There’s a specific kind of American band that always sounds like it’s been driving all night, even when it’s standing perfectly still. The rhythm section has road dust in its pockets. The harmonies feel like the front porch light got left on. The songs smile at you, but they’re squinting, like they’ve seen how the sausage gets made.
Alan Williams – Floating On the Dreamline
If Alan Williams’ life-to-date was a Hollywood movie, it would be one of those where it starts at the end. In this case, it’s his combination retirement/record release party later this month. The album is his third solo release, Floating On the Dreamline. The retirement is from being a professor of music at the University […]
Now & Then: The Band of Heathens’ Country Sides and the reach of Golden Smog’s Down by the Old Mainstream
Some bands age like cast iron: the scratches add flavor, and somehow the thing gets more useful the longer you keep it around. The Band of Heathens have always played like they were born in a room where somebody left the Wurlitzer on, the amps warm, and the door cracked for whoever has a harmony part.
Tim Easton – fIREHORSE
I’m a sucker for a good story. Sure, there are plenty of great songs that aren’t much beyond a chant and a chord progression. But the ones that germinate in your mind to become a part of your worldview; they’re relatable in a way that goes all the way back Aesop. Someone who’s a master […]
Now & Then: Clay Street Unit’s Sin & Squalor and the reach of The Devil Makes Three
There’s a certain kind of roots record that doesn’t want to be reviewed so much as spilled. You know the type: beer-ring on the lyric sheet, boot-scuff on the melody, a chorus built to survive a room full of people talking over it until they suddenly aren’t.
CJ Hooper – Over Yonder
CJ Hooper. That just sounds like the name of a country musician. Or maybe a high school football star being recruited by every school in the SEC. I don’t know if Hooper played football in high school, but he was Texas-raised before moving to his now-home in Washington state. More to the point, he just […]
The Band of Heathens – Country Sides
Country Sides the new release by The Band of Heathens marks their 20th anniversary as a band. The band was basically formed from a local collaboration that grew organically the old school viral way, by word of mouth. (There was no TikTok viral push available back then.) Over the last 20 years, The Band of […]
“American Healthcare Blues” – a Premiere from Chris J. Norwood & The Knockout Dragout
Everyone faces challenges in their lives, but few are as fundamental as healthcare—for ourselves, our families, and the people we care about. And healthcare in America has become a double hit: first, the health crisis itself; second, navigating a system that can throw haymakers when you’re already down. Chris J. Norwood & the Knockout Dragout […]
Now & Then: Melissa Carper & Theo Lawrence’s Havin’ A Talk and the reach of Time (The Revelator)
Duets are relationship counseling with better suits. Two people, one microphone, and a shared agreement to tell the truth in public as long as it rhymes. Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence understand the assignment. Their debut duo album Havin’ A Talk leans into the oldest trick in country music: make the song a conversation, then let the conversation become the plot.
The Sky Chiefs – The Sky Chiefs
You’ve no doubt heard about artists, or their families, who’ve found a trove of lost recordings buried in the back of a closet in some nearly forgotten studio. Springsteen and Jennings come immediately to mind. Typically these are extra tunes that get cut from a record or demos that never really found a home and […]