Before I get into his excellent new EP, let me reflect on the near meteoric rise of singer-songwriter Drayton Farley. His is a true DIY story and proof that talent, not publicists, sometimes win the day. He started out recording in his home studio with no publicists or street team and no label. He persists […]
John Fullbright – The Liar
It’s been 8 years since John Fullbright last released an album. For a Grammy-nominated artist headlining festivals, that’s an eternity. He has a new record coming out later this month, called The Liar, and it’s clear he put all that time to good use. He embraced a new band in the studio and developed a […]
Triggers & Slips – What Do You Feed Your Darkness?
You’ve undoubtedly heard the line that country music is three chords and the truth. It goes deeper than that, though. It’s not just the truth, but more often than not it’s self-truth. Opening up about one’s own foibles and self-doubts adds an integrity to the twang that you just don’t get observing from a distance. […]
Sunny Sweeney – Married Alone
Popular culture is littered with references to the drifter, the rambling man, the loner. Soul tormented by assorted demons, both real and imaginary, they never get attached to anyone and deal with their insecurity by show of bravado. These characters are nearly always men. Sunny Sweeney takes exception to that on her latest album, Married […]
Jonathan Terrell On “Sweet Maxine” and a Rough First Gig in Austin
Texas musician Jonathan Terrell talks about enjoying BBQ while on tour and playing Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” at honky-tonks in Texas as a kid.
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2022, Part 2
Nobody’s Coming to Get You, Fantastic Cat (from the Blue Rose Music release The Very Best of Fantastic Cat) It takes some chutzpah to call your debut album “The Best Of” but Fantastic Cat darn sure deliver the goods with their first album. The group’s four singer-songwriters, each talented in their own right, come together […]
Jonathan Terrell – A Couple 2, 3
There are a thousand examples of country music artists who didn’t grow up anywhere near anything “country”. That doesn’t make them any less good at their craft. Occasionally though, you hear someone whose weary optimism reflects a lifetime of making do in rural America. That’s the case with Austinite Jonathan Terrell on his upcoming EP, […]
Laura Benitez and the Heartache – California Centuries
Saturday night in rural America. Just saying that, you can practically hear the pickup tires on the gravel road. Whether it’s the Grange Hall in California’s Central Valley, the dance hall in Texas Hill Country, or the Legion Post in eastern Tennessee, the scene is similar. The same loud-but-ineffective air conditioner, plenty of ice cold […]
Wade Bowen on His Uncle Bob’s Restaurant and Why He Started Playing Guitar
Texas singer-songwriter Wade Bowen talks about avoiding carbs, touring in an extended cab pickup truck, and taking time to smell the roses.
Brittany Collins – Things I Tell My Therapist
While out hiking in the woods in her native Pacific Northwest, Brittany Collins started composing a tune telling someone how she was coming to terms with a childhood best left behind. She was determined to forge her own path and not be defined by her family. On further reflection it became obvious that little ditty […]