Oregon-based singer-songwriter Melissa Ruth talks about her Honda Fit, bringing water bottles on tour, and the importance of teaching music in public schools.
Monday Morning Video – Tristen
I’m a sucker for a great pop song and this is a classic toe tapper. Nashville’s Tristen performing “Glass Jar” from her 2017 release Sneaker Waves.
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2023, Part 2
Suicide of Town, Ben de la Cour (from the Julian Records release Sweet Anhedonia) There isn’t a lot of sunshine in Ben de la Cour’s music and Sweet Anhedonia is no exception. Heck, the album is titled after the condition of not being able to experience pleasure. But that’s part of the Nashville singer-songwriter’s magic […]
Tim O’Brien – Cup of Sugar
Heading into June, the heart of festival season, I’ve been thinking about some of the pioneers of the progressive bluegrass movement. Robbie Fulks’ excellent new record contributed to that reminisce, as did the arrival of the latest album from Nashvillian, by way of Colorado and West Virginia, Tim O’Brien. It’s called Cup of Sugar and […]
Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies on The Band’s Rehearsal Space and Working at a Record Store
Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies shares some notable breakdown stories and the band’s first gig.
Monday Morning Video – Tina Turner
We lost another legend with the passing of Tina Turner last week. Turner didn’t just sing songs, she owned them. Need proof?
Vance Gilbert – The Mother of Trouble
When I got the press release for Philadelphia native Vance Gilbert’s upcoming album, The Mother of Trouble, it noted the project contained “4 bullies, 4 deaths (3 of them murders), 3 moms, 2 accidents, 2 Black people, 2 dogs, 1 dog ball, and one missed flight due to gas station sushi.” I mean, who’s not […]
Shift – A Premiere from Lauren Calve
Change is inevitable. Sometimes we don’t see it coming, but other times there are early hints that it is occurring. That’s the premise behind the lead single from Lauren Calve’s forthcoming album. “Found a gray hair on my sweater, tectonic plates slip underwater”, she opens the song, “I feel a shift”. The singer-songwriter’s thoughts then […]
Michael Jerome Browne – Gettin’ Together
Canadian bluesman Michael Jerome Browne has been traveling the back roads of the music business for decades. A gifted guitarist, Browne showcases his talents with old time country blues on his excellent Gettin’ Together, the recording of which he describes as “therapeutic” after the isolation of the COVID pandemic. “It’s been a long three years,” […]
George Gekas of The Revivalists On Managing Tour Food Costs and Building the Right Team
Bassist George Gekas of New Orleans’ The Revivalists recalls the moment that he decided to become a musician and earning a “masters in psychology” while working as a bartender.