Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s I lived in Chicago. Â Popular music, whether created in Nashville or Los Angeles, wasn’t capturing my ears or heart. Â Fortunately, I could go down to North Halsted any night of the week and hear blues from some of the greats; Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Sugar […]
Tanked Up on Elm Street – a Special Dallas Playlist
Polite Conversation, Cut Throat Finches (from the Hand Drawn Records release Polite Conversation) The best music offers a thoughtful, and often marked, point of view. In that context, the Cut Throat Finches latest hits pretty hard, lambasting the social upheaval that grips our world today. The make their point quite clearly on “New Age,” the […]
Steve Poltz Wins AMERICANAFEST 2018
As a newbie to AMERICANAFEST I have to say that looking at the schedule beforehand I was a bit overwhelmed. Throw in the fact that it had been about 10 years since I’d been to Nashville and that made it even more so. But once I got there and settled into the pace and learned […]
Americana 2018: Chip’s Picks
When trying to outline the highlights of the week of AmericanaFest the easy path would have me simply say you had to be there… then go get a beer. However, I will choose a more descriptive path. The venues are disparate and scattered across the Metro Nashville area, which is what is so cool. So […]
Americana 2018: Shawn’s Picks
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances […]
Americana Music Awards – 2018 Edition
As has become tradition in the middle of September, the Americana Music Festival rolled into Nashville earlier this month.  The opening of the festival used to be the Awards show at the fabulous Ryman Auditorium, but over the past couple of years the festival has outgrown its 4 day window and this year you could start […]
Ray Bonneville – At King Electric
Listening to Ray Bonneville’s spartan lyrics evokes images of freight yards, open prairies and empty dwellings. His masterful, moody songs on At King Electric embody the spirit of the North American continent he has wandered for decades. Born in Quebec, Bonneville learned English when his family moved to Boston when he was twelve. Though his […]
Guster on the Ocean- Saturday night at Thompson’s Point
Written by Jeff McMahon, Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon Guster’s “On the Ocean” weekend didn’t involve seeing a body of water until the the band took the stage at Thompson’s Point in Portland on Saturday night. It’s a little park that juts out into the water in a very secluded area (no houses were visible […]
Guster on the Ocean- Friday night at the State Theatre
Written by Jeff McMahon, Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon On the Ocean, Guster’s very own summer festival, entered it’s second year. The band pulled together a festival for the very specific fan that loves Guster. In Portland, Maine, Guster fans were treated to a fun time among friends. As fans of Guster, we seem to share a […]
Grand Old Grizzly – Pure Country Pyrite
Coming out of the storm like the mythical ghost riders, the twin lead guitars of Houston-based Grand Old Grizzly set the outlaw tone of Gundowners.  The opening number of their latest album, Pure Country Pyrite, it’s the fascinating-like-a-train-wreck story of a pair of sociopaths who were made for each other.  With a similar uptempo twangy feel, Rescind All […]