When I hear the term “heartland rock,” one voice pops up in my head – John Mellencamp. Decades of guitar-based, everyman songs sung in a gritty voice, combined with tireless, real-life advocacy of American farmers and other Midwestern folks, make him the Head of the Heartland. Hell, “Pink Houses” alone would’ve been enough to earn […]
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We’ve all dealt with our share of mortality over the past two years, but musicians seem to have more ghosts than most. Their lives and songs are strewn with memories of family, friends, bandmates and exes who have passed on. Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore have spent two lifetimes sharing stages and studio space with just […]
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Jamestown Revival — Young Man Time can mess with your head in strange ways, especially when it comes to aging. Seemingly no time passes between the heady confidence of youth and the weariness of rapidly approaching middle age. The only way to mark the years is the wisdom you’ve gained along the way (which, of […]
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2021’s “45 RPM (Reasons to Purchase Music)” with Playlist After the absolute stillness of 2020, I would take the anticipation found in a 2021 merch line injected into my veins. And that’s what most of this year was – a shot to the musical system, where both concertgoers and artists found themselves stunned at how […]
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Lori McKenna — Christmas is Right Here Christmas music, like the holiday itself, shifts in meaning and tone as we age into middle adulthood. While the joy doesn’t necessarily dissolve, it’s joined by emotions that spring from relatives who have passed, a busted-up relationship, or just the trials and tribulations that come with being a […]
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Lead off your album with the right song, and I’m on board for the full ride. Tell me a story, show me what you’ve got musically, but don’t give it all away. Charles Wesley Godwin does just that at the beginning of his second album, How the Mighty Fall. I’m engaged from track one, but […]
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“I never was a country singer. I’m still not a country singer. I just write songs and play ‘em. I’m Guy Clark.” He’s right. The Texas singer-songwriter was as singular a character as you’ll find across the history of Americana music. His songs are revered and indelible, his playing was beautiful and unfussy, and the […]
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Courtney Hartman has lived the musical vagabond life that many others have only written about. The Colorado-born singer/songwriter/guitar player left home to study at Berklee College of Music, toured with Boston-based string band Della Mae, recorded albums with Robert Ellis and Taylor Ashton, and hiked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in Spain (which largely inspired […]
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Landslide Records 40th Anniversary Compilation There’s a very romantic – and very outdated – image of running a record label: seeking out artists with a unique vision, then working to expose them to the masses. Truth is, music is treated as a commodity by the biggest of brokers, and the art often gets quashed by […]
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Jackson + Sellers Breaking Point For two artists who recently formed a band together, Jade Jackson and Aubrie Sellers have very different musical backgrounds. Sellers, the daughter of Nashville country musicians, has two records of what she’s termed “garage country,” while Jackson, with help from producer and punk rock legend Mike Ness, has released two […]
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