She’s a Self-Made Man, Larkin Poe (from Tricki-Woo Records Self Made Man) Rebecca & Megan Lovell pull no punches on their latest release. Self Made Man, their follow-up to 2018’s Grammy nominated Venom & Faith is a bruising rock album pure and simple. The sisters are old souls possessed by the spirit of the legendary […]
John McCutcheon on $400 Days and the True Definition of Success
Prolific folk singer John McCutcheon talks about the dustbin of his writing archive and recalls playing a union gig when he was a teenager
On the Road: A Tribute To John Hartford
For the most part, Bill Monroe invented the bluegrass genre over a period of years. The progressive/new grass/indie grass branch of the tree, though, can possibly be related to a single album, John Hartford’s Aereo-Plain. Therefore it’s fitting that so many of that strand’s best known groups jumped in to contribute a cover of one […]
Kristen Grainger & True North – Ghost Tattoo
As a writer, I suppose it’s natural for me to have a soft spot for well-written lyrics. I was gobsmacked, though, at some of the turns of phrase on the latest record from Oregonian Kristen Grainger. For instance, “outside the traffic clattered, like a sky full of geese drawing fire.” Does that draw you a […]
Broke Down South of Dallas – A Special Playlist
Voices, Joshua Ray Walker (from the State Fair Records release Glad You Made It) Joshua Ray Walker sure seems like he’s having fun on Glad You Made It. Sure, the album opens with the stunning “Voices”, a song of loneliness and despair. Yet as the album progresses, Walker leans into the country side and showcases […]
Nate Sipe of Pert Near Sandstone on Good Veggie Burgers and Pure Midwestern Gibberish
Nate Sipe talks about AAA membership, a record-breaking night of broken guitar strings and an uncashed million dollar check.
Garrett Owen – Garrett Owen
Everyone has stories. Some more than others. In the case of Garrett Owen, growing up a missionary’s kid in East Africa, and later South America, he has a bucket load. I think having those stories has a secondary benefit in that you recognize the good ones from other people, too. Garrett has transformed some of […]
Martin Earley of The Ballroom Thieves on Losing His Day Job and the Power of Saying No
The Ballroom Thieves’ Martin Earley talks about his “epically emo†first song and the band’s increasing income… and expenses.
The Dunes of the Cape – A Special Boston Playlist
Her Town Now, Mark Erelli (from the self-released Blindsided) A song of the year nomination at last year’s Americana Music Awards put Mark Erelli on a stage that he has long deserved. Over twelve albums, Erelli has honed his songwriting craft and become one of Americana’s leading, if until recently under-appreciated, songwriters. Blindsided, his latest […]
Liv Greene – Every Bright Penny
Todd Snider used to say that some of the best advice he got about being a songwriter was to live your life to where you could pack up and be gone in 15 minutes. I don’t think that was so much recommending a vagabond life, but rather that you’re prepared to easily take advantage of […]