In the middle of April, a few weeks after the madness of SXSW, one of the more under appreciated events on the Austin music scene happens about 30 miles southwest of town; The Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â Here are some of the highlights from this year’s festivities. Who Was That Band? Festivals like this always […]
Monday Morning Video: Neil Diamond at Fenway Park
It’s been an emotional and frightening week for the greater Boston area. Neil Diamond lent his voice to support the community by flying to Boston for Saturday’s Red Sox game, the first home game since last Monday’s tragedy. Diamond apparently showed up at Fenway unannounced just prior to game time and said “I’m here.” Fenway […]
Caitlin Rose- The Stand-In
Writing this review is difficult for me, and not because my feelings about the album are ambiguous. I almost uniformly adore the record. The difficulty arises in attempting to write about the record. Because, despite my adoration of The Stand-In, I can’t really put my finger on the reason why. Every thought comes across as […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2013, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Other Life, by Shooter Jennings I’ll admit that I haven’t spent much time with Shooter’s previous releases. No real explanation, his music just never made it into my rotation. My bad. His latest is one of the most refreshing country records that I’ve heard in quite some time. Shooter and […]
Monday Morning Video: Reader’s Picks, Part 2
Here is part two of our Reader’s Pick series, the up-and-coming artists that you told us about as part of our Joe Pug give-away. This week’s video playlist includes: Communist Daughter Rayland Baxter Ryan Bonner Drew Holcomb Cat Beach Gaslight Anthem
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2013, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Beast In Its Tracks, by Josh Ritter It’s easy to be angry after a break-up. You want to grab a bottle of whisky and crank some classic angry Bob Mould songs (Black Sheets of Rain, anyone?). I suppose that Josh Ritter had a few of those moments when his marriage […]
Wednesday Morning Video: SXSW 2013 Highlights, Part 3
We wrap up our SXSW 2013 coverage with a final set of videos. This collection features several up-and-comers that we’ll be hearing great things from in the years to come. Dawes performing their brilliant song “When My Time Comes” You Won’t playing a song whose title I don’t know (can someone help me and Shazam […]
Tuesday Morning Video, SXSW 2013 Highlights Part 2
We continue our celebration of SXSW 2013 with a special Tuesday edition of our Morning Video series. We’ll call this the SXSW classic rock and country showcase, led off by a three-fer featuring Alejandro Escovedo. The True Believers let their guitars do the talking on “She’s Got” and “All Mixed Up” Bobby Bare Sr., joined […]
SXSW 2013: The Sounds, Part 2
The True Believers Austin’s The True Believers were high on, if not at the top of, my list of bands to see at SXSW. Nearly thirty years ago they established a reputation as a powerhouse rock and roll band. Given that I wasn’t attending many rock shows thirty years ago so I was downright giddy […]
SXSW 2013: The Sounds, Part 1
Patty Griffin One listen to a Patty Griffin song and you’ll understand why she has developed an almost cultish following. She is, quite simply, an extraordinary songwriter. New West Records, her new record label, arranged a private showcase at a South Austin mansion called the Castle to celebrate her forthcoming release. It was an event […]