Jeffrey Foucault played a marvelous show in Boston a few weeks back. The singer-songwriter left the crowd in awe with an inspired set that highlighted songs from Salt As Wolves, his latest release. Foucault excels at painting wistful musical landscapes, as this favorite from the new album attests.
Mike Zito – Keep Coming Back
Mike Zito throws all of himself into his music.  With Keep Coming Back, Zito & The Wheel has taken Zito’s gritty recipe of blues-rock and country and stirred in a bit more country than in his 2013 release, Gone to Texas, and some classic rock to cook up a strong collection of songs. A St. Louis native now […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2015, Boston Edition
This has been a great year for music in Boston and throughout New England. Here, in no particular order, are some favorites 2015 releases from area artists. SESSION AMERICANA, Pack Up the Circus What started as an informal gathering of friends playing primarily cover songs has blossomed into a remarkable musical collective. The group’s latest […]
Three Additional Gems
Sometimes I get records I really enjoy, but I can’t quite seem to get a full length review out of them, or there are just too many things in my queue.  Frequently that happens with some really good EP’s, but also sometimes with full length releases.  With releases slowing down this time of hear, I thought […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2015
Another year is winding down, leading us to the moment where we look back at all our favorite releases from 2015. Without further ado, here are my choices for the best albums of the year. #10. (tie) ANDERSON EAST, Delilah The Nashville by way of Alabama singer-songwriter is a welcome new talent whose songs are […]
Grant-Lee Phillips on Not Bothering With Set Lists and the Value of Making Your Own Mistakes
Grant-Lee Phillips reveals why eating is one of the better parts of touring, why he always double-checks his guitar strap before walking on stage and introduces a song called “Mr. Baldankles.”
Eric Bibb & JJ Milteau – Lead Belly’s Gold
Huddie Ledbetter, aka “Lead Belly,” wrote some of the most familiar folk and blues songs of our musical heritage. Discovered by father and son folklorists John and Alan Lomax in 1933 while an inmate in Louisiana’s infamous Angola prison farm,  Lead Belly’s music was a critical link in popularizing folk and blues and, eventually, lead to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for November 2015, Part 2
Life’s a Bell, Langhorne Slim (from the Dualtone Records release The Spirit Moves) The pride (at least I think) of Langhorne, PA is back with his best album yet. He still has one foot planted in the Americana realm – a banjo plays subtly yet persistently across many of songs here – yet his sound […]
Mayer’s Playlist for November 2015, Part 1
Wonderin’ Where, Joe Ely (from the Rack ‘Em Records release Panhandle Rambler) Joe Ely is a one of the great American musical storytellers. His latest album finds him in a rather reflective mood, casting a thoughtful eye on the characters and landscape of his beloved Texas. Whether he is painting a picture of the lonesome […]
The Nouveaux Honkies – Blues For Country
Somewhere around the middle of the Natchez Trace Parkway, halfway between the (in)famous crossroads of Clarksdale, MS, and Nashville, home of The Grand Old Opry and the Ryman, lays the spiritual home of The Nouveaux Honkies. Â That’s where you’re halfway between blues and country. Â Those two genres aren’t always too related, but Hank Williams, for […]