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. […]
In Memoriam – Chick Corea
When John Prine passed last spring, a lot of praise and admiration came out of tweets and web sites and publications that would never consider covering Americana, or folk, or whatever you want to call John’s music. His talent was so immense it surpassed a single genre and came to be a gold standard for […]
These Fine Moments – Season 10
Ten years ago producer Mark Hallman sent a new singer-songwriter duo out of his Congress House studio in Austin with a finished EP, their first recording. A decade on Hilary Kaufmann and Robert Watts as their nom de plume, These Fine Moments, have another record, this time full length and also produced by Hallman. In […]
Selwyn Birchwood – Living in a Burning House
I caught Selwyn Birchwood’s act a few years ago at the Philly Folk Festival (remember when we could go to festivals?), and I was immediately won over by the barefoot bluesman. Already an award winning guitarist, Living in a Burning House cements his credentials as one of the leading younger lights in the blues world. […]
Beth Lee – Waiting On You Tonight
I have a friend who likes to say that people need to get repotted every now and then. They get root-bound and need a new container to explore, and some new scenery. I’ve found that to be mostly true. Beth Lee seems to have also found benefit in that. After spending her early career as […]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Tasjan Tasjan Tasjan
Aaron Lee Tasjan has been a central figure in the Americana scene for several years now. In fact his new album is charting ahead of its release and the single, “Up All Nightâ€, is in the top 5 of this week’s Americana singles chart. This may be a somewhat controversial opinion, but this release is […]
Rod Abernethy – Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore
Sometimes songs capture in a snapshot what ends up being a universal truth. John Prine certainly had a knack for it, and a lot of Woody Guthrie’s material is relevant 60 or 70 years later. Rod Abernethy bottled a bit of that with the title track from his latest record, Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore. Written […]


