Being able to pigeonhole a band’s sound is useful to a music reviewer. Â It lets you describe them quickly before a blog reader clic…. Â But for those of you still with me, MilkDrive, and their latest album, Road From Home, spans not just 3-4 genres of music, but 3-4 eras of music. The first cut, […]
The Lost Pines – Sweet Honey
Summertime requires some bluegrass on the Most Played list on the iPod of any hard-core Americana fan. Â You just can’t beat the combination of instrumental jams and light-hearted harmonies with some gin-laced lemonade on a sunny weekend afternoon. Â With that in mind, it’s good timing for the release of Austin-based The Lost Pines second album, […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2011 Review
Every year at this time, a couple of weeks after all the glitterati have left South By, one of the best music festivals in the country kicks off 20 minutes outside of Austin: the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â It’s a great mix of old and new talent, with enough people to get a good vibe […]
Monday Morning Video: Peter Wolf and Session Americana
“Now we’re gonna just kinda roll with it,†said Peter Wolf as he joined extraordinary Boston musicians Session Americana for a surprise set last week. Imagine Wolf playing a house party in your living room, sitting around a table with a group of extremely talented and relaxed musicians, and you’ll get a sense of this […]
The Acoustic Burgoo – Soul Bucket
Sometimes it’s amazing how changing just one instrument changes the whole sound of a band. Â You can hear that happen a few times in the latest release from The Acoustic Burgoo, Soul Bucket. Â From the folky, acoustic, harmonies of Appalachia, band member Rudy Bzdyk (sic) chimes in with his trumpet and suddenly you’re down in […]
Kelly’s Top 20 for 2010!
OK, here’s the deal. 2010 was an interesting year for music, and in turn, my Top 20 list reflects that, I think. There are some of the albums that aren’t from your typical “Twangy” acts mixed in with bands that are absolute Twangville favorites. Some albums are higher up than you may see on other […]
Shawn’s Picks: Best Music Of 2010
It’s been a good year of music. At this point I’m just piling on, but here’s what I heard this year that was the best of the best. Top Ten Albums of 2010 Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues. Â Somehow managing to combine the spirit of Woody Guthrie with the soul of Memphis, it […]
Sarah Jarosz – The New 45
In the world of bluegrass and roots music, few, if any, have been buzzed about louder than Sarah Jarosz has been in the last couple of years. Unlike so many other hyped-up youngsters, however, the current musical student (it’s likely she could take many of her fellow pupils to school, if you know what I […]
Kathryn Caine – Down Home Girl
Ever notice there aren’t many female-oriented songs about not being tied down? I’m sure there are, but they don’t come to mind like Free Bird or Ramblin’ Man. I suppose Thelma & Louise gives the XX perspective for the movie genre, but what about something you can sing along to? Kathryn Caine, on her latest […]
Mike Farris – The Night Cumberland Came Alive
I’m not sure why the May floods that hit Nashville in May of this year did not seem to grasp the nation’s attention like other recent natural disasters did. There was a lot of press attention, but it seems that the lack of hurricane force winds made the story less captivating. However, the people who […]