I’m fortunate to be able to explore and enjoy the music scenes of two cities – Boston and Dallas. Artists from both metropolitan areas have released some exceptional music this year. Here are a few favorites. Love it local. DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS Quiet Lives by Garrett Owen Gorgeous and entrancing are the […]
Jules Shear on Tired Guitar Strings and the First Song That He Wrote
Singer-songwriter talks about why he he shops at local health food stores while on tour and time spent making tall rhinestone shoes by hand.
Monday Morning Video – A Holiday Tradition
One of these years, I’d love to make it to Dublin for Glen Hansard’s annual Christmas eve busking session on Grafton Street. The event raises funds for The Simon Community, an organization that raises funds and runs programs to assist the homeless. This year, global pandemic and all, the event became a live broadcast on […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2020
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2020.
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2020, the Albums
What a year it has been! Thankfully there’s been some great music to help sustain us. Here are my picks for the best albums of 2020. 11. Consider the Speed by Terra Lightfoot Another rock and roll tour de force from Terra Lightfoot. Consider the Speed is brimming with fervent guitars and musical bravado, not […]
Auyon Mukharji of Darlingside on Reasonable Band Salaries and Enjoying the Small Successes
Auyon Mukharji of folk quartet Darlingside talks about the virtue of renting a tour van and the band’s first gig, where they opened for a puppet parade.
Monday Morning Video – Devil’s Sooty Brother
Dallas musicians Joshua Ray Walker and Nathan Mongol Wells – aka Devil’s Sooty Brother – sure do like to perform. The two originally joined forces as part of Ottoman Turks, a loud and rowdy quartet. When that wasn’t enough, they started a monthly residency as Devil’s Sooty Brother, mixing originals into sets filled with classic […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 5
The Contractor, John Calvin Abney (from the Black Mesa Records release Familiar Ground) Familiar Ground, like John Calvin Abney’s previous albums, possesses a beautiful spirituality that is comforting and uplifting. Case in point – he opens this latest release with the heartening “When This Blows Over”, a song that serves as a quiet anthem for the […]
Ben Roberts of Carolina Story on Gifted Guitar Strings and the Long, Hard Road of Music
Ben Roberts of duo Carolina Story talks about performing at his 13th birthday party, working at a private school, and following in Johnny Cash’s footsteps.
Chris Smither on “Real Work” and What Makes Him Happy
Singer-songwriter Chris Smither talks about his cozy and comfy home rehearsal space, early gigs on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and the first song that he wrote (and that he still occasionally plays)