Author: CharliesTrail

Originally from Indianapolis, Denison is a writer and musician who has picked up culture and influences from eccentrics all over the U.S. and overseas. He is a University of Kentucky Journalism School grad and an award-winning Montana journalist. Through the years he's had work published in "Chicken Soup From the Soul," Netflix, Montana Quarterly, NUVO, Americana Highways and Distinctly Montana. He has a solo album, "Whispers of the Lonely," and continues to write new songs and perform. Currently Denison is the editor of Stillwater County, Montana's weekly newspaper.

REVIEW: Wasperjaws “In-Law Country”

October 30, 2026October 30, 2026CharliesTrail0

Wasperjaws In-Law Country Wasperjaws is back, and, like the Avett Brothers did with Emotionalism, the band now has an album whose title names its genre: “In-Law Country.” What is “in-law country,” you ask? I’m not going to define it. I’ll let the album do the talking. What I can tell you is that it’s sincere. […]

REVIEW: Uncle Lucius: “Open Eyes, Broken Heart”

September 23, 2026September 23, 2026CharliesTrail0

Uncle Lucius: “Open Eyes, Broken Heart” Two decades into their career, Uncle Lucius aren’t interested in nostalgia. They’re more interested in turning the highlights of the past twenty years — platinum-selling singles, sold-out shows stretching from Austin to Amsterdam, a breakup and a resurrection nobody planned for — into fuel for something even brighter. On […]

REVIEW: The Jayhawks: “Sanctuary Park”

August 26, 2026August 26, 2026CharliesTrail0

The Jayhawks Sanctuary Park I didn’t have time to write this review. But when I looked on the Americana Highways “to be reviewed” spreadsheet and saw the Jayhawks were releasing Sanctuary Park on Aug. 28, I signed up anyway. I made time. And I’m glad I did. I’ve been blown away with each listen. It’s […]

REVIEW: Sean Devine “Paradise Valley Sessions”

August 19, 2026August 19, 2026CharliesTrail0

Sean Devine Paradise Valley Sessions There are some songwriters whose albums are so personal and honest that when you hear their latest work it’s like catching up with an old friend. Sean Devine’s seventh album, Paradise Valley Sessions, has that feeling from the first note — except this time, the catching up happened live, in […]

REVIEW: Tedeschi Trucks Band “Future Soul”

March 26, 2026March 26, 2026CharliesTrail0

Tedeschi Trucks Band Future Soul Nearly 25 years ago, while growing up in Indianapolis, I saw Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks perform at separate shows. Tedeschi toured with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble; Trucks led his Soul Serenade crew. Both were phenomenal. Both were incomplete. They didn’t know it yet – how could they? – […]

REVIEW: Bo DePeña “Rather Move Up”

December 19, 2025December 19, 2025CharliesTrail0

Bo DePeña – Rather Move Up (Yellow DOG Studios) There’s a moment at the start of Bo DePeña’s Rather Move Up that cuts through all the noise of modern country music like a clean blade: “Half of the mistakes I made stone cold sober.” It’s the opening line of “Half of My Mistakes,” and if […]

REVIEW: Uncle Lucius: “Live in ’25”

November 20, 2025November 22, 2025CharliesTrail0

Uncle Lucius Live in ’25 2025 is almost over now, and I was really hoping to see Uncle Lucius on this tour. They were coming to Missoula and Bozeman, and I was going to make one of those shows. Then my dad had a medical emergency, and I missed it. But, this Friday, Nov. 21, […]

REVIEW: Warren Haynes “The Whisper Sessions”

October 8, 2025October 21, 2025CharliesTrail0

Warren Haynes The Whisper Sessions Sometimes the most powerful music happens when you let it be—raw, unvarnished, naked. Warren Haynes understands this, and his new digital-only release, The Whisper Sessions, proves that less can indeed be more. Released September 12th via Fantasy Records, this collection of intimate renditions takes seven standout tracks from his acclaimed […]

REVIEW: Tedeschi Trucks Band “Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (Live at LOCKN’)”

September 12, 2025September 12, 2025CharliesTrail0

Tedeschi Trucks Band Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (Live at LOCKN’) Picture Joe Cocker on stage, contorting his body like he’s being electrocuted while his shoes are glued to a board. That wild, almost painful physicality wasn’t showmanship – it was pure soul pouring out through every muscle, every spasm, every desperate gesture. Cocker couldn’t […]

REVIEW: Justin Wade Tam and Jamie Drake “So Many Melodies”

September 8, 2025September 7, 2025CharliesTrail0

Justin Wade Tam and Jamie Drake “So Many Melodies” Justin Wade Tam and Jamie Drake released So Many Melodies in February, and I’ve been meaning to write a review. My world has been full, and it’s been harder to make time for this than I’d like to admit, to sit in the stillness and soak in […]