1. Damien Jurado/The Horizon Just Laughed – After the Maraqopa trilogy with Richard Swift, Jurado self-produces the personal The Horizon Just Laughed. It’s vintage Jurado with biting lyrics and observations that leave plenty open to interpretation. 2. Michael Flynn/Pretend Like – A beautifully done album with strings-a-plenty and gorgeous images. 3. BRMC/Wrong Creatures – They […]
Monday Morning Video – A Trio for the New Year
Let’s close out 2018 and welcome 2019 with a trio of great New Years songs. U2’s “New Year’s Day”, Slaid Cleave’s “One Good Year” and Josh Ritter’s “Empty Heart.” Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to more great music in 2019.
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2018
Here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2018. Tenkiller Marie/Lepanto Out From Under
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2018, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2018 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Right On Time, Kevin Gordon (from the Crowville Media release Tilt and Shine) A […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2018, Part 3
Little Red Hen (With Apologies to Chicken Little) , Kirby Brown (from the self-released Uncommon Prayer) A sense of restlessness permeates Kirby Brown’s Uncommon Prayer. The album documents a quest to find happiness and one’s place in this world, a topic that brown tackles with music that is intoxicating and lyrics that are both creative […]
Hamell on Trial Talks About His Litany of Rehearsal Spaces and Overcoming Stage Fright
Ed Hamell discusses why he prefers mom & pop guitar stores, learning from truckers while touring and the right and wrong reasons to make music.
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2018, Part 2
Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues, Larkin Poe (from the Tricki-Woo Records release Venom & Faith) Although The Lovell Sisters hail from Georgia and now live in Nashville, their latest album is mostly steeped in Mississippi blues. And by that I mean some down-home, dirty blues. They make an immediate – and powerful – musical statement with […]
Stephen Kellogg – Objects in the Mirror
Songwriters as a general rule are better at identifying difficulties and apprehensions than they are pointing out the positive aspects of life. Maybe it is because truly good art exists in the margins of American society and not the mainstream. It could also be the current political climate or possibly even too much Gluten. In […]
Emily Scott Robinson Talks Chipotle and the Waylon Jennings RV Park
Singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson talks about her unique touring strategy, why she’s never broken a guitar string and how she developed her live performance chops.
Monday Morning Video – Adam Carroll
There are so many great songwriters criss-crossing the highways of Texas but Adam Carroll is among the elite. With a gentle and reserved style, he tells richly textured stories often filled with colorful characters. The tales are set to simple yet infectious melodies that he picks out on an acoustic guitar. Here are two gems […]