I waited 24 years for The Who (my favorite band) to release a new album, and it didn’t make my 10-best list! What a drag. Oh well, maybe they’ll get it right in 2030. Not to worry, there were plenty of discs to celebrate in 2006. Drum roll… #1 John Gorka Writing in the Margins […]
Sarah’s Best Tracks of 2006
I purposely titled this one ‘best tracks’ because some of these songs have been floating around for a couple of years or longer, but have been released in the past year as live tracks or, in one case, a compilation release. While some people might argue that they should therefore be out of the running […]
Best of ’06: Stirred, a Playlist
This is the third of three playlists featuring some of my favorite songs of the year. Witness a double dose of Sonic Youth (oh yeah!). Its unusual for me to put the same artist twice on one mix but how could I resist when both Thurston and Kim rock the mike. Can I say that […]
Best of ’06: Shaken, a Playlist
This is the second of three playlists featuring some of my favorite songs of the year. I’m calling this one Shaken. It features songs that have an Alt-Country or Americana orientation or otherwise twanged up. They are ordered to flow (not by rank) and limited to 19 in order to fit on a single CD. […]
Best of ’06: Chilled, a Playlist
This is the first of three playlists featuring some of my favorite songs of the year. I’m calling this one Chilled. It features songs that have a Folk orientation or are otherwise mellow. They are ordered to flow (not by rank) and limited to 20 in order to fit on a single CD. For song […]
Best of 2006, The Outliers
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be narrowing down my favorite albums of the year (yes, Paris Hilton is of course a contender… bleh). I seem to be slow at this because these lists are appearing everywhere. My list of favorite albums will likely elevate the twang and usually the albums are collections of original […]
Loomer – Songs of the Wild West Island
When asked about remaking his favorite songs, Scott Loomer remarked, “You don’t cover ‘Crazy’ unless you’re Patsy Cline, which we’re not.” That’s a taste of the wit and wisdom that makes Loomer (the band) so appealing. No flash, no pretense, Songs from the Wild West Island is just a solid batch of songs that pierce […]
Music City Florida
Indulge me, I beg of you. Music City Florida is a local Tampa radio show that bills itself as “the largest chunk of radio airtime dedicated to Florida music in the whole world.” Florida’s music scene has got plenty of bragging to do, and these guys are on top of it. All genres, signed and […]
San Saba County’s “Its Not the Fall that Hurts”, At a Glance
SXSW darlings, San Saba County, take us on an around-the-world bar hop from the saloon to the cantina then back to the saloon with their latest album, Its Not the Fall That Hurts. The beechwood-aged twangers’ second full-length album is thematically heavy on heartbreak and audibly represents a diversity of Texicano influences giving it a […]
Check Out Sam Mellon and the Skylarks
Check out LA-based Alt-Country/ Americana/ Roots-Rock outfit Sam Mellon and the Skylarks. They recently put out a self-produced 3-song EP in preparation for a full-length record already in production. The band is fronted by Sam Mellon (vocals, acoustic guitar) and joined by Julie Wolf (accordian, piano, vocals), David Serby (electric bass guitar), Carl Urbinati (electric […]