When I first heard the Heartless Bastards a few years back, I thought, “there’s someone who listened to a *lot* of Zeppelin when they were young.” That’s not a unique thought, by any means. It will get further reinforcement on their latest release, The Mountain. In addition to the guitar-fueled wall of sound, the lyrics […]
The Whipsaws- 60 Watt Avenue
The Whipsaws are a bar band…. a glorious, alt. country ass kicking bar band. Just listen to the tossed off rock and roll of their sophomore effort, 60 Watt Avenue. Though Neil Young is the easiest influence to infer as the band moves from Crazy Horse style rockers to Harvest-era ballads with ease, the Whipsaws […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, a Video Companion
What’s a playlist without a video companion? We kick things off with Otis Gibbs and Miranda Lee Richards, our featured artists this month. From there we’ve got live clips from the Gourds, Gary Louris & Mark Olson, Joe Ely and A.C. Newman, plus videos from Frank Turner and Bruce Springsteen. We close out this month […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, Part 1
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Grandpa Walked a Picketline, by Otis Gibbs Otis Gibbs is an American original, a gruff musical journeyman who is unafraid to tell it like he see’s it. With a matter of fact lyrical style, he spins tales of the back roads and the folks that wander them. “Caroline,” for example, tells […]
Mashville Brigade @ The Station Inn Nashville, TN 1/13/09
This week I trekked to Music City for business. Luckily for me, I was there on a Tuesday night. While Tuesday isn’t typically thought of as a hot music night, quite the scene has emerged on this bland, early-week night. The Mashville Brigade has been jamming on Tuesday nights at the legendary Station Inn for […]
The Gourds – Haymaker!
The Gourds new LP,Haymaker (Yep Roc) should’ve come out a few weeks ago, that way, it could’ve landed on my Top 10 for 2008. I guess it will just have to wait. Pretty gutsy statement for such an early offering of 2009, huh? In an era where most “Country Rock” consists of Rock that is […]
Nine for ’09
I can’t speak for the economy, but 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for music. Pay particular attention to March. It seems that every year the stars align on a single day and we get an embarrassment of riches. This year that day is March 3rd. Here are some of the incredible […]
Eastwood – Everything’s Personal
I have made no secret about being a proud Texan, and to be even more specific, a proud Dallasite. What is also anything but a secret is the sizable amount of emerging and quality Folk, Country (“Alt” or otherwise) and even Bluegrass acts that are coming from the D/FW area and it’s neighbor to the […]
Mayer’s Playlist for November 2008, A Video Companion
We bolt right out of the gate this month with Butch Walker’s smokin’ video for “The Weight of Her” followed by the Right On’s blazing through a live performance of “Do Your Thing, Babe.” After that, you’ll want to catch your breath with live acoustic performances from Ben Nichols and David Garza. From there we’ve […]
Mayer’s Playlist for November 2008, Part 2
Duets, Rachel Yamagata featuring Ray Lamontagne (from the Warner Brothers release Elephants’ Teeth Sinking Into Heart) As sparse as it is breathtaking, this acoustic ballad finds two weary lovers quietly trying to reclaim a faded relationship. Yamagata and Lamontagne’s breathy vocals are a magical combination. Do Your Thing, Babe, the Right Ons (from the 2Fer […]