I don’t know when I first saw Rosie Flores perform. She’s just always been part of the fabric of the music I favor, from the early days of cowpunk to rockabilly to revival of some of the classic old country styles. She was front and center at last month’s Americana Music Festival, where she celebrated […]
The Far West – Everything We Thought We Wanted
The great Joe Strummer once said, “rock and roll ain’t about playing all the right notes.” It was a comment on the passion and showmanship that made his, and others, success in the 80’s and 90’s. I’d argue that while the passion is still essential, the showmanship that was once necessary has evolved to become […]
Kashena Sampson – Ghost Of Me
As the novelist Thomas Wolfe famously said, “you can’t go home again.” It was in the context of returning to the physical place you grew up. But what if it’s your musical home we’re talking about? That emotional, sonic world that shaped your cultural ties? Nashvillian Kashena Sampson is exploring just that journey on her […]
AmericanaFest 2025 – Shawn’s Favorites
I saw one estimate that in addition to the 150-ish musical acts with official showcases at this year’s AmericanaFest, there were another 150 you could only see at an unofficial event. If rumors of the dramatic slashing of music at SXSW are true, that may make AmericanaFest the largest event of the year, at least […]
2025 Americana Music Awards
In what now clocks in at a full 7 days of festivities, if you count the first unofficial showcase until the last, AmericanaFest landed in Nashville the week of September 8th this year. And although the organization itself has started scheduling showcases opposite the annual awards event, there’s no doubt the extravaganza at the ever-fabulous […]
West Texas Exiles – 8000 Days
If you laid the resumes of Marco Gutierrez, Trinidad Leal, Daniel Davis, Eric Harrison, and Colin Gilmore side by side you’d pretty quickly figure they were going to play together in a band, if not in this timeline in another. Turns out it is in this one, and the west Texas native sons have just […]
Candice Ivory – New Southern Vintage
From the first notes of Candice Ivory’s New Southern Village, it’s obvious she’s no shrinking violet. She’s in your face and unabashed, reminiscent of a young Tina Turner. Ivory, who daylights as a music instructor at Washington University in St. Louis, says she understands that blues is a global music with roots in the American […]
The Pleasures – Enemy Of My Enemy
At last year’s Folk Alliance I had the pleasure (pun intended) of seeing a new-ish duo from Australia, Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan, who now perform as The Pleasures. Both had already established themselves at solo artists, Britt as an internationally respected country music award winner, and Bryan as a veteran rock and roll road […]
Rory Block – Heavy On The Blues
I lost track when I was trying to count just how many albums Rory Block has released through the years. Suffice it to say the number is around 40, and she’s been a fixture in the blues since her solo debut 50 years ago. Originally from Manhattan, Block has been passionate about the blues since […]
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country – Horizons
Daniel Dontato’s Cosmic Country is releasing a new album Horizons tomorrow. This is one I have been looking forward to. Although, before I jump into Daniel Donato’s new project, a little etymology on the term Cosmic Country is in order. Before you can appreciate what Donato refers to as Cosmic Country you need to understand […]