New York City R&B singer and songwriter Bette Smith talks about live streaming from her band’s rehearsal space and the importance of self-care and balance.
Monday Morning Video – Brittney Spencer
Brittney Spencer’s story is one of perseverance and commitment to craft. The Baltimore native made her way to Nashville in 2013 and, just over ten years later, celebrated the release of her debut full-length album this past January. Here’s “If You Say So”, a fave from the impressive My Stupid Life.
Tony Martinez – Everywhere West
The story is not an unusual one. A successful sideman works his tail off for years, building his chops and accumulating a catalog of songs, or at least the scraps and pieces of them. Then one day kismet stops by and everything falls into place to release an album. That’s the short version of how […]
Teni Rane – Goldenrod
The source of inspiration can be an interesting perspective into an artist’s project. Sometimes a big, life-changing event forces a new way of looking at things. Other times a small detail becomes the crux of a new viewpoint. Both of those figure into the new album from Chattanooga native Teni Rane. Ostensibly guided by the […]
Holy Ghost Blues – a Premiere from Silas Nello
“Holy Ghost Blues”, the lead single from Silas Nello’s forthcoming From West Hollywood EP is a bit of a paradox. The song originally appeared on his 2018 debut full-length album, recorded in Dallas where he was living at the time. That version had a decidedly LA flair with its Sunset Strip swagger and snarl. Nello […]
South For Winter on Campground Rehearsals and Why You Should Close Your Laptop at Night
Nashville folk-blues band South for Winter talk about their transition from part-time to full-time musicians and their solar-powered tour van fridge.
Monday Morning Video – Clarence Carter
Muscle Shoals Alabama has turned out so many incredible hits over the years. Here is one of my favorites. Clarence Carter recorded “the song”Drift Away” back in 1967, backed by legendary Muscle Shoals musicians like Spooner Oldham on keyboards and a young Duane Allman on guitar. Here’s Carter performing the song at a festival in […]
When It’s Twilight in Boston – a Special Playlist
Enough, Alisa Amador (from the Thirty Tigers release Multitudes) If I’m honest, I’m really skeptical about music competitions. Call me idealist, but I think the music industry is tough enough already and pitting artists against one another is counterproductive. That said, watching Alisa Amador win the NPR Tiny Desk Contest is somewhat reassuring. It’s wonderful […]
Karen Jonas – The Rise and Fall of American Kitsch
Elvis has inspired many a musician over the years, but rarely, if ever, in the way he catalyzed Virginian Karen Jonas. Watching an Elvis biography on the plane home from SXSW she was incited to write 8 songs in 8 days and add a few others pulled off the shelf from a previous writing spurt […]
Blake Christiana of Yarn on Soundcheck Rehearsals and the “Drinkin’ Blues”
Singer-songwriter Blake Christiana of rock band Yarn talks about the demise of several band tour vans and the band’s “all you can drink” first gigs in New York City.