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 […]
Folk Alliance International 2022 Conference
There is a long list of associations promoting music and providing resources to artist members and guests, from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the Grammy people) down to local bluegrass organizations in the hollers of Appalachia. Most of them have some sort of festival or event as a fund-raiser, not only to […]
Don McCloskey – The Chaos And the Beauty
If you’re a regular reader you know we cover more than just twangy music. Whether it’s rock or blues or folk, the thread that ties them to country or bluegrass is their rootsy foundation. So when I read that Philadelphian Don McCloskey took a lot of inspiration from 80’s musical icons Peter Gabriel and Paul […]
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder – Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder have a history going back nearly 60 years, which officially makes Get On Board a long-awaited reunion – and something to cherish. With the profound contributions and pedigrees of Mahal and Cooder, we expect brilliance, and the album more than meets those expectations. In the mid-1960s, when Ry Cooder was […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival – 2022 Edition
Just outside Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas, lays a 150 acre spread that’s home to Old Settler’s Music Festival, which wrapped up this past Sunday. I had the pleasure of being there for almost all of the four-day event (five, if you count the open mic event on Wednesday night in the campground). They […]
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters – Mercy Me
There are a few people whose artistry separates them from the many excellent artists plying their trade and lifts them to a level of their own. With every brush stroke, word written or note played, their mastery shines through. Ronnie Earl is such an artist. The son of two Holocaust survivors, Earl was born Ronald […]
Opal Canyon – Tomorrow To the Sea
There are certain musical styles and sounds that evoke thoughts of a particular part of the country. The brassy jazz of New Orleans, the polka-laced country of the Texas Hill Country, the thoughtful folk-rock of Southern California. The latter was invoked by a duo based across the country, Massachusetts’ Opal Canyon. Their latest record, Tomorrow […]