John Hiatt has long been one of the mainstays of Americana music. Throughout his long career, Hiatt has been known for great songwriting and musicianship, but of all his earthy Americana releases, Terms of My Surrender is certainly his grittiest and arguably his most enjoyable work to date. Despite some early success as a songwriter, Hiatt was […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2014, So Far (the Songs)
Rubicon, Chris Mills (from the Loud Romantic Records release Alexandria) Mills lulls you in with a lilting melody before unleashing the jaw-dropping emotion of lyrics and voice. The results are heartwrenching. Really Wanna See You, Lydia Loveless (from the Bloodshot Records release Somewhere Else) This is the way rock and roll is supposed to sound: […]
Woody Guthrie in New York City
Woody Guthrie has a storied place in music history. He is one of those touchstones that continues to inspire both musicians and activists around the world. Heck even the poor souls folks who aren’t familiar with Guthrie have undoubtedly sung a few verses of his seminal “This Land Is Your Land.†Although he is most […]
Monday Morning Video: James Booker
A friend introduced me to the music and legend of the late New Orleans pianist James Booker. The “Bayou Maharajah,” as he was called, lived a flamboyant life. While he never found true commercial success, he built gained popularity in Europe and even played a couple of shows with the Jerry Garcia Band (before being […]
Tommy Ramone, 1952 – 2014
Missy Werner – Turn This Heart Around
You just can’t have a good summer mix tape without some bluegrass. Â Whether you’re getting liquored up at a festival down at the fairgrounds or spending some quality time with the family at the annual church picnic, bluegrass just sounds like a carefree, sunny day. Â Yes, there are plenty of songs about heartbreak and angst, […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2014, So Far (the Albums)
The year is off to a strong start and I expect that it will only get better. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2014. SOMEWHERE ELSE by LYDIA LOVELESS “Simply bad-ass” is the phrase that overwhelms my thinking every time I give this album a […]
Monday Morning Video: Locals Covering Locals ’round Boston
Our friends at Red Line Roots spearheaded a really cool project this past spring. With support from the Club Passim Iguana Fund, they invited a plethora of local artists to cover one another’s songs. Locals Covering Locals, the resulting collection, is now available for download. Even better, you can get it for free here. I […]
Celebrate the 4th with the Blasters
I usually like to celebrate the 4th of July by posting Dave Alvin’s “4th of July” but this year I’m going to break with tradition. Well, at least a bit. Dave and his brother Phil founded legendary rock band the Blasters nearly thirty-five years ago. The group was born from — and brought life to […]
Madisons – You Can Take Your Sorry Ass Back To West Texas!
If there is such a musical genre as Americana Noir, the Austin-based Madisons may be one of the leading disciples.  Front man, and sole songwriter for the band, Dominic Solis has imbued their second album, You Can Take Your Sorry Ass Back To West Texas! with a darkness that is equal parts fear and curiosity.  Solis’ […]