Southern Hospitality has served up a southern fried delicacy with its debut album, East Livin’. Produced by Louisiana blues guitar-slinger Tab Benoit, “SOHO” members J.P. Soars, Damon Fowler and Victor Wainwright, have followed a swampy gumbo recipe reminiscent of classic southern rockers Little Feat (during the Lowell George years) with a selection ranging from soul-inflected blues, to country, to […]
The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher – Secretly Famous
Upon learning that the “Rev.” Jimmie Bratcher is an ordained minister, those of us who prefer our entertainment to be taken separately from our religion might become a little skeptical.  But Bratcher’s Secretly Famous provides straight-forward blues-rock with some inspired guitar, keeping the preaching down to a bare minimum and letting the music instead do the talking. […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2013, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH On My Mind, In My Heart, by Jesse Dee Who’d have thought that a kid from Arlington Massachusetts could so brilliantly channel Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Al Green? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jesse Dee. Over the course of 11 tracks, Dee rocks, rolls, reels and strolls as if he was […]
The Stone Foxes – Small Fires
What is it in the current music industry that allows undeserving bands to become icons? Why is it that so many other bands that deserve to be icons do not get the notoriety they deserve? Why aren’t the Stone Foxes playing in large arenas in front of Lighter flames and screaming fans? They should be! […]
Win Big: a Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” Give-Away
Dave Grohl’s documentary on fabled California recording studio Sound City has been garnering a lot of attention lately. One of the classic albums that can trace some of its history to Sound City is Fleetwood Mac’s classic Rumours. Rumours remains one of the biggest selling albums of all time. It is perhaps not a surprise […]
Monday Morning Video: When Ian Hunter is President
At 73, Ian Hunter is still putting out rock and roll that should be the model — if not the envy — of songwriters a fraction of his age. In celebration of President’s Day, here’s the title track from Hunter’s fine 2012 release, “When I’m President.” Says Hunter about the song, “really all it is […]
Monday Morning Video: True Believers
Let the guitars ring out, the True Believers have reunited! Back in the mid-1980’s, the legendary Austin band scorched a blazing trail as they criss-crossed the country with their three guitar attack. A solid debut album was released. A follow-up album was recorded but was lost for years in record company limbo. The frustrations mounted […]
Monday Morning Video: Kingsley Flood
Along with the download that I posted in my January playlist last week, the fine folks from Kingsley Flood shared this video of the song “Strongman” from their recent cd release party in Washington D.C. If nothing else, watch at the 2:00 minute mark as drummer Travis Richter attempts to atomize his drums. Now THIS […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2013
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Battles, by Kingsley Flood Battles is the sound of a band hitting stride. Kingsley Flood have always delivered rock solid songs and performances. Their latest release, however, packages their most potent songwriting to date with some equally powerful arrangements. There’s a real edge to the songs across this release. The title […]
Skinny Molly – Haywire Riot
Welcome to 1978. Hardworking, hard rocking Skinny Molly’s new release, Haywire Riot, is an unabashed throwback in the tradition of southern rock bands Molly Hatchet and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Led by frontman Mike Estes, a member of latter-day iterations of Lynyrd Skynyrd since the mid-1990s, the band was intended as a fun diversion but Estes said it became his […]