April means springtime, and with it the beginning of festival season. There are many choices, from the multi-weekend, party-with-half-a-million-friends behemoths to the local and regional celebrations of singular musical styles. Falling closer to the latter is one of my favorites, Old Settler’s Music Festival. Held an hour southeast of Austin, it leans heavily toward string […]
Larry & Joe – Nuevo South Train
One of the most amazing things I heard at this year’s Folk Alliance was a performance from Larry & Joe. Comprised of Larry Bellorin, a legendary Llanera musician from Venezuela, and Joe Troop, of Che Apalache fame, they created a new mashup of bluegrass and South American traditional folk music. Both currently residents of North […]
SXSW 2023 – The Sounds, Part 3
ROANOKE Another on my short list of new to me artists for me this year was Roanoke. They bore more than a passing resemblance to the fictional Daisy Jones and the Six in both song and spirit. A good thing in my book. JAKE BLOUNT Jake Blount is a true student of American music. So […]
Mighty Poplar – Mighty Poplar
One of the great characteristics of bluegrass and Americana music festivals is the impromptu jam sessions. Backstage, in the campground, at the hotel, on the tour bus, there’s a lot more great music that gets played than ever hits the stage. Not for the first time, those informal sessions have been the impetus for new […]
The Brothers Comatose – Ear Snacks
If YouTube is a major contributor to your music consumption habits, you’ve probably run across The Brothers Comatose by now. As an antidote to cabin-fever during the days of Covid lock-down, the band started monthly sessions of getting together to jam. They captured some of the better results on video and started posting. They did […]
Shawn’s Favorite Albums of 2022
It was a good year for music, both live and recorded. I heard some things pushing the envelope of an already large package called Americana. I heard some new takes on old songs and some old takes on new songs. I heard a few things that even though I knew what was coming, and looking […]
Melissa Carper on Farm Work, Solar Power, and Living in a Music Hub
Country and folk artist Melissa Carper talks about the value of having a great mechanic friend, living in a music hub, and an early song partially inspired by Sesame Street.
Ogden Heart – Ogden Heart
Throughout much of America, regional styles of music and the church are deeply intertwined. Whether it’s the sheer number of bluegrass interpretations of spiritual songs, or the influence of gospel music in the blues, spirit and soul are wound like a double helix. That relationship is displayed grandly in the new, self-titled album from rural […]
Americana 2022: Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
The Americana Music Association Conference and Awards made a welcome return from the virtual world this year. The annual event showcased several hundred artists who collectively illustrate the breadth of the Americana umbrella. Here are some of my highlights from Americana 2022. CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM Ingram is now in the category of “when you can […]
The Brothers Comatose – When It All Falls Apart Video Premiere
San Francisco-based band The Brothers Comatose was formed in 2009 by brothers Alex (banjo, vocals) and Ben (guitar, vocals) Morrison and fiddler Philip Brezina. They added Steve Height on bass and Greg Fleischut on mandolin, and started taking the northern California acoustic music world by storm. Walking the line between jam band and progressive bluegrass […]