Photos that ROCK! Best of 2013! I am INSANELY lucky that I get to listen to amazing music AND take pictures- 2 of my favorite things. Here are some of my favorite shots from various venues around Boston in 2013. What a year! Tom McBride @ Lizard Lounge, March 2013 Josh Ritter & The Royal […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Songs of 2013
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2013 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Closed Hand, Full of Friends, Foy Vance (from the Glassnote Records release Joy of […]
Mayer’s Picks: More Favorites from 2013
I had a tough time narrowing down my list of favorite albums to just ten. So here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2013. Blunderstone RookeryStephen Kellogg Close to the FloorPatrick Sweany Stay RecklessAustin Lucas StudebakerMando Saenz The MooringsAndrew Duhon Truth Be SoldLeeroy Stagger ElectricRichard Thompson American RideWillie Nile Small Town […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2013, Boston Edition
This has been a great year for music in and around Boston. I hesitate to break these out into a separate regional list as they would all feature prominently on my overall Best of 2013. That said, taken together they make a great statement on the vibrancy of the Boston music scene. KINGSLEY FLOOD, Battles […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2013
This has been a great year in music, a feast for the ears but a challenge when it comes to picking my favorite albums for the year. A good problem to have, I suppose. Without further ado…. #1. JASON ISBELL, Southeastern The demons in these songs are no match for a songwriter of Isbell’s talent. […]
Photos that ROCK! Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds The Sinclair, Cambridge MA: December 2013 My friend Josh Myers started playing bass in a band that I had recently started hearing buzz about and he informed me that they were playing near by. I showed up at The Sinclair in Cambridge on a Friday night not knowing what […]
Still Love That Dirty Water: A Boston Playlist
FEATURED ALBUM Common Courtesy, by Rusty Belle I don’t often quote artist bios, but this was too good not to share: They were raised on the Beatles and the Band, went to high school with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, dated Miles Davis and Tom Waits in college and keep a Lightnin’ Hopkins, Kinks or […]
Three Recent Gems
Sometimes records find their way to my inbox that I really enjoy, but for some reason I don’t get a review written up.  It could be  they’re an EP and short of material for a full review.  Or they showed up at the same time as a bunch of other good material.  Occasionally it’s the […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2013, Part 3
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON Stay Reckless, by Austin Lucas Some may disagree with my classification, but this is my kind of country. It starts with Lucas’s voice, which has just the right amount of relaxed drawl. When he sings, “I don’t want to be alone in Memphis, I don’t want to be alone in New […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2013, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON The Death of the Self-Preservation Society, by Two Cow Garage Two Cow Garage have a well-earned reputation as road warriors who put on ferocious live performances. Their shows are always intense, sweaty and raucous, the way rock is meant to be enjoyed. What sets these guys apart, however, is the strength […]