For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,200 bands and more than 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even […]
Old Salt Union – Cut and Run
The moments that surprise us are the ones that stay with us the longest. In my many years of going to see live music the sundry collection of those moments are etched forever in my memory. I encountered an event of that magnitude at the Evening Muse in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. I […]
Frank Solivan – Family, Friends & Heroes
For the record, I’d like to state I wish I was related to Frank Solivan.  The Solivan family reunions must be the ultimate bluegrass festival/jam session you could ever imagine.  Along with that family, and some additional friends, Solivan is recreating the spirit of that figurative event on his latest record, Family, Friends & Heroes.  The […]
Dead Winter Carpenters – Washoe
For most travelers, the next stop out of Bakersfield is either the high desert and Las Vegas, or the sprawl of Los Angeles. Â Musically, Bakersfield leads to the honky tonk of rural California, or the alternative rock and roll sprouting out of the Mojave. Â There’s a third path, though, north to the mountains and the […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – The Video Companion
Actual videos of our fave Folk Alliance performances are hard to come by, well at least good quality ones. So we decided to go with the next best thing – videos of these performers captured in other, sometimes unique, locations. Featured in this video playlist are: The Show Ponies, Parsonsfield, Aoife O’Donovan, Session Americana, Bob […]
Shawn’s 2016 Folk Alliance Favorites
For what I’m certain won’t be the last time, I headed to Kansas City for the Folk Alliance International conference (and musical extravaganza). Â With nearly half of the 2500 attendees being musicians, you could barely round a corner in any public area and not find impromptu jams. As you might expect, there were a number […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2016, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Meridian Rising by Paul Burch Paul Burch is a musician’s musician in the truest sense of the word. Admired by peers (who regularly lend their talents to his recordings), he is also ambitious with his musical exploration. Case in point – his latest release is a fictionalized take on the life […]
Professor Louie & the Crowmatrix – Music From Hurley Mountain
Americana music encompasses many different strains of homegrown sounds. Professor Louie and the Crowmatrix have tapped into a number of those sounds on their compelling new album, Music From Hurley Mountain. Denizens of Woodstock, NY, the Crowmatrix, featuring Aaron Hurwitz – “Professor Louie” – and his songwriting partner “Miss Marie” Spinosa, grew together in the […]
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 […]