It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is shaping up quite nicely, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2016. WILLOW SPRINGS by MICHAEL MCDERMOTT Michael McDermott channels life’s hardships, both his own and those […]
Guy Clark, 1941 – 2016
An already rough year for music just got a bit tougher. Legendary country and folk singer Guy Clark passed away earlier today. He was an inspiration to both music fans and artists alike. Whether singing songs happy or sad, there was a tremendous warmth to his music and a wonderful vibrancy to his lyrical storytelling. […]
Merle Haggard Remembered
The interwebs are, understandably, full of posts with people’s favorite Merle Haggard songs after the legend passed away on Wednesday. Â You could certainly do a lot worse than spending time listening to your favorites all over again, and maybe venturing out into a few you aren’t familiar with. But there’s a lot more we owe […]
SXSW 2016 – Say What?!
One of my favorite things about SXSW (well, after the music) are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from SXSW 2016. THE SXSW EXPERIENCE I almost had a Marilyn moment there. I’m either sorry or you’re welcome. Whitney Rose when a gust of wind caught her […]
SXSW 2016 – The Sounds, Part 3
And yet more favorites from SXSW 2016… Matthew Logan Vasquez It may have been just past noon, but the Delta Spirit front-man came to rock. Vasquez prowled around the stage while he and What Made Milwaukee Famous guitarist Michael Kingcaid traded some snarling guitar solos. His set leaned heavily on songs from Solicitor Returns, his […]
SXSW 2016 – The Sounds, Part 2
SXSW never lacks for great music, so here are more favorites from 2016. Ryan Adams One of the few relatively big budget corporate events this year was Marriott hosting a couple of nights of music at their downtown Austin location. It was an interesting venue as the ballroom setting made the shows feel sort of […]
SXSW 2016 – The Sounds, Part 1
We’re gonna start with the faves – these are the artists who delivered my favorite sets of SXSW 2016. JAVIER ESCOVEDO Escovedo didn’t do much talking but, then again, he didn’t have too. He and his crack band demolished the crowd with a two (sometimes three) guitar onslaught and the best set of straight-up rock […]
SXSW 2016 – The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,200 bands and more than 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – The Video Companion
Actual videos of our fave Folk Alliance performances are hard to come by, well at least good quality ones. So we decided to go with the next best thing – videos of these performers captured in other, sometimes unique, locations. Featured in this video playlist are: The Show Ponies, Parsonsfield, Aoife O’Donovan, Session Americana, Bob […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – Say What?!
One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s Folk Alliance Conference. It’s no fun listening to someone tune a banjo, but it’s even less fun listening to an out of tune one. Parsonsfield […]