Author: John Apice

Start with Woody Guthrie, go toward Ramblin’ Jack Elliott too. Then move to the ’60s where originally you’d explore Bob Dylan, but it’s really Phil Ochs & at times Joan Baez who took up that labor hammer in song. Then as time passed the most likely labor-singer would be Billy Bragg. Though not a young troubadour […]

Scheduled for release Jan. 17th Portland, Oregon’s Fruition provides a distinctive showcase of 2 LPs with 7 tracks each. Wild Is The Night, & Broken At the Break of Day, (Independent). What caught my ear: the varied solid sound these proficient musicians display with a masterful touch such as Little Feat (when Shawn Murphy sang […]

Though never a big fan of instrumentals, through the years I’ve appreciated many wonderful vocal-less tunes. As a child I adored Bert Kaemphert’s “Afrikaan Beat,” Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas,” & David Seville’s jazzy “Almost Good,” (flip of “The Chipmunk Song”). I’ve enjoyed instrumentals by Van Morrison, Horslips & Jon Mark but didn’t think Solas’ (on […]

Scheduled for Jan. 10th drop this California-based band’s 3rd release All the Space That There Is is a self-produced LP that continues in their tradition of the “high desert sound.” Unlike many releases, it’s not riveting with thunderous drums, slash & burn guitars. What it has is good songs, warm singing with melodies played proficiently […]

The voice is good, but some vocal lessons are still needed to smooth wrinkles in St. Paul, Minnesota’s Nicholas David’s performance. Be not deterred. The 11-track LP Yesterday’s Gone (drops Nov 29 – Wildheart Records) was recorded in New Orleans & cool originals flourish. David’s obvious Dr. John-inflected vocal moments are worthy. His voice has […]

For people who enjoy vocals similar to David Fogelberg, Steve Goodman, Jonathan Edwards, Emitt Rhodes or Jackson Browne this LP by 5-time Emmy winner Mark Oblinger will be quite intriguing. Fortunately, despite a light touch, Mark doesn’t project like a wimpy-folk singer. His voice has depth, character, and sincerity. “Judgment Road,” (should’ve been called “Playing […]

They say jazz great Charlie Parker would go to a saloon, order drinks, then go to the jukebox to punch in country songs. A peer once asked, “why do you always play these silly songs?” Parker said, “listen to the stories man, it’s all about the stories.” Claudia Nygaard tells stories that Parker would probably […]

When a relatively major artist/producer decides to record a raw stripped-down LP ala Springsteen’s “Nebraska,” it’s probably a labor of love rather than a straight-ahead commercial endeavor. But, Joe Henry, diagnosed with prostate cancer (in remission) obviously wanted to say something with special ingredients. Here, the 4-time Grammy winner’s 15th LP uses a few friends […]