To re-arrange a Bruce Springsteen hit for inclusion on your first record requires either courage and talent, or stupidity and narcissism. Fortunately, Pat Anderson exhibits the former on his debut album, Magnolia Road. He turns an anthemic tale of defiance into a story of resignation and anguish. Accompanied by a sparse banjo from virtuoso Will […]
Jesse Malin & St. Marks Social – Love It to Life
It seems like everything written about Jesse Malin refers to his punk years in the band D Generation. If not about that, it’s all about the Bruce Springsteen or Ryan Adams comparisons drawing from his solo career. For far too long, I’ve ignored the chit-chat. I wanted to like Malin’s music as much as everyone […]
Mike Farris – The Night Cumberland Came Alive
I’m not sure why the May floods that hit Nashville in May of this year did not seem to grasp the nation’s attention like other recent natural disasters did. There was a lot of press attention, but it seems that the lack of hurricane force winds made the story less captivating. However, the people who […]
The Old 97’s – The Grand Theatre, Volume One.
Much noise has been made over the past decade as we have seen bands that reveled in roots-rock rowdiness polish their tones a bit and venture into the waters of pop and even experimental sounds. Of course, for every Wilco, there’s a band like Son Volt – a band that has stayed the country-rock course. […]
Kasey Anderson Unveils Heart of A Dog
For those Kasey Anderson fans out there, good news arrives in the form a new album. Heart of A Dog is the follow-up to this year’s critically acclaimed Nowhere Nights. Here’s Kasey unveiling the new record: Starting today, and running every Friday for the next 11 weeks (until Dec. 10), I’ll be posting a tune […]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2010
This year marked the 10th version of the world’s largest music festival. It’s grown from 13,000 people watching 9 acts on 2 stages in one day, called Strictly Bluegrass, to a 3-day event with nearly 90 acts on 6 stages with 650,000 attendees, called Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. All of it free: paid for by philanthropist […]
Mayer’s Playlist From September 2010
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Blood/Candy, by The Posies “Who’s got into that 80s radio?” ask the Posies at the start of “Licenses to Hide.” It is an appropriate question for a band whose first album dates back to that era. In a triumph of talent and perseverance over the music business vagaries, the Posies are […]
Two Cow Garage- “Lydia”
One of America’s greatest (and most under-rated) rock and roll band’s is at it again. Two Cow Garage’s latest opus, Sweet Saint Me, is due out October 26th. The fellows’ record label Suburban Home Records is giving us some early tasters though. Check out the video for the first single “Lydia” below. Two Cow Garage […]
Twangville Town Hall: Justin Townes Earle’s “Harlem River Blues”
MAYER’S TAKE: SHADES OF WOODY GUTHRIE It’s interesting how artists get influenced by their surroundings, particularly when they uproot from familiar territories and move to new locales. It usually sends their music into different directions, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. When Justin Townes Earle moved from Nashville to New York City, I’m sure […]
Jon Langford – Old Devils
Is it possible for the leader of bands like the Waco Brothers andhe Mekons to become introspective, and produce an album that results in something beyond the live music bar bash that characterizes every Waco Brothers show? The simple answer is yes. Langford is also a very accomplished outsider artist, maybe his visual art is bleeding into his songwriting. The […]