Having given a bit of flavor on the overall vibe of the annual Folk Alliance International conference, it’s time to rewind through some of my favorite sets of the week. Setting A High Bar A lot of performers at FAI have been making a living playing music for decades.  They’re not lucky, they’re just good.  Trout Fishing […]
Otis Taylor – Fantasizing About Being Black
Otis Taylor is a fascinating artist.  Each of his albums, at least over the past few years, have some theme – some linkage between the songs or the listening experience Taylor is trying to create. With his Hey Joe Opus in 2015, Taylor tossed out the rule book by including Billy Roberts’ classic “Hey Joe,” made […]
2017 Folk Alliance International – Overall Conference Highlights
Back from the 2017 Folk Alliance International conference and nearly caught up on sleep (more on that later), let’s start coverage with a look at the overall event. Â Not surprisingly, there are seminars on the music business, musical performances, and an awards show. Â There are also a lot of things catering to the musicians themselves, […]
Monday Morning Video – A Visit To Beer Town
Session Americana, my hometown faves, sure know how to throw a party. Here’s a clip of them bringing their revelry to Nashville last year.
Readers’ Pick: Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins by Chuck Prophet
You picked “Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins” from singer-songwriter extraordinaire, CHUCK PROPHET, as your favorite new release for the week of February 10, 2016. 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 Winter 2017 […]
Son Volt – Notes Of Blue
For avid fans of a particular musician or band, it’s usually the case that through interviews and side projects you can hear the influences that set them down the path to create their own unique sound. Â That’s hard to do for a particular branch of the musical genre tree, however. Â There are just too many […]
Romantica – Shadowlands
It has been seven years since we heard from Romantica. Of course we have heard from front man Ben Kyle in the meantime. He has done two acclaimed albums. One was a duet with Carrie Rodriguez and the other was a solo project. The wait for new material from Romantica was well worth it. The […]
Monday Morning Video – Jim Croce Live in Concert
The catalog that Jim Croce created during his short life and career is awe-inspiring. From the entertaining storytelling of “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” to the heart-tugging beauty of “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)” he demonstrated a mastery that leaves us wondering what could have been if he hadn’t died in a […]
Music With a Purpose – Revived and Revitalized
Several years back I did a series about music released with an eye towards social impact or change. Called Music With a Purpose, it was one of the more enjoyable series that I’ve written. The starting point was some great music, made all the more significant given the underlying meaning. Well, the time has come […]
Readers’ Pick: ‘Talk About That’ by John Mayall
You picked “Talk About That” from blues master, JOHN MAYALL, as your favorite new release for the week of February 3, 2016. 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 Winter 2017 BRIGITTE DEMEYER AND […]