As has become tradition in the middle of September, the Americana Music Festival rolled into Nashville earlier this month.  The opening of the festival used to be the Awards show at the fabulous Ryman Auditorium, but over the past couple of years the festival has outgrown its 4 day window and this year you could start […]
Monday Morning Video – the John Moreland Band
Oklahoma singer-songwriter John Moreland typically tours as a solo artist or with accompanist John Calvin Abney, so it’s a special treat to see him fronting a full band. Here’s “I Need You To Tell Me Who I Am,” a favorite from 2013’s In the Throes. How about a full band live album, John? Pretty please?
Malcolm Holcombe – Come Hell Or High Water
It’s a sound you don’t hear much anymore.  A man’s voice, tarred by tobacco, scraped by coal dust, and soaked in whiskey, telling tales of hardworking heroes and mysterious spirits in the night.  Add musical talent to that and you’ll get songs about life in the rural mountains of America.  The gold standard for that sound […]
Monday Morning Video – Pearl Jam with Bill Janovitz
Hey Eddie – this is one of my favorite songs, too. They don’t come much better than Buffalo Tom’s “Taillights Fade.” Here is Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz joining Pearl Jam at a recent Fenway Park show in Boston.
Ray Bonneville – At King Electric
Listening to Ray Bonneville’s spartan lyrics evokes images of freight yards, open prairies and empty dwellings. His masterful, moody songs on At King Electric embody the spirit of the North American continent he has wandered for decades. Born in Quebec, Bonneville learned English when his family moved to Boston when he was twelve. Though his […]
Monday Morning Video – Sam Morrow “Paid By the Mile”
They say write what you know. Sam Morrow has spent most of the year cruising the highways playing shows in support of Concrete and Mud, his latest album. Among the stand-out tracks is “Paid By the Mile,” which could otherwise pass as a musician’s lament. If I had a nickel for every song I tried […]
Grand Old Grizzly – Pure Country Pyrite
Coming out of the storm like the mythical ghost riders, the twin lead guitars of Houston-based Grand Old Grizzly set the outlaw tone of Gundowners.  The opening number of their latest album, Pure Country Pyrite, it’s the fascinating-like-a-train-wreck story of a pair of sociopaths who were made for each other.  With a similar uptempo twangy feel, Rescind All […]
An Album Premiere from Brett Newski
Brett Newski is a glorious enigma. His albums are rooted in pop, bursting with hummable melodies and sing-along choruses. Yet a closer listen finds them spiked with anxiety and the struggle to find one’s way in life. It’s a topic that he approaches it head-on, more often than not offering some pearls of wisdom in […]
Monday Morning Video – Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers has been making quite a stir with a voice as lived in as the characters in his songs. His own songs aside, he is equally adept at bringing to life the songs of others. In this case he tackles legendary folk singer Utah Phillips “Rock Salt & Nails.”
Bill and the Belles Talk Fun Day Jobs and The Band’s Quest for the Best Cheese Puff
Bill and the Belles reflect on avoiding gas stations and dollar menus while touring, the hound dog that guards their rehearsal space and the difference between a full-time job and a full-time salary.