I stumbled across Julianna Riolino at SXSW a few years ago. I went to see Daniel Romano and was greeted with a welcome surprise: Riolino performing a set backed by Romano and company. Great songs, high energy, and a kick you in the ass attitude. Here’s a taste from the release party for Riolino’s 2022 […]
Monday Morning Video – Daniel Romano’s Outfit
I watched Daniel Romano’s Outfit lay waste to New York City’s Bowery Ballroom this past weekend. All rock, no banter (except when the drummer broke the bass drum – when was the last time you saw THAT happen). The set not only featured songs from Romano’s extensive catalog, but also a few from bandmates Carson […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2021
What’s the Matter, James McMurtry (from the New West Records release The Horses and the Hounds) Even in the shittiest of years – and the past two years have been beauts – new music from James McMurtry is always a bright spot. In fact, given the songwriter’s infrequent album releases – The Horses and the Hounds is […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2020, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2020 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. I Remember Everything, John Prine I Don’t Want This (Job Interview), Jackson Emmer (from […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 1
Remember It, The Northern Belle (from the Die With Your Boots On Records release We Wither, We Bloom) You’d never know from their music that The Northern Belle hails from Norway. Their brand of Americana is bathed in Southern California sunshine in more ways than one. This is music warm and lavish, not to mention […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2017
Here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2017. New MistakesTerra Lightfoot Letters Never ReadDori Freeman Other Love SongsFront Country Boy Crazy and Single(s)Lydia Loveless Transient LullabyThe Mastersons The World We BuiltThe Wild Reeds Youth DetentionLee Bains III and the Glory Fires Tomorrow ForeverMatthew Sweet Life Is FinePaul Kelly This Is My […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2017, Part 2
No Heart Left Behind, Hannah Aldridge (from the Rootsy Music release Gold Rush) “I take my heartache with a little bit of ice,” announces Muscle Shoals-raised Hannah Aldridge on “Burning Down Birmingham,” one of several stand-outs from her latest release. Electric guitars lead the charge, sometimes chugging with an insistent stoicism and other times unleashing […]
Readers’ Pick: Modern Pressure by Daniel Romano
You picked Modern Pressure from Ontario-based singer-songwriter Daniel Romano, as your favorite new release for the week of May 19, 2017. 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 Spring 2017 COLTER WALL, Colter Wall […]
Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH My Way Home by Eli Paperboy Reed They say that what doesn’t kill us just makes us stronger. While not quite that extreme, Brooklyn by way of Boston singer-songwriter Eli Paperboy Reed emerges from the ashes of a major label deal gone bad with a remarkable new album. The slick production […]
Mea Culpa! A Special Summer Playlist, Part 2
Devil in Me, Anderson East (from the Low Country Sound/Elektra Records release Delilah) There’s something special about that old-school soul sound. It’s all the more impressive when it is created by a young whippersnapper like Anderson East. The Nashville by way of Alabama singer-songwriter serves up an exhilarating debut album that is steeped in Muscle […]