There are certain bands that one needs to see live. New Orleans-based Cowboy Mouth are one of those bands. For more than 25 years they’ve brought their hometown party attitude to venues around the world. The band is about to release a greatest hits album called The Name of the Band Is…Cowboy Mouth: Best Of […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2016 (So Far), the Songs Part 2
This has already been quite a year for songs. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2016. Shadow in the Window, Michael McDermott (from the Pauper Sky Records release Willow Springs) McDermott reflects on his father’s recent passing, building the song from a tender acoustic opening to an impassioned […]
Hittin’ the Road with Marcus Blacke, Update 2
Australian singer-songwriter Marcus Blacke is currently on his first tour of the United States. He’s checking in with us from the road to share some of his adventures on the American road. Read on for the latest update, plus a featured song from his new self-titled album. June 20th – 23rd It’s Monday here and […]
Monday Morning Video – Revisiting Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”
Inspired, or more rather provoked, as a populist response to Irving Berlin’s “America the Beautiful,” Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” has become an American institution in its own right. In celebration of Independence Day, here is a video playlist that includes some engaging covers of the Guthrie classic from the likes of the […]
Significant Twang Willie Nelson’s Spirit
Everyone has an album or two (or thirty) that are particularly meaningful. Albums that mark specific life milestones or carried them through troubled times. Here is the first in a series of periodic posts about the power – and importance – of music in our lives. A couple of years ago right after my wedding, […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2016 (So Far), the Songs Part 1
This has already been quite a year for songs. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2016. Unbroken Hearts and Call the Doctor, Austin Lucas (from the Last Chance Records release Between the Moon and the Midwest) Lucas tells his tale of life in the music business, set to […]
Ralph Stanley Remembered
There’s a quote frequently used to describe how old blues musicians managed to get the sound they did despite having no formal training, “it’s in him, and it got to get out.” Â That came to mind last weekend as I heard of the passing of Dr. Ralph Stanley. Â Anyone who heard Stanley perform O Death, […]
Tommy Womack on Playing a Go-Go’s Cover at a Frat House and How to Create an Orgy of Noise
Nashville singer-songwriter Tommy Womack explains why tractor trailer trucks beat Nissan Sentras and describes a day job that was “couldn’t have been more boring if it were a Prince’s Trust Concert.”
Hittin’ the Road with Marcus Blacke
Going on tour is daunting enough. Hours on the road getting to the next gig, trying to keep up with life via cell phone and typically trying eat healthy, cheaply or some combination of the two. Oh, and occasionally you get to the fun part – playing the show. Now imagine traveling halfway around the […]
Monday Morning Video – Escondido Take on an Everly Brothers Classic
We’re going to continue our string of covers for another week. Escondido passed through Boston two weeks ago and delivered a mighty fine performance. They rocked through most of the set but slowed things down for a jaw-dropping take on the Everly Brothers “When Will I Be Loved.” In Boston they gave the song a […]