Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe talk about graduating from making nothing to making next to nothing in the music business and their “day job” playing with Elvis Costello, Conor Oberst and Keith Urban.
Dave Keller – Every Soul’s a Star
Soul Blues journeyman Dave Keller has played with some of the best of the genre, and it is paying dividends in his performance. Having worked with Ronnie Earl and Johnny Rawls, the Vermont-based Keller’s soul blues pedigree is well established. In 2009, Keller composed with Ronnie Earl the song “Love, Love, Love,” which appeared on […]
Halloween Video Premiere – Jon Hatchett Band
Happy Halloween! Â We’re happy as all get out to premiere a perfect Halloween video today. Â It’s from New Orleans-based Jon Hatchett Band. Â I make mention of the geography, because it’s important to the story here. Hatchett commented that New Orleans is a place that feels like Halloween all year round. Â I can attest to the […]
Brother Dege on “Van Quixote” and Rehearsing in Near-Condemned Buildings
New Orleans artist Brother Dege describes his band’s frugal touring strategies, some colorful day jobs and overcoming shaky hands at his first gig.
In Memoriam – Tony Joe White
Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s I lived in Chicago. Â Popular music, whether created in Nashville or Los Angeles, wasn’t capturing my ears or heart. Â Fortunately, I could go down to North Halsted any night of the week and hear blues from some of the greats; Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Sugar […]
Tanked Up on Elm Street – a Special Dallas Playlist
Polite Conversation, Cut Throat Finches (from the Hand Drawn Records release Polite Conversation) The best music offers a thoughtful, and often marked, point of view. In that context, the Cut Throat Finches latest hits pretty hard, lambasting the social upheaval that grips our world today. The make their point quite clearly on “New Age,” the […]
Ray Bonneville – At King Electric
Listening to Ray Bonneville’s spartan lyrics evokes images of freight yards, open prairies and empty dwellings. His masterful, moody songs on At King Electric embody the spirit of the North American continent he has wandered for decades. Born in Quebec, Bonneville learned English when his family moved to Boston when he was twelve. Though his […]
Monday Morning Video – Ted Hawkins
The Ted Hawkins story is among the most unique in American music. The Biloxi Mississippi native spent years as a street busker, most notably serenading passers-by on Venice Beach, CA while perched on a milk crate. He was “discovered” several times but never found significant success. His graveled voice and insistent guitar were his calling […]
Kevin Gordon – Tilt And Shine
Boredom is a cruel mistress. Â She tempts you to do things you know better than to do, and demands silence and negligence when action is needed. Â Add in the weather-driven, laconic nature of life in the lower Mississippi River basin and it’s a potent mix of attitude. Â Nobody understands that better than Kevin Gordon. Â On […]
Al Basile – Me & the Originator
Al Basile is steady. A founding member in the 1970s of the enduring New England-based jump blues outfit Roomful of Blues, Basile stays busy churning out really good music, including Woke Up in Memphis in 2013, B’s Expression in 2015, Mid-Century Modern in 2016 and last year’s outstanding Quiet Money. But what is surprising about cornet player and […]