How about some videos to accompany the recent March/April 2011 Playlist? Lots of goodness from Mike Errico, Jason Isbell, Jill Sobule & John Doe, The Damnwells, Ha Ha Tonka, Jeremy Messersmith, The Trews, Black Joe Lewis, Ted Russell Camp, The Biters, Andy Clockwise and Fences. Whew. The videos are below and the written playlist can […]
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Let’s get this much out of the way: Everyone’s right about the new Fleet Foxes album, Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop). It’s astonishing. Sorry. It’s a safe bet that many out there were hoping the gentle, bearded, harmonizing folkies form the Northwest would fall flat on their nature loving faces. But, alas, they stand triumphantly, even […]
Mayer's Playlist for Mar/Apr 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: A Day at the Pass, by Jill Sobule and John Doe What happens when you take two distinctive singer-songwriters and put them in the studio for a day with a group of talented musicians. Get your hands on a copy of this stellar release and you’ll have your answer. The collection […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2011 Review
Every year at this time, a couple of weeks after all the glitterati have left South By, one of the best music festivals in the country kicks off 20 minutes outside of Austin: the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â It’s a great mix of old and new talent, with enough people to get a good vibe […]
Bobby Long – A Winter Tale
English Folkster Bobby Long, the man with a name that (to me, at least) recalls more baseball and apple pie than London Bridge and Boddington’s, is back with an album that, at first blush, seems like a relatively stright-forward folk record, A Winter Tale. Sure, the album’s title has a certain Stratford-on-Avon feel to it, […]
SXSW 2011: The Video Companion
I got a bit carried away with the videos, compiling 26 great videos captured live at SXSW. Not surprisingly, we kick things off with the performance that introduced me to Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven. From there, a three-fer from Alejandro Escovedo’s special Sunday night gig at the legendary Continental Club. We’ve got […]
J. Mascis – Several Shades of Why
The new album from J. Mascis, Several Shades of Why (Sub Pop), is a thoroughly predictable affair. But wait, that doesnt mean what you may think it does. It should be of little shock that Mascis’ laconic, and iconic, delivery is indeed tailor-made for an album comprised of primarily acoustic arrangements. But, given that Mascis […]
Monday Morning Video: Alejandro Escovedo is Sad and Dreamy
I was reminded about this song while having a conversation about childrens music with a few day-job colleagues several weeks ago. As the story goes, Alejandro Escovedo and Mike Fracasso led a songwriting seminar for a group of students at the Ziker Elementary School in South Austin, Texas. From Escovedo: [The boy] thought deeply for […]
Brian Wright’s on Fire
Now, I’ll be honest: I still haven’t made my way completely through Brian Wright’s new Sugar Hill album, House on Fire. It’ll be released next week, but what I’ve heard thus far, I really like. See for yourself with these two videos. One shows the softer acoustic side, while the one below it displays a […]
Natalia Zukerman – Gas Station Roses
I really struggled to put into words why I like the latest release from Natalia Zukerman, Gas Station Roses. When I would write down notes on the songs they ended up best summarized by thoughts like “pleasant”, or “comfortable”. But when you put those in a review, it comes off as damning something with faint […]