Adam and Blake Williamson of The Williamson Brothers and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires talk about the sound of old dirty bass strings, broken drum sticks, and the wild time capsule where the band rehearses.
Monday Morning Video – Hothouse Flowers “Give It Up”
Long-time readers may recall that I like to listen to my iPod on shuffle. I love the surprise when it randomly reminds me of a favorite song from years gone by. Last week it pulled out this gem from Ireland’s Hothouse Flowers. I’m particularly enamored with this live version circa 2014, complete with a horn […]
Ben Reddell Band – ¡LA Baby!
After coming to LA almost 20 years ago, having been raised in Texas, Ben Reddell has become a common sight in the LA country and roots community. Whether playing in another band, running sound, or just pitching in, he’s always around. So it’s a little surprising that’s he’s just released his first EP since 2012. […]
Michigan Rattlers – That Kind of Life
Ok I admit it. I am late to this party. However, I would rather be late than never to have partied at all. I have just discovered The Michigan Rattlers and their Jangly Midwest by way of LA Rock and Roll brilliance. There newest release is “That Kind of Lifeâ€, and it is comprised of […]
Lara Hope on Van Snacks and The Rocking Horse Ranch
Lara Hope (of Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones) talks about the problem that never ends and the line between serious and not so serious
Ida Mae On Winging It and Having a Good Lawyer
Nashville-based duo Ida Mae talks about a memorable “disco load outâ€, musician day job cliches, and touring in vans, trucks, and sedans.
Monday Morning Video – Smokey Robinson
Artists who cover Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” have a tendency to slow it down. I’m partial to the more upbeat original, which more accurately captures the song’s tale of hiding heartbreak behind a veneer of happiness. People say I’m the life of the party‘Cause I tell a joke or twoAlthough I might […]
Afton Wolfe – Kings For Sale
It’s burned in my memory, the exact moment I first heard Afton Wolfe. Coming down out of the mountains on an impossibly bright day in southern Utah, I hit play on his new album, Kings For Sale. Like when you flip down a pair of polarized lenses after squinting into the sun, the textures hidden […]
Paul Givant of The Contraptionists on Pepsi, Fred Meyers, and the Band’s LA Industrial Loft
The Contraptionists’ Paul Givant talks about an early slacker day job and touring in a converted airport shuttle bus (and the associated breakdown stories).
Graham Young of Michigan Rattlers on CCR and Gas Station Wasabi Almonds
Graham Young of Michigan Rattlers talks about the “hammering jackass” style of guitar playing and an old day job delivering platters of corned beef and pastrami for a delicatessen.