LA by way of Florida singer-songwriter Juliet Simms talks about why getting sick before her first gig turned out to be a good thing and how she earns a living in, or rather alongside, the music industry.
Monday Morning Video – David Ramirez
Austin-based singer-songwriter David Ramirez passed through Boston last week as part of his “Bootleg Tour,” for which every audience members gets a digital recording of the show). Standing alone on stage (save a coffee table with a lamp and a framed Bill Murray promo picture from the movie “Stripes”), Ramirez mesmerized the crowd with a […]
Dan Layus – Dangerous Things
One of the amazing things about the Great Plains this time of year is the sunrise. Â The flat, or gently rolling, geography lets you see things develop for an hour before the sun actually gets above the horizon. Â The mornings are crisp and you know that the long, cold winter is just around the corner, […]
Monday Morning Video – Jason Isbell “Something More Than Free”
Here’s one of my favorites – and the title track – from Jason Isbell’s most recent release. This solo acoustic version was recorded in Austin, Texas last June. You see a hammer finds a nail And a freight train needs the rails And I’m doin’ what I’m on this earth to do
Boston’s Best Kept Festy – Saturday
I have to admit, I was surprised to see the lineup at such a relatively unknown festival called Festy this year. Where else can you see Americana stalwarts Josh Ritter and Justin Townes Earle on the same day? And when my wife and I waltzed in to the show at a hair past noon, I […]
Americana 2016: Say What?!
One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s Americana Festival. Your career has come full circle. Interviewer Yes, back to obscurity. Robbie Fulks I could have kept going, but that would have been […]
Win Big – Steve Earle’s “Guitar Town” (with a bonus live album)!
Here’s your chance to win a copy of the Steve Earle Guitar Town 30th Anniversary Collection. Read on for details! There are few artists whose careers can be described as a musical journey. Steve Earle is one of them. Over his more than 30 year – and nearly 20 album – career he has taken […]
Daro Behroozi of Lucky Chops Dishes on Cooking on a Tour Bus and Why the Band Rehearses in Front of Mirrors
Daro Behroozi, saxophonist for Lucky Chops, recalls the band’s early tours via the NYC subway, discusses the connection between nourishment of appetite and soul and a day, or rather night, job guarding against fires in empty buildings.
Monday Morning Video: Justin Currie
Glasgow artist Justin Currie has long been one of my favorite songwriters. It’s a crime that he’s not more widely known. His songs bristle with intelligence, whether he’s crooning a moving love song or spitting out a scathing tale of love gone wrong. Hopefully there’s some new music on the horizon, but in the meantime […]
Americana 2016: The Sounds, Part 2
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through four days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. SHANNON MCNALLY It’s become something of an annual tradition to close […]