The bar has been set high! I’m astounded by the number of great albums that have already surfaced this year. Will Hoge shunned traditional record promotions by leaning heavily on juggernauts MySpace and Purevolume all the way to offering up a free download from the album once every week. Josh Rouse travelled to Spain offering […]
Tom’s Pick of the Week, Josh Ritter
The Animal Years has been highly anticipated for some time now. You’ll find this album reminiscent of the folkier side of Bruce Springsteen and more recently Ryan Adams but with better vocals, at least in my opinion. So far this year, this is the best Folk album I’ve listened to. A full album stream is […]
SXSW 2006: The Bands (Part 1)
Is it possible to hear too much music? I think not. Here are some of the best from SXSW 2006. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – Sounding like a more lively version and less pretentious version of Bright Eyes, this outfit offered up some moody rock songs and an energetic live performance. Its […]
SXSW – Band Name or Lifetime Movie?
Comedian Paul Scheer covered SXSW for VH1’s “Best Week Ever” this year, and while he was there he came up with a great game. The premise is this: stop fans on the street and present them with a name, and let them guess whether it is the name of a SXSW band or a Lifetime […]
Let the Music Play: The 2006 SXSW Recap
Another SXSW has come and gone. This year’s event brought over 1,000 bands to Austin for five days of music, cheap beer and great barbeque. Sounds pretty good to me. Although this year’s event was light on new discoveries, it was filled with old favorites. And now for the highlights: The New Orleans Social Club: […]
Tom’s Pick of the Week, Bruce Robison
There are several interesting releases this week. I’m intrigued by releases from just about all these artists. Though, the only one that I’ve been able to preview that I feel comfortable recommending is Texas-based, Americana singer-songwriter, Bruce Robison’s Eleven Stories. Check out track #2 “Virginia”: [audio:http://www.sustainrecords.com/audio/Bruce%20Robison%20-%20Virginia.mp3] Notable releases for week of April 4, 2006 from: […]
Susan Cagle: The Subway Recordings
I paid my cover – a New York subway ticket – and headed down into the Times Square subway station for this show. While I may have been the only one who was in the station solely to hear Susan Cagle perform, the size of the crowd revealed the extent of her reputation among New […]
The Dylan/Cash Sessions
Two unbelievable artists working together is always a good thing. People finding that work after a number of years and making it available on the Internet is even better. Here are Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash performing “Ring of Fire.” [audio:http://www.ezarchive.com/satisfied75/AlbumSpace/6Q5XOQVM0P/10+-+Track10.mp3] If you want more (as you doubtlessly will), head over here, to An Aquarium […]
Tom’s Pick of the Week, Matt Costa
What’s the deal with surfer-turned-musicians lately? There’s Jack Johnson, Tristan Prettyman and now Matt Costa. Well, diverging slightly, Costa is skateboarder-turned-musician. Regardless of the subtle difference, it seems that he is closely associated with the aformentioned Johnson. You’ll find him on Brushfire Records home of Johnson and pal G. Love. Costa’s “Songs We Sing” mostly […]
The Wood Brothers – Ways Not To Lose
The Wood Brothers released their first official album recently. Until now all that had been available were bootlegs of live shows that were only attainable through generous friends. Their new album is titled “Ways Not To Lose” and was released by Blue Note records, the same label that has claim over bassist Chris Wood’s other […]