I’m excited to be headed to Austin, Texas tomorrow for the annual SXSW music conference and festival. I take the assignment seriously, doing a fair amount of research before I arrive. That effort has resulted in some really great discoveries. Here are a pair from SXSW’s past. First up is the UK’s The Dreaming Spires […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Early 2025
Easy Love, Part 1, Larkin Poe (from the Tricki-Woo Records release Bloom) Rebecca and Megan Lovell continue to fortify their position as leading lights for modern blues-based rock. Their latest album is another glorious celebration of rock and roll, one led by Rebecca’s electric guitar and Megan’s steel guitar. Opener “Mockingbird” may start with a […]
Sierra Hull – A Tip Toe High Wire
Most people are familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s axiom that it takes 10,000 hours to be really good at something. You have to have some talent to start, but in the end you still have to put in the hard work. How then to explain Sierra Hull? She got her Rounder Records deal at 13. If […]
Monday Morning Video – Warren Zevon
I fell down the Warren Zevon rabbit hole this weekend. It started with videos of Zevon himself, but it quickly stretched into the abyss of Zevon covers. Here’s a video playlist with some favorites from that journey: Town Mountain’s bluegrass take on “Lawyers Guns and Money”, Dawes and Lucius making a head fake before launching […]
American Aquarium’s Road Trip to Raleigh 2025
Every year the first weekend of February B. J. Barham hosts American Aquarium’s Road Trip to Raleigh. In fact, this year was the Tenth anniversary of Road Trip. As usual it was held at Lincoln Theater in downtown Raleigh. It was the second time I attended, with last year being my first. One thing for […]
Monday Morning Video – Robbie Fulks
Let’s spend Monday morning talking about Saturday night, courtesy of Robbie Fulks. The Fulks catalog covers a broad spectrum, from songs raw and honest to those that are comical and entertaining. At his best, however, he combines the two into songs that are imminently catchy but have a serious undercurrent. “Let’s Kill Saturday Night” is […]
“Beautiful Mess” – a Premiere From Olivia Ellen Lloyd
After taking a hiatus from music, Olivia Ellen Lloyd returned to music a few years ago. And it’s a damn good thing that the she did. The Brooklyn by way of West Virginia singer-songwriter is a special talent. She’s fearless in her songwriting, a refreshing reminder of what country music can be. “Beautiful Mess”, her […]
Big Richard – Girl Dinner
A couple of years ago, one of the bands generating the most buzz at Old Settler’s Music Festival was a new group out of Colorado, Big Richard. They caused a stir at an early afternoon set in Telluride the summer before and now people were excited to see if the magic was still there. It […]
Dave Murphy Song Premiere – If I Could Fly
Not a lot of Twangville artists call New Jersey home. They may hail from there, but they make their way to Nashville or Austin or LA. For Dave Murphy though, the life and events that inspire the best country and folk songs had no problem finding him in the Garden State. Over the last couple […]
Everett Wren – Cascades
Something I’ve noticed lately is how many musicians identify now as multi-instrumentalists. The idea isn’t new–every professional musician I’ve ever known plays multiple instruments. What is new perhaps is the willingness to showcase those talents in a more public way, whether to play them in a live show or highlight them on a record. An […]