William Lee Ellis plays roots music in its purest form. An acoustic master named after his godfather, legendary bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, Ellis plays bluegrass, folk and blues in a straightforward, intimate way. His music is a throwback to the days before computers, before television, even before radio, when music was always live and personal. […]
Joanna Connor – Best of Me
When I saw Joanna Connor tear it up at a blues festival awhile back I swore I would never neglect work her again. She’s great. Go see her and buy her music, including her new release, Best of Me. Connor is known for her commanding vocals and brazen guitar licks. Her mastery of the guitar […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2023, Part 2
Suicide of Town, Ben de la Cour (from the Julian Records release Sweet Anhedonia) There isn’t a lot of sunshine in Ben de la Cour’s music and Sweet Anhedonia is no exception. Heck, the album is titled after the condition of not being able to experience pleasure. But that’s part of the Nashville singer-songwriter’s magic […]
Michael Jerome Browne – Gettin’ Together
Canadian bluesman Michael Jerome Browne has been traveling the back roads of the music business for decades. A gifted guitarist, Browne showcases his talents with old time country blues on his excellent Gettin’ Together, the recording of which he describes as “therapeutic” after the isolation of the COVID pandemic. “It’s been a long three years,” […]
Taj Mahal – Savoy
At 80, Taj Mahal is more than an elder statesman for the blues. Like his namesake is to India, he is a national treasure. With the old-timey Savoy, Mahal revisits his youth while continuing his lifelong habit of never being pigeonholed in a particular style. After a run with Ry Cooder in an underrated band […]
Eric Bibb – Ridin’
Eric Bibb isn’t trying to impress anyone. As one of the world’s preeminent living bluesmen, he doesn’t have to. But he does want you to know what he thinks, what he values. And he does just that with Ridin’, the powerful follow-up to his open letter to all of us, Dear America, which was released […]
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies on Rehearsal Space Hootenannies and Their Approach to Tour Vehicles
Athens, GA’s Chickasaw Mudd Puppies talk about the first songs that they wrote, harmonica inflation, and how the band got its name.
Marc Broussard – S.O.S. 4, Blues for Your Soul
If a tornado came through and took my home and all my possessions, and all that the wind had decided to leave me was the shirt on my back, I’d be alright. That’s the feeling I got from the sounds of Marc Broussard’s S.O.S 4, Blues For Your Soul. This album is a potpourri of […]
Touchin’ Down in New England Town – a Special Boston Playlist
By My Lonesome, GA-20 (from the album Karma Chief Records release Live in Loveland) Just Because, GA-20 (from the Karma Chief Records release Crackdown) Blues band GA-20 have emerged from the pandemic with a vengeance. Their non-stop touring aside, they are releasing their second album in seven months. Both are tremendous showcases for the group’s […]
Savoy Brown – Blues All Around
Kim Simmonds, the founder and longtime frontman for Savoy Brown, lost his battle with colon cancer on December 13, 2022. That makes Blues All Around, released in February, likely the last offering from the British blues-rock legends. The band was originally formed in 1965. Savoy Brown’s first album dates back to 1967, and albums generally regarded […]