Audio Download: Jay Bennett, “The Engines Are Idle” [audio:http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/1/2169351/04%20The%20Engines%20Are%20Idle.mp3] [Source: Rock Proper]
Red Stick Ramblers – My suitcase is Always Packed
The Red Stick Ramblers derive their name from where their hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their music is also derived from the cultural influences of their native region. Baton Rouge is located along a corridor that runs from New Orleans to Houston. Consequently the Red Stick Ramblers deliver an eclectic mix of Zydeco, Country, Bluegrass and […]
Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets- Stay On
This is the first release from Caleb Caudle featuring the Bayonets.  This is evident right from track one.  Whereas Caudle’s debut Red Bank Road , was a mostly acoustic affair of heartfelt classic Americana, Stay On uses more electric guitars and piano to create an almost R&B sound.  Luckily for the band, Caudle’s voice has […]
John Moreland and the Blackgold Band- Endless Oklahoma Sky
John Moreland is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  The Black Gold Band calls Tulsa, Oklahoma home.  So it isn’t that surprising that the Endless Oklahoma Sky sounds like a piece of heartland Americana rock. What is surprising is that it peels the paint off the wall and makes John Mellencamp sound like Olivia Newton John.  These […]
Rhett Miller sings Rhett Miller
Rhett Miller has become quite the interesting figure. He is an adored and much lusted after front-man for the Old 97’s, along with being a big enough star to share the stage with Moby, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle and many others on last week’s 30 Rock finale. Given this level of accomplishment […]
Iron & Wine – Around the Well
When it comes to do-it-yourselfers, Sam Beam proved with his first album that he didn’t need anyone to create good music. In fact, he’d already been doin’ it for seven years before anything happened. If his demo didn’t land in the hands of someone who recognized it, Sam may still be creating his beautiful melodies […]
Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
It’s not as groundbreaking as his work with The Blasters or The Knitters , but this might be the best Dave Alvin record to date. It’s certainly the most complex. Alvin helped define the punkabilly/L.A. country punk sound with those early 80’s projects, and then went on to hone his songwriting and musician skills with […]
Hoots & Hellmouth/The Holy Open Secret
When I get a CD from a band I’ve never heard of in the mail for review, a lot of times I trash the band bio that comes along with it. The reason I do this is I’ve found a lot of bands that make good music write bad bios. Or they at least have […]
Listen Up: Willie Nile’s 1000 Guitars
I’ve figured out the secret to Willie Nile. It’s not some special studio trick or the backing of a top notch band (though they do rock like nobody’s business). No, the magic of Willie Nile is his unbridled passion for life that permeates the man and his music. It hearkens back to the romantic innocence […]
Ted Russell Kamp – Poor Man’s Paradise
When reporting on Major League Baseball, it seems as though most anchors or scribes have a hard time saying anything, whether it be positive or negative, about Manny Ramirez without using the tired, lazy phrase, “Manny being Manny” . I imagine that there is a similar need or desire by most bloggers or music journalists […]