Over the years I’ve developed a knack for figuring out if I’m going to like a record pretty quickly. If it doesn’t pull me in after 10-15 minutes, another listen or two isn’t going to change my mind. Where I do get tricked occasionally is in the mood or style of the music. Bluegrass is […]
Oliver Wood – Fat Cat Silhouette
Every morning when he isn’t on the road, Oliver Wood starts the day in his designated writing chair with a cup of coffee. Many of the songs from “Fat Cat Silhouette”, Wood’s second solo record, began taking shape in that chair. The contemplative feeling of meditation/prayer and a morning coffee is what sets the mood […]
Jenny Don’t & the Spurs – Broken Hearted Blue
Sound-color synesthesia is when a certain sound causes you to see things in a certain color. I don’t have it, but I experience a related effect when I listen to the latest from Portland, Oregon, based Jenny Don’t & the Spurs. It’s called Broken Hearted Blue and evokes the washed-out, slightly sepia-toned tint of an […]
Eric Bibb – Live at the Scala Theatre Stockholm
Taj Mahal … Keb’ Mo’ … Corey Harris … Guy Davis … Otis Taylor … Eric Bibb. These guys, along with a few others, are the vanguard of modern acoustic blues. With all of them, but especially with Bibb, listeners can be sure that every recording, every performance matters. Bibb’s new live album shows the […]
Nick Gravenites – Rogue Blues
Nick Gravenites is cool. For his instinct for finding the moment, particularly back in the 1960s, I’d liken him to Neal Cassady,* the counter-culture icon who was taken into the beatnik fold in 1950s New York by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg (the character Dean Moriarty in Kerouac’s On the Road was said to be […]
Folk Alliance 2024 – Musical Highlights
As noted in my previous post, a big part of the Folk Alliance International annual conference are the showcases, both official and unofficial. The official performances take place from around 6pm to 10pm in hotel ballrooms, with professional sound and lighting. Depending on the size of the room attendance can go from a few dozen […]
2024 Folk Alliance International Conference
There are many organizations set up to serve the music industry, from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy people) and their non-profit, MusiCares, to industry organizations for various segments, to local music societies. I’m certain none of them come close to the broad offerings of Folk Alliance International. FAI is a […]
Ted Russell Kamp Video Premiere – High Desert Fever
One of the things that makes California unique is the breadth of its geographic features. You can easily hit the slopes on Olympic quality runs at Lake Tahoe in the morning and then catch the late afternoon break at Steamer’s Lane in Santa Cruz. It’s barely 100 miles from the glitz and glitter of Hollywood […]
American Aquarium’s Road Trip to Raleigh.
Upon leaving the third and last night of American Aquarium’s Road Trip to Raleigh, one conclusion was obvious. B.J. Barham really knows how to throw a party. In fact, more than a party, it is a festival. Other bands do special weekend events to be sure, but Barham to his credit goes deep into his […]
James Talley – Bandits, Ballads and Blues
I count myself a fan of Twangville as well as an occasional contributor. This is mainly because I often discover new music that I hadn’t heard before. But sometimes, Twangville reminds me of forgotten voices that I had embraced long ago. When I was growing up in the Twin Cities, my older sister Peggy turned […]