By now you’ve seen what most of us were listening to on our MP3 or CD players last year. Â So I thought I’d add my favorite live sets from last year. Â 1) Roger Waters: I got a chance to see The Wall at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Â Holy cow. Â As far as I’m […]
Shawn’s Best of 2011
 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80’s and 91’s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Songs of 2011
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2011 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the addendum — the best songs from the second half of the year. When My Time Comes, Barnstar! (from the self-released C’Mon!) I somehow missed this song […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2011
#1. JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT, Here We Rest (Lightning Rod) I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping for a full-on rock assault from Isbell and crew. What I got was something better — a nuanced musical tour of his home state of Alabama. From the back porch acoustic sway of […]
Mayer’s Playlist for December 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Too Drunk to Truck, by Roy Sludge This album was tailor-made for Twangville. Old school in all the best ways, it might as well be a collection of lost classics from the Sun Studios archive. The title track kicks off the album with a strong indication of what will follow. Yup, […]
Sinful Savage Tigers – The Last Night Of The Revels
The book and movie publishing moguls tend to view releases in terms of two seasons. Â There’s the “beach read” that’s an easy vehicle for light entertainment. Â The winter is when serious contenders for an Academy Award are released. Â The depth of cold & dark apparently being when people are contemplative instead of just wanting instant […]
Win Big: Johnny Cash
Few legends shine brighter than Johnny Cash. Over the course of a nearly 50 year career, he defined and re-defined American music in his own iconic style. And as anyone who has seen footage of his appearances at San Quentin or Folsom Prisons can attest, his live performances are the stuff of legend. Over the […]
Michael Donner & The Southern Renaissance – No Better Time
Just under the wire for 2011, Michael Donner introduces himself on his first solo album.No Better Time. What an introduction! Donner is certainly going to take listeners by surprise when they discover this collection of well crafted songs. This is not only one of the best under the radar releases of the year, it is […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Oct/Nov 2011, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Long Live All of Us, by Glossary Glossary have always had a reputation as a scrappy rock band from Murfreesboro, TN. While their latest doesn’t abandon the past, the band has injected a healthy dose of southern soul into the mix. And, man, does it sound good. Opener “Trouble Won’t Always […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Oct/Nov 2011, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Beauty, Wit & Speed, by Nathan Hamilton “Give me the mad ones, the sad ones, the ones who’ve got nothing to lose,” sings Hamilton in “Through Ether and Time” from his latest release. It is a telling comment and a great introduction to an album that deftly explores the search for […]