Reckless Kelly performing Alejandro Escovedo’s “Castanets”. RECKLESS KELLY, Bulletproof (Yep Roc) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Believe me, passing over Alejandro Escovedo to feature Reckless Kelly this week was not easy. But that’s just how much I dig this Texas band. They took some time to get ‘Bulletproof’ out but early signs show […]
Billy Bragg: Live at the Fillmore
Barack Obama campaign rally or live music show? Hmm, hard to tell. On the other hand, anyone who expects a Billy Bragg show to be just music without any social or political commentary has found themselves a nice, isolated cave to live in. Billy was on a west coast tour swing in support of his […]
The Bob Walkenhorst Dinner Hour Show
Would you travel half way across the country to see a band play a bar in a non-descript strip-mall? If you’ve spent time in Twangville you might consider it. And if it is a Wednesday night and the weekly Bob Walkenhorst and Friends show is in session in Kansas City, you’d be foolish not to […]
Honeybrowne + More, Releases 6/17
Honeybrowne performing in League City at the Village Fair. HONEYBROWNE, Mile by Mile (Smith Music)Official Site | MySpace | Samples Amid false rumors that the band had parted company (they were allegedly busy making babies), Austin’s Honeybrowne release their latest brand of rockin’ country tunes titled ‘Mile by Mile’. File under: Country / Rock / […]
Listen Up: Matthew Ryan Vs. the Silver State
Matthew Ryan’s voice can be an acquired taste, expressive and rough hewn. Yet it is a voice that conveys as much emotion as the instrumentation it accompanies. His emotional honesty and vulnerability are laid bare whether he’s barking out “Johnny wanted a lot of things but Johnny didn’t want to die†on “Drunk and Disappointed” […]
Truth & Soul, Digging in Music History
In an era of digital downloads threatening the record industry record labels like Truth and Soul are a breath of fresh air. Truth and Soul is the kind of label that doesn’t aim on big sales, but is there to satisfy the needs of collectors like me. In limited editions the company releases actual vinyl […]
My Morning Jacket + More, Releases 6/10
My Morning Jacket interviews, performances and ‘making of’ footage for ‘Evil Urges’. MY MORNING JACKET, Evil Urges (ATO)Official Site | MySpace | Samples Fourteen new songs from the Louisville alt rockers. The band continues to experiment with their sound drawing influences from 70s era melodic rock. Album track “I’m Amazed” is reason enough to buy […]
Listen Up: The Teenage Prayers’ “Everyone Thinks You’re the Best”
Imagine a soul band playing CBGB’s and you’ll have a sense of the Prayer’s sound. The Brooklyn-based group serves up a potent blend of soul and hard rock that will get you dancing until you collapse from exhaustion. Opener “I Like It†sets the tone with a smoldering intro that builds into an angst-ridden beat. […]
American Aquarium- The Bible and the Bottle & Bones [EP]
American Aquarium is from Raleigh, NC. And yes, every review you read about them will compare them to Whiskeytown. But, to their credit, American Aquarium embraces the comparison on their second full length, The Bible and the Bottle. Skillet Gilmore (drums for Whiskeytown) does the artwork. Caitlin Cary (founding member Whiskeytown) contributes background vocals to […]
The Mother Truckers + More, Releases 6/3
The Mother Truckers playing Dynamite at Plush in Tucson, Arizona MOTHER TRUCKERS, Let’s All Go To Bed (Funzalo)Official Site | MySpace | Samples What’s not to love about Austin’s Mother Truckers? Find them somewhere comfortable nestled among the Drive-by Truckers, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles and Southern Culture on the Skids. Its Texas-style countrified […]