Running on all cylinders. In the groove. Hitting the sweet spot. All are descriptors about when everything comes together and suddenly the sum is greater than the parts. They’re also good descriptions of the latest album from the queen of San Marcos, Texas, Terri Hendrix. Her latest release, Cry Till You Laugh, with long-time collaborator […]
Merle Haggard, with Kris Kristofferson – Live at Mountain Winery
Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. There we were, all 1800 of us, singing along with Joan Baez, that darling of the counterculture, “We don’t let our hair grow long and shaggy, like the hippies out in San Francisco do. And I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.” The occasion was the […]
Shippin’ Up to Boston: A Special Playlist
I’m fortunate to live in a city that appreciates and supports great music. Here are a few of my current favorites. Banks of the Mississippi, Jenee Hastead (from the self-released Hollow Bones) “Baby, if we could go to the banks of the Mississippi, watch out I’ll float your body out to sea,” sings Halstead in […]
Shinyribs – Well After Awhile
“I’m a little bit crazy, but I ain’t no fool.” Â Although that’s the chorus for Country Cool, off the Shinyribs debut, Well After Awhile, one suspects it’s a little bit of an autobiographical statement by the driving force of the Shinyribs, Kevin Russell. Â Russell is more known as the front man for The Gourds, one […]
Susan Cowsill – Lighthouse
From the beginning track “Dragonfly,” Susan Cowsill recalls days when she was a kid and youth was full of hope. This uptempo rock song sets a positive mood for the album. Cowsill seems to have recaptures the innocence of youth on lighthouse. The irony of all of this, is the fact her life has recently […]
Warren Hood – Live at Amnesia
As a preview to an upcoming mini tour, Warren Hood played an unannounced show last week at Amnesia Bar in San Francisco. Â Featuring his new band, the Goods, the brief-but-very-enjoyable show covered a wider range of material than Warren”s background might otherwise indicate. Â Covering everything from Stevie Wonder to neo-Balkan indie music to a song […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2010, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON: Street Songs of Love, by Alejandro Escovedo Alejandro Escovedo is living proof that some things just get better with age. Street Songs of Love rocks with abandon and rolls with purpose. “Anchor†is a fitting opener, electric guitars kicks off a rocker that, although mid-tempo, still packs a forceful punch. “If […]
Old Settler's Music Festival – 2010
As the first night of this year”s Old Settler”s Music Festival was just swinging into high gear, the Infamous Stringdusters took the stage.  Andy Falco marched up to the microphone and said, “Wow, feels like we”ve been cooped up all winter”. That pretty well captured the moment. They then launched into a version of the […]
Carrie Rodriguez – Love and Circumstance
Lots of people have covered the Hank classics. Â The Carrie Rodriguez version of I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, on her latest record Love and Circumstance, ranks right up there with the best of them. Â With Carrie on mandolin and Bill Frisell on guitar, there’s a richness to the instrumental that complements Carrie’s vocals and […]
Sharif – Kisses & Lies
Traveling a path that has led him from his native Virginia, to NYC and Los Angeles, singer/songwriter Sharif (Myspace / Official) has honed his skills as an emotive performer that sheds all inhibitions with the vulnerable and excellent slice of pop, Kisses & Lies. The artist known as Sharif, tip-toes a fine line between saccharine […]