Even when Shemekia Copeland was a student at Teaneck High School in New Jersey, she was already committed to the blues. Born into Blues royalty (her father was blues guitarist Johnny Copeland), Copeland has become perhaps the most prominent woman performing blues and roots music today. “It was always going to be the blues,” she […]
Three Summer Gems
A lot of good music is coming out this summer. A number of the releases are shorter records or EPs. That sometimes makes it hard to write a full-length review. In no way does that mean you shouldn’t check them out. Three of my favorites are Nick Pagliari, The Early Mays, and Juliana Nash. Nick […]
Forrest McCurren – Oh Me, Oh My
Pick any small town in America and there’s a cast of characters you can generally recognize. The former high school football star; the good kid always in the wrong place at the wrong time; the family matriarch who’s the real power behind half the successful people in the county; the favorite cousin that just can’t […]
The Sadies – Colder Streams
If you read our blog, chances are you’re a fan of The Sadies. And so you know Dallas Good, who along with brother Travis was a guiding light of the band, passed away suddenly in February. I’ve gushed about the band before, and was saddened that one of the more talented musicians around, and quirkiest […]
Rusty Tinder – Alchemy Road
The cover of L.A.-based, keyboardist Rusty Tinder’s soon-to-be-released sophomore album, Alchemy Road, is a depiction of a musician dragging his piano through floods and past wildfires, to the accompaniment of a fiddling horseman of the apocalypse. You could also say it’s a musical theme throughout the record. Tinder’s resume includes everything from church choirs and […]
We Banjo 3 – Open the Road
I went on line to look up the antonym of stage fright. I got a bunch of words like calm, cool, and collected. If you’ve ever seen Galway, Ireland-based We Banjo 3 live, you know two things. First, their behavior on stage is diametrically opposed to stage fright. Second, it is not calm, cool, and […]
John Inghram – John Inghram
Whether it’s the ever-increasing ease of recording high quality music, a realization of mortality, or just the well-timed push of a friend, I’ve noticed a number of lifelong session players and sidemen deciding recently to release their first album. One that just crossed my playlist is from West Virginia native John Inghram. In addition to […]
Mike Stevens – Breathe In the World, Breathe Out Music
At the next Twangville town council meeting I’m making a motion to adopt “Municipal Harp Day” in honor of the best new recordings by blues and roots harmonica players. Along with Charlie Musselwhite’s new release, Canadian harmonica virtuoso Mike Stevens in May released his remarkable Breathe in the World, Breathe Out Music. Stevens has been […]
Bob Marston & the Credible Sources – So Long
Every city has one or two: local bands that are the go-to choice for a weekend party. Bob Marston got an appreciation for being that band when he was asked to re-open one of Birmingham’s clubs after the Covid shutdown. With time for introspection again a few months later when he went through his own […]
Folk Alliance International Conference 2022 – The Music
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the privilege to attend this year’s Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City last week. There are all kinds of industry panels and how-to seminars, but for me the highlight is always the music. There are Official showcases, held in the various hotel ballrooms, and Unofficial […]