Everybody”s Someone In A Honky Tonk. Â Anyone who”s reading this blog probably knows the David Allen Coe song, You Never Even Called Me By My Name (written by Steve Goodman), about the perfect country western song. Â This tune, from the latest Carolann Ames release, may not be the perfect country song, but it has the […]
Shawn’s Favorite Live Sets Of 2011
By now you’ve seen what most of us were listening to on our MP3 or CD players last year. Â So I thought I’d add my favorite live sets from last year. Â 1) Roger Waters: I got a chance to see The Wall at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Â Holy cow. Â As far as I’m […]
Shawn’s Best of 2011
 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80’s and 91’s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe […]
Sinful Savage Tigers – The Last Night Of The Revels
The book and movie publishing moguls tend to view releases in terms of two seasons. Â There’s the “beach read” that’s an easy vehicle for light entertainment. Â The winter is when serious contenders for an Academy Award are released. Â The depth of cold & dark apparently being when people are contemplative instead of just wanting instant […]
Shawn Nelson – San Juan Street
The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson. Â What do they have in common? Â Anthems about being a free spirit. Â You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird. Â In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street. Â Stylistically the song is […]
Sons Of Fathers – Sons Of Fathers
You have to be pre-disposed to like any album that starts out with a paean to Lawnchair Larry. Â Maybe it’s just a song about a couple of fella’s similarly tempted, but Weather Ballon, the opening cut on the debut album from Austin-based Sons Of Fathers, is an apt metaphor for how quickly this record soars […]
Laurie Lewis – Skippin’ and Flyin’
Timeless. Â That’s the single word that best describes the latest release from Berkeley, CA-based songstress and multi-instrumentalist Laurie Lewis. Â Skippin’ and Flyin’ is a sort of tribute album to Bill Monroe. Â The tribute is an abstract though, that includes Monroe songs, songs from others that were inspired by Monroe, and even songs that just evoke […]
Southern Culture On the Skids – Zombified
Finally, Halloween is getting its musical due. Â OK, OK, technically the latest album from Southern Culture On the Skids, Zombified, is a tribute to all the awesome grade B horror movies that used to come to the drive-ins and dollar theaters when I was mis-spending my youth. Â But a tribute album is generally music that […]
The Dang-It Bobbys – Big Trouble
WWDCFCD. Â What Would Death Cab For Cutie Do (or some other indie favorite) if they recorded an album with just bluegrass instruments? Â The answer to that question is maybe the latest release from The Dang-It Bobbys, Big Trouble. Â It doesn’t have a radio-friendly thumping bass, but the idea of a pop song with intelligent lyrics […]
Slaid Cleaves – Addendum
Several days ago I wrote a partial review of the new Slaid Cleaves live double album, Sorrow & Smoke: Live At the Horseshoe Lounge. Â Since then the album has come out, I’ve overcome the technical issue with getting both discs, and I got a chance to see Slaid live at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in […]