I’m a sucker for power pop and am always excited to discover a new artist who possesses a great melodic touch. In that vein, meet Boston’s Speedfossil. Singer-songwriter Garret Vandermolen took an extended hiatus nearly two decades ago but couldn’t escape his musical calling. No Anesthesia, his third album since returning to music, finds Vandermolen just […]
Monday Morning Video – Eli Paperboy Reed at Muscle Shoals
How about one more week with the Paperboy… When Reed released Nights Like This, his Warner Brothers Records debut in 2014, his traditional R&B sound was given a more modern production. But it’s hard to take the classic soul out of the Paperboy. Here’s a version of the song recorded in Muscle Shoals with bassist […]
Monday Morning Video – Eli Paperboy Reed
R&B master Eli Paperboy Reed and his band cram themselves onto a small stage and set fire to the folk gospel classic “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”.
Monday Morning Video – World Party Put the Message in the Box
Karl Wallinger shares a timeless message in this pop classic. The world saysGive a little bitGive a little bit of your love to me‘Cause I’m waiting right here with my open arms
Mayer’s Playlist for Feb/Mar 2022, Part 2
Not Ready Yet, Jamie McDell (from the ABC Music release Jamie McDell) I’ve been not so patiently awaiting the latest release from New Zealand’s Jamie McDell. Her 2019 EP was a tremendous introduction to her songwriting talent, especially the pull no punches “Botox” and the raw emotion of “Worst Crime”. Both songs are featured, alongside […]
Monday Morning Video – The Load-Out with Jackson Browne
Let’s start the week with a classic – Jackson Browne’s “The Load-Out” with a segue into Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs’ wonderful 1960 chart-topper “Stay”. People you’ve got the power over what we doYou can sit there and waitOr you can pull us throughCome along, sing the song
Cactus Blossoms – One Day
They call it blood harmony. It is that special coherent blend that siblings can attain when they harmonize. In the case of The Cactus Blossoms, comparisons are abundant to the Everly Brothers. However, sometimes the obvious is the most apropos. The blend of their vocals seems effortless and gives each song a comfortable, smooth vibe […]
Monday Morning Video – Keepsake House “From Story to Song”
A chance encounter at the Americana Conference in Nashville last September led to me to the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center in NYC in October. The occasion was an event called “From Story to Song“, produced by NYC-based Keepsake House. The premise of the event was to pair a storyteller with a musical artist and […]
Monday Morning Video – Mando Saenz
Here are acoustic versions of two songs from All My Shame, one of my top ten favorite 2021 releases, courtesy of Nashville by way of Texas songwriter Mando Saenz.
Mayer’s Playlist for Feb/Mar 2022, Part 1
The Ballad of Sissy & Porter, The Whitmore Sisters (from the Red House Records release Ghost Stories) There’s a throwback quality to the Whitmore Sisters’ Ghost Stories. Sure, sisters Eleanor and Bonnie have magical familial harmonies that recall The Everly Brothers. It’s the songs and arrangements, however, that hearken back to a bygone era when […]