When I first encountered Boston’s Cold Chocolate back in the day, they were exploring a traditional bluegrass sound. Well time passes and artists evolve. Today their music is best described as garage folk, intelligent singer-songwriter fare that is scruffy in the best possible way. Like many an artist, they found themselves with some time on […]
Graham Weber of Restos on Getting to Be a Musical Mad Scientist and Several Partially Memorable Trips to Mexico
Graham Weber of Austin band Restos names his favorite festival when it comes to feeding artists and talks about the blur of coffee shops and tucked away bar corners that defined the early days of his career.
Monday Morning Video – Brian Dunne
Brian Dunne’s Loser On the Ropes is one of my favorite releases so far this year. Here he performs “Optimist” – one of my stand-outs – live in the studio with backing from NYC band The Tube.
Drive-By Truckers Rock New York City
The first time I saw the Drive-By Truckers was in 2005 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. Eighteen years later – in May 2023 – they headlined the same venue which has a capacity of approximately 600 people. In a world where former bandmate Jason Isbell can sell out 8 nights at the […]
Monday Morning Video – Janis Joplin
Let’s go way back to start the week. Here’s Janis Joplin performing her legendary “Piece of My Heart” in Germany back in 1968. I love how she brings a large portion of the crowd onto the stage – the range of reactions is priceless.
Americana 2023, Mayer’s Picks (Part 2)
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances from […]
Americana 2023, Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances from […]
The Baseball Project’s Scott McCaughey on Tour Riders and Working at a Record Store
Scott McCaughey of The Baseball Project (as well as The Minus 5 and Young Fresh Fellows) talks about the fight that broke out at his first gig and the combination of Not-Planning and Astounding-Good-Luck that has defined his career.
The Twangville Nirvana Tribute Show in NYC
Sure, Nirvana ain’t twangy but it’s hard to ignore the impact that the group has had on musicians of all genres. That’s the impetus for our upcoming tribute to the legendary group, scheduled for Sunday, October 8th at Berlin in the New York City’s East Village. (info and tickets) The line-up is as eclectic as it […]
Monday Morning Video – Balto
The boys in LA’s Balto are back with a new single and, damn, it’s good. There are so many things to like about this song – harmonizing guitars, heck, a flying V guitar. But the best part is that it just plain rocks.