20 years is a long time in pretty much any context, but it’s a lifetime for a rock and roll band. Columbus, Ohio-based Two Cow Garage will be celebrating that milestone later this week – Saturday, September 4th to be exact – the date that they held their first band rehearsal 20 years ago. They […]
Special Monday Video – Remembering Charlie Watts
We lost a giant last week with the passing of Charlie Watts. Known primarily for propelling the Rolling Stones for decades, he was also a jazz and boogie-woogie aficionado. Let’s honor his memory with this 2011 performance by Watts with The A, B, C & D of Boogie Woogie, captured at the Blue Note in […]
Monday Morning Video – Randy Newman and Friends
Randy Newman is an American treasure. Whether cynical or sentimental, his songs brilliantly capture the characters and moments that inhabit them. Here’s Newman, accompanied by Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, and an all-star band performing his classic anthem “I Love L.A”. I wish they alternated the verses that Jackson Browne and John Fogerty sang […]
Divine Horsemen on Tour Vans, Record Labels and Self-Promotion
Chris Desjardins (a.k.a. Chris D.) and Julie Christensen of Divine Horsemen recall the time their tour van got stolen and share some of their early day jobs and gigs.
Monday Morning Video – ZZ Top
Set aside a catalog that is the envy of many a rock band, it’s hard to fathom a group that whose original line-up performed together for more than 50 years. Rest in peace, Dusty Hill. Your musical legacy is gonna keep us rockin’ for years to come.
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2021
Foregone Conclusion, Zach Schmidt (from the Boss Dawg Records release Raise a Banner) Zach Schmidt has been waiting awhile for the release of his sophomore full length album. Not Chinese Democracy long, but long enough. Schmidt recorded the album, backed by producer Sadler Vadan and the 400 Unit (yes, that one), then saw the album […]
Monday Morning Video – More True Believers
Last week’s True Believers blast of rock and roll just wasn’t enough for me. Here’s a set from a band reunion at SXSW back in 2013. You better believe I was there in person to revel in the glorious wash of electric guitar. Well, make that guitars. I’ve queued it up for “Who Calls My […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2021 (So Far), the Songs
Breaking a Heart/The Wind’s Just Gonna Blow, Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, and Jon Randall (from the Sony Music Nashville release The Marfa Tapes) If you thought their song “Tin Man” was achingly beautiful, they’ve got a few more from their time in Marfa that just might make your eyes a little misty. I couldn’t decide […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2021 (So Far), the Albums
J.T. by Steve Earle & The Dukes Steve Earle’s moving tribute to his late son Justin Townes Earle is an emotional gut punch. Yet beyond the tragedy of the younger Earle’s passing, the elder Earle’s performances of his son’s songs highlight their shared gift of songwriting and storytelling mastery. Be warned, though, that the closing […]
Monday Morning Video – True Believers
The feels like a week that calls out for rock and roll. One of the great shoulda been huge rock purveyors were Austin, Texas’s True Believers. Three singer-songwriters, three guitars, and a pounding rhythm section – it doesn’t get much better. Here’s a vintage clip of the group performing “The Rain Won’t Help You When […]