The Philadelphia Folk Festival, which has been around for 54 years, isn’t your grandfather’s folk festival. While there is still a smattering of venerable acoustic solo folksingers on its program like Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Cockburn and Tom Paxton, the festival has become a great platform for Americana artists of all flavors as well as for […]
Monday Morning Video – Whitney Rose with Raul Malo
Last month we featured Eilen Jewell and the Sweetback Sisters paying tribute to the Ronettes with a performance of the “Be My Baby.” Not surprisingly the legendary song is a favorite of many artists. Singer-songwriter Whitney Rose recorded the song for her new release Heartbreaker of the Year. Joining her on the track is album […]
Mea Culpa! A Special Summer Playlist, Part 1
Mea culpa! So last year I made a commitment to myself to write a monthly playlist and publish it within the month for which it was named. I gave myself a hearty pat on the back when I met that goal. Thankfully, I didn’t set the same goal this year as I would have failed […]
Kevin Sekhani Talks About a First Gig Filled with Hard Rock Covers and Bad Clothes
Louisiana native Kevin Sekhani reflects on a career that has spanned more than 20 years, surprisingly recalling the lyrics of the first song that he wrote, the time he lost both a band and a van simultaneously and the varied rehearsal spaces that he has occupied.
Monday Morning Video – An Evening with The Clash
Some weeks need to be started with a full-on rock show. This is one of those weeks. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Clash, live from Passaic, NJ in 1980
Trampled By Turtles – Wild Animals
Perhaps as a side effect of a misspent youth where I had friends who leaned toward torn clothing, homemade piercings, and 5 minute rock songs played in under 2, I’ve always kind of liked really fast bluegrass. Â Several years ago I stumbled across Trampled By Turtles, who didn’t just speed up bluegrass songs, they wrote […]
Monday Morning Video – Del Amitri Rain on Some Other Sucker’s Parade
This song is filled with lyrical gems, several of which I’ve shared on our social media #rockwisdom series. Here’s the song in all its glory, performed back in 1997. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to enjoy a new #rockwisdom lyric each week.
Ana Egge – Bright Shadow
In New York, Chicago, San Francisco, you can still find dimly lit, low-ceiling basement clubs, surprisingly full even on a weeknight, where you can get a stiff drink and a soberingly good jazz band.  You can’t smoke in them anymore, but that smoky sound still comes from a singer whose voice seems earned from whisky and cigarettes […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Jesse Dee
Boston’s Jesse Dee will be closing out the Tweed River Music Festival in fine fashion. The seasoned singer-songwriter has wowed crowds across the US and Europe with his high energy soul revue. On My Mind/In My Heart, his 2013 release, was a Twangville favorite, filled with the kind of soul and R&B that recalls the […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Smith & Weeden
Emerging Providence-based rockers Smith & Weeden are not only making their Tweed debut, they will be making their first-ever festival appearance. Guitarists Jesse Emmanuel Smith and Seamus Weeden, joined by bassist Ollie Williams and drummer Dylan Sevey, are a bar-band in the best sense of the word. Live and on record, they play straight-up rock […]