Pick any small town in America and there’s a cast of characters you can generally recognize. The former high school football star; the good kid always in the wrong place at the wrong time; the family matriarch who’s the real power behind half the successful people in the county; the favorite cousin that just can’t […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2022, Part 2
Westcoast Rain, Jesper Lindell (from the Rootsy Music release Twilights) I’ll say it up front – Jesper Lindell’s latest plays like a long lost album by The Band. It’s more – much more – than the fact that he covers that group’s wonderful “Twilight” or that Amy Helm makes a guest appearance on the album. […]
Mike Stevens – Breathe In the World, Breathe Out Music
At the next Twangville town council meeting I’m making a motion to adopt “Municipal Harp Day” in honor of the best new recordings by blues and roots harmonica players. Along with Charlie Musselwhite’s new release, Canadian harmonica virtuoso Mike Stevens in May released his remarkable Breathe in the World, Breathe Out Music. Stevens has been […]
Charlie Musselwhite – Mississippi Son
Stand Back! Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite … again! At 78, Musselwhite shows with Mississippi Son that he is still in peak form and not ready for retirement any time soon. In fact, this simple, unvarnished effort may rival his best releases ever. The grand master of living blues harp players, Musselwhite’s first album, Stand Back! […]
Folk Alliance International Conference 2022 – The Music
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the privilege to attend this year’s Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City last week. There are all kinds of industry panels and how-to seminars, but for me the highlight is always the music. There are Official showcases, held in the various hotel ballrooms, and Unofficial […]
Readers’ Pick: Lyle Lovett – 12th of June
You picked Lyle Lovett – 12th of June as your favorite new release for the week of May 13, 2022. Poll Results New Releases Readers’ Tops Winter & Spring 2022 Pete Mancini – Killing the Old Ways (101 votes) David Gideon – Lonesome Desert Strum (75) Tody Castillo – Old Rodriguez (49) Sarah Borges – […]
Readers’ Pick: Luke Winslow King – If These Walls Could Talk
L You picked Luke Winslow King – If These Walls Could Talk as your favorite new release for the week of May 6, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXhEh_Ux72Q Poll Results New Releases Readers’ Tops Winter & Spring 2022 Pete Mancini – Killing the Old Ways (101 votes) David Gideon – Lonesome Desert Strum (75) Tody Castillo – Old […]
Readers’ Pick: Willie Nelson – A Beautiful Time
You picked Willie Nelson – A Beautiful Time as your favorite new release for the week of April 29, 2022. Poll Results New Releases Readers’ Tops Winter & Spring 2022 Pete Mancini – Killing the Old Ways (101 votes) David Gideon – Lonesome Desert Strum (75) Tody Castillo – Old Rodriguez (49) Sarah Borges – […]
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder – Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder have a history going back nearly 60 years, which officially makes Get On Board a long-awaited reunion – and something to cherish. With the profound contributions and pedigrees of Mahal and Cooder, we expect brilliance, and the album more than meets those expectations. In the mid-1960s, when Ry Cooder was […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – 2022 Edition
Just outside Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas, lays a 150 acre spread that’s home to Old Settler’s Music Festival, which wrapped up this past Sunday. I had the pleasure of being there for almost all of the four-day event (five, if you count the open mic event on Wednesday night in the campground). They […]