The Money or the Time, Goodnight Texas (from the 2 Cent Bank Check Records release Signals) Goodnight Texas have built a career around storytelling. Their early albums were thematic period pieces, snapshots of time vividly captured in song. Later albums, including the recently released Signals, may lack an overarching narrative but are no less compelling […]
Wilson Moyer of Happy Landing on Fast Food Restaurants and Persevering Through Disaster
Bassist Wilson Moyer of folk rock band Happy Landing talks about making ends meet when the band isn’t on the road, the day job that helped him build patience and willpower, and the importance of being a good hang.
Monday Morning Video – The Ballad of El Goodo
Let’s go back to 2010. Alex Chilton was scheduled to appear at SXSW that year to celebrate the legacy of indie rock legends Big Star. Chilton tragically passed away from a heart attack just days prior to the appearance. So the planned celebration suddenly became a bittersweet tribute to a band that inspired so many […]
Colin James – Chasing the Sun
To say that Colin James is big in Canada is an understatement. With eight Juno Awards (Canadian Grammies) and 31 Maple Leaf Blues Awards, James might be the most prominent member of a healthy Canadian blues scene that has included the likes of Steve Dawson, Colin Linden, Sue Foley, Jim Byrnes, JW-Jones, Big Dave McLean […]
Monday Morning Video – Rockpile
I’m in the mood to start the week with some good ol’ rock and roll. And who better to Rockpile, part of the English pub rock movement of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Rockpile – Dave Edmunds (vocals, guitar), Nick Lowe (vocals, bass guitar), Billy Bremner (vocals, guitar) and Terry Williams (drums) – only […]
Barbed Wire Kisses – a Premiere from Michelle Malone
Holy Ghost Blues – a Premiere from Silas Nello
“Holy Ghost Blues”, the lead single from Silas Nello’s forthcoming From West Hollywood EP is a bit of a paradox. The song originally appeared on his 2018 debut full-length album, recorded in Dallas where he was living at the time. That version had a decidedly LA flair with its Sunset Strip swagger and snarl. Nello […]
When It’s Twilight in Boston – a Special Playlist
Enough, Alisa Amador (from the Thirty Tigers release Multitudes) If I’m honest, I’m really skeptical about music competitions. Call me idealist, but I think the music industry is tough enough already and pitting artists against one another is counterproductive. That said, watching Alisa Amador win the NPR Tiny Desk Contest is somewhat reassuring. It’s wonderful […]
Blake Christiana of Yarn on Soundcheck Rehearsals and the “Drinkin’ Blues”
Singer-songwriter Blake Christiana of rock band Yarn talks about the demise of several band tour vans and the band’s “all you can drink” first gigs in New York City.
Monday Morning Video – John Mayall, 1933-2024
John Mayall, OBE, died last week at 90. Often called the “Godfather of British blues,” Mayall was so much more than just a pioneer of British blues. By introducing a generation of rock fans to the blues, he arguably had a hand in saving blues as a viable commercial music form at a time in the […]