You picked Pokey LaFarge – Rhumba Country as your favorite new release for the week of May 10, 2024.
Hannah Connolly – Shadowboxing
Making mixtapes for friends was an active hobby for those of us working in college radio back in the day. Turns out hoping to broaden someone else’s musical horizons wasn’t unique to FM DJ’s, and the mixtape, albeit no longer a tape, is still thriving. So it’s kind of heartwarming that even musicians find inspiration […]
Ruth Moody on Her Band Scrüj MacDuhk and an Epic Trip to Louisiana
Ruth Moody, solo artist and a founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys talks about touring with a portable kettle (oatmeal in the mornings, tea for the day) and shares a tip on how to revive droopy vegetables.
Tim Easton on Thai Food and the Importance of Songs
Nashville singer-songwriter Tim Easton shares tales of his tour van, recalls the first song that he wrote, and the food on which he spares no expense while touring.
Monday Morning Video – The Suitcase Junket
The Suitcase Junket is a one man extravaganza. One moment he’ll deliver a bruising rock anthem, the next a beautiful ballad. It had been several years since I’ve seen him live so I jumped at the chance to reconnect when he passed through NYC last week. He didn’t disappoint with a performance that was as […]
Readers’ Pick: Chris Smither – All About the Bones
You picked Chris Smither – All About the Bones as your favorite new release for the week of May 3, 2024.
Ruby Joyful – The Pie Chart of Love
Bluegrass has always had a large family element to it. From sitting around picking with friends and relatives to packing the clan into the camper for a weekend festival, it’s frequently a multi-generational activity. That’s as true today as it was fifty years ago–witness the story behind Colorado duet/band, Ruby Joyful. Co-founder Dan Rubinoff lived […]
My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall
What do you get when Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June and others get together to sing songs by an underappreciated black songwriter on John Prine’s label? My Black Country – The Songs of Allice Randall. Alice Randall has been writing country music songs for decades. Though hers isn’t exactly a household name, she’s been […]
Jared Deck on Road Sandwiches and Working Two Jobs
Oklahoma singer-songwriter Jared Deck talks about road sandwiches, developing a business model, and the inspiration for his first band.
Monday Morning Video – Josh Ritter “Getting Ready to Get Down”
If you’ve ever seen Josh Ritter live, he’ll periodically introduce this song with a warning to other songwriters. I’ll paraphrase: always think about how you’ll perform a song live when you write one filled with rapid fire lyrics. Here’s Ritter spitting out the lyrics of “Getting Ready to Get Down”.