The best songs transport you instantly to another time or place.  Sometimes it’s because it was that tune that triggers a memory.  Other times, the music just so perfectly sets the ambience in your mind. That’s what happened to me on the self-titled release from Denver-based Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.  I just see friends gathered […]
Shawn Mullins – My Stupid Heart
On his first album in five years, Shaw Mullins releases what is perhaps his best album. “My Stupid Heart†is a virtual dead heat with 2006’s “Ninth Ward Pickin’ Parlor†as his career best. “My Stupid Heart†exhibits a diversity of styles. The core of the album, as always, is Mullins melodic songwriting. There is […]
Nate Cook of the Yawpers on Being Stranded In Bakersfield and What It Means to Have a Favorite Job
Nate Cook of Denver’s the Yawpers talks about sampling the local fare while on the road (and the trade-off between eating and sleeping when touring) and his first gig playing to an unappreciative audience.
Monday Morning Video – Caleb Caudle’s “Miss You Like Crazy”
Caudle and his band put on a fine performance at the Americana Music Festival last month. The show sent me back to his outstanding 2014 release Paint Another Layer on my Heart, including this heartbreak of a song.
Mayer’s Playlist for October 2015, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH All a Man Should Do, by Lucero There’s something to be said for aging gracefully, especially when you’ve got a well-earned reputation for raucous and whiskey-fueled rock and roll. Memphis-based Lucero demonstrate how to do it right on the 12th album of their nearly 18 year career. Singer-songwriter Nichols has long […]
Corb Lund – Things That Can’t Be Undone
One of the best bar-concert surprises I’ve ever had was seeing Corb Lund open for Hayes Carll a few years ago at the Doug Fir in Portland.  I’d heard a couple of his songs, but hadn’t given them much thought.  Lund and his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, came out and proceeded to not just get the […]
The Bottle Rockets’ Brian Henneman Talks Ford Econoline Vans and Being Paid to Listen to the Radio
Brian Henneman of the Bottle Rockets reveals the first song that he ever wrote, what he does when he’s not on the road and asks for suggestions on how to eat cheap and healthy on the road.
Cold and Bitter Tears – The Songs of Ted Hawkins
Sometimes it’s the unexpected show that becomes one of the most memorable. Such was the case when I saw Ted Hawkins shortly before he passed away in 1995. Hawkins was booked to play Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall, a seemingly odd choice for an artist who was touring to promote a new album. For those who […]
Colin Linden – Rich In Love
Canadian roots rocker Colin Linden is one of those musicians’ musicians who has seemingly played with everyone during his long career, including Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn and several members of The Band. His latest album, Rich In Love, demonstrates why he is in demand as a guest musician in his adopted home of Nashville. […]
Whitney Rose on Leaving No Granola Bar Behind and Why Ignorance Is Bliss
Canadian songstress Whitney Rose reveals who in her band gets up early enough to enjoy complimentary hotel continental breakfasts and talks about singing an a cappella rendition of the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” when she was in kindergarten.