As I sit here starting to write this review, I Â realize it”s somewhat appropriate that tonight is Halloween, when costumed children pretend to be someone they wish they could be and costumed adults pretend to be someone (or something) they don”t want to be. Â The latest record from Detroit-based Lac La Belle, A Friend Too […]
Mayer's Playlist for October 2014, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH And the War Came, by Shakey Graves Austin-based Alejandro Rose-Garcia — Shakey Graves — makes a mighty fine racket. His live performances, generally just him on the stage playing guitar and percussion, are captivating. And the War Came is the rare studio album that captures this energy while simultaneously showcasing the […]
Sean Costello – In The Magic Shop
Sean Costello was a great talent who left us too soon. After taking the blues world by storm, Costello was found dead of an apparent overdose in his Atlanta hotel room on April 15, 2008, the day before his 29th birthday. After his death, his family confirmed that the troubled artist had suffered from bipolar […]
Monday Morning Video: James Brown on the T.A.M.I. Show
Here’s the legendary James Brown delivering a performance for the ages.
JW-Jones – Belmont Boulevard
JW-Jones is one slick guitar slinger from north of the border.  Cut from the mold of a Jimmie Vaughan or the late Johnny Winter, Jones hails from Ottawa, Canada, an unexpected cradle for an artist sure to be recognized for his impressive guitar skills. Somewhat of a prodigy, Jones recorded his first album, Defibrilatin’, in 2000 […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Oct 2014, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Boxers, by Matthew Ryan Boxers is an album of discontent. Life, love, work — you name it — the characters that inhabit this collection of songs are dissatisfied. There is rage, resentment and restlessness. Through it all, however, Ryan manages to find a glimmer of hope — sometimes it’s a lyrical […]
Monday Morning Video: J.P. Harris and Nikki Lane
Here are J.P. Harris and the Tough Choices with guest Nikki Lane performing a damn fine rendition of the Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty classic “After the Fire Is Gone.” Harris has just released a fine new honky-tonk album (Home Is Where the Hurt Is) and Lane released her own gem earlier this year (All […]
Cahalen Morrison & Country Hammer – The Flower Of Muscle Shoals
They haven’t allowed smoking in years, but the rafters still have that slight air of stale cigarettes. Â The Fire Department long ago made them sweep up the sawdust, but of course you can never really get rid of all it. Â The Polaroids above the bar are too faded to know who’s in them, unless of […]
Duke Robillard – Calling All Blues
Duke Robillard is a blues guitar icon. A multiple Blues Music Award winner and Grammy nominee, if Robillard had stopped at creating the jump blues revival outfit Roomful of Blues in the late 1960s, his contribution to blues music would have been sizable. Jump blues, an up-tempo form of blues often featuring horns that was […]
Monday Morning Video: Pete Donnelly “The Trench”
It can often be both refreshing and insightful to hear a stripped down version of a songs originally performed by a full band. Here’s a great example — Pete Donnelly of the Figgs offering up a solo take on one of my favorite songs from that band’s extensive catalog. The tempo is a touch slower […]