A Friend of A Friend is the debut record from the Dave Rawlings Machine, but in reality it is the re-emergence of the Gillian Welch-Dave Rawlings brand. They’ve hardly been in hiding, contributing to records by Solomon Burke, Sara Watkins, Uncle Earl, Conor Oberst, and numerous others, but their last full length effort was all […]
Charlie Louvin/Live at the White Mule/Columbia, SC/November 12, 2009
Like many from my generation, (I’m guessing) I first learned of the Louvin Brothers after hearing Uncle Tupelo’s cover of “Atomic Power.†It was a great song that immediately caught my attention and made me want to hear the original. So, I tracked it down and found out it was an old-timey tune from the […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2009, Part 1
I’ve got some catching up to do. A heavy travel schedule has kept me from my monthly playlist duties. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had the pleasure to visit some impressive places. Even better, I’ve had plenty of great new music to keep me company along the way. Well, it’s time to make up for […]
Possum Jenkins – Collection of Bad Habits
With several great albums that draw heavily on southern-rock swagger having been released by bands such as Drive By Truckers and Lucero recently, I figured I was fried for a while when it came to these types of sounds. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying the new record by […]
Fran Healy – Live Acoustic
The intimacy of a small venue is really a unique experience. When you throw in a seasoned performer like lead singer of Brit-Pop band Travis, you get a true gem of a show. Healy truly made the experience an even more personal one with a slide show and storytelling to boot. The show allowed the […]
Anthony Da Costa- Not Afraid of Nothing
This record threw me for a loop when I first heard it. I wrote a quick blurb a couple weeks ago that described the record, somewhat offhandedly, as ‘a young artist exploring new sounds.’ The suggestion being that I was not totally enamored with the record. After yet another late night listening, I have to […]
Mac Leaphart – Line, Rope, Etc…
While many of us blogger-types are trying to figure out what our favorite releases of 2009 are, I have been enjoying what would’ve been one of my favorite records from 2008. Mac Leaphart’s (Official / Myspace) 2008 release, Line, Rope, Etc… is an excellent album, consisting of some country-flavored folk that mixes in dashes of […]
The Rock Hall @ 25: Night Two
If Night One was about the late night party, night two was about the tributes. Most of the headliners – most notably Metallica and the Jeff Beck Band – mixed a healthy dose of covers into their sets, many with special guests along for the ride. Similar to Night One, the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis […]
Blind Boys of Alabama – Duets
Seventy years. That’s right, this year marks the seventh decade the Blind Boys of Alabama have been performing. Sure, the personnel have undergone some changes in that time, but one of the original members, Clarence Fountain, still tours with them as his health allows. What’s more, they’ve never been as relevant to the current music […]
Lissie/Why You Runnin’
Lissie’s persistant publicist (say that 3 times fast) recently pursued me to check out the artist’s new 5 song EP, which is being released on Fat Possum Records November 10th. After doing so, what I found was a mellow recording bringing to mind possibly something from Tift Merritt or Emmylou. I wasn’t instantly struck by […]