LYDIA LOVELESS Loveless played two shows to celebrate a new album, Something Else, a reimagined version of her 2014 release Somewhere Else. The new release is nearly entirely Loveless solo on piano and was the focus of a stunning Thursday appearance at Todd Snider’s Purple Building. The next afternoon Loveless and John Calvin Abney brought […]
Americana 2022: Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
The Americana Music Association Conference and Awards made a welcome return from the virtual world this year. The annual event showcased several hundred artists who collectively illustrate the breadth of the Americana umbrella. Here are some of my highlights from Americana 2022. CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM Ingram is now in the category of “when you can […]
AmericanaFest 2022 – Shawn’s Favorites
I was once again fortunate enough to attend the fall celebration of all things roots music, AmericanaFest. Taking place across most of a week, the traditional kick-off is the Americana Music Awards on Wednesday night. The official showcases also started Wednesday, and ended Saturday night. And this year the unofficial events started on Tuesday and […]
Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman – We Made It Home
“Heaven is right here, if you’re doing it right.” Â Those words lead the chorus of Black Grace, a song that won Melody Walker the songwriting contest last year at Merlefest. Â She and partner Jacob Groopman have just released We Made It Home that includes Black Grace and number of other treasures. Â Produced by bluegrass virtuoso […]
Melody Walker – Gold Rush Goddess
Kris Kristofferson famously wrote “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. Â Although it became an anthem for a certain lifestyle back in the 70’s, Kristofferson himself would probably admit life’s a little more nuanced than that. Â Whether consciously or not, Melody Walker seems to be exploring a lot of those shades of gray […]