One Step Ahead of the Law, Stash (from the self-released Walk the Walk) Stash – the trio of Ted Russell Kamp, Joey Peters, and Rich McCulley – announce themselves with one hell of a rock album. Well, country rock in all its glory. While I lean towards the rockers like the fiery “Catch Me If You […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2021, Part 2
Cityview, The Accidentals (from the self-released Vessels) With the addition of drummer Michael Dause the Accidentals have expanded their musical palette into full-on rock territory. Songs like opener “Count the Rings”, “Rollercoaster” and “Slow and Steady” bristle with an electric guitar and bass fueled energy. That said, the group also mine familiar acoustic cello and […]
Calista Garcia – A Beautiful World
Like many of us over the last couple of years, Calista Garcia found herself consumed by the negative events in the world. As an antidote, she decided to focus on all the good things she saw around her. She transcribed that awareness into a collection of songs that became her new EP, A Beautiful World. […]
Nathan Evans Fox – Wasted Love
North Carolina born and currently residing in Nashville, Nathan Evans Fox sometimes talks about “accent”. Not just the way you talk, but how you react to certain things, how you behave, even some of your values. The French use the word “terroir” similarly to describe what’s imparted by a place of origin. Fox decided to […]
Birdtalker on Lunchables, Streaming Income, and Rehearsal Spot Hangs
Indie-folk five piece Birdtalker talk about the first song that the band wrote (and that no one has ever heard) and leaning into their instincts.
Americana 2021: Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
The Americana Music Association Conference and Awards made a welcome return from the virtual world this year. The annual event showcased several hundred artists who collectively illustrate the breadth of the Americana umbrella. Going back through the schedule to consider the highlights is always a frustrating experience. Not only is it tough to feature just […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival Preview
One of my personal rites of spring is to head 45 minutes southeast of Austin on the third weekend of April to the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Despite not having the name of an Austin City Limits or Coachella, OSMF has been ranked in the top 10 festivals in the country. There are a number […]
Ben Balmer – Honky-Tonk Macbeth
Being a sought-after sideman has its advantages. One of those is that when you do your own album, you can pull in favors to fill out the band. Ben Balmer strikes gold in that vein on his latest record, Honky-Tonk Macbeth. The instrumental additions to Balmer’s solid singer-songwriter compositions fill the room with layers of […]
Tony Kamel – Back Down Home
They say you can never go home. Clearly that’s more about the time than the location, but I’ve seen both be possible. Tony Kamel, front man for the Grammy-winning Wood & Wire, seems to be one of those exceptions. At the urging of iconic Texas musician and producer, Bruce Robison, Tony has just released his […]
The Furious Seasons – Home All Day, Home All Night
Most musicians used the forced isolation of the pandemic for inner reflection, or going back and polishing some partially finished work. Los Angeles-based trio The Furious Seasons instead created a musical documentary of a life-changing period of time, entitled Home All Day, Home All Night. Songwriter and guitarist David Steinhart has a particular gift for […]