There is a long list of associations promoting music and providing resources to artist members and guests, from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the Grammy people) down to local bluegrass organizations in the hollers of Appalachia. Most of them have some sort of festival or event as a fund-raiser, not only to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2022
Southern Intentions, Wood Willow (from the self-released Southern Intentions) Oklahoma’s Wood Willow – the duo of Becca Herrod and Joel Parks – introduce themselves in fine fashion with Southern Intentions, Wood Willow (from the self-released Southern Intentions). Their debut’s ten tracks shift effortlessly between between sweet (“You’ve Got Me”, “Birds”) and brooding (“On With the […]
Stanhope – Static
Static is a funny thing. Mathematically it’s noise, typically random. The purists abhor it because it wasn’t there at the source. Yet it’s been shown to increase the perception of how real or genuine the recording is because, you know, nothing’s perfect. Chris Rawlins, the real-world name of Chicago musician Stanhope, applied that idea by […]
Monday Morning Video – “Show Yourself”, A Benefit Residency
Keepsake House, producers of the “From Story to Song” show that I wrote about earlier this year, are back with an even more ambitious undertaking: they’ve partnered with Nashville musician Alex Wong to host the month-long “Show Yourself: A Benefit Residency Celebrating AAPI Stories”. The series. emcompassing five shows, kicked off last Monday with Wong, […]
Trout Fishing In America – Safe House
Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet have been playing together as Trout Fishing In America for 40 years. During that time they’ve garnered 4 Grammy nominations and a slew of other awards. They play folk music, children’s music, jazz, rock, bluegrass, and whatever else catches their whimsy. They estimate they’ve logged a million miles touring, primarily […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – 2022 Edition
Just outside Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas, lays a 150 acre spread that’s home to Old Settler’s Music Festival, which wrapped up this past Sunday. I had the pleasure of being there for almost all of the four-day event (five, if you count the open mic event on Wednesday night in the campground). They […]
Monday Morning Video – Allison Russell
One of the most intense – and wonderful – performances that I saw at SXSW a few weeks back was from Allison Russell. The hour was late and the crowd was thin but Russell, backed by a trio of talented musicians and harmony vocalists, threw herself into the songs as well as sharing the stories […]
Opal Canyon – Tomorrow To the Sea
There are certain musical styles and sounds that evoke thoughts of a particular part of the country. The brassy jazz of New Orleans, the polka-laced country of the Texas Hill Country, the thoughtful folk-rock of Southern California. The latter was invoked by a duo based across the country, Massachusetts’ Opal Canyon. Their latest record, Tomorrow […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – Preview
Every year about now I make a pilgrimage to Austin for a few days of listening to music. It’s not for SXSW. Instead I head out to Tilmon, about an hour southeast of town, for Old Settler’s Music Festival. It’s just the right size to where it’s easy to navigate, but there’s still enough of […]
Elliah Heifetz – First Generation American
Listening to, or reading about, someone’s journey of personal discovery can be, well, a slog. The constants tend to be emotionally draining feelings of fear, uncertainty, doubt, hatred, oppression, repression. Uplifting things like that. So imagine my surprise upon discovering Elliah Heifetz’ first full length album, First Generation American, is actually pretty joyful. Heifetz, son […]