Old 97’s Gruene Hall Murry Hammond Valentine MURRY HAMMOND, I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m On My Way (self) MySpace Already a key player on one of the best albums of the year (Blame It On Gravity) as the bassist for the Old 97’s, Hammond takes a more spiritual route with his solo […]
Exclusive! Alejandro Escovedo Speaks
Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008
We’ve lost another soul legend with the passing of Isaac Hayes today. In his early years Hayes and songwriting partner David Porter were the force behind many Stax soul hits, including several of Sam & Dave’s greatest hits (“Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming” to name just two). Hayes launched a solo career in […]
Conor Oberst + More, Releases 8/5
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at work and at play while making the new record! CONOR OBERST, self-titled (Merge) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Assembling a group of musician friends known unofficially as The Mystic Valley Band (Nate Walcott, Jason Boesel, Macey Taylor, Nik Freitas, and Taylor Hollingsworth), Conor Oberst spends […]
Mayer’s Playlist for July 2008, a Video Companion
More video goodness this month. We kick things off with two of my favorite songs this summer, Little Jackie’s “The World Should Revolve Around Me” and the Hold Steady’s “Sequestered in Memphis.” Keep on moving and you’ll see a special video from Alex Woodard and live performances from Love Pyschedelico, the Baseball Project, Eric Lindell, […]
Taylor Hollingsworth + More, Releases 7/29
Taylor Hollingsworth live @ Bottletree in Birmingham, AL. “Assasinate the President” TAYLOR HOLLINGSWORTH, Bad Little Kitty (Mass) Official Site | MySpace | MP3* [audio:http://www.undertheradarmag.com/Track%2010_TaylorHollingsworth_Assassinate%20the%20President.mp3] Every song reminds me of someone different yet the album retains an amazing level of consistency. Listen for comparisons to Spoon, The Ramones, Guided by Voices, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jesus […]
Best of Spring 2008, Tom’s Mixtape
With Spring dropping in recordings from R.E.M., Elvis Costello and Alejandro Escovedo you’d think that would be enough to call it a good season for music. Throw in James McMurtry, Hayes Carll, Reckless Kelly, Old 97s, My Morning Jacket, Jackie Greene, Amos Lee and Matthew Ryan and now you’ve got a whopper of a season. […]
Buddy Guy + More, Releases 7/22
Buddy Guy performs “Skin Deep” the title track of his new LP. BUDDY GUY, Skin Deep (Silvertone) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Living blues legend Buddy Guy cuts a record with a little help from some other big hitters including Eric Clapton, Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. A warm welcome in […]
The New New Soul
The past few years have seen a resurgence of soul and R&B. We’ve seen bands good (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Tones), bad (the Pipettes) and even confused (Amy Winehouse). We’ve even had the reemergence of a couple of legends – Al Green & Solomon Burke – to remind us how it’s done right. Just when […]
Hold Steady + More, Releases 7/15
The Hold Steady performs “Sequestered in Memphis” on Letterman. HOLD STEADY, Stay Positive (Vagrant) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) A highly anticipated follow up to 2006’s ‘Boys and Girls in America’. Craig Finn and crew continue to deliver madly brilliant songs and lyrics building on the style the E Street Band made so […]