With the release of his 3rd studio album, Ray Lamontagne has broadened the concept of what we have come to know as a “Ray Lamontagne Album“. Gossip in the Grain (Oct. 14 -RCA) seamlessly blends multiple moods, tempos and even a sense of humor into a complete work that shows dexterity and growth in such […]
Live in Twangville: Grateful Dead Give-Away
In my mind, there is no denying that The Grateful Dead is a classic, iconic American band. In my opinion, the Dead represented a true alternative to mainstream rock of the 60’s and 70’s and were in the forefront of blending rock, country, funk and even jazz into a concoction that few people knew what […]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, 2008 Version
First a note that with 70+ acts over 5 stages in basically 2 days (plus a short warm-up schedule Friday afternoon), any Hardly Strictly Bluegrass review is going to be partial. I’ve discovered that with careful scheduling and a knowledge of some shortcuts between stages in Golden Gate Park, I can absorb about a dozen […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Video Companion Part 2
How do you spell pop music? I spell it “Jim Boggia.” This video companion features a few from the pop maestro. Keep going to find live performances from Willie Nile, Chris Knight, Air Traffic, the Avett Brothers and a classic from Todd Snider. Finally we’ve got a special interview and performance video from Randy Newman.
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Misadventures in Stereo, by Jim Boggia Jim Boggia is a pop classicist extraordinaire. He takes simple and sublime melodies and packages them in intricate yet accessible arrangements. It is a skill to admire and a treat to enjoy. Take “To and Fro,” a rollicking ode to complicated relationships in which Boggia […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 1 Video Companion
Summer ended with a bang thanks to some fine new music. We kick off our August/September video bonanza with some, well, sweet live performances by Matthew Sweet, one of our featured artists. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll get live concert footage from Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, British Sea Power, Chris Knight and […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Sunshine Lies, by Matthew Sweet “’cause we’re already good and we’re already evil, unfazed by a world of constant upheaval,” sings Matthew Sweet on “Let’s Love” from his latest release. It’s a moment that carries meaning beyond the song’s intended topic. In the nearly fifteen years since Sweet’s seminal Girlfriend, the […]
A Tale of Two Texas Records: Owen Temple & Susan Gibson
Texas has become quite the recording hot-spot, with Austin being the central source of heat. Simply because an album happens to be recorded in the Lone-Star State doesn’t make it a “Texas Album”, in my not-so-humble opinion. Honesty, simplicity, distictive voices, and even more distinct writing is the combination of components of what I consider […]
Bel Air – Pole to Pole
For years, it seemed as though it was the louder, more rocking bands that garnered the majority of attention and buzz from indie-kids and the music media in general (see: grunge, or the recent “garage-rock” revival with the Strokes, or even the alleged “reinvention” of rock by Radiohead, Beck and/or The White Stripes, etc…). With […]
High on Stress – Cop Light Parade
Minneapolis has a storied musical history. Luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Prince, The Replacements and even The Hold Steady have some sort of link to that chilly region. After listening to Cop Light Parade by the Minneapolis band, High on Stress, I can’t help but feel they have done their regional, musical ancestors proud. The […]