10. Obviously by Lake Street Dive Glorious smooth and silken pop, a mix of songs earnest and spirited – Obviously is another gem from Lake Street Dive. Key Tracks: Hypotheticals, Hush Money, Same Old News, Nobody’s Stopping You Now, Anymore 9. Vessel by The Accidentals Sav Buist and Katie Larson shift away from their folk […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2021
One Step Ahead of the Law, Stash (from the self-released Walk the Walk) Stash – the trio of Ted Russell Kamp, Joey Peters, and Rich McCulley – announce themselves with one hell of a rock album. Well, country rock in all its glory. While I lean towards the rockers like the fiery “Catch Me If You […]
Monday Morning Video – Michael Nesmith
Generations of kids, me included, grew up with The Monkees. Although the show only ran for two seasons in the mid-1960’s, it’s reruns endure to this day. Michael Nesmith and his wool cap were an anchor for the show, both as an actor and a musician. Nesmith passed away on Friday, shortly after completing a […]
Monday Morning Video – Butch Walker Honors Adam Schlesinger
Butch Walker is a bad-ass in his own right but he takes it to another level in this tribute to the late Adam Schlesinger. Schlesinger was a tragic early Covid casualty but his legacy lives on in an incredible catalog of power pop songs. Walker performed the Schlesinger composition “Guitar Center” at an online tribute […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2021, Part 2
Cityview, The Accidentals (from the self-released Vessels) With the addition of drummer Michael Dause the Accidentals have expanded their musical palette into full-on rock territory. Songs like opener “Count the Rings”, “Rollercoaster” and “Slow and Steady” bristle with an electric guitar and bass fueled energy. That said, the group also mine familiar acoustic cello and […]
Calista Garcia – A Beautiful World
Like many of us over the last couple of years, Calista Garcia found herself consumed by the negative events in the world. As an antidote, she decided to focus on all the good things she saw around her. She transcribed that awareness into a collection of songs that became her new EP, A Beautiful World. […]
Stash – Walk the Walk
Stash is an all-star group from the West Coast roots rock scene. They will be releasing their excellent album “Walk the Walk” on November 5th. Born out of the pandemic the album should not be this much fun. Thankfully it is an eclectic Rock N’ Roll gem that I have had on repeat since getting […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2021
What’s the Matter, James McMurtry (from the New West Records release The Horses and the Hounds) Even in the shittiest of years – and the past two years have been beauts – new music from James McMurtry is always a bright spot. In fact, given the songwriter’s infrequent album releases – The Horses and the Hounds is […]
Americana 2021: Mayer’s Picks (Part 2)
AHI One of my AMA highlights was hearing AHI preview his forthcoming album Prospect. The setting was his producer Paul Mabury’s home studio, nestled in the mountains south of Nashville. A handful of us sat in the studio with AHI, Mabury, and several of the musicians who appeared on the album. In between listening to […]
Americana 2021: Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
The Americana Music Association Conference and Awards made a welcome return from the virtual world this year. The annual event showcased several hundred artists who collectively illustrate the breadth of the Americana umbrella. Going back through the schedule to consider the highlights is always a frustrating experience. Not only is it tough to feature just […]