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 […]
Americana 2016: The Sounds, Part 1
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. SHANE NICHOLSON I caught Australian singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson three times over […]
AmericanaFest 2016 – The AMA Awards
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.  Traditionally, the opening of the annual Americana Music Festival was always […]
“The Favors You Ask,” A Premiere from Zach Schmidt
The best country songs tell great stories. Well, singer-songwriter Zach Schmidt has got a bunch of ’em. All the better, they are drawn from his own life experiences. The now Nashville-based Schmidt has lived a life of wanderlust, having bicycled across the US and worked on a Texas cattle ranch. No surprise to anyone, Schmidt […]
Monday Morning Video – Fred Eaglesmith “Freight Train”
Fred Eaglesmith is a songwriter’s songwriter, a talent whose commercial success has never matched the esteem in which his peers hold him. Here’s a song that I’ve heard countless other artists cover over the years. In his introduction, Eaglesmith talks about the Alan Jackson version and why he tours in an old converted school bus.
In Memoriam – Buckwheat Zydeco
While New Orleans has played a significant role in two of America’s greatest musical forms, jazz and blues, when you say “Louisiana music” to most people they hear the style championed by Stanley Dural, Jr., aka Buckwheat Zydeco. Â Dural passed away this past weekend and it’s worth remembering the man who became the face of […]
Matt Bigland of Dinosaur Pile-Up Shares a Cure for Tour Anxiety and Sums Up His First Gig in 4 Words
Dinosaur Pile-Up singer-guitarist Matt Bigland describes life touring in a van that is on its last legs and recalls a memorable night mopping the floors at the bar where he was working. He also talks about the balance between being poor and finding job security.
Monday Morning Video – Loretta Lynn
This week we’re going to pay a Monday Morning Video tribute to an true legend of country music, Miss Loretta Lynn. Lynn has released nearly 50 albums over her six decade career, the most recent being this year’s Full Circle. The album is her first in more than ten years. This video takes us back […]
Reckless Kelly – Sunset Motel
Reckless Kelly is releasing their ninth album, “Sunset Motelâ€, on September 23rd. Even more significant, they are doing so as they log their 20th year as a band. It is a rare achievement for any band to make it this far. For Reckless Kelly it is even more significant given the transition of the industry […]