One of the signs I look for in really good musicians is their ability to play to the audience, both the crowd that particular night as well as the nuances of a venue. The Belleville Outfit played Yoshi’s jazz club in San Francisco Monday night and became my poster child for just how to execute […]
Deryl Dodd – Together Again
To say that Deryl Dodd is a “survivor” is to be extremely un-original (I have no problem admitting that, as I definitely have no problems calling Dodd a survivor). After finding success in Nashville with several songs that garnered high chart positions, Dodd then found himself in a sick-bed for quite some time with a […]
Porterdavis – Porterdavis
The new, self-titled disc from Austin’s Porterdavis is a Country-Blues gem. With stomping rhythms, a menacing harmonica weaving it’s way through the melodies, and the dark, smokey and soulful vocals of Dan Barrett, much of the disc seems to be rooted in the mud of Mississippi rather than dusty soil of Texas. If another band […]
Zac Brown Band – Live From Bonnaroo
The Zac Brown Band is perhaps the biggest story of surprising success in the realm of popular music in the last year or two. The ZBB was a hard working, relentlessly touring band who found themselves being signed by Atlantic Records and then watched their record, The Foundation get re-released (after selling a good amount […]
Mayer’s Playlist from July 2009
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Lean Forward, by The Bottle Rockets Now that summer has finally arrived, it’s a good time to pick out the summer albums. It starts with the latest from the pride of Festus, Missouri, The Bottle Rockets. Lead songwriter Brian Henneman is a pop songwriter masquerading as an alt-country musician. And summer […]
Grant Langston – Stand Up Man
These days, there seems to be a retro honky-tonk style act pop-up every 10 minutes. I regularly listen to acts that really want to be Dale Watson, or really wish that they were as rebelliously reckless as they try to be. I also get plenty of albums that showcase lyrics that are supposed to be […]
Scott Warren – Quick Fix Bandage
I have really enjoyed digging into the new album from Californias’ Scott Warren. Quick Fix Bandage (Jungular Music), is one of those great singer/songwriter albums that deftly tosses folk, rock, country and pop into a wholly satisfying creation. Warren’s vocals contain a gentle rasp that seems to help the fusion of different styles, much in […]
Owen Temple – Dollars and Dimes
Dollars and Dimes (El Paisano Records), the new disc from Texan Owen Temple is an artful shot of reality, as told through the memory and perspective of a traveler with perhaps more questions than answers. Drawing on the current socio-economical climate, Temple has crafted an album that will remind many that story-telling can be relevant […]
The Von Ehrics – Loaded
The marriage of Punk-Rock and Country music has been a fruitful union for years now. The Von Ehrics of Dallas, TX are yet another unapologetic spawn of the DNA that has produced The Supersuckers and Hank III. Loaded (Crustacean Records), which is The Von Ehrics third release, relentlessly displays their willingness to rock. Where certain […]
Red Stick Ramblers – My suitcase is Always Packed
The Red Stick Ramblers derive their name from where their hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their music is also derived from the cultural influences of their native region. Baton Rouge is located along a corridor that runs from New Orleans to Houston. Consequently the Red Stick Ramblers deliver an eclectic mix of Zydeco, Country, Bluegrass and […]