Brooklyn’s Mel and the Tall Boys tap into something timeless with “The Breeze.” Singer-songwriter Mel Johnston fuses the pop classicism of Peggy Lee with the melodic edge of Mary Weiss and the Shangri-Las, deftly channeling that lineage with confidence and grace. Lush instrumentation, including strings, piano, and percussion, adds rhythmic drive and cinematic color behind […]
Will Overman on Road Life and Traveling Songs
Nashville singer-songwriter Will Overman talks about being inspired to break guitar strings, working as a camp counselor, and the mysterious meaning behind an early composition.
Nicki Bluhm on Tour Bus Life and Caring for Horses
Singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm talks about renovating her home studio and learning to to live on the constant ebb and flow of a musician’s income.
Monday Morning Video – John Prine “Pretty Good”
Any week that starts with some John Prine feels a little more bearable, doesn’t it? Prine, who would have turned 79 last week, left behind a catalog full of songs that notice what the rest of us miss—the loneliness in a mundane conversation, the dignity in just getting by, the whole emotional landscape hidden in […]
Rhett Miller on Old 97s First Tour Van, Working as a Maître D’, and Teaching Songwriting
Rhett Miller talks about the benefits that come with his role teaching undergraduates songwriting, the first song that he wrote, and Old 97s approach to rehearsals.
Monday Morning Video – Adeem the Artist
A favorite song from a few years back, courtesy of Adeem the Artist: “Books and Records” from White Trash Revelry. It’s humble and heartbreaking in equal measure.
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 […]
Chestnut Vibes on a Saturday Night – A Boston Playlist
Promised Land, Ward Hayden and the Outliers (from the Faster Horses Recordings release Little By Little) On Little By Little, Ward Hayden and the Outliers take on Bruce Springsteen’s songs with both respect and imagination, reshaping them in their distinctive country style. Hayden’s expressive vocals and the band’s warm, rootsy sound give these classics new […]
Joshua Radin on Being a Person of Ritual and His View on Rehearsals
Singer-songwriter Joshua Radin talks about working as a children’s art teacher for inner city kids in Chicago and why he took himself so seriously early in his career.
AmericanaFest 2025, Mayer’s Picks (Part 2)
SOPHIE GAULT Sophie Gault kept busy at AmericanaFest this year. I managed to catch her three times—solo, with the SiriusXM house band, and with her own crew—each performance more electrifying than the previous. There’s something about an artist finally making music on her own terms, and the new songs she previewed suggest her 2026 album […]