ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Beauty, Wit & Speed, by Nathan Hamilton “Give me the mad ones, the sad ones, the ones who’ve got nothing to lose,” sings Hamilton in “Through Ether and Time” from his latest release. It is a telling comment and a great introduction to an album that deftly explores the search for […]
Shawn Nelson – San Juan Street
The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson. Â What do they have in common? Â Anthems about being a free spirit. Â You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird. Â In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street. Â Stylistically the song is […]
Monday Morning Video: Mike Farris and the Muscle Shoals Sound
A highlight from the recent Americana Music Conference was the tribute to Muscle Shoals soul sound. Starting at FAME Studios and continuing with the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals became a rock and roll institution. Beyond defining an era in soul and R&B, it became a destination for artists ranging from the Rolling Stones […]
Barr Brothers
The Barr Brothers are causing a buzz in the Indie world. Their self-titled debut release is a mostly acoustic journey into the duality of human emotion. They explore the context of our true feelings, and the complex emotions that make us betray them. The Barr brothers are not new on the scene, they are the […]
John Prine – The Singing Mailman Delivers
Forty years. It has been forty years since John Prine released his first, self-titled album, with such classics as “Paradise,” “Angel From Montgomery,” and “Spanish Pipedream.” That first album was one of the few true folk albums included in Rolling Stone‘s 500 greatest albums (a bogus, arbitrary exercise to boost circulation for sure – but John Prine was on […]
Monday Morning Video: Gordon Gano + Lost Bayou Ramblers
I spent a day at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans a few weeks back and happened upon a set by Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes playing with Lafayette, Louisiana’s Lost Bayou Ramblers. When they launched into the classic “Blister in the Sun,” the crowd erupted. I couldn’t find good footage from Voodoo, […]
Sons Of Fathers – Sons Of Fathers
You have to be pre-disposed to like any album that starts out with a paean to Lawnchair Larry. Â Maybe it’s just a song about a couple of fella’s similarly tempted, but Weather Ballon, the opening cut on the debut album from Austin-based Sons Of Fathers, is an apt metaphor for how quickly this record soars […]
Win Big: The Beach Boys “SMiLE Sessions”
SMiLE may be the most famous album never heard. After unleashing Pet Sounds, arguably one of the greatest albums ever recorded, Brian Wilson wanted to further explore the complex and innovative recording techniques of that release. Painstakingly recording an array of instruments and meticulously layering vocal harmonies, Wilson was on a quest for perfection. Forty-five […]
Mason Jennings – Minnesota
Mason Jennings’ latest effort, Minnesota, is a lyrical romp with Jennings’ characteristic musical hooks that teeter on the edge of sappy but that work for him. Every song on Minnesota is worth the listen. The multi-instrumental Jennings opens with the subdued piano-based ballad “Bitter Heart” followed immediately with “Raindrops on the Kitchen Floor,” a retro […]
Monday Morning Video: The Frames
If you only know Glen Hansard from the Swell Season, then you’ve been missing out. For much of his career Hansard has led the Frames, a merry band of Irish musicians whose music radiates a powerful intensity. Here are two versions — one acoustic and one electric — of “Fake” from 2007’s The Cost.