One of my favorite things about SXSW (well, after the music) are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from SXSW 2019. This is my spring training. Fenway Park organist Josh Kantor on his SXSW experience playing with multiple bands around town This is the first day […]
Tim Bluhm Shares Three Words of Advice and a Tip for Eating Healthy on Tour
Tim Bluhm recalls touring in an airport shuttle and working as a mountain guide.
Kylie Rae Harris on Topo Chico and Not Losing Sight of the “Why”
Texas singer-songwriter Kylie Rae Harris on the high school residency that helped her build her musical chops, the importance of showing up and why being an artist is a total gamble.
Monday Morning Video – Jackie Wilson
In need of a Monday morning pick me up? Jackie Wilson has one of the most legendary voices in popular music. Heck, even Elvis Presley was known to admire it. His live performances were equally electrifying, as this video demonstrates.
SXSW 2019 – The Sounds, Part 2
BEN KWELLER After a multi-year hiatus from music and, at least on this night, was in a feisty mood. In power trio format, he unleashed a boisterous pop fury. Welcome back, Ben. DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA This was the band that I saw that I saw the most at SXSW, catching three of their six […]
SXSW 2019 – The Sounds, Part 1
BALTO I was sold on Balto as soon as I heard the blistering slide on “Black Snake, Mojave Blues”, the sample track that they shared on their SXSW profile page. Seeing them live provided an exclamation point – I caught two exceptional raucous and greasy outdoor sets in the afternoon sun. The LA-based quartet were […]
SXSW 2019 – The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,000 bands and more than 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even […]
Hittin’ the Road with Johnny Chops – a Special Premiere
This isn’t your normal travelogue. Singer-songwriter Johnny Chops and his wife spent two weeks last summer on a road trip from Austin, TX to Southern California and back. Ostensibly the drive was a Chops solo acoustic tour. The video footage that they took along the way, however, paints a romantic picture of life on the […]
Elise Davis on Chick-Fil-A and Her Approach to Social Media
Singer-songwriter Elise Davis shares the story behind her first song, an exhilarating first gig and a spectrum of day jobs.
Michael McDermott On the Spinal Tap Stonehenge Set and a Career’s Worth of Tour Vehicles
Singer-songwriter Michael McDermott talks about the improvised guitar strap at his first gig and his secret for eating well while on tour.