It’s an embarrassment of riches this week in Boston! As noted earlier, we’re kicking things off with Lydia Loveless and the Old 97’s tonight. Tuesday we’ve got the long overdue return of Matthew Ryan (Atwood’s Tavern). Thursday we’ve got the Curtis Mayflower (Atwood’s Tavern) and The Suitcase Junket (house concert). Friday is the equally long […]
Mayer’s Playlist for May 2014
ALBUM OF THE MONTHS All Or Nothin’, by Nikki Lane Nikki Lane’s sophomore effort caught me by surprise. I’d be lying if I said that I had more than a cursory exposure to her 2011 debut, but the just released All Or Nothin’ has grabbed my attention. Lane’s songs are rooted in country, albeit with […]
More Than a Feeling: A Special Boston Playlist*
FEATURED ALBUMS Smith & Weeden, by Smith & Weeden It’s always a treat to stumble across a band that, quite simply, sounds like they are having fun. Such is the case with the Providence-based quartet* Smith and Weeden, whose songs run the gamut from harmony-laced country to guitar-fueled rock. In the country category are ambling […]
Monday Morning Video: Justin Currie
In at least one way, the United States is finally catching up with Europe. Singer-songwriter released the brilliant Lower Reaches in Europe last year. Now music fans in the US are getting their chance. Currie has long excelled at writing alluring pop songs. His sense of melody will suck you in while the intelligence and […]
Monday Morning Video: Roy Orbison with Johnny Cash
How about two legends performing a rock and roll classic? Yes, please.
Mayer’s Playlist for April 2014, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTHS Till Midnight, by Chuck Ragan There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between punk and Americana. While punk has its raw intensity and Americana its musical sincerity, both styles are rooted in emotion and authenticity. The latest to prove the point is Chuck Ragan who takes the rock intensity that he […]
SXSW 2014 — The Sounds, Part 2
DAVE AND PHIL ALVIN I’m a big Dave Alvin fan. Unfortunately for me I discovered the Blasters, the seminal band co-founded by Dave and his brother Phil, after they went their separate ways. I was hooked, though, on their encyclopedic knowledge of American music — everything from folk to country and from blues to vintage […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Feb/Mar 2014, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTHS English Oceans, by Drive-By Truckers I suppose that this review could be titled “Cooley Steps Out.” The band co-founder, who has historically contributed only a couple of songs per release, is credited with six songs on English Oceans. Ever better, they are some of his strongest songs in years. The opening […]
Mass Ave – A Special Boston Playlist
FEATURED ALBUMS Good Luck, by Girls Guns and Glory Girls Guns and Glory have always been a fun live band, mixing up originals with choice covers ranging from Elvis Presley to Hank Williams. They’ve captured that energy – and then some – on their latest release. The Boston quartet traveled to Brooklyn to record the […]
Damien Jurado/Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son
I once made my fiancé a mix CD of Damien Jurardo songs that she refused to listen to because of the songs of his I’d played for her before. She liked a lot of them, but stated they were “so sad.†A few months later I was having a discussion with her dad about Jason […]