There has been a lot of good music cross my desk in the last couple of months, and I’ve finally internalized I’m not going to get to all of it.  Summer’s here, though, and it’s important to have some new music in your player.  So here are some short takes on albums I’m really enjoying, but […]
Jamie Lin Wilson on Keeping a Journal and Avoiding the”Bright Lights of Fast Food Joints”
The Texas singer-songwriter talks about traveling with children (not her band), playing to a packed room for her first gig and working in the family business while pursuing her musical career.
Sour Bridges – Sour Bridges
The simple fact is, some bands are better when they’re in the studio and some are better out on a stage.  Ray LaMontagne literally made me squirm at a show given how obviously uncomfortable he was on the stage.  Carrie Rodriguez has never managed to capture the magic of her stage charisma on a record. I […]
The Railsplitters – The Faster It Goes
Bluegrass used to be learned from family members and neighbors in the rural parts of America. Â In the last decade or so it”s become a conscious choice of genre by a variety of musicians who are trained and adept in many styles of music. Â Along the way they”ve fused all of those styles on top […]
Leaf Rapids – Lucky Stars
“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.†William Faulkner was known not just for long sentences, but also his ability to so luridly set […]
Twangville’s Shaky Knees 2015 Recap
A new location brought a special surprise – no rain. Rain, often torrential, is a Shaky Knees tradition. From year one’s mudfest to last year’s lightning storm, the weather has never been kind to Shaky Knees. Until this year, that is. The sun shone bright (perhaps too much at times, but I’m not complaining), making […]
Danny Vines of Banditos Shares Tour Stories and Why He Wishes He Had Apprenticed as a Mechanic
The Banditos bassist talks about why he doesn’t write lyrics and the challenge in trying to find time to practice while spending 200 days a year on the road.
Paul Lacques of Double Naught Spy Car & I See Hawks In LA On Rehearsal Studios and Never Turning Down a Gig
Paul Lacques of Double Naught Spy Car and I See Hawks in LA shares the first song he wrote and talks about why he doesn’t miss industrial rehearsal spaces.
Monday Morning Video – James McMurtry “These Things I’ve Come to Know”
James McMurtry’s Complicated Game is one of this year’s standout albums. His way with both words and melody is as strong as ever. Here is a clip of McMurtry performing a track from the album in the basement of New York’s Mercury Lounge.
Trout Steak Revival – Brighter Every Day
There’s something about bluegrass that always seems slanted toward picking up your spirits. Â It’s not that the genre doesn’t have its share of good murder ballads–a couple of doozy’s come immediately to mind–but as a rule it’s not somber music. That’s true in spades in the debut album from Colorado-based Trout Steak Revival. Entitled Brighter […]