Every year in mid April I head to Austin for the start of the outdoor music season. No, I’m not headed to SXSW, but rather to the Old Settler’s Music Festival. It’s become my favorite outdoor festival with a mix of good vibe and good music I haven’t found elsewhere. Let’s start with the music. […]
Ted Russell Kamp Video Premiere – Home Away From Home
Life on the road is hard. As the glass of water metaphor describes, though, optimists and pessimists see that challenge differently. You can put Ted Russell Kamp firmly in the former. Between his own performances and as a long-time member of Shooter Jennings’ band, Kamp gets double the opportunity to travel. On his latest record, […]
Matt Andersen on Mid-Rehearsal Naps and the Definition of Done
Canadian soul-bluesman Matt Andersen talks about a day-job working in a factory, his record for the number of strings broken in a night and the uncertain future economic value of music.
Austin Thompson of The Way Down Wanderers on Coffee and Selling Out Their First Show
Austin Thompson of Chicago quintet The Way Down Wanderers talks about brewing coffee while on the road, their movable rehearsal space and where the most important band work happens.
Monday Morning Video – Sting and The Last Bandoleros
The Last Bandoleros passed through Dallas on their way to this past weekend’s Old Settler’s Music Festival. Technical difficulties at times got comical but the band brushed it off while unleashing a rip-roaring set that included several new songs and covers that ranged from Billy Joel to Buck Owens. Here’s a triple play that includes […]
John Paul White – The Hurting Kind
Three years after the release of his first post Civil Wars album, John Paul White is giving us “The Hurting Kind”. His previous release “Beulah” was a dark although very beautiful record. This new release is more sonically diverse and expansive, drawing upon a talented cast of contributors. Ben Tanner of Alabama Shakes joined White […]
Manx Marriner Mainline – Hell Bound For Heaven
I heard Harry Manx a few years back and instantly dug his performance, which was concert footage from Australia. Manx’s rich slide guitar playing had a powerful enchantment. Steve Marriner, of the raucous swamp blues outfit MonkeyJunk, is a frequent Manx collaborator, and judging from Hell Bound for Heaven, the duo’s first album release, I […]
Jimbo Mathus on Rehearsing in an Old Fire Station and Working to Stay Afloat
Jimbo Mathus recalls riding multiple tour vans into the ground, time spent working as a deck hand for the Canal Barge Company in New Orleans and a blessed career without health insurance.
The Suitcase Junket on Breaking Strings at Inopportune Moments and an Aversion to Budgets
The Suitcase Junket talks about singing his own songs in public for the first time, hotel continental breakfasts and treating his career as a business.
Monday Morning Video – Bob Mould
Bob Mould passed through Dallas last week to play one of my favorite rooms, the Granada Theater. The setlist was as career-spanning as it was spectacular. And loud. Here’s “See a Little Light”, a favorite from the Mould catalog. As a special bonus, Will Johnson opened the show and played “Flashes and Cables”, a classic […]