I went on line to look up the antonym of stage fright. I got a bunch of words like calm, cool, and collected. If you’ve ever seen Galway, Ireland-based We Banjo 3 live, you know two things. First, their behavior on stage is diametrically opposed to stage fright. Second, it is not calm, cool, and […]
Everett Wren – Porchlight
Surfing the satellite TV currents the other day I briefly landed on a food show about making the Mexican treasure, mole sauce. About the only thing in common the virtually infinite versions have is they all use a boatload of different spices that come together forming a flavor unique to every family. I realized mole […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – 2022 Edition
Just outside Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas, lays a 150 acre spread that’s home to Old Settler’s Music Festival, which wrapped up this past Sunday. I had the pleasure of being there for almost all of the four-day event (five, if you count the open mic event on Wednesday night in the campground). They […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – Preview
Every year about now I make a pilgrimage to Austin for a few days of listening to music. It’s not for SXSW. Instead I head out to Tilmon, about an hour southeast of town, for Old Settler’s Music Festival. It’s just the right size to where it’s easy to navigate, but there’s still enough of […]
Joshua Rilko on His Collapsible Kettle and the Inspiration for an Early Song He Wrote
Nashville-based Joshua Rilko talks about touring in a shuttle bus that ran on straight veggie oil and winning his high school talent show.
Birds Of Play – Murmations, Volume 2
Musical inspiration comes from many sources, but life experience surely has to rank at the top. You’d be hard-pressed to find lives lived to the degree of friends Alex Paul, Eric Shedd, and Jack Tolan. So when they decided to trade-in their outdoor, world-traveling, adventurous lifestyle for equally lucrative careers as musicians, they had some […]
Joshua Rilko – Lost Soul/Rock & Roll
All that time with no gigs to play has resulted in some really good music being written. The latest example of that comes from Joshua Rilko, founding member of Lindsey Lou and the Flatbellies, and mandolin-about-town for the likes of Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings, and others. He came up with 11 new songs, about half […]
Yonder Mountain String Band – Get Yourself Outside
Some bands stay fresh through a process of having two or three core members and a rotating lineup of additional musicians and collaborators. Others have a more stable roster and view the infrequent change as a breath of fresh air and insurance against getting stale. Such is the case with Yonder Mountain String Band, who […]
Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz on Good Coffee and Teaching College
Tammy Rogers (of the SteelDrivers) and Thomm Jutz talk about their cars (and how much they love them) and their shared effort to avoid fast food on the road.
Greensky Bluegrass – Stress Dreams
Greensky Bluegrass will be releasing their new album “Stress Dreams” Friday January 21. It is a vibrant high charged album that almost ignores the fact that we have been in a pandemic. Not that they are in denial, and in fact some lyrics address separation and loneliness. However, the arrangements emanate positive vibes as is […]