 Sometimes you go to a restaurant you’ve never been to so you can order their homemade biscuits.  It’s still comfort food, but with a little variety over your normal routine.  That’s the analogy I’m going to use for the soon-to-be-released album from Virginia native Sarah White.  High Flyer has the folk and country and Americana […]
Monday Morning Video – James McMurtry “Levelland”
There’s perhaps only one thing better than hearing James McMurtry play his remarkable “Levelland” and that’s watching him perform it in a pastoral setting that is so fitting for the song.
The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 2)
Barefoot Sailors, Session Americana (from the self-released Live at the Haybarn) Session Americana in concert is more than a show, it’s an experience. The group takes their musicianship seriously yet are equally focused on delivering a relaxed, freewheeling and entertaining performance. Live at the Haybarn, recorded in Dec 2016, is a perfect snapshot for both […]
Trampled by Turtles – Life Is Good On the Open Road
I’m sure you’ve seen this before. Â The special effects people take an explosion and play it backwards, in slow motion. Â The result is a whole bunch of disparate, seemingly unrelated, pieces all come together to form the perfect whole. Â That’s the kind of experience I had with the new album from Trampled by Turtles, Life […]
The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 1)
All Be Gone, Buffalo Tom (from the Schoolkids Records release Quiet and Peace) One of rock and roll’s great debates is whether to burn out or fade away. There’s a third option, though. Buffalo Tom make the point that it is possible for rock and roll to mature gracefully while still maintaining an edge. In […]
Coco O’Connor – This Ol’ War Song Premiere
Some of the best music coming out of Nashville these days is from artists who have trouble really connecting with Nashville. Â The collection of Americana talent there is tremendous, and you can find a lot of empathetic soul mates. Â But it just never seems like home. Â That’s the situation with Santa Fe artist Coco O’Connor. […]
Mark Otis Selby – Naked Sessions
I’m a sucker for a really good cover song. Â The best ones take the same chord progressions and lyrics and convey an entirely different experience. Â Think Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower compared to the original Dylan version. Â Now turn that around, where you’ve heard the second version, and now you get the original, lightly […]
Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son
In a somber chat between Jesus Christ and Woody Guthrie, Jesus cautions Woody that the “engine of hate” that fueled Woody’s struggles last century was back again and “you good people better get together or you ain’t got a chance anymore.” That sums up how Ry Cooder paints today’s world in “Jesus and Woody,” one […]
Monday Morning Video – Brother Dege
Late Saturday night at this year’s SXSW, I was making my way back to the hotel after the official showcases had wound down. Or so I thought. Walking by Antone’s I heard the unmistakable sound of a slide guitar. It would have been wrong to not step in and check it out, right? Inside I […]
Deep Ellum Blues – A Special Dallas Playlist
Good Luck, Garrett Owen (from the self-released Sad Eyed-Son) To call Fort Worth’s Garrett Owen a captivating performer just doesn’t do him justice. Even as he sings songs about heartbreak and loss, he somehow pulls in listeners with an enthralling allure. There’s a melancholy that hangs over his music – he sings achingly of heartache, […]