The musical ground in Boston and New England has been especially fertile this year. We’ve already seen some outstanding releases by artists that run the gamut from long-time favorites to incredibly talented newcomers, with plenty more undoubtedly to come. To that end, here is the latest installment in our periodic series highlighting Boston and New […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2016, Part 3
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Narrows by Grant-Lee Phillips Grant-Lee Phillips is, quite simply, one of the most distinctive voices in American music. His songs conjure up vivid portraits of the American experience, from the fault lines of California to the rural lands of Tennessee. The imagery in his songs, both lyrical and musical, is […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – 2016
Spring has officially arrived mid-April when I make my way to Camp Ben McCulloch and the Salt Lick Pavillon outside of Austin for the Old Settler’s Music Festival.  Although from now through early October there’s a big music festival every weekend somewhere in the country, the combination of being the right size, boasting a stellar line-up with […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2016, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Rangers & Valentines by Trapper Schoepp When was the last time that you heard an infectious song about mononucleosis? I can’t recall either but Trapper Schoepp demonstrates that it can be done. The lead-off track to his latest release crackles with energy, driven by an irresistible pop hook and emboldened by […]
Robbie Fulks On Empurpling the Gendarmes at Rehearsal and Covering Oscar the Grouch at his First Gig
Robbie Fulks talks about what to do when you forget lyrics to a song why he can’t watch “The Office” and how the old Spanish proverb “wish your son luck and throw him into the sea” relates to the music industry.
Monday Morning Video – Celebrating the Music of Merle Haggard
I won’t even try to compete with Shawn’s excellent tribute to the late Merle Haggard. Instead, today we’ll honor his legacy with a playlist of videos from artists singing classics from the Haggard cannon. Herein you’ll find performances from the Avett Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson (with Kid Rock and […]
Merle Haggard Remembered
The interwebs are, understandably, full of posts with people’s favorite Merle Haggard songs after the legend passed away on Wednesday. Â You could certainly do a lot worse than spending time listening to your favorites all over again, and maybe venturing out into a few you aren’t familiar with. But there’s a lot more we owe […]
SXSW 2016 – The Sounds, Part 3
And yet more favorites from SXSW 2016… Matthew Logan Vasquez It may have been just past noon, but the Delta Spirit front-man came to rock. Vasquez prowled around the stage while he and What Made Milwaukee Famous guitarist Michael Kingcaid traded some snarling guitar solos. His set leaned heavily on songs from Solicitor Returns, his […]
SXSW 2016 – The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,200 bands and more than 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even […]
Monday Morning Video – Chris Knight was “Framed”
I like to put the ol’ iPod on shuffle and let it surprise me. It came through in spades this past weekend, kicking of a killer playlist with this Chris Knight classic. I don’t know if this qualifies as a murder ballad, but it makes for one damn entertaining story.