Last year I had the fortune to discover Rachel Baiman. Â I noted at the time she had a knack for subtly inserting parables in her snap-your-fingers or turn-around-the-dance-floor bluegrass numbers. Â She’s at it again with Thanksgiving, a just released EP. Â Tent City is an upbeat tune with lots of great banjo and guitar picking. Â It’s […]
Katie Cole On Touring with the Smashing Pumpkins and Writing Her First “Good” Song
Australian singer-songwriter Katie Cole talks about the path to finding her songwriting voice, the one “real” day job that she’s ever had and the importance of finding people that you can trust.
Walter Salas-Humara On Using John Cale’s Rehearsal Space and the Secret to an Amazing Life in Music
Walter Salas-Humara recalls taking an Uber 120 miles to get to a gig, a memorable song that he wrote when he was 17 and an unforgettable day job working with the likes of Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Gregory Alan Isakov – Evening Machines
“We took our chances, sure enough / I am brambles / But I am tangled in your love.” Gregory Alan Isakov’s words in his new record speak for themselves and and like a rare stone sparkle either on the page as poetry or as slow burning acoustic ballads that burrow into the listener’s consciousness. These […]
Monday Morning Video – Ruby Boots
My first encounter with Ruby Boots was an acoustic set when she opened for the Waifs. As much as I enjoyed that show, it did little to prepare me for the fire and fury when she fronts a band. It’s something to behold. Although the video quality is a bit rough, here’s Boots and company […]
Sweet Caroline – A Special Boston Playlist
By Degrees, Mark Erelli & Friends (from the benefit single By Degrees) Several of Mark Erelli’s longtime friends and collaborators join him for a special song written in response to the tragic gun violence in America. While the artists are an impressive group – Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Lori McKenna, Anais Mitchell, and Josh Ritter […]
Readers’ Pick: Rosanne Cash – She Remembers Everything
You picked She Remembers Everything by, Rosanne Cash, as your favorite new release for the week of November 2, 2018. Poll Results New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Summer & Fall 2018 WILLIE NILE, […]
Frenchie’s Blues Destroyers – Love Is Blood
I have a theory that no one doesn’t like Chuck Berry. Â Whether you’re a post-millennial, world-beat fan, an EDM raver, or aging hippie still in love with art rock, when you hear the chords of Johnny B. Goode or Maybellene, a smile crosses your face and your foot starts tapping. Â Berry tapped into something primordial […]
Rhydian Dafydd of The Joy Formidable on the Business of Music and a Shambolic First Gig
The Joy Formidable’s Rhydian Dafydd recalls a snowball-laced band bonding moment and rehearsing on a farm with barnyard animals providing background vocals.
Michelle Malone Shares Ten Tips for Building a Career in Music
Michelle Malone discusses the steady decline in recording music income and recalls playing drums in her first band.