You probably have not heard of Chris Cain. That’s a shame, because, if Raisin’ Cain is typical of his work, we all should know about this guy. But Cain is one of those road-tested musicians whose reputation spreads among other musicians. A long-time fixture in the California blues scene, Cain received W.C. Handy (Blues Music […]
Stephen Flatt – Cumberland Bones
They say alt-country is country music played with a punk aesthetic. Stephen Flatt has a slightly different idea; it’s southern rock with a bluegrass aesthetic. On his latest album, Cumberland Bones, Flatt leads with the Southern rock stories and anthemic, pump-your-fist sound. The bluegrass comes in via him recording this record not with a longstanding […]
New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers, Vol. 2
Sequels are so often disappointing, but not this time. Last October, Stony Plain released a great set of jam sessions featuring blues masters Charlie Musselwhite and Alvin Youngblood Hart, together with former Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus, North Mississippi Allstars brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson and their father Jim that were recorded in 2007. Now, […]
Parker Millsap – Be Here Instead
Singer-songwriter Parker MillLsap will be releasing his new album “Be Here Instead†via his own Okrahoma Records and Thirty Tigers on Friday. It was produced by John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Waxahatchee), who deserves a lot of credit for helping deliver an album that is highlighted by a more diverse range of songs than […]
Rylan Brooks – If Wishes Were Horses
Most of us have done a cross country road trip at least once, and you don’t forget it. Especially if it included a long stretch between the Rockies and the Mississippi, where time and distance create a kind of elasticity to your plan. Doing those trips over and over and over became the rehearsal space […]
Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Three years ago in a cramped hotel room during Folk Alliance, at the advice of friends, I first heard a barely-out-of-high-school songstress, Vivian Leva, and her musical partner, Riley Calcagno. Leva had just released her debut album of Appalachian style folk and country songs. Belying her tender age, Leva’s soulful vocal delivery laid bare the […]
Lydia Luce – Dark River
Let me just start by saying that if you’re in the mood for something twangy, the new record from Nashville’s Lydia Luce is not going to scratch that itch. Luce is an in-demand studio musician around Nashville for her ability on a variety of stringed instruments, so she knows twang. But Dark River draws mostly […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Jan/Feb 2021
Far Away In Another Town, Steve Earle & the Dukes (from the New West Records Release J.T.) Chances are you might already be aware of the story behind J.T., Steve Earle’s tribute to his late son Justin Townes Earle. The younger Earle tragically passed away from a drug overdose in August of 2020, leaving behind […]
Brazos in My Bones – a Premiere from Stefan Prigmore
There’s something special about a Texas songwriter. The stories that they share are richly colorful, filled with characters who live life by their own rules. The more outrageous the tale, the more likely that they contain some kernels of truth. Fort Worth’s Stefan Prigmore continues this tradition with pride, spinning yarns as dusty as the […]
Folk Alliance Int’l – Folk Unlocked Preview
For most of the last several years I’ve flown back east for what I consider to be the most under-appreciated music festival in the country; the annual Folk Alliance International conference. FAI does a tremendous amount of good for musicians, and the conference itself has many seminars targeted to beginners, long-time musicians and industry professionals. […]