The best album not on CD…is finally on CD. Rhino Records rescued Warren Zevon’s classic live album from Asylum’s vaults and released an expanded and remastered version in late March. This album isn’t just live; it’s ALIVE — a vicious assault on songs taken (mostly) from Zevon’s first (and best) two albums. Almost without exception, […]
Bright Eyes & More, Album Previews
Bright Eyes, Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) Under normal circumstances, Connor Oberst aka Bright Eyes is the kind of guy I want to chaperone to the gym. Aside from his tender heart, his music is generally hit or miss for me. For many others (including one of my all time favorites, Michael Stipe), he is highly revered. […]
Randy Newman in Defense of our Country
When he’s not composing movie soundtracks and collecting Oscar nominations, Randy Newman writes pop songs filled with biting social and political commentary. So it should come as no surprise to see Newman offer his perspectives on today’s highly charged global political environment. “A Few Words In Defense of Our Country”, by Randy Newman A president […]
Josh Rouse, EP Available
A personal favorite artist of mine ever since my cousin Ken mentioned him to me back in 2003, Josh Rouse released a new EP this week. This time as a duo. He’s partnered up with Spanish native, Paz Suay, who’s smooth vocals you might recognize from his last album, Subtitulo. The new EP is aptly […]
SXSW 2006: The Bands (Part 2)
Coulda, shoulda, woulda… With over 1,200 bands appearing during the course of the festival it was inevitable that I would miss a few gems. Here are a few artists that may have slipped by me at SXSW but they didn’t escape me completely. Susan Cagle – I missed her in Austin but I made up […]
Best of Winter 2006, a Playlist
The bar has been set high! I’m astounded by the number of great albums that have already surfaced this year. Will Hoge shunned traditional record promotions by leaning heavily on juggernauts MySpace and Purevolume all the way to offering up a free download from the album once every week. Josh Rouse travelled to Spain offering […]
Susan Cagle: The Subway Recordings
I paid my cover – a New York subway ticket – and headed down into the Times Square subway station for this show. While I may have been the only one who was in the station solely to hear Susan Cagle perform, the size of the crowd revealed the extent of her reputation among New […]
Tom’s Pick of the Week, Matt Costa
What’s the deal with surfer-turned-musicians lately? There’s Jack Johnson, Tristan Prettyman and now Matt Costa. Well, diverging slightly, Costa is skateboarder-turned-musician. Regardless of the subtle difference, it seems that he is closely associated with the aformentioned Johnson. You’ll find him on Brushfire Records home of Johnson and pal G. Love. Costa’s “Songs We Sing” mostly […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February & March 2006
Sure, I know that March is nearly over. Between my day job and my preparations for SXSW, however, time got away from me. Stay tuned for the complete SXSW recap… Feb. 14, Drive-By Truckers (from the forthcoming A Blessing and a Curse) A fine preview that proves the band’s legendary triple guitar attack remains intact. […]
Party Like It’s 1899
In the 200 years since Irish-Scots settlers crossed the broad Atlantic, their instruments, tunes and stories have dramatically affected the music of the Appalachian region, an antecedent of many of the rootsy styles we lovingly call “Twang.” Irish Folk and traditional Celtic music is a proud living tradition, rich in history, poetic, entertaining, and intensely […]