Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances […]
Americana Music Awards – 2018 Edition
As has become tradition in the middle of September, the Americana Music Festival rolled into Nashville earlier this month.  The opening of the festival used to be the Awards show at the fabulous Ryman Auditorium, but over the past couple of years the festival has outgrown its 4 day window and this year you could start […]
Monday Morning Video – the John Moreland Band
Oklahoma singer-songwriter John Moreland typically tours as a solo artist or with accompanist John Calvin Abney, so it’s a special treat to see him fronting a full band. Here’s “I Need You To Tell Me Who I Am,” a favorite from 2013’s In the Throes. How about a full band live album, John? Pretty please?
Readers’ Pick: Malcolm Holcombe – Come Hell or High Water
You picked Come Hell or High Water by singer-songwriter, Malcolm Holcombe, as your favorite new release for the week of September 14, 2018. Poll Results New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Summer & Fall […]
Malcolm Holcombe – Come Hell Or High Water
It’s a sound you don’t hear much anymore.  A man’s voice, tarred by tobacco, scraped by coal dust, and soaked in whiskey, telling tales of hardworking heroes and mysterious spirits in the night.  Add musical talent to that and you’ll get songs about life in the rural mountains of America.  The gold standard for that sound […]
Monday Morning Video – Pearl Jam with Bill Janovitz
Hey Eddie – this is one of my favorite songs, too. They don’t come much better than Buffalo Tom’s “Taillights Fade.” Here is Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz joining Pearl Jam at a recent Fenway Park show in Boston.
Readers’ Pick: Mike Farris – Silver and Stone
You picked Silver and Stone by singer-songwriter, Mike Farris, as your favorite new release for the week of September 7, 2018. Poll Results New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Summer & Fall 2018 WILLIE […]
Ray Bonneville – At King Electric
Listening to Ray Bonneville’s spartan lyrics evokes images of freight yards, open prairies and empty dwellings. His masterful, moody songs on At King Electric embody the spirit of the North American continent he has wandered for decades. Born in Quebec, Bonneville learned English when his family moved to Boston when he was twelve. Though his […]
Guster on the Ocean- Saturday night at Thompson’s Point
Written by Jeff McMahon, Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon Guster’s “On the Ocean” weekend didn’t involve seeing a body of water until the the band took the stage at Thompson’s Point in Portland on Saturday night. It’s a little park that juts out into the water in a very secluded area (no houses were visible […]
Guster on the Ocean- Friday night at the State Theatre
Written by Jeff McMahon, Photos by Suzanne Davis McMahon On the Ocean, Guster’s very own summer festival, entered it’s second year. The band pulled together a festival for the very specific fan that loves Guster. In Portland, Maine, Guster fans were treated to a fun time among friends. As fans of Guster, we seem to share a […]