A few times over the years I put together a series of special playlists featuring my favorite kiss off songs. Despite what some may think, I’m really not that cynical. Rather, I just appreciate how some songwriters can tackle the topic with humor and bite. It’s kind of like a genre unto itself. There have […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Jan/Feb 2023
Missing Someone, Jaimee Harris (from the Folk N Roll Records/Thirty Tigers release Boomerang Town) Harris’ eagerly awaited sophomore release has arrived – and it’s a beauty. What makes it even compelling is that its beauty isn’t easy. Harris fills her songs with difficult topics and troubled characters, digging into them with a thoughtful perspective. The […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2016, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Walking With a Stranger by Escondido It’s tempting to describe Escondido as cosmic country. Sure, that’s a core part of the duo’s sound. There’s a rock undercurrent and a musical tension, however, that pushes beyond the genre’s typical boundaries. Primary vocalist Jessica Maros has an ethereal voice but a healthy dose […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best Songs of 2012
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2012 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Love Changes Everything, Session Americana (from the self-released Love and Dirt) Session Americana wrap […]
Mayer’s Picks: Best EPs of 2012
Several of my favorite releases from this year were 5-6 song sets rather than 8-10+ song full-length releases. Here, in no particular order, are a few favorite EPs from 2012. THE VANSADERS, The Vansaders If you like your rock-and-roll raucous and whiskey-soaked, you’ll be hard-pressed to find music better than the Vansaders. I’ll take mine […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2012
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Radiant Land, by Leeroy Stagger British Columbia singer-songwriter Stagger is a bit of a dichotomy. One minute he is singing an uplifting ode to love, the next minute a seething indictment of economic injustice. He reminds one of Steve Earle in many ways, possessing a restless fervor channeled through no bullshit […]