Even if you don’t buy into the culture that emerged around the Grateful Dead, it’s hard not to appreciate the songs that they created. Kristin Andreassen responded to a fan request and turned out this exquisite version of the Dead’s “Brokedown Palace.†“I might not have had the courage to tackle this epic Grateful Dead […]
Screen Door Porch – Modern Settler
When I first listened to Modern Settler, the latest release from Wyoming band Screen Door Porch, I assumed the band’s core duo of Seader Rose and Aaron Davis had gotten some wanderlust and spent time traveling through the rural South. Â Turns out the inspiration was closer to home, and came from a cassette Davis discovered […]
Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King – Fat Man’s Shine Parlor
Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King have been playing together for 25 years, and it shows. The Dallas, Texas native Kubek and Delhi, Louisiana-born King met in the late 1980s, and collaborated with Kubek as the band leader and King a featured player. Over the years, the terms of the partnership have evolved until King became […]
Matthew Ryan Talks the Economics of Touring, His First Gig and the Value of Having a Gang
Matthew Ryan talks about life on the road and why healthy eating is a priority, when and why he purchases new instruments and gear (and what it costs), plus the friction between being wildly self-conscious and not giving a shit.
Monday Morning Video: Free Energy Broadcast Hope
Wood & Wire – The Coast
A few years ago some members of a couple of different Austin-based bluegrass bands got together for some late night jamming and out of it came one of my favorite bluegrass albums of 2013, the self-titled Wood & Wire. Â The boys are now releasing their follow-up album, The Coast. There’s an occasionally recurring theme that […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2015
ALBUM OF THE MONTH Fear and Saturday Night, by Ryan Bingham Bingham sets the tone for his latest album right out of the gate. “I’ve been carrying my troubles in this pack strapped to my shoulder,” he confesses in the opening “Nobody Knows My Trouble.” What follows are twelve songs that are filled with life […]
Ryan Culwell On a Memorable First Gig and the Song That Made Him Famous In His Family
Culwell talks about why he prefers a good meal over a plush hotel room, a memorable day job cooking cow bile and the advice that his friend gave him (read more Seth Godin).
Monday Morning Video – A Premiere from Sam Morrow
We’ve got a special treat this week, an exclusive premiere from LA by way of Texas songwriter Sam Morrow. Morrow has been spending time in the studio working on a new album which will be released later this year. He paused long enough to share this special live performance of “14,†a track from last […]
Reed Foehl On Digging in the Dirt and Enjoying the Ride
Reed Foehl reflects on his path from a child street performer in Boston to a professional touring musician, why he doesn’t like to change the strings on his guitar and the value of placing his songs on tv and in films.