REVIEW: Rayland Baxter’s “Wide Awake” Is His Best Yet
While this album involved a number of hands, it never feels overproduced. It doesn’t feel too pop, and it doesn’t feel too country. It feels just right.
Author: Mark Joseph Engleson
Show Review: Cowboy Junkies’ Played a Swath of Material To Overflowing Birchmere
Whenever I attend the Birchmere in Alexandria VA, I always glance to my right as I enter the parking lot, where the overflow parking is located. If the crowd is going to be light, the additional parking is closed, blocked with chains. Last Wednesday, the additional parking was very much open and very much filling […]
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REVIEW: Punch Brothers’ “All Ashore” Struts Their Instrumental Virtuosity
In progressive bluegrass, there is perhaps no one better than these men.
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REVIEW: Israel Nash’s “Lifted” Synthesizes Americana and Psychedelic Sounds
Balancing Americana and psychedelia is no easy feat. Americana strips down music, does less with more, while psychedelia layers sounds to create an aural kaleidoscope that swirls the listener’s sense. They pull in opposite directions. It’s a credit to Israel Nash that he’s produced an album that does this as well as it does
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Interview: Chuck Hawthorne on Austin, Veterans, and Moving Forward
Chuck Hawthorne calls me exactly on time. Even driving in the rain between gigs, the 21-year veteran of the Marine Corps’s discipline wins out. We quickly agree to talk after Chuck has arrived in DC. Chuck calls me about 40 minutes later. He’s just gotten into DC from Chester, Maryland, on Kent Island, the largest […]
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Show Review: Yarn Turned Their Subtle Guitar Tones Up at the New City Winery in Washington, D.C.
All bands have nights when crowd turnout isn’t what they’d like. “We were really hoping to impress and fill this great room,” said Yarn frontman Blake Christiana to the intimate crowd that had gathered to hear the alt-country band Friday night at DC’s City Winery. Blake and the other members of Yarn handled the situation […]
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Show Review: Tish Hinojosa Honored Requests and Delighted Crowd at Jammin’ Java in Northern VA
Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Tish Hinojosa played an intimate performance on Sunday evening at Jammin Java in the DC suburbs, enchanting a passionate crowd of dedicated friends. Touring behind her first album in five years, West, Tish played some new material, but she also delighted the crowd by not just playing her old standards, but by […]
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On the Mark: Studio Albums and Live Performances
When you listen to an album, you are, oftentimes, listening to a perfected version of an artist’s music. Artists prepare to be at their best when they record in the studio – one artist I reviewed, Sarah Shook, completely gave up alcohol for two week prior to beginning recording. Studios have, or should have, ideal […]
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REVIEW: AHI’s “In Our Time” Channels Social Consciousness Through Soulful Folk
Canadian musician AHI (pronounced “eye”) cites Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and Tupac Shakur as the artists he most admires. Listening to In Our Time (Thirty Tigers/All Eyes) I hear strains of yet other legendary performers: Marvin Gaye and Richie Havens. AHI channels the social consciousness of both late artists through the soulful singing of Gaye […]
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REVIEW: Tish Hinojosa Is New Branch on Austin Folk-Country Tree
Austin is home to a distinctive tradition of folk-country, a tree that runs through the legendary Townes Van Zandt and Nanci Griffith today. I’d been listening to some of this music recently, and, when I played Tish Hinojosa’s new album, West, I connected her to this tradition. Unsurprisingly, Tish does in fact reside in Austin. […]
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