Once upon a time there was a band called Scruffy the Cat. I have no idea where the name came from but it somehow fit the boisterous group from Boston. They rocked, rattled and rolled their way across the US for many a year, making a hearty racket wherever they went. They played the label […]
Newport Folk Festival – Friday
Ryan Adams really summed up the 2014 Newport Folk Fest experience well when he said, “”Like ten years ago I was depressed and now I’m playing music with *&$%ing sailboats in the background.” The setting at the legendary festival is literally one of the most beautiful spots as it juts far out into Narragansett Bay. […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2014, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Too Blessed to be Stressed, by Paul Thorn It has been a bit of a wait for some new music from Tupelo Mississippi’s second favorite musical son. Thorn bridged the gap between 2010’s Pimps and Preachers and now with What the Hell Is Goin On, a fun covers album. While I […]
Down by the Green River
It’s the best little festival you’ve never heard of. At least I hadn’t until this year. Who knew that over the span of 28 years the little known festival in central Massachusetts would host the likes of Gillian Wellch, Mavis Staples, Alison Kraus & Union Station, Buddy Guy, and Lucinda Williams to name a few. […]
Readers’ Pick: Long in the Tooth by Billy Joe Shaver
You picked Long in the Tooth by Billy Joe Shaver as your favorite for the week of August 5, 2014. Readers’ Top Picks (last 4 weeks) Terms Of My Surrender by John Hiatt (16) Acoustic Classics by Richard Thompson (15) [7/22] Long in the Tooth by Billy Joe Shaver (13) [7/29] They Want My Soul […]
Robin Williams, 1951-2014
Monday Morning Video: Andrew Combs
Nashville-based artist Andrew Combs passed through Boston a few weeks back and played this gem. I said E-M-I-L-Y, why, why tell me Emily You got me wrapped around your finger like a chain around a D-O-G, I said E-M-I-L-Y, why, why tell me Emily Oh woman like you are trouble with a capital T. Combs […]
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen – Cold Spell
By the late 60’s and early 70’s bluegrass had evolved from Bill Monroe’s radical take on old-timey music to a relatively known and expected performance and sound.  The Stanley Brothers, the Foggy Mountain Boys, The Osborne Brothers, and many of their peers followed a set framework and style with matching dress and choreographed solos.  It’s hard […]
Readers’ Pick: Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
You picked Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as your favorite for the week of Jul 29, 2014. Readers’ Top Picks (last 4 weeks) Terms Of My Surrender by John Hiatt (16) Acoustic Classics by Richard Thompson (15) [7/22] Still on the Levee by Chris Smither (12) [7/22] Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty […]
Monday Morning Video: Don’t F with the Band
We’ll stray a bit from our usual fare today. Here’s Jason Isbell and Bettye LaVette taking some obnoxious show attendees to task. It’s about the music, people.