Dave Mason earned his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as a founding member of Traffic. It was well-deserved, yet it’s only a fraction of his contribution to rock history. You can find his fingerprints on records by Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney—a first-call contributor to some of the […]
Now & Then: Vincent Neil Emerson’s Blue Stars and the reach of Old No. 1
Some records announce themselves with a bang. Vincent Neil Emerson’s Blue Stars does something tougher. It settles in, tells the truth, and lets the weight of the songs do the heavy lifting. That makes it a natural fit beside Guy Clark’s Old No. 1, a record that helped define how Texas songwriting could be plain, precise, and quietly devastating. Beyond sound or geography, the connection is a shared belief that the smallest details often carry the biggest truths.
Readers’ Pick: Vincent Neil Emerson – Blue Stars
You picked Vincent Neil Emerson – Blue Stars as your favorite new release for the week of April 17, 2026.
Odd Marshall – Seconds
I’m not really a believer in fate. I just feel like people can make rational choices that end up steering them down a new path. Having said that, I’ve certainly seen examples where the Universe just keeps knocking someone back on track. The musician Odd Marshall seems to be one of those. An obsession with […]
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band – Time
Taj Mahal just keeps doing great music. This master, at 83, continues to show that he, like his namesake building, is a wonder of the world. To say that Taj Mahal has been around for a long time is an understatement. He was raised in Massachusetts in a musical household and gained an appreciation not […]
Andy Thomas on Working Construction and His Approach to Tour Meals
Honky Tonk & Roller Andy Thomas shares memories of working at a coffee shop and a near tour van catastrophe.
Monday Morning Video – Ted Hawkins
Ted Hawkins had a story as singular as his voice — you can read about it here. What the words can’t quite capture is what happens when he opens his mouth to sing. This clip, from an Irish television program in 1988, is a welcome reminder of his graceful talent. His voice and music endure.
Now & Then: Fantastic Cat’s Cat Out of Hell and the reach of Stage Fright
Fantastic Cat’s Cat Out of Hell arrives with the band’s usual grin intact, but beneath the loose charm is a sturdier kind of record: one built on shared voices, accumulated mileage, and the small existential leaks that start showing up in adult life. That makes it a good candidate for a look backward, not to some obvious alt-country touchstone, but to The Band’s Stage Fright, another ensemble album where group chemistry sweetens songs about unease, pressure, and trying to keep your balance while the room keeps moving.
Readers’ Pick: Fantastic Cat – Cat Out of Hell
You picked Fantastic Cat – Cat Out of Hell as your favorite new release for the week of April 10, 2026.
Hank Alrich – Broken River
It’s well known that the Armadillo World Headquarters was at ground-zero for the Austin music scene in the early 70’s. Gary P. Nunn once noted, “It’s been said that our music was the catalyst that brought the shit-kickers and the hippies together at the Armadillo.” Presumably one of those hippies was Hank Alrich, a California […]