’d go from a hot, sweaty mosh pit in a club with ear-ringing decibels to the subzero outdoor environs […]
Ruthie Foster – Let It Burn
Ever since Ray Charles earned the wrath of the righteous back in the 50’s with his corruption of “church music”, musicians have been stealing that mix of old fashioned gospel, rhythm and blues, and soul. Â Rarely, though, has it come together as well as on the latest Ruthie Foster project, Let It Burn. Â Listening to […]