Here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2018. Tenkiller Marie/Lepanto Out From Under
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2018, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2018 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Right On Time, Kevin Gordon (from the Crowville Media release Tilt and Shine) A […]
Monday Morning Video – A Keen and Kelly Holiday
Here’s a soundtrack for those final hours of shopping – Paul Kelly’s “How To Make Gravy” and Robert Earl Keen’s “Merry Christmas From the Family”. Two holiday classics.
Monday Morning Video – Alex McMurray
Alex McMurray has long been a fixture on the New Orleans music scene. From the early days with Royal Fingerbowl through to his later solo work (with plenty of bands along the way), he has amassed a remarkable catalog of songs. He shifts from the sublimely moving to cleverly entertaining with ease, bringing each composition […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2018, Part 3
Little Red Hen (With Apologies to Chicken Little) , Kirby Brown (from the self-released Uncommon Prayer) A sense of restlessness permeates Kirby Brown’s Uncommon Prayer. The album documents a quest to find happiness and one’s place in this world, a topic that brown tackles with music that is intoxicating and lyrics that are both creative […]
Hamell on Trial Talks About His Litany of Rehearsal Spaces and Overcoming Stage Fright
Ed Hamell discusses why he prefers mom & pop guitar stores, learning from truckers while touring and the right and wrong reasons to make music.
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2018, Part 2
Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues, Larkin Poe (from the Tricki-Woo Records release Venom & Faith) Although The Lovell Sisters hail from Georgia and now live in Nashville, their latest album is mostly steeped in Mississippi blues. And by that I mean some down-home, dirty blues. They make an immediate – and powerful – musical statement with […]
Monday Morning Video – Kail Baxley Covers Springsteen
Let’s start the week with a a chilling cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”, courtesy of LA (by way of South Carolina) singer-songwriter Kail Baxley.
Monday Morning Video – Travis Meadows
It’s always fascinating to get a peek behind the artistic curtain. In this video, Travis Meadows talks about being a professional songwriter in Nashville and working with a co-writer. The story precedes the wonderful “Unfinished Business” from 2013’s Old Ghosts & Unfinished Business. Meadows shares more stories in his recent interview with Twangville.
Stephen Kellogg – Objects in the Mirror
Songwriters as a general rule are better at identifying difficulties and apprehensions than they are pointing out the positive aspects of life. Maybe it is because truly good art exists in the margins of American society and not the mainstream. It could also be the current political climate or possibly even too much Gluten. In […]