ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Swimmin’ Time, by Shovels and Rope Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent — aka Shovels and Rope — just keep getting better and better. Swimmin’ Time takes their customary percussive guitar and drums and expands their musical palette with piano, horns and a host of other instruments. The result is something […]
Rob Stone – Gotta Keep Rollin’
Rob Stone plays good, honest blues. A Boston native, harpist Stone followed a straight-forward style in the Chicago electric blues tradition on Gotta Keep Rollin’. Stone’s tight band his has put together a first-class selection of rollicking tunes that is sure to enhance their growing reputation in the blues world. Stone has been leading his […]
Photos that ROCK! Mark Erelli & "Milltowns"
Back in March, Mark Erelli contacted me and asked if I could do a photo shoot with him for his next album. He explained that it was a tribute to one of his favorite musicians (Bill Morrissey) and that the photos should include birch trees and a fall New England landscape. Not only do I […]
Front Country – Sake Of the Sound
Six one, half dozen another. Â That old saying is supposed to be all about things being the same, but I think there’s a perspective difference that gets lost. Â As an example, many bands have a wide range of genres on an album in part because they’re still looking to find their sound. Â A few, relatively […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Sept 2014, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH You’ve Got the Wrong Man, by Joe Fletcher Singer-songwriter Joe Fletcher drew inspiration for You’ve Got the Wrong Man from the field recordings of the early 20th century. The process, most notably used by John Lomax during his musical exploration of the Southern US, places particular emphasis on the raw emotion […]
Lost & Nameless and Other EP Gems
Several good EP’s have crossed my listening desk over the summer, and while individually there wasn’t quite enough material in each of them for a full review, they’re all worth a listen. First up is the latest from Lost & Nameless, When You Walked Into the Room. Â I first ran across this group early in […]
Just Another Band Out of Boston: A Special Boston Playlist
Here is the latest installment in our periodic series highlighting Boston and New England artists. (View the complete series here.) Mark Erelli (from the Hillbilly Pilgrim Records release Milltowns) Erelli pays loving tribute to his hero and mentor, the late folk musician Bill Morrissey. With the help of some talented friends — including Peter Mulvey, […]
Jackson Browne – One Man / Twenty Guitars
When Jackson Browne walked onto Boston’s Opera House stage on a late summer night, it was as though he was stepping into his own living room. The 65-year-old singer/songwriter couldn’t have been more adored by the crowd as they showered him in ovation after ovation and listened intently to each note he sang. Some may […]
Sena Ehrhardt – Live My Life
Sena Ehrhardt is a big voice from a smal town. Ehrhardt’s third album, Live My Life, is a polished musical offering that is sure to cement her reputation as a rising star in blues music. Originally from a southern Minnesota town known more for lunch meat than blues music, the dynamic singer inherited her passion for […]
Sierra Hull in the Courtyard
Out in the courtyard at the Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on a summer evening, I caught one of the most accomplished mandolin players in bluegrass. Sierra Hull may only be 22, but she’s got a tight band, can pick her mandolin, and has quite the voice to go along with it. Right from the […]